Good Night Marilyn

My city view as I settle into bed, listening to the bewitching sound that is Bon Iver.

Listen to this one

So many foreign worlds, so ready for us. 

Night Chicago. 

Sweet Pea

Someday. . .someone will sing this to me.

And I will be blushing furiously.

Ceiling Can't Hold Us

Another post brought to you mid-Stats.  But this time it's more like 10/14 of the way through, so that's ok, right?  This just looks like so much fun. . .

A Dash of Cinnamon

This week happiness tastes like a piece of peanut butter and banana toast with a dash of cinnamon.

Image Via

I know this is not a groundbreaking concoction, but I tried it for the first time today and oh my, I am in love.   Like, I-can't-wait-to-sleep-so-I-can-wake-up-and-reunite-at-the-breakfast-table kind of love.


It looks like:

Wonderful roomies, including Clarissa who is missing from this picture.

And sounds like:



Country?  Yes, I am feeling it this week.

And the mysterious city? Here it is--I'M GOING TO CHICAGO!  I recently got the good news about an internship I applied for earlier this year. You can view a news release about it here. Look for updates starting the beginning of June and wrapping up mid-August.  I will be armed with a new camera in hopes that I can adequately capture in word and photo the essence of this amazing city and the incredible organization I will be able to be a part of.

(Life) - (Statistics) = so good.

Love at Second Sight

We've got fifty good years left to spend out in the garden, I don't care to beg your pardon, we should live until we die.

You Guys.

They have a violinist opening.



I am dying.  Dying, I tell you.   Who knows?  It's worth a shot.

Now Suddenly, This Rain

Image via

Six songs for a rainy day:

The Fray, Brooke Fraser, Avalanche City, Joshua Radin and guess what?  A new Taylor Swift song I discovered today.  And this:

I have been easy with trees
Too long.
Too familiar with mountains.
Joy has been a habit.
Now
Suddenly
This rain.
 
― Jack Gilbert

Time Stands Still

 I'm loving some throw-back All-American Rejects this week.

Somebody That I Used To Know

This is the story of a little-known Australian singer whose single went viral and was--and continues to be-- emulated countless times by artists around the world.

This is also the story of a girl in the U.S. who happens to be a little bit obsessed with her latest music discovery.

Gotye's lyrics are haunting and I love how much he sounds like Sting (See 1:30, am I right or what?).  And the whole cubist painting thing is weirdly working for my inner Picasso lover.

Pentatonix, the recent winners of The Voice,  made a sick cover:

I probably would have voted for them over my homeboys in Vocal Point, not going to lie.

This is the first version I ever heard.  Five people playing a guitar.  What?  The vocals are good, too.



Ingrid Michaelson caught on to it.  I didn't know she was such a hipster!



I like this duo.  They rev it up with some electric guitar and the kick is nice.



This guy's guitar gives it a John Mayer vibe.




Something else that I learned? Gotye, pronounced "Gaw-tee-ay" is a phonetic variant of the French translation of the name Walter.  Love it :).

Love in a Box

Today was so crazy.

Aerobics class. Work training. Bus.  Home. ShowerPackLunchReviewforQuiz. Bus. Media Writing avec wet hair. Housing research. Nap on a couch in a bathroom. Symphony rehearsal. Peer mentor meeting. Bus. Home. Dinner. Homework. Bus.  Public Relations class. Bus.  Home.

Not to mention a million emails and phone calls filling in the gaps, trying to plan ahead for my life when I can barely see past today.  The bathroom nap was quite delightful, actually.  Book of Mormon class was cancelled so I decided to celebrate my new-found spare time in a deliciously unconscious sort of way.

The highlight of all of this was a quiet little gap amidst the packed schedule (see "Dinner"), which included listening to this lovely band:





And eating these:

Sweet potato fries.  My go-to comfort food as of late.  Recipe and picture found here, although I prefer to use garlic salt instead of brown sugar.

I ate and listened and realized I was doing just fine.

Rainy Day

Image via

Eating toasted peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, letting semi-sweet chocolate chips melt in my mouth as I'm

Reading King Lear, curled up on a pile of fleecy blankets before I

Set the book down, close my eyes and daydream about someone to dance in the rain with as I

Slip into a deep mid-afternoon nap with the

Rain pattering soothingly on my window.

January's Playlist

Maybe you can tell we went to see Footloose? 

Extreme Photography

Today I'm defining extreme photography as:

-Taking pictures while moving 55 miles per hour
-On a rumbling snowmobile
-Driven by a nineteen year-old male
-Through four feet of powder
-Across the winding slopes of the Uintahs

I think the age and sex of the driver in question should be particularly noted; it seems to me that those characteristics fall into a higher risk-taking bracket.  I drove as well, and although my confidence was shaken by a near run-in with a pine tree and a stint in some deep powder, I was cruising by the end of the day. Snowmobiling is no skiing. . . it's louder, and, well, yeah.  Louder.  More passive. Less in-tune with Mother Nature.  But there's undoubtedly something enjoyable about moving fast through the wilderness and whipping through the air.

With that being said, you can't blame me for only taking these two:

And an obligatory nature shot:

On a somewhat related note, I recently entered one of my research papers into a university writing contest.  If I luck out enough to get a cash prize, it's all going towards a camera. My current one is functional, but not much beyond that.  It still runs on AA batteries. And I'm still a far cry away from purchasing my dream model, so if the contest doesn't work out, good old saving it is. Wish me luck.

Also.  I adore Missy Higgins.  The hair. The accent. The spunk and soul. 

Song of my week.

The Lining is Silver

I've found a new fool-proof way to boost your mood from a downer 2 or 3 to at least a solid 6.5

Step 1: Put on running shoes and prepare iPod with this song:


Step 2: Soak in the lovely, harmonious sounds of Relient K as you pick up speed and get on the running trail of your choice.

Step 3: Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Yes, exactly four times.

Step 4: Take your headphones out, tuck your iPod away in your pocket. Take in the sounds of passing cars, rustling leaves, and whirling breezes. Return a smile and wave to the cute guy (or girl, depending. . . ) running by. Breathe deeply.

Step 5: Sprint the last leg home. Gulp a glass of ice water and cook up a hearty meal.

Step 6: Recognize that you can't trust anyone to sustain your happiness for long. Except you. And maybe Relient K.

I love how Meg Fee said it:

i don't want a life that's perfect. where every day is good. where happiness never falters and gives way to longing or loneliness or pain. that doesn't interest me. why try and hide what makes us human? show me that. give me that. offer up your humanity, your fault-line of divinity, and i will spend each day forging forward into that land where language has no meaning. to that place beyond words where we find and love each other wholly and simply.

Breakdown

Well, here it is, the last two weeks of the semester have arrived!  These past few months have just flown by and I barely know where the time has gone.  It feels oh so good to see the assignments on my various syllabuses get checked off one-by-one.  I'm going to push through two more weeks of partying and studying (er--sorry, other way around, study then party), and then, as my good friend Jack Johnson relates, I'll be about ready to breakdown. Too bad I can't just surf and beach-bum my cares away.  I can't tell you how much I've missed my queen-sized bed though.  It'll be nice to settle between my fifteen pillows, and my huge, heavy comforter, as the snow drifts between the West Virginia hills.  And maybe go to sleep before 2:00 am?  Nahh, probably not.


(Wish I took this--photo courtesy of templesquarehospitality.com)

This Friday some friends and I went to the Gateway, walked around Temple Square and checked out the lights, and even took a trip down memory lane as we drove through my old neighborhood.  This morning I was back in Salt Lake with a fellow Canadian to listen to Music and the Spoken Word in the Conference Center.  It was such a nice way to usher in the Christmas season!  I can hardly believe it's here. Between Relient K Christmas albums, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, I'm starting to get into the spirit of things.

Here's a blurb from the spoken word portion of Music and the Spoken Word that I enjoyed:

"Observe any family or neighborhood and you will find that the most precious moments usually take place during day-to-day living: a sister helps her younger siblings with homework, a mother tenderly cares for a sick child, a father plays catch with his son, a widow invites friends to her home, a neighbor shovels the snow, a teacher explains a concept at a child's desk.  These events are not to be ignored or diminished just because they seem small or ordinary. They are meaningful in the most profound way, yet they are cloaked in the commonplace, the everyday. . . We may not hear angels sing or see a new star in the heavens, but we can sense in our souls when something significant is happening. When we do, we will find that these are not ordinary events at all."

Good luck with finals and wrapping up school, everyone!  West Virginia, I'll see you soon.

Rumour Has It

. . . that this is the catchiest thing to come off of Glee thus far.
Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Doesn't the title just inspire you to start using British spelling?
"Rumour" sounds so much more elegant and mysterious than plain old "rumor". And can't you see yourself wearing a floor-length gown to the "theatre," as opposed to the "theater" where you might spend a dollar to see a film? Those English know what they're doing with their English.

As far as Adele goes, here is another cover that manages to do her justice:

The world needs more curvy, soulful, talented artists worth replicating. Adele, I'm a fan.

Fournier

Photo cred: wiki music


Just think everyone should know about this guy. Because he's been in my ear a lot lately.



Sean Fournier.   Download for free right here. 

Personality, Professors & November's Playlist

Forever 21 shirt + Pigtails = Halloween costume?

Yesterday I took the Myers-Briggs test for kicks. My results seemed surprisingly accurate:

E- Extroversion
N- Intuition
F- Feeling
P-Perceiving

In other words, not a single letter from the concrete, logical, and grounded side.   Oh dear.  So here it is, according to Myers-Briggs I'm:

Warmly enthusiastic and imaginative. I see life as full of possibilities. Make connections between events and information very quickly, and confidently proceed based on the patterns seen. Want a lot of affirmation from others, and readily give appreciation and support. I'm spontaneous and flexible, often relying on the ability to improvise and my verbal fluency.

I was delighted to discover that my writing professor and I have the same letter combination.  Have I mentioned that I adore her?  She's the kind of person who bakes cookies and brings them to class, who meets with you to go over your paper a second time, who tells funny stories about her mission and shares inspiring, thought-provoking personal experiences that are somehow completely relevant to different writing concepts we are discussing.  She's the kind of person who brings up pictures of her kids and husband, sighs deeply, and says

"Oh you guys, this is what you have to look forward to.  You have no idea how much joy is waiting for you."

I love that.

I love how she teaches for us and not just to us. She doesn't teach down to us, and for that I respect her so much.  Our class is only about twenty people strong so we've become pretty close-knit this semester. We've had some incredible in-class discussions and I've made some friends I know I'll be keeping around.

In a different vein, November's been an excellent month for music.  My tastes have been more acoustic, I've just been flowing with the cozy, chill fall vibe.  I decided that I had a quintessential fall moment which I described in a recent missionary letter:

I am curled up on the living room couch, listening to some John Mayer classics and taking in the smell of delicious pumpkin chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven.  When I glance up,the mountains outside the window fill up my view. They have a reddish hue from all of the changing tree colors, but no snow just quite yet. The trees closest to our apartment are bright yellow tinged in brown, but most of the leaves have fallen. The sky is bright blue with no clouds to be seen. It’s a perfect fall day in Provo.

I think Jack Johnson and John Mayer are pretty interchangeable in that first sentence.  They're the sound of deep, slow, rich happiness.

So without further ado, November's playlist (containing much less of the aforementioned artists, but some good stuff nonetheless).

For Your Music Funk

Listen to what the girls in this Apt. have had blasting from their iPods through the month of October.

Unless of course you already hang out with us a bunch. In which case you probably have the lyrics to each of these songs memorized.

First Collegiate Post

Rachel, Julie, Lindsey, Paige

In order to fully immerse you in our college experience, here is the playlist of our semester so far.  Selected songs represent blissful nights cruising in the car, roommate jam sessions, FHE sing alongs, and everything else we've been jamming out to as we get ready in the morning or do our dishes.  Voila!  Enjoy.




I ran into a long-lost friend in the library the other day. Instead of a typical greeting, the first thing out of his mouth was "Update your blog!"

I guess it's an external manifestation of what I already know: I have been rather negligent with my posts, especially considering all of the events that have transpired! And ugh, I promised myself I would never write an apology blog for not posting regularly. But I just blew that one, no?

Suffice it to say that I am having the time of my life here. I love the spiritual atmosphere, I love my writing professor (finally, a good one!), I love my crazy, fun, generous and accepting roomies, I love being on the Student Advisory Council, I love playing in the Symphony Orchestra, I love staying out late, meeting new people, holing myself up in the library (and succumbing to the sleep that often strikes as I nestle into a plush couch).

I even kind of love the feeling of pushing a shopping cart around and picking up my groceries, of learning to cook for myself (PB&J dinners have only happened a couple of times), of blocking out hours to write just because I can. I'm finding it satisfying to balance my check book and I'm starting to experience that nag in my stomach to get a job and earn an income, however small. I'm working on it.

It's a simple pleasure to stroll around campus with my sunglasses and red lipstick on, to feel the wind in my hair as I cruise down the hill on my bike as I head home for the day. I'm facing a thousand different options at every turn and trying to narrow them down to forge a path for myself, hoping that it's the right one in the end. I'm learning that time management is everything, because these four years are all mine and I won't get them back again. They are mine to serve and learn and study and discuss and play and sleep and eat. Mine to prepare for the rest of my life.

Socially. . . it's been very social. Basically I've discovered that you can find or create a party at any hour of the day or night. And when curfew comes, you just take outside, or somewhere else. So far I've learned to longboard, gone to Swiss Days, watched my first televised football game (and eventually figured out how the heck those downs and yards worked--don't judge), screamed my voice away at a few football games, watched a soccer game, hiked the Y, attended three classical concerts, performed with the Symphony Orchestra, played endless rounds of beach volleyball, had movie nights galore, eaten at In N' Out, gone for a 1 am Denny's run, attended three dances, hosted a DDR party in our dorm, planned two birthday parties, volunteered with the Utah Healing Arts, participated in a massive game of dodgeball, ridden around in an open air Jeep until the crack of dawn, and attended the morning session of conference. To name a few things.

Before my mother has a heart attack, rest assured, I'm getting my homework done. And it has been done well. I have the drive to do my work. The issue is that I don't necessarily have the drive to get to bed before 2 am.


Working on it.

I was struck by this verse the other night in my Book of Mormon study:
1 Nephi 21:16- Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

I love that image--being engraven upon the palms of Christ. It is both a figurative and a literal statement, for not only is He always mindful of us, but the scars on His hands stand as a witness that he loved us individually long before we arrived on this earth. I know I have been blessed throughout my short time here and I have felt His influence catered towards my individual needs in ways that I can't deny.

If you're a family member or friend that I don't see every week/live with, know that I miss you.  I am fully realizing (though I never doubted it before) what a wonderful family I have come from and how lucky I am for all of the wonderful friendships I have been blessed to develop through the years.   Thank you for your role in my life.  Let's keep in touch :).

Catch a Ride or Catch a Cab. . .

Run :).