I'm Dreaming of a Caucasian Holiday

Well, it's finally here--it's the end of the semester, the snow has fallen, wedding plans are falling into place, and I'm officially done with all the junk I needed to finish for school. Now, there's just packing, cleaning, and reception planning, and I'm done. Well...not really done, but at least done with wedding stuff. Being done with wedding stuff means being married, and that's the sweetest deal ever. 7 days until Christmas, 24 Days until we get married...life is really awesome right now.

Speaking of awesome things in life--I got $159 in books back today from the BYU bookstore...and it was amazing. I sold back my liberal arts books...and got real money for them. Usually I end up going to sell my books back and they're like, "we're not buying this one, this one is worth $.52..." Today, there were dollars involved...and lots of them! It was amazingly exciting.

Also, I only had one test to take, and I got a 96% on that, before the curve...this should be even sweeter.

Also, I'm done with the semester, and I'm hugely relieved. This is the last night I work in the office, which means that, apart from cleaning checks and a final run-through Thursday morning, I'm done being an RA. I really feel like I'm moving on. I'm not quite sure what I'm moving on into yet, but I can't help but feel incredibly and amazingly excited about it all--especially with Best Friend along for the journey.

Oh, I also quit the Board. I'm sure that hardly anyone reads this who read that anymore anyway, but I no longer write. I'm so excited about moving on in general that I can't really feel bad about it yet. I didn't really do much anyway, it was time. Granted, the people will be missed...but I can see them.

All in all, life is just great, and I love it. Merry Christmas to all of you, and a very happy 2 007...a good year is blowin' on the wind.

Why I love the News

Chess players to face anti-doping measures

DOHA (Reuters) - Chess's world governing body will introduce dope testing at the Asian Games this week, although the sport's top official in Doha said he had no idea how drugs could enhance chess performance.

"I would not know which drug could possibly help a chess player to improve his game," competition manager Yousuf Ahmad Ali said.

"But, yes, there will be official monitors who may demand that players undergo a drugs test after the rounds."

Drug testing is the latest move by the World Chess Federation (FIDE) to raise international standards in the hope of making chess an Olympic sport in the future.

Along with triathlon, chess is making its debut at the Asian Games, where more than 60 players will compete for the medals.

Among them are ex-world champions Rustam Kasimdzhanov of Uzbekistan and Zhu Chen, a former Chinese international who has switched nationality to represent hosts Qatar.

The Asian Games take place from December1-15.

This is quite possibly one of my favorite mental images. A bunch of geeks, getting together to smoke dope, in the hopes that it'll improve their chess-playing abilities...

Also, Guess Jack Bauer didn't end up in China Afterall...

Father hangs onto roof pursuing car thief

BERLIN (Reuters) - A father of two in Germany stunned authorities when he chased down an auto thief by car, leapt onto the roof of the stolen vehicle and then phoned through instructions to police as the crook sped off with him.

Police in the western town of Siegburg said Tuesday the 43-year-old had first called in to say he had spotted the thief by his suspicious driving and was in pursuit -- despite the fact he had his wife and two young children in the car.

The man stopped the thief by crashing into the stolen car, slightly injuring his wife and one of the children.

Then, as the 29-year-old thief put the car in gear and drove off again, the father jumped onto the roof.


"The witness held onto the roof of the vehicle, phoned through his position to the local station and audibly attempted to pacify the car thief," police said in a statement.

After driving about half a mile, the thief let the man climb down, and was shortly afterwards apprehended by traffic police.

Dum Dum Dum Dum....

So, there was this one time, when I was engaged.

And it was good.

Oh My OChem

So, there was this one time, when I was sitting in an Ochem class with my sister and Best Friend. This was when I realized that there's no way that I should be in OChem. I don't know that I could hack it. We're talking abotu Sterics, and Electronics...and a little bit about some boron that comes and steals electrons...no wonder society is getting to be so corrupt. On the molecular level, every little atom could be a crook.

Watch your electrons. Also, way to go Chemists, you're awesome.

Things I Remember I Love Today

"How 'bout some spaghetti?"
I made spaghetti tonight for dinner after doing several hours of cleaning checks. Mmm...I really love that stuff. I think I'll take it to school for lunch tomorrow.

Baby it's Cold Outside
In case you didn't notice, it snowed today. And it didn't just stay the weak and wimpy kind of snow--it became the real article. It even stuck to the grass a little, and caused the sky to be an awesome pinkish-purple. I ran across the sidewalk giggling a little and feeling an intense desire to sing seasonal songs...mostly about Christmas, it being cold outside, and letting it last.

The 800mm lens of Science!
Tonight in the ESC they showed two episodes of Bill Nye the Science Guy back to back. Yes, that's right--it was a full hour (well, 57 minutes) of my favorite TV science man running around showing me the distance equivalents of the solar system. Even if he did get it wrong, and Pluto is no longer a planet, I still love the guy. It's too bad I can't pull off the flattop look...or I'd be the "Cool Home Science Project" kid.

Best Fortune Cookie Ever

These are Hilarious.

Cliches

Insomnia
Nerds

Bald Eagle

Hypotamoose

Cookie Loves Milk

Doodle Bug

Vegetarians

Battleship

Ctrl+Z
Poet-trees

To Do:

You know how sometimes, you just don't feel like doing anything at all? You just want to sit around, and not think, not read, and just not (wow, I just saw a guy wearing a black and white striped hoodie, and a black beret-type hat with a brim on the front turned sideways...that's incredible) do anything?

Today for me, is not one of those times. In fact, I have tons of things that I need to do--clean my room, catch up on homework for classes (physics, and Russian women...homework and journal entries this weekend for me!), go and visit people's apartments, etc. etc. It's all the things that I don't have to do that I really want to do right now though.

List of things Novel Wants to do instead of School:
-Go camping (technically, I think I could get this called "research" since I'm writing my 490 paper on camping and people's perceptions of it)
-build a huge pile of leaves (and I mean gigantic...at least as tall as I am, and twice that wide), and then take a running leap into it
-play on a playground
-hike the Y
-finish re-reading Harry Potter 6
-Finish reading The Princess Bride
-Bake Cookies
-Visit an old-folks home
-Do insane-looking interpretive dances with my siblings to the classical music we play on Sunday that's supposed to be reverent
-Take some pictures
-Make some soup
-Build a Tree-House (seriously, I've been trying to figure out the logistics of this one for about 2.5 years now)
-Fly A Kite (preferably, my dad's red-baron kite)
-Snuggle in front of a fire
-Roast marshmallows (again)
-Do the Crossword Puzzle
-Play Basketball with my dogs

Yeah...I'm just not feeling school right now. Who would with all the other great things there are to do in the world? Right now, I just feel like being done with school, and getting on with real life. Guess it's about time that I graduate or something...and time I get back to doing that school work.

Uffish...I Thought of You When I Saw This...

I have no idea why...

Overheard

Yeah, that's right. I'm still trying to write a paper, which is why I'm blogging again.

The other day, my dear friend Madame Manatee told me about a funny experience her friend had in the Math lab. Some kid came up to her, who she didn't know, and said the following:

"I hate you. Can I have a piece of paper?"

Apparently, he wanted to draw or something. Soon after getting the paper, he said this:

"Thank you for your sacrifice. I still hate you."

He then just walked away.

I love overhearing things on campus. Random snippets of conversations, taken way out of context serve to bring me immense entertainment. Some of my favorites:

"She's like a cell phone, I see her nights and weekends."

"He's always acting like I'm just a typical girl, like I can't think logically or something! Ugh, Holly, he's such a boy!"

What about you guys--have any favorites?

Sudoku

I love puzzles. I really like brain teasers, and all those sorts of things, but I have not been able yet to wrap my head, or my writing untensil around this one.



OK...so not that one. This one.

So, there was this one time, when I really wanted to finish a Sudoku, I even had one, kindly provided to me...

Then I realized that I only had a pen...and it didn't work, and it frustrates me. I think I'm going to end up printing off the puzzle again and trying it when I have a pencil...because it's driving me crazy, and it's a really short trip sometimes.

Ah well, back to the crossword...at least I don't feel irrational and illogical if I can't get that finished...just less knowledgeable than Will Shortz would like me to be.

Identity: Loser

If you take the word "Loser" to mean "One who loses," then I am a grade A loser when it comes to Identity.

Well, at least when it comes to ID, as in BYU ID. I have had 6 different ID cards because I have, at some inconvenient time, misplaced the ID, and needed to go and get a new one. The best part of it all is though, that I've only paid for 2 of these ID's. This is how it works:

ID.01: Got my first day at BYU, right after a camping trip...that was precious.
ID.02: Thought I lost ID.01 on a trip to Las Vegas, figured I wouldn't get it back, and so I shelled out the $10.00 for a new one.
ID.03: Lost ID.02 somewhere on campus...maybe? But, having found ID.01 in my backpack at a later time, turned that ID in for the new one.
ID.04: Lost ID.03 somewhere...I can't keep these all straight. ID.02 was found by some friends of mine, and returned to me though, and, since I needed to take a test, I turned it in for a new one.
ID.05: Found out that ID.03 was lost at Legend's Grille, but didn't make it down to pick it up before they destroyed it. Having also lost ID.04, and needing to print off a paper, I shelled out $10 so that I could turn in a paper on time...lame.
ID.06: Thinking I'd lost ID.05, I turn in ID.04 (which was found in the library) in order to get ID.06. I've since found ID.05...it got lost while I was packing, and I found it in DC.

So, that brings us up to last night. I'm a loser, as far as ID goes...but last night, I became something different...I became a breaker.

ID.06 was in the back pocket of my pants that I'd been wearing that day. I changed into some other clothes for a run, put on my running shoes, and then stepped on my pants that I'd left on the floor. I hear a resounding "SNAP!" Chuckling to myself, I pull the two pieces of ID.06 out of my back pocket, amazed that it broke hot-dog wise, and think to myself that it means that tomorrow (today) I get to get ID.07 and a new picture, and I still have ID.05 as a back-up if I need it.

Guess I'm well on my way to having 10 different student ID's while I'm still at school...especially if I get married in the next year and a half...

Road Trip!!

You know, my family has driven over a whole lot of the United States. We've moved about 31 times, and each time we've moved we've driven there. You know what I've realized? I just love driving places for trips. It's also funny, because a lot of times we didn't see a whole lot of stuff that was terribly worthwhile. I've been in Oklahoma in the middle of winter and the grassy fields are all dead...I've been across the Salt Flats many, many times, and I've been all over up and down California. My favorite thing about road trips involves three things: camping, driving, and friends.

First off, camping. Anytime that I've been on any kind of road trip to go camping, it's been amazing. Now, I'm not talking about hard-core camping, where you pack all your stuff and hike into the mountains to rough it, I'm talking about basic camping--a tent, a tarp, and some stuff to cook over the fire when you build it. In these cases, the car becomes something different--it's the link between you, the great outdoors, and civilization. Also, I love the feeling of a sun-warmed car when you've just gone swimming in a really cold lake or in the ocean. Mmmmm...

Secondly, though it could have been firstly, driving. I love driving. I love to drive myself, and I love to be a passenger--whether that entails sitting in the passenger seat and keeping the driver entertained, or sleeping in the back on a really long drive. I get really good naps in the car. I think it's the warmth combined with the movement. I also think that my parents used to take me on drives when I was little to make me sleep, and it's definitely stuck. I also love watching landscape whirr by as we drive on the interstate. I love the stars in the sky overhead when you get out into the desert, or anywhere out in the open. I like sticking my hand out the window and catching little air currents as I drive along. Good times.

Lastly, the people. You get to know people in a different way when you're stuck in a little space in the middle of nowhere with them. You're forced to talk, or at least to communicate in some way. When you're sitting there in silence, then you still get to know their facial expressions...how they drive, all that stuff that can tell you facts about them that they didn't know that they were sharing. Music choice is especially good at this. When riding in a car with someone, listening to the music that they pick can tell you a lot about their current mood, and the kind of person that they are. One of my favorite indicators is what songs they'll turn up and sing loudly to. The best is when you can both sing along loudly to some song that they've picked...that's when you know that you can be real friends. Conversations in cars can be some of the best too...because they have to last as long as the car ride. Granted, if the conversation turns really sour, this last part can make for a terrible ride. Hopefully though, you're taking road trips with friends...because it makes a big difference.

All-in-all...Road trips are basically one of my favorite things, and once the snow melts, maybe it'll be time to take another one. Or maybe, while the snow is still around, it'll be time to head somewhere slightly warmer. Who knows? In any case, I've got a serious hankerin' to watch A Goofy Movie, and maybe to go and check out some of my maps.

9:34 and All is Well

I've been really tired lately, and feeling more and more, well...frazzled, I guess. Inside, I've been feeling a bit like this lady:

It's funny too, because I've been getting everything I need to accomplished, I've just not felt really on top of things. This means that I'm finishing my reading right before class, scraping by on my homework, and feeling generally rushed.

In order to combat this, I decided that tonight, I'm going to get enough sleep. Yes ladies and gentlemen, this means that, although it is only 9:34 (well, 9:40 right this instant), I am showered, in my pj's, and settling down to read some stuff about russian women for tomorrow's class before heading off to bed. I'm acting like a real-live grown-up...

...and I think I like it.

PS: I also got a 145 in bowling today...it was amazing; rocked my socks right off.
PPS: I also went rollerblading tonight...and it was pretty amazing too.

I Wonder as I Wander

It's been a little while since I blogged it up, I guess it's about time that I do so.

First off, it's been about a week now since my car died. It wasn't necessarily terminally ill...but it was suffering. I pulled the plug, car dead. Maybe I'll do a photo blog about that a little later. Currently, the pain is a bit fresh.

Life otherwise is amazing. I taught a lesson in Sunday School today that went really, really well. I got set apart, which is one of my favorite things in all of church-dom, and I get to go home in about 40 minutes for dinner with my family and Best Friend. What a great combination!

Otherwise, I just feel like rambling right now. I think I would be sleeping if it weren't for the fact that I took a nap right after church today...and two naps in one sunday seems a bit excessive. I'm looking around my room at all the...stuff...that I have, and realizing that I should probably downsize a bit. I've got some really random stuff. Like...this piggy bank that's just ugly...and this random bunch of civil war postcards--who needs these things? Yeah...not me, but I still have them. Maybe I should pick up another pen pal, and just start sending postcards out to random people.

Anyway, I'm done rambling for now. I think I should probably actually write a few postcards to a couple of friends who've just gone on missions. Good Sabbath to all.

Reasons to Love the CB

-Engineers live there...you have to love engineer(s).
-The girls bathroom on the 4th floor has borax soap in it--you know, the powedered stuff from back in elementary school, that you can mix with elmer's glue to make gak.
-There's a vending machine on the 4th floor that is full of electronic stuff--resistors, CD-R's, old floppy's, electrical wires...the works. How about a computer chip with your chocolate milk?
-You can see little shreds of the humanities creeping into the building. I've only begun to explore it because I have a class there--History 490. The headquarters to the BYU studies magazine is also centered there.

Also, Faith and Hope are two different things, and they're awesome.

And Your Little Dog Too!

These stories shouldn't be as funny as they are, but they make me laugh a lot. It's probably my cold and heartless nature.

In another country, far from here, there are a lot of little dogs. Personally, I think little dogs fall into two categories--really cute, or hideous. Chihuahuas, I think, are horrid yappy little dogs. When I heard this story, I pictured a chihuahua, you may picture any small dog of your choosing. One family apparently had a particularly yappy annoying little dog. Well, one day, while out on a walk with this dog, a large bird of prey swooped down and carried the dog off to regions unknown...

...little dog 1 gone.

The same family gets another little dog...in my mind, this dog becomes chihuahua number 2. One day, the family is opening the freezer, and little dog is underfoot. A killer frozen chicken of death falls out of the freezer, lands on the little dog, and kills it.

No more little dog 2.

Moral of the stories--if you've got a small dog, keep it inside and away from the fridge, or just buy yourself a bigger dog.

Awww...Tender.....Sick!

So, yesterday I went with Best Friend and our siblings (minus 3) to watch Chronicles of Narnia at the Scera outdoor theater. The movie was good, as usual, but the side show was something else.

Backstory: this summer, I started using two words on a pretty regular basis: "Sick!" and "Tender." These words are exceptionally useful. It's also really funny when one person says, "tender" to have another person reply with "sick!" immediately afterwards. This experience sort of made you feel both...but mostly just "sick!"

So, there's this really old couple--like, 70 or 75, and they're making out under a blanket next to us after the movie is over. Sick! Usually, I love seeing old people who are affectionate. It shows that they haven't lost the excitement in their relationship. This, however, was just sick.

Later, as we were getting into the van to drive home, we saw this couple again...this time, mounting their motorcycle to ride off into the darkness.

Some old people just don't know that they're old, I guess.

Flitzxle, Pluto

I went to my new student ward for the first time today, and it was great. There are probably a total of about 30 freshmen in it, putting them in the minority, and not-freshmen in the majority. I'm pretty excited about that. There are an incredible number of barely-off-their-missions young men who are really funny to watch. A lot of them cluster in groups, and a few make the effort to actually talk to girls without another guy standing right next to them. Many of them bore their testimonies in chruch today in the same manner as many other missionaries that I've heard...it was really fun. There's a great spirit about the ward though, and I think things should be great. In the ward today, we got nametags with our names on them (duh) and where we're from. Mine stated that I was from Flitzxle, Pluto. I'm not sure if the new bishoprich was stating that I am out of this world, or punishing me for not having records in the ward by making me from a non-planet. Either way, I liked it.

Speaking of newly returned missionaries, Best Friend just got back a little while ago, and life has been so great! After this summer, I expected a potential dip in the excitement/happiness factor, and there hasn't been one. If anything, my happiness is multiplying exponentially...and that's a lot of happiness.

If You're Happy and You Know It, Do It All

You know what? Life is soo good right now. I'm living in an adorable apartment, which has storage and lots of light, and all kinds of happy feelings. Well, I have all kinds of happy feelings, especially about the wonderful little kitchen with lots of cabinet space. it's so wonderful, I'm so happy about my little apartment.

Also, I'm really home. School starts soon, I'm done with my summer work (finally), and I just belong here. I've got a great job, wonderful coworkers, amazing friends, and a family that loves me. On top of all this, Best Friend returns in a matter of days (about 48 hours). I spent my summer doing an internship that was custom made for me in Washington DC. In case you don't know Washinton DC : History Major :: Candy Store : Fat Kid.

Basically, I have the best life ever, and God loves me, I am blessed.

When I Grow Up...

I should apparently live in one of these cities, at least according to findyourspot.com.

1. Ft. Collins Colorado
2. Ogden, Utah
3. Provo-Orem, Utah
4. Jacksonville, Florida
5. Tallahasse, Florida
6. Tacoma, Washington
7. Salt Lake City, Utah
8. Knoxville, Tennessee
9. Charleston, South Carolina
10. Cinncinatti, Ohio
11. Carlisle, Pennsylvania
12. Gainesville, Florida
13. Boise, Idaho
14. Loveland, Colorado
15. Ashland, North Carolina
16. Colorado Springs, Colorado
17. Bloomington, Indiana
18. Albany, New York
19. Denver, Colorado
20. Olympia, Washington
21. Kent, Washington
22. Chattanooga, Tennessee
23. Orlando, Florida
24. Norfolk, Virginia

I think I could handle any of those places...with my family's record of moving...maybe I'll handle them all.

La Cucina de Miriam

I just finished writing a paper for class, and it sounded like a blog entry, so I thought, this should go on my blog! And it did. The end.

Before I came to college, 5:00 in the morning was nothing. I could wake up, shower, get dressed, get to seminary, and be there with a smile on my face and scripture mastery scriptures in my head. Once freshmen year hit, it became a struggle to wake up just to get to an 8:00 class. That said, the prospect of getting up to feed homeless people at an hour so terribly soon after I’d gone to bed didn’t immediately fill me with the greatest joy. The experience, however, was even more pleasant than I told myself it would be.
We all got up, trudged down to the kitchen, and tried to remind ourselves of how good it feels to do service, and how much it would mean to these homeless people that we were up and helping to feed them. We all got hairnets and aprons to wear…I felt like I’d been put back to work in the Morris Center. The individual running the kitchen hadn’t expected all of us to come, and in a hurried and slightly gruff manner, told us to fill out some paperwork, and then get to work. We all managed to smile in spite of the slight harshness. All of us seemed determined to have a good time while serving, that’s what we were there for, right? I was immediately put to work cutting small sausages apart and placing them in rows on a cookie sheet. I went at the job with all the vigor I could muster.
As we all worked in our respective positions—some of us making smoothies, some of us cracking eggs, some of us helping to wash dishes—I began to notice a change in the individual who was running the kitchen. His gruffness started to melt away as he saw that we were a bunch of cheerful, pleasant youth who were there to help do a job. We weren’t there for any reason other than the desire to serve. As we chatted merrily amongst ourselves, the other workers in the kitchen began to chat more merrily. Soon after I finished cutting all the little sausages apart, in a burst of generosity, I was given a box of other sausages to cut up so that we could give the homeless people more meat if they wanted it. Soon, those were cut and cooked, and it was time to start serving breakfast.
As people came through the line, it was interesting to see their personalities. Each individual was different. Some of the people were peppy and grateful, some people seemed resentful that they were there, having to get food from a bunch of perky college students. Some of the people were exceptionally young, and looked like they’d been through so much in their lives already. There were a few couples, a few older people, and a lot of gratitude. I was in charge of serving the cole slaw and the smoothies. It was the oddest combination of words in reference to a meal that I’d ever said. Interestingly enough, most of the homeless people who came through wanted the cole slaw, and wanted no part of the smoothies—they didn’t know what it was. I was surprised that we were serving cole slaw at all in our meal. The kitchen director explained that it has a ton of calories, and that they really try to load up the meals with them so that when people leave they’ll have enough calories to make it through the rest of the day if they can’t get any other food.
From the experience I became more appreciative of what I have. Sure, it was early, and I would have rather been sleeping when I woke up, but by the time I was cutting those raw little sausages apart, I was happy to be there, and feeling like I was doing something worthwhile. Just getting to watch the people eat a good meal, and to be able to come back for seconds, made me more fully aware of how much need there is all around me. I hate walking through areas where there are lots of people begging for money because I feel badly not being able to help them all. Working in that kitchen gave me the chance to feel like, even if I weren’t helping very many people, I was doing some small part to serve and make up for the fact that I can’t help them all. It also has encouraged me to think about the problem of homelessness, and what it means to our country. It’s such a complex issue, and I certainly don’t have an answer as to what we should do. Thanks to my experiences recently with the homeless though, I’m a lot more encouraged to try and find one.

One Year Older and Wiser Too

Happy Birthday *clap* To You!

Everyone is Out To Get US

Weakening Storm Still May Form Hurricane
Page A13
MIAMI, Aug. 2 -- Tropical Storm Chris weakened Wednesday but still threatened to become the first hurricane of 2006, aimed at Florida or at U.S. oil facilities in the Gulf of Mexico, where monster storms such as Katrina wreaked havoc last year.

--http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/asection/index.html (emphasis added)

Is it just me, or does this little blurb make it sound like it's not just the terrorists who are out to get us, it's now the hurricanes too? Nature doesn't "take out" things in strategic strikes...it just goes where it wants to. I'm pretty sure this storm, while it could be heading in the direction of those oil facilities, is not, in fact, predeterminedly (Yes, I did make up that word.) aimed toward them.

Holy August Batman!

Suddenly, it's August, and I can't think what happened to May, June, and July. Especially July. It's over already! Just last week I could have sworn that it was July 4th. I could have sworn it, but I would have been crazy.

I've been noticing that when I don't pay attention to what people are saying in conversations closely enough, I lie to them. Not just, "Oh, you didn't understand" kind of lies...just lies.

The other day, I was walking with a fellow intern and doing the Crossword puzzle on my way to work. She noticed me doing the crossword puzzle, and apparently started asking me about whether or not I had seen Wordplay. I had, in fact, gone to see Wordplay the night before. In being distracted and kind of ignoring her, I responded, "No, I haven't seen that yet, but I really want to." Then we started talking about some scheduling things and I started to pay attention.

That, and I got stuck on the crossword, so I had nothing else to do for the next 5 minutes.

Later that day, my fellow intern and a supervisor were talking about Wordplay again...and I was excited to get into the conversation, seeing as I had just seen the movie. I start to talk to them about it, and I was really excited about it, when the other intern looks at me and says, "you said you hadn't seen that movie."
"What?" I replied. "No I didn't. I just saw it last night."
"This morning, when I asked you about it, you said you hadn't seen it."

At this point in the afternoon, I have no recollection of lying to her this morning. I, in fact, don't remember conversing with her before talking about our schedule change that weekend. I only remember working on the crossword puzzle, and then running into her after putting it down.

Isn't it interesting how we remember things? Clearly, my brain just edited what happened in the situation. I've certainly had instances where I remember things one way, and someone else who was there remembers it differently...or where something seems to become a memory based on the stories that I heard about being there.

Why is memory such a slippery thing? If mine is going now...I'm worried about what's going to happen when I turn old. Maybe this is why it's so important to keep a journal...so that you've got one source you'll feel dumb disputing with--yourself.

Rabbit Rabbit everyone.

Tender Mercies

I have to work today, and I have to work from 10-5:30, which means that I can't go to church.

I've been feeling pretty bummed about this. It's odd. There are some days where I don't really get excited to go to church, but I always miss it when, for some reason or another, I can't go to church. I miss the boost in morale I get from being in church--the chance to refocus, regroup, and return to where I'm supposed to be.

So, I'm sitting on the Metro this morning, riding to work, feeling sad and a little alone, and asking in one of my silent little prayers to just feel loved. It wasn't even a really earnest pleading prayer. It was one of those things where you say something in passing, but if someone didn't catch what you said and then asked, "what did you say?" you'd answer with, "nothing." Anyway, right as I prayed my little prayer, a guy from the program I'm in sits next to me and gives me one of those little side hugs right before getting off the metro about 10 seconds later.

Coincidence? Possibly, but the fact that it could be coincidence doesn't matter to me. For me, that little incident was an answer to a prayer, because it did exactly what I needed it to--it made me feel loved.

This is certainly not the first time this has happened either. I am consistently amazed at the little requests that my Heavenly Father sees fit to grant. In August of 2004 I was feeling pretty lonely. I'd just said good-bye to Best Friend for a couple of years, and all the other friends that I'd hung out with freshmen year were all still at home or on missions. That, and I was moving all my stuff around my room and unpacking, which generally makes me somewhat nostalgic. In short, I was pretty blue. I'm moving stuff around my room, feeling a little grumpy at the lack of space in a DT single room, and I'm asking Heavenly Father to help me change my attitude, because I don't like feeling the way I was.

Well, I picked up my fridge, and found a circle made out of blue construction paper under it. This paper had a big happy face on it, a scripture from The Doctrine and Covenants about a cheerful heart, and the word "SMILE!" written across the top in bold letters. I couldn't help myself--I just started to laugh. All alone on my empty floor, I laughed, and my mood was completely changed.

I guess it's hard to see exactly how great these moments were for me if you're not me, and if you don't have the same mind set and such. For me though, they've been little testimonies to me that God is listening, and that he really does care about me and all my silly little ups and downs. He even listens to the things that I half-mutter under my breath when I think no one cares. It reminds me of this quote:

"The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live."
Elder David A. Bednar
Ensign, May 2005, 100

It's true. Honestly, it's all true. God really does love us, and he is our Father. I'm sure thankful, and I'm even more thankful that he actually cares. Here's to hoping you all have the same affirmation.

Baleted!

So, this one time, I had a facebook account deleted by an administrator...

...and it was hilarious, it was also not my main account. It was one of my old board 'nyms. I logged in the other day as them just to see what was up...and found over 200 friend requests Apparently, all the activity alerted the authorities...and they deleted me.

Many people in the world of Facebook just lost a friend, and they don't even know it.

I too am a People-Loving Macedonian Dwarf.

What Famous Leader Are You?
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In other news, Christmas in July went well--really well in fact. It was so much fun! There was plenty of food for everyone, no one went hungry, and everyone was so chipper. The Christmas Spirit was all over the place. That's what this was all about, helping people feel that great Christmas Spirit...and having leftover turkey. :D

I'm realizing that I've only got a little while left here...and I've got massive amounts of stuff to go through again. I barely got it all out here when I came...I dunno how I'm going to get it all back. Maybe if I ship all my paper stuff home...books, pamphlets etc. then I'll be able to make it...maybe not. I really should figure that out. I've also got three papers to write and get turned in before I leave...this could be intense, but it probably won't be.

Life is good, but I'm ready to come home. I feel like I've learned a lot this summer, and that I've grown some, but I don't know if Washington Seminar, and Washington DC at this point, has much more to offer me in the way of personal progress. I'm ready to start life in Provo again, and to find new ways to grow there. No use in being stagnant...right?

Pearl Harbor

I saw this movie for the first time today, and it was less terrible than I was expecting. This could have been due to several factors.

1. I was locked out of my room for about 5.5 hours today, and so the 3 hours it took away from my life would have been spent doing nothing else productive.
2. I had been told that the movie was horrible--like, completely and utterly terrible, and was thus expecting to be completely disapointed. Usually when that happens, I end up at least slightly surprised, and in this case, I was even pleasantly surprised.
3. My friend who I watched the movie with edited out a scene involving parachutes...apparently it would have been too much, and is pretty infamous. Whatev, I haven't seen it, and can probably put the pieces together on my own.

So, the movie at least made me think about a few things. First, isn't it interesting how we find ourselves rooting for the good old American flyboys, and comdeming those Japanese to the abyss from which they must have crawled? I thought it was interesting that the movie let you do that by only showing the Japanese fighters preparing for a sneak attack, and when they were determined to kill Americans. When those flyboys are shooting at the planes, you don't ever see their faces, you just see the planes blow up. Now, I'm certainly not stating that I think the Japanese should have won the war, or anything like that, it brings a whole new perspective to the horrors of war though when you think about the fact that EVERY death mattered to someone, and that both sides feel the pain of the war. Americans do a good job of synthesizing this information when we're talking about the Civil War, and that's because it was 600,000 Americans who died. Just an interesting thing to think about. I don't know if we're capable of comprehending that kind of human suffering. It's difficult enough to understand the suffering of just one person over the death of someone they care about, let alone comprehending the feelings of the collective family and friends of all those who died. It's an incredibly sad thought. It brings me back to All Quiet on the Western Front. There's a quote in there where he talks about the other side being seen as robots, and as faceless ghosts. I don't think it would be possible to fight against and kill other people unless you were able to make them less than human in your mind.

The fact that the movie spurred some of these thoughts made the ending seem a bit trite. Yes, it ended up cleanly, and she got to marry the man she really loved, the man who she loved, but not as much, was still a hero, and the friends reconciled. After all the suffering they showed, it was really hard to believe the "happily ever after" feeling the end of the movie had. It was all so terribly convenient. Sad, and terrible, but convenient. Overall, the movie was better than I was expecting, but still not something I would purchase. I might watch it again...sometime, in the future, which is not soon.

Foggy Bottom School of Art

Today I joined* the Foggy Bottom school of art. Having been completely full of Potomac Fever for the past couple of days, I decided to pour my illness out onto canvas. Actually, it was great. TheGoldenMean, Yarjka and I all went exploring. We went to Ford's Theatre, saw the box in which Lincoln was shot, and then looked at some pillows that he bled on. Hrmm, that sounds less reverent than I intended. The theatre was quite cool, and I really enjoyed looking at stuff. It does make me wonder about why we have such a fascination with death. We, being society at large. It's something you don't talk about a whole lot regularly, but it seems like American Society as a whole tends to visit people's graves and see the places where they died. Odd.

Anyway, after doing that, we also walked to an art store, which happened to be having a sale. We picked up acrylic paints, canvases, paintbrushes, pallets...it was great! We then walked to the Jefferson Memorial and painted. Actually, just Yarjka and I painted, and TheGoldenMean read his book. All-in-all, it was quite pleasant. I really enjoyed just sitting outside right as the sun started to set. The weather goes from hot to medium (that was a salsa joke), and the fireflies just start coming out on the lawn. It was so picturesque, and all of us captured a little bit of it in our own interpretation.

Once we got back home, we made some fried rice, ate some flavor-ice (it's like otter pops...but not.) and now I'm blogging. It's been a good day.

Oh! This morning, I also got a free bag from the EU, and while the speaker fairly droned on for about an hour and a half, I memorized the flags of the countries within the European Union, so the time was not a total waste, and the bag was, and is, amazing.

*TheGoldenMean wishes to correct this. He claims that I helped to found it. I didn't come up with the idea, Yarjka I merely went along with it.

Washington DC Has Been Good For Me

Well, the end is approaching. It's a little hard to believe that there are only a few more weeks left, and that I've still got so much left to accomplish. Between work projects, tourism, and hanging out with people, I think that I've got most of my time scheduled between now and the end of my stay here.

Actually, come to think of it, I've got my time scheduled basically until school starts...Meh.

Anyway, I thought I should make a list of things that I've done, and things that I still want to do before I leave. That way, if it's in some organized state, I might actually accomplish all those things.

Things I've done (and loved)
-Worked in the Museum of American History
-Seen all the monuments
-Gotten a library card from the library of congress
-surfed on the metro
-walked on the steps behind the Lincoln memorial
-served food to a homeless person
-watched many, many movies
-walked at night (not unaccompanied)
-seen the white House at all different times of day and night
-watched the fireworks on the fourth of July
-Went Canoeing on the Patomic
-Rode a Boat to look at the monuments at night

Places I've visited (and also loved)
-The Museum of American History
-The Air and Space Museum
-The Museum of the American Indian
-The Hirshorn Gallery
-The Freer and Sackler Galleries
-The Holocaust Museum
-The National Aquarium at Baltimore
-Ft. McHenry
-The OAS
-The Supreme Court
-The National Archives
-Independence Hall
-Rocky's Steps
-Gettysburg
-General Pickett's Buffet
-The Museum of the National philosophical Society
-China Town

Places I still Need to Visit
-The National Gallery of Art
-The Museum of Women's Art
-The Museum of Natural History
-The National Zoo (I've been told to go early in the morning...like 6:00 am...and the animals will be out and frolicking)
-The Dulles Air and Space Museum
-The Pentagon
-Mt. Vernon
-Monticello

Things I still need to do
-Go up to the top of the Washington Monument
-Watch a movie at "Screen on the Green"
-Play Ultimate Frisbee on the National Mall
-Revisit all the monuments on one long walk

Alright, I know there's probably more that I need to do, but I'm feeling like this is a pretty good list so far. Now to hire a DC buddy to accompany me. :)

Coming Soon...

Sad day...

I'd been blogging about an incident with a cockroach, and it just died completely. Not the cockroach, but the post. I'll have to post it again in the morning, it's getting too late to get those kinds of willies.

Learn More, Play More, Baltimore

Today was quite the trip.

It started out well. Actually, that's kind of a lie. It started out late. I got up at 6:55, and was supposed to meet up with friends at 7:00 so that we could be at Union Station by 8, so we could ride the MARC train and get to Baltimore by about 9:00. I get up, look at the clock and think, "dang!" So I start hurrying to get ready. I do the quick mirror check to see if I'm looking greasy, and am pleasantly surprised to find that my hair actually looks just fine. I decide to put it into pigtails. I part it, and then put one side up, and then realize that I don't really want to spend a whole lot of money on food, so I should pack a lunch, and I should probably bring stuff for others to share too. This thought causes me to forget about my hair, and I start to pack up a lunch. I'm hurrying around my room with half my hair in a pigtail, and still in my pajamas. I then hurry to get dressed, and hurry even more to get downstairs. In this time I also remembered to grab ibuprofen in case people got heat headaches, and a sweatshirt in case it was cold down by the ocean. Yes, that's right--I'm well on my way to being a mom. :)

So, I hurry downstairs, and find that no one is there, which means I was either left, or not the only one running late. Turns out it was a little of both. I was left by a couple of people who made it there on time (I got down there by 7:08) but I was definitely not the one who was running the latest. I called a couple of people, and we all ended up meeting. It was great--we got to Union Station on time...despite missing our transfer point by two stops and having to go back, and we got to ride the train.

Now, apart from the Metro, I've never ridden on a real train. There was a place in Fairfield that we used to go to that had some little trains that drove around a park, and we rode on that, and I think there was a train at a wildlife petting zoo we went to once, but this was a real train. It was cool. Yarjka, JD, and I all worked on a crossword and read amusing stories from the Express. Really, the Washington Post express is incredible.

We get to Penn Station in Baltimore, and we look at a map. We find out that the warf is about a mile and a half away from where we are, so I suggest walking. After all, it's Baltimore! Everyone agrees...albeit reluctantly, and we begin to walk to the warf. While walking there we pass several things. First, there are bus stop benches all over the place that say, "Baltimore, Greatest City on Earth." While I don't necessarily agree with them, I do admire their ability to flaunt it. We also pass Mount Vernon Circle, which contained the first Washington Monument, with real fasci and a statue of Layfette nearby. I liked it.

Finally, we get to the warf. Now...it's hot outside today. In fact, it's pretty really warm. Some people in the group aren't too happy about the heat, and they start complaining a bit...sad day for them. Really, fun is what you make it, and they weren't making fun...they were just making whiny faces. Anyway, we're going to stand in line for Aquarium tickets, and I'm all excited about seeing the Atlantic ocean for the first time, when a bird poops on the sidewalk right near my feet...and the poop sort of slashes up on my leg. Now, at this juncture I've got two options. I can either be really grumpy about the fact that I've got bird poop on my leg, or I can wipe it off and move on. I actually thought it was hilarious, since I've been pooped on by a pacific seagull as well. I figure that getting pooped on by a couple of seagulls from sea to shining sea has to be somewhat patriotic...right?

So, we've got our tickets, and some of us really want to go and see Ft. McHenry, which is the fort that housed the original Star Spangled Banner, and which was the site of the bombardment that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that later became the National Anthem. I sort of wonder sometimes if I'm the only one who really wanted to go and see it...but regardless, that's where 6 of us headed--me, and 5 of the guys from our program. It would have been incredible odds if that's what I was looking for. :D Ft. McHenry was really cool--the guy who spoke there for our group was amazing, and the water taxi out there was really great. They stamp your wrist, and you can ride it for a really long time. It's just...awesome. I even managed to acquire an extra stamp on my wrist. Before taking the water taxi back across the bay, we stopped and ate a picnic lunch using the stuff that I'd brought, combined with the stuff that everyone else had brought. I used the old "Safeway card as a knife to cut the apple" trick, and it seemed to impress them...oddly enough, it seems to work every time. If you're unfamiliar with the trick, I'd be happy to teach it to you, and then you too can impress your friends with know-how and pragmatism.

The Aquarium itself wasn't really that great. I've been to some amazing aquariums in the past, and this one just wasn't really amazing. The part about it that made it really worth it was the Dolphin show, which was a mere $3.00 extra. This show was awesome. We sat in the Splash Zone, where else would you sit? And at one point, the trainer came out and asked for some volunteers. I raised my hand rather exuberantly, and was picked...to go down with 3 10 year old boys. I'm pretty sure that the trainer, and the rest of the audience, had no idea that I was, in fact, 21. Perhaps I look a lot younger than I thought...but I certainly don't look THAT young. Still though, I got to play basketball with a dolphin for a little bit, and I got to bunny hop to get the dolphin to walk a little. It was a lot of fun :D

After the Aquarium, we all set out in search of Seafood. When you're by the ocean, it's what you just have to eat, right? We ended up (2 suggested restaurants and a wrong turn into a bad neighborhood later) eating at a more upscale restaurant, that was actually quite tasty. After the restaurant, we boarded a bus bound for Penn Station (people weren't keen on the idea of walking back) and it was crazy--the ride was intense, and the driver was nuts, but it was a lot of fun. The train ride home was amazing. There are doors between the cars, and you push a button and they cause the door to open. Really, it feels like something out of Star Wars. It was awesome. Then, due to a little sunburn and a lot of walking, I realized I was very tired, and slept for a little while.

Overall, the day was great. I really think that it's largely due to the attitude that I had heading there--I planned to have a good time, and boy howdy did I! I also made sure to hang out with people who clearly planned to have a good time as well--being the chipper one in a group can be really exhasting if you're the only one who's doing it. Overall, I give the city a pretty high score, and I think that I would definitely go back again sometime. After all, there are still so many museums that I haven't visited...and the water taxi still runs all day. :)

Helmet Anyone?

Does anyone need a helmet?

Because the bike that went with mine ran away today.

(This sounds really sad and traumatic...it's sad, but not THAT sad...so don't feel too bad.)

Still Bored...

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It's Quiet....Too Quiet...

I'm sitting in my computer lab here right now, going kind of crazy. Why am I going crazy? Well, it's because my ipod is sitting in the lobby on the men's floor because I cut hair yesterday, and so I don't have anything to listen to.

Normally, this wouldn't be too big of a deal, except that I have a paper to write, and I really don't work well in quiet conditions. I grew up in a family of 5 children, and I always had a pleasant amount of background noise. If I really needed to get serious about studying, then I shut the door to my bedroom, and studied. Either that, or I laid all of my things to study out in the living room, that way my siblings saw that I was studying, and they made an effort to not make too much noise. I loved it.

Then, I went away to college. I tried to study in the library sometimes, but I can't do that all on my own--why not? Because I have to study somewhere quiet with someone else so that I can talk to them about what we're studying. If I'm studying on my own, then I studied back in the dorms. Sure, people say it's impossible, and I would agree with them when it's visiting hours, but all other times, I just shut my door, and studied while the insanity of my floor(s) went on outside the door. The noise was a pleasant reminder of home, and it worked for me.

Now, I'm in the Barlow Center, and I'm here during the day because of the fact that my museum was flooded and powerless (two days later, it's not flooded anymore, just still powerless). I've been here working on work stuff that I thought to bring home with me, and it's silent, and quiet, and no one is talking...and it's driving me crazy.

Sometimes, you just feel lonely. You miss your family and friends, and as good of an experience as you're having, you miss things that are completely familiar. Being here, all alone, in silence, doesn't help my lonely feelings. Quite the contrary--I'm about to go out and find myself a DC Buddy just so that I don't have to be humming to myself and talking out loud every now and again. It's a good thing that I'm looking at going into teaching, where there will be a healthy amount of noise most of the time...because I think if I were to do a desk job, I'd go absolutely insane. I sure hope the museum recovers soon.

This Image Changed Al Gore's Life

Has it changed yours?

What?!? No?

Yeah, it didn't do much for mine either. I went and saw "An Inconvenient Truth" tonight, which is basically a filming of Al Gore Lectures on Global Warming with Home Videos and some piano music added for effect. Not that I don't think we should save the environment--I do! I think we should recycle, and ride bikes when possible, walk wherever we can, use public transportation etc. etc. I just don't think that we need to portray Global Warming as if it's about to burn the whole earth. I guess it's possible that that could be part of the book of revelations. Al Gore compared global warming to Slave owners, the British in the Revolutionary War, Nazis, and Communists. He also mentioned how his father was a farmer, and how he used to go rifle shooting on his farm. He repeated spoke about the moral problem that Global Warming is, brought up the 2000 election, and did it all in a fatherly voice. This guy incorporated, religion, farmers, city people, historians, members of the NRA, Veterans and anyone who wants to fight against evil.

The problem with these kinds of things is that they are too polarized. Because they are too polarized, no one can fully relate to either side. Nobody normal is going to say that they hate the environment, that they want the rainforests to burn, and that they hope that all the polar bears drown when the polar ice caps melt because they have nowhere to rest now. Who does that? No one. On the other hand, people just don't have the money to scrap they're gas-guzzling cars that are inefficient at fuel burning and buy all new hybrid ones. They need those cars to go to work, to earn money, to buy more gas, to fuel those cars that drink all the gas in the first place. It's a vicious cycle, unlike Global Warming, which is just an upward climb to the earth becoming an inferno.

Anyway, the credits told me I'm supposed to stop Global Warming by telling you all to get out and see it. Go ahead, watch it--I don't think you should take it completely seriously, unless you want to be

"Up to your neck in owls and no American able to go to work!" --President Bush Senior (one of the best mental images ever)

Commitment, it's what's for Dinner

Recently, there have been an alarming number of people who have begun dating within the Washington Seminar. This, to me, prompts several different feelings. There's an adorable couple that can speak German and so no one understands them being sappy, and they're just really cute together. There's a couple, who are in my group of friends, incidentally, who have recently begun canoodling on a regular basis, who people don't really expect to last past the summer (if that long). There's a couple that started dating in the first few weeks of the Seminar, and then broke up, and now it's really awkward for both of them. It's these last two couples that prompt my small rant tonight.

Now, the program has, at most, 30 students in it. We all live in the same little house. We're all part of a really huge ward, but because the ward is so stinkin' huge, we all end up mostly hanging around each other every day of the week, for quite a bit of time. Normally, I would simply enjoy this interaction. In fact, I really like having a group of friends that I can go on adventures with, and that I can just hang out with. It makes life more convenient, to say the least.

Once people within the group start to pair off, however, you cause some issues. First, before you're actually dating, there's that terrible time where everyone knows that you want to date each other because you're like...Touching each other and rubbing noses and talking in baby voices and flirting by faking arguments and all that stuff that can be really unfortunate to watch. Why not just stop watching it then, right? Well, that's another problem. There are only a few places in which this canoodling can be done. There is the rec room downstairs in the basement, and the lobbies on both floors. Either way, it's not pleasant for anyone who stumbles upon you. Thirdly, once you start dating, you remove yourself from a social group that you had likely been a part of. If you started dating at the beginning of the semester and now find yourself single, you have to figure out how to fit into groups of people who don't involve your ex.

That's the worst part. How on earth do you make it work when you break up? The group is only so big, and there's no where that you can hide. Once you start dating, everyone in the program knows it, and once you break up, they also ALL know it. Now, if you don't end up breaking up, and things just work out (as I think they will for the cute couple that can speak German together), then you're great. Congratulations, you're on the road to eternal happiness--collect $200 as you pass GO.

If it weren't for this German Couple, I would suggest that Washington Seminar start to add some rules about not dating while doing the program. Sure, it's not going to happen, but I plan on doing my part to avoid the drama.

Mondays

Sometimes, I hate Mondays. This is a pretty common sentiment among the masses. No one likes Mondays, because Mondays equal the start of the week, right?

Not for me. Monday, for me, equals the end of the weekend. See, I have work on Saturday, and as a trade-off, I get Mondays off. This should be really great, right? Sometimes.

The problem is that I have to do everything that I do alone. Yup...Just little old me, wandering around DC. Granted, sometimes this is great. Especially when I just want to explore and I can't think of anyone out here who would just explore with me. Other times, it's kinda lame.

Things I can do on my own that don't feel lame:
Museum touring--this occasionally prompts me to talk to myself, however, because I like to tell people interesting facts.
-Ways to fix this:
-Give unofficial tours of various museums, wear the badge so that people think they're official.
Exploring--this one works out well. I might get completely lost, but I'm the only one who knows that I'm lost, so I can figure out how to get home without causing anyone else annoyance or alarm.

Things that are lame to do on your own:
Going to the Zoo--sure, this could probably be fun on my own...But it just kinda seems lame. Maybe it's just me there...We'll see.
Going to the Jefferson Memorial--again...Maybe not actually lame...But it feels more lonely.
Going to most anything for the first time.
-Ways to fix this:
-find a homeless friend, start a program where they make 5 dollars a day for being your DC buddy. Start advertising the program and use the profits to make more homeless buddy friends. Stipulate that they must be drug and alcohol free when they're acting as your friend. Reputations must be kept intact.

Now to convince my Piquant friend to come out and run the advertising campaign. Course, guess if she was out here running the ad campaign...I wouldn't really need the company anymore. Hrmm....

See--Mondays are too complicated. I'm off soon to go and tour some gift shops for some presents.

Werf

So, I'm running an experiment on Polio today for a bunch of Safety Patrol kids from Florida. They're all dressed in blue shirts, with the little neon belt thing, and baseball caps. Basically, they all look alike. Most of the group are boys...apparently, one was not. I didn't think much about it.

While the kids are washing their hands, their chaperone comes up to me and says, "She's a girl."
"What?" I reply, very confused.
"You called her a he, she's a she."
"Did I?" I respond, honestly not thinking about it.
"Yeah, don't worry though, it happens all the time."

Ouch. I can't decide whether it's better or worse that it happens all the time, or better or worse that my subconcious didn't even pick up on the fact that there was a she in the group. The girl didn't notice though, thankfully, and seemed to enjoy the experiment quite a bit.

I'm really starting to believe in the non-gendered pronoun.

Shattering Social Norms

I think that there are quite a few people who believed that the group I was with were drunk tonight.

That statement definitely could use some explanation...So here goes.

the group of interns that I live in the BYU house with all headed up to a dance for a YSA (Young Single Adult) dance. We had to take the Metro quite a ways, and then, because we're transportationless, had to rely on the kindness of other youth to drive us to the Stake Center. There, we all danced like crazy, and crazy danced, and did all kinds of other things which amounted to great and wild fun, even though the DJ was a bit lame, they tried hard, and I bet they weren't getting paid. Regardless, I went there to dance, and have a great time, and I did just that. I even got to dance with a member of the BYU ballroom team, which makes me wish that I could dance for real...and be danced with for real...on a more regular basis.

So then, the ride home was a bit more challenging. We had to find rides, and since most of us only know each other within the program, we didn't get that done without a bit of difficulty. Finally, we managed to get a ride to the Metro stop, and I somehow got the guy who gave us the ride's phone number. I asked for a pen to do the crossword, and then his phone number was written on my crossword, and on a card that he gave me. I don't know what happened there--he's a funny guy.

We waited at the Metro for some of our friends who were being taken by other strangers to the stop, and then we all went to wait for the train. Since it's late at night, we had to wait for a bit because the trains run a lot less often. So, we decided to waltz. Yeah, that's right. Six LDS kids waltzed around the Metro platform while we waited for the train to come. Once the train came, the adventure got even better.

It all started because we had our very own empty Metro car. Yup...a whole car, all to ourselves. This meant that I got to do something that I've wanted to do for a really, really long time. I started at one end of the car, and ran to the other while the train was moving, and then swung around one of the hand poles, ran back to the other end of the train, and did the same thing. It was so great! So then, we're sitting there talking about different songs we like, and we start singing...in parts. Then we start singing Hymns. When we started, we were all alone on the train, and then a couple people got on, and we just kept singing. The girl who was on the train that wasn't part of our group actually started crying at one point while we were singing "God Be With You Till We Meet Again." I hope it was mostly because she was touched, and not because we were terrible (we were actually quite good). Another guy got on, and he started talking to us--he told us all about his mother and how he was trying to get home to Cleveland. For those of you who don't know, you're not supposed to sing, dance, or talk to other people on the Metro. You're supposed to sit/stand there and pretend that you're the only person on the train, and that no one else exists. We completely broke all those rules...all of them. To top it off, we stood on both sides of the escalator. If you don't know that rule, you're supposed to stand on the right so that people can walk on the left. In order to make people more aware of this rule, the Metro has little combined word definitions posted on the trains. The one that's applicable here: Escalefter: Someone who stands on the left of the Escalator. Being in DC, I told people that I was being an "Escaliberal."

Anyway, we walked home singing a few more Disney songs, and ended the night with a grand flourish. It was so much fun, and I was completely without any self-conscious feelings, which is odd. It just felt good to have some fun. Good times.

Val-Pak Coupons

You know how you get junk mail and you just usually throw it away? Well, I love getting mail so much, that I actually almost always go through it and read it all, and then throw it away. I mean, it's mail!

When I was little, we'd get those terrible little envelopes full of coupons that were from "our loving neighbors" of somewhere or other and my mom would always throw away the entire envelope full without ever opening it. I couldn't ever let this happen, so I'd often grab the envelope and go through the coupons, marveling at the deals and values and thinking to myself, "Self, if you ever needed any of these windows or dog-food or gym memberships, think of all the money you could save!"


Well, the other day, I got my very own envelope of money-saving coupons from my loving neighbors at Val-Pak, and, true to form, I went through all the coupons inside of the savings-packed envelope. Inside I found a plethora of penny-pinching aides, but I found one that was particularly pleasant looking.

Yes friends, that's right. There was a coupon for $79 prescription glasses. Now, I wear contacts, and have for about 5 or 6 years now. Every time I've gone to the optometrist, I've used our insurance to get contacts for about the past three years. Consequently, my glasses prescription is about 3 or 4 years old, and not terribly effective. So, for the low, low price of $79 dollars, I got an eye exam, shiny blue frames that are nice and small, and lenses for them. The guy who was trying to help me pick out frames was hilarious. He leads me over to the case that has the sale frames in them, and I point to the blue ones, and a pair of black ones that I was interested in. He puts the blue ones on my face and, in a very Spain Spanish accent says, "oh yes, these look very nice, they go with your eyes." The next pair of frames he dismisses as being too big and heavy before they even go on my face. I actually agreed with him, and picked the blue ones, but I've never gotten someone who helped recommend frames to me before at the optometrist. The optometrist herself was also very nice. We chatted easily, and, if it turns out that I need to get contacts while I'm here, I do believe that I will go back and see these friendly people to get them.

It's all because of Val-Pak. Thanks to them, I've got an optometrist in DC, and a new pair of glasses with fabulous frames for just $79. Those neighbors must really love me! And all those people who hate to get junk mail must hate me...because it's those people like me who find uses for those coupons that keep people like you receiving them in the chance that you'll become a person like me.

The Self-Pity Puddle

So, I've been feeling a bit lonesome out here. It's not that I don't have nice associations, and it's not even that I don't have a few people I'd consider friends. It's certainly not that I don't love Washington DC, because I do. I just miss my family, and my best friends, you know, the play-together kind and not just the waving friends. Anyway, I'd been wallowing a bit in my own self pity. Granted, it wasn't a very long wallow...my self pity is kind of like a cold bath. There's just no reason to stay in it for long once you've gotten yourself clean.

So, yeah. I'm wallowing a bit in this self pity, wondering why it is that all these people around me haven't yet jumped to their feet and tried to make me their friend. Sure, my moving experience has taught me that I am usually the one who has to go out and make a move if I want friends, but maybe this time will be different. Maybe, this time, I'll just sit back and watch the friends flock to me.

Wrong-O pardner.

Clearly, I wasn't thinking logically here. First off, if people were lining up to be friends with me, I'd spend all my time introducing myself and none of my time actually "being friends." This is a phrase that indicates actual hang-outage as opposed to just "having friends." The second problem with my thinking is that I was wallowing in my loneliness, thinking about how my family isn't here, and I've got no one around to give me a good hug when I need one, and whine whine whine whine, when I already know perfectly well that the solution is to get out and make some friends. Duh.

It's so easily said, and yet it's so much easier just to whine about my problem. I can call my friends back in Provo and talk about how amazing DC is, but how it would be just a little better if they were all out here (which is probably true), I can miss my family, and I can sit around in my room at times feeling sorry for myself, or I can do something about it.

Guess what sacrament meeting on Sunday was about? It wasn't really about the atonement, or about Joseph Smith or anything like that. No, no. Sacrament meeting was done by the Welcoming Committee in the ward, and it was about fellowshipping. Yup...that's right. I'm supposed to make friends with people--they told me so over the pulpit. How's that for a direct invitation to step outside of yourself?

So that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to stop waiting around for someone to befriend me, and just start "being friends" with as many people on this program as I can. I'm tired of feeling sorry for myself--especially when I have no right to do so. I'm living in Washington DC, for the sake of Pete, and doing stuff that I absolutely love. I'm going to stop feeling sad because I can't share all my experiences with my close friends, and just start sharing some of my experiences with those friends who aren't so close yet. How on earth do I expect to make better friends if I don't start trying?

Yeah, so there. Interesting scripture that was used on Sunday:

Hebrews 13:2
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Random side note: Today I bought a bike in VA, and had to bring it back with me on the metro...I'm pretty sure I managed to entertain some strangers there...

Here's to hoping that you guys can get out and make some friends too, and that those of you that I actually know who read this can keep "being friends" with me in the process.

How To Get Married

And How to Keep Your Marriage Strong...in Society

"Looking for My Latin Lover"

Did I happen to put this shirt on today?

I went to Dupont Circle in search of some brown closed-toe shoes this afternoon after work, and I got looked over so many times! Not only that, but these guys were talking to me...ugh. It just makes you feel dirty. I wasn't even dressed in any kind of provocative manner. Yuck.

The first guy was like...30 or so, South American, and he passed me coming out of Safeway. He's walking with his friend, turns around, looks me over, and then clicks his tongue a few times. I hurried into the store to get away. Then I had to go into the McDonald's across the street so that I could use the restroom, and he was in there, at a table between the door and the bathroom. I tried to hurry past him, and he starts to stand up and talk to me! He said something, but I ran into the bathroom really fast so that I didn't have to talk to him. Then I prayed that he wouldn't talk to me when I left. He didn't, and I didn't have to talk to him anymore.

Then, after a lot of walking and finally finding Payless, I am buying my new shoes. The guy behind the counter (who is probably early 20's) says, "Tus ojos es muy bonita." For those of you who never took, or don't remember high school Spanish, that translates to "Your eyes are very beautiful." He's my sales clerk! I was expecting him to tell me how much my shoes cost...I hurried and said "thank you." He then proceeded to explain to me what he said by saying, "I just told you you have good eyes." Not really knowing what to say at this point, I quickly ask where the nearest Metro stop is and hightail it out of there. Now I'm safe at home, and currently alone. Maybe I should take a nap and start the afternoon over...

My shoes are really cute though, so that's a plus, right?

Hands-On Fun

Sometimes, as part of my internship, I get to work with Children. I love this. I think that kids are the funniest beings ever. They're just so completely honest and usually unaware that the things they're saying are not supposted to be said.

Anyway, some of the funnier quotes lately are included here:

In response to the question "What are the three states of matter?" A couple of boys had this interaction:

"Umm....uh...trees?"
"Video Games?"
(boy who said trees smacks boy who said video games) "Video games?!?"
(boy who said video games rubs his arm) "What? They matter."

After a group of pre-schoolers is told about the fact that they can't pick the color they want and chanting "You get what you get and you don't get upset" a little girl says,

"I don't care what I get, I only care that I love my mommy and daddy."

That girl has got it down.

It's Raining, It's Pouring...

...And It's Amazing.

So it's pouring outside right now. I've been feeling a little bit...alone? Not unhappy, but just alone. Anyway, I decided to go to a familiar store to get some groceries, and have an adventure to make myself feel better. I went online to find a Walmart...and that didn't work, at all. So I found a target instead. Sure, the store isn't particularly familiar, but it's familiar-ish, so I got on the metro and rode to nearly the end of the green line to get there.

The trip was good. I got a bunch of pasta which was on sale, and that's a good dinner. Just enough cooking that I feel good about my part in actually "making" dinner, but not so much effort that I don't feel like doing it. I'm realizing that I'm pretty deprived of meat though...so I might have to fix that.

Anyway, I got off the metro at the Foggy Bottom stop, and I find that it's pouring outside. Granted, this isn't Tennessee-pull-over-to-the-side-of-the-road-because-you-can't-see-where-you're-driving rain, but it's a good heavy rain. It just made me really happy. I'm listening to my ipod, dancing home in the rain, and loving it. Everyone around me is avoiding the rain, and I just embraced it. Glorious rain, that's what it was.

When I went to work today I got off the Metro at my station--the Smithsonian one on the orange and blue lines. It's such a great station. You ride the escalator up to the top, and right in front of you the Capitol building appears as you breach the horizon. Then you turn to go to one of the Smithsonians, and the Washington Monument is right there to your left. I still can't get over the fact that I live in Washington DC, and that I get the chance to see all of that, every day. I feel like I've been here longer than I have, but it's all so novel to me anyway. I ride the metro to work...I live off of Pennsylvania Ave...and I am interning at the Smithsonian. It's incredible! I am so happy about it...and so blessed to be able to do it.

Oh Dear

"24 is like an abusive boyfriend. You know it's bad for you, but you just can't stop going back to it."
--New 24 friend on Tonight's episode

Stop to Smell the...Greenery?

Alright--I wrote this post a long time ago, but my plants are all gone now, and I'm missing them right now, so I thought that I'd introduce them to you.

This guy to the right is "The Shrubbery" He and I have been together since September of My Freshmen year...that makes a friend of a whopping 2 and a half years. I bought him about a week after school started because I wanted something of my own to take care of. Now I'm an RA...guess it kind of works the same way...

The guy to the left here is also another one who needs a name, though he's been around for a little while. A really awesome family I know had a bunch of them in their kitchen and they were apparently trying to take over. They brought me one the last time they came to visit, I like that he's all stripey and kind of floppy. Again, any suggestions?

This guy has some of my favorite leaves. He doesn’t really have a name, but he does have a new pot—a really big one, and he’s got more leaves now.

This plant to the left is Diangelo Fig. One of the girls from my floor last year was with me when I bought him...and she named him. It's quite the name though, isn't it?

This last plant is one I like to call Gus. He's got skinny little legs, and really funny little leaves. It's kind of like Gus Gus from Cinderella...especially when the leaves are just growing--then they kind of curl open.

I guess the point of all that is this:


"I just really love plants."
-Persimmone Frosch

"You Go One Step Shy of Crazy, What Are You?"

"Obsessed?"
"Passionate!"

So, today was the Philadelphia trip. The day started with my roommate and I both getting a phone call around 6:10 from the kids on the bus...the bus that we were supposed to be on at 6:00. I can't recall the last time I got ready that fast. It was pretty incredible. The ride up to Philly (haha, I just typed "Philly") was basically just me sleeping, and then watching the end of "A More Perfect Union." Then we got to the National Constitution Center.

So I got excited. I mean...this is an important place! We went into the center, watched a little dramatic performance about the Constitution, and then we got to go and do the interactive activities upstairs. There was a wall of people who had influenced the constitution, and a place where you could be sworn in as president. Not to mention the fact that there were questions posted up along the wall, and you were encouraged to answer them and then stick the post-it to the wall. They ensured us that "all comments are recorded by our staff for public opinion." We answered all the questions they asked us, and felt very civically minded.

After that place, we went and got through the security to get into Independence Hall. Our tickets weren't until 12:00, and so we had some time to walk around. There was this little exhibit there that I wanted to look at, and it was pretty well done. When I was leaving, one of the members of the society stopped me and asked me where I was from. He was probably in his late twenties, early thirties. I told him I was from Utah, and then he asked me not to leave before signing the guestbook. The interesting thing was that he didn't ask anyone else to stick around and sign the guestbook, and he'd kind of been following me and this other guy that came in with me from the group around the museum. They had a little embossing machine there that I wanted to stamp my paper with, and the guy comes over to do it for me. He says, "It shows up best on the purple, and the orange. I'm going to stamp the orange, because that's the color shirt you're wearing." He then stamped my book twice, and I left soon afterwards.

Then we went to the tour of Independence Hall. Our tour guide was funny, but in a mostly odd way. He kept making these jokes that were supposed to be really funny...but they kind of annoyed me. I wasn't there to hear stories about how the Yankees won the series in 1776...I was there to see the real historical stuff. It wasn't too bad though, I'm sure he's just trying to make it more entertaining for the people whose parents just drag them there against their will.

After that, we had 4 hours of free time. We first went to get Philly Cheese Steaks...because I don't know how I could have lived with myself if I hadn't...ok, maybe I could have. anyway, it was pretty good, but I think I like the local fare better...honestly. I'm also not the only one--another girl in the program has been to several Philly cheese steak places with me, and she agrees with me. We then went to see the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which include the stairs that Rocky Ran up. Actually...we just went to see the stairs. We rode there on the Phlash bus...which felt like it was going to fall apart at any minute. It was great. I had to run down the stairs to take a picture, and then I ran up the stairs and made sure to do the Rocky Triumphant thing...just like everyone else. Then we walked to another part near the museum to take a picture with the Thinker, and then to catch the Phlash bus back to our other Bus. We had a little time, so a friend and I visited a dollar store and a Ross...where I bought a green fuzzy blanket that was on sale (check out the sheets underneath--it's the fuzz stuff on one side, and the shiny stuff on the other...hideous, but soo soft!). I figured that it was a good functional souvenir from Philly. We then went to a Pizza place for dinner, and then we drove home. This was where I again slept quite a bit, and watched a bit of National Treasure. All in all, it was quite a satisfying day. I got to see a lot of great stuff, and I found out that I'm full of Benergy.

Wait, So Are You Like...A Mormon?

Only the second day, and I got asked the question...

"So, where do you go to school?"
"Brigham Young University."
"Oh, I've heard of that...but I don't know why--are you guys good at sports or something?"
"Welll...we were once...in 1984."
"Oh...is it a big school?"
"About 35,000."
"Oh! Maybe that's where I heard about it."
"Maybe."
"Where is that again?"
"Provo, Utah."
"Oh, aren't there like, a lot of Mormons out there?"
"Yup."
"Are YOU a Mormon?"
"Yup!"
"Oh...can I ask you a question? There's something I've been wanting to clear up."
"Sure,"
"Well, umm...I don't know how to ask this."
"Don't worry about it, just ask." (this is the part where I thought she'd bring up polygamy)
"Well...Are Mormons the ones who believe that they get their own planets when they die?"
(I chuckle) "Well, not quite that quickly. We believe that God is our Father, and that he's enabled us to be able to eventually progress to become like him--kind of like a child can grow up to be like their father or mother. We don't, however, believe that you die and get [the keys to]* your own planet once you get to the other side. It's a long process."
"Oh, that makes sense. I just had to ask because I heard a Mormon and a Seventh-Day Adventist who were arguing about stuff, and that's the only part I remembered."

We went on to talk about other things after that. Later, she informed another guy we work with that I was LDS, and it's funny. I forget that people aren't just like...default LDS sometimes. Our office dress code is about the same as the honor code, so it makes it a little easier to do so. I'm so excited that they already know that I'm LDS...hopefully they'll keep asking questions. The first question the guy asked when she told him was, "did you do that mission thing?" I just answered that I hadn't and he replied, "Oh, you're one of THOSE Mormons." We all laughed, and he just-kiddinged it away, but all I could think was, "haven't done the mission thing...full time..." I hope I continue to leave these people with good impressions.

*I didn't actually say this at the time...I just now thought of it, and wish I'd been that clever at the moment...this is my blog though, so I'm allowed to play with History...as long as I tell you I did so.

Fake It Like You Mean It

Yay! I'm here in Washington D.C., and I'm really excited about it. I've started work at the Smithsonian, and it's going so well so far. Today I got trained on a lot of basics of the program, and I got asked to work on a special project that my Supervisor's Supervisor is working on with the Air and Space Museum. This equals really cool.

I also bought some sunglasses today that are really popular looking...let's see if I can find a comparable picture. Ok, that's about what they look like, except the hinge is metal, and has some small decorative rhinestones on it. It was awesome though--I totally walked down the street wearing these sunglasses, my hair long and flowing without frizz due to the increased moisture in the air, feeling all kinds of special because the Smithsonian is allowing me to help them on a project. The only thing that would make this day better is if my family and friends happened to be in the area. I'd run over to my friend's house with my silly sunglasses (apparently designed in Italy), and then I'd invite all of them over on a trip to the Library of Congress with me...which I'm taking tonight. My family would love the library...we're all a lot of big readers. Meaning, of course, that we read a lot...not that we're a bunch of fatties...dang.

Anyway, I hope you're enjoying yourselves wherever you are, and that if you're not having fun yet, feeling confident yet, or liking what you're doing right now, that you'll fake it. Fake it hard core. Pretty soon, you'll probably fool yourself, along with the rest of the world. I seem to be doing a pretty good job of it right now. :)