SURPRISE POTD

The same letter is missing seventeen times in the apparent jumble of letters given below. Determine this letter, insert it in the appropriate places and separate the words formed to make a sensible sentence.

HGRTDTHLVNXTRMLYWLLDRSSDGNTLMN.

January Book Club Meeting

The next book club meeting (to discuss Mansfield Park) will be held:

Date: January 10, 2009
Time: 10 AM
Place: My house

Next book: Emma

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KYLA!!!!

Hope you have a wonderful day!!

REVISED December Book Club Meeting Notice

We will be having our second book club meeting as follows:
Date: December 13, 2008
Time: 10 AM to 3 PM
Location: My house

The book: Pride & Prejudice -- We will be watching the Colin Firth version of P&P. I am anticipating that it will just be four of us (Vicki, Jennie, GE and me) so if you are planning on attending and you are not one of the four mentioned above, let me know as I will be providing lunch.

Next book: Mansfield Park

Book 1 Behind -- Book 2 in Front

Our first meeting after reading Sense and Sensibility was a wonderful time and we missed those of you who did not attend. Our next book is Pride & Prejudice and our next meeting will be either December 6 or December 13. Let me know your preference as to dates so that we can get it down as the holidays tend to get very busy.

REVISED BOOK CLUB MEETING

DATE: November 8, 2008
TIME: 2 PM - 5 PM
MY HOUSE: 9820 Manzanar Avenue

I just randomly picked a day -- does this work for everyone still?

FIRST OFFICIAL BOOK CLUB MEETING

Date: November 15, 2008
Time: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Location: My house -- 9820 Manzanar Avenue

The plan is that we will first discuss the book and then watch the movie -- so that we don't get the movie confused with the actual book.

Comments? Suggestions? We can see how it goes and modify as we go along if necessary.

Next book: Pride & Prejudice

Okay Now Back to the Book Club

Okay -- we're almost through October -- which was Sense & Sensibility. How are we coming along with our reading? If not finished, any thoughts on when you would be finished with the book? Some topics for discussion at the meeting about the book (so you can start thinking about how you feel about them) are [there are spoilers in the questions if you don't want to read them):

1. Critics have claimed that the whole plot of Sense & Sensibility depends on the tension between what is concealed and what is shared with others -- the private and the public. Do you agree with this statement?

2. What were the advantages and disadvantages of Austen's decision to publish this novel anonymously?

3. Although it ends with the marriages of the two main female characters, some readers have claimed that of all of Austen's novels, Sense and Sensibility has the saddest ending. Do you agree with this statement?

4. Do you find Marianne's decision to marry Colonel Brandon to be a plausible conclusion? Why or why not?

5. Elinor and Margaret's younger sister Margaret plays a very minor role in the novel. Why do you think Austen included this character? Does she further any of the plot? Does she shed light on any of the other characters?

(Part 2 later)

Also you might begin thinking of a time to have this meeting -- since we will show the movie -- 2ish hours and a discussion (1 hour) I'm thinking a Saturday afternoon some day in November -- any thoughts? Let me know.

Backstage Magic - Day 5

Okay today started horribly early with breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen. You would not believe the food -- ice cream, PB&J pizza, cupcakes, creme brulee french toast, oh yes and eggs and bacon and ordinary breakfast stuff. I had a cupcake. Peter Pan stopped by and said I would throw all that good food under the table and go and get cookies and ice cream.

Then while we were all still numb from being up so early we plodded into DCA 2 hours before anybody else. Seeing the parks that early and complete empty of guests was astounding. Now I am REALLY spoiled.

Our first stop was Soarin' Over California where half the group got to go down under the screen and watch while the other half of the group rode the ride and then we switched locations. That is such an awesome ride. Then she showed us some IMAX film which is shown on a screen which is 60 x 80 feet and they showed us the crystals which blow on you during the ride fir, ocean and oranges. The orange smell is definitely the most prevalent smell and you can smell it everywhere on the ride in the line, in the backstage areas and coming out of the ride. But it is not an unpleasant smell so I guess it's okay.

Next was a private Turtle Talk with Crush -- CHAW DUDE!!! -- which was really fun. I don't know how they do it but Tom does so if you want to know ask him. But it was fun.

Next we went on Tower of Terror -- we all got in the elevator (there are 15 of us) and then all but 6 of us got off and walked down the stairs rather than ride the ride. I don't know if they gave us a special ride but it was awesome. I love that ride.

After that we were on our own so Tom was all energetic and wanted to ride on things and I was all bent and tired and cranky so we (I) crawled back to to the hotel and I took a nap for 3 hours and then I felt much better.

Then we went back to the Vineyard Room and ran into one of the people who run the Food & Wine Festivals and it was so nice to see her and then we went to our farewell dinner. It was amazing. The food was delicious and they had a Disney animator who attended and did a portrait for everyone of their favorite character. Since Tom didn't have a professed favorite I commandeered his selection and got a drawing of Maleficent AND the dragon. We'll frame it and hang it in the house. Then they showed us a slide show of photos which Robyn took during the trip and darned if it didn't make me cry.

Then we were going to have a private viewing area for the fireworks but we were walking out of the sound stage and I took a swan dive onto the pavement. Sometimes it is good to be chubby but a very nice young man came and helped me up (with Tom) and I am completely fine although I will report again tomorrow after I sleep.

We walked over and went to a new movie they have with Steve Martin to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Disneyland and ran into some people from our group -- they are very nice and we are going to miss them.

Then the fireworks. We got to sit in a private area and watch them. The fireworks were awesome but the part that made me laugh was when they told this woman that she had to move because she was blocking the walkway and she said "I'm not blocking I'm watching the fireworks."

We are almost through with the tour -- I believe that we have met some new friends who will always be friends probably through our mutual love of Disney.

We have one more breakfast at 7 AM tomorrow. Then we pack and go home. I do not know how I am going to go to work on Monday -- I'm exhausted. Yeah, yeah, I know you all feel really sorry for me. This has been an incredible tour. And when we get home our house should be clean and newly painted. Yay!!!!

Talk to you all soon!!

Love you!!
Christy

Backstage Magic - Day 4

Today started bright and early and as the pounding of the fireworks echo over my head this is what we did today:

First of all we went to breakfast but it wasn't just breakfast we went into Disneyland BEFORE ANYBODY ELSE, the park was completely empty of guests. We went to the Plaza Inn and met with the man who was the manager of the restaurant and we had a buffet breakfast that was amazing. In addition to the breakfast we also got to take pictures with Minnie (who allegedly cut the waffles out of dough), Chip, Dale, Tigger and Pooh and it was delicious.

Then we went to Indiana Jones and got to see a functional ride car and inspect the under carriage. Tom got to manipulate the car up and down and side to side. Then they went on the ride and experienced it first hand. I sat on the side with the chickens.

Next we went to the Petting Boo (not a typo) and got to feed the goats and an enormous pair of sheep at the Thunder Mountain Ranch -- we got to meet the handlers which turned out well for a reason best described later.

Next we went up and got a chance to see the roundhouse for the trains. Bill the
Engineer showed us how a boiler works and explained the naming convention for the trains. After that they took us through the roundhouse to the other side where we saw the warehouse for the costumes for the Disneyland Resorts and then we walked further on and saw the fireworks mechanisms -- apparently Disney is the first company to launch fireworks through air cannons which solves the black smoke problem.

Then we went to see the parade float warehouse and some floats that they were refubishing. We were as much of a curiosity to the people inside the warehouse as they were to us.

After that we went to the Circle D Ranch which is just outside the berm and where they keep all the live animals for the Disneyland Resort including goats, sheep, cows, the draft horses -- and explained the varieties. There are many including Clydesdales, Belgians, etc. I say etc. because I can't remember more of them. LOL

Then we went to Cafe Orleans to eat lunch. We had gumbo and I had the Monte Cristo and Tom had the blackened chicken caesar salad. After that one of the pirates who said he was radiently handsome took us on Pirates of the Caribbean. After that we went back to Main Street and got to ride the Lilly Belle (the VIP car on the train) and learn a little bit about the train system at Disneyland and then we got to see the apartment over the fire station where Walt and Lillian lived while Walt was constructing the park. The tribute to Walt was very nice and made me cry.

After that we got to sit in a VIP area to watch the parade and apparently Adam Sandler was there and was supposed to join us but he didn't. And while we were waiting Bono came by and some of our group didn't know who he was and part of the group was all twitterpated.

Then after the parade we went back to the hotel. Tom and I went to the Napa Rose for dinner. They have changed the entire menu for Fall and it was amazing. Then we went to Mickey's Trick or Treat Party but it was weak and very crowded and so we came back to the hotel and we can hear the fireworks while I type this.

So tomorrow we are going to get to do things at DCA including a Turtle Talk with Crush to ourselves and behind the scenes at Soarin' Over California. Tomorrow also begins at 7 AM -- what is this with obscene start times? LOL

Anyway -- still having a BLAST -- but it's almost over and will be seeing you soon!

Love, hugs and kisses,

Christy

Backstage Magic - Day 3

Sorry for the delay but we got back to the hotel room very late and were up to be at breakfast by 7 AM so anyway and here is a paragraph break for Jennie.

This morning we had a breakfast buffet from 7 - 8 AM while they removed the luggage from our rooms. The breakfast was so yummy -- eggs, bacon, sausage, waffles -- not Mickey of course -- and a smoothie -- which was new but also really yummy.

After breakfast we went down and got on our bus and drove over to Disney Imagineering which is not marked by anything other than a sign 1401 in a tag that looked like a Disney name tag. In we went.

First stop: bathroom break. Next stop: a room where they gave us the history of Imagineering from Walt Disney's first days as an animator to current days. Imagine our surprise when we finished the film and they opened the curtains and Lucky the autonomous anamatronic dinosaur was sitting there waiting to see us -- we had not seen him since his days at Disney's California Adventure and even then he was surrounded by a TON of guests but this time we got our own picture with him and got to touch him and relate with him. Tom and I were so so so so excited.

Then: we went into the sculpting room and he showed us how they made moldings and skin and how audio animatronics worked and then we had a demonstration by Joe Cocker who is an audio animatronics figure with no skin. Then they showed us the original figures from Snow White's grotto which sadly Snow White was broken -- the ones they have in the park now are plastic painted to look like marble.

Next we got to see a preview of a new land they are putting into Disney's California Adventure called Radiator Springs and it is going to be a bunch of new rides with a Cars theme. There were models and pictures and lots of styrofoam and it was so so interesting.

Next we went to Mickey's of Burbank and bought everything they had so guess where almost everyone's momentoes are going to come from? Yep, probably right.

Then on to Disney Studios -- we saw the sound stages for Eli Stone and Brothers and Sisters -- well one of them -- and got a history of the studios and more shopping.

Then on to Disneyland -- did you hear us all yelling and see us waving when we passed Downey?

We checked into the hotel and then went to dinner at Hook's Pointe after a welcome reception. THEN we went to Disneyland and rode the Haunted Mansion Holiday ride and then they gave us these magic fast passes which can be used on every ride -- Tom and I went on Thunder Mountain and Pirates -- after having seen how they made Johnny Depp's face into Jack Sparrow for the Pirates ride it was extra interesting.

By the time we got back to the hotel our feet hurt so badly we couldn't even move. Robyn told us today that we are walking an average of 8 miles a day. And standing, standing, standing.

Anyway we're off to dinner -- I'll blog for today when I get back. We miss you all and love you but we are having the BEST BEST BEST time. Wait until I blog what we did today -- you will be pea green with envy -- just kidding but it's cooooool.

Just a hint -- we saw Bono at the parade -- when you travel like a celebrity you see celebrities. LOL Blog soon!

Backstage Magic - Day 2

So after a night of tossing and turning -- which DOES make our vacation longer hour-wise -- today we got up bright and early and we were actually up so early we were almost late. We met everybody and went across to the Disney's Soda Fountain and Studio Store which is attached to the El Capitan Theater where we saw Nightmare Before Christmas 3D last night. On the way we stopped at the Kodak Theater where we got a short history of that building and when they said okay now pretend you are a movie star in a big dress going down the stairs Tom did and everybody thought he was hysterical which we already knew so we went to the Soda Fountain and had Mickey waffles and sausage and bagels and orange juice and melons (on which I passed) and running all over the store to find unique merchandise of which there was not much -- we started our tour of El Capitan. They took us to look at the balcony and they talked a little about the history of the theater and the Disney remodel which took 3-4 years. When they removed an asbestos ceiling which they installed in the 1930s they found the beautiful hand carved moldings which are there now. The theater is beautiful. Then we went down and had a concert by the guy who plays the Mighty Wuritzer Organ and he was way, way talented. Then we went behind the screen and saw the theater stage. Tom was particularly fascinated by the technical aspects of the show including the new knowledge that they use a silver screen screen for 3D projections and a white screen for regular projections. Then we went next door to the old Masonic Temple to see the set and backstage part of the Jimmy Kimmel show. It used to be Jimmy Kimmel Live until someone let loose with a bunch of profanity and now it is no longer live. Tom and I got to meet Uncle Frank and once he found out that we actually WATCH the show he was very warm and funny -- he used to be Frank Sinatra's personal security -- and they were talking about how the building was haunted -- I am still not sure if this was for Halloween or not -- anyway we got a picture taken with Uncle Frank with me sitting in Jimmy Kimmel's chair and Tom and it was really fun. Then we were off to the Jim Henson Studios which used to be the Charlie Chaplin Studios -- and also the A&M Studios (Carpenters) and now apparently it is THE recording studio of choice and although there was apparently some recording person there we never found out exactly who it was. Since I know no one recent I probably would not have known them anyway. But the best part was the we got to have some time in the Character Factory (I think that's the name) where a puppeteer showed us how they do the puppetry and the history of puppetry. Tom got to put a Muppet like puppet on and show how on TV it is really backwards not mirror but backward. The guy said so and Tom agreed so if you really want to know or Tom wants to contribute to the blog he can. So after that we had lunch which had a ton of garlic and I'll probably smell for a week. After that the puppeteer came out again with Sweetheart a muppet and he was really funny and we all got to take more pics. I have a really cute one of Tom which I will publish when I figure out how. After that we went out to Griffith Park and saw Walt's Barn and rode on a small train which is apparently where Walt Disney hung out when he was at lunch from his studio. Tom and I found the train really uncomfortable but if you love trains the history of trains and Disney is fascinating. One story which I found amusing was that Disney wanted to have some telegraph noises in the station (which you can hear in New Orleans Station) and when the telegrapher put in some stuff and they asked him what it said he said oh some stuff and when they told him that Walt's wife Lilly was a telegrapher by trade he said oh wait and changed it so nobody knows what he put in but it was something he didn't want Lilly to translate. So after that we came back to the hotel and then went back to the Soda Fountain to have a peppermint sundae with hot fudge and marshmallow cream and oh my goodness it was delicious. Tom had a classic sundae with vanilla and hot fudge and almonds but he wasn't as enthusiastic about it as I was. Then we came back to the hotel, Tom worked and I read a book, then we went to dinner with lobster smashed potatoes which were oh my goodness good and then here we are for the day. Tomorrow we have Imagineering and the Disney Studios and then we are moving to the Grand Californian Hotel and Disneyland so we have to have our luggage ready at 7 AM and no that is not a typo. All I have to say is that this vacation ROCKS. If you love Disney. So until tomorrow -- adieu.

Backstage Magic - Day 1

Today begins our first trip with Adventures by Disney and it's a trip called Backstage Magic. We began our trip by going to the Grand Californian Hotel in Anaheim because that's where we will end up -- however the trip begins in Hollywood so ABD was supposed to send us a car to take us to Hollywood. We were supposed to meet at 1. Nobody showed up. Tom called and was told that somehow a car had not been ordered or they forgot us or something. So we had to wait an hour but then a stretch limo!! came and transported us to Hollywood. We didn't have much time to check into our room but we are on the 18th Floor and are overlooking the Hollywood Hills -- very nice. The bed is large and comfortable. So at 4 we went downstairs and had a couple of get to know you games which sort of broke the ice. Tom and I are the only locals on the tour -- everybody except one couple from Seattle is from the East Coast(ish). So after the games and some excellent cheese we went to an Italian Restaurant -- Trastavere Restaurant in the mall next to the hotel. The food was really good -- they had two kinds of antipasto and two salads and then we got to choose an entree -- Tom and I both had salmon -- and had tiramisu for dessert. At that time since everyone was from the East Coast and had jet lag they all went to bed and Tom and I went to Nightmare Before Christmas the 3D version. It was excellent. And we got popcorn and a drink included in the price of admission. So all in all it has been an excellent day. Oh and because the car was late they gave us a beautiful plate of cheese -- however, Tom is not a cheese person and I'm stuffed so it's just sitting here. Anyone want to drive to Hollywood for cheese? Well we're off to bed -- we have an early morning -- have to be in the lobby at 7:50 for breakfast and then we have a trip to El Capitan Theater, Jim Henson Studios and then a tour of Hollywood -- should be a fun and busy trip. Good night everybody!!

Proposal -- Jane Austen Book Club

I saw The Jane Austen Book Club a little while ago and so Jennie and I started reading Sense & Sensibility together but we thought it would be fun to start a Jane Austen book club. So the initial premise of my thoughts are these: We will read the six published novels, the Juvenilia as it is called and the two works which were completed posthumously and then read/watch The Jane Austen Book Club. We also propose that we read a book a month, get together to discuss the book and, if available, watch the movie or BBC production of the novel and then as a grand finale for our book club -- I will get the Jane Austen cookbook and we will all get together for a final dinner with dishes made from that cookbook. The order we propose is:
Sense and Sensibility (1811)
Pride and Prejudice (1813)
Mansfield Park (1814)
Emma (1815)
Northanger Abbey (1817) (posthumous)
Persuasion (1818) (posthumous)
Juvenilia
Sanditon, The Watsons and Lady Susan
The Jane Austen Book Club
Since all of her books are, for the most part, available free on the internet the expense would be minimal and we think it would be fun to get together and talk about Jane Austen and it would give me the incentive to read them all since I have only read three. There are no restrictions on who can join. So now the challenge to those who want to join is to read Sense & Sensibility by the end of October and we'll have a meeting about that book and watch the movie (one of Jennie and my favorites) in November. Everybody game? Let's do it!!

PUZZLE OF THE I FIND ANOTHER ONE

Each string of letters below was formed by taking a common two-word phrase in which both words start with the same pair of letters, removing the first two letters from each word, and closing the space between the words. For example, NDSHIELDPER represents WINDSHIELD WIPER, which STRTICIPLE is PAST PARTICIPLE. If you can get 16 or more of the answers, then, good golly, you're clever: 1. AINLESSEEL; 2. JAMARTY; 3. OCOLATEIP; 4. CRETRVICE; 5. EEZEAME; 6. RDTALOG; 7. MMONLD; 8. ORTRIFT; 9. ASHOOD; 10. TTLELL; 11. ZZAE; 12. UNDBIN; 13. ENCHIES; 14. LLISIONURSE; 15. ERLLY; 16. UEOOD; 17. LONY; 18. MMYCK; 19. ARPENT; 20. TCE; 21. DIAK; 22. TRM; 23. LICOT; 24. TEVE.

Puzzle of the When I Find a Good One

Eating on the Job. If a bowler's dinner is spare ribs and a jockey's condiment is horseradish, can you match up the occupations and categories below (1-26) with the appropriate choice of food (a-z)?
1. Actor's lunch; 2. Ark builder's fruit; 3. Blackjack dealer's snack; 4. Boxer's beverage; 5. Burglar's breakfast; 6. Bus driver's lunch; 7. Carpenter's dessert; 8. Computer seller's beverage; 9. Cowboy's vegetable; 10. Diamond cutter's vegetable; 11. Electrician's breakfast; 12. Geneticist's vegetable; 13. Golfer's lunch; 14. Hotel manager's vegetable; 15. Interrogator's lunch; 16. Mathematician's dessert; 17. Miner's salad; 18. Musician's vegetable; 19. Photographer's dessert; 20. Policeman's barbecue; 21. Preacher's dessert; 22. Scoutmaster's dessert; 23. Skin diver's dessert; 24. Student's fruit; 25. Tennis player's dinner; 26. Umpire's dessert.
a. Angel good cake; b. Apple juice; c. Beets; d. Black-eyed peas; e. Brownies; f. Carrots; g. Cheesecake; h. Chips; i. Club sandwich with tea; j. Coalslaw; k. Cramberries; l. Grilled cheese sandwich; m. Ham sandwich; n. Jam sandwich; o. Lobster; p. Ohmlettes; q. Pears; r. Pie; s. Pinto beans; t. Plumb pudding; u. Poached eggs; v. Punch; w. Rhubarb pie; x. Sponge cake; y. Steak-out; z. Suite potatoes

Sunday fun!

Since Chiemi forgot to upload the pictures from Sunday when they came over, I'm actually going to blog! Amazing stuff. These pictures are too cute not to share. They came over on Sunday because I made Chiemi stay for choir practice after church and when choir was over Dustin had a meeting. So I gave Dustin the keys to my car and Chiemi took us over here so that she wasn't stuck there for who knows how long. So Kyla was playing and having fun when she found a metal bowl on the table and decided she was going to play with it. Here is the results of it. I had to find my camera and get her to do it again. Then we had some fun making faces.

Isn't this the cutest, most hilarious face ever?

I got a cute one of Arwen and Chiemi too!

Isn't Arwen adorable? We made her put the bowl on and she immediately took it back off. So we rushed to put it back on her and make her look at the camera while I took a picture. That's why the angle is odd.

Choral Academy: Parts 2-6

Ok! Here's the rest of the week following Monday's adventures. This is going to be a long post. Hopefully it makes up a bit for my lack of posts the rest of the time. (I tried to split the week in half and post Monday through Wednesday as one and Thursday through Saturday as another but since I talk too much I barely managed to fit Monday in the first one.)

Tuesday

Tuesday was when my actual classes started and since check in was from 8-9, wrenched myself from bed at 7, got ready (which actually included showering, blow drying my hair and makeup astonishingly), and headed over there. When we got there they gave us folders with most of the stuff and information that we would be covering the next 4 days. This included a finalized schedule and when I looked at it, much to my horror, it had us starting at 9 (which wasn't the bad part) and ended at 8 PM on Tuesday and Wednesday!! Wow! (We got out early on Thursday for our special trip so that day didn't count and we got out at 5 on Friday since it was the last day) I had seen a tentative schedule online before I went and was anticipating getting out about 5 PM or so. As such it was a hard thing to see. Luckily though, it seems the last class was optional.

At 9 we started with everyone together and they (they being Ron Staheli and Rosalind Hall, who are professors at BYU) outlined what we would be doing for the course of the week. After that we split into different classes depending on how advanced you were. I went to the level 1 easy classes. The first one was "conducting class", where we proceeded to learn how to do the patterns in BYU style, which is similar, yet different from the patterns described in the back of the hymn books. We concentrated on learning the patterns and applying it to staccato/marcato pieces as well as legato. I was SO SORE after that class because he had us practice the 4-beat pattern in legato while he went around and looked at everyone individually. It had to have taken him a good 10-15 minutes to get around to everybody. And since I'm not used to walking very much, my calves were really sore from Monday, so I felt like I just ached all over my body.

After that class was the "Master Class" where a student who signed up specially (and paid $50) beforehand got to conduct the class in a song for 20 minutes and was critiqued by the teachers. Each Master Class was for an hour so 3 students per hour and there were 12 in total, 6 for each day and then they got to use what they learned and come back and we could see their improvements. They also got DVDs of their performances to see firsthand what they did wrong and also what they did right. I was amazed at how much it helped me just to watch this improvement process.

Then we had lunch after which we came back and separated into levels again, this time for Analysis class where we learned how to analyze music to make you know where you want a song to go, so you can effectively use your time later on in the process on directing your choir to sing with good phrasing so the piece comes together as a whole statement, not just fragments.

Following this class we had another Master Class with 3 more people. After this class they had Q&A time where anyone could ask about anything they learned that day or even to get tips or hints on what the teachers found to be best/most useful. Then came dinnertime. (My roommates went and got something but for some reason I didn't have a very big appetite the whole time I was there and so I was not hungry.) I had some of my leftovers from lunch for dinner a bit later. At 7 we had the option to go to another class which I decided I would go to. It was mainly the teachers directed us in some songs and we got to see how they did in our place. It was fun to sing the songs and see this new style in action like that, by people who know and use this style everyday.

That was Tuesday and that night I made plans with David to meet him on Wednesday so I could use a computer to blog my week thus far. That as you know probably wasn't the best idea. Ah well, hindsight and all.

Here is a picture of my roomies (taken the last day). I feel the need to break up my words with a little something. From left to right: Rebecca (who was in my room), Denise, Melanie and me.



Wednesday
Wednesday was a little different because we had a guest speaker come and teach about working with the female voice. We started the day off in Analysis class and then proceeded to Conducting class where we went over our HOMEWORK (Seriously!! How could they do that to me?! Though the analysis HW was more difficult than the conducting one.) and then proceeded to learn how to show you want breaths in your music and cut people off so there is precision. After that we had another 3 people conduct for the Master class and then broke for lunch.

After lunch we had our guest speaker, Jean Applonie, who outlined some vocal issues that females have in general and went through a bunch of warm up exercises and tips to help expand your singers' ranges and help to balance your choir even better. Then she used some of the women in the class to demonstrate them and they went through some songs to show how it helps. It was an interesting class but I can't say I remember very many of the exercises, unfortunately.

After her lecture we had another Master class (Rounding out the 12 students doing it) followed by another Q&A session, which then freed us for dinner. At 7 they had another optional "class" that I decided against going to as all they were going to do was watch some parts of a DVD that the professors had been working on that is like a course with 18 units to learn different parts of conducting. As I had seen some of these during lunch the 2 previous times and felt there was a good chance I'd buy them for the exceptionally good deal they were letting us buy them for, I didn't feel the need to go. I think I just ended up reading my book that I brought, which was fun for me.

(Here's a picture of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir from the 2nd row in the Conference Center in SLC as a teaser for you.)



Thursday

Thursday was the big special day! We started the day off with Master class (this time we watched the people who first conducted and we saw big improvements) Then we had conducting classes where we focused on cutting off at endings and bringing everyone in. Very important stuff that I was not very good at before. (I'm still not the best but I have improved.) After this we watched the professors (Ron and Rosalind) go about how they plan rehearsals as they had invited a guest choir of their old students (not very old mind you) to come and sing for us later that afternoon.

We then broke for lunch and came back to continue on with another Master Class. After that Master Class we got the option to go and watch/listen to the rehearsal with the invited choir which was being held in the Harris Fine Arts Center in the Madsen Recital Hall (for anyone who knows where that is). They did 2 pieces and wow! I wish I had a choir like that. There were a ton of students who came, both guys and girls who were all trained and it was a nice treat.

We then had time to go and eat dinner before we got on the buses to head to the Conference Center in SLC to sit up and sing (optional) with the Mormon Tab. Choir! We were doing this to watch the conductor, but really, I can't say I learned anything from watching him except that I could never be in the choir just because I find him EXTREMELY hard to follow. He did all the stuff that they taught us this week NOT to do. But even if I didn't learn anything, it was a thrill to be up there with them and we got the chance to go behind the scenes, as it were, of the Conference Center. Also cool. I'm glad I brought my camera for this! I got a few pictures. Not the clearest stuff since I turned my flash off as I didn't think taking pictures up there with the flash on would go over very well. I was sitting on front of where the men were, behind the organist, and several others were interspersed within the choir itself. They were all very friendly (from what I could tell from those sitting near me.) We left there at about 10 and got back in at 11. And I learned quite a bit about the MT Choir as one of the men helping out with the Choral Academy was there on the buses and he has been in the choir for 12 years. He answered the questions we had about the choir and what we saw. It was very interesting and even though I never wanted to before, it makes me really not want to join the choir. FAR too much time is needed in it. No thanks!

(Here are pictures from behind the scenes and from on the stage. Way cool, in my opinion.)

Behind the stage:


Waiting in line to go up with the choir:


Up with the choir at last! The conductor and organist busy at work:


A shot of the choir from my seat:


Friday

The final day was here at last. And my SIL's will be pleased and disappointed to note that I blow-dried my hair and put makeup on every day while I was there. Pleased because I did that but disappointed because they know it will not continue after returning home.

We started the day off with Analysis class then proceeded to Conducting class where we touched base on using our left hand to control the dynamics of our music and putting everything together. Using left AND right hand makes everything much harder, I tell ya. Bleh, I did need to learn it though. I'm going to need to practice big time on that account. We then had Master class and then lunch.

After lunch we wad a section covering working with the accompanist and they went over some of the things we as conductors should expect of our accompanists and also what our accompanists should rightfully expect of us. Also something I need to do more. Get together with my accompanist and figure out what I want in terms of the music I want to do and what direction I want it to go. After this we had the final Master Class and then we went right in and had the Final Q&A session and Last Words from the professors. We finished up at about 5.

At about 6 I got a hold of David and made plans (to go to the library and "study" since he had work to do. I kinda figured we wouldn't get much done and kinda wanted to go have dinner or something since I've learned that spending time with David means no eating...::sigh:: My 2 roomies that were left, Rebecca and Denise (Melanie left right after it finished) invited me to dinner but I had already made plans and told them so. Here's where it gets funny. Denise, as she had done before exclaimed "Your ditching us again?!" Where Rebecca kindly interceded on my behalf and told her I was ditching them to hang out with a boy and that we were probably going to go study. (They did make a comment that they were doing the opposite, they were ditching their boys to go hang out with girls. Kinda funny.)

Denise then wanted to know the scoop. I said there was nothing there but she insisted on telling me all the good makeout spots she knows of from when she went to school there. Rebecca then gave me the tip of how she got her husband to kiss her the first time (which involved rubbing her nose on his neck, which even if I was with a boy, I don't think I would do). They said they would wait up for me to get the scoop and proceeded to tell me that I had better get a kiss out of him. Yeah right.

So then I headed over to the library and we got to "work". It generally starts out as work, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't last the whole time we're together. I was trying to help him figure out a topic he could write on for this project/paper he had to do for a class. The topic of World of Warcraft came up, unsurprisingly since it is the thing that links us most, and he discovered that he could write on a subject that is in WoW. The details of his subject I don't know but he was extremely stoked to find out that he could do that. But getting on the subject of WoW is a deadly, deadly thing for our concentration and we didn't really proceed any further even though we were there until 11:15 or so. (Quite a bit later than I wanted to be up that night since I had to get up early the next day. Oh well. We're talkers, what can I say.)

I then proceeded to the Creamery since I was told I HAD to get their ice cream and I hadn't had the chance before then. It Was very tasty. I got back in was got a call from David as he realized that perhaps he should have walked me back since it was so late and he wanted to check and see if I made it back ok. I talked with my roomies for a while and they were disappointed I didn't come back with my kiss and Denise told me I had better march over to David's apartment and kiss him. Uh huh. I was sure going to do that, even if I did know here he lived. Not. I got to bed about 12:45ish.

Saturday

I had to get up at 4:30, which luckily wasn't hard at the time, even when I went to bed so late. (I wanted to make sure I didn't get there late for the shuttle that was coming between 5:30 - 6:00 that morning. Turns out I was ready enough that I could have gotten up at 5 and been ok, but oh well, better to be early than late. So I sat outside for a while until the shuttle showed up. We then went around picking up several other people. We had a full van of 7 people being taken to the airport. Interestingly enough a boy on the shuttle who had been up there for EFY was going on the same flight as me. I can tell you I was SO COLD on that dang shuttle and it didn't help that I wasn't feeling all that good and was tired. I sorta dozed off on the shuttle but not too much as I was freezing and kinda nauseous. We got there in plenty of time for the plane and the flight was fine and I was dozing at first then I watched a bit of Zoolander which happened to be on TV at the time. I made it safely back (obviously) but it took forever for my luggage to arrive. Bleh. Oh well.

I played a little WoW when I got home, even though I probably could have done with a nap, and then later I went to Little Tokyo with my parents, C&D and their girls. It was fun and I got some good snacks and stuff.

All in all, I had a really fun week!

BYU Choral Academy

Hey all! I'm up here at BYU and having a great time! For those who don't know (which I imagine are none to very few) I got the chance to come up here to to the choral academy conference that they put on. It is a week long (really 4 days but who's counting?) of intensive training for improving my less than stellar conducting skills. I took a plane on Monday morning at 7!! Blah, I hate mornings. Nothing eventful happened, I got the flight just fine and the shuttle down to BYU went great. I was really tired and started to nod off in the shuttle, but I was fine once I got to Heritage Halls, where I am staying in Horace Hall. I was lucky and even though the papers said I could check in after 3, they let me check in when I got there at 11:30 or so.

Then I walked down to the Maeser Building since that was where David (Chiemi's brother is up there at school) and I planned to meet. Unfortunately for my poor calves, I called him and found out that he was at the library which was about half the distance I walked. Oh well, I could always use more exercise. So I walked over and we met up. And it was funny since he didn't know what I looked like so we made plans to wear our World of Warcraft shirts. He came up to me and was like, "So...World of Warcraft ,huh?" I thought it was amusing since I knew what he looked like from a recent picture I saw of him. So we hung out in the library while he did some homework. I was probably a pretty bad distraction to him. I'm good at that. I read a persuasive essay he wrote for a class, and it was a strange topic, but it made me laugh. He's supposed to sell something on eBay that is worth nothing by putting up his essay with it and convincing someone to bid on it. (He put it up for $0.01) A fascinating project. Then he had to leave for class so I went to go get myself some lunch/dinner. Then I took a nap and then read a bit.

After that my roommate arrived and she is really nice, but all 3 women who share the same area as I confirmed the idea that I would probably be the youngest one here. And I can pretty safely say that I am. Then I helped David out (by having my camera and the cable so I could get pictures off for potential blogging) as he needed a picture of the Bag of Dirt that he was trying to sell. So then I went back and got to know my roomies a bit more and found out that my roomy had been here last year and it was really nice to have that confirmation that it was a really good program. And amazingly enough I went to bed a decent hour. Actually really decent hour since I was still on CA time an hour back. It was like 9:30-10:00 in CA, so unusual. It took me a while to sleep though but once I did I slept like a log.

I'll catch up the rest of my days later. It will probably be after I get home, but oh well. David and I talk FAR too much when we get together. Maybe I'll write it out on my laptop if I get the chance. I probably won't really though.

For fun here are the 2 pictures I actually got around to taking. I'll have to get a shot of my wonderful roomies for later use. Here's David in his wonderful WoW warrior shirt. And finally for all my adoring fans, here is a picture of me and my "new" hairstyle that I got months ago but never got around to talking a picture of myself. I will need to remove my blemishes when I get back home, but oh well. Not too bad of a picture.

Answer to the Puzzle

1. Fill the 7-gallon bucket and dump it into 13-gallon bucket. 2. Repeat. You now are left with 1 gallon in the 7-gallon bucket. 3. Empty the 13 gallon bucket and pour the 1 gallon from the 7-gallon bucket into it. 4. Fill the 7-gallon bucket and pour the water into the 13-gallon bucket. 5. Fill the 7-gallon bucket again and pour into the 13-gallon bucket. Since the 13-gallon bucket will now take only 5 additional gallons (1 + 7 + 5 = 13) you will have 2 gallons in the 7-gallon bucket. Don't forget the empty the 13-gallon bucket before going back to the cabin.

Puzzle of the . . . Month?

Here's your mission: Someone has asked you to bring them exactly two gallons of water from an outdoor pump at a cabin. The problem is that there are only two buckets in which to transport the water back to the cabin. One bucket holds thirteen gallons and the other holds seven gallons. Both are made from metal and are heavy even when empty. Your job is to have exactly two gallons of water, placed into the seven-gallon bucket, so that you can carry it back to the cabin. Can this be accomplished? If so, what is the quickest way to do it? Both buckets are empty when you start.

Updates!

It's been a while since I've blogged anything, and my SIL's are getting on me about it so I'd better get going.

First thing, I got my hair cut short (shoulder-length) and I succumbed to a side part with side bangs. The side part has always been my mom's style and as we have similar features, I didn't want to look even more like her. But I found a style that was different enough for me to be ok with and I went for it. I was thinking of getting pink highlights, but that didn't pan out. Oh well. I never got around to posting pictures because I never took any of my new hair. I still haven't so you'll just have to live without knowing right now. I did this right after school let out for the summer.

I've also gotten back to playing World of Warcraft after my long school term away from it. Fun times abound there. I'm really getting into aspects of the game that never really interested me before.

And last week I got to go on a family vacation with my parents, Brett and Kellie, Tom and Christy and my Grandma E. We went up to Lake Almanor which is about 3 hours north of Sacramento. It was a nice relaxing and fun vacation. We lazed about for most of it which is always nice. We also got the chance twice to rent a boat and jet-ski. It was so much fun. I'd like to do it again sometime. We also went to see Burney Falls which was really pretty. It was a very beautiful lake and the weather was wonderful. I got some color and managed to not burn! Amazing stuff.

Other than that, I have plans in August to go to BYU for their Choral Academy, which should be fun. Maybe I'll get the chance to see some people I haven't seen in a while again who are living up there. Much fun ahead! I'll let you all know how that turns out.

Puzzle of the Day

In each line below, start with a three-letter word from the clue given. Then add a letter to either the front or the back of that word to answer the clue in the next column. Keep doing this until you arrive at a six-letter word. For example, a typical sequence of answers might be can, cant, scant, scanty. This is a perfect opportunity to broaden your horizons!
1. exist, tortoise's foe, stock unit, generous type
2. Mr. Carney, pretentious, 1955 Borgnine film, know-it-all
3. crackerjack, measured step, elbow room, Kevin of American Beauty
4. half and half?, whet, micro follower, called up
5. pallid, graceful bird, Oscar winner Hilary, posh
6. victory, chicken part, in debt, lawn chore
7. down in the dumps, Actor Rob or Chad, decline, daisy or daffodil
8. meadow, TV producer Norman, not cloudy, Ramona the Pest author
9. underfoot worker, hit the roof, Prez before Hayes, endowments
10. minuscule, read 'em and do this, use a broom, important time for TV ratings
11. feathery scarf, sow's mate, two-by-four, e.g., on the train
12. musical gift, try a case, Valentine's Day symbol, fireside
13. hasty escape, metallic fabric, weaker, as excuses go, finger-pointer
14. set down, Pringles rival, Broadway productions, spreads out
15. road hazard, Houston university, kitchen gadget, merchant, at times

Puzzle of the Day

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELLIE!!! Today, in honor of Kellie's birthday, we have the following trivia questions all about the Birthday Girl -- Kellie. See who knows her best.
1. Where was she born?
2. How many siblings does she have?
3. Where does Kellie come in the sequence of siblings?
4. What is Kellie's favorite book?
5. What is Kellie's favorite animal?
6. What is Kellie's favorite restaurant?
7. What is Kellie's favorite movie?
8. What is Kellie favorite color?
9. What is Kellie's favorite activity?
10. Who is Kellie's best friend?
11. Which one of Kellie's husbands is her favorite?
12. Where would Kellie like to visit most in the world?

Puzzle of the Day

Can you work out the name of each actor or actress from the following anagrams? Name lengths are shown in brackets.

ACTORS:
OMIT CURSE (3,6)
A PAL ICON (2,6)
COOL EGO ENERGY (6,7)
GERMAN FOREMAN (6,7)
LESS RELEVANT TO SLY (9,9)
WILL USE CRIB (5,6)
INERT BROODER (6,2,4)
COOL RAINDROP IDEA (8,2,6)
MONK HATS (3,5)
BIG MELONS (3,6)
JAW DUEL (4,3)
SCOWL ANTIDOTE (5,8)

ACTRESSES:
LENGTHY PART WOW (7,7)
RAINY WONDER (6,5)
WARY UNIVERSE EGO (9,6)
IN FINE TORN JEANS (8,7)
NO ALIENS DARLING (7,8)
REALLY HERB (5,5)
IDOL NICKNAME (6,6)
NO EAGLE IN JAIL (8,5)
SEEN AT A RICH JET-ZONE (9, 4-5)
TWEAK TINSEL (5,6)
ROBUST JAILER (6,6)
TRY REM SLEEP (5,6)

Puzzle of the Day

http://www.monkeyingaround.com/weekly.pdf

Birthday Puzzle of the Day

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHIEMI!!!!
Birthday Word Scramble
1. drybaiht
2. snrestpe
3. kcea
4. agsem
5. ate
6. rpaty
7. alosbonl
8. nsecdal
9. adcsr
10. wlnco
Hope you have the BEST day ever!!

Puzzle of the Day

Do you have a pet cat? You're not alone. About 66 million U.S. households keep a furry little friend as a pet. Take this quiz to find out how much you know about our feline friends.
1. Cats sleep a lot. How many hours does a typical cat sleep each day? A. 12; B. 14; C. 16; D. 18
2. What is the average life expectancy for an indoor cat? A. 5 years; B. 10 years; C. 15 years; D. 20 years.
3. What does a cat use its tail for? A. To balance; B. To hang from trees; C. As a compass; D. As adornment.
4. What are the rough bumps on a cat's tongue called? A. Gritius; B. Plankton; C. Nori; D. Papillae.
5. Which ancient civilization is believed to have domesticated cats as early as 2500 BC? A. Roman; B. Egyptian; C. Chinese; D. Cro-Magnon.
6. A cat owner should provide their pet with which of the following? A. a balanced daily diet; B. a regular supply of fresh water; C. a clean litter box; D. all of the above.
7. How many kittens are in the average litter of cats? A. 4; B. 7; C. 8; D. 11.
8. The Maine Coon is one of the largest domestic cat breeds. How heavy can they get? A. 12 lbs; B. 16 lbs; C. 18 lbs; D. 35 lbs.
9. What is the average number of whiskers on a cat? A. 14; B. 24; C. 42; D. 82.
10. At what time of day can cats see best? A. During the morning; B. Right after breakfast; C. Right after lunch; D. At night.
Good luck!

Puzzle of the Day

The object of the puzzle is to find a pair of rhyming words starting with the given letters that will satisfy the given definitions. FB - comical rabbit == Funny bunny.

1. RK - boxing champion
2. DS - sound slumber
3. WT - Moby Dick
4. TC - police chief
5. BS - metal birds
6. WP - goldfish
7. DP - Texan mansion
8. RT - torn canvas shelter
9. DC - cook who can't hear
10. PP - Trojan horse

Puzzle of the Day

Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, contains 11 letters, only one of which (D) is not repeated within the word. Can you reconstruct the following list of world cities from which duplicate letters have been removed? The number in parentheses indicates how many different letters have been removed. For example, S A _ _ _ R_ (2) = SAPPORO (Japan).
1. _ _ L _ U _ _ _ (3)*
2. O _ _ _ W _ (2)
3. _ _ A N K _ U _ T (2)
4. _ _ _ I S T _ _ U _ _ _ (3)
5. _ I _ _ _ H A _ _ _ R (3)
6. _ _ R _ _ _ S (2)
7. _ _ _ IS _ _ _ _ _ (3)
8. _ _ _ O M _ E _ _ (3)
9. _ _ R S _ _ (2)
10. C _ N B E _ _ _ (2)
11. L _ _ D _ _ (2)
12. D _ M _ _ C U _ (2)
13. B R _ _ _ _ V I _ _ E (3)
14. _ _ U B _ _ _ N _ (3)
15. V _ _ _ T _ A _ _ (3)
16. _ _ R _ N _ _ (2)
17. _ _ _ L _ I _ _ (3)
18. _ R I _ S _ _ (2)
19. _ _ _ K _ T _ _ N (3)
20. S _ _ P _ _ L _ (2)
* former name
(The spacing doesn't always work very well on this blog so I will simply tell you that 7 and 8 are two words.)

Puzzle of the Day

If you've ever wanted to see your name in a puzzle, just complete the 11 steps below and your name will actually appear at the end.
1. Write down the letters ET.
2. If you are female, add the word WOMAN to the right of them.
3. If you are male, add the word MAN instead.
4. Both males and females add the word HER.
5. If are female, subtract (cross out) the word TWO.
6. If you are male, subtract the word THE.
7. Both add the words US and I.
8. If you are female, subtract the word HE.
9. Both add the word OYSTER.
10. Both subtract the word SISTER.
11. Now, reverse the remaining letters and there's . . .

Puzzle of the Day

The names of some people anagram to the city where they are from. For example, LES TATE hails from Seattle and RENE LAWSON from New Orleans. Can you unscramble the names below to determine what U.S. city each would call home? 1. ROY WENK; 2. STAN LOCHER; 3. ANA LATT; 4. TOMMY GROEN; 5. ED SOSA; 6. LOIS PINEMAN; 7. RON LADO; 8. TED MOOS; 9. MONA CASTER; 10. LEE KERBY; 11. SAL POE; 12. FRANCIS CASON; 13. SIMON DEES; 14. NEAL GOSSEL; 15. JO SANES; 16. EMIL TABOR; 17. TANYA CISKS; 18. DANA KOL; 19. LOU BAFF; 20. CORA HAGEN.

Fish Anyone?

We had the missionaries over tonight for dinner and what a surprise it was for them. One of the current missionaries told us a while ago that he was allergic to fish and my mom being the diabolical schemer she is couldn't resist a little fun.

My mom made individual meatloaves in the shape of fishes and we had salad with Parmesan goldfish crackers as croutons and mashed potatoes. Also, we have these cute glasses with fish all over them that we filled with blue raspberry drink to make the fish look like they were swimming. For dessert we had ice cream sundaes with Swedish fish on top.

It was funny how the Elder reacted when he noticed all the fish stuff. Very nervous. We brought out the main course and he said he wouldn't eat any of it until he knew what it was. After a bit he got into the joking attitude and we had a fun time. He seemed to really enjoy the Goldfish and Swedish fish quite a bit. We said that his allergy to fish must all be in his mind. :P

Our family likes to play around and has done a lot of fun dinners with the missionaries over. I enjoy having them come. As the elder said, "Man you guys go all out!"

Puzzle of the Day

ANALOGRAMS. In the statement "CAT is to KITTEN as DOG is to PUPPY," the first two items CAT and KiTTEN, bear a relationship that is shared by the second two, DOG and PUPPY. In the puzzle below, 20 more analogies await completion. The first two words of each analogy appear in the first section. The 40 words (2 per analogy) that go in the blanks to complete them are arranged alphabetically in the second section. Each of the words in the second section will be used exactly once, so you may cross them out as you proceed. A word of warning: Keep your mind flexible, some of the relationships are completed in unexpected ways.

SECTION 1. 1. ANKLE is to FOOT as; 2. FLOCK is to BIRD as; 3. CURB is to STREET as; 4. BAKER is to DOUGH as; 5. WORM is to FISHHOOK as; 6. WAND is to MAGICIAN as; 7. SEE is to SAW as; 8. STATIC is to RADIO as; 9. RACKET is to COURT as; 10. CROW is to ROOSTER as; 11. CAR is to GARAGE as; 12. CUP is to GOLF as; 13. SERGEANT is to ESTRANGE as; 14. PIG is to SNOUT as; 15. CRACK is to CHINA as; 16. FLAKE is to SNOW as; 17. PEA is to QUEUE as; 18. RAZOR is to BEARD as; 19. WONDER is to UNDERWAY as; 20. PITCHER is to CATCHER as

SECTION 2. AIRPLANE; BANK; BAT; BATON; BAY; BEAR; BILL; BORE; CALLBOX; CHEESE; CLAY; CONDUCTOR; DIAMOND; DROP; DUCK; ENLARGE; FISH; GENERAL; HAND; HANGAR; MOUSETRAP; PILLBOX; POCKET; POOL; POTTER; RAIN; RIVER; RUN; SCHOOL; SCYTHE; SNOW; STOCKING; TEA; TELEVISION; WEEDS; WOLF; WRECKS; WRIST; X-RAY; YOU

Puzzle of the Day

John and Delenn love animals and enjoy visiting zoos and safari parks that they have never seen before. In each of the last five years (2003 to 2007) they have visited a different zoo, three in her native Minbar and two elsewhere. Can you discover the year in which they visited each zoo? 1. In 2003, John and Delenn visited either Tuzenor Safari Park or Whipsnade Wild Animal Park. 2. They made the trek to Earth Dome to visit the famous San Diego Zoo three years before they visited Fota Wildlife Park on Mars. 3. They didn't visit Chester Zoo or Tuzenor Safari Park in 2006.

Avatars!

I just found this on my computer and thought they were so kawaii (cute)! I even did my homework and found a site to make them!

http://www.mikecpeck.com/blog/images/avatares.swf

Unfortunately it seems the e-mail feature doesn't work on it...oh well. Screenshot time!

I even did the Saylors family. This was probably around the time I did a lot of babysitting for them!

Ultimate Princess Bride Quiz

1. Who plays the grandson? (a) Jonathan Jackson; (b) Macaulay Culkin; (c) Ben Savage; (d) Fred Savage.
2. What type of group does Vizzini say he, Fezzik and Inigo are? (a)lost circus performers; (b) servants for the prince; (c) lost soldiers; (d) traveling salesmen.
3. What would Westley say when Buttercup would command him to do something? (a) do it yourself; (b) as you wish; (c) as you please; (d) rightie oh.
4. How did Buttercup refer to Westley? (a) servant boy; (b) hey you; (c) farm boy; (d) Westley.
5. With what country is Vizzini sent to start a war by the assasination of Princess Buttercup? (a) Florin; (b) Tabre; (c) Ethiopia; (d) Guilder.
6. What is the third danger of the fire swamp that Westley says he doesn't think exists? (a) fire spurts; (b) ROUSs; (c) lightening sand; (d) snow sand.
7. What do both Prince Humperdink and Westley say when Humperdink is screaming 'Surrender' and Westley screams 'Death First!" and Buttercup says, 'Do you promise not to hurt him?!' (a) shut up; (b) say again; (c) what did you say; (d) what was that?
8. After Buttercup's return to the castle, she has a dream. And in this dream someone is yelling at her. Who? (a) an old hag; (b) her mom; (c) a small child; (d) a dog.
9. Whath event prompted Buttercup's promotion to queen in her dream? (a) death of the king; (b) her mom said so; (c) war with Guilder; (d) because she wanted to.
10. What is the name of the Count who has six fingers that Inigo is set to kill to avenge his father? (a) Count Rugen; (b) Count Faust; (c) Count Braiden; (d) Count Richard.
11. What does the Count mentioned in number 10 say after Inigo has said his whole "you killed my father" spiel a number of times? (a) okay I get it; (b) stop saying that; (c) persistant little cuss; (d) enough already.
12. What does Miracle Max classify Westley as when Inigo and Fezzik bring Westley to him? (a) mostly dead; (b) all dead; (c) completely dead; (d) alive and healthy.
13. What is one of the insults Westley throws at Humperdink in the bedroom scene? (a) conceited creep; (b) jerk; (c) miserable vomitous mass; (d) ugly evil horse's behind.
14. What does Westley tell Humperdink he may keep when he puts him through "the pain"? (a) his eyes; (b) his hands; (c) his feet; (d) his ears.
15. Who will take over Westley's spot as the Dread Pirate Roberts? (a) Fezzik; (b) Humperdink; (c) Miracle Max; (d) Inigo.

Puzzle of the Day -- Level 2

Hal and Jennie are chatting when Jennie poses this question, "Dad, I'm 22 now, but just how old are you?"

Hal replies. "You wanna know how old your old man is, eh? Hmmm, well, I tell you what. I'm as old as your age plus half of my age."

How old is Hal?*

(Not really, Dustin!) LOL

Birthday Excitement!

It was my 22nd birthday on the 24th (Thursday) and I can't say it was the most exciting birthday ever but I've had fun. On Thursday I went out with my dad for a couple hours to look for a new/used car for himself as his car just got totaled. When we were there he had to fill out a form and put my age and it was then that he realized that it was in fact my birthday that day. He and I then went out to lunch at Maki Yaki, or as my mom likes to call it Mucky Yucky. I haven't had it in a long time and it was really tasty. I had a chicken teriyaki bowl and tempura CA roll and mochi ice cream for dessert. MMMMmmmmm....good stuff. After that I drove my dad over to get a blood test and after that I drove him back over to the car dealer so my mom could take a look at it before he bought it. I went home to relax before I had to go to school that night. Bleh. >:P

Saturday was my surprise party day. It wasn't a surprise that I was having a party, the surprise was what my party entailed. I gave the reigns to my SIL Chiemi who planned the day out for me (I'm sure with my other SIL Kellie's help). Unfortunately for me she did not plan my morning and because of my mom it did not entail sleeping in (which I really could have used), it entailed kick-boxing (don't get me wrong, I enjoy it, I just would have preferred not to have to go that day) followed by a thrilling hour of picking up trash to Keep Downey Beautiful (where I got a wonderful bright orange shirt....thrilling!). It was way hot out there in the sun which upsets me to no end because every other year when I wanted to have a pool party for my birthday, it was cold and the one year I don't have a pool party planned, it's blazingly hot. The weather likes to spite me, I feel.

At about 1:30 Chiemi and Kellie showed up at my house and we headed over to the mall to get manicures and/or pedicures...something I've wanted to do for a while now. It was relaxing, but I was sad that we couldn't get a hold of Christy as we didn't have either her nor Tom's cell numbers and so she got left out. Sad :( We'll have to go again soon.

After that we went over to look at a potential house for GE and Dustin and Chiemi. It was nice. Then Chiemi, Kellie and I needed to head off and they took me over to Macy's to get my makeup done all glamorously. I was worried it wasn't going to look good, but I ended up liking it luckily. When that was finally over we headed back to my place to get dressed in my fancy dress that I wore for Brett and Kellie's wedding reception. My mom then took me outside to take some "glamor shots." (The new picture on the side is one of them)

Then I was told we were going to BJ's for dinner but as I was going with Brett and Kellie, we needed to go and pick up her sister Kristi. We got her and then they told me that we needed to stop by the Cerritos institute to pick up something for her mom. When we got there they wanted me to go in with Kristi and so I reluctantly went with her (reluctant because I'm a lazy bum and didn't want to stand up). We got in there and the lights turned on and everyone shouted "Surprise!" I can't say as I was really shocked/surprised but it was unexpected. The most shocking part was more that there were some people that I wouldn't have thought were there like Denise Pellegrino, Brian Morris and Elise Saylors (and to a lesser extent my Grandpa and GB). They had gotten yummy food from Costco and Chiemi made cupcakes. I opened my presents(my replacement Zen with case and a few other things)/cards (with money). Then we were told stories about my past and my wonderful cuteness. All in all it was a lot of fun (even though I thought it was sorta strange to have my birthday party at the institute building).

Puzzle of the Day

1. A bear walks ten miles due south, ten miles east, ten miles north, ending up on the spot where it started. What color was the bear?

2. Eight cards were missing from a standard poker deck with no jokers, making it impossible to get a straight flush. Which cards were missing?

3. Avery, Jones, Robinson, Kucic, and Himmelfarb are the starting players on the college basketball team. Avery, who wears jersey number 30, told number 45, Jones, that Robinson was the mean one. Kucic, who wears number 35, told Himmelfarb that Avery was absolutely right. But Robinson, number 40, is even-tempered and kind to everybody. What number is on Himmelfarb's jersey?

4. Halfway through the season, Kucic the basketball player was hurried into the largest hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. The admitting nurse called Dr. Masterson's emergency beeper. In five minutes Dr. Masterson called back. The nurse explained the emergency and asked, "Where are you?" "We're in the middle of Gary, Indiana," she heard the doctor say. "How long will it take you to get here?" "Two minutes." What was Dr. Mastersondoing when she received the emergency call?

Puzzle of the Day

Commoner Puzzles are made up of two columns with five things (words, names, and places) in each. The goal is to find what all the things in Column A have in common that none of the things in Column B shares as well. Example:
Column A Column B
Allegiance Practical
Flag Yard
Of Drum
Republic Patriotic
Stand Sit
Solution: All the words in Column A are in the "Pledge of Allegiance."

1.
Column A Column B
Mud Flour
Lemonade Glass
Cement Steel
Tea Onyx
Coffee Oxygen

2.
Column A Column B
Lime Pear
Apple Plum
Pineapple Lemon
Cantaloupe Honeydew
Orange Fig

Flood It!

Puzzle of the Day

Every field must have its own abbreviations. For example, the ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is on the back of a book; a trucker going from Los Angeles to Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso and San Antonio might note her route as LA/PHX/TUC/EP/SA; a baseball coach might use P, C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, RF for pitcher, catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, left field, center field, right field. What do the following lists of abbreviations mean?

1. ARI, ALG, GEO, TRI, PRO, STA, CAL
2. COM, DRA, ADV, ACT, SPO, MUS, HOR, SCI
3. VLN, VLA, CEL, BA, TRU, TRO, FH
4. SON, SAM, MIT, GOL, TOS, PAN, ZEN, QUA
5. CEL, KNI, BUL, ROC, CAV, JAZ, LAK
6. LGA, LAX, SFO, DAL, SEA, MIA, DET
7. YOS, YEL, OLY, GLA, CAR, MAM, EVE, SHE
8. FIR, GDY, DUN, GDR, MIC, KEL, UNI

Puzzle of the Day

Sometimes people with large vocabularies use unecessarily flowery language. For example, the title of not one but two Alfred Hitchcock thrillers could have been "The Male Homo Sapiens with an Overabundance of Accumulated Data." Fortunately, the title he used for both versions of this classic was The Man Who Knew Too Much. What were the original names behind the following florid movie titles?

1. Greetings, Handtruck
2. Taurus Throwing a Tantrum
3. Occidentally Located Narrative
4. The Gargantuan Facile
5. Solar Satellite of the Members of the Pongidae Family
6. Distance Divided by Time
7. Obliterated from Existence in Conjunction With Atmospheric Vapors in Motion
8. Departing from the Most Populous Metropolitan Area of the Silver State

Puzzle of the Day

Kellie -- these are for you.

What is the next letter in the following sequence?

J J A S O N D _____

BONUS QUESTION: What color begins with b and ends with lue?

Puzzle of the Day

Sixty-nine percent of all people are chocolate eaters, and 22 percent of all people are under the age of fifteen. Given that a person has been selected at random, what is the probability that the person is not a chocolate eater and above the age of fifteen?

Puzzle of the Day

At a sports banquet there are one hundred famous athletes. Each one is either a football or basketball player. At least one is a football player. Given any two of the athletes, at least one is a basketball player. How many of the athletes are football players, and how many are basketball players?

Puzzle of the Day

NOTICE: There were several references here to things only known in the UK -- I have taken them out.

Example: 26 L in the A
Answer: 26 Letters in the Alphabet

1. 8 B in a B
2. 24 BB in a P
3. 3 BM (SHTR)
4. 52 C in a P
5. 10 C
6. 101 D from WD
7. 7 W of the AW
8. 7 D of the W
9. 90 D in a RA
10. 3 D for S in MC
11. 7 D in SW
12. 20 FO in a P
13. 50 for the B in D
14. 57 HV
15. 24 H in a D
16. 13 in a BD
17. 2000 is the NM
18. 12 M of a J
19. 60 M in an H
20. 6 S on a D
21. 88 PK
22. 3 S of a T
23. 9 P in the SS
24. 200 D for PG in a G of M
25. 15 RB on a ST
26. 4 S of the Y
27. 3600 S in an H
28. 8 P in a G
29. 12 M in a Y
30. 12 S of the Z
31. 64 S on a CB
32. 77 SS
33. 1 W on a U
34. 40 AN
35. 12 D of C
36. 7 C of the R
37. 14 C in a GB
38. 99 RB

Puzzle of the Day

Ah, Spring. The weather gets warmer, the days grow longer, and birds happily build nests for their new families. Love is in the air as the sun-kissed colors of newly sprouted daffodils and tulips chase the winter blues away. But how much spring trivia is blooming in your brain? Test your spring smarts with this quiz.

1. Which of these events marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere?
A. Groundhog Day
B. Mardis Gras
C. The vernal equinox
D. Easter Sunday

2. Periodically, the Internet undergoes a "Spring Cleaning," during which time users must disconnect or risk the deletion of unused files.
A. True
B. False

3. College sports fans get excited for which early springtime playoff series?
A. NCAA Women's Division I Softball Championship
B. NCAA Women's Division I Volleyball Championship
C. NCAA Men's Division I Football Championship
D. NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship

4. In the United States, wearing new clothes on Easter Sunday is a popular tradition. Where does the tradition stem from?
A. Milan's fashion week
B. Jesus Christ's robes on Palm Sunday
C. Holy Saturday baptism rituals
D. Ancient pagan rituals

5. Baseball fans hoping to catch some spring training action must travel to at least one of which two sunny states?
A. Arizona and Florida
B. California and Texas
C. New Mexico and Louisiana
D. Georgia and Mississippi

6. In Greek mythology, spring comes when this goddess is joyously reunited with her daughter each year. Which is it?
A. Demeter
B. Athena
C. Aphrodite
D. Hestia

7. In many countries, May Day is a celebration of spring, but the first day of May also commemorates what?
A. The Chinese New Year
B. Day of the Dead
C. The civil rights movement
D. The labor movement

8. Which Florida beach locale was a notoriously popular destination for college students on spring break from the end of World War II until the late 1980s?
A. Panama City Beach
B. Key West
C. South Beach
D. Fort Lauderdale

9. Which American candy-focused holiday is similar to a Swedish Easter week tradition?
A. Valentine's Day
B. Halloween
C. Mother's Day
D. Christmas Eve

10. Which colorful northern Indian Hindu festival celebrates the arrival of spring?
A. Raksabandhana
B. Holi
C. Vaisakhi
D. Ganesh Chaturathi

Puzzle of the Day

Of the words listed below, one of the "odd one out." Can you find the word and the reason it shouldn't be included with the rest? HINT: Don't consider parts of speech, vowels, consonants, or syllables.

DEFINE ABCESS HIJACK STUDY NORTH

Puzzle of the Day

Below are three sequence puzzles. Can you determine a pattern in each puzzle that will result in continuing the sequence one more step?

A. 0 3 7 10 14 17 21 _____

B. 3 8 14 21 29 38 _____

C. 0 5 8 17 24 37 _______

Puzzle of the Day

Here's a puzzle you can solve scot-free. The letters S-C-O-T (always in order, though not necessarily consecutively) have been removed from each of the words below, with any resulting spaces closed up.

1. DIUN 2. APEGA 3. MINDUC 4. HOPCH 5. HOUEA 6. DIRDAN 7. ERED
8. HOLMAE 9. OER 10. EAAS 11. VISIY 12. DIHLH 13. UBMPAC 14. WAITA
15. YPHAN 16. DIOMFR 17. EARG 18. VIUN 19. PAEPR 20. DIHEQUE
21. UGARA 22. UCASH 23. YNPAED 24. ARSANC

Puzzle of the Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!!

In order to make ends meet, a lot of people these days are working two jobs. And while the jobs may not be related, sometimes the names are. Take an example. One person below has a daytime job as a REWRITER (sign #1). To save money, he doesn't have a different sign for his moonlighting position. He just puts the sign fragment POR (at the bottom of the page) over the WRI to show his second job: REPORTER. Each of the other names of daytime jobs below likewise can be converted into the name of a nighttime job. How many of the conversions can you deduce? NOTE: The nighttime letters can cover the beginning, middle, or end of the daytime sign. Each sign fragment always covers up the same number of letters, unless it's at the start or end of the word in which case it may extend further.
DAYTIME SIGNS:
1. REWRITER 2. MORTICIAN 3. CARETAKER 4. BUTLER 5. TINSMITH
6. DISPATCHER 7. LEGISLATOR 8. PHYSICIAN 9. DAIRYMAN 10. BASSOONIST
11. BOOKBINDER 12. GLASSMAKER 13. ARCHIVIST 14. FISHERMAN 15. ENGINEER
16. ACTUARY 17. BALLPLAYER 18. LOCKSMITH
NIGHTTIME FRAGMENTS
DRE TEC BEAU CHER ST RICK CART RAV TRAN PENT FER OGC
WEAT BLA POR RESS KEEP GU

Puzzle of the Day

Because I just can't be responsible for Kellie going on strike!

Can you think of two different eight letter words that contain the letters A, B, C, D, E and F? The other two letters in each word may be any letters.

Puzzle of the Day

Okay yesterday's puzzle wasn't such a good success. Let's try this one:

There are five books side by side on a shelf. Their colors are gold, orange, pink, and gray. The following information is known about the order of the books:

1. The orange book is between the gray book and the pink book.
2. The gold book is not first and the pink book is not last.
3. The brown book is separated from the pink book by two books.

A. What is the position of the gold book?
B. If the gold book is not next to the brown book, what is the order from the first to last of the five books?

Puzzle of the Day

Below is a list of scores from a fictitious college basketball season. Based on the given scores only, if Kansas State were to play Tulane during this particular season, who would win and by how much?
Tulane 83 New Mexico 69
Kansas State 93 Northern Iowa 92
New Mexico 95 Northwestern 91
Northern Iowa 101 California 98
Northwestern 62 Boston College 59
California 79 Minnesota 75
Minnesota 88 Boston College 56

Anne of Green Gables -- Chapter 1

Some suggested topics for research for tomorrow's book discussion -- Kellie will prepare a short biography of L.M. Montgomery; Chiemi will prepare a short discussion of fashion of the time, i.e., what does "he wore a white collar" mean; Jennie will prepare a discussion of where is Avonlea and Green Gables and I will prepare a short multiple guess quiz about chapter 1. How does that sound? None of this is set in stone but it will add to our discussion I think. Thoughts?

The E-book Club

Christy, being the wonderful person she is has found a wonderful site that e-mails books to you in installments every day. Many of these books are even free! (and we being the cheep-os that we are only look at those ones) We've decided to start reading Anne of Green Gables. (Though Christy will probably end up reading about 10 books at once...j/k) Feel free to join us in our hunt for entertainment! The site is:

DailyLit

We're going to have some nice discussions! Hope you'll join us! Or even find some use from it on your own time!

Puzzle of the Day + Bonus

Anagrams are new words created from the letters of another word. For example, one anagram of the word EVIL is LIVE; another is VILE. Another example is STARCH, which has an anagram in the word CHARTS. Below are five words. See if you can come up with at least one anagram for each one.
1. MILES
2. GREASE
3. HORNETS
4. SCREAM
5. TRAINS

Today's bonus question: A box of candy can be divided equally (without cutting pieces) among 2, 3, or 7 people. What is the least number of pieces of candy the box could contain?

Puzzle of the Day

What's unusual about this series: hand, spring, time, table, spoon, bill, board, walk, out, come, back, ground, work, space, ship, mate?

B5 Intro Music

Here are links to each season's intro on YouTube to help you in your poll of the week.

Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5

Puzzle of the Day

Five suspects are called into police headquarters for questioning. They give the following statements:

A: "One of the five of us is lying."
B: "Two of the five of us is lying."
C: "I know these guys, and three of the five of us are lying."
D: "Don't listen to a word they say, out of the five of us, four are lying."
E: "All five of us are dirty rotten liars."

The police only want to release the suspects who are telling the truth. How many people should they let go?

Puzzle of the Day

Six brothers have gathered around a table to eat dinner. Each of the brothers is prone to fighting with the siblings directly above and below him in age and can't be seated next to either of them. Also, Brothers 3 and 5 got into an argument the other day and refuse to sit next to each other.

The eldest brother (Brother 1) has already sat down at the big table and is waiting on the others to start eating. Can you find a seating arrangement that will keep everyone from fighting with each other?

1
_____ _____

_____ _____

______

Jennie's Puzzle of the Day

For all you nerds out there, I found a logical puzzle that you should be able to relate to. (:P)

They can be very difficult but well worth the effort...we need to keep our minds in tip-top shape!

Here is the link:

Logical Puzzle

(A hint: One click on each box produces an X, two produces a circle and three clears the box. I find that the circles are good for things you are certain are true and X's are good for things you are certain are not true. Also filling in the table as you go can help in most cases!)

I've become somewhat addicted to these things! Fun times!!

Puzzle of the Day

A glass jar holds a single germ. After one minute, the germ splits into two germs. One minute after that, the two germs each split again, forming a total of four germs. Continuing at this rate, a single germ can multiply to fill the whole jar in exactly one hour.

Knowing this, how long in minutes would it take to fill the jar if you had started with two germs.

Puzzle of the Day

A man has been prescribed 10 pills. Starting today, he must take one pill a day, but because the concentration of the medicine is different in each pill, he must take them in a specific order. Since the pills all look the same, the man has decided to write numbers on each pill to help him remember the order he needs to take them in.

How many pills does he have to number if he wants to keep track of the order?

Cousins!

Family is the greatest! My cousins, Jessica and Eric and Eric's girlfriend Meghan, are visiting with us for the weekend. We've had a lot of fun...or at least I've had a lot of fun! Friday night we got together and went over to the Citadel and ate at Ruby's and did a tiny, tiny bit of shopping (like 20 minutes at most). Did you know the stores over there close at 8:00? On a Friday night? Crazy stuff. We took too long to get over there and eat I guess.

Afterwards "the cousins" (not including Dustin and Chiemi) went over to Brett and Kellie's place to play Rockband and it was a lot of fun. We stayed and chatted a long time after we were finished playing. I tried to do both the drums and sing the last song but Kellie was holding the microphone for me and was laughing so much she made me laugh and unable to do either one so Brett took over on the singing front. We even gave everyone nicknames too. Eric is Stinky Guy, Meghan is Stinky Feet Shower Sniffer (or SFSS), Jessica is Child Brain, I'm Sucky Brain, Brett is Jerky Retardo, and Kellie is Kellie (because that rhymes with Lucy ;P). We had a blast. We didn't get home til almost 12.

Today I went to kickboxing with my mom over a the church and then when we got home we were originally going to head down to the beach and take pictures and go shopping but with the weather like it was we had a change of plans. We instead went over to SCP (South Coast Plaza). It was fun at first for me. Did a little shopping and little playing with Kyla. Ate CPK...which was tasty as always. But then we split up (or B&K did) and there was a miscommunication and they thought they were supposed to meet the rest of us on the other side of the mall and headed over there when they were done. We didn't realize that and I went looking for them and calling them with no success while the rest of the group headed on over there. They finally found them after they were finished and heading back. Oh well. It made me really tired and I took a nap when I got home.

Later we went over to my grandparents house and had El Taco...such good food. Their quesadillas are to die for and their rice is pretty good also. Their tacquitos are good too though I was somewhat good and didn't have them this time. We then watched Sydney White. It was really good actually. It stars Amanda Bynes and was a play off of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves except with dorks as dwarves. I enjoyed it a great deal. A nice chick flick with a cute actor is a nice way to end the week I think. We then headed home and here we are! (Not counting the stop at the store to buy body wash since I was out completely...of a bottle that I stole from my parents bathroom cupboard a while back.)

I guess they are going to head back home tomorrow and I'm going to miss them...we don't see them often enough as they live over in Arizona...but I'm glad they came. It has been a nice trip I think.

Leap Year Day

In the English speaking a world, it is a tradition that women may propose marriage only on leap years. While it has been argued that the tradition was initiated by Saint Patrick or Brigid of Kildare in 5th century Ireland, it is dubious as the tradition has not been attested before the 19th century. Supposedly, a 1288 law by Queen Margaret of Scotland (then age five and living in Norway), required that fines be levied if a marriage proposal was refused by the man; compensation ranged from a kiss to £1 to a silk gown, in order to soften the blow. Because men felt that put them at too great a risk, the tradition was in some places tightened to restricting female proposals to the modern leap day, 29 February, or to the medieval leap day, 24 February. According to Felten: "A play from the turn of the 17th century, 'The Maydes Metamorphosis,' has it that 'this is leape year/women wear breeches.' A few hundred years later, breeches wouldn't do at all: Women looking to take advantage of their opportunity to pitch woo were expected to wear a scarlet petticoat -- fair warning, if you will."

In Greece, it is believed that getting married in a leap year is bad luck for the couple. Thus, mainly in the middle of the past century, couples avoided setting a marriage date in a leap year.

This should not be confused with Sadie Hawkins Day which is a fictional holiday that originates in Al Capp's comic strip Li'l Abner. It was a day-long event in observed in Canada and in the United States on the Saturday that follows November 9, named after Sadie Hawkins, "the homeliest gal in all them hills." Each year on Sadie Hawkins Day the unmarried women of Dogpatch pursued the single men. If a woman caught a man and dragged him back to the starting line by sundown, he had to marry her.

Top 10 Actors - for real this time!

Here is our list of our favorite all around actors. See what you think! I have links to imdb.com for each if you want to know more about them!

1. Bruce Boxleitner
2. Hugh Jackman
3. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers
4. Harrison Ford
5. Ian McKellen
6. Daniel Day-Lewis
7. Tobey Maguire
8. Michael Cain
9. Johnny Depp
10. Carey Elwes