My Favorite Kind of Stories

I love the fantastic.

Do you know what I mean?

The inbetween.
The stories that leave you with chills running up your spine.
Not scary stories.
Not horror stories.
But the ones that are a bit spooky.
The ones where the line is blurred between reality and fantasy.
Where you can't quite tell if what is happening is supposed to be real or pretend.

I once took a lovely class on Fantastic Literature where we read the likes of Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde, E.T.A. Hoffman, and Villiers de I'Isles Adams.
We mainly read older books, because the Fantastic is more a genre that had it's glory day in the 1800s.
I all but thought it had died.
Or that in the days of Prozac and psychiatrists that there were no more tortured souls to write my favorite kinds of stories.

But the other day I got a book from the library full of short stories by Neil Gaiman.
{Not that he is tortured, but simply that he has that bit of madness that knows how to weave a tale.}
I can't even begin to tell you how much I love Neil Gaiman.
I think he is my favorite author.
Have you seen Stardust?
He wrote the book.
That one is definitely a faerie tale.
But some of the stories in Smoke and Mirrors are not.
They are of the fantastic genre.

I was reading one last night before bed
{foolishly thinking that because they were short stories, I could stop at one. Right? Wrong.}
and it was deliciously spooky.
I was left with the delightful feeling that made me nervous to turn off the light, for then I should have to return to my bed in the dark.
And who knows what would be under there.

I am 21 years old.
I know that there is nothing under my bed but boxes of winter clothes.
But I was still afraid.

And a story that could disrupt my reality and proper way of thinking?
Now that is a story written by a genius.
And most definitely a story that I love.

Stories by Neil Gaiman that I recommend:
Chivalry {not fantastic, but lovely all the same.}
Nicholas Was... {Mom, don't read this one. You won't like it.}
The Price {possibly the best one, because it has my favorite kind of cat.}
Don't Ask Jack The White Road

Quote-ables

"I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half in agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone forever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own, than when you broke it eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant."

~Captain Wentworth's letter to Anne Elliot

Persuasion, Jane Austen

This is my favorite line from my favorite Jane Austen.

Just thought I'd share.

Some Good Links

1. I must have these books.

2. There are a lot of strange places in the world... I must see them all!

3. Guess what? You can make your own handwriting a font. Thank goodness. I've been waiting for that one.

4. My uncle wrote a book. And my mom helped edit it. (Seriously, crazy amounts of time spent with that book.) And now it's finally available on Barnes and Noble. Check it out!

5. Speaking of books, I ordered this one last week. Stunning.

6. I've been listening to a lot of Bach lately. Particularly this song.

7. I desperately want this lipstick.

8. General Conference is this weekend. I really recommend it.

That's all.

Harry Potter vs. Twilight

Um, YES! I could have written this. Just to let you know.

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Everything You Need

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.

~Cicero

Dear mom,

You have everything you need.

Although I would add music and me to the list.
So, really, you have it all.

Love,
Flossie

You can now be as cool as it gets.

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If there is one material possession that I need in this world, it is a Penguin Book mug. Preferably the Wuthering Heights or the 1984 one. You know.

The Most Random Post Yet. You've Been Warned.

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Look! An artistic interpretation of how I felt today upon finding out that I had been scheduled wrong, and my appointment was at 3:00 pm, not 4:00 pm like I thought. Like I could have made it to a 3:00 appointment. Idiots.


It is finally warm enough to ride my bike around. The park is pleasantly close and the grass conveniently soft for laying and reading on.

And, he's back! That boy I was over that it turns out a friend of mine knows. You know, the one from 2 years ago. Nothing dredges up the past like a mutual acquaintance. Or, in this case, a mutual really good friend.


All in all, I'm grateful for trashy novels, like these, whose over the top drama help me realize that I've got it good. I mean, I've never been forced into an engagement to a man I hated when my true love was the carriage boy. I've never had to run off with the carriage boy to California, only to have him shot and killed mere hours after my wedding. And because I hate the character that that all happened too, I'll also remind myself that my true love never married my arch nemesis to save my reputation from being soiled. After I'd had intimate relations with above mentioned true love. Nope, I've got it good.

Dorian Gray

I am currently reading The Picture of Dorian Gray. And I love it. I read it once, a long time ago, but I don't think I appreciated it the way I do now. Oscar Wilde is genius. Book club? I think so. Who's in?

Wonderful Wednesdays

1. The Picture of Dorian Gray
2. $15 running shoes at Target
3. sharing Green Apple Airheads
4. these two songs

Cartoons and Forever Plans - M...

God Help The Girl - God Help T...

5. Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds
6. watching H-face run the track barefoot
7. mustard yellow skinny pants
8. plaid shirts on cute boys
9. the invincible feeling you get when leaving the gym
10. thought provoking statements by New Testament professors
11. the promise of tomorrow

Quote of the Week

Sean, in reference to me talking about the joys and practicality of my color coordinated bookshelf:

"All I hear is 'blah, blah, blah...I'm crazy.'"

W: Wales

Speaking of Wales, does anyone else want to go to Great Britain?

Thank you, Susan Cooper, for starting this fascination.

What's in a name?

Inspired by Rebel Angels, I've been playing with anagrams. How fun is it to change up your name? I'm really really bad at it. But I don't mind.
So far, I've come up with

Lacey Keli Warren

I don't love it, so I will be playing around with the letters until I get something I like.

What's an anagram of your name? Is it a name you would go by?

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The Promised Happy Post

The coolest bookshelf in the USA. I need it for my future home. I will also need a husband that does not think these things are tacky.


via La Vie Boston

Ten Things I Like About Tuesday

Me and Dawna doing what we do best

1. I got a letter from Dawna. For those of you who don't know, Dawna was one of my first roommates here at college. It took us about a week to discover that we were each other's missing half. And then she left me to serve a mission in Scotland. Nice for her, bad for me. Her letters are the highlight of my life right now.

2. My World Religions class is UH-MAZING! Seriously. Take Alonzo Gaskill. The 8:00 am hour is so worth it. I am constantly amazed at how much he knows and how much I have learned about the beautiful religions in our world. It also helps that he is very funny.

3. Tuesday is Taco Night at Del Taco. 3 for a dollar. And way better than Taco Bell.

4. Jessica made pumpkin cookies. I think she is trying to make me fat. Curse her.

5. I finally checked the mail (first time in a week) and we all know how much I love getting the mail. That little box was chock full of goodness. It was amazing.

6. I got to take the kiddies I watch to the park. Discovery Park in Pleasant Grove is amazing! Why didn't we have something like that back home when I was a kid? Why do we still not have something like that?

7. This book I'm reading, about the Salem witch trials, is fascinating. I'm almost done.

8. I listened to Lisa Mitchell's Wonder album at least 4 times. Not an exaggeration, thank you very much.

9. Bishop Burton gave a wonderful devotional that I only got to listen to half of because I 1. didn't realize he was coming today and B. had to work.

10. I found out about Llama Caroling this weekend. Each group of carolers gets a llama and a shopping cart to fill with food for the needy. Don't ask me how I found out about this. Just embrace the awesomeness that is BYU.

The llamas in my Biology class last year

Countdowns

Ten things you want for Christmas:


1 an ipod dock
2 a cute winter coat (like Taza's maybe)
3 lots of sheet music
4 books
5 college completely paid for
6 the sun to go down around 8:00 instead of 5:00
7 my little brothers to stop growing up
8 Talana to move out here and be my roommate
9 a boyfriend
10 a spaceship

Nine musicians/bands you love:


1 Sugarland
2 She & Him
3 Lady Antebellum
4 Ingrid Michaelson
5 Regina Spektor
6 Lisa Mitchell
7 Miranda Lambert
8 Couer de Pirate
9 Zee Avi

Eight things you do everyday:


1 wake up a half hour before the alarm clock
2 check my email
3 read my Book of Mormon
4 drink 3 liters of water
5 talk to Michee on the phone
6 take a nap
7 read the New York Times
8 listen to lotsa music

Seven things you enjoy:


1 sweets
2 books
3 my family
4 making people/me laugh
5 dressing up
6 swimming in the ocean
7 friendlies

Six things that will always win your heart:


1 laughter
2 silliness/spontaneity
3 getting my car door and other gentlemanly behavior
4 smiles
5 great hair
6 thinking that I'm funny

Five favorites:

1 Candy: anything chocolatey, really.
2 Fast food: urgh, gross.
3 Snack: today it is clementines. yesterday it was cold cereal.
4 Movie: Support Your Local Sheriff
5 Place: home, temple, ocean

Four smells you enjoy:

1 the ocean
2 cucumber/melon baby lotion
3 bakeries
4 fresh rain

Three places you want to go:

1 AUSTRALIA!
2 Europe (don't make me pick a country. I want it all.)
3 South Pacific

Two holidays you love:

1 Christmas
2 Halloween

One person you'd marry on the spot:

Guess What?

I have the flu.
And it has already ruined my life.
Twice.
I had a huge paper due yesterday and I couldn't think well enough to do it.
And I had a costume party on Saturday
(H-face and I got fake blood and scrubs for me and a butcher outfit for her. Scary? Yes.)
And I can't sleep.
Which is why it is 4:00 in the morning and I am blogging instead of sleeping.
I just took a Tylenol p.m. and am waiting for it it kick in.

Anyways, the point of this post is to ask all of you to update your blogs.
Because I've watched most of the movies we have, I've exhausted Hulu, and the only book left that I haven't read is Henry James' Portrait of a Lady.
And that is much too heavy stuff for my fuzzy brain (I'm not getting enough oxygen, I'm sure).
So I need something to do.
a.k.a. Read blogs.
Please.
Help me.
I'm going crazy.

.credit Isn't this a cute picture? I love Flickr.

K: King Arthur

The Once and Future King, The Sword in the Stone, The Lady of Shalott, Lancelot and Guinevere...The Aurthurian legend is full of great stuff! My mom has this beautiful painting by E.B. Leighton above the piano in our living room and I love it! Most of my favorite books have King Arthur somewhere in them and almost all of my favorite artwork is inspired by him. Just lovely, isn't it?

I: Inspiration

What inspires you?

General Conference inspires me to be better.
(coming up this weekend!!! I'm so excited!)

President Monson inspires me to love.



The temple inspires me to try harder.

BYU inspires me to try new things.

My girlfriends inspire me to be crazy.

Music inspires me in everything!

The boy across from me that can see into my window inspires me to keep my room clean.

Zooey inspires me to wear skirts and cut bangs.

And books inspire me to dream.

B: Book of Mormon

I love the Book of Mormon. Oh so much. If you haven't ever read it, you should. Just because.

I love how Lehi refers to Christ as the Messiah in 2 Nephi when talking to his son Jacob.

"Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. And the Messiah cometh in the fullness of time, that he may redeem the shildren of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given."

~2 Nephi 2: 25 & 26


I love the 2000 Stripling Warriors.

Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.

~Alma 56: 47 & 48

I am waiting for a man like Captain Moroni.

And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery;

Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people.

Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood.

Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.

~Alma 48: 11-13, 17


And I can only dream about the faith of the brother of Jared.

Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of men.

And it came to pass that when the brother of Jared had said these words, behold, the Lord stretched forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his finger. And the veil was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and blood; and the brother of Jared fell down before the Lord, for he was struck with fear.

And the Lord saw that the brother of Jared had fallen to the earth; and the Lord said unto him: Arise, why hast thou fallen?

And he saith unto the Lord: I saw the finger of the Lord, and I feared lest he should smite me; for I knew not that the Lord had flesh and blood.

And the Lord said unto him: Because of thy faith thou hast seen that I shall take upon me flesh and blood; and never has man come before me with such exceeding faith as thou hast; for were it not so ye could not have seen my finger. Sawest thou more than this?

And he answered: Nay; Lord, show thyself unto me.

And the Lord said unto him: Believest thou the words which I shall speak?

And he answered: Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not lie.

And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence ; therefore I show myself unto you.

~Ether 3: 9-13

Learn more here




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B: Book of the Week

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Since I already mentioned it, I am going to recommend you the book. I picked it up again last night and remembered why I love it! So good! Have you seen the movie? You will like Victoria more in the book, but Tristran's mother less. Also, the movie was so amazing because Neil Gaiman was a producer. Duh. I have it if you wish to borrow it.