The joy of chocolate oranges (and other wonderful things)

One of the things I got for Christmas was a Pride and Prejudice (Kiera Knightley) dvd.  Since then, I've watched it twice and I can't wait to watch it again.  I'm sure it's driving my family crazy, but it IS my favorite movie of all time (with Pirates of the Caribbean coming in at a close second place).  There's something about that movie that makes me happy and sad at the same time.  Any other (female) hopeless romantic will agree with me that chick flicks, while relentlessly made fun of by a large percentage of the movie-loving population, invariably give us hope for better days.

Sorry I'm late! (A.K.A. My Christmas Wish)

...But I do have an excuse.

My best friend got married today.

So, needless to say, it's been a LONG day.  But it was so much fun!  Me and my other best friend went down to the temple to see her as soon as she came out.  She was so happy.  And so was her husband, who I suppose is also my friend now.

Not your mom's Christmas music!

To start off the magical month of December, I thought I'd show you a couple relatively new Christmas songs that aren't covers.  Oh yeah.

A Tribute to Natalie

Thanksgiving was awesome.  My brain was getting severely damaged from all the pressure school's been handing me lately, and the break couldn't have come at a better time.  However, not everyone's Thanksgiving went as well as mine.

My 14-year-old sister Rachel found out on Friday that her friend Natalie had committed suicide on Thursday night.  I can only imagine what it would feel like to lose a friend like that.  Rachel is much more musically talented than I am (which, I would hope, is saying something), and she was working on a song for the rest of the break.

mmmm...tuuurkaaaaaaay...

Thanksgiving break, baby!  And my fingernails are bright purple.  I feel like I'm 17 again.

A Weekend in Cali

An all-expenses-paid road trip to California AND resume/application-worthy experience?  I think yes.

Why Must We Fall?

The leaves were falling from the great oak at the meadow’s edge. They were falling from all the trees. One branch of the oak reached high above the others and stretched far out over the meadow. Two leaves clung to its very tip.

Crunchy...

Autumn is the only season that causes me to smile every time I look out the window.  Can you blame me?

Influences

Someday I'll be a world-renowned poet and crowds of creative minds will (literally or figuratively) come to my door and ask me to please tell them what influences and inspires me.  Since it's a very long list, I thought I might as well get started on it now.

Wang Wei et. al.

I may complain about my classes at times, but nonwestern poetry is a fascinating subject that, in my opinion, should be studied by anyone who considers him/herself a poet.

We're just finishing the Chinese unit, and I've read some things that I just have to share with you.

Dusting off the old soapbox...

There's a funny little pattern that we all seem to follow (at least in Utah's education system) from the time we start kindergarten to the time we graduate from college--the progression of student-teacher relationships.

Free music is a beautiful thing.

Which is why I spend much of my internet time on amazon.com.  A college student budget + a love for indie rock = a sense of euphoria every time I go through all their free songs.  That's how I got into Foster the People before most people had ever heard "Pumped Up Kicks", and how I have new music stuck in my head at least once a week without going broke.

Kolob Canyon Review

This morning found me walking down the sidewalk, headphones in ears, grinning like a fool.  Why, you may ask?

Because Faster by Matt Nathanson was playing on my mp3 player.

Anyway...

September 11, 2001

We read a wonderful article by someone very dear to me in institute today:

Homecoming

Driving 5 hours each way makes it hard to come home very often.  Not that I ever did before (not worth the gas money even when it was only 3 hours), but being without a DVD player for the past 2.5 weeks has admittedly been a very hard experience for me to endure.  It's truly horrible to have four seasons of Psych (still waiting for the fifth one to get cheap on amazon...) sitting on my shelf and calling my name.

A Little-Known Fact About Me:

I hate thunder.

El Colegio

School started yesterday.  My first day consisted of back-to-back literature classes, a lovely introduction to Spanish (even though I took it in junior high), and woodwind ensemble.  I'm unbelievably excited for literature--see?  I highly doubt you believe that--even though I can't even begin to imagine how hard it's going to be.  A foreign language is required for my degree, so it doesn't really matter how I feel about that (or about the fact that this otherwise wonderful university DOESN'T OFFER ITALIAN).  Woodwind ensemble is a desperate attempt to hang on to my flute skills and hopefully be accepted into a group of high-class musicians even though I'm not a music major.



Today I have another lit class and more Spanish.

Another oh-so-fun aspect of starting another year of school is job hunting.  I've now put together what I hope is a thoroughly gripping resume, two cover letters, and lots of applications.  Honestly, my biggest motivation for getting a job is that I need a laptop and I can't afford one right now.  But hey, whatever works, right?

No, I don't have anything better to do than talk about my schedule.  My apartment doesn't have cable or a DVD player.  So there.

My Testimony

Last week was Fast Sunday (the first Sunday of every month).  Every Fast Sunday, LDS church members get the opportunity to bear our testimonies in order to strengthen our own and others' faith.  I've always had a hard time talking in front of people, so naturally I don't take the chance as often as I should (or ever...) and it always bothers me.  So I'm going to use the power of the written word to share what I believe with you.

Growing Up

My very first memory is the first time I got stung by a bee.  I was sitting by our flower bed in the front yard of our gray two-story house, and wandering among the petunias was a strange small creature with pretty black and yellow stripes.  I stared at it in fascination.  I remember reaching out to touch it--it looked fuzzy--and the next thing I remember is blinding pain.  I can't remember which finger was stung, but I was horrified at the red dot on it as my mom held me and calmed me down.  One of her friends was there.

Here's a piece of my soul...do with it what you will.

I always wondered why there are so many sad songs about summer.  Summer should be a time for happiness and celebration.  And all that happiness shouldn't have to end just because leaves start changing colors (I always enjoyed autumn myself...).

One good thing about my job:

I get LOTS of thinking time.


I'm usually plugged in to my cheap, beloved little scratched-up Coby mp3 player while I'm endlessly pulling up weeds and shoots of crabgrass, but every so often I turn it off--probably because someone calls me about something--and once I'm done, I just don't feel like turning it back on again.  It's easy to forget how peaceful it is to sit in slightly-wet grass, run your fingers through the dirt, and just...breathe.  We live in such a beautiful world, and at times like these I never feel the Spirit more than when all my distractions are gone.

It's coming.

Tomorrow.

I will board a train.

Until we meet again

on a long dark staircase

she  pausesforbreath,  white-knuckled

grip on the mahogany banister
a rainstorm escapes from her eyes

in the next room

he waits in velvet, his silent

mouth  g a p i n g  at his Sunday best
a glowing hand has taken him away

It's a good thing I won't be here for long!

It's amazing how your social life spins in clockwise/counter-clockwise (depending on your location) circles right down the drain when you have a full-time job.  It's also amazing how many reminders you can find at said job of why you're making efforts to do something meaningful with your life.

On a happier note...

Exhilarating, isn't it?

That moment when someone decides to trust you with something deep inside him/her, and you realize that there's an actual person underneath all the superficiality of a somewhat unusual friendship?

Summer.

The season is constantly yearned for and romaticized (especially, I'm now noticing, by Dashboard Confessional).  The word calls up images of sand, sea, and dancing multi-colored driftwood flames.

This is a time to play like there's no tomorrow, work like there's no secret college money hidden away somewhere, and search endlessly for ways to keep out idle thoughts.  The whole season is one three-month-long distraction from reality.  It's certainly the greatest thing since sliced bread, though spare time isn't always a friend for some.

On the bright side, I've been a very busy bee for the last month and a half.  I've spent way too much time online, watched lots of movies, started a job, ended a job, crawled through Anasazi ruins, climbed over mountains of sandstone, and practiced answering the question, "I don't know, what do you wanna do?" with increasing creativity.

I'm so nervous for this next school year.  I still don't know where I'll live, and I haven't registered for classes.  I'm a very talented procrastinator, so getting myself ready to dive headfirst into the bedlam of college life is going to be a long and complicated process....

On the bright side, today is a WONDERFUL day.  Why, dear reader(s)?  Because as soon as the mailman arrives at my mailbox, I will run wildly across my driveway to recieve my preordered All Thing Bright and Beautiful Owl City cd!!!!!  I think it will match my concert ticket perfectly.  I've been waiting for both of these things for a long time (I preordered the cd in March), and it'll be nice to finally get one of them (the concert isn't until July).

http://www.youtube.com/user/owlcity#p/u

Big Things

Something big has happened....  My mind is still reeling at the intensity and finality of it.

What This Week Has Been Like

What am I going to do with myself after all this?

The last month of any given semester is a funny time.  It convinces you that the rest of your life will be a breeze if you can just finish this last 10-page paper...but it's not true.  The hardest thing to remember at this point in a college student's life is that summer vacation isn't quite as mystically exciting as it once was.  As soon as we pack up and leave this little town, we'll be thrown headfirst into jobs, family life, and college friends that are nowhere to be found.  I love my friends back home, but there are so many people here that I'll miss like crazy!  Also, I need to find some kind of decent job to pay for my next two years of school (and hopefully a laptop...).

KAGJ FM

It's time to talk about the wonderful place that is...The Kage--"pretty much the most prestigious institution at SC".  This little studio is the cure for all your troubles and worries.  I personally think it's the coolest room in all of campus.

Doctor, come quick! It's--I think it's--

Spring fever.

It has come upon us, and no one can escape.  College students everywhere are suffering from its effects--this college student included.

How I'll Meet My Honey© part II

She feels a hand touch her arm, and she is quite literally shocked to see him again. Once more, he asks her to dance—this time in front of all her friends! She goes with him, praying that her face isn't too red or her smile too wide. Slowly, they turn in circles to the music. He wants to know her favorite color, and she asks him about his favorite movies. She isn't quite sure how to react to the way his eyes stay on her, and she has to concentrate to keep from stumbling.

How I'll Meet My Honey©

The first installment of a possible (copyrighted!!) story idea with a title that I'm extremely proud of:

She sits in a chair that’s pushed against the wall, pretending to check her phone.  Her friends are scattered around the room in various states of country dancing enjoyment.  She’s been there for a few songs now, and she begins to contemplate a trip to the drinking fountain—anything to escape this awkwardness.

He is just walking in.  His friends are all excited for a carefree night away from the pressures of school and work.  Once inside, they separate.  Wandering aimlessly through the crowd, he is stopped occasionally by people he knows, but the encounters are short.  He somehow feels that there’s something more important for him to do.

Spring break's over...so what now?

It's been a month since my post, and I apologize profusely to all my adoring readers...how many are there now?  Two, maybe?  It's all good--someday I'll be unbelievably famous and people will go back to read this stuff and say to themselves, "Wow...she was a genius all along!  Who knew?!"

The Day after the Day of Love

The day after the day of love...it may not seem like much to the rest of the world, but for me...I've been a year older for a whole day!  Having a birthday on Valentine's Day is pretty awesome, and yesterday was no exception.  Unfortunately, college classes don't care one bit about birthdays, so I had to wait until last night for people to sing to me.  The party was great--we had cake, ice cream, balloons, Smurf (some people prefer Farkle but I like Smurf better!), orange swirl rolls, and bubbles.

And then I stayed up until 2 am working on my creative writing homework.  It's a dang good thing I like that class so much.

College is hard.

Creative writing class is so much fun!  I wish I loved all my other classes this much!  It's so great to find something I'm really good at, but that I still have a lot of room to improve in.  It'll give me something to do for the rest of my life!

Just kidding, I'm sure I'll have other things to do in my spare time.  Ha.

Looking on the bright side...

Have you ever had one of those days when you bundle up in preparation for freakishly cold weather, pack your backpack for a day full of toil and drudgery, shuffle reluctantly out the door, stick your headphones in your ears and your hands emphatically in your pockets, glance up at a brilliant sunrise...and keep staring as a ridiculously enthusiastic grin slowly spreads across your face...and you realize that, somehow, something amazing is going to happen today?

Pet Shop Boys=LOVE

This week's post is going to be jam-packed with extra awesomeness.  An intriguing subject was brought to my attention this morning by one of my dear friends.

"You begin to get weak in the knees...."

I'll get to my point in a little bit, so bear with me while I go off on a tangent--

What is up with twitter?  Could there possibly be a more pointless website?  It's like a facebook status without all the other fun things that come with a facebook account!  Really, why would you want to log on to a website every five minutes just to inform the world (or rather, your 3 followers) of your every move?  I must admit--I'm a facebook junkie.  Why would you go to a site to do one thing when you could do the same thing and tons more on another site?

However, I have found one good reason to have a twitter account.  That reason is that Owl City likes to give away free songs for twitter updates, and I am more than happy with the trade.  I don't even have any followers, anyway.  Ha.