3/5

I just finished my Arab-Israeli Conflict final! Yesterday I gave my final presentation in my Gender and Language class, and a few weeks ago my Scuba class ended. Which means I have an Arabic language final Friday morning, and a Spanish Grammar final next Thursday, and then I'm FINISHED!!! (...still haven't sent out my graduation announcements...)

I think I kicked butt on my A/I Conflict exam. Not a huge butt, but probably medium- to large-sized. And considering that last December, I really probably couldn't have pointed out to you on a map where exactly the Gaza Strip is, I'm pretty dang happy with what I accomplished in that class this semester!

I'm pretty sure that my Arabic final is going to kick MY butt, though, so I'll be spending the next 40 hours bracing myself for that! It's been fun, but I really don't know what possessed me to try to learn this language! Actually...learning it hasn't been too bad, and I can hold my own in class really well; it's just the testing part that I have such a hard time with! ;)

I need a name!

It's here! It's here! It's here!!!


I got my new camera in the mail today, along with some fun accessories! I'm super excited about it, and played with it this evening instead of putting the finishing touches on a presentation I have to give next week. It felt like Christmas, with all the packaging strewn on my dining area floor, and manuals to read, and batteries charging...Did I mention that I'm freakin' excited?!

Anyway, so I think I'll have a photo blog right from the start and document my progress and discoveries and such. Ya know, for posterity's sake & stuff.

This is what I want help with - a name for my blog! I like the name + verb thing I've got going for this one (everuminates)...and I tried to carry it over with a dream blog that I started a while ago (evephantasmagorizes). But I stopped having vivid dreams right about then, so it never really got going.


I like the "-ates" verbs. I should probably know what the technical term is for that, but I don't. Here's what I have come up with:



Please tell me what you think, in the poll, and leave a comment if you've got any other ideas of verbs that relate to photography, i.e. drawing with light!!

Alli's Pirates

Ben & Alli Mikell - Sept 07

(This is the oldest photo of Alli I have on my computer)

It's been a LONG while since I blogged about Alli. She moved to Utah at the beginning of the year. I helped her pack, and Evan helped her drive out there. Her family gave me candy and treats. We found some silly putty while cleaning up her room. She "accidentally" ran into/over Evan as a way to surprize Ben when Evan came into town.

I missed her birthday two weeks ago. I'm pretty sure her party was amazing.

But here, now, is a masterpiece created by the one and only, Alli Marie. If I could put videos on my refrigerator (like parents do with childrens' artwork), this would totally be on it!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/video/video.php?v=96090985925&oid=25161088129

Happy Easter!!!

"Who is He in Yonder Stall" is usually a Christmas song, but I see no reason why it can't also be an Easter song. It definitely put me in the right spirit this afternoon. I especially love the second verse,

Who is He who stands and weeps
At the grave where Lazarus sleeps?
'Tis the Lord, O Wonderous story,
Tis the Lord, O King of Glory.
At His feet we humbly fall,
Crown him, crown him, Lord of all.

This image is what makes the atonement of Christ real to me. The image of a friend and older brother grieving and expressing his love for someone He has lost. This image leads me to remember the rest of the story, that He gave life to Lazarus again, and that through his actions during, before, and after his mortal life, Christ made it possible for every person who has been born to be resurrected, to have the opportunity to live and associate with Him and our Heavenly Father.

I'm grateful this Easter weekend for the sacrifice that He made, and the possibilities that it opens up for me and the whole human race!



I couldn't find a plain mp3 that I could post of this version, so the video's the best i could come up with - the song is more meaningful to me when just listening, rather than watching the pictures!

How do you make up for something like this?

Next week I'll be ordering a whole photography setup - New digital camera, flash, battery grip, & other toys! B&H Photo is observing Passover this week, and as a result they don't take orders over the weekend, nor will they ship til next Wednesday. SO, I've been on a photography site-surfing kick again this week. I can't WAIT to get everything and start playing around & improving my skillz!

In the meantime, I came across this little gem & just had to share!




What a nightmare!

Six, Seven, Eight, Triple Nine, Eight, Two, One, Two

(Pause my top playlist and hit PLAY on this one to hear the song!)

I heard this song for the first time about 6 weeks ago, and it makes me laugh a LOT when it comes on the radio. Which is a pity, because it's a squeaky-clean rap song as far as lyrics go...but still..."Kiss me through the phone"? Not the most eloquent lyrics ever written :)

At first I turned my nose up at it, for its unpoetic rhymes, but the more I heard it, the more it began to amuse me, and kinda grew on me. Then it came on one Saturday afternoon when I was hanging around my apartment, paying bills and being generally bored. I realized that the phone number is not in the "555-XXXX" format, which phone numbers in songs and movies are usually in. That caught my attention, and so, feeling a bit mischevious, I decided to call the number. I thought "This is so 1980's, but I'm gonna do it anyway" (I confess, I called 867-5309 when I was 11 or so, to see if anyone would pick up - It was an answering machine saying something like "Jenny's not here right now, so leave a message").

So I wrote down the number & punched it into my cell phone, which told me it was a Georgia area code. I hit Send, it rang a few times, and then a male, african-american-sounding voice answered & said "Hello?" I immediately hung up & felt juvenile and sheepish for actually calling, and hoped he wouldn't call me back & chew me out or something.

Then minute or so later, I get a text welcoming me to Soulja Boy Tell 'Em's text service, with an offer to get the ringtone on my phone! So, it wasn't some random person I called. So, I was expected to call the number. So, THIS is what technology has brought us to - a more complex marketing network than ever! One can buy a number, or a website, put it in a song, and get fans that much more involved in the marketing of one's music! I got about 5 more texts over the next two weeks, and then replied "stop" to unsubscribe myself. But if I had wanted to, I could call any time I wanted to, to hear Soulja Boy's messages to his fans, updates on what he's doing, fan messages TO Soulja Boy, and get ringtones (for just $9.99/month!) and other merch.

For now, I just listen to the song and it makes me smile. :)

♫♫♪da da da da da da da.....da da da da da da da....kiss me through the phone....da da da da da da....♪♫♪

I got tagged

My friend Maunderer tagged me a while ago, & I forgot about it till I was catching up on my blogs tonight!


Here goes:


Six names you go by:
1. Evie (my family)
2. Evelyn (most of my friends)
3. GPEve (the guys from MSU)
4. Evie Baby (Jim)
5. Evalicious (Ben)
6. Miss Eve ("my" babies from In A Pinch)

Three things you are wearing right now:
1. Contact lenses
2. three shirts
3. earbuds

Three things you want very badly at the moment:
1. A better grasp on the Arabic language!
2. A clue about what I'm gonna be doing after graduation!
3. The ability to teleport :)


Three People who I hope will fill this out:
1. Valorie
2. Sandra
3. Katie

Two things you did last night:
1. Cleaned my apartment
2. Ordered Bonds that Make us Free from Amazon!

Two things I ate today:
1. A cheeesy pizza with four different kinds of mushrooms from Old Venice Pizza Co. it was suuper rich, and delish!
2. Cadbury Dark Chocolate

Two people you last talked to on the phone:
1. My Scuba buddy, Derek
2. My landlord

Two things you are going to do tomorrow:
1. Talk to my therapist
2. study for an Arabic test

Your favorite beverages:
1. Whole Milk
2. Diet Coke with a few dashes of Margarita mix (just the mix, not the alcohol!)...it's become a sunday night tradition :)
3. Water