I've almost mastered the art of bubblegum bubble blowing

What I have not mastered at all, however, is how to not get sticky gum-film all over the outside of my mouth, nose and chin. Seriously unpleasant.


Now for the cool part of the post. So I've spent about 20 hours during the last two weeks in the library and the study room. I go to these places because it's harder to get distracted there, and I had two 10-page papers to write. These were hard papers. Research papers. I had to like, read these academic books that were written by sociologists 100 years ago. Like 15 of these type of books, all told. So I spent some major time studying. And writing. I found that it's better to read in the library, and write in the study room. The library is comfy and stylish and book-smelling. I sit on the 6th floor, which has a great view of the lake, and it's fun to look out the window while it's snowing. It also has these couches. Are they not so modern and 50's looking? It's like the breakroom on the starship Enterprise, or something. In other words, the sixth floor of the library is the most wonderful place on earth to sit and read for hours on end. But it's too stimulating to try and think up my own thoughts in. So when it's time to write, I go back to my apartment building, up to the fourth floor where the most boring room in the world exists: the study room. It's a room with tile floors and hard chairs and some boring tables and white walls. You sit there, and your options are 1. writing your paper and 2. staring at the wall. So you write your paper, and it gets done in maybe like five hours instead of like ten or fifteen hours.

Now that the past two weeks are done, I'm feeling excited and happy. They were my school-dominated weeks, and the next two weeks are going to be my social-dominated weeks. I'm doing fun things all the next week, and then the week after, I'm going to throw a Thanksgiving for my roommates and some other friends. I'm very excited. I can't wait to make pies, and do a turkey, and eat stuffing. Roommate #1 and Semi-Roomie are making fun of me for wanting to make a pie and stuffing and mashed potatoes from scratch. They say that here in Parts Unknown, you buy the pie, and you use StoveTop stuffing. Fortunately for me, the evening is being billed as my American Thanksgiving, so what I say goes. Why would you buy a crappy store-made pumpkin pie? I may opt for the stovetop stuffing just for simplicity and cost effectiveness. But definately a homemade pie.

You know your life has changed for the better when...

You spend two nights in a row playing board games with two different groups of people in parties that don't break up till two in the morning. And you eat enchiladas on the second day.

Tonight I played games with the Christians at the house of (holding out on a name for this one: the jury's still out on his character, personality and outstanding features). Very nice house, though. And tonight, I became a man (in a coming-of-age sort of way, not in a sex-change sort of way). Or rather, I finally played Settlers of Catan. The guys used to always play it when they came for game night in my old apartment back home, but I was always too interested in playing boggle or uno or whatever to try. Plus, I was afraid it'd be confusing or stupid or something. I was wrong. It's a pretty fun game- it's a good bit like monopoly, only more interesting and not as long, a bit like risk, something like pit, and all kinds of cool. I plan on involving myself in more games of Settlers, whenever it's convenient. It's also safer feeling- games like Taboo are loud and fun and great for bunches of people, but I kind of like the non-frantic, slow paced, very limited group you get with Settlers. Nice way to spend an hour with three other people. Oh, and I lost, but only because I opened my big mouth a round before I would have won. Anyway. It's time for me to go to bed, if i'm going to be awake for any of the morning hours tomorrow. Or I could just sleep till noon again like I did today. I love this whole not-having-a-job thing, because it means that weekends are really times when I can relax and do not much.

Photos are working again

Today it is completely clear and sunny, and dry, and not really cold at all. But Tuesday, it snowed. And Outgoing Mexican and I had a snowball fight, and made snow angels, and made a snowman (he's the one in the middle). Now, when I proudly showed this picture to my roommates, they laughed at me: "Snowmen are supposed to be three balls, not a big lump!" Well, excuuuuuse me. I thought he was pretty darn cool. We even gave him coin eyes and a pinecone nose. Not to mention a hat and scarf and gloves.

While we were making the snowman, two other Mexicans joined us. Why have I never met them before? Why have I not even heard about them? Kind of like how I learned of a few English people lately, too. It's sad that they don't come to all the fun stuff with us when we go places or have parties or what have you. Anyway. So when the two Lesser Mssrs joined us, we decided to throw some more snowballs, since it's more fun when you have more choices of who to hit. So we had a somewhat larger snowfight, then realized that half of us couldn't feel our fingers (I was wearing gloves, and was quite comfortable). So we all trooped up to my apartment and had hot chocolate. It was a fun night.

Ooh! Ooh! So they have this thing called Remembrance Day here. It's like Veteren's Day back home, only here they have like services and stuff, and the whole week before, everybody walks around wearing these fake red flowers (Poppies- you know, like "in Flanders fields the poppies grow...") pinned to their jackets and stuff. I went and gave a donation and got my poppy yesterday. I feel so patriotic, or something. I'm glad I did it. So also today we have no school, which is good because there was a planned power outage this morning that I forgot about when setting my alarm clock last night, and I didn't wake up until noon, since I didn't go to bed till about 3.

Last night I had some friends over. (I have friends! And I invited them over! And they came!) We played a whole lot of Uno, and I made a cake, and we talked, and I introduced people around, and we ended up watching a movie at the end of the night. Then my roommate came home with one of her friends (one of our two semi-roommates), and most everybody left except the Long Haired Christian (I sure do love making up names for people. Is that one ok, LHC?). Me and Roomie #1 and Semi-Roomie and LHC stayed up and colored coloring pages that they printed out. I colored a ninja turtle, and a cinderella, and a smurfette. And I learned that colored pencils are not colored pencils, but pencil-crayons. We had a fight about which was the most appropriate name for them. The fight ended when they pointed out that I chose to live here, so I have to assimilate into their culture.

Oh, and by the way, there was a reason for the coloring pages. Semi-Roomie's birthday is coming up, and they're going to make invitation cards with a colored page on each. I think it's a fun idea.

Blogger hates me

Ok, so I don't post that often. The one time I've got something I really want to talk about, and show you, blogger gets all stupid about the photo thing, and won't upload my picture. The whole post is pretty much worthless without the picture. So you guys get nothing. Really. I was actually going to write out a fun story, and tell you all kinds of cool stuff, and make my post more than a sentence long, but no. Maybe I'll still feel like talking later when blogger feels like cooperating. Maybe.

Holy It's Still Snowing, Batman!

I'm not used to precipitation that hangs around and keeps going for hours on end. I'm used to rain that comes for maybe fifteen minutes, then moves on and you don't get rain again for a month. This is insane and cool. Today I walked outside into the snow. It was so cute! Like down feathers, or powdered sugar or something. I will admit, though, that when it's windy, a snowflake in the eye is fairly unpleasant. Not that it's cold or anything, just that you can't see very well. It's like a bug in the eye, only gentler and it doesn't leave bug guts in your eye. Also, thanks mom and dad for the scarf. I still haven't had time to knit one for myself (I just finished the one for the underpriveledged children), so this'll be good to have between now and when I make my own. When I got the package, I thought mom had accidentally mailed me an empty box, cause the fleece is so light. I was about to laugh, when I opened it and saw the scarf.

Holy SNOW, Batman!

Yes, it has happened.

Brief Interlude

I'm partway through writing a hugely long paper, and just thought I'd show you all what I saw when I looked out my bedroom window this morning. Yes, folks, the trees, they were white. So was the grass, and so were the edges of the leaves on the cute little bushes that have big red berry things. No, it wasn't snow (although I hear it has snowed in Parts Moreknown this morning, so it's only a matter of time. Short time, I hope). It was frost. And isn't it the prettiest thing ever? On the downside, when I went to my car last night to drive to the movies, I was required to borrow an ice scraper to make my windows see-throughable. Guess I need to go buy one of my own, in case there isn't someone around to lend me one next time.

Huh.

I went to a Halloween party tonight with my Mexican friend. It was put on by the Intervarsity Fellowship for Christian Students and Other People and What Have You. You know what I'm talking about. I really don't know what this particular one is called, but it was interesting. Those people that go to them, they're like church people, only they're a little more normal. And by normal, I mean that after the party in a room at school where we had a Napolean Dynamite Dance-Off, we all trooped over to this one guy's house and played cards and laughed and ate cheese dip and watched Shaolin (or something like that) and I made friends. The Outgoing Mexican has done amazing things for my life. Really. She got me to speak up and enjoy myself with the other exchange students, she got me to exercise most every weekday in the morning, and thusly got me to go to my morning class more regularly, she's introduced me to various individuals, she got me inadvertantly wrapped up in this Christian group that is actually a bunch of people I really enjoy being around. What will she do to make my life better tomorrow? Cause seriously, since I've known her, my life has improved pretty much daily. Outgoing Mexican, you are the best. You seriously rawk.

And I was Robin Hood. All I had to do was buy some yellow felt and sew two triangles together to make a hat (a Rather Dashing Hat, at that), and wear my green hooded tshirt. Also some pants, and my brown scarf wrapped rougishly around my torso. Easiest and cheapest costume ever, excluding the Girl-With-a-Worm-on-her-shoulder, which only required one gummi worm. But yeah, I'd say that $1.93 for some felt was a great investment for how surprisingly well my costume turned out. I was totally recognizable.

And as we were driving home around 2:00, it was all dark and stuff. It had rained in the afternoon, and there was all kind of misty-foggy stuff happening. It was so cool- Outgoing Mexican and I were in raptures, pointing and giggling, while the guy we were driving home inwardly laughed at us for being so stupid. Well, he probably has seen this several times a year for the past ten years, while for us it's a completely new and foreign concept. Outgoing Mexican and I hope for (and expect) snow in the next week or so. Hopefully. We have our fingers crossed.

Good Day

I've decided that I like tuesdays and thursdays. I get up at 7:00, work out from 7:30-8:30, then go back home and sleep till 11:00. Then I take a shower (sometimes I take a shower before falling back asleep. It depends) and eat fun things for lunch. Like today, I'm having leftover macaroni and cheese and some peach yogurt. Then I fiddle around, checking email and listening to music till quarter to one, when I get to go to my Power and Justice class. Then I'm done! Thursdays are especially good, because I have the knitting group in the evening, where we sit around and knit scarves for less-fortunate kids. I'm almost done with my scarf, and when I am, I'm going to make myself a touque (this is a fun word, and you pronounce it like TOOK. Except you'll still get it wrong, cause it's not like the word took so much as it is lik the word Ook. Like, ooky stuff on your shoe, or like spook). Anyway. I'm going to make myself a touque so my head doesn't freeze in the winter. Because touque is just a great way to say beanie with little ear flaps and ties. Maybe a pom pom on the top, too. We'll see.

Ugh. I know working out is supposed to be good for you, and build muscles and stuff, but does it have to be so hard? Today we did elliptical for 35 minutes, then spent the rest of the hour doing various abdominal-working exercises. It was tough. Which reminds me of the first day I worked out with my current workout buddy- she made me do all of these arm-working exercises that day, which made me realize that just as "chicken wings are not for flying," "people wings are not for lifting all kind of heavy barbells and stuff." But maybe they will be, if I just work out more.

This is my 165th post

It's been a good weekend. Went to a party on Friday night, then out for food around 11 oclock, then back home where I had some friends stay over since all of my roommates were gone. We sat around talking and eating ice cream in our pajamas. It was fun. Yesterday we went to the Science Center, which was a bit like the most wonderful Exploratorium in (San Francisco? I don't remember anymore). This one not only has the fun hands-on exhibit things, but it also has an Imax theatre and a climbing wall and a gyroscope. We tested out each of these factors, and pronounce them all Very Fun. However, since I always wear flipflops wherever I go, I had to rock climb barefoot. This made it a little tougher to do, also a little more painful. It also made my feet very dirty. I'll need to remember to wash them extra carefully today, so I don't look like a homeless person when I go to church.


***News break: I was just reading over what I wrote, and I noticed something that's very odd for me. I have friends! I moved here less than two months ago, knowing not a soul, and I already have friends! This is truly amazing.***

Why?

Why do i find money in my bathroom? Seems like every time i go in there, there's a quarter or loonie on the floor. Are people using my bathroom and leaving me money in gratitude? I've secretly claimed ownership of all money i find on the floor in there. I should keep a jar just for bathroom money. I could use it to buy toiletpaper, or something. I know that the money doesn't belong to my roommate, because she hasn't used the bathroom between when i used it last and when i found the money. Really, it could be anyone, with how many people come and go through here. Mmm. Bathroom money.

Lovely

It's raining today. And it's completely overcast. I love that. Love the rain, love not even imagining that you could see the sun. I wish it were like this every day. I'm so glad I took a shower last night. My hair is therefore already done, and dry, and I can get ready without getting too hot or too cold, and I can feel perfectly comfortable and warm while walking through the rain on my way to class. You have no idea how happy a good rainy day can make me.

If you look in the mirror, it's your father's face

I can't seem to remember what made the weekend so fun. I guess just being out there, bonding with people who are so different from me, yet so much the same. Being semi-camping, in the cold (oh, the bitter cold, that mocked me for leaving my mittens and jacket at home), kind of uncomfortable and dirty. I love that feeling. I enjoy things so much more when they're not perfectly right. A smelly cabin with no sheets on the bed and a picnic table outside with freezing rain and wind is so much more cozy and appealing to me than a lush, warm, hotel would be. It's more fun to go canoeing in the rain without a coat, and then get so sandy and wet that you need to take a shower in a horrible stall that's about a foot squared in area, passing the soap between three stalls. I made new friends this weekend. I realized that some of the people that I feared before are actually not so bad as they previously seemed. They just needed to be in a less formal situation for them to become friendly and real people. I was so tired the day after we got back, really exhausted, although I can't really think what I did to make me so tired. But it's fun to have a good time with new friends, and start the week tired. I've spent too many weekends doing nothing and starting the next monday tired from nothing, or even worse, not tired. The activity broke up the monotony of mid-semester langour that hangs on you for weeks on end. And today, I feel almost refreshed! I even took a midterm today, and I think I did okay on it. I feel justified in sitting around tonight, playing on the internet, talking to friends I haven't spoken with in awhile. Maybe I'll watch a movie tonight. Maybe I'll just go to be early. Maybe I'll eat cookies and listen to music while I knit. The thing is, I'd be happy with any of those options. Usually I just want to sit around doing nothing for hours on end, until it's two in the morning and I'm dissatisfied with myself and the world. Tonight I will do something to make myself happy.

I was going to write about my weekend, but...

I'm too unhappy. Well, not unhappy per se, rather, I'm lacking that happiness that is required to write about such a fun time. I watched a tv show this evening that brought up some sad memories, and then I read some friend-of-a-friend's blog, and her bitchiness really made me mad. I've never met her, I've never heard what my friend has to say about her, but the things she writes make me want to slap her. Plus, I've got a midterm tomorrow that I need to study for. So you'll have to wait yet longer for the wonderful recap. At least you get this nice picture.

Finest Paris Lumps

This is a warning: I'll soon be posting about the most fun weekend i've had since two weekends ago. Get ready: it was good.

Cried the Dust Speck

Just thought I'd take a moment to let you all know I'm here. I've been checking my email all day, but to no avail. I'm waiting for a message from someone to tell me where I'm supposed to be when for this weekend's adventure (more on that later), and it's getting a little close to the day. Hopefully he'll tell me soon, so I can make it. Also, I've felt a little disconnected from my internet people. Hello, internet people! I am significant! Look at me!

On the whole, though, I'm good. No longer sick. Went to my classes. Participated a lot in my Jane Austen class; the professor knows my name, and begins to look for my hand when she asks questions of the class. This is a good thing. I stayed after institute tonight and played a little foosball with some guys- I didn't do very well altogether, but I made three or four rather excellent, high-five worthy goals, so they thought I was better than I really was. Which made me feel good. I even wore my robot shirt today, now that it finally came. Now I think I'll go and read some Pride and Prejudice. It's homework! How lucky am I that my homework for a quarter of my classes is to read Jane Austen novels to my little heart's content?

Nothing helps your self esteem like good cooking

I was just sitting around, feeling stomach-achy and gross, reading. I'm thinking I must've gotten a mild case of food poisoning from the dinner I had yesterday with a bunch of people from residence. Food made ahead of time for masses of people, and all that. Anyway, I didn't feel good, but I felt like eating something. I got up, stuck my head in the fridge, and saw two eggs. I proceeded to make a cute little omelette, which folded perfectly, and was just the right size to make me not hungry anymore without upsetting my stomach further. I know, I know. I've taken two years of culinary arts, and I've made much more detailed, lovely things in my time. I've made a Thanksgiving turkey or two. But something about this omelette just reassured me, telling me that yes, I can live on my own, I'm capable, even when I'm not feeling well. Now I think I'll go back to lying on my bed and reading.

O happy day!

Has anyone else noticed anything unusual about today? Like perhaps, how amazingly lovely and delicious it is outside? I picked a good day to decide to walk around the lake. I'm going to go in a little bit, with my roommate that came home earlier than I was expecting her today. And it will be great. Exercise without getting nasty and gross like I would if I went to the gym. Plus, it will be fun to see the lake right now- there's all kind of geese and ducks and stuff sitting around. Often I'll be walking outside, and look up and there's a nice little formation of geese flying, making their cute little goose noises. I hope this beautiful weather and good feeling lasts.

Just shoot me now, please

I never thought this day would come. I thought I was above all this. But, I don't know. Working at Taco Bell for so long, it was just bound to happen, especially with all of those late nights with just me, a couple of coworkers, and the Muzak. The very thought brings me such shame, such anguish. I'm just going to lay it out for the entire world to see: I like Hanson. I don't know how it happened. First, I would mock them when their music came on while I was mopping the lobby, then as it got more familiar, I'd hum along. I've been away from Taco Bell for almost two months now, and just yesterday I.... purchased "Penny & Me" from iTunes. There. It's been said. I feel like a guilty weight has been lifted from my shoulders. But parents, tell your children: Just say No to crappy Teeny-bopper music. You can use me as an example- "do you want to wind up like her? I'm going to stop typing now, and play the song. I need my fix.

So excited.

I've come up with a killer plan. I'm going to do something really fun and cool for spring break this year. I'm not going to tell you what it is, because that would ruin the surprise, especially since I just barely thought of it, and spring break isn't for several months yet. But rest assured, it's the Best Plan Ever. Well, not the best one ever, but really pretty good considering my circumstances- where I am, how much money I have, and how much time I'll have. It's such an exciting plan, though, that I want to run around screaming with my hands flailing above my head. I can't wait till spring semester comes. I'll be doing some fun stuff. Any other suggestions for when I drive back home this spring after school gets out? I've got the germ of a plan for that, too, but other opinions are welcome. I've got plenty of time to think about it.

You know...

If the whole like, eight of you that read my blog click on the link to threadless and buy a shirt each, you'll earn me enough streetteam points for me to get a shirt free. And we all know how much I like free stuff. And like three of the new shirts for the week are awesome. Do it... for the good of the country.

Ping Pong

Don't ask what the image has to do with today's post; you'll only be disappointed. What I'm going to talk about tonight is.... umm, ping pong. And by ping pong, I mean, how it's nice to have roommates that are weird. I initially wasn't sure I would like my roommates. They seemed cliqueish, and they all knew each other from high school. They're younger than me, and are way more outgoing and college-y than me. However, they are also mighty dorky and fun. We're getting along very well. We're friends, and we like to cook dinner and eat together, and watch movies and play games. They invite me into their lives, but they don't force stuff on me that I'm not interested in. Last night we played Pretty Pretty Princess. I won. We have an Almost Roommate, who actually lives in a different building, but is around all the time- she makes dinner sometimes, and she always helps with the dishes. She drives us to the movies, and we hang out and talk. She likes me, too. She's like a warped version of Carrottop, which makes me happy, and she thinks I'm smart and wonderful (this also makes me happy). Tonight we played ping pong, but mostly played Hit the Ball and then Chase it Down the Hall. They are fun- they ask if I will be their friend forever, and invite them to my wedding, and they laugh at the story of how I got hit by a car while I was on my bike. I'm glad I got put in this suite- my roommates are the best.

*melts*

This is one of many pictures I took while in Parts MoreKnown this weekend (a few hours north of Parts Unknown). I love love love that city. Look at it! There's a river! and bridges! and all kind of foliage! Apparently Parts MoreKnown isn't even as beautiful as some other cities around here. I found it to be big enough to not be claustrophobic, but small and well-designed enough to be cozy. Also it had a more fun and eclectic culture than Parts Unknown, which made me feel a little more at home. I spent a few hours by myself (while my guide was at a meeting), just driving around and finding things that needed to be photographed. I also went walking along the river after dark (which is safe to do round here) with my guide, and we looked at how cool the water looked with all the pretty city lights reflecting off it. Unfortunately I had left my camera in the car so I couldn't document the cool-looking nighttime.

Yo

:Hello?
-Hi
:Hi
-This isn't Sarah or Jane*, is it?
:No, it's not.
-Oh. Well, how are you?
:I'm pretty good. How are you?
-Alright. Whatcha doing?
:I'm watching a movie.
-Watching a movie? Man, it's friday night! Listen, are they home?
:No, they're not.
-Oh. Well, when they get back, could you tell them to call Steve, Joseph, Michael and Alice? They've got some serious boozing it up to do.
:Kay.
-You're not one of their moms, are you?
:No. I'm their roommate. (nice to know i sound like a mom)
-Oh, ok. I didn't want to be talking to a mom about that.
:Ah.
-So you'll tell them we called?
:Yes.
-And when you're done with your movie, you can come up, too. Party a little.
:Yeah, ok.
-Alright, bye. Wait, do you want our number?
:No.
-Oh, I see how it is. Bye.


*names changed to protect the innocent. and the guilty.

You and your racist friends

My roommates are having a party. Actually, they WERE having a party, and now there's just a few people left hanging around, oblivious to the fact that everybody else has left, and they're no longer having fun. Why stick around? You're just sitting around my kitchen, talking loudly and not saying anything interesting or worthwhile. Go home. You've got school in the morning.

Anyway, I just heard the most embarrassing thing come out of the living room. I'm blushing, and I'm just sitting in my room by myself with my door closed. This girl, (I think she's the same loudly drunk girl that came over a week or so ago and was obnoxious then, too) is talking about her roommates from last year in residence. "Yeah, I walked in the first day, and this girl opens the door, and her name's like Chin-Min-Young-Soon-Freakin-Sing, and I just wanted to burst out crying. And then my other roommate is from like Africa, and she's like blacker than black, and I'm like the whitest person in my apartment, and I just cried for two days straight, till I realized that I could switch rooms."

Loudly Drunk Girl, what is wrong with you? You cry for two days because your roommates aren't just like you? You are upset by this? You switch rooms to get away from people that you've barely even met? I weep for you.

'This is where the party ends; I can't stand here listening to you and your racist friends." Never thought that song would have such meaning in my life.

Once I Flew

The past couple of days have been good days. I've been going to classes, and feeling happy about them, and I've been sleeping, and eating, and spending some time with my roommates. And I'm just feeling ecstatic about how comfortable I feel in Parts Unknown. It's good. My room is generally kept clean and pretty looking, the campus is cozy and nice, the town is lovely right now. They have seasons here, like, where the leaves on the trees turn colors, and fall off. It's so pretty to see the carpet of dead leaves on the ground. Probably I wouldn't think they were so pretty if I had to take care of a yard and rake them up and stuff, but just to look at them is so gorgeous. This weekend I'm going to go and see another city somewhat north of here, which is apparently even lovelier than here. And I might be going to my roommates' hometown for Thanksgiving, which should be interesting. Or I may just stay here and be lonesome by myself. We'll see. But autumn is my favorite season right now. All pretty and brisk-feeling.

Willoughby was a Player

I was going to put up a picture of the candy cane trees from the park, but blogger is again hating me and my photography. So all you get today are words. I went to a dance the other night, where I danced like a Dancing Fool. So much like one, in fact, that some people believed I was one. Towards the end of the dance, I decided that everyone would profit by my sitting down and observing for a while. The last song they played, they ordered the young men to go and find someone who wasn't dancing, and make them dance just this one time during the night. So I was asked by one of the three brothers who are incredibly self-assured. They are very friendly to everyone, but at the same time, are very pleased with themselves and their coolness. I don't mind these type of people, as long as they are sufficiently charming, which these brothers are. So I danced with this guy, and during the song, the three brothers and their partners maneuvred towards each other, and decided to have a "dipping contest:" whichever brother could dip his partner the lowest, or with the most grace, won. The first girl got confused as to which way she was being dipped, and they didn't do so hot. My partner gave me a little better direction- "I want you to just fall back, and don't worry, I won't drop you." He spun me around first, with great flourish, and I did my stuff. Or rather, I fell back, and let him do his stuff. I must say I've never felt as graceful as I did just then; I went so low, I even pointed one leg out rather stylishly. I think I could have lived my life happily without ever being dipped, but I'm not going to say I didn't enjoy that moment. The moment was hilariously ruined a few minutes later, when the brothers stopped dancing in order to stand together and sing the closing lines of the song in perfect harmony. Well sung, but still rather silly and foppish.

Barbeque

I know you've all heard of the Trojan Horse, but did you know that there is also a Trojan Goose? I didn't know, either, until yesterday afternoon. We had a day full of fun that started in this park on the lake. The playground was all kinds of cool- besides the goose, which is actually a slide(!), there are fun things to jump on, and a tube to crawl through, and these weird candy cane-looking tree trunk things. I don't know what they're for, but they're like something you'd see in a Dr Seuss book, and they make me happy. Every town should have a Dr Seuss park. Our children would be happier, and our criminals would be more inventive.

Anyway. The barbeque was fun, we had all kinds of hamburgers and chicken and hot dogs, and we played games, and I was able to meet some more fun people. The last activity of the barbeque was a game of mass-disorganized-football, and as I was too wimpy to play, I sat on the grass and felt the sun on my back and took pictures. I'd say it was my favorite weekend I've had since I got here. Here's to hoping the weekends get even better!

Brrr

I got home around midnight last night, and got on the computer to talk to check my email, etc. I went to bed around 1:30, feeling tired and happy, snuggled into my covers. At around 4:00, I was jolted awake by a loud noise. What was it? Were my roommates home early? Did something go wrong with my alarm clock? I stumbled around the apartment, trying to turn off whatever this loud noise was, because it was probably waking up the whole building. Somehow, I figured out that it was SUPPOSED to wake the whole building, because that's what fire alarms do. While I was still half unconcious, I returned to my bedroom and changed my pants. I don't know why I did that, because I was still very much groggy. I think I may have fallen over in the process; I don't remember. Then I searched for my keys- I looked in my backpack, on the kitchen table, on my dresser, then finally found them on my desk, next to my computer. Duh. I was almost out the door, when I remembered a friend retelling the story of the fire alarm going off in HER building last week, and how it took them an hour to check every room before they could go back inside, and how she was just wearing her pajamas, and nearly froze to death. So I lunged drunkenly back into my room and grabbed my sweatshirt, then high-tailed it out of there. I was probably one of the first twenty to get outside, since I'm only on the second floor, and the stairs are right next to my apartment. We stood outside for probably twenty minutes, feeling tired and cold. Even with my sweatshirt and jeans on, I was shivering like nobody's business. I don't know how the people in their pajamas must've felt. Cold, probably. After the fire trucks arrived, somebody realized that this was going to take a while, and trotted over to the kinesiology building closeby. This started a mass migration of all the residents of the two towers into the big hallway of that building. We camped out there for maybe another 45 minutes, mingling and sleeping and being a little warmer than we were outside. I grabbed a spot on the far side of a big column from the rows of glass doors, which protected me from some of the radiant chilliness, and tried to relax and be drowsy, so that I could fall asleep again once we were allowed back inside. People were there in every degree of dress and undress you can imagine: many were in pajamas, with bare feet, many in flip-flops and pajamas with a coat on, some were fully dressed like myself, some were even more fully dressed, wearing scarves and coats and mittens, there was one guy wearing socks but no shoes, one guy wearing only a pair of shorts, some people were wrapped in fleece blankets, one guy had an entire comfortor draped over his head and body, and one girl was wearing only an overcoat. It was interesting to see how many people chose warmth over a quick exit, and how many people left so fast they didn't even think to put shoes on. I pity the people who live on the twelfth floor, or even the fifth floor, because you know there must have been a giant mass of people trying to get into the elevator when we came back inside, and they couldn't very well go up all those stairs happily. Fortunately, I only had one set of stairs to go up, so I didn't have to wait in line for the elevator. I went back to bed around 5:15, with a huge stomach-ache and shivering legs. And I think I'll go back to bed again, since I don't have anywhere to be for a few hours yet.

Site Revamp

As you may have noticed, things are a little different here. I'd like you all to know that that was ALL ME. Well, really, I used the old template, and fiddled around with the colors and fonts and other settings. But for me, that's a big accomplishment. I will say that it took me a fair... uh, five hours from conception of idea to finishment of task. Now that I think of it, that's a little embarrassing. But when you take into account the fact that I knew absolutely NOTHING about html when I woke up this morning, it makes sense that I would have to google "hex colors" and "font families" and read through some stuff before even starting on what I wanted it to look like. Basically, I just went through the template, googling stuff that looked important, and changing colors of various commands to figure out what that line was in control of. So it took me a while. While I am proud of my work, I know that it's nowhere near perfect. You'll just have to live with that; I am. Please enjoy the new look, and I'll see you again when I have something real to say.

Sometimes you must listen to Crappy Johnny Cash Music

I finally got my film developed from the week before I left home, and from the trip up here to Parts Unknown. It was kind of hard, because I just wanted cd's, without prints, and cd's made in photo places don't usually play nice with my Mac. It took some doing, but I got the pictures into my Giant File Of Photos. So now I'll be posting some of those pictures here. Maybe I'll do something of a photoblog. I'll pick one picture per day, and talk about it; that way I'll actually post regularly, and there will maybe be something interesting for you guys to read. Today's picture:

This is what looks interesting if you live in Wyoming.

When does it rain?

Seriously, I'll be sitting at my desk, reading or whatever, I'll get up and look out the window, It's completely dry and cloudless. I'll sit back down again for awhile, get up again and look out the window, and the ground is all wet and it's cloudy. What gives? Why don't I notice the water falling out of the sky? It's not like I close my shades or anything. I really love to watch rain fall. I hate seeing the evidence of rain that's passed. It's depressing; I'd much rather see it happening, and I keep on missing it! I'll just have to sit outside ALL DAY EVERY DAY so I can experience the rain.

THE WORLD MUST BE PEOPLED!

That is one of my top ten favorite movie quotes. That, along with many others, like "'I love you.' 'I know.'" And, "Should you be drinking alcohol when you don't have a liver?" And some other ones that I can't remember right now. Oh! Like, "HERE is where the birds sing! HERE is where the sky is blue!" THAT one is my very favorite of all. But you must jab yourself with a fork while saying it. Anyway. What was I talking about? Oh, right. Why do my hands smell like onions? No, that's not what I was talking about... Ok, I've forgotten the real point of this post, so I'll just conclude with one more quote, that I believe sums up all that is important in the world (and I'm not even joking): "Candy doesn't have to have a point. That's why it's candy."

five shillings to anyone who remembers where all those quotes come from.

Subcutaneous Phat

This is because I know you all want to see what my desk looks like right now. As in, I took the picture thirty seconds ago. You can also be assured that my left foot is perfectly healthy, as shown in the picture. My digital camera works sporadically, so I have to take advantage of it when I can, whether or not anything worthy of being photographed is happening.

I was just sitting today, thinking, and watching TV. A couple of things caught my attention during this activity. The first was that I already am familiar with the station jingle of a previously unknown channel. I've only lived here for... two weeks and a half, and I already have memorized commercials, jingles, etc. I don't even watch that much tv. Just goes to show you how powerful advertising is. The second, and more funny thing, was a commercial that I wasn't familiar with, that showed maybe 3 seconds of some kid playing the bagpipes. This reminded me not of one, not two, but three personal memories that involve bagpipes.

Memory the first: I was maybe fourteen, and we were visiting my grandma. We found the old set of bagpipes that had belonged to some ancestor, and had fun watching my younger cousins try to play them, resulting in some pretty awful and frightening noises.

Memory the second: I was at a youth conference when I was about 17, at which we had something of a battle of the bands. Imagine six bands of fairly untalented 16-year olds, doing covers of Weezer songs, or even worse, singing their own original songs. One band had a guy who played the bagpipes. He was actually pretty good, and I had a total crush on him for the rest of the night.

Memory the third: hmm. Can't seem to remember it anymore... oh yeah! When I went to BYU in March to visit my friend Carrottop, we were sliding down this long outdoor banister (which got my pants all rusty and brown. don't try to do it while wearing nice pants), when we saw this guy walking around on the street, playing the bagpipes, for no apparent reason. Probably cause he was Mormon and weird, and come to think of it, it was St. Patrick's day, or close to it. Scotland and Ireland are close enough in most people's minds that it could seem a reasonable idea. For whatever reason, he continued walking up the street, playing his song, and we paused to watch and laugh and enjoy the randomness.

Shopping Spree

Ok, not really. But I did buy some stuff to help me make it through winter here in Parts Unknown. I gots an orange sweater (wool!), a green, double-layer hoodie, and a scarf! A scarf! Can you believe that I've got one? It's all... black, and red, and beige. It's pretty cool. And by cool, I mean warm. And fun. And stylish. I'm all trying to remake myself, pretending that I always buy stylish things, that I just don't know how to dress in cold weather. I'm letting my style-concious roommates tell me what I should and shouldn't buy, and I'm actually halfway enjoying looking like I abide by some style rules when putting together an outfit. S'fun. Excuse me, I have to go and play with my new scarf.

Sometimes I touch my wall, just to see if you're there.

One of my roommates said that to one of my other roommates the other day. I don't know why she said it, but I think it's unbearably funny. I'm so enjoying this whole thing. I'm enjoying writing letters and buying stamps to send them with, I'm enjoying living with fun people that are including me more and more as we get comfortable with each other, I'm enjoying even walking out of class and being chilly and wrapping my sweater around me more tightly. I'm also enjoying my classes. Especially now that I've discovered that I'll be ok if I drop the stupidly hard and boring one. I got my first real piece of mail today, a card from my mom that said how much she missed me, and told me not to walk around at night, and to study, and to go to classes and stuff. I really loved the feeling of opening my little box and seeing an envelope in there. Please please send me letters. It makes me happy. I'm sending some out tonight, and it'd make me happy to have regular letter-writing back and forth. It's so much more satisfying than email. But it's actually kind of fun to be a little lonely, too. Makes me feel independant and brave, being in a foreign town with foreign people and foreign coldness. Parts Unknown seems to be a little small for my tastes, but it's still pretty cool.

Threadless, you know I love you...

But why didn't you tell me something went wrong when i ordered my shirts? I thought i purchased two shirts, but when they didn't come and didn't come, i finally checked my receipts in my email, and there was nothing saying that i ever ordered them. I know i selected them and gave my credit card info and stuff. Something weird must've happened, because threadless doesn't have any idea that i wanted those shirts. Now i am sad because i have lost my enthusiasm for one of the shirts, and have only ordered the other. I guess it's a good thing, and i'm actually saving money this way, but still.

Abote

Here I am, in the dorms at Parts Unknown University, laying down for my fourth night on a hard, hard mattress. It's like, foam. Hard foam. Hard, thin foam. But really, that (and the amazingly long line at the bookstore this afternoon) is the only thing I'm not enjoying abote my exchange. I say "abote" because that's how they say it here, and not "aboot," as I'd been led to believe. Anyway. My roommates, they are all from the same hometown, along with maybe a third of the university's population. They all went to the same highschool together, and have all kinds of inside jokes and history and stuff. They're nice to me, and friendly, when they think about it. But really, I can't blame them for hanging out with their friends all the time. I would, if I had friends around.

That's why today was so great. Today I went to the orientation and reception for exchange students. It was the most fun I've had for a long time, meeting people from Australia and Sweden and Mexico and Finland and Belgium and Brazil and stuff. Everybody had a different accent, everybody didn't really know anybody, but was anxious to get to know people and make friends. We all sat around and talked about our countries, and what languages we speak, and what we think of Parts Unknown so far, and why we came, and how worried we are about the winter and snow and stuff. It was excellent. We're all looking forward to doing stuff as a group, like skiing in november, and maybe having dinners together, and going to other cities to see the sights, and playing games and all kinds of stuff. We sat around, eating pizza and drinking tang and exchanging emails. I'm glad I've got that group to be with, because my roommates and other natives tend to be a little clique-ish, and not do much except sit around talking about the old times and going to the bar. Tomorrow I'll go to the rest of my classes, meet all my professors, and maybe get a little more shopping done. I keep thinking of things I need to buy, and I've been to the store like 6 times in the past four days. I'll try and keep you all posted with my comings and goings, if I'm not too busy having fun!

Dude.

I'm in South Dakota right now. About 2 miles from Mt Rushmore. Just thought I'd check in and tell you all that. Much as I'd like to speak at length about the past coupla days, nyquil makes me just a tad drowsy. Since I've read about the dangers of blogging while drunk, I think I'll leave it at that for tonight. See you in a couple of days, o internet people.

June, Leo, Quincy and Annie

Ugh. Maybe I should watch less Disney Channel. 'Cept I think the commercials are on all the channels. And I don't really watch Disney at all. But apparently there's some DVD called like Baby Einsteins, and the commercials for it drive me up the wall with annoyance and frustration. It's these four little cute cartoon kids. One likes to conduct, one likes to dance, one likes to sing, and one likes instruments. At the end of the commercial, the happy woman selling the dvd asks, "which baby einstein is YOUR child?"

I want to pull an elvis and shoot the screen out with a gun. Listen to me: not all children are geniuses. Not all geniuses are gifted in musical areas. Not all gifted people have such a focused strength in just one area. But really. Come on, people. Get over yourselves. Letting the TV babysit your kid isn't really the best way to nurture a young child, gifted or not. As Ian Holm's character in Chariots of Fire puts it, "you can't put in what God's left out." People expect children to become magically smarter if they listen to mozart. But there is WAY more that goes into a child's brain development than that. Music may stimulate the mind for a short period of time, but you can't play one song to a kid and then expect them to ace a history exam, or understand calculus. Learning takes work, folks, no matter whether you're Cameron Diaz or Albert Einstein or Joe Schmo. If you want to be smart, go out and study something. Be all that YOU can be, not all that someone else is (or was).

I am a Mouse Whore

No, mom, don't worry. It isn't anything morally wrong, I don't think. But really, I think I've got like five mice for my computer already, and I'm always on the lookout for another. Like seriously comparing features and prices and stuff. I've got one that's really tiny (REALLY tiny), with a retractable cord. I like that one for when I'm at school or somewhere where I can't really take a bunch of stuff with me, and can't use a whole lot of space up. It's portable, easy to use, and really cute. I've got a normal-sized mouse that I like to use at home. It's the closest thing I've got to a remote control for iTunes, being optical and wireless, so you can use it on any surface, like all the way across the room from my computer. Its usefulness is only limited by how far away I can be from my computer and still see the cursor. Also, the receiver is way too big, with like a three foot long cord. I've been seeing these newer mice that are smaller than my current wireless one, whose receivers are about the size of a thumb drive, and fit into the bottom of the mouse when not in use. That is what I really want. But I feel bad- I've almost purchased one several times, stopping short each time. I can't bring myself to buy something like that when I've already got several perfectly functional ones sitting at home. Plus, I just know that if I do buy one, the next week they'll come out with some amazing new one that is exactly what I want in a mouse and I'll have to buy that too, and I'll have an embarassingly large mouse graveyard in my desk drawer. Perhaps I should donate my extraneous mice to charity. But first I'll have to find one that is good for both traveling and staying at home, with all the features I've grown to love in all my other mice.

And, hooray! It's raining!

sigh.

you know that feeling where your plans for the evening fall through for the second night in a row, and you're looking all cute but have no one to show it to, so you decide to go shopping to make cupcakes, but you can't find those little paper umbrellas that you need for the cupcakes, so you spend an hour and a half looking for them at four different stores, finally find them, then come home and it's still only nine o'clock? that's how i feel right now.

Two reasons why ice skates are not to be trusted

Exhibit A: the blister from Hell. It's been almost a week, and it still hurts to walk on that foot.















Exhibit B: the bruise that is as big as my hand, and has since turned deep purple and green.




The rest of the night was just peachy, though. I had fun skating around, and I got pretty good at going fast without falling down. The only trouble with going fast is that if you don't know how to stop, you end up running into a wall at full speed. Which is what I did. Learn from my mistakes, children, and never, ever go skating in a place with walls. I vow not to go ice skating again till I'm in Canadia, where they can skate out in the open, and fall down onto the ground to stop. Or maybe I'll learn the real way to stop, and not have to fall down at all.

Today I'm packing up. Which is like, So Cool. Well, not really, because I'm packing up to move back to my parents' house for two weeks, but it's cool because it means I'm this close to leaving for school. Today begins my two-week preparation for the trip, and the year, and the rest of my life. I'm so excited that this whole exchange thing is actually happening, and that it's happening so soon I can smell it. But for now, I need to take a shower and finish boxing stuff up, so I'll be ready when my friend comes over with his truck to move stuff in a coupla hours. Maybe my next post will be a reflection on my few months in this apartment. Tune in next time to find out!

Bitter Much?

A certain roommate of mine is WAY better at the dvd game "Shout!" than I am. Perhaps I'd be better at it if I had actually seen a fair amount of movies, but I don't know. Probably not. Perhaps if I had been on her team, I would be rejoicing in this fact, rather than sullen and aggressive. As it is, we played Cranium later on tonight, and me and my teammate totally smoked the rest of the teams. Go us.

T minus

24 hours till I'll have been alive on this earth for 20 years and five minutes

16 days till I quit working in the Realm of Taco-y Goodness forever

1 month till I move to Parts Unknown for the next two semesters


And all is well with the world. Feel free to send me birthday wishes and/or presents, congratulations on my freedom from work, and things to keep me warm this winter in the place where it snows.

Prep

1. Cut and cook veg
2. Garlic toast 24
3. Garlic butter 6lb


that is what you would have seen on a white board in the kitchen if you'd been at the 5&Diner a few nights ago. I'd never been there before, but now i feel vindicated in saying that it's a strange place that i never want to go to again.

curious

guess what! a guy likes me! and it's appropriate! two other males have ever actually shown interest in me in my entire life. the first was seventeen when i was fifteen (and not allowed to date). he spoke barely any english, and kept emailing me, asking me to go to "a restaurant to eat fine food." it felt good to know that he was interested, but i was not yet ready. the second one has been sniffing around me (figuratively, not literally) for the past six months or so. he is 15 years my senior, divorced, and amazingly dorky and short. it creeps me out that he is so persistently trying to get at a girl who is so much younger, taller and heavier than him. this guy that is currently interested in me is only about 4 years older than me, and only a little dorky. he's friendly, and funny, and all that stuff that makes you like a guy.

however. i'm not terribly interested in him, except that he's interested in me. cause, you know, i've never had any kind of relationship before, so it feels good to be noticed and liked. i love the feeling of knowing that someone thinks i'm special. but at the same time, i feel like being receptive would be so very selfish of me. partially because i don't think we are particularly good for each other in terms of personality or mental processes (read: he's not quite as smart as me), but mainly because i'm going to be leaving town in a month, so it's like openly acknowledging the fact that i have no faith in any type of relationship we could have.

my question: should i encourage him and act like i want him in order to make myself feel good and get some practice at having a boyfriend, or should i discourage his efforts in order to keep from hurting him later on? it seems like i always do the nobler thing when given a choice like this, but it also seems that my life hasn't been very fun up to this point. perhaps i should indulge in a little selfishness now that i have the opportunity...

Andrew

Ok. Right now, the word that is probably most descriptive of my life is "DT." This does not stand for delerium tremens, and it also does not stand for Deseret Towers. Similarly, it doesn't stand for Duck Tales. Although i wish it did, because that would be awesome.

Once upon a time, after I had just graduated high school, my friend Uffish and i went out in search of our first jobs. She got hired at a local sandwich shop, and about a week later I got hired at the taco bell right next to it. Two years later, I'm still there (even though I've quit twice), and Uffish has been living elsewheres for school. Anyway, probably about a year ago, my managers realized that I was pretty good on the drive-through, onnaccounta I'm nice to the customers and I put on my special voice so i don't sound like death through the microphone. For about the past month or so, I've been on drive through eight hours a day, five days a week.

A few Things To Know about drive-through:

1. When a car pulls up to the speakerbox, a bell rings. Like, BING! right in your ear.
2. Some people have really quiet voices, so you have to turn the volume up all the way on your headset.
3. Some people drive diesel trucks.
4. Some people have loud voices, and others have barking dogs, screaming children, or a cell phone. Or all three.
5. Some people don't know what they want when they drive up, and sit there for several minutes trying to decide, while fifteen cars drive up behind them and start to honk because it's taking so long.
6. Some people are just plain stupid.

Which brings me to my first point, which is this: working the drive through for many, many, many days in a row can drive a quiet, shy person like me completely insane. This happened last thursday. I got to work in the morning, was on drive-through for about 45 minutes, and suddenly and unexpectedly exploded into hysterical sobs for a good ten minutes or so. The worst part was that for the first two minutes of my out-freaking, I was still taking orders and taking people's money through the window. That was a little awkward, and I got some interesting looks. The rest of that day, I was put in the kitchen area, making food. I had a great day once I was working with food, and not people.

Which brings me to my second, and main point. When a person is nice to you in the drive-through, or knows exactly what they want, and tells you clearly, or has an even voice, you notice, and are grateful. When a person is all three, and is attractive too, well, that person is Andrew. Andrew went to my high school, and I think he must've graduated when I was a freshman, because he is just barely familiar to me by sight. Andrew has a sexy voice through the speakerbox, and he is my Very Favorite Customer Ever. He used to come in all the time late at night when I used to work late at night, and you could always tell it was him by how wonderfully smooth his order was. Then he stopped coming. Then I started working daytimes. Then today he came again. His order was slightly different- he used to get the Mountain Dew Code Red. Now he gets the Mountain Dew Baja Blast. But he still got his mexican pizza with no tomatoes or green onions, and he still was as wonderfully wonderful as he always was before. Even though I hadn't seen him in months and months, probably since december, I still knew it was him as soon as he started ordering.

Every time I see him, I tell him how much I love him and how much I wish everyone was like him. And every time I tell him, he tells me how much of a jerk he is, and how if I met him on the street, I would think he was an *******. And every time he tells me that, I don't believe a word he says.

Percoset

I got my wisdom teeth out on Friday. All four of them. The oral surgeon sent me home with an envelope with two of them in it, and boy were they huge! I don't know how teeth even fit in your head. Anyway, we've discovered that percoset (or however you spell it) really makes me drowsy. As in, ten minutes after taking it, I'm so asleep that I don't even change positions in my sleep for 3 hours. I've been staying in my parents' house so mom can baby me and make me smoothies and stuff, and we have like fifteen kinds of pudding, lots of ice cream, three kinds of chocolate milk, and all the "cream of" soups I can imagine. Plus, I've been watching movies up the wazoo. Which is also great. The best thing of all, though, is that I don't have to go to work until Tuesday. And four days without setting foot in work is four days well spent.

The only problem? It's been two days now, and I know I should brush my teeth. But I'm afraid. What if I accidentally rip open the wounds? What if the toothpaste doesn't come out? What if I try to spit and my clots come out too? But my mouth is really starting to gross me out. I can smell my own breath. When I close my mouth and bite down, my teeth stick together with the accumulated grunge. This is Not Cool. I must brush my teeth soon. I'll put up a few pictures for your delight soon as well. Not of me brushing my teeth, but of my Marlon Brando jowels, and the teeth that I got in the envelope. That'll be fun to see, no?

This is Texas.

Awhile back, I went to South Carolina for the visiting of family and the attending of a wedding. We flew, and I had fun photographing the nifty strange circular fields. What gives? do crops grow better when planted in circles instead of squares? Wouldn't it be easier to do straight lines? How in the world did they get these fields so perfectly shaped? I think it must be aliens. As you can see, I'm having trouble with getting the font the right size. Give me some time. I'll figure it out.

Whoa. I mean, Whoa.

Ok, Mozilla Firefox rawks my socks. I had no idea the buttons I was missing out on. Like colors! And fonts! And just everything. I saw the thing advertising the Blogger photo capability, and tried to figure it out, but to my dismay, explorer on Macs doesn't do the whole buttons thing. So I finally broke down and got firefox. I think I've turned over a new page in my life. AND THIS PAGE HAS BUTTONS. AND STUFF.

I think I love you, Firefox.

Fear not, though. I'll try to keep my posts less frighteningly colorful and strangely sized. I'm just very excited. As you can see.

Look how smart

Your IQ Is 115

Your Logical Intelligence is Exceptional Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Above Average Your General Knowledge is Above Average

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

Hope that turns out looking like a thing, and not like a whole bunch of computer babble. Cause that'd make me look less smart.

Where do dentists go to gas up their cars?

The filling station, dummy!*

So I got two fillings this morning. I'm really glad that we found this dentist, because he's just great. And his staff are just great. And they don't hurt you. And if they do hurt you, they make you tell them so they can fix it and not hurt you anymore. And they give you a cd player to listen to so you don't hear the whine of the drill as much. But today I brought my iPod, so I just borrowed the headphones from their cd player.

I chose to listen to the Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots album by the Flaming Lips, cause it's mostly soothing to me. But during Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots pt. 2, I realized how ironic and funny my choice of music was: there I was, with people grinding away chunks of my teeth, while chaos and unrestrained screaming ensued in my iPod. I had it turned up loud, but I was afraid the dentist might hear it and take it as some sort of commentary on his work, so I skipped ahead to the next song.

*taken from the crappy Kids' Meal toys that we have at work right now. No joke. Except it IS a joke. Never mind.

Huwway fow Wodney Wabbit

I've got this coworker. He's a moron. And he's lazy and less than agreeable. I don't expect him to last long here at the prestigious fast food castle. But he is a fairly interesting person. Interesting in that he's stupid, but doesn't know how stupid he really is. And it's fun to watch him get angry or confused by the regular goings-on of the store. He's actually probably like average intelligence. But he acts dumb. And tries to pretend he's all black and ghetto. But he's not. Anyway, today I was watching him, just for the sheer entertainment of it, and he looked at me, and I decided I'd better say something so he doesn't think I like him or anything, cause I don't. So I stated what I was thinking about him: "Oscar Wilde once said that there are only two kinds of people, and they aren't good and bad. People are either charming or tedious." I've come to realize that that's a pretty astute observation. Anyway, I said that, and he looked at me for a minute, and then got kind of upset, asking in violent terms which I thought HE was- charming or tedious?

Let me ask you: would I start a conversation with ANYONE with the sole intention of telling them that they're tedious? His reaction was not what I expected it to be. Perhaps he's even dumber than I thought he was, or perhaps he just doesn't know me well enough to get that what I was trying to say was that he's charming. I decided not to tell him which he was, because it's more fun to watch him try to work it out on his own.

OK, so...

I don't really have anything much to say, except yes, I'm still feeling swoony about previously mentioned young man. Also, I remember why I quit my job before. Because working sucks. You have to, like, wake up in the morning at the same time. And take a shower, and eat breakfast. And then you have to stand up all day and be nice to people you don't care about and will never see again. And you have to be nice to them FAST, because heaven forbid I greet a customer 6 seconds after they drive up instead of 5. Really. You're evaluated on what percent of customers you greet within five seconds of their arriving at the drive through. Come on- when you go through a drive through at fast food, do you generally even have your window down in five seconds, much less know what you're going to order? Sheesh. I think I'm glad that I'm only back for a couple of months. And it's not like last time, when I said I was gone for good and then I came back three months later. This time, after I quit, I can't possibly come back. The commute would be like, three days each way. And that thought makes me so happy I could scream.

WHAT?

I'm watching the Greatest American show right now. I'd like to know: how did Hugh Hefner, Brett Favre, and Dr Phil get put in front of Lyndon Johnson?

Oh, and hey, on that Crestor commercial that they're playing every five minutes, is that Mandy Patinkin?

*Sigh* (but a happy sigh, not a depressed one like usual)

Okay, so I know I'm being a little girly and swoony, but, you know. I met this guy. Well, really, I met him a few months ago, but I never really got to know him very well. Last night a bunch of us from church went on a night hike. We left a little before sunset, with about thirty of us walking along the wide-paved road/trail thing. By the time it was dark, only about ten of us were still going- people aren't terribly into hiking, I guess. But us few hardcore hikers had a fun time. After a while, five people wanted to keep going the 3/4 of a mile to the end, but three others wanted to go back. I wanted to keep going, but as one of the three was my roommate and ride for the evening, I decided to go back with them. So the four of us, my roommate and I and two guys, walked along for a while, making small talk in the almost-pitch-black. After a little bit, I don't know if me and my companion were speedy, or if my roommate and her companion dropped behind, but we were suddenly paired off. Which was okay. I always get nervous trying to talk to more than one person at a time anyway. So we had a very interesting conversation for the three miles back to the parking lot. We got to know each other better, our disparate personal histories (VERY disparate), thoughts and feelings on various subjects, etc. It was really nice, and the setting was so pleasant- dark canyon, crickets chirping, frogs making sheep-noises, a cool breeze, and towards the end, we got out of the canyon and could see the city lights. Very nice. But this guy. He is one of the sweetest people I've ever met. Really very sweet, and thoughtful (as in, he thinks. Not like, he held the door open for me. Not that he wouldn't hold the door open. I'm sure he's thoughtful in that way, too. He just seems like the kind of guy that could probably solve all of the world's problems if you gave him some time). He's cute, too. Well, at least I think he's cute. He's not Brad Pitt, or any kind of mainstream good-looking type of face. But he has a kind face, and friendly and gentle expressions. And I fear I'm being too swoony and babbling a little. I just wanted to get that out in the open so that everyone can mock me. Feel free to mock me in person, over IM, or on the phone. I want to talk to an actual person in real time about this. It's still not off my chest.

Oh, people... people...

I am weak with mirth. Seriously. I don't know if it's because the list is funny, or simply because I'm tired. Really, though, I'm not all that tired. Here's the list: Pickup Lines: The FIrst Drafts. Ah, such hilarity. Such poetry. Alright, probably not, but it's good for a chuckle, or if you're weak like me, a good stifled guffaw. Do stifle it, though, because guffaws are singularly unenjoyable by anyone but the speaker.

In other news, I'm still in my new apartment, and I haven't run crying to my parents. Okay, I DID go to their house yesterday, but that was only to make salsa, because we don't have a food processor. And to get them to buy me dinner. Cause I'm saving up my money for, you know, rent. I'm feeling happy about my situation, my roommates, etc. We're even going hiking tomorrow night with a bunch of people. It will be fun, as long as no fearsome predators lurk out of the foothills and eat us.

The Exciting News

I'm writing this from my new apartment. That's right, I no longer live with my parents, and I finally have the chance to share a tiny room with someone, use a shower that has sub-par water pressure, and not be able to run inside for fear of disturbing the downstairs neighbors! Wow. When you put it that way, it seems like kind of a stupid move. Especially when you consider that I have to pay to live here. But no, it's cool. We're talking about utilities right now. Woo-hoo! Water and electricity and cable, oh my! So. I'm getting my introduction to roommate politics tonight, as one roommate is here, and the other is out. I fear that I won't be very good at it. What if I say the wrong thing? I could be snubbed forever! Fortunately, I'm only here for three months, till I go to far and away places for school in the fall. Great. Only I could pick the three least comfortable months of the year to change my housing from place-I-live-in-for-free-and-get-great-air-conditioning-and-water-pressure to place-I-have-to-pay-for-crappy-water-pressure-and-air. Hopefully the excellent social life will make up for it. Sigh. It's like every half hour I swing from "I'm so excited to be away from my parents and living on my own with cool people" to "I can't believe I just traded in my free and easy life of sitting around in a big ol' empty house watching tv all day and living with people I'm comfortable with." Right now I'm feeling like I want to cry and run home, but just watch- in a little while, I'll be basking in the glory of living away from my parents.

I am going to have to raid my parents' house tomorrow, though- for advil, sunflower seeds, a trash can and a fan.

Fun, fun stuff

For memorial day, the parents and I decided to go to the Boyce Thompsen Arboretum somewhat north from us. We got up early (ugh) and spent the morning walking around in one of the more scenic places in Arizona that I've seen that's still desert-y. There was much oohing and ahhing as we looked at pretty flowers, amazing rock formations, and our personal favorite, the benches that have misters on them. Oh yeah, and the nifty yellowish orange and black caterpillers on the fennel. They have a fun little herb garden, and we ran around, rubbing the various leaves with our fingers so we could smell them. And there were some fun smells to be smelled. This evening I went to a ward barbeque, where we ate shish-kabobs and lemonade, listened to oldies, and had general socializing and swimming. And throwing of people into the pool. In their shoes. Also the rest of their clothes. And OOH OOH OOH I want to tell you the excitingly important news that came from me attending the BBQ, but I think I'll hold off on the excitingly important news till a little later. Just to make sure it's real. But I won't leave you without some hint of the news, cause that would be mean. My hint: it's exciting.

This is what happens when I want to be on the internet, but have already checked my daily dose of blogs and email and other entertainment

I follow link upon link until I cannot remember where I came from. And I find this:

Reasons to Fear Canada

. Another exciting day in the life me. I almost wish I had a steady job. Oh, and hey! If you enjoyed that list, take a look at the others (follow the "more lists" link at the bottom of the page). I like the one that lists five folk instruments and five movie monsters and then says which are which. I knew three!

Cool as Kim Deal

I went shopping yesterday, and I'm now the proud owner of a pair of orange plaid capris. And a red peacoat. I think that's what it's called. But yeah. Peacoat.

Par-tay!

Am I wrong in saying that just about every single person on this planet except me has been to Rocky Point at some time or another? We're all sitting around tonight, talking, and they decide we're going there in a couple of weeks. They start talking about their last trip there, and how much fun it was. Rocky Point is the destination of choice for the entire university for spring break. All of my coworkers have gone there. Families from church go down there. I have never been there. The closest I got was when our dog was sick and the prescription was way cheaper in Mexico, so we went like two blocks into Nogales to a pharmacia. Then we came back out, went to McDonald's, and went home. It's so sad that the only time I've been to another country was to buy a bunch of pills for a dog. Sigh. Well, I guess that's why I'm going to Parts Unknown for school next year. Except I'd hardly call Canada another country. More like, I dunno. North Montana. Anyway, I probably won't go on this Rocky Point trip. A certain matronly person that I live with doesn't think it proper for me to go anywhere overnight in a group that includes males. Yet another reason why I have no friends. I don't do anything fun. Kind of a chicken-or-the-egg thing...

Hey Jack, What's Happening?

In my iTunes library, I've got:

Single Serving Jack, Psycho Boy Jack, and Jack's Smirking Revenge; all by the Dust Brothers off of the Fight Club soundtrack.

Trigger Happy Jack, by Poe, off of the Hello album.

Jack-***, by Beck, off of Odelay.

The Ballad of Jack Dolan, by Moloney and O'Connell off of the There Were Roses album.

Hit the Road Jack, by who knows who.

Surfin Bird, by who knows who, off of the Full Metal Jacket soundtrack.

I hate the way my clothes smell after eating at TGI Fridays

But how often do you get a chance to eat dinner with someone who says things like "I had an incident with my wart stick today"? How do you pass up such a golden opportunity?

What does a nervous breakdown sound like?

Imagine you've been sitting around the house for seven days, and are not sure what day it is. It's ten in the evening, and you realize that you have a final at eight the next morning. And you haven't studied. Imagine spending an hour frantically condensing your notes from the last half of the semester onto one page, and wondering how you're going to memorize all the musical selections' titles and composers overnight for the listening section of the exam. Then imagine looking down at the notes from the last day of class, and seeing the words you wrote REAL BIG at the top of the page: FINAL FRIDAY AT 8AM. Duh. Tonight's only tuesday. Now imagine deciding to ignore the whole problem until it's thursday at ten in the evening. No need to worry before it's worrying time. And hey! I've already got my study sheet written up! I can wait till ELEVEN! Maybe tomorrow I'll write that final paper for the other class...

Two things: ...no, make it three. Maybe four...

Thing One: When in the world did school end? I was just getting into the semester, and BANG! it's gone. It still only seems like February, or March at the latest. Sigh.

Thing Two: A new record. It only took me two days to get bored with summer. There's nothing to do!

Thing Three: Annoyed as I am with how the last two Star Wars movies have been executed, I'm still looking forward to May 19th. Nothing's sexier than Star Wars.

Thing Four: Ok, so there IS something I can be doing to not be bored. I just don't want to write this stupid paper. Ten pages is more than I want to think about right now, and I technically don't have to turn it in till next Friday. Ignore away.

*Whimper*

You know what I hate most of all? I hate it when I'm so sick that I grunt every time I breathe, just from the effort it takes and the pain it creates. I also hate it when I can't stand up for more than a minute without fainting. Seriously: I got out of bed, walked to the kitchen, heard white noise happening in my ears and couldn't see, and decided to sit down. Ten minutes later, I get up, walk to the living room, collapse on the couch in there. Ten minutes after THAT, I get up and walk into my parents' bedroom to get a pair of socks (that's why I got out of bed in the first place- my feet were cold), and fall onto their bed, still clutching the socks. I only fainted once on the way back to my room, but it was a doozy- in the bathroom. Nothing's worse than lying semi-concious on the floor next to the toilet. I'm feeling a little better now, and I'm not fainting anymore. It's just annoying that a trip to get socks took like 45 minutes. I'm just glad that I always get something like a 5 second head-start to find a couch or the floor to lie down on before I actually black out. It's always been like that, too- even as a little kid, I always heard the white noise and noticed my sight dimming before I lost conciousness. Just lucky, I guess.

Oh yeah...

I'm also going to go to class this afternoon. I'm SO good. And to clarify, when I said that a copy of your birth certificate doesn't count, I meant like a photocopy. You have to have the actual thing, with the embossed, colored-ink seal thing on it. So I'll be going back to the passport office tomorrow, and I'll hopefully have a passport within two months. Yay!

I feel so productive

I've mailed my credit card bill, obtained a transcript, found the passport office, learned that a copy of your birth certificate does NOT count when applying for a passport, talked to the cute guy at the passport office, gotten passport photos elsewhere on campus, and I'm about to get some forms signed and copied for my exchange. All in one morning! I even went to class and did a presentation where I went totally over the time I should have taken because I'm a horrible public speaker and tend to ramble without realizing it. Let's see... anything else I did today? Oh- I had lunch. Am I good, or what? I guess all this business makes up for like, every other day in the semester where I didn't do practically anything. Maybe not.

Fun aside: I went to Taco Bell the other day to guilt them into giving me food and drink. They want me back. My old manager came running up and said "So are you ready to come back yet? Just two days a week? One day? Name your day, and you got it." The other manager who was also there (whom I like better than the GM) was standing behind her and whispering "pick Tuesday nights! Tuesday!" because that's when she works. Such sad little lives. I'm thinking maybe I will go back, though. Some little money on a regular basis would be good; I seem to be depleting my savings account more than I thought I would. I guess that happens when you're not putting anything INTO it. Ever.

Hey, y'all

I'm just checking in from South Carolina, making sure everybody's okay here in the internet. Okay? Okay. We've been here for a couple of days, hanging out with my cousins, aunt and uncle. You can't tell, because I'm typing, but I'm thinking out the words in a southern accent (I thought it'd look like I was trying too hard if I left all the -ing's as -in's, so I typed them normal-ways). Southern accents are fun- all of their words are rounder and deeper than mine will ever be. The other thing I've noticed about the South? Plants. And water. These things are here in abundance. As in, "hey! there's a river!" and "gee, you almost can't see the sky while driving because there are so many trees, and they're so tall." I think if I were to move to a new part of the country, this would be on my list. Tomorrow, back to the desert, where there is no water, and the plants only are as tall as the people looking at them. Sigh.

Marimbas!

They are possibly the coolest percussion instruments ever. Listening to marimbas is like eating candy. Only with your ears. And you don't get sticky. So I went to this percussion ensemble concert tonight. They had a section where they did a bunch of pieces from Ghana, with authentic instruments. There's this one instrument called a Gyil- pronounced "Jill," and it's like... so cool! It's like, a marimba, only low down so you sit practically on the ground to play it, and instead of the metal pipes coming down from the keys for the reverb, it's got gourds tied underneath, and the whole thing is curved like unto a hammock. It's nifty- sometimes it sounds like just two sticks being hit together, but with a tone, and sometimes it sounds like a freaked-out marimba, and sometimes it sounds like a weird buzzing guitar thing. I'm pretty sure the buzzing guitar sound came from the gourds reverberating all next to each other. It sounded SO COOL! To repeat my previous assertion, marimbas are the coolest percussion instruments ever.

Plus Five

Is it just me, or is it totally unfair that my first month of working out has only served to make me even heavier? I guess it's that whole, "muscle is heavier than fat" thing, but still...

I seem to like posting on wednesdays

So I love EM Forster, right? And so I also love the movie they did of A Room With a View. I was looking on imdb.com a few days ago, when I saw that not only is there a movie of ARWAV, but there is one of my favorite of Forster's books, Where Angels Fear to Tread. Excuse me while I scream in glee. Needless to say, I went to our local video rental place that has everything, and got it. They only had it on VHS, though. Sigh. Our tv makes this horrible squealing noise when it plays VHS, but not when it plays DVDs. Oh well- if I really like it, I'll just buy it on DVD.

ditching

What to do when you decide it's too late to get to your morning class on time, and suddenly have six hours before you need to be in your afternoon class? Lay around and watch Discovery Channel for 4 hours, and spend the last two worrying because you only have like two weeks left before taxes are due and you don't know what you did with your W-2s. That's totally what to do with a beautiful spring morning.

I love the way it smells in Spring

It smells like flowers. When you live where I live, you learn to appreciate the smell of plants when you get it. It smells like the flowers on native plants, domesticated plants and introduced plants. The smell of the wildflowers that line the roads and fill people's yards. Flowers always smell better when they are simple and bright. Flowers that are too complicated or showy always have a strange smell that you don't want to experience for very long at all, but small, simple flowers give off a scent that you can inhale for hours and still not have enough of. I love the way orange blossoms smell, and grapefruit and such. I'm so lucky that there are so many citrus trees on and around campus that I can walk by several in a day, and walk a little slower so I can get the full effect. Spring also smells like bodies. The natural smell that people give off when they are just warm enough to enjoy it, without being hot and sweaty. More of a glow than an odor. The smell of girls' perfume heated up but not stale and sweaty. The smell of the few people who start wearing sunscreen in March. The smell of food from outdoor vendors, making hotdogs and Mexican food, the breeze wafting the scent towards me after an afternoon class. Really, the smell of Spring is the smell of warmth, the warmth that comes before the unbearable hotness that is Summer. The warmth that you are excited to feel and can really appreciate after a few months of being chilly in long pants and sweaters. I love the way it smells in Spring.

One more thing...

Today in my statistics class, I fell asleep. Not just light dozing. I'm pretty sure I must have been drugged or something, because I kept on trying to wake up and not being able to, not even for a minute or two. You know how in the movies, if a guy gets punched in the face, he falls down and kind of struggles to hoist himself up again while being forced down by a rain of blows from his assailant? Or when someone's out drowning in the sea, and they find something to float on right as they run out of energy to swim, and they drag themself up onto it with their arms all askew? That's what I was doing to my desk. TOTALLY embarrassing. I was awake the rest of the day, though, no problem. On the plus side, we got our quizzes back from before spring break. I got a 105. And yes, that IS a percent. It's always pleasing to be handed your more-than-perfect score just as the girl next to you complains that she got a 52. Made my day.

just so you know...

I'm back. And I'm tired. Too many nights up past my bedtime, and too many mornings where I woke up. Instead of being asleep till afternoon. All in all, it was the most excellent spring break I've ever had, which is saying a lot since I've been through a whole ONE of them before this. I should spend more weeks with no responsibilities besides having as much fun as I can. I think that would improve my morale a lot.

In other news, I'm totally excited about leaving for a far-and-away school next year. If I wasn't so tired, I would leap for joy. As it is, I'm leaping inside my head, and it's starting to make me go cross-eyed. If you hadn't noticed yet, I'm going to a different school next year, and I'm exuberant. You'll be hearing about this probably for the next five months or so. After that, you'll be hearing about what I'm actually DOING there. So I had the "placement meeting" today with about 25 other students from my school who are going to various places in and around the US. We filled out forms and told each other where we are going and generally felt excited and learned a little more about what is expected of us to make our exchanges happen smoothly. I love filling out forms. I never get tired of telling people my full name, address, phone number, social security number, and emergency contact information. It's so fun to look and see a nicely filled out form, giving the reader a short and sweet dossier about me. Sometimes I fill out both the "current address" and "permanent home address" lines, even though they are the same for me, just so the form looks complete and useful. I mean, who wants to read a form that has a big empty space right in the middle where there should be juicy numbers and information? Not me, that's who.

Yawn

I am so tired from NONSTOP PARTYING since I got here to Provo. Ok, maybe not, but we've done some fun stuff. We went hiking, for instance, up a trail that was much steeper than I expected it to be. And I am now tired and sore. And we've done much hanging out with friends, which was cool. Now, as much fun as this has been (really, very fun), I don't really feel like typing out any more words. Expect no more words from now until next week probably.

EEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Isn't it great when you learn that you have one extra day of spring break? And then you get an email saying that you've been successfully placed at your first choice school for next year? That's just the best. I'm so excited. I'm going to go and run around the house like a little kid hopped up on sugar cereal on a Saturday morning. Oh boy oh boy oh boy! I can't wait! I can start getting ready now I know it's a sure thing! I can go and make "sample schedules" for my advisor to ok. I can go and buy like shoes and sweaters and scarves and all kinds of stuff. And some coats. And I can look up tips for driving in snow. Listen to me while I scream with glee: eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ai ai ai ai ai eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee yyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-haaa! And now more crazed running. Woo!

My No-Good, Very-Bad Day

Sigh. To tell the long, drawn-out, this-is-how-it-felt version, or to simply tell the facts, short and not so sweet? How about an unsatisfactory blend of both? Sounds good to me too.

I woke up late this morning. No big deal, right? I wake up late every morning. Well, today was my music midterm, which involved being at class, and, oh yeah, HAVING STUDIED. So, I leap out of bed, throw on a dirty shirt, and jump in the car with my iPod and the liner notes for the album that I have to know the names of the songs and artists for. I'm driving to school, trying to study and make up for lost time, when I look in the rear-view and see your friend and mine, the policeman in the nice, shiny Mustang that they use to nab kids drag racing. Great. All I need is a ticket for $181 and 10 more minutes down the drain while the cop stands around behind my car looking important. Good thing he didn't see me READING A CD CASE while I was driving, but noted only that I was doing 63 in a 50 zone. Sigh.

Fast forward to me parking in the stupid garage where I have to pay, instead of my usual spot that's free, so that I can actually make it to my midterm on time. I get to class, and take the test. I'm acing it. I've gotten EVERY SINGLE QUESTION, including the three bonus questions, right. I'm going to get a 100% on this test. I'm starting the very last section of the test, when... the fargin' FIRE ALARM goes off (do you like my choice of words? I stole it from Lileks). The fire alarm! My professor, of course, has no provision for this type of occurance, so he tells us to "leave your stuff, but take your tests with you." Stupidest thing said with the best intentions. If the room's on fire, I'd rather keep my money, driver's license, iPod, car keys, camera, homework and books with me, and let the stupid test burn. It's not like I'll get out of the room any faster if I leave my backpack on the floor- there's 120 other people in front of me, not to mention the people in all the other classrooms around us. Plus, think about it- if you're the type of person who pulls the fire alarm just to see people hate their lives a little more, wouldn't it be a great idea to stick around and take everybody's stuff that they leave lying on the floor? Yargh. Anyway, I'm tired of typing, and you're probably tired of reading, so I'll finish up quick. Because he had us take our tests with us, our prof. realized that he couldn't count it (cause you know, everybody could switch around their answers and get a hundred percent while waiting around in the sun outside the building). The midterm, the test which I would have aced, the test I had sacrificed $181 and my dignity in front of the main drag at rush hour for, the test that I left the house asleep and unwashed for, was void.

On a happy note, nobody stole my stuff out of my backpack while it was sitting in the empty classroom.

There's nothing better

than sitting around Bookman's all morning, reading books, using the free WiFi, and ignoring the fact that you missed your first class just because you didn't want to ride your bike into school this morning. Mmmm... that 'old book' smell is the best.

It's like a chain letter, only more fun, and less damning!

I made a Quiz for you! Take my Quiz! and then Check out the Scoreboard!


take the quiz. Make your own. Send it to me if I know you. It's fun, trust me.


For my REAL content for this post, when you work in the drive through, you smell a lot of different smells. Many types of cigarette and cigar smoke, strange perfumes and lotions, those smelly trees you hang from your mirror, diesel, rotting food, mold, pot, unbathed-person-smell, and many others. Another reason i'm so glad i just quit my job.

It's Not Classy

to make fun of fat people. It doesn't matter if the person in question is present or not. People with class do not mock people with weight problems. Nor do they turn their nose up in a holier-than-thou manner, sneering and making derisive comments about the person's diet. Most importantly, they do NOT compare their object of derision to any of the bovine family. It's just Not Cool.

The disgust that some people have towards overweight individuals is matched only by my disgust at those people who are so shallow that they can only see the body, and not the person inside of it.

The really sad thing is that I felt the need to post this. I thought that people were supposed to be, you know, accepting. and stuff. I mean, didn't we have something called the civil rights movement awhile back? Where people fought and died so that others could live in a world where they weren't judged and mistreated on the basis of their appearance? Sigh.

Guess who just got their laptop back from the computer hospital!

That's right, it's me.