Saturday, November 27, 2010

hmmm.....

Why is the sky blue?
Why can't people fly?
Why is it so hard to do the things you want to do?
Why don't I qualify for scholarships?
Why did I think I'd be able to find a job in the midst of 25 thousand students converging on one town?
Why won't my slideshows work?
Why won't my phone play music even though i put music on the sd card?
Why do sad songs make me feel better?
Why does the vacuum make funny noises just for me and no one else?
Why is it so hard to fall asleep?
Why do showers get dirty?
And why, please tell me, why is it so very difficult to buy good christmas presents for people I've known my whole life?

I don't have any answers. 

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

A day of Conversation with Matthew

Matthew: Aunty, can I watch another movie?
Me: No. You are obsessed with movies, kid!
Persistent child: Yeah, I know! I am obsessed with tv too, so can I watch another movie?

Yelling sledding boy: Whoa! I am sliding out of control!

Complaining yet cute child: Amy, I like you, but I just want to play with Libby more.

Me: How are your hands? Are they warm yet?
Boy: yeah they are getting better but my legs and my feet are still cold.
Me: Yeah. When we go sledding our limbs get really cold, Huh?
Him: Umm, Aunty,what is a limb?
Me: Arms and legs are limbs.
Kid: yeah, and then I fell off the sled when I slided out of control and my limbs got cold, right?

Me: Do you like this one? (Long awkward pause)
        Does it look funny?
Brutally honest nephew: umm, yeah. really funny.

Me: Wow. This parking lot is gross.
Adorable boy: Yeah, it is really gross. I don't want Zoe to get out in this mess!
(Zoe is my dog, who was safe at home, away from the mess. no worries)

Me: kay we have the milk, let's go find Grandma.

Matthew: Hey, Aunty, can you hold the milk in your other hand?
Me: Okay? Why?
Matthew: Well, I just wanted to hold the same hand. We shouldn't switch.

Monday, November 22, 2010

And responsibility bites the dust

Sleeping over with Matthew and Libby.
Getting spit up on and playing all day with a beautiful baby neice.
Watching movies while Bekah makes sense of my computer files.
Going to parties and revisiting high school for a while.
Nate Mission Farewell which was really a hello for everybody else.
Digging out of the snow storm in soaking wet moccasins.
Eating betos burritos with Erin.
A break from the "how cheap can I possibly be?" game.
Doing nothing with my parents on a sunday afternoon.

Why on earth wouldn't you skip two days of school and spend a whole week at home? Who actually needed those two days of class? Could skiving off from all the things I should be doing be any more fun? Doubtful. (Once again, friends fans. I give you chandler bing.)

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Benhameen

Only tonight, Benjamin David Newton told Erin, "Be careful what you say- it'll end up in the blog. So I told him he'd better be careful because I haven't written his section of the blog yet. In the aftermath of all that hype, I am left with a computer and nothing to do. What an opportune time.

 Benjamin is Erin's fabulous husband. Every time I spend the day with Erin we end up saying "Ben is a keeper" at least twice. He is one of my favorite people. And some of my favorite things about him are....

 - Ben sings, and he doesn't bother doing it halfway either.  He and Erin met in the U's A Capella Choir and once when we were at a concert, Dad leaned over and asked "who is the guy who looks so excited?" Mom told him that was the guy Erin would marry. Ben is an animated person. Always. Especially when he is using his tenor talent.

- Ben is a genius. He has a master's degree in computer programming. What may be even more impressive is that he helped me pass Algebra 2. That takes talent.

- Super enthusiastic. Oh Gosh. Ben gets an idea and runs away with it until its perfect. He introduced the whole idea of Newton All day birthday Bashes into the family, and he can sure pull off a party. He is the kind of guy who will design  Monkey posters for his daughter's third birthday party during her Curious George obsession, or write a computer program for the sole purpose of doing the Christmas name drawing so that nobody will actually know who all has what names, or a million other awesome things he does on a regular basis.

- Ben doesn't do anything half-way. He is super committed to doing everything he says he will do. But he also volunteers to do quite a lot of random things and goes all out doing them. That enthusiasm thing again.

- Ben (and erin) are exceedingly service-oriented people. Too many examples to name. But here are a few- They brought the Newton's truck and their car and moved all my stuff to Logan. And Ben was really nice about the bookshelf that I brought with me that was annoying but really necessary for my mental well-being. They are also quite generous with their cars which is nice because I am carless. They usually head up the combined family gifts like cruises for mom and dad and a laptop for me, on top of doing fabulous things like kidnapping Rose and I and driving to Denver to see Wicked. Could there be a better birthday? Confucius say... not a chance in a million dynasties.

-Ben takes really good care of my sister. Which makes him a winner in my book. He is always trying to find ways to help erin and make her life easier. They are a good team and fabulous at serving each other, which is definitely something to shoot for in a marriage.

- Dad. He's great at that. Just great. And he has some kind of magic with Emma.There are times when she cries hardcore and will not calm down for anyone you give her to no matter what and the panic starts to set in and you think, " Oh gosh. I broke the baby!" and you're just about ready to give up at figuring out why she is so upset or even being good with children because her diaper is changed, she is warm, she won't eat, doesn't want her binky, doesn't like being held in any position you try, and you just have no idea what else to try and then.....Ben comes home. And suddenly all is well because Dad is here. Ahh.... tender.

- Ben makes the best dang waffles this side of the Mississippi. (Not that I am learned in the art of waffles on the other side of the Mississippi, but you get my point) Ben is also partial to pizza and root beer, which I appreciate because his mommy taught him to share.

 Ben is a keeper. 'Nuff said.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Random workings of the mind

One- I really really want to see Harry Potter. A lot.
Two- I love eating banana split ice cream. And facebook stalking with Katie. I gaurantee, if your wedding picture is online, we just looked at it.
Three- I just spilled said banana split ice cream on my touch pad. Sticky, gross, idiotic. yep.
Four- I really should be asleep. But I'm not. Again.
Five- I am volunteering with the Aggie Special Olympics tomorrow. I am kind of nervous, not gonna lie.
Six- Going home tomorrow. Then coming back for two days then going home again. I wish there wasnt a 'coming back for two days'. so much gas. so little time.
Seven- I'm super frustrated with the blog designer. It will let you do slideshows, but only online and not from a file on your computer. Grr...
Eight- I wish I hadn't already burned through the Hunger Games series because I want to do it all over again without knowing what will happen. There's nothing like reading a book for the very first time.
Nine- During finals week, Katie and David and I plan to spend 24 hours straight in the library. Sack lunch, sweats, toothbrush, all that. We have a spot staked out on the fourth floor. More to follow.
Ten- Nate is leaving. have already cried. Will cry more. No one ever sympathizes with the best friend, just the girlfriend. The gross injustice of it all makes me rather peeved.
Eleven- Snorkle. Albuquerqe. See I can do it too. Goodnight.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Mental Breakdown

You know why? Cause I might fail college. A in every class and failing just one is not really something I have experience with, and it is driving me crazy. Creative Arts. Sounds like one of those foof courses that doesnt really matter right? Yep. Unless you get sick and sleep through an exam. Which I did. And then cried. And then I said to myself, "Self! Don't freak out- you can ace the next two tests and it will be fine. Breathe." Not so. I have done all the assignmenst quite faithfully and studied for the tests. I am still failing, because the tests are the most random thing ever. When a class has no curriculum but whatever life stories of heroism the professor feels like talking about today, it is kind of hard to predict what will be on the tests. Study guides? Not much help either. Lat night I went over the study guide and I knew everything on that list minus those two composers I always mix up. You would think that would mean I would do well on the test- nay nay! The test taking gods did not smile on me this morning. 63 percent. The last time I got a 63 percent was when I failed the matrixes chapter in algebra. Never before, never since, and certainly not in an arts class. My self- confidence has been seriously shaken, as well as that great GPA I was looking forward to and really really need if I am ever going to get a better scholarship. And if this class brings my GPA down below a 3.5, I will lose the scholarship I have. I am having a panic attack as I type. What happens if I fail a class? I have never ever failed a class in my life. I am in uncharted waters. And the professor said the first day that at the end of the semester, he generally overrides some bad grades if you have been in class- because he knows who all of us are. To that profession of skill, I say Bull Freaking Crap. If there are 800 people in a class, there is no way in any dimension that one professor actually knows who we are. Especially when you assign us all seats that are impossible to get to. I am right in the middle of a row of seats (not desks. this class is in a concert hall.), and there are eight boys on either side with laptops and legs long enough that I couldn't climb over if I wanted to, and I don't, because playing hopscotch over guys legs just makes everyone uncomfortable. This also affects my grade, seeing as how the TA occasionally takes role from our assigned seats and gives us participation points from said gathered data. I'm sunk. I go to class. I can just never get to my bloody assigned seat. (Really. Does that seem weird to anyone else? College. Class of 800. Assigned Seats. Crack? I think so.) So although he says that he will override bad grades and give us a break, I have little faith. If I lose my scholarship, I might die. Actual heart attack. Dead on the floor.

 On that happy note, I am going to go do Lamaze and try not to suffocate from panic. Maybe some studying will calm me down. ( Even if breathing is beyond my capacity at the moment, I can always dream.)

Katie J

-converted me to diet coke
- played rap music until i loved it
- drives me places, cause she is nice like that
- can basically read my mind
- is super positive and rubs off on me
- says things like:
           "butt snappin cold" and "below zero freezing"
           "Am I a bad person? Probably."
            " Best. Day. Ever."
           " Guys! Come dress me!"
- numbered all the parking lots (and we use the numbers daily)
- can never, ever, remember where she parked
- kicks the cars of all the stupid boys we know
- has different walks. there is normal, the fast walk, and the gansta walk
- is one of my favorite people

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Holiday Hater

That is definitely me. I don't know how many people know this about me, but the ugly truth is that, on occasion, I am a Holiday Hater. The Christmas tree, endless vacuuming, the inevitable destruction of wrapping materials, constant cleaning, the horrid endless stream of Christmas songs that should never have been written... you name it, it gets under my skin. Thanksgiving is not my favorite either just because Turkey isn't my favorite thing, and the smell of green bean casserole makes me nauseous. My siblings and I have been trying for forever to get my parents to sell the house and buy a rambler with no bedrooms and lots of living space for our huge family gatherings, but mom and dad are kind of attached. So every year we mush ninety people in, which is great because I love my family and I love having them all together. But dang, I am claustrophobic and completely OCD. I am a controlling person sometimes- we'll just be honest. Especially when I am on a roll of getting things done, the cleaning gene kicks in and I have to organize stuff. There were lots of nights in High School when I would be up at two inthe morning finishing a paper or projects for Schmid and finally finish only to realize that the homework streak, while extremely productive, has had the effect of a tornado on my bedroom and sometimes the hall and kitchen as well. This is where, at two in the morning I clean my whole room, do laundry,t ake out my trash, vacuum. One night I couldn't sleep because my blinds were dirty. No joke, three in the morning I got out of bed to vacuum my blinds and ended up cleaning out the bathroom cabinets too. (when you have a whole floor to yourself, you can clean in the middle of the night and no one cares. It's great.) I think it is safe to say I am a little crazy, right? Let me tell you, Thanksgiving is not the most comfortable environment for someone who has panic attacks when they lose control. Usually in situations when everything is out of place because there are a lot of people are around, I retreat to my bedroom and wait for it to be over so I can clean it all up. But the Holidays strip away this refuge as well, because there are so many people that my room ends up being the storage for coats, purses, carseats, diaper bags, hidden Christmas gifts, and all the stuff people leave at my house. It's the kind of thing that wouldn't bother someone normal. Alas, I am not normal and these things make my blood pressure skyrocket. The thing is that its not people themselves that I am annoyed with, its just that all the stuff and the chaos that comes with the people that really unhinges me. So the goal this year is to breathe deep and play with the kids as opposed to retreating to a closet in the fetal position. I don't want to be a Scrooge anymore, and this year will represent a solid effort to be jolly.  Katie has already convinced me to listen to Christmas music and Sarah has converted me to mashed potatoes, so maybe this year I will be able to rehabilitate my holiday dread and enjoy all of it. Without the blood pressure cuff.

Ten great things that happenned to me today

This is a new game Katie made up because her day sucked and we are obsessed with being positive.
Including, but not limited to, ten.

- Most productive day of my life- the to do list is finished. eat it, gods of business.
- mailed a letter which is half as good as getting one
- got to talk to bekah, mom, and nate. three great people.
- Free food at FHE. That should have been number one.
- I drove Morgan's car home and got a parking space in parking lot 1.
- Dr. Huff is in Memphis and Dr. Evans was busy, so choir was cancelled.
- Talked to my favorite twin who gave me good ideas about keeping kids educationally entertained.
- Movie day in sociology, and no annoying professor day in religious studies. pheww.
- Cleaned out my desk and under my bed.
- Found my mp3 player.It was under the bed.
- The moment I got up to take painkillers Morgan came into my room and gave me caffeine instead.
- Re read Mockingjay. intense. wonderful. more intense. try it.
- Fancast posted new episodes of Friends. Thanksgiving. Turkey. laughter.
-  100 percent on yet another english paper.
- The student presenter in Religious studies gave everybody chocolate.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

I should be doing Homework...

....but instead, I choose to tell everybody how great life is. Cause it really is. I go to a great school, I have great roommates, great friends, fabulous family, and pandora to play great music so I don't have to buy it. I am also grateful for people who are willing to listen when I need a venting session (ahem. katie), and friends who are a really good example (ahem. Nate who texted me in the middle of the night  to tell me that he just went through the temple for the first time and how excited he was. How cool is that?), and sisters who make college and sanity possible, and parents who are just great, and a brother that I love a lot who is coming home for christmas. There are also a lot of really random things that make my life so much better, such as:
-the really cushy chair on the fourth floor of the library
- Clarence ( my angel statue) who reminds me not to be a scrooge when I start feeling grumpy about Christmas, which is a  struggle around Thanksgiving. ( Don't ever play sleigh ride. ever.)
-The shuttle, which is great when it is cold because 100 people on a bus makes everyone warm.
- One Republic, cause they have a song for every one of my moods
- Chenowith. Streisand. Salonga. LuPone. Menzel. Foster. Wilkinson. Quast. Ball. Frasier. Bocelli.
- Potatoes. Banana Split ice cream. Cheese Thingers ( anthony. ha.)
- Diet Coke. Which is an edible item but deserves a category for itself.
- The plumber who fixes all of our apartment problems. He is really nice, and cleans the drains out.
- People who know how to spell. They help my blood pressure.
- Professors who tell you what they are grading on.
- Diet coke again.

Top Ten reasons Mom is the Greatest too

1. Mom is so willing and able to deal with all of the things I throw at her. She loves her kids and she cares about us. We don't even live there anymore and her life is still all about serving us. She is the most willing cook, babysitter, therapist, appointment maker, errand runner, and worrier I have seen to date.
2. Mom has goals, and she works for them. She and dad told me that goals are so important and that I should write mine down. But she also teaches by example.
3. I can't count the number of times I would go downstairs to ask mom a question and she would be kneeling by her bed, always with her glasses in her left hand, praying. Word would spread through the house that mom is praying so everybody should stay upstairs. Ten minutes later she would be upstairs asking what we needed. Example.
4. Mom was the Relief Society President once upon a time and this is where her service gene really kicked in hardcore. She was working full-time and taking care of me and my sister and brother. (I don't care what anybody says. Teenagers take more energy.) But she was still always driving around visiting people and doing things for all the women in our ward. Super- president.
5. Mom wants us to do what is best for us, and she is willing to sacrifice to make sure we are able to. When I went to Brighton, she had to do a lot of things that I would have done if I had been home, and worry about getting me up and down the canyon every week, and generally make me feel better when I was having a hard time. She is willing to do extra things for us to be able to do what is important for us.
6. Mom really loves her family and wants to serve them even though they live far away. She has three hour long conversations with aunt gwen and laughs harder than any other time.
7. Mom endures. She does things that are not fun and keeps doing them just because it's gotta get done.
8. Mom always knows what to do. She  has the solution that works well. She knows what to do and where to go next and helps me make decisions when I don't know what to do, but she has also helped me to learn to make decisions by myself. Mom taught me that you have to commit to something so you know not to blame others or complain when things get hard, and she reminds me of the reasons why something is important to me when I want to quit.
9. Mom has made a lot of hard decisions by herself and she knows what it means to make decisions for good reasons, in order to fulfill righteous priorities. I admire her strength. She is willing to do good things, even if she has to do them alone.
10. Mom is above everything else, faithful to her testimony. She built it by herself because it was important to her, and she has made the gospel the number one thing in her life, and helped a lot of other people do the same, including me. She taught me that the goal of life is to make what you want and what Heavenly Father wants into the same thing. She does good things, and she does them for the right reasons.

Top Ten Reasons my Dad is the greatest

1. He is very wise. I love talking to dad when I don't know what to do because the things he tells me just make sense. But its hard to make sense in your brain when you are are hysterical, which is usually what happens to me and never what happens to daddy.
2. You know that person that you never want to disappoint them because when you do its the worst feeling in the planet? That is Dad. More than anybody else, he is the person whose expectations I want to meet. I haven't always, but whenever I am okay, it is because I know Dad would be okay with what I am doing in my life.
3. Blasting for bodies is great, especially now that he can't just pick me up and carry me out of bed when I don't wake up. I can fight back which makes it more interesting. (And the whole wet willies thing that he taught me- I am passing it on dad. be proud. and watch out because matthew and libby are coming for a piece).
4. Dad has the good old Robinson workaholic gene. Which wasn't so much fun when I was little and he was always at work but as I've gotten older, he has taught me a lot about working hard and doing a good job. Dad taught me to work hard enough that I am satisfied with the effort, even if who I am working for doesn't expect that much from me. That has become more important to me as I have gotten older because I get the opportunity to work with my dad. He always goes above and beyond the expectations because he can't be happy with mediocrity. Life goal right there.
5. Daddy is the service guru. Another branch of that insane work ethic. He fixes cars not just for himself and all his kids, and neices and nephews, and their spouses, but for the neighborhood as well. Even if he doesn't have time to fix it, he is forever helping to diagnose problems for the neighbors and buying parts for them with his discounts. And he is always the first to volunteer when anyone needs help, even if they don't ask for it.
6. Dad is a really good father. One of the things I love most about him is that he is the kind of dad who teaches his kids how to pray. I have this picture that Bekah found for me once upon a time. It is of dad and me sitting on the old couch in the living room. We are both wearing pajamas, I am about two years old, and I am sitting in his lap with my arms folded and his arms around me. I was two, and he doesn't remember either, so really there's no way to know for sure, but it sure looks to me like we are praying together. One of the reasons I love the Gospel so much is because of Dad's example.
7. Once upon a time probably a month ago, I was home visiting on the weekend and we were eating dinner. There was me, mom, dad, bekah, and matthew. Poor guys, we got to talking about some rather female things when dinner was done. There came a time when Dad was standing by the sink drinking a glass of water and actually spit it all out because he was laughing so hard. I guess the point of that was that he has a good sense of humor. With four daughters, he has to, I guess. He is a really good sport about that type of thing.
8. Dad knows us all really well. He sees me so clearly when I have trouble seeing myself clearly. This is pretty great when I need help and have no idea what I am even doing in my life. There have been times when dad tells me things about myself that I had no idea were even there.
9. Dad is a worthy priesthood holder. That is something really important to me, but probably because it is really important to him, you know? I have always been able to go to my daddy for a blessing and that is huge. One of the biggest things I love about my dad.
10. Dad loves mom. That probably should have been number one. I am so lucky to have parents that love each other and respect each other. They are a team. I have so many friends, probably half, whose parents either aren't married or wish they weren't. Any marriage, and any family, will have struggles and we are no exception, but Mom and Dad have been married for thirty one years. He still opens doors for her and they hold hands all the time. They are constantly serving each other. I asked dad on their last anniversary if he loved her as much as he did when they were newlyweds, and this wonderful man said, "More. Every time." If that's not success, I don't know what is.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Some of the best times ever...

Life is great. Because things like this happen, also because I am in a nostalgic mood. Get ready for some awesomeness.
1. The time all of my junior high friends decided to get together at Lori's house and have a fancy dinner party. We promised to be on our best manners so her parents would lift the ban. (Which was implemented because of some previous adventures including, but not limited to, doing shots of root beer and getting birthday cake everywhere, filling the staircase with balloons and sitting inside the ballons or making youtube videos of the balloons, (look up balloon army. no idea how it got that many hits.), watching movies in the middle of the night, trapping people (me) in the laundry shoot, and breaking Lori's bed) Yes, we wore dresses and suits and we all looked pretty hot. We actually played croquet in the backyard in said suits and dresses, then had dinner which was pretty great. Courses and all that. And then We decided to have a group photo shoot. Preserve the memories, right? Once we got done with that, some more playing in the backyard went on, where enters the picture of me upside down on the swing. Remember I was in a dress. ( Justin: "Umm, amy, I think you shouldn't do that. I can see stuff." Whoops.) Altogether, it was a fabulous night.

2. The time everybody was over at Justin's house and people are playing hide and seek and keep trying to sneak in and out of the house through the window downstairs. I was on my way downstairs to put the screen back in the window, right? Picture. Amy, approaching the house rather swiftly, assumes that the door is open so she can walk right in. But no! There is a screen door in the way! Amy bashes it in with her face, not only breaking the screen out of the frame, but also bending the frame. Embarrassed? A little bit. Face throbbing? A lot bit. Do all of Justin's relatives now see me and say "Weren't you the one who broke the door with her face?" Yes, of course. Does Justin's dad still make fun of me for breaking all their doors when the front door sticks a little? Absolutely. Was Justin really nice about it? Yes. What are best friends for?

3. The time the Madrigals sang for the Legislature and then went to Olive Garden with Principal Haslam's credit card. Oh. My. Pasta. And there was a piece of ceramic plate in my food. That was fabulous. And then at UTA a week later when Schmid bought us all dinner at Olive Garden because he is just nice like that...yeah, I don't think I have ever paid for food at Olive Garden. Which I am personally okay with.

4. Doing donuts in the parking lot in Landon's jeep during December. Shh. Don't tell mom.

5. Building a couch with Spencer senior year for productions class. Special thanks to Michael Banks, who actually stapled the thing together for us. This wasn't just any couch either. Much to Schmid's chagrin, it was successfully dubbed, "The Rape Couch". It is pretty dang comfortable. And it is a miracle Spencer and I didn't hate each other by the time we were done. Although there was that one time...
Schmid: So what are you guys arguing about?
Amy: We aren't arguing. Did he tell you we were arguing?! Why would you say we were arguing?
Spencer: All I said was that we were having this large argument because we don't know how to attach that one leg plate and still make that trim look nice, and you won't listen to me.
Amy: Oh, that's all you said? Well now we are arguing for sure. Seriously, Spencer?!
Schmid: Okay, guys, just show me what you need help on. And then I'll leave you alone to fight it out like an old married couple.
 Poor guy. I was stressed, and maybe a little bit bratty. Although I was right about the trim, just for the record. We were so stressed with that thing that we started taking breaks up in the prop room just to stop going insane with upholstery details. Thank you Spencer, for teaching me the art of the catwalks. And how to avoid that one hole in the floor so I wouldn't die.  This was our stress reliever. And it was totally worth it. How many people can say they built a couch from scratch for a school assignment? We sat on that thing every day for the rest of the year. Spencer, I love you. I say we go for it and start that chaise-lounge building business you wanted to start. I'm down.

6. That time in Mads when Porter randomly turned on Apple Bottom Jeans during class and we all started singing it. (Sorry, T!) Since that day, it has been the Madrigals' theme song. Nobody understands why, not even us. It still makes me feel all warm inside, which is not the norm for rap songs in my own life.

7. The Illiad. Oh, kill me. Most stressful thing of my life. Best comments:
Schmid: You guys are doing great. I really think this is going to be exciting. (all the rest of us are thinking: Have you actually been to a whole rehearsal? We suck. )
Spencer: Hector's dead! Woot! (Oh, were we all supposed to cheer there? Don't think so.)
Judges: There was  time or two when there were people were alone onstage and it wasn't really clear what the purpose of that was. ( Oh, you mean the scene with Hector and Andromache when Kat just didn't come onstage? Yeah, Matt waiting there for a minute and then going off... that was on purpose, we promise.)
Justin: If we have to do the donut battle one more time, so help me...
Liz: You guys, the swords actually have lead in them, so maybe you should wash your hands a lot, and probably sticking them in your mouth is a bad idea. ( You know, that is just sad on so many levels.)

Overall, it was a great exercise in pulling a performance out of you-know-where.

8. When we all tried out for Madrigals. And I thought I was going to puke. And then really actually seriously felt like I would puke because I went first, lucky me. But that is okay, because that was the year that I made Justin share his locker with me and he left me a note in there that said "Good luck trying out for Mads! p.s. You're gonna make it!. I still have that note. Warmfuzzyville. yep.

9. Quote wall in the dressing room during Les Miserables. Could life get any better? And that time in Les Mis when Schmid took my ballgown top home to fix it and then forgot to bring it back. So here I am, in the wrong costume, wandering around in the audience while the play is going on trying to find Schmid. Then came the mad dash to costumlandia with Schmid when he started throwing ballgowns at me that might fit. Was everyone confused when I was suddenly wearing a dress from Meet me in St. Louis as opposed to the ballgowns everyone else was wearing? Absolutely. And the thing had a train. Not that great when you are waltzing backwards up a ramp near the trapdoor hole and you feel like you might die anyway. Thank goodness for Darian, who wouldn't ever talk to me but was a really good leader who saved my life by just pushing me up the ramp every night. Kudos for never letting me fall down the hole. I like you, kid.

10. All the arguments with Nate about stupid little details of the Lobby display. I am pretty sure it was Schmid who named us Lucy and Ethel. Which actually describes our relationship pretty accurately. Every argument we had our whole senior year was settled with rock paper scissors. We're Pros.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

"We'll be warm again in finals week...of next semester."

Winter in Logan. The joy. Today it snowed. Actually snowed for the first time. The stuff is on the ground and falling from the sky and actually sticking this time. Although I knew when I decided to move here that it would be brutal, I was rather unprepared for some of the inconveniences besides just freezing. There is the matter of needing my hands. Already today my fine motor skills have gone down the toilet. Writing, forget it. And don't even think about handing me a computer unless I've been indoors for a good half hour. I have been dropping pencils, notebooks, flipping hair ties at people's faces when the original goal was actually to put the thing in my hair, and concentrating really hard in order to text. My hair also explodes in any type of moisture, so basically my hair looks like all those guys in Lord of the Rings who never take showers and don't own a brush. Or a blow dryer. Or a straightener. It's a disaster. But even if I forget the hair, (which I won't. The Medusa effect must be stopped, I tell you!), moisture can have some seriously negative ramifications. Due to the extensive puddle system all across campus, my pants were soaked to my knees around six tonight. When I was walking home from class with Katie and Amanda, we hit the huge dip in the sidewalk right before you get to the crosswalk, (You all know the one I'm talking about, right? That epically large one? Yeah. That one.) which is of course now filled with with water that penguins would think was freezing. Did we all stop right in front of the freezing puddle of death and just stare at it for a minute? Of course. And then Katie and Amanda went around in the street. But I figured, hey, I can't feel my feet anyway, so what does it matter? When walking through ice cold water doesn't make it any worse, you know you're in trouble. No joke. And my feet were completely numb, except for the right pinky  toe and joint, which I injured a few months ago when Katie and I were playing soccer in the hallway. I am pretty sure it is broken because I can't actually move it anymore, and it doesn't really bend. Conveniently enough, I tripped on my way into the HPER this morning, and this painful little annoyance, which I have just freshly injured once more, decided not to go numb when the rest of my feet did. No, that faithful little stab of pain ever step or two was back. That's just mean. But besides being mean, this part also gets dangerous. Those of you familiar with USU campus will recall that all the buildings on the south end of campus have the metal edges on the concrete stairs outside. These metal edges are quite easy to slip on, especially when it's wet and you are as clumsy as me. I almost died outside the Family Life building today falling down those stairs. Another thing that makes me nervous is the hill on the way home. At this point, I'd be hard pressed to find a place I haven't tripped. That's just sort of how I go through life- falling off of stuff. But I thought I might die coming home from SI tonight. Let's recap. One: I am shivering as it is "below-zero freezing", and this takes my concentration off of balancing, which is actually something I concentrate on. hard. Don't judge. Two:  It is dark I am having trouble seeing the branches that stick out, so I am getting hit by wet plant matter on a pretty regular basis. Three: my feet are numb which makes balancing even harder, and the ground is wet and slippery. Four: It's cold, right? So Shane, who normally walks faster anyway because he is so dang tall, is walking fast. That was okay with me at the top of the hill when he asked if I wanted him to slow down, but a little further down the hill gets a lot steeper and I am doing a little half running half skipping little prance trying to keep up with him. (You know, I never felt short until now. But, oh, I do when I am walking anywhere with Shane.) I was so proud of myself for not falling down the hill. But then,this is just the first day of a very long, cold, wet, numb, slippery season. I could die. The solution: Either carry a little container of ice melt with me and pour as I go, which could possibly be expensive, or get a little plastic roll up sled and just slide home down the Hill. Perhaps an umbrella could also help with the hair dilemma. Either way, I better adapt quick, because it will be a long winter. As Katie said today, "We'll be warm again in finals week...(awkward pause while Amanda and I try to figure out why it would be warm in the middle of december)...of next semester.( Oh. May. Great.)

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Positivism isn't just a Sociological Paradigm anymore.

Katie is rubbing off on me. Which is good, cause she's my favorite person today, and a lot of days. One day, she walked in the door and said, "You guys, it's the best day ever!", and it was all over. Then she decided one day to play the youtube game and show me these two videos. One  was a song called Happy Morning, and none of your lives are complete unless you have seen this incredibly positive piece of media. I hum it to myself every time I wake up and have to go to my Creative Arts class. Instead of crying and going back to bed, I hum and go to class. The other was a video called Jessica's Daily Affirmation. This kid has the best attitude in the whole freakin world. I want to be her when I grow up. We break out in "affirmations" on a fairly regular basis here in apartment 27. Never in my life has positivity been a particularly strong aspect of my character, and then Katie got me saying, "Best day EVER!" every day. After a while, it is impossible not to believe it. Even when that job never calls back or when I get a 70 on my creative arts test (which happenned today) or when I have the hiccups from hell and my muscles just hurt or I can't find a ride home, it's still the best day ever. Those things really don't make an impact. In fact, I had to think really hard to come up with that list of crap. You want a bigger list? I got a letter, I met with the bishop and got things rolling with Brighton, Jasmine bought me Pringles just because I like them, when I left my ID at home the guy at the quickstop still let me use my credit card (although that would be really bad if it wasn't me trying to use my credit card), I called my dad and he was off work and not asleep which is a miracle for me, the queen of bad timing, the owner of my apartment sent us a fifty dollar gift certificate in the mail because we had a leak in our bathroom ceiling from the boys upstairs, the boys upstairs taught me how to play guitar hero (don't judge), I got a wedding invitation from my friend Jessica, my 200 point presentation went really well, I watched john pinette and laughed until I couldn't breathe or swallow, that guy who sleeps in my chair in the library was not asleep in my chair in the library when I got there today, my alarm worked this morning, i found cheap shampoo, and I am coming home this weekend, at which time I am going on a date, having a storytelling party with Nate and Carly, seeing my family, pranking with Matthew, and all of that happened just this week. Could life GET any better? (friends fans, please appreciate the chandler bing reference. could there BE a better show?)

Monday, November 1, 2010

A whole new view of Pumpkin Smooshing

Yesterday was Halloween. So we carved pumpkins last week and it was pretty epic. Best of all was probably B's pumpkin. Taking about four hours, (he was here until one thirty) he carved into a pumpkin this years homecoming slogan: Y don't U kiss my A? It was probably the most awesome pumpkin in the building, no lie. Second in epicness was Sarah's pumpkin. The original plan was to make the death star, throwback to star wars and all that. Six hours and 3/4 of the way through this process, she gave up and decided to modify the idea. Katie and I came home from school to find Sarah's pumpkin slashed up in pieces, which were piled neatly in line with all of our pumpkins. The newly modified idea, Sarah said, was named, "the destruction of the death star, cause that's the coolest part of the movie, right?" She had gotten so frustrated that she took the pumpkin out to the hill and  got busy with her Katana. (This is the ninja Japanese roommate, remember. Does she have a sword in her bedroom? Absolutely. She also stabs Shane with forks.) So today, we are all sitting in the kitchen having family time and the really grumpy man manager from across the hall comes and tells us to throw away the pumpkins because Halloween is over. (It was yesterday. Seriously, dude? smile. freak.) So instead of throwing them away like boring, conformist people, we decide to take the pumpkins outside and mush them with a Katana, reminiscent of the death star. Talk about a stress reliever. And I don't care if Sarah did say I looked like a dork, I felt like a ninja. Throwing away the pumpkins is generally a pretty depressing, albeit necessary, activity. Could there be a better way to make throwing them away as epic as carving was? Not really.

*New apartment goal for the winter: make a snowman army and have some more fun with the sword. Maybe there will be some red food coloring, too, depending on how morbid I'm feeling.

Those days

When everything your professor and all his peons tell you is inaccurate. They suck. Actually, that link you said you posted, you didn't post, and that stuff you said we could do for extra credit, there are no instructions on, and that thing you said to submit on blackboard, isnt  really working because blackboard keeps telling me that is not a valid action, and all those movies you said you put on reserve at the library, aren't actually there. I am paying these people? Ummmm....