School

I survived my first day of classes! Yay me! I had a great time, although I felt slightly old at times. For example, in one of my classes we were talking about the Family Proclamation and the professor asked how old people were when it came out in 1995. The most common answer was 7 years old. Yeah, I was 14 at the time. Then we had to say something unique about ourselves. Here are some of the answers:

-I have a freckle on one of my hands, and that's how I tell the difference between right and left. (Yes, this was actually said, no, it was not said by a blonde, and yes, I did tilt my head to one side and think "Really? You're in college and that's how you tell the difference? Hmm. Interesting.")

-I got engaged last week.

-I also got engaged last week.

-I got engaged two weeks ago.

-My two year wedding anniversary was last Monday.

-I'm probably the only person on this campus who isn't married or looking to get married. (Yes, this was a guy and no, I did not ask him what the heck he was doing taking up space at BYU if he's not throwing himself into the eligible bachelors pool.)

-I have been attacked by a monkey.

-I've been married 5 years and have two kids. (This was said by a girl who I'm pretty sure thought that this made her the senior member of the class.)

My answer was I'm 27 and still a junior in college. I think this fact about me is quite amusing and I thought a couple people would chuckle, but no, most people's mouths hung open and their eyes glazed over in confusion. I kid you not. You know that scene in Ferris Bueller when Ben Stein is teaching the economics class and the students are staring at him, spaced out? It was kind of like that.

Back soon

Sorry for the lack of posts-I'm trying to finish this (expletive) Independent Study. I should be back Wednesday-ish. Classes start then, so I'm sure I'll have plenty to blog about. I'm counting on overhearing lots of "only at BYU" conversations. I can't wait and I'll make sure to take notes so you guys can all share in the Eternal Companion Finding Fun.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the hamster has been named El Guapo. I refuse to call him this and choose instead to refer to him as Gus Gus, Forrest, or The Little One, depending on my mood. Don't worry, Traci-"Bob" is not on the list!!! I've decided he can't be named Bob because then I'll have to say "What about Bob?" like fifty times a day.

Happy, Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Mommie Dearest!







Some things things about my mom:
-She taught me to love books. She always read to us when we were kids and she still gives me great book suggestions.
-She's always ready to try something new.
-She put up with me through my teenage years. Had I been her, I probably would've sold me to the gypsies a long, long time ago.
-She teaches junior high school and is still sane.
-She is very cultured. She likes to go to museums, plays and the opera.
-Her dad was in the Marines, so she's lived all over the world.
-She is a convert to the Church.
-She is far more patient with children and the elderly than I can ever hope to be.
-She collects frogs.
-I love her!

Purse tag

I didn't actually get tagged this time, but I saw this tag on someone else's blog, and I thought that since I get made of all the time for my "mom purse," this would be perfect for me. Here's a list of all of the crap I carry around with me every day, along with a picture. I have no idea why a lot of this stuff is in there.

cough drops
dental floss
2 toothpicks
Travel size deoderant
Mints from Sizzler
2 hand lotions
4 lip glosses
2 lipsticks
1 chapstick
tampon
nail clippers
4 pens
3 prescriptions, only one of which I take anymore
Benadryl
Excedrin Migraine
Ibuprofen
coupon organizer
camera
day planner
wallet
iPod
Burberry London perfume
Band Aids
mini mirror
iPod car charger
iTrip
iPod charger
wrist brace
receipts
colored pencil
highlighter
lots of trash and crumbs
2 crushed Luna bars
hair rubber band
gloves
loose change
coin purse
keys
package of instant oatmeal (strawberries & cream flavor)
3 packs of gum
random mail
expired CostCo coupons
nasal decongestant
restaurant business card
2 used and dead batteries
cold medicine
Tic Tacs
notebook
barette


I'm tagging Wendy, Becca, and anyone else who wants to do it. I need more readers who have blogs-I always feel like a loser when I only have two people to tag. :(

Say hello to my little friend

Mark brought home a new little friend this evening. He claims it's a hamster, but I think he was fooled by the pet store people and it's a mouse or a gerbil. Aren't hamsters generally bigger? Maybe it's a baby. He doesn't have a name yet. Does anyone have any suggestions? I like Bob. I've always wanted to have a pet named Bob.


Isn't he cute!!!


He's still a bit skittish and pretty much spends all his time trying to run away. Right after this picture was taken he pooped in Mark's hand. I laughed.


Lizzie greeting her dinner, I mean new brother.


Awww, look at the leetle guy!


Maybe his name should be Forrest. Run, Forrest, Run!

I dare you not to laugh

Please click here for hilariousness.

Miss Ashley

I cleaned out my work computer and forwarded myself everything I wanted to keep. I found this great picture of Ashley. It makes me laugh every time. Isn't it great!

Funeral Recap and Ugly Pics

I went to Uncle Soren's funeral this morning and managed to bring shame upon my whole family. Alright, maybe that's a slight exaggeration. Or is it? Here's what happened; we were singing "God Be With You Til We Meet Again" and that song always gets me. I had already been crying off and on through the funeral, and when we started singing that song, I slightly lost it. In the midst of my emotional, touching moment, as my cousin went to put her arm around me, I may possibly have snorted. It may possibly have been quite loud. This then made my cousins, Becky and Wendy, start laughing. In the middle of the funeral. So my emotional bubble was burst and I started laughing too. People in the two rows in front of us were turning around to look. We all finally got control, but then randomly the pew would start shaking because one of us got the giggles again. I felt kinda stupid, but I don't think everyone knew it was me that snorted. I think maybe it just came from our general vicinity.

After the funeral and graveside service, Wendy, Becky and I went to Chili's instead of back to the church for the luncheon. It was really nice to hang out with the two of them. We all live near each other, but never get together except at holidays, funerals, and weddings. Because I am a lame-o blogger, I made them take pictures with me afterwards. One of us, usually me, looks like an eejit in almost every one.






It was slightly windy.

I'm in a bad mood . . .

So I'm doing another gratitude list.

1. Clorox disinfecting wipes
2. Self-cleaning ovens
3. My brand new herb garden
4. My dogs
5. A bookcase full of books yet to be read
6. Steak
7. Benadryl
8. Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion
9. Dental floss
10. No more work!
11. No more commute!
12. No more getting up at 5 am!
13. A freezer full of deliciousness
14. Warm, but not hot, weather
15. I get to spend time with family tomorrow
16. 80s teen movies
17. More room in my closet now that my winter clothes are packed away
18. Caller ID
19. Flip flops
20. New music

Well that didn't work. I'm still in a crapola mood. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to suck it up and not wallow. But I like to wallow. Everyone needs to wallow in their misery once in a while. It does a body good, I swear. I'll let myself be sad and bitter for the rest of the evening, and then it'll be out of my system in the morning. I hope. Here is a list of why I am sad and bitter today. I know they are stupid and petty reasons. I know they probably don't matter in the grand scheme of things. I'm just venting.

1. My birthday is next week and this is the first year ever that I'm not looking forward to it. I'm trying to just ignore it but my mom's birthday is the day before mine, so I'm forced to acknowledge my birthday in my acknowledgment of her birthday. Why am I not looking forward to it? I'm glad you asked. It's because the older I get the closer I get to becoming a bitter old spinster. I might as well just buy fifteen cats now. Sometimes I wonder if I'm turning into my crazy ex-roommate, whom I refer to as The Beast. I can't get started on that subject though, it'll just irritate me even more.

2. I have to teach Primary on Sunday. It's getting better, but the thought of going to Primary still just makes me want to cry. I don't want to be there. I still feel like I did something wrong and to punish me they banished me to Primary. Instead of looking forward to church, now I dread it.

3. I don't think I'm going to be able to finish my Independent Study. Not because I haven't had enough time to complete it, but because I'm a slacker, plain and simple.

4. I have to actually get dressed and do my hair and make-up tomorrow.

5. I've only done about 5% of what was on my to-do list for this week.

6. I want to go to bed but I just drank three Diet Cokes. And I don't even like Coke.

7. I've made fun of people in my last several blog entries and now I feel guilty. I'm trying really hard to be a nice and uplifting person, but I just don't know that that's something I'm capable of. I find humor in far too many things and I like to share the laughter, but it isn't always nice. That poor polygamist lady was probably forced to marry some nasty, sicko old man when she was just a teenager, and then she had her kids taken away, and I'm making fun of her unibrow. It doesn't matter that it was so bad that I wanted to drive down to Texas just to pluck it for her. Did I really need to point it out to everyone? Well . . . yeah, I kind of did. Maybe that's not the best example.

So anyway, there are several reasons why I'm bitter this evening. They're all stupid except for the ones about the Independent Study and how I need to be nicer. My goals for the next week and a half are to finish my stupid class and to not write any blog entries that make fun of other people. And to lay off the Diet Coke. A little confession-I have always hated Coke, but in the last five days I've gone through two twelve packs. I don't know how this has happened. I think I've been possessed by a bitter, Diet Coke drinking demon or something. That perfectly defines my ex-roommate. I really am turning in to her! Dangit-I just made fun of someone! That goal will officially start with my next blog post. O.k., I'm going to stop writing now because in the time it took me to write this I could have done an assignment for my class.

Finally!

Here are some pictures from my freezer/dehydrator cooking session. I never did take a picture of everything all together. It was far too much effort to get it all back out of the freezer. Keep in mind I don't have a great camera, so the pictures aren't that great.

Roasted garlic. This stuff is amazing. I'm addicted and will have to have it in the fridge at all times from now on.


The boiled hamburger. Don't knock it 'til you've tried it. And look at that great broth!


Just one of the many quiches I made. This one was spinach, artichoke hearts, roasted garlic and cheese. Is the plural of quiche quiches or quiche?


The finished product.


Homemade sun-dried tomatoes. I realize they were done in a food dehydrator and not under the sun, but it sounds stupid to call them dehydrator-dried tomatoes.


Dehydrated strawberries. These are really tasty.


Getting the sweet potatoes ready to dry. I sprayed them with olive oil and then sprinkled them with salt and pepper.


The finished product. Much healthier than regular chips.


And just for fun, a picture of a bird that landed on our deck and wouldn't fly away. I think it was sick. Don't worry, I didn't cook it.

Makes me laugh every time

When I was cleaning out my desk at work I came across the following letter. It's from a customer whose credit application I declined. I chuckle every time I read it. I've kept the original spelling, grammar, spacing, etc., but removed all company names. Enjoy!

Based on the letter that you have sent,regarding _____ Fleet Fueling and your underwriter who ever denied our request,for the fact ,
We don't care about your approval we still have the cash to fill our cars tanks ,
and you did a favour for us .
We meant to help you out making money through card interest while you are setting in the office just making interests on the people use of your credit card and I found out It Is a trap for everybody increase people debts.
We really don't care about the corrupted credit bureaus and Fair Isac Formula which I can make a better one.
Your Opinion did not and will not shake any hair of our hair,we are functioning completely without any financing which the weak people need your credit for gas,we import and buy locally a lot of mechandise and we do business helping the community for their need with good prices better than your credit that put and trap people in debts.
Well,good luck,thank you

It's then signed by Dr. So and So. That's right, Dr. My favorite part is how my opinion will not shake any hair of their hair.

Um . . .

I was all excited to read this blog post called Top 20 Hilarious Child Star Screw Ups, thinking it would be funny blooper type stuff. Not so much. Could someone please tell me what is hilarious about drug addiction, overdoses, anorexia, mental breakdowns, etc. I'm thinking the author needs to change the title. Tragic, sad, unfortunate-yes. Hilarious-only if you're sick and twisted.

Oh dear

Watch this video from CNN and tell me what the first thing you notice is.

Down with the OBC!

Lately I've read or tried to read several books from the Oprah Book Club. No more, I say, no more! The two I read most recently are "Gap Creek" and "The Rapture of Canaan." Both books kept me hooked, but then sucked at the end. This seems to be what most of Oprah's (or as I like to call her, Opry) book picks are like. Actually, that's not entirely true. I just looked at a list of all her Book Club Picks and there are actually more that I liked than not liked. Whatever. I'm still bitter after "Gap Creek." If you haven't read it, don't, it'll just piss you off. Oh, and I've also been reading "A New Earth" bit by bit, but then I saw the author, Eckhart Tolle, on Oprah, and now I can't read it anymore. I am extremely ashamed to admit this, and it just goes to show you what a horrible, superficial person I am, but my first thought when I saw him was "If I looked like that, I'd probably write a book about not judging people by their physical appearance too." I can't believe I just admitted that. It's just his nostrils. They are ginormous. Seriously. O.k., so I just googled "Eckhart Tolle nostrils" and the following comments showed up on a message board:

-Call me shallow or whatever you want but the main reason I cannot watch the webcasts is because of his nostrils. He looks like a munchkin. I think his real name was Eckhart Troll, not Tolle.

-I am sorry. I am going into ego. Have you noticed how huge Tolle's nostrils are?

-I have gotten over my issue with his nostrils -- I like that I can see right through to his soul in those chasms.

I just wanted everyone to know that I'm not the only one who has noticed this issue. But I think everyone should decide for themselves. Click here to watch a YouTube clip.

O.k., enough about the nostrils. Here is a list of the few Opry books I've read and I've marked them with a plus or minus if I liked them or not.

-"She's Come Undone" by Wally Lamb (+)
-"The Rapture of Canaan" by Sheri Reynolds (-)
-"Black and Blue" by Anna Quindlen (+)
-"Midwives" by Chris Bohjalian (+)
-"Where the Heart Is" by Billie Letts (+)
-"Tara Road" by Maeve Binchy (+++)
-"Gap Creek" by Richard Morgan (---)
-"The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck (+)
-"A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey (+)

Across the Universe

Has anyone else seen this movie? Wow. Julie Taymor, who also did The Lion King on Broadway, directed it and she did an amazing job. It's a musical set to the music of The Beatles and it is so much fun to watch. I highly recommend both the movie and the soundtrack, which will stay in your head forever more. Also, this movie erased the memory of Jim Sturgess in The Other Boleyn Girl, which had been traumatizing me for weeks.

The Not So Real World

I watched part of the Real World Awards/Reunion show today. Holy skankiness, Batman! Am I just old or something? I remember back in the day when the show used to be about real issues and not seeing how drunk you can get and how many different people you can hook up with. I think it started to go down hill when the show was in Hawaii. That's when I stopped watching on a regular basis, too. You see, the real world to me, isn't about getting plastered, hooking it up with multiple people, getting nekkid, and getting into fights. Maybe that's just 'cause I'm Mormon and live in Happy Valley, though. Maybe that's what the real world is to most people out there. Oh how very sad, if that's the case. I wonder if MTV offers them free STD screening at the end of the season.

I miss the good ole days! Here are some of my favorite memories from way back when:

-Pedro from San Francisco. Everything about him. What a great person he was.

-Heather from New York falling while walking the dog. Hilarious.

-David from L.A. getting kicked out of the house. Oh, the drama!

-Flora from Miami trying to climb through the bathroom window.

-Dan from Miami just being himself.

-Neil from London getting his tongue bit in half. Oh, and when his girlfriend sent him a pig heart for Valentine's Day.

I'm sure I'm missing other moments, but this is just what I could come up with off the top of my head. Anyone else have any favorite Real World moments? Or am I the only one who actually cares?

Uncle Soren

My great-uncle Soren passed away. He had been sick for quite a while, so it wasn't a surprise. I'm happy for him; his wife died in 1992 and now they get to be together again. He was married to Fern (I love that their names rhyme-Soren is pronounced Sern), who was my Grandma's sister.





Soren Glenn Sabey, 86 of American Fork died at his home April 14, 2008.
Born Sept. 21, 1921 in Lehi to Aaron J. and Ivy Charlotte Sorenson Sabey. Veteran of World War II, having served in the Marines. He graduated from BYU with a degree in Agronomy and major in Animal Husbandry.
He married Fern Walker on May 31, 1944 in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. She died Dec. 30, 1992. He worked for the University of Wyoming Experimental Farm and for the U.S. Government Soil and Water Conservation Service.
He was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a beloved leader in the Boy Scouts of America for 70 years. He served in all positions and received the Silver Beaver Award. He loved gardening, watching BYU sports, Scouting and hiking.
He is survived by his children: Sandra Sabey, Bruce W. Sabey (Deanne McCausland) and Dean W. Sabey (Jerris Faye Peck), six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be Sat., April 19, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. at the American Fork 12th Ward, 300 N. 700 E. where friends may visit with the family from 9:00 Ð 10:45 a.m.. Burial with military honors will be at the American Fork Cemetery.

I'm a slacker

I promise I will post the pics of my freezer cooking fun. I want to take one of everything I made all together, but almost all of it is in the freezer, and it's just far too much effort to go all the way downstairs. Maybe tomorrow.

Mmmm, mmmm good!

I watched Dear Frankie tonight and was reminded of how much I enjoy Gerard Butler. Let me rephrase that . . . I was reminded of how much I enjoy looking at Gerard Butler. I think that you will enjoy looking at him as well, so here you go:





This, however, is not my favorite look of his:


Doesn't he have exceedingly white teeth for portraying someone in 480 BC! I'm pretty sure Crest Whitestrips hadn't been invented yet. Although my Humanities professor always used to say "It all goes back to the Greeks," so maybe they did have teeth bleaching. Who knows. :)

I'm so proud of myself

My family was all out of the house yesterday so I decided it would be the perfect day to do a big batch of freezer cooking. I made fourteen quiches in six different flavors, a big batch of hamburger that I turned in to sloppy joes, taco meat, and then bagged some up plain, a huge batch of BBQ pork, and I roasted my own garlic. Plus, when I did the hamburger, instead of cooking it in a frying pan like I normally would, I boiled it. It sounds kinda gross, but it worked out really well. The best part about it is that now I have a pot of great beef broth. I took a few pictures that I'll post later. Oh, and I almost forgot-this isn't freezer cooking, but I also dehydrated strawberries and made dehydrated yogurt drops. Today after church I think I'm going to do more. I'm trying to incorporate beans into our diet because they're so good for you and they're cheap, but I don't like the ones from the can. Even after I rinse them off they're still too salty and I don't like the texture. Instead I like to soak and cook dry beans, and then stick them in the freezer for later. I'm going to do lentils, black beans, great northern, anasazi (My personal favorite. If you've never had this kind, you have to try them. I've only been able to find them in the bulk bins at the health food store, though.) and black-eyed peas. I'm also going to dry celery, sweet potatoes and more yogurt, and I have a ton of chicken to stick in the crockpots, plus I'm going to make up a bunch of wontons to stick in the freezer. I also want to try making a sourdough starter. I love sourdough bread (the more sour, the better), and I've got all this yummy roasted garlic that would taste great on it. I think it takes three or four days before it's ready to use though. So anyway . . . that's what I'm doing all weekend. If you can't tell, I LOVE to cook. I'm not so much into baking though. I don't like to use recipes, or if I do, I like to change them, and I don't feel like I can do that very much with baking. You can change the extras in cookies, but you still have to have that basic cookie recipe, and I'm too scared to play around with that. If I have extra time tonight I might possibly do some pumpkin bread and cookie dough. My brother likes to microwave chunks of frozen cookie dough, one blob at a time, so it'll be nice for him to have more flavors than just chocolate chip. I might be too tired though. I'll let you know how it all goes, and I'll try to post some pics of my adventures.

Another one

Sorry, Wendy, I forgot to do your tag thing last week. Here you go:

10 years ago:
I was in the living hell that we call high school.

5 things on my to-do list:
1. Finish my Independent Study.
2. Pay my tuition.
3. Clean out my car.
4. Get my windshield replaced for the second time in six months.
5. Get my mom a birthday present.

5 places I have lived:
I'll just do the places in the last four years:
1. Orem, UT
2. Sandy, UT
3. Midvale, UT
4. Cottonwood Heights, UT
5. A different place in Cottonwood Heights, UT

5 jobs I've had:
1. Credit Analyst at Wright Express
2. Salesperson at Dillard's
3. Store Manager at Advance 'Til Payday (payday loans are of the devil-never get one!)
4. POS Supervisor at ShopKo
5. Cashier at Target

5 things people don't know:
Please refer to my last blog entry. I can't come up with anything more right now.

I tag Rebecca, Traci (again, just email it), and whoever else would like to do it. I really need more blog readers so that I don't feel so lame when I have no one to tag.

Seven Things

Rebecca tagged me, so here are seven random things about me (because I know you don't get enough random information about me already!):

1. I'm a complete snob when it comes to the east side and west side of the Salt Lake area. Nothing against you personally if you happen to live in Kearns, West Valley, or anywhere over there. I admire your willingness to brave drive-by's on a daily basis, and I will pray for you, that you might be able to find housing in a safer, less ghetto area. Please note that this does not apply to the southernmost end of the valley. Herriman is fine.

2. I get teary-eyed almost on a daily basis. Contrary to popular belief, I am very tender hearted, and animals, children, Oprah and church talks make me cry. And a lot of t.v. shows and movies. And some music. And a lot of books. Pretty much everything has tear potential, I guess.

3. For a long time I didn't like to have pictures up in my bedroom because I felt like the people were watching me like in Harry Potter. This was before Harry Potter though, so I guess it was just a little craziness coming out.

4. I have a slight obsession with food storage. Not that I actually have much of it, because I'm living with my parents right now and don't have room, but I like to learn about it and plan what I will have in the future.

5. I have ADD when it comes to books. I usually have at least three or four in progress at a time. It makes me nervous to just be reading one book and only one book.

6. I pay far too much attention to celebrity gossip. I'm trying to break myself of this habit because really, who cares if Paris Hilton tripped and fell, or if Naomi Campbell was arrested (AGAIN).

7. I have carpal tunnel and my wrists and hands hurt pretty much all the time. If I forget to wear my wrist braces at night and have to work the next day, I'm ready to kill myself round about 9 a.m. Lately my fingers have been staying numb for most of the day too.

I tag Wendy, Traci (yes, I know you don't write on your blog, so just email it to me again!) and whoever else would like to do it.

My favorite cake

I made this on Sunday for Mark's 18th birthday, and then ate probably half of it. It's the best. I have to have nicknames for everything, and because I have issues with swearing in my head, I like to call it Texas Sh*t Cake. Not out loud though because my mom would be horrified. Out loud you may also refer to it as Texas Shiz Cake.

Texas Sheet Cake

1 c. water
2 sticks margarine or butter
4 T. cocoa
2 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. sour cream
2 eggs

Melt the butter/margarine in a pan, then add the water and cocoa. In a bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, salt and baking soda. Combine with the butter/cocoa mix. In another bowl, mix together the sour cream and eggs and add to the rest of it. (FYI-I melt the butter, then add the water and cocoa, then just dump all the rest together. I don't have time to mix all the other stuff together on its own. Actually, I do, I'm just too lazy) Pour into a greased jellyroll pan and bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. You don't need to let this cool first before frosting, because it's extra delicious when it's warm and melty.

Frosting

1 stick butter or margarine
4 T. cocoa
6 T. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 bag powdered sugar
Nuts (if you feel you must ruin it)

Melt the butter and add the cocoa, milk and vanilla. Beat in the powdered sugar until it's the right consistency. What is the right consistency, you ask? The consistency of homemade frosting.

The sound of music

I love music. I have no musical abilities whatsoever, but I love to listen to music. It's on all the time. Sometimes I have to force myself to turn it off so my brain can relax for a minute. One of my favorite things to do is go to the Music You Should Hear page on the Borders website. They have lists of musical artists and what they like to listen to. It's a great place to get ideas for new music, which I then go download (completely legally, I swear). I like pretty much all music except hardcore gangsta rap and really heavy heavymetal. I also love to make playlists for my iPod. I have playlists for all moods (especially when I'm feeling really bitter) and events. Here is today's playlist:

"Revolution" from the Across the Universe soundtrack
"Most of Me" by Mandy Moore
"The Sea" by Morcheeba
"Flat on the Floor" by Carrie Underwood
"Long Day" by Matchbox Twenty
"Labyrinth" by Elisa
"Long Walk Home" by Bruce Springsteen
"Here With Me" by Dido
"Gorgeous" by Idina Menzel
"Boys Don't Cry" by Plumb
"1,000 Lonely Days" by Antigone Rising
"Typical" by MuteMath
"Are You Out There" by Dar Williams
"You Take My Breath Away" by Sarah Brightman
"Sisters of Avalon" by Cyndi Lauper (the version from "The Body Acoustic")
"Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis
"Dear Prudence" from the Across the Universe soundtrack
"No One" by Alicia Keys
"Kerosene" by Miranda Lambert
"Walking on Air" by Kerli
"We're Young and Beautiful" by Carrie Underwood
"Surrounded" by Chantal Kreviazuk
"Sea Lion Woman" by Feist
"I Alone" by Anouk and K's Choice

The Today Show Announcement

I swear this is going to be my last post about New Kids on the Block for at least a month! Did anyone see them on the Today Show this morning? If not, you can watch it here. Here are my thoughts: First of all, Danny has turned creepy. He looks a little bit like a pedophile or a peeping tom or something. He used to be really built back in the day, and he worked out all the time, but now he's kind of little. Granted, he had clothes on so I couldn't really tell. Not that I'm used to seeing him without his clothes on, but my Step by Step video had several clips of him pumping iron and jumping rope. Not girly double-dutch, but hard core exercise rope jumping. Anyway, my point is, if I saw Danny's mugshot on the news tomorrow, I would look at it and say yeah, that looks about right.

I felt kinda bad for Jon. If I remember correctly, he has severe anxiety and has a hard time being in front of people. He just stood in the back and looked completely uncomfortable the whole time. I wonder how they got him to do this whole thing. Fortunately, Donnie, Joey and Jordan answered most of the questions, so Jon (I want to call him sweet, little Jon even though he's probably pushing 40) and Creepy Danny didn't really talk much.

Speaking of Jordan and Joey, they were looking mighty fine! I was never a big Joey fan because he was the dorky, little kid of the group, but now he's all grown up and was in Wicked, so that automatically makes him cool. Jordan's always been cool. And fine. I heart him.

I'm not sure how I feel about Donnie. He has been very much overshadowed by his brother who is much more attractive, despite his third nipple. Donnie was too much of a bad boy for me. I know, one of the New Kids being too much of a bad boy sounds ridiculous, but hey, I was like nine years old. I wasn't aware of the joys of rebellion yet. So yeah, I still don't quite know what to make of Donnie. He doesn't appear to be the bad boy anymore. He's not as hot as Jordan. Despite his role in The Sixth Sense, he's not as creepy as Creepy Danny. I don't know where he fits in. He doesn't have an assigned role to fill anymore.

So there are my thoughts on this morning's appearance. I apologize for the moments of randomness, but that's just the way my brain works these days. I think it's fried from trying to keep it together these last couple weeks at work. It is becoming increasingly difficult to not tell people exactly what I think about how they've just messed things up. I should probably just call it good and not show up on Monday. It would really be for the benefit of everyone involved.

The boys are back!

And still as hot as ever!!!

This makes me sick

In the Deseret News today there is an article called "Gay 'agenda' targeted-Speakers in American Fork warn of dangers." Here are the two parts that irritated me the most:

-Referring to the "homosexual agenda", a speaker said " They are smart, they are clever and they are patient. If they can get our children indoctrinated in the schools, into accepting inappropriate sexuality as normal and OK, even celebrated, all they have to do is wait for you and me to die. And in one generation they win. There will be nobody to stand against them."

-The article then says "Graham also focused attention on dangers he associates with homosexuality like suicide, drug use and sexually transmitted diseases."

Wow. I hardly even know what to say to that. Oh wait, yes I do. You have got to freakin' be kidding me!!! Do people really think there is some powerful group of gays sitting around scheming to infiltrate the school system? And are gay people the only ones who commit/consider suicide, use drugs, and have STD's? Huh, that's funny, because I'm an addict in recovery and I'm pretty darn straight, and I know a whole lot of other addicts who aren't gay either. Also, it seems to me like I just read an article a few weeks ago about how 1 in 4 teenage girls have an STD. I'm pretty sure that they aren't all gay either. As for the suicide thing, I don't know the statistics. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the suicide rate is higher amongst gay people. I wonder why that is, though. Could it be because ignorant, intolerant people like those mentioned in this article not only are cruel and insensitive themselves, but also teach their children to behave this way? Do you remember Lawrence King, the 8th grader who was killed because he was gay? What did his killer learn at home? Did his parents teach him that gays like Lawrence were trying to infiltrate his school and indoctrinate him, and that he had better watch out? I don't care if you believe that being gay is a sin or not, everyone deserves to be treated with respect and compassion. Most gay bashing is done in the name of religion, and in this state, mostly in the name of my own religion. This makes me so sad because the Gospel that believe in and love has taught me to be tolerant, loving and kind. Love the sinner, hate the sin. We all know I haven't lived a perfect life, and while I have definitely felt some judgment and condemnation from some members of my faith, I am extremely grateful that people don't hate me and want to eradicate me because of the choices I've made. I believe we're all brothers and sisters and we're in this together, so why can't we lift each other up and support each other instead of tearing each other down and teaching our children to hate one another?