Happy...

...Blog Reader Appreciation Day!!!
I truly appreciate all you (three) regular readers I have out there :)
I am incredibly hungry right now. No joke. I get hungry pretty easily. Anyway, I subscribe to like fifty food blogs, and I think I'll share something tasty with you. I stole this from Smitten Kitchen, a Rosemary Flatbread that I can totally see going really well with a roast chicken, like from the grocery store (because I know not many of you want to take the time to roast one yourself, but if you do, I have a recipe for that too. Actually it's from Smitten Kitchen too, so...)

Crisp Rosemary Flatbread
From: Gourmet, July 2008

You could easily swap the rosemary for other herbs, such as thyme or tarragon, or punch it up with black pepper or other spices.
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary plus 2 (6-inch) sprigs
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil plus more for brushing
Flaky sea salt such as Maldon

-Preheat oven to 450°F with a heavy baking sheet on rack in middle.
Stir together flour, chopped rosemary, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in center, then add water and oil and gradually stir into flour with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Knead dough gently on a work surface 4 or 5 times.
-Divide dough into 3 pieces and roll out 1 piece (keep remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap) on a sheet of parchment paper into a 10-inch round (shape can be rustic; dough should be thin).
-Lightly brush top with additional oil and scatter small clusters of rosemary leaves on top, pressing in slightly. Sprinkle with sea salt. Slide round (still on parchment) onto preheated baking sheet and bake until pale golden and browned in spots, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer flatbread (discard parchment) to a rack to cool, then make 2 more rounds (1 at a time) on fresh parchment (do not oil or salt until just before baking). Break into pieces.

I guess technically I could get in trouble or something for using this picture without permission, since I've used a couple pictures from Smitten's site before and they mysteriously deleted themselves, so take your fill of looking before it goes too!

When O When Will It Stop Snowing?

Am I the only one who marks this similarity?

Squaw Peak:
Grizzly Peak:
By the way, this is an interesting article regarding the (re?)naming of Squaw Peak.

Abbey Road

Everybody knows about Abbey Road. But did you know that there was a musical/technological breakthrough at Abbey Road a couple weeks ago, and that Keane was the subject? Okay, I'm sorry I keep bringing Keane into so many of my blog posts, but Hey! I like them. And I promise they aren't the only band I listen to.
Anyway, back to this breakthrough thing. So Keane was the first band to make a live world-wide webcast in 3D. They chose Abbey Road for their "historic" event because it's already historic. Or something. Personally I think it's kind of a weird thing to be the first person to do, like holding the record for most marshmallows eaten in a minute or something like that. But in any case, it was kind of cool, although it probably would've been cooler if I'd actually had some 3D glasses.
They made a short (about 4 minutes...and not in 3D) documentary of the event, which you can watch right here!

KEANE - 3D Documentary from keaneofficial on Vimeo.
And while you're at it, if you're in the mood, listen to this great song (ignore the video, it's just a silly slideshow). It's sort of an ironic look at war.
"The Happy Soldier"

Ke Kumu - Kau Mua

I am officially registered for BYU Hawaii as of a few moments ago! These are my classes for the fall:

Pacific Natural History
Surfing
First Semester Hawaiian
Book of Mormon 2
Lifestyle Management

It's 12 units. Also, my day starts around 7:30AM everyday (even Saturday, which is when the surfing class is) but I'm okay with that. I'll just have to go to bed earlier.
Come the end of August I'll be trading the Rocky Mountain desert for this:
P.S. The title of the post is the title of my Hawaiian Class. I have no idea what it means. Ask me in December.

Summer Lovin'

Today felt summery. I went the whole day without a jacket of any kind. Even though the next few days have a rainy forecast, after that it's supposed to be sunny and in the high 60s. It's like Earth is saying "Hang in there, this is what's coming next!" I'm feeling pretty excited about warmer weather coming in summer. Warm weather, the sun not going down until 8:30pm, oldies, and vintage surf videos make me think of summer. Here are some fun things to get you in the summer mood. What makes you think of Summer?

These guys look like cavemen, don't they?

Vintage Surf videos make life seem idyllic.

And Elvis is just silly.

Old Poetry

Yesterday I found these two old poems I wrote in my Creative Writing class in High School. I'm not so great at poetry in general, but these are two of my better ones, and I thought they were kind of fun. The first is based off the painting "The Walk" by Marc Chagall...
...and the second I think was based off a Native-American-style painting by a guy whose last name was Lomahaftewa, but I misinterpreted it as the title of the picture.

The Walk (9/11/06)

My dear, this is quite unconventional
It’s difficult to see you up there.
This smile on my face is a guise—
I’ve had better than this kind of walk.

With my head by your feet it’s harder to talk
As you float like balloons in the skies.
I feel I may lift soon, like you, to the air
But that would be all but intentional.



Rainbow Maker (2/27/07)

Lomahaftewa, the miracle man
Changing the sky
With a bow in his hand
His head in the sky
And his feet on the land.

Looking around with a light in his eye
He raises his arms
And his bow to the sky
Pulling the bowstring
He aims very high.

Lomahaftewa aims for the mark
Releases an arrow
That soars like a lark
Trailing behind it
A colorful arc.

Keane?

Today I found someone had finally put up some really old Keane songs up on Youtube. I'm talking pre-Tom Chaplin here (well, I guess these 3 songs are after Tom joined the band playing guitar, but before original vocalist & bassist Dominic Scott left). Back when they had just changed their name to Keane from The Lotus Eaters. It was like discovering a whole new band. It's definitely more guitar-oriented, and the drum sound is different too. Here're a couple songs:



So. What do you think?

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Aside from the incredible amount of repition my job requires, there is rarely a dull moment (except for moments like these when all the work is done, I have an hour left in my shift, I've just finished my book, and I have no new emails). Some rather interesting things occur.

Yesterday we took another girl with us on our rounds, and she needed to make a stop at the Press Building. The Press Building is basically a paper manual factory. I think the proper term for this particular building is Cougar Press or something. Anyway, I've never seen anything like it in real life. It was incredibly loud with the whirring and clunking and (almost) screaming of machinery. I wouldn't want to work there. Although all the workers get to wear whatever they want, they also have to deal with the noise (everyone had either earplugs or headphones in) and the permeating dustiness probably resultant from paper being cut in massive quantities. But it was interesting to watch the machinery go at it, and I saw Preach My Gospel manuals being made, which was interesting.

Today (actually, only about twenty minutes ago) a girl from Customer Service came in for help finding a student's CD. Guess who this student with the missing CD was? Bristol Palin, daughter of Sarah Palin. You all know who Sarah Palin is. It was only an interesting situation because of who the student was, and because no matter how hard we looked we couldn't find the CD, but in any case, it was interesting to learn what kind of people enroll in BYU Independent Study. Only yesterday I packaged a lesson for someone who lives in Fallbrook (not necessarily interesting, but gives me a sense of hometown pride). There are prisoners, military, child prodigies graduating at the age of 12 (I haven't seen any, but I'm sure there are), people in random foreign countries, and also yesterday we mailed something to Harrison Ford. Of course, this Harrison Ford was enrolled in High School English and living in rural Alaska, but still...

My Thoughts Exactly

I'm in the midst of reading this book:
And last night Amory, the main character, is listening to his friend Tom at Princeton talking about how to deal with ghosts when they're in your bedroom ("If you use any direction, a ghost can never get you in a bedroom") and I was very surprised to discover that the theories of dealing with ghosts under your bed in 1920 are exactly the same as mine today!
While you can get rid of a ghost in your bedroom by closing your eyes, turning on all the lights, and waving a stick around, "the bed requires different tactics... Of course you never look. You stand in the middle of the floor and before he knows what you're going to do make a sudden leap for the bed-- never walk near the bed; to a ghost your ankle is your most vulnerable part-- once in bed, you're safe; he may lie around under the bed all night, but you're safe as daylight. If you still have doubts pull the blanket over your head."
Very wise advice indeed.

There's Gold in Them Hills

And I'm finally mining some. Okay, that's a weird analogy, but I'm listening to that song right now by Ron Sexmith, so it seemed fitting. Anyway, what is this gold I'm finally mining? I moved out to Utah at the end of December with the intention of attending culinary school in the fall. After much of what can only be described as a less serious kind of soul searching, I didn't really have a reason to be here. But my life is getting all sorted out now (the gold, for those who didn't catch it).
Today was my first day at my new job. I'm working at BYU Independent Study in Materials Processing. Basically I'll be sending mail out. So far it's pretty boring because I just watch people work in a department that isn't my own (the idea of this "training" is that I can get to understand how the other departments work...whatever, just train me in my job and I'm good to go). But once things get going, it should be a pretty good job. I'm working about 20 hours a week until Spring Term starts, when I'll work like...more than that. I get paid $7.50 an hour. I'm pretty excited about that.
Starting in Spring Term, which begins end of April, I'll be taking the Advanced SCUBA course through BYU. I'm pretty excited about this too, since this is like an actual, physical skill I'm learning. Kind of. Anyway. The point is, I want to go on to Instructor/Rescue/whatever status so I can teach it if I need/want to. Which I kind of do. Anyway, then in Summer term I'll be taking a Greek and Roman Mythology class, as well as a Book of Mormon course with Ian! I'm so glad he's coming out here while I'm still here, and that we get to take a class together. It's going to be so much fun.
On April 27th I'm moving out of this apartment! I'm also pretty excited about this. First of all, I'm moving to a house, which is really awesome in my book. And it has wood floors. What I hate most about where I'm living now is that it's on the third floor. It's hard enough to get up all the stairs without dying from exhaustion without adding the super-heat of summer to the equation. I'll miss my roommates a little, but we never got very close, something I think we all regret. At least I do. Anyway, I'm super excited about the house. It's blue.
Probably the thing I'm most excited for is that I'm moving to Oahu to attend BYU Hawaii in the fall!!! This probably isn't news to any of you, but I am SO incredibly excited it's not even funny. Well maybe it is. I'll be majoring in Hawaiian Studies, which is like History/Culture/stuff. Surfing and mastering the Outrigger canoe are part of the curriculum for the major. Now how sweet is that? Anyway, I'll be staying in a house (it's yellow! and looks like it has a dirt driveway, which I think is really cool) with three other girls. If you look up that address on Google Maps, you can see how close it is to the ocean and the mountains and campus and everything else. Gah! I can't wait. I hope this is something that will make me happy, if not just long enough to graduate, since right now in that department I'm a little behind.
Life is becoming fun, especially since I'm finally establishing myself. I have a stack of 8 books to read (for now!) and watch a lot of movies. I love it all right now. I love these moments when I feel so great.
Okay, and I just really think this is funny:

Everything Is Rubbish

Since around Christmas the outer door handle on the driver's side door of my car has been broken. Like completely snapped off and not functioning. Anyway, I had to climb across seats in order to get in the car until it finally stopped snowing, when I started leaving the window down just enough for me to squeeze my arm in and open the door from the inside. But then it snowed again, and instead of crawling across seats again, I decided to park down in the garage and leave my window down a little still.
Anyway, when I got down to my car yesterday evening to drive over to Megan's to watch the kids while she and Jared went to dinner, I noticed the door was unlocked. At first I thought maybe I'd just forgotten to lock it-- until I noticed my gloves were sitting on the passenger seat instead of in the glove box and that the sweatpants I'd been covering my seat with so I didn't sit in snow the day I forgot to park in the garage were also on the passenger seat.
I was a little nervous that they had taken something, since all my past experiences of people breaking into my parent's cars involved something being taken. But as I put all the strewn-about things back where they belonged, I realized nothing was gone.
They didn't take my $5 sunglasses held together with a paperclip. They didn't take my ancient cassette adapter or any of the homemade tapes. They didn't take any of the old clothes I have in the back seat waiting to be gotten rid of. They didn't take the Hitler Ghoulie. They didn't even bother taking my radio with the #1 preset button missing. Nope, I guess I found a good reason to no longer quote Ron from Goblet of Fire when he says, "Why is everything I own rubbish?" Actually, I'm rather glad of it.

Into the Wild

Lately, with the snow melting (though now it's back, and with a vengeance it seems) I've been noticing the beauty of the mountains more. I'm putting together this post with things I've written to my parents about it.
I am constantly put in awe by the mountains around here. They are so mysterious and I admit, a little creepy, probably because of how untame they feel. Last Friday I hiked Y Mountain at midnight with a few friends, and as we reached the top and looked out on the valley, we remarked how incredible it would be for Brigham Young or any of the original settlers of the area to look out and see how far their little town has come. The strip of lights along the mountain shimmered and suddenly stopped at the lake, which reflected some of the lights, then there was darkness where civilization ended and the mountains began again. I turned around and saw the stars twinkling over the dark peaks, clouds coming in around the tips. Sheer rock faces dropped into meadow and pine trees. It was amazing to see the mountains so dark and still and close. At one point on the way up we were singing Disney songs and we stopped for a break at a switchback and sang "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas and at the part where it's like "something or other makes a circle, makes a hoop that never ends..." and we all held hands in a circle at the circle part and then we sang "How HIGH the sycamore grows! If you cut it down, you will NEver know!" and at "HIGH" we raised our hands up in the air. It was really funny, but weird/cool because the whole Pocahontas thing reminded me of how Native Americans are more in touch with and respectful of the Earth. I thought of the guy in Into the Wild, and I think I can see a small part of why he wanted to be alone in the wilderness, however foolishly he went about it. And I half expected a herd of elk to walk up the path. So often I wish I could go back to a place thousands of years ago and see the world's raw and natural beauty. That's how these mountains make me feel-- like I already have gone back in time. There's another mountain I pass whenever I go to Megan's that I recently found is called Toadhead. Every time I pass by I have to force myself to watch the road, because I always want to stare at it. Adrien and I plan to hike and explore around it once the snow melts again. Last summer Adrien, Eric, and I hiked up to Timpanogos Caves. Going up it was really, really hot and steep and there were like hundreds of people climbing with us. But on the way back down we had waited for everyone else to get ahead of us and we were on the last tour, so there was no one behind us. The rangers even got ahead, and it was just Adrien and Eric and me on the mountain. Rainclouds came in and the sun was starting to set, and I felt humbled by the beauty of everything.
This is the first tree I've seen with spring blossoms, brought on probably by the warmer weather last week.
This is up between Toadhead and Maple Mountain.
This is in the same place. Maple Mountain (the one on the left) has slate slides coming down the side of it. Toadhead (on the right) is usually grassy and rocky. It looks less formidable without snow.
This is a view over snowed-on trees near the entrance to Rock Canyon, which is between Squaw Peak (on the left) and Y Mountain (on the right).
This picture I took up Provo Canyon. I drove up a side road that went up onto the back of Squaw Peak a bit so I could get a better view of it without the road. When I saw it I was literally in awe. The metamorphosed layers remind me again that the mountains dwarf us not only in size but in age. And the way the clouds fall down the peaks into the canyon...well, it speaks for itself. It's even more incredible in person.
The last picture is of Bridal Veil Falls, which incredibly survived the freeze of last night. When I was up there a couple of weeks ago it was almost frozen solid.

Survivor

I'm not a fan of reality TV. It's ridiculous. However, I am a fan of Whose Line, so this makes for a funny combo:

Eliane Boulangerie & Patisserie

Megan and I had lunch at Eliane French Bakery today. When I was here last summer I got a take-out French sandwich from there that was really, really good, so Megan and I went back today in hopes of a rerun. Unfortunately, because our "lunch" occurred around 3pm, they ran out of meat and cheese, so we got quiche lorraine instead. Megan got a Napoleon for dessert (it has a French name I don't remember) and I got a slice of chocolate mousse cake.


The quiche was really good. The crust even tasted creamy, which was odd but very delicious.


My mousse cake was very sweet. It was chocolatey, but not too much. You could taste vanilla and cream very easily.


Megan's Napoleon was probably my favorite. It was basically eclair cream in layers with what might have been tuile. I'm not sure. In any case, it was extremely delicious.
The sandwiches are excellent too, so go a little earlier in the day and pick one up. They also have loaves of bread of many sorts to purchase, which they will slice and bag for you if you ask.
There are tables to eat at, but the only drinks they have are bottled things in a fridge, so if you want something fancier, bring your own.

1750 S State St, Orem, UT 84097

Happy Spring

The whole job-finding thing isn't going so well for me. I know it probably isn't going too well for a lot of people since words like "recession" and "layoffs" and whatnot are being thrown around willy-nilly, but Adrien getting her job back at the museum and more "Now Hiring" signs popping up all over have given me hope.
Yesterday I had a job interview for a Testing Assistant position at BYU's Independent Study office. I didn't realize about 50 other people were all there volleying for the same spots. In any case, it didn't turn out very well for me. First of all, let me tell you that I haven't been walking around on campus since I was at EFY before my sophomore year of High School. Back then Deseret Towers were still standing. So my perception was way off in where things were supposed to be with those tall guiding towers. The directions the person gave me on the phone when she called to invite me to the interview were rushed and jumbled and I didn't understand them at all. So I checked a map of campus online, which turned out to be decieving, showing the road it was on to be a major one, when it was actually more like a driveway. So I eventually parked a couple streets further down and decided to walk, since the map showed it wasn't far. I saw a building just in front of me that had "BYU Catering Services" slathered all over it. This building was right where the Independent Study building should have been. So I walked past it and continued down the street, estimating that this road was about where 1430 North should be, but not being entirely sure. Eventually I came to the Bean Museum (not a museum of beans, for those unaware, but of several dozens of taxidermied animals staring at you with huge glass eyes) and wondered if I was anywhere near my desired building. I saw a streetsign ahead of me and rushed to look at it...1430 North. Okay, so I was on the right street, but where was the building? It should've been where the catering building was... When I came to the Marriott Center I decided I'd better call someone for help. The phone number I had written down for the Independent Study office was different from the one in my phone, so I was wary about calling it just yet. I called Adrien, I called Autumn, I even called my mom, who knows the campus better than me even though she hasn't been here in a while either. No one was answering. Finally Autumn picked up. "Hi are you terribly busy right now?" "Kind of, I have class in a second." "Okay, really quick, do you know where the Morris Center is? Independent Study?" "Um I think so, where are you?" "By the Marriott Center" "Yeah I think it's just north of there, past the big parking lot, but I'm really not sure" "Okay thanks, bye." So I walked past the Marriott Center to find just north of it was... a housing community. Great. Maybe she meant way north, and a lot to the east, where there is a building that has some blue on it...the lady on the phone yesterday said something about big blue letters... Unfortunately a lot of things are blue on campus, it being a school color and all. It is now ten minutes past my interview time, so I take a chance on the number I have written down and someone from Independent Study answers! "BYUindependentstudyofficemayIhaveyournameplease" "Uh, it's Shannon, but I actually just have a quick question." Suddenly the voice becomes more human. "Yes, what can I help you with?" "Um, I have an interview I'm late for but I have no idea where you're located. I'm lost." She laughs. I guess it is a little funny. "Where are you?" "By the Marriott Center" "Okay, let me pull up a map, I'm going to put you on hold." She needs to put me on hold for that? One of Beethoven's symphonies blasts through my tiny speaker. "Okay, do you know where the Horace Building is?" "Uh...no." "Okay, well all I can really tell you is to go to the Horace Building and walk through it and the Morris Center is just on the other side." I climb a massive staircase and find myself in a parking lot behind the Bean Museum. "Okay, where is it in relation to the Life Science Museum?" "Do you mean the Bean Museum?" Sheesh lady. Not the time for technicalities. "Yeah. I'm in a parking lot behind it." "Yeah, it's just east of there." I look east and see...a fenced off area with construction going on behind it. "Is there construction going on next to the building?" "Yeah. But you really should just go to the Horace Building and walk through it." "Okay, thank you. Bye." I hang up and see that Adrien tried to call me while I was on the phone with Unhelpful. I try calling her back but she doesn't answer. I discover that my blistered feet have taken me back to the catering building. Finally she picks up. "Hey what's up?" "Um yeah I have a job interview twenty minutes ago and I have no clue where it is?" "Okay stop walking. Where are you?" I describe my surroundings. "Yeah, you're actually right in front of it." Seriously. "Argh." "Yeah it's on the other side." The fourth side, the only side I didn't pass by. "Okay thanks." "Yeah, good luck." I walk up to the building and see Morris Center and then a big blue banner with BYU INDEPENDENT STUDY emblazened in white letters. Man. I'm parked like 100 feet away. I go in and tell the large sweaty young man at the desk I have an interview at 3:45 and I got lost. "I see." He goes to tell the people I'm here. I'm told the girl in the 2-piece suit will be going before me but they're running a bit behind so it'll be a while. Right. My heels are throbbing, my heart is still pounding from the staircase and the tension, and I'm partched. Luckily I brought my water bottle. 2-Piece Suit looks at me timidly. "Are you here for a job interview too?" I say "yeah" a little scratchily and stare out the window at Y Mountain. A lady comes in complaining about something or other and Large/Sweaty talks to his coworkers about how Macey's water is superior to all else. About 20 minutes later, I'm finally called back.
Sitting in two swivel chairs are two smiling girls. This might not be so bad. They apologize for being late, I don't remind them I was supposed to be here a long time ago. They ask me a couple of routine questions, but my mind is still a muddle from the past hour. They throw a question out I can't think of a single answer to: "What are your weaknesses in the workplace?" "Uh...." I sit there stupidly for a while until I sheepishly say "I have them, I just can't think of them...right now..." The girl with the clipboard says she understands. She moves on. I answer the next question and as I'm saying it, I think of a good answer for the previous one. "And I thought of my weakness, it's..." but before I can finish the sentence it's left my mind, probably to get a nice chilled glass of water, and I'm left hanging mid-sentence, with Clipboard looking at me in (fake) anticipation. "It's..." Quick! Think of something! I consider telling them nevermind, but I don't. I make something up that is a little incoherent. Clipboard interprets it the best she can, which happens to be in contradiction to the answer I'd given to the question before. "No, that's not what I mean, I mean that sometimes..." I give another answer that really doesn't have much to do with what I just said, but doesn't make sense either. "I don't know" I mumble. She looks at me perhaps a little sadly. "Okay, let's move on." She writes something down. Darn it. I don't really need a Mistake Man like JD on Scrubs has, but I think it would be appropriate in this situation. I make up my mind to get the school paper on my way out and check the classifieds. I definitely didn't get this job.

To be a Nerd, or Not To be a Nerd...

Yesterday Adrien and I talked about how we're secretly (or not so) nerds. I think this is pretty obvious of me at times. I'm quite obviously enamored with Harry Potter. There are other things that make me a nerd...for instance, my recently acquired infatuation with Speed Racer, as in the movie. I suppose my nerdiness could be divided into four categories. They are: fantasy, space, superheroes, and a category that catches all the history and literature I'm obsessed with. Fantasy includes Harry Potter and occasionally Lord of the Rings, though I think I liked the movies more than the books; or at least I liked the Fellowship book. That didn't make sense. Moving on. The space category is probably filled to the brim with Star Wars-- I even had my mind made up at one point I would be attending Celebration IV. The rest is filled with the X-Files, which I'm putting in the space category because the main story involves aliens. Possibly the biggest portion of my nerd pie is the Superhero part (by the way, Speed Racer doesn't really fit anywhere, so I'm putting him with Superheroes since he is pretty super and more than one person's hero, I'm sure). Mostly I love movie versions of superhero stories-- never really got into the whole comic book thing. If you plan on watching a movie with me and aren't sure what to show, a safe bet is something superhero-y. There's something about the conflict of someone who's supposed to be incredibly strong (or whatever) but has internal issues. It's either that or the ridiculous uniforms and cool powers. But my nerdiness extends beyond typical nerd realms...I consider myself a nerd for being obsessed with ancient histories and peoples. I'm also a sucker for literature-- an infatuation undoubtedly started by my mom, who had us celebrate the birthdays of Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and Robert Louis Stevenson, to name a few. We built models of the globe theatre, we acted out plays for our parents, and more than a few times attended the Shakespeare festival in Cedar City on our way to visit Grandparents in Utah. When I was in 4th grade I wrote a cat version of Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquoy. We used to play games where we had to name as many of Shakespeare's plays as we could in a certain amount of time, sometimes having to know the characters, plot, etc. Yeah.
But now that I think of it, anyone can be a nerd about anything. Like how my sisters and I are travel nerds. We've never been able to afford a real trip, but we plan them like mad and stock up on guidebooks and travel literature and spend hours talking about what we'd pack and what we'd see, much to the chagrin of my brothers-in-law (sometimes I feel special knowing I'm the only unmarried/unattatched one and can in theory be the first one to travel abroad, though this will probably never happen because of the whole lack of money thing). I think if you have a strange (or not) obsession with anything, it can make you a nerd in other people's eyes (you know, some people are fashion nerds, some people are church nerds, some people are food nerds, music nerds, band nerds, etc). And I think that I have a healthy balance of enough things that aren't too outrageous (uh...like marching band, which even though I was in all through high school, hated with all the fire of a thousand suns and wouldn't be caught dead being happy at being called a 'band nerd') that it's okay with me.
The fact that I devoted a post to talking about my nerdiness shows how much of a nerd I am.

It's a Love/Hate Relationship

Things I Love

1.accents (with the exception of Russian and Southern…sorry kids)
2.ancient cultures
3.animals, minus primates
4.balloons (just the plain old latex kind)
5.beds
6.being happy
7.being outside
8.being warm
9.birds (with the exception of pigeons…the creeps.)
10.blue
11.bodies of water
12.British isles
13.cats
14.chocolate cake
15.clouds
16.constellations
17.cooking
18.coral reefs
19.cute underwear (sorry, it’s true)
20.dancing
21.dinosaurs
22.doodle embroidery
23.dreams (and writing them down when you wake up)
24.dressing down
25.dressing up
26.dyingman (hangman w/other ways to die)
27.eating
28.family
29.fashion
30.feeling beautiful
31.film & films
32.fire
33.flowers
34.friends
35.geology
36.grass
37.greek art/archaeology/literature
38.green
39.guitar
40.hair (so long as it’s on your head)
41.harry potter
42.hats
43.imagining
44.Ireland
45.Italy
46.laughing
47.lavender (like the plant)
48.light breezes
49.looking at old pictures
50.love
51.lying on the ground
52.making fun of bad movies
53.maps
54.milk
55.music
56.my religion
57.nature
58.not being able to stop laughing
59.notebooks
60.old cars
61.old planes
62.painting
63.palm trees
64.peanut butter cookies
65.photography
66.piano
67.pretending life is a movie
68.reading
69.reading old journals
70.riding a horse
71.rockets
72.romance languages
73.sailing
74.san diego zoo & wild animal park
75.sandals
76.SCUBA
77.shells
78.singing
79.sleeping
80.smell of books
81.soft things
82.southern California
83.spring
84.string ensemble music
85.summer
86.sun
87.the absence of spiders
88.the ocean
89.the scent of water on hot asphalt
90.the sky
91.the tv shows I watch
92.things made from glass
93.tintin
94.travel
95.vintage photography
96.watching people
97.watching surfing
98.west coast
99.when I hear someone speak French and I understand!
100.writing

Things I Hate

1.abusers
2.ageists
3.American health insurance
4.anti-Americans
5.bad breath
6.bad smells
7.being out milk
8.being out of ink
9.being sick
10.below 60 degrees (farenheit)
11.big trucks
12.bills
13.bird poop
14.bloody noses
15.BO
16.boring music
17.bruises
18.burning food
19.cleaning a catbox
20.cliffhanger endings
21.cold days
22.commercials
23.dead batteries
24.drool
25.extremists
26.family guy
27.FFA
28.finishing a really good book with no sequel
29.fleas
30.flies
31.gel pens
32.gloaters, braggers, show-offs, etc
33.greasy hair
34.harpsichords
35.headaches
36.horror/slasher films
37.icy streets and sidewalks
38.locks
39.losing things
40.missing out on things
41.mold
42.movies with no character exposition whatsoever
43.movies with no plot
44.new music genre
45.no hot water
46.not being able to think of anything to say
47.not enough electrical outlets
48.nubs, stubs, or any other name for what’s left of limbs
49.pants that are too short
50.patriotism
51.people who are freaky about their cars
52.people who are freaky about their floors
53.people who deface historic, artistic, or otherwise cool things
54.people who leave their cars on when they aren’t in them
55.people who think drugs are awesome
56.people who think anyone who doesn’t use an apple computer is lame
57.PeTA
58.poachers
59.prepared piano
60.racists
61.radio commentators who talk over the music
62.ribbed shirts
63.sanitary napkins (and people who call them that)
64.screaming children
65.screaming in general
66.sexists
67.shirts that are too short
68.skin diseases
69.slipping, tripping, falling, or anything like it
70.slow internet connections
71.slugs
72.smoke
73.snow
74.sore muscles
75.southpark
76.spiders
77.stains
78.static and being shocked
79.stupid speculations
80.super-feminists
81.sweat
82.the fact that newspapers leave ink on your fingers
83.the fact that Pluto is no longer a planet
84.the word/name “Peabody”
85.“these hard economic times”
86.too-fast character expositions in movies made from books
87.too-tight pants
88.“twihards”
89.ugly hairstyles
90.uncooperative hair
91.users
92.vicious rumors
93.vitamins
94.when chapstick wears off too fast
95.when people don’t recycle
96.when people ignore you
97.when things break
98.winter
99.wiping other people’s tears
100.writer’s block

Books, Books, Books...

I've decided to make a goal to read 100 books (or more) by the end of the year. So I am keeping a list of books of read here on the blog, there on the right tab. So far I have 13 on the list.
I have a question though, "Bella Tuscany" I started in like November 2008 but was only on chapter 3 by the time 2009 started. Does it still count for the list? I'm counting it. Also, the most recent book will be the one that I'm currently reading, which right now is "Atonement" by Ian McEwan.
Let's see how this goes.

Rocky Mountain Drive-Inn

Last night after institute my car died. It had to be jumped three times before Grandpa (& Grandma and Lincoln, whose parents are in Hawaii, where I wish I was) got it and me to the autoshop today to get the battery checked out. It turns out I didn't need a new battery (phew, saved like $80) but just a new...connectorjiggy. Yeah. It was all corroded and snapped when Grandpa tried to take the screw off to get the battery out.
Anyway, after the couple of hours messing around with the car and everything was fixed, we drove the few blocks over to Rocky Mountain Drive-Inn at 43 South 500 West in Provo. Don't ask me why it's "Inn," maybe they originally intended to have an adjacent hotel or something.

(Picture to come....possibly)

I was a little concerned as we walked in because everything looked sticky and broken and the menu was faded and peeling. But both my elder companions (Lincoln didn't have much to say in the matter) assured me the food was fantastic 15 years ago. I ordered an Oreo milkshake and a grilled cheese sandwhich, falling back on something I knew I'd like just in case. Grandpa got the chicken sandwich and fries and Grandma and Lincoln got burgers. There was also a chocolate milkshake without specific ownership.
The milkshake was very thick. It was more like soft ice cream. It stuck above the cup a couple of inches, not unlike the great shakes at the Malt Shop (also in Provo, maybe someday I'll do a review of it). When the food came, I loved that it was simply wrapped in yellow paper. Oh, and my sandwich was almost heaven (though not as good as Sammy's!). Maybe it was the contrast from the cold, sweet shake, but it was warm and cheesy (American) and delicious and gone quite too soon.
An interesting thing about this place is that they have a few unusual items on the menu-- like scones with honey butter and English chips. I wish I could've tried the chips, I love chips. Rest assured, they had battered fish too. I didn't try it, but if you base everything off of the fact that we all enjoyed our food immensely, I reckon that if you're ever craving fish and chips, you could go here for a good fix.
Prices were fairly reasonable; all our food totalled under $20 (but only just). I'd say with a little cleaning and modernizing of the interior, that place could be a lot more popular. Of course, it's probably a lot more popular at times other than 4 in the afternoon in the middle of winter.

In other news, does anyone know anything about Tibetan or Mongolian (or thereabouts) folklore? I'm not educated enough to know whether or not that's what this is, but I'm curious whether there is any reference in this amazing but very strange music video:
"Wanderlust" by Bjork, remixed by Ratatat.

Something Fun

Yesterday Adrien and I somehow started watching videos of obsessed girls' "Top ten hottest celeb guys" and whatnot. I cannot express to you how funny/embarrassing it was to watch them. They normally consisted of Disney Channel people and Twilight people. Anyway, so Adrien and I decided to make our own. We stayed up until nearly 3 this morning making them, with revisions this morning too.
Anyway, we got them up on Youtube and they are by far the funniest things out there.
I decided to pick not really the top 10 celeb guys but 10 of the celebrity crushes I've had over the years. I started with who I liked when I was like...7? and went to present day.

Anyway, here's mine:



And here's Adrien's. I'm not sure if she was planning on sharing hers, but now she has no choice :) (Adrien, let me know if you'd rather put it on your own blog or whatever)



Also, my first semester of college I had a stalker. Incidentally, so did a girl in 2 of my classes, and it was the same one. Anyway, we became friends (the girl, not the stalker) and this morning she called me to tell me she saw him and that he was just as weird as ever. It was pretty funny. We call him "Creepy McCreep-Creep" and I think it's hilarious we still report Creepy McCreep-Creep sightings, even now that I'm three states away.