inní mér syngur vitleysingur

even after pulling an all-nighter to write a paper, when this song comes on it still manages to make me dance in my chair.
if that's not an indication of a good song i don't know what it is.



if i could make my life sound like this song i would never need to sleep.

shorty

yesterday i was sitting in the library hoping for any kind of distraction to keep me from doing my homework. to my delight a younger girl, probably a freshman, walked in and started looking for a book on the shelves. normally this wouldn't have been that interesting, but this girl was exceptionally short and petite. in fact it looked like should could have fit inside her own disproportionally large backpack. my amusement for the situation increased as her eyes searched for the desired call number, and ended up fixating on the very top row. there was no way she would be able to reach that high. i watched intently as she thought about what to do. she looked at the top row, then glanced around searching unsuccessfully for a stool, and then, with her neck strained, stared back at the top row. meanwhile i'm over at my table watching the whole thing like it was some sort of nature show on discovery channel. what was she going to do? was she going to ask someone for help? scale the shelf like a climbing wall? shake the thing like a malfunctioning vending machine until the desired object fell down?
to my amazement she went for it. she put her toes at the bottom of the shelf and reached her hand up. her fingers fell short of her goal by a solid eight inches or so. getting on her tippy toes and extending one arm she somehow managed to reach her middle finger to the bottom of the book's spine. since she wasn't able to grasp it she slowly slid it out horizontally.
when she had the book halfway out i realized that it was pretty inconsiderate of myself to just sit and watch while this poor girl struggled with this book. feeling bad for getting a few chuckles out of her predicament, i moved to get up and help her. As I pulled my headphones out and began to stand, a thought stopped me and forced me back into my chair.

was i even tall enough to reach the book for her?

on her own she dislodged the book, caught it as it fell, and triumphantly tossed it in her backpack as she marched away.

heroes.

the recent rush of posts expressing gratitude has got me thinking about what i'm thankful for. yesterday i picked up a copy of the newspaper for the first time in a long time. the main reason i hadn't read it for so long was because i've been crazy busy with school, but also it's hard for me to find any pleasure in it. with all the convoluted political garbage and the depressing results of forgetting to love our fellow man, the news hasn't really appealed to me. when i picked up the paper yesterday i was worried it was going to be more of the same. scanning through the headlines about riots, financial crises, and criminals, i began to feel that similar concern for the world at large i had felt to so many times before. down towards the bottom of the page, however, i found a little spark of good news - Medal of Honor for Bravery in Afghanistan. I turned to the page as my chemistry class settled down and read the account of a hero. maybe i'm just a sap who has seen too many war movies, but i couldn't help but feel gratitude for what Staff Sergeant Giunta had done, and i couldn't help but feel hope that there are still people out there who are willing to risk everything to help someone in need.
later i was talking to my dad about it, and he recommended that i watch an interview with Giunta that had occured a few days prior. as i watched the man talk, his humility and servility were striking. he shirked all praise, he took no credit.
i am thankful for heroes like him who are willing to risk everything yet require no recompense. it reminds me of the many people that have given so much to serve me, and the One who gave everything to save me.

resacate

on the 5th of august 2010 the collapse of a mine in chile left 33 miners trapped half a mile below ground. it was 17 days before rescuers on the surface were able to contact the trapped miners, and almost 70 days before they could be rescued. on the 12th of october a newly-bored shaft and a rescue system began to extract the sequestered men. the next day the last of all 33 men was restored to the surface, the sunlight, and the anxious arms of his loved ones.
i was sitting in the doctor's office the afternoon the men were rescued. while watching the live feed on CNN i had the distinct impression that i was one of those miners. in fact we're all like those miners. we're far below our true home up above, and we are incapable of cleaving the barrier that separates us. we are stuck, but mercifully we are not forgotten. there is a Plan to restore us to our home and it is anxiously being carried out. there are numberless souls aflutter on the surface working to establish a path to us, and there is One willing to descend below all things to save us. sitting in the doctor's office and staring at the television i couldn't help but weep for the love that i felt in that moment. even though we are isolated, if we allow His Atonement to enshroud us, Our Savior will lift us to the surface and into His arms. we can be restored to the surface, to the light, and to our families. and like those miners in chile, He has the capacity to save every last soul.

extravagance

i've never considered myself as sophisticated. in fact i've always prided myself on being a minimalist - a thoreau that never needs anything beyond the simplest solution. however, sometimes it's nice to treat yourself, and a few of your friends, to a little extravagance. not in the mentality of pride, exclusivity, or decadence, but simply to celebrate the things we are blessed with. this earthly experience can at times be a difficult one, but when an opportunity presents itself to enjoy a cheerful moment, it shouldn't be wasted.

mutual

xkcd

i'm a headcase if i dont keep moving... and my head hurts if i don't sit still

this song has been haunting my mind like the ghosts it's meant to portray. it's catchy. i like it, but it mostly makes me recall another song by ben cooper that i adored as a teenager. there's something about wispy vocals combined with the staccato guitar and percussion that gets me. or maybe it's the lyrics:

there’s a light bulb dangling from string
it’s slowly swaying up over my head now
as i jot down the words that’ll never be sung
and wait for my headache to numb
and the wind sounds as if the world’s sighing
and the moon’s just a torn fingernail
as the tv flickers and hums by the wall
and i wait for my eyesight to fade

so, so, so
it’s so... slow
so, so, so
it’s so... slow

and the bright-eyed choke on ambition
and the old folks circle their graves
and the young ones are busy destroying their names
and you’re still just wasting away.
i sit and watch the screen for a message
some kinda sign that says we’re ok
but the screen stays blank till i turn the thing off
and wait for my conscience to break.

so, so, so
it’s so... slow
so, so, so
it’s so... slow

i hope [i'm] learning to listen
and i hope you’re learning to stay
and i hope you find what you’re missing
and i hope that you’re making you’re way
i’m a headcase if i don’t keep moving
and my head hurts if i don’t sit still
it’s an itch that i’ll never stop scratching
it’s a hole that i’ll never quite fill

so