Fatty Tuesday!

Today is Fat Tuesday! It is the day where we can celebrate life with reckless abandon! I have decided that if I am going to take part in the "eat, drink and be merry" debauchery of Fat Tuesday, I should probably observe Lent as well. I am doing everything that I can to be able to give up work for Lent, but somehow I don't think that will work out. So, if anyone has any suggestions, I am looking for things to leave behind for 40 days. Oh, and please keep in mind that I celebrated Fat Tuesday by wearing Mardi Gras beads at work and eating fried chicken for lunch. I wasn't TOO bad, so don't make it too hard.

Firsts

Firsts

Thanks for the tag Lindsay. Just so you know, I am only doing this because I feel that I owe you.

1. Who was your FIRST prom date?
Steve DeBirk

2. FIRST date?
Creepy guy from work. (I quit the next week)

3. Do you still talk to your FIRST love?
No. Brian Nugent, where are you!?

4. What was your FIRST job?
Officially? Kountry Korner, working at the grill.

5. What was your FIRST car?
'91 Buick Skylark

6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today?
Lindsay. Surprise, surprise.

7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning?
Me! I thought of me!! I got to sleep in and go to work late. What a lucky girl I am!

8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?
Mrs. Carter

9. Who was your FIRST Kiss?
Technically? I plead the fifth.

10. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?
San Jose, CA Home, sweet home!

11. Who was your FIRST best friend & do you still talk?
Kristin Niemeyer. Does facebook count?

12. Where was your FIRST sleepover?
Probably at Kristin's house.

13. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?
Lindsay

14. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?
SLEEP! And then I ate some breakfast.

15. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?
Alanis Morissette. I know, I am just that cool.

16. FIRST piercing?
My ears. When I was 23. No joke.

17. FIRST foreign country you've been to?
I had a lovely evening in Canada when I was 19.

18. FIRST movie you remember seeing?
My Little Pony (1986)

19. When was your FIRST detention?
No detention for me. But I do think I lost recess privileges in the 2nd grade for beating up a boy with my friends.

20. What was the FIRST state you lived in?
California

21. Who was your FIRST roommate?
Casi

22. What happened the FIRST time you were pulled over driving? Did you get a ticket?
I drove a ridiculous '77 LeBaron that had all sorts of problems. Pretty sure I got pulled over like 6 times driving that car, but never got a ticket.

The End

Is this heaven? No, it's Iowa.

How good can life get? Not much better than this:

I spent last weekend in Iowa. Now, although Iowa is an extremely desirable destination, not many people have had the privileged of going there. So, for those of you unfamiliar with Midwestern geography, I have included a map.



While I was in Iowa I did some very amazing Iowa things; I got snowed in, I went to a restaurant where the waiters wore overalls and I learned about corn. I almost feel like I am an Iowa native now.

Is this heaven? No, it's Iowa.

And that is how I spent my President's Day weekend.

Happy 4 Years to Me!

Today is February 9th. It is four years to the day that I arrived home from my mission. It is kind of hard to believe that I got back that long ago, but here I am. The last 4 years have been a crazy whirlwind that has gone by SO quickly. Time flies when you are having fun! I was reminiscing a little bit this morning about all of the things that I have done in the last few years and I thought I would share a bit about my recent crazy life:

Places I have lived:
American Fork
North Ogden
American Fork
Parkway Crossing, Orem
College Terrace, Orem
Tree Streets, Provo
American Fork
Pinnacle Canyon View, Orem

Jobs I have held:
Night Manager/Sandwich Artist, Subway
Proctor Youth Tracker, YHA
Orientation Leader (Tour Guide), UVSC
Transfer Student Recruitment Coordinator, UVSC
On-Campus Recruitment Coordinator, UVU

Places I have seen:
Anaheim, CA (several times)
Boston, MA
Chicago, IL
Grand Canyon, AZ
Kirtland, OH
Las Vegas, NV
Malibu, CA
Mesa, AZ
Nauvoo, IL
New York, NY
Niagara Falls, NY
Orlando, FL
Oahu, HI
Palmyra, NY
Philadelphia, PA
Phoenix, AZ
San Jose, CA
San Luis Obispo, CA
London, England
Rome, Italy
Paris, France

oh, and I went to Idaho a couple of times...but we all know how I feel about Idaho...

Degrees Earned:
Only one.
Bachelor of Arts Behavioral Science, Psychology Emphasis April 2006

True Love:
2007 Mazda 3, Sammy

Callings held:
2nd Counselor in Relief Society Presidency
Visiting Teaching Coordinator
Gospel Doctrine Teacher (twice)
Service Committee Co-chair
Relief Society President (twice)

Disneyland Annual Passes Held:
2005-2006
2008-2009

Good times and Important Events:
My little baby sister is now 16
Birth of my nephew, Jaxon
My little sister served in Indianapolis, IN
Free IMAX movies
Stealing trees with Leilani
Spring Haven
Anabella's sealing
Dancing with my roommates (in front of the mirror, on stools in the kitchen)
Greek Festival
Mario Kart Wii
Holi, Festival of Colors
Zac Efron in my house
Weekend trips to Logan
LOST
Nostalgia Tour to my hometown
Taking up the guitar
Joshua Radin
Guitar Hero
Singing solos in a play
Having our apartment broken into
Disneyland
Disney World
Disney Paris
Utah Lake
Salt Lake Arts Festival
and the list goes on...

Happy 4 years to me!

Celebrity Gossip: Idol Worship vs Idle Chatter

We all have talents that we are known for. Some people are known for their extraordinary musical talent, some are known for their bright intellect, and others still are known for their athletic prowess or social grace. I am known for two things. First, my biting sarcastic wit. Second, my penchant for celebrity gossip and trivia. Some may say that my healthy appetite for all things celebrity may boarder on idol worship. However, I must disagree. Really, it is not about idol worship, it is all about idle chatter. In a world of shop talk, one must always be at the top of their game. I guess this is me confessing my dangerously shallow ways, but you will soon see that my celebrity trivia keeps me ready for anything that the world of potentially uncomfortable public conversation may throw at me. Look at what celebrity news can teach us:

Topic of conversation #1 Politics:
Why should I waste my time becoming truly informed when I can always trust my performing friends to have something to say about politics? Why watch the news if I can just follow the political advice of Beyonce and Jay-Z? Forbes recently reported them the highest grossing couple of 2008. How can you not trust that? You can always rely on celebrities to show up at rallies, give endorsements, throw parties and even wear statement-making t-shirts - all done to educate the masses on what would be good for our country. Of course they know what is best for our country! If you are living a mulit-million dollar lifestyle with access to exclusive clubs, a personal entourage, late nights and gucci shoes, you speak for the people right? Right?

#2 World Events
SAVE DARFUR!
Who else could make protesting gross human rights violations as big a fad as having twins? Why, Angelina Jolie and the rest of the celebrity world, of course! Save Darfur concerts, CDs, magazine ads and t-shirts were all the rage for a minute there. Want to sound like you care? Save Darfur! Want to change the world? Buy a CD! It is so easy to live vicariously through pictures of pretty people in ugly places and do your part by sporting some Save Darfur threads.

*I once heard a phenomenal slam poet deliver an awesome poem about celebrity and saving darfur. He suggested sending all the paparrazi to Darfur and hence using knowledge, instead of celebrity to change the world. Hmm, what a novel idea!

#3 Gossip
Something I love about the world of idle chatter is that gossip ranks right up there with politics and world events. What a well balanced world! I love gossip for several reasons. The first reason is that I love to feel better about myself. Even though I don't have miraculous talent, endless cash or throngs of fans, I take comfort in knowing that this will never be me:
Amy, no disrespect meant, but really? REALLY?! Must you waste away your precious little life and mad style like this? And yet, as hard as it is, we all love a good trainwreck. (and by "we" I mean all of us in the idle chatterers club) I think a lot of it is that we love redemption. The harder they fall, the more glorious the comeback. Look at Britney Spears for goodness sake. She was a hot mess one day and 30 lbs thinner and back on tour the next. Who else can do that? Thank you celebrity!

#4 Last but not least, lessons in LOVE!




'Nuff said.

So, in conclusions friends, don't worry go crazy with idol worship, come join the party that is idle chatter! Your life will never be the same.

Addendum to yesterday's post

Chuck was, in fact, in 3D last night. I love Chuck. I do not love Chuck in 3D. After about 15 minutes I had a headache and there was blue junk all over my face from my cheap-o 3D glasses. This was totally not worth the 2 (only 2) mildly cool 3D moments in the show.

If you are going to do 3D, DO 3D. I want lame gimmicks! I want to see people reach at me or throw things at me or spit on me and make me feel like I am a part of the show! I do not want to feel like I am in the 3rd dimension of network desperation to keep a good show running. If you want to keep a good show running, keep making a good show. Don't sell out. That is my advice.

At the end of the show there was a banner that ran across the bottom of the screen letting us know that tomorrow we could watch Chuck (again) in 3D or Not 3D. I pick not 3D.

Monday Blues

So, it is Monday today. This Monday is so Monday that it has driven me back to blogging. Don't get me wrong, I do love me some blogging, but things went berserk a while back and I fell off the blog train for a while. This Monday was enough to get me back on.

The day started with my car not starting. Mazda, we are NOT on good terms today! Work has been work, which lately means bearable with a side of major frustration. Then I got an e-mail about FHE and it said that we were playing Scripture Charades. SCRIPTURE CHARADES. Yes, you heard me. It was the end of sane life as I knew it.

Then, at about 1:30 this afternoon, a little glimmer of light began to shine in the darkness. Ok, so it was a big floodlight of a glimmer that completely engulfed the darkness of my life in primetime television delight: Lindsay called and told me that she had found some 3D glasses.

CHUCK is back tonight. We are skipping Scripture Charades because we have a date with Chuck Bartowski. In 3D.

You can be jealous. It's ok.






Sorry boys, my heart belongs to Chuck Bartowski.

The End.