Slice of Life Day 4: Sweet Celebration

Instead of giving birthday gifts, I often make birthday cakes. Today I made a birthday cake for my roommate Amanda, who is turning 21 on Sunday. We threw her a huge party tonight at our apartment (75 people who came in and out of an area that's less than 75 square feet), and the main attraction, besides the birthday girl herself, was the cake: Amanda's name spelled out in huge letters made of chocolate, funfetti, and strawberry cake. It was awesome, especially when Amanda tried to blow out all of the candles in one breath. So tody's Slice of Life composition is about a slice of cake, and goldfish crackers, and good friends, and laughing, and stress. The party is over now, the guests are gone (thank goodness), but the memories of fun, friends, and a delectable demonstration of my love for my roommate still linger in my head.

Slice of Life Day 3: Foot In My Mouth

Do you ever have one of those moments when the second you say something you want to reach out and grab it and shove it back in because it's so ridiculous? Yeah, I had one of those today.
My roommate's two guy friends came over, and one was pretty good looking. Not only was he good looking, but as soon as I starting talking, he started teasing me about everything - a good sign in my book. Because honestly, what girl doesn't love being teased?
Anyways, I decided to tease him back, but of course my game is a little rusty since I've had no social life for the last two weeks (thanks, homework). So I started by asking him how old he was, because he looked kind of older, and as soon as I asked, I wanted to yank those words out of the air and shove them back into my mouth. Because clearly, I had struck a nerve. He said that he was 28 (it came out later that he is actually 24) and then he was joking about how he looks so old, and I tried to make him feel better but I just kept digging myself deeper and deeper into a hole.

So now I feel terrible. Even though I'm sure he was only pretending to be hurt to make me feel guilty. But I really do feel guilty.

Note to self: Don't say stupid stuff!

Slice of LIfe Day 1: Camping

My day started at 4:30am this morning. I was awakened by the bitter cold nipping at my nose and the solid concrete smashed against my right hip. At 4:30am this morning, I was huddled in a tent outside the Marriott Center, hoping that the awesome seats and the crazy experience that were coming Wednesday night would be worth getting frostbite in my facial features. Because neither I nor my tentmate Brooke could sleep due to frostiness, I did a quick 7-11 run for a bathroom break, hot chocolate, and handwarmers. It only took 15 minutes, but I was still afraid that I would return to find a frozen Brooke corpse in the tent. To my utmost relief, Brooke was alive, but just barely, and we both revived ourselves with the hot chocolate. After she took a turn at the bathroom, we both hunkered down once again, with our toes a little less frozen (I also purchased foot warmers), our insides thawed, and with the hope that comes with knowing that a hot shower is just three hours away.

I've never been more excited than tonight to sleep in a nice warm bed. No more concrete for me, thanks!

Slice of Life Day 2: Depression

I'm legitimately depressed. I'm depressed that we lost. I'm depressed that Davies is gone. I'm depressed that some referees are blind. I'm depressed that I caved to temptation and attempted to drown my sorrows in a frosty float. And if you have no idea what this post is about, then that depresses me too. The few glimmers of light amidst this depression was the Golden Girls dancing and shimmying, as if they were nowhere near their actual respective ages. There was also the guy behind me who instead of chanting "You suck, ref!" simply yelled: "Your reffing abilities are sub-par!" And that made me laugh despite the depressing situation. I'm hoping that the depression will wash away with the blue face paint and the blue temporary hair dye as I take a shower tonight, and probably tomorrow morning too (face paint and hair dye are tricky to get off, believe me). It will all get better I'm sure, but right now I'm still depressed. Depressed that our number 1 seed shot is gone, and our #3 ranking is gone, and our forward is gone. I'm sorry it had to end this way, Jimmer. Really really sorry.

The Clock Keeps On Ticking

I'm only three hours into my day, and already I need a blog break.


It's going to be a long, crazy week.

I like booking every minute

of every hour

of every day

of the entire week.

But there's something about being ridiculously busy

and always under a time crunch

that eats away at your soul at the same time.

Fo realz.

So how do I fit

17 credits worth of class work

and

3 trips to the gym

and 

1 trip to the temple

and 

1 fantastic intramural soccer game (go CLAMS!)

and

5 days of bliss with the best family ever

into the next week and a half?

I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

Plus Ridiculous Josh is making me eat 85 grams of protein/day.

(Ridiculous Josh is my new Personal Trainer.)

(I could write a whole post on Ridiculous Josh.)

(85 grams of protein/day? Really? I'm not a guy and therefore I don't have protein shakes running in my veins.)

(Seriously.)

So on top of my spiritual, physical, emotional, and social needs, I have to keep my sanity. 

I can do it, but it might be a bumpy road.

The good news is:

I have amazing roommates and friends. I'm seriously surrounded by angels.

Prayer is real.

I have Bob Marley and Jack Johnson in my life.

My family is coming.

Tucano's will be holding a reservation for a group of 13 people at 6:30pm on Thursday.

BYU Basketball continues to thrill.

The Super Bowl is over (I can stop thinking about the Bears for a while).

And struggles are a part of life. And I'm a fighter. So Imma make it through.

 

This will be my theme song this week.

To close, I want share one of my favorite poems ever. It's by Langston Hughes, and it speaks to my soul.

"Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor --
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now --
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair."

Keep marchin' on :)

Frustrated

SO FRUSTRATED.


Fo realz.




Technology.


Men.


Social Life.


Exercising.


School.




Myself.




Yikes.






This calls for some blank verse.

TURMOIL

When Jack Johnson and

Star Wars and

Chocolate chip cookies fail to bring

the inner calm 

that I crave so badly

There's only one thing to do.

It's not 

cry and sit in my room 

and not

go out and have a fun (hopefully) time.

Nor is it an increase in my vitamin D levels

(although I'll have to check with Katie on that one).

I think doing laundry might

help.

Or maybe finishing my homework. 

(Although I will definitely be doing that today no matter what.)

But

I

really

need

to

take a deep breath and get down on my knees and

pray.

I get so wrapped up and I forget that there's Someone up there who cares about me.

And wants to help me.

And understands what I'm going through.

So I choose to get off the computer

Get on my knees

And talk to God.

Life is hard sometimes.

-Jobaby.

Six Word Memoir

Ernest Hemingway once claimed that he could write a story in six words. And he did. His story reads,

For sale: Baby shoes, never worn.

    Chilling, eh?

Based on this, several members of this generation have written their own six word stories, but the stories are of their own lives. And thus the "Six Word Memoir" was born. Check out the link for a thought-provoking, funny, tear jerker of a Youtube video that is based on the Six Word Memoir.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejndNExso9M

This concept wended its way into my life because of a professor's challenge to her English 423 students to write their own Six Word Memoir. So here I am, an English 423 student who was challenged by her professor to write a Six Word Memoir. Ideas for this memoir have been bouncing around in my cranium for the last two days; the assignment is due tomorrow; it's time to write.

Star Wars is the best medicine.                                                                Red light, green light, I'm light.

Love and loss are inextricably connected.

Frustrated with myself way too often.    

         Hot chocolate, warm socks, soft blankets.

When in doubt, help someone else.

Quiet down! I'm trying to sleep.

Sometimes I only see others' perfection.                                                  Dear God - Thank you so much.

It is refreshing to say so much in so few words.

            -Jobaby