"The Walrus and the Carpenter"

One day when I was little I went to visit my dad in his office. When I came in he told me had something to show me. He reached for an envelope with the IN-IN-OUT logo on it. I wondered what could be so exciting about an advertisement. Then, he showed me it was addressed to my grandfather who had died when I was under four. He opened it up and showed me the complimentary gift certificate inside. He explained to me that it was his birthday present from his dad and he was going to get a Double-Double. I can imagine the face he had--all big, happy eyes and flared nostrils. It's a family thing.

This story reminds me that sometimes we can get reminders from the people we love. I had a similar reminder recently when trying to name my blog. Yesterday, while making some changes it came to me instantly. I told you my Dad's story, here's mine:

When I was in my teens I would go hang out with my dad in his office. We'd both sit in office chairs and relax. My office chair was fluffy and dark brown. The arms were covered with a rubbery material that I would play with when I was hearing his story, but wasn't listening. His chair was navy blue with dark wood arms. The padding in the top of it was starting to wear and when I put my hands on the back of it I could feel the structure of the chair under the padding. It always reminded me of my dad's aged shoulders. I think this is because he used to keep his favorite blue coat forever draped over the back of his chair. It was covered with patches that paraded all of his accomplishments. Most of the patches were pictures of airplanes. He used to wear this coat when he went on walks. He loved to walk in the rain. It was in those times, when we were both relaxed and sitting in his office chairs that he would always say, "Let's talk." Without fail I would always respond with, "What do you want to talk about?" and very often he would reply with a happy sigh and, "Oh, shoes and ships and sealing wax". I can't imagine how many times he must have said this before I asked him where it came from. My dad had a habit of quoting movies, singing songs, and dancing an occasional jig. He said that the day he ran out of songs that I've never heard would be when it was time for him to die. That's why years later, when he started singing the same songs over I would lie and respond as I always had with, "I've never heard that one before." When I asked him where he got the saying from he told me that when he was a boy he had a book that was titled "Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax". I asked him what it was about and he told me, "all sorts of things--shoes and ships and sealing wax". That is how I came understand that it was a term for random topics. Shortly after he died I found the book in some of his old belongings. But, it wasn't until yesterday when I titled my blog that I looked it up online and found out that it originally comes from the following poem by Lewis Carroll. This makes me happy because my dad died before I went away to college and chose to major in English. It seems like his little contribution to my life after he died. I guess my dad knows I like to read, just like his dad knew he liked IN-N-OUT.

The Walrus and The Carpenter
Lewis Carroll
(from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)

The sun was shining on the sea,Shining with all his might:He did his very best to makeThe billows smooth and bright--And this was odd, because it wasThe middle of the night.
The moon was shining sulkily,Because she thought the sunHad got no business to be thereAfter the day was done--"It's very rude of him," she said,"To come and spoil the fun!"
The sea was wet as wet could be,The sands were dry as dry.You could not see a cloud, becauseNo cloud was in the sky:No birds were flying overhead--There were no birds to fly.
The Walrus and the CarpenterWere walking close at hand;They wept like anything to seeSuch quantities of sand:"If this were only cleared away,"They said, "it would be grand!"
"If seven maids with seven mopsSwept it for half a year.Do you suppose," the Walrus said,"That they could get it clear?""I doubt it," said the Carpenter,And shed a bitter tear.
"O Oysters, come and walk with us!"The Walrus did beseech."A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,Along the briny beach:We cannot do with more than four,To give a hand to each."
The eldest Oyster looked at him,But never a word he said:The eldest Oyster winked his eye,And shook his heavy head--Meaning to say he did not chooseTo leave the oyster-bed.
But four young Oysters hurried up,All eager for the treat:Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,Their shoes were clean and neat--And this was odd, because, you know,They hadn't any feet.
Four other Oysters followed them,And yet another four;And thick and fast they came at last,And more, and more, and more--All hopping through the frothy waves,And scrambling to the shore.
The Walrus and the CarpenterWalked on a mile or so,And then they rested on a rockConveniently low:And all the little Oysters stoodAnd waited in a row.
"The time has come," the Walrus said,"To talk of many things:Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--Of cabbages--and kings--And why the sea is boiling hot--And whether pigs have wings."
"But wait a bit," the Oysters cried,"Before we have our chat;For some of us are out of breath,And all of us are fat!""No hurry!" said the Carpenter.They thanked him much for that.
"A loaf of bread," the Walrus said,"Is what we chiefly need:Pepper and vinegar besidesAre very good indeed--Now if you're ready, Oysters dear,We can begin to feed."
"But not on us!" the Oysters cried,Turning a little blue."After such kindness, that would beA dismal thing to do!""The night is fine," the Walrus said."Do you admire the view?
"It was so kind of you to come!And you are very nice!"The Carpenter said nothing but"Cut us another slice:I wish you were not quite so deaf--I've had to ask you twice!"
"It seems a shame," the Walrus said,"To play them such a trick,After we've brought them out so far,And made them trot so quick!"The Carpenter said nothing but"The butter's spread too thick!"
"I weep for you," the Walrus said:"I deeply sympathize."With sobs and tears he sorted outThose of the largest size,Holding his pocket-handkerchiefBefore his streaming eyes.
"O Oysters," said the Carpenter,"You've had a pleasant run!Shall we be trotting home again?'But answer came there none--And this was scarcely odd, becauseThey'd eaten every one.

Me and Mr. Gatsby

I just finished The Great Gatsby last weekend. It was a strange experience for me because I usually become very absorbed in the characters I am reading about. This wasn't the case with The Great Gatsby. I found it difficult to identify with and like Mr. Gatsby, but I don’t think that was Fitzgerald’s purpose. Still, by the end of the book I was able to sympathize with his passion for the elusive Daisy and appreciate his methodical mind. To me he resembled somewhat of a mad scientist in his obsession with Daisy.

I felt that The Great Gatsby was eloquent and descriptive. I really enjoyed the glittering atmosphere of the twenties it provided. I felt like I was spending a hot, lazy, aristocratic summer in the West and East Egg myself. While reading I visualized the muted, summery, and glittery tones of blue, yellow, and pink.

The novel’s purpose is to explore the changes that were taking place in the early twenties in regard to the disintegration of the “American dream”. Fitzgerald explored faded morals and excessive availability of financial success. He modeled this change by introducing characters that were not particularly likable as they lacked moral decency. He also chose a setting that indicated the wealth he meant to describe. The West and the East egg were symbolic of both new and old money respectively. This showed the social division between the classes as well as the dynamics of excessive wealth.

When taking the novel to a more personal level, I took this from my reading: Take advantage of your opportunities especially when it comes to love. Don't deny your feelings because you will likely feel the same way years from now when your time is passed. I also feel that it exemplified that once a commitment has been made and you have lost your opportunity it is honorable to keep your peace.

For those of you who haven't read The Great Gatsby, I recommend it as a Summer or Spring read. I think this would be the perfect book to read in a lounge chair on the lawn sipping a sweaty glass of lemonade.

Sisters, Seals, and Sun

ANNIE'S BIRTHDAY TRIP TO CATALINA

Annie and I had the best trip to Catalina Island! I had never been and it was great to go with my sister who likes to chill by the pool and sleep in just like me. Actually, we did quite a lot. We spent most of one day kayaking with a very friendly seal who followed us up and down the coast. That is probably my favorite memory. We also biked all around Avalon one day. Those were some of our times that we didn't get documented with photos because we were just having too much fun. A trip to Catalina with your sister is definitely a must! I highly recommend it.

Buffy, I couldn't resist sneaking into your account. I know I'm a bad big sister. But, I wanted you to see this photo of you in New Orleans. I think it looks really cool.

Diaper Cake...it's better than it sounds.

This is a picture of the diaper cake I made last week. This is very crafty of me, but I thought it was fun.

Happy Mother's Day

I love Hi.

So, I finally went to Hawaii. Ever since my childhood friend, Elizabeth, moved to Laie I've wanted to go. It was even better than I had anticipated.

Day one: I went to Waikiki Beach until my friend, Ellie, got off work and came to pick me up. While I was there lots of strange people talked to me and I got the biggest pinapple saved ice on the planet. It was awesome. Later, Ellie and her friend picked me up and we met her brother-in-law's brother, wife, and mother. Cody, Louise, and Carol. They were very kind and let Ellie and me sleep on the boat that night.

Day two: On my second day we woke up at 5 am and set out deep sea fishing. Cody gave us a narrated tour of Pearl Harbor, which was very cool. While we were out we saw a tortoise, some birds, dolphins, and some flying fish (seriously). This is Ellie and me hanging loose on the back of the boat waiting for the fish to bite. Notice the fishing poles in the background. We had five total.

When we got out of the harbor, Ellie and I got brave and decided to go to the front of the boat and sit on the little ledge. Louise told us it was kinda like a roller coaster up there. Once we found out of deep the water was, we made sure we put on life jackets before we scaled the side of the boat to get up there. While we were up there some dolphins came and swam right underneath out feet. It was so out-of-a-movie. Pretty soon we heard Cody yelling for us. The first fish we caught was a tuna. This was the second fish we caught. It was a 21 pound Onah. Cody said that people sometimes call it a Yahoo because that's what they say when they catch it. I thought that was cool. It has really sharp teeth, so it kinda freaked us out at first. We put it on ice and forgot about it.

After that Ellie and I chilled some more. Man, I love fishing. Good thing we did, though, because pretty soon Ellie had to bring in a Mahi-Mahi all by herself. We caught three at once and Ellie's was the biggest. We took naps on the boat after that.

This is a picture of all of us except Louise after we cleaned the boat. We looked pretty dirty, but we didn't care. From Left: Cody, Carol, Ellie, and me.

We got cleaned up and went to the place where they auction the fish. That was pretty cool. Cody took Ellie, Carol, and me into the room where they keep all the fish. It wasn't pleasant, but we still managed to got eat sushi that night with one of Ellie's friends from church. I was so thankful for Cody's family taking us deep sea fishing. They were probably the nicest people I've met in a long time.

That night after we ate sushi we went to pick Jalene up from the airport. Then, we drove up to Ellie's camp, Camp Erdman, on the North Shore.

Day Three: The next day we went on an Ellie narrated hike to a crystal cave and waterfall. Above is a picture of Jalene and me at the top. That day was Sunday and Ellie got to teach the lesson in Relief Society. So Jalene and I laid on the beach while Ellie prepared. We shared my IPOD and soaked up some sun. Then, we went to church with Ellie.

Day Four: This is a picture of Ellie and me on the boat ride at the Poylnesian Cultural Center. I had no idea it was going to feel like Disneyland. Below are some pictures of the various islanders doing dances from the island they represent.

I liked the New Zealand boat best becasue that's where the cute guys were.

This is Jalene and me in front of the Laie Temple. We stopped there on the way back to camp. Jalene loved it, so we took some extra picture of her there. The sisters gave us some Pulmeria flowers for our hair. She told us it goes on the right if you're single. Jalene is dating Adam right now so she has hers on the left. As you can see, I am still waiting for the New Zealand boys.

Day Five: This is a funny picture of me on the Bowfin at Pearl Harbor. Dan and Kat, this is where I got you a smashed penny. Ellie didn't get to go with us that day because she had to work. This is a picture of me climbing through the door. Family, I felt like I was in Down Periscope. All I needed was a hammock and a srunken uniform. The other picture is of me in one of the engine rooms.

After that we took the boat to the USS Arizona Memorial, which was a little sadening. Below is what you can see from the memorial of the sunken Arizona. Sadly, many of the bodies weren't able to be recovered from the ship. The other picture is the wall that lists all of the men who died on the Arizona.

On the way back to camp that day, Jalene and I stopped in the historic part of Halewia to do some more shopping and get some malasadas for Ellie. We also got some bubble drinks and decided we didn't really like the bubbles.

Day Six: On my last day, before I went to the airport, Jalene and I hung around camp and laid on the beach. This swing was my favorite place to hang out at Ellie's camp. I guess some guy came to do some handy work for the camp. He wanted to stay longer, but they told him he had to be working on something to stay, so he put up this swing. Quite the contribution, I thought. The other is a picture of camp. Across the street is where they filmed the homes of the others on Lost. Jalene said she'd get a picture for me becasue my camera died that day. Ellie saw Sawyer there recently while shooting for Lost.

This is me doing like my Aunt Janet always did with pictures and writing my name in the sand. I wish I had the one of Jalene on my camera to put on here. It was cute. Hawaii was wonderful, but I think the best part was hanging out with Ellie and Jalene.