isn't that such the truth?

Unfortunately, it doesn't help much
when it comes to finals week at university.

One problem with being a Writing Fellow is that your own papers are due the exact weeks your students' papers are, too. When you're writing final papers, they're writing final papers. And when yours are 8-10 pages, theirs are, too. Plus, you'll probably have a few extra projects on the side of these ones, like German videos and class reading and daily quizzes and possibly even a research proposal due. In the meantime you might want to take an hour's break because the Boys Next Door are really adorable and also you might need to spend another hour washing dishes and singing along with a highly original (not to mention Broadway-worthy) Disney medley. Oh, and Eli Whitney doesn't fit into any of that. (Except maybe that short story you might've just imagined up . . .)

{ via graphjam }

we have impeccable timing

Ren may or may not be learning how to say
questions two and three
in Slovak.

{ via found }

E's miscellany

I think you are all just dying to know that
I got a nearly perfect 97 on my last essay for humanities
{ it was an amazing example of a list }

When you want to pluralize
a noun in Indonesian, you just say it twice.
Like, day=hari
so days=hari-hari.

It is snowing again, and I wish it would go away.

Winston Churchill found
Horatio Hornblower "admirable."

I also loved this story today
and thought you'd love it, too.

{ odds+ends tag by erinzam }

coincidences are spiritual puns

Today we're going to talk a little bit about kismet, because not only is it a wicked-cool word, but it's also a quick one-line definition of my life right now. Yep. Go ahead. Look it up. Right there in the dictionary:

E⋅liz⋅a⋅beth /ɪˈlɪzəbəθ/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [i-liz-uh-buhth], Life of (noun): kismet.
See also fate, destiny.

First, Indonesia. If you know me very well, you know that this is the last possible place anyone would guess to put me in the world. (I thought so, too.) Yet---aside from the fact that the instant I read it I felt like I'd known it all along---I have all sorts of connections to the place. As my mum wrote in an email this morning, any more Indonesia in our circles and in our circles come up? Which is a phrase we Rhondeaus like to use when we want to say it's a small world after all. A few of these circles so far:

my first semester at BYU, I went to this lecture by Dr. Alwi Shihab
and took extensive notes, one of which was
one day, I'd like to see Indonesia.

the day before I opened my call, my supervisor
was teasing me that I'd be sent to Indonesia

because, strangely enough

my coworker served his mission there and
my other coworker did, too.

(which is really extraordinary when you consider
how small this mission is compared to others)

and also

my former Young Women's president knows
an entire family in Jakarta
plus
the mission's Assistant to the President

and then there's

my Aussie friend Kelsie
who just happens to have studied Indonesian
for the past five years
and just last night
taught me how to say "My name is . . "
{ nama saya elizabeth }

More updates as they come, I suppose---but it is a little strange, isn't it? Ten years ago I was taking art lessons from Dulsi, painting wax onto cotton and dyeing my hands blue (I drew a cat), and now I'm headed for the world's batik capital.

Second, Love. There's been a lot of this about lately---all of it happy---and we're starting to wonder. The very fact that Ren and I are BFF is a tad cosmic, and as you might read from the following list, it seems that one thing has led to the other:

A SERIES OF KISMETICAL EVENTS
or, How Fate Led Them Together
{ by Ren }

PART ONE:

.I decide not to room with Sharlie

.You say you want to be with someone with Italian experience

.We are together

PART TWO:

.We decide to live together

.Sharlie bails on us

.The Kismet house fails

.Kismet House 2 is a leaky mess

.We end up at The Plaza

PART THREE:

.Mel is lovable and we adopt her as a friend immediately

.I fall inexplicably, awkwardly, in love with Crevt.

.Mel breaks up with her boyfriend.

PART FOUR:

.You and I decide to celebrate Casimir Pulaski Day and Mel loves the idea

.Mel notices Mike in the directory -- We all freak out.

.We take a picture with him

.You and I rave about how cute they are together

.and continually convince her they'd be a great couple

PART FIVE:

.You lock me out

.Holiday discussion with Mike

.Plant-a-flower-day (including dirt-digging day)

.Love children--I mean, flowers--are born--I mean, planted.

PART SIX:

.Mike makes it happen

PREQUEL:

.Mike has always loved her

Need more convincing? I had just finished typing Today we're going to talk a little bit about kismet into this post box when Ren's email with the above list showed up in my inbox. Whatever way you hack at it, something's up---and while there are coincidences, there's also kismet. And I like to believe in the latter.

{ magnolia via andrew daniel, who I heart a very lot }
+
{ post title by G.K. Chesterton. I heart him, too }

nutzlos

Nutzlos. In German, useless. It's one of the nicknames my mum got,
from when she lived in Zurich.
It's also a little bit how I feel about studying that language right now.

Also useless:

::: sculpting ice cream. hint: it will melt. really quickly.

::: suddenly shutting up and keeping quiet when
the boy I might possibly adore shows up.

::: wishing away a snowstorm. why do we live in utah, again?

: : : : : : : : : : :

I am now giving up on all of the above, and going to sleep.

I have been called to serve as a missionary
FOR THE
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
IN THE
Indonesia Jakarta Mission.

{ indonesian speaking }





1. Plumeria, 2. lombok sunset , 3. Recalling Bogor, 4. Batam Island, , 5. Bundaran Hotel , 6. Santai, 7. Krakatoa, 8. BALI BLUES, 9. Muslims pray, 10. JAKARTA, 11. Bali Island - Tanah Lot, 12. legong dancers, 13. Children of Flores., 14. Rice Harvest, 15. Meulaboh Dance Troupe, 16. buddhist monks, 17. Indonesia, 18. Jakarta Skyline, 19. merah, mas, 20. Welcome to Indonesia, 21. INDONESIA, 22. Mini Indonesia, 23. Sumbawa, 24. Indonesia, 25. the bright future

TENatTEN debuts to rapturous applause

PROVO -- TENatTEN, as participant Ms. Laws explained the concept, is a simple "ten minute performance beginning at ten o'clock" which, she was quick to point out, "happens whenever we please." With such whimsical guidelines it's a wonder they managed to pull off much of anything at all---but if their opening night is anything to go by, TENatTEN is headed for rockstar status.

The girls of s204 put on a show just as diverse and surprising as the night's soundtrack, performing tragic monologues from Juliet to Marc Anthony accompanied by the haunting reveries of English rock band Muse and the wavering melodies of lo-fi folk singer Sufjan Stevens. Costumed in black, the company also made innovative use of their props, allowing only one object for each speech, some simple---the wooden spoons for Macbeth's cauldron-stirring witches, a bouquet for Ophelia's mad singing---but others perhaps more provocative. Ms. Laws, in a searing performance of Hamlet's infamous to be, or not to be, replaced the typical human skull used in the scene for a more metaphorical jack-o-lantern. This obvious play on the futility of fear was followed by a more poignant look at the sharp sweetness of the lover's drama in a scene from Romeo + Juliet, where Ms. Henry drank her poison from a small brown vial of peppermint extract.

Props aside, Ms. Smith was the stand-out starlet of the evening, surprising the crowd with her ruthless, bloody speech from Julius Caesar. "With those prim curls and wide eyes?" said fellow cast member Ms. Rhondeau, "You never would have guessed her capable of crying havoc." Ms. Rhondeau's own scene, where she played both Hamlet's Ophelia and Queen Gertrude in succession, added another twist to the night's turns, involving audience participation with a guest star. Mr. Ladle, who stepped in with a one-liner as Laertes, hesitated only a moment at his cue before bringing the house down with a perfectly frantic Drown'd, o where? Rumour persists that Mr. Ladle has indeed applied for a permanent place with the company, but the notoriously exclusive TENatTEN has made no comment in the affirmative. "He's got the stage presence," Ms. Rhondeau admitted after the show, "but we run a rigorous application process."

The performance ended as it began, running full circle around Shakespeare's tragedies from Macbeth to Macbeth. Ms. Connell played a most effective villain, starring in the classic "Out, damn'd spot!" and bringing the house to their feet in standing ovation. Working the tail-end of Lady Macbeth's speech into their blocking, the entire cast ended on stage and took their bows as she called "To bed! To bed!", filing off stage to euphoric applause and ensuring a bright place in Plaza history.

{ for more information on TENatTEN and how to obtain tickets, be observant.
when the curtains are up and the signs out, chances are we're up to something }

to swell a progress, start a scene or two

we'd love to see these apartments in turquoise. wouldn't that be s'ghetto-fabulous?

It's Spring, it's Spring---such joyous Spring!!

{ and I'm not usually one for exclamation points, so this is a big deal }

I'm in sandals + a white floaty top with my hair wrapped up in gold
and I am learning all sorts of new things in this sunlight.

LIKE:

glitter is always a good idea.

google earth now has a flight feature.
{ just don't nosedive into Mt. Cook }

if you support Protestant Ireland, wear orange
on St. Patrick's Day.

boys attempting a british accent are even more darling
than actual british boys themselves.

when you don't know a word in German,
just smash a few English words together instead.

the gas station next door doesn't carry dry ice

and

if you build it, they will come.

: : : : : : : : : : :

ALSO:

s204 debuts our new act TEN at TEN tonight. First up? Tragedy.
If you're in the area, you're welcome to stop by.

Watch Ophelia go mad.
Share some friendly poison with Romeo + Juliet.
See Lady Macbeth shout out that damned spot.
And tremble in fear when Marc Anthony
lets slip the dogs of war.

{ it just might be epic. reserve your seat today! }

i get by with a little help from my friends

Thank you to everyone for the well-wishes and love notes!
Y'all the best.

I spent a beautiful day with my most favoritest people
{ family + friends, old + new }
doing my most favoritest things
{ breakfasts + road trips + picnics in parks }
then danced the night away at a sunday soirée
{ mocktails + fairy lights + edith piaf }

It was really one of my most best days ever spent in

this wide-wonderful world
Thank you for making twenty-one absolutely magical.
{ and while I'm given to hyperbole, that's the absolute truth }

guessing games

It's official! My call comes this week.
Most people are thinking Japan.
Walter likes to hint that I should start learning Portuguese.
I dreamt it was Bosnia.
Ren changes her predictions daily.

But, according to this no-fail-sure-fire method,

I'm going to Croatia.

i'm the one who likes gardenia

{ happy plant-a-flower day! }

Isn't it strange how Provo doesn't seem all that bad once the sun's out? We kicked off the holiday with some soil-snatching and the fun hasn't let up since---Ren + I have walked the length, width, and height of this college town today, plus took a moment to lie on a green-grass hill and simply exist. Her film application is in and I've conquered my last midterm; throw in a plat of lemon-bright pansies and I could hardly ask for anything more.

click here for all the flower-power }

post-deed parentheticals

It just might be National Plant a Flower Day tomorrow.

(and we may have forgotten that one needs dirt to celebrate this holiday.)

So maybe we dressed all in black and waited til dark
and carried spoons in our back pockets
and dug up dirt from around the duck pond,
scooping it into a black trash bag with a coffee mug
and wandering back to our apartments all cas and cool,
like maybe we'd just done a really crazy thing but
hey, what else do you want from a Wednesday?

Possibly. Maybe. At least, you didn't hear it from me.

disconnect

This past weekend I received an email from my Creative Writing professor, which she'd sent out to my entire class with a note to please arrange to take this test by Friday. We were to read each question carefully, leave none unanswered and, once begun, spend only two hours total on the task. With a cheery good luck, she left the rest to us:

ART: Given one eight-count box of crayons and three sheets of notebook paper, recreate the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Skin tones should be true to life.

BIOLOGY: Create life. Estimate the differences in subsequent human culture if this form of life had developed 500 million years earlier, with special attention to its probable effect on the English Parliamentary System circa 1750. Prove your thesis.

COMPUTER SCIENCE: Write a fifth-generation computer language. Using this language, write a computer program to finish the rest of this exam for you.

ECONOMICS: Develop a realistic plan for refinancing the national debt. Trace the possible effects of your plan in the following areas: Cubism, the Donatist Controversy and the Wave Theory of Light. Outline a method for preventing these effects. Criticize this method from all possible points of view. Point out the deficiencies in your point of view, as demonstrated in your answer to the last question.

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING: You will be placed in a nuclear reactor and given a partial copy of the electrical layout. The electrical system has been tampered with. You have seventeen minutes to find the problem and correct it before the reactor melts down.

Engineering: The disassembled parts of a high-powered rifle have been placed on your desk. You will also find an instruction manual, printed in Swahili. In 10 minutes, a hungry bengal tiger will be admitted to the room. Take whatever action you feel necessary. Be prepared to justify your decision.

EPISTEMOLOGY: Take a position for or against truth. Prove the validity of your stand.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Describe in detail. Be objective and specific.

HISTORY: Describe the history of the Papacy from its origins to the present day, concentrating especially, but not exclusively, on Europe, Asia, America and Africa. Be brief, concise and specific.

MATHEMATICS: Derive the Euler-Cauchy equations using only a straightedge and compass. Discuss in detail the role these equations had on mathematical analysis in Europe during the 1800s.

MEDICINE: You have been provided with a razor blade, a piece of gauze, and a bottle of scotch. Remove your appendix. Do not suture until you work has been inspected. You have fifteen minutes.

METAPHYSICS: Describe in detail the probably nature of life after death. Test your hypothesis.

MUSIC: Write a piano concerto. Orchestrate and perform it with flute and drum. You will find a piano under your seat.

PHILOSOPHY: Sketch the development of human thought. Estimate its significance. Compare with the development of any other kind of thought.

PSYCHOLOGY: Based on your knowledge of their works, evaluate the emotional stability, degree of adjustment, and repressed frustrations of each of the following: Alexander of Aphrodisis, Rameses II, Hammuarabi. Support your evaluation with quotations from each man's work, making appropriate references. It is not necessary to translate.

PHYSICS: Explain the nature of matter. Include in your answer an evaluation of the impact of the development of mathematics on science.

POLITICAL SCIENCE: There is a red telephone on the desk beside you. Start World War III. Report at length on its socio-political effects if any.

RELIGION: Perform a miracle. Creativity will be judged.

{ extra credit } Define the universe, and give three examples.

: : : : : : : : : : :

Which might all be rather daunting except that I'm sure you, like I, were able to deduce the tone of such a thing and, from the first sentence onward, simply enjoy it. And after talking to a few friends and one fellow classmate over the weekend, I figured my reaction had been the general and expected one.

Until today, when we met in my Writing class for the first time since said email. Professor Young left the room for all of two minutes and suddenly the place was abuzz. "Was she serious? I mean, really?" I raised an eyebrow at Bee. "What are you talking about?" I asked. She raised her arms in frustration. "That stupid test! It took me two hours just to do the first one!"

I'm afraid the stress of midterm exams is taking its toll.

Josh and I had just enough time to finish laughing before Professor Young returned, after which I whisper-explained the situation to Bee and asked if she'd bothered to read the rest? She shook her head, chagrined. "I was so upset that I just didn't care." She had the good humor to laugh at the situation, however, and we moved on to speech tags and character development and that was that. Though I would have loved to have seen what she might have dreamed up for that miracle.

my sign is vital, my hands are cold

{ i like these + wish they were real. via. }

Last night I read a sentence of Harry Potter in Slovak, and learned that z means from and k means to but these sorts of fun things change according to case. This morning I woke up thinking in Italian (Ch'è successo?! Perché non sei al film?), then spent the rest of the day studying up on Victorian literature so I could write an essay on isolation in the Industrial Revolution before heading to a party for meine Deutschklasse that involved cabbage of a most alarming fuschia color and cinnamon taste. In between all that I read a really truly wonderful novel, and studied dates mnemonically with HM (whose kiwi accent made 1847 crowned our Queen from Heaven really quite dashing). It's just been that kind of 24 hours, you know? And you would think that would be distraction enough.

Wrong.

Because no matter what you're doing, you're thinking, and in my case those thoughts have been something along the lines of ohmywordwhatamIdoing and whodoIthinkIam and whereamIgoing accompanied by breatheEbreathe. I can't stop thinking that my mission papers are finally in . . . but my immediate future depends on the first lines in a big white envelope and for the next week or so I'll have no idea where I'll be this time next year at all. In my Mission Prep class people announce their calls as they come; on Monday I could hardly sit still, my stomach leaping like a small boat against the wind. A boy stood up; London South. My friend, to Auckland. I wrote my boys in Ethiopia, Brazil, and Georgia this week. I can't sit in my living room anymore; that full wall of maps is too much space to consider.

I am trying a million different ways to keep busy---and yes, this blog post is one of them---but I'm afraid this frenzy won't calm until I know for sure. I'm a planner; I like to mark things on calendars and keep mental lists of What Needs to Be Done. This waiting thing just might kill me.

Speaking of patience, our ward talent show lasted a full three hours. Which is a true testament to the many gifted among us, but I really wish I were making that up.

casimir pulaski day

and the 4-H stone
The things I brought you
When I found out you had cancer of the bone

Your father cried on the telephone
And drove his car to the

In the morning through the window shade
When the light pressed up against your shoulder blade
I could see what you were reading

Oh the glory that the Lord has made
And the complications you could do without
When I kissed you on the mouth

Tuesday night at

We lift our hands and pray over your body
But nothing ever happens

I remember at

In the living room when you kissed my neck
And I almost touched your blouse

In the morning,

When your father found out what we did that night
Oh the glory when you ran outside
With your shirt tucked in and

And you told me not to follow you.

Sunday night when

I find the card where you wrote it out

On the floor at the great divide
With my shirt tucked in and my shoes untied

In the morning when you finally go

And the nurse runs in with her head hung low
And the cardinal hits the window

In the morning in the winter shade

I thought I saw you breathing

Oh the glory that the Lord has made
And the complications when I see his face
In the morning in the window

Oh the glory when he took our place
But he took my shoulders and he shook my face
And he takes and he takes and he takes

{ X-POSTED to LAWSREN }

Shout-out to my most amazing roommates, for their awesome
enthusiasm throughout this song-shoot and their unwavering dedication to epic adventure

Thanks to unknowing, but ever-willing neighbors who attended our Bible Study,
to Michael for showing us to his living room, no questions asked,
and to Sufjan for both inspiration and sustenance.

{ WE <3 YOU. }

chances are we'll have to win

1/345 ---> .0029 ---> 0.29%

You're right, I don't do math.
But everyone is guessing, and I've heard it all.
So I wanted to know how much of a chance you have.
Turns out, not that much.

But it's just so fun.
Paraguay? Estonia? Topeka?
I'll note the guesses as they come;
someone has to be right, eventually.

{ today, my mission papers are officially in. huzzah + hooray. }

goldenrod and the 4H stone

Happy Casimir Pulaski Day.

{ I've got my shirt tucked in, and my shoes untied. }