Llama Fest 2007

Okay, seriously, how cute is that? I was looking back at the pictures I've taken this year (because they were stuck on my pc when it went down, and just recently I was able to retrieve them, and by "I" I mean my brother-in-law was able to retreive them, from the ruined stump that is my old computer), and I stumbled across quite a few things, of which this was one, that I never blogged about. A lot happened this last year actually. Anyway, this baby llama was the cutest thing, only we couldn't pet it because it's mother was constantly there. After going with friends last year and having them complain incessantly about the heat (which was over 100 but was actually quite nice I thought, with how dry it was). I decided the next year it would have to be me and my lil' sis Ashley, because no one would appreciate the whole event as much as I, save her. It ended up being us and her husband Kyle, driving down to Spanish Fork mid July (the 14th to be precise) for the annual Llama Fest as the Hindu Krishna temple there. We watched most of the obstacle course (llamas going up and down ramps, stairs, in and out of tires, through a "stream," in and out of a trailer and van, over logs...), we fed the llamas, went into the Krishna temple and looked about... We stayed just long enough to enjoy the event, but got out of there before it got too hot. Strangely we ran into some of my Provo cousins while we were there, which I guess was on account of it being held in Spanish Fork. I also might have bought myself a pair of llama maracas, and both my sister and I bought miniature llama figures made with real llama fur (maybe). Really, who could resist? Probably everyone who didn't I guess.

This llama was the fluffy and altogether the most uniqute looking llama I've ever seen. It also completed the obstacle course very obediently (which is impressive, because llamas do not seem to like to get in and out of vans on the whole).

This llama was both fluffy and little, and was totally my favorite.


And If I rember correctly, this llama chased my sister around until all of the food she was holding was gone. It startled us a bit, and prompted quite the chase--as it chased, more llamas followed. As per usual, it was unforgettable watching my sister being chased around by animals. She gets this lovely panic which manifests itself all over her face an through her vocal chords.
There was the time when she was oh, 5 I think, and she chased the neighbor's little red rooster. She had quite the jolly old time until she decided she was delighted enough, and stopped, only to find that the rooster wanted its turn. At that point the rooster chased her around my neighbors' back yard for a good while with her screaming at the top of her lungs. Then there was the time when she teased the cat with a newspaper in a bag, and when she put it down he kept chasing her. That cat never forgot, and I would often hear, from my basement room, my sister's screaming as she ran around upstairs away from said cat after it surprised her from one of several hiding spots.

Here's Ashley and Kyle in front of the Krishna temple on our way out.

The Bronze Bow

So this has nothing to do with anything at all, but I thought I'd write it anyway. This has been one of my favorite books since the 6th grade, and for the first time in a long time after going to church this sunday I felt this urgent need to think long and hard about my relationship with my Savior. I'll admit, I've been semi inactive this year. Not on purpose, but with work it's been nothing short of tricky to attend more than every other week, and when I suddenly got the chance to start attending every week, it was hard to get back into the habit after 3 years of not doing so. Then school was thrown into the mix. After 22 years of being an extreme morning person, I discovered that I love sleep, and no longer have any desire to wake up early, or to care about doing so. Maybe my wisened age is catching up to me finally (j/k), or something else has happened, but for the life of me I cannot make myself wake up early any more, and I'm not sure if it's even possible to change at this point. Work before I switched to nights was impossible for me, and most people got very used to me coming in late, so I'm glad to have switched to nights where I'm not holding people back any more. I'm often late to school too, which is unfortunate, but I hope to at least conquer that hill. Regardless of all that, I can now make it to church at the horrendous hour of 9 am. However, out of habit and my newfound love of sleep, I have often slept through it, helped by the exhaustion work and school together bring. I'm far from the person I want to be, and even the person I once was, but every time I do make it to church, or make myself go to the meetings of friends once I sleep through my own, I start to remember just why I continue to live the principles my parents have taught me my whole life, even when I have ceased to pray and search like I should. Even when I feel alone and unhappy, I know that the further I retreat from the things I do mostly out of habit, the less happy and more lost I will be. What does any of this have to do with a book you ask?

In the midst of these thoughts I decided to pick up and read this book before school started in full force. It's a quick read, and I finished it in less than 24 hours, but it changed my mood dramatically. This particular book was read by my sixth grade teacher to my class. I'm pretty sure that today it wouldn't be allowed to be read to a classroom today, as the whole seperating religion from school has become more concentrated, but when it comes down to it, it's not really pushing religion, and it was not written by an LDS author, but it's about the goal of replacing hatred with love in the individual, as well as within a society, to gain a love and appreciation for everyone from all walks of life.

It's not directly about Jesus, but He is mentioned as it's about a Jewish boy in that time period, and Jesus does play a small but somewhat significant role in the boy's story. His father is crucified when he is small, his mother dies of grief not too long after, and his younger sister dissapears one night and is found at the grounds where the crucifictions take place, and from that point forward becomes introverted and afraid to come out of the house, and is said to be "possessed by demons" that make her fear the outside world and all the people it contains. They are cared for by his grandmother and he is bound as a blacksmith's apprentace, but runs away to the hills after being badly beaten by his master, and becomes part of a gang of bandits led by someone he believes to be the Messiah who will rid the Jewish lands of the plague that is the Roman soldiers. His grandmother ends up dying and he has to go back to take care of his sister, but throughout the whole story he ends up questioning himself and his actions in regards to this overwhelming hatred he has built up, and which has become the central point of his existance.

Like I said, Jesus doesn't play a huge role, at least directly, but I love the way He is portrayed in this story. I can't help but contrast it to the Jesus in some LDS books I've read, and I've noticed they're a lot more timid to put words into His mouth that have not been previously documented as having been said. But the way she depicts him and everything He says is so in tune with how I think He must be, that I just love reading this book. It has a childish element to it in the simplicity with which it's presented, and being a Newberry Award winner it's no wonder, as it is aimed towards a younger audience. I don't know, I just children's/adolescent literature for that reason. I feel similar things towards the Chronicles of Narnia and how perfect a personification (lionification?) Aslan is of God. Maybe it's because I've reverted to a state where I need baby food to understand instead of the prime rib that is the Gospel in full force, but I love how humble it makes me feel, as if I'm in the shoes of a child, and I love being reminded of how I felt back when I was more innocent, and welcoming towards all of the good things that church brought, and that made me feel happy and free.

What's to come.

Alas! School has started again. I meant to post something of substance before this point, but I did not. My powers of procrastination have yet to elude me. And so I will write until I post the many posts I have started, but have yet to finish. I started Christmas's post, my best ofs, a brief segment on New Years, Semi Fun Week (which I have some awesome pictures of), and who knows how many others...I guess we'll see which I actually post. Maybe I'll finish some tonight, but I really think I should clean my room right now before I have work, as well as school, to deal with. As you can see it's a mess, and were you to see more than that you'd lament my task. But isn't my space heater lovely? Here's a better shot of it in all of it's glory. Yeah, I know, my room's a mess.I absolutely loved that I had 2 of the 3 weeks off from school that I wasn't working. I had much fun, and after ending the last semester completely spent, it was a much needed recuperation. Of course the downside is that my first week being thrown back into school I'm also thrust back into work, and training someone new at that. I hope the person Scooter chose is right for our week. If I start feeling any added stress from work compared to this last semester, I won't make it. And my classes seem to have progressed in difficulty as well. It's amazing how you can come out of your first day of school completely stressed as if you'd been there for weeks. Luckily I don't have Karen Brown teaching any of my classes at the onset of the semester (I like her as a teacher a lot, but her class kicked my backside in the fall), but every class is expecting more than previously. A lot more homework and studying, longer days for the most part, and my Micro teacher decided it would be a great idea to shuffle around lab partners for the rest of the semester. I really think Stevie Boy and I help each other in the lab more than the other's are capable of helping me, and a lot of that is the mood created by being surrounded by good friends willing to help each other...and this is why this is slightly upsetting to me. I don't want to be surrounded all week by a set amount of people not of my own choosing. I know it will probably be fine, because I like almost everyone in the program, but even being stuck one week with a person who might hold me back in learning or who doesn't make me all that happy, will likely poison my great love of Microbiology. Curses on the taking away of my freedom in the matter! That's mainly what ruffles my feathers, because that's what always made me uncomfortable as a child. I was super shy, and teachers would try to push me into more social situations that made me more afraid, and the more they pushed the more I resented and retreated back. Not quite the same, but I hate being forced into things not of my own choosing. God gave us agency after all.

So with that little rant I'm ready to look forward and try to make the best of what I have.

Semi Fun Week 2008

Way back when I decided that we (the universe ) weren't doing enough for me, so I made up my own holiday to satisfy my whims. I chose the last week that I didn't work before school started back up in January. Flash forward to now, and it's the Third Annual Fun week. I decided to make it Semi Annual because there are things I desire to do at times when it's not so cold, and the fact of the matter is, it's about me and thus it's more about doing things that aren't so much "big" fun as what I happen to feel like doing at the moment or just for the heck of it. So it's not necessarily what you might consider fun, but I don't really care all that much what you think anyway. I figured the "semi" was both more applicable, and just a better name for a holiday that lasts a week anyway. I came up with "Fun Week" very suddenly and late at night at a bad chinese resteraunt while lacking ingenuity for the moment. I planned on changing it, but alas, laziness prevailed. That's a pretty good sum up for what prevails in my holiday. Cheap and not too much thought involved, and that's what makes it so freeing. I don't like having to think to hard the week before school starts, because it's supposed to be my break.

Okay, so here's a possible list of things that might happen/I'd like to do this coming week, for all who care and those who don't, and who have an opinion of what should go on:

There is a chocolate/sweet/icecream(?) store in Salt Lake run by little people. I love chocolate, and it's supposed to be good, so I'd like to check it out. Will have to happen in the day, because usually places like that (bakery's and the like) close earlier than other places.

Thursday a Godfather's Marathon (1 & 2) will happen, regardless of what Clark would rather. My house I'm guessing, night timish I'm thinking.

I want to visit Liberty Heights market sometime this week, but I CAN do that alone, so just realize that in the planning process that will probably have to at least be accounted for. I've never been there, so yeah.

I kind of like the zoo in the winter idea. Let me know what days people could go, as it would be in the day time. Saturday? We could also go to the Dino Park. I have fond childhood memories of that.

I would like to play croquet in the snow, learn to curl (as in the Canadian game, and I think there are places that have seminars or something after having researched it briefly), and sledding and/or snow shoeing would be fun activities.

I want to buy Sundance tickets on the 5th or 6th, and it has to be done there, so if anyone wanted to do anything up there, that would be fun.

Eric found a list of Haunted places in Utah, right Eric? It might be fun to check those out, but that could also happen in the Summer addition of Fun Week.

Other ideas up for thought are that candy factory in Provo, the Bean Museum,some sort of bon-type-fire in the canyon or elsewhere, the game store (aka Game Night Games)...other ideas?

Places to eat:

I like our traditionary starting it out with Chinese. This year is the Year of the Boar. Shogun is supposed to be good, but we don't have to go there.

I've heard Acme Burgers in SL has the best french fries, though I don't know whether it's truthful or not. Also, there is a pizza place across the street from it that is supposed to be amazing.

Especially for Emmy, I have comprised a list of Diners in SL nearby that I found searching for such things on the internet. We have Franco's Diner, Ramblin Road's Diner, Kramer's Diner, and Dragon Diner (that last one sounds questionable).

Spaghetti Mamas possibly? I like it there because of the mazithra/alfredo sauce pasta. We can do many of these places in the summer, so it's just a matter of what people are feeling like now when it comes to picking.

I at some point want to try Bucca de Beppo (I know I probably spelled that wrong, but what are you going to do?) and it has to be with a group because of the amounts that come with each thing you order.

So that's the that. Let me know any feedback you may have. there's such a short amount of time till school starts that planning is essential, and your opinions matter. Sorry I dropped the ball guys. As always, anyone who wants to play can if anything tickles your fancy, but it IS about me and tickling my fancy not yours, so I'm not really worried about attendance. I just don't want to exclude anyone from at least the privilege of feeling included.

Here's a picture of a llama.

5 Things...okay, more like 10, because let's face it, I often get carried away.

My friend Becca tagged me to write 5 semi unique things about myself. None of them are unique in and of themselves, but I'm sure it would be a sad thing indeed were you to find another person who could encompasses any five of them at once. The thing was, I got to writing, and since school has made me forget how to do simple math, I kept going, till I realized I was still going, and then I stopped. So here are some things:

1) My memory is the single most unreliable thing ever. Don't get me wrong, like many other people I have an awesome short term memory when I commit things quickly, and later they vanish like thin air. Well, when it comes to run of the mill every day things, I generally can't even remember what happened to me yesterday, until I'm reminded by something someone said, or something I see...then it comes rushing back to me with extreme clarity. Put on the spot I can't even remember my first name. That's why I love taking pictures, especially in a digital age where my camera takes note of the date and time. It's amazing how much feeling a single image can bring with it. For instance, this particular image shouldn't particularly stick out as anything special in my childhood, and yet looking at it I'm reminded of exactly how I was feeling and what I was thinking at that moment in time. I was trying to convince my mom and dad that I did indeed like pees. The fact of the matter is, I did not like peas. Even now I don't like pees unless they're fresh out of a garden, but at that moment I was trying to be less disagreeable, because I was a very picky child.


In this picture I remember being more pleased than with any other birthday gift just about ever. I was in kindergarten, it was my birthday, and my teacher was giving us these giant birthday scrolls. I was very pleased indeed. My cousins are in the background, and at the time I felt they surely must be jealous of my giant birthday scroll.

I was pissed here, and it was Easter. I would almost bet on it having something to do with not finding as many eggs as I wanted to. And probably what I was wearing, though I think I remember it being quite comfortable. I want to say I was 4.

And below, me next to my lil' sis, dad, big sis, and big bro (behind her). We were at Sea World or some place like it, because we were waiting to watch the bird show. It was wicked hot, and was beginning to take it's tole on all of us. This was a particular moment of trial for us all.


2) I'm both a pack rat and a neat freak, both compliments of my mother. Those two aspects clash constantly. Usually messiness from acquired objects prevails, but it doesn't sit well with me.

3) I'm incredibly paranoid. Or at least I was as a wee lass. I used to wake up every morning at 5 am as a child to say goodbye to my dad as he went to school (he was a high school teacher). I was afraid it might be the last time I ever saw him if he got in a car accident on the way to work. I also used to worry that I'd all of the sudden hit a growth spur in my sleep (as most that occur do) that would leave me without any clothes that fit me, and I wouldn't be able to go out and buy new ones because I wouldn't have any to go out in public in. Basically I was afraid I'd be naked when I grew up. My mother still laughs about this.


4) I see things in my head differently than they really are. I could have sworn this cherry antenae topper this one time was in fact a firefly on Mars. In my defense, it was faded and there was only one stem, but still. I also could not for the life of me find the fridge in my basement the other day even though I was inches from it. It was like Grimhold's place in Harry Potter. I was looking for your standard white fridge, and it was black instead, so I just kept looking from my dad's model car cabinet to the piano in confusion (there isn't usually a fridge in the basement). And for some reason I was looking for a ceramic cat instead of a real cat at the end of my parents' bed one day, because my dad told me there was supposed to be a marker by it which I needed. The story there is that they have this ceramic chicken in the cupboard that holds markers usually, so I ask you, was that really such a far fetched thing for me to be looking for in the first place? And of course my family gets such a kick out of these things. I love them, but I'm pretty sure they think I'm stupider than I actually am. My little sister says that she's never known someone so smart with so little sense. Luckily she's family, so she can think that and I just don't care.

5) I'm awesome at hitting inanimate objects with my car. So far under my belt (I figured that particular expression would be appropriate, or innappropriate, with Becca in mind--mull over that one Becca) I have a mailbox, a garage door, a cement freeway barrier, the chainlink fence to the side of the freeway, a metal pole, some plant in my front yard my dad seemed intent on preserving, the neighbor's wooden fence, my brother's not moving truck that happened to by in my spot in the driveway, garbage cans, a ditch, endless curbs, and most recently, one of the cement filled red curved metal poles (as pictured) at the gas station.


6) I get the hiccups at least once a day. Pretty much any time I drink anything. If ever after eating I get to the state where I'm full, I have the hiccups. Even if I only hiccup a couple times before they're gone again.

7) Lighting and aesthetics really affect me. I think I'm bipolar or something. If the lighting isn't just right, I can't study, and my mood in general suffers. Along the same lines, sort of, I love old ugly looking cars. Aesthetically I find them pleasing. It's the boxy look that I like so much, or at least the many boxy angles, because as it happens I think hummers are horrid looking cars.

8) Simple tasks seem to evade me. I've never been able to do cartwheels or hand stands. I used to could whistle really well, when I had a bird, but alas that skill too has left me. I also can't trill or roll my tongue--though it's my life long dream, and one day you all will be amazed. And I can't swim, despite having had lessons.

9) I love horrible laughter. I'm a major people watcher, in a not creepy way of course. I find way too many things funny that are not. I'm constantly laughing at peoples' reactions to different things, and I don't even notice that I'm the only one really amused, but I can't even help it. Idiosynchrosies draw me in.

10) Unlike Becca, I've always loved animals. we've had just about every kind a person could growing up. Of course we had your normal variety..cats, dogs, mice, rabbits, fish, finches, snakes, a love bird, a caterpillar when I was 6..but then we also had a feather footed chicken, a newbian goat, a goose..pretty much every kind of animal we could drag home and talk my dad into keeping, or any kind that would randomly adopt us. My dad would firmly and sternly say no, but we knew if we just ignored him he would let us keep them anyway, because he's a total softy at heart. I've wanted a monkey for as long as I could remember. Currently I'm pretty happy with my angel fish, shark, etc. But I would really really like a turtle or tortoise I could name Waffle.

And

11) As you might have noticed, I am really not good at brevity when it comes to writing. I was super shy as a child, and as such my social skills were stunted to the point that I'm still not very good when it comes to talking, but when I'm writing I have no control. Or stop button. Wouldn't it be nice to have a stop button?

Look at the good I do.

Can I just say that I'm awesome when it comes to thinking about writing on here? I have more drafts than actual posts right now. In my defense I've been really busy lately. However, finals finally ended and I'm positively giddy with anticipation. It's so nice to just sit back and breath. And think of all the things I need to do before school starts back up. 1st on the list, as always, is cleaning my room. Then I have Turkey Bowl pictures I promised to send to people, and Ugly Christmas Sweater pictures I promised to send to yet other people. I still have one day left of work before I can really get on these things, but I'm looking forward to it.

Get this, I was so bored at work last night that my coworker Brock and I had a philosophical discussion about the inner psyche of zombies. Man I enjoy working with that kid. He sings terribly but terribly often, and I love it. There's no rhyme or reason to the genres he picks either--they range all over the place. I've been considering switching to the other week. Two new night positions have opened, and the other Melissa and Stevie Boy have tried to convince me. It would be the power week for sure, and I love those two people to death, but I'm not sure if Scooter would go for all of us on the same week, and all of the new people on the other. Plus I would miss Brock, Austen, and Traves. If I could take them with me, it wouldn't even be a question. Having Christmas and Thanksgiving off next year would be nice, school would be easier next semester because I wouldn't have to worry about work as much...at least potentially. He'll probably have both positions filled before I make up my mind.

So the power was out last night when I got home. It was out all around the stadium. All the intersection lights were out the entire way home, and so I was glad to be driving home past midnight when there is no traffic whatsoever. I lit a lot of candles before I realized that I needed to get to sleep. I had a hard time staying at work till that point, though I was wide awake when I got off. I went in two hours late as well. I was home cleaning and watching Planet Earth. And as a complete aside, but one that's related to that train of thought, how cute are baby musk oxen? I think they're pretty much the cutest thing I've ever seen. I couldn't find the pictures of them they had on Planet Earth in the snow, but trust me, they were adorable.

I love my new camera.

And snow. This I took while driving, which will surely lead to my death.

( I still need to post Thanksgiving stuff, but I was using my sister's camera, so I don't have the pictures. I'll do it later though, when I have less school stuff to worry about.)

It snowed yesterday! A lot. And I was surprised how happy it made me. I've been very anxious lately, and not in the best of spirits, because I have this huge research paper due tomorrow, and a presentation where I need to use powerpoint due with it, and I've yet to finish either. I work this week, so it's a problem, and if you know me at all it shouldn't surprise you that presenting in front of people is an equation for disaster where I'm involved. That said, I'm anxious.

So it's amazing how snow can change your whole outlook. Maybe I'm just bipolar. I've actually been seriously considering that lately...it would make sense. Bipolar and anemic, oh the tragic life I lead. But speaking of snow, I had a riot of a time driving yesterday morning. I arrived at work positively giddy after skidding wildly out of control various times, and I mean that without sarcasm intended. In the words of my good friend Mody, I "scream with delight" whenever I lose control of my car in the snow. That's so how I want to die I've decided. I know I'm not the only person to think of how I want to die so I refuse to think of these thoughts as morbid, but while most people settle with 'of natural causes' in their sleep, I have to say that doesn't so much appeal to me. It freaks me out quite frankly. This is probably due to watching a Body Stories video (PBS or Nova style) at work on just that. Basically you're internally bleeding to death or the like, but just don't know it. You're thinking it's indegestion or something. So now when I'm all old, every time I get indegestion I'll think, "I'm dying." No thank you. Nobody wants to drown (at least I don't like the smothering feeling), nobody wants to be burned to death, I personally wouldn't like to freeze to death because I'm a huge baby where cold is concerned, cancer is drawn out...yeah, I think a car accident is totally the way to go. Possibly painful, but I think the euphoria of losing control of my car would make that manageable. I know this for a fact because 2 years ago when I almost hit that dog on the freeway at 4 in the morning, and I swerved to miss it (yeah, I know you're not supposed to do that, but it's more reflexive than you'd think, so don't judge until you've experienced it yourself), my car went wildly careening out of control and my (last) thoughts verbatum were, "this would be so much fun if I weren't about to die." Multiple 180's on the freeway when you're the only one on the road=Screams of delight. Think of rollercoasters. Of course I would never try to get in a car accident, and to be truly happy about it I'd have to be old and it'd have to involve inanimate non-living objects, and not another car, and I'd have to have only have one leg before this point so I can experience the whole phantom limb phenomena (which I've always been curious about)... You have to admit, that's a good way to go. I've already got the getting into accidents with inanimate objects part down (to an exact science actually), so the whole thing is not too far fetched.

And these are just some of the things I think about when I should be studying.