My Dad's the One on the Right...

Crazy = Watching the Same Movie and Expecting Different Results

I am currently watching Holiday Inn with my family, as we do every year, Emma makes us. I don't know if you have seen this movie, but you've probably seen the more famous (but less good, in my opinion) remake of this movie: White Christmas. Anyway, as we were watching it there is a scene in the movie where Bing Crosby says something that leads Fred Astaire, the antagonist, to formulate the diabolical plot to take Crosby's girl away and right at the moment when he was saying it, I was thinking: don't say that, it'll make your life worse... But, of course, he said it and the rest of the movie progressed. I have seen this movie at least 50 times in my life, and that's on the very safe side, and yet I still thought that the plot would change...

Why do we re-watch movies and shows over and over again? I think it has something to do with wanting to experience the feelings we had while watching it the first time, and, as I learned in one of my psychology classes somewhere, seeing something happen produces the same chemical reactions/feelings as actually doing it. Which is probably why I like to live my life vicariously through Hollywood produced love scenes. But that's possibly not the same as the real thing... Anyway, back to movies: when I was in Jr. High I would watch Newsies over and over, literally finish it, rewind it (remember VHS's?), and then watch it again. I love that movie. I've done that to almost every movie that I love and I've never been able to figure out why. Alas, I still don't know the reason that I keep watching movies even though I know exactly what's going to happen, but I do know that it brings me joy every time, and men are that they might have joy, so I'll continue to do it and love it, for the rest of my life.

The Sing Off

I know all my posts recently have been about entertainment things, and I definitely don't want to be one of THOSE blogs, but I found this really cool show that's only on for this week, it's called (you guessed it) "The Sing Off"! I literally just stumbled across it while I was trying to run away from Gordan Ramsey teaching me how to cook the perfect three-course meal. It's about a capella groups singing in a competition and some of them are really good. All the episodes are on Hulu, which is something wonderful that NBC has decided to do: put every episode of their most popular shows online, geniuses! Anyway, check it out and tell me what you think...

P.S.

Can I complain for a sec. about how different SYTYCD has been in the Fall? I do not like it, there are too many scheduling weirdnesses that are throwing me off... Like having six "finalists", making the final performance show only an hour, and not showing intros to the dances. If I weren't such a die hard fan I probably would have stopped watching after this season, but I can't help myself, I'm addicted.

The World Has Betrayed Us All

For a while now I've been worried about the state of the world, what with universal health care on the verge of ruining our lives and communists as high ranking government officials, but now the betrayal is complete: America (or at least the cross-section that votes on So You Think You Can Dance) has voted Legacy out of the competition. It happened last night, and let me tell you, I literally screamed and cried about it. I just don't understand how the world can think that crazy-eyes/Dobby-look-a-like Ryan is better than Legacy! Ryan cannot move like legacy does, and he makes me uncomfortable almost every week by his sheer creepiness. Legacy has not had a bad dance, he surprised us all every week with how amazingly he was able to conquer dances that were way out of his style (B-Boy, btw). There just really are no words that can adequately describe how upset I am about this, I'm even thinking of not watching the finale next week (ps, why are there six dancers in the finale when every year previous it has only been four? Hatred). Who am I kidding, though, I'll definitely watch the finale, I mean, at least Jakob is still there... sigh... I should have voted more...

My New Obsession

I was thinking of explaining why I love the following but it's beyond words how excited I am about this:

LXD "Choices" Teaser from Jon M. Chu on Vimeo.

LXD "Moments" Trailer from Jon M. Chu on Vimeo.

Sorry this one is a bit too big for this page, just click on it if you want to see the whole thing:

Substitute Teacher

The teacher, Mrs. Stewart, who's classroom I'm an aid for was out sick today (as well as Monday) and I had to aid for a sub. (as you can probably guess from the title). On Monday this meant that the class was awful and it was a day that I just had to get through. But today this substitute was different. She must have decided early in her career that she wanted to be a communist because she was definitely in control of that classroom. She had each kid write their name on a paper and if they did something good then we would put a star on that paper. This would actually be a good idea (some positive reinforcement) but the way she did it seemed to be manipulative and tyrannical. I did not like being in her class today, which is weird, because I love my work. Not to leave out the fact that this woman looked and sounded like Number 1 from Monsters, Inc., you know the secretary lady who was always wanting Mike to turn in his paperwork? If anyone thought she would be cool to hang out with, you were wrong. I am so glad that I was put in Mrs. Stewart's room cause she is an excellent teacher without being too over-bearing. The whole day just felt like this sub. was trying to prove her good teacher-ness to me and her superiority to the kids, a few of them were getting very upset and it just made me want to comfort them, but I couldn't because that lady scared me too.

So, It's Been A While...

I know I haven't updated in a bit, but I honestly haven't been doing much lately except trying to survive a viral attack of the enemy flu. No, it wasn't the swine variety, but I swear that nothing could be worse than what I had. I was out for over a week without relief. Seriously, I have never been so ill in my life. I couldn't even do the cool stuff you get to do when your sick, like watch your shows or read your books because I felt so awful that I didn't want to taint whatever I did with the feeling of grossness. So, I had to settle for crappy shows, which may have just made me feel worse. Anyway, I'm almost fully recovered now (except I still get pretty winded coming up the stairs) and my witty self will be back in your virtual lives once again very soon!

Sometimes I Really Love Old Men!

I was in line behind two people tonight at the self check-out at Fry's (btw remind me never to go there on a Monday night again...) and there was this little man who walked up in front of everyone looking for an open lane, he walked away and I thought, maybe he was just looking for a basket to put his groceries in, but then he did it AGAIN and, nice person that I am, I wasn't going to say anything, but I was getting a good righteous anger on. Anyway, one of the lanes was about to open up and he was still standing there looking confused (doubt that he was) and then the old guy at the front of the line said to him, pointing to the back, "you wanna get in line?" I loved it! In a small way, he was my hero. I love that old people have almost a free pass to being rude, I hate when it's directed at me, but I seriously appreciate it when it works in my favor!

Another old man that I love is Jim Langford. I've briefly written about him before but I was at his house last night and he said he wanted a post dedicated to him, so forgive me while I wax eloquent on the subject. Jim is an amazing man. He not only has copious amounts of candy to hand out to everyone, but he lets The Crew (and friends) stay over until 11pm (that's late for old people, as he would say, it's like 2am for them) playing rowdy games of cards. BTW (by the way, for you old people) he is not afraid to call you out in BS. Jim is always ready with a witty quip that will make you laugh at yourself and him. He is a rocker of the old school variety who won't hesitate to tell you all about his gigs (apparently he's pretty good with the lesbians). Jim loves to be cheesy and I honestly think that his life would be completely fulfilled if he just stayed at Girls Camp all year long. I love this man and am so happy to be back here if only to spend more time with him and his wonderful wife!

Could Life Get Better? I Submit That it Cannot!

I've realized that I approach this blog like a newspaper column that I write, except without the deadlines (although I'm sure that you wished you heard from me more often...). I don't know if I'm actually good enough to be at a real newspaper, but I'd like to think that I could. Anyway, because of this thought process (or blockage thereof) I don't really write about my everyday life, instead I just put out human interest stories that (hopefully) keep you coming back for more. But today I've decided to write to you about the little things in life that keep me happy (here comes another list but what can I say? I love them):

~ My job is the best one I have ever had, or could probably think of. I'm currently a kindergarten aid at the elementary school that I attended as a child. I LOVE those kids, and they love me. My day consists of walking into a class full of kids wanting to hug me immediately and then helping them in small groups learn how to read. Then I take them to recess (have my own break) and then aid them through lunch where I walk/dance up and down our bench giving them high fives, dealing with their messes, and playing with them. Then they go back to class and we do a project and I go home. And throughout all of this they are all telling me I'm beautiful and disrupting class just to sit by me. It lights up my life and I love it!

~ My afternoon activities consist of all the things that make being a recluse a good time. And my nighttime activities are becoming surprisingly cool. Last week Ashlee, Holly and I went to a haunted mansion (a for real one, it's been abandoned for 14 years). Yesterday The Crew went to D Money's soccer game which was actually exciting. And tonight Ashlee and me, and her crazy neighbor Patty, are going to the State Fair to watch a Roller Derby. All of these are good times!

~ I got paid today. Always makes me happy.

~ And I still have muffins in my freezer.

My life is sooooo good right now!

Drinkability

Tonight I cooked myself potato skins. I know what you're thinking, it's a lot of work for just one person, and believe me if I knew how long it would take I probably wouldn't have done it, like most things. Anyway, I had a hankering for them and so I decided to make them. First of all, I went outside to get them off my back porch and discovered that the ones my mother bought for me the last time she was in town were gone, maybe my Grandma (who lives in a trailer in my backyard) used them, but I'm leaning more toward someone stealing them. It doesn't really bother me because if they needed uncooked (gross) potatoes that badly then they can have them, it just means that I have to go buy my own, but luckily they aren't that expensive. Back to the skins, they're not very hard to make, just time consuming, and they ended up turning out well.

Now, you're probably asking yourself, what does all this potato talk have to do with the title, and here it is: I feel as though potato skins are a fancier dish to eat than other meals, probably because I've only ever had them at a restaurant. Correct me if they are just casual food. So, when I was close to my skins being done I was thinking about what would be the best beverage to have with my version of fancy food and decided that people who don't drink alcohol don't really have a drink for special occasions. I mean, you have your soda and juice and a myriad of other non-alcoholic choices, but none of them seem very elegant or to belong in one of those cool glass liquid holders that I see everyone using on TV.

So, to get to the point, next time I make something "fancy" I would like to have a suitable drink. Therefore I am asking your opinion, what do you drink when you want to make your dinner more lavish?

The Recluse's Life

I know that some of the readers of this blog believe that I have turned into a recluse, and I'm not here to deny it, in fact, I'm going to legitimize it. Here are a few facts about how awesome it is to be a recluse:

Fact 1. The recluse has a more comprehensive knowledge about pop culture since most of their day consists of watching t.v., reading, or basically participating in any activity that a school kid enjoys on their sick days.

Fact 2. Because of the above mentioned knowledge, a recluse is able to "get" more jokes that reference said culture and is therefore generally thought of as a well informed person.

Fact 3. The recluse's life is obviously not very social and therefore they do not have to entertain people too often. This, of course, means that there is less need of a spotless house and not as much cleaning has to take place (but a good recluse will still clean an appropriate amount or go crazy).

Fact 4. Spending a lot of time at home does not always mean sitting in a dark basement losing track of how many days have gone by without showering. It also means that a recluse has time to do projects around the house such as below-posted redecorating and training their sister's cat (and their brother) to stop whining so much.

Fact 5. A recluse has the opportunity to be creative with their time namely because it does tend to get boring doing the same things over and over again. Therefore, developing latent talents such as, watercolor painting and learning to throw a ball with your foot, become a part of your everyday life.

Fact 6. A recluse will try harder than anyone, and is most likely to achieve the highest score of internet games of all sorts, including, but not limited to: bubbleshooter, tetris, bejeweled, and ninja ropes.

And finally, the best part about being a recluse is that you get to develop social anxiety to the point where you are more willing to talk to 22 five-year-olds than have a conversation with an adult.

I hope this has broadened your horizons on the validity of being a recluse and that in the future you will not judge us so harshly.

Turn the Phrases on Stun(ning)

I love well-crafted sentences. I'm one of those people who underlines sentences in books and when I read a used book that has underlined phrases in it I feel like I'm getting a little peek into the previous owner's soul. It's like each sentence that is underlined is a piece of someone else's poetry. That is why I have decided to dedicate this post to some of the emphasized expressions in a few of my books, maybe taking these out of context makes them less poignant, but I think that these sentences can stand on their own:

From A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

"Poor people have a great passion for huge quantities of things."

"Mr. Tomony watched him drive away as though the cab were the last link in a life that he had found good."

"She knew of all pitiful human weaknesses and of many cruel strengths. Yet she could not read or write."

"I, myself, even in this day and at my age, have great need of recalling the miraculous lives of the Saints and the great miracles that have come to pass on earth. Only by having these things in my mind can I live beyond what I have to live for."

"Johnny had a hankering after immortality which made him a useless dreamer."

" 'Beautiful legs, then, is the secret of being a mistress,' concluded Francie. She looked down at her own long thin legs. 'I'll never make it, I guess.' Sighing, she resigned herself to a sinless life."

"We're too much alike to understand each other because we don't even understand our own selves."

"In his firm schedule of life, there was no heading labeled 'Loneliness.' "

"Because there is only once that you love that way."

"Well, a person can cry only so long. Then he has to do something else with his time."

"After the war, the city was going to tear down the tenements and the ugly school where a woman principal used to whip little boys, and build a model housing project on the site; a place of living where sunlight and air were to be trapped, measured and weighed, and doled out so much per resident."

From The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

"It might have been that notion, or just chance, or its more flamboyant relative, destiny..."

"...few things leave a deeper mark on a reader than the first book that finds its way into his heart."

"A secret's worth depends on the people from whom it must be kept."

"He had a good understanding of history and knew that the future could be read much more clearly in the streets, factories, and barracks than in the morning press."

From Not Quite What I was Planning Six-Word memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure Ed. by Smith Magazine

"The psychic said I'd be richer." -Elizabeth Bernstein

"Danced in Fields of Infinite Possibilities." -Deepak Chopra

"I was born some assembly required." -Eric Jordan

"And he nerded as never before." -Jon Thysell

"Cheese is the essence of life." -Mary Lynch

"Straight jacket on the gentle cycle." -Stewart Rudy

Those last set of quotes are a little different because the book is made up of small phrases, but they are expressive none-the-less. If there are any books that have stunning wording that has caught your attention please tell me about it in the comments, I'm always on the lookout for something good to read.

My Life Would Be Different!

QQ: Are there really performance arts high schools? Cause I think I should have been notified of them before I was too old and had a bachelor's degree. Why didn't my parents inform me? Why did I not live in a place where singing and dancing in the halls is perfectly acceptable? And why can't I sing all the time and not feel like Eisley (if you don't know who this is, trust me, you don't want to)?

So, I was watching Fame this week and there was this scene in the cafeteria where everyone just starts jammin'. It's one of those moments where each person gets to add a little bit of their own talent into the pool and it turns into magic. Needless to say, I wish I were part of that very moment every second of my life. I truly admire those groups that just break into choreographed numbers in random places (like food courts and such), one day I hope to be a part of it. But for now, I guess I'll just have to continue watching shows like that and wishing that I could be them. Seriously, how does someone get talented enough/lucky breaks to the point where they're living my dream?

Here are some videos of people living the good life:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKD1C6V4wgc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzKS4YhVEuQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMnk7lh9M3o

Railroad Crossings

I miss Tucson, a lot. I miss going to church knowing everyone and having specific people to sit with. I miss having at least one thing productive to do everyday (school, work, feeling guilty about not doing productive things, etc.). I miss my roommates. I miss dance parties. But I think most of all I miss good Chinese food. The Mandarin Grill is probably the best Asian food in the world (except maybe Asia, but I'm not even sure about that). I never realized that I could crave rice before. Or that not eating there for longer than a week would give me withdrawl symptoms, such as losing my appetite for almost anything else and feeling it my right to judge anyone who thinks they can make good Chinese food. I miss Ma Pao Tofu Pork and mildly spicy Chicken Fried Rice. I crave it, actually. I won't lie, I've dreamt about that restaurant and contemplated more than once on driving down just to eat there. If I weren't so poor, I probably would have done it by now. Thank goodness I'm going down this weekend, cause I don't think I could last another week. I think I'll bring a cooler with me...

Does It Never End?

My mom and I have been repainting our house for the last forever it seems (okay, really only 2 weeks, but still). I knew that it was going to be a lot of work, but I didn't realize just how much time it would take. Why is it that whenever I start a project it always takes longer than I expect? You'd think I would've learned by now to over-estimate about everything, but I haven't. Maybe it's a safety mechanism in my head because if I could accurately guess how long it would be before I could make a butt-dent on the couch again then I would never want to do it. Nevertheless, the big front room is done and I'm really proud of how it turned out, take a look for yourself:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Doesn't it look great with all that color up? My brother Isaac said that he now deems it acceptable to bring his friends over (yeah, he's kind of a brat). Anway, I love it! It makes our house so cheerful and warm!

Book of Possibilities, #2

First off, I just realized that whenever I go to start a blog, or a conversation, or really any type of situation where communication is involved I tend to start with saying, "So..." I don't know why I do this, or where I picked it up from, but I'm going to try to stop because I think it's weird.

Anyway (I probably use that word too much too, but I'll have to break that habit later), since moving home I've been decorating for weeks now it seems and have decided that there are a few things I would really like to have. The only thing holding me back is money, which, as we all know, isn't really THAT big of a deal... For now though I'll just have to covet them and share them with you people:

1. Sasha's house has these wall stickers and I thought they were awsome and haven't really been able to stop wanting them since. Here are some that I found on google and thought were cool:

2. I saw these wall tiles in the Philedelphia Art Museum and was very impressed by how interesting they were on the wall, I'm not sure if I would do the mural one but I really love the others:

Aaaand... 3. I want to put record labels on my walls like this (again, I got this from Sasha's house, what can I say, they have good taste in that house), except that I want an entire wall covered in them. I think I'll have to start scowering the used book/music store selections to achieve my goal (also, if you know my taste in music or find a really cool one you can gift it to me, just a hint):

Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again

Last week I not only returned from the below mentioned family vaca, but I also moved my little sister down to UofA. Let me tell you, it was weird to put her in a dorm. It reminded me about how I felt four years ago and how far I've come since then. But the weirdest part is the fact that her dorm room looked almost exactly like mine did, it kinda freaked me out. It's so exicting to see her go off to college and start a process that I've already finished (in fact, I recieved my diploma in the mail today, w00t!). It's exactly like we switched places and now I'm here with the crew and she's gone off to do her own thing. The best part though is reclaiming my room, which is a lot bigger than any of the ones I had in Tucson so I get to decorate it super cute style and have fun with that. Also, we shaved her cat, which makes life that much better (no more hair everywhere)...

Dancing Through Life

My family went on a vacation about a week ago and it truly was fantastic. We were able to go to Washington, D.C., Philidelphia, New York, and Boston. They each had some good parts but overall Boston was the best looking/cleanest/seemed-to-be-friendly city. Although I would highly recommend not going in the summer because even though we Arizonan's have it hot we do not have the humidity. I decided that hell must be humid because there is nothing so awful. In D.C. I got burned to a crisp because we just had a day and so I spent it with my mom looking at the memorials and outside things instead of going into a museum. Then in Philidelphia the Art Museum is one of the coolest I've ever been to because of the design of their exhibits. And Isaac ran up the stairs like Rocky, which I didn't actually see, but I heard about it.

In New York we went to see Wicked on Broadway and I fell in love with that show just like every other person who's ever seen it. I haven't really stopped listening to the soundtrack since. Even my brother Ben was impressed and he's not easily impressable ("I'm Ben, I like invented being cool"). And we went to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island which I had never gone to before. It's really quite amazing how reverant it feels in those places. Finally, we walked the Freedom Trail in Boston. Well, we didn't really walk it because by that point we were all pooped out and just wanted to ride a bus, but it's close to the same thing. Overall, a great trip and a chance to spend some quality time with my fam. The following pictures are definitely not even close to how many I took, it's just the select best of, if you want a full picture album go to my facebook page where I should be putting them up in a few days. Also, the order I saw all these things is from bottom to top I just didn't want to spend time rearranging them.

My mom, Isaac, and Ben on a battleship in the Boston harbor.

This picture is for Megan, I saw/heard him playing on the Boston Commons and immediately thought of you...

Here's Ben trying to stretch in front of a cool fountain, and Isaac stepped in just as I took the picture. I think it looks pretty sweet though because Ben seems to be some kind of tiny person.

OH! and we saw famous people in one of the Boston grave yards! These are two of the main people from the new Fox show Glee.

This is one of the many public parks in Boston (and it seems that every park has a fountain that people can splash in, I think that's great!) Here are my Dad, Isaac, and Ben in a movie-type shot (think walking into the sunset).

Isaac inside the main building on Ellis Island.

Isaac and Ben eating at Pat's Steak, one of two original homes of the Philly Cheese-steak (Pat's and Geno's both claim they invented it, and are located right across the street from each other).

Emma, Ben, Mom, and Isaac inside a Macy's in Philidelphia. Above them is the largest working Organ in the world. We listened to the concert and it was beautiful.

Mom, Dad (what a dork), and Emma (covering her face) in my Dad's bachelor pad in Philly (not really, it's his apartment but he's working there for a few years so it's cheaper then a hotel).

Inside the Philidelphia Art Museum they recreated actual rooms of ancient architecture, also, unlike most museums, they let you take as many pictures as you want.

A D.C. metro stop, pretty cool coffered ceilings.

Emma, Ben, and Isaac in front of the Washington Monument, we were able to go up to the top.

The mosaic ceiling of the Library of Congress, the whole building is beautiful.

Home Again, Home Again, Lickety-Split.

I never thought that I would move home after I left four years ago, but here I am. I'll probably write about all the craziness that happens here in the future but for now I'm actually excited to be here. I really enjoy spending time with my family and have found that reconnecting with my old friends is not as daunting as I imagined it would be. Anyway, last night I hung-out with my old YW's leader and her husband, Jeanette and Jim, and the crew, which is a tradition for many years and had a blast. One hilarious thing Jim said (keep in mind he's in his late 50's early 60's), "The only thing harder than getting up at my age is getting up and not passing gas at the same time." Hahaha! He's an amazing guy who is always recalling his rocker days (he's a drummer and still rocks out with his band). Anyway, after dinner last night with the family (fast sunday= enchiladas) we all sat around and most of the boys fell asleep:

From left to right: Ben, Jacob, Isaac, Dad (Don)

My mom and I thought it was a cool looking arrangement but I don't know if that transfered to film. So, there's your Elspeth-fix for a bit... hope you can last until the next one.

"Oh Sweet Spirit you're so... nice..."

If you guys weren't at my FHE on Monday, then you missed out. A group of us performed a musical that was awesome! It was called The Sweet Spirit Bride and was basically a Mormon/musical version of The Princess Bride. We had so much fun putting it together and performing it, even though it was kind of a rush because we only did it in a week, and in fact, I only learned it the day before. Everyone did such an amazing job though. But, I gotta say, the music was the best part, and most especially Adam W. singing "Unchained Melody"... *sigh*... okay moment over. We also used the "Sweet Spirit" song from Sons of Provo and a different version of "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid called "I Need a Man". The best line from that one was "Why don't they think, and see me now? I am a woman worth more than eight cows! I'm really great, I need a date, I need a man" and then immediately after that line a guy from the audience yelled, "Tomorrow at 7!"

The Single Ladies (we sang the "I Need a Man" song)

It was so much fun to perform, a heart's desire moment definitely, but it may have been even better watching it afterward with the cast because we knew all the little quirky things that happened on stage. We're thinking of putting it on YouTube, so I'll keep you updated on that.

Oh my beloved Tucson...

For those of you who don't know, which I think is none of you but whatever, I love Tucson. My brother Ben calls it a "love-affair" and most of my family makes fun of me for it, but I do not care. Tucson has been very good to me for the last four years. I came down here thinking that I was going to a trash/practically Mexico dump, but I am leaving it with much regret. Sure, at first all I could see were the couches/actual trash that people left on their front lawns, the awful conditions of the roads, and even the non-existant drainage plan when it rains. But since I've lived here I've learned that when people leave their furniture out it not only gets picked up by the city, but it also makes for excellent "dumpster-diving" items. I've also learned that when driving a truck, a raging river down your street is the coolest thing since sliced-bread!

Tucson feels like a small town even though it is huge. I still have not seen all of it, not that I've really tried. I love that the people on the west side of the freeway rarely interact with people on the east side, and the same goes for north and south Tucson. I love that while my neighbor is creepy because he's a trench-coat wearing weirdo who's constantly on the phone outside and makes it awkward to walk to and from my car I can still feel comfortable having his parents tease us about our very loud sing-along/dance parties. I also love that I can feel comfortable walking down the street with my roommates dispite the fact that we've actually called the police on our neighbors and had a stake-out waiting for some "Cops"-type action (which was a complete let down). I also love that in my little neck of the town I know exactly where I am or where I'm going based on street address alone. And the fact that the streets change names frequently makes that accomplishment worth-while.

On a list of my favorite places in Tucson The Big Bump out west on Grant where I have driven my truck over with screaming people in the car is definitely at the top, followed closely by the north end of Campbell where you can sit and watch the city lights and then the drive back that twists and turns. I love the view from Mt. Lemon where you can see exactly how much you have misjudged the size of the city. I also love the University of Arizona with its charming brick buildings, and especially the musical rocks by Old Main.

Yep, Tucson is great. I know that it is ghetto and kinda scary, but it's also original. There are few cookie-cutter developments and even less cookie-cutter people. You are allowed to be eccentric and quirky here and believe me, I've met plenty of people who are. This place has made for great stories and great friends who I hope never to forget!

Book of Possibilities

I just watched "Last Holiday" with Queen Latifah, which I loved! It is really one of her best films, and it made me feel so good inside! Anyway, this movie is all about living your life fully every day, and in it Q.Lat. has a book of possibilities in which she has made cut outs or stored brochures, or even pictures about things she wants to do with her life. I love that idea, but I love more the fact that Sasha has made her own book because of this movie. So I decided that, at least for this post but maybe more in the future, I'm going to describe the possibilities I want to happen in my life. Starting with a few of the places I'm dying to travel to:

Palace of Versailles, France

Palace of Knossos, Crete

Notre Dame, Paris

Temple of Apollo at Delphi, Greece

Castier Castle, Britain

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

As you can tell, they mostly have to do with buildings. I love architecture. I don't want to have to design anything myself, but I love the amazing structures that people have built over time. Don't get me wrong, I love most of the other forms of art too, but there is something so majestic and magical about walking into a great building that is either beautiful just by its construction or the ornate decorations which someone has imagined and put on display for everyone to walk through. I think what I love most about seeing architectural things in person is the fact that you never really can get an accurate picture of the thing in your head before you experience it live. I mean, with paintings it is pretty much what it looks like in the print, but with a building it's either grander or smaller or just a different dimension than you thought, so it still has the ability to surprise and amaze you. I want to see so many buildings, I hope someday I can!

Cause of Death

So, as previously mentioned I am in a Death and Loss class this summer and one of our assignments this week was to write our own obituary. At first I thought it was a lame thing to do but then I started brain-storming with my rommates and we came up with something that I think is a great way to go:

Elspeth Anderson choked to death last night on the dance floor, aka her living room. Elspeth was eating an otter pop and having a dance party with her roommates and the plastic caught in her throat and cut off her airways. She will be mourned by her family and friends.

Isn't that excellent?! Who wouldn't want to die in the middle of a dance party? And I think the otter pops add character... and anyone who knows me knows that it is most likely that I will die choking, I have a problem.

I also had to write a will and decide where all my things would go, I thought I really had nothing that anyone would want except my couch (which I would give to my brother Jacob). But then I realized that I had my gnomes to find a home for. I decided that those would go to Bethany (because I think you would appreciate them the most). And I would also let Emma have first pick of my movies (because we share that passion). Those are about all I have to give away.

So, here's the question for the readers: how would you like to die? Or, what do you think is the most likely way that you will die?

Restaurant City

I don't think many of you will be surprised about this, but I am kind of a gamer. I like those silly applications on Facebook and those dumb games where you don't seem to be doing much of anything. Maybe it 's because I love gadgets and am amazed at the creativity of other people, but either way, it's fun for me. My favorite one right now is called Restaurant City. It is really stupid but you hire your friends and get to decorate a little piece of Internet real estate and I thoroughly enjoy it! The most I really do is feed my employees and then they do the rest, but it's pretty enteraining to watch them run around serving dishes and then cleaning it up and watching the people come in the doors and then go use the bathroom. What can I say, I'm easily amused...

here's a couple of pictures of my little restaurant, I got to design it myself, and personally, I would definitely eat here!

A Recent Rash

First of all, can I just say how much I love having a computer that I can directly plug my SD memory card into? It makes life/uploading pictures from my camera so much easier!

Okay now to the real reason for this post (which actually is mostly because I wanted to think of something to post today... I'm excited to have a blog, so I'm a little trigger happy, so what?). Recently there have a been a rash of weddings, which is usually how it goes in the Spring. But I must say that the receptions this year have been the best I think I've ever been to. I loved Abe and Sadie's relaxed but beautiful open house. And Jamie and Jessie's was elegant and had great food. As they say in Northanger Abbey: "fancy good scheme this marrying thing" (or something to that effect). Anyway, here are a few pictures from Sabe's wedding, I forgot my camera for the Patel's but it really was pretty.

"WOW"

I'm new at this

Okay, so for a while now I've been meaning to start a blog, and in fact I already had a profile and followed other people's blogs, but I just never got around to actually doing one myself. Anyway, I decided that since I'm moving away I may just want to start one because then I don't have to update facebook as much and people can just figure out what's going on with me without all the hassel of a phone call (yes I do realize that makes me sound super lame). So, since this is my first post I'm allowing myself a little leeway in the have-to-be-interesting department because I figure I'll get better as I go...

Something interesting that happened today is that I went on a tour of a funeral home, but it's not because someone died. I'm in a Psychology class about death and loss (my last one, w00t!) and we took a little field trip. Did you know that when someone is creamated the only remains you actually get are the bones? Everything else is burned up (including a casket if it's placed in there with the body). I did not know that and I think I'm a better person for learning it. And now you are too!