TRAILER:
FILM!!!:
I just watched this. Any or all of you reading, find a spare 94 minutes and 56 seconds to do the same. (It's also available on netflix for instant play.) I laughed. I learned. I empathized. I cried.
While sitting at stop lights, I often glance over at the person driving the car next to me, as most people do, and wonder about their lives. I almost wish we could switch bodies just to know how it would feel to experience this world through the eyes and soul of another. Whenever I am terribly stressed and terrified the night before an exam, I always wonder if tomorrow is just another day for that man I see out my window. My day-to-day mind wanderings frequently attempt to imagine the magnitude of life that is being lived...(does that sound too philosophical? oh well.) Try to imagine the babies being born, old friendships being strengthened, discoveries being made, beautiful art being created.
I've tried (and failed) to describe this curiosity I have to Simon several times in the past and apparently writing these thoughts as a blog post makes them even more incoherent, so I apologize. Take home message: This film forced me to become aware of others. (Something I've wanted and needed lately.) Not just those in my family, or neighborhood, or in Salt Lake, but those in Afghanistan, Mexico, Nepal, and the UK. And this makes my heart so happy. This gives me motivation and a sincere desire to make other lives better and also to become more present in my own.
Cheers. And Merry Christmas!
p.s. Search "life in a day" to find several more clips not featured in the documentary. So good.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
in my ardor till my ardor trumps every inner inertia...
So I love concerts. If you know me, you know this fact. But you know what I don’t love? Artists who seem to only know how to crack jokes about being scared to drink alcohol or cuss in Utah. Seriously? All you can think to talk about is how you will have to censor your next song so as not to offend anyone? Or if you choose to sing your song as you intended, you’ll have to dodge lightning bolts? How about our beautiful mountains? How about the changing leaves and beautiful architecture downtown? Hell, give us a cliché comment on the crowd’s enthusiasm or the lack of sleep you had the night before. Anything.
This is all to say that I respect, commend, and appreciate artists who come and show sincere gratitude for their many opportunities and skip the “I’m in Utah…Ahh!!” nonsense. You know which artist did exactly this? Fleet Foxes. In fact, they not only shut up about the cussing but before they began, they ensured that all children in attendance had ear plugs!! Now this was a first, ladies and gentlemen. That sealed the deal. Fleet Foxes will forever remain an owner of my heart. Guess who else is at the top of the list? Bon Iver.
Speaking of Bon Iver. Justin Vernon has such a power to evoke unfamiliar feelings from me in a single song. No matter that I have the best husband in the world. No matter that we understand each other. rely on each other. inspire each other. care for each other in ways inexplicable. No matter that I know I am loved so deeply by him. This man (Justin Vernon, not Simon!) takes me to a place where I understand his pain so intimately. How does he do it? Who knows. I may or may not have cried while listening to this (over and over again).
I Can’t Make You Love Me/Nick of Time
Turn down the lights
Turn down the bed
Turn down these voices inside my head
Lay down with me, tell me no lies
Just hold me close, don't patronize me
Don't patronize me.
Cause I can't make you love me if you don't
You can't make your heart feel something it won't
Here in the dark, in these final hours
I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power
But you don't, no you don't
Cause I can't make you love me if you don't.
If you don’t. No, you won’t.
I'll close my eyes, then I won't see
The love you don't feel when you're holding me
Morning will come and I'll do what's right
Just give me till then to give up this fight
And I will give up this fight.
Cause I can't make you love me if you don't
I can't make your heart feel something it won't
Here in the dark, in these final hours
I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power
But you don't, no you don't
I can't make you love me if you don't.
If you don’t. No you won’t.
I found love darling.
Love in the nick of time.
I have been listening to his albums on repeat lately. Thanks to Luke for showing this recording to me. Speaking of Luke, I recently visited this youtube of Luke and enjoyed it mucho. Also. Check out the comment on the page. After a little research, Luke found that woman really did write the song! How great is that?
This is all to say that I respect, commend, and appreciate artists who come and show sincere gratitude for their many opportunities and skip the “I’m in Utah…Ahh!!” nonsense. You know which artist did exactly this? Fleet Foxes. In fact, they not only shut up about the cussing but before they began, they ensured that all children in attendance had ear plugs!! Now this was a first, ladies and gentlemen. That sealed the deal. Fleet Foxes will forever remain an owner of my heart. Guess who else is at the top of the list? Bon Iver.
Speaking of Bon Iver. Justin Vernon has such a power to evoke unfamiliar feelings from me in a single song. No matter that I have the best husband in the world. No matter that we understand each other. rely on each other. inspire each other. care for each other in ways inexplicable. No matter that I know I am loved so deeply by him. This man (Justin Vernon, not Simon!) takes me to a place where I understand his pain so intimately. How does he do it? Who knows. I may or may not have cried while listening to this (over and over again).
I Can’t Make You Love Me/Nick of Time
Turn down the lights
Turn down the bed
Turn down these voices inside my head
Lay down with me, tell me no lies
Just hold me close, don't patronize me
Don't patronize me.
Cause I can't make you love me if you don't
You can't make your heart feel something it won't
Here in the dark, in these final hours
I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power
But you don't, no you don't
Cause I can't make you love me if you don't.
If you don’t. No, you won’t.
I'll close my eyes, then I won't see
The love you don't feel when you're holding me
Morning will come and I'll do what's right
Just give me till then to give up this fight
And I will give up this fight.
Cause I can't make you love me if you don't
I can't make your heart feel something it won't
Here in the dark, in these final hours
I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power
But you don't, no you don't
I can't make you love me if you don't.
If you don’t. No you won’t.
I found love darling.
Love in the nick of time.
I have been listening to his albums on repeat lately. Thanks to Luke for showing this recording to me. Speaking of Luke, I recently visited this youtube of Luke and enjoyed it mucho. Also. Check out the comment on the page. After a little research, Luke found that woman really did write the song! How great is that?
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Most underrated youtube award goes to...
oh man oh my oh me, how I love that boy.
In the realms of youtubes warranting their millions of views, some favorites I've revisited recently:
and lastly, this one found on gretchen's blog:
So what. So I think kids are the funniest. Judge if you must.
Monday, April 4, 2011
I wonder what she wished for / I just wish for you.
On March 27, 2011, Garrett Smith, age 26 passed away after having been swept away by an avalanche. He and his friends planned to go back country skiing. They had all of the necessary equipment and took all necessary precautions to make sure the mountainside was safe prior to skiing. After stability testing, they determined the prospect of an avalanche was too great. Although Garrett is described as being strong-willed and fearless, he too agreed to begin packing up. It was at this time that the avalanche took Garrett and two others down the mountainside. The others (including the other two that were taken by the avalanche) were safe. (See full story and video here.)
I never met Garrett. I never met his family or his wife. I am only acquaintances with a few of his dear friends. And yet I have thought about him daily and even shed a few tears over this devastating happenstance. The day I heard about Garrett's passing, I unintentionally found his facebook page and was overwhelmed with the comments posted by his friends and family about his life and legacy. It was here that I discovered he and his wife were married within a month of my and Simon's wedding date. To think of losing Simon after a mere 8 months of marriage is incomprehensible and too painful to try to imagine. My heart goes out to his lovely wife.
Chip and Brinn wrote and (with help from Luke) recorded this beautiful song for the Smith's and sung it at Garrett's funeral.
Also, another friend of Garrett's made this photo montage. It made me laugh just as much as it made me cry.
My sincerest thoughts and prayers are with you and your own, Garrett.
Dreaming colors red and gold / dreaming colors run right through.
I never met Garrett. I never met his family or his wife. I am only acquaintances with a few of his dear friends. And yet I have thought about him daily and even shed a few tears over this devastating happenstance. The day I heard about Garrett's passing, I unintentionally found his facebook page and was overwhelmed with the comments posted by his friends and family about his life and legacy. It was here that I discovered he and his wife were married within a month of my and Simon's wedding date. To think of losing Simon after a mere 8 months of marriage is incomprehensible and too painful to try to imagine. My heart goes out to his lovely wife.
Chip and Brinn wrote and (with help from Luke) recorded this beautiful song for the Smith's and sung it at Garrett's funeral.
Also, another friend of Garrett's made this photo montage. It made me laugh just as much as it made me cry.
My sincerest thoughts and prayers are with you and your own, Garrett.
Dreaming colors red and gold / dreaming colors run right through.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Never dress up on Thursdays.
Did you know I did this to Simon's car?
Simon says it looks like an upside down taco...Unfortunately the engine parts do resemble ground beef quite well. If our Sub was a person, I imagine he would look a bit like this post crash:
It happened almost a month ago on a Thursday. I was about 20 feet from the parking lot in front of the clinic. The story is long and complicated and not post-worthy. Just know that it wasn't my fault. The cop even said so. But somehow I ended up with a ticket and all of the damage. Dumb.
Anyway. It took them about 3 weeks to get the car back in tip top shape (which they did ever so wonderfully). HOWEVER. Two things.
1. Our heater now makes our car smell like pancakes and syrup.
2. Our horn sounds like we are driving one of these:
I laugh every time. It's the little things in life, right?
Simon says it looks like an upside down taco...Unfortunately the engine parts do resemble ground beef quite well. If our Sub was a person, I imagine he would look a bit like this post crash:
It happened almost a month ago on a Thursday. I was about 20 feet from the parking lot in front of the clinic. The story is long and complicated and not post-worthy. Just know that it wasn't my fault. The cop even said so. But somehow I ended up with a ticket and all of the damage. Dumb.
Anyway. It took them about 3 weeks to get the car back in tip top shape (which they did ever so wonderfully). HOWEVER. Two things.
1. Our heater now makes our car smell like pancakes and syrup.
2. Our horn sounds like we are driving one of these:
I laugh every time. It's the little things in life, right?
Monday, February 7, 2011
But he overshot the driveway!
Februrary 2010. One year ago, I decided I wanted to start a blog. All of my friends had one and I needed a place to post my favorite youtubes. I was sick of using facebook for this purpose because only "friends" from high school (or junior high. or elementary school. or that humanities class I took freshman year in college) would see them. Obviously, this blog didn't happen because I had a wedding, my dearest provo friends, and Gilmore Girls to distract me. And maybe some homework too, but who sets that as a priority?
July 2010. Married! Settling in our new apartment. No job yet. No school for a couple more months. Just bliss and lots of runs to target and the DI. The thought of a blog was in the back of my mind but so was the vow I made with myself to NEVER create a newlywed look-how-in-love-we-are-and-look-at-all-of-these-myspace-like-pictures-of-us-in-front-of-various-free-activities-around-the-city-because-we're-newlyweds-and-poor-but-happy-as-long-as-we're-together blog. Now. I don't mean to offend...half of the blogs I read started out as newlywed blogs and that's great. I KNOW I will write posts that feature photos fitting that exact description. I know it. This stubbornness just comes from a long line of loving to hate the mormon culture I, in fact, surround myself with. (Yes. I ended that sentence with a preposition. Bothersome? Yep.)
December 2010. Finding myself scrounging for anything to do besides the ever growing pile of things to do for school. Thoughts of blogs danced around my head like the sugarplum fairies that would appear later this month. But no. School and my cold shoulder to newlywed blogs shot that blogging ballerina to the ground (Andy Samberg, anyone?).
January 2011. Thanks to coercing from friends (Kat, Katie, Julia, etc) and a little swallowing of pride on my end, here you find me. With a blog that has mine and my husband's name in it. (I have yet to succumb to the wedding picture behind our blog's name though.)
Now look at me. My first blog and I've already rambled beyond repair. I will leave you with my favorite superbowl commercial I've seen thus far:
July 2010. Married! Settling in our new apartment. No job yet. No school for a couple more months. Just bliss and lots of runs to target and the DI. The thought of a blog was in the back of my mind but so was the vow I made with myself to NEVER create a newlywed look-how-in-love-we-are-and-look-at-all-of-these-myspace-like-pictures-of-us-in-front-of-various-free-activities-around-the-city-because-we're-newlyweds-and-poor-but-happy-as-long-as-we're-together blog. Now. I don't mean to offend...half of the blogs I read started out as newlywed blogs and that's great. I KNOW I will write posts that feature photos fitting that exact description. I know it. This stubbornness just comes from a long line of loving to hate the mormon culture I, in fact, surround myself with. (Yes. I ended that sentence with a preposition. Bothersome? Yep.)
December 2010. Finding myself scrounging for anything to do besides the ever growing pile of things to do for school. Thoughts of blogs danced around my head like the sugarplum fairies that would appear later this month. But no. School and my cold shoulder to newlywed blogs shot that blogging ballerina to the ground (Andy Samberg, anyone?).
January 2011. Thanks to coercing from friends (Kat, Katie, Julia, etc) and a little swallowing of pride on my end, here you find me. With a blog that has mine and my husband's name in it. (I have yet to succumb to the wedding picture behind our blog's name though.)
Blog name? Probably will change as this whole actually creating a blog idea came upon a whim. (Simon doesn't even know about this blog yet!! Again. Anything to keep me from my clinic papers.) But for now, Kimbaland & Smoncé. Every white mormon married couple needs a little Timbaland and Beyoncé flair. May it represent our salt and pepper outlook on life. Or at least our music collection.
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