Oceans & Infinity

This past summer I took a road trip vacation with my best friend. We visited the ocean and Olympic national park. When I stood beside the ocean, I could not help but feel how incredibly small I was. How the ocean is so powerful with the crashing waves.

When I looked at the horizon, it continued endlessly. There seemed to be no end to the ocean and it just continued on for infinity. No end. It began at my feet but continued forever outward. The beach I was standing on a mere beginning point to a journey.

One thing that scares me about the ocean is the depth. It feels infinite. I have nightmares of being thrown off a ship with hundreds of miles of ocean beneath me and not knowing where the bottom is. It feels as if the ocean is bottomless and that fills me with terror. It is perhaps a more irrational fear but it is a fear nonetheless. The most terrifying this to me about the Titanic sinking is how deep the ocean is and how the people freezing on the surface didn't know where the bottom was. There is also no way to know what exists in all those miles of ocean.

Perhaps the ocean is like a person. They exist infinitely within. Thoughts begin but never end. There is no truely knowing another person completely. It is what makes people so exciting and terrifying. With some people, you only map the surface and with others, you plumb the depths. If you want to know the depths of a person though they have to let you in.

It makes me think of that quote from Doctor Who when the TARDIS is in Idris and she said "Are all people like this? So much bigger on the inside."

Get ready for some ranting.

I saw this list list of things you want to tell a teenage girl. Some of them were wise and others were annoying, oh but nothing compares to the first one. That one really made me mad. I was going to write a really long comment but instead I am writing a blog post about why this statement really got under my skin.

“1. If you choose to wear shirts that show off your boobs, you will attract boys. To be more specific, you will attract the kind of boys that like to look down girls’ shirts. If you want to date a guy who likes to look at other girls’ boobs and chase skirts, then great job; keep it up. If you don’t want to date a guy who ogles at the breasts of other women, then maybe you should stop offering your own breasts up for the ogling. All attention is not equal. You think you want attention, but you don’t. You want respect. All attention is not equal.”

Here is my issue. Everyone is always telling girls that they need to dress more modestly to protect themselves, protect men and a load of other reasons, believe me I have heard them all.

My issue is that this post is telling women they have to change to be respected instead of say "hey guys those breasts are attached to a real person who deserves to have the respect given to a human being," no instead we tell girls all the things they have to to to protect themselves. That is not going to solve the problem. 
Here is a news flash people. How you dress will not change how much you are cat called and how much guys will stare at you. I was wearing a very modest outfit(short-ish skirt with leggings, shirt with tank under, and a sweater) I was outside at school studying psych when a bunch of guys came and started making a lot of racket and running around. There was another girl I didn’t know not far from where I was sitting. These guys started calling us pretty girls and beautiful girls(not in a way that felt very complimentary), once swore at us about interrupting our study time. Now I was not dressed to ask for attention I was dress in a way that I think the above statement would say require respect, but was I respected. No. Why? Because these guys did not see me as a person to respect and how I dressed was not going to change that.

So here is my idea we tell people that women and girls are people who deserve respect for being a human being with thoughts, feelings, and intelligence, not to mention they are made in the image of God as well. How they dress is irrelevant to how much respect you get. Period. To paraphrase Dr. Seuss a person is a person no matter what they wear.

I have been in the very extreme modest camp. It does not sound like they are objectifying women but they are. They are just doing more subtlety. You have to cover yourself because your body is such a sexual thing that men cannot control their actions or thoughts around you so you must change for them. Really? Guys are humans they are people. Why do people not get upset when a guy goes around without a shirt on it can be just as dangerous for a woman’s mind in that situation. So why are women forced to change how they dress to protect a man’s thoughts but men are not forced to change to protect a woman’s? I call double standard.
I am so angry at our culture and society right now. I think I will go write about Frozen or something happy. Thanks for reading my rant. I would love to hear your thoughts about this.

Love
~Elizabeth
oh P.S. Click this picture to check out an interesting article about modesty and objectification and the connection between the two.

Doctor Who Tat Question 2

Day 2 - Favorite quotes

I have so many! So get ready. I promise I will try to narrow it down for you. :)

"Just this once everybody LIVES!" - The Ninth Doctor. (Episode: The Empty Child)

Martha: But are we safe? I mean, can we move around and stuff?

The Doctor: Of course we can. Why not?

Martha: It's like in those films: if you step on a butterfly, you change the future of the human race.

The Doctor: Then, don't step on any butterflies. What have butterflies ever done to you?

(Episode: The Shakespeare Code) 

(My most favorite!) 

Martha: So, magic and stuff? It's a surprise, it's all a bit Harry Potter.

The Doctor: Wait till you read book 7. Oh, I cried.

(Episode: The Shakespeare Code)

Martha: Do you have to pass a test to fly this thing?

The Doctor: Yes, and I failed it.

(Episode: The Shakespeare Code)

Idris: Did you ever wonder why I chose you all those years ago?

The Doctor: I chose you. You were unlocked.

Idris: Of course I was. I wanted to see the universe, so I stole a Time Lord and I ran away. And you were the only one mad enough.

(Episode: The Doctor's Wife)

Adolf Hitler: Thank you, whoever you are. I believe you have just saved my life.,

The Doctor: Believe me, it was an accident.

(Episode: Let's Kill Hitler)

German Officer: What are you doing here?

River Song: Well, I was on my way to this gay Gypsy bar mitzvah for the disabled when I suddenly thought "Gosh, the Third Reich's a bit rubbish. I think I'll kill the Fuehrer."

(Episode: Let's Kill Hitler)

Well those are just a few of my favorite quotes. :)

Blessings

~Elizabeth 

On the 7th Day of Christmas

Isaiah 9:6

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, They everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."


Have a wonderful New Years Eve!! :) 

On The 5th Day of Christmas

Love came down at Christmas, 

Love all lovely, love divine;

Love was born at Christmas,

Stars and angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead,

Love incarnate, love divine;

Worship we our Jesus:

But wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token,

Love be yours and love be mine,

Love to God and all men,

Love for plea and gift and sign.

By Christina G. Rossetti

On the 3rd Day of Christmas

Thy Nativity, O Christ, our God, 

Has shown to the world the light of wisdom. 

For by it those who worshiped the stars, 

Were taught by a star 

To adore Thee, the Sun of Righteousness; 

And to know Thee, the Orient from on high. 

O Lord, glory to Thee.

On the 2nd Day of Christmas

"And behold an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior; who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." 

And Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 

"Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

On the 1st Day of Christmas

Christ is Born!

Merry Christmas to everyone!! I hope you have a wonderful day!!! :)

Joy to the World, the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare Him room,

And Heaven and nature sing,

And Heaven and nature sing, 

And Heaven, and Heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!

Let men their songs employ; 

While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains

Repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat the sounding joy, 

Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sin an sorrow grow,

Nor thorn infest the ground;

He comes to make His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found,

Far as the curse is found,

Far as, Far as, the curse is found. 

He rules the world with truth and grace,

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders, wonders of His love. 

Christmas Eve

O come, O come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel 

That mourns in lonely exile here 

Until the Son of God appeared

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee o Israel. 

O come, O come, thou rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan's tyranny

From depths of Hell they people save 

And give the victory o'er the grave

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel 

Shall come to thee o Israel.

Does the Length Really Matter?

I have heard of people who don't want to read the classic because "they are too long." I don't think this is a good excuse at all as these same people are reading Twilight and Harry Potter. If you have ever seen a copy of Twilight(can anyone avoid see this? it is at my library all the time!) those are not short books! Also the same with Harry Potter. Those are some really huge books! 

image via google images

Now having read several Harry Potter books(and enjoyed them) and having read Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, the Bronte sisters, and many others. I think I can say that length is definitely not the problem. 

If length is not the problem then what is? Having read Harry Potter and heard notorious things about Twilight from book lovers, I would have to say it is a combination of things. It would be difficult to point to any one thing. 

The first I would have to say it probably a mental association with school. They probably think of them as the books that teachers assign then for school, and some school books are not pleasant. They think that they are all not for fun, they are work. It would be wrong to say that this is entirely untrue because in some cases it is true. Some books really are like that. However it would be "cutting on your nose to spite your face" to assume that all classics are difficult, hard, and not enjoyable. 

The Second would probably be reading level. Read any of Charles Dickens novels and the read Harry Potter. There is a lot of difference. Not to say that the difference reflects quality. Charles Dickens had a vocabulary, and a grammar that is complicated and takes more thought that J. K. Rowling. They both tell wonderful stories though with equally interesting and valuable themes to the reader. 

There also is perception that something from the past is much harder to relate to with modern readers. This can be partially true in some cases, where the book is dealing with a particular social or political problem of the day. However, this is not true for all books. Jane Eyre deals with equality of men and women(other things too). This is something relevant even for today. Some messages in books transcend time. Making them relevant to everyone everywhere. 

Here are some quotes from other bloggers on this subject.

"No, I do not think that it's the length of the book at all.  I think it's the level and style of the writing.  I have never read Harry Potter, and never mean to, but I've come across excerpts and I've seen the writing level.  It's not that hard......Classics, on the other hand, often have advanced vocabularies, as well as unfamiliar colloquialisms and antiquated styles.  They're usually not action-oriented, and sometimes they have a sleep-inducing amount of description.  (Yes, Dickens, I am looking at you.)" (Raindrops and Moonlight)


"It seems like some people of the present day are under the impression that older novels are boring and less captivating than more "up to date" novels." (The Alpine Path)

"This frustrates and disturbs me greatly, because for one thing, how can we move forward with literature unless we learn to appreciate the classics? We should learn from the experts, not be ignorant of them......We should read as many classic novels as possible!"  (The Alpine Path)

What are your thoughts on this? I would love to hear your opinion on this! 
Blessings
~Elizabeth  

Only Stargate fans :)

This was one of the best moments from Stargate. Granted Indian Jones was not in it and the girl wasn't either. I have no idea who she is, but I thought this was so funny! :)

Let your indulgence set me free

Epilogue from Tempest By Shakespeare

Spoken by Prospero

Now my charms are all o'erthrown,

And what strength I have's mine own, 

Which is most faint. Now 'tis true

I must be here confined by you, 

Or sent to Naples. Let me not, 

Since I have my dukedom got

And pardon the deceiver, dwell

In this bare island by your spell;

But release me from my bands

With the help of your good hands. 

Gentle breath of yours my sails

Must fill, or else my project fails, 

Which was to please. Now I want

Spirits to enforce, are to enchant;

And my ending is despair 

Unless I be relieved by prayer, 

Which pierces so that is assaults

Mercy itself and frees all faults. 

As your from crimes would pardoned be, 

Let your indulgence set me free

I have been studying the Tempest in school lately and it has become one of my favorites. I wanted to share my favorite passage with you all. 

Blessings

~Elizabeth  

Day 14 — Your favorite Orthodox elder/eldress

I do not really have a favorite elder of eldress. Though Elder Paisios of Mount Athos has made a great impression on me.

Day 13 — Your favorite Saint quote

"To love Christ -means not to be a hireling, not to look upon a noble life as an enterprise or trade, but to be a true benefactor and to do everything only for the sake of love for God."

—St John Chrysostom

Loving people as God loves us is something I struggle with, but feel is our greatest calling as Christians. To be a Christian is to love others. 

Day 03 — Your favorite Bible Verse

“Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I day unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.” -John 6:53

This verse was really the one that made me see I needed to become Orthodox. It was the verse that helped me to become able to leave the Church where I grew up, and go with my family to the Orthodox Church. 

Book lovers enjoy! :)

Isn't it just terrible when that happens! :) 

I think this would be my dream world. :) 

Blessings

~Elizabeth 

PS. The SAT went well to day. None of the things in my nightmares happened. I hope I got a good score! 

Picture quotes

So I absolutely love those pictures that are quotes. I adore them, I would put them in frames all around my house if I could. I have never quite been sure how on earth to do them myself... until now. Now I have figured it out, and am very proud of myself, so here are a few of my first ones. Some I like better than others. 

 Hmm... Where is this from? :)

What you ya'll think?
Blessings
~Elizabeth

Mockingjay Dress!!!

 "Wonderingly, I lift my long, flowing sleeves into the air, and that's when I see myself on the television screen. Clothed in black except for the white patches on my sleeves. Or should I say my wings. 
                   Because Cinna has turned me into a Mockingjay."            -Catching Fire Chapter 17

I love the picture, not quite what I picture in the book, but still very pretty. :)
~Elizabeth

Christ is Risen!!

Christ is risen from the dead

Trampling down death by death

And upon those in the tombs bestowing life!

Here is the song in Greek, it is one of my favorite versions! It was a wonderful day with sunshine. :) 

Christ is risen!!!!
~Elizabeth

Just a little something :)

Just some things that I have seen, and could not resist sharing with all of you! Enjoy! :) 

It is always a good idea to take your brain with you. :) 

This is so true! 

I love this quote from Albert Einstein!!

Blessings
~Elizabeth