Five Months in Five Minutes

Hopefully my few faithful readers were filled with glee when this long-overdue blog post popped up at the top of that RSS feed list (or so I will imagine so). Yes, I suspect that you have all put aside exactly five minutes to see what I've been up to for the last five months. And if you don't even think the condensed version is worth an immediate read...I will dismiss you from the next five months (ie five minutes following the next five months) of my life. Don't let the parenthetical interruptions dissuade you, I really do want you reading (I'm desperate to regain your love!). Correction: this may take a bit more than five minutes. (Regaining your love?) Quiet brain!

Um, moving on...

For those of you that don't know that I was scheduled to student teach at Northwest Middle School in Salt Lake during the fall, and that I decided not to, you may be wondering how I felt about this decision, or how I feel about it in retrospect. Or you had no idea that such a decision took place, but that is okay. In answer, I felt good about it then, and I feel great about it now.

As relieved as I was to leave Logan and resolve that I was finally moving on with my life, I felt a greater sense of relief and peace when I decided to come back. Funny how that worked out. I decided that I wanted some time to relax and be social, and enjoy myself before the call for crunch time, graduation and career search and destroy loomed its ominous...dog whistle.

And so I settled back into Cache Valley, not to return to my job as a distance education facilitator, and not with plans to, honestly, accomplish much of anything except a chance at gaining perspective, peace of mind, and hope.

It's been a wonderful choice and experience, but I won't pretend to lay tribute to a bunch of minor aspects to it. I'll give all the credit to John. You have helped me gain the hope and confidence I need to be happy and successful in all that I do. I love you, my Pope! Thank you for being there for me every day since I've been back, and for showing me so much love!

I Don't Want to Live in a Wigwam

So, get this, the place that I moved into this summer has a movie rack with 18 seasons of Star Trek (all of the original series, including the animated series, the Next Generation series, and the Deep Space Nine series). It also has both the theatrical and extended versions of The Lord of the Rings movies, all three Tolkien cartoons (with custom covers and internet downloads to replace various atrocities), every Star Wars dvd (yes, the kind where you can view the original along with the pointless George Lucas reboots that came out about 12 years ago), and…need I go on? This person is obviously a hardcore nerd, right? Yeah, kinda, but more accurately, he’s my brother.

Matt shares a duplex in Salt Lake with my sister Ali and her husband. And, he's good enough to let me live here too until I graduate. So, really, we are once again a bunch of Dukes under the same roof. And already, it feels a bit like I’m reliving some of my childhood summers. I currently don’t have a job yet, so it especially feels that way. One of my favorite things about this location is that there is a park right on the other side of the fence in our back yard.



So it is fun to go for walks on the trails, and I am fully intending to get some yard games to play out there (croquet, all the way!). We also all want to start playing some tennis in the courts that are there in the park. I'm considering getting a retro bike for the trails, as well. I also love to go hang out there at night.

My sister and I actually played Dead Poets Society there one night. We snuck out with flashlights, and I read her what I consider the coolest thing ever to read aloud, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” It was actually a lot of fun, especially since my brother’s cute little kitties actually followed us, and started frolicking around during the reading. I love reading at night in the park! I read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at night in a park in my neighborhood in Logan, and it set the mood so perfectly. So, we are certainly planning to try more Dead Poets nights again. My sis wants me to read her “something Greek” next time :)

Apparently, though, you aren’t supposed to be in any public parks around here at night. Ali actually showed me the sign that said it was closed from 10 pm to 6 am. Nuts to that! I don’t see the problem. On the plus side, it will make those Dead Poets nights more exciting, keeping in mind that we are truly doing something we aren’t supposed to be :>

I really love being here with my family! And think my brother is the best despite my cracks about his nerdish…leanings. Love ya, Matt! Also, my sister’s been wanting me to move out here for years, but I certainly have been taking my time getting through college. Now I’ve just got a Distance Ed. independent study class left to do this summer, and then I’m on to student teaching in the fall at (a lavish Neil Peart drum roll, please)…Northwest Middle School. Yes, I’ve decided to try my hand at a middle school. More details to come, but it should be exciting. I fully expect some tips from you sometime, Amanda.

I also recently had a birthday on Saturday. That's 25! It is a time of transition, I suppose. I was about to get all reflective about where I am in life, and where I want to be going, and what state of mind I have, and ought to, but now I am reminded of my first experience with a Yoga class (which I tried for kicks on my birthday). I was compelled by some of the things the instructor was asking us to think about through the exercises. It came as quite a surprise, actually. I’m at least a moderate skeptic about the point of New Age trends. Anyway, some of the ideas behind it really advocate a sense of self-awareness and acceptance of your current state of mind and body, with its strengths and limitations. I think that seems to be a pretty valuable concept however you go about exploring it. Also, it’s nice to clear time in your schedule for quiet reflection. Looks like for the moment, I have a bit of an abundance of free time. So, maybe I'll add Yoga to the list of things to try this summer. Most likely, I'll be spending more time than I want to doing homework. Blah.

Well, there’s the update. Thanks to those who got me a present/made me dinner, and such. Give yourselves a good pat on the back, from me (vicarious-like). No hugs, though.

My Black Fortress is Now at 90 Hillside

I smell like Indian food. I'd be more specific, but, I don't know what we had cooking in our kitchen today exactly. I decided to try the stuff because it was deep fried. There's not a whole lot I've tried deep fried that has disappointed too much. I think I only managed three or four courtesy bites before I pulled the, "It's a little too spicy for me" card. Although, I wouldn't mind if it were so spicy that I could see through time. In my defense, I honestly don't even like pepper (as I deem it "spicy" as well). Peppers too, but I mean simple ground pepper. That reminds me, I think that my apartment's pepper is in the ward's supply closet, and I said I'd look for it.

Last Monday was what our stake calls "Aloha Night." Being one of the co-chairs for the activities committee, it was my job to plan the thing. Not really being the sort that feels great about asking for help outside of the committee (which was very slim in numbers at the time), I ended up basically setting up all the tables and chairs myself. Heidi helped for a little while. My back muscles were sore for a while. Still a little, maybe. But I've got a refridgerator drawer full of leftover baked potatoes. Potatoes are totally Hawaiian, in case you were wondering. So is Bob Marley...as I didn't know what other music to play. The funny thing is, when asking the Bishop if I could play Bob Marley, he didn't know who that was. Seriously. Anyway, that's why I brought my apartment's pepper up to the church in the first place. For Aloha potatoes. I was actually released from that calling last Sunday. Just before Aloha Night actually. But you can't really hand an activity over to someone else based on a technicality like that. And I'm now an FHE coordinater (aka Grandma, I guess). I'm still waiting around to see who is called to be the Grandpa.

I'm also in a new apartment again. Surprise, surprise...not really, huh? This will be the...now hold on a sec...the seventh place I've lived at since college. And the eighth move. I really drag around everything I own. I was going to take some pictures of some of the bizarre things I hold onto...but, I don't care about this blog that much. And neither do YOU, I wouldn't hesitate too much to say. Suffice to actually say, though, I was embarrassed enough on the last move. I got a friend of mine to help out who in so doing commented that one of the boxes started singing to him, and I had to admit that the stuffed singing gorilla he gave me for Valentines a while back was in it. It was kinda awkward, especially since I'm in no way especially attached to that gorilla, or the boy. I just don't throw much out.

Speaking of which, my room is a disaster heap. I don't know how to start putting things away, and it's been a week! I'll figure it out. I'll also have to figure out what clothes of mine I have that I can consider "business casual." My clinical instructor mentioned that phrase the other day, and then actually started to list items of clothes that he thought might fall into this category for girls...but only because I looked confused. Rest assured, I know what he meant...I was just confused as to if I really had much that would qualify. Of course, like any girl I like nice clothes, and I like the business casual look. But unlike most girls, I don't find spending money on clothes too desirable. Most of the time. They just wear out in a few years, right? I'm sure my attitude will change once I have more money. For now, buying music, movies, and books is more emotionally purging. In fact, I just bought Krull and IT on dvd last night, two movies I remember from my childhood, for only $10. Sweet, sweet memories...of killer clowns and black fortresses that move each sunrise. I carry around a lot of nostalgic baggage too. I'd have it no other way.