1. Jamie's "EEE-EEE-EEE-EEE" sound of her alarm clock. It STRESSES me out!
2. Finals
3. Dry skin
4. Cold Temperatures
5. Lack of Transportation
6. Doing laundry
7. Making my bed
8. The dorm bathrooms over the weekend
9. Losing things
10. Morris Center Zuchini (or however you spell the darn vegetable)
11. Doing my hair
12. Zits
13. Biology
14. Psychology
15. The taste in my mouth before I brush my teeth
16. Wearing a gym-issued shirt three days in a row before washing it
17. Studying for an hour and a half for a test and then going to take it and its not available
18. Cold hands
19. Being tired
20. Writing on this blog (I'm done for the day. Goodbye!)
Friday, December 09, 2005
Hoy, me gusta....
It's been FOREVER since I wrote a list of what I'm liking at the moment. So here goes:
1. 10:00 wake-up times due to finals
2. Muscle soreness from lifting weights (trust me, it's a good feeling)
3. The LOOKS of the snow (maybe not the feeling)
4. My gloves/scarves/head things
5. Wraps in the Morris Center
6. Hot chocolate
7. Deodarent (I think it is entirely too underappreciated)
8. Bend It Like Beckham
9. 2nd Season of Gilmore Girls
10. The soundtrack to RENT
11. Christmas Music
12. My Christmas tree my Grandma sent
13. Mascara (again, it just doesn't get the credit it deserves)
14. The thought of going home in a week for THREE WHOLE WEEKS
15. This comment by my little brother: My mom was talking about someone who wasn't really liking her job at church and so my stepdad said, "Just get rid of her." Well, my little brother heard and yelled, "NO! DON'T GET RID OF MY SISTER! I LOVE HER!" I'm way excited to see him.... :)
16. The prospect of going 80s dancing in SLC
17. All of my coats
18. Random pictures
19. London
20. The fact that my alarm clock uses the radio
21. Life cereal with bananas
22. Hair Gel
23. The library
24. My Interior Design teacher's quotes. I will miss them dearly
25. My Finals Week Survival Kit my mom sent me
26. Cookies
27. The thought of a homecooked meal next weekend
28. The knowledge that I will spend at least one night on the Oregon Coast soon
29. Facebook
20. My neighbors
1. 10:00 wake-up times due to finals
2. Muscle soreness from lifting weights (trust me, it's a good feeling)
3. The LOOKS of the snow (maybe not the feeling)
4. My gloves/scarves/head things
5. Wraps in the Morris Center
6. Hot chocolate
7. Deodarent (I think it is entirely too underappreciated)
8. Bend It Like Beckham
9. 2nd Season of Gilmore Girls
10. The soundtrack to RENT
11. Christmas Music
12. My Christmas tree my Grandma sent
13. Mascara (again, it just doesn't get the credit it deserves)
14. The thought of going home in a week for THREE WHOLE WEEKS
15. This comment by my little brother: My mom was talking about someone who wasn't really liking her job at church and so my stepdad said, "Just get rid of her." Well, my little brother heard and yelled, "NO! DON'T GET RID OF MY SISTER! I LOVE HER!" I'm way excited to see him.... :)
16. The prospect of going 80s dancing in SLC
17. All of my coats
18. Random pictures
19. London
20. The fact that my alarm clock uses the radio
21. Life cereal with bananas
22. Hair Gel
23. The library
24. My Interior Design teacher's quotes. I will miss them dearly
25. My Finals Week Survival Kit my mom sent me
26. Cookies
27. The thought of a homecooked meal next weekend
28. The knowledge that I will spend at least one night on the Oregon Coast soon
29. Facebook
20. My neighbors
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
What About the Paper Bag?
It was dark, save the strip of light that filtered into the small dorm room from underneath door. It was late. The alarm clock on Jamie's side of the room dimly displayed 4:00 a.m. in fading red digital numbers. Jamie lay on her bed, an unmoving heap huddled under her Harry Potter comforter, not snoring, but letting out deep, nasally breaths every few minutes. I lay on my bed on the other side of the room in a heavy, paralyzed sleep, one in which I would be oblivious had a fire alarm suddenly sounded and the building was being consumed in flames. I don't even know if I was making a sound with my breath - it was that involved. The dorm was still. The air quiet. The hum of the heater could only be faintly heard, barely even audible to one who was awake.
Suddenly, the peace was shattered.
"Jamie!" I said, looking over at her bed. No answer. "JAMIE!" I yelled, needing desperately for her to wake up.
"What?" she asked, sounding alarmed, or at least as alarmed as one at 4:00 a.m. does. She waited for me to answer.
"What about the paper bag?"
"WHAT?" she asked, unsure if she heard me right.
Keep in mind I was still asleep.
"Oh, never mind," I replied and my voice trailed off. Obviously I had solved the problem or otherwise found it impertinent.
After a moment of confused silence, Jamie erupted into choking laughter. Tears began to stream down her face as she replayed in her head what had just taken place.
Still under the veil of sleep, I lay on my bed confused of the laughter. Why would she find that question funny? Why was she laughing?
"What?" I mumbled.
And then suddenly I began to chuckle to myself, thought not understanding why.
After what she claims to be 10 minutes of laughing, and after writing down what I said so she could tell me about it in the morning, Jamie went back to sleep. I never even woke up. Soon Jamie's nasally breathing started back up again, and her body lay motionless under her blankets. The dorm returned to its crisp, clear early morning silence, and we slept uneventfully for the last three hours.
What about the paper bag? Isn't that the question we should all be asking in our lives. Obviously I felt it important enough to make sure Jamie was fully awake before I asked her. Ponder this question. Let it sit in your heart. Find ways to apply it to your own life and act on the answers that you conjure up from your soul. You just may very well find out about the paper bag.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Blast from the Past: A document from my history
I rediscovered this cry for mercy in looking through documents on my desktop. It's funny now, looking back at it, at how stressed out I was in high school. That was nothing compared to the tests in college. And it's funny to note how little tactics like this letter could actually influence a teacher back in the day. For those of you who didn't know about this letter, it worked. Oh, the good old days of AP/CC Government. I wonder if I dare attempt it for biology? Yeah. Didn't think so...
February 23, 2005
Our Dearest Mrs. Micki Hall,
Oh, how you so expand our virgin minds with your endless wisdom and knowledge. You are the morning sunrise in each one of our dark and foggy mornings. We flock to your classroom in eager anticipation, ready to open our hearts and souls to every letter of every word that so elegantly rolls off your tongue. And of course, it doesn’t hurt that your face lights up the dust floating among us. Oh, dear teacher, you belong in a portrait stroked with the genius hand of Michelangelo. Your face – it is the Mona Lisa, but smiling. It is so fresh, like a field of wildflowers on a dewy spring morning. Mrs. Hall, you are truly an inspiration to us all. Because of your selflessness and pure love of each one of your students, we have all dedicated our lives to service and charity. We intend on giving all that we have to those less fortunate than us. You are a living example of everything we want to be, and if we can be even 1/50 of who you are, then we have succeeded in life, and can die knowing we made a difference in the world.
Mrs. Hall, we have always looked up to you, not only for your ravishing, youthful beauty, but for your heart. You have a heart the size of the national deficit. You are so strong and so set in your convictions, yet you are forgiving and merciful. You understand us, Mrs. Hall. You understand our plights and our problems. You understand because you too were once a student like us. You endured high school. You know the stresses we face in everyday life. There was once a day that even you, always calm and collected, always cool and reserved, wanted to pull your hair out strand by strand, root by root. You completely understand how we feel this week. You realize that there are teachers in this world out to get us. There are teachers out there who take sick and demented pleasure in watching a young, promising high school scholar writher in both emotional and physical pain when a burden so heavy with large projects is placed upon their shoulders. They laugh – cackle even! – when they hear of the other work given to the students by fellow colleagues, coincidently at the same time as their own. Their red pen is like a loaded AK-47, waiting to pierce the bullets into the young Marine’s paper, our paper, our very heart, even. They love late penalties. They relish in them. They are necessary evils.
We tell you this because we know you are not a evil. You are an angel, our angel. You are our saving grace. We come before you at this vulnerable time in our life, a time when one has access to suicide hotlines and quiz-your-homosexual-school websites. We come to you on our knees, in complete desperation and in fervent hope. We beg. We weep. We wait.
Mrs. Hall, in all your goodness and mercy, would you extend the deadline for the AP/CC President Project to Monday, February 28, 2005?
This is our prayer, our call to Allah, our (whatever Nora does).
February 23, 2005
Our Dearest Mrs. Micki Hall,
Oh, how you so expand our virgin minds with your endless wisdom and knowledge. You are the morning sunrise in each one of our dark and foggy mornings. We flock to your classroom in eager anticipation, ready to open our hearts and souls to every letter of every word that so elegantly rolls off your tongue. And of course, it doesn’t hurt that your face lights up the dust floating among us. Oh, dear teacher, you belong in a portrait stroked with the genius hand of Michelangelo. Your face – it is the Mona Lisa, but smiling. It is so fresh, like a field of wildflowers on a dewy spring morning. Mrs. Hall, you are truly an inspiration to us all. Because of your selflessness and pure love of each one of your students, we have all dedicated our lives to service and charity. We intend on giving all that we have to those less fortunate than us. You are a living example of everything we want to be, and if we can be even 1/50 of who you are, then we have succeeded in life, and can die knowing we made a difference in the world.
Mrs. Hall, we have always looked up to you, not only for your ravishing, youthful beauty, but for your heart. You have a heart the size of the national deficit. You are so strong and so set in your convictions, yet you are forgiving and merciful. You understand us, Mrs. Hall. You understand our plights and our problems. You understand because you too were once a student like us. You endured high school. You know the stresses we face in everyday life. There was once a day that even you, always calm and collected, always cool and reserved, wanted to pull your hair out strand by strand, root by root. You completely understand how we feel this week. You realize that there are teachers in this world out to get us. There are teachers out there who take sick and demented pleasure in watching a young, promising high school scholar writher in both emotional and physical pain when a burden so heavy with large projects is placed upon their shoulders. They laugh – cackle even! – when they hear of the other work given to the students by fellow colleagues, coincidently at the same time as their own. Their red pen is like a loaded AK-47, waiting to pierce the bullets into the young Marine’s paper, our paper, our very heart, even. They love late penalties. They relish in them. They are necessary evils.
We tell you this because we know you are not a evil. You are an angel, our angel. You are our saving grace. We come before you at this vulnerable time in our life, a time when one has access to suicide hotlines and quiz-your-homosexual-school websites. We come to you on our knees, in complete desperation and in fervent hope. We beg. We weep. We wait.
Mrs. Hall, in all your goodness and mercy, would you extend the deadline for the AP/CC President Project to Monday, February 28, 2005?
This is our prayer, our call to Allah, our (whatever Nora does).
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Joy
It's 1:00 AM and I have been trying to go to sleep since 10:30 p.m. Wow. What a waste of hours. You might ask why I even attempted to go to sleep so early. Well, considering the fact that I could barely keep my eyes open in any of my classes, fell sound asleep on the grass outside, inbetween two of my classes, and went to the library where I slept in a drooling state for 45 minutes. And, if those weren't signs enough, my head was pounding like the jackhammer from all the construction going on around here. So, I got all my reading done and at 10:30, I climbed into bed, hoping to fall asleep amidst the still very active dormitory. Nice Try.
My roommate had to study for a test and was talking on MSN. I thought that since I could fall asleep at the library, I could fall asleep with the light on and the tap tap tap of the keyboard as she chatted. However, the incessant tapping only caused my head to tap tap tap along with it, and soon I found myself trying every method imaginable to go to sleep. First, I was hot, so I took all the covers off. Then I tried covering my head with blankets. Gasping for air, I discarded that idea. Next, I got iPod and put it on soothing music to drown out the keyboard and the neighbors. I realized that it was only a new kind of noise. The computer screen was causing light to dark transitions, so I covered my head with the body pillow on my bed. Nope. Still nothing. Three times I got up and went and tried to sleep in the day room on the couch, but each time there was someone in there. So I would trudge back to the room and flop onto my bed. On the third attempt to occupy the day room, Jamie turned off her computer and went out in the hallway to study so that I could go to sleep. Unfortunately, our loud neighbors followed her into the hallway from their room. Meanwhile, my headache became increasingly worse. I tried to block out the loud, hyena laugh just outside my door. Finally, I decided I would go try to sleep down in the basement on the couch. It was 12:45 and my head hurt worse than ever. I waited until our neighbors went back into their room so that I wouldn't offend them, and then began the search for my keys. I couldn't find them anywhere. So I went out to the hall and got Jamie's and headed to the elevator with a pillow and blanket, the sound of our neighbors still echoing behind me. Luckily no one was down in the basement when I arrived, so I turned off the lights and tried to go to sleep on the anything but comfortable couch. Suddenly, about ten minutes into my attempt to rest, there was a head over the couch. At first I thought it was Jamie, but then i realized it was not. The girl looked startled and I sat up. "Uh," she said with her backpack on. "I'll just go study in another room." "No, no," I said. But she went anyway. That was enough for me in the basement. I flipped back on the lights and drug my blanket up the cold stairwell to the fourth floor. By this time it was 1:00 AM. I came into my room and Jamie was getting read to go to bed. I decided food might help me go to sleep. Food is always a good idea. So I broke out a bag of Quaker Rice Snacks (caramel corn) and a water and turned on my computer. Now here I sit, eating, drinking, and typing on this blog. Our neighbors have gone to get milk (???) and so for the first time all night the floor is silent. Jamie is asleep. And yet, I am up. Still writing, unable to go to bed. Ah, the joys of dorm life. The joys of headaches. The joys of sleep deprivation. The joys of wanting to pull your hair out of your scalp follicle by follicle. Goodnight.
My roommate had to study for a test and was talking on MSN. I thought that since I could fall asleep at the library, I could fall asleep with the light on and the tap tap tap of the keyboard as she chatted. However, the incessant tapping only caused my head to tap tap tap along with it, and soon I found myself trying every method imaginable to go to sleep. First, I was hot, so I took all the covers off. Then I tried covering my head with blankets. Gasping for air, I discarded that idea. Next, I got iPod and put it on soothing music to drown out the keyboard and the neighbors. I realized that it was only a new kind of noise. The computer screen was causing light to dark transitions, so I covered my head with the body pillow on my bed. Nope. Still nothing. Three times I got up and went and tried to sleep in the day room on the couch, but each time there was someone in there. So I would trudge back to the room and flop onto my bed. On the third attempt to occupy the day room, Jamie turned off her computer and went out in the hallway to study so that I could go to sleep. Unfortunately, our loud neighbors followed her into the hallway from their room. Meanwhile, my headache became increasingly worse. I tried to block out the loud, hyena laugh just outside my door. Finally, I decided I would go try to sleep down in the basement on the couch. It was 12:45 and my head hurt worse than ever. I waited until our neighbors went back into their room so that I wouldn't offend them, and then began the search for my keys. I couldn't find them anywhere. So I went out to the hall and got Jamie's and headed to the elevator with a pillow and blanket, the sound of our neighbors still echoing behind me. Luckily no one was down in the basement when I arrived, so I turned off the lights and tried to go to sleep on the anything but comfortable couch. Suddenly, about ten minutes into my attempt to rest, there was a head over the couch. At first I thought it was Jamie, but then i realized it was not. The girl looked startled and I sat up. "Uh," she said with her backpack on. "I'll just go study in another room." "No, no," I said. But she went anyway. That was enough for me in the basement. I flipped back on the lights and drug my blanket up the cold stairwell to the fourth floor. By this time it was 1:00 AM. I came into my room and Jamie was getting read to go to bed. I decided food might help me go to sleep. Food is always a good idea. So I broke out a bag of Quaker Rice Snacks (caramel corn) and a water and turned on my computer. Now here I sit, eating, drinking, and typing on this blog. Our neighbors have gone to get milk (???) and so for the first time all night the floor is silent. Jamie is asleep. And yet, I am up. Still writing, unable to go to bed. Ah, the joys of dorm life. The joys of headaches. The joys of sleep deprivation. The joys of wanting to pull your hair out of your scalp follicle by follicle. Goodnight.
Saturday, October 08, 2005
50 Things I Want for my Birthday!
My birthday is quickly approaching, and you know what that means....PRESENTS for ME! I realize that many might have trouble coming up with gift ideas. So, in order to aid you in your quest to shower me with treasures, I have produced the following list:
1. Gilmore Girls Seasons after Season 1
2. "Mona Lisa Smile" on DVD
3. A's on my Interior Design exam, as well as on my PSYCH midterm which happens to fall on my birthday.
4. Warm Clothes
5. The Key to the city (wait--Provo? Never mind.)
6. Pudding/Yogurt/Water (The essentials)
7. A new battery for my watch
8. To not have to be in the library studying on a Saturday morning like I am now
9. Stationary
10. "Little Women" on DVD
11. "Anne of Avenlea" and "Anne of Green Gables" on DVD
12. Warm, close-toed church shoes
13. World Peace
14. An English accent
15. High-calorie foods to be low-calorie foods and vice versa
16. A car
17. Lower gas prices
18. German Chocolate Cake
19. My real bed at home
20. Homemade Tacos
21. A scuba diving trip in warm water
22. A ski pass
23. Sleep
24. Letters in the mail
25. Anything in the mail
26. Any DVD's
27. A photographic memory
28. The ability to think of a destination and be there
29. Money towards my Europe backpacking trip in a year and a half
30. Musical talent
31. My tan
32. More pairs of pants
33. More clothes in general (if I can find room to put them!)
34. Cornbread and Stew/Chili/Corn chowder
35. To ride in a car
36. Chocolate Dessert/Apple Crisp
37. The new "Sabrina" on DVD
38. "A League of Their Own" on DVD
39. A blue BYU sweatshirt and shirt
40. To see my remodeled house finished
41. To hang out with my friends from home
42. To meet some really cool people here at BYU
43. Pumpkin Pie
44. To go to the Oregon Coast
45. Taco Salad
46. A Cannon Rebel Digital Camera
47. A new mini-ipod
48. A date
49. To go to the Sundance Film Festivel in Park City
50. A nap, right now. Goodbye!
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in HEPE
At BYU, you are required to fulfill a wellness general ed. requirement. To do this, I am taking HEPE 129, which is a lifestyle management class (basically like sophmore health). I've decided that everything I will ever need to know in life, I will have learned in HEPE. Here they are.
1. If I eat a double-patty cheeseburger every day, I'll die.
2. If I don't exercise, I'll die.
3. If I don't eat wheat, I'll die.
4. If I don't eat fruits/vegitables, I'll die.
5. If I don't stretch, I'll die.
6. If I smoke, I'll die.
7. If I am fat, I'll die.
8. If I have poor posture, I'll be a hunchback first and then...I'll die.
9. If my parents die, I'll die.
10. If I live, I'll die.
1. If I eat a double-patty cheeseburger every day, I'll die.
2. If I don't exercise, I'll die.
3. If I don't eat wheat, I'll die.
4. If I don't eat fruits/vegitables, I'll die.
5. If I don't stretch, I'll die.
6. If I smoke, I'll die.
7. If I am fat, I'll die.
8. If I have poor posture, I'll be a hunchback first and then...I'll die.
9. If my parents die, I'll die.
10. If I live, I'll die.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
What? Snow??
My holy freaking goodness. It is only October 4 and there is snow on the mountains as of today. And it is 40 degrees outside. I am so not going to make it.....Help!
Students Against Tuesdays
At BYU, there are a million clubs and organizations one can join. One can walk through the student center and could become a member of the Japan club, Southern Hospitality club, the Polynesian club, the rock climbing club, the prechiropractic club, the predentist club, blah blah blah. Wow. You would be one well rounded individual if you could bow, thank mams, dance with your tongue out, propel, crack necks, and fill cavities!
Today however, I go beyond sushi and Virginia. I want to talk about the movement to obliterate Tuesdays off of the calendar forever (or at least until the semester is over.)
Tuesdays are by far my longest days. I go to psychology at 9:30 for an hour and half; then there is a broadcast from the Marriott Center directly following it, Interior Design is at 12:00, religion is at 2, and my bio lab is from 4-4:50. So basically I'm at school from 9:15 to 5:00. It wouldn't be so bad if my classes went one right after another. Instead, I am forced to wait 45 min. to an hour in between.
Psychology isn't such a bad class. The subject, itself, is interesting. I'm kosher with PSYCH. On to Interiors, or should I say, HWJD (How Would Jesus Decorate). Now, I don't mean to be sacrilegious by any means. However, the professor routinely brings the church and the Savior into our lectures, sometimes to a point when you have to ask yourself if it's crossing the line. However, because of the stressed combination of secular vs. religion when it comes to Interior Design, I feel I have a better foundation upon which I can build my future home on. The materialistic aspect of design aside, the professor has stressed the importance of living within one's means and of living modestly even if one has the means. This has made an impact on me. I used to dream of the huge house, luxury cars, yadah yadah yadah. However, being in college and actually seeing the future so close in front me had caused me to rethink some of my priorities (and no, it's not because I've finally realized that I'll never be able to afford those things...). I want to have a modest house big enough for my family to live comfortably in. I want to have quality in a house, but not flashiness. The professor also stresses the importance of charity. She made a good point in saying that if you have the money, instead of buying, say the couch that costs $1000 more, take that $1000 and give it to a good cause. The world would be a better place...Ok, so I got off on a tangent, but hey, it happens after TUESDAYS! But in short, the professor is psychotic most of the time, but I appreciate the little things I can get out of the lectures. My religion class is good. It's my smallest with probably 40 students. I feel human.
And good old lovely Biology Lab. I won't go into any detail for I dedicated a blog entry to it awhile back. However, I will repeat: Biology is of the devil.
So in looking back on my Tuesday, I guess the classes themselves aren't the problem. It's really the long hours--and of course, the Bio Lab. To counteract the nonappealing nature of this day of the week, I treat myself to a terryaki chicken bowl from Terryaki Styx (which I am eating as I type) and then trudge home, the bag with my dinner dragging on the ground as I drag along with it. But then I am home, and I take a deep breath.
Today was an especially bad Tuesday. Though I find qualities in most of my Tuesday classes as I expressed above, the lectures seemed pointless and it poured and the wind blew, and my hands froze. Doesn't the weather man know I already detest Martes? Anyway, I suppose that is why today I feel a particular loathing towards Tuesdays and why I have just spent the last ten minutes rambling on this blog entry with really no major point or purpose in mind except for the desire to wipe the day of the week off of the calendar forever.
So in conclusion, if you find your Tuesdays to be as or more unbearable than mine, please stand and join me in bringing the day of the week to a destructive and permanent end. Who is with me?
Today however, I go beyond sushi and Virginia. I want to talk about the movement to obliterate Tuesdays off of the calendar forever (or at least until the semester is over.)
Tuesdays are by far my longest days. I go to psychology at 9:30 for an hour and half; then there is a broadcast from the Marriott Center directly following it, Interior Design is at 12:00, religion is at 2, and my bio lab is from 4-4:50. So basically I'm at school from 9:15 to 5:00. It wouldn't be so bad if my classes went one right after another. Instead, I am forced to wait 45 min. to an hour in between.
Psychology isn't such a bad class. The subject, itself, is interesting. I'm kosher with PSYCH. On to Interiors, or should I say, HWJD (How Would Jesus Decorate). Now, I don't mean to be sacrilegious by any means. However, the professor routinely brings the church and the Savior into our lectures, sometimes to a point when you have to ask yourself if it's crossing the line. However, because of the stressed combination of secular vs. religion when it comes to Interior Design, I feel I have a better foundation upon which I can build my future home on. The materialistic aspect of design aside, the professor has stressed the importance of living within one's means and of living modestly even if one has the means. This has made an impact on me. I used to dream of the huge house, luxury cars, yadah yadah yadah. However, being in college and actually seeing the future so close in front me had caused me to rethink some of my priorities (and no, it's not because I've finally realized that I'll never be able to afford those things...). I want to have a modest house big enough for my family to live comfortably in. I want to have quality in a house, but not flashiness. The professor also stresses the importance of charity. She made a good point in saying that if you have the money, instead of buying, say the couch that costs $1000 more, take that $1000 and give it to a good cause. The world would be a better place...Ok, so I got off on a tangent, but hey, it happens after TUESDAYS! But in short, the professor is psychotic most of the time, but I appreciate the little things I can get out of the lectures. My religion class is good. It's my smallest with probably 40 students. I feel human.
And good old lovely Biology Lab. I won't go into any detail for I dedicated a blog entry to it awhile back. However, I will repeat: Biology is of the devil.
So in looking back on my Tuesday, I guess the classes themselves aren't the problem. It's really the long hours--and of course, the Bio Lab. To counteract the nonappealing nature of this day of the week, I treat myself to a terryaki chicken bowl from Terryaki Styx (which I am eating as I type) and then trudge home, the bag with my dinner dragging on the ground as I drag along with it. But then I am home, and I take a deep breath.
Today was an especially bad Tuesday. Though I find qualities in most of my Tuesday classes as I expressed above, the lectures seemed pointless and it poured and the wind blew, and my hands froze. Doesn't the weather man know I already detest Martes? Anyway, I suppose that is why today I feel a particular loathing towards Tuesdays and why I have just spent the last ten minutes rambling on this blog entry with really no major point or purpose in mind except for the desire to wipe the day of the week off of the calendar forever.
So in conclusion, if you find your Tuesdays to be as or more unbearable than mine, please stand and join me in bringing the day of the week to a destructive and permanent end. Who is with me?
Saturday, October 01, 2005
30 Signs That I've Been at College for a Month
1. My deodarent is running low
2. My tan is saranara
3. I have forgotten how to drive a car
4. My stomach is saturated with Rasin Bran
5. My ID card has become my life
6. I don't talk to my family on the phone EVERY day
7. I need a haircut
8. I know what to expect on exams
9. I have 73 friends on Facebook
10. I'm starting to talk like a Utahan (idea= idih, picture = pitcher, figure = figur)...haha, YEAH RIGHT. That drives me NUTS!
11. I can see myself living in Oregon, even though one day I wanted to live everywhere else but there
12. I miss the weather in Oregon (who would have thought!)
13. I've definitely put on a little weight
14. My sheets are softer because I've washed them four times now
15. I have a territory established at the library
16. I've gone through almost two cases of water, two cases of yogurt, and six packages of sugar-free JELLO pudding
17. It's about time to open up a new tube of mascara
18. I sleep in the library
19. I can sleep through some of the noise in the dorm in the wee hours of the morning (key word: SOME)
20. My BYU nalgene is beginning to smell because I haven't washed it with soap since I got here
21. My toenail polish is almost completely worn off (how tackey! but who cares!)
22. I've gotten used to wearing flipflops in the bathroom
23. I appreciate my bed more than I did at home
24. I've read 3/4 of "The Idiot's Guide to Surviving College"
25. I was in the school newspaper (though I was just part of a line going into the Testing Center, but I was in the FRONT of the line looking at my flashcards)
26. I am soon going to have to break out the close-toed shoes
27. My aunt sent me Halloween decorations which I will put up tomorrow
28. I've had to recharge my iPod so many times I can't count (I think something might be wrong with the battery life!)
29. I know most of the girls on my floor by name
30. I know I will NEVER live in Utah
2. My tan is saranara
3. I have forgotten how to drive a car
4. My stomach is saturated with Rasin Bran
5. My ID card has become my life
6. I don't talk to my family on the phone EVERY day
7. I need a haircut
8. I know what to expect on exams
9. I have 73 friends on Facebook
10. I'm starting to talk like a Utahan (idea= idih, picture = pitcher, figure = figur)...haha, YEAH RIGHT. That drives me NUTS!
11. I can see myself living in Oregon, even though one day I wanted to live everywhere else but there
12. I miss the weather in Oregon (who would have thought!)
13. I've definitely put on a little weight
14. My sheets are softer because I've washed them four times now
15. I have a territory established at the library
16. I've gone through almost two cases of water, two cases of yogurt, and six packages of sugar-free JELLO pudding
17. It's about time to open up a new tube of mascara
18. I sleep in the library
19. I can sleep through some of the noise in the dorm in the wee hours of the morning (key word: SOME)
20. My BYU nalgene is beginning to smell because I haven't washed it with soap since I got here
21. My toenail polish is almost completely worn off (how tackey! but who cares!)
22. I've gotten used to wearing flipflops in the bathroom
23. I appreciate my bed more than I did at home
24. I've read 3/4 of "The Idiot's Guide to Surviving College"
25. I was in the school newspaper (though I was just part of a line going into the Testing Center, but I was in the FRONT of the line looking at my flashcards)
26. I am soon going to have to break out the close-toed shoes
27. My aunt sent me Halloween decorations which I will put up tomorrow
28. I've had to recharge my iPod so many times I can't count (I think something might be wrong with the battery life!)
29. I know most of the girls on my floor by name
30. I know I will NEVER live in Utah
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Home Away From Home
The Library: Where I sell my soul
I've figured out that I spend about six hours in the library a day. I enter through the glass doors in between each class and plop myself down in a large chair by the window to do some last minute reading for the next lecture. I am in a very open study area, and I often find that instead of reading, my eyes wander. I like to people watch. When I'm not reading OR people watching, I sleep. This is a new concept to me. In the past, I could never fall asleep during the day, let alone in public places. However, I've noticed that you change in college, and this is one aspect in which I am different, I suppose. Today I was in between my Interior Design class and religion class. I was reading and then set the book down just for a moment, and awoke fifteen minutes to a startling twitch. I've noticed a certain level of anxiety when I sleep in the library. I don't know why...On Tuesdays, I have four classes, so I spend about four hours in the library during the daytime. At night, I usually go down there for two to three hours and am immediately pulled back towards my usual area. At night there are less people so I kick off my shoes and pull two chairs together - and READ. I have come to the conclusion that READ should be a four-letter swear word, at least when referring to textbooks.
Being a veteran of the library these days, I have found a correlation between the time of day and the type of people that are there. These are my findings:
Weekdays: Anyone is fair game
Weeknights: Mostly young women. I have no explanation for this phenomena.
Friday Nights: Old, single men, some of whom are balding.
Saturday Mornings: The diehards. These are the people who have pulled themselves out of their beds at 8:00 in the morning. Many come in sweats and looking a little dishevled, but they are troopers, nevertheless.
Saturday Night: Never been, so I can't tell you
Sundays: Closed
So there is a summary of library gophers that run through the underground workings of the Harold B. Library at BYU. As you can see, I am fair game, a young woman, an old single man with premature balding, and a diehard. College has done interesting things to me...
Till next time, I'll be at the library.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
I Miss Oregon!
Utah, speaking in purely topological terms, sucks. The mountains are bare and brown. Mountain and tree are not even used in the same sentence. It's drier than Haites, and well, yeah. It just isn't home. I miss the green. I miss the trees. I miss the rivers. I miss the fall foliage that always covers the hills of Oregon. Here, like I said, there aren't many trees on which leaves could turn colors (I believe there might be a small population of red shrubs on the mountain, though it's hard to tell). Today I saw a guy wearing an "Oregon" sweatshirt. I wanted to go up and hug him. There is just something about Oregonians. We're weird, and we embrace it. Oregon is a quirky state, one which many know very little about. Yesterday I wore my "Oregon" sweatshirt and my heart swelled with pride. Every time Jamie and I see an Oregon lisence plate, we take a picture. What is it about Oregon?
Oregon is my homeboy. Hollah.
(The waterfall pict was taken last summer up the Umpqua)
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
A Farewell to a Dear and Faithful Friend
It is a dark and dreary day outside. The rain patters against the window of my dorm room as I sit in the dim light of the florescent desk lamp. I can hear the cars passing on the street below, sloshing through the accumulated puddles of water. People's voices echo in the distance, but I don't try to make out the words. I am in a state, and any attempt to make contact with the outside world would only disrupt it. Like I said, it is a dark and dreary day. It is a day for goodbyes. It is time to say farewell to an old friend, one who has stuck by my side since kindergarten. I write this post, hoping that one day my lost friend will read it and have the burning desire of the heart to return to the fold so we can once again rekindle our friendship that brought me so far. And with that, I take a deep breath, wipe the single tear drop falling down my cheek, and begin.
Dear A,
I realize that many times friends and faithful companions drift apart as life goes on. But why now? What has happened to our friendship? It was so beautiful! Since kindergarten, you have been there for me. You have carried me through grade school (though I nicknamed you "E" then) and into junior high. In high school, you were my constant. I always knew that if I put enough effort into making our relationship work, you would be right by my side. Again, I ask, what happened?
You always looked so nice when I saw you. You consistently instilled in me a sense of confidence, self-esteem, and happiness. You made everything better, no matter how bad of a day I was having. I could be having a horrible time, and then all I would have to do is receive an essay back and there you would be, smiling at me. I want you to know that I truly love you for that.
There were many times when I questioned if you would always be there for me. Sophomore year I would sit in math class and visualize you sprinting out of my life forever. Junior year, as I studied for the physics exams, I stressed out over the possibility of you leaving. And senior year, as I entered the deep and desolate world of AP English, I was absolutely frantic over the thought of never seeing you again! Nevertheless, despite all of the close-calls and scares, you never left me. You remained a loyal friend. Thank you.
Coming to college, I knew there was a good possibility that you would actually go through with it, that you would walk out the door and never come back. Now, after taking the first round of exams and knowing my biology test is Friday, that possibility has become reality. You really are gone forever.
Today is a day of mourning. I mourn what used to be. I mourn what we had and have lost. I find myself surrounded by unfamiliar friends. I'm not used to seeing "C" or "D" around. I was always supposed to stay away from them. They were never good influences. They were bad friends, and I avoided their companionship all of my life - until now. "C" and "D" depress me. They are pessemists, and who wants to be around people who always look down on life. Dearest A, you always did bring such positive light to any room you graced with your presence. Oh, A. Where are you?
In this moment of weakness, I am in my greatest time of need. I have never missed a friend so much as I do now. You are my strength, and today I am but a rag doll. I could plead to you all night to return, but I know it will be of little use. You have found new friends. I knew coming to Brigham Young University would cause this to happen. You have found bigger and better people here on campus. Obviously, I am nothing more to you. I am merely like a blocked MSN contact - once loved, then hated, and now forgotten. I hope you're happy with your new friends. They're probably all snobs, anyway. One day, you'll find out that they're just using you. While I actually had feelings for you and everything you stood for, they're just using your connections to get into Grad school. I do indeed hurt for you the day you realize the truth in that. It will be hard to swallow.
Farewell, dear A. It was nice while it lasted. Maybe one day we will cross paths again. The chance is slim, but nevertheless, it is there. No matter the future, may you always remember the love we had for each other. May you look back on the past and find those pockets of joy and happiness. May you see that I was, in fact, your friend.
Love Always,
Jessica
Sunday, September 25, 2005
A Very Random Day, Indeed
Yesterday was quite an unusual day, and when I say quite, the words should be in capital letters - QUITE. Let me explain.
To set the stage for our grand and adventurous day, I must first describe my roommate. Jamie has long, vivid red hair. Apparently, though I'm not a follower of the cult Harry Potter, she resembles Jenny Weasley. Consequently, our neighbor Amy calls her Jenny. Well, yesterday afternoon Amy said, "Hey Jenny. You should go get Harry Potter stuff on and we'll take pictures of you being Jenny!" So Jamie did. She put on a black zip-up Hogwarts track jacket, the red and yellow Hogwarts scarf, she wore glasses on the top of her head, and even had a wand that her lovely father made her. So we took pictures of Jenny Weasley in the hallway. And then the suggestion that, to put it dramatically, changed our lives: Amy - "We should go find a Harry Potter to take a picture with you!" Why not, we thought, and headed out the door. As we were walking around the dorm complex outside, we spotted a boy. At first we didn't think he would do. He had light hair and didn't really resemble Harry in any way. We asked anyway. He looked at us like we were mad. Amy and I went ahead, a little embarrassed by our friends Jamie and Kendal's forwardness. But then we were signaled back by Jamie and told that he had agreed to pose in the picture. AND, not only had he agreed, but he had also reminded them that Harry needed a scar on his forehead. We headed back to the dorm to get eyeliner. We were to meet him out in the parking lot.
Returning the eyeliner, have expecting him to not show up, we found him exactly where he had said he would be. We introduced ourselves and Jamie then proceeded to draw the scar in brown eyeliner on his forehead. He was beginning to look more and more like Harry Potter. We decided some bushes would provide the best backdrop so we went over to them, and Jamie and Michael (that's Harry's code name) began to pose. We died laughing. Michael was a sport and we were definitely impressed. Well, this is where it gets interesting...
Following the mini-photo shoot, Michael says, "So, my brother is having a birthday party up in Provo Canyon. We're going to do a bonfire and all that good stuff. You guys should totally come." We all looked at eachother (there were five of us.) We informed him that we didn't have cars, so he said he could drive us. We still were unsure. I mean, we had just met this guy five minutes before. And none of us being from Utah, we were all a little weary. If we were at another school, we would be taking a tremendous risk in agreeing to go up to a secluded area with guys we didn't know AT ALL. We told him we'd call him.
Meanwhile, we roamed campus visiting other dorm complexes trying to search for other Harry Potter characters to pose for pictures. In a busy intersection on a mound of grass, Jamie cast spells on passing cars -- and also on Kendal, who playfully fell to the ground. It was immensely funny...you might have had to have been there.
Finally 8:00 p.m. rolled around. Michael was going to leave between 8 and 8:30. We had to make a decision. Amy had to do homework. Kendal had to do homework. Alison had a date. And I knew I SHOULD do homework. That left Jamie, and I couldn't let the girl go by herself. And so, a little weary, I agreed to accompany her to Provo Canyon with strangers for a stranger's birthday party.
We went to the designated meeting spot to be picked up. The little Nissan Sentra approached with three guys in it, and we got in. Harry Potter was driving. We were introduced to the other two. Billy was sitting shotgun. Billy was a big kid. Dark ruffled hair, glasses. He's a Poly Sci major, into music, debate. You know the type. ODD sense of humor. And then there was Canada, or Bryan, or Tyler sitting in the backseat with us. Michael introduced him to us as Canada (since he hails from the foreign country) and then Canada let us in on his real name, Bryan. But someone in the car said his name was Tyler, which apparently is is middle name. We were both very confused and so didn't use his name the entire night, I'm sure.
Well, let me tell you a couple funny stories that happened before we even reached the Canyon. First, we needed wood, so we went to Toys'R Us and asked to take their pallettes from behind the building. Meanwhile, Billy decided he had to go to the bathroom, so he excused himself and went around the side of the building. And second (this Billy is INTERESTING), we were showing the guys the pictures of Michael and Jamie on my camera when we came across the picture of the guy at the dorm dance wearing my same jeans. Do you remember me writing about that? It's in a previous post with pictures if you need to refer back. Anyway, so we asked what their opinion of guys wearing girls pants was. Billy replied, "Actually, I wear girl jeans. In fact, I have those same ones you're wearing." Jamie and I shot a glance at eachother. Was Billy the guy at the dance??? We looked at the picture and sure enough, it was him. We died laughing. Canada looked at the picture and confirmed what we thought - We had pictures of Billy's butt on my camera. Sweet... So that brought on an entire conversation about girls pants on guys (quite interesting, might I add.) Canada, sitting next to Jamie, was our favorite of the group. He was way nice and friendly and normal. He had an amazingly cute accent, and was pretty cute, himself. We decided we like Canada. He might come to the volleyball game with us on Wednesday.
So we arrived at Provo Canyon about 10:15. Michael's brother proceeded to light the bonfire. After soaking the wood pallettes with gasoline, he began to pour the lighter fluid into his mouth. I'm not kidding. INTO HIS MOUTH. He then took a lighter, lit it, and blew the lighter fluid onto the wood. In this manner, he lit the bonfire. We were like, Are you joking us??
Well, once the fire got big enough, Michael (who informed us that he wants to be a stuntman) and his brother decided to jump over the fire (which was quite large, mind you.) Later, his brother decided to put on a fire-blowing show and again, filled his mouth with lighter fluid and turned himself into a blow torch. Those two incidents were probably the highlights of the evening. The rest of time was spent talking and trying to keep from burning up in the way too hot fire. At about 12:10, we decided to leave and go to Taco Bell. So we did.
When we got to Taco Bell, a bunch of other guys from Michael, Billy, and Canada's dorm floor showed up. Jamie and I were the only two girls in a group of about 20 freshmen. We actually made some friends, I think. They were all really friendly and asked us questions. Later, Michael asked us if we wanted to go see a movie at 12:30. However, Jamie and I realized we had forgotten our student I.D. which was needed to get back into our dorms after midnight, and so we said we had to get back so someone would still be up to let us in. Michael and Billy went to the movie and let us ride home with some guys we had just met at Taco Bell (oh, and Canada, too.) One guy gave us the impression that he smoked, drank, and was like 27. But apparently he was sick, had been yelling at the football game all day, and just had "that look." He invited us to go play midnight volleyball some time. And we reminded Canada of the game on Wednesday.
And with that, we entered our dorm and went upstairs. After a couple of S'mores in the microwave and a chat with the neighbors, we headed to bed about 2:00. What a night! It's now Sunday morning. My hair smells like smoke. My eyes hurt a little. And last night seems like it could have been just a figure of my imagination. But no......
We have pictures to prove it. (See photobucket!)
To set the stage for our grand and adventurous day, I must first describe my roommate. Jamie has long, vivid red hair. Apparently, though I'm not a follower of the cult Harry Potter, she resembles Jenny Weasley. Consequently, our neighbor Amy calls her Jenny. Well, yesterday afternoon Amy said, "Hey Jenny. You should go get Harry Potter stuff on and we'll take pictures of you being Jenny!" So Jamie did. She put on a black zip-up Hogwarts track jacket, the red and yellow Hogwarts scarf, she wore glasses on the top of her head, and even had a wand that her lovely father made her. So we took pictures of Jenny Weasley in the hallway. And then the suggestion that, to put it dramatically, changed our lives: Amy - "We should go find a Harry Potter to take a picture with you!" Why not, we thought, and headed out the door. As we were walking around the dorm complex outside, we spotted a boy. At first we didn't think he would do. He had light hair and didn't really resemble Harry in any way. We asked anyway. He looked at us like we were mad. Amy and I went ahead, a little embarrassed by our friends Jamie and Kendal's forwardness. But then we were signaled back by Jamie and told that he had agreed to pose in the picture. AND, not only had he agreed, but he had also reminded them that Harry needed a scar on his forehead. We headed back to the dorm to get eyeliner. We were to meet him out in the parking lot.
Returning the eyeliner, have expecting him to not show up, we found him exactly where he had said he would be. We introduced ourselves and Jamie then proceeded to draw the scar in brown eyeliner on his forehead. He was beginning to look more and more like Harry Potter. We decided some bushes would provide the best backdrop so we went over to them, and Jamie and Michael (that's Harry's code name) began to pose. We died laughing. Michael was a sport and we were definitely impressed. Well, this is where it gets interesting...
Following the mini-photo shoot, Michael says, "So, my brother is having a birthday party up in Provo Canyon. We're going to do a bonfire and all that good stuff. You guys should totally come." We all looked at eachother (there were five of us.) We informed him that we didn't have cars, so he said he could drive us. We still were unsure. I mean, we had just met this guy five minutes before. And none of us being from Utah, we were all a little weary. If we were at another school, we would be taking a tremendous risk in agreeing to go up to a secluded area with guys we didn't know AT ALL. We told him we'd call him.
Meanwhile, we roamed campus visiting other dorm complexes trying to search for other Harry Potter characters to pose for pictures. In a busy intersection on a mound of grass, Jamie cast spells on passing cars -- and also on Kendal, who playfully fell to the ground. It was immensely funny...you might have had to have been there.
Finally 8:00 p.m. rolled around. Michael was going to leave between 8 and 8:30. We had to make a decision. Amy had to do homework. Kendal had to do homework. Alison had a date. And I knew I SHOULD do homework. That left Jamie, and I couldn't let the girl go by herself. And so, a little weary, I agreed to accompany her to Provo Canyon with strangers for a stranger's birthday party.
We went to the designated meeting spot to be picked up. The little Nissan Sentra approached with three guys in it, and we got in. Harry Potter was driving. We were introduced to the other two. Billy was sitting shotgun. Billy was a big kid. Dark ruffled hair, glasses. He's a Poly Sci major, into music, debate. You know the type. ODD sense of humor. And then there was Canada, or Bryan, or Tyler sitting in the backseat with us. Michael introduced him to us as Canada (since he hails from the foreign country) and then Canada let us in on his real name, Bryan. But someone in the car said his name was Tyler, which apparently is is middle name. We were both very confused and so didn't use his name the entire night, I'm sure.
Well, let me tell you a couple funny stories that happened before we even reached the Canyon. First, we needed wood, so we went to Toys'R Us and asked to take their pallettes from behind the building. Meanwhile, Billy decided he had to go to the bathroom, so he excused himself and went around the side of the building. And second (this Billy is INTERESTING), we were showing the guys the pictures of Michael and Jamie on my camera when we came across the picture of the guy at the dorm dance wearing my same jeans. Do you remember me writing about that? It's in a previous post with pictures if you need to refer back. Anyway, so we asked what their opinion of guys wearing girls pants was. Billy replied, "Actually, I wear girl jeans. In fact, I have those same ones you're wearing." Jamie and I shot a glance at eachother. Was Billy the guy at the dance??? We looked at the picture and sure enough, it was him. We died laughing. Canada looked at the picture and confirmed what we thought - We had pictures of Billy's butt on my camera. Sweet... So that brought on an entire conversation about girls pants on guys (quite interesting, might I add.) Canada, sitting next to Jamie, was our favorite of the group. He was way nice and friendly and normal. He had an amazingly cute accent, and was pretty cute, himself. We decided we like Canada. He might come to the volleyball game with us on Wednesday.
So we arrived at Provo Canyon about 10:15. Michael's brother proceeded to light the bonfire. After soaking the wood pallettes with gasoline, he began to pour the lighter fluid into his mouth. I'm not kidding. INTO HIS MOUTH. He then took a lighter, lit it, and blew the lighter fluid onto the wood. In this manner, he lit the bonfire. We were like, Are you joking us??
Well, once the fire got big enough, Michael (who informed us that he wants to be a stuntman) and his brother decided to jump over the fire (which was quite large, mind you.) Later, his brother decided to put on a fire-blowing show and again, filled his mouth with lighter fluid and turned himself into a blow torch. Those two incidents were probably the highlights of the evening. The rest of time was spent talking and trying to keep from burning up in the way too hot fire. At about 12:10, we decided to leave and go to Taco Bell. So we did.
When we got to Taco Bell, a bunch of other guys from Michael, Billy, and Canada's dorm floor showed up. Jamie and I were the only two girls in a group of about 20 freshmen. We actually made some friends, I think. They were all really friendly and asked us questions. Later, Michael asked us if we wanted to go see a movie at 12:30. However, Jamie and I realized we had forgotten our student I.D. which was needed to get back into our dorms after midnight, and so we said we had to get back so someone would still be up to let us in. Michael and Billy went to the movie and let us ride home with some guys we had just met at Taco Bell (oh, and Canada, too.) One guy gave us the impression that he smoked, drank, and was like 27. But apparently he was sick, had been yelling at the football game all day, and just had "that look." He invited us to go play midnight volleyball some time. And we reminded Canada of the game on Wednesday.
And with that, we entered our dorm and went upstairs. After a couple of S'mores in the microwave and a chat with the neighbors, we headed to bed about 2:00. What a night! It's now Sunday morning. My hair smells like smoke. My eyes hurt a little. And last night seems like it could have been just a figure of my imagination. But no......
We have pictures to prove it. (See photobucket!)
Thursday, September 22, 2005
What I like today
It's time for me to update my "likes" list. Every once in awhile I post a "like" or "dislike." Since I have been positive lately, I'll post a "like." Here goes:
1. This really amazing grilled sandwhich I'm eating right now from the Legends Grill down in the middle of campus.
2. Talking to my friends at OSU
3. Facebook
4. Football game (BYU vs. TCU tomorrow!)
5. Sweat when I'm working out
6. The fact that I exceed the goal of 10,000 steps per day on my pedometer for health quite regularly
7. I only had class yesterday until 10:50 a.m.
8. I never have classes on Fridays
9. I found an old looking building on campus! And I'm in love with it.
10. Still puddings! I bought five things of it at Wal-Mart the other day
11. Brownies! We made brownies last night from "just add water" mix down in the basement. Topped off with a little BYU Creamery mint-chocolate chip icecream, and it was PERFECT!
12. S'mores. Jamie and I bought stuff for S'mores and we made them in the microwave
13. People commenting on my blog (wink, wink)
14. My iPod (can never get too much of it)
15. The thought of flying home for Thanksgiving
16. My Interior Design class
17. Taking tests in the testing center (as opposed to in the classroom)
18. Peaches/Pares/Pineapple (every morning)
19. Food on Demand
20. The school newspaper
21. The thought of my family coming to visit like every weekend in October
22. Sleep
23. Gilmore Girls (three more episodes!!)
24. The fact that I'm going to start watching a show next Tuesday (Commander-in-Chief)
25. The fact that I'm an Oregonian
26. My 94% on my first exam for Health
27. This sandwhich, still!
28. Mail and Carepackages
29. Water
30. My bright blue Polo button down that I wore for the first time today
31. "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Suriving College"
32. Luna Bars
33. Almonds
34. Riding in a car
35. Getting phone calls from my friends
36. Our answering machine outgoing message
37. The fact that the bathroom gets cleaned every weekday
38. I get to sleep in tomorrow!
39. The Bell Tower
40. And finally, the beautiful mountains that surround the campus!
1. This really amazing grilled sandwhich I'm eating right now from the Legends Grill down in the middle of campus.
2. Talking to my friends at OSU
3. Facebook
4. Football game (BYU vs. TCU tomorrow!)
5. Sweat when I'm working out
6. The fact that I exceed the goal of 10,000 steps per day on my pedometer for health quite regularly
7. I only had class yesterday until 10:50 a.m.
8. I never have classes on Fridays
9. I found an old looking building on campus! And I'm in love with it.
10. Still puddings! I bought five things of it at Wal-Mart the other day
11. Brownies! We made brownies last night from "just add water" mix down in the basement. Topped off with a little BYU Creamery mint-chocolate chip icecream, and it was PERFECT!
12. S'mores. Jamie and I bought stuff for S'mores and we made them in the microwave
13. People commenting on my blog (wink, wink)
14. My iPod (can never get too much of it)
15. The thought of flying home for Thanksgiving
16. My Interior Design class
17. Taking tests in the testing center (as opposed to in the classroom)
18. Peaches/Pares/Pineapple (every morning)
19. Food on Demand
20. The school newspaper
21. The thought of my family coming to visit like every weekend in October
22. Sleep
23. Gilmore Girls (three more episodes!!)
24. The fact that I'm going to start watching a show next Tuesday (Commander-in-Chief)
25. The fact that I'm an Oregonian
26. My 94% on my first exam for Health
27. This sandwhich, still!
28. Mail and Carepackages
29. Water
30. My bright blue Polo button down that I wore for the first time today
31. "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Suriving College"
32. Luna Bars
33. Almonds
34. Riding in a car
35. Getting phone calls from my friends
36. Our answering machine outgoing message
37. The fact that the bathroom gets cleaned every weekday
38. I get to sleep in tomorrow!
39. The Bell Tower
40. And finally, the beautiful mountains that surround the campus!
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
It's Time
Since I can remember, I have based much of my self worth on other's opinions of me. No matter how much I would try to say, "It doesn't matter," it always did, at least in my mind. Living your life to please others definitely takes effort, and I'm sure years off of a lifespan. It only produces feelings of anxiety, fears of coming up short, doubt, insecurity, lack of confidence, and stress. Nothing good ever does come out of it, except those times when your looks, your accomplishments, or your status is recognized by an outside source. Those times only last a brief moment, however, and then they propel the cycle into an even faster gear. Someone likes my hair. I'll work harder on it every morning and think about it constantly. Obviously it is of some value if it is worthy enough for someone to compliment me on it. Someone is impressed with my grades. I'll work my butt off to keep their impression of me. Someone says I look good. I'll kill myself at the gym to keep it that way. Do you see how easy it is to be run by other people's perceptions of yourself? It's almost too easy. And I've come to a crossroads.
College is supposed to be about "finding yourself," discovering who you really are. It's supposed to present an environment where people are accepting of diversity, thus encouraging diversity and independent thinking. College is supposed to be a place where the insecurities of high school die, and are replaced with confidence and character. College is supposed to be all of these things...but I don't feel like it is here.
There was a recent article on MSNBC about BYU being chosen as #1 for having the fittest students in the country. It was a survey done by Men's Fitness Magazine. To quote the article on a possible reason for the awareness of fitness on campus, a male student jokingly explained, “Most of us get married in college, so ...Maybee we do it just for the opposite sex, so we can catch a wife." The problem with this statement, though, is that it's not a joke. It's a reality. It has come to my attention more and more as I spend time here at BYU of the incredible amount of girls with eating disorders. It is a real problem at any college campus, I'm sure. But attitudes like the one mentioned by the student do help to instigate it. While many students do indeed find their spouses while attending college, this should definitely not be a primary goal. And though BYU does emphasize this pointpubliclyy, it is the underlying messages of dating marriage that cause the obession with finding a companion. And society adds its two cents by telling a person that they will never find "the one" if they don't look drop dead gorgeous or GQ. I'm bothered by this.
Whoever you choose to marry in this life should be attracted to who you really are. If you are pretending to be perfect all the time, then you are going to attract a male/female counterpart who expects this, when they, themselves, are anything but perfect. This can lead to all sorts or marital problems - abuse, manipulation of one spouse over another, feelings of inadequacies, denial, control, and the list goes on. In short, the person who is right for you should like YOU, not who you try to be. So many students here on campus try to put on a front in order to attract the opposite sex. It's kind of like the peacocks and feathers, except the girls have their hair all done up, the perfect shoes and makeup and bag. And the guys have gel in their hair, dressed to the hilt. Sadly, it is so easy to get caught up in the "strive forperfectionn."
So the point of this post is to say that it is time. It is time for me to find myself. It is time for me to stop trying to fit the BYU Mormon girl mold just so some guy will find me attractive. It is time for me become the person I want to be. And I know that if I do that, then whoever I marry (in many years!) will like me for me, and he'll be perfect because of that. I have dreams. It's time to start making those come to true. I want to study abroad. I want to travel..... I want to chop all of my hair off.
I know cutting my hair would only be a small step in the discovery process, but today I have come to the conclusion that it is a vital step. As I was walking home from class in the rain, under an umbrella, my previously perfectly straight hair was flipping out and getting frizzy. I had spent too long getting ready this morning because there was a cute boy in biology who always sits by me. Well, today he didn't show up and all my work this morning went to waste. But the light of the moment was in this: My hair is not naturally straight. It's very curly. However, in order to "fit in," I straighten the heck out of it, most likely damaging it forever. When I left the dorm, my hair was straight as a board. However, it wasn't even ten minutes before it started to fight the facade I gave it. The straight ends began to flip up and out. My hair didn't even need to get wet to start to unravel. It only took a little moisture in the air to do the job. Thus, I made this interpretation. I have been trying to mold myself into what I think other people will like and accept. But it's not me. Now it's time for me to start breaking out of that false shell, and finding my true self, curly hair and all. Next time I see you all, I will have chopped off my hair. It is the first step to accepting myself as I am. The years of pretense will fall to the floor with each strand cut off. It will be liberating.
Just like the fresh rain that fell today, I too begin a fresh start. As I breathe in the mountain air, I will breathe in confidence and self-assurity. I'm here at BYU to learn, to grow, to flourish. And starting today, I will.
College is supposed to be about "finding yourself," discovering who you really are. It's supposed to present an environment where people are accepting of diversity, thus encouraging diversity and independent thinking. College is supposed to be a place where the insecurities of high school die, and are replaced with confidence and character. College is supposed to be all of these things...but I don't feel like it is here.
There was a recent article on MSNBC about BYU being chosen as #1 for having the fittest students in the country. It was a survey done by Men's Fitness Magazine. To quote the article on a possible reason for the awareness of fitness on campus, a male student jokingly explained, “Most of us get married in college, so ...Maybee we do it just for the opposite sex, so we can catch a wife." The problem with this statement, though, is that it's not a joke. It's a reality. It has come to my attention more and more as I spend time here at BYU of the incredible amount of girls with eating disorders. It is a real problem at any college campus, I'm sure. But attitudes like the one mentioned by the student do help to instigate it. While many students do indeed find their spouses while attending college, this should definitely not be a primary goal. And though BYU does emphasize this pointpubliclyy, it is the underlying messages of dating marriage that cause the obession with finding a companion. And society adds its two cents by telling a person that they will never find "the one" if they don't look drop dead gorgeous or GQ. I'm bothered by this.
Whoever you choose to marry in this life should be attracted to who you really are. If you are pretending to be perfect all the time, then you are going to attract a male/female counterpart who expects this, when they, themselves, are anything but perfect. This can lead to all sorts or marital problems - abuse, manipulation of one spouse over another, feelings of inadequacies, denial, control, and the list goes on. In short, the person who is right for you should like YOU, not who you try to be. So many students here on campus try to put on a front in order to attract the opposite sex. It's kind of like the peacocks and feathers, except the girls have their hair all done up, the perfect shoes and makeup and bag. And the guys have gel in their hair, dressed to the hilt. Sadly, it is so easy to get caught up in the "strive forperfectionn."
So the point of this post is to say that it is time. It is time for me to find myself. It is time for me to stop trying to fit the BYU Mormon girl mold just so some guy will find me attractive. It is time for me become the person I want to be. And I know that if I do that, then whoever I marry (in many years!) will like me for me, and he'll be perfect because of that. I have dreams. It's time to start making those come to true. I want to study abroad. I want to travel..... I want to chop all of my hair off.
I know cutting my hair would only be a small step in the discovery process, but today I have come to the conclusion that it is a vital step. As I was walking home from class in the rain, under an umbrella, my previously perfectly straight hair was flipping out and getting frizzy. I had spent too long getting ready this morning because there was a cute boy in biology who always sits by me. Well, today he didn't show up and all my work this morning went to waste. But the light of the moment was in this: My hair is not naturally straight. It's very curly. However, in order to "fit in," I straighten the heck out of it, most likely damaging it forever. When I left the dorm, my hair was straight as a board. However, it wasn't even ten minutes before it started to fight the facade I gave it. The straight ends began to flip up and out. My hair didn't even need to get wet to start to unravel. It only took a little moisture in the air to do the job. Thus, I made this interpretation. I have been trying to mold myself into what I think other people will like and accept. But it's not me. Now it's time for me to start breaking out of that false shell, and finding my true self, curly hair and all. Next time I see you all, I will have chopped off my hair. It is the first step to accepting myself as I am. The years of pretense will fall to the floor with each strand cut off. It will be liberating.
Just like the fresh rain that fell today, I too begin a fresh start. As I breathe in the mountain air, I will breathe in confidence and self-assurity. I'm here at BYU to learn, to grow, to flourish. And starting today, I will.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
I HATE BIOLOGY
I really hate Biology,
It's the devil, Oh can't you see?
It goes over my head, and stabs me in the heart,
It makes me depressed and I never feel smart.
The lectures are humongous,
I could care less about the types of fungus.
The teacher confuses himself, and thus me,
During the class I wish I was drowned in the sea.
I read in the text book every other day,
But seriously, the material doesn't ever stay.
My brain never retains science-related material,
Augh! I'm getting stressed! I need some cereal...
And then there's the labs on Tuesdays at 4,
Oh gosh, I don't want to go anymore.
There's some Russian named Iliead who speaks "likah dis,"
I'm still waiting for him to lead an uprising...communist.
We have to take a five-question test,
And it's based on like 20 pages of text.
I'm always like, "Greaaaaat." Here comes a "C,"
Biology...It's just not for me.
Oh, and I can't forget the research posters,
I'd rather stick my hand in a toaster.
I'm with two other kids who could really care less,
Well, I guess it's actually three. I confess.
To make matters worse, the class is at 4,
It's the last class of the day and it's such a bore.
My eyes grow weary. My stomach grows weak,
I need some sleep. I need something to eat.
Luckily our TA doesn't want to be there,
So after twenty mintues she'll say, "See you later!"
Cool. A teaching assistant who's apathetic,
Can you really get any more pathetic?
Well, I know one thing that can, and that's science!
"I WILL NOT ATTEND THAT CLASS" I shout in defiance.
Okay, okay. I'll go, I'll go.
Even though I'd rather say no.
I dont' understand; I'd say no to drugs.
Why can't I say no to cells, atoms, and bugs?
Down with neurtrons, DNA, and covalent bonds,
I say throw the biology text book to the frogs in the pond.
I have this dreaded class tomorrow at 10,
I shall sulk to the building and then pretend.
I'll pretend to like it for the sake of those near me,
I would hate to end up strangling one of them when I'm angry.
Oh, the joys of not having a science-oriented mind,
It makes one so very...unkind.
Wish me luck. The course is quite dreadful.
But what can you except? Biology's the devil.
It's the devil, Oh can't you see?
It goes over my head, and stabs me in the heart,
It makes me depressed and I never feel smart.
The lectures are humongous,
I could care less about the types of fungus.
The teacher confuses himself, and thus me,
During the class I wish I was drowned in the sea.
I read in the text book every other day,
But seriously, the material doesn't ever stay.
My brain never retains science-related material,
Augh! I'm getting stressed! I need some cereal...
And then there's the labs on Tuesdays at 4,
Oh gosh, I don't want to go anymore.
There's some Russian named Iliead who speaks "likah dis,"
I'm still waiting for him to lead an uprising...communist.
We have to take a five-question test,
And it's based on like 20 pages of text.
I'm always like, "Greaaaaat." Here comes a "C,"
Biology...It's just not for me.
Oh, and I can't forget the research posters,
I'd rather stick my hand in a toaster.
I'm with two other kids who could really care less,
Well, I guess it's actually three. I confess.
To make matters worse, the class is at 4,
It's the last class of the day and it's such a bore.
My eyes grow weary. My stomach grows weak,
I need some sleep. I need something to eat.
Luckily our TA doesn't want to be there,
So after twenty mintues she'll say, "See you later!"
Cool. A teaching assistant who's apathetic,
Can you really get any more pathetic?
Well, I know one thing that can, and that's science!
"I WILL NOT ATTEND THAT CLASS" I shout in defiance.
Okay, okay. I'll go, I'll go.
Even though I'd rather say no.
I dont' understand; I'd say no to drugs.
Why can't I say no to cells, atoms, and bugs?
Down with neurtrons, DNA, and covalent bonds,
I say throw the biology text book to the frogs in the pond.
I have this dreaded class tomorrow at 10,
I shall sulk to the building and then pretend.
I'll pretend to like it for the sake of those near me,
I would hate to end up strangling one of them when I'm angry.
Oh, the joys of not having a science-oriented mind,
It makes one so very...unkind.
Wish me luck. The course is quite dreadful.
But what can you except? Biology's the devil.
I'VE SURVIVED
Well, this week is officially my fourth week of college. And I'm alive to tell about it. The beginning was a little shaky. There were moments when I was certain I was going to transfer to Oregon State. But, like everyone kept telling me, things DID get better. Now I find myself busier than ever and the weeks are just flying by.
I took my first test on Monday. It was for my Health class. I took it in the testing center, which was a little unnerving at first. You present your ID and what test you need, they give you a test booklet and bubble sheet, and then you go into this HUGE room with desk after desk after desk, where you sit down and take your test. People are walking up and down the aisles, watching to catch people in the act of deception. I got a 94% on it. I was elated. One down, three more to go this week. And as for my first PYSCH test...78%. Not as hot. But hey, a "C" is passing...
Saturday presented me with an adventure. Phil, whose from the hometown and whose family has known my family forever, ran into me at the library. I don't know Phil very well, but nevertheless, he invited me to go up to Salt Lake City with him and his friend, Julia (Jules). Apparently she was in remission from Cancer and we were going to meet a bunch of their friends up there for a nighttime cancer walk. So Jules and Phil came and picked me up Sat. evening and we headed up the freeway. On the way, I find out that Jules is not just your average BYU student. Her father is in fact the newly appointed president of BYU-Idaho. He's the former dean at Harvard Business School. So the family made the, what must have been extremely disheartening, move from Boston to Rexburg, Idaho. Apparently Jules and her friends all worked at Harvard Business School over the summer. What a life...Anway, we met up with Jules' twin sister, her brother and a bunch of other people to do the walk. Following the walk, we headed to downtown SLC where we wandered aimlessly trying to come up with something to do. It's funny how dead SLC is on a Sat. night. I was talking to Lacey, who's going to the University of Portland, and she was downtown Portland Sat. night. The place was hopping! What a contrast between the two cities. So we wandered and finally realized that we were going nowhere, and we climbed back into the car and drove. We just drove. Suddenly, as we are driving through the Ghetto, Little Mexico area of SLC, we decide to pull of and go bowling. It was the most interesting bowling ally I've ever been in in my life. To use the word again, it was "Ghetto." And to think I paid $8 to bowl. It was definitely the most expensive bowling ally I've ever been to. $8 for one flippin game! So yeah, a random bowling experience. Then we drove home and got back to Provo about 12:15 a.m. And that was my exciting night out on the town with a group of people between the ages of 22 and 30. I really felt my age...big 18. Right.
Well, that's the blow by blow of college as it stands this evening. I tried to go to bed. It's 11:00 p.m., and I have a terrible headache, so I thought it would help to get to bed early. Notice the key word I used in the last sentence. "TRIED." Both sets of neighbors are being EXTREMELY loud. One sounds like a hyena, and the others--I don't know what they're doing. So I decided to update the good old blog since I haven't in forever.
Peace out.
I took my first test on Monday. It was for my Health class. I took it in the testing center, which was a little unnerving at first. You present your ID and what test you need, they give you a test booklet and bubble sheet, and then you go into this HUGE room with desk after desk after desk, where you sit down and take your test. People are walking up and down the aisles, watching to catch people in the act of deception. I got a 94% on it. I was elated. One down, three more to go this week. And as for my first PYSCH test...78%. Not as hot. But hey, a "C" is passing...
Saturday presented me with an adventure. Phil, whose from the hometown and whose family has known my family forever, ran into me at the library. I don't know Phil very well, but nevertheless, he invited me to go up to Salt Lake City with him and his friend, Julia (Jules). Apparently she was in remission from Cancer and we were going to meet a bunch of their friends up there for a nighttime cancer walk. So Jules and Phil came and picked me up Sat. evening and we headed up the freeway. On the way, I find out that Jules is not just your average BYU student. Her father is in fact the newly appointed president of BYU-Idaho. He's the former dean at Harvard Business School. So the family made the, what must have been extremely disheartening, move from Boston to Rexburg, Idaho. Apparently Jules and her friends all worked at Harvard Business School over the summer. What a life...Anway, we met up with Jules' twin sister, her brother and a bunch of other people to do the walk. Following the walk, we headed to downtown SLC where we wandered aimlessly trying to come up with something to do. It's funny how dead SLC is on a Sat. night. I was talking to Lacey, who's going to the University of Portland, and she was downtown Portland Sat. night. The place was hopping! What a contrast between the two cities. So we wandered and finally realized that we were going nowhere, and we climbed back into the car and drove. We just drove. Suddenly, as we are driving through the Ghetto, Little Mexico area of SLC, we decide to pull of and go bowling. It was the most interesting bowling ally I've ever been in in my life. To use the word again, it was "Ghetto." And to think I paid $8 to bowl. It was definitely the most expensive bowling ally I've ever been to. $8 for one flippin game! So yeah, a random bowling experience. Then we drove home and got back to Provo about 12:15 a.m. And that was my exciting night out on the town with a group of people between the ages of 22 and 30. I really felt my age...big 18. Right.
Well, that's the blow by blow of college as it stands this evening. I tried to go to bed. It's 11:00 p.m., and I have a terrible headache, so I thought it would help to get to bed early. Notice the key word I used in the last sentence. "TRIED." Both sets of neighbors are being EXTREMELY loud. One sounds like a hyena, and the others--I don't know what they're doing. So I decided to update the good old blog since I haven't in forever.
Peace out.
Friday, September 16, 2005
An Alternative Ending To Guitar Boy (see previous post for reality)
Hey, it Could Happen!
Wednesday arrived faster than I had anticipated. The evening approached even quicker. Before I knew it, I was walking down to Traditions Lounge to enjoy everything acoustic guitar has to offer. I was anxious to see the musician who had so flatteringly invited me to his performance.
Upon entering the lounge, my eyes were greeted with thousands of people. "Wow," I thought. This was a bigger crowd then expected, and so many of them were dressed to the hilt for a rock concert. My two girlfriends and I, draped in our normal school clothes, weaved our way through the sea of students, working our way to the front of the room. As we did so, it was like the parting of the Red Sea. Everyone went silent around us. I stopped. "What's going on?" I whispered to Alison. Suddenly, it was as if someone had popped the bubble that seemed to wrap the room in silence. With a bang, a red carpet stretched out before us. Cameras flashed. People screamed. The three of us, tentatively made our way down the parted sea. We might as well have been Moses. I could see our front and center seats at the end of the tunnel "Jessica!" "Jessica!"Jessica!" The reporters lunged their microphones over the ropes trying to get even a simple one syllable word from my mouth. "Gosh," I said to Jamie. "I had no idea there would reporters here, let alone that they'd want to talk to me!" As we took our seats, I was still in a daze. But I simply shook my head and looked at my watch. Fifteen minutes to show time.
Suddenly, I was tapped on my right shoulder. I looked behind me to find, much to my surprise, Katie Couric. "Katie!" I exclaimed. "What a pleasant surprise to see you here! I just loved your interview with Faith Hill in Rockefeller Plaza when I was there!" Katie graciously accepted the compliment, and then, much to my excitement (as well as shock), asked if she could ask me a few questions. Apparently NBC wanted exclusive rights to the interview, so I was asked to not answer anyone else's questions. "Katie," I replied, "I'm all yours." Though I still had no idea why.
With a camera crew and a microphone, Katie began.
"Jessica," she said. "Can you tell me how you know David?"
David. David. David. My mind was drawing a blank. "Oh!" I exclaimed. "David! You mean the guitar player, right?" Katie just looked at me and the entire camera crew burst out in laughter.
"No, David the garbage man," replied Katie with a sly smile, implying that I was only pretending to play dumb. "Of course David the guitar player!" she said. "He's only the most talented guitar musician in America right now! Ever since his hot performance with the Rolling Stones, the country just can't get enough of him!" As she said this she was glancing at the camera, as if she expected the country to nod back home in front of their television screens.
I for one, had no idea that this repuation existed. The kid told me he lived in my dorm complex and that he sometimes opened for bands. He never told me they were bands like the Stones! The fact that I lived in a bubble in Provo didn't help any, either. I was floored. To think....I had been invited by him! It suddenly became clear as to what reporter interest in me was about. I was "the girl" in the picture. I've read People and US Weekly. I know how this thing works. And I was elated.
"Well, Katie," I began, suddenly taking on a confidence that I had failed to have since entering the lounge. "It's actually a funny story." (Fake, famous person laugh) "See, I was just in the library, when David came and sat by me. Later, he walked me home and asked me to come tonight. I didn't really know who he was. He was quite mysterious."
Katie chuckled. "Really?" she asked? "That sly dog! He could have any girl in America and he picks the one who doesn't even know who he is!"
I laughed. "Yeah, lucky for me, right?"
"So," Katie continued. "I take it, then, that you don't know about his nasty break up with Katie Holmes?"
I thought she was still engaged to Tom Cruise. "No," I replied. " I wasn't aware of this." Later I looked it up on CNN and found out that David/Katie was pre-Tom, and that Tom was the reason for the nasty split. Apparently, it had been on every cover of every magazine imaginable. How did I miss that one?
Katie then said, "Well, that's probably best." She looked at the head cameraman and pointed to her watch.
"Two minutes," the man replied, meaning that the show would start soon.
"It looks like we have to wrap this up," Katie said. "Sorry this was so short. But we would love to have you on our show soon!"
Was she kidding? On the Today Show? On NBC? On NATIONAL TELEVISION? I was FREAKING out inside. But I kept a cool composure.
"Katie," I responded, "I would be honored."
"It was really nice to meet you!" Katie said. "And I hope you can get that David of your's to come on our show, too. He's such a private person, that he refuses to do TV interviews! No wonder you didn't know who he was when he met you! Obviously he likes you, though. He doesn't invited just ANYONE to his shows."
"Yeah, well..." I stammered, my confidence quickly fading as I remembered that I would actually have to talk to this world famous David, let alone the fact that I was expected to have a relationship with him.
The camera man was looping his hand through the air, indicating that it was show time and that the crew needed to get out of there.
Katie quickly handed me a card. "Here's my number," she said. "Call me and we'll set up an appointment for you to come on the show. Normally I'd have you call the NBC staff member in charge of guest scheduling, but I would love to talk to you personally."
"Okay," I replied. "Thanks."
"Oh, and give David my best! I just love the boy to death! He's so cute!" And with that, Katie and her camera crew were gone.
I couldn't move. This was all too much to take in at one time. Jamie and Alison were just as stunned. They looked pale. They had come expecting a low-key college gathering. This was a nation-wide event -- and they were in the center of it all. I looked at Jamie. She looked at me. I looked at Alison. She looked at me. And we all three looked up at the stage. And the lights went dim.
Suddenly there was a burst of applause and screams, and a chord sounded from a guitar backstage. One by one the stage lights flashed on, and then a figure emerged from the curtain.
"DAVID, WE LOVE YOU!" I turned to see the five girls behind me, all wearing "I (heart) David" shirts. David flashed a million-dollar smile and gave a little wave, stepping up to the microphone.
"How we all doin' tonight?" he asked the crowd as he adjusted the microphone. The place erupted in deafening sound.
"Hahaha," David laughed. "This is a good crowd for BYU." He cleared his throat. "I'd just like to say, first of all, how stoked I am to be here. I actually went to BYU a couple of years ago, and it's nice to be back. I've been on campus for a week now, just playing student and taking it all in. It's been a blast. GO COUGARS!"
That set the crowd off again.
I still couldn't comprehend the situation. Yes, that was indeed the same David who had walked me home the other day, the one I was a little unsure about, the one I thought might have ADD. And here he was, a rock star. That guitar...
"The first song I'm going to play tonight," David began, "I just wrote this week. It was inspired by a girl - " He paused, knowing this would get a reaction from the audience. And it did. "Yeah," he said, "It is BYU, right?" Everyone laughed. "So yeah," he continued. "I met this awseome girl last week, and I just couldn't get her out of my head. And so I wrote about her." He looked directly at me. I froze. Jamie and Alison froze. "This song is for Jessica." And with a smile, he began strumming the guitar. I sat in a daze.
The performance was amazing. He played eight more songs, seven which he wrote himself. As the concert came to a close, the crowd went wild and gave David a five minute standing ovation.
"Thanks, guys," he said to the crowd. "You've been awseome tonight. It's been real." And with that, he strummed one last, conluding chord and left the stage. The lights came back on, and people began ushering their way out of the lounge. My friends and I remained seated, unsure of what we would should do. We didn't have to wait long, however, when a big shiny-headed man in a dark suit approached us.
"David would like you and your friends to come backstage," he told us.
Wow. We followed the guy.
When we went through the stage door, David was standing there to greet us.
"Hey!" he exlaimed. "You came! I wasn't sure if you would actually come."
I can't exlain what happend next, but I was suddenly overcome by a severe case of hysterics. I started laughing untrollably. The laughter seemed to be contageous. Jamie started, and then Alison, and then even David joined in. After none of our stomach's could handle any more laughter, I looked at David. He had a sheepish grin on his face.
"You knew I didn't know who you were!" I said.
He just kept smiling.
Pointing my finger at him, I said, "You little turd!" Did I just call Katie Holme's ex-boyfriend a turd? Oh, man.
"Yeah, sorry about that," he said. "I just thought it would be fun. Plus, I'm tired of girls throwing themselves at me simply because I'm famous. It was nice knowing someone would hang out with me because of who I really am."
"Okay, I can see that," I replied. "I suppose I could forgive you -- just this once, though!"
He laughed. "Okay," he said. "It will never happen again."
"Good," I said matter of factly.
"Perfect," he added.
"Marvelous," I said.
"Food?" he asked.
Food. Food. Oh, yeah. That stuff that keeps you alive. Funny how your brain leaves your body sometimes.
"Food sounds ravishing," I responded.
"Good," he replied.
"Perfect," I added.
"Marvelous," he said.
"Okay, okay, okay," I exlaimed. "FOOD!"
And with a chorus of laughter, we all walked off the stage, David carrying his guitar over his shoulder.
The End
Wednesday arrived faster than I had anticipated. The evening approached even quicker. Before I knew it, I was walking down to Traditions Lounge to enjoy everything acoustic guitar has to offer. I was anxious to see the musician who had so flatteringly invited me to his performance.
Upon entering the lounge, my eyes were greeted with thousands of people. "Wow," I thought. This was a bigger crowd then expected, and so many of them were dressed to the hilt for a rock concert. My two girlfriends and I, draped in our normal school clothes, weaved our way through the sea of students, working our way to the front of the room. As we did so, it was like the parting of the Red Sea. Everyone went silent around us. I stopped. "What's going on?" I whispered to Alison. Suddenly, it was as if someone had popped the bubble that seemed to wrap the room in silence. With a bang, a red carpet stretched out before us. Cameras flashed. People screamed. The three of us, tentatively made our way down the parted sea. We might as well have been Moses. I could see our front and center seats at the end of the tunnel "Jessica!" "Jessica!"Jessica!" The reporters lunged their microphones over the ropes trying to get even a simple one syllable word from my mouth. "Gosh," I said to Jamie. "I had no idea there would reporters here, let alone that they'd want to talk to me!" As we took our seats, I was still in a daze. But I simply shook my head and looked at my watch. Fifteen minutes to show time.
Suddenly, I was tapped on my right shoulder. I looked behind me to find, much to my surprise, Katie Couric. "Katie!" I exclaimed. "What a pleasant surprise to see you here! I just loved your interview with Faith Hill in Rockefeller Plaza when I was there!" Katie graciously accepted the compliment, and then, much to my excitement (as well as shock), asked if she could ask me a few questions. Apparently NBC wanted exclusive rights to the interview, so I was asked to not answer anyone else's questions. "Katie," I replied, "I'm all yours." Though I still had no idea why.
With a camera crew and a microphone, Katie began.
"Jessica," she said. "Can you tell me how you know David?"
David. David. David. My mind was drawing a blank. "Oh!" I exclaimed. "David! You mean the guitar player, right?" Katie just looked at me and the entire camera crew burst out in laughter.
"No, David the garbage man," replied Katie with a sly smile, implying that I was only pretending to play dumb. "Of course David the guitar player!" she said. "He's only the most talented guitar musician in America right now! Ever since his hot performance with the Rolling Stones, the country just can't get enough of him!" As she said this she was glancing at the camera, as if she expected the country to nod back home in front of their television screens.
I for one, had no idea that this repuation existed. The kid told me he lived in my dorm complex and that he sometimes opened for bands. He never told me they were bands like the Stones! The fact that I lived in a bubble in Provo didn't help any, either. I was floored. To think....I had been invited by him! It suddenly became clear as to what reporter interest in me was about. I was "the girl" in the picture. I've read People and US Weekly. I know how this thing works. And I was elated.
"Well, Katie," I began, suddenly taking on a confidence that I had failed to have since entering the lounge. "It's actually a funny story." (Fake, famous person laugh) "See, I was just in the library, when David came and sat by me. Later, he walked me home and asked me to come tonight. I didn't really know who he was. He was quite mysterious."
Katie chuckled. "Really?" she asked? "That sly dog! He could have any girl in America and he picks the one who doesn't even know who he is!"
I laughed. "Yeah, lucky for me, right?"
"So," Katie continued. "I take it, then, that you don't know about his nasty break up with Katie Holmes?"
I thought she was still engaged to Tom Cruise. "No," I replied. " I wasn't aware of this." Later I looked it up on CNN and found out that David/Katie was pre-Tom, and that Tom was the reason for the nasty split. Apparently, it had been on every cover of every magazine imaginable. How did I miss that one?
Katie then said, "Well, that's probably best." She looked at the head cameraman and pointed to her watch.
"Two minutes," the man replied, meaning that the show would start soon.
"It looks like we have to wrap this up," Katie said. "Sorry this was so short. But we would love to have you on our show soon!"
Was she kidding? On the Today Show? On NBC? On NATIONAL TELEVISION? I was FREAKING out inside. But I kept a cool composure.
"Katie," I responded, "I would be honored."
"It was really nice to meet you!" Katie said. "And I hope you can get that David of your's to come on our show, too. He's such a private person, that he refuses to do TV interviews! No wonder you didn't know who he was when he met you! Obviously he likes you, though. He doesn't invited just ANYONE to his shows."
"Yeah, well..." I stammered, my confidence quickly fading as I remembered that I would actually have to talk to this world famous David, let alone the fact that I was expected to have a relationship with him.
The camera man was looping his hand through the air, indicating that it was show time and that the crew needed to get out of there.
Katie quickly handed me a card. "Here's my number," she said. "Call me and we'll set up an appointment for you to come on the show. Normally I'd have you call the NBC staff member in charge of guest scheduling, but I would love to talk to you personally."
"Okay," I replied. "Thanks."
"Oh, and give David my best! I just love the boy to death! He's so cute!" And with that, Katie and her camera crew were gone.
I couldn't move. This was all too much to take in at one time. Jamie and Alison were just as stunned. They looked pale. They had come expecting a low-key college gathering. This was a nation-wide event -- and they were in the center of it all. I looked at Jamie. She looked at me. I looked at Alison. She looked at me. And we all three looked up at the stage. And the lights went dim.
Suddenly there was a burst of applause and screams, and a chord sounded from a guitar backstage. One by one the stage lights flashed on, and then a figure emerged from the curtain.
"DAVID, WE LOVE YOU!" I turned to see the five girls behind me, all wearing "I (heart) David" shirts. David flashed a million-dollar smile and gave a little wave, stepping up to the microphone.
"How we all doin' tonight?" he asked the crowd as he adjusted the microphone. The place erupted in deafening sound.
"Hahaha," David laughed. "This is a good crowd for BYU." He cleared his throat. "I'd just like to say, first of all, how stoked I am to be here. I actually went to BYU a couple of years ago, and it's nice to be back. I've been on campus for a week now, just playing student and taking it all in. It's been a blast. GO COUGARS!"
That set the crowd off again.
I still couldn't comprehend the situation. Yes, that was indeed the same David who had walked me home the other day, the one I was a little unsure about, the one I thought might have ADD. And here he was, a rock star. That guitar...
"The first song I'm going to play tonight," David began, "I just wrote this week. It was inspired by a girl - " He paused, knowing this would get a reaction from the audience. And it did. "Yeah," he said, "It is BYU, right?" Everyone laughed. "So yeah," he continued. "I met this awseome girl last week, and I just couldn't get her out of my head. And so I wrote about her." He looked directly at me. I froze. Jamie and Alison froze. "This song is for Jessica." And with a smile, he began strumming the guitar. I sat in a daze.
The performance was amazing. He played eight more songs, seven which he wrote himself. As the concert came to a close, the crowd went wild and gave David a five minute standing ovation.
"Thanks, guys," he said to the crowd. "You've been awseome tonight. It's been real." And with that, he strummed one last, conluding chord and left the stage. The lights came back on, and people began ushering their way out of the lounge. My friends and I remained seated, unsure of what we would should do. We didn't have to wait long, however, when a big shiny-headed man in a dark suit approached us.
"David would like you and your friends to come backstage," he told us.
Wow. We followed the guy.
When we went through the stage door, David was standing there to greet us.
"Hey!" he exlaimed. "You came! I wasn't sure if you would actually come."
I can't exlain what happend next, but I was suddenly overcome by a severe case of hysterics. I started laughing untrollably. The laughter seemed to be contageous. Jamie started, and then Alison, and then even David joined in. After none of our stomach's could handle any more laughter, I looked at David. He had a sheepish grin on his face.
"You knew I didn't know who you were!" I said.
He just kept smiling.
Pointing my finger at him, I said, "You little turd!" Did I just call Katie Holme's ex-boyfriend a turd? Oh, man.
"Yeah, sorry about that," he said. "I just thought it would be fun. Plus, I'm tired of girls throwing themselves at me simply because I'm famous. It was nice knowing someone would hang out with me because of who I really am."
"Okay, I can see that," I replied. "I suppose I could forgive you -- just this once, though!"
He laughed. "Okay," he said. "It will never happen again."
"Good," I said matter of factly.
"Perfect," he added.
"Marvelous," I said.
"Food?" he asked.
Food. Food. Oh, yeah. That stuff that keeps you alive. Funny how your brain leaves your body sometimes.
"Food sounds ravishing," I responded.
"Good," he replied.
"Perfect," I added.
"Marvelous," he said.
"Okay, okay, okay," I exlaimed. "FOOD!"
And with a chorus of laughter, we all walked off the stage, David carrying his guitar over his shoulder.
The End
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Update on Guitar Boy
Blurry Picture of Guitar Boy
I feel obligated to update everyone on the situation regarding Guitar Boy, of whom I dedicated an entire post to a few days ago. So here it goes:
I rounded up two girls, and we headed down to the student center to the Traditions Lounge. As we walked through the hallways, the music pulled us in. The place was packed. People overflowed the couches and lined the walls. When we walked in, two guitar players were already up on stage playing. They were simply playing while everyone arrived. Lo and behold, one of the guitar players was David, the boy who I had talked to and who had invited me. It took me awhile to figure out it was him. The room was slightly dimmed, and trust me, a guitar can do wonders for anyone's look or image. So this guy was cute. I was proud to say, "Hey, that's him. The guy who invited me!" If I could compare his style to a famous musician, I would have to say Howie Day. He wrote two of his three songs performed, and possessed a really nice voice to go along with his spectacular string skills (as well as his hair.) Well, to make a short story even shorter, after David got done playing, he left out the back door. I doubt he even saw we were there. We left three performances later. I don't know his last name. I don't know anything about him, really. I'll probably never see him again. I've come to the conclusion that he is just an extremly outgoing person who has the heart to sit next to a girl, talk to her the entire time, walk her home, and then remember her full name. He probably gave a plug for his Acoustic Explosion to everyone he came into contact with. So there you have it. There is nothing more to tell. The tale ended with him and his guitar leaving the room (and my heart forever. Haha. Not really. I just thought that sounded dramatic and sappy.) David aside, there is some real talent on this campus. Never does a day go by that I'm not impressed by something. It truly is amazing.
So here I am. Still a living, breathing, single student--and I like it. Too many people are "hooking up" here that it's almost nausiating. I apologize to those who wanted more juicy gossip. I know I could make it dramatic and interesting. Maybe I will create an alternative outcome, simply for the sheer adventure of it all. That will be for my next entry. As for now, this is reality. Deal with it. I deal with it. I'm going to eat some M & M's now.
Stating the Obvious
The Killers sing a song, "Somebody Told Me." I'm sure many of you have heard it. It's played often on the radio. But I had a disagreement with a certain friend about the words to the chorus. I said that it went, "Somebody told me, you had a boyfriend who looked like a girlfriend, that I had in February of last year." My friend said something completely different. He even argued with the supposed evidence of having looked up the lyrics online. However, I have just looked them up and know for a fact that I was right. So, friend, (and anyone else who thought the lyrics were otherwise,) the chorus to "Somebody Told Me" goes as follows:
But somebody told me you had a boyfriend who looked
like a girlfriend
That I had in february of last year
Its not confidentialI've got potential
(NOW WHAT IT MEANS, ON THE OTHER HAND...)
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Monday, September 12, 2005
There I was sitting in a dimly lit auditorium. I was in the middle of a row with no one else in it. Students trickled in one by one, each taking seats on every row but mine. And so I sat. And I waited. I was on the second floor of the library preparing to be instructed on how to use research tools for a biology poster on food fads. My veins were pulsating in eager anticipation for the knowledge which I was about to acquire. As the meek, little librarian began her speech, I zeroed in on the projector screen in front of me, taking in every letter of every word, relishing the thought that one day - soon! - I would have the opportunity to partake of such delicious fruit, the fruit of learning and discovery. The truth to every burning question in my soul. The use of the LIBRARY. Suddenly, in the middle of a deep consideration concerning peer-reviewed journals, I heard a voice. "Hi," the voice said. "Can I sit by you?" I turned to the source of this question, taking in the guy who had just inquired of me. "Yes," I replied. And he sat down.
"So," he asked. "I'm not sure exactly what this is for." (Meaning the library session.) "It's for biology," I answered, a little puzzled by the fact that he had come to something he was clueless about. "Ohhhhhhhh, that's right," he said, suddenly remembering how he got up this morning, went to the bathroom, ate breakfast, walked to class, entered the library doors, walked into the auditorium, and sat. "Yeah," I replied. This guy was crazy.
"My name's David," he said, and waited for me to give him mine. "I'm Jessica," I said, and then I asked him where he was from, since that seemed to be the most logical thing to ask next. The boy was from Indiana. I told him I was from Oregon and my heart swelled with pride for my state. "So," he said, using the word "so" to start off a topic for the second time of the conversation. "Are you as excited to be here as I am?" I smiled. "Ecstatic," I said, sarcasim oozing off my tounge. "Well," he said, laughing. "We can have fun together then." Meanwhile the librarian continued her lecture.
A roll was sent around to take attendance of those there. David had it and found me without me even giving my last name. "Is this you?" he asked. "Yes, it is," I answered. And then he passed it on down the row. My first thought was "Uh, oh." We had barely even spoken to each other and he was already taking on a controlling role in our relationship. I immediately shook it off. "What are you thinking?" I asked myself. I have spent too much time in the Love Shack known as Brigham Young University.
To make a long story short, the lecture ended and I walked out, David in tow. "Where do you live?" he asked. Now, were I in a city and a complete stranger asked me that, I would have run for my life. But this was college - BYU - and all I had to do was give my general dorm complex, and most likely the boy, being a freshmen, would live there also. And he did. "Perfect!" he exclaimed. "Let's go!"
And we walked. And we talked. He's getting ready to leave for his mission after this semester. He's from Indiana. He's a mechanical engineer. He loves BYU. --And he plays the guitar. This leads me to the point of this post.
"So," I asked, using the word of the day as a bridge while I thought about what we could talk about next. "Did you go to the dorm Country Fair last Friday?" "No," he replied. "I went to a concert." Immediately my ears went "BING" and I was listening. "Really?" I said. "What concert?" It was a local band, one I had of course never heard of. "Yeah," he said. "I sometimes open for 'em." "REALLY?" I asked. This was impressive. There's something about musicians...
"Hey," he said suddenly, as if a light had just gone off in his head. "What are you doing Wednesday?" Uh, oh. Was it beginning? All of the stories, all of the warnings, all of the steretypes and dark humor. "What time," I asked. WHAT TIME? Who asks what time when they have nothing else planned? "Well," I said, "I will probably be trying to come up with ideas on how to put off homework." "Ok," he replied. "Here's an idea. I play the guitar on Wednesday night in the basement of the WILK (student center). You should come watch." "Yeah," I said, trying to act cool, calm and collected. "I'd love to you." "Cool," he said. "Yeah," I said. "Okay," he said. "Well, alright then," I said.
We neared the dorm complex; his building was first. "Now, David from Indiana, right?" I asked, making sure I knew the guy's name. "Right," he said. "And Jessica from Oregon?" He more said it then asked. I was about to say "Yeah" when he said my first, middle, and last name. My mind ran over how he he possibly could have known that, and then I remembered. The roll. He had remembered my entire name from looking at the roll for three seconds. He seemed to sense the minor alarm. "Hey, I'm not a stalker, I promise," he assured me, laughing. "Okay," I said. If he said so. And then he went into his dorm.
So there you have it. While it is not exactly a date, it is something. And I haven't quite decided what I think about him. I never really got a good look at him, despite the fact that we walked the entire way home together. You know how that is. And his personality did give off signals of ADD. But hey, it's the best I can do as of now. And he does play the guitar.
I'll be there at 7:00.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
NOTICE THE MAN ON THE LEFT!
Drop the Girls Jeans
Whoever thinks it is cool to wear a pair of girls' jeans when he is in fact not a girl is an idiot. There is nothing cool, attractive, or even slighty appealing to the fashion fad, and it really needs to end. It's just disgusting. The other night I attended a dance and lo and behold I discovered a large guy wearing the exact same pair of pants I was wearing. Now, I suppose in some weird twisted way I could see this as a sign that we are truly soulmates. I mean, we obviously share the same taste in jeans. However, that thought is revulting and only causes me to want to vomit. Can anyone explain the coolness factor of this trend? Because I just don't get it. Please post your feelings on the issue, because in my opinion, it's an issue that needs to be addressed. It's gross.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
AUTUMN
Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I
were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.
- George Eliot
Today I discovered the first hints of fall. The clean, fresh smell -- distinct, yet indescribable. The crisp bite on the end of the nose. The color of the far off mountain. The intrigue and mystery floating in the wind. The cool breeze ushering out summer and bringing in a new season. Nothing compares. Eliot sums up my feelings so well. "Delicious autumn!"
I am SO in
So I'm in a group now. Yeah. I'm officially cool. You can't be a cool college student until you have a posse. Well, lucky me, I have officially obtained one.
Today, Jamie was with her sister, leaving me with no one to attend the BYU football game with. Consequently, I had to find someone else (that or face the crowds alone.) As a result, I discovered Alison, a girl from two doors down. And so we went to the game, which BYU dominated by the way, and I made a new friend. She's from Arizona. When we returned, we joined another girl, oddly enough, also Alison, and went to the main part of campus to have a celebratory dinner for one of the Alison's birthdays. During this dinner, we established an importoant concept: Everyone seemed have groups - they went to dances, ate dinner, attended football games, etc. together. We decided we need a group. And so there we were. A group. From Arizona, Tennessee, and Oregon. I was elated. I was so in. Following dinner, after talking of our lives like a mild form of "Sex and the City," we headed to the Creamery, which makes its own ice cream, and got half a gallon. We then took it to our fourth floor and proceeded to knock on people's doors, inviting them to gorge themselves with Brownie Nut Fudge using the spoons we stole from various eating places on campus on our journey back to the dorm. And so there we were, in the little living room thing, eating out of the box carton with our spoons, watching some show in French. For some odd reason, there were like seven channels in foreign languages. Finally we settled on CNN, deciding that we live in a bubble and must be informed of the world around us. We then said our goodbyes and headed to our seperate rooms to gorge ourselves with books, in my case, Biology. Did I mention I loathe science with a dinstic passion? Yes.
Today, Jamie was with her sister, leaving me with no one to attend the BYU football game with. Consequently, I had to find someone else (that or face the crowds alone.) As a result, I discovered Alison, a girl from two doors down. And so we went to the game, which BYU dominated by the way, and I made a new friend. She's from Arizona. When we returned, we joined another girl, oddly enough, also Alison, and went to the main part of campus to have a celebratory dinner for one of the Alison's birthdays. During this dinner, we established an importoant concept: Everyone seemed have groups - they went to dances, ate dinner, attended football games, etc. together. We decided we need a group. And so there we were. A group. From Arizona, Tennessee, and Oregon. I was elated. I was so in. Following dinner, after talking of our lives like a mild form of "Sex and the City," we headed to the Creamery, which makes its own ice cream, and got half a gallon. We then took it to our fourth floor and proceeded to knock on people's doors, inviting them to gorge themselves with Brownie Nut Fudge using the spoons we stole from various eating places on campus on our journey back to the dorm. And so there we were, in the little living room thing, eating out of the box carton with our spoons, watching some show in French. For some odd reason, there were like seven channels in foreign languages. Finally we settled on CNN, deciding that we live in a bubble and must be informed of the world around us. We then said our goodbyes and headed to our seperate rooms to gorge ourselves with books, in my case, Biology. Did I mention I loathe science with a dinstic passion? Yes.
Apologies, Country Fair, and PSYCH
It was 1:00 in the morning. Thunder bellowed outside our window and the large trees scraped against the building. Indeed, there was a storm in Provo--and in our dorm.
As Jamie and I lay in the dark trying to sleep, the thoughts of early morning classes the next day running through our minds, we heard THE LAUGH. Even the laugh of our neighbor.
There is a girl named Angela who lives next door. She is somewhat of a bigger girl, and with that stature, she has been blessed with a voice to match it. Even her quiet chuckle could rival the 9.5 magnitude earthquake that I hear Utah is due for. And so there we were: In bed, in the wee hours of the morning, listening to her LOUD laugh coming through the thick concrete and brick walls. It wasn't as big of a deal as it was when we first moved in. We had, as my psychology class pointedly teaches, become coniditioned to the noise, and it almost blended with the raging wind that ripped past our window (Okay, so not really. It was freaking ANNOYING!)
In response to the LOUD laughter, Jamie banged on the wall, not neccessarily being serious, but at the same time truly wanting the noise to stop. Consequently, a loud, "We're SORRRRRRRRRY...." came from the next room. Whoops. Jamie didn't think they'd take us seriously. However, we did have serious classes to attend in six hours.
And so the situation was. It existed only in that moment, and then as the day progressed, we forgot about, finding no reason to dwell on the fact that they had taken us seriously. Fast Forward to later that night:
I was sitting at my laptop, talking on MSN (a routine habit of mine) when I heard voices and sensed movement outside my door. Like a stealth secret agent, I creeped towards the door handle and thrust it open. I was immediately greeted with backs of heads, running feet, and screaming/laughing girls. As the door next door slammed shut, I looked down at my feet and saw what they had done. Rubi and Angela had left us a ton of food, each item bearing a note. The series of notes made up an apology note. It was extremely cute, and I took pictures and posted them on my PHOTOBUCKET for those interested. Angela then came into our room so she could see how loud their room is through the walls, and sure enough, she was shocked to hear that one can hear EVERYTHING! It was quite amusing for both of us. And so, there is the apology story.
Meanwhile, we were preparing to go to the dorm-wide country fair. There are about seven towers to my dorm complex, and apparently they were throwing a carnival for all the residents. And so Jamie, another girl Colleen, and I hit the party. Well, there was a dance--a "dance." It was really nothing to jump up and down about. Although someone shot a high-pressured hose through the doorway soaking all of us in a shockingly cold manner. And then I also noticed a very large guy wearing my exact pants --girl jeans from American Eagle. Ok, that's just wrong and I will never understand that trend. Then we had the marvelous opportunity to jump on a huge inflatible trampoline thing that was supposed to be a Twister board, however, everyone only wanted to jump. Later, I threw some balls at milk cans, ate some cotton candy, almost lost the cotton candy as I watched a disgusting eating contest of an unknown substance, and watched various RA's getting dunked in the dunk tank. During the whole night, memories of the Hucrest carnival kept running through my head, especially as I witnessed a cake walk taking place --always a favorite event of mine at the carnival! Anyway, that was the evening....I'm telling you, girl pants on guys is WRONG. (Pictures of the evening are also available on PHOTOBUCKET, including the guy wearing my pants!)
And so here I am, on my laptop. It is 11:30 am MST. I should be doing homework, but what's new? I did however, get up at 7:15 to go to a PSYCH study group at the library. I'm incredibly happy with myself for doing so (though I must have been too excited, since I spilled my chocolate milk all over my cereal, fruit, tray and fruit bar...) I'm considering going to the football game vs. Eastern Illinois. I may. It's a really nice day, so it would be fun. I have tickets. I might as well use them, right?
Ok, well there you go. That's the news up until now. Feel free to send mail. I'm so elated. This week I recieved a package Wednesday, Thursday, AND Friday (granted, one was ink from DELL for my printer--nevertheless, MAIL!) So send me letters, notes, lovely drawn pictures of pretty rainbows and apple trees!
Till next time---I have to use the bathroom! Goodbye!
As Jamie and I lay in the dark trying to sleep, the thoughts of early morning classes the next day running through our minds, we heard THE LAUGH. Even the laugh of our neighbor.
There is a girl named Angela who lives next door. She is somewhat of a bigger girl, and with that stature, she has been blessed with a voice to match it. Even her quiet chuckle could rival the 9.5 magnitude earthquake that I hear Utah is due for. And so there we were: In bed, in the wee hours of the morning, listening to her LOUD laugh coming through the thick concrete and brick walls. It wasn't as big of a deal as it was when we first moved in. We had, as my psychology class pointedly teaches, become coniditioned to the noise, and it almost blended with the raging wind that ripped past our window (Okay, so not really. It was freaking ANNOYING!)
In response to the LOUD laughter, Jamie banged on the wall, not neccessarily being serious, but at the same time truly wanting the noise to stop. Consequently, a loud, "We're SORRRRRRRRRY...." came from the next room. Whoops. Jamie didn't think they'd take us seriously. However, we did have serious classes to attend in six hours.
And so the situation was. It existed only in that moment, and then as the day progressed, we forgot about, finding no reason to dwell on the fact that they had taken us seriously. Fast Forward to later that night:
I was sitting at my laptop, talking on MSN (a routine habit of mine) when I heard voices and sensed movement outside my door. Like a stealth secret agent, I creeped towards the door handle and thrust it open. I was immediately greeted with backs of heads, running feet, and screaming/laughing girls. As the door next door slammed shut, I looked down at my feet and saw what they had done. Rubi and Angela had left us a ton of food, each item bearing a note. The series of notes made up an apology note. It was extremely cute, and I took pictures and posted them on my PHOTOBUCKET for those interested. Angela then came into our room so she could see how loud their room is through the walls, and sure enough, she was shocked to hear that one can hear EVERYTHING! It was quite amusing for both of us. And so, there is the apology story.
Meanwhile, we were preparing to go to the dorm-wide country fair. There are about seven towers to my dorm complex, and apparently they were throwing a carnival for all the residents. And so Jamie, another girl Colleen, and I hit the party. Well, there was a dance--a "dance." It was really nothing to jump up and down about. Although someone shot a high-pressured hose through the doorway soaking all of us in a shockingly cold manner. And then I also noticed a very large guy wearing my exact pants --girl jeans from American Eagle. Ok, that's just wrong and I will never understand that trend. Then we had the marvelous opportunity to jump on a huge inflatible trampoline thing that was supposed to be a Twister board, however, everyone only wanted to jump. Later, I threw some balls at milk cans, ate some cotton candy, almost lost the cotton candy as I watched a disgusting eating contest of an unknown substance, and watched various RA's getting dunked in the dunk tank. During the whole night, memories of the Hucrest carnival kept running through my head, especially as I witnessed a cake walk taking place --always a favorite event of mine at the carnival! Anyway, that was the evening....I'm telling you, girl pants on guys is WRONG. (Pictures of the evening are also available on PHOTOBUCKET, including the guy wearing my pants!)
And so here I am, on my laptop. It is 11:30 am MST. I should be doing homework, but what's new? I did however, get up at 7:15 to go to a PSYCH study group at the library. I'm incredibly happy with myself for doing so (though I must have been too excited, since I spilled my chocolate milk all over my cereal, fruit, tray and fruit bar...) I'm considering going to the football game vs. Eastern Illinois. I may. It's a really nice day, so it would be fun. I have tickets. I might as well use them, right?
Ok, well there you go. That's the news up until now. Feel free to send mail. I'm so elated. This week I recieved a package Wednesday, Thursday, AND Friday (granted, one was ink from DELL for my printer--nevertheless, MAIL!) So send me letters, notes, lovely drawn pictures of pretty rainbows and apple trees!
Till next time---I have to use the bathroom! Goodbye!
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Why can't I write everyday?
When I came out to school, I decided I was going to write on this blog every day. That way my friends and family could follow my life, as they know it. However, I have found myself NOT doing that! And why, you might ask? Well, I don't know. But anyway, I just thought that I would apologize to you (you, implying that someone out there is still reading my blog even though I've been slothful in my postings.) But anyway, here's a freewrite. No narrowed purpose. No thesis or intro. Just thoughts.
Today I had Psychology. I love that class! We're on Case #1 of four cases, and in this particluar case, we are studying the film, "The Manchurian Canidate" (the old version, not the remake.) Going into the movie, I knew very little about it. I knew it starred Frank Sinatra and Angela Lansbury, but that was about the extent of my knowledge. Nevertheless, I loved it. We watched the second half of it today. It was really quite a unique movie. I've never seen any storyline quite like it in modern filmmaking. I would highly reccomend it to anyone who is in the "intellectual" mindset. It's not neccesarily something that you can just sit down and watch, dead-minded. You do need to be on top of the plot. It really brings to light the elements of the time period in which it was made --Korean War, The Cold War, Communism, Presidential assasination. And there's some humor. And definitely bizarreness. But I would encourage anyone to give the original a try. And just a little note: Frank Sinatra bought the production rights and kept it out of the public's view for many years until finally his daughter rereleased it. Anyway, so that was psychology.
Next I went to my interior design class. It's really interesting, as well. The teacher is intense, but she knows what she's talking about. She's extremely articulate and well-prepared for her lectures. And most importantly, she uses power-point presentations to give us a visual idea of the concepts---visual is KEY for me! And at least at BYU, they ALWAYS use powerpoint or some other form of a visual presentation to go along with lectures. So far gone are the days of Mrs. Doerner's verbal "talks" on historical timeperiods, though, I suppose they, too, could arise once again here on this campus.
Between my classes (I have an hour to kill), I began my first assignment for Interiors. I had to examine three buildings on campus and evaluate them according to their accessability for disabled people, as well as universal design--a design that works well for everyone and doesn't draw attention to "special populations." So this was quite the interesting adventure. I first began in the SWKT, which is the tallest building on campus. Now, keep in mind that the campus is swamped with students at all hours of the day. So here I am with my handy-dandy notebook testing the doors, pushing the handicap buttons, going up and down the stairs, pushing the elevator button but not going down it, and finally examining the bathrooms. I felt like a spy in the bathrooms. I didn't want people to think I was some creep who record the ongoings of the restroom in a spiral notebook. So I would casually go into a stall if the wheelchair stall was occupied, stand there, and wait. Finally, when the bathroom emptied (at least of the people who saw me come in) and the wheelchair stall opened up, I switched stalls, shut the door, observed, and recorded. Memory-bursts of doing an Orange R Investigation in the bathrooms in high school flashed through my mind as I hid out in the stall, making notes. As it turns out, the newest building on campus was the most accessible and boasted the best universal design. In contrast, I spent thirty minutes roaming an old buidling trying to find a bathroom with a handicap stall. I mean, what were people thinking back in the day? People in wheelchairs DO take Humanity courses and DO pee. In summary, I never found a bathroom with wheelchair access. The building was ancient. In my exploring, however, I did have the opportunity to read many bullitin boards with announcements that lined the hallways of the Humanity buildings. Putting aside the stares I was getting from roaming back and forth in front of people, stopping suddently, and taking notes, I decided (from reading about the study abroad opportunites on a bulliten board) that I will take Spanish next semester and study abroad in Madrid winter semester of my junior year. Wouldn't that just be simply incredible? Yes. I thouroughly agree.
Meanwhile, back in the dormlife, I have had the same exact thing for breakfast every morning. First I grab a tray, a bowl, a spoon, and a fork. Next I wrestle with the Raisen Bran dispenser to get the cereal to pour into the bowl. For reason I'm attracted to difficult cereal. After getting sympathetic looks and sly smiles from passers-by as I shake and bang the long tube of bran flakes and dried fruit, my bowl finally fills (well, more like explodes, as a waterfull of cereal gushes onto the tray and floor). It's an everyday occurance, mind you. One morning I had decided I would vary my cereal choice. However, as I approached the row of cereals--probably 10 different varieties--my body only yearned for one type. Yes. Raisen Bran. So after getting my cereal bowl, I move onto the milk, where I fill my bowl with skim milk and fill a cup with chocolate milk. I then move to the salad/fruit bar where I get peaches/pears/mandarin oranges/and pineapple. I am then ready to eat. By the time I get to where my roomate is sitting, she's almost done and gets to sit there as I eat every last flake of bran from the bowl--and the tray. Finally I finish my breakfast, full, and ready to go to class.
I should be doing homework right now. But some things never change. I was a procrastinator in high school, and I'm a procrastinator in college. I know I'll get everything done in time, but it's just a matter of stress levels.
It's still hot. Where's the snow? (Gosh, did I just say that? I hate the cold!) But it's SO hot!
My religion class was canceled today because the professor's son is getting married. Marriage is a word used commonly at BYU. The students here are encouraged to stop "hanging out" and "date." Feel free to make up your own definition of each term.
In biology we're studying evolution. Who would have thought that in such a solidly Christian-based university they would teach evolution. So many religous people are too quick to throw the theory out the window, simply because it suggests more than just the chapter of Genesis. However, in biology here at BYU, we are encouraged to keep an open mind and look at everything in science in a purely scientific manner. There's fossil evidence that helps support Darwin's theory. And of course I believe in the Creation. But it was said, "Let there be light." Now how did the light come about? Science can help us fill in the gaps. Humans were created. How? There are so many questions, which I suppose is the nature of science--always asking questions. Evolution does have many missing links and holes of information. But new advances in DNA, in technology, and in other areas are coninually emerging. While I detest Biology, I have allowed myself to find some aspects that interest me.
I love the Gilmore Girls. I'm on the first season, which I started on the car trip here. I have three more CD's to go. Before I watched the last one, I checked on Amazon to make sure there were DVD's to follow. Luckily, there are four more seasons. It's such a great show! And I've decided I love watching television by way of DVD. First Alias, now Gilmore. It's like having TIVO but---not.
Okay, well I've rambled enough. I am still an undecided major. I just know science or math will not be included. I realized that I can go my entire college career and never take a single math class. Go SPANISH!
Till next time, ADIOS.
Today I had Psychology. I love that class! We're on Case #1 of four cases, and in this particluar case, we are studying the film, "The Manchurian Canidate" (the old version, not the remake.) Going into the movie, I knew very little about it. I knew it starred Frank Sinatra and Angela Lansbury, but that was about the extent of my knowledge. Nevertheless, I loved it. We watched the second half of it today. It was really quite a unique movie. I've never seen any storyline quite like it in modern filmmaking. I would highly reccomend it to anyone who is in the "intellectual" mindset. It's not neccesarily something that you can just sit down and watch, dead-minded. You do need to be on top of the plot. It really brings to light the elements of the time period in which it was made --Korean War, The Cold War, Communism, Presidential assasination. And there's some humor. And definitely bizarreness. But I would encourage anyone to give the original a try. And just a little note: Frank Sinatra bought the production rights and kept it out of the public's view for many years until finally his daughter rereleased it. Anyway, so that was psychology.
Next I went to my interior design class. It's really interesting, as well. The teacher is intense, but she knows what she's talking about. She's extremely articulate and well-prepared for her lectures. And most importantly, she uses power-point presentations to give us a visual idea of the concepts---visual is KEY for me! And at least at BYU, they ALWAYS use powerpoint or some other form of a visual presentation to go along with lectures. So far gone are the days of Mrs. Doerner's verbal "talks" on historical timeperiods, though, I suppose they, too, could arise once again here on this campus.
Between my classes (I have an hour to kill), I began my first assignment for Interiors. I had to examine three buildings on campus and evaluate them according to their accessability for disabled people, as well as universal design--a design that works well for everyone and doesn't draw attention to "special populations." So this was quite the interesting adventure. I first began in the SWKT, which is the tallest building on campus. Now, keep in mind that the campus is swamped with students at all hours of the day. So here I am with my handy-dandy notebook testing the doors, pushing the handicap buttons, going up and down the stairs, pushing the elevator button but not going down it, and finally examining the bathrooms. I felt like a spy in the bathrooms. I didn't want people to think I was some creep who record the ongoings of the restroom in a spiral notebook. So I would casually go into a stall if the wheelchair stall was occupied, stand there, and wait. Finally, when the bathroom emptied (at least of the people who saw me come in) and the wheelchair stall opened up, I switched stalls, shut the door, observed, and recorded. Memory-bursts of doing an Orange R Investigation in the bathrooms in high school flashed through my mind as I hid out in the stall, making notes. As it turns out, the newest building on campus was the most accessible and boasted the best universal design. In contrast, I spent thirty minutes roaming an old buidling trying to find a bathroom with a handicap stall. I mean, what were people thinking back in the day? People in wheelchairs DO take Humanity courses and DO pee. In summary, I never found a bathroom with wheelchair access. The building was ancient. In my exploring, however, I did have the opportunity to read many bullitin boards with announcements that lined the hallways of the Humanity buildings. Putting aside the stares I was getting from roaming back and forth in front of people, stopping suddently, and taking notes, I decided (from reading about the study abroad opportunites on a bulliten board) that I will take Spanish next semester and study abroad in Madrid winter semester of my junior year. Wouldn't that just be simply incredible? Yes. I thouroughly agree.
Meanwhile, back in the dormlife, I have had the same exact thing for breakfast every morning. First I grab a tray, a bowl, a spoon, and a fork. Next I wrestle with the Raisen Bran dispenser to get the cereal to pour into the bowl. For reason I'm attracted to difficult cereal. After getting sympathetic looks and sly smiles from passers-by as I shake and bang the long tube of bran flakes and dried fruit, my bowl finally fills (well, more like explodes, as a waterfull of cereal gushes onto the tray and floor). It's an everyday occurance, mind you. One morning I had decided I would vary my cereal choice. However, as I approached the row of cereals--probably 10 different varieties--my body only yearned for one type. Yes. Raisen Bran. So after getting my cereal bowl, I move onto the milk, where I fill my bowl with skim milk and fill a cup with chocolate milk. I then move to the salad/fruit bar where I get peaches/pears/mandarin oranges/and pineapple. I am then ready to eat. By the time I get to where my roomate is sitting, she's almost done and gets to sit there as I eat every last flake of bran from the bowl--and the tray. Finally I finish my breakfast, full, and ready to go to class.
I should be doing homework right now. But some things never change. I was a procrastinator in high school, and I'm a procrastinator in college. I know I'll get everything done in time, but it's just a matter of stress levels.
It's still hot. Where's the snow? (Gosh, did I just say that? I hate the cold!) But it's SO hot!
My religion class was canceled today because the professor's son is getting married. Marriage is a word used commonly at BYU. The students here are encouraged to stop "hanging out" and "date." Feel free to make up your own definition of each term.
In biology we're studying evolution. Who would have thought that in such a solidly Christian-based university they would teach evolution. So many religous people are too quick to throw the theory out the window, simply because it suggests more than just the chapter of Genesis. However, in biology here at BYU, we are encouraged to keep an open mind and look at everything in science in a purely scientific manner. There's fossil evidence that helps support Darwin's theory. And of course I believe in the Creation. But it was said, "Let there be light." Now how did the light come about? Science can help us fill in the gaps. Humans were created. How? There are so many questions, which I suppose is the nature of science--always asking questions. Evolution does have many missing links and holes of information. But new advances in DNA, in technology, and in other areas are coninually emerging. While I detest Biology, I have allowed myself to find some aspects that interest me.
I love the Gilmore Girls. I'm on the first season, which I started on the car trip here. I have three more CD's to go. Before I watched the last one, I checked on Amazon to make sure there were DVD's to follow. Luckily, there are four more seasons. It's such a great show! And I've decided I love watching television by way of DVD. First Alias, now Gilmore. It's like having TIVO but---not.
Okay, well I've rambled enough. I am still an undecided major. I just know science or math will not be included. I realized that I can go my entire college career and never take a single math class. Go SPANISH!
Till next time, ADIOS.
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