Graphite Powder Power, Graphite Powder Power

One of my favorite projects from my Intro to Drawing class was our graphite powder picture. I'd never heard of graphite powder before this semester, and although it's difficult to get the hang of, I really enjoyed working with it! Here's how you do it:

Choose a subject. 

You'll need graphite powder...

...and a foam brush.

Sprinkle the graphite powder onto the paper and brush it around until you have a smooth surface.

You might have to do this several times to achieve the smoothness and blackness you want. Note: don't do this in your bedroom. Apparently, it's just not a good idea.

Pick out the darkest spots and use your finger to smudge more graphite powder into those areas (the shadow of the shell). Find the lightest parts of the subject and use your eraser to pull out the color.

It takes a while before you feel like you've made any progress, so don't give up!

Keep in mind, my art skill is minimal! This blog post is mostly a demonstration for my mom, not a demonstration of my (exceptionally limited) graphite powder prowess.

Also, anyone who understood the excessively obscure reference in the title of this post gets a cookie.

Don't get it? Don't be ashamed.

Just educate yourself.

See between 2:48 and 2:54.

Second Star to the Right, and Straight on til Morning

Dressing up is more fun when you do it with friends.

Nathan (as it's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring), Brooke (as a mermaid), Rebecca (as Peter), Dustin (as Captain Hook), me (as Tiger Lily), and Tessa (as trusty Smee).

"Peter Pan... mighty warrior... save Tiger Lily... make big chief... heap glad." 

Captain Hook: You wouldn't do ol' Hook in now, would you, lad? I'll go away forever. I'll do anything you say.
Peter Pan:Well, all right... if you... say you're a codfish.
Captain Hook: [gulps] I'm a codfish.
Peter Pan: Louder!
Captain Hook: [wailing] I'M A CODFISH! 

Our two beautiful Disney princesses: Belle and Ariel

I found him!

To the Dark Lord, I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more. R.A.B.

Sometimes I'm selfish.

Today was my turn to bring treats to the Stance editing meeting, so I decided to be really crafty and try out this new cake-mix cookie recipe. Granted, the recipe only has 3 ingredients, so I wasn't THAT crafty. But the results are pretty yummy! 

And by "pretty yummy" I mean... well, yummy enough that I've decided to NOT take them to the meeting. I'll buy some Oreos on the way up to campus. Yes, selfish. But honestly, my fellow editors won't even know what they're missing! So I only feel a little guilty.

Mmmm. Just ate another cookie. Guilt gone.

In other news, BYU football is back on its feet! Riley Nelson, with whom I've had a special connection for several years now, has been starting and playing brilliantly! His passes are impressively accurate and if there isn't an open receiver, he can run with the best of 'em!

Our poor, old apartment has been going through some trials lately, bless its heart. First, our toilet can't decide if it wants to work or not. Second, our bathroom sink's plug is stuck down, so it takes about a million years (rough estimate) to empty. Third, our oven has had such difficulty turning on that we finally had to let it go. (On a side note, our management here is the greatest! Once they found out that it wasn't working, they replaced it within the week!) Fourth, our kitchen sink. That sink. On Cleaning Check Eve, it got completely clogged and started filling up with all sorts of lovely remnants from our garbage disposal. I won't go into any more detail. I try to keep this blog classy (hence the picture of the plunger). Fortunately, Spencer and Dustin came to the rescue and, by their powers combined, drained and unclogged that sad, strange little sink (name that movie). The clogging culprit (among other things)?

Yes. A butter knife.

The girliest, giggliest of my adventures this semester took place in (considering I live in Provo, this will not come as a surprise to you) Alyse's Bridal Store. My dear, darling roommate Tessa (the brunette in the green jacket) is engaged to be married! So we went on a store-wide search for the perfect dress. Let me tell you, she looked like a princess in every dress she tried on. I am so excited to see which dress she will choose!

Well, it's about time to trek back up to campus. I'll leave you with this song:

Why I shouldn't read novels during the semester

 I am a binge reader. I think it might be unhealthy. Once I start a book, I simply cannot put it down, regardless of the amount of French homework or Syntax studying I may or may not have. What book stole my heart this time? The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. I downed that beautiful piece of literary loving in little over 24 hours, shirking most other responsibilities during that time. I am particularly obsessed with any book whose main character is obsessed with books. I think this is why I loved this book and The Book Thief so much. TGLaPPPS is a collection of correspondence between some of the most lovable characters I've ever encountered. It takes place soon after World War II (I seem to have a thing for WWII novels) in England and the Guernsey Islands.

There they are, right near the French coast. I want them to be mine. Because of TGLaPPPS, The Channel Islands have now passed Greece on my List of Places I Currently Love from Afar but WILL Someday Explore or So Help Me. (Sometimes when I title things, I find it difficult to decide which words to capitalize. I also find it difficult to be brief, especially when the thing to be titled is of great importance.)

Once again, I can't stop thinking about how much I want to start writing again. Not boring research writing. Not even let-me-tell-the-world-about-my-life writing. Real, fictional, straight-from-my-brain-to-the-page writing. This is why I am awake at 1 in the morning. I tried to go to sleep for about 5 minutes before I realized how fruitless my endeavors would be. I want to write, but I can't think of anything to write about.

So for now, I'll just keep writing about my life. Hopefully I'll eventually have some sort of epiphany and a genius story idea will just fall down from heaven and hit me in the head.

On another note, I received this email from Grandpa today:

Just a short note to my beautiful oldest grand daughter – I love you!   Your grand Mothers ( Kate. Margie, and Lois)  love you and think you are kinda special-don’t know why-but they all agree--so there you are Katie Love!!!  You are special and loved… Talked with Heavenly Father lately?  You also have a beautiful mom and sisters. Loveyou Katie!!           -Granddad

I can't even express to you how blessed I feel! Unsolicited love notes from one of my heroes and favorite people ever? Beautifully constructed novels that leave me desperate for more? An afternoon nap on our comfy couch? Leftover chocolate pudding pie for dessert? Lovely sunshine all day followed by sweet-smelling, summer rain to lull me to sleep? Honestly, could life get much better?

Song for Athene

There is a special place in my heart for Song for Athene. It's hauntingly beautiful and it's one of those songs that is so calming that I can clearly feel my pulse drop while I'm listening to it.

Kid History. Also, my new favorite word.

 I cannot express how much I love these videos.

"Girls are mermaids. Some boys are mermaids too."

"I'll go get my bag!"

And now for my new favorite word:

Shibboleth /shɪ bo lɛth/ noun: any distinguishing practice that is indicative of one's social or regional origin. It is most often used by language snobs to describe a word or grammatical structure that separates the uneducated from the educated. (Ain't is the classic example.)

The thing that I love the most about this word is how it originated! The modern use of this word comes from a story in chapter 12 in Judges. As usual, the Gileadites and the Ephraimites were at war with each other and, at one point, the Gileadites had blocked off the passage that led to Jordan. The Ephraimites frequently attempted to sneak through their blockade, so the Gileadites devised an ingenious plan. 

5. And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;

6. Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.

Basically, since the Ephraimites didn't have the 'sh' sound in their language, they were unable to pronounce Shibboleth the same way the Gileadites could, marking them as having a different social and regional origin. It would be like a French person asking me to make the nasalized 'r' sound, or an American asking a Japanese speaker to differentiate between the words rice and lice. Isn't language cool? Every day I sit in my Usage class and my Syntax class and I think to myself, "There is nowhere else I'd rather be." Honestly, once you find something you're passionate about, it is so easy to love learning!

I was going to call this entry Climb Every Mountain, but I realized that I used that entry title two years ago.

I am beyond tired! But the wonderful thing about it is that it is NOT from doing schoolwork. No sir. This semester has been easier than any semester at college ever. So far. And that probably just jinxed it. Anyways, it is an hour past the time I was planning on getting to sleep tonight, so I won't write much. But here are some pictures of one awesome thing I did this week:

 

Trent, Mister-expert-rock-climber-man, took Sarah, Rebecca, Dustin, and me up to Rock Canyon on Saturday and we tackled a pretty intense cliff, if I do say so myself!

I even helped belay!

Despite the soreness in our forearms, we had a blast! I am so blessed to be in such a beautiful place with such wonderful friends!

Life is Delish

My life has been so jam-packed full of wonderful, fantastic, how-great-it-is-to-be-alive moments recently that I just can't get over it! Here are just a few reasons why:

1. Firstly, check out that gorgeous Utah sky. We have had perfect weather the past few weeks and I am loving it!

2. I've started working at the Stance for the Family student journal as an assistant editor. It's never too early to start getting experience, and my experience so far has been great! Everyone is very friendly and I love reading through submissions and giving them the yea or nay.

3. Love packages. Honestly, I have the best mom in the whole entire world. In addition to three new DVDs (including a version of Emma I've never seen before, which, if you know me, is a HUGE surprise), she sent us some of the most delicious, moist chocolate pound cake I've ever eaten. Seriously. It will bring you to tears. I would let you try some, but let's be real. I'm not letting this stuff go!

4. Jimmer returned to BYU! He, Emery, and several NBA rookies came to the Marriott Center for a special game, and it was the greatest, chillest (most chill?) game I've ever been to in that building! All of the players were laid back and friendly; we could tell that they were having fun, which made us have even more fun. Jimmer made some fantastic shots, as expected, and all of the other players had some great baskets too! They were pulling all sorts of moves and making all sorts of dunks, the likes of which have never been displayed in the Marriott Center before! It was a great opportunity to see Jimmer play one more time before his debut for the Kings.

5. I found a recipe for Scottish oatcakes online! So I will definitely be making those sometime very soon.

I'll end with this treasure, courtesy of Hugh Laurie: