I've got a tumblr now. I don't even know how to link to it, I'm so new. I mostly follow people who post funny gifs from The Mindy Project and scans from old Delia's catalogs. I'm also inadvertently learning more than I ever wanted to know about One Direction. But every once and a while, I come across a gem, like these pics from a Vanity Fair Photo shoot:
Look at Sammy Sam all grown up!
Um Jason Schwartzman?!? I totally forgot he was in that show for a second.
But where's Shia Labeouf? And Ben Foster?
I love these people.
If you haven't watched Freaks and Geeks yet, repent now.
I've been trying to get out of my reading slump. It's been hit or miss. The last I read was Play it As it Lays and I had to hurry and finish it in one day cause it was so brutal. Yikes. For some reason, I had mixed up Nora Ephron and Joan Didion in my mind and I was expecting something light-hearted and fun and THAT WAS NOT IT. Do you guys have any suggestions? Sort of stuck. Til then, I think I'm going to try The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge:
I moved out of my apartment and into homelessness. Well, not quite homelessness. My kind friend Meisha has been letting me stay with her, but now she has to move out, and I'm heading over to my aunt's home in Spanish Fork til the 25th.
Here are some things going on in my life:
1. All I want to do is watch this
I know. It's pretty nerdy.
2. After cruising around modcloth. I decided I need 500% more dresses in my life. Here are the ones you can buy for me:
3. You get more back then you give.
I won tickets from the Mayor's blog the other day, but passed on the tickets to Meisha since I just found out I had to go to an American Legion gathering for work. I was bummed that I was missing the show, but that quickly dissipated as I spent time with the Legionnaires. Oh man. Just being around vetrans gets me choked up. Post 13 is named after Dea Mendenhall who died in combat. His sister was there and brought her grandson, a young guy, who was the same age as her brother when he was killed. It just about broke my heart. As I get older, my appreciation for the men and women who serve our country grows stronger and stronger. It was a pretty modest affair, but I admit, I shed a few tears at the dinner.
Anyway. I got home to ask Meisha about the show, and she handed me an envelope with a card for two tickets to "Wait Until Dark" next month! I guess they won the tickets while they were at the show. Funny, right? So I will get to enjoy a show after all.
But I don't feel to bad about it. I'm not Catholic anyway.
Instead of finding a new way to deprive myself, I'm just going to try and be better person. So I made some new resolutions that I'm mostly going to keep to myself. Except for this one. We had a lesson about morality in institute. I know, I know. But it was actually a really good lesson!
There are a lot of negative influences that we can't avoid. It's not a matter of choice, they are just always there. We'll think of those influences as pollution or second hand smoke. The only way to 100% escape those influences is to totally separate yourself from the world and become a reclusive hermit.
But other things are choices. We choose what media we'll "ingest". We choose (for the most part) how we'll use our bodies. We choose how we'll react to situations that are out of our control. When we choose something that's wrong, it's like doing double-damage. It's like choosing to light up a cigarette in an already smoke-filled room.
ANYWAY.
Starting today, I'm really going to try and be more discerning about my choices. I haven't set any real hard rules about it, except I'm not allowed to watch Gossip Girl, Glee, or New Girl. I have a destructive relationship with those three shows, and I need it to stop.
I know guys. I'm really sad about it too. But we're just not good for each other.
Don't worry! I'm going to watch Psych instead because it is popular, innoffensive, funny, and uncomplicated.
So poetry has been moved to Thursdays from now on.
Partly because I never know what to post on Thursdays, and partly because I just had to share these lovelies with you:
And we love him.
Of course, I've been watching Downton Abbey every Sunday.
Of course, it's torture waiting for the next episodes.
Of course, I died when this happened.
In other news, leaving for L.A. this morning! Wish me well!
I attended my last college class today.
.
.
.
.
.
My heart feels a little panic-attacky. Anxious.
A girl at work asked me tonight what I was studying.
"Well," I said. "Since I just had my last day of class, I guess I'm supposed to say that I studied Spanish." I have to change that part of my introductory monologue to past tense.
It made me feel very sad.
I think that that's a pat of taking classes based in the humanities or social sciences. Most of my friends don't wax poetic about their favorite organic chemistry courses, or miss their days in Econ 101. But I'm going to miss my classes. The way my perspectives have changed. The little communities we formed. The conversations we had. I think I will need a time of mourning.
Yes. I will continue learning and stretching my limits. But it won't be the same.
My college days are over.
Everything is lined up for my future...
so then why do I feel so unnerved?
Thank goodness for music.
It can solve most things.
Glee was weird this week, but I'm glad that it introduced me to this gem.
It is worth the jump to the YouTube website.
You can bet that this will be on our New Years mix.
. Learn how to play "The Suburbs" by Arcade Fire on the piano
. Sync my iPod
. NOT go shopping on Black Friday
. Go on my Avenues run
. Rock and roll all night and party everyday
. Get rid of all my belongings. Seriously. I need to de-clutter bigtime. Virtual garage sale? Maybe.
. Go to a birthday party
. Watch the Jonsi Go Live dvd
. Drink some mate
. Start cutting up old sweatshirts to make a quilt
. Play some kickball
. Put up Christmas decorations
. Visit the Timpanogas temple for the first time
. FINALLY go to the dollar theater to see Planet of the Apes*
. Oh yeah. And see family and eat food and stuff.
Man. I'm going to be busy! Maybe I won't have time for Gossip Girl anyway.
*You probably thought I was going to go see "The Help," didn't you. I do want to see that too. I'll get to it eventually. Do you want to know my opinion about that book? Ironically, there is a character in the story called "Gretchen". She has a short conversation with Skeeter; she has only one page in the whole novel. Anyway, we share the same name, and the same point of view. Check it out.
DAY ONE:
Roadtrips are so fun...when they start. Mom and I prepped well. We had carrots, we had candy, we had mate, and we had the dulcet tones of Blaine and the Warblers.
Let's just throw this up there so you know what you were missing:
I took a bunch of pictures while we were driving.
And then I dropped my camera in the toilet. boo.
Allison warned me that Wyoming was the worst state in the world. I understand it's bad when it's snowy, but Allison: your home state of Nebraska is about as mind-numbingly dull as it gets.
Flat
Flat
Flat
DAY TWO:
We spent the night in Lincoln, and then set-off once again.
Winner of loveliest state to drive through....
MISSOURI!
What?!
Who knew?
We listened to Sufjan Stevens "Come on! Feel the Illinoise" while driving through Illinois. It was sorta awesome. Everything felt very "meta".
I don't remember much else about the drive.
We spent the night with Tia Hortensia and Uncle Bart.
She had a great delicious soup ready for us (with cheese from Ireland) and cake (a British recipe). Anglophilia runs in the family.
I hadn't seen them in forever, so it was great to catch up.
DAY THREE:
This leg of the journey was marked by a sudden increase in evangelical radio stations, anti-abortion billboards, and the smell of cows.
So I choose the second option of googlemaps choices, thus leading us to drive on this:
It was beautiful. Very romantic and wild.
For this part of the trip, we listened to the Cold Mountain soundtrack and The Avett Brothers.
"The rain it fell, and we got gone"
literally.
Man, that road was ISOLATED.
I can't imagine actually living in one of the tiny towns along it. I was astounded at every turn. It started raining and got really foggy. My mom got carsick.
We arrived safe and sound at Tyson's Corner in Virginia at 11:30.
THAT WAS THAT.
So far, I have not been disappointed. The families I will be working with our great. The wards are friendly. There is so much to do.
I've felt it in the air these past few days. The first day of class is only three short weeks away! Luckily, everything is falling into place, just in time. I got the job at Aspen Grove, so I will be living and working there while going to BYU. Once I have a secure method of transportation all will be well. But I also feel a little nervous about going back to class. I fear my brain has turned to mush. As long as my spanish is a bit better than these guys, I should be ok:
I'm going to start reading Como Agua Para Chocolate to get my brain in gear. I'm also taking New testament, and FOUR anthropology classes.
AND
Step Up 3D was fun. Though when I left the theater to practice my moves, I am sure that I did look like these guys:
Where to start. All my ideas, are so disjointed, but I'm sure I can force them all to come together. So, item numero uno.
If you are ever in need of a happy thought, just listen to this song:
The actual song starts at about 1:40 into the video. My favorite version of this song is the bit that I heard on "The World" on NPR. I highly recommend you listen to the mp3 version of the interview, if only to hear that clip. It's probably easy to be cynical about lyrics, but have you heard anyone sing with such passion? It's kind of endearing seeing yuppie looking Scottish soccer dads singing about the power of love.
And here's another happy thought if you are still cynical. Since I'm sure you are all experiencing LOST withdrawals like I am, you can listen to the song with your eyes closed and picture Desmond as the lead singer (since he has that Scottish brogue), Charlie as the bassist (Driveshaft experience), Hurley on guitar, Sayid on drums (he is good at hitting things), and Sawyer on the keyboard (to keep his ego in check). Jack is in charge of the "lighting," of course :) Did you catch that? I am clever.
Now that LOST is over, I can officially turn off th TV for the rest of my life. Except for when Glee is on. Or Masterpiece Theater. Or a re-run of Gilmore Girls. Shoot.
