A NEW FAVORITE - BERTRAND SALLE

JUST A LITTLE SOMETHING

Christmas 2011 from toprojekt on Vimeo.

STUDY BREAK

Had to share this great commercial that was banned in South Africa. These are the kinds of things that I watch when I need a study break. :) Back to work!

On a side note, a great Camerounian proverb I just read in an article: 

"Until lions have historians, tales of the hunt will always be told by the hunter."

FAST TRACK TO FASTING

Nothing makes fasting easier than finding a dead mouse on your kitchen floor. 

After consultation with J, we decided that this is what home teachers are for, right? I've never asked them for anything, couldn't they just come over after church and take care of one measly little mouse? I just couldn't imagine picking up that soft, squishy little body even if I had the tools to do so. J at this point was still convinced it was fake - possibly planted. I think I may have been a suspect until she realized that I was truly averse to going near it.

 I asked the HT at church if he would come take care of it and he was a little awkward about it "Do you have a box or something to put it in?" was the exact question. My response: "um...I have a trash can." It wasn't getting it out of the apartment that freaked me out, it was the actual touching of the actual dead mouse (and before you judge, I actually am an animal person and don't mind live mice as pets).

Anyway - got a text from J while at church that it was taken care of. Thanks, B! Even though I may have suspected you of planting it for a while, I blame that evil thought on J and now regret that I had those distrustful thoughts.

But all of this begs a different question that we have been contemplating: how does a mouse just drop dead on its side in the middle of the kitchen floor? I mean, doesn't it have to die for a reason? It wasn't even hidden in a cupboard or something. Could that reason, perhaps, have been the fact that we were both tempted to not fast? Did we call death upon this little rodent so we could stay righteous and realize our fast for the day? Was he sacrificed for our good?

All I know is that this must not happen again. Any suggestions on how to stay rodent-free? Preferably without traps and mouse-murder involved?

I'LL JOIN YOU TOMORROW...

I recently received an invitation (finally, something different on the ward listserve!) to join an Occupy DC march to the Convention Center last night to protest the Republican gathering there. I was tempted...I'll admit that it's mostly because I just have this really strong desire to join some kind of movement (and I kind of like this one to some degree). Maybe it's so that in the future I can say "Yeah, I was there." Instead, I will probably be saying, "Yeah, I knew people who were there but I had to study, was lazy, didn't want to pay the metro fare to get there...etc." So lame, but that's the way it is. Plus, it's getting cold here.

Anyway, I feel like this article is a sign that I was right not to go yesterday. Maybe I'll make it to the next event. Maybe. If it fits into my class schedule.

WAY TO GO MALAYSIA!

I was wasting time before getting back to finishing my class assignment today and came across this BBC headline: 

"Malaysia bans Obedient Wives' Islamic Sex Guide"

All I could think was  - thank goodness! Then, while reading the article I came across the, apparently, universal solution to domestic violence (heavy sarcasm here):

"The club (who published the book) has previously said women should act like "first-class prostitutes" to prevent their husbands from having affairs or resorting to violence."

Oh. Well, then. If that's all it takes to eradicate infidelity and domestic violence...(again, heavy sarcasm).

APPARENTLY PROVIDENT LIVING MEANS HAVING A GUN

So, during church yesterday I noticed a link in the program to a specific website that shall not be documented here that is supposed to be about provident living. As that is my new calling, I determined to check it out for helpful resources. What did I find?

Not a list for easy-to-pack 72-hour kits, that's for sure. Instead, I found personal posts about gun-control being bad mixed with emergency preparedness quotes from prophets. What the...? I won't go into detail, but was definitely happy when my RS President gave me the links that I needed to look at for my calling and this was not one of them. Sheesh.

ALL ABOUT THE FOOD

So, my friend Erin just left this morning after a week-long visit (she was here for business and extended a bit to do some site-seeing) and now I have a little bit of time before I have to go to my ALL-DAY-LONG Saturday class (seriously, it's from 11-5:30 - who does that?), so I decided to give a quick update. I'll post about some of the other things, but just wanted to let you know about one of the greatest places to eat lunch if you are on the Mall. The National Museum of the American Indian. Yup, you heard me. They have a great cafeteria where you can get Native American food from various regions of the Americas. Even gluten-free! It was delicious. I got this great masa cake with black beans, peppers, and some kind of cheese sauce all over it. SOOOOOOOOO good. Erin got some kind of lobster cakes (bleh) that she said was good and some fry bread with a blueberry syrup. If you are in town, you should definitely make your way there!

NAIL POLISH MYSTERY

Does anyone else think it's weird that people here don't wear nail polish? I feel like my hands are screaming out loud when I wear it. Not only that, I put on that shatter nail polish last weekend while watching the game for fun...and when I went to church that Sunday I felt like a hooker or something. Weird. It was only in black and white - very classy and subtle. ;)

THE ECONOMIST

So I was talking to one of my new roomies and we got on the subject of magazine subscriptions. She asked what magazines I get so we could compare and see if any of our subscriptions overlap...

Me: "Oh, well I get Martha, House Beautiful, and I just got enough Coke rewards points to get Elle Decor. Sometimes I buy Dwell since I just really want to look at it."

Roomie: "What's Dwell?"

Me: "You know, like another design magazine."

Roomie: "What does that mean? What's a design magazine?"

Me: "You know, like how to decorate your house, interior design...stuff like that... (I trail off starting to realize how crafty and scrapbooky I sound - not that that's a bad thing, but I feel there's a difference between old crafts and new DIY scene - subtle differences, so I try to save the conversation)...What magazines do you get?"

Roomie: "Right now just the Economist."

Me: "Oh. (pause) You can't get that with Coke rewards."

Is it weird that sometimes I just want my magazines to be relaxing and visually satisfying? That after a day of talking about how-we-need-to-save-the-world-but-really-can't-save-the-world-but-everyone-has-ideas-of-how-to-save-the-world-and-they-all-mess-it-up-more-and-what-does-"the world"-mean-anyways... that I just want to read an article about how to find a great rug for my future house?

Don't judge.

And yes, if I could get People magazine with my Coke rewards I would be subscribing to that as well. My dirty secret is out. I like to think of it as a natural curiosity about the world around me.

CINNATRAGEDY

Today I was going to make the best gluten-free cinnamon rolls you have ever tasted in your life. Or at least that's what the blog said. I want to preface this with the fact that I haven't had a cinnamon roll in like 2 years. The thing is, it's so different when you know you can't have one as opposed to just not having one.

Thanks to a friend, I saw this great recipe online. I figured Sunday would be the perfect day as I have church at 8am (I know...should be illegal) and then after nap time I could get to some cinnamon roll making, particularly since it's cool enough to be baking.

I visited three different stores, that's right - 3, to get all of the supplies. This gluten-free baking thing is intense! I came home from church and as I looked at my ingredients scattered over the counter and in the pantry I came to this horrifying realization: I have no mixer.

So, cinnamon rolls, maybe we shall meet another day (hopefully before my buttermilk expires because, really, who needs buttermilk for anything else? gross!).

14,000 rounds of ammunition missing from Fort Bragg

Again....all I can say is, really?

Who has Libya's missiles?

This is the headline I saw tonight as I logged onto cnn.com. Really? Does this make anyone else nervous?

Mean or Lazy?

I can't decide which I am...both of the roomies are moving out tonight and all I can think about is finding some really legitimate excuse for not being here when the hauling begins. I mean, really...there's a ton of stuff and we live on the 3rd floor. One even rented a truck! I think it's more laziness than anything (or legs that want to fall off because all I ever do around here is walk - what's up with that?). I'm a horrible person inside.

Since I'm Still Anonymous

So I feel like I can still write this since no one in my new ward knows me yet and won't see it and get offended...but I felt like I was in the Singles Ward movie last week when I went to my ward for the first time. The speaker told us he was EQ Pres in about 9 creative different ways during his talk while also focusing on his view that dating and marriage has become "sensationalized."

Now, I am sure he is a really nice guy (really...he does seem like a nice guy and I'll probably want to delete this post when I get to know him)....but I just have to think that as you prepare a talk you need to know how you come off? You are trying to be the anti-stereotype by talking about marriage while not being so obsessed with it, while at the same time reinforcing about a kajillion stereotypes of singles ward quirks.

Maybe I was just feeling this way because church meets at 8am. I mean, really? My job didn't even start by 8am!

I have a couple of other snarky things to say but am holding them in so I don't alienate any possible new friends. Thinking of starting a tumblr account (Tricia as my inspiration) and only letting certain people know? This social media thing is getting too complicated.

Sister Love

Is it normal to be jealous of your sisters when they are losing weight and you aren't? S3 has definitely been losing some weight and is looking great! Which is great for her...but sucky for me. Good thing S2 is still pregnant. haha.

Car-lemma

Hmmmm...no good when you are getting into your car after work and you hear some cars bash into each other on the other side of the hedge. I definitely took the other way around...crazy UCI college kids. I swear we see an accident at least once a month. Add a college campus with a high school campus with a bunch of BMWs bought by parents = recipe for car damage.

Speaking of cars...I am dealing with a car-lemma. Although I have decided that I am at least taking my car with me to Virginia initially, I will then have to decide whether to keep or sell. I guess a big factor in that decision will be the job status. Nanny = not enough money to keep my car. Other jobs = a definite possiblity.

Well, Hello George!

I just realized I never updated the post with where I am going. Yup, folks, in August I will be headed out to DC to begin a MA in International Development Studies at George Washington University. So excited! I have so many more things I need to update on here...maybe this weekend? :)

"I'm Getting Older, Too..."

(this is me in thinking pose - yes, it's an old picture)

Good news - I heard from one of my schools yesterday that I was accepted. This is a huge relief since I didn't make it into what I was thinking of as my safety school the week before and was getting pretty depressed about it. At least now I have the option of going to grad school, right? Just waiting to hear from a couple more schools, then I actually have to figure out what I am going to do. I hate making decisions like this. Sigh. But I love having options! :)

Reflecting

Okay, I have a confession to make. I really don't get the whole New Year's thing. I mean, unless you are a big drinker or are really excited to set off your illegal fireworks right outside my window, I just don't really think it's a big deal. Maybe that's because I've never had a magical Happy New Year moment, but most of the parties and celebrations I have ever been to on NYE I could describe with one word: lame. (sorry if you are one of the people that was with me at those moments).

Anyway, upon further reflection I decided to write down a couple of points of interest from the past year. I don't really like making New Year's Resolutions because I think they are, well, lame - I mean, why does it have to be a special day to make a goal? Why is January 1 different than any other day? So, here are some thoughts (don't feel you have to read these if you have absolutely no interest...though if that is the case, I doubt you are still reading this post now...):

1. Getting old sucks. It just does. Whether it's turning 29 or 90, it just really stinks. Eventually you lose your drivers license, can't walk on your own, and all of your friends are gone. Sucky.

2. I still am a really crappy correspondant. Hopefully, at this point all of my good friends are aware of that failing and don't condemn me when I don't return calls or emails quickly. Though I do have to say that texting might be my strong point...

3. I love seeing my best friends start their families. There is a twinge of sadness that I'm not there with them, but overall I am so completely happy that they are getting what they want in life and they have beautiful and loving families and are having great adventures.

4. Being sick sucks. Being sick for over a year sucks. Being sick for over a year and not really have a complete solution sucks. Being sick for over a year with no solution and having tons of tests REALLY sucks. Blood tests, cat scans, x-rays, EKGs, ultrasounds, endoscopies, and wearing a tube down your throat all really suck. Having to pretend that you feel fine at work so your supervisor doesn't start to assume that you can't do your job and keep hinting that maybe you should take some time off so you can sit at home and do nothing also sucks. Moving on...

5. I have developed adult ADD. You think I'm joking, but I'm not. Case in point - grad school applications are still not done. ADD + sick = big time sucks.

6. Although MacGregor (our dog) is old, runs into things, can't really see or smell very well, and sleeps 23.5 hours a day, I still love that old man. There's nothing better on a rainy morning than cuddling in a nice, soft, warm bed with a really soft, warm dog sleeping deeply next to you. (of course, later when that dog tracks in poop from the backyard because he can't see that he's stepping in it, those feelings begin to fade).

7. I'm nervous and scared that for some reason this grad school thing won't work out. Maybe it's not what I'm supposed to be doing (which would be the worst since there's nothing else to do!), and maybe I won't get into any of the schools I apply to. Or maybe I will get in and won't be feeling better and won't have any health insurance...sigh. I need to stop worrying about this.

8. I really love my family. As we have gotten older, it had really opened up a whole new dimension to the relationships between me and my siblings. Although they still have the ability to bug me like no one else and won't ever let me forget my faults, they really are the only people in the whole world that I am utterly and completely comfortable with. I especially love hanging out with my sisters (sorry, boys). We know each other so well and can just laugh and have fun and be stupid and silly and mean and we will still love each other.

9. I am really excited that there will be a new niece and another new niece/nephew to join the family this year! It's hard that people don't live close by anymore, but I love those nieces and nephews more than I ever thought possible.

10. My sister-in-law stole my birthday. Okay, she didn't really steal it, but it's weird to not be the only one in the family with my birthday now. Although I do love you, R, and am happy you are a part of the family!

11. Sealings of super close friends and siblings are really great. When K and R got married this summer, I was just so happy for them. It will be fun to see how R starts to fit into the family dynamic as we get to know her better and she becomes one of the group.

12. I miss bread. I miss wheat. I even miss rye and barley even though I didn't eat them much before.

13. Confession - I haven't cut my hair for probably over a year now, not even a trim. I know, I know! It's horrible but when I think of the complications of trying to find someone who will use gluten-free products and sitting in a salon with gluten-filled air floating around me, I get really chicken. I keep putting it off. I'm really good at that. So when people tell me they like how long my hair is now, I always feel a twinge of guilt that it is a direct result of avoidance.

14. Apparently, I am "closed." Or that's the response that I got when a guy was telling me about a couple of guys in the ward who think I'm great. I then said, well, nobody ever asks me out. Then he said that they said that I seem "closed." What is that supposed to mean? Maybe because I don't have the flirting gene? I try to be friendly with everyone. I'm not actually sure why I am so bothered since most of the people in my ward are the age of my youngest brother, but I am. Oh well, this way I don't have to be awkward about dating someone under the age of 25 anyway.

I could probably think of some other things, but I kind of like the idea of my list ending at a random number like 14. Keeps people off-balance. Anyway, here's hoping that this year is a great one - although I am sure it will be full of ups and downs like the other ones. :)