Sunday, October 19, 2008

This Was Inevitable! (Cont'd)

So, I tried to put a few of my favorites on the post, but it would only let me upload so many (I guess), so I'm doing a second post to put the rest on (I couldn't leave any of these out!) These albums come highly recommended, especially by myself. By the way, the picture inside the LDS Conference Center is there to represent the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra on Temple Square (I couldn't find a satisfying picture). That picture also represents the concerts given by Sissel, Bryn Terfel, Audra McDonald, Frederica Von Stade, and Angela Lansbury, along with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They were absolutely fabulous! ENJOY!

This Was Inevitable!

I do not apologize for this! No matter how hard I try to wait until after Thanksgiving to play Christmas music, my efforts were futile. With the little snow that fell last weekend, the sudden cold weather, and Faith Hill's new Christmas cd that was released at the end of September, I am now completely immersed in Christmas music. For those of you who enjoy Christmas music whenever, I am sure you understand. For those of you who insist that Christmas music only be played after Thanksgiving and before New Years, I will try to keep it to myself until November 28, but I make no guarantees.
PS, Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Hanukkah, and Merry Christmas!



Saturday, October 11, 2008

Friday, October 10, 2008

Autumn in Utah County






Because I had not been to the canyons to see the leaves as different colors, I decided to do so before the cold and, possibly, snowy weekend. The day actually turned out to be a perfect day for touring the canyon (Alpine Loop and Cascade Falls...and surrounding areas). The photos really don't do it justice, but they're still exceptional (and not just because I took them). These are only some of the many that I took. I hope you enjoy them!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Cultural Experience


It seems that every year, for as long as I can remember, I would look at the calendar and notice holidays like Boxing Day, Ramadan, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Kwanzaa, among others. In high school, we had a display in one of the halls that had a display that showed up around November with wishes such as "Happy Kwanzaa", "Happy Ramadan", "Happy Hanukkah", and "Merry Christmas". I was impressed and wanted to learn about these holidays and be able to experience them. My first experience was Rosh Hashanah.
After reading about the significance of Rosh Hashanah, I learned that it Rosh Hashanah it is the celebration of the Jewish New Year and that it also represented the day man was created. In addition to this information, I found some food information. Three examples of food were apples and honey (which was very tasty), tzimmes, and glazed apricot carrots with peppers. Here are some pictures of the tzimmes and glazed carrots:
Both dishes were quite tasty, but my preference were the glazed carrots! My roommate, who decided to participate as well, preferred the tzimmes. However, we both really enjoyed the apples and honey.
Overall, Rosh Hashanah was a great experience! My next experience will be Hanukkah and I'm pretty excited!

Quotes

"[Confucius] taught that the country which develops the finest music, the grandest poetry, and the noblest moral ideals--that is, the country with the most exalted culture--will always yield the greatest power in the world."

-Letters from the Jade Dragon Box by Gale Sears



"Who is such a reprobate as I! And yet it seems that even I am in Somebody's hand!'

-Mr. Henchard in The Mayor of Casterbridge



"...[T]he magnitude of [life] is not as to [one's] external displacements, but as to [one's] subjective experiences."

-Thomas Hardy in Tess of the d'Urbervilles





"...I have a new love for that glittering instrument, the human soul. It is a lovely and unique thing in the universe. It is always attacked and never destroyed--because 'Thou mayest.'"

-Lee in East of Eden