Something Strange

A List

2011-05-16T17:35:00.004-06:00

Items that I nearly struck while driving home from Idaho Falls yesterday due to stupidity and/or wind:

One giant metal toolbox, the kind that fits in the bed of a truck
One cement median
Two separate groups of people walking along the freeway
Three cats
Two cardboard boxes
One piece of the car I was driving that came loose due to aforementioned wind
One vehicle driving 50 mph
One yield sign that was tipped into a lane
Two rubbermaid containers, open and spilled along the road
One giant rock

It was a dangerous day for driving, apparently.

Word.

2011-04-02T11:26:00.000-06:00

Thought

2011-03-30T17:38:00.004-06:00

I read the names of the makeup I put on this morning and had to question, am I buying stuff meant for a tranny?

Editor's Note: MAC products boy-girl, shadowy lady, my secret. Am I right?

A Study in Banality

2011-03-20T18:56:00.004-06:00

Last night I dreamed about shopping for toothpaste.

Not just the purchase of, but honest-to-goodness comparison shopping for toothpaste.

I think my subconscious is trying to bore me to death.

Baby Face

2011-03-15T22:24:00.006-06:00

I stopped by the grocery store on my way home today, something I try to do no more than once a month; it is my MOST dreaded errand and I HATE it. While I was there, I remembered the last visit to that particular store and the very, very weird interaction I experienced.

Whenever I do get myself into a grocery, I almost always reward myself with a magazine at the end - it makes the whole ordeal bearable. On this particular night a few months ago, I was waiting in line and flipping through Cosmo, the gold-standard of trashy newsstand literature. When I was the next person in line, I said a quick "hey" and kept reading while the kid behind the counter scanned and bagged the few items I had chosen. I casually tossed the magazine onto the conveyor and began pawing through my bag; as I began pulling my debit card out of my wallet I realized that the teenage boy had picked up the magazine and was holding it, reading the cover.

Anyone who can read has probably had their attention grabbed by the overtly sexual cover story/headlines/cover art of Cosmo, and I immediately thought, oh great, homeboy-checker is staring at the barely clothed actress on the front page, isn't he supposed to be wrapping this transaction up so that I can get out of here? This, gentle reader, is where things got sketchy REAL QUICK. The following conversation has been re-created as best as memory serves me:

Checkout Teen: "So, you uh... like magazines?"

Me: "Um sure, sometimes I guess."

CT: "Cool..."

Based on that small interaction, you would assume that the kid was just being friendly, and that we would soon part ways. Wrong! The overall tone of that short exchange was such that I immediately realized not only was the youth dragging our commerce along at a leisurely pace, but he was actually trying to chat me up! I swear on all that is holy that I never assume myself to be the recipient of flirtatious advances (much less from teens) and so the fact that I got that vibe is proof positive that Romeo was coming on STRONG. Imagine my horror as our communication advanced, my eyes catching the cover of the magazine as he continued:

CT: "Wow (gesturing to a headline along the lines of "the sexiest rules for sexy sex") yikes."

Me: *blink blink*

CT: "It's kind of sad, that like, people need tips on how to do stuff. Like, you know?"

Me: *blink blink* "Well, I uh, guess everyone stands in need of improvement in something,"

Internal Monologue: SWEET MARY - STOP TALKING. DON'T INSTIGATE THIS. SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP RIGHT NOW.

CT: "Yeah, like, I mean, I don't think it's like, that complicated..."

ME: "Ha ha ha... yeeeeah....."

Internal Monologue: Surely this conversation is illegal! He is a minor! For the love, something please make him stop saying words!!

CT: "Anyway, I guess some people must need help or whatever..."

Me: "Yep. Guess so."

Internal Monologue: I should have gone to self checkout. I think my mind just imploded.

At this point, I had been swiping my card and haphazardly jabbing at any/all buttons on the keypad, in hopes that if I didn't manage to enter my pin, maybe I would manage to at least overload the machine and attention would shift to the now-in-flames plastic box in front of us.

By the grace of something, I successfully paid for my purchase and snatched the receipt from the juvenile Casanova while speedily making my way to the exit door; I practically sprinted to my car, half watching over my shoulder for the "To Catch a Predator" filmcrew to screech up behind me in an obscured-windowed van.

And THAT is the reason I generally avoid the American Fork Fresh Marketplace - you just can't be too careful these days.

Quotable

2011-03-08T22:01:00.004-07:00

This morning I woke to a text message from my mother waiting for me:

"I dreamed u told me your roommate got raped twice. U be careful!"

Thanks Mom, nothing like a little personal-safety terror to start the day on a pleasant note.

Edit:Rename

2011-03-07T19:18:00.007-07:00

I am thinking I will come up with some really clever title and recreate this blog as a traffic and driving blog.

Why, you ask? Because I got another speeding ticket this weekend. And I've put about half as much money into my dang car in the past month as I originally paid for it for like, 5 years ago. AND the brakes started doing some weird squealing thing. And when I shift to reverse everything goes wonky and shudders. Blerg. Blerg, indeed.

Do you really want to hurt me? Do you really want to make me cry?

A Good Story: Damn You, Gem State

2011-02-15T18:54:00.002-07:00

Let’s get one thing straight – I don’t want to be that girl who finally calls someone back after 6 (or.. ahem… seventeen) months and then spends the subsequent 15 minutes detailing, explaining, and then apologizing for the long interval of no communication. Let’s cut to the chase shall we?

When last we met I had run into some, shall we say, “visibility” issues that rendered both my right fender and someone else’s motorcycle pretty much useless. But that is neither here nor there. However, yesterday I was reminded of an incident from last month that answers the question as to why my monthly insurance premium is excessive to the point of ludicrous – an incident involving the Idaho State Highway Patrol.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a highway motorist in possession of a well-functioning vehicle must take precautions while approaching the few-and-far-between townships of Southeast Idaho. I have been pulled over in both Pocatello and McCammon (twice!) without ever receiving a speeding ticket, and so have learned that it is imperative to slow-the-hell-down as you come upon these areas. I guess the local municipal taxes are in continuous need of supplement?

On this particular drive, I was alone and had chosen to watch/listen to the first season of a TV show to pass the time. The problem with this is that is easy to become distracted to the point that you become oblivious to the surrounding areas as you drive by, which I realized when I happened to glance into my rearview mirror and noticed the flashing lights of a patrol car as it sped closer and closer to me. My first thought was to panic- not at the fact that I was speeding (a given) but at the fact that I am SURE it is illegal to set a portable DVD player on the dash of an operating vehicle, much less have one playing while reading text messages simultaneously. In one deft motion I threw my phone onto the passenger seat and sent the player/accompanying AV cords crashing to the floor. As I began to pull over to the shoulder I realized the stereo was still blaring dialogue from “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” (which is, by the way, a show about reprobates who do horrible things to each other – not exactly something an upstanding citizen should enjoy as much as I do) and so I frantically began pushing buttons in hope that a respectable classical music station or CD of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir would take its place. Unfortunately I wasn’t acquainted with the newly-installed faceplate and so I only succeeded in turning the still-noisy output to a cracking radio station. As my car came to a stop and the officer began walking towards my window I finally accomplished turning the entire thing off and I began formulating the plan of action that would allow me to evade another violation on my driving record.

I rolled down my window while shaking my hair loose and trying to appear guiltless; I admit that I am not above shameless flirting when it comes to these things. The officer was youngish and asked “where I was heading” as I began to look through my wallet for a license – I laughed and spoke of the family visits, reading to orphans and saving puppies that I planned to do upon my arrival in Idaho Falls, a short hour-long drive from where we were stopped – anything to win him over. As I reached across the seat to find my registration and proof of insurance, he asked if I had any idea of how fast I was going- I plied him with an apologetic laugh and told him truthfully that I did not, that I was distracted and hadn’t been paying careful enough attention for a few moments. He returned the smile as he said “well, when I first clocked you, you were cruising at about 90 mph.” My grin faltered somewhat as I began to contemplate the inclusion of the word “first” as he continued: “but when I started flashing my lights and siren you sped up to 98 mph.” As I began to comprehend how it was possible that he had been so close behind me when I noticed the flashing lights I realized that he had probably been attempting to get my attention for a while. He concluded “I was thinking you were making a run for it – you had me pretty nervous about how this was going to turn out.”

On the plus side the ticket was only $85.

Weekend in Three Parts

2009-09-13T10:32:00.007-06:00

Part 1: Introduction
Plans include Sarah's Birthday, Utah State Fair, BYU football, work appointments, open house.

Part 2: Conflict
Friday- "Groping" incident at birthday venue leads to arrest of drunk/high/underage youth. Restitution? Eighty arcade tokens and free go-kart rides.

Saturday- Driving to investment homes with client, I hit a motorcyclist. I HIT A HUMAN BEING WITH MY CAR. Purely accidental, but traumatic. He's okay, I cry. Cancel appointments.

Part 3: Resolution
Sunday- Stay in bed for as long as possible, watch Arrested Development and Flight of the Conchords until weekend is completely forgotten.

FIN

Better Than Christmas

2009-09-05T23:07:00.007-06:00

(20) Brigham Young 14,
(3) Oklahoma 13

Nay, best day EVER.

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2009-09-02T21:41:00.008-06:00

Tonight was the first official broadcast of the 2009 season Bronco Mendenhall Show. Except for all of the wild children and nursing mothers (since when is that okay?) it was pretty great. Kaylene and I were reminiscing as to how it felt like nothing had changed since last year when we hit most of the shows... and then I thought, if we don't have a better season that last year I will just have to cry. A lot. But I don't even care. Bring it, Sooners.

Summer: A Portrait

2009-09-01T20:09:00.011-06:00

Once your life has revolved around a college-semester calendar, May is the new June, August is the new September, and that means four months of summer instead of three. I win! But, I'm not a student right now and I work full time - so I lose. However, I have managed to do some really great stuff anyway. Some of the highlights of this summer have been:

Zion National Park/Kannarraville Canyon

Some friends and I decided to do a quick trip to Zion and then on our way back, hit a canyon in Kannarraville that we had heard was pretty. My favorite parts were Angel's Landing (not NEARLY as difficult as I had heard/was expecting) and hiking through the narrows in Kannarraville. Next year, I want to take some climbing gear and try to go further than we were able to in the canyon- I'm already excited.

On my leisurely stroll up to Angel's Landing, there was an owl. Pretty cute, right?

In order to get to the Narrows, we had to hike for a couple of miles along the river and through all sorts of trees, there really wasn't an established trail.

Somewhere along the way, my leg got scratched and I looked like a wannabe "X-Men" for a few weeks afterward. This didn't look so great with my summer uniform of skirts and flip flops...

This is Emily. She is pretty short but you can still tell how impressive the trailhead of the Narrows is; just as beautiful as the Zion Narrows and a lot less crowded. I would definitely recommend this area to anyone who wants to avoid the crowds and fees at Zion but still catch some river hiking, definitely a good time had by all.

Time to Invest in an Epi-Pen

2009-05-24T12:40:00.003-06:00

Does anyone remember the episode of Sex and the City where Carrie is trying on wedding dresses and gets a heinous skin rash as a result? Possibly because of the dress, but more likely because the idea of the committment causes a physio-dermal reaction. Funny, right?

WELL NOT SO MUCH.

To be fair, I certainly wasn't trying on wedding dresses for fun (because that sounds more horrifying than awesome) but instead was at a very small, friend-of-the-family-type barbeque that I was invited to for the purpose of meeting some boy. Now, you might be asking yourself "Why would this be distressing?" And to be fair, it shouldn't be. But between running into an old interest of mine earlier in the week and damn near hyperventilating at the encounter, giving my phone number out to someone I barely know, and then putting myself into a SOCIAL situations, where STRANGERS and BOYS might be present, my unconscious had had enough. After about an hour and a half, I started feeling that my left shoulder was mysteriously itching, and that my arms were getting increasingly hot; I felt my face flushing and when I finally thought to look down and saw that I had broken out in massive welts and hives all over.

So there you have it. I'm Carrie to the seventh degree. I don't even have to have the threat of concrete commitment looming and I can prematurely panic the point of physical reaction, thereby allowing me to flee the situation. Just try and tell me that isn't some sort of evolutionary engineering.

Did You Know?

2009-04-26T21:44:00.009-06:00

Did you know that I haven't blogged since 2008?

Also, did you know that since then I've moved from Provo to a new home in Lehi? Lehi!

Did you know that I visited Cindi in Portland? Did you know that in that weekend I saw more subaru's than I have in my entire life?

Did you know that I went skiing with my Dad last month and got sick while halfway up the mountain? Did you know I had to ride down the rest of the way on the emergency snow machine?

Did you know that Thanksgiving Point has somehow taught the local deer to read signs?

Did you know that after I had a pedicure yesterday my pedicure-ist asked me if I wanted to have my eyebrows waxed? And that after I continually tried to tell her I couldn't because of a skin allergy she said "fine - whatever, it's your face." Can you believe that?

Did you know that I have woken up every morning for the past week with my blanket turned around a perfect 90 degrees on my bed? Don't you think that's weird?

Did you know that the girls and I participated in the Race for the Cure? Did you know that it is a fantastic event/cause and I think you should do it next year?

Finally, do you know how hard it is to try and remember 5 months of events? Seriously, you guys. It's like I have no memories.

Sometimes I Just Can't Decide

2008-12-19T22:54:00.001-07:00

Now that the month of December is nearly over, I’ve taken some time to consider the various aspects of Christmas celebration. The fact of the matter is this: I have a love/hate relationship with some parts of the month. Let’s examine, shall we?

I saw “It’s a Wonderful Life” performed by the Odyssey Dance Theater. I love the world!

In the modern version of Frank Capra’s classic tale, Pottersville features old Mrs. Bailey as a casino worker and Violet is spotlighted as a pole dancer. I hate the world.

There is Christmas music playing at all times. It is cheery and I find it acceptable to sing along in public for the month, I love the world!

FM100 plays a majority of the music heard throughout the state, and a majority of the non-stop playlists feature Amy Grant’s “Breath of Heaven,” Michael Bolton’s “Christmas Shoes,” and anything by Kenny G. I hate the world.

The Festival of Trees comes to town! There are teddy bear trees, there are BYU trees, there are many twinkling lights in a giant room, I love the world!

There are gingerbread houses made in the likeness of the “Twilight” books and University of Utah Christmas trees. I hate the world. So much.

I love the Mormon Tabernacle Choir! What a great month, they are everywhere singing everything! There are devotionals, concerts, recordings going on all of the time and my Mom is a superstar! I love the world!

Brian Stokes Mitchell thinks he is the superstar of the Christmas concert. He’s not, my Mom is. I hate the world and Brian Stokes Mitchell.

I love baking; holiday treats in particular are my favorite. Stores sell pretty colored candies, chocolate is dirt cheap, seasonal sales abound. I love the world!

After anonymously leaving cookies for an older couple, I remember that are diabetic. I really hate myself, and the world too.

Christmas means there is snow in Utah. Snow is pretty and makes it feel more like Christmas than just another global-warming-affected December. I love the world!

Christmas means there is snow in Utah. Snow makes is feel like a frozen tundra and makes it impossible to drive to my beloved Las Vegas bowl featuring my beloved Cougars. I HATE THE WORLD.

Christmas is in less than a week and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I love the world.

What I Dream About: Part 2

2008-11-09T01:32:00.003-07:00

So this sleep business is not getting any better. I wake up every morning exhausted because I sabotage myself in the middle of the night. My week in brief:

Monday: Joyce hears me from another room talking loudly. My subconscious thoughts? "Fish?!? I LOVE IT!!!"
Note: I hate fish.

Tuesday: I (sleep) walk into the front room and then kitchen on my house making sure that my roommates, myself, and another person who doesn't actually live at my house have a place to sleep comfortably. I sit on the couch for a while; I only know because that's where I woke up. SITTING UP on the living room couch.

Wednesday: I again wake up somewhere other than in bed. In fact I am STANDING UP in the corner of my kitchen and am freaked when I jolt awake.

Thursday: I remember standing up and walking to the closet in my bedroom. After that, no idea. I wake up with most of my clothes taken off of their hangers and distributed into two piles on my bedroom floor. And they aren't even color coordinated, the shame.

I guess this really isn't about the dreams I had this week, but clearly something off. This is getting ridiculous.

It Began at 9:00 AM

2008-11-02T18:55:00.019-07:00

We left on Wednesday morning with literally no plans as to what we were going to do or where we were going to sleep once we landed in Honolulu. Our three-hour layover in San Francisco went like this:

It is boring to sit in the airport for any amount of time so we left and jumped on the BART for a quick ride into the city where we had a lunch and then turned around to go back to the airport.

After boarding the plane, the pilot announced over the loudspeaker that everyone was going to have to deboard so that he could perform some maintenance before taking off. Naturally, this does not support feelings of safety or wellbeing. Within two minutes of leaving our very-last-row seats on the plane we were able to board again.
The highlight of this experience is when a woman began running through the connecting terminal-hallway towards the plane and upon skipping down the declined area, tripped over her husband, fell, and headed downhill a few feet before coming to a stop. She looked like a Yankee coming into third base, unnecessary slide and all. It sounds worse than it actually but rest assured that she jumped up quickly and was laughing as hard as we were. I have high hopes that that particular scene will end up on Youtube at some point, it was just that good.

We arrived in Oahu at 5:30 in the evening. Luckily, Tamara and Hannah are finishing up school at BYU Hawaii and were cool enough to grab us from the airport and transport us the hour or so drive to the North Shore where we planned on spending the most time. And even though they don’t read this, there must be a major shout-out to both of these girls; they are some of the best people I’ve met and were so much fun to hang out with, even when it required them, uh, falling ill and not being able to make it into school/internship/work for a few days. Truly this is a testament to the awesomeness that is hanging out at the beach on a Monday afternoon.

When we arrived in Laie that first night we decided to stay at the Laie Inn where the motto is surely “Screw the condition of the rooms – you’re in Hawaii.” After I checked the walls to make sure there was no visible blood or hidden camera peepholes, I went to sleep for a few hours until the 4 hour time difference caught up with me at 4:30 am. Honestly, it wasn’t that bad – I’ve definitely had worse experiences in hostels and once in an Econo-Lodge in South Dakota.

The next morning was great - Corey and I crossed paths as he was coming back from a walk to the beach and I was heading out and when we met back at the room, it was discovered that the door wouldn’t open to either of our magnetic key-cards. After a few trips to the front desk, it was determined that the (hung over) maintenance guy was going to need to take a look at the door and try to get it open. It had, of course, a bigger problem than he was able to fix so after prying the screen off of one of the windows, our newfound pal Dave from South Carolina was able to break into the room and unlock the door from the inside out. It feels good to know just how easy it is to break into those rooms.

Shortly after, we checked out and said goodbye to Laie Inn in hopes that we would find someone a little more hospitable. A highlight of cold-calling rental signs was when I talked to a guy who was renting an apartment of his house long term, not just as a vacation rental. I think that he must have been pretty hard up for some extra cash this month because after learning that we were only looking for something for a few days, he told me that he would be willing to prorate the monthly rental amount and would probably be able to “find an air mattress or something” for us to sleep on in the unfurnished house. I have reasonable fears that his final offer to seal the deal would have been for us to sleep on his couch for $20 a night as well as a shared bathroom with himself as a temporary roommate. Luckily for us, after taking a drive along the Kam highway calling signs we found a decent studio that had a beautiful beach access and the right price. It was tiny, rocked a kitchenette, that looked like this:

But it looked like this outside:

The small reef on the beach really was pretty and I loved waking up every morning and heading down just to watch the water for a while. This proved to be a good place to stay and I’m happy that we ended up there for the rest of the week.

After having settled on a place to dump our stuff, we headed to the first beach of the week, Waimea. We ended coming back to this same beach at least once a day because it is such a great beach and has good waves. I won’t be putting up any pictures from these first days because I can’t guarantee that all of you are wearing sunglasses and I would hate for my glaring whiteness to cause any permanent damage to your vision. Rest easy though; the white only lasted a few hours before it turned to a nice glowing sunburn. It is just so good to be pale and freckled, you don’t even know.

A highlight of the first day at the beach was happened while I was trying to get back into the swing of the waves; anyone in my family can attest to the fact that I am hands-down the best wave boarder, it’s a skill of little use that I generally take a lot of pride in. Unfortunately, I was caught off guard by a massive double-break wave that not only knocked me over, but also pulled me back and did it twice in a row. I have never had the breath knocked out of me before and it was a weird experience to have it happen under water for the first time. While I was working on being able to breathe all I could think about were the warnings that the lifeguards had been announcing that morning about dangerous surf and the high volume of back and spinal injuries that had occurred on this particular beach. Luckily, everything seemed all right by the next morning and I didn’t have to continually wiggle my fingers and toes to make sure I could feel them.

I know that even if I had successfully paralyzed myself I would have received no sympathy from the fishermen that randomly relocated themselves along the beach – Corey was quick to point out that as haole’s we would be smart not to make the old men mad and so we did our best to stay out their way, going as far as to leave the beach when I walked right into a line. Oops.

It was a good day ended by having dinner with Tamara and Hannah and followed by the consumption of the biggest shaved ice I have ever seen – it took all four of us to even come close to finishing it. Since we were still unused to the time difference and the girls both had school and work the next day, we all went home pretty early and I appreciated sleeping on a decent bed that allowed for my neck to miraculously heal itself after my attempt to bend myself in half earlier in the day.

So I Went To Hawaii

2008-11-02T01:56:00.000-06:00

After a wonderful week, I arrived back at Salt Lake International first thing on Thursday morning. And then went straight to work. And then cried at my desk a little because I was back in Utah (Note: I do so wish I were kidding). Although it was a rough day, it speaks volumes about the good time I had on vacation this past week in Laie. I’m going to have to break up my stories by day because it just seems like there is a lot to tell and I am no good at being brief in the first place. The story of me going to Hawaii is this: after very little planning and a few changes in dates, Corey and I bought tickets to Oahu in hopes to stave off some of the winter depression that hits right about this time of year. And yes, I know it isn’t winter yet, but fall is simply a precursor to the worst 5 months of the year and that is just something that is unacceptable thankyouverymuch.

What I Dream About

2008-10-09T00:51:00.004-06:00

I have had a series of really unfortunate dreams lately. Not the kind that leave me shaken or unnerved throughout the day, but the kind that make me wonder what in the hell my subconscious is worried about.

For example, after watching pieces of the presidential debate on Tuesday, I woke the next morning with the distinct feeling that I had really made Obama mad while I mediated an economic agreement between McCain and Bernacke. Now bear in mind, I don't really fully understand the ramifications of economic policy on strongholding, but in my mind I was opinionated enough to alienate a candidate. Never fear though, I spent the remainder of my sleeping hours trying to make it up to Barack by telling him about the screenplay I had written.

Worse that this, though, is the dream I had last night in which I spent a full night and day running around Manhattan trying to find Sara so that I could give her a road bike to take on her honeymoon. Because, you know, she had found someone she wanted to marry and was going to elope without actually telling me about it. Now Sara, don't get mad - I just really wanted you to know that I would bring you a bike before your wedding.

So here's the problem with these stupid little dreams that I remember so vividly every morning: I have a hard time determining what has actually happened in the real-person world and what I have only summoned in my head. Post-debate, I spent the day on edge with the feeling that I was going to have to explain my ill-conceived stimulus package to the American public because the current leaders of the country had been hurt by my non-partisan leanings. Similarly, I woke this morning wondering if I had missed what was sure to have been a good wedding and if I had hurt Sara's feelings by not providing a bike (it could have been new, borrowed, and blue!) on a really important day.

In short, I have no grasp on reality. But I might be able to write a screenplay.

More Pretty

2008-10-08T17:48:00.006-06:00

I seem to be on a kick lately - like I have a party to plan or something... Eeks! Halloween!

Anyway, this portfolio by Amy Atlas Events is wonderful. Check it out.

I Like This

2008-10-03T17:42:00.012-06:00

Came across this while interneting today. The Paris-based artists have created scenes using tiny figurines and daily household food/items. The website reads:

"The husband and wife team present a manufactured micro universe, part Toy Story, part Candy Land, populated with diminutive humanoid characters engaged in a range of ordinary and extraordinary activities. Since the project inception in 2002, the series has grown to over 60 images."

This is so clever, I wish I had thought of it first. I couldn't narrow down all of my favorites, but here are a few:

It's True:

2008-09-25T00:47:00.002-06:00

No One Cares What You Had For Lunch. But here's the thing - I do what I want. So WATCH ME write about the mundane bits of my life. I work with what I have folks, judge all you want.

Back to the matter at hand though, it is no longer summer. Now, I get that Utah has these "four seasons" and that the temperature can't "feasibly stay" in the 90's. Sure, science triumphs again. Whatever. Fact of the matter is, I officially made the switch to hibernation mode last night due to frigid temperatures and a frosty demeanor (on my part, naturally.) Gone are the days of only one blanket on my bed, pajamas consisting of shorts and summery tee's. Instead, I write this from a bed that boasts the addition of two extra blankets and the reinstatement of the much-lauded heated mattress pad. I'm wearing a long sleeved thermal and damned flannel pants that scream "Yukon, Ho!"

Also - who did it best?!? I can't decide wheter Elvin Bishop or Rod Stewart made the superior version of "Fooled Around and Fell in Love." It's troubling.

And another thing - during a bike ride tonight I found that Provo has an Amtrak station. Pretty rad. I need to decide where I am going to ride it - east or west?

Ashley sent the text I love to get: the reminder of the 2008, 48 hour, Disneyland extravaganza that went down 6 months ago. I never remarked, but it was so choice. These are my favorite bits to remember:

Ashley and I not sleeping the first night in Vegas - we just stared at each other in the dark for 3 hours

Sporadically getting up to investigate the noises outside of where we were (not) sleeping. It was a basketball smackdown in the wee hours...

Getting lost in Disneyland while the kindness of my friends allowed them to not leave me for dead

All of Disneyland, really

Getting turned around on the drive home and making a 1.5 hour detour in the middle of the Nevada desert. I am still in debt to Jessica and Heather for not leaving me right then and there. They are good girls.

So Good

2008-09-21T00:56:00.003-06:00

I may be having a crap Christmas this year, because there was another shutout against Wyoming today (44-0). I mean, I know it's only Wyoming, but what are the odds that this string of luck is just a little bit or all for me? Either way, I am not complaining.

(But I really hope Max Hall and Austin Collie don't read this. They could clean my clock.)

Some Kind of Wonderful

2008-09-17T14:25:00.002-06:00

I don’t think it’s a very Christian sentiment, but the highlight of my weekend was watching BYU football give UCLA an absolute thrashing. I mean, 59-0 is the best possibility you could even imagine in terms of improving national rank (which was a wash last week, even though we beat Washington fairly. But whatever. I’m not bitter or anything.) If it weren’t for the fact that we needed to redeem ourselves after a lucky win at the Vegas Bowl last year, I would have considered the win almost embarrassingly easy. Somehow, though, scoring three touchdowns in something like 6 minutes made it pretty easy to quickly shelf any sympathy for the Bruins.

In retrospect, it might have been a case of overkill but I already used my Christmas wish this year – all I wanted was a complete shutout. And so help me, it came true. This is my testimonial of Christmas wishes; I’m going to need all of you to make a similar wish for the U of U game come November…

The only, only, ONLY downside of the game was that I arrived without my best friend SPF 80. Which led to these unfortunate photos of an undocumented person being taken on Sunday. Whoever she is, she must feel pretty stupid. And hot. And burn-y. But you know, that’s pure conjecture.

Bonneville Salt Flats

2008-09-09T18:41:00.020-06:00

This past weekend, Hilary and some girls she knows, Amy and Denise, and myself decided to make a quick overnight 'camping' trip to the Salt Flats near Wendover, NV. I use the word 'camping' only because I don't know what else you would call a 14-hour walking-and-sleeping-only excursion. Luckily, Denise brought along a 72-hour kit and Hils had hot chocolate to share for the next morning when I got up (not woke up, I didn't sleep) on the brink of freezing to death. Although when I think about it, there is probably nothing more dramatic or romantic than dying in the desert when one can see the bright lights of Wendover on the horizon, welcoming arms inviting to the land of $4.99 buffets and geriatric gambling.

We left just before 10:00 on Friday night and drove for about an hour and half before I thought I had found the road we wanted to ditch the car on and walk for a while. Not surprisingly, the road was not in fact the correct one and instead led us to this sign:

In case you can't tell, the sign informed us that we were in fact on a closed landfill. In the desert. On the Utah-Nevada border where it was sure to be full of toxic waste. It was awesome. Amy jumped out of the car and almost collapsed laughing when she realized that we were truly heading nowhere good.

Also, I don't have the picture but we definitely considered parking at the entrance of the speedway and might have been sleeping ON the track when the speed tests began first thing on Saturday morning. I'll admit that I am a little bit disappointed that things didn't go that way - it would have been interesting to be roused by the sounds of motorcycles driving 209 mph just for fun.

Eventually we found a relatively lonesome spot after walking a couple of miles and set up the camp/tarp. Notice how everyone else was prepared with blankets, hats, gloves? I uh, wasn't.

Hils and I tried to take a decent picture but the cornea-scorching brightness of the camera flash made it impossible.

Honestly, I can't complain about being so cold that I couldn't sleep because I was awake to see the sun rise, something that hasn't happened in some twenty years. It looks like this at 6:00 in the morning:

After the sun was high enough to thaw everyone out, we each went our separate ways to do some *ahem* business and then began the walk back.

Yes, I'm pretty sure my car was in view the entire time. It is no-joke flat out there.I was glad to find that Kenni (with an i) had taken some time to reflect. And collect that many rocks because man, it must have taken some time.

After stopping to talk to the race-coordinators at the raceway, we hit the road at around 9:00 with only one quick stop to take a picture of the WHITE salt flats where we should have been in the first place.

It was a good time. Anyone up for round 2?

Such a Dilemma

2008-08-25T21:50:00.001-06:00

Torrey pointed out to me today that it has been more than a month since I last posted.

Which is lame.

But in my defense, I unfailingly find myself in the same predicament every time. Everyone knows that I don't often take the time to complete one task before I start another - I'm a multi-tasker like that. So I have all of these drafts of posts that I started with tentative titles like "But Why a Ukelele?" and "Buddha Must Hate Me" that I NEVER FINISH. By the time I re-visit, I've forgotten where I was going with the story, why it was interesting, what I was talking about, etc. I've decided that maybe I will start mixing and matching these unfinished stories because that will make about as much sense as if I had finished in the first. So let it be written. So let it be done.

A Good Story: That Damn Duck

2008-08-07T18:35:00.002-06:00

Once when I was a child my mom and aunt (to the best of my recollection, I was a small child after all) took me on a 'fieldtrip' to Wheeler Farm. When you've spent your growing years in a super-suburban city where it is a rarity to see cattle, sheep, horses and the like it is exciting and somehow enticing to spend time not only near but in a chicken coop. Also to touch a cow on the nose through a fence and practically declare yourself a cowgirl at the experience.

But I digress.

The fact of the matter is that I was spending some quality "down-home country" time and was wandering and in particular, following a goose that stood as tall as my shoulder at the time. Unlike Sara I don't have a particular fear or dislike for birds and actually find them interesting, a truth that would later surface in preschool when I would be scolded for chasing/harassing a duck. Just because I could. Somehow as I was wondering a field or meadow or something I came in contact with a very large goose (maybe it was tiny, I was only a child!) that instead of getting out of my way decided that it would be a jerk and bite me instead. Only it wasn't a normal animal-type bite where the thing takes a quick nip and then back away, it was bite to my earlobe that just never ended; the dumb thing took grasp and wouldn't let go. Imagine me as a 2.5 foot tall kid, hunched over like Estelle from the Golden Girls, and weighed down by a possessed goose hanging on for dear life to my head. And let that be the image that comes to your mind as you stand to give a talk in sacrament meeting, because that's what happens to me every time.

Wherein I Prove Myself a Moron

2008-07-18T11:57:00.002-06:00

As I spent last evening alone at my parents house I pursued the one course that would leave me nervous and jumpy for the entire night: I began watching a television show modeled after a horror film. Now, don't get me wrong - the plot was weak, the acting below grade, and it was less than an hour long.

But.

The storyline that included the living dead and pouding violently on locked doors was concerning as I began to hear little creaks and baby-pounds throughout the house. The basement is currently destroyed for remodeling which means that there was no sound insulation between the safe upper floor and the basement level of death, naturally. The only logical conclusion I came to during my hours of being too freaked out to sleep is that a zombie (of the living dead variety) had come into the house because I had probably left every single door unlocked (open? who knows!) and I would soon hear my dog running down the street in fear while I was left to fend for myself using only a pillow sham and an alarm clock of questionable quality.

And this is why I look the way I do every morning.

Rules of Engagement

2008-06-11T20:37:00.004-06:00

Today I received my unofficial invitation (no pun intended) to get out of Provo - a wedding invitation from a stranger.

Unlike some post-BYU and still single girls, I really like getting announcements for upcoming weddings. It's interesting to see who looks more grown up, who looks younger than when you last saw them. Learning the names of your friends parents who you have never met, noticing whether the chosen font is unique or some unfortunate form of papyrus or lucida handwriting, whether the future newlyweds were instructed on appropriate hand placement in their photo(s) or if they are soon to be submitted here. Overall - I enjoy checking out annoucements and invitations.

After scanning the names of the bride or groom's parents on the return address label this afternoon with no recognition, I opened the envelope and wasn't able to recognize either names OR faces of the betrothed. What? The name of the girl is really different, there's no way that I would simply forget or get her confused with any run-of-the-mill named girls I have met here in the last 3 years. The guy is unfamiliar - I am certain that we've never met, and boys send out fewer announcements to their platonic friends in the first place .

So there it sits on the bookcase, the possible addition to the already crowded refrigerator, primed for a congratulatory card and gift (but not attendance to the reception, obviously.)
I've officially been bested on this one - Provo has won, I daresay. I've met enough people, been in enough wards, and attended enough parties. I'm tired. And worse, I'm curious.

Maybe Next Year

2008-06-09T22:16:00.003-06:00

Big Brown,

I thought that this was your year - I had such high hopes! And your jockey was wearing stars, aren't those supposed to be good luck? This was it you know; you were supposed to be the triple crown winner, the first in thirty years... I guess as a consolation you can just remember that your net worth now is greater than what I'll ever make. Hats off to you, pal.

A Few of my Favorite Things

2008-05-30T14:27:00.003-06:00

The best things heard/said in my office today:

1. Jordan talking to pizza place: "Really? Hey Matt, they say they don't have any beer"

2. IM conversation between Sarah and I:

Lani: ps - there is nothing good on people.com
Sarah: Amen
Today was so disappointing
Lani: how dare celebrities not have outrageous things happen every day
Sarah: I know!
They are supposed to be ENTERTAINERS
Does that mean anything to them?
Lani: probably not, inconsiderate jerks
Sarah: For real
Rich bastards

3. Jordan, stranded on freeway: "Uh... I ran out of gas"

It's only 2:30 and it's been a great day.

Summer Happenings: San Francisco

2008-05-28T23:15:00.006-06:00

I am back. And it's already time to leave again. Well, not really - I have GOT to stay put for long enough to take care of some items of business that have been neglected but I am no-joke already hurting for another weekend away. What does this say about my life, you may ask? Just don't ask - I have no idea.

After arriving in San Jose on Friday night, Sara and I packed ourselves a couple of backpacks and caught the CalTrain to San Francisco in the morning. We both definitely fell asleep face-down on the formica table afforded our section of the train - the jury is still out as to whether I contracted any communicable diseases from that encounter. I was totally unprepared as to how cold the weekend was actually going to be - I took short sleeved shirts, flip flops, and just a basic fleece to keep me warm and it was a good thing that we were continually on the move because it was CHILLY! Luckily, we literally were always on the move; on the full days of Saturday and Sunday that we were in the city I'm guessing that we walked 14-16 hours each. Loved it. At some point we were both wincing and hobbling a little bit, but Sara is tougher than me and I try to keep up, you know? We made sure to make plenty of treat stops to maintain our energy and also made time for a brief nap just off of a pathway in the park. One day after situating a backpack to use as a pillow, we fell asleep for a few minutes and upon waking, were pleased to notice that a little man had taken a seat on the bench some 15 ft. from us and was watching like a hawk. I can't decide if he was thinking about trying to steal our stuff or about offering us some money to go and sit tight in a shelter for a while.

There was no need though, as a new experience for me was staying in the Mason St. Intl. Hostel:

Sara made all of the arrangements and the price and location were perfect - I think I may become a frequenter of hostels. They are competitively priced, there are bunkbeds, and you may get a cool roommate like Bridget, our new friend from Ireland who has been hanging out in Canada for the last year just for the hell of it. What a life, right? Poor Sara may not have gotten the best end of this deal as she doesn't sleep much and there is literally nothing to do in the rooms other than sleep. Total trooper.

On Sunday we decided to take off on a walk and see if we couldn't find the Exploratorium (we couldn't), see the park (we did), and get lost for 6 or so hours (we did). After biking through Golden Gate park and along the beach for a few hours, we ended up on Haight-Ashbury and were able to see all-things-Grateful-Dead. The street was pretty cool and we found some cute boutiques and funky little shops to look at while we walked. A while later, we were looping back towards Mason and found a little outdoor market-fair thing that we hung out at for a while. For those of you that don't know, I could spend all day looking through Etsy and the blocked off streets were the physical manifestation of all that etsy could offer - everything was handmade, fairly original, and generally awesome. I could have spent a LONG TIME just going back to look and talk with the vendors but we caught it at the end and saw everything pretty quick. I found this little gem of a shop and bought a tiny little necklace that I fairly adore. This is one of my favorite things about bigger and more temperate cities- the outdoor markets! We went throught the farmer's market on the Embarcadero and then found the goods market without even looking- they somehow just appear with the most lovely of items. I swear I would move somewhere if there was the promise of fresh flowers being wrapped in newspaper for my consumer purposes... My purchasing power was definitely exercised between the boutiques, markets, and last but not least: the famous City Lights Bookstore. We literally wandered by the front door one night and I am so glad that Sara suggested going in; I didn't know it at the time but City Lights was one of the most popular locations for beat readers like Ginsberg, Kerouac, and Ferlinghetti. Since of my best/favorite papers written at BYU was on Ginsberg's "A Supermarket in California" I honored the location by reading parts of "Howl" and purchasing "On the Road." I don't know the last time I felt so patriotic to my cause.

We caught the early train back to San Jose first thing on Monday morning and after a quick change of clothes headed down towards Santa Cruz to hang on the beach. After a quick tour of the actual 'town' of Santa Cruz (again, full of boutiques and outdoor sales) we headed to a prety vacant beach where Sara wore layers and I wore layers plus a coat. We didn't last too long because it was cold but upon getting back to the car it wouldn't start. So, we warmed up by taking a couple-hours walk along the railroad tracks and once we got back it started! Hooray! We made it back to Sara's house and her generous dad and step-mom made a great/much needed barbeque. It just doesn't seem like Memorial Day if there isn't some grilling involved, you know?

I left the next day after some MAJOR sleeping (like, more than I've slept since Christmas) and some errand running (via bicycle, naturally). The flight home was uneventful, unlike the first which I only made by running through the airport in really unfortunate shoes. So here I am, just catching up on the mundane and real life related. My only goal for next time is to have my camera in operating condition and learn how to be more brief in my re-telling. We'll see...

Summer Happenings: Florida

2008-05-23T01:10:00.004-06:00

I'm packing to go to San Francisco tomorrow and feel a little bit guilty that I never posted anything about my last trip, Florida with Sarah. Unfortunately, we were both depending on the other to bring a camera to document our wild and crazy doings, but neither of us actually brought one. So, as sad as it is that I am having trouble remembering the events of only three weeks ago, I'm going to have to rely on Sarah to fill in the blanks where I've already forgotten. Here's the rundown:

After an interminable flight seated next to a recently-divorced father of three (who, if it must be said, was a little too comfortable with my company), we had a short layover in Albequerque, New Mexico. For anyone who may have a deep and abiding love for the 'Albequerque International Sunport,' please stop reading right now. I've never spent time in what can only described as the ghetto-booty of all airports. It was dirty! It was crowded! There were only like 3 terminals! I paid $8 for yogurt and water! Feeling slightly violated an hour later, we left for Tampa and arrived late afternoon. Seriously you guys, Florida rocks. It was warm and a little bit humid and had green plants and trees! That were GREEN! And ALIVE! Clearly, a big improvement over the snow flurries that we had left earlier that morning.

We spent the next two days at the beach - first at St. Petersburg and then Fort DeSoto Park on the Gulf of Mexico. It's interesting - St. Petersburg was mostly populated by the older generation. From what I could tell, most everyone must have decided that as they are approaching death's door there was no point in worrying about using sunscreen or sun protection of any kind. Instead, tanning oil (and possibly butter) were liberally applied to every surface of these people and they were 'leathering' before our eyes. Sick. Don't worry though, me and my SPF 80 were sitting pretty, in a long sleeved shirt and under a beach umbrella, naturally.

On Sunday, I left on what was supposed to be a little drive (while Sarah half-sat/half-stood at home with a nasty sunburn) and ended up on the other side of Florida, Cocoa beach on the Atlantic. I'm not really sure because of the screwy way that I got there, but I think I drove for a little over three hours. I won't lie - it was kind of great. I like to drive and I had a charged ipod that lasted me through Orlando and the coastal drive - I ended up feeling like I had finally figured out the freeway system and saw a lot of landscape throughout the afternoon and evening. I suppose I ought to have a destination in mind the next time I pick up and go. I came back to good old allergy-ville Utah on Monday afternoon. It was a real, real, good vacation - I read 4 books, sat by the pool, played with a puppy (no joke), bought the most amazing water-noodle ever created, ate fresh fruit, took some lovely walks, and managed to escape without a sunburn or case of food poisoning. The last part is most surprising because one night we ate Mexican food purchased from a bus-turned-restaurant. Needless to say, it was sketchy.

Since I've been home, I've been anxiously counting down the days to this San Francisco bit where I'll be seeing Sara M. and biking through countryside. Or something, I guess. No real idea what the itinerary is - perfect for me!

So, I graduated

2008-05-18T19:33:00.003-06:00

I started knocking college courses out of the way when I was a junior in high school, so it it feels like I have been in school for nigh unto a lifetime. I know I have the paperwork in a box that is currently in my basement, but I can't even remember the number of credits I now have to my name. Fact of the matter is, though, I did the thing and am now the owner of my very own (in the mail?) diploma stating that I have graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English.

Now what?

Fair to Moderate

2008-04-15T14:14:00.004-06:00

I don't really understand the mechanics of how my office is located in the seventh circle of hell, characterized by the strangest weather in Utah. Does anyone remember the great I-almost-slept-at-Thanksgiving Point snowstorm earlier this year? I sure do. Luckily, my current issue with the weirdness that is Lehi, Utah is not with any residual snow storm. It is, however, with the massive amount of wind that hits us here at the Point of the Mountain. I tried to take a picture, but the glass of my window obscured it to the point of uselessness. Fact of the matter is, I can barely see beyond the office parking lot because of the dirt and pollen and probably garbage that has been kicked up by the 35 mph wind. If I were around any sort of nature whatsoever it would definitely look like this:

I'm so glad that I packed baby carrots today because I am hiding out at my desk for lunch. Wind, you're ruining my life.

Today

2008-04-12T02:53:00.003-06:00

The Bad: Tanked my last real test for my British literature class tonight

The Good: Last test taken at the testing center, hopefully for the rest of my life

The Bad: Didn't do an awesome job on my presentation this morning for English 495

The Good: I was wearing really cute shoes

The Bad: Current sleeping schedule has left me all sorts of screwed up. I'm wide awake for the next two hours but am going to be dead tired at three in the afternoon

The Good: I went and saw a late showing of "21" - it was alright and was a great distraction from aforementioned test

The Bad: 2 more papers, 1 project, one final

The Good: Some people have a great many more finals to take than I do

The Bad: It was snowing AGAIN this morning

The Good: I'm going to be in Florida in 3 weeks

The Bad: I just got pulled over for rolling through a 4-way stop (at 2:00 am)

The Good: I only got a warning and the policeman got my phone number.

End In Sight

2008-04-04T00:28:00.007-06:00

Well folks,
I may have been MIA for the past week and a half, but it is for good reason. You see, I've been spending all of my time here:

or here: (work office)

and all of this has been made possible with the help of these:

Luckily, I am right on track to be here in 3 weeks:

No lie- I am going to sleep for 3 days straight after April 24th. It will be awesome.

Grrr

2008-02-27T13:26:00.006-07:00

I was just attempting to post a nice happy little note, but my picture won't add. I am blogger-illiterate and could really use some help if anyone wants to offer a brief tutorial as to why I can't make this thing work.

???

2008-02-17T21:28:00.001-07:00

If this works, Melissa just fixed my blog.

It works! She is a genius and fixed it! Yay Melissa, you are the best!

Ahem.

2008-02-17T19:06:00.010-07:00

Dear Guy Who Sat Behind Me At Last Night's Game:

Although I truly, truly, appreciated your commentary on all-things-BYU during the entire basketball game, my favorite part of the experience of sitting near you was the fact that you shared your opinions so openly and at such a volume. Because you know, I may not have understood that “THAT WAS TOTALLY A FOUL, LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT SITDOWN!” without it being yelled directly into my ear.

Also, I am so happy to know that Salt Lake City barely qualifies as a real town (being as it only has three buildings over ten stories high) and that the entire state of Utah is in fact a cesspool of uncultured, uneducated rednecks. So happy to have you here. May you be able to leave the torturous existence that is the Beehive State very, very soon.

Moreover, I was glad that I had the opportunity of learning about your hometown of Boston; until last night I was unaware that Boston boasted not only the best sports teams in country but is the seat of American democracy as we know it. I certainly feel more secure in the knowledge that the greatest minds of the past two hundred years are almost as important as the Red Sox, with God coming in at a close third.

Thank you so much for the opportunity of becoming a better person because I was able to sit near you. I now know that I should probably begin working on my resume of domestic skills, abilities that apparently have been sorely neglected in my “overall useless” pursuit of higher education. I guess I didn’t know that women were better suited to spend their time barefoot and pregnant than in the classroom or workplace. I was happy to hear that you and your wife are now expecting your third child, scheduled to arrive pretty near the end of your Junior year of an undergraduate degree. Congratulations and may your spawn be spared your wisdom and knowledge for many, many years.

Sincerely,

Lani

Whew!

2008-02-15T23:37:00.001-07:00

It has been a long time since I’ve taken a minute to write anything that wasn’t school or work related, upwards of two weeks it seems. And why? Well, because things got busy. Papers needed to be written, a thesis needed to be plotted, a medieval literature test needed to be studied for and taken, hundreds of pages needed to read, and so on and so forth. Although there are a hundred things that I would LOVE to comment on, I think that the only way to accurately sum up what I’ve been doing is the worst kind of retrospective – best only used in VH1 specials or on E! And here it is, my very own Best Week(s) Ever:

My Utopia/Dystopia class is awesome – I’ve been reading More’s Utopia, Gilman’s Herland, and some awesome short stories in the last two weeks.

I love the course, but I usually don’t have much to say until after the class has ended and I’ve missed my chance to wow my fellow Senior course students and professor. Sigh. I learn a lot and honestly can’t get enough of the reading and the discussion, even if I only listen in.

Note: I’ve wanted to keep up on my monthly reading list and review, but I don’t have the time to review my books outside of class. Maybe I’ll revisit in a few.

It seems that I am no scholar when it comes to Old and Middle English literature. I spent all of last night (from 6:00 pm to 1:30 am) writing a junky version of a Canterbury tale in Middle English, one of three major assignments due for the course. It is silly and I hope that my lame joke at the end will earn me some sympathy points from the TA. It worked last week when I referenced Beckham and Posh in a quiz.
I went to Idaho Falls with Joc, Trav, and Hannah a few weekends ago and thoroughly enjoyed the time I had to spend with family there. They invited me to the open house of the new Rexburg temple and it was great to be able to go through the tour, something I haven’t done since the Timpanogos Temple was built.

I loved being able to hang out with Grandma and Val (including one of my favorite pastimes with these lovely ladies, going to the a fun chick-flick like “27 Dresses”) as well as getting to spend time with the Elwood clan and getting to know baby Kinzie a little more. I have to say, I adore that little girl. She is the funniest thing and made me laugh my head off a number of times in just a few short days. You guys are the best - - thanks for letting me crash your weekend and for putting up with my shoe-shopping obsession! Can’t wait to see you all in just a few short weeks – start getting excited!

It has been snowing here non-stop for weeks. Maybe that’s an exaggeration, but I honestly don’t remember the last time that there were so many storms during the week. I started to shovel our driveway last Saturday and was shoveling eight or so inches of accumulated snow on top of three inches of solid ice. As a result, I am dying to get out of town for a few days. If you live out of state (preferably somewhere warm) please invite me to come and visit. I’ll be there in a jiffy.

Ashley coordinated a rad dance party at my house a few weeks ago to celebrate Jessica’s and Heather’s birthdays. Who doesn’t enjoy a little dirty dancing with strangers once in a while? Nobody, that’s who.

My office moved from our space at the Riverwoods to a bigger building at Thanksgiving Point. Unfortunately, it’s an increased commute for me and a further stress on my already super-tight schedule. However, it will be nice once the weather is warmer because I will definitely be taking lots of walks through the gardens and maybe some bike rides in the summer. I guess I’m a glass-half-full kind of girl.

I’ve taught a few Sunday School lessons in the past few weeks and I’m beginning to get over some of the anxiety that makes me wish I could melt into the wall during the class. I’m no scholar but once I get over the public speaking issue I have, I may actually start to enjoy the calling. MAYBE.

My sleeping habits have been pretty strange over the past week or so; one night last weekend I remember dreaming that it was important that I make a trail or path in my bedroom for someone to follow. I woke up at around 4:30 in the morning to find all of my five pillows, two comforters, both sheets, and extra blanket wound around in an S-shaped pattern on my floor from the door to my bed. I can only imagine that I was hoping some man would find and follow it.

(Just kidding Mom and Dad. Sort of.)

I bought a new ipod, a little guy like this:

We’re not really friends yet, I still miss my little white nano but am getting used to the blocky-ness of the new style. I really need to attempt some sort of organization of my library so that I know where everything is on the new one, I’m thinking this may help with the issue of familiarity.

My “roomie” Kaylene and I finally met up last weekend for a little bit of sledding followed by a little bit of girls night. I have been talking about getting out in the snow for the past TWO winters with this girl; I remember how fun it was the last time I went sledding in American Fork canyon with the family-Chandler and this time Jared is in the country to come too! What fortune! We went to some decent hills off of a golf course in Salem and lasted a few short hours before we were dead tired from trekking up the hills even just a couple of times. She might not admit that it was very fun, but Kay got some awesome air as she ran directly towards a jump; I thought that I was going to break a rib as I saw her take the hill like a pro. It was so much fun, thanks for humoring me you guys!

The worst weather I have ever experienced took form in a blizzard that hit the area directly where I work on Wednesday night. It started snowing and blowing really intensely around 2:00 in the afternoon and by 5:00 had turned into a full blown blizzard accompanied by merciless wind that caused a total whiteout.
At one point, all of the freeway was at a standstill for hours and all exits and side-roads had been closed because of the traffic accidents and danger. A friend told me that she saw people stopping to put chains on their tires right in the middle of the freeway! Torrey tells it much better than I do and was a doll to keep my updated on the traffic situation since she left the office a couple of hours before I did. Hilary was headed north towards Salt Lake and kept me updated with the situation on that front also. I have some very nice friends :) There were abandoned cars all over the roads and in the parking lots of the offices, so there was a lot of carpooling that night. I left work a little bit before 8:00 and had only made it about a half a mile in almost 90 minutes before it was decided that it was probably best to wait out the worst of the storm. So, I ended up at one the restaurants at Thanksgiving Point where some people from my office had dinner (courtesy of Matt) and hung out for an additional 2 ½ hours until the freeway exits were clear. After a scary drive home (in which I totally spun-out on the freeway, barely missing being sideswiped by a semi) I got home a little bit after 1:00 am - - it was a long day and made for rough business to wake up for work in the morning!

As a result of all of the homework and unexpected weather delays of the past week, I have spent the last four nights on campus until at least midnight and have at best only been catching a few hours of sleep each night. Unfortunately, this means that I completely missed the last four days of the world, including Valentines Day. So, Happy Valentines Day to one and all! I hope to get caught up enough this weekend that I can still celebrate – I’m shooting for Sunday J Please make yourselves available for visits or phone calls in the afternoon because I would love to have a minute to chat and let you all know how much I love/miss you!

So there you have it - what I’ve been doing and seeing and procrastinating for the last while. The recall of that list was monstrous - for my own benefit I am going to have to keep more on top of updating. The procrastination thing can only work for so long, after all…

In Remembrance of President Hinckley

2008-01-27T22:12:00.000-07:00

President Gordon B. Hinckley, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints passed away this evening. I am sad. I always considered President Hinckley to be "my" prophet because it is his influence and counsel that I remember most throughout my youth; he spoke to my generation with love and concern and served as the mouthpiece for my church.

The following is an excerpt from a talk given in general conference in 2002, I have used parts of it in various lessons and talks of my own since then and I think that sharing it would be the best memorial I could offer.

Do we as Latter-day Saints really understand and appreciate the strength of our position? Among the religions of the world, it is unique and wonderful.

Is this Church an educational institution? Yes. We are constantly and endlessly teaching, teaching, teaching in a great variety of circumstances. Is it a social organization? Indeed. It is a great family of friends who mingle together and enjoy one another. Is it a mutual aid society? Yes. It has a remarkable program for building self-reliance and granting aid to those in distress. It is all of these and more. But beyond these it is the Church and kingdom of God established and directed by our Eternal Father and His Beloved Son, the risen Lord Jesus Christ, to bless all who come within its fold.

We declare without equivocation that God the Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, appeared in person to the boy Joseph Smith.

When I was interviewed by Mike Wallace on the 60 Minutes program, he asked me if I actually believed that. I replied, “Yes, sir. That’s the miracle of it.”
That is the way I feel about it. Our whole strength rests on the validity of that vision. It either occurred or it did not occur. If it did not, then this work is a fraud. If it did, then it is the most important and wonderful work under the heavens.

Reflect upon it, my brethren and sisters. For centuries the heavens remained sealed. Good men and women, not a few—really great and wonderful people—tried to correct, strengthen, and improve their systems of worship and their body of doctrine. To them I pay honor and respect. How much better the world is because of their bold action. While I believe their work was inspired, it was not favored with the opening of the heavens, with the appearance of Deity.

Then in 1820 came that glorious manifestation in answer to the prayer of a boy who had read in his family Bible the words of James: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5).

Upon that unique and wonderful experience stands the validity of this Church.

In all of recorded religious history there is nothing to compare with it. The New Testament recounts the baptism of Jesus when the voice of God was heard and the Holy Ghost descended in the form of a dove. At the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John saw the Lord transfigured before them. They heard the voice of the Father, but they did not see Him.

Why did both the Father and the Son come to a boy, a mere lad? For one thing, they came to usher in the greatest gospel dispensation of all time, when all of previous dispensations should be gathered and brought together in one.

Can anyone doubt that the age in which we live is the most wonderful in the history of the world? There has been a marvelous flowering of science, of medicine, of communication, of transportation, unequaled in all the chronicles of mankind. Is it reasonable to submit that there should also be a flowering of spiritual knowledge as a part of this incomparable renaissance of light and understanding?

The instrument in this work of God was a boy whose mind was not cluttered by the philosophies of men. That mind was fresh and without schooling in the traditions of the day.

It is easy to see why people do not accept this account. It is almost beyond comprehension. And yet it is so reasonable. Those familiar with the Old Testament recognize the appearance of Jehovah to the prophets who lived in that comparatively simple time. Can they legitimately deny the need for an appearance of the God of heaven and His resurrected Son in this very complex period of the world’s history?

That They came, both of Them, that Joseph saw Them in Their resplendent glory, that They spoke to him and that he heard and recorded Their words—of these remarkable things we testify.

I knew a so-called intellectual who said the Church was trapped by its history. My response was that without that history we have nothing. The truth of that unique, singular, and remarkable event is the pivotal substance of our faith.

But this glorious vision was but the beginning of a series of manifestations that constitute the early history of this work.

As if that vision were not enough to certify to the personality and the reality of the Redeemer of mankind, there followed the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Here is something that a man could hold in his hands, could “heft,” as it were. He could read it. He could pray about it, for it contained a promise that the Holy Ghost would declare its truth if that witness were sought in prayer.

This remarkable book stands as a testimonial to the living reality of the Son of God. The Bible declares that “in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established” (Matt. 18:16). The Bible, the testament of the Old World, is one witness. The Book of Mormon, the testament of the New World, is another witness.

I cannot understand why the Christian world does not accept this book. I would think they would be looking for anything and everything that would establish without question the reality and the divinity of the Savior of the world.

There followed the restoration of the priesthood—first, of the Aaronic under the hands of John the Baptist, who had baptized Jesus in Jordan.

Then came Peter, James, and John, Apostles of the Lord, who conferred in this age that which they had received under the hands of the Master with whom they walked, even “the keys of the kingdom of heaven,” with authority to bind in the heavens that which they bound on earth (see Matt. 16:19).

Subsequently came the bestowal of further priesthood keys under the hands of Moses, Elias, and Elijah.

Think of it, my brothers and sisters. Think of the wonder of it.

This is the restored Church of Jesus Christ. We as a people are Latter-day Saints. We testify that the heavens have been opened, that the curtains have been parted, that God has spoken, and that Jesus Christ has manifested Himself, followed by a bestowal of divine authority.

Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of this work, and it is built upon a “foundation of … apostles and prophets” (Eph. 2:20).

This wondrous Restoration should make of us a people of tolerance, of neighborliness, of appreciation and kindness toward others. We cannot be boastful. We cannot be proud. We can be thankful, as we must be. We can be humble, as we should be.

We love those of other churches. We work with them in good causes. We respect them. But we must never forget our roots. Those roots lie deep in the soil of the opening of this, the final dispensation, the dispensation of the fulness of times.

What an inspiration it has been to look into the faces of men and women across the world who carry in their hearts a solemn conviction of the truth of this foundation.

When it comes to divine authority, this is the sum and substance of the whole matter.

God be thanked for His marvelous bestowal of testimony, authority, and doctrine associated with this, the restored Church of Jesus Christ.

This must be our great and singular message to the world. We do not offer it with boasting. We testify in humility but with gravity and absolute sincerity. We invite all, the whole earth, to listen to this account and take measure of its truth. God bless us as those who believe in His divine manifestations and help us to extend knowledge of these great and marvelous occurrences to all who will listen. To these we say in a spirit of love, bring with you all that you have of good and truth which you have received from whatever source, and come and let us see if we may add to it. This invitation I extend to men and women everywhere with my solemn testimony that this work is true, for I know the truth of it by the power of the Holy Ghost. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Farewell iPod, I barely knew ye

2008-01-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

That might be an exaggeration. I have gotten two very fulfilling years out of the lovely iPod nano I received as a Christmas gift a few years ago. However, our relationship was to be cut short when my little friend was misplaced (or so I thought) on Thursday of last week. Sadly, I found my little white nano outdoors and near my car, lying helplessly on the ground. The past month and a half of snow and freezing temperatures ensured that it had gotten wet, rendering it unceremoniously dead. Dear little nano, I loved you. You kept me company on my walks to school, long nights studying in the library, and some really good drives. Farewell, good friend, farewell.

Tagged!

2008-01-23T22:11:00.000-07:00

Torrey, this is for you!!!

I was tagged weeks ago and have been slow in my response. It's really hard to think of 7 interesting facts about yourself! Be warned, I'm playing it fast and loose with the word interesting...

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I am a habitual driver.

When I need a little space, or time to think, or am even just bored I will always want to go on a drive. There’s something about being in constant motion and seeing a lot at once that is really relaxing to me. However, it can quickly become a time-consuming (not to mention expensive) habit; the last time I took off I ended up 90 miles from home. I generally forget that I eventually need to turn around and start heading back to wherever I’m coming from.

2. I would rather be hot than cold.

Seriously, there is very little in the world that makes me more agitated than being cold. Winter is one long ordeal to me and I don’t handle it like a trooper. If I had my way, I would "winter" in Florida and keep a heated blanket near me at all times. My theory is this: if you get too hot, you can always just sit for a minute and your temperature will balance. BUT – once you are cold you will stay cold until you manage to find a thermal sleeping bag or are cool with running in place while at school or work. Plus, cold hurts. Honestly, I feel bad for the people I am around all day because I complain constantly about the stupid snow and stupid ice and stupid wind and why can’t global warming start working like NOW because I am tired of being so damn cold all of the time.

3. I don’t talk on the phone without pacing.

I so dislike being on the phone that I usually take a walk to keep my body occupied while I chat. If I am indoors and it’s too cold or late to go outside I will literally walk back and forth in a straight line until I’m off the phone, at which point I am totally fine with sitting. People (who may find it maddening) have pointed this out to me on numerous occasions. So, if I seem distracted while talking with you on the phone please realize that I’m probably playing GPS in my head and thinking of a new route to take between my bed and closet door. Apologies.

4. I have a weird phobia about fish.

It’s not the actual creature that bothers me so much, but the fact that they reside in the same body of water all of the time. For example, I hate looking at the average-sized fish bowl because it grosses me out to think that anything will spend the better part of its life just swimming in it. I am most bothered by bowls/tanks that don’t have any lid or are open on top. Why is this, you ask? It is because I know that at some point when I am walking by it, the fishy will jump or splash or something and the water from that open container will end up in my mouth and I would rather be dead than have that happen, thank you very much.

5. I sleep with one of these at night:

I grind and clench my teeth so hard when I sleep that I have torn the ligaments in my jaw a few times as well as woken myself from the sound. So, I've had a sleeping mouth-guard thing since I was in junior high. I always feel like I'm playing dress up with werewolf or vampire teeth when I get ready for bed at night.

6. I am the most claustrophobic person you know.

It takes practically nothing for me to feel super-confined. I dress in layers so that I can ditch something easily and can’t stand the thought of socks (this may contribute to my temperature issues.) I never wear bracelets or rings and rarely wear necklaces. Turtlenecks need not apply. If it isn’t a flat or pump, I don’t want it near my feet. If there is too much clutter around I have a hard time focusing. I can’t sleep until I’ve washed any makeup off because my face feels like it’s suffocating otherwise. These neuroses are all on top of the obvious fact that I don’t like being in tight spaces with too many people. So, if I ever duck out while we’re somewhere that is too densely populated, don’t worry – I’ll be right back. I’m probably just out with my head between my knees, counting to ten, and searching for my normalcy.

7. I am just learning to ski.

Even though I spent almost all of my childhood in Utah, I haven’t had an active interest in skiing until this past year. I (read: my Dad) signed me up for a half-day lesson last winter in hopes that I could at least stop myself from crashing into other human beings on the mountain. On my first run down the big-kid hill, I had to have him literally pull me up from the ground at least four times. I think that that first run was the longest consecutive stream of profanity that I have ever heard in my life, and it came straight from my mouth. I’ve improved both my language and balance since then.

8. I was expelled from the seminary program twice in high school.

Not because I was rebellious, mind you, but because I couldn’t be bothered with consistently showing up. After many warning letters from the secretary to my home (and none-too-pleased parents) I would go through the process of getting my name back on the rolls and would then complete enough make-up work to pass. I don’t think I ever received lower than an A- grade in four years. The final irony was that I was asked to say a few words at the graduation ceremony during my last year; I have no idea what I said that didn’t get me sent straightaway to hell right then and there.

So there you have it. Some of the obscure I do so love. Get ready, because I tag:
Melissa, Sara, Sarah, Ashley, Kaylene, Tara, and whoever else would like to play!

PS - The last fact was just for fun - I consider myself a fraud in the church educational system. Sadly, my only teenage defiance...

Bouquets of Freshly-Sharpened Pencils

2008-01-07T21:04:00.001-07:00

School started again today, my first classes on campus since last winter. I was surprised last night when I had a hard time falling asleep; as a kid I used to stay awake for hours every night before I started a new school year. However, I don't think I've subscribed to this behavior since I began a university education. When I was younger I think I must have been worried about the new students, teachers, and schedules that came along with every grade. Of course, it stands to reason that it was the increase in responsibility and demands on time that caused my apprehension as a child. I think that it is for these reasons and more that I found myself restless last night, worrying about the next "grade" I would encounter.

Had I known that I would see some dude wearing a short kilt on the way to class this morning, I would have spent my time losing sleep over that instead.

Reading Review - December

2008-01-02T22:39:00.001-07:00

This is new - I'm not committing, just trying it out.

I read a lot; my major in college was chosen mostly because an English major is allowed and encouraged to read everything. I'm paying BYU for the privilege of being graded on reading and erudition and I love it.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Sometimes hard to read, forced me to learn about pre-"operation freedom" Afghanistan. I am so, so lucky.

Atonement by Ian McEwan
Probably better than the film. Beatiful language and style.

Hypocrite in a Poufy White Dress by Susan Jane Gilman
Cover art is young girl in sparkly princess dress and black combat boots. Really, really funny.

Young Goodman Brown and Other Short Stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Allows me to apply my knowledge of American Romanticism and criticism. Should be given a chance.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Coming-of-age story that is well written. Also, you will learn a lot about bees.

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Vaguely related to Will Smith blockbuster. Biowarfare is unnerving and I hope to avoid it. Unlike most, I liked the ending.

The Plague by Albert Camus
Took three months to finish, longer than Moby Dick even. Original in French - maybe I would like it more as a first edition.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
No excuse exists for not reading this book. The best (of the shorts) of Hemingway, should be used as a lead into the entire library.

Time's Arrow by Martin Amis
The most original premise and style I've come across in a long time, the story reads backwards from conclusion to introduction. Takes some time, but is worth the effort.

The Witches by Roald Dahl
I love this. It is simple and morbid and wonderful.

The How To Herb Book by Velma Keith and Monteen Gordon
Read in an hour or so, will probably be helpful if I'm ever poisoned outside the realm of modern medicine or decide to give herbal veganism a try.

Even As I Am by Neal A. Maxwell
This book deserves the effort of complete sentences. I took this from a bookcase at my parents house while I was writing a talk for Sacrament meeting earlier in the month. Elder Maxwell was always way above my head as a kid, but I've come to appreciate his discourse as my favorite both in style intellectual vivication. 'Even As I Am' refers to our progression towards a higher standard and draws heavily from the scriptures as well as human tendencies that Elder Maxwell recognizes as being decisive to both our divinity and decline. Although it is currently out of print, I would recommend that anyone find a copy and dedicate some time to studying - I now consider this to be a crucial text in my collective religious literature.

Maybe Next Year

2007-12-31T15:03:00.001-07:00

I'm not dead or anything, just on sabbatical. It's quite lovely.

"Just send money. How about tens and twenties."

2007-12-02T22:58:00.000-07:00

My friend Torrey made me the nicest CD of Christmas music this week and I've been thinking about my favorite holiday songs. I'll have to take the time to compile a list and then make sure that I have all of the wonderful favorites in one place, but I know right away which songs I DON"T like. The number one on this list has got to be the 'Christmas Shoes' song made famous (infamous?) by Michael Bolton. I know, Michael. Bolton. I was reading some funny stuff by the great Eric D. Snider when I stumbled upon this lovely bit:

"While we're on the subject of songs that are supposed to make you cry whose doctrine I find questionable, there's the recent sappy, crappy country hit "Christmas Shoes" (not to be confused with "Live Like You Were Dyin'," "Already There," or any of the other sappy, crappy country hits that are produced at the rate of one song per week). It's about a guy standing in line in a store at Christmastime, and this filthy urchin in front of him is buying a pair of women's shoes, which he declares to be for his mother:

"Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please

It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size

Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time

You see she's been sick for quite a while

And I know these shoes would make her smile

And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight"

Because, what, Jesus can't abide a barefoot woman? Or a woman who has shoes on that aren't beautiful? And who says Mama will be wearing shoes when she gets to heaven anyway? I believe the old saying is, "You can't take it with you." Does that not apply to shoes? Is there supposed to be an asterisk next to it?

You can't take it with you.*
*(except shoes)

Anyway, the kid in the song winds up getting the singer to buy him the shoes, because of course he's too poor to pay for them himself. I picture him thanking the man profusely, then hurrying out the door with the shoes to his mother, who's waiting in the car, smoking a cigarette:

"What took you so long? Here, let's see 'em ... What, these are the best you could find?! Pumps! I told you pumps! These are heels! I can't wear these, they make my feet hurt, you stupid brat! You better get it right at the next store. And would it kill you to cry a little? See if you can get someone to give you some cash, too. Mama can't buy lottery tickets with shoes."

And my question is, does this make me a bad person?"

And that to me, is Christmas spirit.

Oh my

2007-12-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

I received a call this morning from one of the secretary's in my ward asking if I could make it to church a few minutes earlier than usual and quickly meet with one the bishopric counselors. Although I was hoping for a little explanation of my current calling (activities committee member), I was instead surprised with a new calling: Sunday School teacher. Yikes.

I've definitely been wary of past callings I've received, but I was a million times for comfortable with the idea of being a counselor in Relief Society or ward music-whatever than I am with this. So, kids, I am definitely going to be needing some advice. The thought of standing in front of strangers and teaching ANYTHING makes me a little sick. Maybe there will be some good/humorous stories to come out of this experience in this ward; although if there is some cosmic joke that dictates I lose my skirt again in front of any ward members, I may just apostatize.

Also - I am going to be speaking in sacrament meeting next Sunday and would appreciate any good recommendation on books/talks about forgiveness. Seriously folks, any help would be appreciated!

A List, A List, A List

2007-11-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

I sometimes go through periods where I have trouble sleeping. I haven't pinpointed what the trigger(s) might be for insomnia or me waking up unexpectedly in the middle of the night, and this past Sunday began a pretty interesting 5-day run. It's so strange - I haven't been going to bed at a reasonable hour since Thanksgiving but I can usually fall asleep within thirty minutes or so anyway. But, while I've been getting to bed around 1:30, I have woken up every night between 4:00 and 4:30 and staying awake for at least an hour and a half.

What, you might ask, has kept me entertained during these one and-a-half to two hour intervals each night? Well. Let me tell you what I've been accomplishing while the rest of you have been sleeping soundly:

Rearranging all shoes according to type and frequency of being worn
Packing away all summer sandals and shoes in light of impending snow
Lining up winter boots according to height
Gathering all scarves, hats, and mittens in one cute box
Looking for econo-size static guard that I require during winter
Taking inventory of coats (I need a decent navy)
Clearing out accumulated junk under my bed
Online Christmas shopping
Online Christmas wishlist making
Planning possible Christmas activities
Eating one red apple
Organizing all CD's according to genre AND color
Dusting entire room - - no allergens for me, thank you!
Cleaning bathroom sink
Re-folding sheets and towels that were stacked haphazardly in closet
Obliterating drawer of junk in console table
Gathering DVD's back to bookshelf and coordinating each correct disc with correct case
Resetting pre-programmed stations on stereo
Setting all clocks to same time EXACTLY
Deleting embarassing songs from itunes library (I'm looking at you, Spice Girls)
Creating verb-based playlists (ie - Driving Fast, Running in Rain, Dancing in Car, etc.)
Doing one load of dark laundry
Finishing two books
Catching up on many, many blogs
Lots of wikipedia-ing
Drawing floorplans for library I someday want in my house
Updating list of what I want to read, hear, and watch
Throwing out past-expiration prescriptions
Getting rid of makeup that was a bad idea to begin with
Taking super long shower
Doing excellent conditioning treatment on hair. Twice. (Redken All-Soft Heavy Cream)
Using exfoliating mask and renewing cucumber eye-things
Moisturizing like a fiend
Beginning to straighten hair, and then going to sleep halfway through

Things that I haven't been doing but really should:

Sleeping
Studying

It seems that my priorities and self-discipline need to be reconciled at some point...

Note: The hair thing was interesting, I had to finish in the morning, of course.

Introspection? Anyone?

2007-11-26T22:35:00.000-07:00

So. I was not disappointed with the BYU-Utah game on Saturday. It was a good game with a satisfactory amount of drama that probably did bad things to my heart. I love very few things in this world more than I love BYU football and a competitive fourth quarter. Go Cougars.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the "perfect moments" in life. I don't remember when, but my dad coined the phrase/thought/philosophy that we are occasionally caught in the perfect moment and that it's beneficial if not important to pay pointed attention to situation or circumstance. Someone (my parents I'm sure) began taking note of perfect moments as we were together and the idea has been with me for a number of years. I mostly remember being conscious of pieces of perfection while enjoying time spent with family or friends, seeing beatiful places, or even the sense of contentment that accompanies a good book or nice walk.

Although it lends itself to scientific process more than I like to admit, I've been trying to remember and pay attention to the role I play in creating the perfect moment; my actions or attitude that may make it easier for me to enjoy a brief interlude of calm in everyday life. I haven't come to a satisfactory conclusion, but have certainly enjoyed taking the time to consider it. It's probably just the impending end-of-semester rush and mental preparation for a new year but what a great opportunity to look at old pictures stored on the computer, review great books read and music listened to, and think about all of the new stuff that we've learned in the past weeks and months. I don't know that any of these things will make me appreciate the good things in life any more than usual, but at least they help to remind me of perfect moments that I've been lucky enough to enjoy.

2007-11-24T01:20:00.000-07:00

So. Freaking. Excited.

"I feel really warm around you, and my tongue swells up..."

2007-11-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

... and that's pretty much how I am feeling right now. In a good way, though. I actually just heard this line while watching the movie "Elf" with my roommate. I know it's a special breed of cheesy, but I've been thinking recently that I need to be more diligent in vocalizing the things that I am appreciative of and express thanks to people in my life.

I'll give you a moment to catch your breath and dry your tears. That was, after all, the most emotion I've put out in the world for a while.

It just so happens that this sentiment seems to fall right in line with the Thanksgiving holiday, making it very convenient for me to be just another one of the crowd of seasonal thanks-givers. Nonetheless, I'm going to make the effort. A 10-day countdown to Thanksgiving day seems appropriate. I'll have to start on that tomorrow though, because I am definitely feeling grateful for a warm bed and the joy that is the heated mattress pad.

Sheesh

2007-11-11T23:06:00.000-07:00

I am such a hypocrite. I spend way too much of my time checking blogs and when they aren't updated with some frequency, I am very much annoyed. So, I resolve to at least make a greater effort than I have been recently.

There has been so much going on in the past few weeks that I remember sections mostly in slow, dull, re-runs of work and school. However, I hope that the onset of the holiday season will bring some sort of reprieve to the monotony in which I seem to be stuck.

I purposely designed my class schedule this semester with the idea that I wanted to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere. Being wholly immersed in school and work for the past three fall semesters made it difficult to appreciate the end of the year as being anything other than a mad rush; completing the semester and beginning to prepare for the next seemed to overtake November and December. So, although I know that I will be paying for my light workload when January rolls around, I am looking forward to the next month and a half. Things are looking up.

A Few Things

2007-10-22T09:40:00.000-06:00

1. It snowed here in Utah on Saturday. Big snow, the kind that made me not want to drive home from Salt Lake to Provo. So I didn't.

2. Even in blizzard-like conditions, the Cougars won the football game against Eastern Washington. I'm happy that they did so well even though I wasn't at the stadium cheering. It will be the last time I miss, I swear.

3. With special care, you too can carve a Halloween BYU pumpkin.

4. 'Hocus Pocus' is a fun and fancy free Halloween cinematic accomplishment.

5. In 5 days, I will be among the masses of pre-teen girls watching Hannah Montana perform in concert. That's right.

Weekend in 3 Parts

2007-10-07T23:53:00.000-06:00

If you are me, this is your weekend:

Friday

After work, drive to Salt Lake with Sarah to eat dinner at Trio and see a movie at Broadway. Trio is cool (included: hot waiters and great flatbread) and ends up lasting through movie starting time. Must reschedule. Drive home in torrential rain. Enjoy warm bed.

Saturday

Watch first session of General Conference prior to phone call from previous property manager at Oakpoint. Aforementioned torrential rain has caused flooding in basement bedro0m and closet. Wish that you had waited one more week before becoming active property manager. Prepare to spend the next week coordinating Emergency Disaster Cleanup and getting new carpet in basement. Also, prepare to fight insurance for tenants whose car engine has flooded in parking lot. Realize it will have to wait until Monday and enjoy second session.

Go Thai for dinner with roommate. Later, have girls over to house for movie/treats. Watch "Little Manhattan" and laugh self silly. Consume large amounts of chocolate and peanut butter. Read lots of Cosmopolitan and Glamour. Enjoy self immensely.

Sunday

Listen to General Conference and fall asleep briefly. Leave for Salt Lake in between sessions, drive via Sundance/American Fork canyon with friend. View beautiful scenery and marvel at snow on mountains. Remember that seasons change and it will be okay. Inexplicably, rear passenger window shatters while driving I-15. Drive to parents house carefully and clean up. Attempt to focus on second session before dinner with family. Swap cars with Mom. Drive home and watch “Planet Earth.” Prepare to enjoy warm bed. Ahhh.

*More to follow with the car thing, it was very strange.

Seriously Folks

2007-10-04T15:54:00.000-06:00

I'm not gonna lie.

I have not liked this week one little bit. Between the hours upon hours of studying, botching a meeting at work, probably failing a test and not sleeping because of "the sound" I hear outside of my bedroom every 90 seconds (still a mystery) I am ready to be done.

It's a good thing I walked to The Riverwoods and bought these during lunch today:

Take that, week!

Busy Weekend

2007-10-01T15:24:00.000-06:00

Although I didn't really accomplish much this weekend, it felt pretty non-stop. After a super long week of work and studying for the real estate license exam, I picked up a ticket and went to the Smashing Pumpkins concert. I can now cross one thing off of my "to-do before I die" list. I have sort of been in love with the Pumpkins since 1996, at which time I was a really awesome 9 year old. The show was well done and I enjoyed hearing my all-time favorites live for the first time as well as some new stuff that I am not as familiar with. I went with a couple of guys who were in my ward last year and am glad that they care about Billy Corgan as much as I do - it made the experience all the more enjoyable. I must have overestimated my energy level after the concert because I went to a friend's house and promptly fell asleep ten minutes into a movie. Not so much hard core.

Saturday began with the onset of freezing fall/winter temperatures and lots of rain, not much of a motivator to get out of bed. After peeling myself away from my heated mattress pad (the best money I've ever spent), I studied and attempted to do a few things around the house before heading to the mall with my roommates. Unfortunately, I haven't really been in the shopping mode lately so there wasn't much that caught my attention. I have high hopes that the upcoming winter will force me indoors and subsequently force me to 'shop harder' if only out of boredom.

I later went up to my parents house in Salt Lake to both watch the BYU football game (Go Cougs!) and celebrate Michael's 15th birthday. I suffered a little bit of shock when I realized that Mikey is a freshman this year! I can't believe how old everyone is getting. I don't feel like I've grown up much so it surprises me when other people do. Anyway, it was a good time and was only improved by a win over New Mexico 31-24.

I drove up to Logan to attend my best friend from high school's baby blessing on Sunday. It was fun to drive with her siblings and catch up a little bit with what everyone is doing these days; I must have spent at least half of my life between eighth and twelfth grade at their house, with their whole family being like a second to me. I was so happy to finally meet baby Madison, who I think is just an extra-small adult. Granted she was sleeping for the majority of the time I was around her but still... I'm probably right. She couldn't have picked a better time to be born, either. The drive through the canyons on the way was spectacular - the leaves are just at a perfect point of being vibrantly red and orange. My desire to pick up and take off for New England was somewhat satiated by the drive - good news for my schedule and checking account, I suppose. I'll have to post some pictures once I get around to downloading them from my camera. I think that pictures of a fun weekend may be the saving grace of this upcoming week. I am afraid that I am catching a cold and also have two major tests for school - boo !

Jazz in SLC

2007-09-19T12:20:00.000-06:00

Last night my roommate and I went to the Dave Brubeck Quartet concert at Abravanel Hall. It was so great! I have listened to some really great jazz off-and-on for a few years but haven't ever been proactive in finding live performances. Fortunately for me, Sara knows a whole lot more than I do and is a better 'do-er' than I am also. The show was great - the quartet has been playing since the early 1950's and I don't think they've lost a beat. Dave Brubeck looks sort of like a cross between Charles Schulz and Alan Greenspan (I think someone told me he is turning 87 this year) and he was absolutely rocking out on the piano. The same applies to the other three; I don't think I've ever seen a better drummer and the saxophonist was dancing around during the entire two and a half hour show. It was a great time and a lot of fun, I hope that everyone is still around (read: alive) so that I get to see them play again sometime.

An Inaugural Post

2007-09-17T14:18:00.001-06:00

So. I now have a presence on the world wide web. Well you know, at least more than the name that I share with that teacher-lady in Washington (thank you google). Anyway, I was convinced to join the blog culture when I realized this weekend that I am really terrible at keeping in touch with my family and friends when life gets a little busy. So, while I can't promise anything exciting or intriguing, I plan on posting often enough to at least prove that I AM still alive and kicking here in Provo. I guess we'll all see how much of it is worth documenting here...