Boring

Hi friends. I've been thinking, "Man, I really need to post a blog" but unfortunately there just hasn't been that much going on lately. So here are my few updates...

The season ended at work so things have slowed down significantly--now I'm working 3:30-midnight and when I say working, I mean sitting around reading books, playing games, watching Arrested Development DVDs and taking the occasional phone call since we've lost most of our people.

I'm still not pregnant. No surprise there. Had a freakout about it yesterday (I tend to do that on occasion) but after 10 minutes the crying got really boring so Jacob and I went hiking instead.

Jacob and I are STILL waiting to hear from the FAA about his medical certificate. Should be any day now, honestly. Although I know how holidays have a tendency to mess up the inner workings of all federal agencies, so I wouldn't be surprised if it takes an extra week because of Labor Day. Anyway, as soon as he has that cleared, Jacob can start flying solo and that will allow him to be a lot more aggressive on his lessons and earning his flight hours. Right now he's kind of stuck...so we will be really happy once they give him the green light. Yes.

Other than that, there's really not much to say. We work a lot and watch a ton of movies, that's pretty much our life. So yeah...will write more when I actually have something to write about. :-)

As Promised...

...lots of things going on in my brain today, but I wanted to write about the aforementioned weddings and vampire books I mentioned in a previous post.

So I had the opportunity to attend a friend's wedding a week ago. It was being held in a back yard, and I had imagined a really big house, nice yard, etc...simply because that's the typical setting I've seen for outdoor weddings. This wedding was nothing of the sort. Not that the place was a dump...it was a nice, modest-sized house in a quiet neighborhood. Nothing wrong with that, it just wasn't what I was expecting. The yard was decorated with a few tables with homemade centerpieces, and there was a simple archway with some flowers at the far end of the yard, with a simple piece of fabric laid out on the grass, making up the "aisle." The ceremony started off as any other...groomsmen walked bridesmaids down the aisle and to their designated spots, the parents followed...and then my friend, in her beautiful dress. She was absolutely gorgeous. The ceremony lasted no longer than 5 minutes...the bishop gave a few words of advice, the couple said their "I do's" and that was it. Afterwards, we ate food, listened to music and chatted. The thing that really touched me, though, was my inability to stop looking at my friend and her new husband. I wish I could describe the incredible joy and perfectly pure love the two of them radiated as they enjoyed their reception...I was so drawn to that. I have never seen anything like it except at perhaps my own wedding, and I spent the rest of the night kicking myself for failing to bring my camera so that I might have captured it. And I know this is extremely cliche, but it was a wonderful reminder to me that you don't need a big house, nice yard, fancy decorations and catered food to have a magical wedding. I don't think there was anything that could have been done to make their wedding more beautiful, I really don't.

Moving right along...sticking to my theme of sappy sentiment, I'm sure many of you have seen this picture and thought, "Nooooooo, not those stupid vampire books!" I used to be one of you...but now...hahaha ok, that's just cheesy, even for me...


...seriously though, I resisted and resisted reading these books, until one day I was eating lunch with some girlfriends when one of them said to another regarding some guy who'd come up in the conversation, "Oh, that sounds like Edward." I made the mistake of asking, "Who's Edward?" They all looked at me like I was insane. My friend ran from the room and came back with 3 very thick books, insisting I read them. I protested repeatedly until my friends finally broke me down, me threatening them with the wrath of Jacob if I got hooked and suddenly became a negligent wife (yes, it's happened before with books I've enjoyed, I'll sit and read for hours and totally ignore him). They all laughed at me and told me I'd love the books. I left quite skeptical.


I began reading Twilight that night at work...finding nothing particularly special about it, but appreciating the fact that it was an easy read. The next day I picked it up again at home, and the next thing I knew, 3 hours had passed and it was time for me to go to work. By the end of my shift that night, I'd finished that one and had started on New Moon, which I finished the following day...and so it continued with Eclipse. Fortunately for me, I finished that one two days after Breaking Dawn had been released, so off to Barnes & Noble I went, and read that one in yes, a single day. Poor Jacob had to spend the weekend playing games on the computer.


I'm still kind of humiliated that I got THAT hooked on them. I mean, I finished the whole series in 5 days. Good grief. But that got me thinking...what in the WORLD is it about these books that makes them so addictive to girls (I don't think most guys really care that much)?? I have decided that Stephanie Meyer is a genius. Not because she's an amazing writer...because in all reality I don't think she's nearly as talented as people give her credit for (and what is her strange obsession with the word "chagrin?" She uses it more than anyone I've seen). However, she has successfully tapped into the hopeless romantic portion of the female brain. She made Edward the perfect man, and on top of being perfect made him dark, mysterious and basically unavailable. And we all know that every girl wants what she can't have. Then we have her protagonist, Bella...who is the literary embodiment of almost every insecurity we females have. She's not the prettiest girl in school, she's socially awkward, she doesn't say the right things, she's a total klutz, and depending on who you ask, she's incredibly stupid (sorry ladies, after reading books 2 & 3 that was my assessment...she only somewhat redeemed herself in book 4)...need I say more? It's the whole Jane Eyre complex--the mediocre, average girl (some may even say ugly, although I don't think that description quite fits Bella) gets the hot guy. And for successfully pulling that off, I applaud Stephanie Meyer. Seriously. Wish I could tap into that and make hundreds of thousands as well.

And then we have the movie coming out in December. A lot of people have complained about the actor playing Edward not being hot enough...my compalint lies with Bella. No offense to Kristen Stewart, she just wouldn't have been my choice. No matter though, I'm sure the hopeless romantic in me will be secretly excited (and I say secretly, because I'm still halfway in the closet about how much I liked the books...) to see the story I enjoyed so much translated into film, despite my disapproval of the casting director's choices. Having said that, I do think it's a good thing that the director is a woman...not that a man couldn't do a nice job with it...I just don't know if a guy could do it the same justice that (hopefully) a woman will. It will be interesting to see if the reception of the movie is as good as it's been with the books.

One thing I will say though, is that my dislike for extremely large crowds of hormonal adolescent girls does outweigh my desire to see the movie...hopeless romantic be damned, I will

wait a good few weeks after it opens to see it.

Ugh, ok...enough of that. Next time I'll talk about something less cheesy...

Camping

So we randomly decided to go camping last Saturday night...we packed up the car, hit the road and ended up at Wasatch Mountain State Park in Midway. I love this campground, first of all because it has actual bathrooms with sinks and flushing toilets (the whole squatting thing doesn't really make me happy), and also because each campsite has a fire pit, BBQ grill, picnic table, and the tent pad has sand instead of dirt, so you can enjoy a nice meal (we had tinfoil dinners) and then you don't have to worry about your back getting poked by rocks when you sleep. It's really good times.

Once we got there, Jacob started a fire (notice the rather large container of lighter fluid on the table haha) as I prepared to set up the tent.

However, after I'd laid out the tarps and grabbed the tent, I realized that we had failed to bring the tent poles with us (in fact, since the move I have no idea where they even are, because they weren't by the tent...). Yeah, we had the tent, but no poles. BRILLIANT. We had managed to remember to bring our air mattress (YES, we sleep on a full-on queen-sized air mattress when we camp...that was my idea), so we decided we'd go ahead and sleep under the stars...here's where we were going to sleep...

But then we looked at the sky...

...and since I'm really not too keen on getting wet when I sleep, here's where we actually ended up sleeping...

It was a good thing too, because it rained. And you know, surprisingly enough, sleeping in the back of our car wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I could actually fully extend my legs (Jacob had to sleep diagonally), and even though it was a little bit hard on my back, thanks to my pillow (Jacob didn't bring one and apparently I don't like to share mine once I'm asleep, so he was a bit grumpy about that) I was pretty comfortable. In fact, the morning clean up was so easy (our least favorite part of camping is taking down the tent in the morning...) and fast, that I think we'll probably do the whole car camping thing again. NICE.

For the evening's festivities, we didn't do much other than sit by the fire, munch on snacks and talk. It was really relaxing.

Haha we also tried to make some Jiffy Pop...but we were highly unsuccessful (as have been previous attempts at making the stuff while camping). This is what happened when we tried to cook it over the fire...

And here's what we ended up with. Not a salvageable piece in there. We were pretty entertained by it though, being the pyros that we are. :-)

So all in all it was a good trip, burned popcorn and all. Although I won't lie, I was really happy to get back to sleeping in my own soft, extremely comfortable bed last night...

I'm Baaaaaack...

Hi people. I have so much I could potentially write about...here we go.

First, it's movie review time:
The Dark Knight-AMAZING. Enough said. Although for a more in-depth analysis, feel free to check out my friend Peter's blog (the link is to your right). He is, after all, a Batman expert. :-)

Mamma Mia!-Surprisingly enjoyable. For me, at least...after all, I was QUITE skeptical. I think to really like it, you'd have to be a dyed in the wool ABBA fan (which I am, thanks to my parents...who made sure my siblings and I were very well versed in their songs starting basically when we were born), and I also think people would enjoy the movie more if they've already seen the actual show (although they might be slightly irked at the things that didn't make the final cut of the movie). I am not a Meryl Streep fan, but she surprised me with how well she did. And kudos to Colin Firth for being one of the most entertaining gay characters I've ever had the pleasure of watching. One complaint though...WHO in the WORLD cast Pierce Brosnan as an American??? And a NEW YORKER no less!! Sheesh, not only was he the worst singer in the entire cast, but he couldn't hide his British accent to save his LIFE. Awful. No offense to him, he's a pretty good actor...but this was NOT the role for him, by any stretch of the imagination.

The Midnight Meat Train-Worse than horrible. Not that most of you would ever consider seeing it...after all, it's an R-rated slasher flick. But it was BAD, even for Clive Barker (who directed films like Hellraiser, if that helps any of you...). Seriously, I was pissed that we actually spent money on our tickets, even though we only spent about $3 (it was released directly to the dollar theater, which I tried to tell Jacob was a very bad sign...). Yeah. I'd reccomend staying at home to stare at the wall, it would be a better use of your time.


Moving right along...here's what's been going on at our house as of late:

I bet you have no idea what that is. My camera is not cool enough to effectively capture fire, and I know this because I tried it on every setting it had. Anyway, this is the view from just outside my front door at 2:00am on July 25th after some brainiacs hiked the Y and lit off a bunch of fireworks for the 24th...and managed to catch the mountain on fire. Jacob had gone to sleep way before this happened and had left the window open...so our house smelled like a campfire that night. Good times, eh? I was never worried about having to be evactuated or anything, but I will admit it was slightly unsettling to arrive home from work and see the fire so close to our house. So kids, don't hike a mountain covered in dry gass and light off fireworks. You'll probably get arrested if you do.

Here's what my cats have been doing lately:

I know, that's not super exciting...but I think they're so dang cute. Not every afternoon, but quite frequently they'll come sunbathe once it gets to be about 4:00pm...that's the optimal sun time (and our apartment usually gets quite hot...). I'm usually insistant on closing the blinds so it doesn't start cooking in here, but when my cats do that I just leave them open...yes, I'm a weird cat lady.

Ok, gotta go pick up Jacob from the airport (yes, he's flying planes 4 times a week now...with his instructor in the cockpit with him, of course...but still, he does most of it by himself), but those of you who know me will not be surprised to hear that I am far from finished. Until next time...when I will talk about weddings, Twilight (yes, you heard me...I got hooked on those damned vampire books), and whatever else I have in my head at the time...

It's been far too long...

Hi devoted blog readers...all 3 of you... ;-)

I am very excited, because we've been living in this apartment for a month now and today we finally, FINALLY have internet. HOORAY! I was just blogging at work (it's a great thing to do at 1:30am), but then the stupid IT guys blocked blogspot (because they both have little man syndrome and like to block everything that anybody likes...seriously), so that put an abrupt end to that. Anyhoo, just wanted to say that now I can blog again...so stay posted, there's more blogging to come!

I don't even know...

Today has been kind of a hard day. I had a long talk with my mom about my struggles with the church and I made her really upset. That was not my intention, and I HATED it. I hate making anyone cry, but making my mom cry is just about the worst feeling in the world. She kept saying, "It's not you, I'm just thinking about Karin and Brian (my siblings, neither of whom have anything to do w/the rest of our fam and who have both had their names removed from the records of the church)." But I know that wasn't the truth, it was me. I wasn't trying to hurt her, I just want to be honest.

Then I came to work and I had to fire another employee. This time I did it myself, and it wasn't scary--but I don't really enjoy firing people, it's never very pleasant.

But the kicker came about halfway through my shift as I was sitting and talking with a couple of co-workers about this and that. We were laughing and joking and then Kristy (remember her? The 17-yr old w/a baby at home and another on the way) came running over--literally--because she wanted to show us some pictures of her baby on her cell phone. So we were politely looking and there was one of her baby in a kiddie pool and we commented that she was teaching her how to swim early. She said, "Yeah, she's a really good swimmer and she's only 7 months old!" Then my co-worker said, "Babies can swim before they're born, that's all your baby is doing in there." Kristy said, "Yeah, she did a good job swimming in the pool." She was obviously confused, so I said, "No, he meant the baby inside you."
And then...
Kristy said, "Oh I lost that baby. I went to the doctor and they said I had lost it because I was throwing up all the time so yesterday they cleaned me out."
--PAUSE--
I said, "You had the D&C yesterday? Because I know that takes a few days to recover from." She said yes, but that she hates lying down and she loves work so she wanted to come in even though they told her not to.
--ANOTHER PAUSE--
I made up some excuse to go back to my desk and walked away. And I was SO ANGRY.

Now, I really don't think that typically I'm a weak little girl who can't handle the fact that some people are stupid and say hurtful things...especially without realizing they're hurting someone else. It happens all the time. But I was really bugged that she lied about being pregnant and I REALLY didn't like that she was so nonchalant about losing a baby she never even had.

Ok, I don't have proof she wasn't pregnant...but I have been suspecting it for a while, because every time I'd ask her how far along she was she'd say, "3 months." For one thing, pregnant women rarely measure in months, they measure in weeks. Not to mention she could never tell me her due date. And then there's the fact that there is NO WAY she'd be back at work the day after having the D&C procedure. I mean, I suppose it's possible...but she wouldn't be jumpy and hyper and running around like that. Geez, it took me 2 days just to get the anesthesia out of my freaking system, and another day or two to feel physically normal again. It's just not realistic.

Basically, it stirred up everything I've been trying so very hard not to think about or be upset by. I've mostly shaken it off--I refuse to be devastated by some stupid little teenager who makes up stories to get attention (arrrrrgh I should be nicer...I know she has issues stemming from her childhood--she was a foster child, and obviously has never lived in any kind of stable and nurturing environment). But even so, it still hurts a little, and baffles me even more as to how there is any justice in the world when someone like THAT has a child and there are so many good and deserving people who are unable to (and no, I'm not just talking about Jacob and myself). Ok, that's a drama queen line if I've ever heard one. Sorry.

So I really didn't like that. Tomorrow will be a better day. And I want to end on a happier note, so I will tell you all that there's this new Indian place on University Ave called Tandoori Grill (it used to be Winger's) that has really good food. You should all go there, it will make your lives happy, if only for a moment. The end.

Animal Activists...Terrorists.

As many of you know, this is my cat Michael Jackson (he was very disgruntled after watching us moving stuff all day and then being put in a box and transported to a foreign place). I LOVE my cat, he's basically my child (I know that sounds creepy to you who don't have pets...but work with me here), and I'd be really, REALLY upset if I found out anyone was trying to harm him in any way.

However...would I put on a ski mask and do everything in my power to terrify the family and vandalize the home of someone if I knew they were in some way responsible for him being harmed? NO. Why? Because that's not the appropriate way to handle the situation.

I was reading an article on msnbc.com tonight about animal activists (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25574658/). This is the picture under the headline "Animal Activists Attacking Scientists' Homes: More protesters using firebombs, flooding, acid at researchers’ front doors."

I won't lie, I find this picture distrubing. Especially considering the fact that these people remind me of the terrorists we see in Iraq, Israel and other Islamic countries. These acts of terrorism are pretty much denounced by most U.S. citizens as morally wrong...and yet, we see our animal activist friends imitating them almost exactly.

I am all about the humane treatment of animals, and whether or not it's morally right or wrong to test animals is not what I'd like to discuss (although for the record, I will state that I am not entirely opposed to the medical testing of animals...if we need to test some mice and monkeys to find a cure for cancer or AIDS, then I say by all means do it). What I'd like to discuss is the methodolgy behind it.

I stated to my husband that I don't think these tactics are effective. He reminded me that without said tactics, the U.S. would stil be a British Colony. And it's true...without acts such as the Boston Tea Party (where men disguised themselves...and then vandalized and destroyed property that was not theirs), our country would not be the nation it is today.

My question is, are these tactics still effective presently?

I don't think they are. If you go to YouTube and watch some of the videos of these wackos (ok sorry, it's hard to not be biased...) raiding research facilities and "freeing" the animals, it's pretty scary. I won't reference any videos here...you can look them up for yourself, they're not hard to find. I will admit that it does appear that some of the animals these people retrieve look mistreated...however, I don't feel these individuals are justified in their actions...2 wrongs do not make a right in my opinion, and certainly not in this case.

And what about the families of these people...are they to be subject to the terrorist tactics just because their father/husband participates in the testing of animals?

"...Kordower has not faced attacks or protests. University of Utah neuroscientist Audie Leventhal has.
The Animal Liberation Front claimed responsibility for dousing a home owned by Leventhal with glass-eating acid and covering it with animal rights slogans. Leventhal estimated the damage at $20,000. At another home, the group claimed responsibility for putting glue in the house's locks and pouring salt to destroy the front lawn.

'Even if I retire, I'm going to tell them I didn't retire,' said the 56-year-old scientist. "There's no way they're winning."
Still, he said, he has mostly been living out of state since the protests began two years ago. He said he refuses to teach classes to avoid having a fixed time and place where activists can find him. His wife got so scared after activists scaled the gate at their home in a Salt Lake City suburb that she bought a gun, Leventhal said."

I find it completely unacceptable that these fanatics feel justified in making the lives of these people hell. It infuriates me as much as the terrorists who took down the WTC felt justified in killing thousands of people simply because they were citizens of a country whose goverment was (and still is) hated.

Bottom line is...I wish these people would take a step back and realize that not only are these tactics extremely harmful, they're not effective in the way they're meant to be. These methods don't work any more, and the only attention the activists are drawing to themselves is negative. The only thing they're doing, honestly...in my opinion of course...is making people either fear or hate them. So who will listen? Who will really hear their "message?" Ummmmm....

Ok...deep breath...stepping off the soap box...