Soooo it's been a while. a long while. I've been meaning to write for some time, but life has literally been crazy. Some people use that expression too much, things are "literally this" or "literally that", when they're really not. I try not to use it too often, but if this is one of those situations where it is the straight-up TRUTH.
I'm not gonna go in to detail because confidentiality is a real thing, but imma sum it up in one sentence: some people in this world have serious problems and there's only so much you can do to help them before they need to help themselves.
During one of my many breakdowns (total breakdowns in 1 week: 5.), I happened to be in one of my classes talking to a friend (god bless this friend. she is amazing) and another lady in the class, who I respect mucho, turned to me and gave me some seriously sage advice: "You can't fix other people's yards; you can only fix your own".
Analysis: our lives are like our own little front yards with grass, trees, flowers, weeds and gophers. Sometimes our yards are Better Homes and Gardens quality and sometimes, they look Death Valley. Thankfully, because of agency, we can choose how/if/when we want to fix up our yards and we can choose what we want to do in the future so that our yards don't suffer again.
Sometimes, though, we look in our neighbour's yard and realize that their yard is dire need of some love, care and help. The neighbourly thing to do is to go over and see what you can do.
HOWEVER, there comes a point when you are doing too much for your neighbour: you're pruning, weeding, planting new trees, calling the gopher guy to get rid of the gophers, and watering the yard every day so that it will grow and be healthy again. You've gone from helping the person (which is good) to fixing their yard/living their life for them--you're doing too much (which is bad). And you know that once you stop doing these things, the person will just let their yard die again because they aren't willing to make the changes or help themselves.
SO. in summation, we really can only fix our own yards: our families, our financial situations, our jobs, our relationships, our school efforts, our health, whatever. But we can't fix other people's yards. That's something they've got to do for themselves if it's going to be a permanent change.
the end.
alright. i'm done being preachy. just thought i'd share :)
other than all that crazy stuff, my life has been pretty amazing. school is great, it's finally winding down and then i'm freeeeeeeeeee! this will be grand and I will be celebrating accordingly by seeing "The Hobbit" tomorrow (I'M SOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!)
I also just realized that I never wrote about the Mika concert, partly because I've been busy, but also because I still can't believe it happened and I actually went. I started a post about it so hopefully, I'll finish that some time soon and y'all can read about my surreal experience. Until then, you should prepare for the magic by listening to Mika's new cd, The Origin of Love. I've had it on repeat since the concert and as cheesy as this sounds, it's really helped me through these past few weeks. like i've had select songs on repeat and blasting them in my car. it's been real. you should listen :)
and now imma study. I wrote an 8-page paper last night in 3 hours (almost a personal best). today is my last final. and imma celebrate :)
Life is Beautiful
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Friday, October 19, 2012
Celebrate :)
I would be a bad person if I did not write about the events that transpired on this magical evening of October 18th, 2012. This is serious business.
Let's begin our story in the 90s. There is a restaurant here in Provo called The Brick Oven and it has been the place for all of Casey's birthdays since he was around 8 years old. DEDICATION.
Since Junior High, Casey has taken the habit of writing on the comment cards they leave at the tables that he wants what is fondly known as The Brick Oven Pig, leaving 3-7 comment cards per month. (History of the Pig as far as this writer knows: The Brick Oven Pig was put on the walls in Brick Oven some time in the late 90s and has been a beloved relic of eaters alike since). The comment cards tapered off in college, but every so often, 2 would pop up. In high school, Casey even took his request so far as to ask the General Manager and a meeting was held to discuss the matter. TRUTH.
Skip ahead to when we got married: in an attempt to ease the pain of not having the Brick Oven Pig, I bought Casey a similar pig named Pierre from Williams & Sonoma as a wedding gift and it was love at first sight... but even though he loved/loves Pierre a lot, it just wasn't quite the same.
And now, we get to tonight. Casey's birthday is this Saturday and we had a get together with some of our dear friends to celebrate early. They put us in the Party Room (... we get kinda loud...) and we were laughing and having a jolly old time when Paul the Manager walks in and starts talking to us. He recognized Casey and me because we go to Brick Oven WAY. TOO. MUCH. and started talking to us. Then, the following took place:
Paul: Wait a minute, you're the guy who's wants the pig, right?
Casey: yeah.
Paul: Well, guess what? It's finally for sale and we've been waiting around for the guy who leaves the comment cards about the pig to come in. Do you still want it?
Casey: FEWHAIAFNKJGROEWRQHUFDGASDFNFDGSUHIREFGUHEWO^&*$%!#^&#@!
Casey might have been a little more articulate than that, but I'm sure that's how he felt inside. Anyways, after a few texts to the GM and a small fee, we became the proud owners of The Brick Oven Pig!!!!
It was one of the most surreal and crazy experiences and possibly the best birthday Casey will ever have. After we bought the pig, Paul gave us a personal tour of the Brick Oven kitchen and the basement where they make all the root beer, pizzas, dressings and so forth.
It was a truly magical evening, one that will be passed down for generations to come :)
Let's begin our story in the 90s. There is a restaurant here in Provo called The Brick Oven and it has been the place for all of Casey's birthdays since he was around 8 years old. DEDICATION.
Since Junior High, Casey has taken the habit of writing on the comment cards they leave at the tables that he wants what is fondly known as The Brick Oven Pig, leaving 3-7 comment cards per month. (History of the Pig as far as this writer knows: The Brick Oven Pig was put on the walls in Brick Oven some time in the late 90s and has been a beloved relic of eaters alike since). The comment cards tapered off in college, but every so often, 2 would pop up. In high school, Casey even took his request so far as to ask the General Manager and a meeting was held to discuss the matter. TRUTH.
Skip ahead to when we got married: in an attempt to ease the pain of not having the Brick Oven Pig, I bought Casey a similar pig named Pierre from Williams & Sonoma as a wedding gift and it was love at first sight... but even though he loved/loves Pierre a lot, it just wasn't quite the same.
And now, we get to tonight. Casey's birthday is this Saturday and we had a get together with some of our dear friends to celebrate early. They put us in the Party Room (... we get kinda loud...) and we were laughing and having a jolly old time when Paul the Manager walks in and starts talking to us. He recognized Casey and me because we go to Brick Oven WAY. TOO. MUCH. and started talking to us. Then, the following took place:
Paul: Wait a minute, you're the guy who's wants the pig, right?
Casey: yeah.
Paul: Well, guess what? It's finally for sale and we've been waiting around for the guy who leaves the comment cards about the pig to come in. Do you still want it?
Casey: FEWHAIAFNKJGROEWRQHUFDGASDFNFDGSUHIREFGUHEWO^&*$%!#^&#@!
Casey might have been a little more articulate than that, but I'm sure that's how he felt inside. Anyways, after a few texts to the GM and a small fee, we became the proud owners of The Brick Oven Pig!!!!
It was one of the most surreal and crazy experiences and possibly the best birthday Casey will ever have. After we bought the pig, Paul gave us a personal tour of the Brick Oven kitchen and the basement where they make all the root beer, pizzas, dressings and so forth.
 |
| Paul, the greatest man alive |
 |
| look at that happy face :) |
 |
| The happy family |
It was a truly magical evening, one that will be passed down for generations to come :)
Sunday, September 23, 2012
The Dance
For starters, there is a GIANT spider on the wall by my door. it's been there about 20 minutes and i've been debating on what to do. I hate hate HATE Peter Pan... and spiders. and I also hate killing spiders for fear that they will somehow apparate through the shoe and bite my arm off (TRUE STORY.)
Second, hello all you lovely people! I hope you're all doing swell and that your lives are simply grand :)
Lately, I've been thinking about things, like I do, and now imma write about them, like I do.
Last night, I had a lovely girls night out with some dear friends. One of the nice things about being married is that Casey's girl friends have taken me in as one of their own and have become some of my most favourite people. I love them all so much and I'm really glad I have them. ANNNYWAYS, so I'm at said girls night and one of the girls in the group happens to write for KSL (for you non-Utah folk, KSL is a news website and tv channel) and she wrote an article about couples who share a facebook, interviewing a few couples to talk to them about why they share and all that jazz.
So we're all talking about this and I've decided this is how I feel about it: I don't like it. If you don't trust your spouse to have their own facebook account, there's trouble a-brewing. that's all imma say about that.
Next. Politics. if you know me (and if you don't, you're about to learn something new), you know I'm not a huge fan of politics or discussing them. Therefore, election years have always been my least favourite years because e'rrbody feels this burning desire to be heard and to talk about politics. Now. Let it be known that I don't frown upon educated and civil discussion; i think it's wonderful when people who are well-read and open-minded discuss/post on facebook interesting articles, viewpoints, etc. because it helps me, as someone who doesn't usually seek out that kind of reading material, to see what's going on.
HOWEVER. I do give serious angry eyes/vibes to people who don't know what they're talking about, but post to give the image that they do, or who are just posting things to ruffle feathers. this bugs the hell out of me. i see what you're doing there. no one appreciates it. i will be deleting you hiding your posts. THERE. i said it.
the spider is still on the wall...
HAPPY NEWS!!!!! so many of you might know that I am a HUGE FAN of Mika. He hardly ever comes to the States and I recently heard that he was coming. So i checked the dates and there was a show in LA and I got sooooooo excited, but then, tragedy struck: the show was on a Sunday. BLAST.
So a few days go by and I was on facebook and happened to see that a second show was added to LA... THE FOLLOWING MONDAY. I immediately called my mom screaming and GUESS WHAT? THIS KID IS GOING TO MIKA ON OCTOBER 22.
Words cannot describe how happy I am. It's so many dreams coming true and I will be talking about this non-stop until it happens (and probably afterwards). SOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!
hmmmmm what else? Oh! I had a birthday (shout hurray!). it was pretty magical. Casey loaded me up with junk food and Dr. Pepper so I really couldn't ask for more :)
Lloyd is still awesome. he takes naps on the couch with me these days. it's nice :)
Nature things!! Today, I went with my most lovely Caitlin (awkwardly enough, she's Casey's ex-girlfriend... and we've become the best of friends. I don't know how to live without this girl) to the Gardens at Thanksgiving Point and it was soooo lovely! It reminded me a ton of the gardens throughout Europe (Jardines Botanicos in Espana and the Borromean Islands come to mind) and it was just super beautiful and lovely and amazing. I smelled so many flowers and it was all around glorious :)
We also went to Farm Country. Here's a confession: I realllllllllllllly want a pet cow. like bad. and at Farm Country, there were 2 baby calves (SO SOFT) and a big ol' dairy cow that followed us around and loved scratchies and lovies and I just wanted to take her come with me (cow + corolla?). Some day, I will live in a place where I can have a cow. judge all you want, but when I'm drinking fresh milk and you're not, then you'll be sorry...
also. in the process of this post, i revamped my blog. i had no idea blogger had so many nifty things that i could do. expect more changes in the future.
and that's all I can think of right now. OH. JUST KIDDING- I thought of something. I'm taking a lovely, short vacation down to Vegas for fall break (fall break=magic. in Utah, they have fall break usually mid-Octoberish. WHY WAS THIS NOT A PART OF MY CHILDHOOD?). I'm quite excited!! We're going for Caitlin's birthday and it's just gonna be the bee's knees :)
and now that's all I can think of. and I'm sleepy. and the spider is still on the wall...
nighty night to you all :)
Second, hello all you lovely people! I hope you're all doing swell and that your lives are simply grand :)
Lately, I've been thinking about things, like I do, and now imma write about them, like I do.
Last night, I had a lovely girls night out with some dear friends. One of the nice things about being married is that Casey's girl friends have taken me in as one of their own and have become some of my most favourite people. I love them all so much and I'm really glad I have them. ANNNYWAYS, so I'm at said girls night and one of the girls in the group happens to write for KSL (for you non-Utah folk, KSL is a news website and tv channel) and she wrote an article about couples who share a facebook, interviewing a few couples to talk to them about why they share and all that jazz.
So we're all talking about this and I've decided this is how I feel about it: I don't like it. If you don't trust your spouse to have their own facebook account, there's trouble a-brewing. that's all imma say about that.
Next. Politics. if you know me (and if you don't, you're about to learn something new), you know I'm not a huge fan of politics or discussing them. Therefore, election years have always been my least favourite years because e'rrbody feels this burning desire to be heard and to talk about politics. Now. Let it be known that I don't frown upon educated and civil discussion; i think it's wonderful when people who are well-read and open-minded discuss/post on facebook interesting articles, viewpoints, etc. because it helps me, as someone who doesn't usually seek out that kind of reading material, to see what's going on.
HOWEVER. I do give serious angry eyes/vibes to people who don't know what they're talking about, but post to give the image that they do, or who are just posting things to ruffle feathers. this bugs the hell out of me. i see what you're doing there. no one appreciates it. i will be
the spider is still on the wall...
HAPPY NEWS!!!!! so many of you might know that I am a HUGE FAN of Mika. He hardly ever comes to the States and I recently heard that he was coming. So i checked the dates and there was a show in LA and I got sooooooo excited, but then, tragedy struck: the show was on a Sunday. BLAST.
So a few days go by and I was on facebook and happened to see that a second show was added to LA... THE FOLLOWING MONDAY. I immediately called my mom screaming and GUESS WHAT? THIS KID IS GOING TO MIKA ON OCTOBER 22.
Words cannot describe how happy I am. It's so many dreams coming true and I will be talking about this non-stop until it happens (and probably afterwards). SOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!
hmmmmm what else? Oh! I had a birthday (shout hurray!). it was pretty magical. Casey loaded me up with junk food and Dr. Pepper so I really couldn't ask for more :)
Lloyd is still awesome. he takes naps on the couch with me these days. it's nice :)
Nature things!! Today, I went with my most lovely Caitlin (awkwardly enough, she's Casey's ex-girlfriend... and we've become the best of friends. I don't know how to live without this girl) to the Gardens at Thanksgiving Point and it was soooo lovely! It reminded me a ton of the gardens throughout Europe (Jardines Botanicos in Espana and the Borromean Islands come to mind) and it was just super beautiful and lovely and amazing. I smelled so many flowers and it was all around glorious :)
We also went to Farm Country. Here's a confession: I realllllllllllllly want a pet cow. like bad. and at Farm Country, there were 2 baby calves (SO SOFT) and a big ol' dairy cow that followed us around and loved scratchies and lovies and I just wanted to take her come with me (cow + corolla?). Some day, I will live in a place where I can have a cow. judge all you want, but when I'm drinking fresh milk and you're not, then you'll be sorry...
also. in the process of this post, i revamped my blog. i had no idea blogger had so many nifty things that i could do. expect more changes in the future.
and that's all I can think of right now. OH. JUST KIDDING- I thought of something. I'm taking a lovely, short vacation down to Vegas for fall break (fall break=magic. in Utah, they have fall break usually mid-Octoberish. WHY WAS THIS NOT A PART OF MY CHILDHOOD?). I'm quite excited!! We're going for Caitlin's birthday and it's just gonna be the bee's knees :)
and now that's all I can think of. and I'm sleepy. and the spider is still on the wall...
nighty night to you all :)
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Lo and Behold
Do you ever have those days when you realize some people are really smart? I had that about 10 minutes ago. Some of you may remember that I took a Meso-American Art History class a few semesters ago and that it was the bane of my existence. For whatever reason, that class really stuck with me: I can remember most of what I learned, I have since read up on stuff, and despite how much I complained about it, I think it was actually one of my favourite classes that I took at BYU.
Annnnyways, I was checking up on Yahoo! news like I do and I stumbled upon this article. I was kinda excited like the nerd I am and clicked on it for an interesting read... but then I realized that I ALREADY KNEW THIS (at this point, I was like, "...idiots..." and went to the next article about Lea Michelle's daring dress at the Do Something Awards). How did I know this? BECAUSE MY TEACHER MENTIONED THIS IN CLASS 2 YEARS AGO.
So. Either my teacher has the superpower of time travel. OR. he's just that smart. I'm pretty sure it's the latter. It just made me appreciate really smart people and really smart teachers who share their insights with their classes and really know what they're talking about. In teaching, it's easy to pretend you know what's up because your students usually don't question your knowledge, but the more I read up on Maya History, the more I am grateful for this teacher, for his diligence and love of his subject and that he taught based on his own personal experience. I know he probably doesn't remember me, but I have a lot of respect for Dr. Christensen and I think some time, I'll write him a little note and tell him just that.
other random thing(s): my mom lately has been on a HUGE Glee kick and has been sending me tons of music from previous seasons. I don't really watch Glee, but I must confess that I'm kinda enjoying all this good stuff. I'm a lot a bit in love with Kurt's voice and when he sings, "Don't Cry For Me Argentina", it makes me cry. I'm not a huge fan of Rachel's voice because she's kinda whiney/airy, but her "Poker Face" duet with Idina Menzel is pretty freaking amazing. SPEAKING OF IDINA MENZEL, if you're a fan, you should check out her new CD, "Live Barefoot at the Symphony". It's quite delightful :)
one more thing. this. i know it's sad, what with the whole great piece of art being ruined thing. but i died laughing. priceless.
that's all :)
Annnnyways, I was checking up on Yahoo! news like I do and I stumbled upon this article. I was kinda excited like the nerd I am and clicked on it for an interesting read... but then I realized that I ALREADY KNEW THIS (at this point, I was like, "...idiots..." and went to the next article about Lea Michelle's daring dress at the Do Something Awards). How did I know this? BECAUSE MY TEACHER MENTIONED THIS IN CLASS 2 YEARS AGO.
So. Either my teacher has the superpower of time travel. OR. he's just that smart. I'm pretty sure it's the latter. It just made me appreciate really smart people and really smart teachers who share their insights with their classes and really know what they're talking about. In teaching, it's easy to pretend you know what's up because your students usually don't question your knowledge, but the more I read up on Maya History, the more I am grateful for this teacher, for his diligence and love of his subject and that he taught based on his own personal experience. I know he probably doesn't remember me, but I have a lot of respect for Dr. Christensen and I think some time, I'll write him a little note and tell him just that.
other random thing(s): my mom lately has been on a HUGE Glee kick and has been sending me tons of music from previous seasons. I don't really watch Glee, but I must confess that I'm kinda enjoying all this good stuff. I'm a lot a bit in love with Kurt's voice and when he sings, "Don't Cry For Me Argentina", it makes me cry. I'm not a huge fan of Rachel's voice because she's kinda whiney/airy, but her "Poker Face" duet with Idina Menzel is pretty freaking amazing. SPEAKING OF IDINA MENZEL, if you're a fan, you should check out her new CD, "Live Barefoot at the Symphony". It's quite delightful :)
one more thing. this. i know it's sad, what with the whole great piece of art being ruined thing. but i died laughing. priceless.
that's all :)
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
dusk and summer
Judge all you want, but there are some days when I really want to be Chelsea Handler or Joan Rivers without the plastic surgery. Most of your probably don't watch E! as often as I do (side note: this is becoming a problem: the fact that I agreed with Kourtney Kardashian when she chose Khloe to be Mason's guardian in her will instead of Kim is, to say the least, unacceptable behaviour), but I'm sure you're all familiar with these women. Most of the time, they're super crude, super lude and just down-right nasty. BUT. They say exactly what's on their minds and what they think about people. and I envy them a little bit.
I've got a bit of a passive personality: I don't like contention, I don't like confrontation, and I'm more likely to let people walk all over me than to stick up for myself. Some of you are saying, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?". Answer: No. there have been a few times in my life where I've been a wench and stuck up for myself, but generally, I don't. This is why I admire Chelsea Handler and Joan Rivers- they're fearless, they don't care what people think or say about them, and they just say whatever they want about whoever they want.
Now. I'm not saying I want to be exactly like them, but sometimes, I wish I could just tell people what I think about them in a way that they understand me but don't hate me, you know? I mean, it's not like I have all of these bad feelings harboured up inside me and hate everyone. No. It's just that I wish I could be more assertive and tell it like it T-I-IS. ya know?
annnywayssss in other news, my life is pretty great. I just got back from San Diego from a nice little week-long vacation and it was just lovely. I'm such a homebody, it's alarming. I just really love being home, I really love my family and I really love San Diego. Is that so bad? Mostly, I spent the week reading, shopping, eating, watching movies and playing with Jonas and Caroline. Caroline is... a choosy baby, and the day I got there, she wanted nothing to do with me (that kid has a mean "angry face"), but after a week, she let me hold her at the Reuben H. Fleet and we played some awesome peek-a-boo in the car. She practically loves me now ;)
Other random things:
I got a new job! Woo! I'll be subbing for the local school district, which I'm excited about. Don't get me wrong- liked my old job, but I have approximately zero high school experience and I want it. I figure I'll get the experience and maybe a few contacts/recommendations for when I start actually teaching. I'll still be subbing at CHA, which is nice too. I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to that place just yet :)
I also work outside of CHA with a little boy who was in my class this last year. We basically do awesome play dates to fun places: seven peaks, trafalga, hiking, parks, all sorts of stuff. It's a lot of fun and I love him a lot :)
My brother-in-law, Mikey gets married soon! It's gonna be good :)
My mom recommended a book to me, A Dog's Purpose: A Guide For Humans by W. Bruce Cameron and I read it while I was in San Diego. It's a really sweet, quick read. If you have a dog/love dogs, you should read it. My old bear, Slick, is getting old (he's 12 1/2) and he's a lot slower and more fragile than the last time I saw him so, this book really hit home. After I read it, I couldn't stop telling Slick what a good dog he is, how much I love him and how much he's meant to me throughout my life. Anyways, you should read it. It'll make you laugh, cry, smile and feel good all over :)
Speaking of good pets, Lloyd is still great. I love him a lot more than he loves me (some might say too much...), but he makes me happy. The truth about Lloyd is that I really really REALLY want a dog, but sadly, our landlord said no. So I got Lloyd instead. I really love Lloyd. He's a good little pig that keeps me company while Casey's working and he just makes me happy. Casey's not so fond of him, but we're working on improving that relationship.
One time, Casey and I decided that we would stop drinking Dr. Pepper. This lasted approximately 1 week. Then we realized how bad it sucked and have vowed never to do so again unless there is medical repercussions and we absolutely have to. I'm sorry Dr. Pepper, I'll never betray you again. Please forgive.
annnnd that's it for now. hope y'all are doing great :)
OH WAIT. I just thought of something. SOOOO we all know I have my guilty pleasures and one of them is clothes. You all know I don't dress super classy, but I absolutely love looking at clothes, especially dressy dresses that celebrities wear to their infamous soirees (this shouldn't be a huge shock: I just admitted to liking Joan Rivers, who hosts Fashion Police). ANYWAYS. A friend of mine posted this blog and I'm obsessed with this lady! She's The Refashionista and she will change how you feel about fashion. I WANT TO BE HER. Scroll through her blog, you're mind will be blown. no jokes.
I've got a bit of a passive personality: I don't like contention, I don't like confrontation, and I'm more likely to let people walk all over me than to stick up for myself. Some of you are saying, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?". Answer: No. there have been a few times in my life where I've been a wench and stuck up for myself, but generally, I don't. This is why I admire Chelsea Handler and Joan Rivers- they're fearless, they don't care what people think or say about them, and they just say whatever they want about whoever they want.
Now. I'm not saying I want to be exactly like them, but sometimes, I wish I could just tell people what I think about them in a way that they understand me but don't hate me, you know? I mean, it's not like I have all of these bad feelings harboured up inside me and hate everyone. No. It's just that I wish I could be more assertive and tell it like it T-I-IS. ya know?
annnywayssss in other news, my life is pretty great. I just got back from San Diego from a nice little week-long vacation and it was just lovely. I'm such a homebody, it's alarming. I just really love being home, I really love my family and I really love San Diego. Is that so bad? Mostly, I spent the week reading, shopping, eating, watching movies and playing with Jonas and Caroline. Caroline is... a choosy baby, and the day I got there, she wanted nothing to do with me (that kid has a mean "angry face"), but after a week, she let me hold her at the Reuben H. Fleet and we played some awesome peek-a-boo in the car. She practically loves me now ;)
Other random things:
I got a new job! Woo! I'll be subbing for the local school district, which I'm excited about. Don't get me wrong- liked my old job, but I have approximately zero high school experience and I want it. I figure I'll get the experience and maybe a few contacts/recommendations for when I start actually teaching. I'll still be subbing at CHA, which is nice too. I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to that place just yet :)
I also work outside of CHA with a little boy who was in my class this last year. We basically do awesome play dates to fun places: seven peaks, trafalga, hiking, parks, all sorts of stuff. It's a lot of fun and I love him a lot :)
My brother-in-law, Mikey gets married soon! It's gonna be good :)
My mom recommended a book to me, A Dog's Purpose: A Guide For Humans by W. Bruce Cameron and I read it while I was in San Diego. It's a really sweet, quick read. If you have a dog/love dogs, you should read it. My old bear, Slick, is getting old (he's 12 1/2) and he's a lot slower and more fragile than the last time I saw him so, this book really hit home. After I read it, I couldn't stop telling Slick what a good dog he is, how much I love him and how much he's meant to me throughout my life. Anyways, you should read it. It'll make you laugh, cry, smile and feel good all over :)
Speaking of good pets, Lloyd is still great. I love him a lot more than he loves me (some might say too much...), but he makes me happy. The truth about Lloyd is that I really really REALLY want a dog, but sadly, our landlord said no. So I got Lloyd instead. I really love Lloyd. He's a good little pig that keeps me company while Casey's working and he just makes me happy. Casey's not so fond of him, but we're working on improving that relationship.
One time, Casey and I decided that we would stop drinking Dr. Pepper. This lasted approximately 1 week. Then we realized how bad it sucked and have vowed never to do so again unless there is medical repercussions and we absolutely have to. I'm sorry Dr. Pepper, I'll never betray you again. Please forgive.
annnnd that's it for now. hope y'all are doing great :)
OH WAIT. I just thought of something. SOOOO we all know I have my guilty pleasures and one of them is clothes. You all know I don't dress super classy, but I absolutely love looking at clothes, especially dressy dresses that celebrities wear to their infamous soirees (this shouldn't be a huge shock: I just admitted to liking Joan Rivers, who hosts Fashion Police). ANYWAYS. A friend of mine posted this blog and I'm obsessed with this lady! She's The Refashionista and she will change how you feel about fashion. I WANT TO BE HER. Scroll through her blog, you're mind will be blown. no jokes.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
The Wild Ride
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine asked, "how do you do marriage?" It was a rather timely question because Casey and I had recently celebrated our 1 year anniversary (success!) and had been talking about how great/easy the first year has been, despite the common warning that the first year of marriage is the hardest. I had been thinking about writing about relationships for a while because it's something we talk about all the time and something we're always working at to make better. Obviously, I'm pretty much an expert now because I've been married so long so I'm going to share with you all things that I've learned thus far and, more or less, how to have a happy and successful relationship. Of course, these are basic things that work well for relationships in my life and it's quite possible that they won't work in your life, but I'd like to think they will. I think it goes without saying, too, that whatever I'm about to write doesn't just apply to marriage, but really to any relationship you're ever in ever. truth. So here goes...
1) COMMUNICATION.
COMMUNICATE. COMMUNICATE. COMMUNICATE.
I can't stress enough how important communication is in a relationship. I think it is really the most important thing you can do for your relationship because communication opens this HUGE doorway for anything and everything. True story: One of the most amazing reasons I married Casey was because he was the first person who I was totally honest and open with about EVERYTHING. From very early on in our friendship, I told Casey anything I felt like, things I had told nobody, things I had told everybody, EVERYTHING. And it was a reciprocated relationship- we both felt incredibly comfortable talking to each other and communicating about anything we were thinking, feeling, experiencing, upset about, happy about, etc. There has never been anything that I haven't wanted to tell Casey, even if it is things I'm not proud of or things that I don't like talking about. BE PATIENT. It takes time to communicate, to collect thoughts, to make sure that whatever you're going to say is what you want to say, or to have an open-mind and humble heart for whatever is going to be said. That is normal, healthy and great. Communication is a lot of work and sometimes it's hard work, but it is worth everything. COMMUNICATE.
2) LISTEN.
LISTENING AND COMMUNICATION ARE BEST FRIENDS.
There is absolutely no point in communicating if neither of you are listening. You might as well go talk to a wall. seriously. To be perfectly frank, I think listening is a lot harder than communication because frequently, you're more prepared to talk about something, but not as prepared to listen to someone else's something. Another reason listening is difficult is because we never know what we're going to hear and more so, if we're going to like it. It's so easy to be defensive when you don't like what you're hearing, to out-talk or out-argue the person trying to communicate with you and be back at square -20 because not listening counts as negative points. So how do you listen?
Step 1: STOP TALKING. you're physically opening your ears to listen. and the obvious, if you're not talking then hopefully someone else is.
Step 2: Turn off all distractions so that the person talking as your full, undivided attention. NO TVs, NO IPODS, NO RADIOS, NO PHONE CALLS, NO DRIVING, NO ANYTHING ELSE THAT HAS THE REMOTE CHANCE OF BEING DISTRACTING. Just YOU, the communicator, and a place to sit that is quiet and peaceful.
Step 3: Put yourself in that person's shoes and think about why they're telling you what they're telling you. If you're having a serious discussion and the person is honestly trying to tell you how they feel, chances are they are telling you something very important. Pretend you're them and listen to what you're telling yourself. If you don't understand, ask questions to yourself (respectfully) so that you do understand.
Step 4: LET THE PERSON FINISH TALKING. On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you hate it when someone interrupts you mid-sentence? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO SOMEONE ELSE? you shouldn't. so don't.
Step 5: Once the person is done (you can ask the person in a nice way if they are done), it is now your turn to talk. Be respectful when you answer and ask the other person to listen to you just as you have to them (*note: if you were a sucky listener, don't expect a good listener in return. YOU GET WHAT YOU GIVE).
And that is how you listen. Go forth, my children, and do good listening.
3) THE UMWB (pronounced Umm-Wub)
I know exactly what you're thinking so I will explain. UMWB is something we use at work with the kids when we want them do things that they need to do, but they don't necessarily want to do them. UMWB stands for
U (you) time
Me time
We time
Break time
And it's pretty much what it sounds like. So let's go into specifics. Let's say we have two people, Sarah and John, who are friends that like spending time together. But they have trouble deciding what to do, when to do it, and who should pick what to do (these are two passive people who don't like making decisions). This is where UMWB comes into play because it is essentially a turn-taking method.
Let's pretend we're Sarah. You and John are spending time together and want to do something. You decide to let John go first because he is the U(you). This means that John will pick something that he likes to do and you do it with him. YOU CANNOT JUDGE JOHN'S CHOICE. This is his choice, NOT YOURS. Don't worry, your choice is coming. So you do John's choice and have a great time (even if you're not having the greatest of times, still be a good sport about it because this is something John likes and being a whiney wench while you're doing it will not make John like spending time with you).
Next, It's your turn- aka Me time. You get to pick what you want to do and just as you didn't judge John's choice, HE WILL NOT JUDGE YOURS. So you both do the thing that you like and it's great.
Now, it's we time- something that you both like to do together. This part is tricky because if you're not good at deciding things, then there's a problem. It's usually at this point that we apply the 3-1 approach. One of you pick 3 things and the other person picks one of them or vis-a-versa. OR you're better at deciding things and this part is easy.
Last, it's Break time, which is exactly what it sounds like. You take a break. This can mean taking a break from each other, taking a break from doing things, whatever. Basically, it's a chance to do what you like without feeling guilty. Let's face it: there are things that some people like that other people don't like and things that are better done with other people than with your significant other or friend. For example, I'm addicted to trashy television. For some reason, Casey isn't. So, when I do watch trashy tv, I try to do it when Casey isn't around or with people who also appreciate the trashiness that is Jersey Shore. So take your break and reconvene at a later date.
And that's it. easy. simple. great. We use UMWB for everything: to decide what to do, to decide what movie to watch, to decide what to eat, to decide where to go, everything. It's boundaries are limitless and it's great.
4) COMPROMISE
I feel like this one goes without saying, but I'm saying it anyways: if you're unwilling to be flexible, to compromise, to sacrifice some things for the greater good, good luck finding someone because pretty much anyone deserves something better than you. All relationships are give a little and take a little, win some and lose some, whatever you want to call it, it's going to happen. I think most of the time, compromises come with the little things and they're much easier than the bigger things. If you strongly disagree with something being said, see numbers 1 and 2, and go from there. THE MOST IMPORTANT PART ABOUT COMPROMISING IS TO STICK TO YOUR END OF THE BARGAIN. You're all smart enough to see that the word, "promise" is part of compromise. You're co-promising to do something if the other person co-promises to do something for you. Going back on your promise ensures that the other person won't hold up their's and if they do, that they are not going to want to compromise with you again because you're not someone to be trusted. Sure, they might give you a second chance so you can redeem yourself, but if you keep sucking, don't expect this to keep happening. just fyi.
5) RESPECT
Annnnd last, respect. None of these steps mean anything or will work without respect. If you don't respect the person you're working with in the relationship, there is absolutely no reason for them to respect you. If you use fear to gain their respect, you're not gaining their respect- you're gaining fear, distrust and resentment. If you're using intimidation, you're going to get the same results. Respect is the only way that anything you try in your relationship will work. Aretha Franklin had it right. If you don't know what I'm talking about, google it. With mutual respect, you'll be amazed at how much your relationship can change and grow.
And that's everything. well, not everything, but everything for right now. I hope that this all helps and like all blog posts, they're selfish and meant more for the writer than the reader, but regardless, I hope this helps. I'd love to hear tips/things you do in relationships that help you and I'd love to know any advice you can give me.
Happy Sabbath to you all and happy relationship-ing!
1) COMMUNICATION.
COMMUNICATE. COMMUNICATE. COMMUNICATE.
I can't stress enough how important communication is in a relationship. I think it is really the most important thing you can do for your relationship because communication opens this HUGE doorway for anything and everything. True story: One of the most amazing reasons I married Casey was because he was the first person who I was totally honest and open with about EVERYTHING. From very early on in our friendship, I told Casey anything I felt like, things I had told nobody, things I had told everybody, EVERYTHING. And it was a reciprocated relationship- we both felt incredibly comfortable talking to each other and communicating about anything we were thinking, feeling, experiencing, upset about, happy about, etc. There has never been anything that I haven't wanted to tell Casey, even if it is things I'm not proud of or things that I don't like talking about. BE PATIENT. It takes time to communicate, to collect thoughts, to make sure that whatever you're going to say is what you want to say, or to have an open-mind and humble heart for whatever is going to be said. That is normal, healthy and great. Communication is a lot of work and sometimes it's hard work, but it is worth everything. COMMUNICATE.
2) LISTEN.
LISTENING AND COMMUNICATION ARE BEST FRIENDS.
There is absolutely no point in communicating if neither of you are listening. You might as well go talk to a wall. seriously. To be perfectly frank, I think listening is a lot harder than communication because frequently, you're more prepared to talk about something, but not as prepared to listen to someone else's something. Another reason listening is difficult is because we never know what we're going to hear and more so, if we're going to like it. It's so easy to be defensive when you don't like what you're hearing, to out-talk or out-argue the person trying to communicate with you and be back at square -20 because not listening counts as negative points. So how do you listen?
Step 1: STOP TALKING. you're physically opening your ears to listen. and the obvious, if you're not talking then hopefully someone else is.
Step 2: Turn off all distractions so that the person talking as your full, undivided attention. NO TVs, NO IPODS, NO RADIOS, NO PHONE CALLS, NO DRIVING, NO ANYTHING ELSE THAT HAS THE REMOTE CHANCE OF BEING DISTRACTING. Just YOU, the communicator, and a place to sit that is quiet and peaceful.
Step 3: Put yourself in that person's shoes and think about why they're telling you what they're telling you. If you're having a serious discussion and the person is honestly trying to tell you how they feel, chances are they are telling you something very important. Pretend you're them and listen to what you're telling yourself. If you don't understand, ask questions to yourself (respectfully) so that you do understand.
Step 4: LET THE PERSON FINISH TALKING. On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you hate it when someone interrupts you mid-sentence? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO SOMEONE ELSE? you shouldn't. so don't.
Step 5: Once the person is done (you can ask the person in a nice way if they are done), it is now your turn to talk. Be respectful when you answer and ask the other person to listen to you just as you have to them (*note: if you were a sucky listener, don't expect a good listener in return. YOU GET WHAT YOU GIVE).
And that is how you listen. Go forth, my children, and do good listening.
3) THE UMWB (pronounced Umm-Wub)
I know exactly what you're thinking so I will explain. UMWB is something we use at work with the kids when we want them do things that they need to do, but they don't necessarily want to do them. UMWB stands for
U (you) time
Me time
We time
Break time
And it's pretty much what it sounds like. So let's go into specifics. Let's say we have two people, Sarah and John, who are friends that like spending time together. But they have trouble deciding what to do, when to do it, and who should pick what to do (these are two passive people who don't like making decisions). This is where UMWB comes into play because it is essentially a turn-taking method.
Let's pretend we're Sarah. You and John are spending time together and want to do something. You decide to let John go first because he is the U(you). This means that John will pick something that he likes to do and you do it with him. YOU CANNOT JUDGE JOHN'S CHOICE. This is his choice, NOT YOURS. Don't worry, your choice is coming. So you do John's choice and have a great time (even if you're not having the greatest of times, still be a good sport about it because this is something John likes and being a whiney wench while you're doing it will not make John like spending time with you).
Next, It's your turn- aka Me time. You get to pick what you want to do and just as you didn't judge John's choice, HE WILL NOT JUDGE YOURS. So you both do the thing that you like and it's great.
Now, it's we time- something that you both like to do together. This part is tricky because if you're not good at deciding things, then there's a problem. It's usually at this point that we apply the 3-1 approach. One of you pick 3 things and the other person picks one of them or vis-a-versa. OR you're better at deciding things and this part is easy.
Last, it's Break time, which is exactly what it sounds like. You take a break. This can mean taking a break from each other, taking a break from doing things, whatever. Basically, it's a chance to do what you like without feeling guilty. Let's face it: there are things that some people like that other people don't like and things that are better done with other people than with your significant other or friend. For example, I'm addicted to trashy television. For some reason, Casey isn't. So, when I do watch trashy tv, I try to do it when Casey isn't around or with people who also appreciate the trashiness that is Jersey Shore. So take your break and reconvene at a later date.
And that's it. easy. simple. great. We use UMWB for everything: to decide what to do, to decide what movie to watch, to decide what to eat, to decide where to go, everything. It's boundaries are limitless and it's great.
4) COMPROMISE
I feel like this one goes without saying, but I'm saying it anyways: if you're unwilling to be flexible, to compromise, to sacrifice some things for the greater good, good luck finding someone because pretty much anyone deserves something better than you. All relationships are give a little and take a little, win some and lose some, whatever you want to call it, it's going to happen. I think most of the time, compromises come with the little things and they're much easier than the bigger things. If you strongly disagree with something being said, see numbers 1 and 2, and go from there. THE MOST IMPORTANT PART ABOUT COMPROMISING IS TO STICK TO YOUR END OF THE BARGAIN. You're all smart enough to see that the word, "promise" is part of compromise. You're co-promising to do something if the other person co-promises to do something for you. Going back on your promise ensures that the other person won't hold up their's and if they do, that they are not going to want to compromise with you again because you're not someone to be trusted. Sure, they might give you a second chance so you can redeem yourself, but if you keep sucking, don't expect this to keep happening. just fyi.
5) RESPECT
Annnnd last, respect. None of these steps mean anything or will work without respect. If you don't respect the person you're working with in the relationship, there is absolutely no reason for them to respect you. If you use fear to gain their respect, you're not gaining their respect- you're gaining fear, distrust and resentment. If you're using intimidation, you're going to get the same results. Respect is the only way that anything you try in your relationship will work. Aretha Franklin had it right. If you don't know what I'm talking about, google it. With mutual respect, you'll be amazed at how much your relationship can change and grow.
And that's everything. well, not everything, but everything for right now. I hope that this all helps and like all blog posts, they're selfish and meant more for the writer than the reader, but regardless, I hope this helps. I'd love to hear tips/things you do in relationships that help you and I'd love to know any advice you can give me.
Happy Sabbath to you all and happy relationship-ing!
Friday, May 4, 2012
You Cry A Tear To Start A River
When I was younger, I used to judge my mom a lot for crying at movies. When watching movies with my parents, I can always tell what parts in movies will make my mom cry. It's not always sad tears. Generally it's the "oh this is so happy and I'm so happy things were resolved" kind of tears. ANYWAYS, I judged my mom a lot from youth through most of high school. because it was like, "why the heck is she crying? this isn't sad. Gosh mom. pull it together."
Well, as karma would have it, I've become my mother. My name is Kristin Greer and I am a movie crier. I fought it for a really long time because I thought it was embarrassing. I even was stuped enough to think that the whole, "I just have something in my eye" trick was effective (it's not). But now, I embrace my weepiness. I like that I cry in movies because it means that I had an emotional connection with the movie and I think that's great. I've cried in a lot of the happy movies and it's okay (most recently, The Muppet Movie, which we just watched tonight AND IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MUPPET MOVIE, STAND UP. GET IN YOUR CAR. GO TO YOUR NEAREST REDBOX AND RENT IT NOW. IT IS THE BEST MOVIE EVER). I'm here to tell you all that it's okay to cry in movies and if you're a movie crier, embrace it. Be proud. Hold your head high and let your tears fall with dignity.
NOW GO SEE THE MUPPET MOVIE AND CRY YOUR HEART OUT.
Well, as karma would have it, I've become my mother. My name is Kristin Greer and I am a movie crier. I fought it for a really long time because I thought it was embarrassing. I even was stuped enough to think that the whole, "I just have something in my eye" trick was effective (it's not). But now, I embrace my weepiness. I like that I cry in movies because it means that I had an emotional connection with the movie and I think that's great. I've cried in a lot of the happy movies and it's okay (most recently, The Muppet Movie, which we just watched tonight AND IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MUPPET MOVIE, STAND UP. GET IN YOUR CAR. GO TO YOUR NEAREST REDBOX AND RENT IT NOW. IT IS THE BEST MOVIE EVER). I'm here to tell you all that it's okay to cry in movies and if you're a movie crier, embrace it. Be proud. Hold your head high and let your tears fall with dignity.
NOW GO SEE THE MUPPET MOVIE AND CRY YOUR HEART OUT.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
this is right now
When did Blogger change their layout? I don't know how I feel about this...
Anyways, I know it's been a while and after having this blog for something like 2 years, I think I've finally come to terms with the fact that I'm just not gonna be a dedicated blogger. It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I don't do it. Oh well. I'm not too broken up about it. I sometimes wish I had that dedication, you know, the people who blog every day about cute crafts they make or things they cook or their kids or whatever. I am neither crafty nor a phenomenal cook and have no children soooo yeah.
Instead of boring you with the details of my life, I'm just gonna say that pretty much nothing has changed and life is still good. the end.
I want to write about something that I've been thinking about lately. This last semester, I took an English class that focused on Young Adult literature (aka books you read in school from 6th grade to 12th grade). I loved this class because not only were most of the books incredibly enjoyable (I'll give you a list of some of my favourites at the end of this post), but they also provoked a lot of different types of discussions in my class. If I were to describe my class in four words, they would be: opinionated, conservative, insightful, and emotional. It was an interesting group of people, to say the least, and sometimes I liked what they had to say, and other times, I didn't because it was either annoying or just didn't suit my personal opinions too much.
That's kinda where this post is coming from. For my class, we read the graphic novel American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, which is essentially a book about being comfortable in your own skin and accepting your racial identity (note: a graphic novel is, more or less, a glorified comic book, and should not be confused with a porngraphic novel... which is not a comic book). I really enjoyed this novel because it approached racism and stereotypes in a powerful way that younger audiences can understand and relate too. I was surprised, however, that a lot of people didn't like the novel because they didn't get it and because they didn't like how it dealt with racism. I should mention that the novel was a little confusing because it was three different stories that initially seem very unrelated, but all tie together in the end. So I can see how this novel was confusing, but I don't quite know why my class didn't like how it dealt with racism and stereotypes.
There was one girl in particular who was rather opinionated about everything and this novel was the peak of her opinionated-ness. I have a really difficult time with excessively opinionated people for two reasons: 1) they never listen to anyone else and won't consider other viewpoints; and 2) they frequently present their opinions as supreme intelligent thought that God himself admires. It gets old kinda fast, right?
Anyways, we're talking about American Born Chinese, and this girl, who I will call Marcy, explains that the reason she hated it was because it didn't jive with her personal views on race and that it relied on stereotypes too much. Marcy then explained that growing up, she was never allowed to comment on someone's race and that her mother, whenever someone of another race was around, would tell her to comment on something about them, outside of their skin color. Marcy said that she grew up only seeing people by their attributes and never by their race, stating that she didn't know President Obama was black until after he was elected to office.
Okay. I want to say that I don't completely disagree with this mindset. I think it's incredibly valuable to teach children from a young age that race doesn't completely define a person and that you should focus on their other qualities because those also define them as a person. However. I also disagree so strongly with this because I think it completely ignores race and does a huge injustice to people who are proud of their race. I think of it like this: if you were to completely cut race out of anything you knew about a person and they were black or hispanic, that's cutting out a ton of tradition and cultural heritage that they are (most likely) proud of. It also makes you incredibly ignorant of their culture because you've decided that it doesn't define anything about the person, which it totally does. I also think it's problematic in terms of racial discrimination. Marcy was saying how she doesn't discriminate people because she doesn't see that they're different from her in terms of race. I think it's quite the opposite; by ignoring their racial differences, I think it's ignoring the struggles that they or their family have gone through, which is another large part of their identity. Does that make sense? The idea that by ignoring someone's race, you're essentially ignoring a huge part of their identity? I don't know, but the point is that I don't think it's okay to view people as racially neutral. It's cutting out their heritage, culture and a large part of their identity.
phew. glad that's out. It was just an interesting experience and one that left me thinking.
And now, to the list! My YAL class was really great because it introduced me to a lot of books that I probably wouldn't have read otherwise, mostly because I wouldn't have heard about them. In truth, I enjoyed almost all of the books we read, with the exception of The Catcher in the Rye, which try as I might, I just could not finish and still dislike it as much as I did in high school. So, here is a list of all the books we read, a brief summary and the books with little stars by them are the ones I really enjoyed. I'm going for a 5-star scale, so expect lots of stars.
- Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks: diary of a girl growing up in the late 1960s and experimenting with drugs. **
- Godless: by Pete Hautmam: Teenager Jason Bock creates his own religion based off of the town's water tower. ***
- Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech: A young girl goes on a roadtrip with her grandparents to visit her mother, who left her the previous year. *
- Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse: Historical fiction that tells of a young girl who grew up during the Dust Bowl in Oklahoma and the events therein. ***
- NightJohn by Gary Paulsen: Story of an African slave girl named Sarny who is taught to read and write by NightJohn. ***
- The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis: Historical Fiction about a family who lives in New Jersey and take a trip down to Birmingham during the 1963 bombings. ****
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: Science fiction novel about Guy Montag, who lives in a world where books are burned and technology is everything. *
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: A young boy is raised in a graveyard by the graveyard ghosts, who are protecting from a man that is trying to kill him. ***
- The Giver by Lois Lowry: Dystopian novel about a boy named Jonas who is given all the memories of time while the rest of his civilization lives without them. *
- The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander: Fantasy novel about a boy who goes on a quest to bring back a magical pig that can see into the future.
- Freak The Mighty by Rodman Philbrick: Maxwell Kane forms a friendship with an unlikely individual, Kevin Avery, and together, they are Freak The Mighty. *****
- Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Armstrong: Non-fiction telling of Captain Ernest Shackleton and his trip down to Antartica. ***
- Hitler Youth by Susan Bartoletti: Non-fiction telling of the youth that served Hitler during World War II. *****
- The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt: A young boy, Holling Hoodhood, is stuck spending Wednesday afternoons with a teacher who hates him. *****
- Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen: Cole is a delinquent who is forced into exile on an island near Alaska after ruthlessly beating a peer.
- Rules by Cynthia Lord: Catherine has a brother with Autism and constantly writes out rules for him to live by. **************** (this was my favourite)
- Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman: Shawn is an intelligent boy who has cerebral palsy and seems outwardly retarded to the rest of the world. **
- Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher: Eric and Sarah Byrnes were childhood friends because they were outsiders, but things change when they enter high school. *****
- Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn: A teenager, Nick, is going through therapy because he physically abused his girlfriend, Caitlin. ****
- Seedfolk by Paul Fleischman: A community comes together as they work on a garden in the neighbourhood. ***
- American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang: Three characters, the Monkey King, Jim Wang and Danny, learn to accept their racial identity. ****
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Sallinger: Holden Caulfield is an adolescent boy who is struggling with fitting in with 1950s society.
- Forever by Judy Blume: A story about teenage sexuality and how it effects the teenage experience. ****
I know that's a lot of books, but if you're looking for summer reading, you can find all of these at the Provo Library and they're quick reads that are also (for the most part) enjoyable. if you have any questions, feel free to ask away :)
ANNNNNND that's all for now. also, in the course of writing this post, I've decided I like the new blogger format.
Good night and good luck :)
Anyways, I know it's been a while and after having this blog for something like 2 years, I think I've finally come to terms with the fact that I'm just not gonna be a dedicated blogger. It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I don't do it. Oh well. I'm not too broken up about it. I sometimes wish I had that dedication, you know, the people who blog every day about cute crafts they make or things they cook or their kids or whatever. I am neither crafty nor a phenomenal cook and have no children soooo yeah.
Instead of boring you with the details of my life, I'm just gonna say that pretty much nothing has changed and life is still good. the end.
I want to write about something that I've been thinking about lately. This last semester, I took an English class that focused on Young Adult literature (aka books you read in school from 6th grade to 12th grade). I loved this class because not only were most of the books incredibly enjoyable (I'll give you a list of some of my favourites at the end of this post), but they also provoked a lot of different types of discussions in my class. If I were to describe my class in four words, they would be: opinionated, conservative, insightful, and emotional. It was an interesting group of people, to say the least, and sometimes I liked what they had to say, and other times, I didn't because it was either annoying or just didn't suit my personal opinions too much.
That's kinda where this post is coming from. For my class, we read the graphic novel American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, which is essentially a book about being comfortable in your own skin and accepting your racial identity (note: a graphic novel is, more or less, a glorified comic book, and should not be confused with a porngraphic novel... which is not a comic book). I really enjoyed this novel because it approached racism and stereotypes in a powerful way that younger audiences can understand and relate too. I was surprised, however, that a lot of people didn't like the novel because they didn't get it and because they didn't like how it dealt with racism. I should mention that the novel was a little confusing because it was three different stories that initially seem very unrelated, but all tie together in the end. So I can see how this novel was confusing, but I don't quite know why my class didn't like how it dealt with racism and stereotypes.
There was one girl in particular who was rather opinionated about everything and this novel was the peak of her opinionated-ness. I have a really difficult time with excessively opinionated people for two reasons: 1) they never listen to anyone else and won't consider other viewpoints; and 2) they frequently present their opinions as supreme intelligent thought that God himself admires. It gets old kinda fast, right?
Anyways, we're talking about American Born Chinese, and this girl, who I will call Marcy, explains that the reason she hated it was because it didn't jive with her personal views on race and that it relied on stereotypes too much. Marcy then explained that growing up, she was never allowed to comment on someone's race and that her mother, whenever someone of another race was around, would tell her to comment on something about them, outside of their skin color. Marcy said that she grew up only seeing people by their attributes and never by their race, stating that she didn't know President Obama was black until after he was elected to office.
Okay. I want to say that I don't completely disagree with this mindset. I think it's incredibly valuable to teach children from a young age that race doesn't completely define a person and that you should focus on their other qualities because those also define them as a person. However. I also disagree so strongly with this because I think it completely ignores race and does a huge injustice to people who are proud of their race. I think of it like this: if you were to completely cut race out of anything you knew about a person and they were black or hispanic, that's cutting out a ton of tradition and cultural heritage that they are (most likely) proud of. It also makes you incredibly ignorant of their culture because you've decided that it doesn't define anything about the person, which it totally does. I also think it's problematic in terms of racial discrimination. Marcy was saying how she doesn't discriminate people because she doesn't see that they're different from her in terms of race. I think it's quite the opposite; by ignoring their racial differences, I think it's ignoring the struggles that they or their family have gone through, which is another large part of their identity. Does that make sense? The idea that by ignoring someone's race, you're essentially ignoring a huge part of their identity? I don't know, but the point is that I don't think it's okay to view people as racially neutral. It's cutting out their heritage, culture and a large part of their identity.
phew. glad that's out. It was just an interesting experience and one that left me thinking.
And now, to the list! My YAL class was really great because it introduced me to a lot of books that I probably wouldn't have read otherwise, mostly because I wouldn't have heard about them. In truth, I enjoyed almost all of the books we read, with the exception of The Catcher in the Rye, which try as I might, I just could not finish and still dislike it as much as I did in high school. So, here is a list of all the books we read, a brief summary and the books with little stars by them are the ones I really enjoyed. I'm going for a 5-star scale, so expect lots of stars.
- Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks: diary of a girl growing up in the late 1960s and experimenting with drugs. **
- Godless: by Pete Hautmam: Teenager Jason Bock creates his own religion based off of the town's water tower. ***
- Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech: A young girl goes on a roadtrip with her grandparents to visit her mother, who left her the previous year. *
- Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse: Historical fiction that tells of a young girl who grew up during the Dust Bowl in Oklahoma and the events therein. ***
- NightJohn by Gary Paulsen: Story of an African slave girl named Sarny who is taught to read and write by NightJohn. ***
- The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis: Historical Fiction about a family who lives in New Jersey and take a trip down to Birmingham during the 1963 bombings. ****
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: Science fiction novel about Guy Montag, who lives in a world where books are burned and technology is everything. *
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: A young boy is raised in a graveyard by the graveyard ghosts, who are protecting from a man that is trying to kill him. ***
- The Giver by Lois Lowry: Dystopian novel about a boy named Jonas who is given all the memories of time while the rest of his civilization lives without them. *
- The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander: Fantasy novel about a boy who goes on a quest to bring back a magical pig that can see into the future.
- Freak The Mighty by Rodman Philbrick: Maxwell Kane forms a friendship with an unlikely individual, Kevin Avery, and together, they are Freak The Mighty. *****
- Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Armstrong: Non-fiction telling of Captain Ernest Shackleton and his trip down to Antartica. ***
- Hitler Youth by Susan Bartoletti: Non-fiction telling of the youth that served Hitler during World War II. *****
- The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt: A young boy, Holling Hoodhood, is stuck spending Wednesday afternoons with a teacher who hates him. *****
- Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen: Cole is a delinquent who is forced into exile on an island near Alaska after ruthlessly beating a peer.
- Rules by Cynthia Lord: Catherine has a brother with Autism and constantly writes out rules for him to live by. **************** (this was my favourite)
- Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman: Shawn is an intelligent boy who has cerebral palsy and seems outwardly retarded to the rest of the world. **
- Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher: Eric and Sarah Byrnes were childhood friends because they were outsiders, but things change when they enter high school. *****
- Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn: A teenager, Nick, is going through therapy because he physically abused his girlfriend, Caitlin. ****
- Seedfolk by Paul Fleischman: A community comes together as they work on a garden in the neighbourhood. ***
- American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang: Three characters, the Monkey King, Jim Wang and Danny, learn to accept their racial identity. ****
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Sallinger: Holden Caulfield is an adolescent boy who is struggling with fitting in with 1950s society.
- Forever by Judy Blume: A story about teenage sexuality and how it effects the teenage experience. ****
I know that's a lot of books, but if you're looking for summer reading, you can find all of these at the Provo Library and they're quick reads that are also (for the most part) enjoyable. if you have any questions, feel free to ask away :)
ANNNNNND that's all for now. also, in the course of writing this post, I've decided I like the new blogger format.
Good night and good luck :)
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Sure Shot
Soooooooo it's been a while since I've written because I have literally been sick since January. It's like Casey and I have been playing tag with illness and it's been no bueno. Right now, it's my turn- I've been sick about a week and currently have no voice. One of my kids at work asked me why my throat feels "all crazy". bless his heart.
These are the things I've learned while sick:
1) being sick SUCKS. but seriously.
2) being sick makes you appreciate the little things, like Jersey Shore marathons on MTV, warm blankets, orange juice, good quality kleenex, dayquil, and my couch.
3) being sick makes you feel special. There are so many people who have been so good to me, who have made meals, bought me drugs and groceries, who have allowed me to sleep in, who have covered my shift at work, and who have made sure that i'm taken care of. I owe them all so much and am very grateful.
4) being sick makes you appreciate your body. i think like most women, i don't particularly love my body. i don't hate it, but sometimes, we're not besties. but being sick makes me grateful for my body, in particular my healthy body (which i miss dearly. please come back). i'm grateful that my healthy body can run, laugh without coughing, struggle through a jillian michaels workout, eat things without throwing up, and breathe through its nose. my body is a good :)
5) being sick makes you rely on your Saviour. I've always been one who immediately asks for priesthood blessings. if there's even the slightest thing, i'm warming up the oil (my dad always kept the consecrated oil in the freezer so when we wanted blessings, we had to warm up the oil). i've had my share of blessings this month and i want you all to know that the priesthood is the power of God, that through the priesthood, miracles happen, and that the Lord loves us all so very much and wants to help us through all of our trials. I'm very grateful for this knowledge, it has brought me much peace of mind and comfort.
and that's what i've learned being sick. it's been real.
on a side note, life is pretty much the same. Work is work, i have some sweet new scars and i've learned a lot about myself and how i want to raise my own children. I'm a little concerned about the summer because we're not sure if we're doing a summer school program so i might be job searching again, which is exciting because new jobs are always exciting, but also a little daunting because job searching is the suck.
School is school. I actually really enjoy UVU, it's different from BYU in that my classes are a little easier and my classmates are a little more annoying, but other than that, it's pretty okay. I'm glad I'm there. and right now, it's spring break. I had high ambitions of doing lots of homework and getting all caught up and stuff, but instead, i've spent my break going to work, coming home, taking a nap and then spending time with Casey. I blame it on being sick, but really, i'm just being lazy. it's kinda nice :)
OH! I should tell you that I was just accepted into the Secondary Education Program- woo!! I was actually kinda nervous about getting in, which I know sounds silly, but they had us do a group interview and literally EVERYONE in my group was crazy qualified. I was expecting a group of sophomores, maybe juniors, you know? FALSE. most of the people in my group were married with children, had traveled the world, were already teaching at high schools, had several degrees, and were just freakishly qualified.
I also learned that i strongly dislike group interviews because there are 1 of 2 ways you can present yourself: (1) super loud and obnoxious; or (2) not super loud and obnoxious. Neither of these reflect my personality and afterwards, I was scared that my group interview self didn't match up with my real self. BUT thankfully, everything worked out and life is good. I'll be starting the classes and such this fall and hopefully be all said and done by Fall 2013. I'm really excited to teach. I'm not as excited for all the stuff beforehand, but I've wanted to teach since my sophomore year of high school so it's exciting that the end is in sight even though it's kinda like the beginning. i know, super deep. you're welcome.
as a related note, i don't like it when people say the word, "theater" like "Thee-A-TOR", like it rhymes with "gator"... if you said "gator" like "GAY-TOR". this guy in my interview was a Thee-A-TOR major and he must have said Thee-A-TOR at least 1248345 times. IT'S THEATER. NOT THEE-A-TOR.
moving on.
other things to mention:
- we got a guinea pig! it may or may not have been a huge impulse buy in a moment of weakness and i may or may not have found him on KSL. but he's pretty great. his name is Lloyd and i love him a lot. i wish he loved me as much as i love him, but we're working on it. last week was the first time that he sat on my lap while eating and afterwards, laid down for a little nap. it was magical. i almost made casey take a picture. Lloyd is lots of fun, he makes me happy and he's fun to watch run around the apartment. i'll post some pictures of him some other time.
- my brother in law, Mikey, got engaged!!! and we're very excited! the lovely lady's name is Juliette and she's from Africa and she's wonderful and i'm excited to call her family. the wedding will be some time in August :)
- i'm addicted to double stuffed oreos. this year is Oreos 100th birthday. Needless to say, i feel like I need to celebrate by consuming as many oreos as i physically can. i'm not going to tell you how many packs casey and i have eaten since January 1st, but it's a lot and Oreo would be proud.
- we're taking a trip out to northern california in may! one of my best friends, Hannah, is getting married and we're heading out there for the wedding. I'm excited. i've spent a lot of time in northern california because that's where my mom is from, but it's been a while so it'll be nice to see the city again and hopefully visit my family, while also spending time with Hannah and celebrating the happiness. i'm excited :)
- EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH THE BIG BANG THEORY. yes, this is shameless advertising, but Big Bang is really that good. GO WATCH IT.
annnd that's everything for now. I'm gonna go eat some Ho-Ho's and play Borderlands with Casey. We do bonding right.
actually one last thing: I'm OBSESSED with this song/music video. I heard it on the radio, came home, watched the video then promptly bought it from iTunes. I kinda am in love with him, his voice is just so interesting to me. I've listened to some of his other songs and i just really like him. he reminds me of a mix between phil collins and sting, which is a magical combination. hope you like him too :)
These are the things I've learned while sick:
1) being sick SUCKS. but seriously.
2) being sick makes you appreciate the little things, like Jersey Shore marathons on MTV, warm blankets, orange juice, good quality kleenex, dayquil, and my couch.
3) being sick makes you feel special. There are so many people who have been so good to me, who have made meals, bought me drugs and groceries, who have allowed me to sleep in, who have covered my shift at work, and who have made sure that i'm taken care of. I owe them all so much and am very grateful.
4) being sick makes you appreciate your body. i think like most women, i don't particularly love my body. i don't hate it, but sometimes, we're not besties. but being sick makes me grateful for my body, in particular my healthy body (which i miss dearly. please come back). i'm grateful that my healthy body can run, laugh without coughing, struggle through a jillian michaels workout, eat things without throwing up, and breathe through its nose. my body is a good :)
5) being sick makes you rely on your Saviour. I've always been one who immediately asks for priesthood blessings. if there's even the slightest thing, i'm warming up the oil (my dad always kept the consecrated oil in the freezer so when we wanted blessings, we had to warm up the oil). i've had my share of blessings this month and i want you all to know that the priesthood is the power of God, that through the priesthood, miracles happen, and that the Lord loves us all so very much and wants to help us through all of our trials. I'm very grateful for this knowledge, it has brought me much peace of mind and comfort.
and that's what i've learned being sick. it's been real.
on a side note, life is pretty much the same. Work is work, i have some sweet new scars and i've learned a lot about myself and how i want to raise my own children. I'm a little concerned about the summer because we're not sure if we're doing a summer school program so i might be job searching again, which is exciting because new jobs are always exciting, but also a little daunting because job searching is the suck.
School is school. I actually really enjoy UVU, it's different from BYU in that my classes are a little easier and my classmates are a little more annoying, but other than that, it's pretty okay. I'm glad I'm there. and right now, it's spring break. I had high ambitions of doing lots of homework and getting all caught up and stuff, but instead, i've spent my break going to work, coming home, taking a nap and then spending time with Casey. I blame it on being sick, but really, i'm just being lazy. it's kinda nice :)
OH! I should tell you that I was just accepted into the Secondary Education Program- woo!! I was actually kinda nervous about getting in, which I know sounds silly, but they had us do a group interview and literally EVERYONE in my group was crazy qualified. I was expecting a group of sophomores, maybe juniors, you know? FALSE. most of the people in my group were married with children, had traveled the world, were already teaching at high schools, had several degrees, and were just freakishly qualified.
I also learned that i strongly dislike group interviews because there are 1 of 2 ways you can present yourself: (1) super loud and obnoxious; or (2) not super loud and obnoxious. Neither of these reflect my personality and afterwards, I was scared that my group interview self didn't match up with my real self. BUT thankfully, everything worked out and life is good. I'll be starting the classes and such this fall and hopefully be all said and done by Fall 2013. I'm really excited to teach. I'm not as excited for all the stuff beforehand, but I've wanted to teach since my sophomore year of high school so it's exciting that the end is in sight even though it's kinda like the beginning. i know, super deep. you're welcome.
as a related note, i don't like it when people say the word, "theater" like "Thee-A-TOR", like it rhymes with "gator"... if you said "gator" like "GAY-TOR". this guy in my interview was a Thee-A-TOR major and he must have said Thee-A-TOR at least 1248345 times. IT'S THEATER. NOT THEE-A-TOR.
moving on.
other things to mention:
- we got a guinea pig! it may or may not have been a huge impulse buy in a moment of weakness and i may or may not have found him on KSL. but he's pretty great. his name is Lloyd and i love him a lot. i wish he loved me as much as i love him, but we're working on it. last week was the first time that he sat on my lap while eating and afterwards, laid down for a little nap. it was magical. i almost made casey take a picture. Lloyd is lots of fun, he makes me happy and he's fun to watch run around the apartment. i'll post some pictures of him some other time.
- my brother in law, Mikey, got engaged!!! and we're very excited! the lovely lady's name is Juliette and she's from Africa and she's wonderful and i'm excited to call her family. the wedding will be some time in August :)
- i'm addicted to double stuffed oreos. this year is Oreos 100th birthday. Needless to say, i feel like I need to celebrate by consuming as many oreos as i physically can. i'm not going to tell you how many packs casey and i have eaten since January 1st, but it's a lot and Oreo would be proud.
- we're taking a trip out to northern california in may! one of my best friends, Hannah, is getting married and we're heading out there for the wedding. I'm excited. i've spent a lot of time in northern california because that's where my mom is from, but it's been a while so it'll be nice to see the city again and hopefully visit my family, while also spending time with Hannah and celebrating the happiness. i'm excited :)
- EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH THE BIG BANG THEORY. yes, this is shameless advertising, but Big Bang is really that good. GO WATCH IT.
annnd that's everything for now. I'm gonna go eat some Ho-Ho's and play Borderlands with Casey. We do bonding right.
actually one last thing: I'm OBSESSED with this song/music video. I heard it on the radio, came home, watched the video then promptly bought it from iTunes. I kinda am in love with him, his voice is just so interesting to me. I've listened to some of his other songs and i just really like him. he reminds me of a mix between phil collins and sting, which is a magical combination. hope you like him too :)
Thursday, January 5, 2012
I CANNOT BELIEVE IT'S 2012
Happy New Year! I know I'm a few days late, but I figure better late than never. I seriously cannot believe it's 2012. it makes me feel old, kinda like when 2000 came around and everyone was like, 'WE'RE STILL ALIVE!'. but seriously. it's weird.
So new year= new year's resolutions. I've always been dedicated to these, but for some reason, i didn't write them last year and i have no idea why. so this year (albeit a few days late) i'm writing my resolutions RIGHT NOW. When I was younger, I used to write out 20 million things i wanted to work on throughout the year, but it was incredibly discouraging and unrealistic. so now, i'm going to write out just a few things that i really want to become better about this year so i have a better shot at it.
1- be more dedicated to Church.
what this means: I want to go the temple each week, I want to be the best I can at my calling (get ready Nursery, it's gonna be good), I want to get to know more people in my ward and go to at least 1 ward activity each month, and I want to pay my tithing on a more regular basis.
2- be a better wife, daughter, sister, cousin, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, etc.
what this means: I want to be better about keeping in touch with family, I want to tell family members regularly how much I love them and appreciate all that they do for me, and I want to make more time for family things.
3- be fit and healthy.
what this means: I want to exercise 2-4 times a week, I want to eat healthy, I want to stop drinking soda (except for on Fridays, Casey and I designated Friday as Soda Day... aka Dr. Pepper Day), I want to cook more and go out less, and I want to be happy with the body God gave me.
4- be a good student.
what this means: I want to do the best that I can in all my classes, I want to stop procrastinating papers/assignments (part of the reason finals week sucks so bad is because i put papers off), and I want to maintain a high GPA so i can keep my scholarship.
5- be a better friend.
what this means: I want to be better about seeing friends and keeping in touch, I want to hang out with friends more, I want to talk to friends on a regular basis so I know what's up in their lives, and I want to just be a better friend all around.
and that's where I'll stop. I've been thinking a lot about these goals and let's be honest, most of them came from things that happened in 2011 that I didn't like, things that I would go back and change had I been more aware that they were happening, or just things that I knew I needed to be better about but failed. But that's the point of this tradition- to be better and to live life as the best you.
I feel good :)
ps- this isn't entirely related, but I'm saying it anyways: THE WORLD IS NOT GOING TO END THIS YEAR. It bugs me to know end when people say that the Maya believe the world is going to end BECAUSE THEY DON'T.
How do I know this? remember that Maya art history class I took? As much as I cursed that class while taking it, it actually was one of my favourite classes and one that I've learned the most from. I admire and respect the professor who taught that class immensely because he was one of those professors who straight-up lived what he taught. He's spent many years down in Central America, translated the Popol Vuh (religious text of the Maya), participated in sacred religious ceremonies, speaks several dialects of Quiche, and prior to all of his studies, he was a dentist and spent his summer in Central and South America doing humanitarian work. The guy is amazing.
ANYWAYS, returning to my point, I learned in this class that the Maya don't believe the world is going to end; instead, they believe that it will be rebirthed. The Maya calendar system uses what is called a Long Count System, or the Tzolkin, and it's difficult to explain, but the point is that towards the end of this year, the calendar resets itself, starting at 13.0.0.0.0. The 13 represents a baktun, which is how many times the calendar has cycled since it was started in the 5th century BC, and the 0's represent the vigesimal system that counts the calendar days.
SO in conclusion, the world is not ending. it's rebirthing/recycling. pet peeve released.
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