Avengnerds

 

"And there came a day, a day unlike any other... when Earth's mightiest heroes found themselves united against a common threat... to fight the foes no single superhero could withstand... on that day, The Avengers were born.  " - Fury

 "I thought we were having a moment."

"I was having 12% of a moment."  - Stark and Pots

"His first name is Agent!" - Stark

"What's the matter, scared of a little lightning?" 

"I'm not overly fond of what follows." - Stark and Loki

 [By the way, once the lightning started, I knew exactly who was coming, and I became incredibly excited.  Thor is my favorite. :)]

"There is only one God, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like either of them."  - Captain America

"No hard feelings Point Break, you've got a mean swing." - Stark

"Dr. Banner, your work is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."- Stark

"He's my brother."

"He killed 80 people in two days."

"...he's adopted." - Thor and Widow

"You people are so petty... and tiny."  - Thor

"There is no throne, there is no version of this where you come out on top! Maybe your army will come, maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you! Because, if we can't protect the Earth, you can be da[rn] sure we'll avenge it!" - Stark

"I have an army."

"We have a Hulk" - Loki and Stark

"Stark, we need a plan of attack!"

"I have a plan - attack!" - Captain and Stark

"Let's go, Legolas."  - Stark

"Doc... I think now is the perfect time for you to get angry."

"That's my secret Cap, I'm always angry."- Captain and Banner

"...and Hulk? - Smash."  - Captain America

"Guys, I'm bringing the party to you!"

"...I don't see how that's a party."  - Stark and Widow

"I am a god! I am not going to be bullied by a - "

**SMASH FLAIL WHIP POUND SMASH**

"Puny god." - Loki and Hulk

"What happened?  Please tell me nobody kissed me."

"We won."

"Oh, good." - Stark and Captain

AVENGERS is now my favorite movie.  Wow, it's so good.  The dialogue, as is illustrated above, is incredibly clever and quite hilarious; the actors were absolutely amazing; and each hero got a substantial amount of face-time.  It was so very well done, and I Loved it Loved it Loved it.

Oh, and the best way to watch a superhero movie is with a bunch of nerds who Love it just as much or more than you do.  Why?  There is a wave of anticipation when a new hero is about to be introduced, and a roar of excitement once they are.  Man that was great.

Until next time!

Kiki

Wetsock?

You know, it kinda sounds like "what's up?"
Ya ok it's not that funny.

I saw this wet-hair-rolled-in-a-sock idea that's supposed to give you these way cute curls when it dries:

Awesome! So I decided to try it.

I made a little sock-bun

Then I put my hair in it. It looks promising, yes?

.... not exactly what I expected. At all.

It's a wavy, tangly mess.

Well, if I ever need a wavy and unkempt look for some costume or something, here's one way to get it!

I guess I'll style this mess with a curling iron or something.  Another novel styling idea failed. Better luck next time!

Also - AVENGERS TONIGHT! Gosh I'm excited. :)

Pins; made of bottle rings, paper, safety pins, lots of hot glue, and silver paint.

 ...

Also, we're going to Wingers for dinner. :) Yum yum yum.

Inspiring Professor-Student Conversation

This has been floating around, and I finally read it.  I liked it so much, I wanted to share it - but, if you're like me, the first few times you saw it you probably didn't click "read more", or even see that it SAID "read more"... I thought people were suggesting I read what was on the board in the picture.
And I was like WOAH
Then I was like NOOO way!

Or maybe I'm just silly. Either way, I decided to post it as a post so it's all IN YO FACE!
Kidding.  I do not wish to be intrusive.
Please read this! It's amazing! Well worth it. :)

Professor : You are a Christian, aren’t you, son ?

Student : Yes, sir.

Professor: So, you believe in GOD ?

Student : Absolutely, sir.

Professor : Is GOD good ?

Student : Sure.

Professor: Is GOD all powerful ?

Student : Yes.

Professor: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn’t. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?

(Student was silent.)

Professor: You can’t answer, can you ? Let’s start again, young fella. Is GOD good?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Is satan good ?

Student : No.

Professor: Where does satan come from ?

Student : From … GOD …

Professor: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?

Student : Yes.

Professor: So who created evil ?

(Student did not answer.)

Professor: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?

Student : Yes, sir.

Professor: So, who created them ?

(Student had no answer.)

Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son, have you ever seen GOD?

Student : No, sir.

Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?

Student : No , sir.

Professor: Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD, smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD for that matter?

Student : No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.

Professor: Yet you still believe in Him?

Student : Yes.

Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?

Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.

Professor: Yes, faith. And that is the problem Science has.

Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Professor: Yes.

Student : And is there such a thing as cold?

Professor: Yes.

Student : No, sir. There isn’t.

(The lecture theater became very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.

(There was pin-drop silence in the lecture theater.)

Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Professor: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?

Student : You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, well you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?

Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man ?

Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Professor: Flawed ? Can you explain how?

Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good GOD and a bad GOD. You are viewing the concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.

Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Professor: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going.)

Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor. Are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?

(The class was in uproar.)

Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?

(The class broke out into laughter. )

Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Professor: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.

Student : That is it sir … Exactly ! The link between man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that keeps things alive and moving.

P.S.

I believe you have enjoyed the conversation. And if so, you’ll probably want your friends / colleagues to enjoy the same, won’t you?

Forward this to increase their knowledge … or FAITH.

By the way, that student was EINSTEIN.

 Hope you enjoyed this! I know I did. :)

Dimitri

When I first saw Anastasia, my little girl heart melted at the sight and sound of Dimitri.  I'm sure I wasn't the only one, but I Loved him - as much as any little girl can Love.  It was kind of ridiculous, but I was twitterpated by a cartoon character. Yep.  I mean, just look at him!

Ok, so he looks like a total dork in this one. But it's the best one I could find, and I was tired of looking. Besides, his dork-ish nature is one of the reasons I adore him so much.

And when he was a youngin'?  Cutest thing ever!

On top of that, he's a nice guy with a great personality.  I know, how cliche of me to say, but I can't think of a better way to say it.

--He knows how to make a girl laugh - even when she doesn't want to
--He's a little snarky.  Admit it, girls, this is very often a good thing - who doesn't like a little bit of playful banter?

I'm tellin' ya, Vladimir thinks it's quite amusing, too. Just look at that satisfied and knowing expression.

--He's ambitious and has enough confidence in himself to take on almost any task,
--He's strong - I mean, he basically bopped the head off of Rasputin! Look at this!

Then again, Rasputin was kind of a Zombie. Oh, well, it was still a triumphant moment and Dimitri rocked it.

--He dances.  Cutest part in the movie.

Need I say more?  No. But I will. :)

--He's great at starting conversations

--Underneath the snarky, he's really a softy, super sweet, and would do anything for those he loves (awww :P)

--He's kind of a heart-throb

Cute cute cute.

I've talked to a few people about this - mostly Twin - and we joked about me meeting someone who is just like Dimitri, and how I would instantly be swept off of my feet. Pretty much.

Ravings?

Hello.  I just watched Abduction.  For a teen-audience romance/action flick, it was actually pretty good.  It was cheesy, the action was much better than the dialogue, the make-out scene felt painfully long, I audibly laughed at some of the ridiculousness of the hormone-filled-slash-awkard-teen-romance...

and, yes it has Taylor Lautner in it.
And no. I do not rave about Taylor Launter.
Every time I see him I can't help but think:

PAHAHAHAHA!

Oh, dear. *flicks small tear away*

What a dork. What an adorable little dork.


That, and those teeth.
Too. White.
(Nice cheeser, PS.)













And then again...

Can I just say how much I absolutely adore when a guy smirks? It's a lot.

Bikes are starting to get to me, too.

This almost made me wish I were her, for just a second. But only kind of. It made me wish for the situation, not necessarily this specific love-boat.

Ok, so I gotta admit he's a good looking guy.  And a fairly talented actor, though not absolutely amazing.

So no, I do not rave.
But do I smile?


Ya, just a bit.

One of those...

It's just one of those days.  Yesterday was similar.  I just need to get this out of my system so I can more effectively continue my day, and typing is faster than writing.  Plus, I thought this might make some of you laugh a little, because I'm feeling a bit snarky.  Also, I seldomly write a "random what Kiki is feeling" post anymore, so I decided now would be a good time.

I hardly ever feel like I'm actually *looking* for something to happen that would make me upset, but yesterday and today it's like part of me was searching for a reason to be peeved.  I had to really remind myself that I was just in a mood, and I wasn't actually upset... but part of me wanted to be upset.  See the inner conflict, here?  I do.  There were things that would make me laugh or help me feel content and subdued, but the on-edge feeling didn't go away, and still hasn't.  I don't want to feel angry, but, as the post title refers to: it's just one of those days.

I feel like everything has the potential to go wrong, and that it probably will.  The pragmatic side of me realizes this isn't true, but I still feel it.  I just want to be lazy and have everything fall together perfectly for me.  But then again, just sitting around makes me anxious.  Inner conflict, again.  I feel kinda twisty inside because my brain can't decide what it wants.  I probably  just want to turn off.

Yes, that's it.  I want to just shut down and make my brain stop intruding on my inner peace for a bit.  So much has been going through my head that I think it's starting to scream at me that it has had too much stimulus.  Sorry, brain, I promise after finals you can have a few hours to veg.  But, even then, I don't think it will fully veg.  I'll still be thinking 5 miles a minute.  I wish it would all just

STOP.

But it wont.  Silly brain, you don't know how to give yourself a break.  I need to teach it how to.  But, the thing is, it's MY BRAIN, so I actually can't *teach* it anything.  Does anyone have some advice on how to make your brain leave you alone for a few hours??

I just feel tense and frustrated.  I probably need yoga or something, but I don't feel like stretching or deep breathing right now.  Maybe after I've actually been a little productive I'll feel better.  But I've had a hard time feeling productive with all of this stuff rushing through my head.

Which brings me back to the original reason for this post.  I just need to get it all out.  But, really, it's impossible to get it ALL out, isn't it?

How frustrating.

It's just one of those days.

Think Big

Ether 3:14: We talked about a LOT of stuff with this verse in class.  In fact, we spent a whole lecture on it!  One thing I really liked was an overlying concept of the discussion.  After talking about all of the notions, ideas, and various explanations that are out there, Brother Griffin told us that it is these ideas that encourage us to THINK BIG.
Our Gospel is not a closed-minded one.  It encourages thought and progression.  We ponder things we read and learn and apply them to ourselves in different ways - sometimes in a different way every time we learn it.  We are open to new applications and ideas. Think Big. :)

Ether 3: 26: Because the brother of Jared had so much Faith, he saw God, as well as the Vision of the Prophets.  God "could not withhold anything from him" because of his Faith.  Just like the brother of Jared, if we have enough Faith, God will reveal things unto us that will help us in our lives.  I like to think that, if we have sufficient Faith, not only will He not be able to withhold the insights, but He will want to tell us.

Moroni 6-7: These are great chapters about the Miracle of Forgiveness.  The verses I specifically liked were: 6:8; 7:9; and 7:28-29.  I like 7:28-29 a lot.  Moroni asks the question: "have miracles ceased?" and then follows it up with "For He answered the ends of the law, He claimeth all of those who have Faith in Him."  Claiming refers to saving us from the law or "answering the ends of the law."  Without Christ's mercy, our imperfection would condemn us.  But, with it, we are miraculously saved.  This is the miracle of forgiveness.  It is an every-day miracle. And how thankful I am for it!

So, have miracles ceased?
"I say unto you, nay."

I hope all of you are enjoying these last few chapters of the BoM just as much as I am!  Happy studying!

Winged Victory

Nike Winged Victory of Samothrace
Favorite. Favorite. Favorite.
A while ago, I said I would make a post about this piece. Because I LOVE IT, and why I Love it seems to need some explaining. :)  So I'm going to explain. Finally. (I know I promised I would a couple months ago.)

First, just look at it.  It is beautiful, in and of itself, is it not?

I think so. Anyway, let's break it down.

BACKGROUND: I think I should probably include a little bit of historical/cultural info.  The Nike is the Greek goddess of victory, usually shown in art next to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and war and the patron for the capitol city, Athens. When these two goddesses are shown in a work, it is to symbolize the support of the gods in whatever battle is being shown.  The Nike also indicates that the hero was successful, or victorious - hence, victory. Go figure. :)
In this portrayal, Nike is not next to Athena, but is alone. Just Nike. Victory.  She was originally placed on the front of a battle ship.  Putting her there is a way of praying for her help in the upcoming battle, so that they could be victorious.


CARVING: This is made of marble.  Imagining the process of carving that tough stuff just boggles my mind regardless of anything else I know and Love about this statue. This marble is carved so realistically, it almost makes me forget that this was originally a clump of rock.
First of all, the cloth, or drapery.  This is arguably my favorite part of the whole work.  Not only does it look convincingly like folded cloth, but it is cloth that is blowing in the wind, and looks WET. (Wet drape is a characteristic trait of High Classical art, by the way.) How this was done, I don't know, but it's amazing.  AND it makes sense because she is on the front of a ship, where it would be wet and windy. Coincidence? I think not.
Next, the wings. Oh my goodness, the wings.  This lower image is a fairly good picture of them.  The way they are carved makes the light fall on them just so, and it gives them LIFE.  I don't have much to say about the wings, other than they are just beautiful.
And the skin.  It doesn't look like rock, it looks like it has the texture of flesh. It looks soft. Wow.

AND SO: (ya, creative little subtitle there, I know.)
Nike is flying at the front of a ship, ready to support her loyal troops in battle.

Her wings are spread,
the wind is flowing through her dress,
she is stepping forward in anticipation,
she looks like she could be flying, though she is made of stone.

I really wish I knew who the artist of this was so I can thank him/her for it in the afterlife.  Maybe someday I will know.
This is absolutely beautiful. Ah, I just can't describe how much I Love it.

Hope you enjoyed this. I feel quite happy.
Thank you,
Kiki

River Angel

Thought I would bring this up again. It was one of the first poems I wrote, and it's not as good as my more recent ones, but it still makes me smile. :)
This is a poem dedicated to all of my close friends. I will probably tag ya'll on Facebook again when I get on this Saturday.


Water to a Riverbed...
they go together like you and me.
Without the Water in that Riverbed,
it's dried up and empty.
Nothing grows on dry ground.
It's void of the joy and beauty of life.
Just like I become without you.


The eyes of an Angel;
what I see when I look at you.
And your smile is an Angel's
you may not think it but it's true.
You don't know how much I need you
but that's not a problem
because you're always there for me
you have the Soul of an Angel.


A flower without a stem...
I float aimlessly without you.
Somehow knowing there's something missing
but not knowing what or how to find it.
And those delicate petals eventually tear in ways that seem
Unhealable.


But, you Angel
you can heal me.
Help me get together the pieces
fill that Riverbed.


The eyes of an Angel;
what I see when I look at you.
And your smile is an Angel's
you may not think it but it's true.
You don't know how much I need you
but that's not a problem
because you're always there for me
you have the Soul of an Angel.


I'm so lucky to be blessed with a friend like you.
Thank you for being there
comforting me through any pain I may have.
You are all Angels in my mind.
My love for you is so great, I just want you to know that.
Thanks again!

Moroni's How Tos

There are times when Mormon is quite blunt, and a little harsh, about what we need to do to survive and live righteously in a corrupt world.  I, for one, am grateful for his council.
Mormon 9: 20-21: "and the reason he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief... whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Rather in the name of Christ is shall be granted him." The only reason He may stop helping us is because of our doubt and unbelief in Him.  Without Faith, He can't help us. Faith is a connector between us and God.  This can very much be related to aligning our will with His - see "When Prayers Go Unanswered" in a previous weekly BoM post.

Ether 1:38: Jared and His brother have great faith in the Lord, and are incredibly obedient.  They ask what the Lord would have them do, and say  "who knoweth but the Lord will carry us to a land which is choice above all the earth?"

Ether 2: 25 "ye cannot cross this deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea and the floods which shall come" Though the Lord was referring to a literal situation (Jared and his family needed to cross the actual sea) this can be related back to Helaman 5:12 - about the sea we go through in life, and how we need the Lord's help.  We "cannot cross this deep save [He] prepare[s us] against the waves of the sea and the floods which shall come"

I have some more thoughts. Wait, Kiki, MORE thoughts?? Ridiculous. ;)
I really really like doing this weekly BoM thing.  Why?  It shows me how much I have gained from my scriptures in the past week.  It shows me how much I am learning and progressing.  I think there is a reason my amazing and fabulous BoM teacher (Brother Tyler Griffin) has us do these weekly discussion boards.  I think, in my future religion classes, and in my study for the rest of my life, I am going to do a weekly post on what I learned from my scripture study.  It's so refreshing and makes me so happy how much I really am gaining from all of it! And I also sometimes hope what I have to say will help someone else.  It's been a really excellent growing experience to do these, and I want to continue.

Happy studying, happy living! Love you lots!
Kiki