A few years ago, I was in a Shakespeare class at BYU. I wrote a paper on Kenneth Branagh's full-text film adaptation of Hamlet (which is amazing, by the way). At one point, when Hamlet is intentionally making Polonius think he's crazy, Polonius mutters, "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't." That line ended up being the title of my paper, seeing as how it's a major theme of the play.
I just really like this line. I know the fool is the one who says it (because he's pretty slow on the uptake), but it still fits. Sometimes I act a little crazy. I get obsessed about random things. I start laughing for no apparent reason. I love to read. I can be a complete girlie girl one minute and start gabbing about basketball stats the next. I am often a study in contradiction.
While things about me may not make sense at first glance, if given a little time, I will start to make plenty of sense. There is method to my madness—you just have to stick around long enough to figure out what that method is.
Me and Cora at the BYU vs. TCU game earlier this month. I love basketball games. Though I think sometimes I love sports too much . . . I'm still bummed that BYU lost to UNM yesterday. I seriously thought BYU was going to win out the conference, though I probably shouldn't have convinced myself of that. It makes the losses suck worse.
The good thing is that tons of teams in the top ten lost last week, so hopefully BYU won't shift too much in the rankings. And if they can win out the rest of their conference schedule (which is totally possible), BYU will still win the conference title. I just have to remind myself that basketball isn't like football—one loss doesn't screw up the entire season. BYU can still go deep into the tournament, as long as they play their game.
And that really doesn't have much to do with that picture or this day of the challenge . . . I just needed to write that down so I can get yesterday's game out of my head and stop being so sad about it.
Red vines are the best. Seriously. They are my favorite candy in the whole world, and I could eat them every day. I can eat an entire bag in one sitting if I let myself. Fortunately, I usually have more self control than that.
Well here they are. The whole family, in their usual forms. There are now nineteen of us (including Cora, who has become an adopted sibling of sorts). I have three siblings, all married, and nine nieces and nephews. My family is the best. No, really. My brothers may drive me up the wall sometimes and the kids may be a little crazy, but I wouldn't have it any other way. My parents are the greatest parents in the world, my brothers are my protectors, I can talk to my sister about anything, my siblings-in-law might as well be blood related, and my nieces and nephews are the cutest little kids you will find anywhere. It doesn't get much better than that.
Wow, this day of the challenge couldn't have had better timing. On the day after Jimmer Fredette's ridiculous 43-point game that propelled BYU to a 71–58 win over then undefeated SDSU and launched The Jimmer to celebrity status, my current celebrity crush is a no-brainer.
I am obsessed with Jimmer Fredette. I just am. Though I have to say that I have had my eyes on him all season long, not just since he's been catapulted into the national spotlight.
Jimmer is unreal. I am one of the lucky ones who can say that I was there to witness the ridiculousness that was the BYU vs. SDSU game last night. The crowd was insane. Words can't adequately describe the electricity of the atmosphere in the Marriott Center. I screamed myself hoarse, jumped up and down, and chanted "You got Jimmered" with 22,700 fellow fans. I have never experienced anything like it.
I can't say how jealous I am of Jimmer's girlfriend. That is one lucky girl. Not only is Jimmer a phenomenal basketball player, he is also a seemingly humble, likable guy. And he's super cute to boot. Then, if he didn't already have enough going for him, he talked about how he has a testimony of the Gospel and how much he loves the Church on national TV today. Now all I need is to find out that he can sing or play the guitar and I'd be a goner.
Day 15: Something you don't leave the house without.
This one was easy. Chapstick. If I forget chapstick, you can be sure that I will have a miserable day. If I can't put chapstick on at least once an hour, my lips will hurt real bad. Seriously. Therefore, there is always some form of lip gloss or chapstick in my purse or in my pocket, whichever is most convenient at the time.
I'm not entirely sure how it happened, but I completely missed out on the 24 craze back when it was still on TV. Though, in a way, I'm glad I didn't discover it until I randomly decided to add the series to my Netflix instant queue. I can now watch it whenever I want to watch it, and I don't have to wait a week between episodes (though this can also be considered a bad thing, such as when I watch six episodes in a row, and when I consider that I'm only on season two and I have six more seasons to go).
24 pretty much hijacked my life last week. I watched seventeen episodes in about six days. If I hadn't been so busy yesterday, I probably would have watched a few more. I mean, I have to finish season two this week, right?
Basically, Jack Bauer is ridiculously badass, which makes him ridiculously sexy. It's interesting—I don't think Kiefer Sutherland is a particularly attractive man (I generally prefer brunettes), but as Jack Bauer, the man is HOT. I think it has something to do with the way he just takes over a situation and does what he has to to fix things—it's so manly. (I have a thing for super masculine men. I couldn't go for a femmy guy—it's so not attractive.)
I just like watching Jack Bauer kick some major ass, that's all.
I used to have such a hard time narrowing down my response when someone would ask me who my favorite band is. I no longer have such trouble. My favorite band is the Beatles. That's just all there is to it. Throughout all the *NSYNC, Reel Big Fish, Sherwood, OneRepublic, Train, OK Go, and the Swell Season phases, there has been one constant. Or, rather, four: John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
I love the Beatles. I've been listening to them longer than I have listened to any other bands. They are the be-all and end-all of good music. They've influenced most of the other music I listen to (and that you listen to). Their music is 40–50 years old and it's still the standard. There is simply no other band greater than the Beatles.
The music of the Beatles is the soundtrack to my life. It really is. There is a Beatles song for every mood. I can always find a Beatles song that I want to listen to. Seeing Paul McCartney might possibly have been the best day of my life to date (no joke). Absolutely nothing else compares (especially when it comes to other concerts).
So there you have it: my favorite musicians. There's just no contest.
(I like this picture because the football stadium is in it.)
Well, there it is. The town that I usually love, though I do often find myself hating it. But be warned, if you are not from or don't live in Provo and you start making fun of it, I will get defensive. It's one of those instances where only people who live in it can make fun of it. (It's like those people who aren't from Utah but live here now and think they know the whole state well enough to make fun of everyone in it. Just so you know, you don't. So shut yer yap and stop perpetuating stereotypes. [This may or may not be a major pet peeve of mine.])
I have made some incredible memories in this town and met some incredible people along the way. I may not want to live here the rest of my life, but I have definitely enjoyed the time that I have spent here.
I don't have a makeup bag, obviously. I've had this little chest since I was twelve, and it's worked well for me since then. It's small enough that I can't keep too much makeup in it, which is probably a good thing, since I love buying makeup and have far too much of it.
Most of the makeup inside is eye makeup (I have far more than I need). There's also concealer, warmth, blush, foundation primer, mascara, and eyeliner. I use most of those everyday. My makeup routine is kind of involved. It goes something like this: concealer, foundation, warmth, blush, mineral veil, eyelid primer, eye shadow, mascara. That might make me vain, but I feel that it is necessary. I said it before—I really like makeup.
I love Zupas. That's all there is to it. I would go there multiple times a week if I let myself. It's perfect for all times of the year. During the winter, I get a sandwich and some soup. In the summer, I get a sandwich and a salad. And it all tastes fantastic. I haven't tried a soup or salad that I haven't liked. (There have been underwhelming sandwiches, though, I must admit.)
Another good thing about Zupas is that it makes me think of my sister. The last time we went shopping together, we were on our way to Wendy's when we passed a Zupas. Chelly about peed her pants and turned the car around so we could eat at Zupas instead. And every time the girls in my family go get pedicures, we end with a trip to Zupas.
So these aren't technically the tickets I paid for (my brother has those), but they represent my last purchase quite well. (These tickets were actually free. Sweet!)
In case you haven't noticed, I love sports and talk about them frequently. I love BYU sports (well, football and basketball) more than pretty much any other sports (minus Jazz basketball). I'm a BYU fanatic; I bleed blue through and through. Which is why I had to buy tickets to BYU v. SDSU and v. UNLV. (Then get free tickets to TCU, CSU, and UNM. Woot.)
So next Wednesday I will be sitting clear up in the nosebleeds yelling at refs and cheering for my Cougs as they play their most important home game of the season. SDSU is currently undefeated, and I'm looking forward to watching BYU hand them their first loss. Go Cougs!
I want to rock out, apparently. I've listened to this song about a zillion times today. (I wanted the actual Scott Pilgrim video, but the person who posted the video disabled embedding. LAME. [If you haven't seen this movie yet, get ahold of it ASAP. Or just come over and watch it at my place.])
I am a weird girl. I tell myself this often, and the wedding thing is yet another example of my weirdness. I don't have my wedding planned—not one bit. I don't know what colors I want, what I want my dress to look like, or what kind of cake I'll have. I have no idea what I want the reception to look like or what kind of food to serve.
There have been times when I have decided on a color scheme, and a couple of months later, I change my mind. There was a while when I knew I wanted a short dress, a really retro one with a swing skirt. Then I decided I wanted a more traditional, floor-length dress. Now I'm leaning toward the short dress again.
Regardless of all that, here is one thing I know I want for sure:
Fortunately, the one thing I know I want for certain is the most important part of the wedding. As long as I am kneeling across the altar in the temple across from the man I love with my whole heart, I don't care about anything else. As long as we are both making sacred covenants with each other and with the Lord, I don't care where my reception is. As long as we are both 150 percent committed to each other and to our covenants, I don't care what flowers are in my bouquet.
Of course I want to have a nice reception. Of course I want to look beautiful. Of course I want my spouse to look handsome. But all of that only happens after the sacred ceremony in the temple. That is my dream wedding.
Day 6: A photo of an animal you'd love to keep as a pet.
Yes, that is a monkey. And yes, I would love to have one as a pet. I know they can be mean and throw poo and be generally obnoxious, but they are SO CUTE. You can thank Aladdin for this desire. All it took was one viewing and I was obsessed with Abu. Because he's adorable. My love of Abu then extended to all monkeys, which has made them my favorite animal ever since. And that is why I want a monkey.
Applebee's karaoke, 2009. The main difference: the hair, obviously. Other than that, I'm basically the same person. I like to think that I'm a little bit more secure in myself, that I know better who I am and what I want with my life, but who knows.
Day 4: Your favorite photograph of your best friend.
So the whole best friend thing has often been an issue for me. I tend to think I have a best friend, then come to realize that my best friend doesn't think of me as a best friend. It's happened on multiple occasions, actually. It seems like I often like people way more than they like me.
That used to bug me a lot, and then I got over it. I have friends, and I'm happy with that. I feel like I have lots of best friends, so it's hard to choose just one person to write about. But for this post, I'll choose the person I spend the most time with. I live with her, so naturally I see her everyday. We've never had an argument. (Well, not a real one, at least.) And to make it even better, we're cousins, which gives us license to make fun of family without feeling bad.
Choosing a picture was difficult; there are just so many good photos of Cora. She is probably the randomest person I know, which always makes life with her exciting. She lives to hear me say, "Shut up" or "You're a dork." Which happens frequently, so her life is fulfilled.
Cora is basically the best roommate I've ever had—which is saying something, because I've had some seriously awesome roommates.
I hate dating. Truly, I do. Especially in the Mormon culture when everybody seems to expect me to get married two years ago. And when I haven't been on a date since September. And when I haven't actually been asked on a date since July (September was a blind date). And when . . . well, you get the idea. There's no need to make myself sound any lamer.
The point is, dating sucks, and talking about dating sucks, and writing about dating sucks. So I don't like this day of the challenge, but I'll do it anyway.
Truthfully, I don't have a clear idea of a perfect first date. I don't think there is one. I can go on the most well-planned date with fun activities, but if I don't get along with the guy, it's going to be awkward. I mostly have ideas about what a perfect date definitely would not be. Marathon dates are awkward. Movies aren't good because we can't talk. Dinner alone can feel too formal and stuffy.
I think a good first date is simply ice cream. Yes, just ice cream. It's short and simple, and it gives us the chance to talk and get to know each other. Then, if it's really awkward, we can call it good and go home. Or, if things are going well and my date has planned ahead, we can extend the date and go do something else.
Bowling and miniature golfing are great for first dates because I have to get out of myself a little bit. I suck at both, but that's kind of what makes it fun. I have to get over any insecurities I have about how bad I am and just enjoy myself. I am usually the most fun to be around when people force me out of my comfort zone—that's when I just loosen up and forget about whether I look stupid or not.
And that's really as close as I can get to a "perfect" date. I just think it is all so dependent on the person I'm on the date with. Different people shine in different situations, so there's a different perfect date for everyone, depending on who they're with. (I don't think I could more perfectly avoid the question than I did with that sentence right there.)
PS: Cora has joined in on the blog challenge fun. Chiggity chiggity check it.
This is a typical lunch for me: a sandwich, a water bottle, and a book.
I was running late this morning (as usual), so I didn't have time to make a lunch. When lunchtime rolled around, I didn't want to spend money on food, so I headed home.
I live about 12 minutes away from the office. With my hour break, I get about 30 minutes at home for lunch. I burst in the door, throw my stuff on the couch, make a sandwich, grab my book, and read while I eat. It's a pretty nice way to spend my lunch break. Except on those days when all I want to do is stay at home and not go back to the office. Then it's not such a good thing.
I kind of wish I had more to say on the subject, or that I could say it more eloquently. But I don't, and I can't, and there is an end.
What better way to start the new year than with a challenge? I stole this from awesome Laura's blog, and I'm definitely doing it. I'm a couple of days behind Laura, but that's all right with me. It's a 30-day blog challenge, which means another solid month of daily posts. You ready for this? Because I certainly am.
Day 1: A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.
My day was utterly average. I was running late this morning, so while I actually did my hair, I skipped the eye makeup (minus the mascara—I will never skip mascara; blond eyelashes are scary). Then I headed to work, where I edited all day. As is usual.
I did go to Marley's in the Riverwoods for lunch with Mindy and Karly. I had never been before, and it was pretty awesome. Sliders are fantastic. (Sliders are mini burgers, if you didn't know.) And I always like leaving the office for lunch—I often need a break from staring at a computer screen for eight hours.
One story of note from work: The company I work for is growing quickly, and is now at nearly one hundred employees, which meant switching from small employer insurance to large employer insurance. To spare you the boring details that I don't even know, that basically meant everyone had to sign up for insurance again. And in the process, SelectHealth managed to lose my information—which was sent electronically. (Don't ask me how you lose an electronic file.) So I can't fill prescriptions (which I found out the hard way last night) or go to the doctor until they figure it out and send me my insurance cards. I guess I'll be rescheduling my dermatologist appointment for next week.
On my way home, I jammed to some awesome songs, like "Tell Me Why" by the Beatles and "Black Sheep" by Metric (from the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World soundtrack [that movie is awesome, by the way]). "Black Sheep" is a new obsession—it's so catchy. Plus, it makes me think of my three-year-old niece Adeline, who knows every word and rocks out every time she hears it. It is the cutest thing ever.
For most of the day, my brain has been preoccupied by one person: Jimmer Fredette. This kid is sick. crazy. nuts. ridiculous. un-effing-believable. I spent over an hour tonight trolling the interwebs for any and all national attention Jimmer is getting after drowning Utah in his 47 points last night. What a game. I now have tickets to Jimmertime x2, at home against SDSU and UNLV. (By the way, you'd think that I would have had opportunity to run into Jimmer—I mean, we've lived in the same town for almost four years now. Alas, no such luck.)
Wow, this is a long and probably boring post. But I'm just following the challenge. And I will end this day by watching the Jazz (hopefully) put away the Knicks (yes, I do like sports—you should know this about me by now) and reading my awesome book. (This is my life—sports and books. I am aware that I am boring.)
And for your viewing enjoyment, here is Jimmer's fan-flippin'-tastic buzzer-beater half-court shot.
