Slowswift

A mission is considered a priesthood duty, but it's not a saving ordinance. Sure, it's the standard to strive for, but as has been said: everyone's path is different, anyone's judgement is their issue, not yours. (We see the same thing with people judging those who return home early, or serve a shorter mission type. They are unequivocally in the wrong, taking that standard and turning it into a law.) I haven't served yet. I'm 26. My patriarchal blessing says I will. What to make of that? God only knows--literally. I trust in Him, not the arm of flesh.

Love you too I'll start by mentioning that, for anyone interested, the VIZ Media and Shonen Jump apps have functionally unlimited access (100 chapters/day, IIRC) for a very reasonable subscription. Regarding my favorite, I'm going to cheat and mention three (but they're entirely different genres, so nyeh). is SPY x FAMILY (go figure). The perfect blend of tense, moving plot and goofy shenanigans with an art style I find really appealing. is We Never Learn. It's possibly the best harem romance* out there. Not only is the MC a genuinely great guy with satisfying character growth, the author decided he wasn't satisfied with a single ending--no, he was going to give each of the girls their own alternate ending volume. Truly the GOAT. Cross Manage is an adorable, short (canceled early, never made it to print in the US) sports manga about a guy managing a struggling girls' lacrosse team. I come back to this one every once in a while because it's medicine for the soul. Currently reading Blue Box as it comes out. There's a handful that I've started and haven't yet finished or caught up with (yay burnout!), such as Komi Can't Communicate, Fly Me to the Moon, Chainsaw Man, One Punch Man, Undead Unluck, and Akane-banashi, and Frieren. * I really, really hate the name for this genre, but this is the world we live in.

It is gonna be odd hearing it on the organ, but I’m less concerned about singing it in church and more concerned that when it is, it’ll be played like a funeral dirge. I’m hoping that all the new spirituals being added means that Down to the River to Pray will be included, too.

Ideally, I'd only ever need one desk pen, and that pen would be the Platinum one, but I don't need a desk pen, so I'll stick with the dozen or so normal ones I keep at hand instead. This is why I'd probably just end up using nice ball pens at the office instead. There aren't many fountain pens I'd trust in an office (Preppy aside), and that's assuming the office in question stocks paper that works with fp ink. Sigh. Maybe I'll find a nice limited-edition Realo second-hand sometime.

I'm not sure. It depends on what's in my local pen shop, which sadly (or maybe it's for the best...) does not stock Sailor or Pelikan. I'm gonna say if they were last year then they don't count. I don't do anything right now where I'd have to think about office pens--all of mine are desk-only at the moment. If that were to change I'd probably end up with the Preppy, though.

As my dad always told me, missionaries don't convert--the Holy Ghost does. Missionaries are just the teacher.

Happy Lunar New Year! Been keeping to my No Impulse Buy rule pretty well so far. I'll be saving up to get something on my birthday, but nothing else for now.

*gentle bear hugs* Best wishes in your recovery--I hope you can find some stability again soon! That's what we're here for. *hugs*

I was pleasantly surprised too! It's a shame the Choir themselves couldn't be there, but the Navy singers did a fine job. (To be a bit pedantic, that arrangement didn't originate with the Choir, though they certainly have the canonical performance.)

We sang a Tongan hymn in sacrament meeting yesterday! It was lovely, though I was flailing a bit as I was trying to parse a foreign language and an unfamiliar melody at the same time. (It was this one.) I'm going to be optimistic and say that that was always the way the character was in Brandon's mind, even if it never made it to the page. And as long as you don't try to claim revelation for the church as a whole or claim you know better than God, I don't mind individual members having their own "personal apostasies". I do lean conservative, but Brandon's writing has so far been good enough that I truly don't care if our politics or social views diverge--that's universally acclaimed as one of his greatest strengths. If that ever changes, that's when I'll be worried.

And then there's Ghost Stories.

I'm still not entirely sure this is real and I'm not dreaming, but I think I just signed for my first apartment ever?