Week 5- Ignorance isn't Bliss

What are some strong opinions that I have? Oh, where do I begin! I love strong opinions. In my opinion, the key to a successful strong opinion lies in being well-educated. Too many uneducated people live their lives in ignorance everyday, content with their meager, pointless opinions. These are the people I feel most strongly about.

Ignorant people. I loathe ignorant people. Just to clarify, being out-of-the-loop on some issue doesn't qualify someone as ignorant, in my opinion. To me, ignorant people are people who like to think they know everything about an issue, when really all they know is just what they think. What annoys me the most is when these people fell the need to blabber all of their thought-up nonsense to everyone within earshot. Take politics for example. I am a die-hard Republican. Those of you who are liberals should stop reading now, because you'll probably get all offended by what I say. I don't really care. Anyway, I am very conservative. I can't stand anyone who gets up and starts proclaiming that Obama is the greatest thing since a TV remote, Obama is someone who will really care for us, Obama is our savior, blah blah blah. Obama has next to no political track record, and yet people assume that because he can say "change" in a very emotional way, he is the man who should lead the greatest country in the world. Uh, can you say "ignorance"? I also hate the healthcare topic. Anyone who can stand up and state that a socialized healthcare program is what we need, and that it is the best idea ever, is completely ignorant and probably devoid of common sense altogether. Let's look at the facts for a change. Who will pay for an expensive healthcare system? Mainly businesses. A recent study by the US Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy found that there are approximately 26.8 million businesses in America. Of those, 98.2% have less than 100 employees and are classified as Small Businesses. During this economic recession, small businesses have suffered the most. Now, our government has created a massive healthcare tax and set it on the shoulders of small business to pay for the healthcare program. Does anyone realize that taxing hard-hit small businesses during a recession is a bad thing? Unfortunately, not enough people do. Why? Because there are too many ignorant idiots running around telling people what they think, without knowing any facts. So the next time you want to tell someone about a great idea, do some research first.

Week Five-The Office

“Why tip someone for a job I'm capable of doing myself? I can deliver food. I can drive a taxi. I can, and do, cut my own hair. I did, however, tip my urologist. Because, I am unable to pulverize my own kidney stones.” –Dwight Schrute

This show was first introduced to me not long after my cousin was married; it was actually her amazing husband that brought this show into my life. He had been staying at our house for a couple days and it just so happened to be Thursday. The second season was starting that night. He immediately turned on The Office, but no one in the room knew what he was talking about. Lucky for us he had season one in his suit case. We watched almost the entire first season that night. My family just couldn’t get enough of it. No matter what they did, we were right there with them.

I am in love with The Office, as is my family. It was our weekly Thursday night thing to watch the new episode before I left for college. Where else can I learn things that are just so applicable to life? So many life lessons are learned from their entertaining banter. I mean come on—I learn about so many different things. One thing that I will now know forever is that it is very dangerous to have a George Foreman Grill by my bed; I’ve always wanted to wake up to the enticing smell of bacon, but thanks to Michael Scott I know that I should be very careful if I try this endeavor. And did you know that bears eat beats? Well they do, you don’t even need to listen to Dwight because he has no clue what he is talking about. If you do not take anything away from this show, just know that “Women are like wolves. If you want a wolf, you have to trap it. You have to snare it. And then you have to tame it. Keep it happy. Care for it. Feed it. Lovingly, the way an animal deserves to be loved. And my animal deserves a lot of loving.” (That’s what she said.)

The Office is one of my favorite shows; it has a little bit of everything. It takes things that are so touchy such as race and makes fun of it. As Michael says, “I’m collar blind.” It is a light hearted way to get away from the stress of our days and to relax while we laugh at the most unorthodox things.

Week 5- Citizen Soldier

A piece of music that has shaped me is “Citizen Solders” by 3 Doors Down. I feel that this song has a powerful message; a message which provides me with strength and courage. It has a theme of love, family, strength, and selfless sacrifice. It inspires feelings of patriotism, loyalty, dependability, and sacrifice. The lyrics of the song are:

“Beyond the boundaries of your city's lights,
Stand the heroes waiting for your cries.
So many times you did not bring this on yourself,
When that moment finally comes,
I'll be there to help.

When there are people crying in the streets,
When they're starving for a meal to eat,
When they simply need a place to make their beds,
Right here underneath my wing,
You can rest your head.

On that day when you need your brothers and sisters to care,
I'll be right here!
Citizen soldiers holding the light for the ones that we guide from the dark of despair.
Standing on guard for the ones that we sheltered,
We'll always be ready because we will always be there...

Hope and pray that you'll never need me,
But rest assured I will not let you down.
I'll walk beside you but you may not see me,
The strongest among you may not wear a crown.

Standing on guard for the ones that we sheltered,
We'll always be ready because we will always be there.”

This song means so much to me because first of all it reminds me of the soldiers that are willing to sacrifice their lives to protect me and the freedoms of this wonderful country. It is also so meaningful to me because it talks about people who are suffering which appeals to my emotions. Then the song talks about how citizen soldiers are always there to help and provide for those who are suffering. This song speaks of bearing each other burdens and sheltering those in need of help and protection. I have always been someone that watches out for the underdog, which may be part of why this song means so much to me. “I walk beside you, but you may not see me” and “On that day that you don’t have the strength for the burden you bear, I’ll be right there” are two of my favorite lines in the song. These lines remind me of our Father, Jesus Christ. I think this song can be related to his relationship and feelings towards us. He is always watching over us, willing to help us. And even when we may not know or when we may not think he is there, he always is. He will never leave us stranded.

The first time I heard this song was when my iPod was on shuffle. I had never heard the song before, and at the beginning I thought it was just going to be another song. But as I listened to the words and message that the song contained, it quickly became one of my favorite songs.

Week 5 - Light On

"Light On" - David Cook

Never really said too much
Afraid it wouldn’t be enough
Just try to keep my spirits up
When there’s no point in grieving
Doesn’t matter anyway
Words could never make me stay
Words will never take my place
When you know I’m leaving

(Chorus)
Try to leave a light on when I’m gone
Something I rely on to get home
One I can feel at night
A naked light, a fire to keep me warm
Try to leave a light on when I’m gone
Even in the daylight, shine on
And when it’s late at night you can look inside
You won’t feel so alone

You know we’ve been down that road
What seems a thousand times before
My back to a closing door and my eyes to the seasons
That roll out underneath my heels
And you don’t know how bad it feels
To leave the only one that I have ever believed in

[Chorus]

Sometimes it feels like we’ve run out of luck
When the signal keeps on breaking up
When the wires cross in my brain
You’ll start my heart again
When I come along

This song actually reminds me of the Holy Ghost, being that it is easily comparable with what David Cook is portraying in his song. When I hear the line, "Try to leave a light on when I'm gone, something I rely on to get home," I think of the light (the Holy Ghost) God leaves for us in order to get ourselves back into his presence after this life. Since we all get caught up with our everyday lives from time to time, it is easy to forget our sole purpose for this life. Temptation are all around us, all of us. This song helps me remember the purpose and to be more aware of the Spirit's promptings. The funny thing is that this song isn't religious at all; however, the song obviously gives multiple meanings. In my eyes, it has religious references all over. Although they are primarily all in the chorus, verses with lines, such as "And you don’t know how bad it feels, To leave the only one that I have ever believed in," represent the references, as well. To me, the song speaks a lot about God's plan for us and how it's necessary that we leave the spirit world, have an earthly experience (but hold to the iron rod at the same time), and later return to the spirit world once again. I probably would have never heard this song if my sister didn't accidentally sync her iPod to my iTunes. As a result, a lot of her songs ended up in my iPod, and "Light On" was one of them. When I first came upon the song and didn't recognize it, I decided to listen to it to see if it was good. Ever since that day, I've fallen completely in love with it!

Week 5- The Fellowship of the Ring

"One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them." This classic quote has been well known since the director Peter Jackson released the first movie in the trilogy: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. This movie has won recent fame with its awesome fighting choreography and beautiful landscapes, creating a world with its very own unique languages. You feel embraced into this enthralling story that sets up character complexity that generates different emotions for each one. After seeing this movie, I had an urge to read the series, and I stopped once I finished the The Fellowship of the Ring (it was the longest book in the triology by the way).
What makes this movie so amazing? Well, I personally enjoy the first movie from the rest of the trilogy because of the sweet memories that it brings back to me. I had no idea what this movie was when it first came out, and I was invited to go see it without even knowing what the title was. I was just warned that it was scary and that it could potentially give me nightmares. I went anyways and I loved it (and as a side note, I didn't get scared)! My eyes were glued to the screen as the action scenes made me want to pick up a toy sword and fight a massive horde of orcs. My brothers and I played games with each other as we tried to reenact the battles in the movie.
One of the main reasons why this movie is one of the best movies that I have ever seen is the deep message. As Frodo cries on the shore with the ring outstretched, wishing the ring had never come to him, a recollection of what Gandalf said came to him, "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." This deep message is true for everyone that it only matters what we decide to do in this life. The empowering quote has helped me realize how important life is and what we do with our time.

Week 5-You threw off my groove!!!

Well basically, I was so stoked when I found out we could write about our favorite movie this week! And hands down, my all time favorite movie in the history of movies, is definitely Emperor's New Groove!! If anyone has not seen it, I will host a movie night just to watch that movie because it is so great! There are so many wonderful things about that movie, it's almost too hard to tell them all! The fact that the Emperor gets turned into a llama, is ridiculous in itself. And then, there is the touching story of how Kuzco and Pacha go from enemies to lifelong friends through a test of trials. Oh and who can compete with Kronk?!! Funniest character by far! And his shoulder angels are a crack up! "that's a harp...and that's a dress." haha, so great! And Yzma being described as "scary beyond all reason," she's crazy! Emperor's New Groove has been around for awhile and it's definitely always a movie that my family and I watch whenever we can't decide. I swear, I can never get sick of it! I once watched it 3 times in a week. And since I've been at BYU, I have watched it on two dates haha. That movie just brings me so much happiness! :) If I am ever having a bad day, I watch Emperor's New Groove and I am so much happier! Anyone that knows me well knows that this is my all time favorite movie without a doubt. And as much as I love watching the movie, I probably love quoting it even more. Hahaha it works out especially well when the other people who are with me know the movie well enough to know that I just quoted it. Some of my favorites are when Kuzco and Pacha are tied to the log...

Pacha: Uh-oh

Kuzco: Let me guess, we are about to go over a huge waterfall

Pacha: Yep

Kuzco: Sharp rocks at the bottom?

Pacha: Most likely

Kuzco: Bring it on...BOOYAHAHA!!

Oh so great!! Just writing this post is making me so happy, I wanna watch it! Even though I watched it last friday...haha. I honestly cannot get tired of Emperor's New Groove! and I challenge anyone that has never seen it to PLEASE watch it!! Then you will understand why I am so passionate about it! Squeak squeakers...squeakin :)

Week 5- My Life and Star Wars

“Luke, I am your father!” These are the famous lines that Darth Vader says to his son Luke Skywalker as he is precariously balanced on a metal bar above a huge drop off. Star Wars is arguably one of the most well-known series in the world. The exciting battle sequences and tragic love story draw in audiences old and young, male and female. I am one of those females that have been drawn in by this exciting story. It hasn’t shaped my life, or caused me to change in any way. It is simply an obsession of mine. I love Star Wars. Yes, it may be slightly cheesy that a girl, like myself, is obsessed with something that could be viewed as a “boy’s movie.” But I just can’t help it! The excitement of the battle sequences enthralls me! The tragic tale of Anakin and Padme’s love makes me weep! The music that begins each movie makes my skin tingle with excitement.
Star Wars is something that has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Since the time I was eight, I began a collection of over 50 Star Wars action figures. My twin and I would play with them for long hours, listening to the sound tracks to the movies. We came up with an acronym so people couldn’t understand what we were saying when we said we were going to go play with our action figures. It was abbreviated SWAF for Star Wars Action Figures. When my twin and I were twelve we were Anakin and Padme for Halloween. We have been given all the movies and all the soundtracks for the movies. Our lockers in Junior High were plastered with pictures from Star Wars. I even have a journal in which I record the dreams that I have that are about Star Wars. We have had Star Wars themed birthday parties and seen the movies when they came to theaters. We have even had Star Wars marathons where we watched all six movies in one day! Yes, you could say I am obsessed.
The question is: why am I so obsessed? Why does it mean so much to me? Well I can’t rightly tell you. The only thing I can say of where it started was when the trailers for Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones came out. Rachel, my twin, thought that Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin, was pretty handsome. From then on, we began watching the trailers over and over until we could recite them from memory. That began our obsession. We have loved it ever since! It has been such a huge part of my youth that it still holds a fond place in my heart to this day. It makes me excited to think about it. I love the plot and excitement of the movies. It is a story that will never get old for me. I am almost certain I will never stop liking this amazing tale. The duels, the love, and the out-of-this-world feeling will stick with me forever! So to end I will quote my favorite quote, “May the Force be with you, always!”

One of my favorite songs to listen to is "Weightless" by All Time Low. Its chorus goes
"Maybe it's not my weekend but it's gonna be my year
And I'm so sick of watching while the minutes pass as I go nowhere
And this is my reaction to everything I fear
'Cause I've been going crazy, I don't wanna waste another minute here"
I like this song because it does not just say go make every second the best second of your life, but it says to not waste time. The way I read it lets me know that just because what I am doing is not necessarily the coolest doesn't mean it isn't worth it. For example doing this blog assignment is not the most exciting thing on the planet, (no offense), but it is something productive. Doing this assignment honestly makes me feel good because I am not just wasting time. Also the line, "it's gonna be my year" really hits me. When I look back at the end of the semester I am not going to be complaining because I had to spend one weekend taking exams and turning in papers, which isn't fun at all. However, If I had wasted that time and failed my classes I would look back and feel like an entire semester was wasted. If I do not waste time though I can look back happily and have a feeling of accomplishment over my year in general. Without specific examples I read that line of the song to mean that it is the end result that matters. You may have a rough weekend, but you can always have a great year.

Week 5- Move Along

Move Along by All-American Rejects. It's a ridiculously awesome song. I know it's an older song but no matter how many times I hear it it just burns straight to my heart.
o ahead as you waste your days with thinking
When you fall everyone sins
Another day and you've had your fill of sinking
With the life held in your
Hands are shaking cold
These hands are meant to hold

Speak to me, when all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through
Move along
Move along

So a day when you've lost yourself completely
Could be a night when your life ends
Such a heart that will lead you to deceiving
All the pain held in your
Hands are shaking cold
Your hands are mine to hold

Speak to me, when all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through
Move along
(Go on, go on, go on, go on)

When everything is wrong we move along
(Go on, go on, go on, go on)
When everything is wrong, we move along
Along, along, along

When all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through
[x3]

(Move along)
(Go on, go on, go on, go on)
Right back what is wrong
We move along

You can see that it talks about when your down in the dumps, your whole life is falling apart, or when you just don't know what to do with your life, to just go and do. Even if you don't know why just get out and live your life, eventually you'll make it through and you'll find purpose again. This really gets me because I have totally had time when I am just not motivated because my plans fell through and I don't know where to move next with my life. I'll feel like I only want to curl up in a blanket eating ice cream, and watch Hulu all day. This song just always pumps you up and makes you're life feel more like you're only in a sad part of a movie. It makes you feel like although you're life sucks now, if you just keep going, there's gonna be an awesome happy ending. I once even told my roommate "I wish I had a girlfriend, then I could break up with her and listen to sad music." Again, it makes you'r sad times a lot more enjoyable.

Week 5-Stop driving like you're 5!

When it comes to having strong opinions, I often am at a loss about what to say. I’d like to consider myself a pretty “chill” person. Not much really fazes me. Not that I am insensitive, I just don’t enjoy holding grudges or worrying about something that I can’t change. It is the things that I can change that I normally try to worry about. As nerdy as it sounds, I normally worry about things like getting good grades in my classes, or trying to be really outgoing so that I can makes friends in all my classes. However, there is one thing that I really do worry about a lot that I can’t change: reckless drivers.

Now, there is a difference between a bad driver and a reckless driver. Bad drivers don’t know how to park in a parking spot sand sometimes have to back in and out several times before they get it right. I often can be a really bad driver; I’ll admit it right now. Reckless drivers, on the other hand, speed around parking lots full of cars in the middle of a school day with no particular reason but to “show off.” Sorry reckless drivers, but there are very few people on this campus who even think that is remotely cool. There really isn’t any time of day here at BYU where students aren’t crossing the crosswalks; however most people drive around like there is never anybody at the crosswalks. Hello?!?!? What happened to pedestrians having the right-of-way? It makes me think that those who are driving around reckless are almost asking for something to happen. It almost seems like they want to crash and burn and go into the hospital for months instead of school. It almost seems like they want to run somebody over because they are running red lights right and left. Why would anybody ever want to do that? I hardly think that is what is running through their minds, but then it makes me wonder; if that is not what they are thinking, then what ARE they thinking? Absolutely nothing.

Overall, I would rather be alive, and I think everybody else would do. I think our world would be a much better place if everybody learned how to be a patient, thoughtful driver, who thought more about others than about themselves. So next time you are on the road, think about how many people there are out in the world, and if you would rather be safe, or sorry.

Week 5 - Just Do It!

I do not usually consider myself a very opinionated person, because I tend to be quite passive in most things. However, I do have two very strong opinions on two extremely different matters that have nothing to do with each other. The first one is clearly about the boys these days, as I am sure most girls would have an opinion about. The second is a recently founded opinion about none other than dirty dishes. Enjoy.

Ok number one; boys! Do you know what bothers me more than anything? The fact that there are hardly any of those cute old fashioned boys left anymore, and if there is, I sure have not run in to very many. What ever happened to a guy taking charge? I understand we live in a very “feminist” world where woman are becoming more and more independent it. But seriously, it is NOT a girls job to ask a guy out on the first date. I would be willing to bet, though, that more often than not it is the girl that has to make the first move. I guess that just proves who is braver, eh? Now I am sorry if you are a boy reading this and you are offended, because I know you are not all like this. I am just talking about boys in general. I really do believe that it has become the mindset of guys, though, to think that it is the girls job to make the first move. This is so false! So please, man up and just do your job. I will even let you in on a little secret. Girls love gentleman! Now you know.

Ok second thing, which is completely unrelated to boys, is dishes— the dirty kind to be exact. It drives me crazy to come home and find a huge pile of dirty dishes, with food still on them, sitting in the sink to rot. Is it really so hard to rinse your dish after you use it and put it in the dishwasher? Nope I don’t think so. So it is my strong opinion that all violators of this crime need to stop and think about what pain you are causing your roommates by leaving your sick nasty dishes in the sink. Coming home to an apartment smelling like rotten garbage is just fantastic after a long day at school! Oh wait, it’s not. So please clean up; that is all I ask. I have no doubt that the world would be a much nicer, and cleaner, place to live if we would all just do our duty and do the dishes. The end.

Week Five: I really hate love songs.

There is an infinite amount of songs that have their cliched lines about how some random girl seen on the street is like a shooting star, beautiful and wish-provoking yet unattainable or some other cheesy nonsense. They're writing about a girl they haven't met. If I were her and knew some creepy guy wrote a song proclaiming his love for me and doesn't even know my name, I'd be anything but wooed. Honestly, I'm sick of love songs. They kind of annoy the living daylights out of me and every verse has been done before. None of it is new. I mean, love songs have been out for centuries..there is only oh so much about love we can talk about.

That being said, you have the privilege of reading about a section of a song that has legitimately impacted my life. It's far from being a bunch of neat sounding words thrown together, but rather a carefully painted masterpiece that isn't appreciated by scholars. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and this picture would say that sometimes things suck, but someone else has been there and gotten through it too. It would tell stories of awful times and how you will hit rock bottom.

"I would wish upon a star, but that star, it doesn't shine
So read my book with a boring ending
A short story of a lonely guy."
--Story of a Lonely Guy, Blink-182

Hopefully the sequel has a happy ending?

Silly Girl

Welcome to the year 2000; you’re now taking a journey into the life of Karlee Renae Cahoon at the age of eight—so here’s my story on my favorite song in the world. When I was little I believed I was a cowgirl: my dad used to be in rodeo’s, we had friends who we always went horseback riding with and would help them brand their cows, and then I would love going to my aunt and uncle’s who trained show horses. So that’s just a little back round of the life of an eight year old me.

Now introducing the song of my past, and present. It’s called Hypnotize the Moon by Clay Walker—note it is a country song. This song is the reason I came to believe I was a cowgirl; this song was my song. It was on one of my parent’s CDs, and one night when I couldn’t sleep I was going through my parents CDs when I found this song. I was instantly in love with it. I would replay it over and over; whenever I couldn’t sleep I would grab my discman and put it on repeat.

She shines like a diamond

When she walks into a room

She can charm the stars

Hypnotize the moon

To me I was the girl he was singing about. I pictured myself growing up to be this beautiful cowgirl that charmed the stars. Haha. I know it sounds a little silly; girl’s are supposed to want to grow up to be princess’, but my dream was a little different. When I listened to this song I wanted to one day be as important in someone’s life as the girl he was singing about.

She knew she caught my eye

And that was all it took

Ain't it strange how forever changed

With just one look

So to this day I still find myself one day living out in a small little town, with horses, and my future cowboy. Life may not work out that way for me, but it’s almost like the song engrained the thought into my head; now I can’t remove it. I’m sure our fairytales don’t turn out exactly as we plan, but if i’m lucky the man upstairs will help me out with this one a little. So that’s just a little piece of me and my favorite song. Hope you enjoyed it.

Week 5- Opinions are like Onions, they have layers

Two strong opinions I have involve the Word of Wisdom and Facebook. The opinion from the Word of Wisdom is on drinking and how it truly is not an activity even worth the thought and the one from Facebook is how people should not post how horrible their life seems to be, it does not help anyone when they do this.

Drinking alcohol is one of those temptations that will never take the best of me. It just sounds like a horrible idea since you are just letting your body do whatever it wants. I personally would be afraid I would say/do something I would regret. If you look at the effects of drinking you can discover some serious problems. Not only does it cause drunk driving accidents but divides families and can even lead to death if you over indulge on it. Everyone has the right to make their own decisions but if it was up to me, alcohol consumption would be illegal everywhere. If the statistic that 60% of all homicides are attributed to alcohol does not faze you, I don't know what will. Another reason why I am against alcohol is from looking at my dad and his brother. My father, Garry, is 53 and he looks young and healthy for his age (In my opinion at least); however, his brother is a whole different story. Kevin, my uncle, is in his mid-forties but looks like he is fifty nine going on sixty. He is not a member of the church and drinks as well as smokes. This is not to say he is a bad person, I am just saying that drinking has not done his body good. That is just an additional testament to me that no good comes from drinking.

Moving on to the “Debbie Downers” on Facebook… get a life. I am not trying to be too harsh but seriously, do not put me down with your updates. I understand sad things happen, life is not easy, yet I do not need to feel like I have to hear EVERYTHING bad that is happening in your life. One reason those certain people could be posting such depressing statuses could be they spend all their day sitting on the internet. Life is too short and filled with too much good to waste away in front of your computer. Get up and go outside, read a book, just do anything to pull you away from being idle. To be optimistic you must think that way. You must make an effort to be happy and I can assure you that it will make your day better. Next time you think of posting a status that will make people feel bad for you, please write it in your diary/journal and save us from the rain cloud.

Basically that is what I believe, so take it as you will.

Week 4 - Kerfuffle

Kerfuffle. Yes. It’s a word. Look it up if you don’t believe me. The dictionary definition is “a commotion or fuss.” But that’s not why I adore it. It doesn’t just roll off the tongue, you know? It bounces. It tumbles, skids, dances across the tongue. It has a mind of its own; there’s no controlling it. That’s why I love it. It’s alive. The taste is indescribable, but still something delicious like...salt. Smell? A beautiful rose perfume.

It represents what I love most about words: their dynamic possibilities. Language, words, as I have known them, are a live thing. They are never to be underestimated and kerfuffle is no exception. Kerfuffle is real. It’s demonstrative of it’s meaning. Who didn’t experience a brief mental commotion upon its presentation. I love the effect it has: the widening of eyes, disbelief, and then the slow smiles. Language isn’t all rigid and uptight. There are more words than any one human being can possibly memorize. All those hidden possibilities make me so excited. I love learning new words. Kerfuffle is only one of many!

Discombuberated?

Without a doubt my favorite word is discombuberated. Is it actually a word? I'm not really sure. If you type it in google, a definition will come up from Urban Dictionary. But if you look it up in the Mirriam Webster Dictionary, it's not there. But who really cares if it is a word? Say it out loud and feel the way it rolls of your tongue.

My grandma is a very silly old lady. She likes making up new names and calling me George. One day I was making a blanket with her and she said the word discombuberated. I could not figure out what she meant! She told me it was her favorite word and ever since then it has been mine too.

But how can you not love it? It sounds amazing. It can mean anything you want. If you are tired and a little confused, what word would describe you? Discombuberated! If you're being hyper and silly, you are discombuberated! If you are happy in love or mad at the world, discombuberated!

If the word discombuberated had a smell, it would be whatever I want. If I'm craving cinnamon sugar pretzels, that is how the word would smell. If I'm in a bad mood, the word would smell like lavender. Yuck!

Whether or not discombuberated is actually a word, you can't deny it's a good one. What word could possibly be better than a word that can be used to describe or mean anything?

Week 4--Favorite Word

It seems that every week I am faced with the same problem: a writing prompt that I don't know how to answer. And so I wait, reading each blog post as they are written, hoping that another author will give me ideas. Unfortunately, even with my fellow students' input, I struggled to find a word that stood out to me, one that I particularly enjoyed using. There seemed to be no single word that I found myself writing or saying over and over again, nor one that seemed especially melodic to my ears. And so, as happens each week, I began a search—this time for a favorite word. Throughout the day, listening to conversations, rolling long words around in my head, I hoped for inspiration without success. I began reading; reading everything and analyzing each individual word, evaluating its potential to become the subject of this post.

Defenestrate. I found it while reading notes passed in a high school Spanish class. (Don't ask me why I still have them, they're mostly junk.) I had forgotten the obsession of a certain friend with this word. An obsession which quickly made the word into a long-standing inside joke. No matter the context, defenestration made our conversations more interesting and more humorous. This word was used to add comedy to every subject—from biology to statistics, to strange people on campus—with unfailing success.

From its definition, "to throw a person or thing out a window," the comical value of this word is clear. Not only is defenestrate a long word, perhaps with a vague resemblance to biology vocabulary, it has a very silly meaning. In my note from Spanish class, the sentence "I need to defenestrate that" not only gave me the inspiration for this post, but made me laugh. Perhaps my amusement at the word defenestrate is a product of the inside jokes I associate with it, but it is definitely a word worth including in everyday vocabulary.

Week Four: Fathom...?

Fathom is potentially one of the most pleasing words to grace my ears. For some unknown reason, I'd say I have a word crush on this little number. Fathom. Fathom fathom fathom. I think that I've used this word in just about every paper I've ever written. If not the word fathom, I've used some disambiguation of it: fathomed, unfathomable, fathomable, unfathomably, fathomablity, fathoming, fathomer (one who fathoms), etc..The simplicity of the meaning combined with the scholarly tone makes for a resourceful degenerate. You can't fathom how much I enjoy using this word. In fact, did you know that fathom is a noun as well? A fathom is a unit of length used to measure the depth of water. One fathom is equal to about one one-thousandth of a mile! Crazy, eh? I have a headache from typing fathom that many times, so I can only fathom how much you'd enjoy a change.

Since I care about you as the reader, I've decided to allow you to know my second favorite word. About. Inserting "about" into any statement allows the user to release all responsibility of the phrase while still keeping his (or her) credibility. "It'll take me about 20 minutes to get to your house, Jessica," I said. Jessica is planning on me being there in 20 minutes, right? Well, I could arrive there in 30 minutes and still be okay because I said "about". I love this word because I can make people believe an idea while still obtaining trust. I don't love this word because I talk like a Canadian, though. About, out, house, sorry, you name it. I'm from Dallas. I'll explain in another blog post though..I think you've heard enough of my rambling.

Oh..I like the word ramble too..
Next time, next time.

Week Four - The Tizzle Wizzle Show

I do not really have a favorite word. I just have never had a word that I used more often than any others or that stuck out to me. It was not too long ago that I found a word that could become my favorite over time…or the thing that creeps into my nightmares. This word comes from a show I was watching where the episode was called The Tizzle Wizzle Show. It was amazing how Saturday Night Live could skew my view when they were talking about something as great as jammies: soft, cozy, sweet smelling, colorful jammies.

Yes, jammies could very well be my new thought provoking word. It just rolls off the tongue. Most people associate it with cute, innocent, loving children. This view is altered forever by a short excerpt from a show. It was used in a skit done by Saturday Night Live about a bunch of people who do a show in their jammies. James Franco was a guest star on this wonderful show and he called them pajamas, but he was corrected immediately. Just as the participants were crazed, so was the entire show.

If you have not watched this clip I recommend it. It changed the way I think about what I thought were innocent jammies. They are not so innocent anymore. A cute little show turns into a game of knives, pills, and war. Something so fun turns deadly when it is a fight to the death. No more are jammies worn by anyone sane, but those that are on the verge of being put in the loony bin.

I do not think that jammies are for the faint of heart, they seem to have some kind of underlying power about them. They are dangerous if not used right, which the show clearly demonstrates. I now associate war, blood, knives, pills, and glow sticks with jammies. My old thinking of little kids before they go to bed has been changed. These things are no longer for little kids, only adults who act worse than little kids. Jammies are treacherous and will not treat you nicely if you mess up. People don’t kill people, jammies kill people.

If anyone can say this five times fast they are amazing!

When I was in 7th grade I distinctly remember being asked to find a word that nobody had ever heard of and give a report on its origin. Hippopotomonstrosesquipidaliophobia is the word I found. Needless to say that I not only had found a word nobody had heard of but also one that nobody could pronounce, not even the teacher. It was the proudest moment of my young life. Since then I've never used Hippopotomonstrosesquipidaliophobia in an essay and I've never used Hippopotomonstrosesquipidaliophobia while speaking because I've never been able to spell it correctly and I've never been able to pronounce it; yet it remains to this day my favorite word. There are two things that are terribly ironic about my choice of words. One: when I was learning to read I hated long words that I couldn't pronounce. Two: Hippopotomonstrosesquipidaliophobia is the fear of long words, and consequently the word itself is very very veeeerrrrryyyy long. Like I said its a little bit ironic.

If Hippopotomonstrosesquipidaliophobia had a taste I'd have to say that it tasted like the candy off of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. You know the one that the gum girl eats?The candy seemed like it could be innocent but look what happened to Violet... she was turned into a blueberry. Hippopotomonstrosesquipidaliophobia might look innocent at first, long yes, but easy to sound out if the time were taken. Unfortunately once you've actually put it in your mouth something goes wrong and you can't spit it out, leaving you with a mouthful of jumbled syllables.

So that in a nutshell is why Hippopotomonstrosesquipidaliophobia is my favorite word.
Oh and ps. if I had taken the time to spell Hippopotomonstrosesquipidaliophobia out every single time I'd be writing this blog for forever .... I love copy and paste.

Week 4 - Domineer

Ever since I began taking AP english courses, I have always been infatuated with the word "domineer." To me, domineer seems like a highly empowering word, much like its definition. The dictionary states that domineer is a verb, meaning "to assert one's will over another in an arrogant way." It derives from the late 16th century--"dominieren" in Dutch, "dominer" in French, "dominari" in Latin, and "dominate" in English. The first time I encountered this word was while reading a sample essay in my junior AP English class. The word absolutely jumped out at me from the page, as I was immediately fascinated by it. In my opinion, domineer is a perfect way to convey dominance and empowerment.

When I think of the word, domineer, I think of lightning bolts. Both, in a sense, portray outrageous power. In my opinion, domineer is such an influential choice of diction in the english language, one that is not often seen. I have most commonly seen this word used in rhetorical analyses between two persuading authors; one may domineer the other in certain literary aspects. Knowledge of this word has helped me make several essays a lot smoother, being that it is a more intellectual word.

If domineer had a smell, much like the lightning bolt comparison, it would smell like rain on a dark and stormy night. However, it would also smell like a strong herb, such as basil or rosemary. Since domineer has a strong, overbearing meaning anyway, the smell of herbs would sufficiently satisfy domineer's existence. It would taste very strong, like wasabi or ginger. I have had an overbearing encounter with both at sushi restaurants. The first time, I ate a huge chunk of ginger, thinking it was salmon. The second time, I ate a massive scoop of wasabi, thinking it was guacamole. Both times, I was extremely shocked by their overpowering tastes. For this reason, I can easily say that "domineer" fits in with the effects of wasabi and ginger.

In essence, you can probably tell that I view "domineer" as a strong word, much like hate or love--it refers to one's conceited dominance over another. I think it is a very effective word in expressing superiority, therefore I tend to use it in my essays a lot.

Week 4-Words That Roll of the Tongue

I really don't have any specific words that I am particularly fond of. However, I do happen to like any words that are fun to say and roll of the tongue in a way that is extremely satisfying. Some words that I could say over and over again without getting tired of are words like "bamboozle", "indubitably", "corroborated", and "flibbertigibbet". I never use these words in my writing or speech for any other reason than the fact that they are so fun to say. Before writing about this prompt, I never fully realized how unique and different some words in the English language are, and how fulfilling some of them make me feel when I say them, but now that I think about it, there are a lot of pleasurable words out there that spark the imagination a lot more than their coinciding synonyms.

Another thing that I like about these words is that all of them have meanings that you can't get out of any other word. Take bamboozle for example: this word means "to deceive or trick." However, if I were to actually have been abducted by aliens or something, the only appropriate word to describe this trickery would be "bamboozled".
In addition, the word "indubitably" means "unquestionably and without a doubt." So, when I'm talking or writing about the fact that the sky is, without a doubt, the color blue, using the word "indubitably" instead of "without a doubt" completely changes the meaning and makes the entire sentence seem to have so much more meaning and power.

These are only a few examples of the ways that interesting words can really spice up certain language and make it so much more exciting. Now, I’m not saying that I should use big words in my writing all the time because that makes it sound better, I’m just saying that words like “bamboozle” and “flibbertigibbet” make writing that would otherwise be dull just that much more fun to read, even if the reader doesn’t even know the meaning of the word. That is one of the wonderful things about these fantastic words, I don’t need to know what they mean to be able to enjoy saying them out loud.

Week 4 - You want something for nothing? This word is for you!

My favorite word is undoubtedly the word “free.” Seriously, don’t you just get so excited when you hear that word? I know I do. Anything free is just awesome! Free food, free t-shirts, free anything! It’s pretty much like Christmas, but better. Well maybe not better, but close.

The word free can have SO many different meaning too. We can say free as in enjoying personal rights and freedoms, we can say free when something is not being occupied (like a bathroom stall), or we can even use free when talking about sports! In basketball a foul shot is also called a “free throw,” which is basically an opportunity to get more points without even really having to work for them! See what I mean, free is just a happy word, with so many positive meanings. I can’t think of one negative use of this word, so if you can, please let me know.

I think if the word free had a smell it would smell like fresh, homemade bread. There is seriously no better smell than that. It would taste deliciously sweet I am sure. As for the texture, that is kind of a strange question. But I am hoping that if I do ever get to taste the word free that it would have a texture somewhat like that of smooth creamy chocolate. I doubt this will happen though because you can’t eat words, well not literally anyways.

So I wish I could say that I have had a lot of experiences with the word free, as in getting lots of free stuff, but I have not. Maybe that is why I get so excited when I see or hear the words “free ____!” On the few occasions I have gotten free things, though, it has made my whole day. For example, when I first came to BYU I had to go and open a bank account, and guess what—

they gave me a free t-shirt for it! Booya! I wore that t-shirt the whole next day just because I was so happy it was free. And speaking of free t-shirts, I also got a free football t-shirt from that bank. So moral of the story is I love the bank now. I still think my favorite thing is getting free food though. So if any of you want to get on my good side, you know what to do.

So that is it, my favorite word in a nutshell. I hope after reading this you are all as excited about this word as I am. Free is wonderful. So next time you get something for free, think about how happy it makes you, and who knows, it might just become your favorite word too!