Novel Concepts

We Won!

2008-12-13T14:00:00.002-07:00

The Simply Sweet Marriage Blog picked us, and we won some chocolate dusting powder.

It smells good...and it makes some fine hot chocolate. What fun!

Want to enter their give-a-way? Go here.

There's still time to win!

Simply Sweet Marriage

2008-12-04T22:03:00.004-07:00

For all of you who are married out there, and looking for a good, safe place to read about ways to strengthen your relationship, or to find some advice that's clean, you should check out

Simply Sweet Marriage

Currently, they're having a large "giftaway" for the 12 days of Christmas.

Here are the rules:

Comment on Their blog
Post on your public blog about Simply Sweet Marriage for each giveaway that you enter. You have permission to use photos.
Winners will be posted the next day, with the last giveaway post on the 16th.
Contact us via our blog with acceptance (email us right away!)
It's nice of you when you win to show appreciation by blogging about the item(s) when they arrive. Thanks!

If you're not interested in getting any of their give-a-ways, then you should still check out their site. It's up for a good reason--according to their website:

"Our goal at Simply Sweet Marriage is to provide the resources, products, and apparel for husbands and wives to cultivate and increase marital intimacy and make your marriage a place of refuge."

Seems like a pretty worthy endeavor to me.

Internet="Interesting"

2007-03-19T14:21:00.000-06:00

I'm in a Doctrine and Covenants class that requires us to write in our journals each day. I was doing a little catching up today when I thought about this blog as a journal--you know, an online one. I noticed something between this journal and my daily one that is totally different. This journal is only updated when something interesting happens.

I think that the fact that other people are going to read this makes me want to only put experiences on here that other people will find interesting. I guess technically, someone will probably read my other journal sometime, but it's just less likely, and I don't feel compelled to make it interesting at all...though sometimes it just turns out interesting anyway.

In reality, I'm probably kind of boring--and really terribly average...Maybe this blog reflects that afterall... :)

Pizza...or Something

2007-02-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

Beware of the "...or something"

My SC ED 276 class ended today...after 4 hours every morning, from 8-12 for the past two months, I'm finally done. The class was actually a good one, and I really enjoyed it, but 4 hours every day sort of starts to suck your life away, you know?

Anyway. For about the last two months, my teacher has been saying, "Well, on that last day of class, we'll have to have pizza or something." The entire class was under the impression that today, we were having a pizza party or something.

Well, it turns out, we did have a little bit of a party--some girl in the class brought in some pumpkin cookies, and we talked about good teachers, we got a poem or two, it was tender.

Suddenly, the Professor says, "Well, the university says I have to give you one of these." Then, he hands each of us a 5 page essay final.

What? This was not a golden crust topped with saucy, cheesy, pepperoni-y goodness! This wasn't even edible! The class looked around as if it were a joke, and then the Professor walked out the door, told us to leave the tests on the table, and told us that he cared about us.

"Or Something" apparently = unnannounced final. Watch for it.

New Identity

2007-02-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

My new social security card finally came in the mail, and so did my new name. The old me, according to all important records, no longer exists.

Also, this means ID card #8...bring it on. :)

I'm getting Married in less than 100 hours...

2007-01-10T09:57:00.000-07:00

Beat that 100 Hour Board. ;)

In other news, school has started again...and that's lame. I really wish I could take an entire semester off without penalty. I'd be really great to just have the winter all to working, and none to school. I don't even hate my classes--I just don't feel like being in school right now. I sure don't feel like I should be blamed.

In other other news, I was reading the toothpaste tube the other day and it says, "For best results, squeeze tube from the bottom and flatten as you go up." This direction is wrong. The toothpaste works the same whether you squeeze it from the middle, or flatten it as you go up. It's nicer to flatten as you go up, it looks prettier, and you get to use more of the toothpaste that way before buying it, but I would really like to see the study which as proven that squeezing the toothpaste from the bottom of the tube makes your toothpaste work better.

Countdown

...in case you were wondering.

I'm Dreaming of a Caucasian Holiday

2006-12-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

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

2006-11-30T12:25:00.000-07:00

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....

2006-11-21T23:46:00.000-07:00

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

And it was good.

Oh My OChem

2006-11-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-25T23:25:00.000-06:00

"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.

2006-10-24T10:43:00.000-06:00

Cliches

Insomnia
Nerds

Bald Eagle

Hypotamoose

Cookie Loves Milk

Doodle Bug

Vegetarians

Battleship

Ctrl+Z
Poet-trees

To Do:

2006-10-19T10:01:00.000-06:00

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...

2006-10-18T09:03:00.000-06:00

I have no idea why...

Overheard

2006-10-13T09:34:00.000-06:00

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

2006-10-12T09:37:00.000-06:00

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

2006-10-11T08:53:00.001-06:00

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!!

2006-10-10T22:54:00.000-06:00

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

2006-10-09T21:43:00.000-06:00

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

2006-10-08T16:04:00.000-06:00

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

2006-09-18T21:42:00.000-06:00

-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!

2006-09-11T17:39:00.000-06:00

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!

2006-09-10T00:24:00.000-06:00

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

2006-09-03T18:30:00.000-06:00

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

2006-08-27T20:31:00.000-06:00

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...

2006-08-21T16:55:00.000-06:00

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

2006-08-09T10:13:00.000-06:00

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

2006-08-07T08:46:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday *clap* To You!

Everyone is Out To Get US

2006-08-03T13:56:00.000-06:00

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!

2006-08-01T11:51:00.000-06:00

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

2006-07-30T10:28:00.000-06:00

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!

2006-07-29T14:22:00.000-06:00

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.

2006-07-27T09:34:00.000-06:00

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

2006-07-22T22:21:00.000-06:00

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

2006-07-21T21:23:00.000-06:00

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

2006-07-18T10:14:00.000-06:00

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...

2006-07-13T22:21:00.000-06:00

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

2006-07-03T23:25:00.000-06:00

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?

2006-07-02T00:06:00.000-06:00

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...

2006-06-28T12:55:00.000-06:00

What Classic Movie Are You?
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It's Quiet....Too Quiet...

2006-06-28T11:35:00.000-06:00

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

2006-06-22T00:19:00.000-06:00

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

2006-06-16T21:30:00.000-06:00

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

2006-06-12T12:04:00.000-06:00

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

2006-06-10T14:25:00.000-06:00

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

2006-06-02T23:59:00.000-06:00

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

2006-05-25T22:11:00.000-06:00

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

2006-05-22T20:52:00.000-06:00

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

2006-05-16T21:59:00.000-06:00

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

"Looking for My Latin Lover"

2006-05-15T15:55:00.000-06:00

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

2006-05-13T16:13:00.000-06:00

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...

2006-05-11T18:56:00.000-06:00

...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

2006-05-08T20:23:00.000-06:00

"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?

2006-05-08T19:51:00.000-06:00

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?"

2006-05-06T19:22:00.000-06:00

"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?

2006-05-03T18:41:00.000-06:00

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

2006-05-02T14:27:00.000-06:00

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. :)

Good Morning!

2006-04-27T09:11:00.000-06:00

Has anyone else noticed that it's absolutely gorgeous outside today? The weather is amazing, the finals are done, and I'm almost totally packed. About 3/4 of my floor has already checked out...crazy girls who are trying to get home and see their families. I don't know why you wouldn't want to stay in on-campus housing for as long as you possibly could. Suck the marrow, and all that jazz.

Actually, it's interesting. Unnamed Hall has been my home for the past three years, and basically encapsulates my experiences here. These dinky rooms have been my home. I've learned a lot about education, history, physics, political science, student development etc. here, and a whole lot more about myself and the people that I have relationships with. DT has helped to establish my current sleeping patterns (or lack thereof) and it's been here for almost every one of my successes and failures in college.

You know, I guess I'm kind of attached. I'll miss the Mount Timpanogos/Provo Temple view that I've had for two of the years. Funny, the only year I haven't had this view was last year, when Best Friend was in the MTC...maybe that was on purpose. Can't have too much sentimental gazing into the distance...right? ;)

I don't think that I'll miss the maintenance problems, or the fact that I can't paint the walls, as much as I would have liked to. I don't think I'll miss the Freshmen Guys as the only male company apart from the RA's, but I will miss the aspect of being an RA where you get to see people, well--Freshmen girls, who are people too etc. etc.--just grow up. Freshmen year is so defining for so many people. I worry about some of my girls, and the patterns that they've established...but I guess you just can't do much to make people choose the right, you can just try and guide them. I'll also miss the chance to have huge communal bathroom coversations, and the fact that I basically get 40 automatic friends when the semester starts out.

Hrmm, I just yawned, and my breath smells pretty bad. I think it's time to brush my teeth. ooh--speaking of teeth brushing, when my sister and I ran the Rex Lee Run the other weekend, they gave us some toothpaste with Japanese all over the back called "NEWAYS." It's disgusting, and I don't really think it cleans my teeth at all. The taste of it is almost as bad as the Shrek Swamp Chocolate toothpaste that one of my friends gave me once. THAT stuff was rank.

OK, time to get ready for the morning. Time to get showered, do laundry, pack, work on finishing up my class for D.C. and send a couple things at the post office. I leave for D.C. in about....

Men Are...

2006-04-25T20:56:00.000-06:00

That they might have joy. 2 Nephi 2:25

Bet you guys were all thinking this was going to be some kind of male-hater post...you really should know me better than that. ;)

So, today's lesson is that God actually means what he says. He really does want us to be happy. No, really--I'm totally not kidding here. Without realizing it, I've been super disbelieving about this particular scripture, or at least not fully believing in it. I guess I've been thinking that God wants us to be really happy, but we've all got to have some kind of pet sorrow or something like that to remind us that we're not actually in the Celestial Kingdom yet. That's a huge load of malarky. We really can be just...happy. Better than happy--we can have joy.

I found out today that I can get a grant from the government that pays for my trip to DC. Not just my flight out there, but my housing, food, etc, with money to spare for my savings account that I've been trying desperately to fill since the beginning of the year.

This is incredible news! I'm getting the opportunity to fulfill a dream, avoid going into debt for it, and get some really incredible work experience at the same time. Allow me to once again go over the details of what living my dream entails:
1. Interning in the Museum of American History at the Hands-On Science Center. Yes, that's right...the combination of history and science, and teaching it to people who voluntarily showed up to learn. YAY!
2. Living in Washington D.C., and not only that, but living in D.C. for 4 months. That's 4 months of Lincoln Memorial, Museums, Library of Congress, etc. AHH!
3. Being in the Capital of our Nation on the 4th of July. The only places I can think of that fall in close proximity are Philadelphia, or maybe just here in Provo with my favorite people.
4. I have government clearance. Clearance for some briefings, clearance for some areas of the museum, not to mention, I'm attending the Smithsonian-wide Staff Meetings. Wahoo!

Alright, so I'm totally excited. And you know what else, it's completely ok for me to be really excited about this. I don't have to feel guilty, or concerned about what it all means--I am allowed to just be completely and totally happy about it. I am blessed with all sorts of open heaven windows right now, and I'm perfectly willing to just let the blessings fall where they may. God loves me, and that's wonderful.

Alright, so this entry is going to get long, but I've got a lot to say, so it's alright. I was thinking on Sunday about activity in the Church, and what it really means to be "active." Someone in my ward in testimony meeting said, "I'd always gone to church, but I wasn't really active." This sentence struck me as really interesting. A lot of us are technically active according to the roles, but we're basically passive as far as what we're doing to get things out of our experience at church. Not inactive, because we're making some effort, but we're certainly not putting anything into the actual meetings. We come to the feasts that are offered expecting to be spoon fed, when we really just need to pick up a fork and dig right in. So, I've got a new goal. I'm going to start acting in a manner that shows how much I love my religion.

Yeah...I think that's the end for today. Happy last day of finals, and here's to hoping you've got a great summer in the works.

Lessons Learned From Jock Rock 2006

2006-04-22T01:10:00.000-06:00

1. Don't go to it...ever. I didn't actually attend, but I watched a horde of people running from the police that came from the 10 police cars that were called in to stop it.
2. Brick Oven is a lousy place to try and hide from the Police, especially if you're trying to hide with about 50 other people.
3. 15 People piled in the back of a pick-up truck wearing athletic gear and acting drunk definitely don't give the aura that they didn't go to Jock Rock.
4. In Provo, if you have a party large enough, almost all the police are called to break it up. The other ones go to Llamapalooza, or the ER with an injured suspect in handcuffs.
5. If you want to break the steriotype that Jocks are dumb, you should stop acting like it, and not throw things called "jock rock."

In other news, It's now the end of Day 1 of finals. I've got one final tomorrow, a lot of my room packed today, and I'm off duty in about 15 minutes. Hope finals are going well for all of you.

Forever and a Day

2006-04-03T17:14:00.000-06:00

That's how long it feels like it's been since I've blogged. Consequently, I've got a lot of stuff to tell everyone about.

First off, I bought a car. A lovely, wonderful, amazing car, that really and truly belongs to me and allows me the mobility and freedom to drive to work, and see my family, and anything else I need to do. It's really great.

Secondly, I did it. What is this "it," you're all wondering? Well, for those of you who don't know, I applied for an internship with the Smithsonian. Yes, that's right, The Smithsonian. If, somehow, you don't know what that is, I'm sorry first off, as I have met several people who fall into that catagory, and you can go here to find out about it. That's actually just the National Museum of American History...there are about 5 different museums. I'm working in the Hands on Science area. Find out about that here. I'm way excited. I leave on April 30th, and then come back August 20th. Crazy eh? I'm spending almost 4 entire months in Washington DC as an intern at the Smithsonian...I still can't believe it. I actually really and truly did it!

Now, that fact is great, but it causes a few problems. First, I've got to figure out where I'm staying...if any of you have relatives who might be looking for boarders...let me know. I'm not looking for a free room--I'm totally willing to pay rent, and I don't expect food or anything. I just need a place to sleep at night. Yeah...let me know.

So, Yeah...exciting huh? I think it's awesome. I'm so excited for school to be over, because I'm feeling totally done with school right now. Unfortunately, until I've got all the details worked out for the Smithsonian, the fact that the school year is ending in a mere 4 weeks is a little stressful. I've been packing my room and trying to figure out what I need to take with me to DC, what to do with the stuff I'm leaving here, etc. etc. etc.

I have bought my plane ticket though...and that's a pretty huge step for me. That makes it real...like, I'm actually going. It still hasn't sunk in, I hope it does sometime before I actually get there.

MBTI = ENFJ

2006-03-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

For one of my classes, they required us to take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and then, today in class, we had a professional come and explain the results to us. Not that they're that hard to understand...just that it's nice to have someone explain them anyway.

So our professional is explaining things, and she's describing the different categories. Then she makes us write each letter, and then draw a line between them to show how far along the line we think we are. As she's describing them, this is what my paper looks like:

Then she hands back our results, and I was right on. My actual points were E: 14, N: 12, F: 5, J: 2. It made me pretty excited--after all..."To thine own self be true" right? I also happen to like the description of potential strengths and weaknesses, partially because, at least on the weaknesses, they're pretty dead on. I also liked how it described one of the leisure activities of an ENFJ as "collecting and telling stories." Lastly, there's a description of characteristics frequently associated with each type. ENFJ says: "Responsive and responsible. Feel real concern for what others think or want, and try to handle things with due regard for the other's feelings. Can present a proposal or lead a group discussion with ease and tact. Sociable, popular, sympathetic. Responsive to praise and criticism. Like to facilitate other and enable people to achieve their potential."

Hooray! I hope that I really can be this ENFJ--they sound like people who make the world better.

"Oh...you're...you're YOU!"

2006-03-04T01:44:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had that experience? You live your life with a certain group of people, and they tell you about some of their friends, or people they've heard about, or random stories or something, and then you go to a party, class, or work and, completely independent of the certain group of people, you end up meeting one of the individuals who is either a friend, person they've heard about, or individual from said random story?

That was probably one of the longest run-on sentences I've ever written...anyway.

I had that experience yesterday. My Best Friend, and another good friend (we'll call him "Second in Command") used to tell me about these two girls that they knew. They were referred to as simply "The Ali's." Well...I happen to work with one of the Alis, and as she started telling me a story involving Best Friend and Second in Command, I suddenly realized that she, was, in fact, not just a title, but honestly really and truly a person, who also happened to be the individual from our past discussions. She's going to read this and think, "You're weird" as will many others, but lets see if I can explain it a little better.

Do you ever have times in your life when things just suddenly become real to you? I had a lot of experiences like this a couple of summers ago, when we went to Palmyra, and then Gettysburg. Suddenly, things like the Sacred Grove were not just happy little pictures in my mind, they were real places where incredible things happened that began the restoration of the Church. The people who died at Gettysburg are real, and their graves in the cemetery at Gettysburg just made me cry. I walked along the rows of different headstones from various wars, and it just hit me--these are PEOPLE, well...were.

Other things have started to hit me for real too lately. Things like the fact that my family actually lives within driving distance of me, that the semester is only 2 months from being over, and that this is going to be a really awesome year. It's just...wow.

Life is real, life is earnest
And the grave is not the goal
Dust thou art, to dust returneth
Wast not spoken of the soul.
--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Olympic Commediantary

2006-02-24T02:13:00.000-07:00

Two of my favorite quotes from Women's Figure Skating tonight (the long program).

"Now, there's a difference in the short and the long program, and that difference is time."

Really?!? :)

"That's a lady."

Alright, now I know that he was referring to the winner of the gold medal in a way that stated that she possessed grace and refinement...but it's just funny to hear, especially after he said the first quote.

My Sister Is Hilarious...

2006-02-22T15:06:00.000-07:00

Biv·ou·ac

2006-02-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

There's a board question right now that will post in a few days, that reminded me to remember one of my favorite poems. I guess I could have answered it on there, but I'm currently on hiatus from the Board, due to serious lack of time. This is the first time in about a month that I've actually checked more than messages. Anyway-- I read this in about the the 7th grade, and it's kinda been one of my life mantras...or something like that. A lot of mostly, I just really like the thing. For your pleasure, and my own personal being able to continually find it:

A Psalm of Life
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I
Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

II
Life is real--life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal:
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

III
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destin'd end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

IV
Art is long, and time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

V
In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

VI
Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act--act in the glorious Present!
Heart within, and God o'er head!

VII
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footsteps on the sands of time.

VIII
Footsteps, that, perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwreck'd brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

IX
Let us then be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

So, yeah--just a really good poem. I loved learning the word bivouac (A temporary encampment often in an unsheltered area.), and the upbeat tone that it held. Basically, I think it says that life is going to be real--but it's not the end, and we should live in the moments of this life, in order to gain the goods of the next. Not that the goods of this life aren't worth getting a bit of too... :)

Theme Song of the Day

2006-01-31T18:18:00.000-07:00

"Almost Like Being in Love"
Nat King Cole

What a day this has been
What a rare mood I'm in
Why it's almost like being in love

There's a smile on my face
For the whole human race
Why it's almost like being in love

All the music of life seems to be
Like a bell that is ringing for me

And from the way that I feel
When that bell starts to peal
I could swear I was fallen
Swear I was fallen
Well, it's almost like being in love

All the music of life seems to be
Like a bell that is ringing for me

And from the way that I feel
When that bell starts to peel
I would swear I was fallen
Swear I was fallen
Why, it's almost like being in love.

Today has been an excellent day. You know why? Yeah...Me neither. It's just been a really great day. I started out with breakfast, went running, read my textbook, read some of the New York Times, and then went to class. Once I got into class, my teacher went through the analysis papers that we recently turned in. Each one of them is worth 10 points, and only 3 students in the class got full credit. I was totally one of those students. Not only that, but he read my paper to the class. He then stuck it randomly in the pile so that people wouldn't have to know whose paper it was. He did the same thing with a couple of other papers. I felt so stinkin' good at school again for the first time in a little while. I got my paper back with all kinds of compliments and words like 'exemplary' and 'good!' all over it. If I had a large fridge, that paper would so be on it. This is my way of doing the same thing I guess. I wrote a letter, well...card, that's hilarious, then it was off to RA class, where I was really friendly due to my excellent mood, and then dinner with the RA's in my hall, which is always tons of fun. I came back to a great note from Uffish, and an even more artistic card (Which I loved, by the way--thanks a million:D) And now here I am back in my room, putting away the laundry that I washed yesterday and getting ready to do my CS homework.

Ordinary, ordinary things, but I am so happy right now because I've gotten so much accomplished. I'm starting to think that I should eat breakfast and go running every morning, solely for the sake of feeling great about life every day. Heck, maybe I'll even make a habit out of reading my textbooks and the newspaper, not to mention doing well on papers and writing letters and eating dinner... What's the good life? The good life is actually doing all the ordinary things I'm supposed to do anyway. Here's to actually livin' the good life. Hope you're all doing the same.

One Year Older and Wiser Too

2006-01-26T23:59:00.000-07:00

Birthdays have an amazing ability to make me realize just how awesome...I mean, er...grateful I am.

OK, just kidding, I promise I'm not actually that conceited. If I feel awesome, it's because I have all these people who care about me. As the commercials say "_____ people can't be wrong," right? As my best friend once put it, "guess there's something to me after all." I've felt very special today, and life is good.

For a lot of my birthdays I've grown up expecting to feel some sort of magical difference the morning I woke up. When I turned 16 I though that I'd feel somehow less awkward, more attractive, and suddenly dateable.

That didn't really happen.

Then at 18, I thought I'd wake up and feel like a grown up--I mean, the world says with that birthday that I'm entitled to certain rights and privileges, I should certainly wake up feeling righted and privileged, right?

That didn't really happen either...

And now I'm 21. "Legal" as many of my friends have reminded me. You know what though? I do feel different. It's not something that's come on all of a sudden, and I didn't wake up with the feeling this morning, but I just feel like I'm older, wiser, and more grown up somehow then I was about a year ago. Having to deal with things like finances and 2 jobs and time management has an amazing way of turning you grown up. I feel like I've got a pretty good idea of what I'm doing, where I think I'm going and how it is that I'm going to get there. And even if plans change, God still knows me, and he still knows where it is that I really need to end up.

So I guess that what I really am this Birthday is honestly grateful. I'm grateful for friends who care about me, I'm grateful for a family that loves me, and I'm grateful that people took time out of their ordinary days to make mine extraordinary. Thanks to all of you, for everything.

The Higher the Ponytail....

2006-01-19T23:18:00.000-07:00

...The dumber the behavior of the guys around you?

I certainly didn't think that this was an adage that had been proven, but work tonight, and any night I've worn my hair up in a high ponytail has proven differently. Every single time I have my hair up higher, I get guys who act like we're suddenly back in the 4th grade and they're trying to get my attention. Servers who don't notice I'm back there stocking their glasses for them on a low ponytail day are suddenly throwing napkins at me, standing in my way in the doors, and flirtaciously hitting me in the arm while trying to sound witty. A guy at the pasta bar tonight started to strike up a conversation with me about Fettacini, apparently assuming that since I worked there, I must be all kinds of knowledgeable about it...

..again, not the case. At least he realized that he was sounding silly, because he stopped mid sentence and said, "Wow, now I'm just rambling." At that point I came back with a witty and well placed comment:

"Would you like a sausage or meatball?"

The poetry of it all.

Anyway, I guess I've learned that a high ponytail is another feminine wile...either that, or it just evokes thoughts of cheerleaders and school spirit, which puts some guys into a football jock mind set, which causes them to try and impress you? I really don't know, but the reactions are amusing, though hardly impressive.

On a different note, I turned in like, 24 books 1 day late to the library after break, and I was expecting the massive fine of 24 dollars to be my very own. I checked my account today though, and they apparently decided to forgive the whole thing. Hooray for a benevolent and kind library staff! Yay for the HBLL!

And now, back to physics and computer science homework, and then onto working on something much more exciting and fun...but I'll have to talk about that later.

"But My Lips Hurt Real Bad..."

2006-01-10T23:01:00.000-07:00

This cold weather is causing my lips to bleed, I should get some intensive care chapstick.

Classes are off to a good start. I'm excited in particular about taking French and Italian Cinema. I really contemplated taking the History of Jazz, but I think it was more expensive...and my best friend has already taken it. I figure we can compare notes on both classes and become doubly cultured and intelligent. It'll be all kinds of cool.

I'm in History 220 right now, and the professor is really funny. He's going through the syllabus, and he gets to the University Cheating Policy, which I'm almost certain is required to be in every syllabus written at BYU. Anyway, he said the following:

"Don't cheat, because if you do, things will heat up for you later...like when the flames are burning you in Hell."

He then goes on for about 2 minutes about how he doesn't to have to come down and relieve your suffering if you do choose to cheat, so you should probably just not do it. He gets off topic a lot, but it's entertaining, and that's more than I was expecting for my tuition, so it can't be all bad, right?

I'm also taking Computer Science classes, for my computer science teaching minor, which is now replacing physics teaching. Turns out, I'm just not that good at physics. Anyway, I walk into the class on the first day of school, and there are about 80 guys in there, in varying stages of relationships (single--->married). There are a whopping 4 girls. One of these girls is a continuing education student, so she's had a few kids, and she's definitely married. The other two girls who are there aren't white. Turns out, at least on Monday in this class, I am the only single white female. Since when does that happen at BYU...or most anywhere else? I can't really recall ever having been in the minority before...unless being LDS is what we're judging by. Anyway, I thought it was funny.

School is looking good, Summer isn't far away, and things are looking good for the next few semesters. As long as I do this right, I should be able to graduate in December of 2007. Then it's hopefully into a real job, and life will be terribly and incredibly good...

...as if it weren't already!

Everlasting Goldfishers

2005-12-31T23:03:00.000-07:00

I seem to have had incredible luck with certain things that many people can't help but kill--plants...relationships...and recently, goldfish.

I got back to my room today after being gone for about 10 days. Before leaving, I fished a goldfish out of a toilet on one of the other floors. We're technically just supposed to flush them...but he was so cute and, well, shiny, that I decided he deserved a fighting chance. I filled up a bowl that I have with clean water, stuck some marbles in the bottom, grabbed a few baby spider plants off a plant that I got from my best friend's mom...you know, for oxygen! I then crumbled up a few pieces of stale cheerio into the bottom, and wished the fish a happy life, and a Merry Christmas.

I walked into my room fully expecting him to be dead in the bowl. Sad as it might be, I could at least feel alright flushing a dead fish...I mean, at least he wasn't alive, right? Well, my little fishy friend was and is alive as ever. He was stuck in a bowl with less than half the water that I originally put in there, and no more cheerio, but he's alive and kickin'.

That's where my story continues. The thing is, all the fish I've ever had are hearty fish. I went to a fair with a guy named Alex when I was living in California, and we managed to win one of those silly little goldfish from the game where you have to toss a ping pong ball into the fish bowl. Well, that fish lived in my house for about 5 months, and then we had to move, so I gave the fish to his little sister. I talked to her again about a year later, and the fish was still alive..swimming in the fish tank with all her other fish, just as not-dead as ever.

Last year, I swiped a fish from the big dance they do here. They put them on the tables, and then they just flush them all afterwards, so I decided just to take one. I took the whole little bowl, snuck it home, transplanted the fish into a cup of my own, and then returned the rest of the stuff to where I'd gotten it...just sans fish. This fish lived in the office of our building, and bore the name of the general manager of housing for our area...after all, you can't flush the manager, right? After a little while, my Hall Advisor said we should probably get rid of it, and she gave it to a brother nearby. At last word, which was about 7-9 months later, that fish too was also alive and kickin'.

So now I've created a problem for myself. Not only did the fish live, now I'm attached. He's managed to survive 10 days on his own in a little bowl in my room with nothing but plants for oxygen and stale cheerio for food, and he survived for a few days in a Dorm Toilet. Can I really just end this guy's life with a singular non-caring trip down the porcelain basin?

I just don't think I have it in me. If you want a fish, let me know, this one is apparently hearty.

"...Be Good, for Goodness' Sake..."

2005-12-16T01:19:00.000-07:00

I've been listening to about a hundred different singers sing the same songs at work lately. I've been picking out my favorites--like the Boy Band that sang the whole of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer as a ballad...or the song that's chorus goes, "Mamacita, donde esta Santa Claus, it's Christmas Eve." and has a section where Santa cheers on reindeer like Pedro, and says, "Ole! Ole! Ole!" instead of "Ho! Ho! Ho!" So funny, I laugh every single time.

Anyway. Santa Claus is coming to town plays at least twice an hour, and I always listen to the words. First, because they're vaguely stalker-esque (he sees you when you're sleeping, he knows if you're awake...creepy.), but the phrase that struck me in particular was the phrase, "He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good, for goodness sake."

What an interesting concept. Being good, solely for the sake of goodness...Now, the song isn't about that at all. It's about being good so that you get presents and not coal, but it brings up an interesting idea, even unintentionally. Being good just because it's good, and not because you're afraid of consequences--immediate or long term, but just because it's good to be good. Someday I'll get there...and do the right things simply because they are just that--the right things. Not because they're a more appealing option in the long run, or because they're just what I'm supposed to do, but because they're good...

Oh for goodness sake... :D

Merry Christmas everyone, and Happy New Year too, in case I don't write anything on here in the meantime. I've got a lot of stuff to get done, and only about a week at home with my family before some of us move out to Utah, to be followed later by the rest. Merry Christmas to all, Happy Holidays to the rest, and to all, a very good night.

A Beautiful Mind?

2005-12-13T19:33:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a quick break from all my studying to let the world know that I still exist, and that I haven't forgotten that they too exist.

I'm sitting next to my window, which moments ago was covered with a physics problem that I'd worked out on it. I came up with the idea earlier today because I have to be on duty tonight, and it's been the best way I've ever done my homework. Right now, I'm looking forward to my classes next semester, because I can do more of my homework this way...It's gonna be amazing.

Anyway, I'm also laughing at the way I look today. Took a shower, and didn't do anything to my hair, which means it's down, for once. That honestly almost never happens. I'm also wearing glasses, because I can't remember the last time that I took my contacts out, and they were kind of glued to my eyeballs this morning. Needless to say, it's about time I got some new ones.

Anyway, back into my world of numbers and letters...And then onto Argentina. I'm doing all kinds of traveling in this little imaginative world of mine. Let's just hope that when Finals Week is over and done, I don't emerge with friends from those places that no one else can see....

Chronicles of Narnia

2005-12-09T03:46:00.000-07:00

The movie was truly amazing, I highly reccomend it, and I won't go into it in too great of detail now, because I don't want you to get your hopes up too high and then see it and be dissapointed. Just know that I, Novel Concept, found it entirely worth my $8.25 to see it at 12:15 this morning...it was really really good.

I also really love the books. I'm not feeling particularly eloquent at the moment...though that could have a great something to do with the lateness of the hour. Regardless, C.S. Lewis is an incredible author, and I should probably try and get into one of the classes about him sometime whilest at BYU.

Happy Finals Everyone.

2005-12-05T01:16:00.000-07:00

The Dante's Inferno Test has sent you to Purgatory!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Extreme
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	High
Level 2 (Lustful)	Very Low
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Low
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Very Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Very Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)	Very Low
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Low
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Very Low

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test

Happy Thanksgiving!

2005-11-23T12:29:00.000-07:00

You know what? I really am very thankful for everything I've got. The other day (today in fact) I was walking around campus singing that song from Mr. Holland's Opus (and other things...I just haven't seen them)

I've got daisies in green pastures, I've got my man, who could ask for anything more?

I've even got the more, and life is just plain great. I've been in an amazing mood, and I really don't know that I could ask for anything more.

Hope your turkey is good, and your blessing counting goes even better.

"I'm Glad You're Here!"

2005-11-13T23:28:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

Wisdom teeth surgery went well...really well in fact, and I have no complaints. I'm not swollen much anymore...I didn't swell much in the first place, and apart from being tired, I'm back to regular old me. Maybe even better.

For some reason, I feel more like myself in the past couple of days than I have in a little bit of awhile--I feel just plain happy. I have friends and family who love me, I have people who care about me, and I just saved 120% on my wisdom tooth extraction!

I think part of it comes from a general change of attitude that has accompanied my new job at Brick Oven--I work there and as an RA still, and despite the lack of sleep that working full time while going to school full time facilitates, I feel happier. I'm more financially secure, and that's always a good feeling, and work is also pretty fun. I just work the salad bar, but I really do enjoy it. It goes by pretty quickly, and it's not bad work.

Something else about work is interesting, and I thought that I would dislike it--it's a rule that you're supposed to smile. At first, the sassy little inner voice that I posses wanted to revolt against this particular rule, thinking things like, "yeah, whatever. I'll smile if I feel like smiling." (insert sassy head wiggle here). The more intelligent and socially conscious part of me agreed to the rule, and so I walked around work the first night smiling, while wearing a nametag that tells everyone that I'm glad that they chose to frequent Brick Oven that evening.

The odd thing about it is this. Wearing that nametag, and forcing myself to smile in the beginning eventually makes it so that I genuinely feel like smiling a little while later. I feel more like I'm serving people, and that they probably appreciate having a clean, well-stocked salad bar to come to. I end up feeling, in fact, that I really am glad that they chose to come to Brick Oven that night.

I've started to try the same approach in some of my other areas of life. When doing thing as an RA, I try to look at what I'm doing as service, and realize, that though no one might say anything, I bet they really do appreciate it. When I'm doing my schoolwork, I try to think of things as a service both to myself, and to my teachers, who likely appreciate not having to grade terrible papers, and would rather look at good ones.

It's been great! I'm excited about my school stuff again, I'm not feeling nearly as burned out, and I don't really want to just drop out of school and start trying my backup plans. I'm getting excited about applying for my major in January, I'm looking forward to more school and eventually even to graduation, and I'm feeling happier with myself and what I'm doing than I have in a little while.

It's marvelous folks, what a little dose of pretended happiness and excitement can do--try it, if you're clever enough, or a good enough actor/actress, maybe you'll even manage to fool yourself.

Wisdom Teeth

2005-11-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

I go in tomorrow to get my wisdom teeth taken out, and then I take an experimental drug afterwards...or no drug at all...for about 24 hours. In return for this, I will get the knowledge that I have no wisdom teeth, and $160...I also don't pay a penny for them...other than the money I've already paid in bus fares.

I've realized my own humanity, in part...and in so realizing it, and the possibility(however small) that something could go wrong, and I could end up not only losing my wisdom teeth, but also my mental faculties...I figure I should make a will now, whilst I am still of 'sound mind' (guess everything really is relative).

To the RA's which I am pleased to work with--I give you my ID card, the powers of my Dining Plus, and the paycheck that should be coming from my second job in about two weeks--just pretend that I'm not gone...I'm sure no one will ever pick up on it.

To the Writers of the Board--You can have any aliases or reputation I might have acquired in the internet world...though that's not much. You're also welcome to my two assigned questions right now--I'd love for you to explain copyright laws and the history of the Oklahoma Sooners... ;)

To my Friends--You're welcome to take some of my other stuff--books, future road trips, good meals, etc. You just can't have my pillows...those are for Wafflewitz and LEB. I think Uffish gets my music collection too, all 17.5 gigs of it.

To My Best Friend--You can have all the pictures, and everything that the pictures might remind you of...you can also have the promise that I'll try not to be too drooling of an idiot...

To My Family...I think if I lost ALL my mental faculties, you'd be saddled with the burden of taking care of me...I probably should figure out some way to compensate you for that--I'll work on that.

Anyway...here's to free Wisdom Tooth Extraction, and the hope that I don't actually end up losing anything besides teeth. If I do...here's to hoping that someone else benefits from it :)

The Perils of Having No Doorstep

2005-10-27T15:11:00.000-06:00

Let me explain the setting to you. See, I live in DT. We have elevators in our buildings, and in my particular building, there is one elevator that shows no mercy. The doors close and they sensor doesn't pick up the fact that there's someone in it, well...at least not until the doors are pushing on something in the middle and finally open up. There's a couple who were saying goodnight. She's standing in the elevator, and he's standing right outside of it.

I'm sitting in the office reading my book, and the curtains are drawn, this is so that I don't watch these scenes, because they make us all equally uncomfortable. I can't help but listen to their conversation though.

"Well...call me tomorrow, ok?"
"Yeah. Love you."

These sentiments are followed by a few smacking noises...actually, it was about 6--I counted after a little while. Suddenly, I hear the elevator doors closing with their usual avengence. I'm assuming this is because she's stepped inside the elevator....

You know what happens when you assume...

Anyway, Suddenly I hear her say "Ouch!" and he clamors saying, "Oh my goodness! Are you ok?"

Apparently, they'd been having a longer, less smacking goodnight kiss, I'm assuming their eyes were closed, and the elevator doors had closed on her. Finally, they actually parted, after getting over the shock of having their kiss cut short by the elevator. I sat in the office trying my hardest not to laugh out loud, as the glass on that window is not very thick, and they would have been completely embarassed.

I've decided to nickname the elevator though. I think it should become the Chastity 2000.

Holy Moley!

2005-10-23T22:31:00.001-06:00

Friends, Neighbors, Romans, Countrymen, and Fellow Science Friends, and especially our Dear Avagadro

Stop the Clock: it's MOLE DAY!

Yes friends, that's right! Today, October 23, (or 10/23) is our very favorite atomic buddy's very own day. Hope you all celebrated in one way or another.

Happy Mole Day!!

Funny Mental Connections

2005-10-22T20:50:00.000-06:00

Today I went with Uffish to her favorite little used book store--it's a lot of fun. I love the smell of old books, and new books, and all those sorts of things, so it was a pleasant visit for me. The smell and all the stacks remind me of home, and unpacking. My mom has tons of books. I haven't read them all, but I'm almost certain that she has. The smell makes me feel at home.

Another funny thing, they were playing this great Jazz music that was kind of slow and it made me want to dance. Not dance all by myself, but to sway quietly with someone else. Maybe I've just had dancing on my mind lately. In my Argentine history class we've been studying the Tango and it's cultural significance. We've been watching different people who do the tango, and it's such a passionate dance, and so full of life and expression--it makes me wish I actually knew how to dance with some real steps. Guess it's another thing to add to the "To-Do" list...eventually.

You Know You're Alone on a Friday When...

2005-10-21T23:14:00.000-06:00

So it's Friday night, and I'm sitting in my wonderfully decorated room again, all by my lonesome, and it's just past 11:00. I've contemplated these times in the past little while, and I've compiled a list:

You Know You're Alone on a Friday When

Well, you are all by yourself and it happens to be Friday.
You think about what to do with the rest of your evening, and you decide that a rousing game of solitaire sounds like a rollicking romp through the lands of fun and enchantment
You begin to wonder how you could create some "intoxicating verbal shimmer"
You realize that if you go out and "pitch some woo" or even "make some hay" it might remedy your current financial situation, as long as you get your very own tower and a little Rumplestiltskin.
You listen to your playlist that's entitled "Upbeat Love Stuffs"
You invite girls on your floor to watch the movie "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" that you recently acquired for a whopping $2.50.
You are 20 years old and an RA and live in DT, and therefore have the ability to have girls on your floor...but very little other social life.

You Realize You're Completely Alright With it When:

You refuse trips to Park City so that you can spend some of the evening alone--quiet time...what a rarity in college!
You win your first game of solitaire, and therefore feel no need to play any others--you're already a winner!
You've learned to make money stretch, and you've decided that you're going to get your wisdom teeth extracted for free, and then you're going to get paid $150 to participate in an after surgery pain medication study...who needs to pitch woo?
You sing along with every single one of the songs on your playlist, while using the dance moves you just acquired while watching "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"
You really do enjoy the company of the girls on your floor, and you're glad that you're an RA--it's a pretty sweet deal.

Sounds like a pretty good place to be to me. Happy Friday All!

Sleep, It's After Dinner

2005-10-19T11:00:00.001-06:00

You know what? According to the tracker thing I have on this blog, most people read it between about 3:00 and 4:00 in the morning--that's bad for you. As Uffish has been told, and restated: without sleep, you will die.

This is a lesson that I'm readily learning over, and over, and over...you get the picture. I can't understand why I've been an idiot for so long on this issue. Why don't I just go to bed at a reasonable hour?

When I first got to college, it was a matter of "feeling independent." I'd basically had a bedtime for most of my life. Up until the time I was 12, bedtime was about 7:30 or 8:00, except on nights where Ghostwriter was on, and then I was allowed to stay up until 8:30. When I turned 12, bedtime was moved to 9:00 in order to accomodate mutual on Wednesday nights. When I got into high school, I was generally in bed by about 11:00, and if I was ever up as late as 12:00 or 1:00 it was because I had a huge paper due the next day, or I had gotten caught up in reading a good book, and I just couldn't put it down. Those nights came about once a month...at the most. I get to college, and I've got classes later, (well, later than early morning seminary, which required us to leave the house by about 5:40), no one cares what time I go to bed, and my roommate stays up playing on her computer, talking to people etc. Suddenly, I'm a free and independant freshman, and even though I've got work in the morning at 5:00 cutting fruit, I'm going to show off how well I can survive by staying up until 3:00!

In the words of Napoleon Dynamite: "IDIOT!"

Last year I got to be a little better...a very little. I would be up until about 12:00 or 1:00 talking to friends on the internet, and depending on how those talks went, I'd do one of two things--option one would be to start my homework after I got off, option two would be to go on a night walk with some of those friends until about 3:00 in the morning, and then come home, crash, wake up late the next morning, do some homework, and then go to class.

Guys, this is also a stupid idea.

I got a little better with that even, in doing my homework while talking to friends, and getting more stuff accomplished--walking less around Provo with friends who needed to talk for one reason or another...all better ideas. Moderation is key. Towards the end of the year, I was even getting to bed by about 2:00 on a regular basis, and I was committed to doing better that summer. Afterall, don't people who live in apartments go to bed earlier? I mean, I was sure that staying up untill all sorts of odd hours was purely a result of living in the dorms...right?

Wrong.

I moved into an apartment with Uffish and my sister, and three other awesome roommates. For a few nights at the beginning I was doing really well with getting to bed earlier, and getting enough sleep before going to classes at 8:00 the next morning, and all that jazz. I did not, however, continue in this pattern. Both Uffish and our friend who was living with us in our room--all of us--we all stayed up until all kinds of odd hours of the night. A big difference between them and myself though, was that they didn't have 8:00 classes...again, another stupid move. Then I started working from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am on the weekends, and from 8:oo pm-12:00 am each weeknight, and I was working about 40 hours a week, and taking classes full-time, and not sleeping when I was at home because my roommates were such great fun.

This is also bad for you.

At the beginning of this semester, I was committed to going to bed on time, sleeping like I needed to, when I needed to, and then being nicer to my body in general. This year, was going to be my year. It all worked well and good for about 3 weeks--I was in bed by midnight, and then getting up for classes and not being too tired...it was great! Then I got a bunch of the other RA's addicted to 24...and we stayed up until about 1:00 (sometimes later) to watch them for awhile. Even though we're now finished with the first 4 seasons, I still find myself stuck in the bad habit of staying up too late for no real good reason.

I've decided this should change. I am now setting a bedtime for myself on the weekdays. I'd like it to be 11:00, but I think I'm going to have to start with 11:30, just so that I can be asleep by then. Hopefully, I'll work down from there. Notable exceptions include being on duty, which goes from 8:00-12:00. Weekends, I think I should try to be in bed by like...2:00 at the latest, at least on a regular basis. Hopefully, setting this goal for myself will equal greater health, happiness, and all that jazz. I just researched some sites about sleeping, and they tell me that I'm doing a good thing. Check it out

Basically--all you 3:00-4:00 people need to go to bed, there's nothing on my blog that you won't be able to read in the morning after you've gotten a good night's sleep, and you'll be able to sleep better anyway. I promise, it's better for you, and maybe even better for everyone else around you too...

Thanksgiving is a Holiday Too.

2005-10-17T14:45:00.000-06:00

One of my sad pet peeves is the fact that, insofar as marketing goes, Thanksgiving is no longer a holiday. The stores are decorated with about 4 holidays. Starting in September it's Halloween, around the middle of October it becomes Christmas, halfway through January it's Valentines Day, and sometime mid-June it becomes The Fourth of July. Then the stores are decorated with a multitude of other things--back to school, 'hooray it's summer' and the like.

What's wrong with Thanksgiving?

I know, I know. It's a holiday to celebrate food and pilgrims and corn and the like...But it's also fundamentally about being grateful--can't we celebrate gratitude...Even just a little?

You know what else bugs me? Those creepy carolers in the display window of the BYU bookstore. Scary...That's what they are. No one's mouth should ever naturally go into the shape of a over-streched rubber-band and then remain in that position as their head rotates mechanically from left to right...right to left...On a timed metronomic schedule. Also, those giant Santa Claus figures that sing carols and dance around--those things creep me out. I can handle my dad's huge blow-up Frosty doll that sits about 8 feet tall on our front lawn...But moving carolers and Santa Claus' don't do it for me.

Hopefully Not The Case...

2005-10-15T15:47:00.000-06:00

A seven-year-old boy was at the center of a Provo courtroom drama yesterday when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him. The boy has a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with child custody law and regulations requiring that family unity be maintained to the degree possible. The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her. When the judge then suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried out that they also beat him. After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him. After two recesses to check legal references and confer with child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to the BYU Cougars whom the judge firmly believes are not capable of beating anyone.

The Hills Are Alive

2005-10-10T15:17:00.000-06:00

So, today I've got my hair looking something like a German Schoolgirl of sorts--all twisted around the sides and bottom, and I'm finding it highly amusing. With all the sunshine out right now, I feel as though I should be rnning through the mountains singing about how alive the hills are. I'll restrain myself for now, and just go about laughing at my own hair, and thinking how much more authentic I'd look if I managed to also get some ribbons, an aorpon, and a long skirt.

Ooh...it'd be even better if I got a ticket to Austria at the same time. That'd make it good and authentic.

(Disclaimer: I don't actually look anything like this lady...or her parrot.)

All-American Hero

2005-10-08T11:31:00.000-06:00

Alright class, today we're going to learn about one of my favorite stories from WWI--especially since today is the 87th anniversary of it.

Once there was this rabble rouser who lived in the hills of Tennessee. Most people never thought that he'd amount to much, especially since most of what he caused was trouble, and most of what he did was non-productive. People shook their heads and sighed at the mess that this poor troubled youth was. This poor troubled youth named Alvin C. York.

This is the point where, if you knew who Alvin C. York was, you'd gasp and get really excited, because you knew what was coming next, and it was one of your favorite stories too...bet you a bag of marbles not one of you got excited. What? You're still not excited? *sigh*

Alvin changed his life around a bit, after the death of a friend, and joined a Christian denomination (the fundamentalist Church of Christ in Christian Union to be precise). He was their song leader and Sunday School Teacher. Yessir, things were finally looking to be right for our friend Alvin.

But then (dun DUN DUN!) came the outbreak of WWI. Alvin got his draft card in the mail shortly after the war broke out. He petitioned for "contientious objector" status, as his newfound faith was pacifist, but was denied his petition based on the fact that his church wasn't a recognized Christian denomination. He was offered non-combatant service, but refused and went into the army after being convinced that America had just cause to be fighting.

"On October 8, 1918, York and 15 other soldiers under the command of Sergeant Bernard Early were dispatched to seize a German-held rail point during the Allies' Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The Americans lost their way and soon found themselves behind enemy lines. A brief firefight ensued with a superior German force, and in the confusion a group of Germans surrendered. However, German machine-gunners on a hill overlooking the scene soon noticed the small size of Early's patrol. Yelling in German for their comrades to take cover, the machine gunners opened fire on the Americans, cutting down half the detachment, including Sergeant Early.York immediately returned fire and with his marksman eye began picking off the German gunners. He then fearlessly charged the machine-gun nest. Several of the other surviving Americans followed his lead and probably contributed to the final total of 25 enemies killed. With his automatic pistol, York shot down six German soldiers sent out of the trench to intercept him. The German commander, thinking he had underestimated the size of the American force, surrendered as York reached the machine-gun nest. York and the other seven survivors took custody of some 90 Germans and on the way back to the Allied lines encountered 40 or so other enemy troops, who were coerced to surrender by the German major that the Americans had in their custody. The final tally was 132 prisoners.

York was promoted to the rank of sergeant and hailed as the greatest civilian soldier of the war by several Allied leaders. He was given a hero's welcome upon his return to the United States in 1919 and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration. In the 1920s, he used his fame to raise funds for the York Industrial Institute (now Alvin C. York Institute), a school for underprivileged children in rural Tennessee. He later opened a Bible school.

Sergeant York, the 1941 film starring Gary Cooper, was based on his life. York died in 1964."

That last part is from Historychannel.com--I don't know that I could have told it any clearer. I absolutely love the story. This guy that no one thought anything of, who wasn't exactly in a place where he felt comfortable and at ease, totally excelled because he put some effort into it.

Moral(s) of the day:

Make the best of your situation, and one person can make a difference.
AND
Learn to shoot guns when you're little in case you need to take out enemy soldiers with machine guns.

Canuk, eh?

2005-10-05T11:03:00.000-06:00

Apparently, my keyboard is compatable with Canada, it says so on the back. It was also made in Thailand--who knew that Canada and Thailand were on good terms?

Bah To All Papers

2005-10-03T22:08:00.000-06:00

You know what? Papers make me feel nostolgic and day-dreamy. I can't yet decide if this is a coping mechanism, another way to procrastinate, or just some sort of rare phenomenon. I start thinking of lots of other places I'd rather be at that moment--right now my particular fancy has been with the ocean--either the rocky shores of New England, where I've never honestly been, or to the foggy beaches of northern California. I don't feel like seeing the sunny warm beaches of Florida and Southern California. Sure, those things are really pretty...but for the past few months I've had a sort of quietly desperate desire to go to a beach that makes it seem like you'd be able to be secluded--all alone with you, the ocean, and maybe a someone. Not a people-infested beach that's crawling with half clad women. There was this one beach that my family always used to go to in California when we lived there. It's called Zmudowski, and it's huge and long, and usually windy. The perfect kind of beach for wearing a sweater to and just wading. Or, you can body surf...if you feel so inclined to do so. I loved it, and right now, I really want to go back there.

Maybe all this dreaming comes from the fact that many of my papers are written when I ought to be sleeping....

Guess it's time to go to laundry now...maybe THAT will get my paper done.

Coming to Peace With My Inner Hermit

2005-09-28T00:21:00.000-06:00

I've come to terms with the fact that I have an inner hermit lately. There's a part of me, and probably most other people, that has no desire to communicate with other human beings on occasion. Generally, the very social aspect of me wins out, but it doesn't change the fact that there exists a small aspect of me that tends towards being anti-social.

(bad joke break: Why did McCarthy become a hermit? Because he was anti-socialist!)

Now, my inner hermit doesn't like the idea of total and complete isolation. I've come to the theory that there are about 4 different types of hermits.

First, there is the Hermit's hermit. This is the guy who lives on the 12 foot diameter sandbar in the middle of a lake in the middle of an island in the middle of an ocean. He (or she) likes his privacy, and ain't no one gonna take that away.

Second , There's the guy who buys the small farm out in the middle of the prairie. This hermit doesn't mind if there's the occasional passer-by, they just don't want any kind of close personal contact, and the regular contact they do have is not to be on a consistant basis.

Thirdly, there's the hermit who lives in the run-down house in the corner of a small house in a small town. Everyone knows who they are, but they talk to no one. The prefer the fame of being enigmatic to the company of others.

Lastly, there's the neighbor who loves to live in the middle of a huge city with tons of people around. There's a new sort of anonymity in crowds. Instead of the anonymity of desolation, you get the anonymity of population. There are so many people, that you're just a bit. This hermit doesn't know their neighbors, doesn't talk to people, but he still enjoys the company of large groups of people, just not any kind of intimate relationship.

Alright, that's all basically pointless, really, just some thoughts on hermits. I think my hermit would probably fall into the last category. The only time that I ever run into my inner hermit though, is when I'm suddenly thrown into a situation where I meet someone who was previously just an acquaintance and I have the option of just leaving them to their life, or trying to make friends with them. My social self says, "ooh! More friends!" My inner hermit says, "awww, come on...don't you have too much to do already? Can you handle more friends?"

At this point, I always beat down my inner hermit and make the friend, or at least try to be social. In talking to other people, I'm finding out that I'm not the only one with an inner hermit though--maybe everyone's inner hermits could get together sometime, if that wasn't such a contradiction of ideas.

My Dog Ate It...

2005-09-21T00:48:00.000-06:00

These were some excuses for being late to work/missing work that were listed on an MSN article...Maybe I should try one of these the next time one of my papers is late. I especially think the "spit on by a venomous snake" is pretty hilarious.

I was sprayed by a skunk.

I tripped over my dog and was knocked unconscious.

My bus broke down and was held up by robbers.

I was arrested as a result of mistaken identity.

I forgot to come back to work after lunch.

I couldn't find my shoes.

I hurt myself bowling.

I was spit on by a venomous snake.

I totaled my wife's jeep in a collision with a cow.

A hitman was looking for me.

My curlers burned my hair and I had to go to the hairdresser.

I eloped.

My brain went to sleep and I couldn't wake it up.

My cat unplugged my alarm clock.

I had to be there for my husband's grand jury trial.

I had to ship my grandmother's bones to India.

I forgot what day of the week it was.

Someone slipped drugs in my drink last night.

A tree fell on my car.

My monkey died.

Bad Day...or Maybe Not

2005-09-16T20:45:00.000-06:00

Alright, so Daniel Powter's song "Bad Day" has become one of my absolute favorites. These are the lyrics:

Where is the moment we needed the most
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
They tell me your blue skies fade to grey
They tell me your passion's gone away
And I don't need no carryin' on

You stand in the line just to hit a new low
You're faking a smile with the coffee to go
You tell me your life's been way off line
You're falling to pieces everytime
And I don't need no carryin' on

Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Well you need a blue sky holiday
The point is they laugh at what you say
And I don't need no carryin' on

You had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day

(Oh.. Holiday..)

Sometimes the system goes on the blink
And the whole thing turns out wrong
You might not make it back and you know
That you could be well oh that strong
And I'm not wrong

So where is the passion when you need it the most
Oh you and I
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost

Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
You've seen what you like
And how does it feel for one more time
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Had a bad day
Had a bad day
Had a bad day
Had a bad day
Had a bad day

And you can listen to/see it here: Bad Day

I listen to this song about once a day. When I get home from an honestly bad day at school, or wherever, this song makes me feel more optimistic--like, "sure, you had a bad daytoday but it's just that a bad day. Life's gonna get better." When I've had a good day at school, I think I like this song just because of it's music video. Sort of a "You may have had a bad day, but today is not that day!"

Basically, I just really like it.

Possible Hilarity

2005-09-16T15:29:00.000-06:00

What would happen if the Medieval Club moved to the Ghetto?

Sample conversation:

"Yo Artemis--what's up in the Kizzingdom?"
"Nothin' much Mercury, just slaying the Drizzagon."
"Huzzazle!"
"Yea Verily."

To the Rescue!

2005-09-15T20:11:00.000-06:00

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Scarlet Crystal

Your Superpower is Invisibility

Your Weakness is Toilet Paper

Your Weapon is Your Particle Pistol

Your Mode of Transportation is Boat

What's your Superhero Name?

Lack of Entitlements

2005-09-11T16:58:00.000-06:00

Recently I've been trying to reshape my attitude about a few things. Most of these things involve the mistaken idea that I have that I'm somehow entitled to them, just by sake of being a good person.

See, I think that Fridays/the Weekends are my most common area of this sort of thing. The only other area that I can think of that I really do this is with naps. I seem to be under the false idea that because I live in America, and because I work pretty hard all week doing homework and the like, that I'm entitled to make Friday afternoons/evenings, and eventually the whole weekend, all mine. I think I get part of the idea because of the society that I've grown up in...but I've recently come to realize that I don't actually have any real entitlement to a weekend that I own all for myself--I don't work nearly hard enough that I really need that. I have classes during the week, but I don't actually DO anything that would be considered hard enough that I should feel irritation when asked to attend some church auxiliary programs--like choir. I shouldn't feel put out because I have to get up early on a Saturday morning because I'm going to a Relief Society Visiting Teaching activity--and I certainly shouldn't feel remotely pouty because I have to work on a Friday night. The truth is I should probably work harder on the days when no one is asking me to. I should be cleaner when no one is coming to visit, and I should be most productive when I have the time, and not when I've wasted it all in procrastinating.

I'm slow at this process...but I'm trying. I doubt that I'll ever perfect it--I might get better at lacking in procrastination, but I'll still probably feel slightly irritated when I have to do something on a Saturday, or when I have to work on a weekend. I'm working on it though--because I definitely don't feel like I've earned the right to feel entitled to those kinds of things yet.

Fascinated by the Fascinating

2005-09-08T21:11:00.000-06:00

You know, I'm really interested in what exactly it is that people find fascinating or captivating. In fact, I'm fascinated by it. I'm probably one of the few people who studies history who finds the history of history (historiography for someone who'd like a few more cents in their word) almost as engaging as history itself. Why do people write about what they do? Why do we record some things, and decide that others are entirely irrelevant, and what is it about our memories that makes certain facts more important depending on the time? Why do certain things fascinate people, while other things seem almost universally unappealing? Why don't we have more histories of things like the footnote, or the effect of medieval earthworms on the surfdoms of Eastern Russia? What makes things like Hitler and WWII so widely studied and written about while other subjects lie virtually untouched? What exactly makes some people interesting, and others boring?

This brings me to an interesting question we've talked about in my history class--is there any way to really record and report on the "truth" since all history is based on someone's memory, and human memory is riddled with imperfections? I don't think that it will ever be possible to write the complete and truthful history of the world in this life--I'm hoping to be on that committee once I reach the other side. I'm not totally skeptical either though. I think it's kind of like Newton's Physics V. The Einstein Model. Sure, Einstein is closer, and more correct--but Newton is simpler, and he's correct enough for things to work out. I think that's the way that history works--sure we can't be totally right about every event that happened in attempting to reconstruct the past, but we can get close enough. I'm just hoping that as I write papers and reports and the like, that I won't run into someone in Heaven and find out that I interpreted their life completely wrong. Sometimes when studying poetry or short stories and the like, I often wonder if the people who wrote it and are now dead just sit there and laugh at the students who are analyzing their every word. I think it goes something like this:

Edgar Allen Poe: "What? They think that silly bird has some kind of meaning? HA! I just used a raven because it sounded better than 'quoth the cockatoo!' Kids these centuries!"

Robert Frost: "Yeah, that little 'miles to go before I sleep' bit was just me, whining about being tired. The misses used to hate it when I complained to her out loud, so I just had to write it down.

Shakespeare: "What about Hamlet? 'To be or not to be' was just the edited version of the script before that, where Hamlet tries to decide his future career. The original bit went 'To be a scruples-free, free-loading, usury collecting, freedom killing beast, or not to be?' The first guy cast as Hamlet couldn't remember his whole line."

Anyway, I think my point was that there is truth, and we shouldn't give up on it--keep getting as close as we can to it, but just realize the limitations. Again, as my history teacher said, "We've all got this Whale to eat, how are we going to do it? By taking one bite at a time--just realize that you're only taking one bite."

Unfortunate Realities

2005-09-07T22:44:00.000-06:00

If you make yourself a delicious tuna fish sandwhich with sharp cheddar cheese and do not remove the bowl in which you mixed the tuna, your room will smell like cat food about 30 minutes later.
A half gallon of BYU Creamery Orange juice is taller than a regular glass of orange juice. This means that if you are trying to be slightly more civilized about drinking directly from the carton and you use a bendy straw, it can still fall into the drink.
If the straw is bent, it will float on the top of the orange juice, tauntingly
Even the best bagels can mold.
No amount of procrastination will make you want to do your studying more--it just makes you want to find more things to do to procrastinate...like make silly lists about procrastinating.

Fine...Time to memorize Europe and Russia...

Falling Awake

2005-09-06T11:12:00.000-06:00

I'm a really, really odd sleeper.

Recently, I've been reflecting on odd things I do when I sleep...or right before I sleep. I've come up with the following list of odd traits.

First, I make a funny sort of sighing noise when I'm right on between sleep and awake. This seems to be a recent development in my sleeping habits, as it now wakes me up on occasion, or it becomes the last thing I hear before sleeping. The unfortunate thing is that it doesn't just apply to falling asleep cozy in my bed at night...I also do it if I happen to be in a class and falling asleep. Thankfully, it's usually enough to wake me up. I was in a religion class a couple of semesters ago in which I started to fall asleep. Fight as I might, it didn't matter, I fell asleep...and did so right when the teacher finished a sentence. The situation went something like this:

Teacher: "The New Testament is a true book"
Me: "huuuh..." (this came out sounding skeptical)
The teacher then looked around to see who was disagreeing with his statement, and I sort of shrunk into my seat feeling blasphemous.

The second thing I do that's funny about sleeping is that I seem to stay in whatever position I fall asleep in throughout the night. Once, I fell asleep on my back with my hands clasped in front of me...sorta like "dead" Snow White, and I stayed basically that way. Yesterday, I flopped down on my bed in a manner that looked much like the typical body outline (see image at left) . Stayed that way all night...

I've also got an amazing imagination. I have really hilariously vivid dreams that I remember, about situations that would make really funny student films. My most recent odd dream that made me laugh a lot when I woke up involved a young man of whom I am very, very fond and his homecoming. He started dating another girl without telling me that we were no longer dating. I asked him about it, and he apologized very kindly. I asked him why it was that he wanted to date her instead of me, and he, apparently thinking I was too thin, replied, "She has more rolls than you." This may only be really hilarious to you if you know me in person, because while I am no whale, I'm certainly not on the verge of anorexia...I'm laughing about this right now as I write about it.

I do a bunch of other things in my sleep too sometimes--I talk, and sometimes with great vigor of hand motion...much like I talk whilst I'm awake. I occasionally grind my teeth...usually when I'm stressed out about something, or in an unfamiliar place. I also seem to be in the habit of trying to convince people how awake I am when I first get up by talking up a storm--I just keep going on and on in an attempt to wake myself up and show how intelligently coherent I am. Unfortunately, these conversations are never brilliant...much as I would like them to be. I generally try to talk to people about how rude it is for RM's to reach across people to get rollerblades, or about something that happened in a movie that I fell asleep in that I vaguely remembered and then incorporated into my dream. The things that come out of my mouth are very rarely rational, and very usually amusing.

Speaking of sleeping, it's now time for me to head back to class. It seems today that I can't really keep my eyes open, and so I've gone and done the logical thing...I've blogged about sleeping instead of taking a nap.

A Major By Any Other Name...

2005-09-06T00:01:00.000-06:00

I've realized that looking through a lot of the classes that I've taken at school might make it look like I'm attempting to graduate with a degree in something really useful--like World Domination, instead of History Teaching with a physics Teaching Minor. For example. I have taken (or am currently taking) all of the following classes:

Totalitarianism (Political Science 458)
Russian (Russian 101)
Physics 121
European Fascisms (History 314)
Tsarist Russia (History 330)
Argentina (History 355)
Physics 123

Then you throw in those other silly classes that I've taken--Utah, Scandinavian Choir, American Heritage and the like...All just ways to round out culture right?

If BYU gets a "Build Your Own Major" program like they've got at some of the more liberal colleges...I know exactly what to go and talk to my counselor about....

My Little Brother is Awesome...

2005-08-28T15:05:00.000-06:00

My brother is 13, and we were talking on the phone today. He asked how old the girls on my floor were and I told him that they were mostly 18. He interrupted me by trying to tell me what my mom had said about them by saying, "Mom says that they're all giggling Frenchmen...I mean freshmen."

My favorite mental image of the afternoon...a whole floor full of giggling frenchmen...