tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18057948197454028822024-03-12T19:03:25.640-07:00Plain Vanilla Because vanilla is a flavor.Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.comBlogger217125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-85286387804215266642015-02-27T18:03:00.002-08:002015-02-27T18:03:36.712-08:00My Dear Reader,
As many of you know, Leonard Nimoy, most famous for his role as Spock, passed away today.
A lot of people outside of the Star Trek fandom do not understand what Spock brought to the world, and therefore do not understand what we have lost.
Spock is not just a guy with pointy ears. He's a complex character who developed beautifully over decades of Star Trek episodes and movies, Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-52769769932214294572015-01-13T00:00:00.000-08:002015-01-13T00:00:10.995-08:00Sticks, Stones, and BarnaclesMy Dear Reader,
As a person who is continually focused on self-improvement, I really love starting fresh. I love a new year, a new month, even a new week. So this time of the year (even though it's cloudy and cold and distinctively not Christmas) is one of my favorites. I like taking time to take stock and learn more about myself.
One of the things I've been interested in is the Myers–Briggs Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-39013452137205276952014-04-15T00:11:00.000-07:002014-04-15T00:11:00.139-07:00I Have Strong Feelings About Salad, Okay?My Dear Reader,
I mean it. Sometimes salad makes me mad.
I attribute most of this to the fact that I don't like salad dressing. Like, the smell of ranch makes me want to vomit. That's what I mean when I say that I don't like it.
And I realize that this is just a quirk of mine, and some might even say that this is a fault. I'm picky, in this way at least, and I'm making life harder on everyone Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-55057146464656072152014-04-08T00:22:00.000-07:002014-04-08T23:43:05.417-07:00Cecily vs. the Glass BoxMy Dear Reader,
My sophomore year in college, I had a roommate who, at that time, was one of the most confounding human beings I had ever met. I'm not into naming people on this blog without their permission, so I'll call her Sarah.
Sarah confused and frustrated me, not because she was a bad person, or because she did anything wrong. She confused me because she was a punk rocker. And a Mormon. Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-92065616564631539892014-02-04T08:00:00.000-08:002014-02-04T08:00:06.810-08:00The Difference Between Conservatism and LiberalismMy Dear Reader,
Life is getting political again. Or maybe it always is. Maybe I just manage to ignore it the rest of the time.
Anyway, I have a lot of friends that have opposing political viewpoints. I've lived in California, Utah, and Oregon, so I feel that I can say that with perfect honesty. Some of my friends agree with my political viewpoints. Some of them don't.
And you know what? That'sCecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-24704432955974320222014-01-28T08:00:00.001-08:002014-01-28T08:00:02.227-08:00All I Needed to Know About Men I Learned from Jane Austen, Part 6: Mr. Elton
"I never in my life saw a man more intent on being agreeable than Mr. Elton. It is downright labour to him where ladies are concerned. With men he can be rational and unaffected, but when he has ladies to please, every feature works."
-Emma, Chapter 13
My Dear Reader,
In my continuing endeavor to read twelve classics in 2014, I decided to read one of the few Jane Austen novels I hadn't Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-28361890250628957722014-01-14T00:01:00.000-08:002014-01-14T12:06:13.373-08:00C. S. Lewis, Ayn Rand, and LoveMy Dear Reader,
I think about love a lot.
Not romantic love, necessarily. Just love in general.
If you've never read C. S. Lewis's The Four Loves, I'd highly recommend it. The four loves he talks about are: brotherly/familial love, friendship, romantic love, and unconditional love. Each kind of love has its own parameters, but they are all love.
And when we talk about love, we talk a lot Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-20204037274380704182014-01-07T00:01:00.000-08:002014-01-07T20:46:57.696-08:00Modesty in SpaceMy Dear Reader,
Growing up in a very religious family, I was taught the importance of modesty at almost every turn. And I always thought that it was a great idea.
I'm weird, I know.
I have this theory. You know how most people have a favorite vice? I think everyone also has a favorite virtue. Modesty is mine. So when people start talking about modesty and how the very idea is shaming and Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-12802598307982415632013-12-31T00:01:00.000-08:002014-01-14T12:16:12.463-08:00The Year Is Dying, In the NightMy Dear Reader,
The year 2013 it at an end! This is the last day of it! Man, what a year this has been.
And really, considering it bears the dreaded thirteen, the year has not been so disastrous as it could have been. I mean, it's been a little disastrous, but fire and brimstone has yet to rain down on us, so I'm pleasantly surprised.
I find that it's the time between Christmas and New Year's Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-28604443841277993472013-12-28T22:52:00.000-08:002013-12-28T22:52:18.150-08:00Out with the Old, In with the NewMy Dear Reader,
As this year is wrapping up, I find myself in the middle of a lot of drastic changes. Changes that are difficult for me to handle, that have put me on an emotional roller coaster. To summarize:
My car broke down, which it has done three Decembers in a row
I am sick of my car breaking down
I can't fix my car, and since the transmission is dead, I'm not going to get any money fromCecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-43457856153306367432013-09-10T08:31:00.000-07:002013-09-10T08:31:00.489-07:00Group Texting Is THE WORSTMy Dear Reader,
Group texting is THE WORST.
Why, you ask?
Because people have no idea how to properly use it.
Group texting, while not inherently evil, is a tool. But it's not like a screwdriver or a crowbar. It's more like a jackhammer. After all, when my phone is on vibrate, they make the same exact sound.
I can't take it any more, my Gentle Reader. I can't take the random texts at 1 AM Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-47233242394729060512013-08-27T08:00:00.000-07:002013-08-27T08:00:00.836-07:00Yelp and the Power of Proactive PositivityMy Dear Reader,
I like saying nice things to people.
And I don't know If you've picked up on this, but I like books a lot. (I've tried to be subtle.)
You know what else I like? Independent book stores. So I'm going to say some nice things about those for a bit.
You have to understand that I'm a capitalist. I don't hate businesses based on their size. The computer I'm writing this post on is Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-82034912559076697972013-08-13T07:00:00.000-07:002013-08-15T06:37:24.715-07:00Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words to Each OtherMy Dear Reader,
When I was a girl, a particularly terrifying middle-aged woman from church told me that holding back compliments was a sin. Something about pride and whatnot. At the time, when I was already bombarded with warnings of all kinds of other sins to worry about, this was horrifying. No way the devil was going to take hold of me just because I forgot to tell Judy that her hair looked Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-34742217502772087412013-08-06T08:00:00.000-07:002014-01-25T17:47:14.467-08:00Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain!<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-6189011303450739082013-05-24T00:30:00.000-07:002013-05-24T00:30:01.514-07:00Short Story: "Dreams"My Dear Reader,
It's been a while since I've posted fiction on here, so here's a little something for you.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }
"Dreams"
By
Cecily Jane
And that is when I realize that they
don't love me.
Maybe they never have. Maybe what they
love is this life they've made, complete with a house, two cars, and
a respectable amount of children. They love their Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-45969956905623563902013-05-07T08:30:00.000-07:002014-01-25T17:58:51.330-08:00Prayers, Phones, and Self-limitationsMy Dear Reader,
As a lifelong Mormon, I have often been encouraged to seek for spiritual guidance on a daily basis, in even the most trivial matters. These spiritual experiences are the foundation of our faith, and we build it scripture by scripture, prayer by prayer.
Even for the little stuff.
Stuff that isn't necessarily in the spiritual category. Stuff, for example, like when things go Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-10915510009490302972013-04-25T01:51:00.000-07:002013-08-23T13:08:31.743-07:00This Is the Friend ZoneMy Dear Reader,
Lately, I've been hearing the idea of the friend zone and how that term can be misunderstood and used for unfair purposes.
The argument is that the term is manipulative. If you say that you have unrequited love, for example, the implication is that you've had some bad luck. They don't love you back, and that it a sad story, my friend. That's just life, you know? Let me give you Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-5678720774777628812013-04-09T19:57:00.002-07:002013-04-09T19:57:31.231-07:00Holden Caulfield and Banning BooksMy Dear Reader,
As I mentioned previously, one of the books I read for my Ten Classics in 2013 challenge was Catcher in the Rye. Since it's one of the most banned books of all time, and since I read it right after reading Fahrenheit 451, I've been thinking a lot about censorship and age-appropriate material.
Really, I can see both sides of this issue.
On one side, you have the obvious truth Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-73686358492992713032013-04-02T18:01:00.000-07:002013-04-02T18:01:50.446-07:00Ignorance and FireMy Dear Reader,
Last week I talked to you about my self-imposed challenge of reading ten classics in 2013.
I'm pleased to say that as of March, I've read The Hobbit, Fahrenheit 451, and Catcher in the Rye. Not bad, if I say so myself.
These three books were each important to me because, for various reasons, they were books I'd given up on as a teenager. I feel especially bad about Fahrenheit Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-60024806124481332762013-03-26T08:03:00.000-07:002013-03-26T12:57:44.163-07:00Books, Books, and more BooksMy Dear Reader,
As one of my 2013 New Year resolutions, I decided to read ten classic novels within the course of the year.
It's
actually not as challenging as you think, though, because a while ago I
started a habit of putting a classic into my shopping cart whenever I
found one at a decent price, and now I own somewhere around
thirty-five classics that I've never read.
So, you know, Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-22508847751983632942013-01-29T00:01:00.000-08:002013-01-29T00:01:00.331-08:00Cecily vs. Girl WorldMy Dear Reader,
Most girls don't like me.
Mind you,
this is not an emotional conclusion; it's a logical one. I have always
struggled to have friends of my own gender, but as a kid, being friends
with girls means playing Barbies, and Barbies were boring. Climbing on
top of the roof and reading the most recent Baby Sitters Club book was, in my young opinion, a much better way to spend an Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-60217815580879638932012-11-13T00:01:00.000-08:002012-11-13T00:30:50.480-08:00Three Short(ish) ThoughtsMy Dear Reader,
I don't really have a coherent post for you right now, but I do have some short thoughts I'd like to share. Here we go:
1. They always tell you to be the change you want to see in the world. What they don't tell you is that until people start catching on, it just kinda sucks.
-Or-
Sometimes being yourself means being alone.
I honestly, truly believe that every person in Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-37907995080663214652012-10-02T17:17:00.000-07:002012-11-12T20:24:30.915-08:00Dating and Dollar Bills<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-78232661090410858242012-09-18T01:29:00.000-07:002012-09-18T01:29:00.420-07:00Facebook and HashtagsMy Dear Reader,
I had to wait an extra day to post this one, just because the levity of this topic might be inappropriate on a day like yesterday.
But really, this is something I should have talked about a long, long time ago.
Hashtags, people.
On Facebook.
Not okay.
In case you're not familiar with my terminology, a hashtag is a feature on twitter. When you write a tweet, you can put a Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-73825504524756610782012-09-13T00:08:00.002-07:002012-09-13T00:08:15.143-07:00101 Questions to Ask Before Marriage
My Dear Reader,
So, this post is a little unusual. Let me tell you why.
I was just going about my business, pursuing Facebook, when I noticed a Muslim dating ad* on the side of the screen. And I clicked it. Not because I was interested in dating a Muslim, but I was interested in learning about other people and the way they see the world.
The ad lead me to a page that listed 101 Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1