double standard

I was listening to the song "Callin' Baton Rouge" by Garth Brooks the other day and for some random reason it struck me how if it were a girl singing the song, the message would be completely different. One of the lyrics is "stoppin' every hundred miles callin' Baton Rouge." Now when a guy does that, it's just as sweet and tender as can be because he's just oh, so in love with this girl. If a girl were to do that, though, it would mean she's a stalker. And then there's the line "And it won't be long until I'm with you all the time, But until then I'll spend my money up right down to my last dime callin' Baton Rouge." Telling someone that it won't be long until you're with them all the time is a little creepy to me. I feel like it should be followed by "because I'm a psycho who's going to break your ankles like Kathy Bates in Misery so that you can't escape me." And if you're just about out of money, then you should probably go ahead and stop calling me.

Failure!

I am once again failing at being a blogger. It's just that life is so darn busy, what with my grueling schedule of tv watching and online shopping. I've also started but not finished about 10 books. Oh wait no, that's a lie. I did finish one of them. Matched by Ally Condie. (Whose child I happened to teach in Primary. He was not one of the demon children, fortunately, or I would be forced to hate her book on principle.) So anyway, here's yet another bullet point themed blog post for your reading enjoyment:

• Pretty in Pink is on right now and I just had a WTF moment. I've always bitched about how Blane (That's a major appliance, that's not a name!) said "You said you couldn't be with someone who didn't believe in you. Well I believed in you. You just didn't believe in me" Well, apparently (according to the Bible of IMDb), he actually says "Well I believed in you. I just didn't believe in me." I guess that really would make more sense, but whatever.
  
• It's snowed like a foot here in the last 24 hours. When I checked the weather forecast on Friday, I swear it said an inch. I take consolation in the fact that we're almost through with two months of winter. Only five more to go!
  
• Lorri and I just watched the Oprah from a couple weeks ago where she goes back to a town in West Virginia where she did a show in 1987. The show was about a gay man who had AIDS and how he was treated by the town. It was really uncomfortable to watch how hateful those people were. I realize that back then we didn't know as much about the disease and how it was spread as we do now, but a lot of the hurtful comments were about the fact that the guy was gay. It always drives me crazy when people cite the Bible as a reason for being anti-gay. If we're going to go by what the Bible says, we should probably start stoning people again. Oh, and according to Mark, if you get divorced and then marry someone else, you've committed adultery. I wonder how many of those people were (and still are) on their first marriage.
• Remember a little while ago how I made a client cry twice because I made her do her laundry? Well, I managed to make her cry again. This time it was because she lied to me about eating Christmas candy. That makes me sound horrible. I didn't get mad at her or anything, she just felt really guilty and didn't want me to tell her mom. So really, in both incidents, I didn't make her cry, the consequences of her behavior made her cry. Somehow that still makes me sound horrible, doesn't it!
• Does anyone watch The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills? (I'm slightly ashamed to admit that I do.) The last episode was cray cray!!! That psychic lady (I'm afraid to even say her name-she might put a hex on me or something) is truly insane. I won't ever be able to see a cigarette again without thinking of her creepily puffing away on her fake cigarette. I'm getting the heebie jeebies just thinking about her.
• I'm not usually a huge Kenny Chesney fan, but I can't get enough of this song:
  

• I'm also enjoying "Long Time Coming" by Delays. If you actually watch this video, can we please talk about how creepy twin children can be? For other examples, please see The Shining and, let's be honest, pretty much any Olsen twins movie.

• O.k., just one more song! Since I invited myself on my parent's trip to Ireland next summer, I've been watching Irish-themed movies (great excuse to watch The Boondock Saints again!!!) and one of my favorites is The MatchMaker. This song is in it and I can't stop listening to it. It's "Haunted" by Sinead O'Connor and Shane MacGowan (original lead singer of The Pogues).
  

a momentous event

I was described today as being perky. Did you ever think that word would be used to describe me? I told my mom and she was a bit skeptical. She just needs to not let the first 27 years of my life bias her opinion.

I've been reminiscing . . .

My favorite picture of all time. My mom and the grandkiddos.

Neti pot!!!


One of too many nights of insanity at Ryan's.


Yard sale at Amber and Tyler's. Don't know whose van that was, or why we were documenting our (their) butts for posterity.

After we went tubing under the road. Our version of tubing included a giant piece of cardboard instead of an actual tube. And mud. And not bothering to actually put on swim suits.


Me and little Melissa. I'm not sure why she doesn't have a shirt on.


My birthday 2005, after a little cake fight.


Trying to force niece number one to take a "nice" picture with Aunt Kimmie. President's Day Weekend 2007.

cheeriness

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

worst blogger ever

I don't know what's happened; I used to be so great at blogging! Sigh. I need some inspiration. Oh well, here are some nuggets:

• A client told me yesterday that she was going to send me to the Obama White House and have me taped to the Christmas tree there. I'm not entirely sure what she meant by that, but I don't think it was good.
• I made the same client cry twice later in the evening because I made her do her laundry. I should feel bad about this, but I don't.
• I have now gotten all of my coworkers but one hooked on Veronica Mars. I've also begun indoctrinating the clients as well. It's a sickness.
• I just bought a Berkshire Fluffie blanket and it's awesome. This is possibly too much information (not that that's ever stopped me before!), but I just want to wrap up in it naked because it feels that amazing. You need to get one.
• My new obsession is buying used movies off of Amazon. I can usually get them for about 4 bucks and since that's about how much it would cost to rent them at Blockbuster, I'm buying stuff I have and haven't seen. None of them fit in my PO box though, so the post office lady has to do her job and hand them off to me. I think she's getting irritated.
• Zack and Miri Make a Porno is on. I love Justin Long in this movie.

That's all I've got for now. Oh, and Cary, I know this will make your day-I've finally found my set of Table Topics, so start looking forward to more Q&A's!

Sarah Palin's Alaska

Are you watching Sarah Palin's Alaska on TLC on Sunday nights? I'm a little bitter about it. It has made me actually start to like Sarah Palin. Now I'm not saying I want her to run my country, but I am saying I would be pleased to continue to watch her club fish to death and then gut them.

the forecast

Nothing gets you in the mood for Thanksgiving like sub-zero temperatures!

what I've been up to

Um . . . not much. Here are some tidbits; some exciting, most not:

• We're doing a Thanksgiving dinner this weekend for the clients and their families. And when I say "we're doing a Thanksgiving dinner," I mean I'm coming in on my day off and will probably end up cooking most of it.
• The weather here has been crazy. Yesterday morning, I was awoken at 6:30 am by what sounded like someone in my attic. Turns out it was super windy and really warm (relatively speaking), so the snow was sliding off the roof. Then, like two hours later, there were blizzard-like conditions. You could only see a couple feet in front of you. Then it got warm again and most of the snow melted. Then it got super cold and all my car doors and windows froze shut.
• I just read sTORI Telling by Tori Spelling and it was so enjoyable that I read it in one evening whilst ignoring my clients.
• Did you guys watch the Sarah Palin Alaska extravaganza on TLC last Sunday? What were your thoughts? I liked it, other than the fact that I felt like she was turning every single thing she said into a sound bite. Like the part when she was talking about the mama bear fighting for the future generation, or whatever. I think I would have liked the show better if it had just been about Alaska, and not the Palins. :)
• I'm going to Ireland (and possibly England) next summer. I'm more excited for this trip than any other trip I've been on.
  
• I have become obsessed with cereal. It is delicious.
• I had an Aha Moment the other day when watching Oprah. It was the reunion show with the cast of The Color Purple, and as I was watching it I realized that my favorite color is purple and I was like holy crap! O.k., I didn't say it was a good Aha Moment, just that it was one!
• Have you tried the new Suave Rosemary Mint shampoo and conditioner? It's amazing. It was on sale at Smith's the other day for $1.33 and I bought like twelve of them. (In case you were wondering, no, we don't have a Smith's here. I got them when I was in Idaho Falls, which is possibly my least favorite city on earth.)
  

Seriously?

I think I have officially adjusted to life in Wyoming. I went outside this morning to go warm up the car and was amazed at how warm it was. Yeah, it's 17 degrees.

sick . . . sick . . .

In addition to having a great time at the conference (see the last post) and learning a lot, I also picked up a nasty, little bug. I spent the entire weekend doing one of the following:

• sleeping
• trying desperately to breathe
• trying desperately to swallow*
• blowing my nose
• shopping in Jackson (hey, I gotta go when I have time off!)

*Keep it clean, Edvalsons!

the conference

I spent last week in Laramie with a bunch of the clients where I work, attending MEGA Conference. (I don't know what MEGA stands for, but it's always capitalized, so there you go.) In case you were wondering, the drive to Laramie is awful and ugly, and the city itself is a shit hole. (When I told my parents that description, they were not amused!) I do not like Laramie and I couldn't wait to get home. The conference was really good, though. They do it every year and it's for people with disabilities, as well as their caregivers and family members.

There's a keynote speaker every morning and then breakout sessions. The keynote speaker this year was actually the same guy on both days, but he talked about different topics. Anyway, this guy was awesome (and super hot!). His name is Kevin Connolly and he was born without legs. If you've never heard of him, you can check out his website here, his photography work here, and his YouTube videos here.

I went with the clients to their sessions, so we learned about fire safety, voting (which was good, since sadly I have never voted), how words can hurt, and some other ones I can't remember off the top of my head. My favorite, other than the keynote speaker, was the session on how words can hurt. They had several people with disabilities get up and talk about bullying and how people have treated them in the past. They also then talked about the support that they have received from people around them and how little things can make a difference. It was really touching.

The last night of the conference we went to a banquet and dance. I wanted to avoid the dance because I have an insane fear of public dancing, but I ended up kind of participating. You see, one of the clients has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. It took a while for her to want to get out on the dance floor, but when they finally played some music she liked, she asked me to take her out there. I helped her dance for about an hour and a half and it was amazing. Her favorite person in the whole world is Martina McBride, and when they played "Independence Day", this girl danced her heart out (meaning she moved her arms around 'cause that's pretty much all she can do), and sang every word. The look on her face was one of pure happiness. I will be the first to admit that it made me cry a little. We tend to think of these people as being handicapped and forget that they're people first. It was really awesome to see all of them out there dancing, having a great time, and not worrying for even a second about how they look or if they're doing it "right". Seriously-it was awesome!

So, all in all, I had a great time, despite the conference being in Laramie. It was really eye-opening and a little (actually a lot) humbling to be around so many people with disabilities. During these past couple of months I've learned to see the person first, and not their disability. In the past, if I have ever encountered someone with a disability, I didn't know how to act, so I avoided them. Now I think I would feel comfortable being my normal, friendly self (hahaha!) and interacting with them. I think about the number of people I've met that have been rude or snobby or whatever, compared with the number of people with disabilities that I've met that have been rude (a big, fat zero!) and I wonder who really has the disability. Huh . . . that was really profound! Hopefully you didn't skip this blog post because it was long, 'cause that means you totally missed out on that little nugget of wisdom!

Grrrrr . . .

I went to get my Wyoming driver's license today and since I wasn't born in the USA, I couldn't get it without my birth certificate or passport. Nevermind that I have a valid Utah driver's license and wasn't required to have anything extra when I got it. Grrrr. Plus, the DMV here is only open on Thursdays and Fridays and apparently there's only one person who works there. And the line was long. And I was stuck behind an old guy with an oxygen tank.

here's what's been going on . . .

• Work, work, work.
  
• And when I'm not working, I've been enjoying these new tv shows:

(Sister Wives on TLC-more on my thoughts about this show later.)

• I've also been watching and rewatching my niece, Sariah, preparing for when she turns 18 and can audition for So You Think You Can Dance.
  

• I've also been obsessively listening to these songs:

• I've also (since last night) been wanting to make this cake.
• I've also been spending a good deal of time avoiding deer in the road. I saw 24 on Saturday and 17 yesterday.
  
• Oh yeah, and I've also been enjoying views like this:

(None of these pictures are my own. So sorry if you are the person I stole them from. Nice picture-taking, though!)

randoms

• It's sad how excited I get on Saturdays when it's time to go pick up our produce basket. Unpacking it is seriously the highlight of my day. This week we got bananas, apples, Asian pears, green plums, peaches, onions, acorn squash, celery, broccoli, romaine lettuce, grapes, and okra. I also ordered the Italian pack and in that we got red onions, garlic, basil, rosemary, flat-leaf parsley, zucchini, eggplant and mushrooms. I can't wait to cook.
• Lorri and I went to Idaho Falls (The Big City) over the weekend to get stuff for the house. The whole time we were there I felt weird, like something was off and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Finally, as we were leaving, I figured out that there were no mountains. It was disconcerting and it's kind of weird that it bothered me so much. I guess the dominant feature in both Orem and Star Valley is the mountains and when you take them away, it's like taking my security blanket away or something.
• It has been unseasonably warm here lately. Not hot, but like 80 degrees. When your morning starts off around 30 degrees, it's weird to be so warm during the day. I'm ready for it to cool off-I want my hoodie weather!
• There's a conference for developmentally disabled people coming up in October that a bunch of the clients are going to, and I get to go with them. It should be fun. Laramie, here I come! I've never been to Laramie, but whenever I mention it to anyone up here, they laugh. That's probably not a good sign!!!
  
• The Special Olympics are also coming up in October. The clients here are doing bowling and are super excited about it. I love how enthusiastic they are about pretty much everything in life. If ever you are depressed and need a quick shot of gratitude or joy, spend some time with someone who is handicapped or developmentally disabled. They definitely have their grumpy moments, but seeing their faces light up over something simple is pretty darn awesome. It's really hard to be in a bad mood after that.
  
• I also love watching them try to figure things out. They have no poker face. You can see the wheels turning and sometimes it takes a little bit, but when they get it, it's like magic.
  

Say what?

So you know how I've been at my job for less than a month? Well, I was just promoted and am now in charge. I'm happy to see that someone (other than myself) realizes just how fabulous I am!

Why I love Star Valley

Yes, I know these could totally apply to a plethora of other locations, but I don't care. Leave me alone, I'm tired (see previous post)!!!

• There are no traffic lights for miles.
  
• There is no mail delivery-you have to have a PO Box. You would think this would be a negative, but I hate having to check the mail every day and I always worry that the postman is going to yell at me for letting the mail pile up, and I also worry about leaving important information out there for somebody to steal. If you have a PO Box, they don't care, and no one can steal your stuff.
• My town has a population of 431 people. I guess it's actually 433 now. You know how I feel about large amounts of people, right?
• Everywhere I go is within two blocks of my house. Since I moved here a month ago, I've only had to buy gas once.
  
• I love it when the farmers have been cutting hay and then it rains. The smell is divine.
• It's much more casual here. I barely wear make-up or do my hair anymore and I don't feel bad about that for even a second.
• It's really easy to get to know people in a small town. There are only so many people to talk to.
• Because it's so small and everyone knows everyone, there's always help available if you need anything. I was checking the oil in my car one time at the gas station and there was almost instantaneously a guy wanting to help me and then another lady was checking to make sure everything was o.k.
  
• It's just plain gorgeous up here. At least every other day, if not every day, I think to myself, "Holy crap, I actually get to live here." I usually don't use the word crap, though.
• For some reason, life is more calm here. Even when I'm working 80 hours a week, I still feel far less stress being here than in Utah.
• You can leave your car running here when you run into the gas station and not worry that someone will steal it. I don't actually do this because I still have that "big city" mentality from living in Orem. :)
• There are lots of cowboys here. Let's take a moment to picture in our minds the tight Wranglers. Yes, life is good here!

I guess to be fair, I should list the reasons why I don't like living here.

• There's only one grocery store in town and it's small.
• The cell service sucks at my house, so we had to get a landline. When they hooked it up they switched the lines with someone else in town and they still haven't fixed it, two days later. When Kylie's (whomever she may be) grandma called last night, Lorri had to explain to her that she needed to call our phone number instead of Kylie's. Hopefully it will be fixed soon, but according to Kylie's grandma, we shouldn't count on it.
• Freakin' tourists! I've only been here a month and I'm already sick of them. Well, to be fair, I'm mostly just bothered by the ones that arrive by the busload. They descend on the gas station (I go to the gas station a lot for beverages), make a mess and then complain that the coffee isn't as good as Starbucks. Well no shit, Sherlock! You're in the middle of Wyoming . . . at a gas station. What do you expect?
  
• If you want to buy clothes here your options are basically the Family Dollar or the consignment store. This should maybe go on the list of good things, considering my issues with shopping.

I'm sure as I live here longer (and spend a winter here), I'll find other things that bug me, but for right now, I'm loving it. Life is pretty darn good these days.

tired . . . tired . . .

I apologize in advance if this is not an upbeat, funny post, but I'm tired. Things at work have been crazy and I've been picking up extra shifts right and left. It's only Wednesday and when I finish my shift tonight, I will have already worked over 50 hours this week. For someone who was used to working a maximum of like 10 hours per week at BYU, this has been interesting. Fortunately, for the next two days, instead of working from 9 am until midnight, I'm only working from 4 until midnight. I've been thinking the last couple of days about how exciting it will be to sleep in tomorrow morning, but then I remembered that the cable guy is coming tomorrow morning to finally set up our cable. So yeah.

Fruit Crisp

Chop up a bunch of fruit (if it's juicy fruit, mix in a little flour) and dump it in a cake pan. Mix up some flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in some butter until it's chunky. Spread it on top of the fruit. Bake at 350ish until it's brown on top. That's a stupid direction-the mixture is brown already. Bake it until it's even more browned and looks done. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Sorry this isn't a more clear recipe, I just make it without thinking. It's a great way to get rid of extra fruit. Last night I used apples, nectarines and plums. My favorite, though, is rhubarb. I also always make about twice as much of the crisp part because that's my favorite. For the crisp part, I would say I probably use equal parts of flour and brown sugar, and then two parts of oatmeal. Actually, maybe one and a half parts of brown sugar. I don't know. Just make it however you like it!

Beef Taquitos

1 lb. ground beef
1 c. salsa
1. c. grated cheese
flour tortillas

Brown the hamburger, then add in the salsa and cheese. Put about 1/2 cup of the mixture in a flour tortilla and roll it up. Line them up on a greased cookie sheet, then bake them at 425 degrees until they're golden brown.

****I think this would also be good with shredded chicken and with enchilada sauce and cheese on top.

Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing

3 tomatillos, peeled and quartered
juice of 1/2 a lime
1/2 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. mayo
1/2 c. sour cream
1 pkg. dry Ranch dressing mix
1 c. fresh chopped cilantro
6 green onions
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 T. sugar
1 jalepeno (How on earth do you get the little squiggly over the n?)

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Chill for 1 hour.

****I was eating it with a spoon before I chilled it and it was delicious. Had I not been serving it for dinner, I may have started drinking it right out of the food processor bowl. I've made other Cafe Rio knock-off recipes, and this is far and away the best. I also drizzled it over a slice of pizza and it was awesome. I'm pretty sure you could drizzle this stuff over anything and it would be amazing.

Green Poblano Rice

1 2/3 c. chicken broth
2 poblano peppers
12 springs cilantro
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. oil
1 c. rice
1 small onion, diced
5 garlic cloves

Combine broth and peppers in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then partially cover and simmer on medium for 10 minutes. Pour into a food processor. Add cilantro and puree. Add salt. Heat oil in the same saucepan on medium. Add rice and onions. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes, or until the rice looks chalky. Add the garlic and cook for a minute longer. Add the poblano liquid and cook until the rice is done.

*** The directions said to strain the poblano liquid, but I wanted the extra color and flavor, so I didn't. I also added fresh corn partway through cooking the rice and a little bit of extra liquid because the poblano mixture didn't seem like enough liquid for the rice.

Who knew?

So apparently all it took to get me out of my blogging funk was some delicious food. I should have known! Last night we had a "Use Up All of the Leftover Produce from the Produce Basket" dinner. I made beef taquitos, Cafe Rio tomatillo dressing, poblano rice and an apple, plum and nectarine crisp. It was all delicious and I am now referring to this meal as my get a husband meal because I'm pretty sure that any guy who eats this will quickly fall under my spell. Or at least his stomach will.

*I'm posting the recipes separately so that when I click on the recipes category, they'll show up individually instead of in a post called "Who knew?"

so . . .

Apparently when I moved to Wyoming, I left my desire to blog in Utah. Admittedly, I've been super busy with work (yesterday I worked from 9am until 1:30, and then 3:30 until 8 this morning), so I haven't had a ton of time, but the truth is, I just don't really care anymore. Hopefully that feeling will go away soon because I do kinda miss it. So until I get back into the swing of things, here are a couple of pictures to tide you over . . .

The place that I work gets produce baskets every week from Bountiful Baskets. Since I go to pick theirs up, I decided to just go ahead and get my own. For 15 bucks, I got honeydew, butternut squash, corn on the cob, tomatoes, bananas, grapes, apples, plums, nectarines, cabbage, romaine lettuce, avocados, mushrooms and probably some other stuff I'm forgetting. We also added on the Mexican Pack and for $7.50 we got tomatillos, garlic, onions, limes, jalapenos, and poblano peppers. (You best be believin' I'm going to be making some Cafe Rio tomatillo salad dressing!) This company operates in several states in the area, so I would highly recommend that you check them out. They do this year-round and it's a great deal.



A couple of weeks ago we took the clients to Kemmerer to visit the people who live in another company-owned house down there. Here they are playing at the park there. It was a great park, btw. Should you ever be unfortunate enough to find yourself in Kemmerer, make sure you check out the park.

awesome blossom, extra awesome

So my friend wrote a viewpoint for the BYU newspaper and now there's drama. All I have to say is way to go, Cary!

UPDATE: Here is BYU's reasoning for taking down the viewpoint. I'm not sure what they considered "offensive content." Would any opposing viewpoint be considered offensive? Do they not screen letters, viewpoints, etc., for offensiveness before printing them? I find quite a few of the letters to the editor in the Daily Universe to be offensive, but I am also mature enough to realize that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so I just roll my eyes and move on. I would certainly never censor someone else's thoughts. What makes this country great is that we can have differing viewpoints and open topics up for debate without fear of censure or retribution. Or is that just wishful thinking?

my new best friend

This is my new best friend. She's our neighbor's dog and I have decided she needs to be mine. She's the sweetest thing and she just sits at the front door, waiting for me to come back outside. We have one of those outer doors that would probably normally have a screen, but it's Wyoming, so it's glassed in. I finally had to close the inner, wooden door because she just sits there looking all sad, wanting someone to give her some loves. It always gets me and I end up going outside to pet her for a while. It's possible that I occasionally let her inside.

so sweet

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

words can't describe this

change of plans

So I'm no longer moving to Georgia. Now I'm moving to Wyoming. I went up there to job hunt yesterday and got the call today that I got the job I wanted. I have to be there Thursday (as in two days from now!) to get fingerprinted and take a drug test, and then I start Friday. I'm going to be working with handicapped people, specifically a married couple who have Down Syndrome. They're high functioning, so I basically just need to supervise and plan activities. (Last weekend they went to Yellowstone!) I think this will be a great way to get to know the area, so I'm excited about that.

So yeah. This is a big change and it happened really fast. I made the decision a week ago and everything just kind of fell into place. Yay!

Q of the Day

Q: What amendments should be made to the U.S. Constitution?
A: O.k., so I feel like admitting this may possibly qualify me for an appearance on the Jaywalking segment of The Tonight Show, but I'm not entirely sure of what an amendment is. I mean I know they give us the right to free speech, to bear arms, provide a limit for Presidential terms, etc., etc., but I don't know what would qualify something to be an amendment to the Constitution as opposed to being a federal law. So instead of listing what amendments I would like to see made, I'm just going to list what laws/things I would like to see enacted. Some of these may qualify for amendment status, who knows. And yes, I know some of these would require lots of money and are not in any way realistic.

• Legalize gay marriage.
• Harsher penalties for people who abuse animals and children.
• A ban on inhumane factory farming.
  
• Rehab instead of jail time for first and second time drug offenses. (Unless they're trafficking or cooking meth or something like that.) And not the Lindsay Lohan version of rehab!
  
• A complete revamp of the public school system.
• Get rid of Monsanto and other like companies.
• Ban reality t.v. unless it's educational. (Yes, I know I watch it and I'm a hypocrite!)
• Make every student in junior high and high school do a challenge day.

Alright, those are just a few. Basically I would just like for people to not be jerks and not do mean things.

Q of the Day

Q: Would you stop eating all junk food to live 5 years longer?
A: Hellz no!

Table Topics

I was discussing blogging with some friends last night and realized that everyone likes something different and I can't please everyone. What Emily liked, Betsy didn't like and vice versa. I also realized that I've run out of things to blog about. Fortunately, I then remembered that a year ago I bought Table Topics and the cards are perfect blogging prompts. So here's the deal: I'm going to answer a question each day (theoretically) and it would be awesome if everyone would answer the question in the comments section too, so that we can all get to know each other better. Here goes:

Q of the Day: What kind of business would you love to start?
In a dream world, I would like to be a writer and start a multi-media empire in which I write wildly successful books, movies, tv shows, etc. However, in the world of reality I realize that probably won't happen, so my more realistic dream business is a catering company. I love to cook but I also want the flexibility that you don't get from being a chef in a restaurant. Catering would be a ton of hard work, but I think it would also be really rewarding. I just want to do something creative. I don't get near enough creativity in my every day life. Plus, I've also been told I'm good with my hands. Hehehe. (In case you couldn't tell, that was a lecherous hehehe!)

how technology has ruined me

• My attention span is teetering on the verge of extinction. If your story is longer than the length of a sound bite, I lose interest.
  
• I asked a friend the other day how he knew this other person and he said "Through my friend, Hunter." I assumed he was referring to some new social networking site called myfriendhunter.com. He was not.
• As I'm going about my day, I always have my own personal soundtrack going in my head like on The Hills.
• It used to be that the first thing I did when I woke up was go to the bathroom. Not any longer. Now I pick up the laptop laying on the floor and before I even get out of bed, I check my email.
  
• Checking my email is also the very last thing I do before going to sleep. See that list of books I've read this year that's over on the sidebar of my blog? It's never updated because I never read before going to bed anymore.
  
• My thoughts now come in 140 characters or less, despite the fact that I never update my Twitter.
  
• Nothing happens without me thinking about how I can turn it into a blog entry.

There's been research that says that the brains of today's children are being wired differently than ours were, due to today's technology. I'm pretty sure that my brain is starting to rewire itself as well and that's a little frightening!

more randoms . . .

• Have you seen "If You Really Knew Me" on MTV? Wow, this is one of the most touching and uplifting t.v. shows I have seen in recent history. Last night's episode had me sobbing.
  
• It's once again Shark Week and I could not take my eyes off of these Top 10 Shark Attack Videos. I didn't know if I'd even be able to make it through the first clip without being traumatized, but then I ended up being mesmerized and had to watch all of them. There's one of a guy who kissed a shark and it bit his lips. He's an idiot.
  
• If you have kids or ever plan on having kids, or if you are ever around kids, you must watch this TED talk about creativity. There's also a second follow-up talk. This guy is awesome.
• I haven't even graduated yet, but the alumni association is already hitting me up for money.
  
• I am loving this insane rainy weather we're having. Well, except for around 4:30 this morning when the crazy loud thunder woke me up.

some stuff

• 27 days from now I will be on my way to Georgia.
• I'm still obsessed with Veronica Mars and still plan on telling you exactly why you should watch this show. In the meantime, I am getting people hooked on it one person at a time.
  
• In the case of my sister in-law, I'm getting her hooked, then taking the DVD's with me when I return to Utah. Sorry about that and I hope you found them at the library.
• I have discovered the joys of Luxe Lavender nail polish.
• I have also discovered the joys of coconut M&M's. In addition to being delicious, they also have a lovely color scheme of brown, green and white. They make me want to decorate something in those colors.
• Some friends are throwing a going away party for me and I am extremely concerned that no one is going to show up.
• Did you hear about the two-legged lamb?
• I'm sad that I only get to hang out with my co-workers (the ones that don't irritate me) for a few more weeks.
  
• "Cold Hearted Snake" by Paula Abdul is playing in my iTunes. I love shuffle.
• I just bought this and this.
• I'm selling my freezer. It's a 21.1 cubic feet Gibson. Any takers?
• I'm also willing to sell just about anything I own because I don't want to haul it with me across the country. Email me if you want something, anything.
• It has been brought to my attention that no one has heard of any of my songs of the day, except for when I'm all excited about discovering a new song that everyone else has apparently already heard and loved. Sorry about that. It's because I choose to educate myself musically instead of allowing myself to be force fed music by the radio stations. No, not really. I just hate having to switch stations all the time to avoid listening to commercials. So basically, it's because I'm lazy and would rather just push play on my iPod.
  

Oopsies!

As you may have noticed, my Veronica Mars week was kind of a failure. Sigh. Life got in the way and now I have the blog blahs and this is the best I can do for a post. Hopefully I will be inspired soon and you will be inundated with post after post after post. In the meantime, go rent Veronica Mars so that we can discuss it and hopefully I'll be back soon!

Reason #2 to watch Veronica Mars

It's sick how good the music on this show is. Here are a few of my favorites (top picks are "I Hear the Bells", "Sway", "Feel So Free" and "The Edge of the Ocean"):

And then there's "Momentary Thing" by Something Happens. Awesome song, but unfortunately it wasn't available through Playlist.com and most of the YouTube videos for it will spoil certain Veronica Mars storylines, so here's a random Joan of Arcadia themed video that includes the song:

Reason #1 to watch Veronica Mars

These reasons are in no particular order, but this one is definitely near the top of my list. There's this character named Dick Casablancas and even just a look or one word from him makes me happy. He's hilarious or, more specifically, the dialogue on Veronica Mars is hilarious, especially when it comes from him. He's my Dad's favorite character too. I think we all cheer a little bit on the inside when he comes on screen.

One of my favorite Dick Casablancas (I have problems with not including his last name!) scenes. His fraternity is accused of raping women and he's asking Veronica for help proving they didn't do it.



And another video dedicated to the genius that is Dick Casablancas. My personal favorite moment comes at 2:22ish.

my new obsession

So I recently discovered Veronica Mars and I'm completely obsessed. I watched all 3 seasons by myself, then got my parents hooked on it and rewatched all 3 seasons with them. Then I bought all 3 seasons on DVD (we had previously rented them). And then I found this awesome website that lists all the music from the episodes, and I downloaded all the music. So yeah, I'm slightly obsessed. In fact, I even bought the first season of Party Down, based solely upon the fact that it's from the same people that did Veronica Mars and has a bunch of the same people in it. (It is also awesome, by the way.) If you have never seen Veronica Mars, I would highly recommend that you check it out. The WB website rotates through the 3 seasons, so you can currently watch seasons 1 and 2 here. And also, if you have seen it, why is it that you never told me about it and I had to discover it on my own?

As you may have noticed, I've had nothing to blog about lately, so for the next little bit, I'm going to post on my favorite things about this show, in hopes that I'll convince you to go watch it. (Yes, I know I have no life!) For starters, here's a little promo clip for the show from Comic-Con:

song of the day

Muse-Uprising

I heard this song for the first time literally about five minutes ago and it stopped me in my tracks. I was seriously mesmerized. I had to immediately figure out who and what it was because it was imperative that I possess it ASAP.

love it

Just for you, Ambular!

Dear Amber (everyone else, please feel free to ignore this post),

I read this article and immediately thought of you and this classic moment from Saved by the Bell.

Sincerely,
Kim

P.S. Where did we get Munther from? I've forgotten.

more sassy gay friend

I didn't think this one was as good. They seriously need to do Bella from Twilight.

interesting idea

Immigrant farm workers' challenge: Take our jobs

By JULIANA BARBASSA, Associated Press Writer Juliana Barbassa, Associated Press Writer – Thu Jun 24, 5:42 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO – In a tongue-in-cheek call for immigration reform, farm workers are teaming up with comedian Stephen Colbert to challenge unemployed Americans: Come on, take our jobs.

Farm workers are tired of being blamed by politicians and anti-immigrant activists for taking work that should go to Americans and dragging down the economy, said Arturo Rodriguez, the president of the United Farm Workers of America.

So the group is encouraging the unemployed — and any Washington pundits or anti-immigrant activists who want to join them — to apply for the some of thousands of agricultural jobs being posted with state agencies as harvest season begins.

All applicants need to do is fill out an online form under the banner "I want to be a farm worker" at http://www.takeourjobs.org, and experienced field hands will train them and connect them to farms.

According to the Labor Department, three out of four farm workers were born abroad, and more than half are illegal immigrants.

Proponents of tougher immigration laws have argued that farmers have become used to cheap labor and don't want to raise wages enough to draw in other workers.

Those who have done the job have some words of advice for applicants: First, dress appropriately.

During summer, when the harvest of fruits and vegetables is in full swing in Central Valley, temperatures hover in the triple digits. Heat exhaustion is one of the reasons farm labor consistently makes the Bureau of Labor Statistics' top ten list of the nation's most dangerous jobs.

Second, expect long days. Growers have a small window to pick fruit before it is overripe.

And don't count on a big paycheck. Farm workers are excluded from federal overtime provisions, and small farms don't even have to pay the minimum wage. Fifteen states don't require farm labor to be covered by workers compensation laws.

Any takers?

"The reality is farmworkers who are here today aren't taking any American jobs away. They work in often unbearable situations," Rodriguez said. "I don't think there will be many takers, but the offer is being made. Let's see what happens."

To highlight how unlikely the prospect of Americans lining up to pick strawberries or grapes, Comedy Central's "Colbert Report" plans to feature the "Take Our Jobs" campaign on July 8.

The campaign is being played for jokes, but the need to secure the right to work for immigrants who are here is serious business, said Michael Rubio, supervisor in Kern County, one of the biggest ag producing counties in the nation.

"Our county, our economy, rely heavily on the work of immigrant and unauthorized workers," he said. "I would encourage all our national leaders to come visit Kern County and to spend one day, or even half a day, in the shoes of these farm workers."

Hopefully, the message will go down easier with some laughs, said Manuel Cunha, president of the California grower association Nisei Farmers League, who was not a part of the campaign.

"If you don't add some humor to this, it's enough to get you drinking, and I don't mean Pepsi," Cunha said, dismissing the idea that Americans would take up the farm workers' offer.

California's agriculture industry launched a similar campaign in 1998, hoping to recruit welfare recipients and unemployed workers to work on farms, he said. Three people showed up.

"Give us a legal, qualified work force. Right now, farmers don't know from day to day if they're going to get hammered by ICE," he said, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "What happens to my labor pool?"

His organization supports AgJobs, a bill currently in the Senate which would allow those who have worked in U.S. agriculture for at least 150 days in the previous two years to get legal status.

The bill has been proposed in various forms since the late 1990s, with backing from the United Farm Workers of America and other farming groups, but has never passed.

I am currently enjoying . . .

• The Seventeen Magazine Project
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
• The FURminator (Seriously-if you have a pet, you need this.)
• Being outside (Yes, Traci, my deck does count as the great outdoors!!!)
• Tootsie Rolls
• Hoppipolla by Sigur Rós
• Masterpiece Classic's adaptation of Little Dorrit
• the countdown for the season finale of Glee tonight
  

Newsies + Gaga = Awesome

Hey you guuuuuuys!!!!

Today is the 25th anniversary of The Goonies!!!

several things . . .

• I just got an ice cream maker and I'm obsessed with sorbet. I've just been making a simple syrup and blending it with fruit. I've done blackberry and cherry so far. Blackberry was better, but both were really good.
• Dinner tonight was delicious-grilled veggies and shrimp. We did leeks, peppers, zucchini, squash and cherry tomatoes. The cherry tomatoes were awesome.
• Just watched Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. It was cute and surprisingly funny.
• I can't believe the season finale of Glee is this week. I hate it when there's a huge break in the middle of the season; it makes the second half seem ridiculously short.
  
• Speaking of, in the last episode, when that horrible person, Jesse St. James, egged Rachel, I may have gotten a little teary. That was just taking mean to a new level.
  
• I'm on a country music kick. I can't get enough of this song. Or this one.
  
• These next couple of months before I move are going to kill me. I'm obsessing about it and time is just not moving fast enough.
  
• I randomly went to Wyoming this week for a night. If ever you are going to be really sick or need medical attention, I would suggest that you do it at St. John's Medical Center in Jackson. It was the nicest hospital I have ever seen. No worries, though, I wasn't a patient, I was visiting a friend.
• I'm giving up soda. Again.
  
• I've been behaving completely out of character lately and spending time outside. And not only spending time outside, but actually enjoying the great outdoors. And by great outdoors, I mean sitting on the deck in our backyard. Baby steps.
  

The owls!!!!!

5 Lovable Animals You Didn't Know Are Secretly Terrifying (Warning: contains swears, so don't click if you can't handle it.)

a quote

"Never explain. Everyone is far too full of their own private worries and fears. They'll take you for granted as long as you just seem sure of yourself. It's a great mistake ever to say anything when you needn't."

I saw this quote from Agatha Christie on Facebook and I think it needs to become my new life philosophy. I don't know if you've noticed, but I tend to feel the need to explain everything, even if it's something that wouldn't have been noticed had I not decided to explain it. I would explain further, but I'll just leave it at that. :)

traumatized

I just finished watching Grey's and it was the most intense episode of any show that I have ever seen. I was in shock and traumatized seriously every ten minutes or so. I won't even discuss the amount of tears shed. If there is anyone else out there who watched it, please let me know so that as soon as my heart rate goes back to normal, we can discuss.

mascara running down my face

I just discovered this little clip and darn near died laughing. NPH and Jason Segel doing Les Mis. Pure genius.

The Maltese Falcon (AFI #23)

This was not my favorite of the AFI movies. I only made it through the whole thing because I started reading my book like half an hour in. So I guess technically, I only really watched the first half hour and the last fifteen minutes. I just couldn't get in to it. I didn't care at all about the characters or what happened to them. I thought the acting kinda sucked (although Humphrey Bogart was o.k.) and I thought Peter Lorre was distracting. So . . . this wasn't the worst (remember Yankee Doodle Dandy?), but it definitely was not the best.



Side note: Every time I watch a movie in black and white, I spend an inordinate amount of time wondering what the costumes and set really looked like. Did they use specific colors for the way they looked in black and white? Did they use clothes that maybe clashed or looked garish in real life, but look good on screen?

feeling music

Here are a couple of songs that when they come on, I have to stop what I'm doing, close my eyes, and just feel the music. I know that sounds weird, don't make fun! But really, can't you just see me sitting in my room with my eyes closed, "feeling" the music!!!

1. Ennio Morricone-Theme from The Mission



2. Yanni-Aria



3. A R Rahman-Latika's Theme (from Slumdog Millionaire)



4. Garry Schyman-Praan (otherwise known as the music from the Where the Hell is Matt? video)





P.S. These songs also possibly make me tear up just a little bit.

song of the day and a nugget of a story

Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) by Shakira. It's the official song of the 2010 World Cup. And, because I think I might actually like this version better (which tends to be the case with most Shakira songs), here's the Spanish version . . .



And since we're on a Shakira kick, here's Gitana. I love this song because when my family lived in Spain I would go around singing about how I was a gitana (a gypsy). I would also try to sell flowers to the tourists in the park because that's what the gypsies did and I really wanted to be one. Sadly, due to my American citizenship (although I wasn't actually born here, a fact which could indeed further my goal) and non-nomadic lifestyle, I fear that dream will never be realized.

this made me cry

and then I had to go watch this again . . .



and then go cuddle with my dogs.

my new obsession

The soundtrack to In the Heights is one of those albums where the first time I heard it, I wondered how it could possibly have been in existence without me knowing about it. I keep listening to it over and over again and I'm still amazed by it. Seriously . . . why have I just now found out about this music???

The Philadelphia Story (AFI #51)

I had watched Rear Window shortly before watching this movie with my parents, and we all agreed that Grace Kelly may be gorgeous to look at, but if we had to choose between them, Katharine Hepburn's spunkiness would win out every time. She's fantastic in a movie full of fantastic actors. Cary Grant is, as always, well . . . how do you describe him other than he's Cary Grant?!? He doesn't need a description, Cary Grant is the description. Jimmy Stewart (I can't call him James, it sounds wrong.) is hilarious, although I have to say, he (and everyone else) was upstaged by the little sister pretty much every time she came on the screen.

Letters to Juliet

Loved this movie. Vanessa Redgrave is just . . . wow. I want to be like her when I'm older.

Jasmine Coconut Rice with Mango

1 cup uncooked Soft Jasmine Rice (or long grain)
1 can Coconut Milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 mango

Cover rice with cold water and rinse. Repeat until the water runs clear, about 3 times, and drain. In a medium saucepan bring 1 and 3/4 cups of water to a boil. Add the rice and stir briefly. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cover. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until the water is absorbed. In a saucepan, combine coconut milk, sugar and salt. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Pour the boiled coconut milk into the cooked rice. Stir well. Cover top of rice directly with wax paper or aluminum foil. Let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Peel the mango and cut into slices or squares. Spoon the rice, or scoop with an ice cream server onto a serving platter and decorate with mango slices.

Recipe from here.

song of the day

Nina Simone-Feeling Good

so I think I'm moving

Well, I don't think I'm moving, I am moving. I made the final decision to move to Georgia. (You couldn't hear it, but after I typed that, I squealed a little.) Now I'm trying to figure out when. I'll be done with school in August, so I can go any time after that. My problem is that I need someone to drive out there with me, and both of my parents teach, so it'll have to be August, or wait until the week of Thanksgiving. Unless of course someone wants to take a road trip with me!

My parents have been amazingly supportive of this decision. I thought they would have something to say about me randomly wanting to move all the way across the country, but they just said they'd support me with whatever I decided, and they would help me get settled. (I possibly just squealed again!)

So now I just have to get through the next few months of school. Easier said that done, probably! And I think I'm going to sell a bunch of my stuff, so if anyone wants anything, let me know! Wow, I'm still kind of in shock that I'm actually doing this. In my mind, I just said "Good for you, Kim. Good for you." Yay me!!!

a possible solution?

Regarding the whole Facebook dilemma, I think I've decided that maybe I'm just on a technology overload right now. As I was thinking about deactivating my Facebook account, I kept wanting to go further and delete my Twitter account (that I rarely actually update, but instead use for important things like keeping up with Rob Thomas and anything having to do with Glee.), and unsubscribe from a bunch of my blogs, and stuff like that. So this morning I had a mini technology fast. I did check my email once, but other than that, I just listened to some educational podcasts (which may just be my new obsession) and tried to be productive. Much to my surprise (ok, not really!), things that I've been meaning to do for a while actually got done. Clean clothes were put away, trash was emptied, library books were gathered up, etc. Now my bedroom just looks really messy instead of making me look like I'm a hoarder or something.

So I think I'm going to try this technology fast thing for the rest of the week. I won't give up checking my email, but I will limit it to once in the morning and once in the afternoon. And probably once before I go to bed, too. I am going to give up checking Facebook, blogs and Twitter completely, though.

Wish me luck! I'll let you know how it goes!

Need advice! What are your thoughts?

I read on a friend's blog tonight that she deactivated her Facebook account, which is something I've been debating doing for a while now. Here are my reasons:

1. I waste way too much time on it.
2. Being friends on Facebook is not the same thing as keeping in touch with someone.
3. People who I actually like and want to keep in touch with, more often than not, also have blogs, so I'm getting the same info from two different sources.
4. If you are one of these people, odds are I value you enough to keep in touch with you in "real life" and not just through Facebook. Or at least I should, which is not to say that I do. Maybe if I didn't know your every move through Facebook, I would actually keep in touch. Like in a person-to-person manner, which has become an oddly foreign concept.
5. It's so much more fun to get together with people when you don't already know everything that's been going on in their lives. It kind of limits conversational topics when you do.
   

Here are my concerns:

1. No one will remember my birthday ever again.
2. I'll never remember anyone else's birthday ever again.
3. How will I procrastinate?
4. I won't know big news instantaneously.
5. If someone asks me if I'm on Facebook, what am I supposed to say that doesn't make me sound like a loser? But then again, maybe NOT being on Facebook will be the new cool thing, and I'll be ahead of the curve.
   
6. There are actually several people who I keep in touch with solely through Facebook, like my cousin's friend in Georgia who I need to also be my friend if I do move to Georgia. (I also like her as a person, I'm not just using her!) And also friends from childhood. I suppose I could just get their e-mail addresses, but that's so 2005.
   
7. I won't ever see anyone's pictures.

So what does everyone think? If you aren't currently on Facebook (Em and Betsy), why not and how do you survive without knowing what everyone is doing every second of every day? If you are on Facebook, do you think you could survive without it? Does anyone want to try like a week-long Facebook fast with me, just to see if we can do it? Is this just pure insanity? I mean how many years did we survive without Facebook, blogs, etc.? I don't recall having any problems and thinking to myself, you know, I would really like to know every thought and feeling of everyone I have ever been acquainted with. So . . . what do you think? Thoughts, comments, criticisms?

Jaws (AFI #48)

I credit Jaws and Steven Spielberg with the following:

• Ruining my family beach weeks in North Carolina. While swimming one time, I saw a large(ish) gray object out of the corner of my eye. After my heart started beating again and I finished peeing myself, I swam out of that water faster than Michael Phelps. Turns out it was just a piece of paper.
• Inspiring me to learn more about sharks. This led to me finding out that it's true that sharks can attack you in 3 feet of water, which momentarily reinforced my fear of the ocean. Oddly enough, it also led me to want to become a marine biologist. This dream was dashed when my mom pointed out to me that I would be required to spend time in the sun. Given my red hair and fair skin, this didn't seem like a wise idea. Instead, I have spent the last 15ish years floundering from career to career, never finding anything I really want to do. Thanks, mom. ;)
• Leading me to believe that any animal is just a step away from wanting to relentlessly stalk and kill me.
  

Issues I have with this movie:

• The fake shark, but that's a given.
• On a couple of occasions while they're out on the boat, the music reminded me of The Goonies, which Spielberg also worked on.
  
• SPOILER!!! After he blows up the shark, the guts go everywhere, which would just draw in any other sharks in the area and create a feeding frenzy.
• As Chief Brody and Hooper swim towards shore, they're swimming right into where all the seagulls are, which would seem to indicate that they are swimming right towards the shark guts. Please refer to the above comment.

That being said, I love this movie. Nothing can make me tense up quite like those first couple notes of the Jaws music. I also think the way they filmed a lot of it from the shark's point of view makes it scarier. You just see the fear on the face of the actors and can better imagine yourself in their position. Or at least I can. My imagination tends to run wild, so I picture the cold, black eyes; the razor sharp, bloody teeth,; and the stench of rotting flesh coming from its gaping mouth. I don't think I would be able to see that if I had the actual visual of an obviously fake shark lunging towards me. Um . . . I don't know what to say to wrap this up after that visual. Go rent the movie. It's worth watching again. See it before you go swimming.

Rear Window (AFI #42)

Going in order wasn't working, so I just decided to watch what I want to when I want to. Big shocker, I know!

Rear Window is the Hitchcock movie that scared me the most the first time I watched it. (Probably because I didn't see Psycho until many years later.) SPOILERS AHEAD!!! I think it was the whole knowing someone is coming, but being incapacitated so you can't do anything about it. That freaks me out-seeing the lights go off in the hallway and hearing the footsteps. It gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about it.

Watching Rear Window this time, I was struck (and re-struck) by several things . . .

• I love that it was a scary movie without all sorts of special effects.
• Um . . . Grace Kelly is gorgeous.
• If I turn into Miss Lonelyhearts and start having pretend dinners, please do something. I give you permission to send in the white coats.
• I'm so used to seeing actors have smokin' bodies, that it was almost a shock to see Jimmy Stewart's old man body. It wasn't a bad thing necessarily, it was just a jolt to the system.
  
• Is blog stalking and such the modern day equivalent of what Jimmy Stewart was doing?