Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Pure Art
I just had to share this video! It was made by an animation professor here at BYU. A dance professor choreographed it and the dancers were filmed, then the animation team went to town on it. I love how the different forms of art are combined...it's absolutely beautiful. Enjoy.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Jane Austen's World
Sometimes I wish I was born in the times of Pride and Prejudice.
Why? I'll give you 5 reasons.
1. It was cool to be pale.
I am the whitest person that I know. Though I've learned to appreciate my ghostliness, I've been the butt of many jokes. (My favorite being: "Hey Ash, you know when Joseph Smith said he saw two pillars of light? Yeah. Those were just the whiteness of your legs when you were wearing shorts!" Good one, Sydney. I commend you.) Here in the times of 2010, people are obsessed with being tan. They spend ridiculous amounts of money just to make their skin darker. But back in the times of Pride and Prejudice, being pale was all the rage. Being white meant you were rich and awesome, and had the luxury of lounging around in your mansion all day or walking around outside under your little parasol. Being tan meant you were a lame-sauce farmer who had to work outside for a living.
2. Men were so much nicer.
Ok girls, tell me you haven't watched a Jane Austen movie without sighing over how gentlemanly the men are. They're always so darn polite, and helping the women out of carriages, and saying nice things, and rushing in on horseback to save the day...*siiiigh*
3. Gave you a good excuse to use words like "thither", "mischance", and "felicity" without being looked at funny.
...Always a plus.
4. Balls and Poofy Dresses.
Balls. (No giggling, now.) They're the fabulously over-dressed parties that everyone goes to. Everyone knows the choreography, and you get to meet a whole bunch of new people. Plus you have a live band. Sounds like fun to go to, personally. Also you get to wear these awesomely poofy dresses covered in beads and frills and lace that a hundred doiles died to make.
5. Servants.
These should definitely come back into style. They live to serve! I can just imagine myself, seated ladylike on a couch with a book in my hand, when I pick up the little silver bell and ring it while calling "Brunhildaaa!" And then she'll come rushing in to do whatever I ask her. Bliss.
On the other hand, however, there were definitely a plethora of things wrong with that century.
I think I'll stick to 2010.
Why? I'll give you 5 reasons.
1. It was cool to be pale.
I am the whitest person that I know. Though I've learned to appreciate my ghostliness, I've been the butt of many jokes. (My favorite being: "Hey Ash, you know when Joseph Smith said he saw two pillars of light? Yeah. Those were just the whiteness of your legs when you were wearing shorts!" Good one, Sydney. I commend you.) Here in the times of 2010, people are obsessed with being tan. They spend ridiculous amounts of money just to make their skin darker. But back in the times of Pride and Prejudice, being pale was all the rage. Being white meant you were rich and awesome, and had the luxury of lounging around in your mansion all day or walking around outside under your little parasol. Being tan meant you were a lame-sauce farmer who had to work outside for a living.
2. Men were so much nicer.
Ok girls, tell me you haven't watched a Jane Austen movie without sighing over how gentlemanly the men are. They're always so darn polite, and helping the women out of carriages, and saying nice things, and rushing in on horseback to save the day...*siiiigh*
3. Gave you a good excuse to use words like "thither", "mischance", and "felicity" without being looked at funny.
...Always a plus.
4. Balls and Poofy Dresses.
Balls. (No giggling, now.) They're the fabulously over-dressed parties that everyone goes to. Everyone knows the choreography, and you get to meet a whole bunch of new people. Plus you have a live band. Sounds like fun to go to, personally. Also you get to wear these awesomely poofy dresses covered in beads and frills and lace that a hundred doiles died to make.
5. Servants.
These should definitely come back into style. They live to serve! I can just imagine myself, seated ladylike on a couch with a book in my hand, when I pick up the little silver bell and ring it while calling "Brunhildaaa!" And then she'll come rushing in to do whatever I ask her. Bliss.
On the other hand, however, there were definitely a plethora of things wrong with that century.
- Chamber pots: Gross. They're in your ROOM for heaven's sake. What if you accidentally knocked it over? Just nasty.
- Horse-drawn carriages: While they may be romantic, they're hardly practical. They aren't very fast, they must be freezing in the winter, and I would definitely NOT want to be the guy who has to clean up after them horses.
- Poofy dresses: Yes, I know I mentioned this in the "pros" list earlier, but imagine having to wear them ALL the time! I like my sweats and jeans and hoodies, thank you very much. Plus they would get awfully hot in the summer.
- Big ol' drafty houses: Those mansions may look cool, but I'm 97% positive that they are not very fun in the winter.
I think I'll stick to 2010.
Friday, November 19, 2010
D Stands For...
Ten Things you should know about me that start with the letter "D"
1. Despicable Me: It's a great movie. I went to see it last night at the dollar theater, and I laughed throughout the whole thing. It helped that the voice for the main character is done by Steve Carrell, who I happen to think is hilarious. Go see it.
1a. The dollar theater is awesome. Its super close to campus and its oober cheap. Fabulous.
2. Dirty Dishes: I hate them. Oh, how I hate them. Don't get me wrong, I wash all my dishes right after I use them, and then it doesn't bother me. But when there's dishes in the sink, all covered in nasty food from who-knows-when...*shudder*...I absolutely hate even picking them up to put them in the dishwasher. It grosses me out like you wouldn't believe. Ugh.
3. Ducks at Salem Pond: They are a huge part of my childhood. ....And teenage-hood, for that matter. I have many fond memories of bringing bags of bread to Salem Pond to feed those fabulous fowl. (That sentence is just chock-full of alliteration! I didn't even mean to! Go me.) They do have a duck pond here on BYU campus, that is actually just down the path from where I live. But the ducks here seem snobbish. Apparently they're too cool to be friendly, cause they're COLLEGE ducks now. I guess my bread just isn't good enough for them. Also, I love the bridge at Salem Pond. And I can't wait for Christmas to go see the lights down there.
4. Dating: For a BYU student, I don't do very much of it. Lay off.
5. Dance parties: I love love LOVE dance parties. We had them all the time back at home with my high school buddies. Everytime we got together we would blast some music and get our groove on. We need to have more here at BYU.
6. Deaf people: Every so often, I see a couple of people on campus happily signing away to each other. Call me impolite, but I like to surreptitiously watch their conversations, since I'm semi-decent at sign language. I love that language. It's fun. And every time I see people using ASL, I'm tempted to just run up and start talking to them in sign language...but that would be bad. They would probably punch me in the nose and use the universal sign for "get lost."
7. Dennstaedtiaceae: I don't know what it means.
8. My dog: I miss her. She's so ridiculously cute. And every time I come home to visit, she gets so happy to see me that she has to pee. If that's not love, I don't know what is.
My puppy :)
9. Drinking hot chocolate: Easily one of the only things that makes winter bearable, besides Christmas. I absolutely hate the cold. Back in high school, I never had to worry about being all bundled up for the weather outside, because I only had to deal with the thirty seconds of the cold when walking from the parking lot into the school. College, however, takes winter (or any other kind of bad weather) and smacks you in the face with it. I now have to prepare for at least a fifteen minute walk for wherever I go...every day. And hot chocolate is the only thing that keeps me alive.
10. Murphy's Law: I know it doesn't start with a D. But it's out to get me.
1. Despicable Me: It's a great movie. I went to see it last night at the dollar theater, and I laughed throughout the whole thing. It helped that the voice for the main character is done by Steve Carrell, who I happen to think is hilarious. Go see it.
1a. The dollar theater is awesome. Its super close to campus and its oober cheap. Fabulous.
2. Dirty Dishes: I hate them. Oh, how I hate them. Don't get me wrong, I wash all my dishes right after I use them, and then it doesn't bother me. But when there's dishes in the sink, all covered in nasty food from who-knows-when...*shudder*...I absolutely hate even picking them up to put them in the dishwasher. It grosses me out like you wouldn't believe. Ugh.
3. Ducks at Salem Pond: They are a huge part of my childhood. ....And teenage-hood, for that matter. I have many fond memories of bringing bags of bread to Salem Pond to feed those fabulous fowl. (That sentence is just chock-full of alliteration! I didn't even mean to! Go me.) They do have a duck pond here on BYU campus, that is actually just down the path from where I live. But the ducks here seem snobbish. Apparently they're too cool to be friendly, cause they're COLLEGE ducks now. I guess my bread just isn't good enough for them. Also, I love the bridge at Salem Pond. And I can't wait for Christmas to go see the lights down there.
4. Dating: For a BYU student, I don't do very much of it. Lay off.
5. Dance parties: I love love LOVE dance parties. We had them all the time back at home with my high school buddies. Everytime we got together we would blast some music and get our groove on. We need to have more here at BYU.
6. Deaf people: Every so often, I see a couple of people on campus happily signing away to each other. Call me impolite, but I like to surreptitiously watch their conversations, since I'm semi-decent at sign language. I love that language. It's fun. And every time I see people using ASL, I'm tempted to just run up and start talking to them in sign language...but that would be bad. They would probably punch me in the nose and use the universal sign for "get lost."
7. Dennstaedtiaceae: I don't know what it means.
8. My dog: I miss her. She's so ridiculously cute. And every time I come home to visit, she gets so happy to see me that she has to pee. If that's not love, I don't know what is.
My puppy :)10. Murphy's Law: I know it doesn't start with a D. But it's out to get me.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Alarm Clocks
I hate them.
They are the LAST thing I want to be listening to when I wake up in the morning. If ever asked, "Hey Ash, if you could pick one sound to wake up to, what would it be?" I can guarantee you the answer would not be "Oh I know! I would love to hear a ridiculously loud and annoying beeping noise that goes on for about, oh, five years, unless you push a small button that's insanely hard to find!" Yep. Pretty sure that would never ever EVER be the case.
If I have to be woken up from my cool dream where I'm *insert some bad A dream sequence here*, I would prefer not to fall out of bed from fright at the dumb alarm clock because its so loud! Why can't it be something relaxing to help ease your way from dreams back into reality, like a babbling brook or or beautiful Tibetan bell chime? Just sayin. No one likes to have a heart attack first thing in the morning.
Now, it's embarrassing enough for a grown-up intelligent human being to freak out like a little schoolgirl when they first wake up. But apparently the alarm clock companies thrive on that sort of thing. They find our suffering funny. I recently heard of a new kind of alarm clock that adds to the humiliation. Not only does this alarm clock make more noise than a freight train, but it has wheels as well. So when it goes off, it literally jumps off your nightstand or desk or whatever, and rolls around the room. (I quote, "All-terrain wheels let the clock roam throughout your bedroom on carpet or hardwood — actually changes course if it runs into an obstacle!") This forces you to crawl blindly around your room (cause you haven't turned on the light yet...or if you have, you're still blinded by the sudden brightness) like a total idiot, trying to shut off the evil beeping noise. Only when you finally catch the little demon can you turn it off.
Got a good mental image in your head of this madness?
The alarm clock companies live for it.
Oh, and did I mention it has a name? Yep. "Clocky".
I also imagine that they make a lot of money off of these little devils, for I'm sure people have to keep buying new ones. I know that the first thing I would do after spending the first few minutes of my morning crawling around my room trying to find the dumb thing would be to smash it against the wall, stomp on the remains, and then crawl right back into bed to soothe my poor nerves.
Speaking of which, I'm going back to bed. It's too early.
They are the LAST thing I want to be listening to when I wake up in the morning. If ever asked, "Hey Ash, if you could pick one sound to wake up to, what would it be?" I can guarantee you the answer would not be "Oh I know! I would love to hear a ridiculously loud and annoying beeping noise that goes on for about, oh, five years, unless you push a small button that's insanely hard to find!" Yep. Pretty sure that would never ever EVER be the case.
If I have to be woken up from my cool dream where I'm *insert some bad A dream sequence here*, I would prefer not to fall out of bed from fright at the dumb alarm clock because its so loud! Why can't it be something relaxing to help ease your way from dreams back into reality, like a babbling brook or or beautiful Tibetan bell chime? Just sayin. No one likes to have a heart attack first thing in the morning.
Now, it's embarrassing enough for a grown-up intelligent human being to freak out like a little schoolgirl when they first wake up. But apparently the alarm clock companies thrive on that sort of thing. They find our suffering funny. I recently heard of a new kind of alarm clock that adds to the humiliation. Not only does this alarm clock make more noise than a freight train, but it has wheels as well. So when it goes off, it literally jumps off your nightstand or desk or whatever, and rolls around the room. (I quote, "All-terrain wheels let the clock roam throughout your bedroom on carpet or hardwood — actually changes course if it runs into an obstacle!") This forces you to crawl blindly around your room (cause you haven't turned on the light yet...or if you have, you're still blinded by the sudden brightness) like a total idiot, trying to shut off the evil beeping noise. Only when you finally catch the little demon can you turn it off.
Got a good mental image in your head of this madness?
The alarm clock companies live for it.
Oh, and did I mention it has a name? Yep. "Clocky".
I also imagine that they make a lot of money off of these little devils, for I'm sure people have to keep buying new ones. I know that the first thing I would do after spending the first few minutes of my morning crawling around my room trying to find the dumb thing would be to smash it against the wall, stomp on the remains, and then crawl right back into bed to soothe my poor nerves.Speaking of which, I'm going back to bed. It's too early.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Chopin: Good For The Soul
I have a confession to make.
I adore classical piano. If you had told me I would love it so much, (or even remotely like it, for that matter) a few years ago, I would've laughed in your face and then sent you off to the insane asylum for such outrageous slander.
I've always been a music nut. I've played piano since I was a wee one, I've been in countless choirs, and I love listening to all sorts of music. But I've never really enjoyed classical pieces. Over my thirteen plus years of taking piano lessons, my last two teachers have really stressed the importance of classical piano. Needless to say, I wasn't very happy about it. But I did it anyways. I would much rather have been playing Jon Schmidt or other such music....because classical music was boring, dang it! To me, it all sounded the same and it had no expression. Just in this last couple years, however, my opinion has changed drastically, because of a few simple reasons.
Out of all the classical music and wonderful composers out there, my very favorite is Frederic Chopin. His music gets to me more than any other. Whether I'm playing it or just listening, it speaks straight to my soul...I don't even know how to fully explain it. It's like the music and my spirit are on the same wavelength...they just connect. I listen to it when I'm happy, it makes me feel better when I'm sad, and it calms me down when I'm nervous. Every single one of his pieces are works of art. Some of my very favorites (some I can play, some I'm working on) include:
*Edited fun fact (Thanks to Jordan): Apparently my lineage gets even cooler! I quote from Sir Jordan..."Big D was taught by Grace Allsop, who was taught by Richard Dickson, who was taught by Claude Debussy, who was taught by his mother, who claimed to have been taught by Frederic Chopin." Yessss!
And just for you, dear readers, I have decided to include links to videos of a couple of the songs, in case you wanted to hear this beauty.
Prelude #5 in G Minor by Rachmaninoff
Fantaisie Impromptu by Chopin
Moonlight Sonata 3rd Movement by Beethoven
I adore classical piano. If you had told me I would love it so much, (or even remotely like it, for that matter) a few years ago, I would've laughed in your face and then sent you off to the insane asylum for such outrageous slander.
I've always been a music nut. I've played piano since I was a wee one, I've been in countless choirs, and I love listening to all sorts of music. But I've never really enjoyed classical pieces. Over my thirteen plus years of taking piano lessons, my last two teachers have really stressed the importance of classical piano. Needless to say, I wasn't very happy about it. But I did it anyways. I would much rather have been playing Jon Schmidt or other such music....because classical music was boring, dang it! To me, it all sounded the same and it had no expression. Just in this last couple years, however, my opinion has changed drastically, because of a few simple reasons.
- I got older. And therefore wiser.
- I had two fantastic teachers, both were local legends: Zhenya DeVol and Dave Dahlquist (Mr. D) who forced me to play classical music. Here's the secret though...
- ...they made me play classical music that was extremely challenging; that was harder than the level I was on. Therefore, I had to figure out what the techniques and the intentions of a composer that lived and died hundreds of years ago, so I could play their piece without them turning in their grave.
Out of all the classical music and wonderful composers out there, my very favorite is Frederic Chopin. His music gets to me more than any other. Whether I'm playing it or just listening, it speaks straight to my soul...I don't even know how to fully explain it. It's like the music and my spirit are on the same wavelength...they just connect. I listen to it when I'm happy, it makes me feel better when I'm sad, and it calms me down when I'm nervous. Every single one of his pieces are works of art. Some of my very favorites (some I can play, some I'm working on) include:
- Fantasie Impromptu [C-sharp minor, Op. 66]
- Nocturne in E-flat
- Prelude 24 in D minor
- Revolutionary Etude in C minor, Op. 10 No. 12
- Liebestraum by Lizst
- Moonlight Sonata 3rd movement by Beethoven
- Appassionata by Beethoven
- Prelude #5 in G Minor by Rachmaninoff
- Reverie by Debussy
- Claire De Lune by Debussy
*Edited fun fact (Thanks to Jordan): Apparently my lineage gets even cooler! I quote from Sir Jordan..."Big D was taught by Grace Allsop, who was taught by Richard Dickson, who was taught by Claude Debussy, who was taught by his mother, who claimed to have been taught by Frederic Chopin." Yessss!
And just for you, dear readers, I have decided to include links to videos of a couple of the songs, in case you wanted to hear this beauty.
Prelude #5 in G Minor by Rachmaninoff
Fantaisie Impromptu by Chopin
Moonlight Sonata 3rd Movement by Beethoven
Ode To Psych
I realize that I have this exact post on my other blog...but I just needed to start out with some humor. If you don't want to read it...don't. Philistine.
Just because the show makes me laugh so hard...this post is entirely dedicated to some of the best quotes from over the seasons. Enjoy.
Lassie: "I need to get something off my chest."
Shawn: "Is it your shirt? Please say No!"
Shawn: "Cleaning my clock, what's that suppose to even mean?? What, you take time out of your day to clean another man's timepiece? And if so, how could that be a bad thing? No! I'd be gracious, I'd be like, dude, J.P. thanks for spritzing my watch."
Shawn: "I've been having this recurring dream where I'm flying over Auckland on the back of a swan made primarily of cocoa. His name is Clem."
Gus: Don't you watch the news?
Shawn: I can't watch Channel 8 anymore. Lloyd Lansing wears a toupee. It's like every newscast begins with a lie.
Shawn: Hey buddy, Santa Barbara wanted to give you an award for Exorcist of the Year
Gus: Laugh it up, Shawn, but I know who was right on my tail all the way to the car.
Shawn: I had to be, you were my ride home.
Gus: You were screaming too.
Shawn: Yes, I was screaming 'Gus, stop! Let's be brave!"
Shawn: Wait for iiiiiiit....
Gus: Shawn, what are you doing here?
Shawn: I should ask you the same question!
Gus: I work here!
Shawn: I should ask you a different question.
Henry (Shawn's dad): [leans in really close] Are you busy on Saturday?
Shawn: You - You want me to come with you to awkward class?
Shawn: Good morning detectives! Collecting donations for the Policeman's Ball?
Lassie: We don't have balls.
Shawn: ...I honestly have no response to that.
Shawn: Don't worry, Jules. I'll crack your case like an egg. Then we'll make omelets with shallots... and JUSTICE.
Shawn: I've heard it both ways.
Shawn: Gus, don't be a/n...
Gus: Make no mistake, Shawn, I will kill you.
Just because the show makes me laugh so hard...this post is entirely dedicated to some of the best quotes from over the seasons. Enjoy.
Lassie: "I need to get something off my chest."
Shawn: "Is it your shirt? Please say No!"
Shawn: "Cleaning my clock, what's that suppose to even mean?? What, you take time out of your day to clean another man's timepiece? And if so, how could that be a bad thing? No! I'd be gracious, I'd be like, dude, J.P. thanks for spritzing my watch."
Shawn: "I've been having this recurring dream where I'm flying over Auckland on the back of a swan made primarily of cocoa. His name is Clem."
Gus: Don't you watch the news?
Shawn: I can't watch Channel 8 anymore. Lloyd Lansing wears a toupee. It's like every newscast begins with a lie.
Shawn: Hey buddy, Santa Barbara wanted to give you an award for Exorcist of the Year
Gus: Laugh it up, Shawn, but I know who was right on my tail all the way to the car.
Shawn: I had to be, you were my ride home.
Gus: You were screaming too.
Shawn: Yes, I was screaming 'Gus, stop! Let's be brave!"
Shawn: Wait for iiiiiiit....
Gus: Shawn, what are you doing here?
Shawn: I should ask you the same question!
Gus: I work here!
Shawn: I should ask you a different question.
Henry (Shawn's dad): [leans in really close] Are you busy on Saturday?
Shawn: You - You want me to come with you to awkward class?
Shawn: Good morning detectives! Collecting donations for the Policeman's Ball?
Lassie: We don't have balls.
Shawn: ...I honestly have no response to that.
Shawn: Don't worry, Jules. I'll crack your case like an egg. Then we'll make omelets with shallots... and JUSTICE.
Shawn: I've heard it both ways.
Shawn: Gus, don't be a/n...
- silly goose
- crazy hooligan
- gooey chocolate chip cookie
- rabid porcupine
- giant snapping turtle
- incorrigible Eskimo pie with a caramel ribbon
- myopic chihuahua
- this crevice in my arm
- traveling wilberry
Gus: Make no mistake, Shawn, I will kill you.
Why Do I Have Two Blogs?
....You ask. Well, let me enlighten you. My other fabulous blog, Life According To Ashley, is more of a journal-entry type dealio, mostly meant for my parents so they can have a glimpse into what my life is like living away from home. This blog, however, is going to be about whatever I darn well please.
So there.
So there.
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