This is Spartaaaaaaaaa!

I'm reminiscing right now. This line is just over-the-top awesome. I mean come on. (disclaimer: there's sword fighting at the end of the clip, viewers advised)

Other than the absolutely fantastic retort (and associated action) I particularly enjoy the part starting at 2:04 -- looks back at his wife -- queen nods -- decision made. (In fact, her role rocks, period) Booyah.
Ok, the movie itself is... kind of out there.
But that scene.... and the spoofs it has generated... Oh my heavens.

And my personal favorite:

Back in the saddle

More literally than you may think actually: I've got an interview Thursday with a rancher-man who helps former inmates return to active life once they're released, by training them on his ranch. I'm pretty excited :)

Privacy

So yeah, I went private. I hate it, because that means nobody will read anymore. Not that I had hundreds of readers anyway, but my precarious following will all but disappear. Oh well, maybe that's not all that bad... Because sometimes when total strangers read things you have to say, they misinterpret or judge too quickly, or all sorts of crazy things. At least this way I have control over who has access.

So, Lydia's life right now:



Did you pick up on the subtle theme? Things were going fine until I discovered I won that journalism award. Don't get me wrong, I am elated. But now I need to send in more news stories, and I'm terrified of it not being good enough. It would SUCK if I made it this far and then didn't make the final in San Francisco! And then there's the other factor... time. I wake up before the sun is out and I typically get home after dark. WHEN am I supposed to produce these award-winning pieces?! That's a little problem I hadn't factored into my schedule at the beginning of the semester. Ugh. I know, I shouldn't complain because this is an incredible opportunity and I am so, so honored to get a shot at it. But I feel like it's nearly impossible to succeed now, given the time constraints I have. Thankfully, I've been able to get subs for the weather on Fridays, so I at least won't have an obligation then anymore, but that only gives me a precious four hours a week during business hours. Sigh. I can do this right? right?

Ok, Lydia needs some inspiration.



Phew, that's a little better. And I am really quite lucky to have a husband deeply involved in local government, because he's given me two awesome story ideas. And I'm excited. I can do this.

Olympics

So I have this obsession with the Olympics. The feeling of excellence, the inspiring performances, the bite-your-nails close finishes. Just seeing so many young people, the best of the best in all of the world, gathered together, gets me teary-eyed. And maybe it's silly, but I love that Utah got the olympics ten years ago and that everywhere you go there are reminders of it. Even though I wasn't even around at the time I've felt so much... state pride? as the commemoration events were going on. Maybe it's just Mormon pride. MoPride. Ha ha. But really, it wasn't just the Salt Lake City olympics; it felt more like the Mormon Olympics. MoLympics. OK, I'll stop with the portmanteaus. Anyway... I've really, really wanted a little piece of it, so:

There it is. Thump your chest or something. And now, you must listen to this, because it'll get you all ready to run a marathon or jump over something very tall. Or not, maybe that's just me again. But you gotta love the MoTab.

Women in my family

Here's our statistic of the day: women still earn less than men for equal work at every education level in the U.S. And a recent report from the census bureau shows that while receiving advanced degrees pays off for women, it's still not as financially beneficial as it is for men. Men's overall median monthly earnings are $3,750, while women come in at $2,917. 

So next time you think (or hear): "oh, those feminists need to get over it now, women's rights are so nineteenth century"... that's flat-out not true. This number is important because so many people honest-to-goodness think the income gap is a thing of the past. It's not.

And now: the first woman - or rather women - I'd like to introduce you to are my aunts. You've already heard about them plenty, so I won't elaborate, but they've taught me a lot about being faithful. Faithful to God, faithful to your responsibilities, faithful to friends, faithful to famiglia.

They were a source of inspiration to me growing up, and I know they've been a role model for many other people; they've touched so many lives as music teachers, as participants in their community and family, as teachers and leaders in the church.

So please, check out the interview I did with them over this summer. It's a good read, and you'll see a little bit of what I mean. They're pretty cool :)

How about you? What have women in your family given or taught you? Do share, I'd love to hear your stories!

Read the interview here

International Women's Day

Coming up soon: March 8th is the day, and I'd like to celebrate by telling stories about women who inspire me or taught me something special. Check back later today for the first story :)

And contribute! Who is your female role model?

A note: sometimes, International Women's Day can turn into saying nice things about the women in your life. That's sweet, and it's important as well, but it's important to remember that the original goal of this day was to fight for women's rights. Women still suffer from inequality and abuse. I'll be sharing facts and figures along with the uplifting stories, because that's the point: see the positive and generate hope, but also work towards progress.

Oh hey

So... I won a national journalism award. Check it out.

Crazy!

Also, that's probably why I've been MIA this whole semester. Internship's going well, radio's going well, and I have zero free time, ever. I'm exhausted and honestly a little bit burnt out right now. But I really want to go to San Francisco to compete in the final round of this journalism competition, so I'm going to rest a little and then kick myself into action. 

Opinions

I fear my big mouth will get me in serious trouble some day. Sometimes I wonder if I'm really cut out to be a journalist, because it's so hard to report both sides when one of them is obviously dumb as rocks...

You know?

But it has to be done anyway.