Tuesdays with Muerte

The Itsy Bitsy Spider: A Fan Theory I just learned about water sprouts . These bad boys love to grow on fruit trees. They provide the perfect structural support for spiderwebs. Fruit farmers are all too familiar with them because they qualify as "deranged wood" and need to be regularly pruned. However, as we will explore later, they can also serve as powerful metaphors. It reminded me of the familiar nursery rhythm "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" (based on the original 1910 folksong, "Spider Song"). I wondered if the song included the lyric water spout at some point in its evolution . The first publication of the song involved a spider climbing and being washed from a web . "Oh, the blooming, bloody spider went up the spider web , The blooming, bloody rain came down and washed the spider out, The blooming, bloody sun came out and dried up all the rain, And the blooming, bloody spider came up the web again." Originating in Southern California during the...

Have you seen the 1965 film The Sound of Music starring Julie Andrews ? There's a song lyric from "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" that I've misheard my entire life. I thought Rolf sang, "Timid and shy and scared are you of things beyond your kin (as in family)." But I recently learned while reading How To Know A Person by the wordsmith David Brooks that the lyric is not kin, but ken . I had to look up the full lyrics to confirm. Sure enough, ken . So what does ken mean? Turns out, it's a nautical term.  Merriam-Webster has this to say: Ken appeared on the English horizon in the 16th century as a term of measurement of the distance bounding the range of ordinary vision at sea—about 20 miles. British author John Lyly used that sense in 1580 when he wrote, "They are safely come within a ken of Dover." Other 16th-century writers used ken to mean " range of vision " ("Out of ken we were ere the Countesse came from the feast....

Preface This preface is both a "thank you" and an apology. I'm excited you are interested enough to engage with the topic. I'm sorry this isn't a conversation. This is a bit heavier than most of my stuff. Please only read on if this interests you.  Where Did This Question Come From? I was exploring the topic of Campbell's The Hero's Journey when I came across a Disney ad that clearly suggested that  Jiminy Cricket  was  Pinocchio's mentor, but I wasn't so sure. The video's title was  Pinocchio | Sidekicks And Mentors | Disney+ . According to Campbell, sidekicks and mentors are two very different roles. I wondered why Disney couldn't commit to a single label for Jiminy .  "Is he a sidekick or mentor?" To be fair, they probably intended for Jiminy to serve both roles, like Timothy the Mouse from  Dumbo  (1941), but the question still got my wheels turning. "What about the Blue Fairy?" Meeting Pinocchio, the Blue Fairy, and...

Introduction I listened to the lyrics to the AJR song,  BANG!  for the first time today and immediately noticed its connection to suicide. Curious why this wasn't obvious to more people, I googled it and discovered that I may be  one of the few people who think this way. I'm not crazy, right? Pexels.com Song Analysis Listen to the chorus: "Everybody come hang (come hang). Let's go out with a bang. Bang! Bang! Bang!" These repeated words brought to my mind a couple of terrifying statistics:  Suicide is the SECOND leading cause of death for college-age youth and youth ages 12-18 ( CDC WISQARS ) The two leading methods of suicide (in high-income countries) are hanging and firearms ( The Parent Resource Program ). As I continued to examine the song lyrics, I realized EVERYTHING about the song supported my interpretation. This radio hit doesn't necessarily glorify suicide. It's more of a social commentary on the frustrating plight of American youngsters. It ...

Pexels Brigham Young University (BYU) students, like students anywhere else, are susceptible to the winter blues. Here are some common ways students might cope with the winter season: Outdoor Activities : Taking advantage of  winter intramural sports and activities  can be a great way to stay active and enjoy the season. Additionally, students might prefer going out on their own by taking advantage of local, world-class skiing or snowboarding resorts Alta or Snowbird , or simply taking a walk in the snow. Don't like the cold? Soak in the sunshine by heading to St. George for a day. Indoor Recreation : Keep up with exercise routines and plan weekly activities to break the winter routine. BYU and Provo offer indoor recreational facilities where students can engage in activities like pickleball, or  swimming at the Richards Building (RB), rock climbing at the Quarry, or playing indoor activities with friends during open court times at the RB gyms. Whatever indoor activit...

I want to be an under shepherd for Christ, but I fear my light is not super bright. Is my dim light enough? Dim Lightbulb  by  Aditya Vyas When I love people, I desire to be open with them. That includes the deep joy I find in my relationship with Jesus Christ. The Rub But here's the rub. When I hear "motivational" quotes like,  "If you want to give light to others, you have to glow yourself.”  And “Ours is the responsibility to keep our lights bright for others to see and follow.”  —Thomas S. Monson "Stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all  places" (Mosiah 18:9, emphasis added). "As we live the gospel, love and serve others, stand strong in the face of temptation and persecution, and bear testimony in word and deed, we will draw others to Jesus Christ" (" Our Call to Share the Savior's Gospel ,"   Liahona,  July 2023, 7). I think: "You must be flawless before you can invite someone to be mor...

Why Djoker Will Win the 2023 Aussie Open I just finished watching Novak Djokovic's 4th-round, post-game, on-court interview, and I can just tell he will win. On top of all the other incredible things he has going for him, there is about his confident swagger and playful demeanor cinched it for me. Here's what he said in the interview:  Jim Courier: ' I'm not going to ask you HOW you beat him so convincingly; I'm gonna ask you WHY you beat him so convincingly. ' ― American tennis great Jim Courier said to Novak Djoker  Djokovic after the later dismantled his opponent Alex de Minaur in straight sets.  Djoker : ' Because I wanted to ,' Djoker calmly replied with a grin on his face.  *Mic drop* Did you catch it? Did you sense Djokovic's X-factor in the interview ?  It resides somewhere in the mental/emotional domain. This elusive element, combined with his physical preparation will make him unstoppable. I'm still unsure how to exactly define this X-...