A Room of My Own

Confession time....

2011-12-12T00:33:00.001-07:00

Is it pathetic that Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" makes me feel a little lonely?

Also, I can't get Justin Bieber's song "Mistletoe" out of my head.

Coming soon! A picture of my new hair! And a brief summary of my first trip out of the country.

Quarter-Life Crisis!!!

2011-10-16T00:08:00.000-06:00

The other day I posted on Facebook that I was having a crisis in which I couldn't decide what to do with my life. Since I never update my status with anything serious, I thought people would recognize that I was exaggerating a bit. But then my friend Christa told me that it actually sounded pretty serious. So if any of the three people that read my blog also saw that post, know that I am fine. I'm not on the verge of shaving my head or joining the Peace Corps or anything. Actually the Peace Corps may not be a bad idea...

Despite being "fine," I do turn 25 next month. Don't tell me it's not that old. It kind of feels like a big deal to me. And although my reflections on what to do with my life were not inspired by my impending birthday, they are getting exasperated by it. So let's backtrack about 8 months. I was working as a diet clerk, with no expectation that a dietitian job was going to be coming my way anytime soon. I started researching international volunteer opportunities (something I have done about 5 times before in my life) and found a great program in Tanzania. So I think about it, have a few arguments with my dad, and decide to go for it. I submit an application and deposit, and start planning to go this fall. Almost immediately my current job becomes available, and I know I can't let that pass me by. But Tanzania can be deferred. So I take my current job and defer my program. I can defer for up to a year with my current deposit. Which means I have until September 2012 to go. So it's been something I've been mulling over in the back of my mind whilst loving my new job.

When I go to Tanzania, I will hike this mountain.

Fast-forward back to present time. I really like my new job. And I love my friends here in Vancouver. But I am living with my parents (not so bad, but, you know, there's a stigma, need to take care of myself, spread my wings, teased by my siblings, etc) and I feel a little stagnant. I miss having a big goal to be working towards. College degree! Internship! Job! Now what? (Don't say marriage. You'll be dis-invited from my blog). I have always been fascinated by global health, especially the hunger problem throughout the world. I have no experience in this area, but a big part of me feels my dream job would be to work with a program that promotes sustainable solutions to the problem of hunger and malnutrition in impoverished areas of the world. But I really have no idea what I'm talking about because I've always lived in middle-class suburbia and I've never even left the country (Wait. I've just decided how I'm going to celebrate my 25th birthday. Watch out, Canada. I'll be coming soon!). So that is the great thing about this volunteer program: I give 2-3 months of my time and hopefully know if it is something I want to continue to pursue before I decide on grad school.

So that is the nature of my current crisis. Do I go to Tanzania? When do I go? Can I earn enough money by then (got to have enough to make car payments while I'm gone)? Fortunately, my job as it is currently won't be an issue. Since I am relief and receive no benefits, I just have to ask them not to schedule me for a few months. At least that makes it easy.

Oh, and I will be dying my hair as my official "quarter-life crisis." Stay-tuned. I might post pictures. But I make no promises.

(ps. I realize I make frequent use of parenthesizes. I have decided to make the text within smaller for your reading convenience.)

That's a little embarrassing...

2011-09-12T02:02:00.000-06:00

....that's it's been a year since my last blog update. Oops. I'd make some grand comment about how I've been out living my life, and don't have time for trivial things like blogging or Facebook, but I seem to make time for things like "The Daily Show" so that argument doesn't really hold. So, dear friends and family, accept my sincere apology, and prepare yourselves for the thrill you've been waiting one year for...an update on my life. It is going to be riveting.

My place of employment

Let's start with the job. Have I mentioned that I got a job as a dietitian? No. That's right. Last time I wrote I was unemployed. Okay. I am living the dream. Kind of. I got a job as a relief dietitian, which means I work as needed. Which means I don't qualify for benefits. Oh well. Dad came to the rescue on that one. So far I have been getting a good amount of experience and have been LOVING my job. Really. It has been so great. What a relief to find, after 5 years of working towards it, that you really DO love what you studied. Whew. The other dietitian are great, too. We have potlucks, share recipes, and eat delicious cake when birthdays come around. So to summarize, work is awesome.

On to the next topic. What will that be...not dating. Nothing to report there. I know you are all dying to know, because what could be more entertaining than a single girl spilling her guts about the barrel of laughs that is LDS dating. But to quote The Princess Bride, "get used to disappointment." Really, the reason comes from both the fact that I am not that forth-coming about my dating life and that I rarely have anything interesting to report. Also, anybody can link over to this blog from my Facebook page, and I don't want the guys I've gone out with to know what I really think. I've got to maintain some mystery.

So, not dating. How about my social life in general? That revolves 99% around my wonderful YSA ward. I do really like my ward. I've made some really great friends since I've moved here. In fact, sometimes I wish I had more time to sit around and do nothing like I used to do (yes, I'm a loser at heart). Between FHE, institute, weekend activities, midweek fro-yo trips, and whatever else comes up, my parents and Dexter rarely see me.

In other news, I recently accompanied my ward choir as the pianist, and it was terrifying. But I live to tell the tale, which I actually won't bore you with here. It happened, though. Also, I detest my laptop. I can't tell you how many times I've been tempted in the past 4 months to pick the d*** thing up and throw it against the wall. Yes. My laptop makes me so angry, that I use minor curse words and then censor them out, so that I don't offend. The cursed little thing is currently sitting at Best Buy, awaiting my pickup, finally fixed (dare I dream?). Here is the progression of my laptop trouble: virus, Best Buy, wait for Dell to send operating system disks, give up and pick laptop up from Best Buy, find operating system disks, de-bugging by brother-in-law, freezing, backup all data by transferring bits at a time to mom's laptop, reinstall operating system by brother, transfer all files back to computer, work for a while, freezing again, progressively worse freezing, Best Buy, blue screen. So cross your fingers for me. This laptop could drive me to insanity.

I hope this update was everything you dreamed it would be after 13 months of waiting. See you all in another year! (I'll try to be better about updating, but let's be realistic....)

Because I said I would...

2010-08-05T00:45:00.002-06:00

I promised some of my friends in Utah when I visited them recently that I would update my blog. Apparently they noticed that I haven't written in a while...so I guess there are still people that will read what I have to say. I don't usually have that much to say, actually, because my life feels mostly uneventful. So here is a list of things I have been doing since I moved to Washington.

Finish the clinical assignments for my internship
Went to Boston (Natick, actually) to help John and Dakin before they moved
Studied for the RD exam
Passed the RD exam
Ate a cheeseburger and fries to celebrate becoming a dietitian
Put the finishing touches on my resume
Applied to a few jobs
Played with John, Dakin, Luke, Zachary, Elizabeth, Donna, Mark, Mia, Sam, and Nate for about two weeks
Drove down to Fremont
Held Madeline for the first time
Went to the beach
Got my eyebrows threaded
Ate at China Chili's
Attended Madeline's baby blessing
Commenced the drive back to Camas
Ate at In'n'Out
Arrived back in Camas
Received certificate proving that I am now Katherine Stovall, RD
Applied to more jobs
Interviewed at Adventist Medical Center
Left for Utah
A whole bunch of other stuff (visiting friends, canyoneering, family reunion)
Broke my phone
Road trip across southern Utah with family, during which we drove to the north rim of the Grand Canyon and stared at multiple rather large clouds that settled into the canyon.
Flew back to Washington
Discovered that in a two week period no new jobs have been posted in the Portland area
Got a new phone
Began writing a blog post
Realized this list was too long
Stopped writing in list form

Anyway, now that all of the summer vacations are over, it is time to really figure out what I am going to do with my time. Because there is only so much job searching/applying you can do in a day before you run out of new things to look at. Maybe I should look into the possibility of selling plasma again...Hmmm....

And then there were three...

2010-03-10T17:33:00.002-07:00

Weeks that is.

Three weeks until I am done and gone. Out of Utah. By April 1st. Or at least out of my apartment. The details are still a little fuzzy, like the thoughts in my mom's head. But she is getting better, and starting to make her plans.

I really can't wait.

Not that I haven't enjoyed my time in Utah, but I can say with absolute positivity that I don't want to be in Utah, doing basically the same thing that I am doing now (except getting paid to do it) a year from now. I at least need to do the same old thing in a new location.

Of course a lot of the anticipation for the end of the month is because I will then be done with my internship, done with my assignments (dare I dream?) and be able to take a deep, carefree breath of freedom. Until then I don't have much time for breathing, let alone blog-writing. But I excel at procrastination with good intentions (like getting back to work the second this post is done).

So there will be no trouble filling my time for the next three weeks. I have been wondering how I will fill my time once I am in Washington. Did I mention I was moving to Washington? Back with the folks...are my parents old enough to be called "folks"? My dad always referred to my mother's parents as "the folks." They were always old. At least in my lifetime.

Right, filling my time after the move. I always just figured I would find a job. That's what you do when you are done with all your education and training, right? But sometimes I worry that I too often make choices because "that is what you do." Well, okay, maybe not that many of my choices have been like that. But it is something I fear. I really don't want to look back on my life and realize that I missed some great opportunities and experiences because the thought never occurred to me to take a different path than the obvious. Or because I was afraid. Fear is one of my weaknesses. I really don't like to be uncomfortable.

So my thoughts have been swimming around my head, never having a chance to settle because fireside speakers, sisters, or webinars get me to thinking..."What do I want to do with my life?" Maybe I never thought about this enough because I always assumed I would just pass the time until I got married and had a family. Lame, I know. My time has been well spent for the most part- getting a degree, completing an internship. But now, for the first time, really, my life is completely open. Other than the few thousand dollars I owe my parents, I have no obligations.

And I have always wanted to travel. Badly. So now, instead of finding a job right away, I am very seriously considering finding an international volunteer opportunity, at least for a little while. Maybe the summer? Even the practical side of me thinks this is a good idea (except for being flat broke), because it would look good on a resume and a grad school application, and it would help me know if I want to pursue a career in international health and nutrition. And maybe by the time I get back the job-market will be a little more exciting. Maybe not, but at least I will have sweet memories to bring comfort through the horror that is looking for a job.

So where should I go? I have found programs that send people to Peru, Argentina, Vietnam, the Philippines, India, Kenya, Uganda...and many other places. I don't think it even matters. I would be happy to go anywhere.

Anyway, I think I am going to make a trip to Best Buy, and use some more money of my gift card. Don't worry. I will come straight home afterward and get right back to work!

Time for Some Narcissism

2009-11-26T11:13:00.004-07:00

Just a reminder to everyone to be extra thankful today, because it is my birthday. Who couldn't be thankful for the day that brought me into the world, seriously? I sure am thankful for my birthday. And I know all of my siblings were grateful for my birthday, 23 years ago, when I ruined Thanksgiving. And then again, six years later, when I asked for Little Caesar's Pizza for Thanksgiving dinner.

How could any of my siblings forget to be thankful for me when this picture is on display all month long in our family calendar, in 9x6 size, no less

Anyway, I hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving!

Twenty Bucks Richer

2009-10-21T17:26:00.003-06:00

I have already told this story many times, but I just love it, so I decided to add it to the cyberspace archives by blogging about it. Because apparently that is how I document my life nowadays, which is pretty sad for several reasons. Moving on.

On Saturday I went on a little adventure with my friend Gavin, my canyoneering guide. We hiked to the top of Rocky Mouth Falls, just south of Little Cottonwood Canyon in Sandy, and then rappelled down the waterfall. It was so much fun, and such a beautiful hike! The rappel had to be done in two parts. We went down to a small, shallow pool about a third of the way down the falls, and set up the rope again for the second part. While I was waiting, I looked down at the rock I was standing on, and there was a $20 bill laying by my feet! Seriously, I found $20 in the middle of a waterfall.

Now, I acknowledge the possibility that it was mine and fell out of my pocket. But I don't think I've been to the ATM since I moved out to Utah 2 months ago. So if it did fall out of my pocket, I don't know when or how it into those shorts. Either way, I walked away from that rappel richer than when I started.

So I bought myself a delicious Cafe Rio lunch. And a cheap movie ticket. And lunch again today. And I still have $5 left.

My Day Off

2009-10-06T21:38:00.002-06:00

I started my rotation at Nebo School District on Monday...sort of. I was told in my email from the foodservice director that he had a morning meeting, and so I should come at one instead of in the morning. When I arrived on Monday afternoon, I found out that he was sick, and really not doing well. They didn't think there was anything for me to do, so I was told I could just go home, and that I didn't need to come in the next day either. And I don't have to be at the office until 2 on Wednesday. So after arriving in Spanish Fork at 1, I was back in my apartment before 2, with 48 hours until I needed to be at work again. So what have I been doing? Researching, watching online lectures, taking quizzes, and really getting a hard start on things for this rotation.

Yeah, I wouldn't believe that about me either. I have spent the last two days watching tv, surfing the internet (including bloggin), shopping at Ikea, and working out at the gym. I did look over my schedule for the next month and the assignments I have to complete for this rotation. And I even read a few pages about menu forecasting while I ran on the eliptical. So I didn't completely waste my time. But mostly, yeah, it was wasted.

Picture Purge

2009-09-07T10:30:00.014-06:00

I just recently found Suzy's request for summer pictures in a blog post. I spent a lot of my summer hanging out with Suzy and her kids, babysitting, painting, and teaching piano. Jacob, Ryan, and Alison are super cute, and a blast to hang out with, so I definitely didn't mind. It was a good way to spend my last real summer, since (hopefully) I will be in the beginnings of my career next summer. So here are some pictures from my summer with the Young's. Unfortunately I didn't document everything, and some pictures were taken with my phone, so I apologize for the poorer quality of those pictures.

At the Alameda County Fair.

Ryan and the fish he caught at Sunol.

The group that went on to explore the river in Sunol.

Playing games at Daniel's birthday party.

Jacob, Daniel, Karen, and Ryan.

This is what happened when I fed Alison some yogurt.

Our hike to Mission Peak. This is as far as we got, but I was pretty proud of those kids for making it to this point. At least they got to see the peak.

Insert Captivating Title

2009-09-03T12:47:00.006-06:00

I am sitting in the Orem WIC clinic, on my lunch break, trying to find time to fill this hour. "How about a blog update?" I said to myself. So here I am.

I started my internship last Monday, so tomorrow will mark the end of my second week. So far it is going fantastically, except for the random moments of panic when I think that it is only two weeks down, and a LOT of papers, training, awkward counseling and presentations, case studies, emails, and general confusion to go before I can take the RD exam, find a job, and end this madness. But really, I am enjoying it. There is a lot of down time at the WIC clinic, so I find plenty of time to do some research and work on various assignments. Which is nice. It has allowed me to take time when I get home to settle into my new place. Tuesday marked the day that I was officialy settled, as I put together the IKEA nightstand that I had stained and placed it next to my bed that evening.

Some things that I have noticed over the past two weeks:

Mountain Dew is quite the popular beverage among the working LDS woman. Both WIC clinics that I have been at have had 12-packs in various flavors available to the staff. Just donate a quarter and take a soda. Good thing Mountain Dew isn't a strong temptation for me.

There are way too many cute kids and babies out there. One of my favorite things to do here is sit in on the certification of a newborn or a midcert of a 5-8 month old and smile at the babies.

I had a dream the other night that I was a new mother. I was determined to breastfeed my baby, but was struggling because I had to be away from the baby too often for some weird dream-world reason or another. No I wouldn't think anything of it, because I have read and heard a lot about breastfeeding in the last two weeks, but this is the second dream in the last 6 months that I have had where I was a mother struggling to breastfeed. What does that mean?

The previous owners of the condo I am living in clearly didn't vacuum, like, at all, because the first time I vacuumed my room, I had to empty the canister 5 or 6 times. I guess the carpet is pretty new, because mostly what I was getting was a whole lot of fluff. I think my new pet peeve to replace hairballs on the couch (we have a leather couch!) will be fluff-balls on the floor.

I thought I had made more observations that that. Oh well.

Wish List

2009-07-17T23:45:00.009-06:00

Warning: This post is materialistic in nature.

Having been a poor college student for the last 4 years, and now a graduate with no paycheck in sight, I find myself saying, too often, "Someday..." This is usually in reference to things I would like to buy. To give you an idea of how distant "someday" actually is, my current dream and ambition is to just have the ability to save money, to set aside a little each month and watch the amount grow in the hopes of one day having enough to buy something. Here is a list of what I dream of saving for:

1. A bike
2. Some kind of hybrid car, though I would be happy with basically any kind of car
3. An iMac
4. Good kitchenware, specifically a few good knives and saucepans
5. A newer and nicer camera
6. An account with Charles Schwab

That is basically it. Not too long, right? And not very unreasonable.

But as long as I am being worldly, I am going to throw a backpacking trip across Europe on my wish list.

Summer Vacation

2009-07-13T17:23:00.014-06:00

Here are some Highlights from my trips to Provo and Seattle.

Being in the bookstore with John and Dakin on Tuesday at 11 am (while it was technically closed) and not feeling guilty about missing devotional
Seven Peaks with Dan and John and their families
Seeing Donna and Mark's house in Bothel for the first time
Canoeing with Donna, Mark, Mia, and Sam, which included several misadventures with canoe steering, inhaling second-hand weed, and Sam standing up and peeing out of the canoe
Trying to keep myself from laughing at Sam, or at least hiding the fact that I was laughing, to keep him from yelling at me. And despite that...
Making both Mia and Sam scream most of the way home from church because I was laughing, which screaming made Donna and I both laugh to the point of tears
Donna converting me to coupon-ing ($40-some value of groceries, $8 paid- that was the clincher), and introducing me to Seriously, So Blessed
Literally eating my weight in pie and root beer
Watching illegal fireworks from the driveway- there were so many that it was hard to decide which ones to watch
Taking a ferry to Kingston, watching Sam do his excited-dance while he waited for the boat, and eating delicious crepes

Nate being super cute: dancing, taking little steps, singing and gabbing, pointing at where he wanted to be taken...such an adorable kid
Hearing Sam ask Donna, "When is that girl (aka me) going to leave?" and then his refusal to be near me while he was eating for the next two days. But we were buds when he wasn't eating.
Turning around about 5 times in our efforts to go on a hike
Eating at Small Fryes, where Nate peed on Donna and Sam and I ran around looking for a potty, as the porta-potty was not up to his standards
An afternoon in Seattle and nearly missing my flight (it actually wasn't that close, but Donna and I were panicked for a few minutes while we waited in traffic to get onto the freeway)
Finishing 3 books (In Defense of Food, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and Their Eyes Were Watching God) by the time my plane landed in California

All in all, the trip was really fun! I had a great time visiting Donna and her family. Mia, Sam, and Nate were very entertaining, even when that fact ticked them off.

Rewind Two Weeks

2009-07-09T15:42:00.024-06:00

During the last two weeks I decided to take a break from my fairly boring summer to have all kinds of fun (no offense to the people in Fremont, but you all have jobs and responsibilities, and not enough time to entertain me).

Starting off, two of my sisters drove down from Washington with most of their kids to, as Kristy put it, "kick butt and take names." Basically, they spent 4 days in hyper-speed packing up boxes, replacing light fixtures, organizing some areas, moving furniture around as well as out of the house, painting, and generally making the house look presentable to potential buyers. After packing up some boxes on the first day, my job primarily became a child-herder, since I didn't have the vision, the skills or the efficiency that Kristy and Donna possess. But I did my best and keeping the kids out of their way, along with our sister Suzy, who has three kids of her own. This included driving the kids to Suzy's house (not enough room in one mini-van, see), a trip to the movie theater, lunch at in'n'out, an afternoon at a "water park", bowling, a picnic in Sunol, "swimming" in the backyard, walks, feedings, etc. Here are a few pictures so you can imagine how much fun we were having.

Emily, having her version of fun, on Club Penguin, or something.

Really, can kids be cuter than this?

Now, for the benefit of those who have seen our home in the past, and especially for Dan and John, here are some pictures of the vast amount of work Kristy and Donna did. Please excuse some untidiness, I haven't done any cleaning since I got back.

This is what was moved out of the house.

A big thanks to Kristy and Donna for all that they did. The house really looks great!

The same morning that Kristy and Donna left (Monday the 29th), my mom and I got up very early and drove to Utah, so that she could have the big green van to bring back all kids of goodies from Grandma and Grandpa's house to put into our newly cleared-out house. Two days later, I was off to Seattle, but more on those adventures later.

I Got That Boom Boom Pow

2009-06-24T00:15:00.003-06:00

The Black-Eyed Peas have thrown me into a musical identity crisis. You see, I don't like techno music, and I usually don't like hip-hop music. But I like the Black-Eyed Peas new song, "Boom Boom Pow." It is full of synthetic vocals and engineered sounds, and is a kind of electro-hip-hop song. You would think I'd hate it. But I don't. I even dance and sing along to it in my car.

Now I get kind of restless when I listen to the radio or flip through my cd's. I am constantly changing radio stations while I am in the car (which drives my mother crazy), and I often don't even let a song finish before I am looking for a new song. I skip through song's on my cd's very quickly, and usually give up and flip through the radio stations again.

Maybe I have ADD. But I prefer to blame the Black-Eyed Peas.

Where Have I Been?

2009-06-18T16:34:00.002-06:00

How did I miss the little bit of news that Lindsey Lohan is gay, or bi, or whichever she is?

I don't follow tabloids or star magazines, but I occasionally read the covers when I wait in line at the grocery store. Through this method, I knew when Britney shaved her head, Paris went to jail, Lindsay Lohan went to rehab, Brangelina hooked up, and most recently that Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson might be dating.

And yet somehow I missed the piece of news that Lindsey Lohan was dating a woman.

Quick Update

2009-06-14T23:42:00.002-06:00

Not too much to say, because my life is pretty uneventful. Still not job...but my sister employs me a few times a week to watch the kids. My parents have given me a few projects around the house.

During the weekday evenings I keep myself busy with shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Wipeout.

Like I said, uneventful.

I completed my orientation for my internship a little over a week ago. It was wholly intimidating on the first day, being introduced to the many assignments I must complete during my rotations. I gained confidence as the week went on, but I find that confidence is waning as I sit at home with no job and little responsibility.

I have been keeping busy with church stuff. I have two callings: Sunday School teacher and Activities Committee co-chair.

I spent the afternoon in San Francisco yesterday pulling weeds for a YSA service activity. It was an absolutely gorgeous day: clear skies, nice breeze...a day you don't often see in San Francisco. We were pulling an invasive species of grass out of a hillside on Inspiration Point in the Golden Gate National Park. Unfortunately the area had a bit of Poison Oak growing in it. And I got into a groove and stopped paying attention to anything but the grass I was pulling. At one point Shelly, the park employee, told me to watch out because there was poison oak near me. I looked around and realized there was poison oak all around me...and I had been working in that area for nearly 15 minutes. We were provided with poison oak wash after we were done, but I'm pretty sure a lovely rash will be appearing in the next few days. In fact I already have a red spot on my cheek that is about the size of a nickel. Fantastic. I don't think I have ever had poison oak, but I am hoping the experience will be worth the rash I am about to get.

New Blog Name

2009-05-27T16:58:00.003-06:00

You may have noticed I changed the name of my blog. I had originally named it after a song from the soundtrack for Pride and Prejudice. I was never totally satisfied it, but I never came up with anything that I thought was worthwhile enough to change it.

Not that I think I have chosen a stellar title. I have mentioned in a past blog that I am painfully indecisive, so of course even though I have made my decision, I can't be completely confident in it. This title comes from Virginia Woolf's essay "A Room of One's Own." I initially created this blog as a creative outlet, my own corner in the expanse of cyberspacefor me to express my opinions, explore ideas, excerpt some of my thoughts, examine the happenings in my life or in the world... a room of my own if you will.

Too bad I have only been slightly more dedicated to writing in this blog as I am to my personaly journal. Nonetheless, I feel that the title "A Room of My Own" adequately defines how I view this little blog.

THE RESULTS ARE IN.....

2009-04-19T23:57:00.003-06:00

And I have been accepted to the Utah State dietetic internship!!!! I am so excited! When I first saw it, I was very surprised. I applied to two internship in San Francisco, so I have been envisioning my life as if I were going to be living at home. But I was matched to Utah. It only took a minute, and then I became very excited and happy!

I am so grateful for the peace and excitement that I feel. I have been stressing over this whole thing for so long, and I would pray every night for faith in God's plan and comfort that I did all that I could do. At times I felt peace, but mostly I talked myself through the last two months, continually telling myself that it would work out for the best, and trying to believe that. But not one minute after I read the results of the computer matching, the peace came like a tidal wave, and now I have nothing but hope for the future.

In conclusion, the Gospel is true, prayer works, the Holy Ghost is real, and Heavenly Father knows and loves His children.

My Garden of Forking Paths

2009-04-07T21:38:00.004-06:00

I realized something today as I stood in front of the beverage section of the Twilight Zone: I am paralyzed by too many choices. Even now I still stand here, creating this post using my iPhone. Okay not really, and I don't have an iPhone, but in some other version of this world I do. Eventually I did pick out a bottle of V8 Splash, leaving behind the dozens of other choices.

I then sat down to by bagel, apple, and "juice" and attempted to read "The Garden of Forking Paths," all the while sufficiently distracted by the warmth provided by the sun that finally decided it had ignored Provo long enough. Needless to say, I didn't get much reading done, nor did I understand much of what I did read. I quickly read a summary online, and then went to class, hoping I was prepared enough. But no, not really. There was an essay quiz, for which I was able to produce moderately coherent ideas...at a very slow pace.

"The Garden of Forking Paths" by Jorge Borges presents the idea through a fictional short story that at every point of choice, time branches off into many possible futures, all of which happen simultaneously. These paths completely diverge or run parallel to each other, and sometimes they converge. While I am not sure about the many continuum of time occurring simultaneously (if there is anything I am not it is a physicist), the class discussion certainly sparked my interest. What about the decisions I had made recently? If I had been more prepared for class, perhaps I would have included some brilliant insight in my essay, which would have left my teacher weeping on her desk. Certainly she would have shown this insight to her husband in the English Department, who would have shared it with the rest of the faculty, leading to an offer to work with me on some book that will change the world and immortalize me...but that is in some other time continuum. In some other divergent forking garden path it is very probably that I did stand in front of the beverage section, iPhone in hand, unable to make a decision (but then I never would have read the text or been in class, making this particular post not probable, but let's not overanalyze anything). As I told my rommate about all of this, and said something to the effect that my choice of juice probably wouldn't have changed the course of my life, she provided this alternate future: "What if you had picked up some juice with cranberry in it (I hate cranberry juice, and she knows this), and the guy behind you in line was so impressed, because he loves cranberries, that he asked for your number, you guys dated and got married. Your marriage would be based on a lie!" So it's a good thing I didn't choose cranberry...or is it? Maybe my choice to buy that delicious, but surely calorie-dense cookie began my path towards 50 pounds of weight gain. But maybe my decision to go running made by path converge with another where I maintain weight (dare I mention lose weight?).

Whatever other possibilities existed for me in the infinite versions of my future, I am glad that this one includes graduation from college in a short while.

I am fast approaching a fork in my garden, and one which is more obviously divergent. Dietetic internship results will be posted on April 20th, at 12 am CST. Which means that at 11 pm on April 19th, I will be attempting to access the webpage, along with every other person that applied for an internship. So when I finally see the results two hours later, I will be taking my first step on the diverged path of my future.

My Hilarious Niece

2009-02-11T23:43:00.003-07:00

I am going to take the time to refer you to my sister's recent post. It is hilarious. Where my niece comes up with these things, I don't know. I almost hope she made it up, because can you imagine if it was a real song? Anyway, you will just have to check it out.

http://bardsleyland.blogspot.com/2009/02/blackmail.html

Someday I will upload some pictures and give an update about my life. But not until applications are mailed, research papers are written, and tests are failed. Thank you for your patience.

Internships

2008-12-26T16:38:00.004-07:00

My time at BYU is about to end. I graduate in April. I'm really not mature enough to be a college graduate, but life waits for no one. I will be graduating in Dietetics, which means I am well on my way to becoming a Registered Dietitian (RD). The big thing that stands in my way is an internship. It isn't that I'm not incredibly excited to do an internship and finally practice everything that has been drilled into me for the last 4 years, but I have never been good at making big life decisions. I actually kind of suck at it. I spent months researching and praying about what to major in, terrified of making the wrong choice, as if I couldn't change it anytime I wanted.

And yet, somehow, I stumbled my way through making the decision enough to request recommendations from my professors. The current decision is as follows:

1. UC San Francisco

2. Bay Pines VA Medical Center

3. Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital (in Chicago)

4. Utah State University

UC San Francisco is definitely my first choice. They offer a stipend ($1300/month) and healthcare. Plus, I could live at home, seriously cutting down on expenses. However, I think I would be happy with any of the options. Bay Pines is in Florida, and is right on the coast. So great weather, and a stipend (all VA hospitals offer stipends). Chicago would be cool. I have never been there. USU would allow me to stay in Provo for my internship.

The problem is that my first three choices are really competitive. Any internship that offers a stipend is going to be competitive. I think that with UCSF and Bay Pines, the fact that I come from BYU will be in my favor. They have had BYU graduates in the past and have really liked them. Thank goodness for impressive former students reflecting well on the BYU dietetics program.

Applications are due mid-February. I'll hear back in April. What a long month and a half that will be.

Wish me luck.

Home Again

2008-12-19T10:24:00.002-07:00

Finally. It is nice to be home, sleeping in my own bed. On Wednesday morning I woke up thinking "Tonight I will be sleeping in my own bed!" If only I knew then what the night would hold for me...

My flight back to Oakland was scheduled to leave at 9:30 on Wednesday night. According to the departure screen, my flight was scheduled to leave on time. Unfortunately I forgot a book and my ipod, so after waiting to board the plane, at 9:30 I went to an airport shop and bought "The Alchemist." I sit in my spot in line (I was flying Southwest) and read for a half hour, when I started listening to the conversation between a disgruntled, waiting passenger, and whoever was in charge of taking boarding passes and loading the plane. Apparently there was no pilot. Great. For the next 20 minutes, several airport workers are coming and going, talking to each other, using the phone, and looking stuff up on the computer. Finally, some guy makes an announcement that because of the Las Vegas airport shutting down (3 inches of snow in Las Vegas, and of course no one in Las Vegas knows what to do with snow, or had any equipment to use anyway) our pilot is stranded. They were looking for another pilot, and they would get back to us. Through more eavesdropping, I learn that there are several flights terminating in Salt Lake, but that each of the pilots had flown too long that dayto legally fly a two hour flight. What do you expect? It's 10:30 at night. Now they are checking with pilots that live in the Salt Lake or Park City area. Fortunately, a girl from my ward was on the same flight. We played cards while we waited. At midnight, they make the announcement that the flight is officially cancelled, and they will rebook us on the the 6:30 or 10:20 flight the next morning. Start Part 2 of my trip home.

My friend and I get in line to rebook our flight. Right behind us are two other college students from BYU, so we make friends and commiserate together. We had all decided that we just want to get on the 6:30 flight and stay at the airport that night. We don't want to hassle with getting back to Provo or getting over to a hotel just to be back at the airport 4.5 hours later. At about 1 am (yes, that was 1 hour standing in line to rebook) I finally rebooked to the 6:30 flight. The airport employees had brought a box of sodas, ritz crackers, peanuts, and airplane blankets and pillows. Luckily, there were no arm rests between the seats, so we could lay down on the benches. I settle in with two blankets and a pillow and attempt to sleep. They had provided ear plugs, but I could still hear CNN playing on the tv and the crying baby (poor, poor woman and poor baby) pretty clearly. At 2 am, a flight from Seattle arrived, and I happened to be "sleeping" right by that gate. It was freezing and loud for the half hour the plane emptied. I couldn't get warm again after that. I slept for about 5 minute incriments over a 2.5 hour period, but I layed awake for most of that. Eventually I got sick of trying to sleep, so I just sat up and listened to CNN while I played Monopoly on my phone. The next 2 hours passed really quickly, and finally it was time to board the plane! I was asleep before the plane took off, and slep until about 10 minutes before we landed. I arrived in Oakland at 7:45 pacific time, about 13 hours after I had arrived at the Salt Lake airport the night before. Which means that without the snow in the Sierras, I could have driven home in less time.

I think that the most awesome part of the whole experience is that I can now say that I have had a flight cancelled because there was no pilot. That is like cancelling school because they juts couldn't find a teacher. With no snow storm in Salt Lake at the time, who would have thought that a flight to Oakland, CA could be cancelled. Well, when there is no one to fly the plane, what else can they do?

On a completely different note, I was watching VH1's top 40 vidoes of 2008 this morning. Apparently Britney Spears has made a comeback with the song "Womanizer." I was a little confused when I heard it because at first I thought she was singing about herself. Turns out she was singning to a man, while she is sitting in a steam room, wearing....nothing. Britney, you don't need a womanizing man to exploit you. You are pretty good at doing that yourself. Thank you for trying to stick up for women, but you just objectified yourself instead.

You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch

2008-12-09T22:59:00.003-07:00

I've decided to dedicate a post to the lyrical genius that is "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch." Apparently the lyrics to this song were written by Dr. Seuss. You learn something new every day.

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch.
You really are a heel.
You're as cuddly as a cactus,
You're as charming as an eel.
Mr. Grinch.

You're a bad banana
With a greasy black peel.

You're a monster, Mr. Grinch.
Your heart's an empty hole.
Your brain is full of spiders,
You've got garlic in your soul.
Mr. Grinch.

I wouldn't touch you, with a
thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole.

You're a vile one, Mr. Grinch.
You have termites in your smile.
You have all the tender sweetness
Of a seasick crocodile.
Mr. Grinch.

Given the choice between the two of you
I'd take the seasick crockodile.

You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch.
You're a nasty, wasty skunk.
Your heart is full of unwashed socks
Your soul is full of gunk.
Mr. Grinch.

The three words that best describe you,
are as follows, and I quote: "Stink. Stank. Stunk."

You're a rotter, Mr. Grinch.
You're the king of sinful sots.
Your heart's a dead tomato splot
With moldy purple spots,
Mr. Grinch.

Your soul is an apalling dump heap overflowing
with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable
rubbish imaginable,
Mangled up in tangled up knots.

You nauseate me, Mr. Grinch.
With a nauseaus super-naus.
You're a crooked jerky jockey
And you drive a crooked horse.
Mr. Grinch.

You're a three decker saurkraut and toadstool
sandwich
With arsenic sauce.

My Maxims

2008-12-06T10:47:00.007-07:00

First: If you want me to call you back, leave a message. Otherwise I assume that either you didn't consider the call important or it was only relevant at the moment so there is no need to call back. For example, someone calls because they are going to a movie in a few minutes and are inviting you to go. No point of leaving a message if you didn't answer because it would be obsolete in ten minutes. However, there are times when I don't follow my own principle. I rarely leave messages on my parents phone because I know that my mom almost always calls me back if she misses my call.

Second: Certain rules of the road should apply to pedestrian walkways. Generally people should walk on the right side of the sidewalk and pass on the left. And if you are walking with a group of people, the person on the edge must yield to oncoming pedestrians. Don't push someone off the curb or into the mud because you can't handle stepping behind your friends for two seconds.
Be careful when you stop in the middle of a walkway. People may be walking quickly behind you. (It really irritates me when I almost run into someone because all of a sudden they stop, but I am definitely guilty of doing stopping without warning)

Third: When you line a trash can, push the bag down before securing it to the bin so that there isn't a huge air bubble trapped under the trash bag. It just makes sense, because otherwise you throw away a paper towel and the garbage can looks full.

Fourth: Gum should be spit in the trash can, and if there is no trash can, then it needs to be spit in a bush or something, not where people are going to be walking. Nobody wants gum stuck to the bottom of their shoes. It really isn't that hard to find a trash can or bush.

That is all I can think of right now. Feel free to add to the list. I am curious about your maxims.

Viva La Vida

2008-11-25T11:59:00.021-07:00

Coldplay-a band of exquisite talent and musical genius. My favorite band.

Viva La Vida- their most recent album, and the name of their current tour

November 22nd, 2008- the day Coldplay performed in the Energy Solutions Arena, at Salt Lake City

My Birthday Present- going to the Coldplay concert!

Emily and Janneke- my companions to this amazing display of musical ability

Awesome, epic, incredible, amazing, mind-blowing, super cool, so good- word I have used to describe this concert

Sorry for the poor quality pictures. It is hard to get a good from the third row from the back, in a dark arena. Technically I wasn't even allowed to take a camera in, but I was only one of the thousand who snuck it in. I definitely wasn't allowed to take any videos, so I certainly wouldn't be publishing any on the internet if I had...

Thanks Mom and Dad! And thanks to Janneke's friend who decided she shouldn't spend the money and sold me her ticket.