Under the Skin

On my Russian Literature final there was a prompt that really made me think. And don't worry, our essay questions were out in the open for all to see before the final and we were allowed to think about them prior to the final, so I'm not breaking any Honor Code restrictions by sharing this. It started with a quote from the Russian writer, Ivan Turgenev (whom I've learned to love a lot this semester) from his essay "Hamlet and Don Quixote." I would love to share the exact wording with you, but it seems that I can't find my copy of the questions, and the text is not copyrighted, but the translation is. The basic idea is that Don Quixote is faith. He is faith in himself, in humanity, in life, in others, in something higher. Hamlet, on the other hand, is so analytical that he doubts everyone and everything. He is an egoist, but his doubt goes so far that the natural consequence of his doubt is that he does not even believe in himself. Not even his egoism can...

As many know, most European families (not all, but most) have a coat of arms, a crest, a motto, all that good stuff. So, I decided to look a bit into what being a Russell means. And maybe I'll do the same for Hatches, because I am a Hatch too. The last name Russell is Scottish and means "Red-headed" and derives from the Norman name of Roussel. The Russells are a well-respected Highland Scot clan, complete with Scottish crest and tartan: The motto on the crest "virtus sine macula" means "Virtue without blemish." As Scotland incorporated more and more into England, the Russells became nobility in that world as well, and were thus presented with a coat of arms: And yes, the motto written on that one is "che sara sara." You've got to admit, that's pretty gosh-darn cool. It really does mean "Whatever will be, will be." And in honor of that:

A literature society recently voted on the 100 Best Books of All Time. I've decided to see if I agree. They are, in order: 1. Crime and Punishment 2. 1984 3. Brothers Karamazov 4. Hamlet 5. Les Miserables 6. To Kill A Mockingbird 7. The Great Gatsby 8. Pride and Prejudice 9. War and Peace 10. The Bible 11. Lolita 12. Don Quixote 13. The Stranger 14. A Tale of Two Cities 15. Catch-22 16. Anna Karenina 17. Master and Margarita 18. The Picture of Dorian Gray 19. The Grapes of Wrath 20. On the Road 21. The Sound and the Fury 22. King Lear 23. The Divine Comedy 24. The Catcher in the Rye 25. The Hunchback of Notre Dame 26. The Idiot 27. In Search of Lost Time/ Remembrance of Things Past 28. Lord of the Flies 29. The Lord of the Rings 30. The Odyssey 31. Siddhartha 32. 100 Years of Solitude 33. As I Lay Dying 34. Frankenstein 35. Wuthering Heights 36. Beowulf 37. Dead Souls 38. Madam Bovary 39. The Old Man and the Sea 40. Slaughterhouse 5 41. The Sun Also Rises 42. Ulysses 43. The Adve...

Conference Report: My favorite musical numbers 1. "Abide with Me 'Tis Eventide" I've always loved that hymn. 2. "Guide Us, O Thou Great Jehovah" I've also always loved this hymn 3. "God Loved Us So He Sent His Son" I know that it was the priesthood session, but I had a good number of friends singing in the choir as it was BYU Men's Chorus and then all the boys from the choirs above that, so I went online and watched it. And I found them, and I really liked this arrangement. Of course, I think that all choirs should consist of men only. My favorite Talks 1. Bishop Keith B. McMullin. 2. Julie B. Beck 3. Francisco J. Vinas 4. Thomas S. Monson Sunday Morning. I love the "NEVER" kid. 5. Russell M. Nelson. A note on this one: I am the BYU 17th Ward Family History consultant. I have been praying in my heart and aloud for months now that I would be able to stress the importance of family history to my ward, which on large completel...