Remember Me?

It has been a long while my dear friends. Combine the lack of a laptop with the lack of internet with BYU and you get a lack of blog posts. Well two of those problems have been solved so I will do my best to update more frequently but I make no promises.
My life right now is busy. I know that is a typical adjective for everyone but my whole concept of time has been completely redefined. I used to think of an hour as quite a bit of time and now it is a small snip-it. Anyway, I am getting ready to graduate in April and I already have senioritis. I didn't think it would hit this early but don't worry it did. I went through this major crisis, no literally a Major crisis, at the beginning of the semester because I picked a very unique, so maybe unique isn't the right word, I picked a major that is difficult to apply in the real world. I started to look at potential jobs and...well...I found 15 and all of them involved a PHD or Master's, neither of which I have. I started to rethink my decision and it kind of sent me into a panic. Then I was sitting in my Theory and Methodologies of Art History class and we started talking about this particular theory which states that there are no absolutes and no eternals and you can't possible find truth...I don't agree with the theory for obvious reasons...we were talking about this theory and my professor all of the sudden stopped and asked why she was teaching this to us (us as in people who believe in absolutes, and truth and eteranlism) (I think I just made up a word) so we then discussed how important it is to be exposed to these concepts and understand them because they are part of the world that we live in. She then proceeded to talk to about a class she had taken while here at BYU. It was a film class and they watched an Italian film that involved an old man falling in love with a young boy (now bear with me here, I promise I will explain). In this movie the old man comes to see everything he has lost, youth, beauty, etc. represented in this young boy and thus he falls in love with him. Now several of the students, and you may be asking too, but several of the students wanted to know why they were watching this? It seems odd that a BYU professor would show a movie with homosexual and pedafelial themes right? Well yes, it is a little strange but this professor explained he felt it was very important to expose his students to a variety of experiences of humanity in a setting where appropriate discussion could take place. They could discuss this movie in a Gospel light and discuss its merits despite the fact that it is morally ambiguous. Now for all of you who think I have fallen off the deep end fear not, I'm making a point here...the point is that there are things in this life that make us more human; not in the carnal sense but in the we are all children of God sense. Those experiences that make us more human allow us to empathize in a way that could not be done otherwise. Empathy is a God-like and Christ-like trait. Think about the Atonement; it allows for PERFECT empathy and since we are all striving to become more charitable, empathy is vital. Becoming more human is a good thing. This whole discussion made me think about why I am an art history major, because I want to become more human. Simple as that. Anyway that was my epiphany however convolluted it looks on paper.
Other than having panic attacks followed by epiphanies the rest of my time is spent killing trees, aka working at a law firm. I am pretty sure I have already killed a small forest with all the paper that gets used here.
Anyway, become more human, it's important, more important than all you computer science majors who are becoming robots...but that's another subject altogether...

For Lack of a Better Name...

I just read my friend Annalise's blog and it was so oozing with her personality and it just made me so happy! I love our human experiences and I love reading about other people's experiences. I was talking the other day about people and one of biggest pet peeves are dud people. Everyone knows what I am talking about; those people that bring nothing to the table, you ask them a question and a door would have given you a better answer. Don't get me wrong these people are generally extremely nice but they just have NO personality whatsoever. However as we were discussing dud people we came up with another term that I absolutely love: Tofu. Tofu people are the ones who, like tofu, take on the atmosphere around them; just like tofu takes on the flavor of whatever dish you put it in. Tofu people are way more frequent than duds but they are just as bad if not worse. I find it inexplicable that so many people are so uncomfortable with themselves that they would feel the need to be something they are not. I understand that we all have our insecurities; I am not immune to them. However, this sense of insecurity leads to SO many problems. How can we solve these? How can we make people feel secure? Can an insecure person make someone else feel secure? I love people that are secure! They are just so refreshing. How can we spread security? I think my new goal in life is to find a way to bolster personal security; I'll become a rogue "security guard" fighting off the imposters and ideals of insecurity...Hooray for knowing who we are!

The Last Frontier...

So as many of you know I am currently employed by Holland-America Princess Alaska Yukon. Super long name right? No, seriously I work for them driving a bus in Ketchikan Alaska this summer. It is immensely fun. I have been here about two weeks already and Alaska is beautiful. Everything here is incredibly lush and green. I have already been zip lining and last Saturday I got to go out to this national monument called Misty Fjords. It is this area of untouched wilderness where giant rocks shoot out of the ocean. It was formed originally from glaciers and now it is just pure beauty. It is dense forest and beautifully unpolluted water. Some of the pictures are weird looking because they are from a plane window but it was so fun! Tourists are really funny and all of us drivers exchange silly questions that they ask. My favorite so far is "So when do your deer become Moose?" Some people (Americans) even asked why type of currency they use here?! It is great though. I get paid to hang out with old people and crack jokes all day!

The Waning of My Motivation

At the end of every semester I start to get really ansty. Usually it is the combination of being burnt out and getting excited to leave Provo...this semester is no exception. Right at this very moment I have about a billion things that I should be doing instead of updating my blog; for example I have a response due for my Southern Baroque class tomorrow and I just can't bring myself to write it. It doesn't take that long, it doesn't challenge my brain that much, I just plain don't want to do it. I finished a beastly twelve page research paper on Monday and I just haven't wanted to do anything since then! I think someone should find a cure for laziness. I would pay big money for it.
On another completely related but altogether unrelated note, someone asked me the other day why I did not like Provo. I could not articulate my answer and I found that flustering. I have always assumed that everyone just understood my disdain. Here's what I have discovered as my reasoning: (keep in mind that I am not insulting Utah as a geographical location, okay so maybe I am but I understand that it is a fantastic place for some people and I am grateful for the opportunities that are here. BYU is a good school and I have gotten a good education but Utah is not the place for me as I will soon dicuss...)
1. Intolerance. Provo has this knack for excluding anything that could be construed as uncomfortable. Example: There was an exhibit of Rodin's sculptures that came through. There is a beautiful sculpture called The Kiss. It shows a beautiful moment between a man and a woman. It is in no way explicit, pornographic, erotic, or any other negatively connotated word you would like to fill in...BYU would not show it. Intolerance.
2. Lack of museums. We all know that Springville is a gem for Utah but after you walk through a couple of times where else am I supposed to go?
3. It's cold. I know, whimpy reason but I really don't like the whole back and forth thing that the spring does, if you're going to be cold, be cold but if you are going to warm up one day and then the next day dump snow on me I will be upset, and hate you
4. Conformity. Everyone here follows trends. I suppose that is the nature of people my age but here it is even worse because they put a spiritual spin on it. Even the people who are trying not to conform are conforming in their inconformity. Please, just be your own person, do us all a favor.
5. The most illogical logic I have ever heard. Example: I heard about this couple who were going to get married in the temple. Their parents did not like either of the fiances so together they decided if they got pregnant their parents would have to be okay with it...yeah...
6. I feel a physical weight lifted when I leave Provo. I don't know how or why this I feel this way but you ask Brit or Anne and they will totally back me up on this one, it's the best feeling, it's like coming up for air.
7. Over-achievers. Oh man how they abound here. I went to the temple at 6:30 am. It shouldn't be busy right? Wrong! It was the most crowded I have ever seen. Too bad half the people there had already been to the gym too.
I will agree that I chose to come here knowing full well what I was getting myself into but man am I ready to scoot!

Man Cards, Scooping Poop, and Killing Babies

I am in the throws of the semester. It never ceases to amaze me just how incredibly busy I can become and then it amazes me even more to think of the things I make time for. I was recently discussing "man cards" with someone. I was not aware of their existence but apparently they do. I have decided and several have concurred that I am now the proud owner of at least one man card...why you may ask? Because I, little petite me, can drive a bus. Not only can I drive the bus, but I can parallel park it too.
As for things I have found time to do this semester scooping poop has become one of them...not literally. We define scooping poop as being able to hang out with someone without needed to have a specific purpose for hanging out. The story stems from 4H...apparently my friend had a pig and her friend called and wanted to hang out. She responded that she had to scoop the poop from her pigs pen and her friend was really excited to help...thus scooping poop.
I am in my advanced writing class this semester and it is my least favorite class. Apparently we all have sentences in our writing that we love...they are our babies. Somehow when we write them we fill intelligent and witty. Sometimes those sentences are just not necessary. Those babies have to be killed. I have carried this over into other aspects of my life; we all have babies and mine are being killed. Sometimes it is a slow and painful death but it has to be done. So in short you should get a man card so you can scoop some poop and kill your babies. No really.

A Celebration of the Birth Fame

This last week was my birthday and it was fantastic. It included Indian Food...so delicious, a sushi plate from Color Me Mine, giggles with my roommates, a trip to Grandma's, a DELICIOUS chocolate torte (as evidenced by the photos), a flash tribal dance party, breakfast with Vienna friends, lunch with my favorite friend, a happy birthday duet from my parents, and even a jog! All in all I would say it was a fantastic success!

Tender Mercies

1. The Priesthood, I know I said that one yesterday but today it was totally and completely applicable. My roommate was sick and needed a blessing and bam our home teachers were here within minutes.
2. My home teacher, he cleaned our kitchen last night and noticed we were out of soap so today he showed up with soap when he came to give my roommate a blessing.
3. Wit, I am so grateful for this classy humor.
4. Other Cultures, I love them
5. Chicken Rice Soup, makes any cold day and upset stomach better.