Now let's see your war face!

Sometimes I'm an attacker. And when this happens, sometimes my face gets dragged along the turf.

That's right, we're hard core in my self defense class. Check out my battle scars...ok, so it's not that impressive, but at least this made you smile, right?

An Embarrasing Lesson

A few weeks ago I lost my wallet. Never a good thing. The timing of this occurrence was particularly aggravating because I was just on my way to the post office to turn in my passport application, which of course I'd been putting off until the last reasonable moment. After scouring my entire apartment 3 times as well as my car, I deemed it officially missing. The next logical step to procuring a missing belonging is not, contrary to popular belief, to panic and worry; this will only result in the accelerated release of cortisol, unnecessarily raising stress levels, which we all know does not have any desirable or uplifting effects. Rather, it is to rationally analyze your past traversing to ascertain other possible whereabouts. Therefore, I knew that I had had it between the time I copied my driver's license (for the application) and the time I realized it was gone, in between which time I had been in class. I retraced my steps in the parking lot and around the classroom without success. So I went to the Lost and Found to see if they had seen any sign of it. They hadn't yet. It had only been 2 hours though, so it was highly possible that it would turn up later. It was, however, Friday afternoon, so that meant I'd have to wait until Monday to check back again. No problem...ok, a little inconvenient but I still didn't see a reason to worry. I kept an eye on my bank accounts, got frustrated about my foiled plans, and bunkered down to wait. BYU is a great place to lose something that important, if it has to be lost at all, so I had every confidence that it would turn up one way or another.

Well, Monday morning rolled around and during my 11 o'clock break I checked in with the Lost and Found. Contrary to my dream the previous night, they still had not seen it. I was starting to get a little anxious and irked that I was going to have to call the bank and go through all that hassle plus figure out how to get a new driver's license (which shouldn't have been a big deal, it expires this year anyway, and not that I really liked the picture on my old one - it's actually pretty hideous - but I thought it would be cool to have my first driver's license for sentimental reasons). Then I checked my phone and saw that I'd missed a call. It ended up being from my finance professor saying that he had my wallet! He was going to bring it to class so I could get it from him then. Elated, I went about the rest of my tasks, satisfied that my cool-headed handling of the situation was well founded.

When I got to the class, I wasn't really sure how to breach the situation, because I'm pretty sure that he doesn't know who I am. So after some deliberation, I bashfully made my way to the front and asked/told him that he had my wallet. He was very gracious about it, and a little apologetic. A student had apparently approached him with it after class on Friday and he meant to contact me about it then, but had gone to his office and forgotten. So I could have fretted a little less about how I was going to cover myself on that date I went on on Saturday (I asked him so I wasn't sure if he was going to pay for me or not - don't worry, he did. :)), but that was probably a small price to pay.

Now, this situation is fraught with irony. Friday's class was actually a lecture about being financially responsible. Next thing I know I have committed the most financially irresponsible act of carelessly leaving my wallet in a public place. In the very class that discussed it. And I get my wallet back from the man who was telling us to be responsible in the first place. Classic. Needless to say, I am now very conscientious about where I put it. Lesson learned.

King of the Lab!

Not to boast, but this week on this screen:



(That's the screen at the testing center that posts your scores - dreaded by some and ignored by others...though I can't imagine why) I saw 3 scores of 100%. Never has that happened to me before. I hope it continues. :)

The Grand Adventure

~"It's a play!" "Just a bunch of silliness, really." "I should hope so."~
Finding Neverland

On that note of approval, allow me to present an event of grand proportions that occurred this past week (with a minuscule amount of embellishment).

The Characters (in order of appearance)

Heroic rescuer------------------played by me
Damsel in distress------------------played by Samantha
The Messenger Bird------------------played by my cell phone
The Treasure------------------played by Samantha's sketchpad
The Cave------------------played by the locker
The Beast------------------played by the drawing board
The Labyrinth------------------played by the HFAC

Once upon a time in a land with which we are all very familiar there was a heroic rescuer who was trudging through gulfs of misery and woe when the cry of a fair maiden in dire need of assistance came floating through the air. The rescuer paused, listening, but could not determine the source nor the message of the plea. Suddenly, a little bird appeared on her shoulder with a small envelope containing a message in its mouth. "Help!" it read. "I am in desperate need of a treasure, but it is locked in the belly of a beast and I am unable to retrieve it!" "Never fear!" replied the heroic rescuer. "I shall conquer yon beast! Direct me, fair maiden, [though how the rescuer knew that the maiden was fair is beyond the knowledge of this bard] to this savage creature that I may vanquish him!" "Bless you noble one! You are indeed a heroic rescuer! The beast may be found at the top of a large labyrinth in a cave guarded by many foes. There is a secret combination of magic numbers that will give you entrance to the inner chamber. Get in, retrieve the treasures from the jaws of the beast, and I will forever be thankful unto thee, heroic rescuer. Beware! The way is treacherous! I shall await your return."

Drawing up all her courage, the heroic rescuer plunged into the labyrinth. Alas! So many pathways! How would she ever succeed? Just as it looked that she would be doomed to spend the rest of eternity trapped in this twisting maze of dead-ends and traps, she saw a light ahead. The way to the cave! On she dashed, and in no time she found herself in front of the daunting cave entrance. Mustering her wit, she plunged into the series of magic numbers that would unlock the door. But to no avail! She tried again, with all the precision and agility this heroic rescuer possessed. Again, she failed. No, she thought to herself. I will not be conquered. I have come too far to fail now. Summoning the messenger bird, she sent out a petition for aid. "What is the secret to breaking the spell?" Her wait was agonizing. Finally, the little bird returned with the answer. "You must squeeze the soft spot." Of course! Every challenge, every riddle, every beast has a weak spot. Finally the heroic rescuer succeeded in gaining access to the cave. She advanced cautiously.

The beast's jaws were far more terrible than anything the rescuer could have imagined in her wildest dreams! Fire spewed from the depths, razor-sharp teeth the size of stalactites gleamed with sterling steel menace along the perimeter. Undaunted, the heroic rescuer leapt towards the ferocious creature and snatched the treasure from its clutches. AAAaaaggghhh!! A scream pierced the air as the rescuer's fingers tore along the fangs of the fiend, blood gushing from the wounds. [these injuries may or may not have been caused by the brutal weather's impact on the rescuer's already dry and eczema-infested skin and may or may not have been present before the aforementioned encounter.]

Injured, yet triumphant, the rescuer had one last battle ahead: that with the elements to voyage to the fair maiden's residence. Fighting against fierce cold and raging winds, the heroic rescuer was battered, bruised, and broken. Just as she thought her body was about to succumb, she forged on and finally arrived at the castle. "You have done it! You are truly a noble and courageous soul! [you may have noticed at this point that the characters in this tale are quite dramatic and prone to shout all their verbal exchanges with passionate emotion] Please, accept this token of my gratitude." Whereupon the damsel bestowed upon the heroic rescuer with a goblet of healing beverage made of the exotic and rare cacoa bean. "Thank you my lady," replied the heroic rescuer. "You are most gracious and kind." "From this day forward," declared the damsel, "you shall be knighted 'Fearless Champion!'" With her newly-bestowed title, the now fearless champion dwelt in the castle along with the damsel where they awaited many more dashing adventures.

THE END

Bosom Friends

I realized the other day that there are several things I take for granted. I watched Anne of Green Gables over Christmas and it got me thinking about friendship. I've always wished I had a bosom friend, to take a phrase from Anne, but as yet haven't found a kindred spirit. I've also wished that I had a really good group of chums upon whom I can call and with whom I can have all kinds of adventures. Just as I was thinking this, Samantha came to mind; however, I immediately pushed the idea aside. She doesn't count, I thought. She's my sister, she's supposed to like me. She's supposed to be my friend.

But as I thought about it more, I had to chastise myself a little bit. As far as a group of friends, I realized that I can find that in my immediate family. The funnest times, my favorite times, are whenever I just hang out and play with my family. It doesn't matter what we do, it is never draining and always enjoyable. I can laugh really loudly, be goofy, and say dumb things and they will always love and accept me. I realized that there are lots of people who are not very close to their family at all; some have little, if any, contact with them for one reason or another. Then again, some people have quite a bit of conflict in their home and contend with differences of opinion, personality, and values. Samantha and I have never been enemies. Sure, we've quarreled or had frustrations about this or that, but other than those small squabbles we have been the best of friends for as long as I can remember. We played together as little girls, cooperated as young denarians, and now that we've gotten older, we confide and share in our experiences together as we learn about life. We have similar interests and temperaments which really give us a unique understanding of each other. One thing that has been really important to me is that we share goals and a strong work ethic. Doing well in school and challenging myself academically is very important to me and Samantha helps me with that by sharing that passion and pursuit of excellence.

I'm really grateful that Heavenly Father decided to give me such a great family and such a great friend who also doubles as a sister. I know I'll always have her in my life and we'll always be friends forever. Yeah, forever. :)

Ruler of the Empire!

I forgot how fun Monopoly is. I am definitely to be feared wherever this game is concerned. Behold, the spikes of terror!!

We played on New Year's Eve and I slowly but surely took over, one person at a time. But of course, I am a purist. I made sure that everyone was sucked dry before they forfeited their entire worth over to me. I took my mantra from one of my favorite films, No Reservations: "Mortgage, baby! Mortgage!" I then took their figurines and placed their effigies in the middle of my new domain, the mementos of my triumph.

Pardon me a cruel chuckle...MWA HA HA!!

I can't - I have to write a paper

1 hour of sleep in 36. That's definitely a new personal record. And no, I'm not tired at all...