QUOTES

I keep a running document on my computer of quotes that I like. I didn't predetermine the subjects I wanted the quotes to be about, but they mostly talk about self-improvement. That's a little embarrassing, I think. Here are some of them:

"Take this rule: whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off the relish of spiritual things; in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself." - Susanna Wesley, mother of John Wesley (founder of Methodism) and Charles Wesley (famous writer of protestant hymns, like "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" and "Christ The Lord Is Risen Today")

“Were man but constant, he were perfect”

Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona (adjusted a little by me)

‎"I must return to the mountains—to Yosemite. I am told that the winter storms there will not be easily borne, but I am bewitched, enchanted, and tomorrow I must start for the great temple to listen to the winter songs and sermons preached and sung only there." - John Muir

“The moon looks wonderful in this warm evening light, just as a candle flame looks beautiful in the light of morning. Light within light. It seems like a metaphor for Something. So much does. Ralph Waldo Emerson is excellent on this point.

“It seems to me to be a metaphor for the human soul, the singular light within the great general light of existence. Or it seems like poetry within language. Perhaps wisdom within experience. Or marriage within friendship and love. I’ll try to remember to use this. I believe I see a place for it in my thoughts on Hagar and Ishmael. Their time in the wilderness seems like a specific moment of divine Providence within the whole providential regime of Creation.” –Marilynne Robinson's Gilead, pg. 119

“I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life, the life of toil and effort, of labor and strife; to preach that highest form of success which comes, not to the man who desires mere easy peace, but to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship, or from bitter toil, and who out of these wins the ultimate triumph.” – Theodore Roosevelt on the strenuous life

Thoughts on the recent Republican debate

I'm watching the Arizona Republican Primary Debates right now.

Here are thoughts:

-I like that Rick Santorum is a family guy. He seems truly passionate about helping children be born in wedlock and the benefit of being raised in homes.

-I get a kick out of Ron Paul's delivery. He has such a great straight-forward delivery for stuff.

-On this question about contraception and the recent issue with Obama and the Catholic Church, it is very interesting to see the candidates essentially agreeing with each other, and supporting each other. They're all just attacking Obama and not really attacking each other.

-Newt Gingrich freaks me out! He seems to me like the most Washington-y guy possible. Like if we want no change, then vote for him. Also, it seems like he is so pumped to have a chance at being president, and all for the wrong reasons. Like he just wants the power, and that's it.

-I love this picture of a Ron Paul fan.

-I am excited to see whoever wins this run against Obama.

Here are some grammar jokes.

Jokes:

What do you call one of Santa's little helpers?
A subordinate clause.


A comma splice walks into a bar, it has a drink and then leaves.


~Make me a milkshake.
~ZAP! You're a milkshake.


Here are some words I learned on my vocab app:
abase, abdicate, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhorrence, abhorrent, abidance, abject, abjure, aboveboard, abscond, abstruse, abyss, accede, accession, acclaim, actuary, actuate, acumen, acute, addle, adduce, afire, aghast, agile, amicable, ardent, ardor, arid, armada, armory, arraign, arrange, arrant, arrear, arrogate, arthurian, artifice, artless, ascendant, ascension, ascetic, ascribe, ashen, askance, aspiration, aspire, assailant, assay, assent, assess, assessor, assets, assiduous, assmilate, assonance

Here are the last couple lines of a cover letter from a job application that was forwarded around because it was funny. It has a nice comma splice in it too.

"Please realize that I am not a braggart or conceited, I just want to outline my usefulness. Egos can be a huge liability, and I try not to have one.

"Thank you so much for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you."

granola

I made this granola the other day and it was good. It doesn't have any refined sugar in it, which I like. I actually made it twice, and the first time I accidentally put in 10 cups of oats but the same amount of all the other ingredients, and it was still really good. The other time I made it with the normal amounts.

Ingredients

5 cups rolled oats
1 cup blanched slivered almonds
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup wheat germ
2 cups shredded coconut
1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups honey
1 cup raisins
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

2) In a large bowl, stir together the oats, almonds, walnuts, pecans, sesame seeds, wheat germ, coconut and sunflower seeds. In a small pan over medium heat, stir together the oil and honey. Cook and stir until blended. You could also do this in a large measuring cup in the microwave, heating for about 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Pour over the oat mixture, and stir to coat evenly. Spread out in an even layer on two cookie sheets.

3) Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the oats and nuts are toasted. Immediately after it comes out of the oven, stir in the raisins and dried cranberries. Let stand until cooled, and stir again to break up any large clusters. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks, but I guarantee it won't be around that long!

nydisfo

new years day in san francisco-- a decision we made because of the impulse to do something new. my best buddy clark and i were in orange county after christmas, and on the 30th we decided that we should leave early the next morning to san francisco, visit some friends, and spend the day and night there. the best way to take in any new city is on foot or on bikes, so we borrowed some bikes from a friend and parked our car at golden gate park and starting scootin around. golden gate park was surprisingly huge, and has everything you can imagine a park having in it, like a polo field, mountain bike trails, a windmill, a major museum, a major music venue, etc. at one end of the park is ocean beach, which the u.s. open of surfing recently added to its tour.

here is a video of clark, a photographer, taking it in:

Every sky is new

Okay this is a new thing I did, but it's only passive "doing." It fits in the blog more based on wordplay than based on initiative. I saw this sunset once, I had never seen it before, and I will never see it again. Interestingly, I get a lot of the same pleasure out of seeing a sunset each day that I do out of actively doing something new.

I like to run on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, that runs all along the side of the valley, from south of Provo all the way to the north of Salt Lake. I try to go between about 4pm and 8pm each day because the weather is almost always interesting during those hours, no matter what type the weather is. I like running in rain, snow, sun, etc.

This sunset is from driving on I80 the other day. So it’s not actually from running. But this is the type of new thing I see every day while running.

Joy comes in the morning.

Several months ago I was struck by the epiphany that, separating my time as an LDS missionary, I could probably count on my two hands all the times when I have gone to sleep before 11pm since I was about 14 years old. I think of myself as a night person, but can’t say whether that’s due to nature or nurture, aside from the fact that my body doesn’t seem to want to go to bed at night. But really that feeling is more one of procrastination, not wanting to finish everything up to go to bed, or call it quits on an incomplete day, than a feeling of excitement from being so productive in the later hours.

This week’s goal was to engage self-discovery by trying a new daily schedule. I started off with a 10:30pm bedtime on Sunday night, planning to awake at 6:30am. I ended up doing 10:50pm to 6:35am, so pretty close. I continued with that goal throughout the week.

Though convincing myself to go to bed at night will probably continue to be a hard task, I do feel terrific when I wake up early. I like the work that I do in the mornings.

Two quotes that I want to continue pondering:

Psalm 30:5 “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

Elder Russell M. Nelson says, “in order to experience true joy in the morning, or at any time, at least three factors are needed. You need to feel good about the people with whom you live and work—your companions in life. You must feel good about yourself—not in any sense of conceit, but simply a proper esteem for yourself, well deserved. And possibly most important, you must feel good about your relation to God and sincerely love him.”

And also, Benjamin Franklin, whose words, “Early to bed, early to rise, make a man healthy, wealthy, and wise,” have become commonsense proverb, also promised, “The early morning has gold in its mouth.” He recommended consistency in rising early.