A Convenient Truth

Day 2: Blogger Clothing Challenge

2011-05-02T20:28:00.000-06:00

Here is Day 2 of the Clothing Challenge. I think I am just going to post every few days with a summary of a couple of days because a video every day will get a little annoying especially with how repititious our life is right now, and then I might spend more than 2 minutes on the video, so it will also benefit your eyes.

Day 1: Blogger Clothing Challenge

2011-05-01T17:40:00.000-06:00

Why the "birther" phenomenon is racism.

2011-04-28T15:54:00.000-06:00

I know you just rolled your eyes, and thought, "Everyone is a little bit racist. I do not want to listen to Alexis tell me why this is racism just because the president is black, because black people can be racist too."

Individual racism is not the issue that I am talking about. I think everyone should take the time to realize their biases and work to see people as people (No, I am not saying be "colorblind" that in itself is racism. People are proud of their heritages, and it is okay to see that. This is all another topic for another time, so moving on....) The point is I am NOT talking about individual racism.

First a lesson in White Privilege, (here is wiki's explanation) and Institutional Racism.

WHITE PRIVILEGE:

What is the white privilege? It is that the "white" culture is seen as the norm. If it is normal to be white then you have power of invisibility. That is not to say no one notices you, but more no one notices your race. Everything you do and succeed at is attributed to you personally, and everything you fail at is attributed to you personally.

Here are a few examples:

When you are asked to describe yourself do you ever say "I am white."? Or is that not something that you feel identifies you because you do not understand that there is a white culture. When people ask who I am. I am always a Latina. It defines me, and I am proud of it, but it marks me as different from the "normal" culture.

When you get a job no one is going to say it is because the company had to meet their "quota." It is going to be because you were qualified, and the best fit. Like the countless people that say, "Obama only won because he was black, and had the black vote."

It is the fact that donkey-punchers (the tea-party) could march around the capital with guns, and no one care. If any minority group did that they would automatically be seen as a threat, but the tea-party was seen as patriotic. How wonderful!

A personal example of "white" being seen as "right": When I was younger and someone would ask about my heritage (this happened more often than you think). I would say, "I am Mexican," and 90%(Remember I grew up in South Weber, Ut) of the time this person would respond back and say, "Cool! I am American." I would then say, "I am American too!"I was completely shocked that this person thought I was Mexican while they were American. We were all American, but my ancestry came from Mexico (Utah, Texas, Colorado, California, Arizona.... ya know, Mexico!), and theirs came from somewhere in Europe. They some how thought they were more American than me because my skin was brown, and my last name was Lopez. That was because an American to them was a white, middle class, christian..... person **cough, man, cough**(let's not kid ourselves).

INSTITUTIONAL RACISM:

This goes hand in hand with white privilege....

Examples:

It is the simple fact that Black and Latino males are 2-3 times more likely to have their cars stopped and searched, but white men are 4 times as likely to have the "stuff" in their car.

There was a study where job applicants with "white-sounding" names were 50% more likely to get called back than job applicants with "black-sounding" names. Even though everything else on the resume was the exact same.

White males with a high school diploma just as likely as black and latino males with a college degree to have a job.

I will not drag on for too long, about the definitions. I am sure you get it.

I am hoping you can connect the dots, and see why all this birther stuff was really racism, but if not I am going to tell you why, so don't worry.

We have a black president whose name is Barack Hussein Obama, and black is not perceived as American, or successful, and his name does not sound "American" **cough, white, cough**. So how would a political foe get others to fear him? Easy, all they have to do is use what is already engrained into people's minds, and enhance this fear. Ask yourself, why no other president was harassed and asked to show his birth certificate countless times. Ask yourself why a president would continue to be harassed even after he did show it. If you don't see white privilege, and institutional racism as the answers then please explain it to me, because it is all I can see.

I apologize that this is a rambled mess of thoughts, but I am frustrated right now, and it is hard to gather all my thoughts. This has bugged me for a long time, and I think I am about to explode.

A book review that quickly became a self-evaluation.

2011-04-18T13:43:00.000-06:00

A little bit of a backstory: I have been reading Dan Brown's Lost Symbol, and I want to kill myself. I do not know why I thought picking up a Dan Brown novel was a good idea. Can I even call it a novel? I guess it technically is, but a more appropriate term for it is garbage. I hate his writing style, and the "voice" of his book. If I ever saw him I would call him a pretentious douche, and explain to him that I don't need his characters thoughts in italics especially since most of those thoughts I can assume. Every time I see those italics, I want to scream, "Dan Brown you aren't a genius, and I am not THAT stupid." He is now second, behind Stephenie Meyer, on the list of authors I want to punch in the face. Thinking about how much I hate this book made me want to write a blog, on an actual novel. I will give you one guess...

East of Eden

John Steinbeck

If you haven't read it, read it,

and if you have read it, read it again,

and again, and again, and ....

A quick review: East of Eden is another book by John Steinbeck about the Salinas Valley, but quite possibly the most important one. As the title suggests it has a Biblical theme, but the overall theme is the battle between good and evil. It takes the Biblical story of Cain and Abel, and portrays it in two different sets of brothers, but unlike the Biblical story it shows you the effect on the other characters, and you get to know the "Cain and Abel" characters much better. My personal favorite parts of the story are when Lee, Samuel, and Adam are discussing the story of Cain and Abel, and when they come back to it years later. It is beautiful, and brings up the most important lesson of the book, that evil can be overcome because "thou mayest."

The other day I was thinking about that discussion, and something besides the lesson of being able to conquer evil stood out to me. It was a few of Lee's other comments that stood out, and his process in understanding those 16 verses in Genesis.

In their first discussion Lee is interested in, yet confused by the story of Cain and Abel. He tries to understand, but still one part doesn't make sense to him, so he studies it. He looks at different translations, and eventually goes to his family association in San Fran where he asks 4 sages, and they ponder on it for years, hire a rabbi, and learn Hebrew. They are very engulfed in their Chinese tradition, but are still curious about these verses. When they feel good and ready they translate those 16 verses word for word.

Lee is explaining this process during their second discussion and Samuel asks, "Do you then not think this is a divine book written by the inky finger of God?" and he responds, "I think the mind that could think this story was a curiously divine mind. We have had a few such minds in China too."

Lee then explains to Adam and Samuel what they found, and at the end of his explanation and his praises of these verses, Adam asks "Do you mean these Chinese men believe the Old Testament?" Lee responds, "These old men believe a true story, and they know a true story when they hear it. They are critics of truth. They know that these sixteen verses are a history of humankind in any age or culture or race...." He then goes on to say one of the greatest quotes in East of Eden, "... And I feel that I am a man. And I feel that man is a very important thing--- maybe more important than a star. This is not theology. I have no bent toward gods. But 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.'"

I love that Lee, a man who has recently found himself becoming more engulfed in the Chinese tradition, and the Sages can look at something that doesn't come from their history, and see truth in it. I love that Lee praises the individual human, and sees the beauty in them. I want to be like Lee in these aspects. I want to be able to look at different cultures/beliefs and see the beauty in them instead of just what I perceive to be "wrong."

Isn't that what we should all strive for? I look at different cultures, and see this same lesson. Some of them show it better than others....

In India the word, "Namaste" is used as a common greeting. This means, "The divinity in me respects the divinity in you." How beautiful that they use this word that represents seeing people in such a light.
Christ taught that the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself.
Confucius said "Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself."
The Qur'an says, "The most righteous of men is the one who is glad that men should have what is pleasing to himself, and who dislikes for them what is for him disagreeable."

It is "The Golden Rule" and is literally in every belief or culture. It is a truth that has lived on in every way of life, so it must be extremely important, if not the most important truth.

All this thinking has led me to analyze my life to see if I am applying this to it, or not. I am going to work much harder, and maybe I should start by saying, "Dan Brown and Stephenie Meyer, I may not enjoy your writing, but many other people do, and I am glad that you are helping people learn to love to read because that is important."

Side note: The blogger clothing challenge will start the first week of May. Unless somehow "No" starts winning on the poll.

Dan^2 Clothing Challenge

2011-04-05T13:43:00.001-06:00

In my Honeymoon & Wedding post, I listed some of the discoveries of married life. One was that Dan and I have so many matching clothes that we could probably wear the exact same or very similar thing for at least a month. That got me curious about how long we could actually go, and maybe it got you a little curious also. I posted a poll question in the right side of this blog, and am curious as to if you would like "A Convenient Truth" to participate in a Dan^2 matching challenge. If you want our daily matching to be documented and blogged then vote for it, and if you would absolutely hate seeing that then vote the other way. Thanks!

Softball Shirts!

The little boy!

2011-03-26T14:22:00.000-06:00

When Chaz and I met.

We decided we must have this puppy!

Dan playing with Chaz in my parents backyard.

At Dan's SLC apartment

Playing with Noah

He wanted to become a true aggie

as big of a basketball fan as anyone

Saddest day of his male life.

trying to be trendy

all dressed up

the first time he ever jumped on the bed.

Christmas sweater.

Sleeping cutie.

Being bored with his mama in Denver.

Unemployment, Chaz, Blogs, Sweatpants, and The View.

2011-03-24T14:36:00.000-06:00

I love Denver, but boy am I bored.

I need a job ASAP. Sad thing is that would require me to stop being lazy and start applying/looking. My goal is to get started this weekend. Right now, I am adjusting to married life aka procrastinating. Thinking of the process of finding and landing a job isn't too appealing, but a job is appealing, so I guess I will have to suck it up. I'll let you know when that sucking up actually happens.

Chaz is boring! He sleeps all day long. Okay, so it is probably ME that is boring, and we don't have a yard for him to run in, but seriously he needs to keep me entertained during the day. He is either sleeping on the couch or in the bed. Ridiculous! Yes, I am secretly jealous.

What do I do with my boring life? I wake up at 7(I am crazy), stay in my sweatpants all day, read countless blogs, and watch The View (I missed it today, and it made my whole day a little bit worse). Am I cooking dinner, so Dan has a warm meal to come home to after a long hard day at work? No way! I would trade him places any day, so instead I let him cook the dinner.

That is my blog for today. I will just add that I hate Utah, and am glad I left. I hope that bugged people even more. I think I will just end every blog the same way from now on, and here is that ending....

Happily not in Utah.
Alexis

PS If I ever start a blog dedicated to Dan and I's married life (.005% chance of this happening) then that will be the name.

Utah! What a great place to NOT be!

2011-03-23T20:18:00.000-06:00

It has been a little over two weeks since I moved out of Utah, and I couldn't be happier. Do I miss some people? Yes, but I would rather be missing those people then in that state, and this is all coming from a Mormon. Utah has 5 things better than any other place in the world... Drew, Koa, Noah, Buggy, and Isaiah, and they will make it so I go visit (and the rest of my family and friends too ;)).

Here are the top ten reasons why I am glad to have finally ditched the Beehive state.

10- Movies! I will no longer have to wait an extra month to see movies like Milk (this came out in theaters in Logan one week before it came out on dvd, and I am being 100% honest), or be completely censored from movies like The Kids are Alright, and Rabbit Hole (I don't understand this one, but whatever). I will also no longer have to worry about seeing these movies within the week because that is about how long their theater life lasts. Shake your head at these R rated movies all you want, but at least they teach you something about history, or the lives of people with different cultures.

9- The news is dedicated to only two universities. I am so happy to no longer be hearing about the one true school every second of the day.

8- While I have not yet completely acquainted myself with the Colorado legislator, I know they are not going to be nearly as ridiculous as Utah. There are too many crazy laws to post, but I will link you to the most recent one. Yeah, they are talking about repealing this, but you do realize it is the same people that passed it that are now doing that. They got caught doing something shady, and are now pretending like they didn't realize it was shady. Very strange! Luckily, from Denver I can just laugh about this.

7- Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin supporters. There are much less here, need I say more?

6- Sports! There are actually more professional teams than just basketball out here. That makes me so incredibly happy. Pro Sports go year round in Denver! I hate all their teams, but at least I can watch live games, and I will be able to cheer against them very loudly. Here's to a summer filled with baseball (Dan will love that)!

5- Weather. It snowed yesterday in Utah. It was 70 degrees here, but it might have snowed in the mountains (exactly where snow belongs).

4- Pyramid Schemes/ Summer Sales, this topic is worthy of a whole blog.

3- The homophobia. I don't think this is something that I should get into, but people aren't that good at loving others especially if those others love someone with the same privates as them.

2- Mexicans, and by Mexicans I mean everyone hating Mexicans. I don't know why people think it is funny to say, "but are you legal?" after I say, "I am Mexican." It isn't funny. It is rude, and incredibly racist. I could say so much more, but I might get very ornery, and both Chaz and Dan would hate that.

1- The culture! Pretty much 2-10 combined with an extra dose of judgementalness (not a word, but I am pulling a Colbert). People tend to put themselves on a pedal-stool if they fit into a certain mold, and forget that we are all equals, no matter what you believe.

I promise you that I don't miss Utah. A select few people, but no not Utah.

PS I have so much time on my hand that I might be blogging daily until I find a job.

Wedding and Honeymoon

2011-03-22T15:24:00.000-06:00

I HATE that I am doing this, but here is an update Blog written by Alexis, but I will write for Dan too. Do NOT get used to this!

Dan and I were married on March 5 in Logan. I am guessing that if you did not know that, then you do not read this blog, but maybe I have some random readers. We are very grateful for everyone that took the time to make the trip to Logan. Also a special shout out to my sisters Alicia and Melissa who helped so much getting the reception together. Especially Alicia she spent the last 5 months sending me pictures and looking stuff up to fit the the very vague description of what I said I liked Here are a couple of our Bride and Groom pictures taken by our great photographer, Heather Mickey.

Love this! Love Logan!

Possibly one of my favs! I bet Whitney Kap is enjoying this pic also.

Love all the boys in these pictures.
I miss my little nephews. All our shown is this pic minus Drew Brew.

We went on a Mediterranean Cruise for our honeymoon, but before that we moved all my stuff out to Denver, and also moved the most important thing in our lives to Denver too, Chaz! Now onto some honeymoon pictures...

Vatican

Colosseum ( My fav)

Colosseum

Dan posing at the Colesseum

Posing on our ride in Palermo

Flamingos in Cagliari

Caves of Drach in Palma De Mallorca

Touching the Mediterranean

Fortress in Barcelona

FCB

Principality of Monaco

In this picture you can see the Principality of Monaco, France, and Italy... oh and Dan!

Principality

Dan with Big Ben

Me with Big Ben.

That is a glimpse at our honeymoon. It was wonderful! Now, I am sure everyone is wondering how married life is going for us, so here are some of the changes slash thoughts of the newlyweds.

- Dan & Alexis have so many matching clothes. They could probably wear the exact same shirt or a very similar shirt everyday for at least a month. Kinda weird, but mostly due to Utah State.
- Chaz is happy he gets to hang out inside again. He also loves that he can once again get on the furniture, but he misses Dice :(.
- The thing Alexis hated the most about every month is now the thing she counts down to.
- Dan officially loves Europe, and keeps talking about moving there.
- We have too much stuff, but not enough at the same time.
- Alexis likes doing laundry but hates cooking. Dan likes cooking but hates doing laundry. We are the perfect match!
- We want visitors but for now you will be stuck sleeping on a futon.
- Denver is ten thousand times better than all of Utah.
- Dan and Alexis use a whole lot less minutes now.
- Planning what two people are going to eat every day is not fun because we both weren't good at feeding ourselves in the first place.
- Dan is happy that Alexis is early to bed and to rise, but she keeps reminding him that it will change quickly once she gets back to Mountain time.

Welp that is all for now. If you want to stay posted then you should probably call one of us because Alexis does not like writing blogs like this.

I don't know what you heard about me....

2011-01-29T01:32:00.000-07:00

.....That I'm a motherf***ing P.I.M.P.

Guess what this blog is about?

It is about the things I am completely obsessed with right now, and I am now going to pimp 'em out to you all. Get excited, because this is some good stuff.

5- The website: When Parents Text.

It is website devoted to exactly that, and it is hilarious. Here is a glimpse of what I am talking about....

Susan Boyle at Rockefeller

Center

MOM:	What's the story??????
ME:	Going out to dinner
MOM:	Not to Susan Doyle?
ME:	Boyle?
MOM:	Doyle
MOM:	The phone has a mind of it's own! Won't type B
MOM:	It doesn't like Susan
MOM:	It prefers Doyle
MOM:	You try
ME:	Boyle

Isn't it great? I have spent way too much of my time reading these, and I hope to now waste your time too!

4- Wanta Fanta. Dontcha wanta Fanta?

Who loves orange soda?

A-a-a-a-a-alexis loves orange soda.

Is it true?

Mmmm-hmmm I do I do I do-oooooo!

If that bottle looks weird it is because it is the European bottle, but that is where my addiction started, and I can't wait to be back there in 6 weeks to drink another one. They taste better there! They are still delicious here, and I am currently drinking a grape Fanta. It has been my drink of choice since May 2010, and will continue to be my drink of choice for a long long time.

3- The documentary, Paperclips.

Go watch it! Right now! It is unbelievable. You will cry.

2- PORN! But not that kind of porn... the kind for sickos like me that love books more than anything in the world. AKA this website known as bookshelfporn.

1- The Utah State Aggies' Mens Basketball Team

They are currently on a 14 game winning streak. With a 19-2 record. Ranked #25 in the Nation, and one of the players, Brian Green went off last night 8-9 fg 5-5 3pt, and 4-4 ft for 25 points. That is being a shooter! Did I mention he came off the bench to do this? Utah State basketball is wonderful because of the Spectrum, but this year the team is legit. They are finally getting into the groove, and I am glad to be enjoying the ride. Go Aggies!

Because some people asked...

2011-01-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more engagement photos. All courtesy of the wonderful photographer, Heather Mickey.

Random Rants; pt 1, "WORDS"

2011-01-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

Here is the first of the weekly (don't hold me to it, but I will try) installments of "Random Rants." These blogs will be dedicated to thing that just bug me. Some will be a bit more serious than others, but they all will be things that I wish I could rid the world of.

There are some words in the english language that when a person says it makes me questions their intelligence, character, and respect/love for people in general. When you say these words I cringe inside, and sometimes like you a little bit less. They are not curse words. I don't swear often nor care to, but it doesn't upset me, mostly because these other words exist, and people who get all up in arms about swearing use these words that are much worse.

I am going to type (this is going to be hard) out some of these words, and explain my distaste for them. You will see a pattern...

1- Retard. This is something Sarah Palin and I have in common, except I hate it when it comes from anyones mouth not just democrats. "Mental retardation" as in intellectual disabilities is not a bad thing to say, and doesn't annoy me. It is when you use the word retard to mean dumb, bad, or whatever else. That hurts families and people who love or are mentally retarded. It increases the discrimination that already exists for people with different disabilities. STOP SAYING IT!

2- Fag, gay, homo, dike, or any other homosexual slur. Faggot means different things in different cultures some still use it to say a "bundle of sticks" others use it to mean "Cigarettes." It has come to mean a homosexual man, why? Because when they were burning witches if the sticks (faggots) ran out they would throw in the gay men to keep the fire going. Don't use it, it has a horrible history, and when you say it you are most likely using it in a negative connotation even if you are saying it to your straight friend. The same goes for the other words. Using them in a negative connotation is offensive to homosexual people, and their families, and the people who love them. STOP IT!

3- Racial slurs such as the "N" word, or saying something like dirty Mexicans. Racial slurs bug me so much especially when they have to do with Mexicans, because I am Mexican! I know you think you are being funny, but you aren't. It is offensive. When I speak up, and you say, "I am not talking about Mexicans like you." I am even more hurt by your words. I am Mexican, there isn't more than one type of us. We have the same ancestry. I don't like hearing negative thinks about my heritage even if you don't recognize it as being my heritage. Other racial slurs are the same. The "N" word is not something to intellectualize (John Mayer), nor is it something that you can say just because you hear it in movies, music, etc... It is an offensive term.

4- Sexist slurs like bitch, cunt, slut, whore, or what not. This is offensive especially when used when talking about a woman. It belittles females.

This goes for all words that make light on people. Making fun of cultures, sexuality, disabilities, or what not is not smart, and is offensive. You might not be using these words to describe these people, but you are. It just shows your prejudices better, and makes others question your intelligence.

That is my rant for today, and now you know why when you say these words I roll my eyes.

Now, something positive because these blogs get frustrated, and annoyed, so I need a pick me up at the end....

Dan and I got our engagements taken, and it was a blast.

So this is the new year...

2011-01-06T01:42:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year everyone! 2010 was quite possibly my favorite year yet.

Here is my top ten for 2010:

10- Graduating from USU. It may confuse you that this is only #10, but I loved USU, so graduating was bittersweet. I love that I have a college degree, but it is currently not being utilized, and that also puts a bit of a downer on the fact that I am a college grad.

9- Denver Road trip #4. I drove out with Saydee, and Lia to Denver in September to visit Dan. Kelly and Sydnee flew in and hung out with us to. That weekend consisted of words with friends, bike rides, heroes, oatmeal cream pies, "the ox is in the mire," sushi, wings, and so much more. I had fun with Dan, and fun with my friends. Plus those four got to see my future apartment, yay!

8- Two new nephews (Koa and Drew). Becoming an Aunt was fun the first time, and has continued to be just as fantastic the four times after that. I love mynephews, and it is going to be hard leaving all five of them behind. They are all so cute, and fun. Hopefully they all come visit Denver sometime.

7- A sh**load of Sushi. When I was a sophomore in college, I worked at Takara Sushi in Logan. I ate sushi probably twice a week at least. I loved it, and my body loved me for it (except for when I had too much mercury, but that was probably due to all the tuna fish sandwiches). This year I probably averaged Sushi three times a month, and it was wonderful getting back to it. I have missed it a lot, and this year kinda made up for that. I cannot even count how many all you can eat sushi sessions I have had this year. Probably close to ten.

6- Josh Ritter. I have talked about Josh Ritter A LOT, and I was able to go to his concert this year. I loved it. Plus a new CD. He makes me happy. I will post another Josh Ritter Video under this. Get stoked!

5- Dallas trip. This was also the third time I drove out to Denver. We moved Dan out, and it was sad, but luckily right after the move we took one last trip together to Dallas to visit Jessica and Jed. This trip introduced me to the game of Small World, and Zaxby's. Dan and I just purchased Small World, so now I am not going to be missing that, but I freaking miss Zaxby's it is delicious. It also included a road trip to Oklahoma City for the OU USU game. The pre game meal was great, and a little embarrassing, but still fun. We also got to see the Cowboy's stadium, and an art museum. Plus an amusement park, and that makes any trip wonderful. This trip involved USU athletics, football, food, board games, amusement parks, and great friends. Nothing is better than that. Plus it made leaving Dan for the time being that much easier.

4- Sufjan Stevens. I can't describe this. If you weren't there you won't ever understand. Like I said before I felt every emotion in one single intimate/infinite moment. It was AMAZING! I am not posting this video to make you depressed, and I am sorry if it does, but this song is beautiful even though it is addressing a very ugly part of history, and an ugly part of human nature as a whole.

3- Europe. 20 days spent in Europe, how could that not be great? I was able to go to England, Scotland, Ireland, and France before "the incident."

2- The Proposal. 3 years, and two break-ups later Dan and I are getting hitched. The proposal was perfect because it was so "us." A candle lit dinner featuring bruschetta, and tilapia with a basketball game on mute in the background. Dan saying, "I want to marry you," instead of necessarily asking, and me saying "yes," and "I feel weird." It was perfect, and I can't wait to marry him.

1- CHAZ. It may shock people that the proposal doesn't come first, but it never will because in 2010, we got Chaz. The cutest cuddliest creature in the world. I love him to death. He is Dan and I's illegitimate puppy, and he will be moving to Denver with us, and he will be part of our family- hopefully for a very long time.

2011 is going to be a year of changes... moving, marriage, and hopefully the start of a real job plus maybe more school. I am excited for it!

To those of you that read and enjoy my blog I have decided to make it a little bit different. It will start with a post series called "Random Rantings" or something of that sort. It will be posts about day to day stuff that is a little annoying. I should probably do a more positive and less sarcastic blog to so maybe once a week I will write about things I love or something. There also will be an occassional update post, but this blog WILL NOT become the Alexis & Dan blog. If you want to stay caught up on our life then call one of us. Oh and I am also going to start pimping stuff even more than I already do.

Christmas Curmudgeon: Alexis' war on the Christmas Season.

2010-12-24T16:22:00.000-07:00

If you were expecting a post on the secularization/commercialization of Christmas, then you are in luck because that is exactly what you are going to get. You will also get the bonus of a history lesson!

Let me start of by first saying, Merry XMAS everyone!

Did that offend you? Are you mad because I crossed Christ out of Christmas? If you are, then our friendship is sad. Do you get mad when people say Happy B-Day to you? Because they took the birth out of birthday? Well then you should not good mad when you hear or see the word XMAS. X comes from the Greek letter Chi which is the first letter of the Greek word that means Christ (Remember the NT was written in Greek). That crazy symbol to the right it Chi-Rho and is a Christian symbol that represents Christ. The term XMAS has Christian roots not secular roots. It is no one crossing out or leaving out Christ. It is the abbreviation for Christ. It shouldn't be offended terms like Xpian and Xtian were terms that were also used in the past.

"Santa= Satan if you just move the 'n'"

Please, stop saying this. I am not going to get too deep into this history because there are actually quite a few people that Santa could come from. I believe he is a mixture of all, but he does have some Christian roots too. St Nicholas, a man that brought presents to poor children. How horrible of that man to give kids presents, right? Now, believing in Santa Claus is a magical moment for kids, and just because they believe in him doesn't mean they don't believe in Christ nor that they don't remember Christ. I have five nephews (three of whom are at the ripe age of Santa/Elf believing), and the other day the oldest slept at my parents' house. My mom asked me to read him a story before he went to bed. I asked him what he wanted me to read, and he picked out a book called, "The Christmas Story" because it was close to Christmas. The book starts out saying there is more to Christmas then presents and Santa, and right after I read that part, my nephew looks at me, and says, "I prayed that I would remember to wish Jesus a happy birthday." This 6 year old boy believes in Jolly Old St Nick, but still understands that this is a day that represents so much more. Giving isn't a bad thing, allowing kids to have an imagination isn't a bad thing, and every child no matter what economic class or race feels hope, and the magic of Christmas when they sit on Santa's lap. The reason I think so many adults say that Santa is really Satan is they have forgotten that Santa isn't creating super greedy kids, he is making them all feel special, and eventually the kid will not believe, so if this is really a Satan impostor then he should come up with a much better disguise because by the age of 10 he doesn't even exist anymore.

"Happy Holidays" and where Christmas comes from...

Happy Holidays is what you will see more in department stores now a days, and this seems to really piss people off. I cannot understand why because these stores are not just marketing for Christmas. They are marketing for Hanukah, Kwanzaa, New Years, Thanksgiving, Christmas... and so have you. In other words the "HOLIDAYS." It is not horrible that United States is accepting all holidays no matter the religious belief, and saying, "Happy Holidays" is not going to ruin Christmas.

In other news, everyone needs to calm down. Christmas is never going to lose the Christ, and the religious tag that comes with it. Christmas was first started because of Constantine (the pagan who converted, but refused to be baptized till he was on his death bed, so that he could continue sinning) wanted to incorporate the winter celebration into Christianity. This way the Pagans would be much easier to convert, and they wouldn't have to give up all their celebrations. Such as trees that got decorated. Now, you can read up more on the history of all this, but it was a political move by the church to get involved with this, and it did result in a lot of pagans converting. It also resulted in a lot of Jew killing, and you can also read about that. The point of this post was to show you how Christmas came about, and that is survived the fall of Rome. It will survive everything believe me. The birth of Christ will never be out of Christmas.

This Christmas season and every one after that don't look for ways to be offended, but enjoy the time with your family and friends. Enjoy decorating the Christmas tree, put out cookies and milk for Santa Claus, happily give presents, and receive them, and remember that this is the time when we reflect on Christ's birth and life. Taking offense in little things like shopping starting earlier doesn't allow you to enjoy the Christmas spirit either. If shopping starts earlier bust out your Christmas music earlier, and reflect on what the lyrics mean (I am talking about the Christian stuff, not "Up on the House Top," but enjoy that too. Christmas is a great time for all people, so don't be a Christmas Curmudgeon love the season for all it is, and remember "It's Christmas! Let's be Glad!"

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

To my loyal blog readers-

I am sorry for the blogger challenge. I know some of you enjoyed constant blogs from me, and I will try and continue to post a lot. 2010 was the year of the blog, and my goal is to write even more in 2011, but I am going to try and make them on Alexis' conveniently true opinion instead of whatever I wrote about during the challenge.

Thanks for reading,

Alexis

I'm going all in

2010-12-24T00:44:00.000-07:00

This post will be the final blogger day challenge post because I need all the time that I have tomorrow to write, "Christmas Curmudgeon."

Day 27- A picture of something you are afraid of.

This is a weird day because nothing comes to my mind that I am absolutely terrified of. I would put rodents, but I worked with a rat, and had to handle it, so that fear was overcome. Next I would put pigeons or ugly birds, but once again I worked with pigeons, so it was overcome. I can now see that a degree in psychology did accomplish something. I am not scared of speaking in front of people, heights, being a lone, or what have you... there is still one cliche thing that frightens me though....

SPIDERS!!! AHHH!!!

Day 28- A picture of you a year ago and now, and how you have changed.

I guess this one should probably be deep, but I am not making any promises.

I dunno why I picked these pictures. Probably because Lia is great, and she is featured in both of them. As you can probably see nothing visually has changed. I do have a BS in Psychology, a ring on my left hand, and have seen 4 different countries since then. I continue to develop my opinions every year, and continue to grow, but I expect this will go on for the rest of my life. I feel much older, but it has only been a year. When I look at the pictures.... I don't think really much has changed, but I still feel that something has.

Day 29- A picture that always make you smile.

This picture is my senior year of high school at a HP premier. Pictured is J-Slut and Cambo. We hardly knew each other then, but I will forever love this picture. It was actually my debit card for quite sometime. PS the date is wrong.

Day 30- Who are you?

So easy, but so complicated.... I am Alexis Danielle Lopez. I am LDS, liberal, a complete HP geek, and in love with Daniel Hilker. I like to laugh, I love to talk, but more than anything else I love to learn. I think I can learn something from everybody in this world, no matter their level of education or political ideology (I am not saying I will necessarily be convinced that their "knowledge" is right). I love people, but not in the small talk kinda way. I don't like fluff.... I always want substance. Give me that, and you will get a pretty good friend in return (I think).

Day 25 & 26

2010-12-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

So I didn't blog yesterday. Probably because this blogger challenge has gotten old. I think I will start doing double days (I know that it pretty much defeats the purpose), but I like the idea of being done on Friday. Don't you? Then "Christmas Curmudgeon" can come.

Day 25- Another picture of you and a family member

That is a picture of my child, Chaz. He is Dan and I's illegitimate puppy.
We love him with all our heart. He is A LOT bigger now.

Day 26- A picture of something that means a lot to you

I don't know what to put. There are a lot of important things in my life that define me in some way or another. I feel like because it says "something" I should post a picture of a thing or idea, and not a picture of a person.

The Individual Soul/Mind. It might be confusing that this is what I picked, but I will try and explain. Christ sacrificed himself not for the group as a whole, but for each individual. Nothing is more destructive or helpful than an individual. The individual is so beautiful, and so powerful. These two quotes explain this pick much better.... I am not as good at expressing my thoughts/feelings with words as John Steinbeck, and CS Lewis.

“And I feel that I am a man. And I feel that a man is a very important thing — maybe more important than a star. This is not theology. I have no bent toward gods. But I have 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 “

-East of Eden

"Our species is the only creative species, and it has only one creative instrument, the individual mind and spirit of a man. Nothing good was ever created by two men. There are no good collaborations, whether in music, in art, in poetry, in mathematics, in philosophy. Once the miracle of creation has taken place, the group can build and extend it, but the group never invents anything. The preciousness lies in the lonely mind of a man. ... And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual."

-East of Eden

"Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses."
-CS Lewis

Day 20-something.

2010-12-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

I am sick of this blogger challenge. who knew it would start getting so lame. I bet you all are sick of it too, but I have to finish because I would feel lame if I didn't. On December 23 or 24 I will be posting a blog entitled "Christmas Curmudgeon." It will be a post dedicated to the war on Christmas that I am going to start. Get excited! I sure am!

Day 24- A picture of yourself an a family member.

My brother, Mike, and I

My sisters- Melissa, Alicia, and Shevon

All the siblings

I cheated, but these are pictures of me and my siblings. Love them!

The end.

I hate Michael Vick (Day 23)

2010-12-19T17:01:00.000-07:00

Day 23- A picture of you and the person you have been closest to the longest.

Obviously my family, we have known each other my entire life, but there is another person that I have known my entire life...

Jr High style

That is myself, and Kelly Greenwell. I have known her probably since the day I was born. We lived two houses away from each other until she moved a block away. A couple years later my family moved into the house next door. We can't get enough of the Greenwells! She got me in trouble in Mrs. Winham's class for talking, but made up for it eventually by giving me Newsies for Christmas. We have been through a ton together.... Learning to ride bikes with no hands, bike accidents, riding the Vespa with three passengers, going to Rays and getting Beef jerky and jones soda, trick-or-treating, Lagoon season passes, both of us liking Seth Green, rotating between each others house for sleepovers (everyday!), making movies (spandex, and scrubs), and just countless other memories. Good times!

I can't believe I am posting this. Da** you blog challenge!

2010-12-18T15:38:00.000-07:00

Day 22- A picture that confuses you.

I am going to post a few pictures, and they are kind of embarrassing...

Me during my freshmen year confuses me more than anything else. I look at these pictures and some make sense, and I still think show my personality while others.... I don't even know what to say. They were all definitely some good memories, but still I am glad that whoever is in these pictures is not who I am now.

I missed a day!

2010-12-18T01:22:00.000-07:00

My first missed day, so sometime in the evening another post will pop up.

Day 21- A picture of something that makes you happy.

Can you find me? Being an Aggie, and apart of the USU crowd makes me happy. Watching Utah State win basketball games makes me more happy.

This is an old picture, but this dunk is saved in my memory, and replayed often. It was the only Quayle dunk at the Spectrum, but he sure did throw it down. It definitely made me happy.

PARA DONDE VOY

2010-12-16T22:01:00.000-07:00

Day 20- A picture of somewhere you want to go

Sweden. I am a European kind of a girl, and Sweden is everything I love all mixed into one. Great music scene, European look (check out the colors and lack of sky scrapers), and it's government is fantastic (emphasis on civil-rights, education, and health care).

Switzerland is beautiful. Quaint cities in the Alps. Oh mi oh my I am in love. Plus while there the joy of being in Europe will come to life.

Hogsmeade! The real one would be much better, but I will settle for the one at Universal Studios in Orlando. I want to go live my wizarding dream life.

I left my heart in Logan, Utah

2010-12-15T16:21:00.000-07:00

Day 19- A picture of someone you miss

So it is not going to be a picture of someone specific who I miss. It is going to be of a place....

UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY/ LOGAN, UT

even in times like this...

I may have broken the rules a little bit, but a picture of the Campus represents so much more than me missing the campus. I miss.... taking naps on the quad during the few warm days of the spring semester, getting a marv 'n joe in the Hub with Dan, visiting Kara in the Quickstop, camping out with the Aggie faithful, spending hours in a small room waiting for basketball games and bounding with the others that are there too, studying in a computer lab, and being interrupted by a friend, reading the statesman, walking to class hoping for some ice slippage, but that it doesn't belong to you, and just waking up every morning and going to Utah State University.

I don't want it to seem like I am living in the past because I am really about happy with where my life is now, and what is happening. I don't want to go back now, and am glad I graduate when I did. Logan was my home for four years, and it was hard to leave. I am glad that I was able to live with the people I did, meet the people I did, and do the things that I did while I was there. I will forever be an Aggie!

"I once broke up with someone for not offering me pie."

2010-12-14T23:45:00.000-07:00

Day 18- A picture of the cast of your favorite TV show.

When I first read this question, I was concerned because there are so many shows out there that I enjoy, but the answer was really quite simple.

I will give you some hints... (The title of this blog is a hint).

Mandelbaum

"If you know what happened in the Mets game don't tell me, I taped it. Hello?"

Vandelay Industries

"Master of your domain"

Monk's Cafe

Close Talker/ Low Talker/ High Talker/ Man Hands.....

A show about nothing

........so it should have been pretty easy, because those hints made it pretty simple. It is of course the best TV show to ever grace television.....

SEINFELD

It is a show about nothing, but at the same time it is about everything. Every day I have at least one Seinfeld relatable moment. It is hilarious, fun, and has some of the best characters in the world. 4 people who spend a good amount of time making fun of others, that is my kind of show. Love it!

Sing, sing a song. Sing out loud, sing out strong.

2010-12-13T23:49:00.000-07:00

Day 17- Your favorite song.

This was incredibly hard. I have been thinking about it all day, and like always there will be more than one.

These are songs that I truly enjoy, and I think I will forever enjoy.

"Bohemian Rhapsody"- Queen; I love songs with no choruses. This has three distinctly different parts, but still flows perfectly. I don't think that I have ever heard this song, and not sang and danced along. It is a classic, and every knows it. Listening to "Bohemian Rhapsody" in a crowded room is great because everyone is singing and dancing.
"Let Down" and "No Surprises"- Radiohead; What can I say? I am an Ok Computer kind of a girl. I love Thom Yorke, and Radiohead, so if I didn't list at least one song then this list would be a complete lie. Ok Computer kind of has a depressing sound to it (why I listen to it in the rain), but it doesn't make you feel that depressed, and dark because it leaves you with a twinge of hope in it too. I love it, and I think these songs encompass that feeling so well.
"Eleanor Rigby" and "Hey Jude"- The Beatles and "Imagine- John Lennon; This is another group that I cannot list without getting my real feelings. Eleanor Rigby is supposed to be about the post war feeling, and that violin in it is perfect. Hey Jude is for Lennon's son when they were getting a divorce, but I think at the beginning when they sing, "take a sad song, and make it better" everyone's heart is lifted a little bit. Imagine is a beautiful song, and if you haven't heard it then I suggest you listen to it, "You may say that I am a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."
"Temptation of Adam"- Josh Ritter; Everything this song alludes to is incredible, and just shows how great a writer Josh Ritter is. It is a song about the cold war, and two people a man and woman that are in a missile silo together, and they fall in love. At the end he is tempted to launch a nuke and start world war 3 just because he wants their love to last, and he doesn't believe it will outside in the real world, just like how eve is tempted with an apple by satan to have knowledge. There are so many great things about this song, but I will move to my last song.
"Sin Wagon"- Dixie Chicks; I won't get into the meaning, but it is a well written song about rebelling (pretty much). I love it. I love Natalie Maines' voice. The twang is perfect, and the blue-grassy feel to this song makes you want to get up dance.

I don't care for the # 16, but I like this blog day

2010-12-12T22:08:00.000-07:00

#16- A picture of someone you would like to change places with for a day.

Once again you are going to get more than one picture, but they will be in order of my wanting to change from last to first. Get excited....

Natalie Portman. I like her, I like the movies she is in, I like her style, I like her taste in things, and I think she is pretty much radical. I would change lives with her even though I just think we should be friends in real life.

Elaine Benes (not Julia Louis-Dreyfus). I don't know if a fictional character is an option, but changing lives is impossible so I am picking her. She is funny, and amazingly sarcastic. An independent powerful woman who gets to hang out with Jerry. I will take it.

Jenny Lewis. Smart, talented, and just super cool. I would love living her life for a day.

Tina Fey. She is my hero. She can make fun of herself, she is having tons of fun, and she is freaking smart. Love her.