jCroft

Mission blog

2011-09-06T07:37:00.000-06:00

So... I'm going on a mission! Check out my mission blog here ----> linkety link link

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

2011-08-11T14:41:00.001-06:00

It's a well-known fact that I only write on this blog when I'm avoiding something important. Usually it's finals or homework, but today it's not. You know why???

Because I'm GRADUATING! And that means that the final I took this morning was my final final of my undergraduate career. To be honest, I am a little sad inside. I've loved my time in college and I can't wait to start back up again with graduate school. But there are other things that must transpire first. We'll talk about those things later.

But for now, since I'm practicing avoidance behavior (avoiding packing and cleaning my apartment before I move out), let's do a blog post! Since it's Thursday, I'll do an Awkward and Awesome post.

AWKWARD:

Slipping and almost falling flat on my back while coming home from the testing center today. What did I slip on? A plum, of course.
Me muttering to myself (literally out loud) and writing in the air with my finger while taking my Chinese exam today. It helps me remember the tones, ok?!?
People seeing my completely empty fridge. A girl in my apartment complex needed to store some wedding food in my fridge, so she came over and there was a liiiiiiittle awkward moment when I opened the fridge door and it was absolutely empty inside except for a few bottles of jam and mustard. I'm not starving and I'm not poor, I PROMISE. I'm just moving out of my house!
Cleaning my former roommate's bedroom and finding an old Cafe Rio cup half-filled with... something. She moved out several weeks ago. Eeew.
My cap and gown. The little hat is so weird! And just like in high school, the tassel keeps getting stuck in my eyelashes.
The guy distributing caps and gowns and free alumni t-shirts. "So what size are you?" He looks me up and down and says, "Wait, I think I know......" That's not creepy at all, sir. I ALWAYS appreciate it when complete strangers overtly make assessments of my body. Thankssomuch!

AWESOME:

I'm graduating! That's kind of awesome!
The fact that when people say, "Wow, you're graduating! So what are you going to do next?" I can say, "I'm going to Disneyland!" Because I AM going to Disneyland!
I totally quit my job last week. I am free. So free. So happy. So glad to be rid of orange hats and angry strangers yelling at me on the phone.
While this week has been the busiest of my life, it has been one of the best because I've had a chance to hang out with some of my very best friends. My friends are the Nutella on my crepe of life.
Vanilla coffee creamer + almond milk. WowwWWwwwW.
This photographer and her awesome projects. (Clickety click the link and seeeeee.)
Pretty much a lot of things are awesome right now. Good job for being awesome, life!

I heart Google calendar.

2011-07-21T20:00:00.004-06:00

Sometimes I feel a little surprised when I realize that my life doesn't feel as orderly as it looks here, so neatly arranged in colorful boxes. Oh well.

I love this.

2011-07-16T22:17:00.000-06:00

Today's bright spot

2011-07-14T22:42:00.000-06:00

Today was long.

I had a midterm at 8 this morning. It was my Chinese 101 speaking midterm and I was beyond nervous. I was so nervous I woke up quite sick. Thankfully, the midterm went very well, and I even had extra time to finish my homework for my next class.

After class I went to work. I was recently promoted/demoted/reassigned/misplaced into a new position at my work. Switching jobs is always extremely tough for me. Today was baptism by fire at work. I was super stressed out, enough so that my supervisor kept trying to feed me cookies to calm me down.

Somehow that was not helpful for me.

I ended up staying at work for 2 extra hours just trying to finish everything up. And somehow the extra $18.00 for my efforts does not seem at all worth it.

When I got home I was prepared to head straight for the books, because I have to take my Chinese 101 written midterm tomorrow at 8. I'm not ready for the test. And by the time I got home, I wasn't even ready to study for the test because I was so drained.

But, thank goodness, a dear friend of mine called right as I was about to lose my mind. We talked for less than 15 minutes. It was a short conversation, but it was a real conversation. It amazes me how that one conversation, no matter how short, was the best part of my day. I feel better about that conversation than I do about the extra cash I made or the good grade I got on my midterm. This proves the point that life has been trying to teach me for a while now: successful relationships are the only successes that really count in the long term. I am so glad this is the case, because I'd rather occupy myself with cultivating healthy, fulfilling relationships with friends, family, God, and myself than worry about anything else. Moments like that phone conversation can bring meaning to an otherwise dismal day.

By the way, you should watch this.

Summer '11. It has begun.

2011-06-15T20:05:00.000-06:00

Summer. Hug it. Love it. Kiss it. Hold it close and cherish it, because it's finally HERE. *crazy dance*

This summer is going to be interesting for me. It's already been one of many goodbyes, and I know more goodbyes are waiting in the near future. I'll be saying goodbye to a lot of friends, to my ward here in Provo, to my undergraduate career, etc. All of this goodbye-ing has made me realize that TIME really is precious, as cheesy as that sounds, and I don't want to let any time go to waste, no matter where I'm at in life.

So. I've decided that this summer is going to be one of pushing myself. I've long been the type of person who is AFRAID of doing things that I'm not good at, or that I've never tried before. I've recognized lately that this isn't how I want to live my life. I need to get over myself and see that OF COURSE I'm not going to be perfect at everything I try. I don't HAVE to be perfect. So I'm not going to let that fear of not being perfect hold me back from having good experiences. This summer will involve a lot of stretching and straining for my personality, my spirit, my body, and my mind. I'm excited!

So. One thing that I've been afraid of for a long time is BUYING NEW CLOTHES. I'm always nervous to try out new fashions, or even to try on clothes at all because I get frustrated really easily when I feel like I don't look "cute enough." I feel like I've been in a clothing rut for a good... 5 years. It's time to change that. So... to motivate me to try new things in the fashion department, I am entering an outfit contest being put on by my very dear friend Kailee at An Outfit a Day Keeps the Fashion Police Away. <--Click the links to see Kailee's adorable awesomeness!! Yaaaay contest! CLICK THE BUTTON!

I won't lie, this is going to be challenging for me. If you click the button, you'll see that the theme is going to require lots of creativity, especially for someone like me who tends to wear the same colors (black, blue, grey, and other neutrals) allllll the time. I'll keep you updated on what I enter. And YOU should all enter too! You can win a gift card to Forever 21! Doooo it, you know you wanna!

Success story

2011-06-08T21:42:00.002-06:00

I would just like to announce that it has been TWO WEEKS since I have bitten my nails. I feel... like a champion. And this proves that I do have SOME willpower. I'm taking this as a good sign for my future.

**commence victory dancing**

TRY THIS TRY THIS TRY THIS NOW

2011-05-25T20:31:00.000-06:00

CLICK HERE AND FIND JOY.

Hero of the day

2011-05-16T20:31:00.003-06:00

The current status of things

2011-05-10T13:20:00.001-06:00

Here's what's been playing on repeat for the past two weeks:

Here's what's starting next week:

Le French Open!!


My new job!

Here's where I should be:

Here's where I will inevitably end up instead:


This was taken my freshman year, when I made my bed every day and cared way too much about how my backside looked in those jeans

Saving lives

2011-05-02T17:50:00.000-06:00

Here we go, a blog update! (You're welcome.)

So, I saved 3 lives today. No big deal.

I never get nervous about donating blood. NEVER.
(Lies.)

Today I donated blood. Usually this is noooo problemo for me. No throwing up, no passing out, no collapsed veins, no bruising, nada. Today was mostly ok, except I was so dehydrated that I had to sit in the little snack area for half an hour after I donated because I was a liiiiiiitle out of it. The nice phlebotomists and ladies who hand out treats kept trying to talk to me, but I was a teensy bit dazed and confused, so they made me sip juice and recline until I was acting like a relatively normal human being. While I was acting pretty weird and staring off into space/dropping my chin to my chest/blinking slowwwwwly, I am proud to say that I am still maintaining my perfect record of never passing out or crying during the blood donation process. Booyah. I will be back to donate again in 8 weeks. And YOU should donate too! (If you find yourself able to do so.)

Expiration, schhhmexpiration

2011-03-13T14:19:00.007-06:00

So... remember how I was really excited to get my grown-up, SIDEWAYS driver's license? ....That dream has been postponed. I went to the Driver's License Division to renew my license, but they REJECTED me (only AFTER my mom and I had waited in line for 40 minutes) because my license doesn't actually expire until my next birthday, since I didn't get the license until over 6 months after my 16th birthday. Uncool.
Such is life. I'm ok with waiting. It's worth saving the $18 bucks they would have charged me to get a sideways-facing license without renewing it. Bright side: I still got to go home to hang out with my fam, even though my original reason for returning home didn't turn out right. In the meantime, I will just deal with the driver's license that makes me look like a minor.

The blue border represents my melancholic emotions toward the Utah DLD

21

2011-03-07T22:05:00.003-07:00

So... Today is my 21st birthday.

WHAT?!?

I remember being 10 and thinking that I would never make it to age 21. That's so OLD. I remember thinking a similar thing at age 16. And 17 and 18 and 19 and 20. But now I'm 21 and I still feel like I'm 14 in a lot of ways. And in a lot of other ways, I feel like I'm 30 (which is also NOT OLD... or so I hear). All of this growing up business is very time-warpish. I'm not sure how to deal with it.

In other news, I forgot to renew my driver's license. Ooooooooops. I NEVER THOUGHT THIS DAY WOULD COME! I get to have a SIDEWAYS-FACING driver's license!

Awkward and Awesome Thursday #2

2011-02-03T19:32:00.004-07:00

It's THURSDAY!!! (pssst, that means tomorrow is Fridayyy!) Let the awkward awesomeness begin.

AWKWARD:

Making eye contact with my professor when she was talking to someone else, and then having her ignore my presence. This is to be expected, as I am but a lowly undergrad. It's ok. But still awkward.
Making a bracelet and having my OCD kick in. The bracelet is too small for me, but I COULDN'T add more beads because that would throw off the visual balance. Perfectionism is awkward sometimes. That's just the truth. (Actually, come to think of it, I could have just added TWO beads and kept it even. Shoot. Oh well, what's done is done.... But it's still gonna bug me.)
Having student consultations in the hallway instead of in an office. I reaaaally hope everyone in the French department wanted to hear my conversation about Calvinism and Utopian thought, cuz they didn't really have any choice but to listen.
The mini-fit of coughing I got every time I stepped out of a building today. Apparently it was cold enough for my esophagus to grow icicles.
Spelling the word "sophisticated" wrong. The irony....
Recognizing someone on campus, and almost saying hi to them, but then having to stop myself because I realized I only know them because I've facebook stalked their roommate. This is the digital age of awkwardness.

AWESOME:

Watching a movie in class. Lemme hear ya say "NAP TIME!"
Rocking out to the Jackson 5 at work because nobody can see you jammin' when you work in a basement at 5AM.
Speaking of working, I have survived one whole week at my new job as an early-morning custodian. I am INVINCIBLE.
Getting a compliment on my freckles. I was 18 before I started liking my freckles, and now I can't get enough of them. Call me vain, I don't care. :)
SOY MILK. Yummo.
Chinese New Year! 新年快乐, y'all. May the year of the rabbit be good to you.

That's all for today. It's almost my bedtime. Or, at least, I have decided it's almost my bedtime. It's ok to go to bed at 9, right? This sista is tuckered out!

Today today today

2011-01-27T22:26:00.003-07:00

My title says "today" 3 times because I feel like I've been through about 72 hours worth of stuff today.

Good news:

I finally got a job! Hooray! I've been desperately looking for a job with more hours this semester, and I finally snagged one. I started today. The job hours are 4:30 AM to 8:00 AM. I clean the basement of a building on campus. GLAMOROUSSSS!!!!! Seriously though, I am so grateful for this job. I need it, like baaaaadddd do I need the money from this job. Work was a little tough today, since starting a new job is always hard, as is vacuuming at 4:30 AM.

Bad news:

My research grant was declined. :( Sad, sad, sad, sad, sad, sad, sad, and more sad. I applied for this research grant last year in hopes that I would get the grant and be able to work in a certain lab within my major. The grant was unfortunately my only chance of getting into this lab, so now that the grant is a no-no, I might not be able to work with the lab or the professor that I wanted to work with. Muy triste. I'm quite disappointed. I'm trying to look on the bright side though. I'm sure there's a good reason why I didn't get the grant. Maybe this will be a chance to search out other opportunities that will be awesome and amazing beyond my wildest dreams.

Other stuff:

I have had student consultations ALL day today and yesterday. I have never had this many students come to me for help on their papers! I'm actually loving it. I like getting the chance to help people find the solutions they need. The great thing is, they usually know the right answer--they just need someone to bounce their ideas off until the answer becomes clear. I feel like I'm doing mini therapy sessions with these students as they write their papers. :) NERD ALERT, JCroft. NERD ALERT.

Oh Jackson Emery....

2011-01-25T21:22:00.005-07:00

Why is Jackson Emery married? WHY?!?

*le sigh*

At least I will get to gaze upon him at the BYU vs. SDSU game tomorrow!! Yeah babyyyy!! I stood in the freezing snow for an hour and a half this morning to get a wristband for entry into tomorrow's game, and I plan on standing in line for at least three more hours tomorrow to get into the Marriot Center. Worth it? YESSSSSSSS. WORTH IT.

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

2011-01-20T19:59:00.003-07:00

I read this great blog called The Daybook, where every Thursday is a day of awkwardness and awesomeness as lived by the author. Today I'm being a copycat and writing my own awkward and awesome moments from today. Enjoy!

AWKWARD:

Running up the hill to class with a backpack on. Running uphill with a backpack=awkward lunging forward like a pre-humanoid with scoliosis. Running with a backpack in general=looking like a freshman. Oh the shame. I swear, I've been here for three years!
Singing passionately to a song playing in the car while sitting in an empty parking lot, and then suddenly realizing that the parking lot is not, in fact, empty. Why helloooooooo, mustachioed man getting out of his car. Welcome to my private vocal concert of Taylor Swift songs.
Eating free popcorn you scored at the housing fair on campus, and getting a huge piece stuck right between my front teeth. Like, a piece big enough that I could feel all of my orthodontic work being undone. Ouch.
A relatively large pile of used *ahem* feminine hygiene products spilling out from a bag by the dumpster near my apartment complex. Eeeesh.
Having nobody come to see me during my office hours. When nobody comes to see me, I feel suuuper awkward because it looks like I'm just a random student who decided to chill in a fancy office and read a book without permission. I'm supposed to be sitting in that office, I swear! Yeah, I'm talking to you, people who walk down the hall and give me disapproving looks.
When someone forgets to flush. Seriously. Eeeeewwwww.
People making incredibly racist comments in a class on cultural diversity. Ummmmm.... *everyone avoids making eye contact with others while the person rambles racistly on*

AWESOME:

Getting free candy from my former apartment complex's booth at the housing fair. Why yes, I will take your candy, but I will never give you money ever again. Ha!
Finishing homework with enough time left to blog.
Banana + peanut butter. Love.
Having a piano in my apartment. Every day = jam session!!!
Waking up warm. I'm usually shivering in my little nightie when I wake up, but this morning was pleasantly cozy.
Only having one class today. Booyah.
A new job (possibly). Fingers crossed and crossed again on this one....

Overall, a decent Thursday. What were your awkwards and awesomes?

Today is a special day!

2010-12-11T13:53:00.004-07:00

It's my sister's birthday! Here are three things I love about my sister.

1. She is a great artist! She can paint and draw and do all sorts of things that I wish I could do. She's always been artistic, ever since she made her first ceramic plate as a little kid.

2. She organizes her bookshelf by color. Sweeeet.

3. She can bake like a pro! Check out her blog to see some of the cool stuff she's made.

Happy birthday, Way-cho!

Hacked

2010-11-20T11:27:00.003-07:00

This morning I loaded gmail to sign into my email account. APPARENTLY there is a HACKER on the INTERNET and my account has been hacked. This means that creepy emails have been sent to random people through my address. I feel violated! Digitally violated! This is just a friendly holiday reminder to change your passwords frequently. Also, I apologize if you were the recipient of a creepy email sent by my account.

Y'all need to hide yo' passwords, hide yo' key words, an' hide yo' security images, cuz they hackin' err'body out here.

Love Hate Love

2010-09-06T11:24:00.004-06:00

I was thinking the other day about things that I used to hate, but that I now love. Allow me to present a list of such things.

Root beer (thank you, Derek, for training me)
Driving alone
Chemistry
Pilot G2 pens
Playing the piano
Weight training
Spanish
Taylor Swift
Wearing sweaters
Hugs
Curling my hair
Squash (the veggie type)
Singing
Mowing the lawn

There are a lot of things that I currently dislike, but hope to someday love. Examples:

Running
Snow
Drinking water
Talking to strangers
Kissing
Riding a bike
Studying at the library
Doing the dishes

Things that I dislike and will probably always dislike:

Cheesecake
Lima beans
Money

So, readers (if there are any of you). . . what things in your life have transitioned from the hate list to the love list?

Miracles happen

2010-08-11T20:25:00.005-06:00

So, about five minutes ago I was looking through a shoebox of cards/notes/sentimental items that people have given to me. I found a birthday card from my grandma. It was a very sweet card. She always customizes our birthday cards by writing a personalized, original poem in them, and then printing a photo of us. She's a great card-maker. THIS card, from my most recent birthday, was an especially cool find at this moment because. . . . it had 20 bucks in it!!!!!!!!! Wooooo!!!! Yes, that $20 has been sitting in there since early March, unbeknownst to me.

Why am I rejoicing so much over this $20? Well, mostly because I am completely broke right now. Let me diagram the situation for you.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's me: (me), here's poverty: (poverty).

Poverty and me, we're like this:

(pomeverty)

Yup, we're sharing parentheses. That's how close we are.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyway, I'd just like to take this moment to thank my grandma for allowing me to eat this week. Thanks, Grandma!

(And thanks, Sentimental Shoebox, for acting as an interest-less savings account for the past five months!)

Peace

2010-08-09T16:48:00.007-06:00

Please, watch this video. It will change the way you think of yourself, of the world, of the possibilities that peace can bring to humanity. I'm not a hippie. Peace is not just an idea--it is action. Similarly, Peace Day, which you will learn about in the following video, is not just a day of symbolism. It is a day of action, a day of real change. When fighting stops, healing can begin.

If you'd like to participate in a Peace Day celebration and you live near Provo, UT, come to the BYU campus on September 24th, between 7 and 10 PM to help change lives for the better. You can also look up PEACE DAY @ BYU on Facebook, or email peacedaybyu (at) gmail.com for more information.

Gamer confessions

2010-07-24T15:43:00.005-06:00

So lately (as in within the past half hour or so), I've been reminiscing about all of the awesome computer games I used to play as a kid. I've never been a fan of console games, but I do like computer games. Does anyone else remember these awesome games from the 1990s and early 2000s? (* = favorites)

Myst*
Oregon Trail 5*
DinoPark Tycoon
SimAnt
Odell Down Under (I ALWAYS forget what this game is called.)
Sid Meier's Civilization II* (I still play this all the time.)
SimCity
Where In the World Is Carmen Sandiego?
Zoombinis*
MathBlaster
The ClueFinders games
Zoo Tycoon*
Jazz Jackrabbit
Monkey Island games*

There's another game I used to love, but I can't remember for the life of me what it was called. It was an old DOS game involving a kid in a cloak that ran through a castle. You could shoot little fiery bullets, and you had to collect goblets of potion to regain your health. . . . There was lava. And moonlight. . . . Argh. I can't remember what it was called. Perhaps my siblings can help me out with this one.

Wow. I sound like a nerd now. Oh well! Keep in mind, all of these games were played in moderation, with the possible exception of that one time when my brother and I played Civilization II for over two hours straight. But that was just once. And then I ironed 10 shirts to make up for my laziness. I'm not a gamer. No, no, no.

What games--computer, video, board, or whatever else--did you enjoy as a kid?

Vaycay pt 3 - Disney is da best

2010-07-22T22:00:00.004-06:00

Disneyland is a great place. Obviously. This year they've added a great new show at California Adventure. It's called World of Color, and it's freaking awesome.

Picture the fountain show at the Bellagio in Vegas.

Now make the water change colors.
Now add synchronized music and a lit-up ferris wheel.
Now add fire exploding from the water pool.
Now add lasers.
Now add clips from Disney movies being projected onto the water.

Cool, eh?

Seriously, this show was awesome. The music, lights, water, and other elements all meshed together perfectly. I was in awe at the amount of imagination and engineering (Imagineering, as they call it in Disneyland) that went into the show. It was oddly emotional to watch. At one point, the music was "So Close" from the movie Enchanted, and the water screens were showing all of the best Disney kisses. It was very tender. Awwww! Cheesiness aside, it was well worth the 2 hour wait to see the show.

When I grow up, I will create giant colorful water shows with fire and lasers and music.

Vaycay part dos

2010-07-20T07:28:00.000-06:00

Let's talk about trees. I love trees. I draw them all the time. I did a project on references to trees in the book of Isaiah. My brother and I named the willow trees that used to line our street. I sometimes read about trees when I have nothing to do. On my trip to California, I saw some trees.

They were big.

Woaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh.

The giant sequoias were absolutely amazing to behold. I luff them.

Guys, nature is awesome. I kind of love it. This trip was a cool reminder of how amazing God's creations are, from the really big stuff
to the very small stuff.

The stuff in between isn't so bad, either.

I'm baack!

2010-07-17T23:37:00.004-06:00

Best. Vacation. Ever.

I'll have to describe this vaycay (read: "vacation," shortened and cutesified) in a few shortish blog posts instead of one giant post. I feel like the latter option would be the equivalent of making you all watch a long and boring slideshow of vacation photos.

First: the Salt Flats at sunrise. I realized, as we started our drive to California, that I have never seen the Salt Flats. I've lived in UT my whole life, and I've never been there. Nuts. Luckily, we took the scenic route and I got to be there just as the sun was coming up. Gorgeous.

(Please forgive the occasional cell phone pics....)

Around noon on the first day of driving, we came across a "town" called Tonopah, Nevada. This place is scary. One of the biggest features of the town was a clown motel. It was not cool. Me no likey. Glimpse into the evil freakishness thereof:
Freaky. I have other pictures, but they're too frightening to post.

After narrowly escaping the zombie-like grasp of Tonopah, we made our way to Tioga Pass near Yosemite. This place was beautiful. Observe:

Unforgettably gorgeous. Aaaahhh. Well, that's enough for now. Coming soon: gigantic, red, fuzzy trees and other nature-ish stuff.

Laun-dray.

2010-07-11T21:54:00.002-06:00

Here I am, at my parents' casa, doing laundry. Why am I doing laundry at 10pm on a Sunday? Because I need clothes to pack. Why am I packing?

Because I'm going to DISNEYLAND!

That's right, folks, I'm going to the happiest place on earth (besides Provo). We're leaving at 4:30 tomorrow morning and starting the long drive to the land of giant cartoon mice. It will be nice. And full of spice. (Eurydice. That was for you, Averyl.)

Seriously, those are big mice.

Anyway, that's that. I hope you all have a fantastic week. Just know that it will not be as fantastic as MY week is going to be. Bwahaha. Be jealous. Loves!

This is a blog. About a log. With a frog. In the fog.

2010-07-10T22:04:00.004-06:00

Hmm. A lot has changed since my last post. I finally got a job, which is nice. I work for a probate research company in Salt Lake. This is a little difficult, since I still have an apartment and awesome friends in Provo. So, for the time being, I live in Salt Lake during the week and come to Provo to party on the weekends. Also, I come here to blog. (Apparently.) It's kind of an odd situation, but it allows me to see my fam and friends, have a job, and not spend millions of dollars on gas for my car. Instead, I'm only spending thousands on gas. Just kidding. Seriously though. Driving is expensive.

Let's see, what else. . . . Oh yeah, I'm engaged!

I am SO just kidding, cuz I am SO not engaged. So not even dating anyone, but that is so how I like it, for the time being. I'm a free woman, and it kind of rocks.

Umm.... what else.... I bought an Irish pennywhistle! I'm learning, very slowly and squeakily, to play it. It kind of rocks, too. Everything kind of rocks right now. Life is good.

P.S.
Does anyone read this blog?

Summertime?

2010-06-03T08:41:00.002-06:00

Spring semester is only a couple of weeks from being over! I can't believe it! I feel like I've learned more about psychology in the past two months than I have in three semesters of being a psych major. My two classes have been fantastic. Part of me wants to take classes during summer term as well, but then the logical, budget-constrained part of me convinces me otherwise.

In other news, I am still jobless. I searched and searched, filled out dozens and dozens of applications, drove from business to business begging for work, (and repeated and repeated words upon words), but nothing worked out. At this point, I've accepted unemployment. It's only for 2 months, and then I'll be working 2 jobs during school. I'm disappointed, but I'll be able to make it through.

For now, it's time to enjoy the last bit of school, the "summer" weather (snow in May + rain every week = not summer), and the time to relax. I'm also thinking about volunteering for a mental health clinic.... I'll let you know what happens. Happy summer, everyone!

The Union of Distinctive Mustaches

2010-05-06T22:11:00.005-06:00

World peace is a tricky issue. Lots of people want world peace--presidents, Miss America candidates, college students, and people with blue hands.

See? World peace. In the flesh.

As much as we want world peace, it's difficult to achieve that level of human connection. Thankfully, the guys in the following video have got it down. I sincerely hope that they are not spreading anything more than world peace through their mustachioed cultural greetings, if you know what I mean....

Friend inspiration

2010-04-30T15:31:00.004-06:00

Readers, if there are any of you, I have something to tell you.

My pal Averyl is an inspiration. She challenged herself to make 100 new friends in 100 days, and she DID IT! She also challenged herself to make 100 friends in 1 day, and she DID THAT TOO! Here are the names of some of the friends she made.

Please, go check out the blog that tells how she did it. You won't regret it!

CLICK HERE! literatureninja.blogspot.com

Teeny Tiny Room

2010-04-29T22:54:00.004-06:00

Here are some pictures of my new room.... I'm sorry if the edges are kind of cut off. The room is so small that I couldn't back up far enough to get a good pic. :) It's a good thing Averyl and I are great friends. Otherwise, this room would be unbearable.

This is most of our room. Please take note of the shelves that will kill us quickly and (not) painlessly in the event of an earthquake.

My side (messy!)
Our clothes are touching!!! Eew! :)

The unacceptably small (but tastefully decorated) desk area we share.

New semester, new place, new poverty

2010-04-28T12:59:00.002-06:00

It is now the second day of classes for Spring term. So far, I'm lovin' it! This is the first time I've attended school for Spring. Campus is super peaceful and quiet, and my classes are pretty small, which is great. I'm taking adolescent developmental psych and social psych. Hopefully I won't come out of this semester acting like an anti-social juvenile delinquent. We'll see.

I've also moved into a new apartment. Moving is such a hassle... I'm glad I have my family close by to help me. Special thanks to my mom, who can lift heavy boxes like a champion. My new apartment is considerably smaller than the place I moved from. It has been an adventure fitting all of my stuff into my bedroom, which is about half the size of my old room. Eek. My roommate and I have had to get kinda cozy with storage. The clothes in her closet are touching the clothes in my closet.... cuz we share a closet. Eep.

Despite the cramped living conditions, I think the next four months will be fun. I have two new roommates--Kara and Kelsey--and I'll meet my new ward this week.

The only thorn in my side right now is the U-word. Unemployment. My teaching assistant job is over for now, since the class is only taught Fall/Winter. I've applied for 9 different positions. I've been rejected from 5 so far. Such is life. Wish me luck on my job search!

(pictures of the apartment will come soon)

What makes you a good candidate for this position?

2010-04-20T23:07:00.007-06:00

Well, I finished my paper and turned it in yesterday. It was even in a whole 45 minutes before it was due! If my parents are reading this, their jaws are probably hitting the floor right about now. I'm notorious for being so nitpicky about a paper that I edit and fuss over it until the absolute last second before it's due. Perhaps that disease is being replaced by apathy.... We'll see.

I interviewed for a job today. They asked me what I consider to be my greatest strength and my greatest weakness. The aforementioned nitpickiness was what I said my greatest weakness was. It's pretty much true. I said that my greatest strength was that I can leave projects and come back to them with better ideas. I think that's true as well, but I'd never thought of it as a strength before. Random! I really wonder why I gave that answer.

For some reason I hate preparing ahead of time for interviews. I knew they would ask me the strengths/weaknesses question, but I avoided preparing an answer because it's an awkward question and I don't like thinking about it more than I have to. ALL interview questions are awkward.

Q: "Would you say you are a self-starter?" Of course I'm going say yes! What, do they expect someone to say, "Umm, no, actually, I need someone to hold my hand every step of the way and I have NO initiative whatsoever."

Q:"Where do you see yourself in five years?"
A:"Hmm, that's a toughie. I'd like to think that I'll be sitting in a cardboard box, reading the five-month-old issue of The New York Times that I use as a blanket on the cold nights."

Avoidance

2010-04-19T19:04:00.004-06:00

I find it very strange that during finals week, the week that is supposed to be the most hectic and crammed with studying, I have blogged more times than I have on any other week in the past couple months. It's not like I don't have anything to be doing at the moment... I have many things I could/should be doing. Psssh. Those things can wait.

I'm two finals down, two to go, and one giant paper left before I'm done.

I'm having serious issues writing this paper. It's for my women's studies class, which I quite enjoy. However, for some reason, I am completely stuck on this paper. I'm supposed to be writing about the feminization of poverty, but instead of doing that, I'm writing about how I should be writing about the feminization of poverty.

Urgh.

You know what I need? I need something hilarious and fuzzy and cute. Like this!

Deep breath #2

2010-04-16T14:44:00.003-06:00

Earlier today, after walking out of a final exam, I took a deep breath.

*sssssssssssssnnnnnnnnnfffffff*

It smelled like blossoms. How pleasant!

That's the thing about springtime in Utah--there are so many false alarms for the beginning of spring that when the real deal comes around, it's marvelous.

Deep breath

2010-04-15T20:18:00.002-06:00

Let's all take a deep breath.

*ssssnnnnnnnfffffffff*

Aaah. The air smells of finals week and summer unemployment.

NAY.

It smells like opportunity. Here goes nothin!

In a nutshell

2010-04-09T16:23:00.005-06:00

Here's what I've been doing for the past little while. Take the pictures as a sign of my busy-ness/laziness/unwillingness to actually write.

2010-03-04T18:15:00.002-07:00

In the wise (and slightly sexist, but hilarious) words of my Korean professor of world religions, "Utah weather is change like woman's mind." Let me give you a practical example.

This is a picture I took on my way to my first class this morning (9:00 AM).
Here is a picture that I took on my way home from my last meeting on campus (5:00 PM).
You'd think that I'd be used to this after almost 20 (!!!!!!!) years of living Utah, but I'm not.

Stupid chicken.

2010-03-01T14:37:00.004-07:00

I just ate a piece of chicken from the Grab-n-Go on campus. That was probably one of the less brilliant decisions I have made today. First of all, why would you buy food from a place called "Grab-n-Go"? The name sounds like a petty crime or some sort of awkward thing someone does to you in gym class. Second of all, "chicken fingers" sounds too creepy to be a name for food. Can't you just see a chicken reaching out with its spindly fingers to Grab you and Go?

Ugh.

And I wasn't even that hungry.

Meet Heimlich

2010-02-27T11:20:00.007-07:00

So, our apartment has a new friend. His name is Heimlich. He is from Petsmart and he is staying with us for a few days until he becomes a birthday present for Cali's friend.

Guten Tag, ich heiße Heimlich.

Heimlich is a very talented fish. Let me relate an example of his great talent. This morning, my roommate fed him oatmeal flakes for breakfast (it's ok, fish can eat oatmeal). I was watching him eat, and he started opening his mouth really wide, and then he started rocking back and forth like a battering ram, and then his gills opened up all big-like, and then a HUGE piece of oatmeal flew out of his mouth.

Heimlich knows how to cough. What a smart fishy.

A special breed

2010-02-25T21:31:00.004-07:00

I just got an email from a professor notifying the class that the study guide for our next exam has been posted. Two to three minutes after receiving that email, I got another email from a student in the class notifying everyone that she had posted the study guide on GoogleDocs so we could have an ongoing online collaborative study session for the exam. Within 120 seconds, this student had outperformed every other student in the class. This student can now smirk at all of us because she was the first one to take the initiative and post the study guide. What a peach.

She's not alone. In other classes, scattered across the campus, a few choice students are doing the same thing--putting everyone else to utter shame.

HOW ARE THESE PEOPLE BORN?

Seriously, in every single one of my classes, there's that one kid who has an answer to every question, has read all of the material twice before coming to class, and already has the next three assignments completed ahead of time. There's always that one kid who has made comparative charts and tables of last class's lecture, color-coded flow charts connecting information from the entire semester, and an entire binder full of supplementary articles that he/she printed off independent of the professor's requirements for the course. And, inevitably, that one kid will set the curve for the exam and get the top grade in the class. That one kid will get a 4.0 and graduate with honors and get a fab job where he/she will continue to outperform absolutely everyone.

There's always that one kid.

Here's the thing, though--the one thing that makes me feel glad that I am not that one kid:

Nobody likes that kid.

the world is puddle-wonderful

2010-02-24T18:03:00.001-07:00

Science lesson

2010-02-21T21:20:00.002-07:00

Fact: newspaper burns when lit with a match

Fact: the fumes from aerosol hairspray are flammable

Fact: burning paper torch + aerosol hairspray = flame thrower

Fact: the law of gravity states that large objects (the earth) exert a pull on smaller objects (smouldering newspaper bundles)

Fact: when objects fall through the air, they are exposed to oxygen

Fact: oxygen + falling, smouldering paper = ball of fire falling from balcony into pine needles on the ground

Fact: pine needles (and apartment buildings) burn

Fact: girls in heels (Averyl and Jessica) run really fast when burning objects need to be extinguished

Come back next week for another episode of Life Lessons in Science.

Raaaaar!!!

2010-02-21T20:52:00.002-07:00

This post is entitled "Raaaaar!!!" because I am going to need a battle-cry for this week. This last week was definitely a battle-cry week, and also a mopey-cry week, and also a sleepy-cry week, and definitely a sad-cry week. My cries for this week are going to be battle-related, cuz I have a plethora of epic things planned.

Raaaaar!!!
(P.S. don't my legs look great in those pants?)

Tonight: sleepover with the roommates (we are sleeping on the floor for fun, and cuz we need to get up early tomorrow)

Tomorrow: wake up suuuuper early to write a paper that I should have written yesterday (Raaaaar!!!)

Tuesday: I'm pretty sure I'm going on a field trip to the county jail. We will see. If we do go, then most definitely Raaaaar!!! Jail can be scary, or so I hear.

Wednesday: Shopping for housing. Icky. I really need to find somewhere to live over the summer. Raaaaar!!!

I'm gonna stop there. My throat is getting sore from Raaaaar!!!-ing. Wish me luck! And here is a cry for all of you who are going to have an epic week....

Raaaaar!!!

"I said one day, we're going to have this experience."

2010-02-12T16:10:00.005-07:00

On Monday morning, I woke up dead, much like Michael Jackson (<--- click on da link) did several months ago. Despite the fact that I was dead, I still had to go to the gym, do my homework, go to class, then work, then to the library, etc. This process continued for the rest of the week, even though I had perished before the work week even began. That is what I call unfair. Dead people should not have to go to school or work or the library.

I DEMAND JUSTICE.

(So does she. Don't mess.)

So maybe I didn't actually wake up dead. It sure felt like it, though. My energy levels have been in the negative range all this week. Negative energy = dead. I feel like the universe is expending energy on me in order to decompose my lifeless body. But perhaps exaggeration does not become me.

The POINT IS, I am ready for this weekend. It is going to be a difficult weekend because, hey, such is life (thanks, Averyl), and there ain't nothin' I can do about it except try to have a rockin' time.

Tonight: Chinese New Year Dinner. Gung hey fat choy, y'all.
Tomorrow: Early V-Day celebration
Sunday: Church and relaxation
Monday: Shopping with pals (and study study study study)

Buh-ring it awn, world.

Waffles

2010-02-06T14:03:00.005-07:00

This is David.

David likes waffles.

David really likes maple syrup.

David also likes Jessica.
Jessica likes waffles.

Jessica also likes David.

*Sorry for the cheesy cutesie-ness of this post, but last night's date was really fun, so I wanted to blog about it. That is all.

Field trip folly

2010-02-02T22:51:00.003-07:00

I cannot believe it is only Tuesday.

Guess what happened this morning!

I am in a social work class and this week we are supposed to go on a "field trip" to a food bank/social services center here in Provo. This morning, I got into my cute little car and puttered over to the location of said field trip. I waited around for my classmates. Nobody showed up. I figured maybe they were inside, so I went inside the building. None of my classmates were there, but there were plenty of people sitting in chairs and staring at me, wondering what in the world I was doing.

Turns out the field trip is on Thursday.

Cooool.

I cannot believe it's only Tuesday.

What a week this has been.

Candlelight

2010-01-30T19:09:00.004-07:00

SO. David (The Boy) and I usually have a date night on Fridays. Last night was his turn to pick the date activity. For a while I thought he wouldn't be able to come up with something.... but he did. Here is the story.

We went to the gym on campus, which I love to do. Gym on a date night is awesome! Good job, David. We pumped iron hardcore, then we went back to our respective apartments and showered and beautified ourselves. (Well, I suppose David handsomeized himself and I beautified myself... anyway.)

I went over to his apartment to see what else he had planned. He opened the door and he was wearing a classy suit with a classy wine-red dress shirt. Woohoo!

I walked into the kitchen and found this:
(excepting that the lights were off so it was all candle-lighty and lovely)

Cute, yeah?!?! The sandwiches are pb&j and pb&deliciousyummyhoney, and the little green square on my plate is a piece of dee-lish German chocolate.

:)

David did a very good job. We even spoke Spanish for the duration of the meal so as to make it more romantica. :) Heh heh. It was good for me to practice my Spanish... the conversation was very one-sided at points because I didn't know enough words to respond to his fluent-ness. :)

Anyway, I thought I should do a post on this date just to show all the guys out there an example of a very cute, thoughtful, original (and uncostly) date, as well as to thank David for a fun night. (P.S. this was my first candlelight dinner, which makes it even more cute. Woohoo!)

So... what's my motivation?

2010-01-26T17:57:00.007-07:00

Hallo. I am on campus right now, once again blogging when I really do not have time to blog.

Here is a picture of my current view.

I'm not sure why it's all heavenly and shiny/1980's looking (prob cuz my camera phone is dirty or something). It is certainly not heavenly. However, it is my favor-ite spot in the library. This is the first floor of the atrium. If you stand on the staircase, you can see up to the skylights in the library's main entrance.

Why did I post this?

Mostly, I want to distract myself from my giant pile of homework.

I have no motivation.

I need some motivation.

Somebody give me some motivation!

Bright lights and bright birds

2010-01-25T14:09:00.006-07:00

It has been far too long since I have updated this blog. I have had absolutely no time to blog. Actually, I don't really have the time to right now, but I'm doing it anyway. Gotta let off some steam.

This week has been nuts. And apparently it's only Monday afternoon. Oh well. This is life eternal.

- - - - - - - - - -

Today my roommate and I were walking through an exhibit in BYU's fine arts center. The exhibit is up in preparation for BYU's production of the play A Thousand Cranes, which is the story of a young Japanese girl who had leukemia as a result of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. She believed that if she folded 1,000 origami paper cranes, her illness would be cured and she would be able to live. She folded and folded and folded, but passed away after many months of suffering from cancer.

The exhibit consists of a massive display of folded paper cranes, tied in long rows with string. I remember my mom folding and stringing colorful paper cranes when I was little. The strands of folded birds are beautiful, created from a variety of types of paper. The end result is beautiful.

The gallery surrounding the exhibit is composed of photographs and drawings of the aftermath of the bomb. The destruction is completely devastating. Crumbling buildings,charred fields, and maimed bodies are a testament to the horrors that destroyed cities within seconds.

My roommate and I were both astounded at the poignancy of the display. We both thought back to our high school days, and we realized that much of the history education from the WWII period focuses on Western Europe, almost completely passing over the events that occurred in the Pacific and other parts of the world.

What amazed me the most about the exhibit at the fine arts center was the contrast that was so easily visible. On the one hand, the dark gray of burned buildings in the photographs, the dismal dark reds of the images of injured flesh; on the other hand, bright paper cranes, in every color imaginable. Bright flashes of light--unstoppable blasts of atomic force--led to the creation of both scenes. How is it possible? And how is it possible to be able to recover from such destruction?

Today I will remember bright birds. I will remember them so I can remember what kind of hope is possible when everything else seems to be destroyed.

Poetic blast from the past

2010-01-09T18:25:00.007-07:00

I have absolutely NOTHING interesting to post, so I'm going to post some poetry I wrote in 9th grade. Yes, I used to write poetry. All the time. Multiple times a day. Every day. I was a little bit freaky in my younger days. There's nothing wrong with poetry, but I was one of those weird kids who always felt so much and just had to get it out by writing. I only wrote in black pen and I wore mostly black shirts. Yeah.

I'm going out on a limb (my left arm, to be specific) by publishing this. I've never done this before. Here we go!

-------------------------------------------

Static

The headphones cling
like shining leeches
to his sweat-slicked ears.
The static hisses--

heavy,
faithful

--and he sulks
beneath his black
noisemaker god.
There is a glare in his
monster-green eyes and the

hisssssssss

is creeping over his tongue.

He jumps
at a

pause

in the music and
with a
snap
breaks his own
stiffened neck.

Fresh Start

2010-01-04T10:08:00.007-07:00

I just got out of my first class of the semester--Women's Studies 222, taught by Prof. Brandie Siegfried (look her awesomeness up on Google).

I feel like I am covered in pixie dust.

What in the world?

2009-12-24T13:51:00.004-07:00

When I was a little munchkin, I loved to play with little toy kitchen sets. There was one in the nursery at church, and we had a little plastic one in my basement. I remember the day when we brought our plastic kitchenette home from DI (Deseret Industries). It was covered in crayon marks from the playtime of a previous owner, but we scrubbed the marks off and it looked brand new. Here is a classic picture of my lil' bro, my lil' sis, and me playing on it.

Ahhh, lovely. Look at us all being so happy and nice to each other. (Ahem, Rachel...)

Anyway, point is, yesterday I was at Target doing some Christmas shopping, and I saw a very different kind of plastic play set. I almost couldn't believe it.

They have stainless steel appliances! And wooden cabinets! And, unless my eyes deceive me, a MINI-FRIDGE! What in the world? And I love how it is called the "New Traditions Kitchen." Yes, new traditions of over-consumption, lavish homes, and unrealistic expectations for small children. It's no wonder that new married couples go into huge debt so often because they want to buy homes like the ones their parents live in (the parents having worked for decades to obtain such homes).

Here are a few more ridiculous kitchen play sets:
Very nice, little boy. Just keep talking on your toy cell phone. It'll get you far in life.

The product description on this one says it has six electronic features: microwave, oven, dishwasher, phone, hob and light. It makes sounds and has a cutlery drawer. Yes, because all little kids need somewhere to neatly store their CUTLERY. Sheesh.

Le sigh. To be honest, I loved my childhood, even if we did have a second-hand plastic kitchen/house. I had hours of fun playing with that thing, and it probably cost my parents $10. Plus, I had to use my imagination to create stainless-steel appliances and a tile backsplash in my kitchen. Actually, I probably didn't know about those things, never mind wish I had them.

Thank you, parents, for giving us a good childhood and understanding that we didn't need to have ridiculous toys in order to be happy.

Here's us having a grand old time in 1996-ish...
... and here is the littlest brother havin a grand old time in 2009.

Some things, thankfully, never change.

I'm back! (Again.)

2009-12-21T13:20:00.002-07:00

School is finally over, so now I have some time to sit down and write a post! Oh glorious day! I have been so fed up with this semester, but now I feel the beautiful relief of not having to worry about school for a few days. Even if my grades are not what I want them to be, there's nothing I can do but wait to see what my transcript looks like.

For now, it's time to hang out with family. While my family and I were at a performance of Savior of the World just after I arrived from Provo, I realized how awesome it is that I get to be with my entire family for the next couple of weeks. It's time to look forward to the holiday, spend time with the people I love most, and think back on the good and bad of this semester. Three semesters down, who knows how many to go!

Fall Semester 2009

new apartment, new roommates Cali and Whitney
horrible Physical Science class
wonderful Hist of American Lit class
seeing great plays, especially Death of a Salesman and Absent Friends at BYU
watching my sister in her performance in Hillcrest's Curtains
brilliant birthday parties - Karl Marxmas, Hapy Hick Birfday, and 80s Dance Party
complete and utter exhaustion
the satisfaction of doing difficult things
getting buff :)
missing people
getting much closer to good friends
finding my first boyfriend and learning about relationships
being a TA for the first time
volunteering
learning
growing up

It's a long list, but it's nowhere near complete. Here's to looking back and moving forward.

Peace.

This is not going to be poetic, but oh well.

2009-11-28T19:27:00.003-07:00

...

...

...

The Thankful Post

2009-11-25T14:21:00.006-07:00

So, Thanksgiving is tomorrow... Woo! Instead of doing my I Am Thankful post tomorrow, I'm going to do it today. I think I'm allowed to give thanks today.... In fact, I probably should give thanks every day. Don'tcha think?

So, here are a few things for which I am thankful. I am, of course, thankful for the essential things in my life--parents, siblings, extended family, religion, friends, safety, education and all of the other blessings in my life. (Sorry if the word "blessings" is too cheesy, but that's what they are.) I consider myself very, very fortunate to have so many good things. Now, here are a few things off of my "random" list for which I must give thanks.

Black Pilot G7 pens. These pens make my handwriting look amazing, plus they don't bleed through any type of paper. And the way they write is so smoooooooth! (I get a little giddy about good pens.)
Socks. Feet are ugly and cold without socks. That is all. I am especially for my roommates' creative and spunky socks. I have been buying the same white socks since the beginning of high school, so I'm grateful for my friends' more expressive and exciting socks. ;)
Regina Spektor's music. Her songs are both beautiful and intelligent. In those ways, they remind me of some of my best friends.
Going to school close to home. When I was picking a university, I thought I wanted to go far, far away and go to museums and see old buildings and wear turtleneck sweaters in the East. I still want to do that someday (and yes, I will wear turtlenecks), but for now, being in Provo is perfect for me. I am able to come home for holidays, birthdays, family events, and random trips to see the fam. I'm very lucky to be able to do that.
Alone time. I've come to be very grateful for alone time since starting college. I love college and I love being around people, but sometimes it's refreshing to spend some time alone with your thoughts.
Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Thank you, Amber. I am still reeling from the deliciousnessocity of those cookies.

There are countless (literally, countless... I'm not good at math) other things for which I give thanks, but I won't post them all here. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Challenge: please sit down and think about the things for which you are thankful, from the big to the small. Whenever I do this, life gets a whole lot easier.

Gratitude is an uplifting, exalting attitude. You can probably say from experience that you are happier when you have gratitude in your heart. You cannot be bitter, resentful, or mean-spirited when you are grateful.

True to the Faith, Gratitude (see lds.org)

Ch Ch Ch Changes

2009-11-23T10:12:00.007-07:00

So, the paper that I was supposed to be writing on Saturday has finally been turned in. I got up at 3 this morning to finish it. Oww.

Next semester will not be like this.

That is a promise I am making to myself.

For some reason, I have always felt that I need to have an overflowing schedule. This year, I am taking 18 credits (the max for BYU), plus I'm a TA for a 3-credit class. I do all the readings that the students do, so I'm effectively taking 21 credits. In addition, I volunteer for a hospice center. I'm currently assigned to three patients, who are scattered across the valley. I also have another job on the side (which frequently gets neglected), 5 great roommates, two ward callings, a boy (hee hee, betcha didn't know that!), a set of fun friends and wardies, and a fab fam. That is quite the lot of things to occupy me. It's probably too much. No, it's definitely too much. My perfectionist self needs to be quiet so I can have a schedule that is Less Than Full to Bursting.

The problem is, I love having all of those things in my life. It's hard to let any of them go. I have to come up with a solution of some sort.

Here is my plan:

Take fewer credits next semester. I've narrowed it down to 16, but I think I might be able to whittle it further. I can still have school in my life, just not backbreaking school.
Have alone time. It's hard to deal with so many people (even though I love them) all the time. I need to spend time with Me.
Sleep. Things take a lot longer if you're exhausted. I might as well sleep and be more efficient.
Change the volunteering situation. This one hurts. I love doing the hospice visits, but it's time for me to explore other areas of social work, preferably at places that don't require so much driving. Right now I'm looking @ Wasatch Mental Health, which is almost right next door.
Realize that not everyone close to me lives or dies by how much time I spend with them. I am not always available to everyone at the same time. They need to learn that, and so do I.

I think that's good. We'll see how this goes. I am now off to take a quick nap and work on another paper. Peace.

Dancing in bunny pants

2009-11-21T23:27:00.005-07:00

It is November 21st. It is 11:30. I am writing a paper that is due at 8a.m. on Monday. I am also blogging. I don't care if I'm wasting time, because sometimes you just need to pull your sweatpants all the way up to your armpits and dance around to music by The Supremes. It's a fact of life--you can't hurry love.

2009-11-16T15:18:00.001-07:00

1. Favorite Season: Autumn. I love the colors, the cardigans, the apples, the temperature of the air... Yeeah. It's pretty neat.

2. Favorite physical feature: I like smiles. I don't really think there's such thing as an ugly smile (not if you're smiling sincerely, anyway).

3. Chore you most detest: Laundry and dishes. Ugh. I think I hate them because as soon as you're "done" with laundry or dishes, the job is instantly undone. It's a cycle of death. A rinse cycle of death.

4. Color your hair regularly?: Nope. I don't really ever want to dye my hair. Too much upkeep.

5. Top item on your wish list: A nap.

6. Favorite way to 'scent' your house: Cooking food. It's the only way to get the legit yummo smell, not the canned air variety.

7. What are you eating for dinner tonight: I think Ann is making some yummy chicken casserole thingy tonight. Sunday is the only day of the week when I eat real dinner. Yeah college!

8. Are your toenails painted?: Cha.

9. One thing you splurge on even if $ is tight: Books books books.

10. Post the most recent photo of you:

Yeah for fall photo shoots with roommates!

Tag 8 friends: Umm, I don't think I have that many people who regularly read my blog... Here we go anyway. I tag Rachel @ The Crazy Bakery, Derek @ Running Croft, Lara @ What's Up With the Bells?, and anybody else who wants to do this... Ready, go!

School, Sniffles, and Saturday Shenanigans

2009-10-08T14:16:00.007-06:00

Hallo there, blogalicious friends. I apologize for my long absence. I'm sure you've all been refreshing your Google Reader pages millions of times a night, waiting for a post from me to show up. Umm, yeah, just kidding. And if you really WERE refreshing your page in anticipation of a post on this blog, then you need help. Email me. I have phone numbers for places that can help you. Conecciones!!

Anywhoodles... Update. School is absolutely insane. The only reason I'm writing this post is that one of my classes got out 30 minutes early (BONUSSS!!!!), so I have some time to spare. I'm somehow keeping up with my grades and whatnot, but I'm losing sleep like woah. That also means that I'm highly succeptible to sicky bugs, hence the sore throat/sniffles that currently plague me. ('S no biggie. I'll get over it. I was dramatizing so I could use the word "plague." It's a good 'un!)

Despite the insanity of school this week (and last week and the week before, and probably next week), things are pretty good. The other day, I had the feeling that I might have actually learned something in one of my classes. It was nuts, yo. And today I found out that I got the highest score in the class on my last statistics test. Woo! :) Sorry, I had to gloat just a teensy bit. At any rate, things are alright. I'm a teaching assistant for an honors civilization class, and so far I'm not completely incompetent. (I have my good moments.) I usually find time to go to the gym (love love love!!!) at least three times a week; therefore, I'm not turning into a complete flabby blob of stress. This is a Good Thing.

Anyway, this is getting boring. Pictures are better. Enjoy!

Adventure in da carAmber (she's totally married!), Ave, and Jessica buy matching cardigans (only $15!)

Ave, Ann, Briana, and Jessica (who looks preggers in this pic.... ew) get henna (don't hate! they're temporary!)

At the park, doing the Sound of Music, extreme sports style

Ann

Me

Averyl
Briana

The calm before

2009-09-20T20:18:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow is going to be heinous. That is, I'm probably not going to stop moving for a LONG time. I've planned for a 20 hour day.

Somehow, right now, I am okay with this. Life is very good right now. I had a great day today. I had good church meetings, good time with roommates and a guitar, excellent dinner cooked by an excellent Ann, and Ave is currently packing tomorrow's lunch for me so I won't have to worry about it.

Tomorrow I am waking up very early, but I'm doing it so I can study and learn out of good books. Life can never be too bad when you have good books.

Tomorrow I will be running from class to test to class to study session to work to test, but I'm doing it at a great university where my professors care about what they teach.

Tomorrow I will probably come home worn out, with sore feet and messy hair, but I'll be coming home to a great set of friends who care about me.

Life is good. :)

Teeny tiny home sweet home

2009-09-19T12:39:00.004-06:00

Hey friendi-friends. You get a special treat today! You get a look at my apartment's teeny tiny interior! Felicidades!

Here we go!

Wall #1 - mini gallery
The frames are actually cork boards. We put black posterboard onto the cork board (using super cute colored thumb-tacks, then put our own black and white photography up. We are very talented like that. Kudos to Averyl for the design!

Wall #2: Americana gallery
(fancy names, right? I'm making them up as I go)
This wall features my lovely poster and two black and white photos of guitars (purchased at DI, in perfect condition, for $2 each. The lamp is from WalMart ($10).

Windows: Elegance and Innovation
Averyl came up with this and put it all up. The valances are actually just black cloth, gathered and pinned up to the wall. The pins are hidden by black ribbons. VERY COOL. Good job Ave! Total cost: under $15!

Wall #3: Collage

This is all photography by people in the apartment. Yeah, I know, we're hot. This picture wall is slowly expanding, and will eventually fill most of the wall. Exciting! The photo prints are very inexpensive, considering how classy they look. Each photo is about $.15, so each of us pays a relatively small amount for the decor. Besides, we get to display our own artwork, which rocks. GO CREATIVITY! Stay in school kids, so you can be as awesome as us.

Well, there you have it! I'd post pictures of the other rooms, but they're not clean, nor are they as awesome as the living room. Yeah. Anyway, have a loverly Saturday! Peace be upon you.

Meet Curly

2009-09-16T23:44:00.006-06:00

It's almost midnight and I should be going to bed so I can Work Out Like Crazy tomorrow morning, but I feel like doing a blog post. You're welcome.

Yesterday, I found a friend at a sidewalk sale on campus. I loved him so much that I bought him and took him home and put him on top of my bookcase. His name is Curly, and he is cute.

His name is Curly because he is... curly. Here's what I mean.

Preshhh!!!!

I bought him because I needed something to put into the pretty planter thing that my sister bought for me this past Christmas. The pot came with a bulb, but somehow I killed that, and then I tried to grow rosemary in it, but the seeds never came up. It looks like I'm a horticultural failure. Hopefully Curly doesn't meet the same sad fate as the previous inhabitants of his little house.

(It probably wouldn't hurt if you prayed for his survival.)

K, I'm going to bed now. Six o'clock is the ONLY cool time to go to the gym, obviously, so I have to get up kind of early. Cha. G'night.

Free Food Fiends

2009-09-12T14:24:00.002-06:00

BYU is great sometimes. Take this week, for instance. My roomies (Ann and Averyl) and I recognized a pattern in the campus events that were going on this week. We noticed that EVERY night for four or five days, there was a free food event. That's right, food free of charge. We decided to see how much free food we could hoard in one weekend. Let me lay it out for you.

Tuesday: Ward social (pizza, fizzy lemonade, and Teddy Grahams). The food was ok (not really worth it), the people were bomb. Our ward is hilarical. Also, the hotness rating of our ward is off the chizzarts. More on this to follow.

Wednesday: Honors Opening Social (pizza, chips, salsa). Ick, pizza again. No bueno. But it was free!

Thursday (This has to go in a bullet list...)

Honors Seminar (brownies),
Women's Services social (brownies - attended by Averyl),
Humanities department social (Hawaiian Haystacks),
Math major's social (pizza AGAIN - obtained by Averyl and Ann)
Museum of Art (hot cross buns and wassail--yummo!),
Honors Brownie Bash (attended by Averyl only), and
Random Free Food in the Fine Arts Center (cinnamon rolls, obtained by Ann)

HOLY FREE CALORIES! I almost felt guilty attending all of these events. Ann and Averyl are in the Humanities department, so they were supposed to eat haystacks, but I wasn't.... I'm TECHNICALLY not in the Honors program, but I take their classes and whatnot, so the brownie was mostly guilt-free (except for that it contained about a bajillion calories. But that's okay!) I didn't eat the pizza at the math social, but Ave and Ann did (both English majors).

Friday: BYU Fall Fest (pizza and sub sandwiches) This was too gross for words. I don't know why we felt the need to search out this food, but we did anyway.... The FREE frozen yogurt I got at Yoasis (mostly to get rid of the memory of looking at that gross pizza) was awesome, though.

Moral of the story: Free food will probably kill you if you eat it very often. Why can't they ever give out just like a salad or something?

Update FAIL

2009-09-07T21:08:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone. I doubt I have any blog followers anymore, since it's been quite a long while since I last updated. Hopefully, if you are reading this, you will find it in your hearts to forgive my slackoffishness. Yes, that is a word. (Not really. I lied.) Anyway.... Here is a wicked short summary of what I've been doing for the past little while. Better posts (with, like, cute pictures and stuff) will be coming soon, hopefully before the week is out. At any rate, here we go: my recent past in bullet list format.

packed boxes, packed suitcases, packed my car
moved to Provo
moved in, chilled with the roomies (Averyl, Briana, Ann, Cali, and Whitney)
unpacked my car, unpacked suitcases, unpacked boxes
cleaned, organized, generally conquered the nastiness of the empty apartment and turned it into HSH (Home Sweet Home)
spent bazillions of dollars on books
visited my Old People (love them!)
spent bazillions of dollars on apartment supplies, food, and cooking stuff (I WILL COOK THIS SEMESTER! THIS IS A VOW!)
watched cars crash into each other at the busy intersection right outside my kitchen window
visited my fam
started classes, most of which are pretty good so far
homework homework
watched my brother run a sweet cross country race at BYU
finally got my ears pierced, in the company of my mom, my sister, and my best friend. Yes, I am turning 20 on my next birthday. Yes, I realize that it is weird that my ears did not previously have holes punched in them. But the holes are there now!
saw a weird film called Howl's Moving Castle. Culture shock much, but it was pretty good.
homework homework homework homework homework

Aaaand, I think that pretty much catches us up. There ya go! Pictures and blogtasticness to follow, I promise.

Today I was compelled to act violently

2009-08-12T13:09:00.002-06:00

Today my mom and my sister and I went shopping together (all part of The Famous Fortnight of Fantastic-time-spending!!). As we were driving down the road, we ended up at a stoplight, right behind the most revolting, horrendous, sinfully ugly thing I have ever seen. It was...

a Chevrolet SSR.

BARF!!!!

I think I have found the ugliest car on the planet. As I stared at its ugly, lumpy, imitation-truck backside, I found myself undergoing a strange chemical/hormonal/whatever reaction. Hatred for that nasty, naaasty vehicle started to well up inside of me. I had a strong urge to act violently toward that pathetic excuse for a car... or is it a truck...? Or a hideous beast of ugliness and death? I don't know what it is. But I wanted to kill it. I still kind of want to maim it a little bit.

Normally, I'm not a violent person. I guess not anyway. But for some strange reason, seeing that... THING made me horrifically angry. I like cars. I drive what is possibly the cutest car on earth.

Ta-daaa!!
Everyone, meet Poppy.
:)

Now, I realize that it is not always practical to drive your dream car. Sometimes you have to stick with the car that has enough space, fits within your budget, and gets you from point A to point B. I used to drive my parents' old maroon Astro van, and I was extremely grateful to be able to do so. I understand that a car is, primarily, a practical item. But the SSR (Super Sport Roadster--what?!?!) is not only ugly, it is impractical! What can you put in the bed of the truck? Umm, pretty much nothing. How many people does it seat? TWO. How expensive is it? Upwards of $24,000! Insane!

Anyway, sorry about the rant. Also, my apologies to any owners of a Chevy SSR that may be reading this. Really, I'm so sorry that you drive that car.

What do you do with 14 days?

2009-08-10T10:07:00.007-06:00

Here we are, in the middle of August. In two weeks, I'll be moving out again, returning to cute little Provo, UT for my second year of college.

Wait, WHAT?!?!

First of all, the phrase "my second year of college" sounds absolutely bizarre to my little ears. Am I seriously over halfway done with my undergraduate degree? How did THAT happen?

Second of all, how is it that this summer--which, three weeks ago, I thought would never end--is rapidly coming to a close?

Third of all, what am I going to do with these last two weeks? I'm super excited for school to start again (seriously, I can't wait), but I feel that the next two weeks need to be jam-packed with quality time spendage. My family rocks, so I'd better pack in the good times before I hit the southbound freeway.

I swear that the passage of time undergoes some serious alterations once you reach age 16. Elementary school seemed to drag along at a snail's pace, and middle school seemed to take longer than it was worth. High school actually moved along pretty nicely. That is, it did until my senior year, when time suddenly purchased a rocket engine jet pack and sped away faster than I could say "graduation." Don't get me wrong, I was SO GLAD (so ridiculously glad - no offense, awesome teachers and friends) to get out of high school and start livin', but after high school, time started moving at an absurdly fast pace. My first year of college was over in the blink of an eye. (That was one expensive blink. But it could have been worse. Thank you scholarships!)

I'm a little afraid to start another year of "adulthood." I'm not afraid of the challenges or the hardships that I'm sure will come. Those are unavoidable, so I'd rather not waste energy on that kind of fear. I'm more afraid that I'll miss something. The same goes for the 14 days I have before I move away from home again. I'm very lucky. I have a rockin' family, a great neighborhood, a good job, and plenty of volunteer opportunities. With just two weeks left, I can't let a second go to waste, so I'm going to make the most out of the next fortnight (hee hee, cool). Ladies and gentlemen, presenting The Famous Fortnight of Fantastic-time-spending.

Me's doin' a meme!

2009-08-06T20:30:00.006-06:00

Every once in a while, when there's absolutely nothing to blog about, you gotta do one of those little survey things. *Sigh.* I promise there will be more interesting and creative blog posts in the future. For now, feel free to learn a little about me.

What is your favorite time of day? 5 in the morning. Nope, I'm not kidding. :) Early bird gets the worm! Actually, that's gross. I'd rather be the early bird that gets the parfait or Jamba Juice or something.

What is your current favorite thing? Black dresses... and I think I've found the perfect one! I just bought it for my friend Amber's wedding!

What was the last thing you bought? Movie tickets to Monsters vs. Aliens for my brothers and myself. It was a pretty good movie, not gonna lie.

What is your favorite weather? I love it when it's drizzling outside and it's just cool enough to wear a jacket.

What’s on your bedside table? Books, books, books. I actually use a small bookcase as my bedside table. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I have uncontrollable urges to study the works of Plato, Aristotle, and Dr. Seuss, so I keep books close by, just in case. KIDDING.

If you could have a house totally paid for, anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be? Ooo... Boston, maybe. Boston or NYC. Or London. Actually, I don't know where I'd want to live. Hmm. I should think on that one, seeing as I'm nearing real adulthood soon. Eek.

Broccoli? Umm, yes!! Duh, it's like garden fresh candy! Well, not really, but it's delicious and I lurve it.

Ever been in a car accident? Not a real car accident. I once knocked the side mirror off of our old Astro van, but that about covers my experience with car accidents.

What would you like to get rid of? Belly fat, just like all the Internet ads say! Kidding... No, probably the scars on my knees. I hate those scars. My knees are a detailed visual record of my accident-prone history. Why is it always my KNEES that get hurt?!

If you could be anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? Just an hour?! What kind of fool question is this? Umm... umm... the LDS Manhattan Temple.

When you were younger, what did you want to grow up to become? An artist, then a teacher, then a neurosurgeon.

What is your favorite color? Um, duh, GREEN! But not forest green. Ick.

What do you like better, e-mail or phone? Email, probably. For some reason, I'm horrifically awkward on the phone. It's pretty embarrassing, to tell the truth. I can't communicate like a normal human being over the phone, which is no bueno. There's probably some sort of telephone psychotherapy that can cure my awkwardness. I'll look into that.

What do you do when you get time alone? I write a lot of lists—to-do lists, grocery lists, idea lists, lists of different lists I could make.... I also sleep a lot and read a lot. WOW, I live an exciting life!!!

Who do you tag to fill out this survey? Everyone! (Unless you don't want to. I'm cool with that.)

Sniff... sniff...

2009-07-31T11:46:00.005-06:00

I've always been amazed by the phenomenon of odor memory. (Eew, I hate that o-word. It sounds awkward.) Isn't it weird how just a whiff of a certain smell can trigger memories out of nowhere? Freaky...

For instance, smelling pineapple body lotion makes me think of middle school, and thus makes me feel a little bit sick. I'm not kidding.

The smell of Aussie hair spray makes me think of my senior prom.

The scent of Lysol makes me feel nauseous, since that's what my parents always doused the bathroom with after one of us kiddles was sick... Yuck.

Biosilk Silk Therapy reminds me of my first real salon hair cut... OH GLORY.

Bug spray makes me think of family trips to Yellowstone.

Ginger will forever remind me of my momma and all of her yummy Chinese cooking.

Burned popcorn takes me back to that one time.... It was almost Christmas.... The apartment was filled with smoke.... They were laughing at me.... Yeah.

The sumptuous scent of Cafe Rio tortillas reminds me of... ALL THAT IS GOOD IN THIS WORLD.

Isn't it crazy how powerful our senses can be? Awesome. By the way, I totally did a science project on olfactory memory in 9th grade. My biology teacher thought it was bomb dot com, of course. Booyah! Actually, the project probably stunk (haha, that's punny), since I did it all in the four days before the science fair. Hmm, typical me. Nothing can compare to the famous Acupuncture Science Project of 8th grade, though. Wow, what a night that was. Aaaaaand, apparently I have gotten off track. Are there any smells that bring up fond/horrible memories for YOU, blog friends?

Quirky McQuirkles

2009-07-28T13:02:00.006-06:00

People are weird. More specifically, I am weird. Before you all start thinking this is a self-hatred/I-hate-humanity post, let me 'splain.

Think about your life for a minute. When you wake up in the morning, what is the first thing that pops into your head? (This morning, the first thing that popped into my head was the word "oscillate.") When you take a shower, do you have a routine you go through - shampoo first, condition second, body wash third, then rinse, then blah blah blah - or do you bathe "at random?" When you put your pants on, which leg goes in first--your right or your left? When you get in your car, do you put your keys in the ignition before or after you put on your seat belt? Do you prefer a certain color of M&M over the other colors?

See? We all have strange little routines, rituals, and slightly obsessive preferences, sometimes without even realizing they exist. My theory is that we do things a certain way because we need some smidgen of familiarity in our crazy lives. Think about the children's TV show "Mister Roger's Neighborhood" for a minute. Every time Mr. Rogers walks into that cute little house, he does the same thing. He hangs up his suit coat the same way, zips his sweater the same way, takes off his shoes the same way, etc. every single day. As a child, that was one of my favorite parts of the show. I could always guess what was coming, and it made me feel secure. We all have the same type of methods that, possibly, we use as methods of "grounding" ourselves. (I mean "grounding" in a good way, not the "You are definitely NOT going to any birthday parties for two months, young lady" kind of way.) Just for fun, I'll list some of my quirks. Feel free to do the same in a comment or on your own blog. Don't be ashamed of your quirks! Nay, rather, embrace the cute little quirklings.

When I look at myself in the mirror, I get a little bit of a glare on my face. See picture for example, if you dare. I'm not sure why I do it. It makes me feel... hotter, I guess? I dunno. At this point, it's a reflex to look at myself that way. Odd!!
I have recently formed the habit of using the word "monkey" in the place of random adjectives/nouns/verbs. Examples: "What kind of monkey is this dumb store? They don't sell cinnamon bears!" "What the monkey! That car just cut me off!"
When I sit down to play around on the piano, I always start playing in the key of D major. That be my favorite key.
I pop my neck a lot (gross, yeah), and I always turn my head right first, then left.
I bounce my legs up and down when I sit at a desk. This one probably bothers other people, but it sure as monkey doesn't bother me, cuz it probably burns, like, extra calories or something.
I hate it when men wear sweatpants. Track pants=whateva', but the sweat pants=please don't. I don't know why this bugs me, so don't ask me why... I'm not even sure I want to discover the answer to that question.
I don't like cheesecake (GASP!! from the crowd). Yeah, I know. Whatever.
When I eat goldfish crackers, I like to bite them in half along the little "seam" thingy. Then I have two little goldfish that are like separated Siamese twins! Yay! I do the same thing with peanuts, and sometimes almonds. Also, when I eat cinnamon bears, I always bite the head off first. Then they can't feel any pain as I consume them.
I used to love the band Snow Patrol, but I can't listen to them anymore because hearing their songs reminds me of middle school. Ick.
I like green and blue M&Ms the best. I swear they taste better than the others! (The brown ones should die.)
I always fill up my water bottle at the same sink in my house. The other sinks probably have germies or something. (Jk, they don't, but the water from the small sink in the kitchen is so much prettier/more tasty/more awesome/more drinkable than the water from the other sinks.)

Anyway, that's probably a long enough list to make you all think I'm a freak show. I am okay with that. I like quirks. I think they are quirktastic. The end.

Holy week of ferocity, Batman!

2009-07-20T15:09:00.002-06:00

My parents are back from Hawaii! Woohoo! They have been in Hawaii for the past week for their 20th anniversary vacation, which is totally cool. Staying married to the same person, and very happily at that, for 20 years can definitely be considered an accomplishment in today's world. Go padres! Anyway, it was my responsibility and pleasure (ahem) to be in charge of the sibs and the house while my parents were gone. When the week started, I thought, "Psh, this ain't no thang! I've already lived on my own and cooked and cleaned and whatnot. This will be a buh-reeze." Hmm.... Well, things didn't come quite that easily. Here are a few highlights from the week.

Monday

went running, came back, dropped the padres off at the airport (where my mom totally saw David Archuleta!)
successfully drove Dad's car home without crashing it
cleaned the bathroom and kitchen
made dinner, even gave an FHE lesson Woot! Go Crofty. You've GOT this, girl!
FREAKED OUT about checking the locks on the house, couldn't fall asleep for fear of hostile criminals breaking in

Tuesday

I went to the gym at 5 am, worked out, then found that my cell phone had somehow fallen into pieces and was now useless. AWESOME.
found and successfully purchased the Ugliest and Worst Phone Ever Made from an old guy for $30 (this is a very temporary replacement phone)
cleaned the kitchen like, 30 times. Come on people! Let's try to be tidy!
I made BLT pizza, but somehow forgot to put cheese on it. HUH?! Umm... oh well. Less saturated fat for the siblings.
Sleepless night... checked the locks every two hours or so

Wednesday

successfully went running again
successfully rescued foolish brother who locked his keys in his car
went to see Up (such a good movie!) at the theatre with sibs, fed them way too many Twizzlers
Dropped the ball on dinner, since we were full of Twizzlers anyway. Yay, leftovers!
severe anxiety about break-ins once more

Thursday

went to the gym at 5 am sharp
sat through a 2.5 hour meeting at the place where I volunteer
vacuumed, scrubbed, swept
went to the movies with the sibs again (HP6 this time), fed them way too many Twizzlers
dropped the ball on dinner... again. Sibs and I had sandwiches and leftovers.

Friday

I went for a really good run. I'm gettin' stronger, yo.
Umm, totally cleaned the whole house. Woot.
drove sibs around to various frivilous activities
Made some really yummo parmesan ranch chicken for dinner, and the sibs gobbled it up.

Saturday

went for a short run (yeah, I know, all my runs are short)
took the sibs to buy tennis balls and go to the park, where the sibs overheated in about 30 minutes
successfully purchased a bed sheet to replace the one that I somehow shredded in my sleep (maybe I'll blog about that later)
hung out with the bestie for like, 90 minutes, drove her home
successfully went to dinner at my uncle's house (yummo enchiladas + relaxed conversation = love)

Sunday

woke up absolutely giddy to see the padres
successfuly drove to the airport without crashing or getting lost or getting pulled over (ahem, Derek)
joyous reunion with the padres, went to church and chilled with the whole happy fam

What lovely adventures, right? Don't fret, there was a lot more that happened (oh boy was there more that happened), but I feel like I've already made this a long post. Umm, so keeping track of four sibs is a lot harder than keeping track of yourself, and cleaning a whole house is a lot harder than cleaning a teeny apartment (especially when the sibs are factored in). I can't believe my parents have been doing this for 19 years straight. Seriously. I learned this week that we kids have nothing to worry about because our parents have everything to worry about. Anyway, this week will probably go on my list of Best Weeks, not because it was easy or relaxing, but because it was memorable. And I'm glad my parents got to escape to paradise, because they totally deserve such a treat. Love you guys. :) (And yes, siblings, you can have some lovin' too. Thanks for not being demons this week.)

Creepy, crawly hypocrite

2009-07-15T14:39:00.005-06:00

Yesterday afternoon, as I stared out my bedroom window, I noticed a spider sitting quietly on the glass. Upon closer inspection, and after screaming a little bit, I discovered that the spider was sitting on its web, which was located on the outside of the glass. Phew. Close call. No screaming necessary. I decided that it was safe to look at the spider up-close, since we were separated by a sturdy pane of glass. I noticed that the spider was actually in the process of constructing its neat little web, and i got to see it work its natural magic. The little creature spiraled around and around its growing web, all the while creating and distributing silken thread, weaving it into a geometrically perfect pattern. Amazing!

I took a few pictures of the process, but unfortunately, you can't see the web in them. All you can see is a spider that looks like it's floating in the air, since the pictures were taken through the window glass. Here's one of the shots I took. (You'll have to look closely for the little critter in this one. Some people get the jitters even when looking at a picture of a spider, so I'm not posting any close-ups.) And yes, I know I'm not a great photographer and this is not a good picture. I am okay with that.

Anyway, my sense of wonder was reawakened for a few minutes. I think I might have even stopped to consider the beauty of all living creatures, great and small, before continuing with the rest of my day. Hmm. That's not normal for me.

This morning, as I made my bed, I happened to glance up at the window and see my arachnid friend once again. A tiny smile probably (maybe...) graced my lips as I thought about how talented that little creature was. I shook the wrinkles out of my blanket and prepared to fold it, when I felt something land on my foot. I looked down and saw that a FREAKING SPIDER was crawling across my toes, racing for the safety of the shadows under my bed. I yelled/shrieked "HAI-YAH!!!" and smashed it with a paper towel. "HA!" I threw the nasty carcass away triumphantly. (I normally don't kill spiders. This isn't because I love them or anything, obviously. It's more that I'm usually to freaked out to get close enough to squoosh them. I guess adrenaline took over in this case.)

A few seconds later, I was startled by the horrible realization that I am the walking, talking definition of hypocrisy. One afternoon I'm admiring the beauty of a spider's instinctive creativity, and then the next morning I'm smashing its sista' with a disposable towel? What the flip, Crofty?! How can I lack so much compassion? How can I live like that? What changed so drastically from one day to the next that would cause me to transform from a curious, appreciative human being into a creature-killing monster? What made spider #2 so deserving of death, and what made spider #1 the object of an amateur artistic photo shoot?

I'll tell you what made those spiders what they were.... Spider #2 freaking touched my foot and spider #1 stayed outside where it belongs. That's it.

**This post was probably offensive to people who really like spiders/other animals. Sorry. But I'm really not bloodthirsty. I cried when my brothers caught a fish at the lake and tried to convince me to eat it for lunch. Spiders are just... nasty. And that is my shallow rationalization. The end.**

Run, ninja, run!

2009-07-13T07:26:00.005-06:00

There are several people in my family who really like to run. I am not one of those family members... not yet, anyway. My parents, however, run several times a week, and for LONG distances. They're both in really great shape. My younger brother, Derek, runs 6 days a week, usually twice a day, and for even LONGER distances. Check out his blog to see how passionate he is about running. If you're like me--that is, not a runner--then hearing about how great my parents and brother are has just made you think to yourself, "Self, you should really go out for a jog or something so you look less pitiful compared to these running fiends. Maybe then you will understand the insanity behind peoples' obsession with running. And then maybe you will get a smokin' hot bod. Also, maybe you will become rich."

I do work out every day, so I'm used to physical exertion, but I usually do weight training and alternative methods of cardio--elliptical, aerobics, kickboxing, calisthenics, etc. I might actually say that I'm in decent shape. I've got some muscle.... (Yes, you can all start lining up for tickets to the gun show, cuz there's plenty to go around! Woooo!!) Cross-training is really important, though, so that gives me at least one good reason to start running. Anyway, last night, I told myself that I would get up this morning and go for a run, no matter how much my little brain likes to gripe about how disgusting running is. (I think I've been to too many cross country and track meets to see running as something graceful... There are SO many different body fluids all over the ground by the end of a meet that I hesitate to attempt a description for fear of grossing you all out.) Here's the surprising thing--I actually got up and ran this morning! Nuts! Maybe I do have a little self-discipline after all.

Anyway, all of you running people are going to laugh at my sorry attempt at athleticism, but I will describe my run regardless of my pitifulness. (Is that a word?) I ran for about 1.5 miles (I know it's pitiful--you can stop laughing!), and I actually didn't have to stop and walk. Amazing! The last time I "started running" after a period of inactivity, I could only go, umm... a quarter of a mile without feeling like I wanted to lie down on the ground and donate my running shoes to Deseret Industries, so I was quite surprised at how far I went this morning. I guess all of the weight training and cardio that I've been doing this summer has helped my overall fitness, even if I'm not in "running shape." I realize now that I probably should have kept going--I theorize that you only get stronger if you're out of your comfort zone by a wide margin--and I should have timed myself. Oh well.

Now that I realize that running is not that scary, and is only slightly disgusting, I think I can motivate myself to run a few times a week. I won't run on Tuesdays and Thursdays because I love my weight training class too much to give it up, and I'm definitely too wiped out after that class to even think about running. My goal, at least for now, is 6 miles a week. Stop laughing! That's a lot for me, okay?!?! I've publicly announced this goal so that I won't be able to avoid accomplishing it. (Speaking of publishing goals, I'll publish another one so I make sure to get it done.... I am getting my hair cut sometime next week. There.)

So, there you have it. I am not a running ninja like my brother or my padres, but I am workin' on it. Running updates (most of which will probably be hilarious) will follow.

Oh, how I've missed thee, blog. Actually, not so much.

2009-07-10T20:08:00.002-06:00

Well, it appears that I haven't updated my blog in a while. Oops. I suppose my only excuse for not posting is that I just haven't really... cared. Sorry if that's offensive to anyone who is super in love with blogging. I like blogging, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I prefer real life and a handwritten journal. But FRET NOT, because you'll keep hearing from me. I know you were all SUPER concerned that this was a goodbye post, but it's not. Your bloggy lives can remain safe and sound under the watchful eye of jCroft(y). (P.S. - this blog needs a different name. "jCroft(y)" just doesn't cut it. Suggestions are welcome. Perhaps I shall even create a cute little poll so you can vote on a new blog name. Woohoo!)

Umm... I should probably report some stuff since I'm updating. I guess my latest news is that I am officially a volunteer for LifePath, which is a hospice service. My job as a volunteer will be to provide companionship/support for hospice patients. Most of the patients have six months or less to live, so the hospice services help to make them as comfortable as possible before they pass away. I'll mostly be sitting and talking with the patients, reading to them, helping them record life histories, and helping them be aware of and express their emotions as they go through the dying process. I know, it sounds like pretty heavy stuff, but I'm really looking forward to working with the patients. I think it'll be a very unique and sacred experience, and hopefully I'll be able to help these individuals in some small way.

Anyway, I guess that's about it. Hopefully this post will get me back into the bloggy mood. Hasta luego, bloggy pals.

Book Review - The Memory Keeper's Daughter

2009-07-02T21:15:00.000-06:00

It's time for another book review! And this is review of a (dramatic pause)... NOVEL! Yes, it's true, I finally read a novel! This book actually made the transition quite easy. Usually (or at least lately) when I pick up a novel, I become bored by the end of the second chapter and I just can't force myself to continue past the plot exposition. With Kim Edwards' The Memory Keeper's Daughter, however, I found that I could slip easily into the story. In fact, I found the novel quite absorbing, and read it--quite literally--straight through without putting it down. (Yes, I did have WAY too much free time on my hands. It's summer. Gimme a break.)

The Memory Keeper's Daughter tells the stories of the members of an American family. The family starts the way a "normal" American family does--David and Norah Henry are completely in love, and they both follow their roles with exactness. David is a doctor, Norah is a dutiful 1960s wife, and both are wonderfully excited for the birth of their first child. However, when Norah delivers twins--a healthy, normal little boy and a little girl who has Down Syndrome--things change. Devastated and scared, David makes a split-second decision to hide the truth about his daughter. He whisks her away and places her in the care of a nurse, simultaneously telling his wife that their daughter was stillborn. Thus, in a single moment, a family is broken apart, and the beginnings of a complex web of secrets and lies are formed. David and Norah's daughter, Phoebe, is raised by the nurse, Caroline, while their son, Paul, grows up at home, in the shadow of a complicated and problematic marriage.

I can happily say that I enjoyed reading this book. Kim Edwards' narrative voice is both comfortable and poetic. (BONUS!) The book is written in episodic format, and follows the members of the Henry family through the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Edwards quite successfully switches her narrative point of view between Henry, Norah, Caroline and Paul, thus allowing well-rounded character development. The character development is the strong point of the novel, in my opinion. The most beautiful moments in the novel are the moments in which the characters think to themselves and the real issues of the story are brought out, at times with gorgeous imagery and voice, without overuse of the dramatic plot structure.

The storyline was generally good, but faded to so-so in many parts. While the complexity of David's decision to give up his daughter and lie to his wife and son--and to everyone else--is intriguing, the drama that happens within the Henry household seems to be pretty soap opera-ish. Unimaginative love affairs, a painfully typical angst-y teenage son, and the husband/father-who-looks-so-successful-but-is-just-never-there all combine to create the appearance of a cookie-cutter family drama. However, the parts of the plot that involve Phoebe and her adoptive mother, Caroline, are very original and engaging.

Overall, I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. Some of those points come from the simple fact that I was able to stay interested through the whole book. Like I said, after a couple of years of reading non-fiction (behavioral economics, psychology, sociology, gender issues, other nerdy stuff, etc.) almost exclusively, novels have left me wanting as of late. This makes me very sad, as my nerdy, bookish self really loves a good novel. The Memory Keeper's Daughter, however, was a nice intro back into the world of fiction. Hopefully I'll come across some more good novels in the near future.

Broken phone - but things could be worse

2009-06-30T20:12:00.000-06:00

You guys. My phone is broken. Dumb!

Actually, it still technically functions, but it's looking pretty sad. See the picture? Tragic. Poor little red phone. Before I got this particular phone, I had another phone that was exactly like it--same color, same model--but the hinge broke randomly one night when I flipped my phone open to answer a call. A little piece of plastic snapped off and *peeeeew!* went flying off into the sunset. What did I ever do to deserve this, you silly little piece of plastic? I've done nothing but care for you! (And accidentally drop you on the floor. And accidentally leave you in my frozen car overnight. And accidentally lose you literally two or three times a day. Anyway....) According to the Verizon store, this particular phone model causes hinge problems for a lot of people, so they gave me a replacement phone, since I was still under warranty.

I realize now that I should have asked for a different phone, since now the same part of the phone is broken. Actually, it broke in exactly the same way--a little scrap of plastic flew into the air when I opened the phone. And the same person who called me the last time my phone broke was the person who called me this time my phone broke! Nuts!

Anyhoodles, now I am on the hunt for a replacement phone. I don't want to pay a million bucks for a new phone when I can get a cheapo temporary one for now, then a free phone in December when my contract renews.

Wow, I am so lucky. Seriously! I'm not being sarcastic here. I really am lucky! Here I am, blogging from my own personal laptop, sitting at a desk in a comfortable room with air conditioning, whining about how my own personal cell phone has a broken hinge. If I lived in Nigeria, I might have to worry about militant attacks like this one. If I lived in Kirkuk, Iraq, I might have to worry about car bombs. If I lived in Honduras, I might have to worry about my president being kidnapped in a coup. The list could go on. In short, I am happy to have a broken cell phone!

Love... and Loss... at First Sight

2009-06-29T16:11:00.000-06:00

Today I fell in love.

Unfortunately, it only lasted for about 7 minutes.

But still. I fell in love.... with these shoes (click here)!!!

Call me a dork, but I think those shoes are h-a-w-t hawt. They're so Americana, but with a touch of modern funk/etsy-ish craftiness. Gah. So cool. But UNFORTUNATELY, my love affair with these shoes was cut short because there are ZERO pairs of this shoe in my size in any of the stores in the valley. Dumb! How could this happen to me? I was almost willing to squeeze my feet into the shoes that were a 1/2 size too small for me, but I decided against it. Sure, I can stand in shoes that are too small, maybe even walk in them, but I'd only last about five minutes.

So, sorry for being a total dork and having a crisis over a pair of shoes, but I went shoe shopping for about... um... TWO HOURS and I didn't find anything that would satisfy me (besides these lovelies). Yeah, I'm really picky. Grr. And sorry if you think those shoes are ugly. Actually, not sorry, because I think they're kind of cool. :) And I promise that I am not shallow! It's okay to be in love with a pair of shoes. This doesn't prevent me from having a deep discussion on the themes of revenge and guilt in Shakespeare's Othello. I just can't help but think how much hotter I would look in a Shakespearean discussion if i were wearing those shoes.... Anyway, thanks for reading my rant!

Update on the dentist

2009-06-26T08:15:00.000-06:00

So... apparently I have two options for my wisdom tooth extraction nightmare.

Get a needle jabbed into my gums a few times so I can be awake for the bone-crunching, gum-ripping surgery, which will last about 40 minutes, but not feel any pain.
Get an IV and be sedated--that is, thrown into the freaky, dark nothingness of unconsciousness--then wake up 40 minutes later acting like a goofball.

Hmm.... Is there an option #3? I really can't decide which scary, intimidating, unattractive path to choose. My fears for the local anaesthesia (option 1) are that it won't completely dull the pain and I'll be trying not to scream for the whole 40 minutes. I have a low pain tolerance. Like, kinda really low, unless I'm working out. Just ask my mom. And my roommate. And my basketball teacher from my sophomore year of high school. And the lady who rescued me in her van when I crashed my bike in March. Yeah... I think I might be okay with being awake to feel them pressing on my jaw and whatnot (as long as there is no pain!), but I'm not sure.

My fears for the IV sedation (option #2) are that I will be too freaked out by the IV needle (if they put it in my hand, that is. I'd be okay with it in my arm.) and that I'll be sick when I wake up from the surgery. People in my family have had bad experiences with being violently ill after waking up from a general anaesthesia. I also don't know if I'd like the feeling of being completely and totally unconscious of everything that is happening to me for nearly an hour. Hmm...

Anyway, I still haven't decided. I suppose that getting teeth ripped out of your gums can't really be a "good" experience no matter what happens. I'll be "out of commission" for at least two days. Ooo, I won't even be able to go to the gym. That bites... I hate it when my routine is thrown off!! (Por ejemplo, I had yogurt for breakfast instead of oatmeal this morning, and now I feel like a little piece of my universe is out of place. Bah.)

Some of you have said that your wisdom teefers experiences weren't all that bad, so I'm hoping mine will be the same way! Apparently my oral surgeon is pretty talented, so hopefully it won't be too traumatic. :)

Death by dentist

2009-06-24T07:59:00.000-06:00

I have an appointment at the dreaded dentist's office today. It's allegedly a "consultation" in "preparation" for the "removal" of my wisdom teeth. Riiiiight. I am, and have been for quite some time now, suspicious of dentists, oral surgeons, orthodontists, and other breeds of tooth-related professionals. I wasn't always this way, nay--not before I had braces, that is. After enduring the dreaded mouth stretcher, annoying little rubber bands that break in your mouth and act like little bull-whips against your lips, tooth cement, permanent retainer (that thing will be in my mouth until I'm DEAD. And it'll still be there AFTER I'm dead.), and other such horrors, I now have a healthily flourishing fear of going to the dentist. And NO, this fear is not irrational. Braces are far too traumatic for a seventh-grader. I practically have dental PTSD.

I really don't like people touching my teeth. Seriously, how scary is it to have someone digging around inside your mouth while you stare bug-eyed into a bright examination lamp, all the while hoping that you won't gag on Dentist's fingers and up-chuck into her/his face? Meanwhile, you're feeling like a disgusting freak because a pool of spittle is slowly collecting beneath your tongue, and you are completely powerless because you can't swallow when someone's nasty rubber-gloved hands are poking at your molars. Humiliatingly enough, you have to wait for the dentist to realize that there's about to be a deluge of saliva, and then allow her/him to suck out the moisture with a vacuum-powered straw. Lovely. Just lovely.

Anyway, hopefully this "consulation" won't be too horrible. Wish me luck. Actually, save the wishing of luck for later. I'll need it a lot more when I actually have to get the blasted wisdom teeth ripped from my skull.

Top Ten Inventions

2009-06-14T18:53:00.000-06:00

The Science Museum in London recently created a top 10 list of the most important objects invented in history. Here's their list:

Steam engine
V2 rocket engine
Electric telegraph
Stephenson's Rocket
X-ray machine
Model T Ford
Penicillin
Pilot ACE Computer
DNA double helix
Apollo 10 capsule

I thought I'd make a top 10 list of the inventions that are most important to me. Here's my list!

Volkswagen (originally started by Adolf Hitler and Ferdinand Porsche!)
acetominophen
the personal computer
the telephone (...including the cellular variety)
movable type printing press (revolutionized the mass-production of books!)
indoor plumbing
World Wide Web
plastic
the Interstate highway system
the piano

These are mostly off of the top of my head, and there are many more inventions for which I am very grateful, but I thought I'd stick to a short list of 10, just so I don't bore anyone. But I'm interested to know what YOU would choose for your list of 10. Go for it!

Photo Theme: Gather

2009-06-12T21:07:00.001-06:00

Photos from the Croft family Heber trip

2009-06-11T16:51:00.000-06:00

Enya

Madelyn

Jared

Dane

Book Review - In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom

2009-05-27T09:12:00.000-06:00

Some of you may know that I have lately had a problem with reading novels. The problem is that I just can't pay attention to a novel for very long. I find myself uninterested, distracted, and left wanting something engaging. I don't know why I have this problem lately, especially considering my history of reading the same novel over and over again. At any rate, until this problem is solved, I will spend my time reading non-fiction. I picked up In the Land of Invisible Women by Qanta A. Ahmed, MD because it... wasn't a novel. That, and I've always wanted to learn more about women's issues in the Middle East. This book is a memoir of Dr. Ahmed's time spent in the Saudi Kingdom, written in a very engaging voice, making it almost like... a novel. But it's not a novel. Dr. Ahmed paints a surprising picture of the Saudi Kingdom through her accounts of the time she spent practicing medicine in this foreign territory.

At first, I couldn't believe that this book was non-fiction. Some of the events recounted by Dr. Ahmed are unbelievably shocking. The strict laws of the Kingdom create some unimaginable barriers for women. All women in the Kingdom, Muslim or not, are required to cover their hair when in public. Until very recently, women were not even allowed to drive in the Kingdom. Dr. Ahmed sheds light on some very interesting aspects of life in the Kingdom, few of which I was aware prior to reading this book.

Although Dr. Ahmed's descriptions of her experience are both intimate and interesting, I found parts of this book to be a bit disconnected. The memoir is written episodically, so a degree of "jumpyness" between chapters is to be expected. However, at times Dr. Ahmed's sequence of events would be confusing and difficult to follow. Additionally, Dr. Ahmed seemed to leave some ideas half-developed (the story of her almost-but-not-quite romance with a fellow doctor, for example), thus making them seem more like distractions like interesting side-stories.

I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn more about Islam and women's issues in the Middle East. A few warnings, however: The author is Muslim, but was raised in England and the United States, so her views are at times biased and a little naive. The book is also fairly long (464 pages), so you'll have to commit some time to reading it. It is fairly easy to get through, though, so don't let the high page count deter you. Also, there are a few graphic descriptions (almost all are medically-related, since the author is a doctor) that might be startling. Overall, this is a good read. Plus, it's halfway between a novel and sociological non-fiction, so it was a good genre for me. :)

Reading In a Digitized World

2009-05-24T21:15:00.000-06:00

I was recently reading this article on the BBC. As I read the article (on my computer screen), I thought to myself, "Wow. That's amazing. Literally everything can be read in a digital format these days. I should write about this... on my digital journal (blog)." I am truly astounded by the pace at which digitization is moving. With each passing year, more newspapers are canceling their print editions, more publishers convert texts to e-book format, and more devices for accessing digitized materials are being developed. Some of these devices are pretty cool, to say the least. (Ever heard of the Kindle?)

Digitizing print is extremely convenient. Think of all the paper, space, and shipping costs we can save by reading digital books, digital newspapers, and digital magazines. Many university students don't really need to carry a bookbag anymore. All they need is a laptop. More than one of my classes last semester had a digital edition of the class textbook, which could be accessed on the Internet. I could literally have my textbook with me anywhere on campus--all it took to read my assignments was a few mouse-clicks. It doesn't get much simpler than that!

As convenient as all of this digitization is, I still find myself extremely attached to the feeling of holding a book in my hand and turning the pages one by one. There's just something about the look and feel of ink on paper that I just can't find anywhere else. Even though I have a blog, a Facebook, multiple email accounts, etc., I still keep a handwritten journal. (And that journal gets a lot more attention than this blog does, I can tell you that.) My dad teases me for being weirded out by the concept of reading from the screen of a cell phone. I know it's irrational to be put off by the thought of reading Othello on an iPhone, but it's true--I would rather carry around the printed edition, even if that means I'll have to use a bookmark, and a real pen if I want to take notes on the text. I know that means I'll have to carry a bigger purse, that I'll have to flip through pages if I want to find a specific line in the play (instead of doing a keyword search), that I might even get a paper cut, etc. but I am willing to make all of those sacrifices.

I'll try and find some explanation for my irrational attachment to printed books. I'll use Shakespeare as an example. (If I use Shakespeare, I will sound smart, thus removing some of your power to dispute me via digitized comments on this post. Bahaha.) One of the most exciting things about Shakespeare (and plays in general) in Elizabethan England was the fact that you could go to the printer's shop, hand over your money, and get your very own copy of Hamlet or Henry V or whatever was playing in the Globe. That copy was yours--bound as a folio or quarto--and you could take it home and read it with your family. You could literally hold someone's brainchild in your hands. There was a literal connection between you, the literary work, and the author of that work. The same thing is possible today. I know that, technically, holding an iPhone with the CompleteWorksOfShakespeare App is kind of the same, but really... it's not. It's the iPhone you care about and pay attention to, not the Shakespeare. A printed book is miles closer to the original format of whatever book you're reading, whether it's or Dracula or Goodnight Moon. And the dog-eared pages, scratched cover, and broken binding of your favorite book are things that you can't find in an e-book. I write my name in every book I buy, so I literally have a personal library of books that I care about. It just wouldn't feel the same to tag "JessicaCroft" onto TheCountOfMonteCristo.pdf . Nope.

So yes, my argument for printed books is mostly sentimental, barely based in the importance of historical connection and a return to tradition.... As great as it is to not have to run home to get my psychology book, because I can find it on the Internet, and as great as it is to Facebook and blog with my buddies, nothing will ever be able to beat the solid surety of paper and ink.

Measuring Intelligence

2009-05-20T20:55:00.000-06:00

So, for those of you who don't know, I am majoring in psychology at BYU. Last semester, one of my psychology classes was discussing the topic of intelligence. The chapter on intelligence in our textbook spends about half of its pages discussing how to measure intelligence (IQ, etc.), predict intelligence (through genetics and schooling), and correlate intelligence and success (financial, social, etc.). Some of the concepts are very interesting, but as I read the chapter, I couldn't help wondering, "Why do we care about measuring intelligence?"

IQ tests and quizzes have got to be ranked among the most popular of Internet distractions. There are companies that make money by convincing people to order their IQ test results off the Internet, sometimes in the form of framed, official-looking printed certificates. Every third pop-up advertisement probes "How does YOUR IQ measure up to Barack Obama's?" The sidebars on Facebook constantly challenge users to see how smart they are compared to their Facebook cyber-friends. Why the obsession?

My thinking is that having intelligence is something valuable, of course, but that providing specific measures for intelligence doesn't do much good. Most members of the general population doesn't know how high or low her or his IQ is, and very few schools or businesses know the IQs of their employees. Intelligence tests themselves are often flawed in their development, and usually only measure a subject's intelligence in relation to the other subjects who have taken the test. Many intelligence tests automatically disadvantage individuals from countries other than Western nations, and many other tests are composed of seemingly random queries developed nearly ambiguously by psychologists and educators. Although there are many intelligence tests that are relatively well-constructed (i.e., Raven's Progressive Matrices Test), a small percentage of the population will ever need to know their intelligence scores in order to survive in daily life. If most people don't know the numerical measure of their own natural intelligence, then why do intelligence tests matter at all? People will possess a degree of intelligence whether they have been tested or not. What is the value in assigning a numerical value to an abstract, mostly inherently possessed quality?

One utility for knowing one's intelligence--one of the few that I have been able to come up with--is that knowing if one is "intelligent" might motivate one to work harder. It is a proven fact that people who are treated like they are intelligent and are told they are intelligent will perform better academically and in the workplace. So, in theory, being told you are intelligent might help you become more intelligent. However, if an "unintelligent" individual is told the truth--that he or she is unintelligent according to the intelligence test--then the intelligence scale acts as a punishment. Just as people who are told they are smart will act smarter, people who are told they are not smart will often perform at a lower rate. That being said, is it alright to lie to someone about his or her intelligence? Is it alright to lie and tell an unintelligent individual that he or she is intelligent if doing so could theoretically be beneficial?

So, back to my big question: Why do we care about measuring intelligence? Sure, it's nice to feel like you're intelligent, but it's got to hurt to feel like you're unintelligent. And how can you trust the method being used to measure your intelligence if its construction is flawed? What is intelligence, anyway? The concept itself seems to lack a concrete definition.

Long time, no post

2009-05-01T10:23:00.000-06:00

Hi there. It looks like I have, once again, neglected my little patch of space in the digital universe. Oops. My bad.

Lots of things have changed since my last post (the U2 album is good, by the way). I finished my first year of college at BYU, which didn't seem to last very long at all. I've managed, somehow, to keep my scholarship, so in four months or so, I'll be back in P-town for another round of university education. For now, I'm back at la casa de mis padres for the summer months. I'm working, recovering from the trauma of moving from apartment to casa (How did ALL of that stuff fit into my tiny apartment?! Thanks for sharing the burden of moving, Mom.), and looking for volunteer opportunities to fill the endless empty hours that I suddenly have. It's amazing how much time 18 credit hours can take up in one's life.

To tell the truth, I feel a little bit useless with no exams to take, no edgy literature papers to write, and no psychology articles to annotate. That's why I need to find some worthy cause to which I can donate my time. I'm thinking of volunteering for the Christmas Box House... We'll see what happens! Also, blogpals, if any of you have a favorite cause that needs some help, let me know!

Anyway, here are a few picture from my Provo experience, just as proof that I really was away at school, and not just locked up in a room playing video games. (For the record, I don't play video games. Ever.)

Our cute FHE brothers: Seth, Brandon, and Mark

Studying... I think so, anyway.

Roommate photo! Love these girls

Averyl and I playing with broken jeans. And yes, I wanted to
make sure you could see all of my teeth in this picture.

It snowed a lot. This picture was taken in April. APRIL.

See, I cooked! Occasionally...

Mmm... Amish cinnamon bread. Totally worth the 10 days of preparation.

No Line On the Horizon

2009-03-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

U2 finally has a new album!!! I just bought it. :) It's called No Line On the Horizon. I am very excited about this. I haven't listened to it yet, but I am sure that it will fulfill all of my expectations. Reviews will follow... P.S. this album is available for MP3 download on Amazon.com for only $3.99. Bonus!!!!

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

2009-03-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

A new book has been added to my list of favorite reads. Usually, the books that make it onto this list are works of widely famous (and usually American) novelists, or from the genres of behavioral economics, sociology, or psychology. This book, however, does not fit perfectly into any of those categories. This book is a book for children, written by a Frenchman during WWII. It's a fantasy story, with interplanetary travels and talking animals and talking flowers.

The Little Prince is a book that I think everyone should read at least once. Parents, read this story to your kids. It will teach them more about empathy and love than almost any other children's book. It's not very long--only about 100 pages--and it contains wonderful illustrations drawn by the author. This book will teach you more about the sensitivities and needs of your child than most parenting books or pamphlets. It will remind you of what your child really needs from you, and what your child really wants to give to you.

Childhood, like so many things, is gradually being contaminated by the harshness and chaos of the world. Children, I feel, are being made to grow up very quickly. Their sensitivities are often condemned or ignored as annoyances or barriers to intellectual and social progression. Children know more than their adult counterparts sometimes guess. Childhood is a time for discovery, and children have already made many discoveries about some of life's greatest questions. The Little Prince is a reminder of the true nature of childhood. The simplicity of this book is brilliant because it reflects the simplicity of a child's mind and the purity of a child's emotions, hopes, and concerns. This book has helped me get closer to becoming "as a little child," and I'm sure that, in at least a small way, it can do the same for you.

Why Giving Matters

2009-02-25T14:42:00.000-07:00

Every Tuesday at BYU, there is a devotional or a forum held. Classes and buildings close down so everyone has a chance to go see the speaker. So far this year, we've had many wonderful devotionals, including an address by Jeffrey R. Holland that I definitely recommend. This Tuesday, we had a fantastic forum address by Dr. Arthur C. Brooks, a professor at Syracuse University. His address was entitled "Why Giving Matters."

Here is a link that will allow you to watch Dr. Brooks's address.

It's so interesting that people don't often realize that giving really does make life better. People seem to think that donating money or time will put them behind financially. Dr. Brooks presents data that proves that donating time and money actually makes people better off--better off financially, emotionally, and physically. People who give are more likely to be happy and physically healthy. They are thus more likely to perform well in the workplace, thus making companies more successful. He also made some very interesting comments on the psychology of giving. If you have 45 minutes or so to watch this address, I'd encourage you to do so. Dr. Brooks is a wonderful speaker, and I'm looking forward to reading his books.

Books by Arthur C. Brooks:

Gross National Happiness: Why Happiness Matters for America—and How We Can Get More of It
Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism
Social Entrepreneurship

Arty-ness!

2009-01-24T16:58:00.000-07:00

So, there's this great program called ArtRage that lets you do digital paintings and drawings. It's pretty sweet. Here's a piece I did during my free time....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2008-12-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

Oh, and I must also say happy birthday to my favoritest sister, Rachel. Happy b-day!

Christmas stuff!!

2008-12-11T19:52:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone. Here is a picture of our living room all decked out for Christmas. Our tree is BEAUTIFUL. And note the strings of popcorn hanging above the windows, handmade by the residents of Apartment 101. :) Funny story about that popcorn, actually... I was trying to make a second batch of popcorn (the stove kind, not the microwave kind) and two popcorn kernels started burning in the oil, and filled the kitchen with smoke. It was pretty funny... and slightly embarrassing.

Anyway, here are some other pictures of random things from the past month and a half. Sorry I haven't been updating very much lately. This semester was very exciting and full, so I was kind of busy. Today was the last day of classes, however, and I turned in the enormous Shakespeare and Film final paper (12 pages) that I have been working on. It's kind of a relief to be mostly done with the semester, but I will be sad to be finished with some of my classes. Other classes, however, I am totally fine with completing.

Anyway, next week is finals week, so I'll have plenty of studying to do, and then I am coming back to Salt Lake Friday afternoon. I'm so excited!

Jessalyn and Averyl carving pumpkins... and then the winking pumpkin and ninja pumpkin

My roommate Briana being her fun self.

2008-12-11T14:49:00.001-07:00

Wow, it looks like I haven't updated in a LONG time. Oops. Anyway, here is a fun picture of my roommates and I. Note the HUGE tree in the background. We love our Christmas tree. It's gorgeous. I will post other pics of our Christmas decorations later. Much love!

Check out this masterful talent

2008-10-24T23:05:00.000-06:00

Here are my roommates improvising a trio. This is happening without any written music or rehearsal. Crazy...

The Real Averyl

2008-10-13T09:36:00.000-06:00

Okay, so my roomie Averyl is whining that I put bad pictures of her up on my last post (she's the one eating watermelon and wearing the dorky hat). So, to prove to the world how beautiful Averyl really is, and to appease her wrath, I am posting her headshot. Yes, she really is this pretty.

El apartamento 101

2008-10-11T12:06:00.000-06:00

So, I think you all need to know what my apartment is really like. I don't think you can fathom how much fun we have every day. Here's a glimpse into Apartment 101....

This is me in a Boston Red Sox hat after rapping with my roommates in front of the ward. We had to give an introduction to our apartment, and we decided to do it in a rap. That's how cool we are.
This is our apartment's quote wall, which is awesome. We write down all of the randomly funny things we say. Samples:
"I'm rather fond of dairy products in general" - Amber
"You rock the friendly ghost." -Briana
"This is Isaiah. Wanna fight?" -Me
"Were you wearing a scarf in the bathroom?!" -Briana

This is Averyl eating watermelon. We decided we all wanted watermelon at 11:30 at night... so we had some.

This is Averyl with . . . something on her head. I don't even know. But that's generally what our apartment is like. All the time. It's so much fun!

The Calling

2008-09-24T20:44:00.000-06:00

So, in my last post I told you I received a calling, and then I never told you what it was.

Drum-roll, please.

(Dddddddddddddddd......)

Ward pianist! Woohoo! Yeah, sorry for all of you that thought I was going to be the RS president.... Maybe that will be a future calling. But, for right now, I get to stay in my comfort zone as the ward pianist. I'm actually quite happy with this calling, because I'll get to play a Steinway baby grand every week, which is fantastic. Bravo for Steinway pianos. Anyway, there you go! See ya....

Update! Aren't you excited?!

2008-09-21T18:13:00.000-06:00

Heeeeey, y'all!

As you can tell, I've met a lot of people from Texas in the last little while. :) Just kidding. Actually, not kidding. I have met bazillions of people from Texas. It seems like everyone is from TX or California or Washington or Ohio. It's weird. . . .

Anyway, I'll just update on things that have been going on lately. We started our Family Home Evening groups last week, and I can tell that we're going to have a lot of fun. Last week we colored pictures with crayons in our FHE mom's apartment, which was, of course, a blast. Our FHE family is really fun. :) Tomorrow we are going to the home of one of the members of the Bishopric, which should be fun too. Free treats! :)

Umm, what else. . . . Oh! My toe is all better. I don't really know what was wrong with it, but it's all better now. Just in case you wanted to know. . . . I'm sure you're all very concerned about my toes. :)

What else, what else. . . . Not much else going on. I auditioned for a Commedia dell'Arte show and didn't make it, but that's okay. The audition was super fun, which is all that matters. Commedia dell'Arte is a hilarious form of Italian comedy, by the way. You should definitely look it up. Or not. Whatever floats your boat. I should probably audition for some more stuff this semester, so I'll let you know what happens.

I joined my ward choir! I'm very excited about this part of my little vida. In the ward at home there wasn't a choir that met weekly all the time, so this is a little different for me. And if there was a choir, I was playing the piano for it most of the time, so this will be my first experience singing in a choir. Woohoo!

Oh, other big news. . . . Today in church I got a calling! I will not tell you what it is yet, however, because I'm going to let you guess. . . . This is always a fun game. Bwahaha.

Oh no. My toe.

2008-09-08T13:12:00.000-06:00

'Allo everyone. Sorry I haven't been updating very frequently. The reason for this is that nothing exceptionally exciting has happened to me in the past week or so. I'm starting my second week of classes, and so far everything is going well. Unfortunately there's nothing exciting to report.

The only thing that has changed since my last post is my toe. My middle toe on my right foot. OWWW! I think my shoes do not fit very well or something, because ever since I started classes, my toe has been getting more and more painful. It's about .8 miles from my apartment to campus, and I walk that route at least four times a day. I guess I should invest in some new shoes. I would post a picture of my toe, but it doesn't really look swollen, and I personally hate feet. I wouldn't want anyone else out there who hates feet to have to look at mine.

That's all. See ya!