All I want for Christmas: The Ron Paul Revolution

Bookworm. This is a term that I will gladly own. The following lists will be conquered (meaning the italicized books will be bought) during 2012, except for maybe the last list (non-books)... unless you truly wish to get me a gift.

Respectable reads

A Thousand Splendid Suns (Okay, I have read this book already, but I LOVE it and I don’t have it in my library, this might be the last book I obtain for myself), Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China (A history of China as viewed from the lives of three generations of women in the past century)

An ode to the mother culture

Dine Bahane’: The Navajo Creation Story, Between Earth & Sky: Legends of Native American Sacred Places, How Chipmunk Got His Stripes, How the Stars Fell into the Sky: A Navajo Legend, Dzani Yazhi Naazbaa’/Little Woman Warrior Who Came Home: A Story of the Navajo Long Walk

Stories about solving for q, z, and phi...

Fermat’s Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World’s Greatest Mathematical Problem, The Golden Ratio: The Story of PHI, the World’s Most Astonishing Number, Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea

“A book is never a masterpiece: it becomes one. Genius is the talent of a dead man.” Well stated. This is my nod to the classics. In particular...

Shakespeare Complete Works, The collected works of Charles Dickens, Anything by Oscar Wilde (except for The Portrait of Dorian Gray which I already own)

I am a nerd. I love fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, and thrillers. Past posts support the craziness; these books will simply stave the addiction.

Foundation and Empire novels, The Magician King: A Novel, The Scorpio Races, Super Freakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance (I don’t know how this one fits any of the genres above)

Ingenious practicality that I want part of:

Fierce Dragon Bookends, The Clapper Sound Activated On/Off Switch, Ron Paul Revolution t-shirts. There are at least five different types I like, a bubble calendar, a 6' long chart of the periodic table...

Note: All of the books have made its way to my Amazon wish-list.

One more note: Is not the picture of the book tree a dream? I love it. Thanks to Ana for sharing it with me!

The night I saw a picture of myself as a wee five-year-old on Facebook

A blog is meant to do what? Rant? Share epiphanies? Obligingly, I will accomplish both in this post.

The Rant: [The following is a descriptive telling narrated by the victim with near accurate recollection of the dialogue that ensued between identified parties.]

It was a dark Monday night when I logged onto Facebook. Whether it was to stalk someone or send a message escapes me. All I know is that the workday had been long, as usual, and I wanted a diversion. The instant my home page appeared, my top newsfeed item displayed a biggish picture of a little girl with fair skin, large eyes reminiscent of an animal or bird, and a head full of black hair with uneven bangs. She was holding a babe with quizzical eyebrows and the fattest cheeks. It was her baby brother! ... and the little girl with a bright yellow t-shirt was ME! Oh. My. Word. I had been betrayed by unknown reasons that would become apparent later that evening. Before I called the person responsible for posting, I threw my head back like the loveable villain Syndrome and laughed at the Navajo baby with the cheeks. Then I scrolled through my phone and dialed the number that belonged to the father of that boy and girl in the photo. If there was anyone who would sympathize with my thinking, it was surely the man who sided with Gene Simmons in being a social network skeptic.

Father: Hello?

Me: DAD! Guess what?! Your youngest son has posted a picture of my five-year-old self on FB!

Father: That goofball, why would he do that?

Me: Obviously to show off his cuteness. I just don’t understand why he had to show off mine too!

Father: Have you talked to him about it?

Me: Aargh! I need to make an outcry like a pirate because I'm caught between two emotions. I don't think I take FB too seriously, but sometimes I let it get the best of me for about five seconds. [In a slightly deflated voice I then whisper...] My five-year-old self would not have approved. [Suddenly, the invisible lightbulb that hovers atop my head switched on as I come to an exciting revelation.] Yes. Yes! That's the injustice of the act! Those pictures from my childhood are a personal catalog of who I am today. My strengths and weaknesses could be discerned from that type of information.

Father: So you're saying that people will discover your Kryptonite by viewing pictures of you as a kid?

Me: Yep. I knew this day would come. That sneaky boy.

The conversation quickly devolved to discuss an array of topics that bordered on the insensible and brilliant. The rant had passed and I could call that younger brother in peace.

The 'epiphanies' mentioned above can actually be distilled down to one: There is no denying, I was a cute kid. This admittance is the peeling away of one more layer around my onion frame of mind.

Mason Jennings makes my hands shake

Twitterpaited. That is the best description for how I feel. This will not be a cohesive blog post, but when is it ever? Perhaps unbeknownst to my bff Joe Jones, a strong magical bond equivalent to the Unbreakable Vow was formed as we lapped up the musical styling of Mason Jennings at First Ave tonight (it being the 26 November 2011).

Mason is a musical genius. He displayed his versatility by hopping from one instrument to another. Instruments aside, it is... was... always has been his lyrics that gnawed at this heart and intellect of mine. Let’s see if I remember the playlist of songs from this evening.... Be Here Now, Your New Man, Nothing, Butterfly, California, Darkness Between the Fireflies, Summer Dress, Jackson Square, and so many more. He did a cover of the Ramone’s classic “I wanna be sedated” and he gave a nod toward Chuck Berry. Big breaths. It was pure delight. Mason Jennings is by far my favorite musician, which only makes the rest of this post even better....

At the end of the night, Joe and I made our way towards the merchandise table. Oh boy. If there ever was an advantage to being just shy of 64 inches, it was tonight. We effortlessly made our way to the table and picked out the gifts we wanted for ourselves. No sooner had we completed our monetary exchanges, but the man himself appeared. He came to sign his autograph, pose in pictures, and talk with the fans. Now I must write one regret. If there ever was a time to carry a digital camera, it was tonight. Anyway, there was no time for regrets. I was able to rip off the plastic encasing on my CD before I jumped ahead, smiled, extended my hand and said, “Excellent job tonight!” He returned a warm smile and offered his appreciation. I asked if he would sign the inside cover of the CD I bought (it was the only white background I had with me). He asked me my name and so I spelled it for him. He thought it was COOL!!!!!!!! Don’t get me wrong, I also think I have one cool name. It fits me perfectly as an individual. But for Mason Jennings to say it the way he did causes my hands to start shaking again. He smiled differently as I spelled each letter. Given his depth with words, I felt that I could see the wheels turning with that name. I once said to a friend that I would love to have a song written about me. Soon after, I discovered Mason Jennings and realized within the first 10 seconds of hearing him for the first time that he could easily be the writer of such a song. I do not think that my brief moment with him this evening brings me one step closer to making it happen. And it is NOT the reason why I am so giddy. Rather, I think that our brief encounter was a collision of epic proportion for reasons that I feel can only best be described in a song... written by me. HA! That is the big result! He serves as a trigger. An impetus. A catalyst. Call it whatever you want, but my writing block has lifted. Thank you Joe for the best belated birthday memory ever. Thank you Nate for directing me to Mason Jennings. And lastly, thank you Mason for a magical night.

Twitterpaited. Yes, that is the right word for tonight.

What Would Harry Do?

Miracle. Apple Juice. Noxa. Marshmallows. Mowing the lawn. March Madness.

I just listed a few of my favorite things. I could watch the Disney movie Miracle every month and never cease to cheer. I think apple juice is the elixir to life. Marshmallows are the scent of the Greek gods. I could easily write another blog about mowing the lawn. I suffered my first heartbreak in 1998 when my beloved Wildcats lost to the Utes during March Madness. I can write nonstop about Noxa the Bcl-2, pro-apoptotic BH3-only protein, but I will spare you that adventure story. I write these things because I am mildly concerned that when people think of me, all they see is Harry Potter (HP). Silly. I don’t look anything like the bloke! I have long contested in my family that we are really ogres with peels of layers to our emotions. I was told only ogres like to contest their views. Ha. My point is that there is so much more to me than this HP nonsense. For crying out loud, I haven’t even tested out Pottermore yet!

Anyway, this blog will unfortunately NOT break with custom. I realize my last paragraph is rendered moot as well since this post is infused with enough Butterbeer to keep you wanting more HP posts in the future. Before I get to the meat of the post, I preface it with the following texts I received from my family the night of July 14^th-15^th, 2011 when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II was released.

I made my wand :)

-Camille (she sent a picture of a blue fluorescent wand at 11:30 pm. I was already giddy with excitement but receiving this text made me LOL b/c I remember dragging her 6 hrs early to the OotP midnight release in Tucson, AZ)

If you’re watching Harold Potter’s last movie be careful, love you & have a goodnight ;)

*Mario (3 am in Mpls, 1 am in Phx)

How is Harry?

-Dad (my mom sent it from my Dad’s phone)

That was awesome!

-Ammon (younger bro who broke BYU-I rules to watch the midnight showing)

Now to explain this post, I have written below an alternative mormon.org profile with a strong influence of HP. Why did I do this? I already have one written. It is a serious one that genuinely expresses why I choose to be a Mormon. It says nothing regarding my partiality to the HP books or any other book aside from scripture. My reason for writing the following is not to mock either! I was challenged by two well-dressed boys to incorporate HP into an alternative mormon.org profile. I accepted the challenge because I typically do whimsical stuff like accepting to run the most challenging position of the Great River Ragnar Relay without checking the course. It’s just what I do. So here goes:

Hi! I’m Xazmin.

I am a Slytherin-sorted muggle-born from Arizona, USA. Nevertheless, I am as gutsy as any Gryffindor, as hardworking as any Hufflepuff, and as resourceful as any Ravenclaw.

About me:

I was born to goodly parents who endowed me with a pureblooded Navajo ancestry. (Whether this factors into my Slytherin affinity is unknown, but I have taken up blogging to solve for such things.) I went through my years as a squirt mesmerized by tales—be it tall or fairy or true. Little did I know that I was brewing a charm equivalent to the Fidelius charm to all things magical! I grew up in an environment fostered by a great love and appreciation for life. My siblings kept me well grounded and I happily returned the favor. The magic I write of and speak of is not so overt as to elicit “oohs and ahhs”. Rather, the magic I seek lies within every unique individual who triumphs over the cards they are dealt. I am a fan of wizards and muggles alike.

Why I am a Mormon...er... a Harry Potter fan:

My reasons for being a Mormon have been established here. However I am welcome to discuss it further over a pot of mutton stew and chilled apple juice. My reasons for being an HP fan have not been divulged yet. In my teenage years, news from across the ocean reached me of a boy wizard named Harry Potter. I was already reading enough hokey material about witches, wizards, elves, and dwarves so I ignored the fervor. One day, ennui overcame me and I reached for the nearest book. It was about Harry Potter, the boy who lived. I began the book and became absorbed in the story. The rest is a continuing history. Just read my earlier blogs. So how does Mormonism and HP relate to each other? Ask my dad that question and he will wave a dismissive hand and say it does not. Ask my sister and she will snort and start blabbing about Percy Jackson. I will answer that there is a connection if you wish to see it. For some there is no connection. However, I think there is a link to Mormonism and to anything that is good or praiseworthy (13^th Article of Faith). In the HP series, there are characters who overcome their weaknesses and defeat the evil intentions of Voldy and his followers. It is a dramatic story that anyone who loves good will heartily enjoy because good triumphs; albeit it comes with much sacrifices. It is a heroic tale that I will most likely share in my future hobbit-like home.

How I live my faith:

I strive to live up to the qualities embodied in each Hogwarts house.... Or if all else fails, doing what Jesus would do. (I know that my “What would Harry do?” pins are blasphemous, yet they nicely served the purpose of their existence by keeping my team number (62) pinned to my shorts at the end of the Ragnar race. I will forever be grateful to my WWHD pin.)