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.