Letter to the Editor

Dear Seattle,

Remember when it used to rain here? I will now refer to those times as “the good old days”.

NOT Fondly Yours,

Leah

p.s. I hate you.
p.p.s. I like rain.

Lingerie and Such...

Sean: We are reading the Ensign and having our own Family Home Evening.
Bridgette: My boyfriend and I used to have our own FHE. We'd watch rated R movies and make out.

Leah: I’m partial to corsets myself...oooh and garters!
Sarah: Do you want to give him a heart attack?
Leah: He’ll be fine…

Leah: That was the most disturbing FHE I’ve ever attended. And I’ve been in Joe Dee’s group for over five years!

Bridgette: This may be the meanest thing I will ever say, and I’m sorry, but she looks like a dachshund.
Sarah: Cooper (our family dachshund) is a really cute dog, right? I mean he’s athletic, attractive, sweet and affectionate, like us. But I don’t actually look like a dog.
Leah: Attractive? Are you trying to set him up with a Yorkie?
Sarah: Do you have to make fun of me?
Leah: Yes.
Sarah: I think she looks more like a greyhound anyway.

Missionaries Need Protection Too!

I set up an account at DearElder.com in order to send letters to Whitney more efficiently. I haven’t used it yet, but that’s not the point… The point is that I now receive emails from the website. The subject line of today’s email read:


Is your missionary protected?


I'll make sure to ask Whitney the next time I write.

Influential 15 (For Me)

I kind of stole this from a facebook note.

15 Books/Plays/Short Stories


1. North and South – Elizabeth Gaskell

• Who would have thought that a Unitarian Minister’s Wife could have created such fabulous sexual tension? Oh, and the social commentary was excellent as well. :D

2. Persuasion – Jane Austen

3. Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen

• Yes, my second Austen on the list. The writing and pacing are not her best, but, the love story between the sisters is particularly moving. I always thought the heroes were more of an afterthought to the story rather than the main event. I think Elinor and Marianne would have been fine without them; although perhaps a little depressed. ;)

4. The Yellow Wallpaper – Charlotte Perkins Gilman

• Creepy and impossible to forget.

5. Tartuffe - Moliere

6. Love in a Cold Climate/The Pursuit of Love – Nancy Mitford

7. Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White

• The book that started it all (my reading that is..)

8. Sleeping Murder – Agatha Christie

9. Hamlet – Shakespeare

10. Mila 18 – Leon Uris

11. The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald

12. The Crucible – Arthur Miller

13. Trifles/A Jury of Her Peers – Susan Glaspell

14. Hills Like White Elephants – Ernest Hemingway

15. Decline and Fall – Evelyn Waugh


15 Albums


1. Sticky Fingers – The Rolling Stones

2. Irish Heartbeat – Van Morrison and The Chieftains

3. Before the Flood – Bob Dylan and the Band

4. Blonde on Blonde – Bob Dylan

5. Moondance – Van Morrison

6. Little Earthquakes – Tori Amos

7. The White Album – The Beatles

8. Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras

9. Live in Japan – George Harrison

10. Along for the Ride – Matraca Berg

11. Tambourine – Tift Merritt

12. Led Zeppelin IV

13. Soul of the Tango – Yo-Yo Ma

14. At Folsom Prison – Johnny Cash

15. Graceland - Paul Simon



15 Films


1. Rear Window

• If I could only choose one film of influence, this would be it!

2. The English Patient

• Beautiful. The cinematography, acting, script, characterization and music are astonishingly compelling.

3. Cold Comfort Farm

4. Bringing Up Baby

5. Schindler’s List

6. Indiana Jones (the first three collectively)

• Fun with a capital “F”! Harrison Ford is almost yummy enough (here) to block the fourth installment completely from my mind.

7. Gladiator

8. 12 Angry Men

9. On the Waterfront

• We all know he could have been a contender, but my favorite part of this film is when Brando picks up Eve Marie Saint’s glove and puts it on. Classic.

10. A&E Pride and Prejudice – The one with Colin Firth.

• No, I’m NOT one of those girls! You know…the “Janeites”: women who’ve never read Austen and have Regency themed weddings. Alas, I look terrible in empire waisted dresses and have never found britches all that sexy. Although I have never really cared for this story (note: this is the only Jane Austen I haven’t read), the satirical pop culture references alone make it list worthy.

11. Withnail and I

12. The Last Waltz

• The music!! The commentary!! The fashion?? Bob Dylan wears a pimp hat: enough said.

13. The Blues Brothers

14. Vertigo

• My first Hitchcock.

15. Pineapple Express

• This might be the funniest (and strangest) film I have ever seen in my whole life. Also, I saw it with Whitney a few months before her mission (right after Amy cautioned her about watching R rated films, hehe).

I am sure this list is incomplete. I know as soon as I post this, I'll remember another book/album/movie that I wanted to include.

Sarah Rocks My Socks

This picture makes me happy...



As does this one...



And this one...

Weekend Update + People Say the Darndest Things

-Shopping at Ross and DSW, bought a classy dress and foxy shoes.
-Went out dancing until the wee hours of the morning.
-Turned down an Australian (yes I AM that picky!)
-Mostly avoided being groped by strange men.
-Froze my ass off in a mini dress!
-Cleaned out the refrigerator. Biggest accomplishment of the weekend!
-Ruined my new shoes. Sad! :( Maybe I can fix them with a sharpie and some nail polish!

Random Woman: That dress is so pretty! May I ask where you got it?
Leah: (with embarrassment) I got it at Ross.
Leah: (fifteen minutes later) I can’t believe I just said that..I’m just gonna tell people I got it at Nordstroms.

Sarah: Oh right, he read the Hobbit when he was in diapers.
Ben: Read it or is it?

Sarah: What’s with the guys in this ward and male bonding? Is it so they seem less pathetic when they don’t have a date?

Hunky Australian at Frontier: I’m not trying to hustle you; I’m not like other guys. I just wanna talk to you.

MSN: Facebook Etiquette

The Idiot’s Guide to Facebook Etiquette

10. Relationship status is a mutual decision.

Make sure this one is going to stick before confirming said relationship. There is nothing more amusing to read than, “So and so is no longer in a relationship.” Ouch.

9. It's OK to look through your friend's friends for people you might want to meet/date/friend. However, it's not OK to skip the middleman on the introduction.

Who does this?!

8. Ask first before friending a close friend's ex-squeeze.

7. It's OK to remain friends with someone you used to date on Facebook.

Is it?

6. Posting a ton of pictures, videos and comments regarding a recent, failed relationship is a bad idea.

Obviously.

5. As with all things, there is such thing as too much information.

4. Don't friend an ex's new squeeze if you're not actually friends.

Hahaha…why would anyone think this was a good idea? Just because the internet makes it easier to stalk, doesn’t mean you should.

3. Know the difference between the Wall and a message.

Not everyone wants to know details of your private life.

2. Again, the Interweb is not a therapy session and shouldn't be used with severely impaired judgment.

Or too late at night.

1. Do not create a fake page as a way to punish an ex.


Facebook Etiquette for the Criminally Insane

Use spell check, punctuation and correct grammar whenever possible. If it’s not possible, don’t post it.

Insults and discrimination should not be used as flirting techniques.

Don’t call women “single” if you do not know their relationship status.

No matter how many times you call someone “hot”, it won’t alleviate the sting from abusive language or behavior.

Don’t call women drunken crack whores for all of facebook to see. It’s just not nice. Amusing, maybe, but unfriendly.

Always take your meds before posting on facebook. This is a must!

Weekends Are Too Short!

Friends are funny…favorite conversations from the last few days.

Sarah: Sometimes I think, “I could really get in trouble with this guy!” But then I’m like, “Do you really want to have his babies? He’s illiterate!!” Best birth control ever!!!!

Bridgette: Can we call him “Peter Piper Pecker”?

Sarah: Will you twirl me around??
Ben : Ugh. Can I just rub your feet instead?

Me : Look, some nice little dishwashing fairies cleaned the kitchen!
Amy : It was Sean.
Me : Thanks Sean!
Sean: Don't ever call me a fairy again.