The event described as "one of the funnest all year"- The annual Krishna Temple FESTIVAL of COLORS is coming up this Saturday at 4 PM. The Finer Things Club will be in attendance and perhaps carpooling to the location. Call Martha, Kendra, or Brooke for any questions and invite your friends! It will be a time of all the colored chalk throwing you can handle. As pictured here the color travels everywhere so be sure not to wear your best clothes. (I hear the color is resistant to washing)
What a success our first meeting was! All who came had a ton of fun touring the small museum, playing the competitive trivia, creating unique pottery, and munching on treats! The whole activity was very enriching. All came away with a greater appreciation for the art of pottery and the skill required.
Our next event is already scheduled for this Saturday afternoon- a picnic in the park! Keep checking back for details and invite your friends! The more the merrier =)
Just letting you know that Friday, at 8 PM, we will be going to the pottery class the museum has to offer. 10$ for 2 people. You can bring a date or show up with the group and then we'll pair off to get the discount. Tomorrow I'm getting 10 tickets, so you can pay me back later. We wouldn't want to show up and have it be sold out! (For more information, visit a few posts back, and you'll get more details on where.)
Tips* 1) wear clothes that can get dirty. the wheel is a very messy process. well, all pottery is messy. 2) we might be getting a snack of sorts afterwards, and probably discussing pottery! if you have something you want to bring and show off, or perhaps be prepared to tell us your thoughts on such a lovely art form as pottery.
Here is a possibility of an outing, let us know if you would like to attend and we'll organize an outing.
The Heroes of History Club is a group of students, including Psychology majors, who come together on Tuesday nights to discuss figures of the past who are worthy of emulation: Heroes of History. The goal of these students is to constantly be thinking about great people so that we may adopt at least some of the things that made these people so remarkable. We believe that if we learn about respectable historical figures, we can become the Heroes of History. So far this semester we have discussed George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Gandhi and Mother Teresa. We have really had fun this semester discussing these people. Here is the schedule for the rest of the semester:
March
11th The force of Sir Isaac Newton's concentration
18th Voltaire - The pen more powerful than the sword
25th Joan of Arc/Queen Elizabeth I - Great women leaders
April
1st "BC and AD" The Impact of Jesus Christ
8th Charlemagne's educational vision
15th Heroes & Villains: Winston Churchill vs. Adolf Hitler
22nd Semester review: Are you a hero? What is your vision?
Each of these meetings will be Tuesday nights at 7:00 PM in Room 110 of the Tanner Building . This is the club's website for anyone who wants to take a look: http://byuheroesofhistory.googlepages.com.
It's unfortunate that Ben's play fell on a Monday, as that was during FHE and no one could attend. Hopefully there will be another showing soon so we can. :) We still love you BEN!
So we realize that tomorrow is FHE, but we've decided that it would be good to support our friend Ben Crowder, as he has written a play that is being put on tomorrow! Here are the details:
7:30 at the Provo Theatre Company 105 E 100 N, Provo
If you can make it, call martha. Hopefully we can get together for icecream, hot chocolate, and talk about the play. And maybe we can get the play write himself to join us, and talk to us about his inspiration, etc. It should be fun :)
Also, there is a possibility of a planetarium show this friday. I can't find details yet!
If you guys have any ideas, please post and let us know! The goal is to just have an outing once a week or less, cuz honestly we're busy!
Here is my suggestion:
Culture-Me-Mine Date Night
March 14, 2008
8:00 pm
Museum of Peoples and Cultures, 700 N. 100 East
Tour the museum, make pottery and enjoy refreshments. $10 per couple. Tickets available only at the WSC Info Desk starting March 10.
I happen to love making pottery! I did a little in high school, and it's a good way to appreciate pottery in a whole new light. I think we could have an awesome discussion. Here's a thought for now: "I am the clay. He sits at the wheel and lovingly forms me into His work of art." So good!
We have a book of the month starting this month!!! March: 4 Loves written by C.S. Lewis.
The goal: read it and discuss at the end of this month. Find it at the bookstore, the library, We will probably have a fine china picnic by the duck pond. Remember, no paper and no plastic! We are surrounding ourselves with strictly fine dinnerware and fine foods. We're thinking perhaps gourmet hot chocolate and cucumber sandwiches, among other Hors d'œuvre (proper spelling and definition! there was some hot debate earlier today haha). Anyway, we're getting excited! Thanks for Brooke and Meg for posting! I loved it! :) I am still working on my thesis about Beauty, so stay tuned for future postings.
Hello Finer Things Club Members! I'm excited to be writing here. I have my own blog where I write about life events and their relationship to the gospel, and where I kind of bear testimony. So this entry is an extension of that blog. Thanks for reading! :) As a new English major, I've discovered that the fastest way to my heart is by merely possessing two characteristics: Being an old man (dead or alive) who writes brilliant poetry (I've recently fallen in love with Walt Whitman as well). Today began a new love affair with one Billy Collins. I had the rare opportunity today of seeing this renowned and talented American poet give a reading of his work and then meeting him afterwards. This guy is a big deal. He was Poet Laureate of the U.S. from 2001-2003! This may not be that exciting to many, but I was stoked, for lack of a better word. When I was standing in line waiting to get my book signed, the pressure began mounting on what I would say to this man who has been critically acclaimed by every major publication that I've ever wanted to write for. Had I been a cooler, more collected person, had I not choked in the face of fame, I would've asked very intelligently, "Mr. Collins, ideally, how would you like your poetry to be read?" or at least, "Out of the books of poetry you've written, what is your personal favorite?" Instead, I excitedly told him, like a teenage girl (or any girl for that matter) who is meeting Justin Timberlake, that it was my first experience. My first experience with what? I think I meant to say my first Billy Collins experience, but I was vague and I didn't make sense. Luckily he saved me by asking if it was my first poetry reading, and I agreed. He was funny, smart, ironic and surprisingly touching. I liked him and his poetry a lot. He writes about everyday life--college students, waking up in the morning, turning 10, literary amnesia, Victoria's Secret, among other things. All with wit, charm, and a true sense of what a human being is--their thoughts, emotions, motives. I love having these experiences where I can take in good art, whether it's music, literature, paintings or other media. I always go away feeling enriched.
What is it about these things that make us feel that way-- uplifted, more connected, more intelligent? President Packer says that it is the Spirit of the Lord that makes us feel those things. You are all here because you were taught to appreciate art and to recognize those feelings, maybe by your families or in the Church, or maybe it was self-taught, but how lucky are we to have this "finer" sense?
It says in D&C 109:7, "Seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom, seek learning even by study and also by faith." Finding these enriching experiences is a commandment too, as well as a joy. It is our responsibility to put ourselves in those places to have those experiences. President Packer also says it is our responsibility to use our talents to uplift others and ultimately and most importantly, to bear witness of Christ. President Packer asks us to ask ourselves: When I am free to do what I really want to do, what will it be? I think this applies to anyone who wants to make something truly great of their lives, not just members of the LDS Church, or people on the brink of "making themselves" or "becoming" who they want to be, not just the young. President Packer says we must prepare ourselves by being humble, reminding us that talents do not show preference of one over another, but just give the possessors a greater responsibility to use them wisely. What are our individual talents and how can we use them to this aim? I think these are important questions to ask. Another great poet was Orson F. Whitney, a member of the LDS Church, who exemplified the idea of humility in creating great art. He wrote a poem in response to the lines that say, "I am the master of my own fate: I am the captain of my soul" ("Invictus" by William Ernest Henley). Whitney wrote:
Free will is thine--free agency, To wield for right or wrong; But thou must answer unto Him, To whom all souls belong.
Bend to the dust that "head unbowed," Small part of life's great whole, And see in Him and Him alone, The captain of thy soul.
I hope this blog didn't come out too preachy. I think I get a little excited when I'm talking about things I love, namely art/literature and the gospel. :) I just think there's so much beauty to be had, to be viewed and to be experienced, and there's also so much to be created. Whitney said, "We will yet have Miltons and Shakespeares of our own," and that extends to every other field. How amazing is it that we have the faculties to see, hear and experience? I'm so grateful for the talents of others and for a Heavenly Father who has given these talents to them and to myself, however untapped they may be, and for the possibility that these talents can be discovered and improved through the Spirit.
If you want to check out more of Billy Collins, here is a funny poem ("Litany") that I like about how ridiculous similes can be in expressing love or describing a woman. I wish I had a link to Orson F. Whitney's poetry, but I couldn't find any. President Packer quotes his poem in a talkthough. Enjoy!
I attended the Ballet in Concert last night on the BYU campus and felt very cultured. The show centered on C.S. Lewis's book The Four Loves, "which explores the nature of love from a Christian perspective through thought-experiments and examples from literature."
The BYU Theatre Ballet did an excellent job of exploring 1. Affection 2. Friendship 3. Eros and 4.Charity.
Perhaps this selection shall be our next book of choice?
This blog is a medium for which all of us can easily share the finer things in life with each other, things that are to conducive to garnishing our thoughts unceasingly. Things such as music, art, literature, philosophy or enlightening knowledge of any sort. We want this to remain dignified, and of a more serious reflective nature to help us grow secularly and spiritually. As you may know, one of my most beloved tv shows, The Office, has a finer things club as well, and here are there suggestions:
"In the Finer Things Club, you meet once a month to discuss books and art and celebrate culture in a very civilized way. The debate can sometimes be heated but is always respectful. No plastic, no paper, and no work talk is allowed.
Create your own Finer Things Club by first selecting a book or piece of art. Then decide what you'll be eating and wearing during your discussion." (http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/justforfun/finerthingsclub/)
As Kendra mentioned in the facebook message, this is the place you will find the latest updates on when and where we will be meeting for some culturally uplifting activities. So keep coming back for updates! Also, because of our crazy scheduled college lives, we decided that a blog will be most convenient for most of our discussion, but I really think the most benefit will come from our outings. If you need help blogging, call Martha (number is in the updated ward directory). It's really easy once you get the hang of it. Pictures, songs and videos can be uploaded, and make the blog a lot more appealing. If you already have a blog and want to share something already posted, you can create a hyperlink or just copy and paste. :)
Kendra and I are really excited and hope that you are too. Let the blogging begin!
The event described as "one of the funnest all year"- The annual Krishna Temple FESTIVAL of COLORS is coming up this Saturday at 4 PM. The Finer Things Club will be in attendance and perhaps carpooling to the location. Call Martha, Kendra, or Brooke for any questions and invite your friends! It will be a time of all the colored chalk throwing you can handle. As pictured here the color travels everywhere so be sure not to wear your best clothes. (I hear the color is resistant to washing)
