My British Favorites

Oh, the velvet suit.


Billie Piper!  Of course David is the better kisser!  He's the better Doctor, too.


Graham Norton*...gotta love this guy.

America needs to adopt Britain's talk show setup.  They steal everything else, why not make the late night shows imitate the best in Britain?

*I would have posted many more clips of his show, but I figured no one was going to want to spend all day watching clips on my blog.  However, the one with Orlando Bloom is pretty good.  The one with Zac Effron makes me laugh every time I watch it, and no one does pranks quite like Graham.

HAAY #3

It seems to me that there just aren't guys quite this handsome anymore.

I went and saw The Sea Hawk tonight, and that's probably what it all boils down to. 

So here's to you, Errol Flynn.

BYU vs. San Diego State

We win!  71-58.  Just handed San Diego their first loss of the season.  Hoo-rah! Admittedly, Jimmer Fredette is BYU, with 43 points on the game.

I watched this game on the top floor of the SWKT.  My friends knew a guy whose brother is a manager of a lab at the top of the SWKT, so we got in.  There were just a few people up there (about 10) and lots of pizza, breadsticks, cookies, and pop.  Oh, and nice swivel chairs.  So, I was able to really enjoy the game.

I met a guy from India named Poro (forgive me if it's spelled wrong.  I just spelled it how it sounds.) while I watched the game.  He's a nice guy--told me I could come up anytime I wanted to study or whatnot if I just let the people at the desk (he mentioned a certain one, but I don't remember what one that was...) on floor 11 know that I was going up to see him.  I'm probably going to take him up on it.  The view is beautiful.

So, even though I'm not a science nerd, it pays to know people who are, or people whose brothers are.

How To Lie

We all know those people who have no sense of when it is noble to lie.  Those people that derive no satisfaction out of calling the kettle black.  This is one of the greatest examples of what it would be like to try and teach someone these things.

A Journalist Approach

EDIT: as any good journalist knows, you always post corrections the next day.  I'm lazy and am not going to fix the front page and re-image it here.  I'm just going to say that in place of the words more than half I am putting 220 of.  When you write things late at night, there's bound to be errors.

My Humanities class requires creative journals for the major works of literature that we read.  The journal requirements are simply that there be at least one page.  Other than a minimum length limit, there is no limit.  This was my creative idea for Plato's Apology.  I was really proud of my idea and work, since I haven't done a journalistic approach to anything since high school.  Maybe I should go into journalism.  I enjoy it much more than any other sort of writing I do, I think.

What do y'all think?  Is it worthy of a good grade?  Doing this assignment was quite possibly the most pleasant homework assignment I've done all week.

As a side note, we won our second game in a row for water polo.  I'm on an intramural team.  I don't know if I told you folks.

Sophie Scholl

I stayed on campus late today to watch this show in the International Cinema.  It was definitely worth it.  I found myself crying in several parts of this show.  As I watched, I hoped that I would be as strong as Sophie, that if I were put in a place that was the same as Nazi Germany, that I would do the same thing.  She was me, her brother was Kestin, together they were all of us, the future generation that must stand up for what's right, because conscience demands it--freedom and justice demand it.

You can watch the whole thing on youtube.  Type in Sophie Scholl: the Final Days in the search box, and it will come up.  There's quite a few parts, but it would be worth the watch.  If you have Netflix, you can watch it streaming online there, or you can rent the dvd.  Really, everyone ought to watch this show.  I walked out of the cinema in tears, having gained a new appreciation for the freedom I enjoy; my ability to write what I think and to be protected by the first amendment; to live under a democratic government where my voice matters.

Gravity

I realize everyone probably has her music, but this is one of my favorite songs that she sings.

Alone

There comes a time when you realize that you have no one, and sometimes when it comes to losing it you really want someone.  Someone to tell you that there's a future, no matter how hopeless you feel now.  Sometimes you just need a person to look at your work and tell you that there's one thing, just one thing, that you did right, no matter how small it is.

When your gut feeling that the class is going to be brutal to your work is true, that's when you want someone--someone to offer a hand for you to squeeze tight so you don't cry in front of everyone--so you don't walk out on something that is supposed to be helpful.  You want someone to tell you that it is okay to cry after everything is over, and that they will be your shoulder to cry on.

It's when you don't have anyone that you are forced to be strong and do everything in the proper order without help--to realize that you managed to not cry in front of everyone, and that surely there's someone who will workshop something that was just as terrible as your piece.

Sometimes we're not as strong as we'd like to think we are.  I need to know that it's okay to cry--that occasionally my physical state should be taken into consideration before I go in, so I know how much I can take.  Being sick today wasn't the best state to be in before going into class to take an emotional beating.  I need to realize that most people don't know how to give constructive criticism, and that when people are harsh they are really just trying to help out.

I'm not going to have anyone for a long time, so I might as well get used to it, grow up, and get over these ridiculous feelings. I either have to face that my writing is crappy and try to fix it, switch genres and work in something that I am less emotionally invested in so the fact that my writing is crappy doesn't bother me, or quit.  The fewer things that people take personally, the happier they are.

Don't worry too much, I just needed to bounce that off someone in a way that didn't involve actually speaking to another person.  Every now and then it is good to be able to work through things in writing.  The emotions disappear into the words, and then I'm able to function again.

HAAY #2

The hottest man in Star Trek is not, in fact, Chris Pine; neither is it Zachary Quinto.  It's this man.

Yes, your arguments against my choice of hottest man in Star Trek are invalid.

Yes, he was also a main character in the last two Lord of the Rings movies.  Who didn't like Eomer?

Meet Karl Urban.

How To Find Your Orange Pen

It does not matter how loudly you yell, "Where is the orange pen?"  The pen will not come to you.

It does not matter how many times you look for the pen in the usual places--it will not be there.

You can just use a pen of another color.  Then the plan of underlining all the important facts in one color within the textbook would be thwarted.

You could just go buy a new orange pen.  The problem with that is that once you have appropriated the new pen, you will most likely find the old one, which unveils your impatience to the world and proves that it was a waste of money to buy a new one.

You should retrace your steps back a few days to the place that you sat the most while doing your reading and underlining.

Upon shaking the bed sheets and examining the underbelly of your bed you should find what you're looking for, for beds always ingest the items which are not carefully stowed away in their proper places.

And thusly, the problem is solved.

Sometimes I Get Crafty

My Grandma Vickie taught me how to crochet when I was seven.  Just the basic stitches--it's hard to teach a seven year old much more without losing her attention.  I got into it for awhile, then forgot about it.  When my Grandma Penny bought me a "learn to crochet" book for Christmas when I was about twelve, I relearned and started again.  Soon, however, the novelty wore off, since I didn't have the patience to learn how to do the harder patterns in the book.

Nearly a decade later, I started up again.  When I was in Monterey without Nik I had a lot of time on my hands.  I spent most of it on homework, playing video games, taking walks in the mists of Monterey, eating Chinese food (or, when I wasn't in the mood for that, making something cheap at home) while watching movies and playing on facebook.  However, this routine became slightly boring, as one can only imagine after weeks of it.  So, I remembered my old hobby, and also remembered all the yarn that my mom bought me for an afghan sitting in my craft/game room.  I took up the book I had bought in college (during that time I also had a brief crochet spurt, and bought a new beginner's book), and started in on the afghan.  It took me months to do.  I watched every episode of the original Star Trek series while doing it, and still had a third of the afghan to go.

The activity kept me from going insane.  After the fiasco that led to my leaving, in an effort to try and keep myself together/put myself back together, I continued work on the afghan.  I wasn't going to let it go unfinished because of where I started it.  I did get it finished, and it now sits in my family's cabin up at Bear Lake.  I don't have any pictures of it, but if I remember and you guys want to see it, I'll take a picture this summer and put it up for you all.

While in Monterey, I had bought yarn for several new projects.  I finished a baby blanket, a couple of burp cloths, and a play rug for my mom to take home with her (she and my Grandma Alice came out to visit) while I was in Monterey, but I had a couple more projects sitting in boxes that I hadn't begun.  I decided to start one of these projects right before I came to Provo.  I finished it today.

Don't mind the printer and backpack in the background.  I didn't have a ton of room to properly showcase my work.

This afghan didn't take me near as long to make.  I've become a more seasoned crocheter.  The pictures don't really due the beauty of the afghan justice.  If you're ever over to my house, you want to see it, and I have it with me, then you can truly admire how much work it takes to make something like this look good.  Since I'm already bragging, I guess I'll end with saying how proud I am that I actually finished this.  Lately I haven't been so great at finishing things I start, so I this is a big deal for me.

An Album Preview

You've heard Closer to the Edge, Kings and Queens, and This is War on the radio.  Now hear the beauty within the album, This Is War.

Sometimes I Get Crazy Motivated

The problem with living alone is that I get lazy when it comes to cooking.  I start out great, and then I lose patience and decide that it is easier to just eat fruit, and then when I get hungry microwave the frozen chicken pot pies.  Next comes the inevitable:  I lose track of time with all I've got going on and forget to eat.  I get tired and start to hurt and wonder why, and as I'm falling asleep after classes it occurs to me that I haven't eaten.  By that time, though, I'm much too lazy to get up and make something, so I just sleep.  And, when I wake up I forget why I was tired in the first place because I feel better, and go on with my day.  This is a very large problem, and I know it, especially when I'm walking around all day on campus and then decide that I want to go exercise for fun.  So, I'm going to try and cook one meal each week that will last me a couple of days, and actually eat the leftovers.

There are, however, some problems with this as well.  When I cook, I refuse to cook with anything but the most quality ingredients, no matter what the price.  This makes my meals a little more costly.  I should probably change my ways some, but it is hard to break a habit that you've been taught by your mother.  Then there's the fact that I have to take time out of my studying/exercising/hanging out with friends to make the meal.  Once I get past that obstacle, it always is that I'm eating alone and there's lots of cleanup and leftovers that may or may not get eaten.

Still, I know that when I don't eat well my fibromyalgia gets worse because I'm not taking proper care of my body.  Really, it is a testament to how lazy I get that I would rather be in pain than go make something to eat.  I find that, as I write this, the main problem is the amount that I cook for what I actually eat.  I've always cooked for multiple people, and find that it is more economical to do so, and it's hard to break that habit.

So, today I decided to make some Orange Chicken Stir Fry for dinner.  I think it turned out rather well.

It isn't as spicy as I would have liked; if I make it again I'll definitely add another serano.  Want to make it?  You'll need:

• About a pound of chopped up chicken
• broccoli
• carrots
• 1/2 bell pepper
• 1-2 seranos or jalepenos
• mushrooms
• vegetable oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 of an onion
• water chestnuts
• 1 package of sun luck chuka soba noodles (you can substitute rice)
• Panda Express Orange Chicken Sauce (or whatever flavor you like best.  There's teriyaki and Kung Pao, among others.)

I always just guess on how much vegetable oil I put in the pan.  Make sure it's enough to cook your chicken in.  Use a garlic press to smash your garlic and add it to the vegetable oil.  Chop up your onion and add it to the vegetable oil and garlic.  Turn your stove on high and add your chopped chicken.  You can chop up your vegetables while the chicken is cooking.  Don't forget to stir your chicken, though!  

When the chicken is about halfway cooked, add your hot peppers (seranos/jalepenos) and your carrots.  The carrots take the longest to cook.  After a couple minutes, turn your heat down to about a five.  It doesn't matter so much what order the rest of the veggies go in, but make sure to add the broccoli last.  It cooks the fastest.  Once all your veggies are in, let the mixture simmer for awhile, letting the moisture cook the veggies through.  

While the veggies are simmering, fill a pot 1/2 full of water and follow the directions for the chuka soba noodles.  Once the water is boiling you put them in and it takes two minutes for them to cook.  If you've substituted rice for the noodles, then you should've had that cooking a long time ago!  After that put them in a strainer to drain while you go back to your chicken.

Add your sauce of choice into your mixture.  I usually put 1/2 the bottle in.  If you want things a little saltier, add some soy sauce.  Serve and enjoy!

Don't count on this kind of post ever happening again.

1st HAAY of the New Year

Hot then.  Hot now.  Very HAAY worthy in my eyes, which is all that matters in the end.

Winnie The Pooh

My favorite character was always Eeyore.  This always bothered my mom.  She probably worried that I identified too much with Eeyore.  However, I have reasoning for this choice.

Pooh was always absentminded and only after one thing: honey.  Rabbit and Piglet were always too worrisome; Piglet was afraid of everything, and Rabbit was always obsessed about the wrong things.  Tigger and Roo were always too ecstatic to be a favorite, although I really liked Tigger.  Roo's mom I don't remember much.

Eeyore brings balance to these characters.  He brings them all together when he's lost his tail.  I guess maybe he was too sad for a lot of people to like.  He made me realize that the world isn't all hunky dory go lucky; it has a lot of down spots that will be hard to get through.  The point is that he had friends to help him get through it.  And, I think that he made his friends realize that there is an opposite side to things, as his friends did for him.

This blanket is the whole reason for the post.  It took me forever to get the motivation to tie it.

Hot As A Pistol

I thought I'd start the new year off with a good old, fun, garage band project.  Apocalypse Radio's album was put together in the lead singer's basement.  Branden Steineckert and his friend recorded all of it in Branden's basement.  He lives in Orem Utah.  At the CD release party in Spanish Fork, the lead drummer for Angels and Airwaves performed with them.  All of these guys are music professionals who just wanted to get together and make music for fun.  The concert in Spanish Fork was so cheap that they definitely weren't doing it for the money.  Music is supposed to be fun to make, period.

Levels

I start school in three days.  So I should start packing up all the stuff I'm going to take from home to my apartment in Provo.  There's only one problem: I'm way too lazy to do anything but watch the Jazz game.  I think I feel a spurt of energy to do something, and then I get up, and it's gone.

There's levels of lazy.  There's the level where you aren't actually being lazy, but are just busy with stuff that isn't what you are supposed to be busy with.  One can say that they accomplished much in a day, but not the important stuff, ergo they were lazy.  Next comes the "I did two things today" kind of lazy.  You get one or two small things done, and then just lounge.  Finally, there's the extremely lazy.  You just relax all day and when you realize you need to do things so you won't be stressed the next day you simply don't care.  I'm in the don't care stage.

Also, I've been contemplating what level of failure in life is acceptable.  There's group failure, which can be collaborative; each person could fail in a small way, which brings the failure level up higher for the group.  Of course, there's always that time when one person in the group utterly fails to do what they have been assigned, and that just makes the group failure level soar.

Singular failure levels vary depending on what each person considers failure.  Some would consider stay at home moms failures because they didn't have successful careers in the world; most stay at home moms would disagree and say that those who don't have families and only focus on careers are failing in life.  It's all very subjective to individual beliefs, goals, and values.

Then there's my personal failure level.  How much of it can one squeeze by with?  How many classes can I withdraw from without disappointing my dad?  I have this calculus class that I'm retaking online; I passed it the first time, but just barely, and I was hoping for a better grade.  The textbook was all that I had to pull money out of my account for, but it was near 200 dollars for the textbook with the online mymathlab software.  I've already withdrawn from two other classes: one was paid for by the government, and the other my dad paid for.  Given, I've passed three other government paid for classes, so it all works out in the wash when it comes to my dad paying for one class.  I'm really not out any money there.

However, not withdrawing and stressing myself to finish this four credit hour class could destroy my ability to perform well this next semester.  Not withdrawing from the class would put me at 22 credit hours; the maximum amount of credit hours allowed by BYU is 18.  I would still have my English 292 class online if I withdrew, making my credit hour total 18.  Then I would be within limits for BYU and be better able to manage my schedule to do well in all of my classes.  That's most likely what I'll end up doing, but it'll definitely eat at me for the entire semester for not functioning those three months while I was getting my marriage annulled.  Complete failure to function; you can add that to my list.  The consequences of not being able to do so in a time of emotional trauma aren't very nice.  I guess it's only money.