her eternal summer

Op-Ed for Political Science

2012-01-25T22:18:00.001-08:00

Morality is "Trash," Mr. Gingrich?

Jackie Gingrich Cushman is “known for her ability to synthesize...life happenings into a unique perspective that rings with authenticity.” Apparently, she inherited this talent from her father, Newt Gingrich, for he demonstrated a true gift for it in the South Carolina debate last week; in his indignant response to the question regarding his second wife’s statement that he had asked for an “open marriage,” Gingrich deftly turned it into a diatribe against the media, the eternal scapegoat. “I am appalled,” he retaliated, “that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that.” Oh, you mean morality? Of course, how dare anyone expect that of a presidential candidate. “The vicious, negative nature” of the media clearly has nothing in common with the man who left two wives with life-threatening illnesses and expected Wife #2 to accept the extra-marital relationship he’d been carrying on for six years. Of course, to err is human, but to be endlessly scrutinized by the media is presidential candidacy. Playing victim of the media was an unscrupulous way to skirt the issue, and though it may have worked for South Carolinians, Gingrich will find, to his detriment, that character does indeed matter.

But it seems he already knew that—the Gingrich Faith Leader’s Coalition declares that Gingrich “is the man who will best represent biblical principles,” and his campaign in 1978 emphasized Gingrich’s commitment to his family and family values. Two wives later, the campaign motto, “When elected, Newt will keep his family together” seems to have been trampled in his desperate scramble for power. After his first divorce, he said his ex-wife was “not young enough or pretty enough to be the wife of the President”, and apparently his second wife didn’t fulfill his requirements either. Thankfully, in his mistress he finally found someone who shared his deep commitment to family and morality.

For a man supposedly committed to biblical and family values, Gingrich’s anger at being questioned about the truthfulness of his request for an open marriage is surprising—wouldn’t it be a perfect opportunity to rebut the attack and stump for traditional values? But no, now a question about values is irrelevant “trash”, though Gingrich himself demanded answers to these sorts of questions when they were asked of President Clinton.

Based on Gingrich’s history and platform, questions about his personal life are not only valid but necessary—character is an integral part of leadership, and someone vying for one of the most influential leadership positions in the world had better have it. Yes, mistakes can and should be forgiven, but there are also things to be learned from evaluating someone’s mistakes, and Gingrich’s repeated acts of cruelty, selfishness and hypocrisy illustrate that he “has neither the self-discipline nor the temperament to be president.”

Not only do Gingrich’s indiscretions apprise us to his faults that would likely wreak havoc on the nation were he to be elected, they also pose a significant threat to the Republican campaign against Obama. Jennifer Braceras reminds that the current first family is widely regarded as “wholesome and close-knit,” and that a Republican nominee with such a broken marital history (three wives, all slightly overlapping—didn’t we think that would be an argument used against a different candidate?) will only strengthen the appeal of the Obama’s solidity.

To weaken your party’s chances next November because you refuse to admit that your sad excuse for character will work against you? That’s “as close to despicable as anything I can imagine,” Mr. Gingrich.

2011-12-20T18:21:00.000-08:00

2011 has been quite the year. and since i've had a grand total of thirteen posts in the last twelve months, i'm going to make up for it now. so take a deep breath- here goes!

started out with some of the world's greatest roommates

photo cred: amy jo nelson

and then went to cats with my mom (finally met magical mr. mistopheles...)

and then lived just around the corner from this

and then went all over. here are some of the highlights:

copenhagen

stockholm

blois, france

dubrovnik, croatia

koper, slovenia

iceland

and a few other places... like venice, amsterdam, london, dublin, edinburgh and belfast.

then school started again, and somehow I'd ended up a french major. when did that happen? from political science to music to international cultural studies to english to history to dance to humanities, i've run the gamut of majors (in the humanities, that is. not much math or science to be found in my past).

i moved into a cute little house with a fireplace and a breakfast nook, and spent my days studying and grading papers for my job as a TA for humanities 202 (best class ever, renaissance to modernity)

then my teacher assigned an essay... and I ended up winning a contest for $1500 and then read it at homecoming opening ceremonies.

ditched provo for san diego for this beautiful girl's beautiful wedding (to the finn we met in jerusalem). couple of the year, these two.

and running around the coast with roxanne. san diego turned out to be my lucky city, what with a stop at lucha libre burrito, a reunion with the sweet pacific, a visit to the museums at balboa park, and a cell phone dropped in the middle of the road and miraculously recovered.

then back to school to write an 8 page paper (in french!), dance my heart out, take some tests, learn some things and read foucault.

then, to new york city. just because. two days before finals started. best decision ever. adorable family and apartment in brooklyn. great friends (who picked me up at 6 in the morning!). adventures in the city. and christmas in new york!

additional post and photos to come

had a reunion with some hawaii friends, always a good time. then a sleepover with best friend spaghetti for some much needed friend-love time (and much, much laughing)

then, finally, home for the holidays with the folks and brother. the best.

merry christmas!

(and thanks for sticking through all the way to the end)

2011, you've been great.

oh, and I'm working on a new little blog project... hopefully it will be ready for the new year!

oh, brother

2011-09-14T18:55:00.000-07:00

so, since I never post anymore, I don't have to worry about all of you deserting me to read my brother's blog instead. In fact, I'm going to insist that you do just that. And that you read mine whenever I deem it fit to post again.

But seriously, prepare to laugh harder than you've ever laughed before. My brother, the Czech-Irish rover, has traveled the world and will make you pee your pants as he tells you about it.

So leave me, you have my blessing, dear ones. read it here.

shakespeare and company

2011-08-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

at 37 rue bûcherie, just to the side of the seine, sits a magical, though overpriced, little shop. shakespeare & co. is one of paris' many little treasures- a charming english bookstore complete with library, nook and typewriter for any and all aspiring writers, and piano.

i came every week to run my fingers across the spines, check the bulletin board on the side of the stairs, and see if by chance they had changed some of my favorite library (meaning that you can read them there but can't buy) books to shop books (they never did).

don't mind my stub hand

the paris park

2011-08-09T20:51:00.000-07:00

in the paris park, a gate looks like this

there are benches for anyone who could ever want to sit

there are ancient ruins built in the 19th century

there is plenty of evidence of the classiest way to get around

and the bathrooms look like this

city of lights

2011-08-09T20:46:00.000-07:00

just because

2011-08-09T20:31:00.000-07:00

this is the first picture I took in France.

wandered into a park, watched some fat pigeons literally fall out of trees

and found paris.

because paris really is sitting in a park and reading a magazine

just because.

photo essay #1

2011-08-02T07:39:00.001-07:00

The monuments of Paris are well known; by the time we come to see them, they are usually already familiar to us from the pages of well-worn books, oft-viewed Audrey Hepburn movies, or dog-eared travel guides. So when we get here, why do we feel the need to look again? Inspired by Cartier Bresson's artful shots of crowds, I decided to take a look at the people who come to see the Paris they think they already know, and what they think is worth looking at.

As much as I love the art of photography and its power to change the way we see, it also presents the possibility of forgetting to see at all. Do we come to Paris to see it on our small LCD screen?

Mona Lisa, 6 million visitors per year
Visitors view the painting for an average of 15 seconds

Venus de Milo, 15.000 visitors per day

Do we take photographs to express our view of the world or merely to prove that we were "there"?

Arc du Triomphe
25 million visitors per year

Look for the sake of looking

La Tour Eiffel
6 million visitors a year

and you might just find that you are worth looking at, too.

Notre Dame
12 million visitors a year

the best news you've heard all year

2011-07-31T22:38:00.000-07:00

2011-06-18T03:33:00.001-07:00

i'm obsessed. taken in. enchanted.

hopelessly, desperately

in love

with Paris.

my before post was to visit a simple english bookstore, not because it was the most important thing i wanted to do in france, but because i was completely incapable of articulating what i really wanted to do in paris.

while shakespeare and co. definitely lived up to the hype, it didn't come close to being my favorite place in paris
and that suits me perfectly.

I would much rather watch budding soccer stars perfect their skills at the park,
stumble upon a life-changing boulangerie,

or simply
BE
in paris

and so it ends, cruelly and much too soon,
leaving me hooked.

Paris,
I'm yours.

and i'll add a few pictures when i find an internet cafe that will let me

2011-06-18T03:28:00.000-07:00

(this is my last photo essay for my photography class in Paris)

Depardon attempted to portray France and its relationship with the French. As an outsider here for a mere five weeks, I cannot pretend to understand the history and complexities of this relationship; I can speak only for myself, and that is what I will do.

A month ago, when I thought of France, I thought of quaint cobbled streets, berets and a tall, tall tower. Now, a short four weeks of adventure, baguettes and blisters later,

I think of magical nights on Saint-Germain

my regular seat in the neighborhood café

the endless and ironic fields of Marie Antoinette at Versailles

the lives given for the freedom of others at Point du Hoc

and a tall, tall tower I can walk toward to find my way home, seen through the scratched up window of the evening metro

Yes, there is the quaint cobbled street and the old man in a beret, but I have fallen in love with the other side of Paris, and the other side, and the other side. It will take a lifetime to know it all, but this city that is a new place around every corner is well worth all the time in the world.

how I know it's time to start blogging again

2011-04-12T23:59:00.000-07:00

1) it's 1:00 in the morning and I am awake. Obviously, there is some higher power directing me to breathe some life back into this webpage of mine

2) Today I consumed 4 crêpes, an entire jar of nutella, panna cotta and an ice cream bar, and obviously, I need to tell the world about it

3) I'm moving to Paris in 15 days and blogging will be a regular part of my homework assignments.

These are obviously arranged in order of importance.

(Did I mention I'm moving to Paris in 15 days?)

jerusalem, if i forget you

2011-01-26T21:07:00.001-08:00

I've been missing this place a lot lately. as in, for the past 13 months.

I think what I'm hoping to accomplish by eventually graduating from college is to learn how to describe how I feel about it in real words.

i just wrote a paper about finding focus, and how we can really only focus on one thing at a time. but wouldn't it be great if we could live in the past, present and future all at once?

i need to be better about making every day an adventure. instead of just going to class and eating. i think i've covered that routine pretty thoroughly.

2011-01-13T20:33:00.001-08:00

least stressful first week of school evar

2011-01-07T12:57:00.001-08:00

for the first time in my college life, I have not changed my schedule ten gazillion times during the first week of school. In fact, it has not changed once. that is a big step for me.

and it's great. I have two french classes, two humanities classes, irish and clog dance, and a paris prep course.

there's a menchie's in south jordan, bubble tea around every corner, pictures of the roommates all over our living room, and four surprise christmas trees on our front lawn.

and a new fisheye camera from my brother that will soon be imparting pictures to this blog, just as soon as I get some film developed

did it

2010-12-20T14:50:00.001-08:00

deleted my facebook. it's been, what, three hours? I'm hoping it lasts quite a bit longer.

I've also discovered this website that's perfect for keeping track of things and places I'm enchanted by

i'm home for Christmas! there are Christmas trees and Christmas music and it's snowing and I got an early Christmas present of the absolute warmest, coziest blanket I've ever seen and my fambly is all here and my brother is helping me conquer my intense hatred of running and I'm working hard on my great job and I have a tall, tall pile and a long, long list of books to read and I have a great schedule worked out for next semester and we had a wonderful Christmas lesson in church yesterday (maybe I went to young women's instead of relief society even though i'm way too old) and it's so good.

I cannot BELIEVE that a year ago I had just gotten back from Israel. I miss it every day.

I love Christmas. I love Jesus. I love you, and Buddha too.

2010-12-13T21:51:00.000-08:00

i love a lot of places a lot

sometimes i get kind of scared to go somewhere new

because i'm not sure my heart can take leaving yet another place i've come to love

i've left pieces of myself all over the world

but i guess i'll have to find a way to do it again

because i'm moving to paris next year with ma banane

2010-10-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

hello there!

while I haven't been blogging the last couple months, I have definitely upped the number of blogs I read. There are some amazing people out there, and I have so much to learn from everyone.

But really, I'm writing right now because I'm just a selfish person. A very happy selfish person.

because you know what? i am so very happy.

I'm happy because of posts like this

while it makes me all nostalgic and a little sad and a lot homesick for hawaii, i am so happy i have all the memories.

and even better, all the

people

i love you.

i'm happy because of my mumford and sons pandora radio station

i'm happy that i'm a humanities major

this means i get to look at beautiful art, read beautiful words, listen to beautiful music

and learn about people from every end of the earth

i'm happy that i am on the folk dance team

and that there are such nice people that folk dance team

i'm happy that my roommates are some of the most amazing, intelligent, well-read, hilarious, fun-loving, life-living people i've ever met

i'm happy that i live in a cute little house

and that lights in the window welcome me home every night

i'm happy that i get to talk to wonderful people who know

i'm happy that my fambly is so great

i'm happy that i'm applying to teach english in ukraine next year!

i am (very) happy

i'm sensing a trend here

2010-08-18T18:18:00.001-07:00

and it has something to do with me never blogging anymore

i think i am subconsciously staging a rebellion against technology

(although sometimes, obviously, i beat myself back down to submission)

i don't like any kind of e-reader, even if it doesn't emit light into my eyes. neither do books.

my time is probably better spent getting to know people face to face than having a one-sided relationship with a stranger

i don't really want to learn all about your life via facebook, nor do i want facebook spilling my info willy nilly

and blogging makes me feel kind of narcissistic.

so, until the next time my progressive, techie side suppresses my old-fashioned, hand-written letter side, adieu

merci beaucoup!

2010-07-19T16:27:00.000-07:00

once upon a time, there was a girl who never won anything, be it an elementary school raffle or a plastic bird from the audubon society. but then one day, the bright side project came to town and changed everything. all of a sudden, the girl won this beautiful print from alex wijnen's etsy shop!

i picked this print, titled "crossroads," because it seems to encapsulate my life lately

thank you bright side and alex!

eat your veggies!

2010-07-10T01:27:00.000-07:00

an interesting article about what we put in our bodies

because of the drive for bigger, better, faster, our fruits and vegetables aren't able to absorb nutrients from the soil like they used to, so we in turn are unable to get all of the nutrients we should

although it appears they have no problem absorbing toxic chemicals- read this book

sometimes

2010-07-06T23:09:00.000-07:00

i miss this place

okay, more like all the times

Repeat after me

2010-07-05T17:22:00.000-07:00

The top of my Day Zero list now looks like this...

Become an online minister has now been added.

Now, I'm not sure if this is entirely mosher (mormon kosher, mō-shur)

and I'm also not sure if the word "mosher" is mosher

It's highly unlikely I would ever officiate any kind of ceremony

and I'm not joining some weird internet cult

but I think pulling out that certificate would be a great party trick!

eternal summer, inc.

2010-07-01T13:43:00.001-07:00

i've officially opened an etsy shop! please drop in and take a look- Eternal Summer

Feel free to look around, ask questions, refer your friends and give suggestions! I'm starting out small and am trying to get a feel for what works.

Professionally yours,

Alyssa

update* shop on hold just until I get watermarks on my photos... otherwise they are much too easy to copy off the web!

update again** shop back up! if anyone has ideas of easier ways to do watermarks (for free) than picnik, please let me know!

merry, merry christmas

2010-06-17T21:15:00.000-07:00

you might know how much I absolutely adore christmas

and this year I plan to give a little more with Operation Christmas Card, an organization that sends our cards and notes to the men and women serving in the Armed Forces. While we celebrate at home with our families, they are far away from our silver bells and strings of street-lights and their own homes and families.

You can find more information here

and can mail cards to:

Operation Christmas Cards

PO Box 102

Shrewsbury MA 01545

They're collecting cards from September 1 to November 22

please help spread Christmas cheer to our troops!

oldy foldy

2010-06-16T22:58:00.001-07:00

I turned 21 on saturday

to celebrate, I took this picture,

got carded at a restaurant/lounge (no drinking, though- I'm Mormon!)

and threw my hip out.

the road from 20 to 80 is so much shorter than I thought.

breathe deeply

2010-05-26T06:46:00.000-07:00

Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.

- john muir

photo taken from neuschwanstein castle, germany

trying this out

2010-05-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

alyssajenae.tumblr.com

confession

2010-05-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

i am an unabashed list lover

i make lists of what i'm going to do in a day, what i need to do in a week, things i want to do in my life, things that could keep me from doing what i want to do in my life, places i want to go, books i want to read, music i love, books i've read, lovely phrases i collect, places I want to sail- and heavens, this is just from the sticky notes on my mac's display.

one kind of list has always dominated my capacity for list-love, however. that is the goal list. i have written so many and cut out so many inspirational pictures that they could probably fill that book i have a goal to write.

and now, i find Day Zero

101 things i want to do in the next 1001 days. A nice manageable amount, granted some goals take time to plan and execute and are unfinishable in a year-long timeframe, sure to make you feel somewhat terrible that you, well, failed to do it within that year. when really, all you needed was 1,001 days!

i'm setting sail on the most productive 1001 days of my life so far!

join me please?

2010-04-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

in 1816 a giant volcano erupted and it resulted in "the year without a summer." i'm starting to worry about that happening again, in say...2010.

nevertheless, there have been a sufficient number of non-raining, non-snowing, almost-able-to-take-my-jacket-off days for me to remember something

i have things to do and places to go!

and so, i embark once again on my indefatigable (unless it's snowing) designs for the next big exploit

the list so far:

firewalking

scuba certification

yoga (you know, do it, do it well, be a yogi)

surfing (on a non-foam board, and many times)

climbing a mountain

australia

triathlon (in a while. a long while)

fly a plane

south america

books cont.

2010-03-28T18:51:00.001-07:00

the sharper your knife, the less you cry

- beautiful, wonderful, made me want to cook and eat and eat and eat and live in paris. like i needed any more reason to do any of those things. this book actually made me laugh out loud, which is very rare for a book.

the girl with the pearl earring

- pretty good! we had just learned about vermeer in art history, so it was a nice little elaboration on that.

the jane austen book club

- also fairly good! a fun read with interesting characters. i liked it better than the movie (although the movie does have hugh dancy...)

books

2010-03-19T13:48:00.001-07:00

one good thing about this semester is how un-guilty i feel staying in bed and reading when it is so dismal and depressing outside. i've got a nice pile of books going by the side of my bed, and i've found a few new favorites (as well as reviving some old)

one- the hunger games

wow. i've been hearing about it for a few months, but i thought i had to do with weight loss. i finally read it (and "catching fire") in two days, and i am completely hooked. i feel like a ten-year-old with harry potter again. READ IT

two- peter pan

i've always loved the story, but only knew it from the animated disney and Hook. the book was a lot darker than i'd expected, but full of wisdom. turns out neverland isn't actually that great.

three- les miserables

always has been, always will be my favorite book. victor hugo just gets it.

four- of mice and men

loved east of eden and felt guilty for not having read this. it was interesting, but i don't think having steinbeck's name on it warranted me needing to read it.

five- jane eyre

nice writing, good character development... but i'm not a big fan, sorry. mr. rochester? really?

six- vagabonding

love. full of inspiration and ways to travel and not be an annoying "tourist" who never gets off the beaten path or an annoying "traveler" who never gets on it.

to be continued...

space invaders

2010-02-21T10:17:00.000-08:00

different cultures have different ideas about personal space.

every day in ballet i go to my (self-assigned) space at the barre - a sweet spot in the corner of two mirrors, allowing me to better see and correct myself

and then one of two girls will inevitably come to the barre that meets mine in the corner,

and stand way too close. when the combination requires us to move away from the barre, do a grande rond de jambe or a battement in seconde, there is always a clash. is it because one of them is from canada?

i was there first, barre space invader!

un petit repos

2010-01-15T14:31:00.000-08:00

this is a happy summery blog

and i haven't felt too summery lately

so i'll be back when i do!

gearing up for 2010

2009-12-28T07:22:00.000-08:00

one of my goals for this next year is to complete a pretty extensive reading list. the list, however, has yet to be fully compiled.

this is where you come in.

please leave a comment with suggestions or favorites or anything that enlightened, inspired, provoked thought, taught or was just plain fun!

i'll post the list when it's finished- maybe you'll read along with me!

2009-12-24T13:18:00.000-08:00

christmas has even more meaning for me this year

i'm so glad i have memories of the holy land where Jesus lived.

may peace and joy fill your lives

merry christmas!

humanities class

2009-12-22T22:36:00.001-08:00

the mail today brought my book for next semester's humanities class.

as i turned its pages for the first of many times

i realized that i was saying the following phrases delightfully often:

"oh i've been there"

"oh i've seen that"

and slightly less delightful:

"oh this was closed that day"

home!

2009-12-20T13:59:00.000-08:00

headed home early thursday morning

started hallucinating a little bit on the last leg, which was a good 30 hours after i started, and kept trying to talk to the lady next to me like she was miss randi deighton. (she wasn't)

next day- had minor little toe surgery and relished in my foot pain that evening at

the nutcracker by ballet memphis

can't wait to start dancing again!

last hours in jerusalem

2009-12-16T04:15:00.000-08:00

the semester is over and it's time to go home! i've got a lot of catching up to do on here with field trips and such.

but- i'm leaving the holy land tonight! we've got a goodbye dinner, a slideshow and some last minute packing (and hoping to squeeze in a couple hours of sleep).

i'm stocked up on gummies and pop rock chocolate.

hoping for some good movies on the plane.

looking forward to some hearty gluten free american food.

but mostly looking forward to time with the fambamily

in a land with no minarets.

shalom!

i have been very, very bad at writing what's actually going on

2009-12-12T23:57:00.000-08:00

sorry.

here's a story for you. when my brother was here he bought me a pair of earrings. i liked them very much and wore them all the time. then this summer, one of them went missing. i was very sad. but i realized i could buy a new pair when i came to jerusalem! so i searched. and searched. and searched. and somehow, he had managed to find the only pair of earrings in jerusalem that is not duplicated in every other shop. i was discouraged. and then last week, on one of my last days in the city... i found a shop that had the right beads and the right coins, and so i got a handmade new pair of the same earrings!

here's another story. one day, while walking in west jerusalem, we passed a (very) pregnant woman wearing a (very) tight (sheer) white shirt, and (sheer) white leggings.

dun dun dun dun DONE!

2009-12-11T08:26:00.000-08:00

i have spent the last week huddled with a laptop, books and pencils preparing for finals. i'm afraid i may have given myself a permanent hunchback and writer's cramp in exchange for some unfortunately mediocre grades, BUT i am done! fall semester 2009- check!

writing letters

2009-12-08T02:39:00.000-08:00

dear jerusalem,

you have been fabulous. i'm going to miss mingling with your people and eating your food and learning all you have to offer

dear falafel,

too bad you have gluten in you. you were great while you lasted.

dear gluten,

you are not so dear. i haven't eaten you since thanksgiving!

dear hawaii,

why oh why are you having 40 foot swells when i am not there to see them? i wish i were going back to you soon

dear finals,

why?

dear christmas,

i am so so so so excited

dear home and family,

i cannot WAIT!

maybe it's because it's fast sabbath

2009-12-05T05:04:00.000-08:00

but i cannot wait to make cookies and crafts and all sorts of christmas delights!

(thanks for the photo)

i'm dying to make all the diy crafty-diddles from this website

as well as attempt to make these delicious-looking cookies sans gluten

and mostly i just can't wait to be home for christmas!

post #300

2009-12-04T05:41:00.000-08:00

i used to think that i needed to know my plan for the future, step by step, all the way to the end.

i'd stress and worry and still not know much of anything.

now i've not only learned to live with not knowing, i've completely embraced it. now i get that same knot in my stomach if i know where i'll be even a year in advance. a happy medium might be nice. in the meantime,

I see my path, but I don't know where it leads. Not knowing where I'm going is what inspires me to travel it. - Rosalia de Castro

here's to not knowing where post #400 will come from!

on thursday we went to bethlehem

2009-12-04T05:13:00.000-08:00

bethlehem

yep, bethlehem.

at night, we sat in shepherd's field and re-enacted the christmas story

(maybe baby jesus was a water bottle, maybe not)

but sitting in the (rocky) field, looking up at the sky, one star (planet?) even shined brighter than the rest.

it was one of the few places where i have been able to block out the modern world, and picture it like it used to be.

it was so easy to see the shepherds dropping everything and running to the city to find the newborn Lord.

and since i have a newfound love for primary, here are the lyrics to one of my favorite songs:

picture a stable in judea,

picture a sacred, silent night.

and can you hear the angels near

and see the star so bright?

picture the little baby Jesus.

think of his life and words so dear.

sing praise to Him; remember Him as you picture Christmas this year.

picture the kind and gentle joseph.

picture the mother, mary, fair

and can you see so reverently

the shepherds kneeling there?

picture the little baby Jesus.

think of his life and words so dear.

sing praise to Him; remember Him as you picture Christmas this year.

december! you know what that means...

2009-12-01T01:38:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS!!!

I'm so excited that I broke my own rule of never ever alternating colors every other word, let alone every other letter.

i love christmas.

so much.

i love that there are paper snowflakes in the oasis (that's the jerusalem word for cafeteria)

i love that there is a huge olive wood nativity upstairs

i love that there are green trees and red ribbons and fake presents

but most of all i'm excited that it will be christmas at home!

two weeks!

lesson of the day

2009-11-27T05:50:00.000-08:00

mister scorpion asks mister turtle for a ride across the river

mr t. says no, you'll sting me!

mr s. says hey if i sting you we'll both die. what would be in it for me?

mr t. decides that makes sense

so he lets the scorpion climb on his back and starts swimming

halfway out, what does the scorpion do, but sting him!

while poor mr. turtle is sinking he asks why mr. scorpion would do that.

mr. scorpion says, hey, it's the middle east!

from ophir yarden

home from home but not quite home

2009-11-27T03:36:00.000-08:00

back to jerusalem from the galilee

spent 11 days discovering the beauty of the sea of galilee and the surrounding places-

capernaum, chorazin, nazareth, beth shearim, tel dan, tiberias, hazor

spent hours and hours studying the life of Christ where it was lived

took a midterm (that i thought was not too bad, but apparently i'm the only one who felt that way. i think this either means i did very well or very poorly. we'll see when the grades come out)

got some nasty little bug and spent a few days in bed

walked barefoot on the beach again

fell in love with galilee and did not want to leave

came home to jerusalem center bedecked with trees and poinsettias and nativities and lights and unpacked to the beautiful sound of christmas music

no ma'am, i don't work at the consulate but go ahead and tell me everything you know

2009-11-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

went around the city in a car for the first time

played the carillon bells for a full 45 minutes

christmas songs!

then chased our director around the center for about 2 hours trying to get permission to leave the center tonight

finally tracked him down, then spent another hour figuring out logistics with security.

finally got out

to east jerusalem

to a beautiful apartment, home to a beautiful lady from the branch

who was hosting a "pie tasting"

we made a quiche

and ate lots and lots of delectable pie

and talked to amazing people

and, as the title suggests, were assumed to work at the consulate

score.

on thursday we walked a very, very long way, and ended up at

2009-11-13T09:35:00.000-08:00

The Knesset

-the parliamentary center of Israel

- went on a tour, watched a very american-ized video including such quotes from the knesset podium as "there will be no palestinian state" and "we rule over 2 million palestinians"

- went to the supreme court, toured, sat in seats that seem to exude anxiety, and watched a session (in Hebrew)

then on friday we walked a very long way again

and went to the great synagogue

called by one "the jewish conference center"

november 11

2009-11-11T07:29:00.000-08:00

temple institute

they have made and gathered all the things they will need to build the third temple. wowza. lots of gold, ephods and things.

talked to (or were talked to by, rather) a man named david, who told us all about judaism and christianity as he understood it.

israel museum

cool cool cool. huge model of jerusalem in the second temple period.

amazing video art of love being the only thing without a price tag, and pulling tar and feathers off of a person. dead sea scrolls from qumran. the shrine of the book.

this morning i looked at my recent searches, and this is what i found:

2009-11-08T21:50:00.000-08:00

where is the ark of the covenant?

red heifer switzerland

league of nations article 22

sallah shabbati

eilat

sanballat

stalin how many divisions

fun, huh?

oh, hello nabataean

2009-11-07T07:13:00.001-08:00

spices

jerash

the siq at petra

one shabbat i went to a synagogue

2009-10-30T04:51:00.000-07:00

welcomed shabbat

sang in hebrew and beautiful, unwritten minor harmony

watched over the curtain little girls on their dad's shoulders

danced and danced and worshiped God

and shamelessly stole this photo from anna daines slash kali clark

i'm crossing over jordan

2009-10-29T10:18:00.001-07:00

so many adventures were had in jordan. i loved it. even more than egypt. jordan is amazing.

until i have a few more minutes to describe it all, i will leave you with two border-crossing words:

body. search.

aloha!

mercy

2009-10-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

today we had a fireside with Elder Holland. I sat in the front row and shook his hand and gave him a hug (forgot about that Holy land rule. oops.)

He spoke about mercy as the defining characteristic of Jesus Christ. In Matthew, we are commanded to be perfect as our Father in Heaven, but in Luke, we are commanded to be merciful like our Father in Heaven.

Every day, let's find some way to put off the anger and be a little more merciful.

christmas in october in jerusalem

2009-10-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

so tonight was the much-looked-forward-to-day-of-midterms-being-over

amanda and i had planned a homework-free movie night with lots of food

lo and behold, i go to her room to set up the movies

and there is a surprise christmas in october party just for me! christmas in october! my favorite thing!

and then we watched elf and had RAINBOW JELLO and listened to christmas music and made a fort and sang christmas songs and made snowflakes

thank you dear dear friend amanda and friends!

somehow it turned into october

2009-10-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

and the end of october, at that

no pictures yet, maybe just come find me at christmastime?
lots and lots of tests
went to a synagogue
had arab culture night
leaving for jordan on monday

who knew october was so short this year?

an apology

2009-10-14T09:34:00.000-07:00

i'm sorry there have been so few pictures lately

the internet in the center isn't quite fast enough to load pictures

however, i will soon be going somewhere with better internet to do just that

thank you,
photographless alyssa

neot kedumim

2009-10-12T07:23:00.000-07:00

bible preserve place

saw a well like Rebekah met Isaac's servant at

(one camel can drink 40 gallons at once, so it's pretty impressive that she watered his camels too)

made zatar out of the zatar plant mixed with salt and something else

made pitas (but did not eat) out of flour, olive oil, water and salt

and planned to make rice flour pitas on the lid of a dutch oven

herded sheep (which involved me standing on the hill and watching the 20 other people do that)

learned about sycamore and almond and pomegranate and mulberry trees

(mulberry trees are very quick to bloom, but the almonds are the last. we should be like them both, the hard part is knowing when)

the end

i've started a little necklace obsession

2009-10-06T04:24:00.000-07:00

as well as a "bird escaping from a cage" obsession

and i would really really like to have this necklace from tina tarnoff's etsy shop....

your faith was strong, but you needed proof, you saw her bathing on the roof, her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you

2009-10-06T03:36:00.000-07:00

city of david yesterday

we walked instead of taking the bus because the checkpoint for east jerusalem was backed up like nobody's business

stood on the ruins of the palace where david lived and stood as he saw bathsheba

and then where solomon would have stood

we saw a home that could have been there when nephi lived in the city

and a really old toilet

just another day in jerusalem

2009-10-05T03:00:00.000-07:00

walked through a 2700 year old tunnel built by Hezekiah as a way to save the water from the Gihon Spring from the impending attack of the Assyrians (?)

Over 1,000 feet through a two foot-wide tunnel, sometimes less than 5 feet tall, with water coming two feet up my legs.

awesome.

ending at the pool of siloam, which is where the blind man, whose eyes Jesus anointed with mud, was told to come wash and receive his sight.

one more reason to grow my hair out

2009-10-05T02:59:00.001-07:00

on the walk home this afternoon

a man asked me a question

"are you a girl or a boy?"

i love jerusalem

2009-10-04T22:29:00.000-07:00

because it gives me chocolate pudding for breakfast

west side: some men should always wear shirts

2009-10-04T05:51:00.000-07:00

played the bells again and felt possessive of them when lots of other people came, too

explored west jerusalem with amanda and tessa

really liked being where local people actually go

went in a piano store. where the storeowner came out shirtless and just stared at us. so we left.

went grocery shopping...for cereal.

ate gelato.

found a bookstore.

2009-10-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

today has been amazing in so many ways! i can hardly even believe that it's all been part of the same 24 hours, so i am just going to outline my day from the beginning:

-got up and did ballet with tessa

-took my old testament midterm and felt absolutely great about it
-went to my ancient near east class and learned fascinating things about ancient religions

-helped make hygiene kits for the church humanitarian effort
-went to the old city with anna, amanda and kali and sung hymns in St. Anne's, the traditional -birthplace of Mary, and a cathedral with absolutely beautiful acoustics.
-Followed the 14 stations of the Via Dolorosa, the traditional path of Jesus on his way to Calvary. Tripped right as we passed the station where He stumbled the second time (this was more entertaining than it was a deep spiritual experience)
-Spent time in the church of the Holy Sepulchre when the priests were doing the Friday ceremonies and it was full of devout believers
-Ran from Shabbat as the sun started to set and we had to be back at the center before dark. Really, running back from the old city.
- watched the most incredible film, which i've seen before, but means so much more after what I have already learned and lived here. Journey of Faith, please watch it. Or watch it with me and maybe my excitement about this documentary will make it better for you =)
-talked to two amazing girls about amazing things, wrote in my journal and now can't wait to go to bed

in amazement,
alyssa

dear baby tessabunny and did ballet again this morning

2009-10-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

and i love it. i don't think there's anything else in the world (except maybe breakfast or something like climbing mt. sinai) could get me out of bed that early.

i LOVE ballet. and i think i love teaching it and i think i'll especially love teaching it when i'm back in shape.

twirls, love and grande battement,

alyssa

oh yeah when i was in jericho

2009-10-01T06:49:00.000-07:00

the salesman told me i had beautiful eyes, so i got a set of pretty candlesticks for $8 instead of $16. deal!

i like them. they will go nicely with my future wedding present of blue and white dishes, and my blue and white spanish gazpacho set.

i'm still gunning for those dishes to be a housewarming present... who knows when I would get them otherwise!

what have i done lately that's worth blogging about?

2009-10-01T02:27:00.000-07:00

i've studied. a lot. and worked on papers. and studied some more. and took a test and didn't like it as much i wanted to. and decided to move to france. oh and i have also decided to grow my hair out, and if i end up in a dance major, i will dye it dark, because when blonde hair is pulled into a bun it looks like you're bald.

this is not a terribly jerusalem-ish post i realize, but that's because I have not been able to see jerusalem for the books. maybe gpa and scholarships don't matter?

k bye

so they took me to egypt and made me forget that i'm in school, so now i have two midterms and a paper due tomorrow but i'll still blog because i love

2009-09-30T05:54:00.001-07:00

you

today was our conquest field trip

we went to ancient tel jericho, which is really a whole lot smaller than you might expect.

jericho is the oldest city in the WORLD, and there is a tower there they believe was built in 8.000 BC. That's 10.000 years ago. That's old.

There are always a few levels of cities, which you can distinguish by the differences in the walls. There is a rock wall that was probably the one Joshua and the Israelites marched around, as well as a few levels of mud brick walls on top. Jericho is a tel, which is a mound created by the accumulated remains of ancient settlements, so the 10.000 year old tower is 40 feet below ground now, although it was obviously above ground when it was made.

we also climbed up to the quruntal (sp) monastery, which is carved straight out of the mountainside on the Mt. of Temptation, where Jesus was taken by the Spirit and tempted. They even have a rock they claim is the one the devil wanted him to turn to bread. (it was a lot bigger than i had anticipated- it would have been a lot of bread!)

we stopped in modern jericho and saw a sycamore tree, supposedly the same one Zaccheus climbed to see Jesus, and then we went to a lookout point above the Judean wilderness. It is so majestic and beautiful, but it is really desert wilderness. and hot.

2009-09-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

this one day, in luxor

2009-09-25T22:06:00.000-07:00

i rode a felucca across the nile

and then i rode a camel.

my camel driver's name was ali (like ali baba), and my camel's name was siegmund (like siegmund marley). ali was fourteen and we had a nice, awkward little conversation about sheep, girlfriends and whether i was ok on the camel. i was, but afterward my butt bones were a little sore. i'm pretty sure i also had a midget camel, because i felt kind of small next to everybody else. i rode along the nile (THE NILE!) and then by some fields, and i saw a water buffalo and some furry little sheep that looked like bears.

just realized i forgot to tell the story of the old woman in the bathroom

2009-09-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

the bathrooms at the pyramids were supposed to be free.

there was a woman at the door glaring at us and telling us to give her a pound to get in.

we had our own toilet paper.

and the bathroom was free.

so we stood there and glared right back at her for probably four straight minutes.

and then we went inside.

climbing pyramids and knocking old women out of the way of the bathroom

2009-09-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

egypt

i was the first one on the bus to spot the pyramids in the distance, and that is one unforgettable moment. a thought flashed across my mind, "are those the real pyramids or are those a tourist attraction?" but then i realized....

so we drove and drove, and slept some and ate some (but not fruit or dirty egypt water or cold food) and then went to the pyramids super early to ace out all those europeans and asians who just can't understand the concept of a line. i can definitely stick up for myself and my place in line, don't you worry. thanks to a little shoving, i ended up with one of 200 tickets to CLIMB INSIDE THE GREAT PYRAMID. You know, no big deal.

So I climbed up tiny shafts that thousands of egyptian workers had carved and climbed, and got up to the tomb of khufu. it was full of mummies and gold and ...well nothing actually, but it was still really neat. there was really a stone thing where i'm going to suppose the sarcophagus was, which is pretty cool. the stones were all original, and they looked like they had been put together just last year. they were so smooth and so perfectly lined up, and believe you me, that was one airtight chamber.

so, first day in egypt i saw the pyramids of Giza and went inside one of the 7 wonders of the world. I feel good about this.

walk like an egyptian

2009-09-16T19:21:00.000-07:00

going to egypt and i'll be back the night of the 24th! as for now, i'm going to board the bus headed for cairo by way of beersheba

when i'm back i promise tales of:
egyptian trains and planes
squat toilets (or maybe those stories will be better left untold)
kha al kahlasldijssomething market
pyramids
sphinx
kibbutz
and, i'm sure, much much more

2009-09-16T03:30:00.001-07:00

i'm sorry it's been so long since an update! life is busy and life is GREAT!

quick rundown of what's been going on:

-lots of class and LOTS of reading

-I'm taking Ancient Near East, Modern Near East- Israeli Perspective, Modern Near EastPalestinian Perspective, Arabic and Old Testament.

-lots of adventures in the old city

-eating sugar filled pancakes in the dirty trash hole so we don't offend anyone fasting for ramadan

-going to David's Citadel/ Tower of David Museum

-Dormition Abbey

-David's Tomb

-the Garden Tomb and Golgotha

-oh and so many things I just don't have time to type right now....

- and tomorrow... EGYPT!

2009-09-09T02:50:00.001-07:00

monday brought us to our first field trip

we went to the bar elyas monastery, which overlooks bethlehem and shepherd's field. we sang "o little town of bethlehem" looking down over Jesus' birthplace and Rachel's tomb. the hill used to be used for raising sheep for the temple sacrifice, so the shepherds were men well-versed in the scriptures and in the prophecies of the coming of the savior.

we also went to nabi samwil, which is believed to be the resting place of the prophet samuel. it overlooks the city of jib, which was anciently called gibeon. that is where saul, king of israel, was raised and met samuel for the first time. the residents of gibeon also played a little trick on joshua that ended up saving their lives but also condemned them to servitude...

life is good and life is busy! right now is the first free minute i've had in two days, and in four minutes i'm going again, but it is all great. arabic starts this afternoon, and then i will have finally started all of my classes- a week into school =)

shalom, sheep and sh..awesome

i can hear the bells

2009-09-07T04:27:00.000-07:00

mostly because i'm playing them.

on sunday i played hymn duets on the carillon (click here to see what it is) that sounds out over almost the whole city of jerusalem. is it too late to become a carilloneur? and can i fit one in the house?

today was our first field trip! we went all around to get an idea of the geography and general history of the area. at the augusta victoria cathedral, a lutheran church built by kaiser wilhelm for his wife, augusta victoria, i got to play the hundred year old organ. we did "all creatures of our god and king," which is easily one of the most beautiful hymns ever. i'm hoping to get to go back and play more on that organ because it was such a different instrument than ones i've played before and i want to actually be able to play it well. we'll see....

for now, studying, maybe buying a sweatshirt in the old city, and waiting for dinner!
shalom!

2009-09-06T07:40:00.000-07:00

oh hey

still in jerusalem

=)

2009-09-04T09:11:00.000-07:00

i have decided that:

the old testament is very best studied when you can see old jerusalem out the window
palestinian kids are the most beautiful ever
palestinian kids are super tough and play with plywood
you shouldn't accidentally try to go into the dome of the rock (or maybe you should...)
it's difficult teaching myself to not smile at people because it's too forward
that i'm going to walk the via delarosa
i'm going to have to study a lot

and that i'm tired.
and that i love jerusalem.

2009-09-03T03:33:00.000-07:00

today i:

woke up to the call to prayer

ate cucumber and tomatoes for breakfast

walked down sultan suleiman into east jerusalem

passed herod's gate which goes into the muslim quarters of east jerusalem

glimpsed the entrance to the garden tomb

brushed arms with a woman whose eyes were the only thing showing

was charmed by little kids with big brown eyes

explored busy streets full of treasures in old jerusalem

saw the city from the roof of the austrian hospice

decided to go back to the austrian hospice for apple strudel

found THE place for falafel

went in the church of the holy sepulchre

followed the via delarosa, the path believed by the majority of christianity to be the path jesus walked to golgotha

saw men with black hats and side curls and men in green with M16s

and fell in love with Jerusalem.

Shalom!

2009-09-01T23:08:00.000-07:00

changed my mind! i'll just be using this blog, presumably it will work.. so stay tuned!

right now i'm sitting on the floor in the vienna airport, waiting to fly for the last three of twenty hours

cool people, cool places and very cool jerusalem!

2009-08-21T22:29:00.000-07:00

it's been a food-filled movie week!

tonight we went to the local theatre to see "food, inc." (after eating at a local restaurant, in case we never wanted to eat out again after watching it. we plan ahead.)

it's been a long while since a documentary actually inspired change in me, but oh boy, this one did. the tagline, "you'll never look at dinner the same way," is not even a little bit false. it lifts the veil covering the eyes of the american consumer regarding the way their food is grown, shipped and chemically altered. not only is most of the food sold just plain unhealthy, it is also causing millions of cases of diabetes and even death. there are huge issues in the food industry that i don't even know how to address here. please watch this film!

what can we do?

buy locally and organic

grow a garden

cast a vote at the grocery store with the food you buy

i had a few strange hobbies as a child

2009-08-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

when i was about five, one included watching julia child. all the time. i have never cooked anything more ambitious than gluten-free brownies, and those from a mix.

i'd also read "my life in france" (julia child's autobiography). i was amazed by meryl streep's portrayal. it was perfect. my mom remarked to me during the movie that she had just remembered it was actually meryl streep and not julia child.

and amy adams, as always, is just beautiful.

so, go see it. see if you can resist buying "mastering the art of french cooking" the very same night.

2009-08-19T18:51:00.000-07:00

i always feel like the dentist is judging my character based on my teeth.

in my case, that's a very bad thing.

on wednesday i had the prep work done for a crown, which means my teeth (and character, according to the imaginary dentist in my head) aren't in very good shape.

i don't know if israel computers will load this big ole blog

2009-08-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

so i'm making a new one special for my biblical adventures.

it'll be more personal and detailed as to my whereabouts, so it will be invite only. as much as I would like to send you a handmade invitation, i can't. comment here with your email address if you'd like to be invited!

down-home style

2009-08-16T01:22:00.000-07:00

my small town is more carhartt's and snow boots than fashion center

but last night at the music festival a couple things caught my eye

one being some old-fashioned wellies

i like these ones from evercreatures

and I still wouldn't say no to some yellow ones, so as Lorelai said, "i can be like the morton salt girl!"

and then i saw a freitag bag for the first time.

love them, can't decide on just one, and i can't bring the photos on here.

but then the cheapskate inside me says, "couldn't i just put some colored duct tape on a bag i already have?"

and that is why i will never have a job in the fashion industry.

donavon frankenreiter

2009-08-14T23:23:00.000-07:00

dear donavon,

you're my favorite.

thanks for coming back to the festival this year even though we got lightning-ed out last year.

your music makes me happy.

Don’t look back, it won’t do any good

Don’t look ahead you’ll just be misunderstood

Everything you need could be right in front of you

It doesn’t take much to see what is true

They say we are going to die if we go on like this

Who do you believe? Every story has a twist

Take a look around, tell me what you see

People in the world just trying to be free

What about all those things you could have done but you don’t?

They say things happen for a reason, you don’t do them, they won’t

I’m lookin for life, love and laughter

2009-08-03T22:55:00.000-07:00

you, whose day it is, get out your rainbow colors and make it beautiful

nekoosa indian poem
thanks for the picture

countdown

2009-08-02T09:20:00.000-07:00

29 days until I am here

i am this person

2009-07-31T23:59:00.000-07:00

At a certain part in your life, probably when too much of it has gone by, you will open your eyes and see yourself for who you are. Especially for everything that made you so different from all the awful normals. And you will say to yourself, "But I am this person." And in that statement, that correction, there will be a kind of love.

-phoebe in wonderland

cupcakes

2009-07-31T23:09:00.000-07:00

why didn't the sweet tooth fairy ever leave something under my pillow?

the. best. cupcakes. ever.

new favorite store

2009-07-31T19:45:00.000-07:00

i keep feeling older and older as i start to really enjoy looking for furniture and decor and such. but really, what they can do with 700 square feet and 1,000 dollars just blows my mind.

grandpa

2009-07-25T13:27:00.001-07:00

how debonaire!

Three classy sailors, grandpa on the left

he played the bass fiddle in dance bands to make his way through college. how neat!

confession

2009-07-24T22:34:00.000-07:00

i spend entirely too much time on facebook.
that's not the whole thing though. lots of people do that.

i spend a lot of time looking at other people's pages.
that's not it either.

i spend 75% of my fb time on my OWN page.
that is it.
i fb stalk myself.

yikes.

tonight i went to a concert with the grands

2009-07-24T22:05:00.000-07:00

but not just any concert.

the riders in the sky concert. true blue cowboys, ladies and gentlemen.

and yes, this is them.

i know, right?

p.s. are there any eligible cowboys a few decades younger out there?

motab

2009-07-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

yesterday i watched the mormon tabernacle choir practice in the conference center.
absolutely amazing.

it was even more entertaining than usual because the conductor was so animated that his pants kept threatening to fall down.
he had to hike them up about six inches at the end of every song.
i got a little scared a couple times.

a summer week with grandparents

2009-07-21T21:43:00.000-07:00

scanning old photos like this one.

this was taken in france during world war one by my great-grandfather

is that a fox?

singin in the rain

2009-07-09T18:34:00.001-07:00

tuesday morning began with a bang
a really big bang of texas thunder
at 7:30 in the morning

so naturally, terena candace and i went to jump in puddles and play in the rain
at 7:30 in the morning

then work was cancelled and we watched this