My day in a nutshell**updated**

Let me tell you about my day, mkay? It started out ok--I had to get to campus early to work on a presentation that we gave as a group at 9:30. Did we get the memo that a report had to be turned in at the same time? No. Then after class, tagging along for the ride, I went with one of the homies so he could sign up for the blood drive. My new mantra of trying new things combined with a wee tiny little guilt trip led to me signing up to donate blood later in the day (never having done it before). Off to class, then back to donate blood.

{Ahem} I got through all the paperwork and they sat me down in the lovely blue chair. Then I started to shake uncontrollably. I looked back at the nice workers eating their lunches and they were looking right back at me with concerned looks. Then the phlebotomist came to mark my veins and I was still shaking. Then she poked me with the needle and I could feel it going into my vein then I went all rigid and I couldn't see anything and suddenly I was surrounded by four nurses and tears were streaming down my face and I was still all rigid and they were trying to recline my chair to relax me and I was having none of it and then they had to force to lay back and I was still all rigid and in quite the state of distress. They wiped my tears away, I kind of relaxed, the nice nurse lady talked to me the whole time and then I left and was late for Spanish class. 

Whoa.

On an entirely different note, here's the quote of the day:

 

**Tonight I decided to watch Legends of the Fall. I made it 45 minutes in and stopped. Have you ever watched it?! It made me physically ill so I shut it off and decided to jam out to some Lifehouse instead--something a little less intense**

One of those mornings

You know the type, they don't come around very often. I woke up, the weather was overcast and dreary, rain was beating against my window, the roommates are both gone, and I had gone to bed in a sad sort of mood. It's a lonely feeling. It makes me feel kinda like this:

That didn't last very long though, don't you worry ;)

So there have been a few developments lately. #1. Spring break! Yeah, buddy! Hello to a clean house, all of my laundry done, and voluntarily going to bed at an indecent hour. Here I think I should mention something, this is the first time since January that any of these things have happened, and it's especially exciting because they are all done in the same day. Whooo!

#2. Birthday present from my mom came in the mail a few days after my birthday. Fujifilm Mini Instax Camera. The new love of my life.

#3. Ran a 10K (RAN, ok jogged, the WHOLE thing. NO walking.) in 1:07.

#4. Dyed my hair back to brown, I was getting over the blonde. Pics to come later.

#5. Borders is going out of business so I went and bought some books on marketing that I've been wanting, kinda nerdy but that's ok, I'm excited ;)

#6. Going back to the mothership this weekend. Sis #1 and mom have VIP tickets to the Pioneer Woman and I'm hangin' out with my papa.

#7. Aaaand I went to Billings to visit Big Sis #2 and the Fiance. Whoo!!! :D

That's about it for now. I already posted a video, so I won't post another one, but here's a quote for y'all:

A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then leave. A soul mate's purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, and make you so desperate and out of control that you have to transform your life.

-Elizabeth Gilbert

Lately

I think it's about time to actually write another post versus just putting up a bunch of pictures. Here's what's happened lately: Big Sis #2 is engaged (Woot!), homework and school are consuming my life without mercy, and I've come to the blunt realization that after August 27 my life literally has no direction. Right. Moving on to bigger issues, I heart my photography class! Now for a real post.

This is a quote from Mad Men that makes me a little bit sad:

"Teddy told me that in Greek, 'nostalgia' literally means the pain from an old wound. It’s a twinge in your heart, far more powerful than memory alone. This device isn’t a spaceship, it’s a time machine. It goes backwards, forwards. It takes us to a place where we ache to go again. It’s not called a wheel, it’s called a carousel. It lets us travel the way a child travels. Round and a round, and back home again. To a place where we know we are loved."

In regards to that, I think the biggest thing to set that off (for me at least) are certain songs. I have a weird habit of liking a song and listening to it over. And over. And over again. Then all of a sudden I get sick of it and don't listen to it again for another 6 months, meaning that song captures with it everything that was going on at the time. Soooo yeah. Songs are a big one.

It kinda sucks though when a really good song gets bad memories associated with it though, eh? For example, in high school there was a boy who would make me mixes and every one of them would have the song "Faithfully" by Journey on it. Now it's ruined. Sad day. 

Music recommendation of the day? I'm gonna go with "Elephant and Castle" by Houston Calls. Jolly-o! That song rocks.

Mondaysssssss....isreallygood.

Here's a nifty quote for y'all! I haven't left one in awhile :) It is from "The Devil and Miss Prym" by Paulo Coelho.

"She had just realized there were two things that prevent us from achieving our dreams: believing them to be impossible or seeing those dreams made possible by some sudden turn of the wheel of fortune, when you least expected it. For at that moment, all our fears suddenly surface: the fear of setting off along a road heading who knows where, the fear of a life full of new challenges, the fear of losing forever everything that is familiar."

Also, for those of you at home keeping score, Kelty: 4 Frozen Pipes: 0. Heck yeah!!! And this video is hilarious. I can't think of any other random stuff to throw in here so I'm gonna go make tacos. Peace out.

Children's Books Rock

HOLA! The quote of the day come from "The Velveteen Rabbit".

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand." 

Whoooooo! True dat.

Johnny Wishes He Was Famous...

Quote of the day for all of you, from Marilyn Monroe:

"This life is what you make it. Not matter what, you're going to mess up sometimes, it's a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you're going to mess it up. Girls will be your friends--they'll act like it anyway. But just remember, some come, some go. The ones that stay with you through everything--they're your true best friends. Don't let go of them. Also remember, sisters make the best friends in the world. As for lovers, well, they'll come and go too. And babe, I hate to say it, most of them - actually pretty much all of them are going to break your heart, but you can't give up because if you give up, you'll never find your soul mate. You'll never find that half who makes you whole and that goes for everything. Just because you fail once, doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don't, then who will, sweetie? So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life's a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about."

Hmm...and the music re-discovery of the day: Gravity by Our Lady Peace (the entire album). Kudos to the song "Innocent" for giving us the title of this post :) By the way, I just figured out how to make text different sizes...did you notice? ;)

Another Dollop of Delight

I really should be writing a paper (earthwork castles. intriguing.), buuut I was distracted. Distracted as in I lost interest in the topic at hand and am trying to stay awake :D I realized that I hadn't left any quotes in awhile, so here you go. It is found in Atlas Shrugged.

“In the name of the best within you, do not sacrifice this world to those who are its worst. In the name of the values that keep you alive, do not let your vision of man be distorted by the ugly, the cowardly, the mindless in those who have never achieved his title. Do not lose your knowledge that man's proper estate is an upright posture, an intransigent mind and a step that travels unlimited roads. Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it's yours.”

-Ayn Rand

Happy Wednesday!

It is a happy Wednesday indeed. Today I went to class, cleaned my room, the weather is getting better (it rained off and on all day, but at least it's not snowing. and I love rain, so...), I'm reading another book, and I finally set up my Skype account so I can talk to people. Yay! The book I'm reading is called "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time". It's written from the perspective of a teenager with...autism, maybe? I'm not sure. Anywho, it is interesting and quite good so far. Nope, I just looked on the back cover and he has Asperger's Syndrome. Back to what I was saying, it is quite good, but I'm only halfway through it, so I hope it ends well.

As for the last book I finished reading ("The Witch of Portobello"), it was not my favorite. Coelho is a great author, but it seemed to me (I'm sorry if you disagree, and if you do, feel free to tell me) that it was just a story glorifying some kind of strange hippie religious movement. The book itself was well-written and was done so with an interesting approach. It was written from the present looking back at events through a series of interviews with the people that know Athena, the main character. The overall concept of HOW it was written was good, but the story was a little too off-kilter for my liking. Would I recommend it? I would have to say...no.

Anywho, as for things that are new. I figured out my schedule for the semester and that's about it. Also today, I discovered the First Presidency Message for the month. They are always good, and this one is especially. I would HIGHLY recommend reading it--there will be a link to it at the end of this post.

Here are some more pictures that I've taken. Once again, captions are under each one.


This is just more of the pedestrianized shopping center next to Eyre Square.



This is my bedroom. When I took this picture I was literally mashed up against my closet door trying to take a picture that would fit everything in it.



This is the other half of my kitchen. On the left side of the picture you can see my bedroom. My bathroom is to the right of my bedroom.

Apparently I can't put in a link to the First Presidency Message. Just go to lds.org and it is on the left side and titled "Hold on a Little Longer" and it is by President Uchtdorf. It is EXCELLENT.

I Have No Idea What to Call this Post. Suggestions?

Congratulations to me! The follower count has DOUBLED since the last post. Hmm...not the most difficult feat, but a good one none the less. In the past couple of days life has been pretty lax. I have drawn some amazing murals with dry erase markers, started to clean my room (and in the process found a bunch of papers from my senior year of high school in chronological order--it was like I was seeing my life played back to me in reverse. weird.), tried my hand at photography, mailed the first package that I have ever sent to a missionary, and attempted to watch some movies.

Ok, so now here's where the detail comes in. Dry erase markers work ridiculously well on mirrors and they DO come off. I tested this. I think this would be a great time to tell my sisters how amazing and wonderful they are and that this is not destructive and causes no lasting damages :D I have been cleaning my room because the previous occupant (you know who you are!!!) left a bunch of stuff here and I need the closet space, so this weekend there is a whole pile of stuff making the trip back to the mothership with me. Also in dealing with my room, I hung up Christmas lights the other day and those puppies are not coming down after Christmas. This is the executive decision that I have made. As far as the photography goes, I found an ancient film camera last time I was home, so I decided to adopt it. Last night I was bored, so I decided to use it. Hmmm....it was fun but the photograph taking skills are definitely lacking on this end. As an added bonus, the film that was in the camera when I started was pretty much done, so when I took it in to be developed I had no idea what would be on it. It was a bunch of pictures of my dad and brother and a whole bunch of horses. Nifty surprise I suppose. The package that I sent was to Little Bro. I had no idea what to get him for Christmas and the idea of a Nerf gun was squashed, so I went with a bunch of disposable Transformers dishes so he could eat in style (oooohhhhhhh!!!!!!!). Good idea, right? Haha :) The movies have a variety of stories. The most recent was "The Education of Charlie Banks". At least I think that's what it was called. I have no idea what was going on for the majority of the movie except a lot of angst.

Also the other night, there was definitely stuff lit on fire. Good times. Take a college education gone slightly askew PLUS the male persuasion PLUS boredom PLUS slight tendencies to burn stuff PLUS a whole stack of papers from the aforementioned college education and what do you get???? A fire in the snow. That is what you get.

On an entirely unrelated note, the best of 2009 mix is finished. At least I think it is. Unless something totally blows my mind within the next couple of days, oozing in pure awesomeness in music form. What this is, is every year during Christmas break I make a totally rad mix of all the songs that I've discovered/re-discovered throughout the year that will rock the socks off anyone that hears them. This is the third year that I've done this and the previous two have been good, so I hope this one is too. BUT, I have to work in the morning and turn in the rest of the paperwork for studying abroad. WHOO HOOOOOO! So off I go, but before I do, I haven't left any delightful quotes in awhile, so here is one from the wonderfully nostalgic Winnie the Pooh:

"If there is ever a tomorrow we're not together...there is something you must always remember, you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart I'll always be with you."

This isn't a downer quote. It is delightful :)

No School Tomorrow? Yes, Please!

Since this was the case on this glorious evening, what was I to do? I know. Grab a friend and have a lightsaber battle, of course! One small hitch. We only had one lightsaber. Off to WalMart we go on a quest. Luck of all luck! What was across the aisle from the Star Wars gear? Foam swords. Five minutes later, the store was fresh out of these foam swords and we were hatching a plan. It involved a note ("Let's BATTLE"), ringing a doorbell and hiding. A battle pursued and the night became a success.

Onto a different topic, the weekend was a good one. I went dancing, got a shiny new toy (Merry Christmas early to me--I'll get to this later), the Cat/Griz football game that I dutifully slept through, homework, Moulin Rouge 1 1/2 times in one night, church, a delightful afternoon not doing much, and polished it off with watching "Garden State". AND THEN waking up late this morning, almost missing the campus tour I give every Monday morning. Oh boy. First of all, the shiny new toy is an iPod touch. It is freakin' sweet. It was given to me by a friend as an apology and a conglomerate Christmas/New Years/Valentine's Day/Birthday/St. Patrick's Day present. I ended up watching the wonderful workings of Mr. Ewan McGregor pretty much twice in one night for no real reason. It ended, then we went back to a scene near the beginning to watch ONE song and ended up watching it until the end.

Also this weekend, an interesting concept was brought up--time. I was told that time is only a mortal function to force us to make choices. Interesting. The things that we love and have the biggest impacts on us are the places to which we can never return. Think about it, I graduated less than three years ago and already the high school that I attended is no longer the same place that helped me grow and learn. The people are different, the role I occupy is different, teachers have been replaced, and it has now become the playing field for an entirely new crowd of students. Life keeps on trucking along, whether we want it to or not. In this life, we have to decide what choices we want to make and what enterprises we can leave by the wayside. The choices we make define who we are and what the future holds in store for each of us. By prioritizing, we embrace the things that mean the most to us and make the most of the time we have here. To help emphasize my point, there was a quote in "Garden State" that captures it quite well:

"You know that point in your life when you realize the house you grew up in isn't really your home anymore? All of a sudden even though you have some place where you put your stuff, that idea of home is gone. You'll see one day when you move out it just sort of happens one day and it's gone. You feel like you can never get it back. It's like you feel homesick for a place that doesn't even exist. Maybe it's like this rite of passage, you know. You won't ever have this feeling again until you create a new idea of home for yourself, you know, for your kids, for the family you start, it's like a cycle or something. I don't know, but I miss the idea of it, you know. Maybe that's all family really is. A group of people that miss the same imaginary place."

It is a little depressing, but it captures the general message of what I'm trying to convey.

And one more thing. I've always really liked dancing the rain, jumping in big, cold, muddy puddles, and running through sprinklers and I think I've just discovered why. They are cold. I actually hate being cold--I am a huge fan of blankets, sweaters, leg warmers, boots, jackets, scarves and anything that aids against chilly Montana weather. Why I like getting drenched and cold and dripping wet so much is that it is one of the only times that things seem to be in an absolute state. Being out in the torrential weather has a few perks--it:

1. heightens my awareness that I actually am alive and functioning as a human being (versus spending all day inside in class, at work, or doing homework. blah.)

2. makes everything outside look cleaner and fresher, and finally

3. releases tension. I know that sounds weird, but let me explain. The moments in my life that capture the essence of what makes me tick are when all of the stress, worry and tension that have been built up disappear. This comes on suddenly when I am able to put things in perspective and realize that everything that is causing me to get all worked up are small issues or happenings and that I can handle it. It also helps that I realize that in a few days (a week at most) I probably won't even remember the issue at hand. I know that these reasons sound strange, but I figure that everyone has quirky little things that work for them, right? Yes. Exactly.

So, I hope this has been enlightening to you all (and if not enlightening, I hope you at least made it though without losing interest--if that is the case, you probably won't be reading these last few lines anyway ;) ). I will now leave you with a sweet music recommendation. Anberlin. Enough said. Noches!

Snowman Construction and Fancy Dresses

So...yesterday was not quite as productive as I hoped it would have been. I did some yoga and got very sick in the process, played dress-up, went to lunch with a friend, studied, completely finished moving Older Sis out of her house, studied for a test, acquired an aquarium complete with fish, and watched Austin Powers. Looking at that list, I think I've changed my mind about yesterday's productivity level. Also yesterday, while playing dress-up, I borrowed a dress from a friend for a dance this weekend. This sucker is sweet--a periwinkle blue lace party dress from the 40s. It is amazing.

On a different note, in the past 12 hours it's snowed about a foot. I would usually not be very happy about this, but today started out well. I got home late last night when it had just started to snow. Knowing this, I parked under the carport and when I went to leave this morning, BLAMO, no snow on my car. Good thinking on my part. Today I have big plans for building a snowman--'tis the season.

Here is the delighful quote/monologue of the day; it is from "The Picture of Dorian Gray":

"Live! Live the wonderful life that is in you! Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for new sensations. Be afraid of nothing...With your personality there is nothing you could not do. The world belongs to you for a season...The moment I met you I saw that you were quite unconscious of what you really are, of what you really might be. There was so much in you that charmed me that I felt that I must tell you something about yourself. I thought how tragic it would be if you were wasted."

Jolly-good!

This has Been a Long Week...and It's Only Tuesday

First of all, I am on Stumble right now and found the World Clock (http://www.shambles.net/worldclock/worldclock.swf) and the abortion rate is over HALF the rate of the world population growth--simply put, more than 1 in 3 babies are being aborted. This is a cause for concern. Moving on, Older Sis is doing well, she's out of the hospital; however, she is in Denver. She and the little guy had to be flown down there on Sunday because he stopped breathing on his own so now he is hooked up to a respirator and ventilator that are 1. Helping him breathe and 2. Teaching him how to breathe on his own. He is doing well, considering all of this.

Here's the deal, I've been uber stressed to the point that I can't eat, can barely sleep, and I've developed a slight twitch (I'm being serious, clicky pens are horrible for me right now--no bueno). I've handled it pretty well so far, except for Sunday. During church I had to leave and go sit in the gym. Someone came out to check on me and I broke down and started crying. Other than that, life has been good and I'm REALLY excited for the day off tomorrow. I think I need a break, unfortunately I think I just might work all day--funding for me is lacking slightly at the moment.

What else has happened recently???? Star Wars party Saturday night, Ironman on Sunday night, moving party last night and a whole lotta homework. Yippy skippy. I've also started to read "The Picture of Dorian Gray"--it's pretty good so far. Anywho, that's all for now.

P.S. Concerning one of my previous posts about self-discovery, this quote from Mr. Oscar Wilde sums it up quite well: The reason I will not exhibit this picture is that I am afraid that I have shown in it the secret of my own soul.

...and Back to the Dino Suits

Yeah, buddy! The dino suit is becoming reality. Today my boss and 4 of the 6 kids came down with the oinker. That's right-swine flu. Needless to say, I did not go to work (eventually I did, but was no where near any of the infected). So what was I to do, how was I to proceed? Halloween is in less than 2 weeks, so I made a quick trip to JoAnn's. 5 1/2 yards of fleece, 1 zipper, 1 pattern (for $.99 regularly $9.95, score!), and 2 packages of elastic later, I was set. Tonight when I got home, I went to work. This is the first costume of any difficulty I have ever attempted to sew and I must say thus far it is successful. All I have left to do are the feet and the head. Sweet.

I also had a test today. I didn't really study for it at all. I hope it ends up ok. Other than that, nothing new and exciting here. I AM HALFWAY THROUGH THE SEMESTER. That's exciting. That's all I've got for now, so I'll leave you with a text that Nelson Mandela made famous, but did not write:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear
is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness,
that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?
Actually who are we not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people
won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine as children do.
We were born to make manifest
the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And when we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

- Marianne Williamson

P.S. 10 points to the first person to leave a comment naming the movie quoted somewhere in this post, not including anything in the poem by M.W.

I'm Over It, But in The Mean Time...

Hmmmm.....how to start. Random observation of the day: I'm pretty sure Montana is the only place where it is possible to see a kid riding a long board, snow on the ground, icy sidewalks, and wearing Carhartt pants. Oh yeah. We rock. Over the weekend I had to write an essay and finally finished around 8 a.m. this morning. Also in good news, the semester is almost half way over! Next week will be the marker. What a weird sort of semester this has been and it has been going by SUPER fast! I am already tired of the snow, but did just make a delightful pan of hot cocoa..from scratch. This is pretty much the extent of my cooking skills besides the amazing fry bread that I whip up on occasion. So, this is where I leave you to ponder. 'Ponder on what' you may ask, I will tell you. This is the Gettysburg Address. The first line is famous, but surprisingly few people have actually read the whole thing. It's good stuff. Enjoy!

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

-Abraham Lincoln, November 19, 1863

By the way, the title for this post comes from the song "Push Me Away" by the Last Goodnight. It is amazing and has been playing on my iTunes for the past couple days.

Wowza. Hello, October.

Here's the deal. I had an uber busy week--group projects due, tests, studying, snow (lame), people randomly leaving stuff inside my house (I'll get to this later), and all of the other wonderfulness that comes with being a college student. However, regardless of all of this, tonight is the biggest thing that's happened to me since...I actually don't know what. Wisdom teeth removal last Christmas maybe? Who knows. Anyway, about six months or a year ago I decided that I wanted to study abroad. I decided on Ireland and I turned in my application last week. I got the acceptance (heck yes. acceptance) letter back today. I went to Midnight Mania on campus, then watched a movie, then came home. I got the letter at precisely 3:34 a.m. I called someone (oh yes, someone) at 3:35 a.m. to tell them the news. We are celebrating tomorrow night after an ugly-sweater-themed quadruple date (set up by an ex-boyfriend. awkward?). As of right now I am quite torn. I've finally started to figure things out on the homefront and now I have the opportunity to live abroad in IRELAND for six months? Oh geez. This will take some pondering.

Onto random people coming to my house when I'm not home. Monday: Service project for church involving picking up apples. Three guys ended up with seven bags of apples and decided that I desperately needed them. They came to my house, no one was home but the front door was unlocked, they came in and put them in the fridge. The next morning I actually got stuff out of the fridge and never noticed the huge bag. Wow. How observant of me. Tuesday: One of my friends came to my house and my roommate let him in. He left a bouquet of flowers, a card, and a box of chocolates on my bed. Hmmm......complicates things. Wednesday: The aforementioned ex-boyfriend that set up the quadruple date left a sizable box of potatoes in my kitchen. He was also let into my house by my roommate. For clarification purposes, he and his roommates randomly ended up with 200 pounds of potatoes, so they are currently trying to give them away. Or leave them places.

Oh goodness gracious. It is 4:12 in the morning and I have to write a 5-15 page paper tomorrow. I have not done the research, nor started it in any way. In addition to this, I have an assignment using Accel due tomorrow night and I had no idea this said assignment even existed until about 6:30 p.m. this evening. So, here I leave you. Scratch that. This first: "I, being poor, have only my dreams. I have spread my dreams under your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams." Nifty little quote, eh? From the movie "Equilibrium" a.k.a. the movie we watched tonight. It is excellent and I would highly recommend it.

Procrastinating Sounds Like a Good Idea Given the Alternative

So, my friends, all hope is not lost. Today I had some big plans for doing homework. These plans were interrupted by a certain guitar-wielding young man and I couldn't be happier about it. I had a delightful day that led to a strangely enjoyable early morning that involved Lean Pockets and watching "Home Improvement" for a few solid hours. Yep. My Saturday in a nutshell. Holy guacamole... :) That's about all I've got for now. Other than this. This is a monologue given in "Good Will Hunting". It's not reflective of anything in my life right now, but it's still pretty sweet. Enjoy!

"...So if I asked you about art, you'd probably give me the skinny on every art book ever written. Michelangelo, you know a lot about him. Life's work, political aspirations, him and the pope, sexual orientations, the whole works, right? But I'll bet you can't tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You've never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling; seen that. If I ask you about women, you'd probably give me a syllabus about your personal favorites. You may have even been laid a few times. But you can't tell me what it feels like to wake up next to a woman and feel truly happy. You're a tough kid. And I'd ask you about war, you'd probably throw Shakespeare at me, right, "once more unto the breach dear friends." But you've never been near one. You've never held your best friend's head in your lap, watch him gasp his last breath looking to you for help. I'd ask you about love, you'd probably quote me a sonnet. But you've never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable. Known someone that could level you with her eyes, feeling like God put an angel on earth just for you. Who could rescue you from the depths of hell. And you wouldn't know what it's like to be her angel, to have that love for her, be there forever, through anything, through cancer. And you wouldn't know about sleeping sitting up in the hospital room for two months, holding her hand, because the doctors could see in your eyes, that the terms "visiting hours" don't apply to you. You don't know about real loss, 'cause it only occurs when you've loved something more than you love yourself. And I doubt you've ever dared to love anybody that much. And look at you... I don't see an intelligent, confident man... I see a cocky, scared kid. But you're a genius. No one denies that. No one could possibly understand the depths of you."

Another Day in the Neighborhood

Here I am, sitting at work. I should be studying for a test I have next week, but I have a raging head cold, so I figure I won't retain anything, right? Right. Excellent plan. While I do have a nasty bout of sinus congestion, etc., etc., as luck would have it, last night the electricity went out forcing me to go bed early, which has helped. Anywho, to keep avoiding studying for the aforementioned test, I am posting a speech that I found while Stumbling (http://www.stumbleupon.com/). It you've never used this, when you get bored, give it a shot. You will be entertained for hours. Kurt Vonnegut gave this speech as the commencement address for MIT in 1997. Here it is, enjoy! :)

"Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '97:

Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary.
Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen."