Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

In the wee hours of the morning, while laying in someone else's bed, I found Douglas Adams. Now I can't quite say that I enjoyed him or even began to understand him at first. If anything, I was bothered by his voice reading aloud A Long, Dark Tea-Time for the Soul in my ear while I was trying to simultaneously cuddle and sleep at 4 AM. The nerve of some people! However, it was after a little more talk on the part of the guy I was dating that sparked more interest in Mr. Adams' literature.

It was shortly thereafter that I began reading Hitchhiker's Guide the Galaxy for the first time and was SO enthralled that I had to put it down otherwise I never would have finished my last semester of college. However, when I got home for Christmas break, I made a quick trip to the library to borrow said book but learned that it was nowhere to be found... in the library that is. Instead, I grabbed what two Douglas Adams' books I could find and promptly checked those out. Today I finished the first of those two books. All I can say is Douglas Adams is AMAZING. He is so intelligent, witty and cynical (sarcastic to some, but that's debatable) that I just don't know quite what to do with myself. I've found a treasure! A veritable pot of gold. Who knew that all of this time that one of the greatest authors in the entire world was just under my nose? Tonight after completing Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, I was so enthralled that immediately I wanted to turn to page one and begin again. I won't, though, rather... I'm going on to read the sequel to it which first introduced me to Doug this summer. (We're on a first name basis now.) So, thank you to the literature Gods for making me date a loser if only to find Douglas Adams in my quest for true literary happiness.

Are You in Generation Y?

Have you ever put much thought into what Generation you are in? Because, truth be told, I haven't. Think about why we know so much about technology and are aching for faster and faster internet, cars, cell phones, digital cameras, even food! It's interesting to think about how/why we came to be this way and to also think about who is controlling the technology we enjoy on a daily basis.

Generation Y in the United States
Most have few memories of the Cold War (apart from perhaps action movies, toys, or video games with such themes) and came of age during the technology-driven changes in the years of President Bill Clinton. They were the first to grow up with the Internet in a developed, prolific form, including music downloads, instant messaging and cellular phones, which came to fruition at about 1997. The portmanteau "screenager" was coined in 1997 by Douglas Rushkoff in his book "Playing the Future" to describe this techno-savvy generation.

Other major social changes in recent times include immigration and developments in race relations. Characteristically, Generation Y members are generally very tolerant towards multiculturalism and internationalism. It is also not uncommon for post-1970s born children to grow up dating people outside their own race or ethnic group, as well as having a wide range in friends. This growing trend towards interracial relationships is sometimes a source of negative friction between youth and their parents or elders, who grew up in a society where interracial romance was once considered extremely taboo and even banned in a number of states until the late 1960s. The state of Alabama only officially disbanded its anti-miscegenation laws in the year 2000. As well, many people in this group are themselves multiracial in background, and this is also a considerable change from previous generations.

Opinions on Gay rights and gender roles have also been altered to some degree by this group. Generation Y is known for having among the most wide-ranging opinions on such issues as many members of this generation hold a grudge towards homosexuals while many others are openly accepting.

This generation was the subject of much concern during the 1990s, though, despite some of its positive features. The Columbine school shooting, along with similar crime, as well as youth participation in street gangs, hate groups, and behaviors such as teen pregnancy fueled a wave of action by schools and other organizations. These events however, save for the school shootings, were very present, if not even more common, before the 1990s but were simply not talked about as much.

The 2004 Presidential election was the first election in which Generation Y was able to vote in significant numbers. John Kerry received most of the votes. Notwithstanding, the ratio between young voters voting Democratic or for the incumbent George W. Bush remained relatively stable, suggesting that Gen Y may in fact be reflective of American society as a whole rather than a defined independent generation in itself.

Treo 700w

Okay, I was just checking my gmail and inadvertently found information on this $600 hybrid cell phone/palm pilot thing. Above is a link to the Treo 700w Specs. I just have to say that I think this thing is OBSCENE and I would not like to have one as a cell phone. Yes, I think technology is great, but to pay over $600 for a cell phone that is so large to carrry around and hold to your ear AND one which I'm most likely to drop, lose, or better yet... get stolen, I'd rather just not have it. Why do we need so much technology on our cell phones? Are we SO antsy to check our email while we're out and about during the day that we absolutely MUST have the internet on our cell phones? I just think it's a little ridiculous, but that's just me. Tell me what you think of it.

Under the Milky Way

After almost simultaneoulsy turning twenty-four and then graduating college, I've been thinking a lot about being "grown up" and what that means. Life sure is funny how it all works out, isn't it? I swear, I feel almost as if I'm stuck in time being ten years old finding out that I was an orphan. How can I already be twenty-four? Time sure is fickle. When you're a child, you can't wait to grow up. And when you're older, you want to go back to childhood when "life was simple." Why can't we just be happy where we're at?

Today my brother was reminding me of the way I was when I was a child. Hearing these things made me reminisce about my childhood and my anticipation of the future. I always thought my life would be different. I always thought that I would be famous somehow or have this HUGE impact on the world through the Peace Corps and therefore win the Nobel Peace Prize or something. I had these high aspirations for myself. Why did I ever lose those? Since when is it not okay to dream? Sure, I graduated college with a 3.9 gpa and that's fine and dandy. But, in reality that means nothing compared to the life experiences I'm half afraid to have. I want SO badly to go out and do something with my life, but I'm scared of what that entails. I'm scared of what I would be leaving behind. I guess graduating college isn't as good as it's cracked up to be. Having a degree means nothing without those childhood dreams to take you places. I need to figure out what dreams I would like to accomplish and then go for it! There's no time to be lazy or unmotivated or anything like that. If I want to do something, there isn't time to waste. I have to start now as best I can. It's like Zach Braff said on "Garden State": This is my life, Dad. This is it. I spent 26 years waiting for something else to start. So no, I don't think it's too much to take on because it's everything there is. I see now it's all there is.

Moving Out and Moving On...

People ask me "when do you graduate?" and at this point I can say "In five days." And then they get jealous because I'm graduating and they're just starting. School does suck sometimes, but what these people don't realize is the fun is just beginning! I wish I had more time here. I stare out my window soaking up the scene before me for one of the last times. I've been living in this apartment for a year and I've been up at this school forever before that. I've been SO excited to graduate that I haven't fully realized that I'm not ready to leave. I guess when are we ever completely ready to leave a place we've come to love and hate simultaneously and with such a passion? I've experienced SO many things at this college. Coming up here helped me to shape who I am today, however cheesy that sounds. Honestly, though... I found myself in this town. Almost all of my very best friends in the world were people I met up here. So many memories, so many people, experiences, kisses, laughs, cries, BOYS, trips to St. Anthony, Craigo's, Walmart, and Winger's that will NEVER be the same again. I will miss you, dear Rexburg. I will. For better or worse, I will miss it. But I know that we all have to move on sometime. And now apparently is my time to move on. I'm grateful for my time here and the AMAZING memories and friends, but hopefully I'm not too blind to see that I can be able to make new memories and new, fun friends elsewhere. THE WORLD IS MY OYSTER! Who knows what lies in store for me... Goodbye Rexie! I'll miss you and your 17,359 inhabitants.

Popping the Pop Culture Bubble

Okay... so I've been thinking about what I wrote for this blog since last night. And I guess what all this relates to is pop culture. Depending on whether or not you're knowledgeable on films, certain styles of music, television programs, and even cool websites/blogs... makes you more appealing to the "cool" populace. I've noticed that if I haven't heard of a certain musician, but have heard it referenced by several of my friends, then I am apt to listen to it and gain my own opinion of it so I can participate in conversations. I also notice the same things about films and BBC television shows and web pages and online zines... I mean the list could go on forever! Am I so driven to be a part of the crowd with which I associate that I am willing to get to know their topics of conversation better? Are you? Just some food for thought.

The Phenomenon that is Movies

I've been thinking about movies lately because I have taken time to observe how much films are a part of our pop culture. Think about how many times a day someone references a movie, quotes a movie, or asks you if you have seen a particular film. Oftentimes, when we first meet someone, we ask that person what his or her favorite film is just to gauge whether or not he/she is our "kind of cool." If one is not in the know when it comes to certain movies, then that person is bound to feel sheepish for not having seen a particular film.

Movies seem to be an irreplaceable phenomenon in our culture. Also, they take up so much of our time as an "activity" of choice! What did we do before movies? What were conversations like before movies came into being? Did people go around quoting satirical plays and laughing about it? Were they prone to actually speak their own ideas and thoughts rather than regurgitating something they saw in a film? I'm just curious to know what that time was like and if movies have improved our conversation/activities. What do you think?

(***DISCLAIMER: Now, don't get me wrong... I love quality films! I believe that films have revolutionized the world and the way we see things. There are films have helped people to become a part of a reality they wouldn't otherwise have known. Some films help people to understand ideas/concepts/historical events in a way that books just can't quite portray. I guess through this blog I'm merely posing a few questions to be considered: do we put too much stock in movies? Do we allow movies to hinder us from coming with our own witty banter rather than resorting to quoting someone else's? What are the activities we give up in order to watch films? Do movies as an activity keep us from important conversations we could potentially be having with other people? These are just some of the many questions to think about in reference to films.)

Potterfied

So, I just returned from the midnight premiere of the fourth installation of the Harry Potter films. I have to get up in four hours or less to go to school ALL DAY TOMORROW, so I won't write long. Suffice it to say that I really enjoyed the film. Many laughs were had at the AWKWARD, pubescent love situations found in the film. Although the film differed from the book in many ways, I enjoyed the alternate representation. I had imagined it to be quite different in my head than what was portrayed on the screen... but that is so in many book/film equations. Go see it and SUPPORT POTTER! :)

My Heart Hurts...

Don't expect this blog to be profound, funny, or clever. I just wanted to say how I'm feeling. So, my heart totally and completely hurts today. It's funny how that expression refers to something mental, yet sometimes I can almost feel physical symptons. Something happened to me this weekend for the second time in less than a year and a half. I don't quite understand how this crap happens to me... but I diverge. Here I am. Feeling lonely, wondering what is wrong with me to get boys that I date to get engaged to other girls while we're together. And not just once, but twice. This is the second time this has happened to me in the last year and a half. THE SECOND TIME! Am I doing something wrong? Am I not enough for someone? Am I ugly? Unintelligent? Too crazy/silly?

Either way, I don't have any answers to these questions. Another person that I care about gone from my life. It just brings back past memories of the first time this situation happened to me after thinking for nearly two and a half years that I was going to marry this boy, only to have him meet a girl while he and I were talking about marriage and decide AFTER ONE DAY OF KNOWING HER that they were going to get married instead. I'm just empty and half-apathetic and broken-hearted all at the same time. I don't understand the best way to go about getting over this, because I think I did a poor job of it the first time. My typical reaction is apathy and forcing any and all feeling out the door. (I think this defense mechanism/response became a habit with the individual death of both of my parents.) I'm sick of not knowing how to deal with these repressed feelings of betrayal and hurt from boys that obviously aren't worth the tears that I've shed. What a cliche! I'm sick of the DAMN cliches. I'm sick of giving my heart to careless people, only to have them take it, put it in a blender, throw some glass on it, stomp on it in the mud a little bit and then give it back to me tattered and torn. I don't know where to go from here. I just need to be hopeful that I can be happy with someone again. I need to have faith that someday it's meant to work out with someone who WILL NOT get engaged to someone else without breaking things off with me first. Someday... I feel like I want that day to be today.

Arnold Terminates Himself

The link takes you to an article with a punny title about the governor/actor. Did you think Arnold Schwarzenegger should have lasted longer?

I've Been Let Down, and I'm Still Coming Round...

So, I’ve come to the conclusion that girls are rarely able to end relationships, EVEN (and perhaps most especially) if the boy is not good for her. Girls just can’t do it! I’ve had SO many examples of this in the last couple of months. I’ve even been an example of this myself. I thought I was SO above it and I would never do it, but looking back, I have done it several times in my life and I did it again this summer too. Tonight, Kenji broke things off with Tia. And Tia cried and was SO hurt and had really started to like him, even though from the get-go she didn’t like him and knew he wasn’t good enough for her. I have another friend who was dating this boy for three years and he cheated on her. She knew he wasn’t good enough for her and that he didn’t have the same goals in life, and then he cheated on her and LIED TO HER ABOUT IT. She still forgave him and couldn’t get out of the relationship. He had to end it with her.

Over time, I see that us girls just talk ourselves into liking these boys that aren’t good enough for us and then we end up just falling for them. I really have come to the belief that if you spend enough time with someone and keep trying to like them, before you know it… you do! Given enough time, you will start to really care about someone. I saw that with myself this summer. I was immediately attracted to this boy, but then I found out some things about him that I really didn’t (and still don’t) agree with, but I just kept hanging out with him and those things became commonplace to me and didn’t matter anymore because I cared about him. And when he moved to Utah this fall, I still cared for him and wanted to be with him. I guess we just get used to having a person around. I think girls are just not secure in being by themselves sometimes. I think that’s part of why I didn’t want to break things off with him. And then… I really did like him by that point. I really cared for him a lot. I was willing to overlook his BIG ISSUES in order to be with him. But then… the fateful day his phone got disconnected in the middle of our conversation and he didn’t call me again for FOUR WEEKS. It wasn’t up to me to end things with him. His phone shut off and that was that. What if his phone wouldn’t have shut off? Would I still be talking to him and falling in love with him? I still haven’t met anyone else I like more than I liked him, and this makes me think that if I did try to call him at his new number that I would just back into the same habit. I still have feelings for him and want to like him, but he’s just plain NOT good enough for me! I can’t be a hypocrite. I can’t want my girlfriends to stop dating losers if I don’t hold myself to the same standard.

So, this is what I’ve learned because of all of this: whether or not a person is good for you has no bearing on your feelings for him or her. Given enough time, you will end up falling for them and can’t imagine life without them. And can’t remember what it was like to date someone who is good for you or what it’s like to have a normal relationship and have a NORMAL guy like you. (Granted, what is normal? So subjective… however, that is another discussion for another day.) I just am done with being a hypocrite. I don’t want to be one of those lame girls that can’t do what she says and knows inside she SHOULD do. No more of it! If a boy isn’t good for me, I’m just not going to date him from the get-go. There is no trying… no giving him another chance when he treats me badly from the beginning. I just don’t want to EVER get caught in that trap again. I don’t want to be with someone who may treat me well, but who isn’t living the same standards. These are all things that I don’t want to do. I’m going to start out my 25th year of life (in five weeks) being better. It’s about time I’ve learned this crap. I just need to have faith in myself and understand that I’m a good person who gives 200% to a relationship. No more being with people who can’t give a little back. I just have to have faith that I can find someone worth my time. Someday…

Mazzy Star aptly described women and their feelings for these men that aren’t good enough for them in the following song entitled “I’ve Been Let Down”:

I've been let down
and I'm still coming round
I've been pulled down
and I'm still coming round for you
coming round for you

Take away everything that feels fine
Catch a shape in the circles of my mind
Make me feel like I belong to you
Make me feel it even if it ain't true

Catch a train on a silver afternoon
A thousand miles and I'm gettin' there too soon
Take me there, when I should be going home
Tell me why I'm still feeling (all) alone

I've been let down
and I'm still coming round
I've been pulled down
and I'm still coming round for you
coming round for you

I also love Ben Harper’s lyrics on a similar subject for the song entitled “Please Me Like You Want To”:

Don't do me any favors
matter of fact why don't you do yourself a few.
Your presence ain't nobody's blessing
I've got plenty of other things I could do.
Oh no, not another excuse
your tired silly games for me are just no use
and now it's plain for me
to see you're with somebody that you don't want to be

So won't you please please me like you want to
not like you have to
or won't you just go on and leave me
leaving me is the least that you could do

You could have spared me so much misery
and told me you just wanted a friend.
Believe me there is a difference
when you mean it and when you pretend.
Or was I just you habit
cause I know a habit is a hard thing to break,
but won't you spare me a little mercy
there's only so much that I can take

But won't you please please me like you want to
not like you have to
or won't you just go on and leave me
leaving me is the least that you could do

The Role of Father is So Much More... (Posted by Reuben Collins)

"I was watching the television show Cheaters last night and I was completely blown away. A woman had recieved confirmation that her husband had been having an affair and lying about it to the family. The program documented the confrontation between the wife and husband, and not typical to the show, their 17 year old daughter was also present. After being caught red-handed in the affair, all the husband could offer as an excuse is that she shouldn't care because he has been working 12 hour days to support the family. The daughter cried on his shoulder begging him to just admit that he had made a mistake and change his actions. He refused, arguing that it was his right to have an affair because he was providing financially for the family.

I've heard this argument before, but for some reason, it really made me angry last night. I don't doubt he's a very hard worker and that his main motivation for working long hours was to afford the expensive private school his daughter was attending. ... But the very idea that this gives him the right to violate the vows of marriage is disgusting. This man has a terrible misunderstanding of the role of a father in the home. He felt that since he was the sole breadwinner for the family, his obligations were finished. He was providing the money, but was neglecting all aspects of the physical and emotional support his children deserve. It was heartbreaking to watch his 17 year old daughter cry on his shoulder and beg, and then watch his total disregard for her hurt feelings and emotional needs. The role of father is so much more. All of the private schooling or money in the world will not make up for the emotional damage he has caused his daughter."

***My response to Reuben's blog:
AMEN! It's sad that someone would actually admit that it's his/her right to have an affair for whatever reason. I just hate people making excuses for their actions or trying (being the operative word ) to justify their behavior. How could any man admit callously/casually in front of his own child that he was having an affair and that his wife shouldn't care about it? I'm pretty sure the wife would have gone out and made her own money if she knew that this is what her husband would turn into as "the sole breadwinner." It's ridiculous! If she is a stay-at-home-mom, doesn't he see what a positive effect she's had on the kids, the home, and their family? Or, was he too busy screwing around to see it? Justification is like masturbation... you're only screwing yourself. That's what I have to say to that man.

French Maids in Awkwardness at its FINEST! (Parts I & II)

Here is the picture to accompany the BLOG...

French Maids in Awkwardness at its FINEST! (Parts I & II)

So I’m going to do my best to give the reader’s digest version of the most awkward night of my life for you. However, I think you might be cheated if I don’t tell the full story. Nevertheless… so, yesterday I received a phone call as I was grading my eighth graders’ English papers. It was a from my friend, Preston, inviting me to go with the group to their various activities on Friday night, October 29th. He mentioned going to a BIG party at “THE” bowling alley in town among other activities. I thought this was a FRIENDLY phone call because he was inviting me to go with a group of FRIENDS to this party of single people. I also thought he was being nice to tell me about what the group was doing that night. Apparently, I didn’t catch the fact that he was trying to ask me out. I don’t know where I missed that, but somewhere in between “a bunch of us are going to this party…” and “if you want to come with US” I obviously didn’t get the hint that he was asking me out. Truth be told, I really do NOT think that any girl would have got that hint with the way it was worded. And I’m an English major, so I definitely know how to read between the lines… and I sure wasn’t picking up what he was putting down (if you know what I mean).

But, I digress. My best friend, Ashley, came to pick me up from school in Idaho Falls so that we could figure out our Halloween costumes for the evening. I told her about the various activities going on that evening according to Preston’s FRIENDLY phone call and we considered maybe hanging out with them later if we were back in Rexburg (30 minutes away) by the time their activities began. We, consequently, went to work on finding our costumes of choice: She was to be Marilyn Monroe and I was to be Elizabeth Taylor. After several searches through several thrift stores, all I came up with was an old suitcase for $4. That’s definitely NOT going to help me win a costume contest as Elizabeth Taylor, nevertheless I really liked the old suitcase.

So, we went to our last resort for costumes… Target. And lo and behold, there was a Marilyn dress. But there was also something GREATER! There was not one, but TWO French Maid costumes. We purchased the $11 costumes along with a pair of fishnets and our costumes were ready to go. Back to Rexie it was….

And then a fateful phone call from my friend, Dave: “Hey Sarah, where are you?”

“Oh, we just started driving back from Idaho Falls.”

“Oh, you better hurry! (“For what?!” I thought.) Hey, can you help me find a date for my friend, Tim? He needs a date for our group date tonight.”

“Um, maybe. Who is going on this date?”

“Well, you’re going, of course.”

“No, I’m not going. Who am I going with?”

“You’re going with Preston, of course.”

“He never asked me to go. And I don’t want to go on a date to a party, because then I can’t meet any other boys.”

“Yes, he did ask you. And Preston is hear and is holding the phone to my ear and can hear everything you just said. He says that you can meet ‘Whoever the HELL you want to.’”

So, it’s at this point that I wanted to do one of two things: A, kick Dave for not telling me that Preston could hear me saying that stuff. Or B, crawl into the belly of a rather large snake and waste away during the digestion process. I was SO embarrassed! I couldn’t believe Preston heard me say that he didn’t ask me out and then heard me say that I didn’t want to go on a date to a party because I wanted to meet other boys. SO EMBARRASSING! Well, the phone call ended with me setting Ashley up with Tim and me telling the boys that we still weren’t back from Idaho Falls, and were NOT consequently ready for the date.

When they finally came to pick us up, first off everyone else is dressed up excepting Ashley and I. And then… Dave so kindly says, “This is going to be an awkward night” immediately when Ashley and I got into the vehicle. Yeah, that made it even more awkward on top of the fact that Preston then asked me if I would go on a date with him that night. SO EMBARRASSING and SO AWKWARD!

We got to our first destination and realized we were supposedly forty minutes late to the ticket-required Halloween reading. Dave rushed in WITH HIS CAR KEYS, while the four of us (Ashley, Tim, Preston, and I) all sat out there awkwardly not knowing what to do. It’s at this point that I wanted to just walked up the hill a mile and a half in bitterly cold weather conditions back to my apartment to get away from this. I was SO bored and hungry and tired that I didn’t want to be there. And, on top of it, Dave had rushed in to the reader’s theater thing WITH HIS KEYS, leaving all of us stranded. After a few text messages, he threw his keys out to us and the boys drove Ashley and I home to get ready… WHILE THEY WAITED! We had just wanted to ditch them, no matter how bad that sounds. It’s not that I don’t like Preston, it’s that I did NOT want to go to a singles Halloween party/dance with a date! Nevertheless… no matter how long we purposefully took, they still waited. They even picked up Dave and came back and they still waited for another ten minutes. Our plan wasn’t as masterful as we would have liked. These were patient boys… patient enough to wait for us to finish getting ready without wanting to leave for the party without us.

On the way to the party, Dave was mocking us and making fun of us the entire time saying things like, “Walking to this party would be faster than you two getting ready.” Okay, pretty sure Dave only had to wait TEN MINUTES so that was uncalled for. Ash and I felt pretty stupid already, let alone Dave saying that to add to it.

Upon our arrival at the party, the three boys went to be a part of the costume contest and Ash and I searched for a way to get home. We went outside to see if we could see any of our friends to give a ride home, but all we got were cheers and whoops, cat calls and whistles (among other things) because we apparently were the only girls out there and they liked our French maid costumes… which costumes were NOT scandalous. Yes, a little bit short, but otherwise modest. Boys these days!

We eventually found a ride home, but at that point Dave said he would take us home to get our stuff for the rest of the date. In my mind… THERE WAS NO REST OF THE DATE! I was tired, hungry, and felt sick from eating nasty pizza at the lame party. I said that out loud to the boy who was going to give us a ride home only to find that Preston was STANDING BEHIND ME. Foot in mouth. My mouth should be permanently sealed shut because of things like this.

Dave started to drive us home and I told Dave that Ash and I weren’t going to go hot tubbing (I hadn’t shaved my legs, nor did I wish to go) OR to go watch a scary movie (the last scary movie I watched, I was on a date and I threw up after the movie… it left a bad taste in my mouth, so to speak). Dave then told the boys he was going to take them back to the party to “find other girls to go with.” That made Ash and I look lame and also just was altogether embarrassing that we’re on a date with these boys and then Dave says to go find other dates. Anyway… Dave took us home and we thought that would be the end of that night.

We were wrong! We took a few pics of ourselves and then realized that we should go to this other party in town because our old roommate lives where this party is. So, we went to that LAME party for about two seconds when lo and behold, who shows up? Ashley’s date, Tim! He saw us there from afar, but not for long because I found a secret way out of the place and we crawled under cars to get away without being seen again. Not like we should have wasted our time doing that because it didn’t matter that we were there for two seconds. But, nevertheless… So that was the not-so-perfect ending to a not-so-perfect night! SO AWKWARD! To my surprise, however, Preston called me on Tuesday to ask if I wanted to go to this Chinese Cultural Association presentation and dinner with him. I went. We had fun. It wasn’t awkward.

Check out this Pop Culture Website... VERY INFORMATIVE!

Missing Work for Influenza

Cold & Flu Season

I stumbled upon this article today only to find that I fit all of these symptoms and that I SHOULD have missed work today. Dang student teaching.

Episode III

Isn't it funny that ALL I have to put is "Episode III" and you know exactly what I'm talking about when I say that? I bought it because it just came out on DVD. I haven't watched it yet. I don't know why I don't want to. Why did I fork out $20 for it if I won't even take the time to open the packaging? Weird. I guess I'm not in the mood to be sad or to watch Hayden Christensen.

St. Anthony is GREAT!

McSweeney's Hagrid List...

Things Hagrid the Half-Giant Would Say if He Served Jesus Instead of Harry Potter

Mormons and Sex

Based on the title... this isn't the blog you think it's going to be, so don't even complain or say I haven't warned you. I just wanted to say that last weekend when I was in Provo, UT 84604 I went to chill at the BYU Bookstore while my friend studied at the library. As I was perusing the shelves looking for some good reading, I read the titles of each book section. "Baby and Family"... no, nothing for me there. "Biography"... while intriguing I didn't want to put myself to sleep. And then there it was... "Sex Ed" on the shelves simultaneously with "Special Needs." What does this say about Mormons and their sexual activities that BYU would willingly choose to place these two subjects side by side on the same shelf? I'll let you draw your own conclusions to what I have posted, but it's just some food for thought. :)

Philo T. Farnsworth is the Inventor of Television and other stories

Oh my gosh! Today is one of the best days of my life! Right now I'm currently listening to 311's "Who's Got the Herb?" and there really couldn't be a more perfect thing to listen to right now. This song just puts an INSTANT smile on my face. So funny. Moving on...

The greatness all started out after Ashley and I got back from a daily trip to Horkley's and then to visit our friends in the Sled Shed. When we returned from "town," we just sat in the car dreading walking back into our apartment. Ash suggested we drive to Idaho Falls to find something to do instead of kicking it at our apartment before our friends call us. We headed south on Highway 20. As we were passing Rigby, I noticed the sign that advertised Rigby as the "Birthplace of Television" as Philo T. Farnsworth, the inventor of TV, grew up there and came up with the idea of TV while plowing potato fields. SO FUNNY! Ash and I have a list of activities and places we want to see and do before we graduate. The Television Museum happens to be one of them. I suggested to Ash that we stop because today is as good of a day as any to stop and see what this museum has to offer.

Forgetting cameras, we quickly stopped at a gas station so I could spend $13.64 on a crappy disposable camera. I guess that's what you get for wanting to record your memories on film!

As Ashley and I walked into the museum, we weren't quite sure if we were in the right place. Immediately the smell of old lady, mothballs, and antiques assaulted our noses. If that wasn't enough, two OLD ladies greeted us sitting on metal folding chairs looking as decayed as the rusty, broken down chairs they were sitting on. I was trying my hardest not to laugh! I mean... small town Idaho provides SO MUCH laughter! As I signed my name into the guestbook, my body was convulsing trying to hold in the laughter and joy I felt inside. Only those of you who have been priviledged enough to go to the said museum will know why. The ladies told us that this large room was the museum and we could walk around to the different rooms (this was once a hotel apparently) and see each communities' different antiques essentially. The lady pointed out this dollhouse to us as if it was something unique and special. Instead it ended up just being kind of creepy because she said that it was given to a sick, little girl who died after receiving it. On top of that, it had newer toys in it and was held together by green, florists' tape. Awesome!

As we proceeded to the first room attached to the main room, we tried opening the door and it was locked. We realized then and there that this museum was even worse than we thought. All you can do is stare in a window at old dolls and china that look worse than anything you'd ever find in an antique store. Apparently they're "special" because they were used in Idaho. The first room was really the funniest because it had an Indian tepee and two adult, life-like Indian statues. However, in the little leather baby carrier resided a cabbage patch doll. Did they think that we wouldn't notice? Because you can bet your bottom dollar that we did... oh we noticed and took two pictures! There were many similar sights (perhaps more aptly named "faux paus") to behold in this small museum. Eventually we made it to the room where we saw artifacts from the inventor of Television. BORING! We even got to go back to the front of the room and watch a film on Mr. Farnsworth. I think that newscasters on the film no longer have jobs as newscasters.

The really could have spiced up the museum, but that's small town Idaho for you: Little museums of something inherently famous to the area that really aren't worth going to. Nevertheless, it was awesome. Definitely a good memory. We headed back to Rexburg to go to the flood museum, but had to go on a road detour on our way there and found... you'll never guess... a carousel! In REXBURG! Oh my gosh... we were freaking out. So, we went on a carousel ride to top off our afternoon. As if the TV museum wasn't enough, we got to go on a 15 minute carousel ride with three little girls. made me SO happy. I want to buy a season pass to the carousel in Rexburg. That's all I have to say for now...

Why Testimony BINGO Was Invented

So, I feel another blog coming on... I just read Darcy's blog about church being amazing and having testimony meetings and was just about to comment on it when all of a sudden I just started laughing. Today, I went to two different single's wards for church. I first attended all three meetings in Provo, UT and then traveled up to Salt Lake for another sacrament meeting experience with my friends up there. I think it's just my mood right now... perhaps I'm feeling cynical or something but reflecting back on the day and two different, separate, YET THE SAME, sacrament meetings makes me think of two things: A, it makes me grateful that our church is so unified that I can go anywhere and hear the same thing and feel the same spirit; B, it makes me laugh because I realized that testimony BINGO was created for a reason. Honestly... sitting through TWO sacrament meetings that went over normal time when I hadn't really slept last night was a little much! I mean, as if three hours of church for one Sunday wasn't enough, I had to go another hour and a half just to get my fill apparently. As I sat there hearing people say things like "beyond a shadow of a doubt" and "with every fibre of my being" and "I'm SO grateful for my roommates," as I simultaneously felt the spirit and laughed... I recalled back on my early years of college. Things were simpler then and sacrament meetings were funny. I think initially I just did it to impress this boy I liked, but we used to play testimony BINGO to keep ourselves entertained during sacrament meetings. Not that I didn't get up every Sunday and bear my testimony (AND MEAN IT) and probably cry a little every now and then too... but, really playing testimony BINGO just helps you see how much our church is unified in a language of its own! I mean, seriously... you can count on at least one person to say they're thankful for their bishop, their family, their roommates, their mission, or even all of them! That's why our church is great... it's unchanging and stable. Gotta love mormons! Gotta love testimony BINGO on lazy, cynical Sundays when you can still feel the spirit, but you also need a little laugh and a game to keep you focused on the meeting. :)

Rexburg Fame... it can only get you so far!

Okay, so I just wrote this fantastic blog about my hour and a half excursion to the T-Mobile store and then it just got erased when I went to post it. Remind next time to write my blogs in word before I put them in here!
So, here goes again... yesterday my roommate (and best friend), Ashley, asked me to accompany her to the T-Mobile store in Rexburg. Thinking this would be a simple jaunt, I acquiesced. No sooner had we set foot in the store than a T-Mobile associate came bounding up to us asking what he could help us with. (You know how sales people are.) Let me provide a little preface to this next part: I started up at this school nearly FIVE YEARS AGO and consequently have met a lot of people in this town over the past half decade. Chances are, almost EVERY SINGLE TIME when I'm meeting new people, at least one of them will say the "you look familiar" line and then we figure out how we know each other. I almost want to feel special being able to say that, but as we all know Rexburg fame can only get you so far. Well, this T-Mobile associate was no different. He said he remembered meeting me five years prior and he even remembered my name! Unfortunately, my roommate took this and our chatty reacquainting to mean that we are supposed to get married (ah, mormons... gotta LOVE how they jump the gun on stuff like that) and as we sat down at his desk, wrote on a post-it note things like "he's SO into you" or "I can't believe he remembered your name" and passed it to me. To my dismay, she didn't realize that there was some crucial information on the said note, which the T-Mobile associate needed. So, when he asked for the piece of paper, I turned a deep shade of red. Although Ashley had folded over the note to reveal only the information he needed, I'm pretty sure he could still see bits and pieces of Ashley's thoughts about the situation. I was SO embarassed! I felt like I was in high school again when your crush finds out you like them and then you feel as if you can never speak to that person again. Thank goodness, I felt that way for only seconds before just laughing it off realizing there wasn't really anything I could do. In the end, I guess there wasn't too much damage done all in all because the kid asked for my phone number as we were leaving. This, however, does not deter me from the message I gain from this: do NOT let your friends write notes, mouths words, or anything related about someone in the same room with you. Murphy's law (or whatever it is) says that if you do... the person will read it or see you. Don't let it happen to you!

Canada... it really is a foreign country

Canadians... gotta love them!

Up until high school graduation, I lived in the greater Seattle area... thus, I lived within about two hours south of the Canadian border. I've never really had a problem with Canadians. I go over there and go shopping and they come over and... well, I'm not sure what, but I'm sure they do something when they come to visit our country (even if their dollar is worth LESS over here).

Well, last summer term I happened to have a roommate from Canada. She wasn't from the friendly BC, like I've been used to, but rather Alberta. I'm not sure about those Albertans after my run in with her and her family. The weekend preceding Father's Day rolls around and all of a sudden I come home to an apartment full of odd-looking strangers. (This is going to be mean, but ONLY for humor's sake...) There was this woman who was about as wide as her husband was tall, some Mexican kid who looked out of place because everyone else in the room (excepting the wife and the French foreign exchange student) was pasty white with red hair. I had NO idea who these people were and WHAT they were doing in my apartment. I said a quick "hello" before sprinting to the back to make sure I was in the right apartment. Come to find out, my roommate, Amy, had invited her family down from Canada (without informing her roommates) and let them run amuck in our apartment. Why she brought some Mexican kid and a foreign exchange student with her already odd family is beyond me? I guess these people like to travel in packs.

So, two days of these people in our apartment, sweating on our couch, and eating our food is enough for me. Father's Day rolls around and coming home from church, our entire apartment smells like fried fish and dog poop. Go figure. I guess that's how they cook in Alberta. (Actually, I think it's just Amy's family.) As Ashley and I walk back to our room, Amy's dad is in her room and shouts out something about how Amy is "entertaining a man in her room." Yeah, that's a little creepy when it's a dad talking about his daughter. Ashley and I quickly decided that we MUST make a trip to the park in St. Anthony to rid ourselves of the smell and the oddity of the situation. While walking out the front door, Amy's mother stops us and starts talking about World War II for about forty-five minutes. Apparently she REALLY likes talking about WWII.

FINALLY we made it out of the apartment and thank goodness when we returned, Amy's family was not to be found, sans the French foreign exchange student, whom it seemed Amy was doomed to ignore. We see the bored French girl loitering in the parking lot wearing all black in 95 degree heat. She literally just sat there on the curb for hours because every time she came in, Amy was ignoring her. The next morning, Flor (the French girl), had a terrible sunburn to the point of her skin being almost purple. So, instead of going outside... Amy let her clean our apartment. Yeah, I walked into the apartment to witness the French foreign exchange student moving our couches in order to vacuum under them. In what country is it okay to allow an exchange student to clean up a mess they didn't make? NOT America, and hopefully not Canada, for that matter. My roommate laughed SO hard at this as it reminded her of the movie "Better Off Dead" or some old Molly Ringwald movie where they made the foreign exchange student clean their house. I stopped Flor from finishing cleaning up and gave her some movies to watch instead. What is this world coming to?

Married with Children

So, in order to get out of our apartment on a Sunday afternoon and more importantly to escape an invite from our roommate about the fireside tonight, my best friend, Ashley, and I surreptitiously gathered materials for a little jaunt to a local park. While at the park, we played a few friendly games of Skip-Bo as we talked of reasons why we wouldn't be getting phone calls sooner from the boys we're currently interested in. But, that's neither here nor there. As Ashley and I were laying on our blanket, playing Skip-Bo, a man and woman (husband and wife) walked close to us with a stroller and two separate hammocks. Up to this point, we had noticed that this particular park in Rexburg MUST be a hip-happening spot for local couples on Sundays with nothing better to do than to flirt and lay around in the grass holding hands in the park before dinner. But again, I diverge... so, this married couple begins setting up their hammocks one right after each other in a straight line among the trees nearest us. The woman is pregnant, which somehow I found funny since they have a six-month-old baby. As if the 6 month old isn't enough, they have decided that they want to BOTH have their hands full with two young, screaming babies, dirty diapers and bottles/formula galore! (I know I sound sarcastic... that's the point. Honestly, I really love kids and I only mock because I'll probably be in their shoes in five years.) Now this still is not what I wanted to say about this couple. It was their conversation that was the real kicker. Without anything from the husband or any talking at all for about five minutes as they are in separate hammocks, the wife says: "Hey, I think that these little tables must have been left here from some primary activity or something because they have ribbons on it." Husband: "Uh huh." Another five minutes goes by and the wife is playing with the baby. No talking between the couple. Husband: "Are you hungry, honey?" (It's important to have the pet name in there.) Wife: "No, not really." Silence. Wife again: "Are you?" Husband: "No." Wife: "Well, you must be since you asked me." Husband: "Well, now that you mentioned it, I kind of am a little hungry." Wife: "Maybe we'll go home soon." And then back to playing with the baby. Do all married couples talk like this? Is this why I sometimes find it awkward to talk to my now married friends? This is all reminiscent of the movie "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" when Jim Carrey's character mentions his fright upon becoming the much dreaded "dining dead." Will I become the married with children dead having no real conversations with my spouse? Is this why people get divorced? I don't really know what I meant by this whole blog... just merely getting my thoughts out. I think that married people when they have children all of a sudden just revert to as simple of speech as possible. Maybe it's so they can help their children learn to speak English better by only hearing simple sentence patterns. I don't know, but regardless... I see it happening around me all of the time with such things as: "Honey, what are we going to have for dinner?" Response: "I don't know." Did they have all of their important conversations during their courtship leaving them conversation-less during marriage? Maybe they should have dated a shorter amount of time to save up at least a few more real conversations for marriage. I hope that when I'm married, I can refer back to this blog and see if my conversations with people really have diminished to kids, food, husbands, and television.

Four Hour Vespa Ride

So today I went on the best DAMN ride of my life. My friend, Matt, recently purchased a 1978 mint condition vespa from The Scooter Lounge in Orem, UT. It's hard core. Color: White with a forest green stripe down the front. It has a large black leather seat and even a tiny little back rest for passengers such as myself. It's freaking awesome. As my friend, Darcy, told me the other day... you like the vespa, you like the boy. Amen, Darcy. Amen. This vespa is HOT and can surprisingly go around sixty-five miles an hour with two people on it. Yeah, this baby does NOT mess around. So back to the story... I'm lazily laying in my bed today not really having anything to do when lo and behold my roommate knocks on my door arousing me from my semi-conscious state to tell me that a young man is here to see me. Not really thinking about it, I threw on whatever clothes were closest and headed for the living room. Apparently Mr. Matt had it in mind to go on a little vespa ride. We left and drove around for a little while, just like the usual vespa rides (usual being since Sunday as that is when the said vespa was purchased). I was in for quite the "ride" because what I thought was going to be a ten minute vespa ride turned into a FOUR HOUR VESPA RIDE. Have you ever been on a four hour vespa ride? Let's just say that my knees were killing me and we had to stop every thirty minutes or so to stretch out our backs. It was one hell-of-a ride, I must say. We drove through these mountains near Rexburg on this amazingly beautiful trail and we stopped and I got to pick huckleberries. It was awesome. I love huckleberries because they remind me of when I was a kid. How could a ride on a vespa not be good.... period? Let alone coupled with a good looking young man, huckleberries, good conversation, a stop for a Sobe in a Podunk town, and an entire mountain full of trees? You really can't top it so don't even try. I do have to admit that by the end of it, my knees felt as if they were going to remain bent for the rest of my life but that's the price you pay for beauty and fun. In the end I realized the truth of the aforementioned dictum: you like the vespa, you like the boy. Thank you vespa, thank you.