First Test of the Semester

So my schedule today was as follows:

10:00-11:00am STAT 221
12:00-4:00pm Work
4:00-6:00pm STAT 221 TEST
6:00-12:00am Work

Yeah, I know- horrible. So I am at work right now, eating dinner. But, I wanted to announce to everyone that despite missing a weeks worth of STATs I just got a 98% on my test. Wahoo! This was very good news because the outlook for this week doesn't look so good. I have another test that I feel very unprepared for coming up, which means I will be attending horribly long review sessions. This means that I don't have a single open night to relax. Hopefully it will all pay off and I will get another A. I guess I wouldn't care SO much, but I am currently going to school for half the price because of my academic scholarship. I would very much like to keep it, or get a full academic scholarship next year.
So I have a side story about Sonic and how the people there are trying to distroy my life. So on Saturday night I went with Jeff, Jessie, Michelle, Rosalinda, and Lucy to this music/art festival. Afterwards, we went to Sonic to get ice cream/ a bite to eat. Well, I wasn't really hungy- just a little hungry... and I like Sonic's onion rings. So Michelle tries to order them for me and they say they are out. So I decide to get mozarella sticks instead (when were like 2 dollars more than the onion rings). I sit down and they bring out onion rings to Jessie. I'm like- "WHAT?!" After explaining to the lady that they told me they were out, she rolls her eyes and says "their being stupid." Later she gives me onion rings (for free). But, when I ask for ketchup she replies, "we're out." GRRR! Then Michelle asks some other guy for ketchup and they bring some out. It was a difficult night.

10 Things (cont.)

#5 Frosting

I don't like frosting. With the exception of the chocolate frosting you can buy at the store (in little plastic containers by the cake mix) if it is put on chocolate cake. I will scrap off excess frosting on anything else. Oh wait- cinnamon rolls are another exception.


#6 Kissing

Okay. This one is actually very embarrassing. Count yourselves lucky that I trust you all with this information. The only girl I've kissed was in elementary school. That's right. When I was little I was like in love with this girl haha. I thought I'd marry her one day. Well, anyway- I never dated in high school, and I've never had a relationship that was sustained long enough for me to go for it.

Don't get me wrong- I'd love to. There are many times where I've wanted to, but I was a coward and kissed the girl on the head or check. Awkward. I don't know what it is. Well, I have a few ideas. First- what if I'm bad? I can't be good because I've never done it. Second, I usually want to kiss girls I actually like (I know, weird) and I'm afraid of messing up or scaring them off. Third, I'm really not confident in boy-girl relationships. Growing up, the girls I liked never liked me back. The girls who would have (and asked to) kissed me made me want to vomit.

There have been times in college where I was almost desperate enough to "practice" with a girl friend. Weird. The only time I had the courage to go for it was when I was in elementary school!

I think another reason for this is the dating world here at college. It isn't like you normal college. I feel like if I kiss a girl I have to have a real commitment to her. Most girls expect that here. Even holding hands is something you don't do unless you are pretty interested. I secretly want an experimental relationship that doesn't have to mean anything. Is that bad? I want to be able to kiss a girl without the word "marriage" rolling around in her head. Well, this is my dilemma. How embarrassing...

#7 Shaving

So, I never use an electric razor. Why? Because they don't give a close enough shave. I will spend quite a chunk of time shaving my face, going against the grain and pulling the skin tight so I can get as close as possible. I always cut my self around the jaw line. It never feels good. I just want a close shave dang it! Then I go two or three days without shaving and repeat. Someone needs to come up with a better system for shaving. Less painful preferably.

The Gym Explaination

First of all. Thanks to everyone who comments on my blog posts. It really helps motivate me to write. I mean, sure- I guess there is the whole therapeutic writing idea, but that just isn't enough to motivate me. I try to comment on other people's blogs for this same reason. People want to know they are being heard right?

Okay, so I bought a membership to Golds Gym (for the next two years) recently. I never considered myself to be what I call a "gym-person." You know the ones. They spend every spare minute at the gym. Well... I'm not spending every spare minute... but like 10 hours a week. There are two reasons for this:

1. I fronted them $500 so that I never have to see a bill for two years
2. My metabolism is finally slowing (i think)

So, the money is a big motivator right now. I want to use that gym as much as a I can to get my penny's worth.

Also, and hopefully this helps explain the pictures, I've been skinny all my life. A long time ago, back in high school, I had a gym membership. It did nothing. No matter what I did I could not gain any weight. This held true for, like, a decade! Well... not including pre-highschool years where the weight I gained was due to growth.

I could eat however much I wanted of anything I wanted and I'd loose a pound. Well folks, I'm here to tell you- those days are over. I believe my metabolism is actually starting to slow. I can still eat as much as I want, but it allows me to put on weight if I want to.

So, I am secretly proud that I am starting to look like more than a bean pole. I mean, I'm still thin, but I am not one of those skin-and-bones people. Eww. Just kidding- I was one of those people for YEARS!

This explains the picture. Normally I wouldn't post a picture that is so posed (I don't even take pictures like this- normally). But I know the only people who read this are close to me, which means I don't care if you make fun of me. Plus... maybe in six months I can take new pictures and it can be like one of those before/after promotions. I just got my membership last week. In six months, I will post another picture. Hmm... I should probably take one in a normal standing position in bad light and no make-up just like the ads. Just kidding... I don't wear make-up, exept for on Halloween. Thought I'd clarify that (kinda have to these days). But I probably should take one with me standing straight... stay tuned.

ps Ten things will continue shortly...

10 Things

So I am putting off my reading for my film history class and I am at work. I decided that I would copy Tyler's lead and write ten unusual or interesting facts about me that most people don't know. This may last a few posts.


#1 Dental Hygiene

I have a strict routine every night before I go to bed. First, I brush my teeth (with toothpaste). Then I floss and use a tongue scraper. Then I brush again, making sure that I brush my tongue and the roof of my mouth (gently). Then I rinse with Listerine. I also have what looks like a pipe-cleaner on a toothbrush handle that I use in between two of my teeth sometimes. Now, the explanation. So, this all started when I was on my mission in Korea. I was going to be in a foreign country for 2 years and I did not want to have to go to the dentist. I also had a feeling that Korean food wasn't particularly good for your teeth (kimchi's acidity is probably pretty high). I couldn't remember if you are supposed to floss before or after you brush. So, to be safe, I brushed before AND after I flossed. It may also have to do with the fact that growing up, I always had cavities. I brushed just as much as any other kid- I just had bad teeth. So now I make sure I brush extremely well so that when the dentist looks at me accusingly I can say- "I floss every night, use Listerine, and brush at least 3 times a day." Mostly I prove to myself that I really couldn't be at fault for any cavities i might have and that it would have to be my bad teeth genes.

#2 Microwave Issues

So, for some reason, when I warm things up in the microwave I have the tendency to punch in a high amount of time, knowing that my food doesn't need to be in that long. Then i just open the microwave when I think it is done. I don't usually bother to hit the "clear" button which really gets to some people. I think I do it out of laziness. Why type in [4] - [5] - [Start] when you can just put [1] and it begins heating for one minute. But now that I think about it- this isn't always the case. Often times I will open the microwave 1 second before it is done because I hate the beeping sound. I have to work really hard to hit the "clear" button so that the clock will be displayed and not "0:01." My old roommate- Eric Badger hated when I didn't clear it.

#3 Stupid Questions

I work at the library at BYU. Not only do I answer reference questions, but I also help with general computer problems and with video/graphics editing. Most of the questions people ask me make me angry. There are three ways that people anger me when they ask me a question.

1. They expect you to do it for them. (i.e. "Can you scan my document for me?")
2. They ask without trying first (i.e. They will ask you to show them how to scan, and you go with them only to find that they haven't even logged onto a computer yet, nor have they bothered to read the "how to scan" instructions on the table.)
3. The question is just plain stupid (i.e. "Can you help me with Adobe?") uhhh... the company?
   

#4 Grocery Spending

I almost never look at how much I spend at the grocery store. Or else, I see it, but don't process it. A lot of times I will get home and think. Hmm... I wonder how much I spent. I think this is because I have accepted that I need food. It is a necessity. I shouldn't feel guilty for buying food. I know what I want/need to eat and I buy it. No reconsideration or second thought necessary. I also never ask for receipts when I am asked "do you want your receipt?" I think I might be starting a bad habit...

How Annoying

So I am taking STAT 221, because I just love statistics. Not really. I actually used to like math and then one day, (I swear it happened over night), I hated math. Anyway, it is a requirement for my business minor. So earlier this week, I sat in front of these girls who talked like the whole class. This really bothers me. I think, "if you are just going to talk the whole time, why come to class and disturb everyone around you- DON'T COME!" Well, I held it in and didn't say anything.

So then today, they end up sitting right in front of me and start chatting away again. I think it is so rude and selfish. I am paying to be there and it is my education too. I lasted about half the class without saying anything. When the teacher started talking about a new concept that I needed to hear though, I couldn't hold back. I asked them if they were planning on talking through the whole class and I left and found a seat far away from them so I could hear. They stopped talking, but it took me a minute before I could regain my focus. So agrivating! Go back to high school where no one takes anything seriously. 

Commentary on Blogger

So there are some new Gadgets that I really like on Blogger. I like the new blogroll because it lists the last time the blogs you read are updated. There are some other gadgets that I don't have that look cool too. I may be changing up my blog a little- so watch out!

One thing I don't like so much is that there are very few templates to choose from. I'm probably ignorant or something though. I'm sure Bruce will tell me that I can find a third-party template and copy the code in somewhere if I were smart enough. That reminds me, if you want to feel smarter- read Bruce's blog frequently.

In other news, I bought a gym membership. I paid it up front and it is a 2 year contract. I don't want to think about it. But, I think I am happy about my decision. I went last night and it was so nice. A good stress release. Plus, I don't have to worry about making payments while enjoying the gym for 2 years. :)

Summer 2008

Summer is long gone, but I kind of took a hiatus and didn't write anything about it. I stayed pretty busy. I often worked 50-60 hours weeks. I also got back into running and, this summer, swimming. I found out that I really enjoy swimming as exercise. Normally I just did it for fun. I went on an awesome white-water rafting trip in Moab and hiked to a lot of the arches in Arches national park. I also went home and stayed at a hotel in Carpenteria/Santa Barbara for a few days. I also bought a car. I guess my approach will be to write more about these things below:

WORK

During the summer I worked at the BYU Library and also doing lighting for EFY. I did a lot of the EFY dances and some of their variety shows and stuff. It wasn't too bad. I was definitely ready for EFY to be over by the end, but I enjoyed creating dance moods/looks and spicing up the lives of the little people.

I got a couple raises at the library, which I am very grateful for. I had to quit my lighting job for the Fall because my library job is so much more compatible with my school schedule. My hours are regular and scheduled and I enjoy the environment.

MOAB

Moab was really cool. I went with my friends Rosalinda and Holly from my ward. We tried to get more people to go, but to no avail. You wouldn't think it would be so hard to get people to go off for a weekend in the summer.

Anyway, we got there the first night and, after driving around to find a camp site, set up our tent (in the dark) and went to sleep. The next morning we got up early to find that we had set up the tent right next to a dead fish and on a layer of sticky tree fuzz. There were a TON of bugs. When we noticed a sign that said $20 a night, we got up, took down camp and booked it. It was not worth that amount of money.

We had to be at the raft tours place by 8 (we were early). The whole day was basically spent rafting down the Colorado River. It was really nice. Fun, exciting, and relaxing. Plus we met cool people along the way. When we weren't going down rapids, we were having water wars with the other rafts. This little girl in our raft had it out for me after I got her brothers wet. She soaked me any chance she got. I spent about half the time in a ducky (inflatable kayak thing).

Me, Rosalinda, and Holly during our lunch break

That night we went into town and went to the little shops. We also found a more suitable campsite (it was free) that was right on the edge of the Colorado River. We built a fire and had amazing foil dinners and smores. There were a lot less bugs here, maybe in part due to the bats that came out at night.

Our tent was just a few feet from the Colorado River

The next morning we got up early and drove up to Arches national park so we could beat the heat of the day. We had tons of fun exploring and hiking to the different arches. We also went and saw some indian rock paintings. The weather wasn't bad at all. It wasn't too hot to handle. We took a ton of pictures and met lots of people. We hiked for probably 5 hours and left around noonish. Then we ate lunch and went to a local river to swim. We had heard that the locals all went swimming there. It was nice. There was a pretty large waterfall and the pools of water where we could swim and cool off.

Photoshop fun- but all the images came from original photos

This is the arch that is on all the Utah
license plates!

Coming around the corner on the way to
see the arch in the photo above

We went exploring in a small canyon of rock.

I took this picture at the beginning of our last hike-
before we knew the pain it would cause

Exploring...

I picture I took in Arches National Park

This is the longest arch in the world- bigger
than the span of a football field

We wanted to do one more hike that was close to our camp. It wasn't in arches national park and so the labeling on the level of difficulty wasn't the same (little did we know). We figured that since the "strenuous" hike in Arches wasn't that bad, this "moderate" hike would be a piece of cake. HA! So we go like we are going to the beach- flip-flops, shorts, one bottle of water. Okay, this hike was forever long. We had to climb through areas of overgrown forest, navigate across a river (multiple times), and sweat on long stretches of shadeless scorching sand, all the while trying to locate the trail we were supposed to be on as it dissapeared in the river or on large rocks and boulders. Holly almost climbed off the edge of a cliff, and rosalinda's feet were a painful, blistery mess. It was fun though. After that we went back to camp and, after being completely dissatisfied with the small amount of HOT water we had left, we went to am/pm and bought armfuls of cold liquids which we all drank in a hurry. We didn't realize how extremely thirsty we were.

We went into town again that night. We ate and went to bed after the exhausting, but exciting day of adventure. We drove back to Provo the next morning.

CALIFORNIA

I went home for a little over a week and a half just before school started up again. It was really nice. The first few days I was just lazy, which I was fine with. It is always good to just hang out with the family and relax. We went to my favorite beach and ate at my favorite restaurants. I also spent quite a bit of time on car lots, which wasn't the highlight of my week, but I bought a 2008 Nissan Sentra and that was cool. I know I got the best deal because I really searched. I spent a lot of time on the decision and I'm happy with what I got.

This is a stock image- But it is the same as my car.

We decided that we wanted to go to Santa Barbara (3.5 hours north of us). What was initially a day trip turned into a 3 day vacation. We stayed at a hotel on the beach in Carpenteria and went to Santa Barbara for the night life. We ate on the pier and walked through the shops and restaurant district. We also went to a botanical garden and hiked around through redwoods streams, rivers, and waterfalls. It was nice. We also went kayaking along the coast which was fun. We didn't take pictures of that unfortunately.

The Family

Stone stairway in the botanical garden

Cool flower picture that my sister took

It was a slice of a Redwood with an explanation of how to read
the tree's age and some other facts on Redwoods. I don't
know why my mom has her arm on it...

A cool bonsai tree

My sister Morgan and Dad

The Pier in Santa Barbra

I went and saw Grandma Adamson and some cousins that live a half and hour south of my parent's house for my birthday. We played gamed and ate cake and ice cream. It was very low key, but fun- I prefer it that way.

So now, I've updated everyone up until about two weeks ago when Fall semester began. YAY!