Blissful Nothingness

My vacation so far has been full of blissful nothingness. Sure, there's the occasional project--making Christmas dinner, laying new tile, trying to get my car smog-checked and registered--but in general I've had a week and three days of nothing particularly important or pressing, and I've adored every minute of it. I'm making great progress on my Christmas Advent Calendar; something that I've had for two years now and haven't been able to finish, mostly because I only find myself wanting to work on it during Christmas time. And by the way, it's harder than it looks. You have to put each little character together by hand, sequins and all. I also made two hot pads for my Mom. They look sort of like something I would've given her when I was eleven or so. She loved them. I think my brain is trying to recoup a little. Don't worry, though. I'm not forgetting everything that I learned this last semester. I even got a DSM-IV for Christmas. I asked for it. If that's not dorky, I don't know what is. I haven't started diagnosing myself. I figure that I should wait until the end of February or so, when my stress level has returned to normal. I've also been pretty spoiled with the weather--it was 72 degrees today. I don't understand why people wouldn't want it to be 72 degrees over their Christmas holidays. Of course, I grew up with this being my Christmas weather, so...to each his own. I'll be back buried under the tundra that is Logan Utah soon enough.

Let me tell you the best way to be surprised for Christmas. I just discovered it this year. Make yourself a wish list on Amazon.com. Every year my family makes Christmas lists. Everyone is expected to tell us what they want. Then we go and get one of the things on the list for them. We Nelsons love surprises, but we also like to get things that we actually want. This last year I made up a Wish List for myself on Amazon, so that I could remember things that I wanted to get for myself when I had extra money (haha). So when we made up our Christmas lists, I just decided to direct my family members to my Amazon wish list. Then I added a few sundry things that I wanted as well that weren't on my Amazon list, and there was my Christmas list. I really didn't expect my family to look at the Amazon list for things to get me. So, I was really surprised when I opened my gifts on Christmas day and got two movies that were on my Amazon list from my older sister (Space Camp and Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead--classic) and the first season of SeaQuest from my little sister with a tag attached to it that read "For your Sanity." As a side note, have you ever seen SeaQuest? I was ADDICTED to it growing up. Even when it got weird with the aliens and stuff, it was still somewhat interesting. But the first season is the best. And now I have something that I can turn to in those moments of desperation during school when I wonder what I could possibly have been thinking of when I decided to go back to school.

Anyhow, if you want to be surprised with things that you actually want, but forget that you wanted them, make yourself an Amazon wish list. It's amazing.

I'm watching the Kennedy Center Honors. It's pretty great. I love Morgan Freeman and Barbra Streisand. The other four being honored I don't really know, but I love to watch shows like these because I feel like it introduces me to a world that I wasn't aware of before. Like this Twyla Tharp, who's a choreographer that has done amazing things in dance. She reminds me of my old roommate Carly, who could make any dance incredible and moving--the kind of person that makes you wish your nervous system and soul could communicate as well as theirs so that you could create something that beautiful with your own body. I still remember the year that Sense and Sensibility won an Academy Award--I was almost fifteen, and utterly shocked because I hadn't heard about the movie when it came out, so it was the first exposure I'd had to the Jane Austen adaptation. Watching shows like this helps me feel cultured, as Becky would say. So I guess my vacation hasn't been totally useless.
Woot.

The End.

If there was ever a good day to visit the DMV...

Did you know that the best day to visit the DMV is on Christmas Eve? I went there to get a disabled parking pass for my Mom (she's in a wheel chair, by the way. Put "Charcots" on your list of diseases to avoid developing; unless you want to get a temporary disabled parking pass), and the wait was only about 15-20 minutes. So if you ever have anything that you need to do at the DMV, plan on doing it on Christmas Eve. It is so great to go in and see only one person standing in line in front of you; only 5 numbers away from the number that you pulled.

Geminids

2008 Meteor Showers and Viewing Tips

The next meteor shower is the Geminids in the evening of December 13, 2008. A gibbous Moon will overpower all but the brightest meteors...

Don't you just love meteor showers?

(Stupid Gibbous Moon. I'm still going to try and watch it, though. You might try it too. It's fun =])

Chalk me up for one more entry in November

Well, it's not easy sending your baby brother off to South Africa, but I managed to do it last Tuesday. It's kind of weird having Dave gone. On Thanksgiving morning we were about to eat breakfast (waffles! Thanks, Dad) and I almost said to my sister, "Go get Dave," but I caught myself. Good thing too, because Mom probably would've started crying.

Aside from shipping Dave off, making Thanksgiving dinner Monday and not burning anything, NOT making Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday (I would like to thank Johnny R's, my Grandpa's favorite restaurant, for being open Thanksgiving day), and general family time, I think my favorite part was taking my nephew on walks. I basically kidnapped him from my sister three times to take him on little walks. I learned that he likes to watch cars whiz by. They don't get that very much in Woodland Hills. He also reacted to the dogs barking, which I attribute to his thinking it was his dog, Maggie. We also took a little walk to the library, and learned how to count. I'm pretty sure he's a genius by now.

Okay, so I saw the saddest thing yesterday. I was driving across an intersection and I saw a hearse driving towards me, but without any kind of a procession following it or anything. Now, keep in mind that I'm sure that this hearse was probably just going to fill up it's gas tank. Incidentally, this is really hard for me to imagine. I mean, have you ever seen a hearse filling up its gas tank? If you did see a hearse filling up it's gas tank, would you think twice about pulling into that station? I think it would just feel weird filling up your gas tank next to a hearse. Even if the hearse was empty. Babbling. The point is, there was no procession following the hearse, and I thought about how sad that would be, to be driven to your grave without anybody following your hearse to bid you farewell. So keep your friends and love your family, because if they outlive you they'll be the ones that will hop into their cars, turn their lights on, and follow that hearse to the very end of the road. And someday you'll see them again, and you'll say "Hey, thanks for following my hearse." Okay, maybe not those exact words. Maybe something more like "Thanks for being the most amazing friend ever, and for always being there for me."

I love you guys!

Things that make me happy

It's late, and I'm incredibly tired. So why am I posting? I don't know. But I am.

Sometimes I like to make lists of things that make me happy. Here's one for your reading enjoyment:

Bubbles, waffles on Saturday morning, the violin, my pillow, finishing a crafty thing for my future (or current) home, finding my stuffed animals that I thought were lost, having door handles for my car, seeing snow out on the mountains, hot chocolate with marshmallows, toe-nail polish, Books (especially including scriptures), seeing someone do something kind for someone else without expecting to be seen, art that I don't necessarily understand, that sea creature that has a glowing nob hanging from its head, grass in my toes, friends who love me despite my ridiculousness, laughing like a 10 year old with any of my siblings, having a haircut turn out the way I wanted it to, journals, seeing babies laugh or cry, rocking chairs, a cozy corner in a library, going through the grocery store and finding all the miniaturized items, cartoons that I used to watch when I was little, the moment when you realize that you finally understand, reading old journal entries, hiding either candy or money from myself and being surprised when I find it, hearing from an old friend that I never expected to hear from, hearing a song on the radio that I know all the words to and singing them (or shouting them, depending on the level of hyperactivity), pearls, hunting for seashells on a warm summer beach, finding a little corner of nature that appears to be all your own for even just a little while, remembering how we used to pretend that we were on a deserted island in our backyard every summer, daisies, watching a romantic comedy and knowing that you deserve to be just as happy as they are, sunsets, ballet shoes, puppies, watching someone else sleep, spending all day cleaning or working hard and falling into a comfy couch afterward, finding the perfect card for someone, the first spoonful of ice cream when you remember how delicious it tastes, riding a horse for the first time, swimming a lap in the pool and thinking the whole way how incredible it really is that humans have learned how to do that, realizing you've created something that no one else could've done, and that first moment when you crawl into bed and you breathe out and completely relax.

And with that, my Loves, goodnight. =]

In Celebration of Daylight Savings...

I am posting once again. And, if you noticed, I took my extra hour and spent it finding a new fancy-shmancy background. I like it.

Did I ever tell you that going on my mission to South America caused me to lose at least two hours of my life? People don't realize that this happens, but it does. Here's how it works. In order to understand the logistics, you need to remember that in the US we spring forward an hour in the spring, and fall back an hour in the fall. Now, realize that in the southern hemisphere, the seasons are backwards from our own. Thus, they spring forward an hour around Octoberish, and fall back an hour around Aprilish.

Just before I left for my mission (in May), we had Daylight Savings here in the US, springing forward an hour. This was normal for me, as I'd been doing it for pretty much my whole life. Then I left for my mission to Chile. October came around, and we sprang forward an hour again. Because now I'm in the southern hemisphere, and it's not coming up on winter, it's coming up on summer. April comes, and we fall back. Normal. Then October comes again, and we spring forward. At this point I return home from my mission (to the lovely San Diego). April comes. But now I'm in the northern hemisphere again. So we spring forward. Again. Did you catch that? I sprang forward four times, and only sprang back once. Guys don't realize this happens, because they are down in their southern hemisphere missions for two years, which means that the time changes equal each other out. When they get back, they double up on either the turning the clocks back, or turning them forward. But for the sisters it's different. We're only down there for 18 months, so our time changes don't get readjusted to being in the right order.

I wonder what I would do with those two hours if I got them back.

Neglect

If it helps anyone feel better, whilst I have been neglecting my blog I have been reading about people that neglect their children. I'm glad blogs aren't necessarily like those web animals, that you kill if you ignore for too long.

Really, the past few weeks since I last blogged have gone by so quickly, I'm not even sure if anything exciting has happened. I'm in the business of trading my limited stats knowledge and not-completely-limited computer knowledge for new door handles for my little car. I think Jake was really worried I wouldn't be able to get out of my car this winter, and he was looking for help with stats anyhow. I found out during a break between classes that one of the guys in my program served his mission in the Carlsbad mission. We were talking about how Utah isn't exactly multicultural, and he boastingly stated that he had served his mission in an area that people jokingly called "Manila Mesa," because there were so many people from the Philippines that lived there. Hey...that's where I grew up!! I told him so, and asked if he remembered any families in the area. We started naming a few people off, and it was kind of fun. I showed him a picture of my family to see if he knew them, and he remembered Mike because he'd gotten into a car accident not too long before, and when Mike left to go on visits with the Elders, my Dad had told him to take it easy on his ankle (which he'd shattered in the accident). Funny how we remember those little things.

I really didn't have a Halloween costume today. Last night at about 1:30am I decided to be Bedtime Bear, and made a little moon with a star hanging off it to pin on my tummy. It was very cute. I didn't get much of a chance to wear it though. Still, I'm going to hang it in my room. I even wore turquoise, to make sure I was the same color as Bedtime Bear.

I've got to go to bed, but I just have to say that Aggie basketball is CRAZY. The crowd really is one of the most formidable, and the team is pretty much amazing. They won their game tonight against NNU, 73-46. Pretty great, huh?

They mentioned ceramics on the Office, and now I want to go throw a pot. Not throw a pot, but sit at the wheel and throw one. You know what I mean. I haven't done that in a while...I wonder if they'll let me use the one on campus. I'll have to do a little investigating tomorrow.





Bedtime Bear, signing off.

Sometimes people can get out of their cars...

And then there's me.

If you know me well, you know that my experiences with cars has been...well, we'll call it "rocky." Let's review, for those of us who haven't heard the stories.

Car #1: Got smashed up and undriveable when a lady ran a flashing red light going 40 mph. She hit me, and then pushed my car into another guys'. He didn't have insurance. Sad day for him, and for my little Honda.

Car #2: My Dad's car. The engine burned out on Thanksgiving day, with my Grandpa and little brother in the back seat. I delayed Thanksgiving dinner 2 hours. Whoops.

Car #3: This is the most beautiful story ever. My little Dodge Omni was smoking. I determined not to drive it until I could get the problem checked out. It was Christmas vacation, and one of the ladies that had a newspaper route was going out of town to see her kids for the holiday. She couldn't find a substitute. I told her I absolutely couldn't, my car wasn't working well. She begged me and begged me and...well, it was Christmas!! What was I supposed to do? I said yes, rationalizing that I'd use the money to fix my car. I was driving the route, up one side of the street; then, as I came down the other side of the street, I parked the car to review the route list. I looked out the driver's side window and saw a little flame on the other side of the road. "That's weird," I thought, and got out of my car to look at it. As I bent over to blow it out, I thought "I wonder why I didn't see it when I drove up this side of the road." Then I turned and looked at my car. And the underside of it was glowing. I ran and grabbed my wallet and anything else that I could, then I crossed the street again to a nearby house. There was a brief moment when I considered grabbing their hose to put out my car on my own, but I decided that the hose probably wasn't long enough to reach my car. I ran up to the front door and knocked, cringing at the idea of waking up this family at 6am. A little girl in a soccer uniform answered the door. "Umm...is your Mom awake?" She nodded. "Could you get her for me please?" The little girl walked away, and a woman came to the door with a questioning look on her face. "Hi," I said, "Can-I-borrow-your-phone-my-car-is-on-fire." She grabbed her phone and rushed out of the house after me. Before she could dial 911, her neighbor, standing on his walkway in his pajamas, waved to us and said "Don't worry. I've got it." It was, we'll say, a learning experience.

Car #4: One word. Possessed. I inherited this car from my sister when I first came up to BYU. At the time, it was functioning perfectly well. As soon as I started driving it, it would randomly decide not to start. You know, just whenever it felt like it. It especially thought it was funny to not-start for a good while, and then when the tow truck would arrive, it would start just fine. That was it's favorite game. Eventually, small plastic pieces would start to fall onto my lap from somewhere inside the steering wheel whenever I would turn a corner; but the best was when it would randomly start honking on it's own. Oh, and there was the time that my siblings and I were returning from the beach. We were in the Taco Bell drive through when flames came up out of the parking brake region. No explanation there, either. Let's just say, it's probably in a much safer place now, settled in with all the rest of the demonic things that people toss out, like broken toasters and mismatched socks.

Car #5: Up to this point, you have to realize that I have become emotionally traumatized by all the car "experiences" that I've had. I decided to be extra careful and get my little car looked at just before I made the drive down with my Dad from Provo to San Diego, a month before I left on my mission. Everything was great. They changed the oil, I was good and ready to go. Yeah. The car gave up the ghost a mile south of Beaver, Utah. Good thing I have relatives that live in Beaver, huh? Have you ever had to cram two cars worth of stuff into one car? I had to decide then and there what stuff I needed for my mission, and what could be left behind in my Uncle and Aunt's garage, for my parents to pick up and put in our garage after they dropped me off at the MTC. It's actually an effective way to pack, kind of like those old shows where people run through the grocery store and grab all the groceries that they can fit into their carts in a certain amount of time.

Car #6: As could be expected, I've been nervous about cars since returning home from my mission. When my Dad suggested that I take his Prism my last year at BYU, because my schedule would be really hectic and I'd "need" it, I really hesitated. Needless to say, I've been a little overprotective of my car since then. It gets regular check ups and oil changes and tire rotations; and I'm pretty sure the guys at Goodyear laugh at me everytime I come in to get another electrical problem fixed. I've put a lot of effort into this little car. There are just two things that I haven't had the time, or been able to afford, to fix yet. They are replacing the container that the windshield wiper fluid goes in, and getting the door handles in the driver's side and passenger side doors fixed. You currently have to roll (I fixed it just for you, Darryl=]) the windows down and open the car door from the outside. Which brings me to the entire point of this blog post.

On Friday I reached out my window to open my car door when the front panel of the outer door handle came off in my hand.

I guess those door handles are made of two parts. The back part is the mechanical part that actually pulls the door open. The front panel of said door handle is not just for decoration, but functions as a place to put your fingers in order to pull the mechanical part up. I now do not have a place to put my fingers in order to open my car door.

I laughed for five minutes straight, ending my laughter with a rather vehement "Seriously?!?" Then I managed to pry the mechanical part up with my keys, and got out of my car.

So, in case you were wondering, I think the talk that most applied to this situation in todays session of General Conference was Elder Wirthlin's.

Come away, and love it. I embrace my car troubles. I laugh in the face of fire, electrical problems, and tires that explode on the side of the road. I've been through too many of them to even have it affect me any more.

(Sorry my blog posts are so long...but hey, when there's a story to tell...it's got to be done.=])

An Icy Blast from the Past

By special request, I have been asked to share a story from my past with you today. Oh, that I were as vigilant in keeping a journal back then as I am now! I'm sure there would be so many, many more details to share!

Of course, we must start at the beginning. Once upon a time, two carefree and young San Diegan women moved up to Provo, Utah to attend school at Brigham Young University. Not being able to reserve rooms at the same apartment complex as some kind friends of theirs, their lot fell to a backup apartment complex--the Glenwood. Little did they know the insanity that awaited them at the unhallowed halls of their future apartment! It was a bittersweet day, indeed, when these well-intentioned girls finally realized that their two new roommates were, in fact, viciously unstable. Craving to escape the dungeon that was their "home", and desperately seeking to fulfill their need to gain friends, they traversed their ward, their classes, and even the sports events that they loved, in order to gain some sense of normality...

Okay, I can only write like that for so long. Needless to say, Susie and I were, in fact, desperate for any sense of normalcy at this point in our lives. Susie was (and still is =]) a big sports fan, and, though I've never been completely immersed in the culture, I really like watching sports. So we bought our season ticket packets from BYU (please note that at USU, students get in to all sports events for free...) and attended the games.

October 21st, 2000. Yes, I did look up the date. It was BYU's homecoming game, and Susie and I were especially excited because BYU was playing San Diego State; not only a pretty good rival at the time, but also one of the largest and most popular universities in the city we grew up in. I, being the dork that I am, thought it would be pretty hilarious to wear my SDSU sweatshirt to the game. I'd gotten it from some former co-workers of mine, who had all gone to SDSU, as my going away present when I left for college (to BYU. They had great senses of humor). I can't quite remember whether anyone got to see it though, because all I can remember is that it was cold. It was very very very cold and windy. I would even characterize it as "blistery." (Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful at looking up the exact temperature on said day. I tried for about 10 minutes, then gave up. I'm sure it can be done, but let's face it--weather people don't know how to organize a website).

We walked to the stadium, as it was only kitty-corner from our apartment complex, and I distinctly remember being grateful for the walk, mostly because I think it was probably the only thing that kept my blood from literally freezing in my veins. But we were determined. Nothing would stop us from seeing the homecoming game! Susie and I found our seats and started to watch the game. Now, when I say we "found our seats," I don't want to deceive you all into thinking we actually sat down on them. I'm pretty sure we were standing for most of the whole game, partially because it was homecoming and everyone was excited, partially because it helped to keep us warm, and partially because the bleachers were already sopping wet from the snow and covered with (as Susie mentioned in her comment) floating ice glaciers that, I have to admit, were pretty uncomfortable to sit on.


Imagine this as us, but cuter and possibly a little more freezing




The game, for me, is a bit of a blur. The stats say that it turned out to be a very field-goal oriented game (apparently touchdowns are overrated when the temperature is below freezing). At one point JR Tolver, our past high school quarterback and now SDSU's second string wide receiver, came out onto the field. Susie and I cheered for him. Then he made a really great play, catching the ball for SDSU and making a first down. We both screamed and cheered "YEA!!!! GO J.R.!!!!" Then, over the loudspeaker came the announcer, clear as day--"That was JR Tolver from San Diego State...blah blah blah..." Please remember that we were sitting right in the middle of screaming, cheering BYU fans, desperate to win their homecoming game. EVERYONE within earshot turned to glare at us. We smiled a little sheepishly and said "He went to our High School." They all nodded, as if to say "Oh...I suppose that's acceptable." So the lesson here is, if you ever think you're going to get beat up by a bunch of crazed fans, just claim the guy you're cheering for is your brother-in-law or something, and all will be forgiven.

It was probably during half time or so that Susie and I decided to hit the snack bar to help warm ourselves up. Susie got some nachos, and I'm pretty sure we both got hot chocolate as well. The hot chocolate helped a bit, but what really kept us both alive at this point was the nacho cheese. I'm so glad they heated it up so hot, or else I'm pretty sure that we would've suffered frostbite. I would never have played the piano, as poorly as I do, ever again! And what about Susie, you ask? How could she be expected to hit a volleyball without thumbs? Yes, it was the cheese sauce that saved us.

Eventually we were so frozen that, after the third quarter or so, we felt that we had fulfilled our obligation to the school and to JR, and decided to head back to our apartment to watch the rest of the game on TV. We never did get to see the end of the game, however, (which wasn't bad for us in the end, since BYU lost 15-16) because this was also the day that, when we got home to warm up and watch the game, certain events that unfolded in our apartment made it so we finally had had enough with our insane roommate and walked out on her.

Wheel of Morality: The Lesson We Should Learn

(Animaniacs, anyone?)

If you ever think you're going to be pushed to the limit, just stick your fingers in hot nacho cheese sauce and repeat to yourself: "I'm just glad that I do not have frostbite!"

I better start stocking up...Logan is colder than Provo!!! Or, at least, so everyone keeps telling me.

A Wrinkle in Bekah

I've been trying to think of something that could summarize this week, in order to make a good blog post, but nothing really profound comes to mind, so I'll ramble. It's always fun to ramble.

My Dad came home from his 5 month tour with the navy hospital ship Mercy this last Thursday. I (obviously) wasn't there for his homecoming, but he did call me and left a message on my cell phone in Vietnamese, so I called back and got to talk for a while (in English). I'll see him and my Mom in a couple of weeks, because my little nephew is going to be blessed.

I've been spending a lot of time (probably more than I should, actually) at my internship. It's hard, but it's fun. Sometimes it's a little scary to think that the lives of these people are in my hands, and I have the chance to either hurt them (which would probably break my spirit) or help them change their lives. Sometimes I feel like I'm great at it, and other times I feel totally inadequate. I guess that's the way it is with everything in our lives though.

I've officially decided that I really do like Logan. It's small and rather quiet, but not uncomfortably small, and it's also really pretty. Here's a picture of a sunset that I took from the Spectrum (the sports building where volleyball/basketball games are held) while I was at work. Speaking of volleyball, I got a shock on Thursday when our volleyball team was playing Fresno State. I've never been too good with sports stuff, but I felt pretty confident in understanding how the college volleyball games worked, having attended quite a few with Susie while we were roommates. Lo and behold, at Thursday's game our team lost the first match, then lost the second. Sad, right? Except, then they kept playing. What? Why are they playing another set? Our team just lost...didn't they? Well, apparently in the WAC (and Susie, tell me if I'm getting this wrong) they play best out of five games, with the last set going up to 15. I was pretty confused. And it didn't help that a popcorn vendor told me they may have to go up to fifteen sets. I'm still not totally sure if he was just playing off my ignorance. Whatever, the point is, we lost the game. And I learned that not all college sports rules are created equal.

In case you were wondering what makes a good social worker, it's not all the theories and skills and lessons that you teach. All you really need to know, at least, if you're working with clients in mental health, is how to play pool. Someday I'm going to do a study. I'm going to contrast all the interventions that we try and apply, to the social skills learned while playing pool with the clients. I'm already pretty sure I know which one is going to come out on top. And in case you're already preparing to take me on, I just have to tell you that in the last two years I've gotten pretty dang good. And I spent yesterday and three Saturdays ago playing for three hours straight with a client who, in all honesty, needs to start his own business teaching people how to play pool. He's ridiculously good, and he taught me some pretty handy tricks. Any takers?

I think I might need to name my palm pilot. I didn't use it for two years, after I was done with school, because quite frankly I didn't have that much stuff to remember. Wake up, go to work, come home, read or watch TV, go to bed. Pretty basic stuff. Now that I'm back in school, however, and running around like a chicken with its head cut off, Palmy and I have become great friends. (Palmy is one option. I'm also considering Hal; Macguyver; "It," like the huge brain in a Wrinkle in Time...except that "It" was evil, and my Palm Pilot is not evil; I'm kind of leaning towards Palmy. It goes well with Lappy. My cell phone would be more problematic I suppose. You can't call it "Phoney.")

I would like to openly support NBC's efforts to prevent any unnecessary frustration on the part of their viewers concerning a certain couple on their show, The Office. I would also like to thank the websites for providing their shows online now, as my schedule doesn't allow me to watch certain shows that I like at normal-people times.

Lastly, has anyone else noticed, and felt slightly cheated, when they read the Voyage of the Dawn Treader and realized that Leslie Burke from Bridge to Terabithia wasn't exactly as creative as we thought she was, because she pretty much stole that name from the name of the Island that Prince Caspian and Co. go to? Anyone? Anyone? I mean, that couldn't have just been a coincidence. Still, they're both great stories. =]

Etchings of Fall

I kind of wanted to go to the football game this afternoon, but I can hear the thunder out in the distance, rainclouds are steadily approaching, and my homework is calling. I'm not that excited for winter to come, but I am excited that the leaves are starting to change colors. That's one thing you don't really get in San Diego--red and orange leaves. I feel more like cuddling down with a book today than doing anything else. And textbooks don't count. They're not really cuddle-able.

Here's a picture of the storm moving in from my window. It's just starting to sprinkle now.

It's been an exciting day in Logan, that's for sure. There was a marathon that started out at one section of the canyon, went through town, and then ended at the other side of the canyon. I've been doing my CPR recertification all morning, but during our break I went outside to see the runners go by. There was a guy playing the drums, I'm assuming to encourage the runners along. It was pretty fun. I was kind of looking to see if I knew anyone, because I have some crazy friends that for some reason enjoy running (Alicia...Bishop Johnson...) =] but I really didn't expect to see them during my half hour break.

As for me, things are going pretty well. I almost had a nervous breakdown (or a "come apart" as my co-workers say) Monday/Tuesday this last week, because apparently I'm not taking a class that I was supposed to take--but it's one I've already taken, so my adviser and I got everything ironed out. So life will, indeed, go on. Other than that, it's been school, school, internship, more school, my part-time job (yep, as a janitor. I'm not ashamed. I actually really enjoy it.) and then some more school. Somewhere in there I also go to institute and church and the temple and such.

Delaying homework

I'm putting off my homework. Here's a quiz I got emailed to me from Jenny:

1. Were you named after anyone? The Rebekah in the Bible

2. When was the last time you cried? I don’t know if I want to say…

3. Do you like your handwriting? Most of the time; and when I’m doing calligraphy, pretty much yes

4. What is your favorite lunch meat? Turkey or Ham

5. Do you have kids? No…but I'm really excited to be a Mom someday

6. If you were another person, would you be friends with you? I hope so or I’d be lonely

7. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Yes. But I try not to make it directed at a person, because that's mean. Just at inanimate objects.

8. Do you still have your tonsils? Unfortunately, yes. I’m always getting swollen tonsils. In fact, every time I go to the dentist they ask me if I’m sick, and I never am.

9. Would you bungee jump? I don’t think so. I don’t like the idea of flinging my body towards the ground. Actually, it's probably more the flying up afterwards on the rebound that frightens me. I'd probably be so freaked out that I would break my neck. I do want to go hang gliding some day.

10. What is your favorite cereal? Bran flakes. Weird, huh? When I was little, we would get cereal from Santa. Everyone else would get Lucky Charms, Fruit Loops, etc., and I would be excited to get my Raisin Bran.

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Tennis shoes, yes. Other shoes, no.

12. Do you think you are strong? Physically, no. Mentally, yes. Emotionally, depends on the day. Spiritually, pretty sure that’s a yes.

13. What is your favorite ice cream? Raspberry sherbet. Or mint Oreo cookie.

14. What is the first thing you notice about people? Height and hair color.

15. Red or pink? It depends on the day. Some days are pink days. Others are red. Today I wore a white shirt and red sweater. Does that equal Pink?

16. What is the least favorite thing about yourself? I refuse to answer this question on my own public blog.

17. Who do you miss the most? I had this glow worm when I was little. I wish I had him back... =]

18. Do you want everyone to send this back to you? It’s on my blog, so…But it would be fun if other people tried it.

19. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? Blue jeans and flip flops.

21. What are you listening to right now? Country music station.

22. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? A turquoise color

23. Favorite smells? Fresh cut grass, rain on asphalt, almost anything baking, and my gardenia lotion.

24. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? Family

25. Do you like the person who sent this? Of course!

26. Favorite sports to watch? Football.

27. Hair color? I like to call my hair color Neopolitan. I have this horrible problem. It gets blonder in the summer, reddish in the fall, and a dull brown in the winter. So it always looks a little weird. I tried dying it a while back, but I think it might have looked weird, so I stopped.

29. Do you wear contacts? Yes. I’m so dorky looking with glasses.

30. Favorite food? Pizza, spaghetti, taco salad.

31. Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings.

32. Last movie you watched? Marie Antoinette (part of it).

33. What color shirt are you wearing? White

34. Summer or winter? Summer. It’s my favorite time of year.

35. Hugs or kisses? I really don’t think one should have to choose between two such great things.

36. Favorite dessert? Ice cream, pie, cookies…

37. Most likely to respond? Bah.

38. Least likely to respond? Bah.

39. What book are you reading now? Biography of Benazir Bhutto, all my textbooks, scriptures, and I’m sort of still working on Ben Hur

40. What is on your mouse pad? I don’t have one.

41. What did you watch on TV last night? That was the Marie Antoinette thing.

42. Favorite sound? The piano, wind through trees

43. Rolling stones or Beatles? Probably Beatles.

44. What is the farthest you have been from home? Santiago, Chile

45. Do you have a special talent? Plumbing. Weird, huh?

46. Where were you born? Washington D.C.

47. Whose answers are you looking forward to getting back? These types of questions always bug me.

48. What time is it now? 7:45pm Laundry’s done!

49. Favorite quote? I keep a little quote book, so I have a bunch. Here’s one: “Life should be a little nuts. Otherwise it’s just a bunch of Thursdays strung together.”

50. Favorite kind of socks? Crew cut

Mystery Solved!

All over Utah State there are these giant footprints spray-painted on the ground. I stuck my foot in the photo so you could compare the size of the spray painted foot to mine. There are right and left footprints, spread out about 10 feet apart or so. So I asked myself, why are they footprints? The mascot of USU is a bull. Shouldn't we have hoof-prints everywhere, or something like that?

Well, I took it upon myself to solve this Unsolved Mystery. Sorry Robert Stack, but I can handle this one on my own. After a prolonged and agonizing search on the internet (actually, it took two minutes) I found my answer. And here it is: They are the footprints of Paul Bunyan. That's right. Here on my very campus, we have the footprints of Paul Bunyan himself. Or, at least, a statue of him. You see, Paul Bunyan is apparently the mascot of the College of Natural Resources here at Utah State. Some poor sap (pun most definitely intended, and it was actually the forestry students (we have forestry students?)) carved a 12-foot statue of Paul Bunyan out of a giant tree back in 1939. Apparently, every year during College of Natural Resources Week (?) the Engineering students kidnap the statue of Paul and do weird things to it, like hanging him, dressing him in a diaper, or pouring concrete over him. The article that I read stated that the Natural Resources students retaliated by "letting sheep loose in the engineering building" and "filling an engineering classroom with crickets and straw."
A) Where did they get the sheep from?
B) Were the sheep ever returned?
C) This just goes to show you that you should never tick off a Forestry student. They're probably already angry that no one realizes their major exists.


As a side note, I didn't realize colleges have mascots. You can bet I'm going to come up with a great one for the College of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology. My nominations so far are as follows:

*Atlantis (try dressing THAT up in a diaper!)
*A Kiva (It's an archaeological wonder down near the 4-corners-ish. I toured them for three days my freshman year with my archeology class. It's basically a hole in the ground that has either stairs or a ladder going down into it. We think they used them as libraries. Plus, if the engineering students tried to do anything to it, we could just throw them in it and pull up the ladder.)
*An Anglerfish (This is the fish that lives in the deep sea and has a lure attached to its head. The end of the lure glows, which draws its' prey towards it. I vote this one so far, because a) it's the creepiest, b) most people don't know what it is, and c) those who do know what it is, and have watched Finding Nemo, think that it is totally awesome. Which, it is.)
*The NASW code of ethics. (Boring, but if someone tried to do something to it, you would have thousands of social workers, most of whom are liberal and slightly crazy, fighting behind you.)
*Harry Potter (he could be symbolic of all the people we try to help; he belongs to a foreign culture, which we all enjoy studying about; and he is master of the Elder Wand, so he could take out any engineering or forestry student that was feeling even a little bit mischievous. If you haven't read the last book, I just totally spoiled it for you. Don't re-read the sentence and try to understand it. Just go read the book.)

French Fries

All I have to say is...Why?

The IT guy broke my computer...whoops, that was me!

Grad school is pretty much nuts. I have approximately 1 billion pages to read by next Wednesday, and a bunch of other "little" assignments that all add up to a mountain of assignments towering over me, ready to squash me at any moment. For some reason, I'd really like to tazor the very bottom of that pile, just for fun. Is that morbid?

I spent an hour or so with technical support, trying to figure out why I couldn't get on Blackboard. This wouldn't be such a travesty, but I have an online class, and a bunch of my other professors have half of their billion pages of articles posted on Blackboard. Anyhow, the IT guy and I became friends, and he suggested that I download a free version of a spyware program. So I did. But, in my befuddled state of mind (thinking about all the assignments I have to do) I downloaded the wrong version. In case you were wondering, you shouldn't ever ever ever accidentally download a program that isn't compatible with your processor, because then you'll have to call your brilliant little sister and ask her to help you to stop your computers start-up, shut-down continuous loop. It only took 56 minutes to resolve the issue and obliterate said program from my computer.

Anyhow, positive things that have happened so far my first week of school:

*I found the library. Always my best friend, even when I don't have any real ones within an hour and a half drive.

*Today was the first day that I looked up from the stairs and was actually surprised that I was already on my floor. I'm hoping it's because I am now accustomed to climbing three flights of stairs, and not because I was just lost in thought and hadn't realized how long I'd been climbing.

*I got assigned clients at my internship, so I will soon be doing real-people work, instead of fake-employee work (aka filling out forms and taking online quizzes about sexual harassment and such)

*We had a fire alarm go off last night at 12:30am. I'd already been in bed about 2 hours, so at first I thought it was my alarm clock. Then I thought it was our apartment that was on fire, and that I had somehow caused the fire. I climbed out of bed and considered checking my apartment, but I somehow decided I wasn't at fault, and even if I was I didn't care that much to go check my apartment. Apparently I am REALLY apathetic when I'm tired. I went down all three flights of stairs and went outside to wait for the fire department. Despite the fact that we were all grumbling, it was kind of exciting. Way to get that out of the way now, instead of waiting until, say, November.

*I took time out on Tuesday to go to the Logan Temple, and it's just beautiful. I had a wonderful time.

*I've already found a great little study couch for myself at the institute--although, trying to balance taking an institute class with my internship schedule has proved a bit difficult.

*There is a statue of French Fries on campus. No joke. I'll take a picture tomorrow and post it.

P.S. VAL--Amy Grant is on the Radio right now =]

What an exciting week!

Here's some pictures of my adorable nephew. I got to spend some time with him and my sister and brother-in-law this weekend.

So, it's been a pretty eventful week. I moved in to my little apartment up in Logan on Saturday. I didn't get to meet my roommate (it appears I only have one), but I left my number and a note telling her I'd be back next Saturday. I live on the fourth floor, so I would personally like to thank my amazing little sister for helping me lug all my junk up four flights of stairs. I would also like to thank my calves and arms for not giving out on me during that time. I hope I never have to live on the fourth floor of anything that doesn't have a freight elevator ever again.

We moved Britte out of her apartment on Monday, and it took some creativity figuring out how to get all of her stuff into the little RAV4 that we rented, plus make room for the three of us in the same car. In the end, we tied our luggage, Britte's sofa cushion chair thing, and some other assorted items to the top of the roof. Now, in my defense, this is the first time I have ever attempted to tie something to the top of a car. You would think it wouldn't be that hard. But you would be wrong. I bought the tarp and bungee cords in Springville. We bought more bungee cords in Payson. We stopped just north of Nephi to purchase some duct tape. By the way, McGuyver, I was highly disappointed in the amount of time that the 20 yds of duct tape I purchased lasted on that tarp against driving 75mph and the strong winds that beat on the car at a perpendicular angle as we drove. By the time we stopped in Scipio to purchase something--anything--that would help our situation, Britte and I were laughing so hard at our ridiculous situation that I'm sure the people at the gas station thought we were drunk. I decided to try twine this time. I guess I figured that the three different elements holding this stupid piece of plastic together on the top of the car had to be somewhat effective. In the end, the twine was probably the most effective in keeping the plastic from flapping, and the bungee cords were effective in keeping the stuff on top of the car (though Britte says she is missing two pillows that were up there. I, personally, think they are lost in her room, because I clearly remember pulling them down from the top when we got home. Of course, it was midnight and I was tired and basically wanting to blow up everything on the top of the car by that point in time, so I could be mistaken).

Then today, my baby brother David got his mission call!!! We couldn't open it right away, because my Dad is floating out in the Pacific Ocean somewhere, so (following the clever plan that my parents previously came up with) my Mom emailed him and told him to call at 6pm. Britte, Dave and I went to the beach to distract him from opening his call early (and to get slight sunburns). By six we had bought pizzas and stuff for root beer floats, Dave's best friend (also named Dave) had come over, and my Dad had called. We got Rachel on a cell phone speaker phone as well, and Dave sat down to open his call. So guess where my Dave is going?

Johannesburg, South Africa
English Speaking
Entering the South Africa MTC on November 27th, 2008

Is that crazy or what? We've all been making all these random guesses as to where he would go, but I honestly never dreamed he'd be called to South Africa. I am SO jealous. I'm already scheming on how I can go there to come "pick him up" (aka, tour the country with the added benefit of being able to do so with your baby brother that you haven't seen for two years).

Rachel told us that she had been talking to Ross yesterday, and they had decided that Dave would have to go to Africa somewhere because my Dad served in Europe (Denmark), I served in South America (Chile), and my brother Mike served in Asia (Philippines). So we decided that she won the mint brownies. I'm so excited for him!!!

Because, why not?

Celebrating the year 2059, for the endless possibilities that it holds.

I made tortillas from scratch today. They ended up being amazing, though they were a little chubby and Dave said he thought they needed more salt. I was on a cooking spree, and made a yellow cake with crushed pineapple mixed in. When it had cooled I put cream cheese icing on it, and when it was time to eat it I decided we needed to celebrate something. So I pulled out all the number candles we had and decided that we should celebrate the year 2059. Then we sang a rousing chorus of I'm a Little Teapot (with the motions, of course) and blew out the candles together.

All in all, it was a very productive Sunday.
And my talk went very well, thank you.

Maybe I should start packing...

I've been pretty much vague about my packing efforts. I stole some boxes from our recent move at work, and purchased 5 more from the u-haul store this morning. Can anyone tell me why the u-haul store doesn't have parking? They have a huge lot for their vans and trucks and such, but not a single "I'm just coming to buy tape and a few boxes from you guys" parking spot. You have to park on the street, then walk up their drive-way and through their huge parking lot that you can't park in to finally get to the store. Then you have to haul your stuff back through the lot and down the hill to get to your car. I guess that's why they call it u-haul. They just want to make sure that you remember their name.

Anyhow, like I said, that has been my biggest efforts towards preparing to move up to Logan. We're scheduled to leave on Thursday. I'm optimistic that I'll be able to throw everything into boxes by then. I'm also on the lookout for inexpensive vacuum bags. You know, the kind you put your blankets in and then you suck all the air out with a vacuum cleaner, and the bag is then about 1" thick? I realize that will make my blankets and sheets and such all wrinkley, but I'm willing to deal with the consequences. So if anyone knows a good place to get them, let me know.

I also got a couple of DVD/CD cases so that I won't have to lug all of my DVD/CD covers up to Logan. I figure it will save space in my room if I put them all in the cases. I almost started taking the DVD's out of their covers to put in their case today, but for some reason felt that I would appear unfriendly and they would feel unwanted if I did it today, so I put it off. I don't know if that makes any sense, but it's what was going through my mind at the time.

I went to a bridal shower this morning, and a going away dinner tonight. The dinner wasn't for me (neither was the bridal shower, haha) though a lot of my friends that were at the going away dinner for my friend Crystal also wished me well. Crystal and Brandi gave me a piggy bank painted with ocean scenes, which is always a pleasing present. Crystal painted it at this great little do-it-yourself ceramic painting shop that we've gone to together before. She did an amazing job.

It will go great in my room. I discovered today (thanks to my Mom's Saturday afternoon love of HGTV) that my design style is Ethnic Eclectic. Basically what that boils down to is that I like a lot of random things, and I try hard to tie them all in together. It suggested that I use nature-type designs to do so. If you want to take the design style quiz, here is a link. It's under "Discover Your Signature Look."

The end. I have to go to bed now. I'm speaking in sacrament meeting tomorrow, so I have to get up early to practice giving my talk. I am resisting staying up much too late reading Deathly Hallows; however, I fear I might give in. Love you, goodnight.

Play-time for Bekah

Last week, I spent Monday and Tuesday at a writing conference taught by Orson Scott Card. And it was amazing. There were about 60 other nerds there that wanted to learn about writing, and Card did not disappoint. We had class all day; we had to write a story and read about 15 beginnings to other stories during our hour (and a half?) lunch; At night we paired up with another classmate and had to interview a random person, do research in a library or bookstore, observe culture in San Diego, and then come up with 5 complete story outlines to turn in the next morning at 9am based on our findings. It turned out pretty cool. We had to share one of our ideas in a group of 6-7 people, and after we read the information on the card (we were only allowed one 3x5 card per story, and we had to fill it completely) our group members had to discuss and critique our outline. Once we had finished reading our outline, the writer wasn't allowed to comment or explain anything further. It was interesting to hear the other group members comments, and it was also kind of funny what aspects of the story they decided to focus on--parts that I didn't even think were important. So I suppose it's always good to get someone else's perspective.

One of my favorite things that he does is his "1000 ideas in an hour" group discussions. We came up with a character together, went through all the twists and turns of character development, and analyzed all the different angles of what would happen to him if such-and-such a thing happened. There's a lot more, but it's all in my notebook in my room, and it's too late for me to expend the energy leaving the family room to go get it, and then feeling obligated to put all 15 or so pages of notes on this blog. You wouldn't find my notes interesting anyhow, because most of them are little snippets of information that only my muddled brain would understand.

Anyhow, that's what I did for fun last week. Besides painting a large palm tree on one of the walls at work. I'll post a picture of it as soon as it's done. The kids want a little castaway painted on the island. I don't think I'm that talented.

P.S. I bought shoes today that look like they were made out of a tablecloth. And I think I love them.

Chick Flick Support Group

I'll admit that I am a fan of Chick Flicks. My cousin recently came to stay with us overnight. I think it was about the time that I was writing the quizzes for my Mom's English class on Austen's Pride and Prejudice. He insisted that he has known too many girls whose ideas of love have become warped by Jane Austen movies. I tried to disagree, but to no avail. He was not to be persuaded.

I think that chick flicks are like medicine. They are good in small doses. If you are sick of Love, it might be a good idea to break one out and put it in the DVD player, to remind yourself (after you have become emotionally stable, else you run the risk of "accidentally" throwing something at your TV) that love really does and can and should exist in your life. But just like any medicine, if you take too much you either become addicted or you make yourself even more sick. In this case your "sickness" can warp your beliefs of what Love really is-most of the time without you even realizing that it is happening. And if you claim not to be addicted, take a real look in the mirror before you walk away. The first step is admitting you have a problem. =]

I'll admit that I own a large variety of Jane Austen movies, and a good number of "chick flicks" that I have deemed worthy of spending $7.99-19.99 on. Amazon frequently suggests such movies to me. But there are many out there that try and sell love, turning it into something cheap and unrealistic. I hate those movies. Most of them, despite weak efforts to incorporate some kind of moral in to their stories, end up selling a cheapened version of what real love can become, thus warping young single minds worldwide. No, thanks. I'm not buying.

So why am I even writing this? Yesterday I ended up at Hollywood Video. I was on a treasure hunt for Season 1 or 2 of Psych for my Mom (see previous post. The season premier was last night). No one had either. Even my Dad's beloved Fry's failed me. And they have everything! Anyhow, I was going to leave HV, because they didn't have Psych either, but then decided to roam around and see if there was anything that I wanted to rent. I remembered that there was a comedy out based on the Snow White fairy tale. A friendly associate helped me find Sydney White. It looked teenie-bopperish but cute. Then, as I was heading towards the counter I saw another movie that I'd had a vague interest in-Penelope. It was also fairy-tale like, so I decided to make a weekend of it, and immerse myself in fairy tales.

Sydney White was not bad, but if you ever want to see a really cute, sweet chick flick, then check out Penelope. It's about a girl who is cursed with the nose of a pig. It's magical and smart and funny and makes you want to become a better, stronger version of you. That's the story I look for in movies. So I guess Amazon can check off one more romantic comedy for this girl.

P.S. I'm listening to the classical music station, and the song they were just playing was written by Paul McCartney. Did you know he wrote classical music? I didn't. I was so flabbergasted that I didn't even catch the title of the song. Sad day...

Random is Bestest

I have nothing to really say tonight, which sometimes makes for the most interesting posts. I guess we'll see.

This last week, for 3 days straight, all I was doing at work was painting and moving furniture and painting some more, then putting stuff away and cleaning once the furniture was all finally in the right place. And then painting some more. We moved into a new clubhouse. It's nice and big and has room outside for a basketball court and maybe even a little garden. I won't be there long, but it will be fun to help them get started. Plus I have now realized the value of painting a room "two-tone." It's where you have most of your room painted a neutral color, and then one "accent" wall a deep or bold color (one that would be too overpowering if you painted the whole room that color, but adds just enough pizazz if you have one wall painted that way). After I came home the second day my Mom, who is trying to re-do some of our house, took me to Home Depot to choose some possible paint colors. I tried to convince her of the benefits of a two-toned wall (I was channeling my inner-interior designer-something that doesn't happen too often), but alas, she was not to be convinced (as of yet. I think I still have a chance. I'm wearing her down slowly).

Have you guys ever seen Psych? It's basically my favorite show ever. It has Dule Hill in it. He played Charlie in The West Wing, and he's great. James Roday plays the main character, Shawn Spencer. He's basically the most hilarious character ever. He's this guy who has a talent for noticing details, and he uses it to solve crimes and convince everyone else that he's psychic. And what's also great is they make a ton of references to movies, tv shows, and music from the 80's and 90's, so every episode turns into one of those "remember when" sessions you sometimes start with your friends (remember Full House, Growing Pains, and the Cosby Show? Remember TGIF? We used it watch it on an extremely old black and white tv in Rachel's room, and beg my parents to order pizza on Friday nights while we watched it)...

So, have you ever gone to the library and checked out way too many books that you know you won't have time to finish--but you're really hoping that this time you will? That was me, yesterday...and for the next three weeks. So hopefully I can get them done. Plus, I purchased another book at Barnes and Noble which so far is really good, but then it's like a toss up--do I read the library books, that are due back in 3 weeks, laying aside my new very very interesting book; or do I read my very very interesting book very quickly and then read my library books; or do I try and read them all at the same time (which is what I usually end up doing), and risk the possibility of not finishing the library books before I need to return them. Ah, the complicated decisions of life...

You know one reason I'm excited to move back to Utah? Super Walmart. Yes, I know they are the devil or whatever because they don't offer benefits to their employees, and some of the stuff they sell is slightly on the crappy side, and they kind of have a monopoly on the "general store" market. But honestly, I need them in my life. You see, out here in California our grocery stores are organized into a union ("We're a union, just by saying soooo.....And the world will know!!"--name that tune). And they have decided not to allow Walmart to join their union (which Walmart probably wouldn't want to do anyways). This decision, however, has a grave impact on my financial welfare. I'm already paying $100 a paycheck for gas. If I can buy a cantaloupe for a few cents cheaper, then I want that cantaloupe a few cents cheaper. Luckily, Walmart has gotten around this and is now selling every kind of grocery type item that they can without infringing on the union's standards. The only thing that they lack is the meat and produce section. So it looks like I still have to buy my cantaloupe at Vons. Until August. Muahaha.

I have to return to my lair and read 7 books at once. Farewell. =]