29 December 2008

Brought to you by the number 8, and the letter... Q.

Jill tagged me for this thing forever and a day ago, but school has, until recently, been keeping me pretty busy. Now that I have no school, and Kyler is at work, I have some time to play with silly surveys. So, here goes:

8 TV shows I watch:
- Pushing Daisies
- The Office
- Mythbusters (Kyler’s favorite!)
- Firefly? (not on anymore, but I own the DVDs)
- Gilmore Girls? (again, no longer on TV, but Kyler has 3 seasons now)
- My Name Is Earl
- Heroes
- The Muppet show (another we have on DVD)

8 favorite restaurants:
- Thai Ruby, totally amazing

- J Dawg’s (does a hot dog stand count as a restaurant?)
- Pita
Pit
-
Mo
’s
- Izzy’s

- Burgerville
-
India Palace
, better than Bombay House
- Mazatlan

8 things that happened yesterday:
- Said goodbye to La Grande
- Had dreams about crashing my car into a guardrail and killing us both
- Watched Sound of Music until I was about ready to pass out with tiredness
- Took a much needed, very relaxing shower
- Ate a bagel!
- Checked to see if any new grades had been posted… they hadn’t.
- Saw at least six cars off the road in
Idaho, and wondered if they got tickets for improperly exiting their lane
- Sang along to “Hair”!

8 things I'm looking forward to:
- My grades being posted? Only if they’re good…
- Getting a job would be nice
- Kyler having the day off for New Year’s
- Getting my diploma in the mail
- Actually walking in April
- Earning money so we can pay off the car and student loans
- Winter 2010 Olympics—Vancouver, BC
- Eating dinner with Kyler in our apartment

8 things on my wish list:
- A digital camera
- A job would definitely be nice
- Maybe I’m pushing it, but this is a wish list: a job with awesome benefits!
- Warmer hands while I type or read (They’re ALWAYS freezing, at least during winter!)
- A healthy, happy niece
- A trip
Japan to visit said niece! And, uh, my brother and sister-in-law.
- Going to Hawaii with Kyler—he promised
- Knees that don’t hurt when I try and use them

8 things I love:
- Kyler
- My family
- Baking, but only if it’s for fun and if the ingredients agree to do what I want them to
- Reading
- Peanut butter and chocolate
- Getting phone calls from people who AREN’T telemarketers
- Taking bathes
- Singing along to music!

8 things I can't stand:
- The sound of nails on a blackboard
- While I’m talking about sounds, the sound that dishes or pots and pans make when they clang together… it makes me shudder.
- The smell of mice that have been dead for a week
- Another smell: six-month-old expired buttermilk
- Dr. Murray, my advanced cell teacher
- Driving in icy conditions
- Not knowing what the future holds
- The picture of the scary, ugly baby in my embryology book


In other news, I now have another grade posted! Granted, it's research, meaning I gave it to myself, but I now have a 4.0 for 5 credits! Too bad I still need to know how I did in advance cell...


Currently listening to Snow Patrol "Open Your Eyes."

Winter Snow Blast Apocalypse Armageddon Devastation 2008

Well, Kyler and I are back in Provo after spending about a week in Oregon. That week of non-traveling was benign enough: we did almost nothing because it snowed 16 inches... at my house! I don't think I've ever seen that much snow fall over such a short amount of time in Utah, much less in Portland! It was fun, though, even if it meant Christmas at Grandma's was postponed a bit due to my aunt not being able to drive down soon enough.

Speaking of driving... this is what made the trip less than ideal. Every other roadtrip Kyler and I have been on has included getting really sleepy while driving and needing to switch drivers fairly often to prevent that whole falling asleep at the wheel thing. I was kind of worried about that, kind of praying that we'd be able to stay awake... and God has a funny sense of humor.
On the way there, basically as soon as we were out of Utah, the roads were... not the best I've ever seen. I'd never actually driven in snow, and let's just say... I have now.
On the way back to Utah... it was possibly even worse. My father told us when we left there was black ice on a stretch of road for about 100 miles... and I definitely found it in at least one place. Kyler had to drive after that, because my nerves were shot. His weren't great, but he excels at being calm. We were about 270 miles from home when... the freeway was closed due to blizzard-like conditions that were supposed to last until the evening. Kyler and I decided to bag it, get a hotel, and just chill, eat chinese food, and watch The Office, season 2.
We did finally make it back, many miles and hours later. While going through Idaho, we saw no less than 6 cars off the road, one of them flipped. Kind of freaked me out, but we survived.
I don't like driving in the snow and ice.

Spending time with my family was great, though. I hadn't been home in a year, so being in Portland was fun. We made a snowman, took the train downtown, spent lots of time mocking the news reporters constantly talking about "Winter Blast" or "Snowmageddon" or "Snowpocalypse" 2008. Seriously, people, get a life.

I still only have 1 grade posted online. That means, while I don't officially know I've finished all my requirements, I do currently have a 4.0 for the semester! So what if it's only 3 credits?

In other news, my brother and sister-in-law found out they're having a girl! I'm going to have a neice! And everything looks healthy and happy, yay!

Currently listening to Iron and Wine "Such Great Heights"
Currently eating baby carrots and ranch!

18 December 2008

Finite

So, I'm done. I'm not quite sure what I think of that. It doesn't quite seem real yet... maybe it will when I don't go to class in January? I'm kind of confused how this is supposed to feel. Am I supposed to be jumping for joy and celebrating massively? Because I'm not. There is a lot I'm going to miss about this place... especially if I don't get a job really soon. A girl can only take so many books and so much Warcraft before she explodes.......

Right now, what I'm really looking forward to is being home. Assuming we can get there, of course. It's been snowing all day here. Maybe tomorrow will be better? One can hope. And pray.

I'm hungry. Sadly, it's 2.5 hours until dinner.

I meant to make this an eloquent "the end of an era" kind of post, but it appears I have failed miserably at that. Oh well.

I had a very strange dream the other night. I was apparently part of a community that was kind of... isolationist. And the community leader's wife was pregnant. She went into labor, and was in labor for a really long time, until she was too exhausted to push or anything anymore. I was assisting the doctor with her, and I was really worried that the placenta may have detached or something since we were having trouble finding a heart beat. The doctor was kind of wishy-washy, though. I insisted we do a C-section to try and save the baby, and he finally agreed. So we cut into her abdomen (oh, uh, without any pain killers or numbing medicine) and had to move her intestines aside a bit to be able to see her uterus. The doctor again got a little... stupid... and I had to say to him, look, here's her uterus, we've gone this far, do it! And so he cut into the top, and we pulled out a little baby that was probably about 11 weeks along, even though we thought she was much farther. It and its placenta all fit in one hand! It was really sad, because it was totally dead.
Now, the cool part about this dream was how realistic it was. The anatomy of the C-section was basically perfect, which I find kind of interesting because the only dissections I've done have been people "without" any blood, and the female had a hysterectomy, so she didn't have a uterus... but everything was there and in detail and my hands were covered in blood. The fetus really did look 11 weeks along, and it was the right size and everything... The logic of the dream as a whole wasn't quite all there, but the anatomy was perfect.
I am such a dork.

Currently listening to a random guy playing piano in the Wilk.

12 December 2008

The Police Beat never fails to make me laugh.

Wow. I'm officially done with classes... forever? Or at least my undergrad. Now, all I have left is... 3 finals and a 10 page (single spaced) paper. (Would it be "all I have left are..."? Because that sounds kind of funny.)
One of those finals, I'm definitely not worried about. The professor said it'd take about 10 minutes and we could bring our significant others... not exactly stress-worthy. That entire class hasn't been stress-worthy, though. I learned a lot, but in a way laid back setting. How great is that?
Normally, when I write a paper, I write it in single space, and then ::poof!:: I double space it, and it's twice as long! Magic! But since this paper is supposed to be single spaced, I am writing it in size 6 font, .8 spacing (the tops of the letters are not cut off at that point, though they are at .75), and with the margins about .3" all around. I'm a bit of a freak, I know, but... it'll make me feel good when a single page turns into three.

I still don't have a job, but I don't know what more I can really do than what I've already done. I guess all I can do now is keep praying, and searching for new openings...

Loradona, I have a present for you. They had a Best of the Police Beat for this semester, and it really was pretty good. So, this is what the Provo Police do all the time. Well, they are wedged between a mountain of crime and a mountain of...
Sept. 16: Residents of Taylor reported three males making noise and pounding on their windows, including one dressed in a Spiderman costume. Police discovered they were residents from May Hall. The students explained they were bored and looking for something to do. Sounds like freshman to me...
Sept. 17: A female walking near Maeser Hill reported seeing a middle-aged male with shoulder-length blonde hair wearing nothing but tennis shoes and baseball cap. The man was gone when police arrived. Scandal!
Sept. 27: A student and her roommate were walking by Miller Field when they noticed a possibly unclothed man in the shadows. They reported that he was an estimated 300 pounds but were unable to estimate his age. He told them "hello." At least he was polite.
Sept. 30: Female students in Helaman Halls complained about a man in a gorilla suit attempting to scare students near the Cannon Center. When police arrived, there was no sign of either the complainant or the gorilla. Students complained again early Oct. 3 about a man in a gorilla mask. The gorilla has not yet been identified. The gorilla man is getting an even bigger kick seeing his stunt in the paper.
Oct. 8: A concerned observer reported a suspicious male in the HBLL quad at 5:45 p.m. When police questioned him, he said he was Free Running, a game where people run fast toward the corners of buildings or other structures and attempt to climb them without assistance and flip or jump. The suspect was a 26-year old male visitor who said he'd learned of the game through YouTube. Police directed him to go Free Run somewhere else. That's right, BYU police's motto: GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!
Oct. 18: A female resident of Wymount Terrace called in a suspicious phone call in which a man made statements with the intent of hypnotizing the student. The student said she does not remember most of the conversation, but she called him her master. Police say it is virtually impossible hypnotize someone over the phone. No, this wasn't me, Master. Stop thinking it was.
Oct. 25: BYUPD received a phone call at 7:49 p.m. reporting loiterers at the gazebo at the Alumni House. Upon arrival, police discovered a group of students composing poetry. I think this one is my personal favorite! What criminals!
Nov. 1: Police received a call concerning screams and pounding coming from a room in the Maeser Building. Police investigated and discovered the screaming man was a custodial worker watching the game between Texas and Texas Tech., and was upset about his team's loss. Well, football is heartbreaking sometimes.
Nov. 6: Officers responded to a call concerning a disorderly person in the atrium of the HBLL. The subject at issue was wearing a red shirt, a scarf around his neck, a red mask around his eyes and holding several roses. He was holding a sign that read, "Ask me for...A-Hug, A-Rose, A-Hand, A-Date, A-Nything else." When officers told him he wasn't allowed to solicit in this manner, he continued to argue and told them he wasn't going to stop. Officers then explained that he may be arrested for disorderly conduct but he said he had diplomatic immunity and could not be arrested. When officers told him that it is necessary to receive permission from the dean of student life to demonstrate on campus, he agreed to follow through with the dean and left the area. I want diplomatic immunity when I do something crazy!
Nov. 7: Police received a call from the assistant principal at a private school in Salt Lake County. A fourth-grade student had told the assistant principal his dad was making a bomb in the garage to blow up the BYU football stadium. Following immediate investigation, police discovered the child wasn't telling the truth. Wow, a 4th grader not telling the truth... that never happened when I was in school!
Nov. 9: A female student was reported missing for two days. It turned out the student had been staying with a friend and had failed to inform her roommate. Way to go, Ace. Next time, tell your roommates?
Nov. 17: Police responded to a call reporting suspicious individuals with red paint. It was subsequently determined that these individuals were paint contractors who were painting a fence on campus. This was shortly before the BYU v Utah football game, in the caller's defense.
Nov. 25: A student reported a theft that had happened three weeks earlier. The student said he went into the bathroom, and when he came out his backpack was gone. The backpack contained a packed lunchbox, a fork and a bus pass. Three weeks, eh? I bet the lunch wasn't worth eating anymore.
Nov. 28: Police received a complaint about a man with a rope on the east side of the library attempting to lasso people as they walked by. The man was gone when police arrived. Too bad he wasn't on the west side, where the big Indian statue is. Then he would've just been playing Cowboys and Indians!
Nov. 30: A student employee's mother called BYU police after her son had not returned home from work when she expected. Police checked on the student's workplace where they found the student was still working. Just chill, Mom. He's fine.
Nov. 30: Another student's mother called police after she tried calling her son and could not get a hold of him. Police went to the student's dorm, and found the student, who said he was surprised his mother would call BYU police. The student was fine and promised he would call his mother right away. Seriously, some women need to cut the apron strings...
Dec. 7: A student reported talking to a man with a chainsaw on the north side of the Wilkinson Center. The man said he was going to "cut him a Christmas tree." Officers never found the suspect. The Christmas trees in the Wilk are fake... good luck with that.

And, that is all. Back to work on my essay.

Currently listening to Coldplay "Warning Sign."

05 December 2008

Just watch for me on ESPN!

Apparently, I have an excellent poker face. That is what one of my students told me this week. He said he'd been watching all semester as I was asked, point blank, if this tissue or that histological name would be on the quiz/test or important to know, and I would basically always reply that it may be on the quiz. He said that he could never tell if I was saying "yes" or "no," and that he'd make a horrible TA because he'd accidentally smirk or something and give away what was on the quiz. So, the moral of this story: I should participate in the World Series of Poker!
It was the tissues final, and I spent a predictably large amount of time in that wonderful room: I realized as I left Thursday afternoon that in the last 24 hours, I'd been in that room for 14 of them. Not to shabby, eh? The class is over, though, which frees up some of my time (though diminishes my paycheck), and my students mostly did well... at least those who bothered to show up.

Now I just have another week of class and then finals. Not that anyone is counting...
BYU Alum '08 here I come!
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