I feel smart-ish

I follow a blog that features infographics, and a recent entry made me investigate a little more. They pooled some different lists of books that they suggest everyone read, and put together the books occurring most often. Of the 117 titles they used in their visual I've read 24, and have another 18 already on my to-read list. Now, as I actually did the numbers I realized that this is nothing to brag about. I mean, if I say, 1 in 5, it sounds better, but it's still not that much. So, I was forced to change my title. But to justify my first thoughts, the list did include Twilight and a number of other books I didn't know, so there might have been some other pop rubbish mixed in with the classics. But, of the top 20, I had read more than half. So, I guess I'm justified. Ish.

Yes, they went there

Thoughts of the day

I don't post regularly. I imagine that leads my readers to not read regularly. Or if you do, this will be a surprise. I suppose that there is also a notable trend that I often title my posts, in one form or another, saying that these are random thoughts. The following contents then prove to be paragraphical ramblings on disconnected topics that have been brewing for the previous weeks. Here's the thing, if I posted regularly, these would be just normal blog posts characteristic of most non-themed blogs, and not be 'random thoughts' strung to each other in the one post I am able to throw together when I have time. Therefore, if you do read my blog, consider my posts actually to be a number of entries that have been collected into one spot, and I will try not to always refer to my thoughts as random.

I have jury duty. For three weeks. One week down, two to go. I have to call in every day to see if I have to go in. Now, I am a very civic minded person. I teach kids about the virtues of our system, and I'm actually a little excited to serve. But seriously! I haven't had to go in yet, but I'm all stressed about it. I have to have two lesson plans in my head for each day, just in case I'm gone. I mean, I could just have them watch movies, but I feel uneasy about running my classroom that way.

I love having my students complain that something is hard. Most of the things aren't that hard, but do require thinking. I have the reputation at school as having a hard class. The reason that I love it when they complain is that it means that they are actually attempting, to some small degree, the task at hand. They are pushing their mental limits. And that's what I care about.

I like taking pictures. I also like the think that I'm good at it. But I am an amateur photographer and if I don't even have enough time to blog regularly, I don't get around to posting pictures online, geotagging, writing descriptions, and forget about recording light aperture or anything else. If I got more time, I would probably try to enhance some of the pictures with cropping, experimenting with b&w, boosting color tones or the drama of the shadows, etc. But since I never get around to that, I have developed in my mind that I am producing photographs just as they are captured by the camera, and that there's some kind of integrity in that. I suppose there is, but I also want the pictures to reflect the vibrance of the scene that is possible to my eye when I shot it.

There has got to be a very powerful rbST lobby out there. Consider this, on all dairy products that I can remember seeing in the past year they proclaim that they do not use milk from cows treated with rbST (some growth hormone). But then they also have to legally (I assume) disclaim that rbST has not been proven to be in any way negative. So, though no one is using it, the company is still making sure that everyone knows that even if they were, no one has proved that you'll start growing an extra set of ears.

A while ago I had some dreams that I wanted to share. One had a part where Glenn Beck and two other men had set themselves up as 'holy men' and were all dressed in white suites. He was actually an evil sorcerer, and was trying to capture my family (in the dream, I was not myself) and destroy us and the good that we had worked for. In another dream we were preparing for Mark's wedding. Mark had long (to just below the chin), white hair. It was pretty tight. The preparations included all of us being fitted for Victorian style clothes. The swords seemed fit the style.

My birthday was in November, and then there was Christmas. I really feel that I have not been grateful enough for the things that I received. And I was about to go through some of the things I've been given and thank the people that gave them to me, but I won't. That's tacky. So I will thank you more appropriately the next time we talk. But, in the meantime, know that I am very grateful and appreciate you very much.

I've been Sunday School President in the ward for about two months now. It's the first time I've been in leadership (besides the mission) since I was a youth. Today I taught a teacher improvement lesson, and I wanted to share a thought that I made central to my message. We are preparing for a testimony, not a test.

As a former dancer, and BYU alum

Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.

Albuquerque Moment

When still new to Albuquerque we were asked if we had had any "Albuquerque moments." When we asked what that meant, Kamila's cousin simply told us, "you'll know."

Last night we had such a moment. We heard a clip-clop outside. And what do you know, there was a horse! A horse-drawn cart. And it was completely decked out in Christmas lights. I don't think there was a parade, but we had one!

At the young folks' home

I have had an affinity for all things folk for as long as I can remember. I remember having a Cumberland Gap Christmas cassette that I would always put in the car around holiday time to my family's chagrin. I've never endorsed country music, but folk was different. Mostly due to listening to NPR, I later found artists like Tracy Chapman, Michelle Shocked, Nickel Creek, Ben Taylor, etc. I think I was also influenced by an early appreciation of traditional Celtic music, appearances by James Taylor on Sesame Street, and other Muppet related experiences. After watching the Muppet Movie at a fairly young age, my dream was to learn to play the banjo, and I was devastated to find that they were not accessible to a boy with a pre-teen budget.

After performing for years in the BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble I became semi-obsessed with finding non-American folk music. I mean, who actually listens to Klezmer music? willingly? That's me. In a workshop I went to recently we took a Multiple Intelligences test. My strongest, hands down? Music smart. Even though it has little to do with what I do or how I do it, music is still a huge part of how I live my life. So when Kamila's aunt took us to a concert, I was a bit affected.

Last night we got to go see Po' Girl. They're a Canadian folk band. The two lead girls had such soulful voices that were almost shocking when they started to sing. The deep passion was just elemental in the room. And they had a slide guitar. And a clarinet. And a washtub bass. (WOW! I got to see one in real-live action. Ask my wife how excited I was.) Folk music just seems so authentic. Just the other night we were talking about how all of a certain band's songs sound exactly the same as everything else they've ever done. The music is personal, real. They played a fantastic song in French, which is totally appropriate since they're Canadian! They played a few songs based on styles of her Portuguese ancestry, and a couple more just in memory of their grandmothers. When I listen to folk music I start to feel a connection inside of me. A connection so deep in my gut that there is a physical reaction when I start to feel it, which happens rarely. The feeling is light and dark, it is sweat, tears, and joy. It is my ancestors. It is my being stripped bare. When I listen to folk music I feel that we are all family, and I cannot help but stomp my foot on the wood of an old church concert hall.