Ah, the Joys of Cyber Stalking

So, a couple weeks ago, I joined Twitter. Yes, Twitter. Why? So I could follow Sherwood. (What else would it be?) They post a lot of pictures and videos and just kind of let their fans know where they are and what's going on, which is kind of cool.

I planned on just checking their updates and all that jazz. Then I discovered that you can tweet at people. So tweeted at them to let them know that I absolutely loved their new album. No big deal. Then I looked at their page and realized that they actually tweeted back at people. Well, that's pretty exciting. So I tweeted at them again telling them that I'd be at their Utah shows. And they tweeted back! Oh my gosh! So I tweeted a few more times, in the hopes that they would tweet back. Then I discovered the band members' individual pages, and I obviously had to follow them.

And that's when I realized that Twitter made me feel like a stalker.

All Twitter is is a way for normal, everday people to feel like they have some connection to their favorite celebrities. Nobody cares about what their real-life friends are doing . . . that's what Facebook's for, after all. I always thought Twitter was stupid. And then I got caught up in its stupidity. Because, you know, I need to know that Nate Henry can't sleep on their tour bus. I need to know that the band is chilling in New Orleans. Even though I couldn't have cared less three weeks ago.

So I'm done tweeting for a little while. I don't like feeling like a crazy psycho stalker fan. Especially because my worst fear is that I'll talk to the band after their show and they'll say, "Hey, you're the girl who tweets at us all the time and follows all of us." That would be a little embarrassing.

Gasp! Dad's Playing a Video Game!

A couple of weeks ago, I went home for the weekend, and my sister and I were finally able to get my dad to play some Beatles Rock Band. We knew he'd enjoy it (it is the Beatles, after all), but Dad just doesn't play video games. Ever.

But we finally prevailed, and got him to play the drums! He plays drums in real life, so he wasn't sure what difficulty to start on. He played the first song on medium, and said that he didn't like it. It was hard because it was nothing like what the drums actually sounded like, so it messed him up. So we told him that the higher the difficulty, the more it sounded like the real drums. So on the next song, he bumped it up to expert. And got 92%. It was the second song he had ever played. Yeah, my dad's cool like that.

I even got Mom to take some pictures so we would have evidence that Dad played a video game.

Benny can bust out some awesome vocals.

 

Dad is all rock and roll. 

 

If only I could play the real guitar that well . . .

 

Pretty much . . . I love this game.

What the Heck?

This past week has been one of the worst weeks I've had in a very long time. And it's not even because of anything that happened. Well, BYU's loss tonight certainly didn't help, but that's definitely not the sole cause of my frustrations.

In fact, when looking at the actual events of this past week, it was a pretty good week. A trip to the library (which is awesome for me), I've kept up on my Book of Mormon reading goal, I found out that my favorite band is coming to Utah next month, I bought some cool Beatles stuff, and I got paid. Not a bad week at all. But my emotions certainly haven't reflected that.

I don't think I have ever been as discouraged as I have been lately. At the beginning of the week, I felt awesome. But that awesomeness dwindled pretty quickly. I felt calmer and more peaceful for about three days, and then—WHAM!—the dejection hit. I kept thinking about my life and where I am right now, and I didn't like it. What am I doing with my life? Nothing. I'm not working towards anything.

I have a good job that I like, but unfortunately, right now it's only a part-time job. I need more than that, but I have no idea where to look for editing positions, so I'm not even really trying. I'm not going to school anymore, so I'm not working toward any kind of degree. And I'm not dating anyone, so I've got nothing going on in the personal life department. Heck, I don't even feel like I have many friends right now. I barely see any of my old friends, and I still haven't made any new friends in my new complex, besides my roommates (who are awesome, it's true). If it wasn't for Faith and Cora, I would play less than I do even now.

So what am I supposed to do with myself? I feel like doing something different everyday. For a while, I was convinced that I was going to run away to England (seriously). Then I was thinking about grad school (in England or the States). Then I was convinced I should go on a mission. Then I decided I should just move out of Provo and get away from the student environment. But none of the decisions stick or feel right for more than a day or two.

And then there's this whole being single thing. I know I'm still young, I know I shouldn't worry about it yet, I know that things take time and I should be patient, but that doesn't change the fact that it sucks. It has been a really long time since I've been in any kind of relationship, and the time is wearing on me. I'm at a complete loss as to how people get together . . . how exactly do two people go from being acquaintances to being in a relationship? It baffles me. I can't figure it out. Apparently.

The bottom line is that I feel like I'm just waiting for life to happen. (Thanks, Megan, for putting that into words for me.) I'm sitting around with nothing to do, waiting for life to jump out at me. I want more than anything to do something, anything, to go out and jump at life, but that's where the discouragement comes in: I have no idea what I should do. Everything seems wrong, so I guess I'm stuck waiting for now. Which is more frustrating than anything else.

Awww Yeah

I found out today that Sherwood's coming to Utah next month. They're playing in St. George and Salt Lake, and I'm seriously considering seeing both shows. I'm crazy, I know, but I can't wait to see this again:

Yeah, I'm just a little excited.

Holy Entertaining, Batman!

This is really stupid. It shouldn't be so entertaining. But dang it, it is. Go ahead. Go to the site. I dare you.

http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=9644

March Madness . . . er . . . sort of

When I was in high school, every March we had March Madness in seminary, which meant that we were supposed to read the Book of Mormon in a month. I did it three years in a row, and it was amazing what kinds of new things I could get from that wonderful book every time.

Recently, I've been a little lackluster in my scripture study. I would read my scriptures everday, but somehow reading a few verses right before falling asleep just didn't seem to cut it. Plus, I just feel like something has been lacking in my life recently. I haven't been able to quite pinpoint what it is, but something isn't quite right, and I knew I needed to change something.

I was talking to my roommate on Saturday, and I mentioned something about my seminary's March Madness, and she got really excited. Her seminary didn't do that, so she decided she wanted to try it, and I told her I would join her.

I'm three days in, and already I feel different. It's nothing completely dramatic, and I still get annoyed and down occasionally, but I don't feel quite as . . . I don't know how to explain it. Frenetic, maybe? Unsettled? Lost? Anxious? I'm still trying to figure some things out in my life, but I feel calmer, more peaceful. And reading the Book of Mormon can never hurt when you've got questions.

On Sunday, I went to the worship service at the Hare Krishna temple in Spanish Fork with Faith. At one point during the sermon, the leader guy (sorry, I have no idea what they're called) asked us to raise our hands if we had read a book that changed our lives. Me, Faith, and Faith's friend Chae raised our hands, then Faith said, "What book are you thinking of?" Chae responded, "I don't know about yours, but mine's blue." And it's true. That little blue book has so much power for change, and change for the better!

I'm three days in, and I'm rediscovering how absolutely incredible the Book of Mormon is. I can't wait to see how I feel after 30 days.

Road Trips + Friends + Shakespeare = Awesome

This past weekend, Faith and I took a little drive down to Cedar City to visit Kate, and to see "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: Abridged." In short, the trip was so much fun! I wish it wasn't a 3-hour drive and a $40-dollar ticket, because then I would so be going to see the show again this weekend.

Faith and I arrived in Cedar at around 4, and I was so happy to stop driving. My heel went completely numb from propping my foot against the gas pedal. Weird, I know. It's at times like these that I wish I had cruise control. Oh well.

After chilling at Kate's for a bit, we went to eat at Chili's, then headed out for the show. This was my first time going to a Shakespearean Festival production, so I was pretty excited. I do have to admit that when I found out that the tickets were $40 I was a little hesitant, but let me tell you, that show was worth every penny.

Matt, Geoff, and Quinn

 

I don't think I have ever laughed so hard so consistently for that extended amount of time. It was the funniest thing I have ever seen, hands down. And it was definitely the best-deserved standing ovation I have given—well, next to "Wicked," that is. There was so much audience participation and so many random things ("Monkey dance party!", "Call me Butlove") that I could not stop laughing. Because there is audience participation, there is quite a bit of improv involved in the show, and I loved it when the actors broke. Quinn was really good at keeping a straight face . . . there was only one part I can remember him cracking.

Even with the hilarity of the show, there were some parts in Hamlet when the actors showed just how talented they are. Matt gave one of Hamlet's soliloquies, and he moved seamlessly from making fun of it to giving a serious performance. It was pretty amazing, especially since he simply stood there. He paced it all with nothing more than his breathing. At the end, Quinn gave Hamlet's dying speech, which was also pretty amazing.

It also didn't hurt that Quinn was incredibly attractive. Just saying.

(As a random side note, seeing this show gave me a new ambition: to perform on stage again. I haven't done anything on stage since high school, and I realized just how much I miss it. So I'm on the lookout for community theaters in Provo/Orem who have open auditions. If you know of any, let me know! )

After the show, we wandered around the SUU campus to take some random pictures by the many statues. Here's a little sampling:

 

 

 

It was so much fun to see Kate! Since she lives so dang far away, I don't get to see her nearly as often as I would like. We had a bit too much fun together—we stayed up until 4:30 talking on Saturday. Luckily Kate's church didn't start until 1 pm, or we would have died.

It was such a great trip. It felt so good to just get away (again). It's so good to take advantage of fun experiences like this. Sure, I could have spent the gas and ticket money on a pair of shoes or a couple of books, but I think this was a much better decision. I love going places and experiencing new things and making memories with people I love.

I love these girls, they're the best!

Sherwood Update

I now have QU, Sherwood's latest album. It is everything I have hoped for and more. Seriously, this album is bloody brilliant. I love it, and have already listened to it about ten times. It's currently on amazon.com for $2.99, so go get it while the sale lasts! Woot!

Can I Have It?

Lookie here, proof that Sherwood isn't the only band I listen to! I like plenty of other bands, such as the Beatles, who I've been listening to probably since I was in the womb. Thanks to my father (who is a rabid Beatles fan—he's bought the Beatles' albums about six times on four different kinds of media [vinyl, eight track, cassette, CD], and that's not including all the alternate albums, downloads, and anthologies that he has), I have been listening to the Beatles my entire life. I think they're the first band I really remember listening to. In fact, I think I was the one who destroyed my dad's "Help!" album because I listened to it so much.

Well, last month, in addition to The Beatles: Rock Band (which is a ruddy brilliant game—I love it), they released remastered editions of all of the British versions of the Beatles' albums. I went home this weekend, and my dad already has most of them (naturally), so I listened to them, and they're pretty awesome sounding. I ripped them to my computer, but the ripped files don't sound as good as the CDs, so now I want the CDs.

Can I have them? Can I?

But if I get them, I'd need some awesome sound system to play them on. And I'd love to get the boxed set, but that's expensive. Money sucks. I hate it. It keeps me from getting cool things like this.

Yes, More Sherwood Videos

I am fully aware that I am obsessed with Sherwood. And I am not ashamed. Their music is awesome, and I'm super excited for their new album next week. Plus, they are really talented. Nate's voice is seriously really cool. His straight tone lends something different to Sherwood's music, and the notes he can hit are crazy. You should have heard him at the Provo concert when he was sick. He was hacking up a lung, but he still nailed all of his notes. It was crazy cool. Couldn't even tell he was sick.

Qu Video Sneak Peek Video #3 - Maybe This Time


Qu Video Sneak Peek Video #1 - Not Gonna Love

This Is a Test

To see if I can make it so my cousin can view this video. She has to use BYU's internet, which blocks myspace, so she can't watch any of the cool videos that Sherwood is posting this week until their new album comes out. It probably won't work because it's still linked to myspace, but I'm gonna try, dangit. Plus, it's an awesome song so everyone else should listen to it, too.

Qu Video Sneak Peek Video #2 - Make It Through

Yay!

I was just going about my day today, as normal. And then suddenly I remembered that Sherwood's new album is coming out a week from today.

And I got really happy.

That is all.

The Power of a True Testimony

I love General Conference. My favorite weekends of the year are the first weekends in October and April. I love the blessings of hearing scripture spoken from the pulpit. I am so blessed to live in Utah, where all I have to do is roll out of bed and sit in front of the TV to hear what my prophet has to say.

Today, I had the marvelous opportunity to hear an Apostle of the Lord bear true and absolute testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. Elder Holland has always been one of my very favorite speakers, but this afternoon he gave one of the most powerful talks I have ever heard.

When Elder Holland started speaking, I had planned to get up and grab my lotion from the next room. I would still be able to hear the TV, so I wouldn't have missed anything. But as soon as Elder Holland started speaking, I was riveted to my chair. All I could think about was internalizing every word coming from his mouth. I couldn't have moved if I had wanted to.

Elder Holland bore testimony of the Book of Mormon in such a way that there was no doubt in my mind that every single person within hearing range of his voice was touched by the Spirit of the Lord. He said that Joseph and Hyrum Smith stood tall and bore testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon in the very hour when they would lose their life for that testimony. Would they have met their God knowing that they were testifying of a work of fiction? No, they would not. Elder Holland called all attempts to discredit the Book of Mormon pathetic. He said that the Book of Mormon is possibly the most attacked book in all of religious history, and at least in modern religious history, but every attack has failed, and will continue to fail.

I cannot describe to you the power with which Elder Holland bore his testimony. Nothing I can say here can match the incredible Spirit that filled my heart as he spoke. All I can do is add my absolute testimony to his. As I listened, I knew without a doubt that the words Elder Holland was speaking were true. There was no way to misunderstand what he was saying, and I knew that the Spirit of the Lord was behind each and every word that this righteous man spoke. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and it was translated with His power and authority. Joseph Smith was a prophet of God who acted on God's behalf to bring about the Restoration of His Gospel. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's church on the earth today. Following the principles of this Gospel will bring me closer to my Heavenly Father, and I am so grateful for that knowledge.

After hearing Elder Holland's testimony, I just felt like I needed to record a little bit of what I felt as he spoke. I want everybody to feel what I felt right then, and know what I know. This is why General Conference is so important to me. Where else would I have had the opportunity to hear what I have heard today?

Ahh, the Outside World

Last weekend, I got to leave Provo. Sure, it was only for a few hours, but it felt great nonetheless. I've been increasingly more frustrated with things down here in Happy Valley lately, so just running away for an evening felt wonderful.

Faith, Cora, and I headed up to Salt Lake City because I found out that one of mine and Faith's high school friends was performing with Laughing Stock at the Off Broadway Theatre. So we randomly decided to go see his show, and it was well worth the trip.

It took us about half an hour to find parking, and we eventually just ended up paying three bucks for a tiny little parking lot a few blocks away from the theatre. Then, we lost our sense of direction and walked the wrong way on Main Street. But we quickly realized our mistake, turned around, and headed in the actual direction of the theatre.

We got to the theatre about an hour early, so we bought our tickets and just sat in front of the theatre, on those bench things that they plant the trees in. (You know what I'm talking about, right?) While we were sitting there, this lady walked up to us and told us that her daughter had left her ID in the car, and they just wanted to go in this bar. So she asked us if one of us would lend her our IDs. Cora instantly piped in with, "I'm not 21. Sorry." Faith and I kind of looked at each other and politely declined. She got pretty mad. "I'll just need it for two minutes!" The kicker? This lady wasn't even white, and neither was her daughter. Faith and I are about as white as you can get. So, you know, no one would have guessed that it wasn't her ID. Right.

After that fun little experience, we decided to wait in the theatre. Right before the show started, our friend Zach came out to the lobby and spotted me and Faith. Seeing how excited he was to see us made the trip completely worth it. I hadn't seen Zach in probably about two years, so catching up with him was really fun.

The show itself was so much fun. I used to go to the OBT almost every weekend, but I hadn't been in about three years, so it was fun to see my favorite improv troupe again. On the very first game, they used Cora's name and school. As soon as she said she went to BYU, boos broke out (mostly from the actors). Faith, Cora, and I were on the front row in full few of the stage, and for the rest of the night, we were known as the "BYU girls." It was a running gag the rest of the night, and after the show when we passed the actors, they all yelled, "Hey! The BYU girls!" It was highly entertaining.

All in all, it was an awesome night. Even with the weird ID lady and the other weird people we passed to and from my car. (Including three guys, of which one said something along the lines of, "Three guys, three ladies . . . ." It was nice to know he could count.) It was very much a spontaneous trip, but it was one that I desperately needed. I'm not saying I hate Provo or anything (because I really don't), but I just needed to get out, and it was great.

I'm sorry this is a text-only post. I completely forgot my camera, which was sad because I'm sure we could have gotten some entertaining pictures.