Memorial Day

I had an exceptionally good Memorial Day this year - probably my best Memorial Day yet.  It started out the night before by watching the movie Glory with some friends.  (I did not forget the true meaning of the holiday amid my day-off activities).  Then early Monday morning, a couple of friends and I hiked up near my old stomping grounds (Pleasant Grove) and sat on the top of a waterfall.  After that, we finished the New York Times crossword puzzle over an all-you-can-eat French toast breakfast at Kneaders (probably one of the most divine experiences you'll ever have).  Then I went home and read my book for a few hours out in the sun while drinking some terere.  Then a friend invited me to go swimming - we did, and in addition I got some lovely sunburns on my legs while reading at the pool's edge.  After that, several friends and I got together and ate strawberries and made hot-dogs and hamburgers on the grill.  Following that I participated in an intense water-balloon war with the rest of the ward for FHE.  Then, after receiving a thorough soaking (cold and wet), a group of us went hot-tubbing (warm and wet).  One of the coolest things was that almost none of it was planned beforehand - hooray for summer spontaneity!

Holidays

I'm well into my summer holiday - I've enjoyed my job and spending time with friends thus far.  In the meantime, several other holidays have come and gone.  Let's have a look:

The Pides of March
This actually happened before school got out.  As everyone should know, March 14th is Pi Day (get it? 3/14 and 3.14159...) and March 15th is the Ides of March (the day Julius Caesar was murdered).  I was speaking to a friend at work about combining the two into a "Pides of March" Party.  She loved the idea, and we started planning it.  It turned out great - ancient Rome decor, togas, and pies (along with other round treats) were all part of the festivities.

Notice the togas...

Notice the punny phrase...

We even did a reenactment...

Something I made to put on the wall.

(I would have kept going, but the next digit was a 0.)

May the Fourth / Cinco de Mayo

Here's another set of back-to-back holidays.  May 4th is Star Wars Day (get it? "May the Fourth be with you"), and is actually more official than you'd think.  And May 5th is obviously Cinco de Mayo.  On the evening of the Fourth, I went with a group of friends to the first of a series of free rooftop concerts in Provo.  The super-nice weather, great music, paper lanterns, full moon, and fun friends made it an enjoyable evening.  Afterwards, in honor of Star Wars Day, we watched Episode III.

On the following day, my new roommate threw a house-warming party for our apartment - it was "Old Hollywood" themed.  He spent a lot of time getting it organized, and it turned out great.  We had lots of good people, good food, and tons of Martinelli's Sparkling Cider.  In honor of Cinco de Mayo I came dressed as one of the Three Amigos, but quickly felt silly and changed into something else.  I think the party turned out to be a great success.

Here's the outside view of our place.  Notice the red carpet...

 Here's the inside.  Notice the record player in the corner (playing "Old Hollywood" themed music)...

There was a silent Charlie Chaplin film playing, which was cool.

Downstairs, we had a "speak easy" showing the film adaptation of The Great Gatsby.

Also, a poker table.

Paraguayan Independence Day

As most of you probably know, I went on a mission trip for my Church to the southern part of Paraguay.  A good friend in my apartment complex also served there, but in the northern part.  We decided to throw a party for our mission friends to celebrate Paraguayan Independence Day on May 15th.  It was a blast!  Among other things, we sang 'Happy Birthday' to Paraguay in Guarani.  There was traditional Paraguayan food and music playing, along with flags and other decorations.  We also had a good time passing the mate/ tereré around.  There were two real Paraguayos and my mission president even came!  I think it was a great success.

 From the outside...

 My friend made a map - we all stuck pins in the cities where we'd worked.

All the gente...

 Chipa, mandioca, chipa guasu, jugo de mburucuya, etc...

Here's a nice low-quality photo taken as the party was dying down.

There were lots of other fun things going on between all these holidays - I'll post about that soon.

Fun Fact

While serving a 2-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I had the opportunity to train Elder Lund.  ('Elder' is a title used to denote one's status as a missionary.  To 'train' a missionary is to be the first person they're assigned to work with - in other words, to show them the ropes and teach them how to be a good missionary.)  Elder Lund trained Elder Goodwin.  Elder Goodwin trained Elder Evans.  Elder Evans currently teaches at the Missionary Training Center (an incubator for missionaries).  And at the MTC, Elder Evans "may or may not" (wink) have taught American Idol star/pop singer-songwriter David Archuleta.

So, in a very direct and personal way, I taught David Archuleta everything he knows about how to be a missionary.

The Test

"Yeah, about the test.  The test will measure whether you are an informed, engaged, and productive citizen of the world, and it will take place in schools and bars and hospitals and dorm rooms and in places of worship.  You will be tested on first dates, in job interviews, while watching football, and while scrolling through your Twitter feed.  The test will judge your ability to think about things other than celebrity marriages, whether you'll be easily persuaded by empty political rhetoric, and whether you'll be able to place your life and your community in a broader context.  The test will last your entire life and it will be comprised of the millions of decisions that, when taken together, make your life yours.  And everything, EVERYTHING, will be on it."


-John Green (click here for source)

PS - I'm not posting this in a "being an arrogant jerk at others' expense" type of way.  Interpret my intentions in a "please don't let this happen to you or your children" type of way.

VC3

One of my first posts was about Eric Whitacre's virtual choir.  Well, the third one was released a little more than a week ago.  Here it is:

3746 videos uploaded from 73 countries - that's amazing.  Honestly I like the second one a lot more - not just because I like the song better, but I think the visuals are less cheesy.  But this one's still super cool.


The sad thing is that I could have been in this one - I was just too lazy/busy to get around to it.  I also didn't own a webcam at the time.  Oh well... I'm sure they'll do a fourth one.