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Show SeasonaC Nursing professor does what she can for homeless volunteers from her youth group to the viaducts, across the street from Pioneer Park, where the homeless usually stay. There a woman named Jenny Dudley sets up a breakfast for the homeless every Sunday. Toth was able to give whatever medical assistance was needed to the homeless, while the rest of the group was helping with the preparation of the food. That day so many people came that Toth and her students had to wait in line for something to do. I think its great that theres too much help, but that isnt always the case, Toth said. Sometimes there are as few as five people feeding the several hundred homeless. Other times they don t know what to do with them all. Toth also has a good time getting to know all of the people there. There are as many stories of why they are homeless as there are homeless, she said. One of the men, who she called Armeactivist nian Mike, was a by Mike Weaver Forum staff writer In this holiday season, people will be reaching out to try to give a little of themselves to help someone who may not have as much. Donni Toth, an associate professor of nursing, is doing what she can for the homeless. Toth has not only been going down to the viaducts to help with feeding, but she has also been trying to increase awareness of the homeless problem. Toth is head of the Senior HighYoung Adult youth group of her church, where she has been trying to increase the students awareness. She feels it is important for the young about the problem. As they know to reach voting age they can start taking action through voting and such to help the problem, she said. Two weeks ago, she took a group of self-proclaim- ed Ive never seen you like this before! by Dawn Kennally Forum staff writer , That was the exclamation made by one scared and confused man. He has just seen what his fiancee can turn into, while shopping the day after Thanksgiving. I, ashamedly so, am the fiancee. It was his idea. HE is the one who said, Lets go to the mall and just kick around, maybe get some ideas as to what to get our family. Didnt he know that on the day after Thanksgiving, the biggest shopping day of the year, that just to browse is blasphemous? My metamorphosis from content to carnivorous happened slowly , but surely. I knew what I had to get and where to get it When we went to the first store, I immediately felt the surge of energy from the other shoppers who were there earlier in the day. I began to feed off of it little by little. The sound of Christmas music, the decorations, all the salesclerks wearing something with a Christmas theme to it, the kids lined up to see Santa, and the constant nagging in my head that there are only (gasp) 27 It was all too shopping days left until much. I had to buy, and buy now. No waiting NOW! I went to the first store to get my fathers present Hes the hardest person in the world to buy for. I found what I needed, demanded the extra Christmas help wrap it, and tugged my fiance by the arm out of the store and on to the the next destination. Let the games begin! The next store didnt have what I wanted no, needed. How dare they! I demanded that the clerk call all the other stores; she said they were out of the item in all the stores but would call me if any more come in. Fine, I said, seething. I sensed she was lying. Sure enough, I went to one of the other stores and they had plenty of what I needed HA! Victory is MINE! We hit the last store. This is when my ugliness really surfaced and all traces of a pcli te, pleasant, and patient woman became nonexistent. I had mutated into an obstinate, rude, pushy and insensitive bitch. I can admit it freely now; it might help purge my C-da- Page 6 tFonim y. guilt. My fiance became an annoyance. He didnt understand I had to get this item and get it today, ri ght now. I told him to leave me the hell alone while I got this done. He tried to argue, but to no avail. Wait outside, I said with eyebrows furrowed and teeth clenched. He wearily did so, but not before saying, Ive never seen you like this before. I wish youd settle down and knock it off! Go! I ordered. I was now a woman possessed. I then turned my madness on other patrons of the store. I was trying to make a catalog order and this lady was taking forever on the phone! I flipped catalog pages' with a vengeance, even tearing one or two pages by accident. I stomped my feet from one side to the other and sighed like an asthmatic caught in a spring meadow. I rolled my eyes and looked around the store like I had a nervous tic. She finally got off the phone. As I looked through the catalog to . make sure of what I wanted, there was a line of people waiting behind me. Thats when my fiance came in to check on me and quietly said, There are people waiting to use the phone, Hon. Where? Who? I demanded. I dont care, Im here now, so they can just wait. I have to get this done! My fiance just looked back at the line sheepishly as if to apologize for my rude behavior. I made my order, slammed the catalog shut, pivoted in the direction of the exit, and held my head as proudly as Leona Helmsley in her heyday. Looking back, I can honestly say in my defense that I have never been so obsessed as I was that night I felt guilty and ashamed of my behavior toward my fiance and others in the mall, and I marveled at how I could have gone from one extreme to the other in a matter of minutes. It scared me, it scared my fiance, and I may have scared that lady on the phone. I only hope that none of you goes through this transformation as I did. Even though now there are only 16 shopping days left, and stores are running out of everything, and there are sales galore, and . . . oops! Sorry, didnt mean to get you started. December 8, 1992 We against the rise of homosexuality. didnt see eye to eye, Toth said. Another of the men went to a table where Bibles, were, set up. He grabbed a Bible and, looking only at the maps, starting quoting Scripture at the top of his lungs. Most of them were more mellow, however. One man named Tim got into a lengthy discussion with one of the women in Toths youth group, after which he asked her on a date sometime. One of the best th ings, Toth said, is that going down and seeing them puts faces on the statistics of the homeless. You dont see numbers, she said. You see Tim or Armenian Mike. Toth urges people to do what they can to help others. Dont give money to a homeless person give it to a shelter or donate food so youre sure your money is We cant help all of used helpfully. them, Toth said, but maybe the one we do help will make a difference. Tips on keeping your Christmas tree fresh How do you keep your Christmas tree fresh throughout the holiday season? Preserving the trees moisture level is the key. The Division of State Lands and Forestry makes these suggestions: Commercial trees cut locally are 1. generally fresher than those shipped from the Northwest Ask your retailer when the trees were cut. Also ask if trees are sprayed with water to retain freshness. To check for freshness, hold the 2. needle between your thumb and forefinger. Bend the needle by slowly squeezing the thumb and finger together. The needle should break in half if its fresh. 3. Trees lastlongerin stands that hold water. Just before placing your tree in its of stump so the tree stand, remove one-inc- h can absorb water easier. 4. Freshly cut trees should last about four weeks indoors. Keep trees away from heater vents and wood stoves. Use a cool air humidifier to increase tree life. Nutcracker memories by Christy Jones-Fend- It is not difficult to imagine the tension er Forum staff writer As I gazed around the small mirror-line- d studio, my mind raced with possible scenarios for the next few hours. I watched the other dancers warming up some overly others their abilities. obviously My eyes then met with my own apprehensive reflection: a tall, skinny, freckled character with red hair pulled tightly back into a bun. I was 1 1 years old, and this was the Ballet West Nutcracker audition. Every year, young dancers across Utah, many from miles outside of SaltLake City, converge upon Capitol Theatre for this ultimate test of tests to determine whether or not they were of the caliber to perform with Ballet West. We were soon escorted out in a single file line, the nervousness and anticipation unbearable. There were so many dancers. I felt so inadequate. I wanted to waltz my way back down to the theater lobby and out the front doors, but I didnt. I had to know if I could make it. As we entered the large main studio where the audition was to be held, each dancer was handed a small piece of paper bearing a number. This was to be affixed to the front of your leotard and served as the means by which scoring was controlled. Quickly, a series of lines was organized across the entire length of the studio. With the number who had attended, there wasn t much space for movement. There in front of us sat the judges and frighteningly intimicold, stone-face- d dating. A simple combination was given and the dancing commenced. Each line performed once before the judges, then split in the middle and separated quickly to the sides, allowing the next to be viewed. Sooner than I had anticipated the first cut was announced. If your number was called, you were to leave, humiliated before everyone. self-confide- over-estimati- ng nt, which permeated the room. Briskly, the numbers were read. I was still frightened. One by one, the defeated exited some seemingly unscathed, others in tears. At least Im not alone, I thought to myself. OK. Thats it. Now the rest of you need to quickly form new lines. What? I had made it past the first cut? rose and my energy My level exploded. The combinations were increasingly difficult. It took all concentrated efforts to perform. I closed out my competitors, my harsh surroundings and those horrendous judges, and danced as if my life depended on it. Through the second cut, and the third cut. The sun had long since set and we were weak with exhaustion, but we danced on. There were only a few remaining now. The slightest loss of balance or incorrect placement of arms could prove fatal. How much longer could they expect us to push on? And then it was announced. It had all come down to this. Were going to read the numbers for the final cut. Thank you all for coming. My emotions, coupled with the sheer exhaustion I now felt, far surpassed any feelings I had experienced previously. self-confiden- ce ...17,53,29,60.... She paused as 60 sullenly left the studio, then looked back to her clipboard to resume. We stood breathless, not wanting to hear the last few numbers. Her eyes rose and coolly scanned the meager remnants of what began as a sea of hopefuls. Her mouth turned up slyly at the comers as if she received some insane pleasure out of informing those remaining few of their failure. I was on the verge of fury. Who is it? I thought frantically to myself. Who are the last to go? And then, in a kind voice, she spoke. Congratulations, ladies. Youve made it into Ballet Wests Nutcracker. |