Thank you, you are neat!

I finished a major part of my Master's requirement today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't even know what to say about it. I've experienced every major emotion under the sun in the past four weeks, from joy to anger to sorrow to frustration... a LOT of frustration... and then back to joy. And finally peace.

In the words of those immortal Englishmen, "I got by with a little help from my friends." I'm talking actual friends, FYI, not narcotics (although that was a suggestion thrown out there by one of my fellow classmates last Friday at a late night paper exchange).

Seriously, I have a lot of people in mind to thank who have reached out to me over the last few weeks of daily writing. I want to record their names for posterity (I do hope this blog somehow makes it down to my posterity. Has anyone else worried about that? I've actually written in my journal once or twice, "See blog from today." Come on, Google Blogger. Be as eternal as you currently cause me to believe you'll be). I digress.

Bosses Kelly and Josh,  Jess (1,000 times Jess! No one can make me laugh at myself and stop worrying like you!), my Dani, Marissa, Bebe Cobb, Liz, Ellen, Lauren, Oliver, Tyler, Paul, Wayne, Ray, Ashley C., my amazing roomies Kathryn and Kelly (Kelly even composed a "That Thesis is Over!" ballad for me tonight. What a star!), M.C., Maggie, Michelle, Jillian, Spence, Mom, Dad, Wee, Marcus, Katie, Sarah, Bree, Mike, Caitlin, Melanie, Kristin, Aaron, Shaunna, Jayci, Christine, and last but not least, Professors Martinez, Obler, and Bjelajac. Couldn't have done it with out you. Oh and the pizza guy, arriving with manna from heaven (via a very sweet mom) on Saturday. 

Oh and Heavenly Father. So many times during this process, I was humbled and then enervated as I remembered what a rare blessing this is, to be able to study what I love and earn a Master's degree. I know that there are millions upon billions of people in history (particularly women) who did not have the opportunity, financial means, ability, or freedom to learn whatever they wished. I proudly work to honor my mom, grandma, great-grandmothers, and the many strangers out there who would if they could... and maybe, hopefully, probably, will! Someday!

And now... it's time to go get that glorious Serendipity Sundae I've been visualizing for the past month... PARTY TIME!

And, because you all wanted to taste a little bit of the magic, here's a sliver of what I've been writing about:

At sunset on March 2, 1896, the bloody two-day battle on the plains of Adwa, Ethiopia drew to a close. The war between the Ethiopian people, led by King Menelik II, and the invading colonial forces of Italy ended in a decisive victory for the Ethiopians. The victory was a watershed event for Ethiopia, finalizing the country’s claim of independence from European domination. Ethiopia’s successful fight for freedom was also paradigmatic for advocates of black autonomy throughout the world. Across Europe, North America, and the African diaspora, curiosity peaked about this stately warrior King Menelik who had successfully resisted a colonial takeover.

As Menelik biographer Harold Marcus explains, “The Ethiopian victory over Italian imperialism at Adwa … forced Europeans to reconsider their prejudices about at least one group of Blacks.” The racist preconceptions about African men in nineteenth-century Western culture spanned a wide and galling array of stereotypes, from the condescending idea of the noble savage to the common pejorative characterizations of Africans as ignorant, dark, godless, childish, vicious, and/or foolish.The notion of an African king with a military presence and a right to rule as strong as a European monarch’s was the stuff of legend, dating back to stories of Prester John, a legendary white king, who originated in 12^th century literature as a wished-for ally in the Crusades. Prester John had no living counterpart in nineteenth-century world leadership, at least not until King Menelik and his seasoned troops made their presence known worldwide in March of 1896 at Adwa. 

March Motto

The WPA was a lovely moment in American visual culture. Sigh.

PS Who decides how people's last names should be spelled? That's the first time I've ever seen "Tolsoi" instead of "Tolstoy," but I've been thinking about this issue a lot lately, since there are about 30 different ways to spell King Menelik (Menileck/Ménélick/Minelik) of Ethiopia (Aethiopica/Abyssinia/Abyssinie). Tis a puzzlement!

Flying letters

6 days until thesis is done. I don't know if I can write any more today. Soooo tired.

I only watched about 15 minutes of the Oscars on Sunday, enough to see the Bridesmaid actresses announce the best animated short film and play a round of the Scorcese drinking game. Even before the bridesmaids handed their bottles of Vodka and little golden statues to the makers of The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, I knew it was going to win. The little snippet they showed of it was fantastic! imaginative! and wondrous! I bet it was even good for non-book-lovers.

My friend M.C. is an editor, she posted her excellent commentary on this little movie here, you should read it. I'll just add that it took me some places I did not expect me to go, and I absolutely love how the composer took the simplest nursery rhyme ditty and created all sorts of poignant emotive variations on it as the story went on... bleh. I told you I was through writing today. Can't properly describe even a cute 15 minute video. Enjoy!



I find myself in need of a few more creative prompts like these to keep writing today:

Just follow the light of Erendil, our most beloved star.

As the flames from the burning bras climbed higher and higher, the first all-women's fire brigade was born of sheepish necessity.

You: finish editing page 10. You: buy groceries. You: worry about my personal life. You: call mom and talk to her for hours about how great she is. You: babysit Cobb. You: brainstorm the changes in perception of reality in photographs from 1898 to the present. You: go to the NMAFA library and double check our sources.  The rest of you can have the day off. Bye clones, I'm going to sleep!!!!!!!!!!!

Tried to create beauty. I got mixed results.

I'll can only tell you this story in person. There's a lot of hang gestures involved.

The girl on the right is most definitely my every Monday.

Library, actually. I have too much respect for objects in museums to touch them, and so I would get bored after 15 years in a museum. And zoo, well... monkeys wouldn't be as good company as the classic fiction section. 

I snuck a square of lavendar dark chocolate from my boss's secret sweets stash the other day.  If you ever want to know what lavendar chocolate tastes like, take a handful of bitter greens, spritz them with your old rancid Plumeria Body Spray from sophomore year in high school, drizzle with chocolate, and enjoy. Or, spit out into the trash and follow with hurried swigs of Crystal Light.

Your turn!

Everything this man says is solid gold.

The Good Greatsby: my new favorite funny blog. Read him. Roll on floor laughing.

It's 11:23 pm and the right half of my brain won't stop clicking. Here is a random assortment of famous artworks that I find hilarious. Have you ever seen funny art? Did you even know you can laugh at art?? Oh yea! People only seem to remember that in modern art galleries, when faced with Louise Bourgeois sculptures (at right. tee hee). Apparently Impressionism tickles my funny bone the most: the great Mary Cassatt AND Odilon Redon made my list. Who's on yours?

Odilon Redon. The Cyclops. 1914.

Mostly I love that it's by an artist named Odilon. And it's creeptastic.

Ben Shahn. Still Music. 1948. The Phillips Collection. 

Flamingoesque music stands. Painted over what looks like an Easter egg background. 

Mary Cassatt. Little Girl in a Blue Chair. 1878. NGA.

Sit up right now or I will MAKE you sit up!!!

No but seriously, this one's a compositional masterpiece if you look at it long enough. Brilliant balance of space.

Auguste Rodin. Monument to Balzac. 1891-1898. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

Judith Shea. Post-Balzac. 1991. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

Rodin's Monument to Balzac is already one ridiculous piece of honorary sculpture (at its creation people called it "the Frog," "Balzac in his pajamas," etc.). 100 years later the artist Judith Shea monumentalized Rodin's ridiculousness by creating a bronze of just Balzac's coat, since after all, it basically OWNS the lion's share of the viewer's attention in the original.

Look it's me, back when I was a little bitty intern! Yes my coat is simultaneously voluminous AND shapeless. But so warm! I was going for a wry grin in this picture. Just lettin' you know...

Oh yea, that crucial thing...

Have I mentioned the fact that my qualifying paper (my school's version of a Master's thesis) is due in TWO WEEKS?

Have I described to you the scene of chaos that is my room right now? Books in piles. Notes, drafts, illustrations, inspirational quotes pasted haphazardly everywhere. And in the middle of the storm, my new computer whirs, calm and serene. It holds the key, my beautiful rough draft, which I have been furiously, tragically hacking away at for the last 96 hours. That C. S. Lewis metaphor about houses that the Savior painfully remolds into mansions seems applicable here. Come on, little paper. You've got genius in you. No one has ever addressed the topic of King Menelik's diplomatic, artistic self-presentation quite like you. We can do it. Be cool. Like King Menelik.

My hero.

Also, thanks JBro for this picture, it is truly a work of art from which I get daily inspiration (possibly because the blankies make her look like a little African baby and immediately put me back into paper writing mode):

Also, congrats to my approximately 18,000 friends who have announced they are pregnant. 

Also, don't actually pay attention to my inclusion of the picture of a panic button above. I'm not panicked... that will probably kick in next week...

Cute date

Also, I thought I'd share pics of my adorable Valentine's date. I kinda like him. He always wants to hold my hand, we see each other most every day, he lets me drive his car, I get along with his parents swimmingly... but I think the age difference is gonna be a problem :)

Cobb and I enjoying a Vday cupcake at Baked & Wired. So help me, it is IMPOSSIBLE to get little man to look at a camera straight!

CHEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!  <3 

LIFEBLOOD!

Due to some weird security thing, I have been locked out of all my Google products (Gmail, Reader, Blogger) for the last three days. That felt like an ETERNITY. Holy cow I have learned where my real addiction lies. Everyone, beware. The things that you put on the internet that you thought were basically carved into stone are, in fact, still just simple electronic digits on a tiny chip that can be gone--poof!-- in an instant.


Ahem. Adding to that rather solemn declaration, I wanted to show you this tragic video, it is officially the first Katy Perry song I love:



Do you have one that got away? I have One with a capital O, and then a few others-sort-of-I'll-give'em-a-lowercase-o. I let myself think about them this week; my Valentine's day was one of nostalgia, coming after I taught a Relief Society lesson where we all dug really deep into the reality of the healing power of Jesus Christ in times of heartbreak. I don't have any real regrets about any of those boys in my past. Either the timing wasn't right, one of us wasn't ready, or we were meant for someone else. And that's the way the cookie's gonna crumble, every time but one! I just felt like taking the holiday to try and glean some knowledge about myself, where I am, what I want, what's holding me back. I think I'm doing ok. I can love with a heart and a half, and I will get the chance to love someone abundantly someday soon. Heaven help that dastardly slow boy, wherever he is. Literally. Heaven- HELP HIM!

Hope you had a good one. I had some incredible friends looking out for me this week, even from across the country. So grateful for love in its many beautiful forms.

Only the girls in my Relief Society will know exactly what this means. Love to you all!

Granola Recipe. And a small note on e-crushes.

World, guess what? I have perfected the art of Granola. After my roommates and I downed a large batch of the following concoction in two days flat, and after I fielded multiple requests for the recipe, I decided it was time to share this granola with the world. I'm like the girl on The Saint, and this is my version of cold fusion. Enjoy having your world heartily rocked.

Lindsey's Art Hippie Crack/Marathon Training Fuel

3 cups old fashioned oats

1 or 2 cups of nuts depending on how much you like nuts (I used 1 cup roughly chopped almonds and 1 c walnuts)

2 tbl (heaping) brown sugar

2 scoops vanilla protein powder

1/2 c sunflower seeds

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp (heaping) salt

1/3 c mix of maple syrup and honey (I used sugar-free syrup, because that's how I roll).

2 tbl unsweetened applesauce

1 egg white, lightly beaten w/ a fork

1 big pinch of stevia (Or, another tbl brown sugar :)

1 or 2 cups dried fruit (I used cranberries and apples)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix first 8 ingredients in bowl. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, stir the syrup/honey and the applesauce until everything's well mixed together (only a minute or so). Pour over the oat mixture and stir. Add the egg white and stir again. Spread out over a greased baking sheet and bake 30-40 minutes (stirring the mixture every ten minutes). Watch and sniff carefully between 30 minutes and 40 minutes for any burning. Granola should be mostly dry and smell AWESOME when it's done. Remove pan, set on a rack, let cool, then stir in dried fruit and stevia if you want it to be sweeter (I have a massive sweet tooth, so yes, I did). Store in airtight container... try not to inhale too quickly :)

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In totally unrelated news, I wanted to do a blogging series of my favorite men on the internet, since it's nearly V-day. But I couldn't think of a title for said series that couldn't also be taken very, very inappropriately ("I'm dating the Internet." "Youtube is my boyfriend." etc.) So, with less fanfare than I envisioned for them, here are my e-crushes, may they bring you as much joy as they've brought me at work and at unholy hours of weekday evenings:

The Incorrigible Idiot:

The Crooner:

The Perfect Groom:

The Smooth Talker (I'm looking at JT, but Jimmy Fallon is always charming :)

Jimmy Fallon Justin Timberlake History Of Rap... by PayeTaChatte

And, of course, The Sexiest Man Alive:

Philly anyone?

This NYTimes review of what appears to be a refreshingly well-focused van Gogh exhibit had me looking up bus tickets to Philadelphia today. 

Art historian Anabelle Kienle examined some of van Gogh's lesser known (but colorific) works, given that the artist emphasized in his letters to friends and family a close examination of nature, even and especially a single blade of grass, in order to bring one's soul to peace and harmony. How did such a philosophical motto affect his landscapes and still-lifes? The works on view showcase his long, quick brush strokes, which, reviewer Roberta Smith notes, "come closest to to approximating the texture of nature, one stalk, leaf or blade at a time, without forfeiting their vitality as paint on canvas." Never in my life have I seen an artist use such vibrant blues, arresting greens, and shimmering, striking lines of paint to create works that bring peace. You don't even see these colors in nature. And yet, his works feel exactly like every serene hike you've ever taken. For this I love van Gogh, and always will. I'm so excited to see this show.

Well thank heavens for almost-perfect days :)

That last post was fun to write, because it has influenced me every day since; I now ask myself what can I do to get each day near to ideal. Today, I busted out the blue striped bowl that I normally save for special breakfast occasions... just because! Today, instead of a boy text, I got an hour of this:

which is, you know, as good if not SO much better!!! Look at that beautiful face. Baby O loves her Aunt Lindsey :)

I chose to brave the cold with Cobb yesterday (who WAS in a happy mood when I came in) and we explored the Library of Congress, my favorite building in DC. Dang it, I forgot to take a picture of it to send to dad. I'll cheat just this once and lean on the internet to help, here's a good shot of its interior magnificence:

DID go to class tonight and learn stuff, DIDN'T eat dinner with friends. DO have things to look forward to tomorrow. That's the beauty of this little exercise. There's always tomorrow... :)

Describe your ideal day- Ok I'll play.

PS Above is my most favorite header I've had in a long time: Doug Wheeler, light installation artist, everyone. Mmmm.

Above the Clouds at Sunrise. 1849. An early Frederic Edwin Church painting from his days when he still retained traces of religious symbolism in his landscapes (Notice the vague cupping hand shape of the clouds). Ever since I first saw it two years ago, I have wanted a poster of this painting to wake up to every morning. Simultaneously tranquil and majestic.

(The following is yet another inspiration from the girl who writes Healthy is Always Better.)

My Ideal Day

-Wake up warm, rested, and headache-less at sunrise

- Reese's Puffs mixed with Cheerios in my blue striped bowl. While sitting in bed. Listening to General Conference talks.

- Put on a skirt.

- Cobb's in a good mood and runs to hug me when I come in.

- Text from crush in the morning. Because, let's face it... crushes are the second thing I think about after I wake up.

- Drive Cobb around in my boss's sexy Land Rover and pretend for a second that it's mine. Then remember that I am getting PAID to drive said car, and subsequently cherish my own life all the more.

-Text someone I think could use a bit of encouragement, renew a friendship as a result

- Get off work early and metro to GWU Library, where beautifully illustrated books from InterLibrary Loan sit waiting for me, holding in their new glossy or old delicate pages tons of fascinating information that supports my budding thesis topic perfectly.

- Good workout at the GWU gym with a friend who is only slightly better than me to motivate me.

-Walk home from metro in the sunset (Preferably 68 degrees or warmer, this is important :)

- Get all gussied up while listening to my muse, Alicia Keys

- Go out to eat at one of the new and fun restaurants in the area with friends/boy; intensely thoughtful or side-splittingly funny conversations ensue

-Stroll around DC/VA neighborhood in which restaurant is situated. Find a cute piece of architecture and take a picture of it to send to dad.

- Say focused prayers and then go to sleep with much to look forward to the next day

Men in tights

UPDATE: pic of us attendees, thanks Lauren!

Went to see a ballet by Les Ballets Trockaderos de Monte Carldo company last night with a bunch of ward girlfriends (groups pics to follow shortly on THEIR blogs, links forthcoming). There's something a little funny about these dancers, see if you can spot it:



Yep. All male. All en pointe. It took about 30 minutes to get used to seeing MEN in tutu's, but you got over it as soon as they started really getting down; these fellas/ladies/fladies can get DOWN!This has to be the best ballet I've ever seen, not only for the sheer technical spectacle and athleticism of the dancers (Assisted extensions! By a GUY!!!!!!! GAAAAAH!!!) but also their ironic and funny performances and characters, which really livened up what is often otherwise a too-serious sport. See: the following solo,



I know the one thing we were all wishing for after it was over was to see the dancers up close (some of them were REALLY beautiful, and it was only the lack of uh, cleavage, that made us remember from time to time that they were men), so here, for everyone's edification, is a mini-mentary of the company. Enjoy. And watch out for them to come to your town, they're well worth your time and money!