Good Morning!

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...

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

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

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

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!"

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

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...

Biv·ou·ac

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

"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

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....

...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..."

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

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..."

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?

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

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.

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!

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!"

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.