Portraits

Portraits! Yay! I love taking photos of friends, or little self-portraits to try out different editing techniques. Here are a few for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
























More to come!

Ode to Choir

Throughout my years in the Nevada Union Choir, I have listened to and sung MANY choral pieces. I have learned to appreciate choral music more than any other style. A few songs that I have heard, and a few that we in Chamber choir sang, have become some of my favorite songs I have ever heard, not only because of the way the music sounds, but of the poems they are written with. Here are a few videos of choirs singing my favorite songs and the poems they originated from.

Stars I Shall Find

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZyUilkFDIU

There Will Be Rest
by Sara Teasdale

There will be rest, and sure stars shining
Over the roof-tops crowned with snow,
A reign of rest, serene forgetting,
The music of stillness holy and low.

I will make this world of my devising
Out of a dream in my lonely mind,
I shall find the crystal of peace, – above me
Stars I shall find.

Autumn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO_OUSGRkHo

Autumn
by Rainer Maria Rilke (tr. Edward Snow)

The leaves are falling, falling as if from far off,
as if in the heavens distant gardens had withered:
they fall with gestures that say “no.”

And in the night the heavy earth falls
from all the stars into loneliness.
We are falling. This hand is falling.
And look at the others: it is in them all.

And yet there is One who holds this falling
with infinite softness in his hands.

Agnus Dei

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvT03pxhe58

"Agnus Dei, qui tolis peccata mundi, misere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tolis peccata mundi, misere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tolis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem."

(Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, grant us peace.)

I Am Not Yours

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp6raJAbkzA

I am not yours, not lost in you,
Not lost, although I long to be
Lost as a candle lit at noon,
Lost as a snowflake in the sea.

You love me, and I find you still
A spirit beautiful and bright,
Yet I am I, who long to be
Lost as a light is lost in light.

Oh plunge me deep in love - put out
My senses, leave me deaf and blind,
Swept by the tempest of your love,
A taper in a rushing wind.

Go, Lovely Rose

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ7KAL3qKsI

Go, lovely Rose- Tell her that wastes her time and me,    
That now she knows, When I resemble her to thee,
How sweet and fair she seems to be.     
Tell her that's young, And shuns to have her graces spied,   
That hadst thou sprung In deserts where no men abide,
Thou must have uncommended died.     
Small is the worth Of beauty from the light retired:   
Bid her come forth, Suffer herself to be desired,
And not blush so to be admired.     
Then die-that she The common fate of all things rare    
May read in thee; How small a part of time they share
That are so wondrous sweet and fair!  

Love Letter

Dear reader,
No Shave November. Do It.

This is the month where you can just throw away that razor or tuck it away in the back of the cupboard, and you and I both can enjoy your wonderful facial hair for an entire 30 days. Tempting? Please consider.
Love Always,
Alexandra

On Politics

This is probably the only politic related blog I will ever post, but I just had to get it off my chest.
It is amazing to me that our country, the United States of say-too-much, can be swayed by something as little as single words. Change and Hope now automatically mean Obama. The middle name Hussein can change a person's vote. The fact that someone is a senior citizen means they shouldn't be president. Yet all of these insignificant things make such a difference in people's decisions on November 4th.
I'm not writing this to try and prove one presidential candidate is better than the other, who is correct in what matter, but rather just throwing it out there that this decision on who is going to lead our country for the next 4 to 8 years is more important than a music video with celebrities in it, or a slogan consisting of one word. I am saying this because I have yet to meet anyone my age with a legitimate reason for why they are voting for Obama. I guess they mean what they say when it is a "popular vote."
Now you can prove me wrong in the comment box below, but I just wanted to make it clear that I personally am not going to vote tomorrow on who i find the most physically appealling, and things like black or white, bald or a head full of hair, is not going to sway my decision. I am not going to place my vote because of how much positive feedback a video on YouTube got.
It has taken me up to today to figure out who I will be voting for on election day.. and I am proud to say I am not voting ignorantly about it like most first time voters are doing. I am not endorsing any candidate here, I am just urging you to vote for who you want to, not Scarlett Johansson. Vote wisely, and don't complain about who wins.

Dreamland

Come with me and I will take you to Narnia.
Wear your best outfit, we must look impressive on this journey.
Wear your prettiest dress with moccasins, with a head band,
And braid your hair.
Leave your jacket at home,
but bring the shawl the birds made for you.
We will meet at the foot of the mountains,
And hike the trail to Archenland and rest there,
then,
to Narnia.
I know of some beavers on the way, that will show us where all the most delicious fruits and vegetables are, and cinnamon, and we will put flowers in our hair.

And Aslan will greet us so sweetly,
And we will hold his fur tight,

And He will say,
"Welcome home."

Quite Possibly the Cause of the End of the World, If It's Really Happening.

Today I went to Briar Patch for lunch, one of my favorite grocery stores that sells the BEST mac and cheese in the little cafeteria section. Alas, mac and cheese was not out there, so I chose something else.
I moved to the drink section, and really wanted a root beer but the Honest Tea caught my eye, and it was only a dollar! So of course I chose that, paid for everything, and sat down to eat.
Yum, the raspberry dessert was delicious.
And then, I opened the bottle of Honest Tea.
Pomegranate Red Tea with Goji Berry.

And.
It honestly,
Tasted..
Like DEATH.
I wanted to HURL, but I couldn't because I was sitting next to a ton of people. But seriously, I got sick to my stomach and could not take another sip. I'm pretty sure that stuff could be used in torture chambers or something. It is repulsive.
Honest Tea, you have lost my trust.
Warning: Honest Tea Pomegranate Red Tea with Goji Berry may cause the following: Global warming, world hunger, worst dressed lists, loss in appetite, questioning the meaning of life, intestinal disintegration, or bleeding at the fingertips.
If too much is consumed, call 911 immediately. Could be a major cause of the end of ze world.

Science Libs

So today in science, we learned about rocks. Attention Deficit Disorder + Rocks = Zero Productivity. Stina sent me a note on the back of one of her English papers about the fundamentals of writing an essay. I looked at it, and all of a sudden, a light bulb appeared above my head. Ding! Turn it into a Mad Lib! I crossed out a bunch of words, and wrote the grammatical .. function? below it, and Stina filled in the words. Enjoy =]

Topic Sentence 1) Weird Al needs to make sure that bananas are crunching the same pace. If not, then the crystals need to provide after school programs.
Supporting 1) For Example, if the Peni are failing are failing a game or some classes, they can go get love from the after school program.
2)The White House needs to have regular testing center where the Presidents can test.
3) Another example, by pimping the after Mac-Daddy program available for the homies, then the homies will want to go get crunk.
Topic Sentence 2) Arm hair needs to make sure that Kyle is growing their homework.
1) If it's disgusting, parents need to jump their kids' TV so the kids won't be licking as much. Then they can focus on their pillow.
2) Also, aliens might need to be in the same BYU with their girls to stop, so that they do their love making.
3) For example, probes can hit their lazers down and have a good laugh with their birds about the importance of getting good chair in robot.
Topic Sentence 3) Tuft Man at school needs to be harsher on his girlfriend who is no listening enough in class.
Supporting 1) One example, squish the kids who are not focusing enough to stay after school and help them figure out what the universe might be.
2) Frank Decourten might want to have a lecture on how important it is to stay in Uranus!
3) Another example, Sex therapists need to give more toys to the students that are not focusing in class.
Conclusion Sentence) I believe that it's the spoon and the Brussel Sprouts's responsibility to be more aware of the students' rocket ship.

I forgot how much i loved doing mad libs as a kid... and a teenager. I remember sooo many choir trips were filled with mad libs... I've really have to find all those.

One Two Three. I Love You.

I am dedicating this blog to every adorable animal on planet earth. You make me smile.

Raccoons. Yes, they knock over your trash cans and scare you with the thought of rabies, but they are SO cute. baby little eyes and those little ears, and bandit masks. soooooo adorable!

I am pretty sure I have only been graced by the presence of one of these little guys once, and that was a bad moment (he was sort of attacking my dog in mid-daylight. and my mom threw the nearest thing to her at it. And it was my jewelry box I was painting. After that we threw it away.)

I just want a million little raccoon babies that can be my pets. And they would never grow up, because we all know that baby animals are better than grossy old ones.



Squirrels. They scurry. They run along your fence all the day long. They are the cutest things ever. Bushy tails and little hands, perfect balance. I want one. Pretty please!

After seeing all those cute little squirrels in the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I was sold. Love them.




Kittens. Need I say more?

These little creatures have brought me joy since day one. Soft fur and awesome reflexes. always land on their feet. 9 lives. Always willing to cuddle. Independent.

Everyone likes dogs for some reason. yeah they're cute and all... but they are such children. I mean really. It's all about them. Cats are more like adults, they go to the bathroom when they want to, and don't whine about it to you. They clean themselves, so you don't have to. Dogs are nice and all... But consider the kitties.

Also, there is no other species like the cat. From the Tiger to the household cat, they have the same bone structure. That's amazing! Big kitty little kitty yet so alike!

Want to see the cutest/silliest cats ever?
StuffOnMyCat.com

One. Two. Three. I. Love. You. Raccoons. Squirrels. Kitties. Me. Wants. All.