seriously

i <3 DC

2009-06-07T21:33:00.007-06:00

I just got back from a trip to my favorite US city so I thought I'd share a little bit about why I love Washington DC. The first thing I loved about being in DC was being with my old friend, Barbara, and her husband, but I got home without any pictures proving we spent any time together at all. We totally did, though. Really good times.

My brain hurts
After a couple of hours walking the city and perusing museums, one thing is clear. Your feet hurt. I love the walking. The weather was gorgeous and as you walk down the streets you just kind of wonder who else might have walked there yesterday or a hundred years ago. You look one way and there's the White House and another way and there's the Capitol building and all sorts of other important places. People are busy, probably not even noticing how much history is happening right on their doorstep. So the walking is something you have to do when you're in DC.

What I didn't expect as much was how much my brain would hurt from taking in so much information. I really love the American History museum. Right now there is a lot of focus on Abraham Lincoln all over DC because it's the 200th anniversary of his birth. So there's this whole exhibit about him, including the politics of the time and who he was and what he did for this country. They have some posters with clips from his inaugural addresses, which are pretty incredible.

I learned a lot I never knew about the Civil War and our 16th president. Between that and the Price of Freedom exhibit chronicling all of the American wars, I must admit I started feeling a little overloaded with information. Not enough to quit the museum, just enough to need a dose of the frivolity also offered by this museum, including a display housing Archie Bunker's chair, Dorothy's ruby slippers, Muhammad Ali's robe, and these fun characters:

Of course the serious displays have their moments of giving your brain a break, too. Like this little tidbit from World War II about how they made mittens with trigger fingers for the freezing soldiers in Eastern Europe in the winter:

Two other notable displays in this museum: The house built in the 1700s that was taken from Ippswich, Massachusetts in the 90s because it was about to be demolished and the townspeople thought Smithsonian might want it, so they moved the house and placed it in the museum to tell the stories of the 15 families that lived there, including colonial settlers, abolitionists, and the family of a World War II soldier. It's a pretty cool display because it's not about anybody who has gone down in history--just normal people living their lives and trying to do something good for the world. The other is of course the Star Spangled Banner. They have a new display for the flag that was left waving after the Battle of Baltimore in the war of 1812 and inspired the words for our national anthem. It's pretty moving.

I bet you never knew...
There are so many bits of information in DC that you probably never knew you were missing. Many such morsels can be found in the ever-popular Postal Museum. Okay, I lied about it being popular. To be honest, I didn't actually see anyone else in the museum the whole time I was there, but that was a welcome change from the mobs of youngsters in matching t-shirts at the Museum of Natural History. I guess most people aren't that interested in mail, but I find it fascinating. And I bet you never knew that the postal system is single-handedly responsible for the revolution, the democratic system as we know it, and the economic growth of this country. Oh, and also the postal system has protected the American people from countless terrorist attacks. It's true. Just ask them. Seriously, though, there are a lot of cool things to learn about the postal system. Like how Benjamin Franklin was the first Postmaster General, which created quite a coup because the guy who actually came up with the idea for an American system (William Goddard) was overlooked for the position. This was one of the things that the American colonists did to assert their independence from Britain, even before the Declaration of Independence. The British government was all about reading the mail and controlling the information that people received and the goal in America was to give people real information (at this point the newspapers were also delivered by mail, so Britain wouldn't be able to control the news either) and help them communicate with each other. Now you know why they are responsible for our freedom. :) Anyway, I'm sure this information is far more interesting to me than anyone else (as evidenced by the volume of visitors to the museum), but there was also a lot of information about how the routes developed over time. I will spare the details, but one interesting bit was on this little placard:

I just thought it was interesting to note the crossover between American history and the history of the Mormon Saints. Their establishments and the subsequent railroad that followed their path actually helped the settlement of Americans across the west. Of course, not all information about the Mormons is entirely accurate...one of my favorites was this label underneath a picture of Brigham Young hanging in the National Portrait Gallery:

In case you can't read that from my awesome cell phone camera, it says "Brigham Young: The Mormon Pope." I bet you never knew that, either.

I bet you never knew that Norman Rockwell did a portrait of Richard Nixon.

Or maybe you did. But I bet you never knew that the viral and t-shirt famous picture of Obama that we have all seen over and over:

is actually painted on a paper mache canvas of newpapers. It's really quite striking to see, especially since this guy wasn't commissioned to paint it or anything. This picture shows the detail a little bit:

You might wish you didn't know
The National Archives are also incredibly cool. To see those documents (The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and the Bill of Rights) is really something special.

But the whole point of the National Archives is to tell you just how much information is archived. I mean, it's great to realize on the one hand that pretty much everything that ever happens in this country is documented and filed somewhere, and just a little creepy on the other hand. There is a room there that is seriously fascinating, because it houses all of these letters from random people to the presidents of the United States. There is one from a 12-year-old Fidel Castro to Roosevelt, and many serious diplomatic letters, but the best ones are the ones from kids with great requests, like this one about Elvis Presley's sideburns:

Or this one from a 7th grader requesting national funds for his room declared by his mother to be a "national disaster area"

And this one from a "disgusted" physical education student

From the history of the birth control pill to the invention of Kevlar (bet you didn't know a woman did that!), from an exhibit to all we can learn from human bones to a walk through a butterfly garden, you seriously can't be disappointed by this city. Dusk at the World War II memorial after seeing "Night at the Museum" inside the Smithsonian, a Tom Stoppard Play at the Folger Shakespeare theater and spontaneous "concerts" on the way into the Metro. If you haven't been, you must go. When you do, take me with you! I love DC!

my college reunion

2009-05-07T21:05:00.007-06:00

No, they didn't plan anything. There was no crazy huge party with lots of drunk people in dresses. There were no black and gold balloons. Just four women ten years later remembering a lot of good times together.

Ten years ago last December I graduated from college. Three and a half years before that, I started the incredible journey. Those are days to remember. It's funny because when I think back to my college days it always makes me smile. I think about these friends
and all of the fun things we did together, it just makes me happy. When I look at my journals, though, it turns out that it was just life with it's ups and downs and issues. It makes me happy to think that what I took away was the good from all of these experiences.

Like dressing up as Janis Joplin for a theatre class lip sync or as Barbie and the Rockers for a crazy Croatian Halloween party in Chicago

Or living in the scariest dorm on the planet, Meredith Hall, Home. Seriously, though, how many people can say they evacuated their dormitory for both a fire and a bomb threat in the same semester? Or had a legitimately psychologically disturbed person living next door to them that always thought someone was trying to kill her? Or didn't have air conditioning in 110 degree humid Indiana heat? Or had a roommate that lived on BET? Or literally shared the space of a closet with another human being and all their stuff? We really laughed a lot!

Then
Now

It seriously hasn't changed AT ALL!!

Or how about eating out at our favorite restaurant every time someone had a birthday, which was pretty much the only time we subsisted on anything but packaged noodles and cereal? Don Pablos was the place. It was pretty much the only restaurant in town. We went back and I have to say the food wasn't everything I remembered it to be, but it was sure a great time.
We wandered all over campus and drove around to our favorite places, including the houses and apartments where we spent so much time.

We caught up on what has happened in everybody's lives since the weddings and graduations
And mostly we just enjoyed the memories of a time that has been burned in our memories as wonderful and transformative and fun. I am so grateful for these people that helped me figure out who I was and made me feel loved and interesting and important.

calling for pictures

2009-02-11T00:36:00.002-07:00

So I mentioned in my new years post that there was a chance I lost hard drive number two but Jon was trying to fix it for me. He was unsuccessful. So the sad truth of my life is that unless I have emailed it to anyone, I have no pictures and no documents from basically the last 8 years. So I'm asking for anyone who has proof that I was ever a brunette or that I ever did anything fun or interesting in the last 8 years to help me out by sending it on over. Meanwhile, I just don't take pictures any more. Which makes for a pretty boring blog.

lost again

2009-01-21T23:56:00.004-07:00

OOPS I FORGOT TO POST THIS LAST WEEK...

So I've only ever had 11 posts, so it seems sad to return to the topic of one already, but LOST is back and it didn't disappoint. So here are my top ten most favorite things about this show (WARNING**SPOILERS**DON'T READ ON IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THE SEASON PREMIERE).

NUMBER ONE: The fact that I get to share it with all my pals and a blender full of pina coladas. Don't judge us for wishing they had real rum in them. But seriously, the party is great fun! We miss Bek for sure though and her yoga moves in the corner and making us stop at crucial parts to go to the bathroom.

NUMBER TWO: Sawyer with his shirt off. I mean, I don't know why he thought he needed a shirt for all that time traveling in the first episode.

NUMBER THREE: The way that this show answers every question you have by creating another question.

NUMBER FOUR: The way you feel like lots of things are happening but really nothing has happened at all.

NUMBER FIVE: There are no one-dimensional characters on this show. Just when you think you've got someone figured out, they show some side of themselves you never expected to see

NUMBER SIX: I love that Carlton Cuse hinted during the recap episode before the premiere that Jin's not dead. I never let him go.

NUMBER SEVEN: All the twists and turns that keep you guessing and googling. Tonight we used imdb.com to determine that the lady at the end of the episode has, in fact, been in a previous episode. She was in the one where Desmond travels through time to meet Daniel at Oxford. There should be some good things coming with all of that.

Well, this is clearly not a blog of someone who is overthinking anything at midnight. Underthinking perhaps. But I'm happy the show is back so I just thought I'd say it.

Things I (should have) learned in 2008

2009-01-03T22:17:00.006-07:00

Top ten things I've learned in 2008.

Number 10: I have learned that I'm not a very good blogger. Perhaps I'm more self-conscious than I think I am. I'm not sure I have anything all that interesting to say. Plus, my camera is on the fritz and I find the whole process of picture-taking a little sad since I lost so many pictures on my computer this year. I'm scrapbooking (in the least crafty sense of the word) my college days and then all of the pictures from my childhood. That's right. Forget digital photography. I'm sticking with the old-school. Anyway, blogs without pictures are like movies without kissing. But I'm going to try to learn in 2009 how to be a better blogger, mostly for the sake of remembering that it's fun to spout off and say things that are interesting to me, even if they aren't to anybody else.

Number 9: I've learned that being a homeowner is both amazing and expensive. I really love my home. I loved making it my own and I love having people into it. I love taking care of it, although if it weren't so expensive already, I'd probably hire someone to clean it for me, especially the bathrooms. Seriously, what does one person need with 3 bathrooms? And if I don't use them, I don't have to clean them, right? Anyway, it's totally worth it.

Number 8: I've learned that the teenagers I work with have way more interesting dating lives than I do. I guess I already knew this, and I guess it doesn't really take much to have a more interesting dating life than I do, but somehow my ways do NOT rub off on them. At least it allows for some vicarious living.

Number 7: I've learned that a really horrible scraping sound upon trying to stop your vehicle means you need new brakes. And that these are the times when it is particularly advantageous to have a man around. I'd like to thank Jon and my dad for fixing said brakes and Toyota for creating a vehicle that can stand up to the likes of me.

Number 6: Speaking of my car, I've learned that texting while driving is dangerous. This bumper is evidence of sheer stupidity. I mean, if you saw how this happened, you would think my brain shut off momentarily or something. I am pleased to announce, however that this is something that I have LEARNED, not just that I should have learned. So if you text me and I call you back instead of texting, consider it a nod to my safety and that of the motorists and pedestrians around me. I am done texting while driving.

Number 5: I have learned that living alone is mostly wonderful. I choose the temperature at all times (my apologies to all my guests who are generally freezing. at least I have good blankets). I never go to the fridge expecting something to be there only to find it gone. I have full control of the remote. If there's a mess, I made it. I can have people over whenever I want for as long as I want. I can take up the whole garage. Nobody cares if or when I come home. Of course, that's the downfall, too. I do miss the good times with my fabulous roommate of a lot of years, and I wouldn't mind sharing this place with some handsome guy. But for now, this works.

Number 4: I have learned that it's okay to relax. Yeah, this one is still a work in progress, but I'm generally a little less of a workaholic this year than I was last year. I've gotten better at delegating and letting things go. This year, I am going on a real vacation in another country.

Number 3: I have learned that vacationing with small children is difficult. My hat's off to all you bloggers out there who do this. I mean, vacationing with kids is barely vacationing at all. Your whole schedule has to be planned around them. You spend at least half of your time preparing meals and cleaning up. But then they throw their arms around you or say something hilarious or just give you a killer smile and you feel grateful you got to spend some time with them, even if it doesn't really feel like a vacation.

Number 2: I should have learned by now to back up all of my files. Remember the previously-blogged-about incident with my hard drive? Many of the pictures that I didn't lose, I didn't lose because they were backed up on my ancient Dell laptop. Heaven forbid I would have learned to back up THOSE files with some other external device. Yes, that's right, my Dell hard drive has officially bitten the dust as well, taking with it the rest of my pictures and everything I have written for the past 10 years worth keeping. My computer-savvy brother-in-law, Jon is trying to retrieve the data for me using special Jedi mind tricks or something. Fingers crossed.

Number 1: Finally, I have learned, and I probably should have known this sooner, that this is the section of my life that's all about teenagers. With a calling in the Young Women's, my church and work lives have rounded out to being about having these magnificent young people in my life and having some responsibility for their lives and their progress right now. I can only trust that this is what I'm meant to be doing right now. That there are things that I can share with them now that will help them. But mostly I'm convinced that there are things that I can learn right now from these great kids that will help me, too. They teach me about pressing forward. They teach me about love. They teach me about give and take.

2008 was a great year. I'm excited for 2009. (First lesson of 2009--don't ever try to take down your live Christmas tree by yourself. If only there had been someone else there to take pictures of the compromising positions I found myself in. Four hours of vacuuming and picking needles out of my underwear--seriously--and actually the lesson is to buy an artificial tree)

ode to my mom

2008-10-19T20:26:00.005-06:00

So it's my mom's birthday tomorrow, October 20, and I most definitely couldn't live without her, so here's a little post in her honor. I won't say how old she is this year but I'm 31 so she's at least older than that, and she looks fabulous.
But she's more than just beauty...

She's not afraid to attempt a variety of awesome hairstyles and fashion choices. I know these photos are pretty classic, but the truth is that my mom has always been a great example of figuring out how to make herself and her kids look great even on a really tight budget. She showed us how to be thrifty and still feel good about ourselves. She also always got us awesome presents for birthdays and Christmas (evidence #1: the amazing see through phone in the final hair picture. That was probably my 14th birthday and I had that phone all the way through college)

She loves coming up with really incredible ideas for family Christmas card pictures. But the creativity doesn't end there. When my mom has a great idea, she'll stop at nothing to see it through. Whether it's a year's worth of work to create the perfect girls' camp or youth conference, or an afternoon putting together an exquisite dining experience right in her own home, a thoughtful birthday surprise party or a beautiful bulletin board, gathering fun holiday decorations for her grown children's homes or thinking of a great topic for a family email conversation, my mom's mind is always buzzing with new ways to enhance the lives of everyone around her.

My mom, despite being incredibly organized and somehow managing to have a perfectly cleaned kitchen even when she's just made a 5 course meal, is very FUN! She made sure we all learned how to snowski, waterski, hike, bike, swim, and play as much as possible. If there is a fun family activity out there, my mom has found it and given us all the chance to try it. She and my dad planned incredible vacations and somehow had the gumption to load 5 kids in a car and tool all over everywhere.

Finally (just for the purposes of this blog since there is much much more I could say) my mom is incredibly compassionate. She has always listened to us whenever we had anything we wanted to say. She is the absolute best person to have around when you are sick because she takes such great care of you. She can always just sense when someone needs a phone call or a visit or a special gift and when she has one of those senses, she follows through. She loves her kids more than anything in life and would do anything she could for all of us. And she's the most amazing grandma! This little guy in particular is practically the president of her fan club.

So here's to my beautiful, generous, creative, fun, compassionate mother. I love you! Happy Birthday!

some commercials are really stupid

2008-09-03T23:41:00.004-06:00

The truth is that I don't actually watch that many commercials any more, what with the most wonderful invention of DVR. But sometimes it can't be helped, and in those cases, these are a few of the commercials I could definitely live without.

1. Zyrtec time in a bottle ad. It really bothers me when that lady says, "it should say that on the bottle: ingredients: 2 hours you didn't have." Think about it. IF Zyrtec gives you 2 hours you didn't have (and that's a strange concept in itself), then it shouldn't be on the ingredients list, but the effects list. Thanks for trying, Zyrtec.

2. Cash4Gold. Are these people so hard up to find people to promote their product that all they could find was that old woman with the crazy lipstick--"I had no idea my gold jewelry was worth so much!"? And seriously who feels okay about sending their valuables to some random company and expecting a return on it?

3. Enzyte. If anybody likes to watch SVU on USA on weeknights, then you have probably seen this commercial. I hate these commercials almost as much as the corresponding spam I get in my inbox. But what I really don't understand is why Santa is selling it? In September? Seriously.

I do apologize for subjecting all viewers to these commercials. Hoooooorraaay for DVR!!!

little blessings

2008-08-25T22:49:00.004-06:00

So I know I didn't post for a long time and now twice in one week, but I had to tell this story. A couple of weeks ago, I got a card in the mail from Adam and Karlie for my birthday. There was a check and a note that they hoped it could go to my bike fund.

I am ashamed to say that somehow the card fell out of my car, so I was a little sad that I lost it, but I hadn't really thought about it lately.

So today I got my mail and I found this envelope with a strange non-existent return address.

I opened the envelope, and there, envelope and all, was my card from Karlie and the check intact.

But that wasn't all. There was this adorable little note and $3 cash.

Seriously. I can't believe people like Pat still exist. She didn't even give me her address so I could send her a thank you. I told Rebekah about it tonight and she said that Pat probably thought I was a little kid since most adults don't have bike funds for their birthday. Well, whatever she thought, she did a good deed. Amazing. If any of the seven people who read my blog know Pat from Tooele, tell her I said thanks for making my day and helping me buy a ten-speed. :)

summer concerts

2008-08-24T23:09:00.006-06:00

So one thing that I'd really rather not live without is live music. I definitely don't get enough of it in my life, but I did get to go to two great concerts this summer. The first, I am NOT ashamed to admit, was the American Idol concert. If you didn't watch the show this year, you missed out on some incredible talent. This year's concert featured each of the top ten singers doing at least 3 songs. They were all terrific, with the exception of Ramiele, who wasn't that great, but they were all also really adorable. David Archuleta was the fan favorite here in SLC since he's from here, so it was a little ridiculous how everyone reacted to him, but he really is incredible. Chikeze started off the show with a shoutout to all us folks in Salt Lake, or as they like to call it, "Archietown," which got a great reaction, but the moment of the night went to Michael Johns, the awesome Aussie who seriously rocked Queen, who after his first number said he was hot and took off his jacket to reveal an "I voted for David Archuleta" t-shirt. Classic. Personally, my favorite idol was David Cook, who beat Archuleta in the final, but the teenaged girl I went with is a major Archie fan, so we showed our colors and had a blast!

The second concert was Martina McBride, which I went to see with Melanie. Martina is seriously one of the best voices I have ever heard in real life. She is incredible. She sang all of my favorite songs, and we had a fabulous time, singing along, consuming extremely overpriced concessions, and watching the middle-aged couple across the lawn grope each other.

Anyway, good times this summer! I'm watching for the next great concert. If anyone needs someone to go with, let me know!

Loss

2008-07-23T23:32:00.005-06:00

Something I could definitely do without is loss. It seems to be a theme lately. Both of the girls I've been working with at work for the last 9 months are getting ready to graduate. I'd love to post a picture to prove how cute they are and how sad it is that they're leaving, but that would be a horrible breach of confidentiality so you'll just have to take my word for it. Next week is the saddest loss for me right now because my sister Rachael and her family are moving away to Pittsburgh for dental school. I can totally prove how cute they are.

How will I get on without them? I don't know. Plus Chelsea is moving back to Illinois after teasing me with a summer of her presence. I can also prove how cute she and Ben are.

The latest in the string of losses, besides a good friend who is moving to California is the loss of my hard drive. So two years ago I became a mac person.

I have loved my little macbook up until last week when out of nowhere it crashed and my hard drive was completely wiped out.

So I took my computer into the technician at the simply mac store, where they told me he might get to it by Friday. When I hadn't heard anything by Monday, I decided to call the store. No one answered, so I left a message and received a message back basically saying "hey, i looked at your computer and your hard drive is fried so I ordered you a new one. I 'll call you tomorrow when I've got it installed."

Apparently they don't run these guys through sensitivity training. I mean, I've really been searching for empathy the past few days once I found out for sure that everything on my hard drive was irretrievable, and there seems to be a level of universal understanding that this is a really horrible thing. I mean, I had a lot of pictures and a lot of documents that are lost forever. That's a pretty big deal.

After Joe (that was his name) told me for sure on Tuesday that my hard drive was not only fried but that he had gone ahead and sent it off to mac in order to get me a new one so if I wanted to give it to someone to try to retrieve the data I wouldn't be able to do it, I went back to my office and had a good cry. I told the girls I was too depressed to do therapy. Then I did therapy anyway. Let's be honest, I can't help myself. Anyway, I went back to the store to pick up my sad empty little laptop and I was lamenting at the desk when I picked it up. This was the conversation.

Me: "man, this is really sad" (trying not to cry again)
Devin (or whatever the desk guy's name was): "at least it's fixed."
Me: "but I lost a lot of stuff"
Devin: "maybe next time you'll back it up"
Me: pound Devin over the head with my laptop.

Okay, so I didn't pound anyone, but I really wanted to. Seriously, if you read this blog and you ever have to give someone the bad news that 2 years of their life has been lost (okay, I'm being slightly dramatic here), a "wow, I'm really sorry" would be appropriate. I'm just saying.

So that's it. I love LOST but I hate loss. There you have it.

tiny greg

2008-07-07T23:50:00.003-06:00

So this shouldn't be an official post for me but I just have to respond to Tammy's awesome Fourth of July post with this picture from Labor day almost three years ago so as to prove that Greg doesn't learn his lesson easily since he basically has the same church outfit on in Moab as he did in Patrick's Pond. No church shoes, no tie, short-sleeved wrinkled shirt, and even a little scruff. (If you're not a frequenter of Greg and Tammy's blog, which I doubt because their list of friends is pretty much endless, you can check out the prescript to this post at gregandtammyadams.blogspot.com, stars and stripes forever post on July 6th).

In keeping with the title of my blog, I must say, Seriously, Greg. I'm sort of surprised Tammy also hasn't learned the lesson that she should probably just start packing for her husband. I will say that I also did not bring church shoes on this trip and I found a nice pair at the dollar store while we were waiting for all of our clothes to dry at the laundromat after the freak rainstorm drenched all our stuff. I guess they didn't have any ties at the dollar store.

6 boys

2008-06-25T10:24:00.006-06:00

I definitely couldn't live without my 6 adorable nephews. Now that they will all live out of state I'll pretty much never have a vacation to an actual vacation spot again since I can't' help myself but go see them as often as possible.

Adam and Karlie and their family live in Arizona where Karlie works as a nurse in the neonatal unit and Adam is starting law school in August.

Nick is 5 and just says the most incredible things. It took him a long time to get a hold on the whole talking thing, but once he did, it's hard to stop him. He asks great questions and really pays attention to what goes on around him.

Alex has the most expressive face I have ever seen. He wants what he wants (I guess that could be said about most 2 year olds) and it's hard to refuse him when he looks up at you with those big blue eyes. He's the sweetest older brother and really likes taking care of Dylan.

Dylan just turned three months old. In this picture he was about a week old, and he's even cuter now. Karlie posted some pictures of him this week on their blog and he's a dollface! He's got Karlie's awesome eyebrows and sweet demeanor.

Rachael and Lance live here in Salt Lake and they're moving to Pittsburgh in a month so Lance can go to dental school. I'm so sad to not see them on a regular basis!

Owen is three and the nephew I know best because we've lived in the same place the longest. He was a terror as a baby but he's quite a pleasant boy. He loves the number 4 and the color green and his mom and grandma. He is incredibly imaginative and loves to take anyone along for the ride who will go with him. He can do huge puzzles by himself and he knows his way around town. He's a very sweet brother.

Oliver turned one in March and he is a riot. He looks like his mom with very blonde hair and very blue eyes and the greatest smile. He is starting to walk and he gets really excited about it. He especially loves the stairs and other dangerous activities, so he generally has a couple of bruises on his cute face. He's a pretty happy little camper.

Chelsea and Jon live in Illinois where Jon is in medical school. Chelsea is here for the summer, so I'm excited to soak up all of them that I can before they head back.

Benjamin is the first official tank baby in the family. My dad likes to call him Big Ben Willes, in hopes that he'll be a football player. We figure if any of the women in this family are going to raise a football player, it's probably Chelsea. Ben has a great smile and the most fantastic cheeks! He's a mover and a shaker and he's got strong lungs.

blind dating

2008-06-09T01:09:00.005-06:00

One of the things I could for sure live without is blind dating. Except as it turns out I probably can't live without it because those are pretty much the only dates I go on, which says a lot for what people think of me once they get past the blind part of the dating process, but this isn't really about a pity party.

Actually, this weekend I had a really fun blind date. Remarkable, really, since I didn't even know the people who set me up, but seriously a good time. Friday night withstanding, I'd just like to remind all my married blogger friends why you can be grateful to not be living in the land of the setups. Here are the hard things about blind dating:

1. what to wear. this is one of the worst parts. i mean, is the guy going to be offended by a little cleavage or is that going to be an attractive way to get a second date? the problem is, i don't know if the goal is to offend or to get a second date until the date is over and by then it's too late to decide which shirt to wear. and then there are the shoes. it's tough to choose shoes because you never know how tall the guy is going to be and you don't want your footwear to leave you towering over him.

2. the setup. the idea with the blind date is usually that someone you know sets you up. this is often the most mortifying part. i mean, you really find out what your friends think of you when you see who they decide is a good match for you. they say things like "i think you have a lot in common" and the guy turns out to be ridiculously boring and you have to ask yourself if your friends think that's what you have in common. more often than not, and this is more true the older you get in mormondom, the only thing you actually have in common is that you are both single and you are both mormon. note to all wouldbe matchmakers: when setting up friends, make it a general rule that you have at least one criterion beyond those two.

3. this last one is not limited to blind dates. it pretty much goes for all dating. i have a problem that could nicely be referred to as a lack of censorship. you know all those rules people tell you about dating? how you should ask lots of questions and not state your opinions too strongly and not talk about embarrassing things about yourself and not reveal too much about your level of interest in the person and be flirty and touchy in an appropriate leave him wanting kind of way and laugh but not too loud and all that other stuff that gets you a second date? i categorically forget every one of those rules every time i go out on a date. i pretty much say whatever i think. one of these days, someone's going to find that really attractive. until then, i'm wondering if anyone knows a real-life hitch who could maybe help me out.

one date i had recently i totally shook the guy's hand at the end of the date. like a missionary. i was nervous. he was nice enough. i mean, he didn't get out of the car we were in with the other couple who was out with us, which is really his bad, but i definitely gave him a handshake. i got out of the car and laughed at myself. it's not my first bad move. i mean, there was the time i told a guy that my family called my sister "rotch the crotch" as a nickname. and the time i told someone "maybe" when he asked about going out again. and the time when i was playing catch phrase on a first date and had the word "booby trap" and pointed to my chest. seriously. i'm about as unslick as they come.

the men of lost

2008-05-24T11:32:00.006-06:00

I think since I stole the idea for this blog from Rebekah and since she's been meaning to write about this particular topic for some time but hasn't, it's only appropriate that I write my first entry about the men of lost. So it's like this. Every week four of my girlfriends and I get together to watch Lost and have pina coladas. This week was the season finale and it didn't disappoint. Now, I can confess that we have surfed the oceanic websites and that we are really fascinated by the mysteries of the island, but we can admit that our favorite thing about Lost is all of those beautiful MEN! It's kind of wonderful to have a show with strong, independent, powerful women, and insecure, scared, and royally screwed up men who happen to look really good on a desert island. Okay, we'll admit that the women have their neuroses and the men have their hero moments, but somebody in Lost land really must want to make the 30-and-single female population of the world happy. Here's why we love them (besides the obvious appeal).
Desmond. Aside from the great accent, this guy is full of passion and really loves his lady-friend, Penny, despite being away from her for a really long time. He's visionary and hopeful and long-suffering.
Dr. Jack. So Jack is the obvious hero on this little island of terror and mayhem. He's something of a tortured soul who really feels a need to take care of everybody and be the good guy but he's not above cutting somebody open and threatening his life to save everyone else. It's pretty incredible how he can keep the perfect amount of scruff on the island with no razor, but I'm not complaining. Somehow he's made the brow furrow sexy.

Jin. Clearly the producers of Lost are no respectors of race when it comes to choosing attractive men for the show. Jin's quiet, for the obvious-can't speak english-reasons, but he means what he says and he's not afraid to jump in and help even when he's uncomfortable. He's resourceful and good with his hands.

Sayid. Oh, how we love this man. He's incredibly passionate. He's ferocious and committed when it comes to protecting the people he cares about but gentle and loving by nature. Plus he's really smart can figure out how to make a 16 year-old radio work.

And for my personal favorite, looking more than a little bit smoldering in just jeans, Sawyer. The resident bad boy, he's impetuous and impulsive but under it all he's just a therapist's dream with his screwed up childhood and great big heart! Plus, at least for the cameras, he appears to be a really good kisser.

Honorable mention go to the still somehow sexy Locke for his goodness and his determination, the dead rockstar drug addict turned loving father of sorts Charlie and in a throwback to the first season, the attractive quasi-incest participant Boone.

So that's my first "don't want to live without" . If you've never watched the show, and you're intrigued, you have from now until January to catch up on the first four seasons. I recommend it.

starting out

2008-05-24T10:40:00.001-06:00

So it turns out all the cool people I know have blogs. I guess you have to believe that you have something interesting to say, and since I don't have any cute children to write about and I hardly ever do anything all that noteworthy, I thought I'd write about things that are great and things that are not (in my not-so-humble opinion, of course). I basically stole the idea from my friend Rebekah, but I called it something different so it's hardly a rip-off.