Seven Days

I just realized today that the Mumford & Sons concert is in a mere week.



This video leads me to believe that it will be epic.

I can't wait.

I Will Wait

Listen to this song, friends. Don't ask questions. Just listen.



Ah, Mumford & Sons, how I love thee. There are a mere 15 days until I see them live, and 48 days until their new album Babel is released. This girl is a happy girl.

Amazing much?

Remember how in my last post I said that Andrew was making me a second birthday present? Well, he finished it. I was doubly excited to see him yesterday because I hadn't seen him on Monday (because he was working on my present) and because I would finally get to see this mystery gift.

It's a journal. That Andrew bound with his own hands. Just for me. That in and of itself is a ridiculously thoughtful gift, what with how much I love journals. But you see that cover? It's a Beatles record. "Hey Jude," to be exact. And the back cover? It's "Abbey Road." They are actual Beatles records that Andrew cut down for the cover. That may seem like blasphemy to some (and I would usually be in that camp), but this is so bloody cool that I just can't bring myself to be sad about it.

So this is the kind of thing that Andrew does for me. He is so good to me, and I just can't help but brag about him. Because he deserves it. I don't know how I got to be so lucky.

The Summer of Concerts

This summer has officially become a celebration of ridiculously awesome bands that I am more than willing to drop some cash on to see live. We all know I'm a giant fan of concerts, and this summer has only solidified that fandom. For the reals, people, there's nothing like seeing a good band live.

Concert #1: The Black Keys. May 3.

I didn't know all of the Black Keys' music, but I loved what I did know, so I thought, hey? Why not go to their concert? Cora and I had a blast. This was some serious dance music that got me movin' and groovin', despite my obvious lack of rhythm.

And here is a video (I apologize for poor quality—I had no wi-fi when I uploaded this from my phone):



Concert #2: The Civil Wars. May 24.

One of my favorite. bands. ever. And they did not disappoint live. They were incredible. Who knew that two people and a guitar could be so bloody awesome? But they were. I loved every second of that concert, and was quite sad that it didn't last longer. I sang myself hoarse and had a grand time with Cora, Aaron, and Roxanne.

And another video (one of five that I took, and I would have taken more if my arms hadn't gotten tired):



Concert #3: The Avett Brothers. June 28.

My sister and brother-in-law introduced me to the Avett Brothers, so it was only fitting that Cora and I attended the concert with them. It was outside, and it was a beautiful night in downtown Salt Lake with the sunset reflecting off the glass in the buildings surrounding us. And boy, do the Avett Brothers put on a show! It was so upbeat and fun, and they did a lot to get the crowd involved, which is always fun. They played for nearly two hours, and I loved every second of it.

No video here. I was enjoying myself too much to hold my phone up for an entire song. Kind of regretting that now, but oh well.

And there is more exciting news on the concert front. On Friday, tickets went on sale for a band that I very much enjoy listening to. And I just went ahead bought me some tickets.

Concert #4: Mumford & Sons. August 22.

Here's the thing: Mumford & Sons is a British band. They don't make it to the US very often, so when I saw that they had a tour coming up, I had little hope that they would play in Utah. Sure enough, the closest concert was in California. So I resigned myself to my fate of not seeing them live anytime soon.

And then I got an email from a website I belong to that tracks your favorite bands and lets you know when bands are playing near you. When I saw "Mumford & Sons" in the subject line, I assumed it would be a Nevada or another California show. Imagine my shock when I opened it up and saw Magna, Utah, listed there. That's right, folks—not only is Mumford & Sons playing in Utah, but they are playing IN MY HOMETOWN. In little ol' Magna, out in the middle of nowhere. At the Great Saltair, right on the lake. Could this get any cooler?! I submit that it could not.

So on August 22, I will be jumping up and down like a maniac to Mumford & Sons and relishing summer concert #4. And this time, I will actually take my boyfriend with me, instead of leaving him at home while I go off and do my thing.

Basically, this has already been the best. summer. ever., and the awesome just keeps on giving.

The Avengers

I have seen The Avengers twice now. Yes, it did just come out on Friday. Why would I see it twice already, you ask? Here are some legitimate reasons:

a) It is hilarious. Tony Stark is my favorite, because he gets most of the zingers, but everyone gets a chance to be funny.

b) The special effects are kind of really awesome. I mean, the Hulk finally looks believable.

c) All the actors worked incredibly well together. They had great on-screen chemistry, and their bickering and fighting were fantastic. (Yes, I did like the infighting. It was believable, okay? And it made the point when they finally come together that much sweeter.) Basically, all the casting combined worked super, super well.

d) And, most importantly, it meant I got to look at some incredibly attractive men for two and a half hours. Look at these guys. Seriously, just look for a second.

 What this picture doesn't show is how incredibly taut this man's booty is.

 Arms. Good arms.

I seriously just love this man to bits and pieces. He has a good face, too.

The arms, people! Look at the arms!!

All together, in one movie. And Mark Ruffalo is no slouch either.

And there you have it, friends. The four main reasons to go see this movie. If you're a guy, disregard the last reason, obviously, and replace it with Scarlet Johansson. I don't much like her (as an actor), but she's kind of smoking hot. If you're a girl, look at these pictures, drool a little, and then go see the menfolk in action. Totally worth it.

Counting Down

Some reasons this summer will be awesome:

1. Two days until the Black Keys concert.
2. Twenty-four days until the Civil Wars concert.
3. Thirty-three days until I go to California for ten whole days.
4. Fifty-nine days until the Avett Brothers concert.
5. Seventy-nine days until I turn twenty-five. (I'm not quite sure yet if that's awesome, but I'll pretend it is.)

And that's just what I have planned right now. I'm sure there will be more countdowns in my near future.

p.s. Can anyone tell me why I've had an alarming number of page views from Russia lately? Even more than from the United States. I'm not sure what to think of that.

Sad, Sad Day

This post is about a month late, but that doesn't make it any less of a sad post.

About a month ago, Sherwood posted a blog about how they just can't make the band work anymore. The members are all over the country with their own families now, and trying to make more music was just too hard to coordinate. Which is all understandable.

But this means Sherwood is no more.

Anyone who has known me the past few years knows that I am a huge Sherwood fan. I've been to six of their shows. My living room is adorned with signed and framed memorabilia. I have three t-shirts and a hoodie. I have multiple photo albums dedicated to Sherwood shows on Facebook. I have introduced many people to the awesomeness that is Sherwood's music. So it stands to reason that this news saddened me greatly.

I had been eagerly awaiting news of the new album that Sherwood had been working on. I had been hoping to hear that there would be a summer tour to promote the new album. It has been a year and a half since I've been to a Sherwood concert, and I was feeling the loss. But now, neither of those things will happen. Sherwood has broken up, and I will never again have the thrill of a new album from one of my very favorite bands. My last hope is that they will put together one last farewell tour.

Despite my sadness, I want to thank Sherwood for three awesome albums and six incredible shows. Some of the most fun I've had recently has been at Sherwood concerts. I loved singing until my voice was gone and jumping up and down like a maniac. I loved getting to go up on stage and sing backup for a song. I loved getting t-shirts and CDs signed. I loved talking to the guys in the band.

My first Sherwood show in October of 2008 was only the second concert I had ever gone to. Since then, I have been to somewhere in the neighborhood of ten more. They helped me discover the joy of seeing my favorite bands live. I never knew that going to concerts would be my favorite thing to do, but Sherwood helped me realize that.

So thank you, Sherwood. You're awesome, and you will always and forever be one of my favorite bands.

And now, links to all the blog posts I've written about Sherwood, just to chronicle just how deep my love of them went. (You're not obligated to look at all of them. There are kind of a lot.)

The concert where I sang backup.
Concert number five.
The one at Studio 600.
The post where I anticipate the show at Studio 600.
Music videos are super awesome.
The one where I'm in their video.
The first of two concerts in a month.

And for your viewing pleasure, the music video for "You Are."

My Apartment Is Awesome

This is what happens when the roommates are left to their own devices on a weeknight.



Vocals/piano: Lindy
Sweet moves: Cora
Camera work: Brittany

Concerts!

Day Thirty-One: The best things to happen to you this week.

This week has been a little blah. Even going back to last week. I just haven't really done anything, and I managed to get myself sick somehow. Well, for Valentine's, I did go to Cora's aunt's house and eat lots of pizza and watch the Grammys, since I hadn't seen the performances yet. That was pretty fun. And on Sunday, I got some one-on-one time with Der Junge. It wasn't for long, but it was something. He was acting more normal, which was good.

But the thing that I really want to write about, even though it didn't technically happen in the last week, was that I found out that the Civil Wars is coming to Salt Lake in May. And oh my freaking goodness, I am so bloody excited. I can't even express how excited I am. I bought tickets last Tuesday. I haven't been this excited about something in a really long time. I honestly just love this band so, so much, and I cannot wait to see them live. They're amazing and I just know it's going to be an awesome night. Concerts are my favorite, and I haven't been to one in a really long time. It will have been a year by then. That may not seem like a very long time to some, but I go to concerts frequently, especially when Sherwood is touring. I forgot how much I miss seeing bands live until I found out about the Civil Wars show.

And to remind you of why I am so extremely excited, here's another taste of the awesomeness of the Civil Wars.

p.s. They sound exactly the same live as they do on their album. Hence my excitement.

p.p.s. I'm in love with John Paul White.

Photog

Day Thirteen: Another picture of yourself.

New Year's Eve, 2011. Brittany, Heather, and I were partying with some friends, and we had the best ratio ever: the three of us and seven guys. It was pretty sweet. We played charades, ate tons of food, and watched a movie. It was a super fun night. I love these girls. I love them so much, in fact, that I'm going to be living with them this fall. I can't wait. Our apartment is going to be the bomb dot com. Seriously. We're not going to get any sleep ever. It'll be awesome.

Absolute Brilliance

I have recently become completely addicted to the Civil Wars (thanks, Spotify!). I think they are absolutely amazing. They sing with incredible emotion, which always gets me. I'm pretty much in love with their music right now.





UPDATE: I finally just bought the album Barton Hollow. And I've listened to it a good five times in less than 24 hours. I can't get enough of it. I just can't.

The Joys of Living in a Provo Singles Ward

This semester has been rather awesome so far. Let me expound upon why.

First of all, I have seriously amazing roommates. The four of us get along great. We started the bonding process by going to Awful Waffle the first week Brittany and Alison moved in. Roommate dinner was a fabulous idea, let me tell you. The bonding further solidified when we threw a massive party for the BYU football season opener. It included this awesome banner:

Yes, that is our balcony, inviting all of Carriage Cove to our party. We had a pretty awesome turnout, too—a good 20 or 25 people showed up, some of which weren't even in our ward. I would say it was a success.

Since that party, we have held Dessert Club, game nights, and dinners. Because the 309ers are just that awesome. A Sunday dinner of the best lasagna ever (my lasagna, naturally) is in the works, as is a trip to the Haunted Forest in American Fork and a waffle party. We go to every ward function (which is a definite improvement for me) and we get invited to all sorts of fun things like movies and bowling parties. I know more guys in the ward than girls, which is the way it should be, right?

So why am I sitting here detailing how social I've been for the past month? Because, as lame as this is going to make me seem, this isn't normal for me. Especially not in this apartment complex. But we had a huge turnover this past fall, and it made all the difference in the world. The ward is incredible. People go to activities and get to know each other. It's awesome.

The whole point of this super socialness is to meet guys. That should be no surprise. And it has worked. I've even managed to develop a few crushes, some more intense than others.

Guy 1 is the main crush. He's super cute and incredibly nice. I met him at some ward events the beginning of the semester, but I didn't really take notice until the football party. He knew my name when I couldn't remember his, which is not usual for me. He sings (super bonus points!) and is just an all-around awesome guy. He goes to all the ward activities and generally comes to the things we invite him to. I spent an awesome amount of time talking to him at Break the Fast on Sunday. I'm pretty sure it was the first time we actually sat down and had a legitimate one-on-one conversation, and I quite enjoyed myself. In the course of this conversation, I discovered that HE SPEAKS GERMAN! Despite the fact that he completely flustered me and I could barely carry on even the remotest conversation with him in German, it meant that we have something in common, and he said he wants to get together and practice sometime. Which is awesome because a) I really do want to get my German skills back and b) I just want to spend more time with him.

Guy 2 is awesome and very attractive, but he's a terrible friend. He never comes to things I invite him to, and when he says he will let me know about things that are going on, he promptly forgets to tell me about them. He didn't come to my football party. He didn't let me know when he bought tickets to the Jimmer's All Stars game. Like I said, terrible friend. But he's hilarious, and we have a great time whenever we do hang out. I make fun of him constantly, and he knows how to take it. I don't have a full-blown crush on him, but it could develop quickly if given the chance.

Guy 3 isn't really a crush at all; he's become that guy friend that I could probably talk to about the guys I'm actually interested in. He's surprising and unexpected. Every time I think I have him figured out, he throws something else at me. He's a lot deeper than he seems at first glance. And while he is a dang cute guy who could probably have his pick of just about any girl in the ward, he seems a little lonely. There's just so much to him, and I'm completely intrigued. I spent most of the day with him on Saturday because I gave him my dad's ticket to the BYU vs. SJSU game. It was an odd combination to be at the game with this guy from my ward and my two brothers, but it was pretty fun. I learned all sorts of things about this guy that I never thought I'd learn, and I'm really glad that we've become such good friends lately. It's really nice to have guys around that I'm completely comfortable with. I would say that a crush could potentially emerge here, but I really do like just being friends.

And this is really just the beginning. There are quite a few other guys in the ward that I would gladly go on dates with because they're all really cool and really nice. There are some amazing people in this ward, and I'm so glad that my efforts to leave were all in vain. I don't know why exactly I was supposed to stay in Carriage Cove for another year, but I'm going to hazard a guess that it has something to do with the people here.

There's only one catch with this plethora of guys: They're not asking me out. And they're not asking my roommates out. I don't understand that. Do they think we're constantly hanging out with them and inviting them over just to be nice? If so, they are sorely mistaken. Here's hoping they get with the program really soon.

Harry Potter Nerd Alert

A few months ago, J.K. Rowling announced Pottermore, a new interactive reading experience for Harry Potter fans. Then at the beginning of last month, they had seven days of early registration. If you caught the clue before all the spots for that day had filled up, you could get in early and be one of the beta testers for the site.

Anyone who knows me even remotely well knows that I am a Harry Potter fanatic, so you better believe I tried desperately to get into Pottermore early. I would check the site every day as soon as I woke up, and invariably, registration would be closed. Then, on the sixth day, I pulled up the site, and voila! There was a clue! So I answered the question quick and registered before the spots could be taken.

I was so excited. Until I realized that they wouldn't actually let me onto the site until September. I was a little bummed, but I resigned myself to the wait.

Well, this week, the wait was over. I got into Pottermore. And while I don't really know exactly what I'm supposed to do, it seems pretty awesome so far. I haven't gotten this far yet, but I do know that I will get sorted into a House and get my own wand, which is awesome. There is also a bunch of new stuff from J.K. Rowling, like backstory and little insights into why she wrote the books a certain way. This is really why I wanted to get onto the site.

General registration opens next month sometime, and I'm super excited for some of my friends to get online so I can interact with them. Because I know for a fact that at least some of my friends will join me in the HP nerddom that is Pottermore.

So here's to having yet one more thing on the internet to waste my time on. Huzzah!

Happy Independence Day!

No, not that one, silly. It's only July 1. I'm talking about BYU's independence day.

Source: byucougars.com

As of noon today, BYU is officially a football independent and a member of the West Coast Conference in most other sports. Since this is a BYU athletics subject, you have to know that I have an opinion about it, and that I am going to now write about it, whether you care or not. So there.

I think independence was a fantastic move for BYU. BYU fans are everywhere. Students are encouraged to move beyond Provo after graduation, and since BYU focuses more on undergraduates than on postgraduates, it is often better for students to go elsewhere to do their graduate work. BYU alumni are all over the world, really, and independence gives the school an opportunity to spread their brand far and wide to reach all those fans.

The partnership with ESPN gives BYU the kind of exposure it craved but couldn't have while under the absolutely atrocious MWC TV deal. Now every game will be televised on an ESPN network or on BYUtv, which in and of itself is pretty amazing. No other school in the nation has its own TV network that is already in 60 million homes across the country and is broadcasting in full HD. If you really think about that, it is phenomenal. BYU has been setting BYUtv up for independence for years. Without this network, there is no way independence would be feasible. 

For 2011, seven games have already been announced as being on ESPN or ESPN2, including the first five games of the season. Five more games are yet to be scheduled. From everything I've read and heard, as many as eleven games this season could be broadcast on ESPN, which is more ESPN appearances than BYU has had in the last five seasons combined, including bowl games. I don't care what anybody says; this is bloody brilliant. 

The main concern with independence is the scheduling. That is an issue, but Tom Holmoe is already handling it really well. The Cougars have some pretty cool opponents this year, including Ole Miss, Texas, Central Florida, Utah, TCU, and Oregon State. Of course, then you have to throw in the pancakes like San Jose State, Idaho State, and New Mexico State, which make up for a rather boring home schedule. But really, is that any different than a schedule with SDSU, Wyoming, New Mexico, and UNLV? Every team, regardless of conference, has some cupcakes. BCS teams intentionally schedule their out-of-conference games as cupcakes so they don't risk sliding against non-conference foes. Plus, it's only the first year. In a couple of years, I'm willing to bet that BYU is going to be playing against some pretty awesome teams.

Then there's the move to the WCC. Most say it's a step down in competition, especially in men's hoops, and I can't completely argue with that. But the addition of BYU raises the bar for the rest of the teams. Gonzaga will have a worthy foe after dominating the conference for the past several years. If the NCAA tourney game between BYU and the Zags was any indication, it's going to be a fun rivalry. I know that I'm looking forward to watching schools like Pepperdine and St. Mary's come into the Marriott Center and be bombarded by 22,700 screaming fans when they're used to venues that hold at most 8,000 people. I'm also looking forward to watching the other schools figure out that when BYU plays on the road, fans come out of the woodwork. I would guess that many of the basketball away games will almost be home games for BYU. I think the WCC is in for a bit of a culture shock, which will be fun to watch.

And for those fans who say that BYU only went independent because they had to show up Utah's move to the PAC-12, I say stop whining. I have been hearing and talking about BYU going independent for years. Sure, I may have been regurgitating what my dad told me, but that's not the point. The point is that independent talk has circulated around BYU for a long time, much longer than the couple of months between Utah's PAC-12 announcement and BYU's independence announcement.

Besides, when you really think about it, which schools do you think were driving the MWC to become better? Who gave the MWC credibility? Do you think it was SDSU and UNM? Yeah, I didn't think so. It was always Utah and BYU. They worked together; they were each other's staunchest supporters. They had the same goals in mind. So when Utah understandably took the much better option of going to the PAC-12, what reason was there for BYU to stay? Their conference partner had been offered a better opportunity that passed BYU by. Instead of moping and seeing if some other conference would come calling, the BYU officials took stock of their tools and resources and decided that going it alone was the best option. I wish Utah luck in their foray into the BCS world. I hope they succeed. But I don't think they did any better than BYU. Both schools made the best decisions for their respective programs, and you can't fault either one of them for it. I just hope both schools can excel with what they have and put the state of Utah on the map for college athletics.

Basically, I'm super stoked about all of these moves. BYU probably won't go undefeated and bust into a BCS bowl their first season. But they have more than a fair shot at another 10+ win season, and I can't wait to watch it unfold. September 3 can't get here soon enough. Go Cougars!

Super Awesome Story of Today

I must start by saying that I have the awesomest cousin/roommate/best friend in the whole wide world. Here's why.

Cora and I were listening to the radio the other day and heard them advertise free tickets for the upcoming Adele concert in Salt Lake (that we didn't even know about until that point). Seeing as how Cora loves Adele, she decided to get online and enter for tickets. In the process of submitting 49 million entries for Adele, Cora also submitted a couple of entries for Bruno Mars, because he is also rather cool.

Guess which tickets she won?

And guess who she's giving her second ticket to? Yeah, I told you she was the awesomest.

Oh, and guess what else is included with the tickets? A meet and greet. So in addition to watching Bruno Mars perform (for free), we get to meet him. Awesome much? I think so.

Monday is going to be a very, very good day.

Give up the world, give up your life, cuz you cannot fight the television!

I have to stop getting addicted to TV shows! Especially when they're old shows that are already completed so I can spend as much time as I want watching episode after episode. After episode.

The current culprit is Alias. I never watched it when it aired, and when I started working at KLAS, I started hearing about it. Two years later, Karly, Angie, and Jenifer have successfully convinced me to start watching it, which was made easier when Karly handed me all five seasons. (Yes, five. Yes, that is definitely a bad thing.)

I started watching mostly out of curiosity, and I wasn't super sucked in. I watched a couple of episodes here and there, and it was entertaining enough that I kept watching, but I wasn't dying to know what happened next. Until Will Tippin got more involved, and then I was hooked, because Will was pretty much my favorite character. Because he's a stud, and Bradley Cooper is hot. (Nerdy hot, no less. How they managed that is beyond me.)

And then I finished season one and moved on to season two, and I was a goner. Irina Derevko working with the CIA? Double Francie? Will knows all about Sydney? Sark everywhere? Sloane being more manipulative than ever? Vaughn and Sydney (finally)? And then, of course, there was the whole Hong Kong ending and that damn ring on Vaughn's finger. (Don't even get me started on Lauren. Ugh. And no, that paragraph isn't supposed to make sense. Unless you've seen Alias. Then you'll completely understand.) Season two basically did it for me, and now I'm stuck.

Here's yet one other reason I keep watching:

*drool*

To quote Karly, Michael Vartan could be my handler any day.

And is it weird that I kind of really like Sark? I know he's a terrible awful person (especially with that whole Lauren fling, yuck), but he's kind of endearing. As much as I like him, I'm waiting to see when he'll finally get shot in the face. I don't know how he's avoided it so far.

And then there's always the comedic relief. Weiss is freaking awesome. "This is why people at the CIA and NSC don't get married. You don't poop where you sleep." I love him.

Remember that time I wondered how long I could last without an obsession? Well, now I know. It's about a month.

Questions of Style

I love shoes. I have a lot of them. Not an exorbitant amount, mind you, but a lot. I could probably go over a month without wearing the same pair of shoes twice. No, not probably. I could. Which is why it's not so much of a surprise when I forget about shoes that I own.

I was getting dressed before work this morning when I remembered something. I own a pair of saddle shoes. So on the fly, I put them on.

All day long I have vacillated between thinking I look awesome and thinking I look ridiculous. I still can't decide.

Opportunities like this make life amazing.

I love it when I get the chance to do something amazing. Saturday was one of those chances. Thanks to Trina and Jenifer, I got a ticket to see Markus Zusak speak at the Provo Library. In case you don't know who Markus Zusak is, he wrote this little book:

And if you still don't know who Markus Zusak is, read this book ASAP and find out.

Listening to Markus speak was amazing. I absolutely loved it. He was funny and personable and a great speaker, and his fabulous Australian accent only made it better. I didn't realize just how attractive he is. I mean, I thought he was pretty cute in his author photo, but it doesn't do the man justice. Real life is just so much better. Though I am sad I forgot my camera, so I couldn't take any of my own pictures. This one will have to do:

That face + Aussie accent = swooning Lindy.

When I went to the reading/signing, I didn't have a copy of The Book Thief. It is one of my favorite books of all time, so naturally I own a copy, but I lent it to Faith so she could enjoy the greatness of it. I had a copy of I Am the Messenger (also a fantastic book), and I figured that would be good enough. But then Markus started talking about The Book Thief  and how much writing it meant to him. He read a few pages from it and teared up. That was when I knew I had to get it signed—I just had to. So I bought another copy. And let me tell you, it was completely worth that $20.

Markus spoke for about an hour, and then they called us by groups to go into another room and get our books signed. Jenifer and I were in signing group I. It took four and a half hours for signing group I to make it into the same room with Markus Zusak. Yes, you read that right. Four and a half hours. Markus spent time with everyone. By the time we made it to his table, he was massaging his hand between each book. I can't imagine how much his hand must have hurt after four straight hours of signing books, but he never complained. There was an untouched piece of pizza next to him that he wouldn't eat because he didn't want to get people's books greasy.

Markus was incredibly nice, personable, and humble, and he spoke to everyone who came through. I might have sounded a bit like a goobery fan, but I had the chance, so I had to tell him just how much I loved The Book Thief. And I don't care if I gushed too much. He lives in Sydney, for Pete's sake. I'm never going to see him again, so I had to take the chance when I had it.

A four-and-a-half-hour wait was more than worth it for what I got:

To sum up, Saturday night was fabulous. I almost couldn't make it for wholly unimportant reasons, but I am so incredibly grateful that everything worked out and that I was able to go. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I can't get over how lucky I was that I could be there. Markus Zusak came all the way from Sydney, Australia, to Provo, Utah, and I got to experience it.

March Madness Is FUN!

This would definitely not be my blog if I didn't post something about March Madness. I mean, it's sports, right? And BYU is playing, right? Perfect combination for the subject of a blog post.

This is the first year that I have paid close attention to college hoops, and boy did I pick the right season. I knew before the season that BYU was poised to be really good, and I had just gotten more into Jazz basketball than I had ever been, so basketball was already on the brain. Plus, I was coming off a not-so-stellar football season, and I needed some awesome to come from BYU athletics. So I watched every BYU game I could find in the early season and watched as the Cougars won game after game and Jimmer grew more and more famous with each ridiculous shot he made.

As the regular season closed with amazing highs and devastating lows, I couldn't be prouder of being a BYU alum and hoops fan. BYU came under major scrutiny, and no one thought they would go far in the NCAA tournament without Brandon Davies, especially after being blown out by SDSU in the MWC tourney.

But one thing I have learned this season is not to count those Cougars out. They are tough, and I don't remember ever seeing a team react to being the underdogs like they do.

On Saturday, BYU played Gonzaga as the underdog, despite BYU's 3 seed and Gonzaga's 11 seed. No one thought BYU could handle the size of the Zags. Every national analyst said BYU was toast. And you better believe Coach Rose let the team know that.

I watched the game at my parents' house, and as soon as the game started, my dad and I determined that Jimmer had his Jimmer-face on. You know, that look he has when he is completely determined not to lose a game. He had it at New Mexico, then dropped 52. Well, he didn't need 52 against Gonzaga; his teammates stepped up and shot lights out alongside him. And now BYU is headed to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in 30 years. I am ecstatic. After the game, I would randomly turn to my dad and say, "Sweet Sixteen, Dad! Sweet Sixteen!" and he would just grin like an idiot with me. Cougar Nation has been waiting for this for a long, long time.

So keep rooting against the Cougs, nation. The more you place them as the underdogs, the more likely I think this team is to win. Those Florida Gators better watch their backs—they get Jimmer far away from home, in a foreign environment, wearing his road blues, in the biggest spotlight of the season. Just add a contingent of obnoxious Gator fans and you have the perfect storm to drive Jimmer to play at his ridonculous best.

Whatever happens on Thursday, this has been the best season ever. It has been unbelievable, and here's hoping the amazing keeps happening.

Cool Envy

I am the worst at looking at other people and being super jealous of how cool I think they are. I look at people's blogs and think, "Ah, man, why didn't I think about doing something like that?! I'm so LAME!"

I look at other girls in their super cute clothes and their awesome style and think, "I wish I could look like that. I wish I had a style that's all my own and that other people would look at with envy."

I listen to people talk about the bands they listen to and think, "I wish I listened to cooler music like that." Actually . . . nevermind. That's not true. I listen to freaking awesome music, so you can scratch this one off the list.

I talk to other people and hear how funny they are and I think, "I am so dull-witted. Why can't I ever think of something clever to say?"

I watch other people being social and think, "Why am I so awkward around people? Why can't I just say 'hi' and make some new friends?"

I wish I were cooler. I wish I were more stylish. I wish I were wittier.

But then I wonder if people look at me and wish that they did something that I do. I allow myself to realize that everyone looks at other people and wishes they were more like them. Nobody is completely happy with everything about themselves, so we all look at other people to prove to ourselves that we aren't as cool as we think we should be.

There are people out there who think I'm cool. There are people who are jealous of the way I do certain things. There must be. Because nobody else is nearly as hard on me as I am.

Basically, I'm awesome. Not perfect, no. But I don't have to be perfect to be awesome, and neither do you.