I Dream of Africa

Late on the night of my 10th birthday party only a few of my friends were still awake. Everyone was wrapped up in sleeping bags on the living room floor. We decided to put in a movie my mom and I had rented earlier that evening. It was called "A Far Off Place" and it starred Reese Witherspoon (Nonnie) and Ethan Embry (Harry). The two main characters were forced to flee Nonnie's home after poachers murdered her parents and Harry's father. Left with few viable options Nonnie's bushman friend, Xhabbo, encouraged them to cross the Kalahari Desert and seek refuge in the nearest city 1,200 miles away. When Nonnie asked Xhabbo why he would propose such a risky escape he replied, "Wind can do it, we can do it." 


The trio's journey was so fascinating I had no trouble staying awake. It was well after midnight when the movie ended and my dream of seeing Africa began. Of course back in those days I thought Africa only consisted of deserts and tribesmen. In the years since my view has expanded thanks to a steady diet of movies and television. I am well aware that there is much more to Africa than what I see on-screen. That is why it's time I go see it for myself!


I was perusing airfare three weeks ago and I realized that fall flights to South Africa were only $200 more than flights to Brazil. The wheels in my mind started turning and I told my parents and a few other people I wanted to go to Cape Town for a week. While they were all supportive they insisted I go with someone. The overall message? "Cape Town is dangerous." Before I knew it my mom was volunteering to come along on one condition, "If I go to Africa I'm going on safari!" Thus my budget-friendly one-week trip has now turned into piggy bank-busting 13-day dream vacation. (Yeah, I like hyphens.)


Last night my mom and I tried to finalize our safari game lodge reservation but we had a moment of panic when we noticed a very limited selection of Delta flights. My mom called Delta and after an hour (or more) on the phone we ended up booking our flights. Our itineraries are almost identical (we'll be leaving from two different states) and as long as our flights don't get completely changed we're going to be in great shape. We'll spend six nights and five days in Cape Town before flying to a small airport near Kruger National Park. We'll stay at the game reserve (photo credit above) for three nights and spend almost four whole days there. We plan to drive from Kruger National Park to Johannesburg for our return flights but we're going take our time and stay in an off-the-beaten-path countryside inn along the way. We are pretty excited!


We still have a lot of planning to do. In my free time I want to spend time reading books and watching movies based in Africa. If you have any suggestions please let me know!


1. A Far Off Place (1993)


I already took the liberty of re-watching this movie and guess what? It's still great! I noticed in the opening credits that the film is based on two books by Sir Laurens Van Der Post: "A Story Like the Wind" and "A Far Off Place." I already bought the first one and I plan to read both of them before the trip.


2. Catch a Fire (2006)


I saw this movie when it was in theaters and I remember thinking, "I'm never going to South Africa." Well, times have changed and I want to see if my perception of this movie has as well. 


3. Hotel Rwanda (2004)


One of my college professors constantly talked about a former student from Rwanda. She had survived the genocide portrayed in this film and he encouraged us all to see it. For the longest time I assumed this was a bloody war movie but when I watched it I was very moved by true human stories portrayed.


4. Long Way Down (2007) 


After watching Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman's amazing 20,000 mile motorcycle journey from England to New York City (heading EAST) in "Long Way Round" my friends and I were very anxious to track down "Long Way Down." Ewan and Charley rode from Scotland to Cape Town and I think this was my very first glimpse of Cape Town. 





Their journey through Africa was amazing. It's definitely time to track down another copy!


5. Invictus (2009)


I've seen this movie twice but now that a trip to Robben Island might be in my future I'll definitely have see it again. I remember loving Chester's character and thinking Matt Damon did really well with is accent. I think things will make more sense after I study the Apartheid era.


Now for the list of new stuff...


6. The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)
This movie looks pretty darn funny. I saw a clip of it in college in 2003 and I remember I wanted to see the rest.


7. Born Free (1966)

This one popped up on my radar thanks to "Mad Men." I hope it's something along the lines of Christian the Lion.





8. Out of Africa (1985)

Meryl Streep and Robert Redford? Sign me up!


9. The African Queen (1951)

I believe 'The Philadelphia Story" is the only Katherine Hepburn movie I've ever seen unless you count "The Aviator." (Haha j/k I know that was actually Cate Blanchett.) The poster for "The African Queen" kind of reminds me of the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland - and that's a good thing!


10. Casablanca (1942)

Alright... are you ready for it? Get ready... I'VE NEVER SEEN CASABLANCA. (Or "Gone With the Wind," for that matter.) 


WHOA - Oh my gosh - I was just about to write, "I've never been opposed to seeing the movie. It's just that I've never had an opportunity-" and guess what happened?? My friend just texted me to say it's playing in a movie theater in 30 minutes! Holy hannah! It's playing at one time, in one theater, on one night only. I'm going to try to make it and as a result I don't have time to proof read this post or fix the crazy formatting. Sorry in advance!!

Photo Walk 4-4-12

 

 

 

 

Spring of Paring Down

Disclaimer: This post has nothing to do with cooking or how to shop for the perfect paring knife. Foodies be warned!

If I counted how many coats, t-shirts and shoes I have I would be ashamed to write the number here. If I added all of my purses, scarves and gloves you’d think I was joking. I have a habit of holding onto clothes and shoes in case (“What if? What if?!”) I need them in the future. I always dread the day I’ll search for an item in my closet and then woefully remember, “Oh yeah, I donated that last year.”

My closet is like a time capsule. I can recall where I bought almost every item and which ones were gifts. I remember how much of a discount I got and the significant events I wore them to. Giving away a shirt or a hoodie is like giving away a packet of memories. For the past few months I’ve had a “To donate” pile in my bathroom. It just sits there. Every once in a while I add to the pile. Occasionally I pull an item out for rescue.

Clothes and shoes are only the tip of the iceberg. For lack of better words I have a lot of “just about everything.” I have a ton of inexpensive jewelry (hello Forever 21!), lotion (a popular birthday gift), old birthday cards and playbills. My collection of nail polish is so extensive I can hardly close my bathroom drawer without routine reorganizations. The presence of three different curling irons in said drawer isn’t much help.

I also have a problem area in my living room which has been boiling over for a while. My collection of scrap fabric and ribbon for craft projects is out of control! It used to fit in a plastic drawer set but lately it has spread to a few additional baskets and boxes and every once in a while it escapes onto the kitchen counter. Naughty, naughty!

I decided on this “Spring of Paring Down” seasonal theme almost a month ago. I tackled my fabric drawers first and made this entire wreath using fabric I already had. Not a bad start, right?

Looking around my apartment I know there is more I can do. I need to cut down my leftover inventory from my out-of-commission Etsy shop. I absolutely have to turn my old clothes and shoes in to Deseret Industries. I need to paste all of my souvenir tickets into my long-abandoned scrap book. Literally I want to get rid of half the stuff in my apartment. I am going to use the month of April to tackle all of this and then I’m going to spend May and June maintaining the new-found sanity.

In short Phase One will involve attacking these problem areas:

A. Closet: Pull every item out of my closet which I haven’t worn for one year. Say goodbye.

B. Bathroom drawers: Chuck all old nail polishes. Get rid of superfluous items.

C. Desk: Collect all tickets and other sentimental scraps. Slap them into scrapbook.

D. Fabric drawers & Etsy inventory: Organize all remaining fabric and ribbon. Re-open Etsy shop and sell everything at a deep discount.

E. Basement storage area: Remove all unused furniture/decoration items. Give them away.

Phase Two (read: maintenance) will test my resolve but I think if I make it all the way to June without re-cluttering my life then I can probably make it the rest of the year. If I can make it the rest of the year then maybe I can make it the rest of my life. Well, the rest of my “single” life at least.

If this doesn’t count as “paring down” I don’t know what does. I am already excited to see the progress. Happy Spring Cleaning to all and to all a good night!

Consider the People Fostered

These are some pictures I took at last week's Summit. The band onstage is Foster the People.

Fire Dance

Burn up the winter
Watch it float away
Pile up the timber
Make it bright as day

Winter is gone, spring is here
Come to claim another year
For those who live for skies so clear
This weather draws a joyful cheer

Catch the snow before it falls
Keep an ember for your pocket
Heed the spring when it calls
Take a picture for your locket

Light up the night, chase the light
Put away winter's fright
Keep out the dark, run in the park
Search for the faces for a spark

Meet your match, face your foe
There is only one way to know
Who is wrong, who is is right
All is clear in the fire's light

The Mask

On Sunday morning I was driving the final stretch to church. I was running a few minutes later than I had hoped. As I impatiently followed behind three other vehicles ascending a hill my mind skipped ahead to the stoplight which would soon come into view. My eyes flicked to the clock on my dashboard as I estimated how long it would take to wait at the light and what time I would get to church. Someone on the sidewalk to my right caught my attention. At first I thought he was waving to the cars and then I realized something really odd was happening. This person was riding their bike down the hill wearing a mask, helmet and sunglasses and adamantly waving his middle finger at all of the drivers in sight.

I think my jaw might have dropped and I’m sure my eyes were incredulous. It only took a few seconds for the shock to turn to rage. Had I wanted to I would have time to swerve from the line of traffic and make a beeline for the sidewalk. I would have surely sacrificed my front tires but I could have scared the crap out of the bird-flipping cyclist. There were was only one problem: I had nothing to hide behind. Everyone would have seen what I did. Someone would have gotten a partial plate number and I could imagine the police tapping my shoulder during Sacrament Meeting, “Um, Miss, can we talk you? We noticed your wrecked RAV4 outside.” There was no guaranteed escape in the end but I think what made me furious was there was no provocation in the first place.

In all of three seconds I had gone from having a normal morning to contemplating attempted vehicular manslaughter. (My oh my how quickly things can change!) Luckily I stayed in line with the rest of the cars and stayed true to who I was. I wondered what on earth could have set off the cyclist as I seethed, “Cowards wear masks.” I looked up at the hill and thought it was ironic it was the same hill where Bridgett had been hit by a car in December. She had been coming down the hill on her bike on the other side of the road. Why did the masked bandit make it down safely when she could not? It didn’t seem fair.

The brief experience made for an interesting story at church. I told a few people about it but for the life of me I can’t remember who they were. I was ready to forget the whole thing when I sat down to watch the CES Fireside at 6 pm that night. Imagine my shock when Elder Quentin L. Cook said this six minutes into his talk, “There will be great pressure on each of you to act out of character - to even wear a mask and become someone who doesn’t really reflect who you are or who you want to be.”

You know that eerie feeling you get when you feel like someone has just read your mind? That was how I felt on Sunday! The timing was uncanny. “Mask” became the word of the day as I listened to Elder Cook say each of the following quotes:

“I do believe in our day when being anonymous is easier than ever that there are important principles involved in not wearing a mask and being true to the faith for which martyrs have perished.”

“One of your greatest protections against making bad choices is to not put on any mask of anonymity. If you ever find yourself wanting to do so please know that it is a serious sign of danger and one of the adversary’s tools to get to you to do something you should not do.”

“As you attempt to act your part and identify [Christlike] attributes you wish to develop you’ll want to list and study passages of scripture that teach about the attributes. Set goals and make plans to apply the attributes in your life and pray for the Lord to help you develop the attributes. In doing this you must not put on a mask and hide your true identity.”

“As you move towards marriage you must not wear any masks that hide inappropriate conduct that will be detrimental to you or your marriage.”

“Any use of the internet to bully, destroy reputation, or place a person in bad light is reprehensible. What we are seeing in society is that when people wear the mask of anonymity they are more likely to engage in this kind of conduct which is so destructive of civil discourse. It also violates the basic principles the Savior taught.”

“The righteous need not masks to hide their identity.”

“[I] pray that you will act well your part as you avoid wearing a mask, acting in accordance with your true identity, set appropriate goals and build the country and community where you live."

Pretty crazy, right? I was floored by the message and the immediate relevance it had to my experience that morning. I thought about all of the cheap shots anonymous commenters take at each other on one of my favorite news websites. I remembered Elder Bednar’s warning against becoming steeped in interactive computer games which offer the social crutch of an avatar. I wondered if there was ever a good reason to wear a mask.

I had just been listening to “The Phantom of the Opera” soundtrack the night before (another crazy coincidence) and I thought about his dependence on his mask. The Phantom wanted to be seen as a ghost. He had an immense gift for music but his naturally deformed face and the cruel treatment he received drove him underground. He set his sights on Christine Daaé and shepherded her to vocal stardom all the while scheming to keep her trapped with him forever. He had no qualms about murdering people who got in his way. While pleading for her fiancé’s life she was able to look the Phantom right in his unmasked eyes and kiss him. No one really knows her thought process (pure deception? a little bit of Stockholm Syndrome? true love?) but the Phantom found it in himself to let her go. Whether he destroyed himself moments later or lived the rest of his life in cloaked secrecy is unknown.

Contrasted with the timeless tale of Phantom of the Opera is the true story of Charla Nash. On February 16, 2009, Charla was attacked by her friend’s pet chimpanzee. She lost her hands, nose, lips and eyelids in the brutal mauling. Three years later she has undergone two hand transplants, a face transplant and countless other surgeries. Months ago I saw a picture of her on Oprah with a veiled hat. I was thrilled to read her latest update and see a recent video which gave me so much hope. Despite everything that’s happened she knows he has something to live for. I couldn’t be more grateful for the example she is setting for her 20-year-old daughter. She is absolutely one of my heroes.

In the end I’m very glad I didn’t act out of character (or illegally) when the mystery cyclist flipped me the bird on Sunday. He was probably just having a bad day. I’m very grateful for church leaders who constantly point me in the right direction and encourage me to reflect on the small things which would otherwise seem insignificant. Sunday’s fireside helped me see that my greatest heroes don’t need masks.

Back to Reality

When I woke up on Saturday morning I should have jumped out of bed in excitement but I had a hard time shaking off my Friday night coma. I stayed in bed for a few minutes trying to figure out what I was going to wear. I needed to be warm, comfortable, “upscale and hip.” It was hard to put a finger on those last two requirements which had been emailed by On-Camera Audiences, Inc. Luckily they sent us a whole sheet of rules to help us figure it out: no jeans, sweats, sweatshirts, hoodies, t-shirts, all white shirts, logos of any kind, opened-toe shoes or heels taller than one inch. In short, “When you look great, the show looks great!”

Despite my best efforts I ended up wearing something I would wear to church. I didn’t have the patience to dry my hair so I just put it up in a bun. At 10:30 am my roommate and I began our trip to the Capitol Theater to watch the “So You Think You Can Dance?” Season 9 auditions. We had four tickets to the 1:30 pm taping. Our first stop was to pick up Liesl. Once we got to the city we found a prime parking spot and had breakfast at Bruges Waffles and Frites. The weather was definitely not as nice as it had been the week prior for Stella’s wedding. Although it wasn’t snowing it wasn’t nearly nice enough to go on an extended stroll downtown. We left Bruges and decided to park across the street from the Capitol Theater in order to minimize walking. Even though it was only 12:30 the events staff was kind enough to let us in. (I got nervous just seeing dancers parked on the curb outside!)

The lady in charge of the door allowed us to stay in the atrium just outside of the lobby. We were the first people to arrive for the 1:30 taping which sort of surprised us but most of all we were relieved we could stay inside. Two more couples arrived right after us and got the low-down from the events staff. We exchanged pleasantries as we watched all of the commotion in the lobby. We could see contestants exiting the auditorium (including one guy who had to exit the auditorium yelling “I’m going to Vegas!” four different times), contestants being interviewed with their parents and spouses (we were totally in the shot) and the occasional film crew capturing the arrival or departure of a contestant. The observations were fascinating. By far the highlight was spotting occasional glimpses of Cat Deeley interviewing contestants on the balcony of the lobby.

As the excitement built other audience members began pouring into the atrium. We were warned multiple times that we were making too much noise and the boom mics in the lobby were picking us up. Finally the place got too crowded and our friend in charge of the door called our group over. She marked our ticket voucher with a series of letters and told us to come back at 1:30. She did the same for the four people who had arrived right after us. Everyone was dismissed and the seven of us felt very lucky to have the next best thing to a golden ticket.

With 45 minutes to kill and a brutal wind to avoid we set out for a bookstore a few blocks north. After a lot of hooting and hollering (aka me whining loudly) we made it to the bookstore. Liesl’s sister met us there and we told her all about what we had seen thus far at the theater. When it was finally time to return to the theater it seemed a bit warmer outside but that could have just been my improved mood affecting my perception of the temperature. Upon our return to the theater we saw a massive line of people outside. I handed the signed ticket voucher to my roommate and the four of us walked right up to the front door, dirty looks be darned! We recognized the door lady from before and she put us in front of our four friends (whom we were glad to see) and behind a group of girls who were there to see their dance teacher audition. Everyone else looked quite bewildered.

When the door opened and it was time for us to go through the security screening I got some serious jitters! There were camera people on either side of the lobby filming contestant as they warmed up and there was a camera person right in the middle of the lobby filming the audience members. Scary! Still, it was fascinating. We entered the auditorium and we seated two rows behind the contestants’ reserved seats. After getting a few more instructions from a producer the judges came in. We didn’t know which three judges we got but in my opinion we had the best combination: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Adam Shankman. Liesl and I had the distinct feeling we had walked right through our television screen and it was weird! I loved the fact that I could look around at whatever was going on. The only problem I had was not being able to hear a lot of the conversation between the judges and the contestants on stage.

We tried to guess how long the auditions would be. Based on the number of contestants sitting in front of us I figured it would take about… “OH MY GOSH THAT’S ROBERT!!!” Robert Roldan was one of my favorite dancers from Season 7. We weren’t quite sure what he was doing there but it turned out he was there to teach the contestants during the choreography round. Every time he walked up or down the aisle near us I either missed him completely or just chickened out of addressing him. As the next four hours unfolded we saw contestants of many skill levels. Only four people received tickets to Vegas (the next official round of competition). Everyone else was told to go home or stay for choreography (a little something I like to call “Sudden Death”). I definitely gained a level of respect for the judges. They spent a lot of time with contestants and they were never out to humiliate anyone. Even if the audience was bored to tears at times I felt like the judges were doing their best to make sure the contestants left with useful critiques.

By 6 pm the solo auditions wrapped up and Robert and Courtney hopped on stage to teach a routine to the remaining dancers. It was very difficult. While I really wanted to stay and see how it all played out, I was genuinely drained and on the verge of starvation. We had spotted a German delicatessen on our way back to the theater and we all agreed it would be the perfect place since Liesl was born in Germany and she’d be returning for Study Abroad this summer. Liesl and her sister help us navigate the menu and I opted for “Goulash with Spaetzle.” It was truly the best thing ever. We marveled at everything we had seen. We wondered if we’d be able to spot ourselves during the audition episode which will air this summer. We speculated if anyone we had seen would make it into the top group this year. More than anything we felt heartily cultured and wildly famous – at least for one day.