The Library of Liz

2008-07-07T23:45:00.002-06:00

Sorry it has been so long! I still haven't posted pictures for three reasons: I've been exhausted after the trip, there are thousands to go through (you don't want to see them all!), and many are inaccessible on the hard drive of a now-broken laptop. Anyhow--I'll let you all know about the trip soon. It was wonderful!

Love,
Liz

2008-05-27T02:56:00.002-06:00

I've felt generally unwell since I arrived here--the climate must not agree with me. It's beautiful and damp and green--and there's more pollen and low pressure here than my body can handle! Still, I'm enjoying myself. It's crazy the amount of walking I do here, though--I walk miles all over London, take the tube everywhere, and have to climb three flights of stairs to get to and from my bedroom every day. Yang and I are going to try to go to France this weekend--wish us luck with planning!

2008-05-23T10:03:00.001-06:00

I know, I know ... no pictures yet! I'm just taking a very brief moment to suggest that you never get sick in a foreign country. Just don't do it. Also, Richard II at the Roundhouse Theatre last night was amazing, and Hampton Court Palace is impressive. I'm going to Canterbury tomorrow! :)

2008-05-20T04:01:00.003-06:00

My roommate is, as I said, from NY and she is here studying film through her school. I am getting used to navigating the underground, though I still manage to get lost occasionally. Yang and I are planning weekend trips to France and Germany via the Eurostar Chunnel. It's only a little over a hundred dollars to take the train there and back from London--it seems like it would be a waste not to! Food, thus far, has been the most expensive thing here (just because we have to buy it and there is no such thing as a meal--particularly not a filling one--that cost less than the equivalent of $10 each). Yang and I saw King Lear at the Globe as groundlings--meaning we stood in the yard directly in front of the stage for the entire play, which is over 3 hours long. It was amazing, but our feet were definitely sore afterwards. Yard tickets at the Globe are only 5 pounds.

2008-05-14T11:33:00.002-06:00

I don't have any pictures ready to post yet (all still on-camera) and I have to say that I'm definitely going to be continually foot-sore from walking everywhere. But, hey, walking is healthy, right? The museums here are amazing--and huge! We're going to have to go back lots of times to try to soak a good portion in. We're planning weekend trips and have run into a roadblock of sorts--what places are worth the time and money to visit while we're here? I hope all's well in the states.

Cheers!
~Liz

2008-05-12T00:55:00.001-06:00

Well, here I am in London. Regent's Park housing makes me realize how spoiled I have been by the housing at the UofU. We have one bathroom per floor w/ communal showers, and I do have a roommate--she arrived yesterday from New York.

2008-05-08T21:20:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow, I leave for a five-week Study Abroad program in England. I am very excited (of course) and also somewhat nervous (also, of course).

I'll be staying in Regents College for the duration and I'm the only lucky person to get a single. (yay for no roommate issues whatsoever!)

All-in-all, I am very ready for summer. Of the grades that have been posted, I have straight A's--so I'm quite satisfied with this last semester, but it was exhausting and I'm glad it's over. On to the next bout of studying! And shout three cheers that it is in England! :) Have a wonderful summer, everybody!

2008-04-01T12:20:00.002-06:00

Living: Our Shared Adventure

Well, when asked how things are going for me right now, I must say "It differs nearly every ten minutes. If I'm not absolutely great now, ask me again in a half hour." Sometimes, we get ourselves on a rollercoaster ride, don't we? But, I'm nearly finished with my third year of undergraduate studies, I am in love, I'm going to London in a few weeks, and it's General Conference this weekend. How many more reasons do I need to be full of hope for the future? Living isn't about always being happy--it's about ending up that way.

2008-03-12T14:47:00.002-06:00

Top Five Spring Break Activities:

Forget heading to the beach or setting out on a road trip, these are the activities that should most be cherished by those students who desperately need their Spring Break (only two and a half days of classes to go...I can make it!).

1) Sleep. Sleep during the night, sleep during the morning, sleep during the afternoon, catch some winks, sneak a nap, curl up in the sunshine, hide under your covers---SLEEP!
2) Do Absolutely Nothing at All. Just sit and appreciate the fact that you have no classes to attend, no work to worry about, no studying, no papers, nothing. Especially if you 'forget' that reading you have to do.
3) Rediscover Neglected Hobbies. Maybe you (like me) are a writer who hasn't done any creative writing in months, maybe you're an artist who never has the time to paint, maybe you play an instrument, maybe you collect--now's your chance to catch up on all those things you've had to set aside!
4) Play Games Just Because You Can. You finally have time--play those games you enjoy. Play games with friends, with family, alone--it's the next best thing to doing nothing and you may even get some positive human interaction out of the experience.
5) Visit Those You Care About. Hey--you finally have the time to go see your family, to visit with those friends who are also enjoying their break, to just sit and talk! What's Palm Beach compared with that?

So, in the meantime, since Spring Break is still just beyond the horizon, don't try to begin your vacation early, no matter how tempting that may be. I, for one, should stop blogging and work on that paper I'd like to turn in tomorrow ... of which I have only a title typed ...

2008-02-20T15:04:00.002-07:00

Crazy 8s meme

Both Mary and Beki tagged me to do this and it seems like a good way to break out my blogging self again, so here goes:

8 things I am passionate about:

1. family
2. faith
3. Yang
4. music
5. literature
6. poetry
7. getting good grades (good = A, by the way)
8. seeing beautiful places/art

8 things I want to do before I die:

1. Get married
2. Have kids (following getting married, of course)
3. Have a novel published
4. Teach
5. Go to Europe (preferably the UK area)
6. Go to the Middle East (preferably Israel)
7. Get a PhD (I'll let you know when I know in what, exactly, but it's most definitely English-related)
8. Actually go an extended length of time doing all of my regular goals!

8 things I say often:

1. What time is it?
2. Am I forgetting something?/What am I forgetting?
3. So, how are you?
4. I don't know.
5. I'm confused
6. I swear I'll clean my room tomorrow
7. I should probably go to bed earlier
8. I talk too much!

8 books I've read recently:

1. Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov
2. The Tale of Hill Top Farm by Susan Wittig Albert
3. The Book of Mormon and other standard works of the LDS church.
4. Richard II by Shakespeare
5. Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales, Children, and the Culture Industry by Jack Zipes
6. The Rose Bride by Nancy Holder
7. Midnight Pearls by Debbie Viguie
8. Scarlet Moon by Debbie Viguie

8 songs I could listen to over and over:

How could I narrow it down to just 8? Or, on the other hand, is there really any song I wouldn't get tired of if I truly listened to it over and over?

8 things that attract me to my best friends:

1. easy to get along with
2. honest and open
3. good listener
4. intelligent
5. talented
6. compassionate
7. patient
8. would enjoy even just doing nothing at all together

2008-01-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

So, a new semester has begun and I've been somewhat busy. Yes, with classes, but also with spending absolutely all of my spare time with my fiance. It's really fun to be able to say "my fiance", by the way. I'm just posting this as an official promise that I will, cross my heart, post pictures of me and Yang (and my engagement ring, which must be shown off, of course) as soon as I am able. Yes, I know, I'm a bad blogger. :)

2007-12-23T22:58:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Nikki to list six things you may not know about me. So, here goes (and I'll have you know this was quite difficult for me):

1. When I'm absolutely alone (and I check) I sing songs which I make up as I go.

2. I make phone calls in my sleep. Apparently.

3. I'm newly engaged and feel like I'm in the cheesiest romance movie ever, but I don't mind one bit. (aka, I'd actually rather just sit with Yang and cuddle than go do something with anyone else)

4. The idea of being gainfully employed scares me so much (I can't figure out why) that just thinking about working out schedules and paychecks gives me panic attacks.

5. I was actually thrilled to find out I really do have things wrong with me (fibromyalgia, SAD and such). I thought "yay! I'm not a crazy hypochondriac!"

6. For quite some time I struggled with an addiction to romance novels and still suffer from the after-effects of that. If you've ever had a similar problem, I suggest an excellent Ensign article I read a few months ago.

2007-12-04T13:10:00.000-07:00

Updates:

Ok, it is finals (aah!), but I am actually doing alright thanks to the wonderful luck I have. I have truly been so blessed. I was able to find a wonderful psychiatrist with a medical background who has diagnosed me and given me some medications that are doing wonders (I swear, Provigil is miraculous). I am so grateful for my family's support--especially my parents'--and that I finally had the courage to diligently seek help. I really think I'm going to make it! *cheers*

P.S. Oh, and I have a boyfriend. FYI.

2007-10-22T16:22:00.000-06:00

Have any of you heard of a free program called WriteThis? I'm thinking of checking it out--If I do, I'll let you know what it's like. (It's supposed to help with creative writing somehow and was suggested to me by an online writing friend)

2007-10-15T21:47:00.000-06:00

A Call for Ideas

My house here in Officers Circle is participating in the annual Officers Hollow event where underprivileged and handicapped children come to play games, eat food and trick-or-treat while we entertain them. Each house has been asked to have a theme, and my house has picked "Alice in Wonderland". I've been nominated to be the white rabbit and I think my costume could use some help. So far, I've got white gloves and a pocket watch. I need something cheap and easy that will get the rest across ... Also, while we're on the subject, any ideas for costumes for the caterpillar, Cheshire cat, Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum, and decorations for our house would be appreciated. :)

2007-10-02T20:09:00.000-06:00

Tetiana update:

I actually finished the first draft of my novel, Tetiana. Maybe I'll even come up with a title for it ... unless I decide that my main character's name really is fitting as a title. Hmmm... Anywho, it ended up being 101,202 words long (until editing begins, then it may grow longer or be cut shorter. who knows?). I'm so excited! Still, the question remains: Now what? First, I'll need some feedback so I can edit it. Then, I'll have to figure out the whole submission/publication process. Scary. Wow.

2007-09-27T11:19:00.000-06:00

I was just leaving a comment on Nikki's blog and I reached the point where I have to sign in to post it ... and a random thought occurred to me because I noticed what the instructions say for the first time: "Choose an identity"

How fun is that? Every time I post a comment on someone else's blog I get to choose who I'm going to be. There should be more things in life where we just get to "choose an identity". maybe I'll be more creative next time I comment; try out a few different identities. Y'all might just get some interesting comments in the future ... Muahahaha!

2007-09-24T21:55:00.000-06:00

20 Questions (well, make that a dozen)

Mary tagged me with this meme.

1. What I was doing 10 years ago: Let's see, ten years ago I was nine. That means I was in third grade--that's the grade that I struggled enough with that I ended up being home schooled for half the year. *Tries to remember all of what into that decision* I remember that they tried giving me more "challenging" spelling lists to make school interesting. It didn't work.

2. Five years ago: My first year as an abnormally young high school student had just begun. I was a sophomore at PG High. Go Vikings! (I actually went to all the assemblies that year.)

3. One year ago: I was a sophomore at the University of Utah, getting geared up for what would be my most stressful month of school thus far.

4. Yesterday: I slept in through the first hour of church and spent the second hour getting dressed and hurrying downhill on the ten minute walk to the institute building. I didn't get to bed before 2am Friday or Saturday and once I was in bed, I didn't get much sleep ... I made it to Relief Society, though! And I did my visiting teaching, even though my companion didn't show up. I also read some of Asher Lev and composed a piano piece.

5. 5 snacks I enjoy: Nutella on toast (mmm, Nutella), milk chocolate Lindor truffles, hot chocolate stirred with a peppermint stick, freshly baked cookies (particularly ones with chocolate chips), and monterey jack cheese melted on saltines.

6. 5 things I would do if I suddenly had $100 million: (Mary's answer: Buy a house, hire a maid, travel (see #7), buy a grand piano, and give some to family.) My answer: Buy a house, travel, buy a grand piano, give some to family, and get a masters from Oxford (yes, the college in England).

7. 5 locations I would like to run away to: The United Kingdom, Israel, Florence, Denmark, Sweden.

8. 5 bad habits I have: procrastinating, worrying too much, giving up too easily, sleeping in through my alarms, and worrying too much.

9. 5 things I like doing: Reading books, watching movies, playing games with friends and/or family, participating intelligently in discussions, and writing.

10: 5 TV shows I like: Heroes, Burn Notice, Psych, M*A*S*H, and Firefly.

11. 5 things I hate doing: becoming unstuck when I've hit a hard point in my novel, writing a paper when I feel uninspired, taking tests, saying "no, I just can't do that", pretending, getting out of bed when I'm sick, going to the doctor (any kind).

12. 5 biggest joys of the moment: reading truly great literature, writing something wonderful, getting a good grad (particularly when it's unexpected), unexpected good news, talking with friends, family time.

2007-09-24T21:38:00.000-06:00

My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok

Have you ever read a book and thought, "this must end well. Sure, it is tragic and sad and slightly depressing right now, but by the end everything will have worked out"? I have, and then been disappointed in my hopes. Perhaps I should have been tipped off by the New York Times Book Review that graced the cover. "A novel of finely articulated tragic power. . . Little short of a work of genius." Perhaps I should have remembered the less-than-joyous endings of the other two books I have read by this author. Yet, I couldn't help but hope for some happiness in the life of a character that I had come to love. Could I? Still, I must admit that the book would be less perfect, less complete, had it ended happily. Sometimes there cannot be a "happily ever after." If you ever need to be reminded of the power words can have--the power of a well-written book--just read My Name is Asher Lev. Read The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Read Hamlet. Read and know that even in tragedy there is beauty. "The world is not pretty," said Asher Lev. "No," I agree, "but it is beautiful."

2007-09-23T20:43:00.000-06:00

90,000 words and counting

I've finally finished another ten thousand words of Tetiana. Now I *think* that I just have 30,000 words to go. At about 10,000 per month maybe I'll be finished by 2008! That would be really exciting. ^_^ And it gives me added reason to make sure that I actually finish the planned plot line in that many words. Sometimes 120,000 seems like quite a lot, but at other times it doesn't seem like enough. There's still so much for Tetiana to do! Part three won't begin for a few more pages ... hmm... the more I think about it, the more I think that Tetiana might have to be a bit longer than originally planned. If part one was 60,000 words and part two will be around 35,000 words ... and part three will have to be at least as long as part two ... Ok, with the epilogue Tetiana might be more like 140,000 words. Wow. Still, I'm over halfway there!

2007-09-20T11:09:00.000-06:00

End of 100 words/100 days Writing Challenge

I'm looking back on the past hundred days and I'm really glad I took this challenge. Even on the days that I didn't quite make it (yes, I missed a few in there somewhere), I was still thinking about my writing every day. I made a lot of progress on Tetiana and now I don't want to stop! I'm going to continue to write something every day, whether it be a poem, a chapter or an essay for school. Speaking of poems, I'm now on a sonnet kick. I've written five in the past week--and I want to write at least one more, preferably with a non-seasonal theme.

Oh, and tomorrow I'm planning on going to a gallery stroll (depending on whether or not I can talk anyone into going with me, and how much homework I've finished by then). One of the great things about living so close to downtown SLC is the great art/theatre/literature available. At least once every month, there is a gallery stroll. I've never really been to one and I've always wanted to, so I'm going. If anyone's interested (or just wonders what the heck a gallery stroll is), here's the information:

Guitarist and musician extraordinaire Gentry Densley will be performing live music for our September Joint Artist Gallery Stroll Gala Reception with dozens of artists from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Show runs from September 14th-29th and features dozens of artists who have shown work in our gallery over the last ten years, including: Leia Bell, Bob Bissland, Trent Call, Sri Whipple, Marc Buehner, Julie Hickson, Trent Harris, Scott Carrier, Eli Powell, Dana Costello, Neil Passey, Frank McEntire, Patrick Eddington, Trent Alvey, Jenkyn Powell, Susan Makov, Edward Bateman, Jann Haworth, Carel Peter Brest Van Kempen, Liberty Blake, plus Marcee and Ric Blackerby, and Mark and Leslie Knudsen with many others.
Full Press Release

2007-09-17T18:41:00.000-06:00

I'm not doing quite so well on Tetiana as I'd hoped to (for a variety of reasons), but I am making progress! Actually, I decided to make a progress meter to feel even better about the progress I've made.

Tetiana
87373 / 120000 (72.81%)

I look like I'm so close! I am so close! I can't wait to share my story with you. It needs to be read, at least by the people who have always supported me in my oddness.

2007-09-14T21:34:00.000-06:00

Recommended Reading:

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Brabdury
I'm still in shock after finding out that so many people haven't read this book!

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
A great work of adolescent literature any age could enjoy.

The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman
I still haven't figure out why the author sounds so familiar, but this book is wonderful! Particularly if you like fairy tales the way I do (not that this is really a fairy tale retelling).

Remember Banned Books Week is coming up! Get excited! Read a banned book! You'd be surprised how many there are out there. A bit of trivia: Did you know that most of the books on the ALA Most Challenged Books list are adolescent literature?

2007-09-04T12:03:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it's September! My, the months sneak up on me. I just had to post and say "yay! I finished two of the three papers I have due this week! woo-hoo!" I'm rewarding myself by working on Tetiana. Rewarding writing with writing: does that make me at all odd? ;)

2007-08-30T08:45:00.000-06:00

Here's my Beatles song for the day (the one that seems to best match my mood):

The long and winding road
That leads to your door
Will never disappear
I've seen that road before
It always leads me here
Lead me to you door

The wild and windy night
That the rain washed away
Has left a pool of tears
Crying for the day
Why leave me standing here?
Let me know the way

Many times I've been alone
And many times I've cried
Any way you'll never know
The many ways I've tried

But still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long long time ago
Don't leave me waiting here
Lead me to your door

But still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long long time ago
Don't leave me waiting here
Lead me to your door

2007-08-25T22:48:00.000-06:00

Ok, I admit it. It is, yet again, far too late at night (eleven, I believe) and I should, by all rights, be sleeping. Yet, I have stayed up again--and not even to read Beowulf (should that be in quotation marks or italicized?). Instead, I stayed up late watching, of all things, BBC America. Now, this station has some of the weirdest shows you could imagine. Strange. Sick. Depraved. Very, very Odd. Yes, Odd with a capital O. Yet, there is the occasional surprise of a good show. Usually a show that you couldn't even begin to imagine would be good. This sort of surprise is what kept me up two hours later than I expected--I decided to see what a show called "Jekyll" was like. (Side note: I am typing faster than my computer can handle, and it's really weird to see the words appear a sentence behind. And to try to mix mistakes before I really see what they are.) "Jekyll", it turns out, is a very intriguing show based on the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I read that novelette and was decidedly unimpressed, but this show was quite the opposite. I picked the right episode to catch--the season finale. I'm guessing of the first season, but I really haven't a clue. Anyway, I highly recommend it. I think it is good, not only very late at night but at any time of day. It kept me guessing right to the end, and not just because I missed all of the other episodes. Just goes to show you can't judge a channel by all of the Oddness that makes up the bulk of its programming.

2007-08-23T23:01:00.001-06:00

OK, I know I'm not sleeping. (see below post for explanation of previous comment) I just felt the need to say--gosh, my blog seems outdated. I just kinda like the theme. ah well, you know me--always trying to live in the past. Maybe I really should get some sleep now. I should also maybe delete these posts before anyone reads them and knows my inner craziness.

2007-08-23T21:42:00.000-06:00

Well, I don't have a roommate anymore . . .

My roommate, Suzy, has decided to go to Wakeforest instead of transfering to the U, so I have a room to myself. I have also just stayed up way too late having way too much fun talking about way random, strange, nearly-intellectual (ok, mostly not-even-nearly-intellectual) things. So, now I shall go to bed (hey--I am the first to retire. it could be worse, right?) and hope I wake up and function better tomorrow than I did today. I should really know better than to stay up late. I should also really know better than to write a blog entry after staying up really late (for me) and having a crazy conversation. If I publish this post . . . well. Now you know have an inkling of what I'm like when I'm super tired. At least I can still spell. Unless that's only a hallucination. I'll have to check in the morning. Good night! Lilah tov! That just doesn't look as cool transliterated. Ok, I'm really going to bed now. Really. really.

2007-08-19T16:47:00.000-06:00

A Quick Update:

Woo-hoo! I've reached the 80,000 word mark in Tetiana! (You'll probably get one of these posts about every 10,000 words from now on, by the way.) Since I plan on Tetiana being about 120,000 words, this means I am two thirds of the way through. Yes, I am excited. If you hadn't noticed.

2007-08-17T19:37:00.000-06:00

Here I am, back at Fort Douglas. This is the beginning of the first semester of my Junior year at the University of Utah and I don't know how I managed to convince myself I could handle my fall schedule when I registered last spring. I must be crazy. Again. This happens every fall, doesn't it? This time, I'll be juggling classes, homework, tutoring (I'm the tutor, not the student), my writing, LDS Institute, Honors Student Advisory Committee, and if that isn't enough to drive me up a wall I also have the regular extra-curricular activities that abound both on-campus and in downtown SLC. If I make it to winter break, I'll let you know! For now, I'm going to finally finish unpacking, start organizing my papers, books, and to-do lists, and try to stop playing the "I wonder what my roommate is like" guessing game.

2007-07-23T10:21:00.000-06:00

We're back! My family vacation is officially over and we are back, safely, in Pleasant Grove. The vacation was wonderful--I loved Disney World, SeaWorld, the Atlantic Ocean, and Alabama--but it is nice to be home. The drive was long, but reading hundreds of pages of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows aloud helped with the monotony. (Yes, we actually stopped somewhere, I think in Tennessee, and bought a copy shortly after midnight.) I'm still feeling rather exhausted and there's plenty of unpacking, email-checking, and school-book-ordering to keep me occupied, so I'll just say "shalom" for now, and wish you all a wonderful summer! It's hard to believe July is almost over . . .

(Fun vacation pictures should be forthcoming.)

2007-07-02T07:18:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it's already July! Time certainly flies. I hope everyone is having a great summer thus far. This Wednesday I'm leaving for an awesome family vacation--I know we'll have a great time. So, I thought I'd get a word in before I go. I don't plan on checking my blog or email or anything for nearly three weeks! Let's see if I'm rejuvenated or if I go bonkers.

2007-06-09T13:17:00.001-06:00

If you haven't read Philip Pullman's series, which begins with The Golden Compass, you should--before the movie comes out in December! This is almost as exciting as when "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" came out.

2007-05-18T18:50:00.000-06:00

One way to know you're a bibliophile:
You own Nicholas A. Basbanes' A Gentle Madness.
(look it up, all you curious people)

Good books read recently (ones "good enough to recommend to others", not just "good enough to satisfy a book craving"):

A Clockwork Orange
The Robber Bride
A Wolf at the Door (gotta love retold fairy tales)

2007-05-16T08:26:00.000-06:00

*whew* my book-aholicism has finally been satiated. one open library and five books later, I feel much better. Apparently, libraries can't run without the internet anymore. I find myself feeling nostalgic for the days of card catalogues . . .

2007-05-10T13:10:00.000-06:00

Summer Reading!
oh, wait . . .
Summer Reading?

So, I've been making a list all year of books I'd like to read "when I have time". This has become my "summer reading list" and it is one of the reasons I so looked forward to the end of the school year. Now, summer has officially arrived and I am kinda depressed. *sigh* I had thought that I could work with the small Pleasant Grove City Library, though I'd prefer to have a greater choice of books at a library more likely to have items on my list, but now . . . I went to the library this morning to find a note on the door "The Library is Closed due to Council Internet Decision". What's that supposed to mean? The library, however pathetic, still offered a haven of hours upon hours of reading material to satisfy my inner book worm. There I stood, just outside my small literary sanctum and I was puzzled, depressed, and angry. I won't go on a huge rant--I know how people feel about those things--but I will say this: Why do I have to live in a county without a county based library system? Why oh why oh why oh why? I thought of all the libraries within a half hour of where I stood--some with a greater reading selection. Orem, Provo, American Fork, even Lehi . . . they couldn't all be closed. Yet, they might as well be closed to me. Permanently. Unless I have nearly $100 to spare each year, I can't go to any one of those libraries. Memberships at all of the libraries in Utah County would probably cost around $350 a year. Compared to the $0 cost of other counties (say, Salt Lake or Davis, for example), that's a fortune. So, I feel a bit sad and lost and frustrated. Whatever will I do without my summer reading? What good is the list without the books? Now I have vivid visions of returning to the U of U in August as the worst-read English major there. Sure, there are a few books here at home I have yet to read . . . but I can only handle so much Dean Koontz and assorted other suspense/mystery/&c. authors and I've already hit my limit for the month. And the other books I haven't read tend to be either a) not really of interest to me, or b) short, mindless YA fiction/fantasy reads that would serve better as reading appetizers than as the main course. So, forgive me my *sigh* and do try to understand why I might be stir crazy in a few days. I'm just not the sort of person who can make it without books!

2007-04-22T22:32:00.000-06:00

*Ouch*

Sometimes I really miss regular visits with Dr. Rutkowski, the family chiropracter. Now is one of those times. Ever had a mysterious, sudden-and-on-going-at-the-same-time back pain? (or neck pain, for that matter). Ugh. Particularly the painful-to-the-point-of-distraction kind. Those are the times when I realize just how helpful chiropracters are. You never really appreciate doctors until you're unable to see them. There. Now I have complained about my pain in a roundabout way to no one in particular and, if Aristotle was right, may this moment prove cathartic for me so that I may go to sleep. (Finals this week and next, after all. I can hardly believe the semester's almost over. Two years down . . . hopefully only two years to go before I earn my BA. We'll see.)

2007-04-16T14:35:00.000-06:00

The Pace of Life Fair

This was the final project for my think tank on quality of life. We all gathered at the Salt Lake City Library on Saturday and, all things considered, we had an ok turnout. You should all see our great website, www.pacefair.org while it's still around. :-)

P.S. now I can get around to finals! and checking out of my housing! I'm trying really hard to be more excited than overwhelmed.

2007-04-11T22:31:00.000-06:00

Dinner and Conversation

I can now say I've dined so late that the restaurant had closed by the time I left. We were actually locked in. I went to Lemon Grass in downtown Salt Lake to enjoy some Thai food (which I've never had before) and good company. John de Graaf, the guest speaker for my think tank's Pace of Life Fair, joined several of us from the think tank for dinner. I arrived at 7:10, and everyone showed up by 7:45 (parking problems--Jazz game). We had appetizers and a liesurely dinner, then proceeded on to dessert. I never knew fried bananas drizzled with honey, served with pineapple and coconut ice cream with fruit could taste so good. Also, I had a very interesting dinner. I was daring enough to try something new and had tom kha chicken soup. It was very different from anything I've ever tried before and, while I still prefer the foods I grew up with, I really liked it. I even ate the Asian mushrooms.

Anyway, I am now tired, well-fed and trying to remind myself that I have classes tomorrow (among other things) and I should really go to bed.

2007-04-05T14:57:00.000-06:00

Have you ever had so much to do that you couldn't bring yourself to actually do anything? Done so badly on a test, paper, or assignment that you felt like giving up entirely? Completely failed, even though you gave it your all? Not a good feeling, I assure you. Then come the doubts: Did I do my best? Could I have studied harder? Could I have prioritized my time better? Am I just unintelligent and, thus, hopeless? Let's suffice it to say, today has not been a good day. Hey, at least I made it to the interview round of HSAC applications . . . of course, it's a testament to how frazzled and overwhelmed I am that I am too tired to be frightened by the prospect of an interview. I wish it was summer!

2007-03-31T08:24:00.000-06:00

Conference Weekend

This spring I am excited, as usual, about LDS General Conference, which is today and tomorrow. Unfortunately, I am also extremely tired and I have an abundance of homework to keep me busy before, after, and between sessions. I am tired mainly because I stayed up until after 2:30 am watching black and white movies, eating black and white junk food, and wearing black and white clothes with my friends. We had a black and white party, as you may have guessed. We had outfits ranging from sweats to suit and tie (three of the guys in the house looked really sharp). Anywho, after Casablanca, Psycho, and Bringing up Baby, we finally decided we really were going to bed. I hope that a lot of us can go on to be housemates in the Poulson Honors House next year--we had better at least stay in touch! Although, I admit that isn't my strong point (as you all are bound to be aware of). So, I am tired and amazed that I actually got up with my alarm this morning and now I'm just wondering if I'll manage to stay awake until Mom gets here to take me home aroung 9:00--let alone staying awake through both sessions of Conference today. I'd better, though! I need General Conference to revamp and mentally prepare for the upcoming month (my second year at the U is nearly over!).

2007-03-15T17:20:00.000-06:00

HAPPY SPRING BREAK

Spring has come, so I've been spending more of my time outdoors. As I strolled around Officers Circle, I couldn't help but think how beautiful it is here at Fort Douglas. I continually give thanks to my parents for giving me the opportunity to live here. I love the original fort buildings, the academic atmosphere, the mountains so close by, the small community feel only a twenty-minute Trax ride from downtown Salt Lake City. Right now, I love sitting on the rocking chair on my house's front porch. I love holding class on the temporary bleachers in Stillwell Field. I love the scent of damp, sun-drenched cement left after the sidewalk has been cleaned of salt. The University of Utah has its positive aspects and its not-so-positive aspects, and Fort Douglas is one of the best of the positive aspects here.

Still, it's nice to go home for a break and I am especially in need of a break right now. Yay! Spring Break has begun! (Well, for me anyway.)

2007-03-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

I just watched The New World (finally) and I have to say that it's an excellent movie. I was a bit apprehensive, thinking that it would either be really good or intolerable. After seeing it, I have to say that I love everything about it from the music and sounds, to the acting, to the layers of meaning in every scene. It is unlike anything else I have ever seen.

Another movie I watched this week was The Day of the Triffids. This is a 1960s sci-fi film that could safely be classified as one of the worst movies ever made--and it was absolutely hilarious to watch. I went with some friends to see a screening of it at the SLC library Tuesday night. After the film was a lecture given by a botanist from USU, who gave a lecture about actual carnivorous plants as opposed to the ones found in the movie. To give you an idea of the ridiculousness of this movie, allow me to briefly summarize the plot: An unprecedented meteor shower entrances the 99 percent of the earth's population who watch it, and also blinds them (apparently burning their optic nerves). That same meteor shower "awakens" a plant which came from space a while earlier, called a triffid. This plant grows from one to eight feet tall in seconds, uproots itself, chases people down (attracted by sounds, as our hero discovers), and eats them. Oh, and it has soon spread all over the earth. The brilliant, alcoholic marine biologist who has been trapped with his wife in a lighthouse surrounded by killer triffids discovers that sea water dissolves these plants and saves the day (nevermind that all of the major cities are burning down because of blunders made by the newly blind and nearly all hope for civilized life has ceased). As I said, absolutely awful and absolutely hilarious.

Some movies, like The New World, possess the ability not just to entertain but to expand minds--to provoke thought. Others, like The Day of the Triffids, only amuse. Just an example of how versatile art and technology are.

2007-03-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to fight off anxiety, illness, and general doldrums as I look forward to spring. Spring, though it comes with the culminating project of my think tank, the Pace of Life Fair (ack! so much to do!), finals, and several important papers to write, also comes with better weather (we can hope), birdsong, better health (dependent upon the aforementioned weather), and a general feeling of rebirth and renewal. I love spring and I can't wait for it to truly arrive! I keep getting tantalizing hints of it, interspersed with ice, snow flurries, and even a blizzard.

Emily Dickinson well expresses the feel of spring:

A light exists in spring
Not present on the year
At any other period.
When March is scarcely here

A color stands abroad
On solitary hills
That science cannot overtake,
But human nature feels.

It waits upon the lawn;
It shows the furthest tree
Upon the furthest slope we know;
It almost speaks to me.

Then, as horizons step,
Or noons report away,
Without the formula of sound,
It passes, and we stay:

A quality of loss
Affecting our content,
As trade had suddenly encroached
Upon a sacrament.

2007-02-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

Last night it snowed or, rather, it iced. Though the weather remains rather pleasant (not the marvelous shirtsleeves weather that ended last week, but still warmish and sunny), the entire ground was covered with a sheet of ice. People had been around to spread the expected salt and de-icer, but the walk down-campus still promised to be treacherous, especially as it is down a rather steep slope and I had the lack of foresight to wear shoes with zero traction. As I slid my way down the sidewalk, sometimes resorting to grabbing things like cars and fences or slosh through frosty mud to avoid falling, I regretted my decision not to wait and take the shuttle. Sure, it would have taken me longer to get to class, but it would undoubtedly have been safer. I did manage to avoid falling until I had almost made it to the Union. I had noticed that the blacktop was less icy than the sidewalks, so I detoured slightly to cut across the Union parking lot. Just as I neared the sidewalk in front of the building, I became over confident, hit a patch of invisible black ice, slipped and fell. My bag skittered away across the veritable ice rink that was a parking space, my clothes picked up all the water the sun had managed to coax out of the ice, and I nearly snapped my wrist catching myself. Now bruised, damp, and embarrassed, I fled (as quickly as a girl with joints like an 80-year-old hobbling over a strange ice/salt mix can flee) to the relative safety of indoors and began to regret my decision to get out of bed this morning. Now, I am writing this post for the sole purpose of postponing my return up-campus. Hopefully, the sun will have melted some more of the ice before I leave. If not, I may resort to taking the shuttle. If you've ever taken the shuttle anywhere here at the UofU, you know just how desperate I am to even consider such a thing.

2007-02-10T20:13:00.000-07:00

You know you've hit a low point when . . .

. . . you prefer to spend your Saturday in bed (or at least in your pj's).

. . . you come dangerously close to deciding to leave your room without putting on a bra (it's hard to lounge effectively with one on, you know)

. . . you open a new Word document for everything you need to write, type your name at the top, then just stare at the glowing white screen and contemplate the Universe

. . . you check your email five times in about half an hour, avoiding the sight of those dreadful white screens

. . . you read a Dean Koontz novel in one sitting while contemplating the entire time on how you should be reading something for school like, say, The Life and Opinions of Tristam Shandy, Gentleman.

. . . you realize it's been over a month since you checked a forum that you joined for your own enjoyment even though you have to go online every day to check two other forums for classes.

To atone for my neglect of The Realm of Dashevona (a forum Mary set up which y'all should visit), I am providing a link to said forum and inviting you all to post. I promise I'll reply! And in less than a month this time. http://s3.freepowerboards.com/feywriter/feywriter.html

2007-02-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Me

Well, it's my 19th birthday and in only one more year I will have officially moved past my teenage years. I find it hard to believe that I'm 19--not really certain why. Maybe it's just an odd age to encounter.

*FYI: I just checked my profile and discovered that my birthyear was listed as 1756. Just so y'all know--that's wrong. And somewhat funny. :-)

2007-01-26T17:56:00.000-07:00

A Thin Fog

I went out to go to dinner this evening and I noticed that the whole campus is covered with a thin layer of fog. This isn't the sort of fog that gives even the most mundane setting an aura of mystery, makes every step and adventure and could be described with adjectives like 'billowing' or 'dense'. Instead, it's the kind that makes everything damp, cold, and fuzzy. It's thin and hides only the sky, mountains, and slightly clouds the city lights. A thin city fog also makes one painfully aware of air pollution--it's dirty and distinctly unmysterious and unromantic.

There's something about the fog tonight that has actually made me realize something about myself. For the past while I have been seeing things through a thin, dirty fog--only this fog built up so gradually that I didn't realize it was there. When general authorities speak of "the world", they're referring to this fog. When the bible mentions "Babylon", that's also the fog. This fog, though thankfully still thin, will probably be really tough to dispell. It will take a lot of light and warmth to rid myself of it's clouding influence. Through it, dirty things seem less dirty--more acceptable. Since I came to the University of Utah, for instance, I have become more exposed to the world and this exposure has desensitized me to certain things. For instance, lots of things that I would have found offensive and distasteful three semesters ago hardly fazed me this semester. The most frightening thing about a thin fog is that it's so hard to see.

2007-01-15T15:48:00.000-07:00

A Poem
To Always Remember

When my heart is filled with woe
To Thee I eas’ly go;
A soul of sorrow, needing peace,
From Thee I seek release

When for joy and love I yearn
I know to whom I turn
A mind with worry filled
Finds in Thee a Shield

But when all troubles fade away
No trials left to face each day
A child blessed unceasingly,
Do I turn away from Thee?

If so, dear Father, do not fail,
When your child’s prayers grow pale,
To bring her back by sending pain
In hope that she finds Thee again.

2007-01-09T17:56:00.000-07:00

I was just browsing my blogger account, and I discovered that I can actually have ads put on my blog.

First reaction: Why would I want to do that? *is astonished*

Second reaction: Wait, they would pay me to do that? *contemplates*

Third reaction: Why would I want to do that? *pictures obnoxious ads from all other websites in existence*

2007-01-08T12:28:00.000-07:00

Housemates

I live with some interesting people. Very interesting, actually. Two of the most intriguing are Tim and Yang. They are roommates and WoW fans (along with some other computer games I am equally unfamiliar with). Yang is a philosophy major and Tim is a physics major who likes to argue (sometimes for both points of an issue). When you get the two of them together, it makes for interesting conversation.

For example, this morning as I was frying an egg, Tim was cooking rice in the microwave and Yang was putting off going to class, they began to discuss breakfast. When I say this, I do not mean that they talked about what they liked to eat for breakfast, how often they skipped breakfast, &c. Rather, they began to question the origins of breakfast. By the time Yang brought up the point that hunters probably ate something before heading out to kill gazelle with their atlatls, that something probably qualifying as breakfast and Tim started to question the definition of "breakfast", I had given up on the conversation, deciding it was a typical "Tim-Yang" dialogue and, thus, didn't require my attention.

Since these two are in my think tank, their particular styles of thought make for very interesting debates on the walk back to our house after class. These debates please our professors, who catch only bits of our discussion as we leave, because they love to see us discuss. Since it is impossible (or nigh unto) to come to any sort of conclusion with Tim and Yang, however, I believe George and Sally are only pleased because they do only catch bits of what we say. Well, at least I get some debate practice whenever I run into them.

2007-01-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

So it begins . . .

I have just started my fourth semester of college and (aside from the small books problem, stupid internet issue, and slight cold) everything seems to be going well. In other words, I woke up on time, ate a good breakfast and did not die or humiliate myself in Hebrew this morning. Yes, I only have one class on Monday. Isn't that exciting? ^_^ I am currently working on financial aid and scholarship things and it is, thus far, much more difficult to get letters of rec. than in my past experience. Also, I have to figure out how to separate my English department GPA from my cumulative GPA. hmmm . . .

Anyway, wish me luck! (I get the feeling I'll need it.)

2006-12-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

Well, it's Christmas Break (finally!) and I've realized that there are just too many things I put off 'until the break'. For example, I have been saying I'll work on Tetiana (my story) 'during the break', I'll read my Elfwood friends' updates 'once it's the break', I'll establish a profile on our Wilcox Writers website 'after finals', etc. Instead, thus far I've cleaned and done Christmas baking and candy-making instead. Ah, well. There's always next week, right?

My favorite pin (which I made myself at Crimson Nights--a huge party thrown each month at the U): "The procrastination monster ate me"

2006-12-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

I just took my first Hebrew final and I made the mistake of remembering all the wrong vocabulary--for the life of me, I couldn't remember the words for "luggage" and "purse", nor could I recall the name of the guy who built the neighborhood outside of Jerusalem, or the name of the neighborhood, either. I was absolutely disgusted with my memory this morning! Still, I tried to put as much as I could into each of our five assigned paragraphs, unlike certain of my classmates who decided to simply skip those with key words they didn't recall. (Hey, I may not recall "luggage", but I do know a lot of things to be put in it! Even if I didn't think of some until after I left--maps and books, for instance.) Well, I have two more written finals for Hebrew, so I hope I do better on those. *crosses fingers* Later today, I'll certainly be looking at the texts and words I forgot, as well as look at some of the vocab I might have difficulty remembering when the pressure's on. (Oh my, I just dangled a participle, didn't I?) Anyway, right now I need to work on finishing my Early American Women paper (due Friday). Hey, at least the house I'm living in hasn't caught fire, right? I wish I could go home and help everyone clean up after the *ahem* incident. Still, I do have quite enough to keep me busy here. If I keep rambling on, you'll decide I'm just trying to postpone working on my paper (and you'd be right), so I'll just say TTFN and divert my attention to Little House on the Prairie and all the race and gender issues therein.

2006-11-20T10:57:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving Break is Coming!!!

I'm so excited for Thanksgiving break! I can't wait to see my family and to eat, play games and generally hang out and have fun all weekend. I am determined to get enough done before Thursday that I won't have any homework over the break. (Of course, that means writing two papers, reading a few hundred pages, and finishing my unit plan, but I should be able to do that, right? *crosses fingers*) After this week, I'll only have three weeks left in the semester! I'm experiencing such a strange mixture of anxiety, panic, and excitement that I am actually queasy.

2006-11-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

This day has not begun well . . .

I slept in and was just glad that I was able to get to Hebrew in time despite walking in the wind and rain this morning. When I got to Hebrew, I realized that I left my keys in my room, so I can only hope that someone will be at the house and will let me in after my last class today. I also forgot my USB drive, so I can't work on my papers between classes. That's alright, though, because I completely forgot my Decameron reading for my next class, so I'll just read about a bunch of friends who are trying to forget that everyone around them is dying of the plague (fun stuff, that). My rushed morning also resulted in a lack of breakfast, so I'm feeling somewhat ill and I can hardly wait for the Union to start serving lunch at 10:30. This is the first time I've forgotten to bring things because of sleeping in! *sigh* I suppose it had to happen sometime. Just why on a cold, rainy day?

2006-10-29T02:19:00.000-07:00

I CAN'T SLEEP

I made the mistake of staying up late (1:15 after the daylight savings change) watching scary movies with my friends. We had our house Halloween party. I may sense some disapproval in saying this (well, I disapprove myself now I'm trying to go to bed), but we watched The Exorcist, The Omen and then we had to watch Hocus Pocus so that any of us could actually go to bed. The other choices of Halloween-type movies available were The Grudge, The Ring, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (which I would not have watched even if it meant missing out on time with friends), and one other movie I can't recall the title of.

Anyway, I am now listening to a Christmas cd and trying to switch mind-sets (unsuccessfully, obviously, since I've opted to write about the movies I watched).

2006-10-25T17:03:00.000-06:00

Liz's Rambling of the Day:
It's snowing! And cold! And yesterday I was too warm in a thin sweater. Even this morning, it was just a spectacularly cold thunderstorm. To think I actually thought we'd have a dry, warmish Halloween! *sigh* At least I have a new coat. =) Though I am peeved, because the two of the buttons that are supposed to hold my hood on my coat are missing. *grrr* I need to find two black buttons of the right size and reinforce those buttons that are there. I think I must not have noticed they were missing when we bought the coat. That, or they somehow came off in transit from store, to home, to the University. Also, the front doorknob of my house keeps coming off. Must have something to do with the hooplah that still hasn't settled over the changing of all the locks in Officers Circle. Anyway, I'll get back to work now.

2006-10-24T20:57:00.000-06:00

A Day in the Life

Today has been quite full for me. After classes, I finished all of my homework for Wednesday (which was considerable) and I went to a session of the Hell and the Afterlife Conference, following which I took Trax down to the SLC Library. I got there with just enough time to grab something to eat at the cafe. Sitting there in the library, eating and drinking some excellent Indian Peppermint tea, while I read a great book, I couldn't have felt more literary and I loved it. After that refreshing break (one of those experiences that makes me grateful I'm a college student) I headed up to the level 4 conference room, which I'm lucky I could even find, where I attended a short orientation for those volunteering at the Great Salt Lake Bookfest on Saturday. I'll be volunteering there from three to seven. There were only five volunteers there (a very sad showing), but I'm glad I went. While there, I got to talking with the only other volunteer who is a student at the U. Anyway, it turned out she lives on campus, too, and she offered to give me a ride back. We visited the Fall Book Sale before leaving the library and I got three books for 75 cents. On the way back to the U, we stopped at Smiths (she needed ice for her roommate, who just had surgery, and I needed some candy to contribute to my house Halloween party). Anyway, it was a very full but excellent day. I'm trying to be so positive and involved that I don't die of anxiety and stress these next two weeks. Wish me luck and a cheerful outlook. =)

2006-10-17T00:31:00.000-06:00

Tonight I went to see La Traviata at Capitol Theatre and thoroughly enjoyed the production. The only downside of the evening was that I went by myself. Even so, I managed to get there and back without any difficulties. Thank goodness for Trax! I'm so stressed I can't think right now and it was a great relief to take an evening to relax and enjoy the wonderful music and the great production of an opera by Verdi. An added bonus--my ticket was only $5 because I'm an Honors student and I managed to get a seat that would have cost around $30. I even enjoyed the sets and lighting of this opera and when the singers who had portrayed the main characters received a standing ovation, they actually deserved it. Yep, being a student at the U has its perks sometimes . . .

2006-10-11T22:35:00.000-06:00

I know, I know . . . three posts in one day does seem like a bit much, but I've had quite the day. My phone doesn't work and won't until (hopefully) it gets fixed tomorrow. It's been very frustrating. For one thing, how do you call someone about getting your phone fixed? I spent a lot of time on the courtesy phone at the Heritage Center and spoke to the least helpful, most unintelligent person about getting someone over to fix my phones. I would continue the tale, but I'm just too upset. And tired. Maybe I'll just go to bed now. Good night!

2006-10-11T13:39:00.000-06:00

Nothing in life is free . . .

. . . at least, not anymore. Last year, the Honors Center computer lab was a haven of free printing for poor honors students (particularly those, like me, who lived on the Honors Floor and spent half our time in the Honors Center). This year, however, the Honors program has abandoned this practice of free printing for all and begun charging the eight cents per page common to this university. *sigh*

2006-10-11T10:17:00.000-06:00

Rambles of a College Student

You may recall my large Disney purse--you know, the one that features a collage of Disney characters and is actually large enough to hold a binder, a notebook and a couple texts for classes. Well, today my bag was not big enough for all I had to carry and I was forced to abandon it in favor of a messenger bag. I had almost forgotten how painful heavy bookbags can be. I'm used to the weight of my Hebrew textbook, but add the three additional books I have today plus all my supplies and it's like I'm back in High School, only I don't have a locker and I have much farther to walk. I pity all of those students who are in majors where they have to lug around more than one textbook all day. I shudder at the thought of the damage they are doing to their spine, wince at the thought of their pain (if my current pain is any judge of what they may be feeling--it's quite possible that I'm just a wimp), shy away from the thought that they will probably never see a chiropractor about their troubles (what student could afford that?). I also just really miss by Disney purse today. I do vow, however, never to be like the few women I see who carry a huge messenger bag or backpack and a small, fashionable purse. I mean, when one of your bags could fit in the other one you really don't need them both. Anyway, that's my ramble for the day--now I should actually do something productive. Shalom!

2006-10-04T09:49:00.000-06:00

And the Race is On!

My crazy month has officially begun. This October, I have three presentations, three papers, four quizzes, two midterms, at least one thousand pages of reading, eight hours of service-learning, volunteer work at the library, various other assignments, two poetry readings to attend, and another bout of house-decorating for "Officers Hollow" this Halloween (speaking of which, I could use costume ideas). There are some things I'm doing--hopefully--just because I want to, as well. For example, participating in the annual BookFest, attending a Utah Symphony concert, and going to one or two plays ("1984" and "A Streetcar Named Desire" are a couple I'm interested in).

I mention all this for two reasons. One: It helps me remember what I need to do when I write it all out like this. Two: I think it's a pretty good excuse for the fact that you may not hear from me for a while. I'm just glad not every month is like this! I'd be praying for Winter Break to come soon, but I know that the end of November and beginning of December will be just as bad and I still need to get Christmas gifts together. Well, one thing at a time! Right now, I'd better dive into some ThinkTank work . . .

2006-09-27T09:56:00.000-06:00

Busy Bumble-Bee

I have decided that bumble-bees are called such, not just because they make an incessant droning noise, but because they are also bumblers in the sense of "blunderers". They are so tired from all the many things they do--from their unceasing work (they are busy as bees, after all)--that they tend to blunder and generally bumble around. After all, just picture the last time you saw a bumble-bee. The poor, tired insect was undoubtely flying so erratically because of lack of sleep. After all, have you ever seen a bee take a break? Stop that buzzing for a quick power nap? No. I think not. So, cheers to the busy bumble-bee--unafraid to blunder around a bit for the sake of work.

(Methinks I like the OED too much. I also need more sleep . . .)

2006-09-11T08:18:00.000-06:00

I can't figure out which would be worse--going to classes in my condition or missing classes because of my condition. I hate being sick. I really, really hate being sick. It makes everything more complicated and, in the same swift stroke, removes all capability of dealing with said complications. ugh.

2006-09-06T17:46:00.000-06:00

Killer October

The upcoming October is going to be a killer for me. I have three presentations to give, I will be working with HEAL (where I am doing my service-learning) on their largest annual event, I have midterms at the end of the month, and I will be volunteering at the Utah (Salt Lake County) Annual Bookfest. Of course, I will also be doing my regular readings and assignments. I'll do my best not to go insane. ;)

2006-08-31T15:31:00.000-06:00

Amazingly, of the nine Wilcox siblings, only Nathan and Benjamin don't write fantasy and/or poetry. Both of them, however, are just as into reading as the rest of the family. Yel, we're bookish bunch. ^_^

I really shouldn't have the tv on while I'm writing. I just totally lost my train of thought (a commercial about an elephant who is married to a centipede--where do they come up with these things?--distracted me). Anyway, off to homework land I go, when I'll emerge nobody knows.

2006-08-29T22:25:00.000-06:00

Now Announcing Another Brilliant Idea from ME (Mary & Elizabeth . . . maybe EM would sound less egotistical . . .) : The Wilcox Writers

Basically, Mary and I (Mary, mostly, she being the brilliant one) realized that many of our siblings (us included, of course) write. This naturally led to the idea of gathering every so often (weekly, preferrably) with those who are in Utah to talk about writing, read each others work, share ideas, etc. Of course, once we thought of that it was only a small step to the idea of a newsletter--that way even those who live out-of-state could be involved. This is really very exciting to me. I both love writing and know how talented my siblings are. Knowing how much encouragement and help I need to keep working on my novel-in-progress, Tetiana, I am thrilled that we will all be encouraging each other to write more often and helping each other improve. Anyway, I hope this all makes sense. It's after my bedtime and it has been a long week. (Don't worry, I'm still lucid enough to know it's only Tuesday. It's still been a long week.) I should probably sleep now . . .

2006-08-23T06:38:00.000-06:00

My first class of fall semester begins in two hours. And counting. (I can't get ready yet because I'm not scheduled to shower until 7:15--at least five people will be using my bathroom instead of four, because the shower in the other bathroom will only give "scalding hot" water. It better be fixed soon!) Maybe I can eat breakfast . . . just hope I don't throw up. *Repeat after me: you are not nervous; you are excited. You are not nervous; you are excited.*

2006-08-21T14:46:00.000-06:00

Here I am, all moved in (well, minus the list of things I inevitably forgot to bring). My house is really great--I have tons of space. I'm determined to be extra positive this week. Classes start in two days and if I'm not extremely optimistic, I may just explode.

Yesterday was an adventure: I attempted to attend my new student ward (the University Sixth Stake 35th ward). Even though I arrived at the Institute twenty minutes early, I still ended up attending sacrament meeting in the Second Stake's 32nd ward. I managed to visit two different stake offices and go up and down three flights of stairs twice in time to be a bit late to Sunday School. After Relief Society, I got to walk uphill for twenty minutes at high noon. At least next week I'll know where to go . . . kind of (the stake clerk said the SW chapel, but I think they said SE in RS . . . or was it NE? NW? Oh dear).

2006-08-15T16:44:00.000-06:00

PANIC!!

Er, I mean . . .

Yay, I get to go back to school!

I move into my housing Friday & Saturday and classes start on Wednesday the 23rd.

2006-08-10T11:06:00.000-06:00

It's official: my brain has died.

I can't even remember what I was going to write here anymore . . . The advent of Fall Semester has increased my level of chronic anxiety to the point that I can hardly function. (The textbook fiasco, which I may divulge here at some point, really helped boost the worry level, too.) I also had a great scare when all but one page of my 141-page long novel-in-progress Tetiana disappeared. Thankfully, it wasn't too hard to copy and paste things together from my back-up files, but the initial scare was nearly heart-stopping.

I'm trying to think of what "quality of life" means to me so that I can share in the "go-around" scheduled for the first day my Think Tank meets. I'm also supposed to share my hopes for the course. Any ideas/tips? My definition of "quality of life" is still kind of hazy and I have no idea what we hope to accomplish by devoting an Honors Think Tank to the subject. I'd love any input (before August 23rd would be best!).

Anyway, I'll let you know if I ever remember what I was going to say here. Until then, fare-thee-well! TTFN! Shalom! and all that.

2006-07-23T09:33:00.000-06:00

A note:

I've been getting anonymous spam comments (grr), so security's been bumped up a notch. If you'd like to comment, the best way would be to sign in, but if you do comment anonymously (for all you non-blogspotters) please include your name in the comment so that I don't just delete it. Thanks!

2006-06-30T23:51:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite books is Peter Pan and the author, Sir James Matthew Barrie, said some pretty inspiring things. A quote by Barrie that I read recently was very inspiring to me and I'd like to share it:

The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another, and his humblest hour is when he compares the volume as it is with what he vowed to make it.

I hope to make my life as close to the story I mean to write as possible.

Here's another quote I just came across by another favorite author (Francis Hodgson Burnett, who wrote The Little Princess and The Secret Garden):

“At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done, then they begin to hope that it can be done, then they see that it can be done - then it is done and all the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago.”

2006-06-30T23:44:00.000-06:00

I Did It!

I finished the ten pages I said that I would write for June! In fact, I did about twelve pages. *cheers* It feels so good to be accomplishing something with my writing. I love to write, but there just isn't enough free time during Fall and Spring terms to write what I'd like to. I've even managed to write some poetry this month. =) Hopefully, I will keep my writing up. I'd like to set aside time during school to write what I choose, as well--it will definitely be tough, but if I remember how wonderful I feel when I'm writing of my own free will then I may just be able to do it.

Mary finished her ten pages, too, and I read/commented on them today. They were very good (write more, Mary, write more!). Now, Jeff will take us both out to ice cream! Yippee! *I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Especially this ice cream*

Now, if only I could get around to doing the fantasy genre research project/paper I keep promising myself I'll do. . .

2006-06-24T08:38:00.000-06:00

And conditions spiral downward . . .

Little or no sleep is being obtained in this house right now. Gabby is officially ill and is letting everyone share in her misery. She always screeches when she wakes up (not being very good at waking up or falling asleep), but now she is waking up more frequently . . . Both Gabby and Nikki have conjunctivitis--pink eye--in both eyes as well. All we need for things to be worse is for Ethan to become more ill (he hasn't had worse than a slight fever this week), Danny to become sick, and for me to have strep added to my list of pains. Just as I was thanking the powers that be that this is Saturday and Danny doesn't work, I was told that he'll be spending a few hours with the missionaries (he's the ward mission leader now). I think I may just go back to bed for a few hours while he's still here. *yawn* Can anyone tell me what it's like not to be tired? I seem to have forgotten . . .

On a brighter note--I wrote a page and a half on Tetiana yesterday. Of course, since I've been slacking, I still have two and a half pages to write to meet the ten page goal Mary and I have set for ourselves for June. I hope to write at least one page today, if all goes well. Since the general trend of things in this house lately has not been going well, my fingers are crossed.

2006-06-22T23:52:00.000-06:00

Well, things have been kinda crazy lately . . .

I haven't really spent the time on my novel-in-progress, Tetiana, that I wanted to spend while I am here in North Dakota. Unfortunately, Nikki and baby Elijah are both very sick right now and I am doing quite a lot of babysitting and cleaning around the house (Dan, being in the Air Force, can't exactly ask to have work off). Also, any freetime I might have has been sucked up by an addictive game, "Heroes of Might and Magic II", which Danny introduced me to this week. Currently, I am playing three games (one three-player with Danny and Nikki, one two-player with Nikki, and a one-player game). I can't seem to stop playing! This thing is worse than Neopets! *Note to self: get more self-control*

I, myself, am feeling under the weather and look forward to deteriorating conditions, seeing as how Gabby has begun to cough and all of the illnesses plaguing Nikki and Elijah are contagious (strep, pharyngitis, thrush . . .). Wish me luck and an excellent immune system!

2006-06-13T00:42:00.000-06:00

*Embarrassed*

For all those out there who have ever been signed in to any sort of instant messenger without knowing it--you're not alone. I feel your pain (and embarrassment). I hate the feeling of coming up to the computer and seeing hours-old messages that end in "you there?" or "ignoring me, huh?" or "I'm not talking to you again!" *sigh* I'm off to triple check that I'm not going to get automatically signed in again. I can't figure out how it happened in the first place. . .

2006-06-13T00:32:00.000-06:00

Minot, North Dakota

Right now I'm at the Minot Air Force Base visiting my brother Dan and his family (love them all, by the way) and I've noticed a couple things. A) with family around, it's easy to slip into a new routine/environment B) North Dakota does not like my forehead.

As for "A"--I've always hated travelling (not the seeing new places/having fun part, but the ceaseless driving, packing, perpetual visitor part) and I thought it would be really tough fitting in as a house guest, but it's actually been really easy. Family's great. ^_^ I love spending time with Dan, Nikki, Ethan, Gabby and Elijah.

And "B", well . . . let's just say that Nikki may have beaned me in the head with a dvd (accidentally, of course) early on in my stay, and I may just have a wee bit of a scar *ahem*; on the drive up, and now that I'm here, I keep hitting my head on any vehicle I get into (yes, I am a klutz); and a few hours ago baby Elijah discovered that he could stick the suction-cup fish from Dan and Nikki's shower on my head and pull it off again repeatedly and I have a red circle imprinted on my forehead (next to the scar, actually) that won't go away. Wonder what else my forehead has in store? (Gosh, I hope this circle goes away . . .)

2006-06-09T23:12:00.000-06:00

You know you're tired when . . .

. . . you type your email address in backwards.

. . . you can't even spell your own name correctly.

. . . you can't hold a single train of thought--or finish a single sentence in your journal.

. . . you've read the same paragraph in your book five times without noticing it.

. . . you don't realize someone's talking to you until they say "hey, aren't you listening?"

. . . you dial the wrong number when you're calling home.

. . . you go online to check your email and can't recall why you're at the computer.

. . . just reading or hearing the word "yawn" can make you yawn.

2006-06-09T21:58:00.000-06:00

Telephone Terrors

Some of you might know what it's like to be afraid of the telephone--some more than others. I seem to have developed "phone fears", "dialing distress", and "answering apprehension" to an art. It's not that I don't like talking to people; I rather enjoy a good conversation. My problems all deal entirely with, and are only posed by, phone conversations (ok, a few can be run into when chatting/instant messaging online, but only sort-of . . . ah, you'll see what I mean).

Problem #1:

You need a specific reason to call someone on the phone.

At least, a reason is expected by common practices and views. Whereas it is easy to come across someone and strike up a conversation or notice that someone's online and say (well, type) "hey", it is quite a different thing to pick up the phone, dial someones number (which, if you have a memory like mine, generally has to be looked up somehow), and what? say "hi, I just called for the sake of calling", or perhaps "I just felt like I should call--wanted to keep in touch, you know". If you aren't calling your significant other, it may be taken the wrong way if you said something like "I just wanted to hear your voice". Sometimes, I feel like calling and saying "Well, I just wanted to catch up with you--find out how you're doing, let you know how I'm doing, that sort of thing," but that not only sounds odd (why not just email? or wait until you had something worthwhile to say?), the opportunity rarely comes when it can actually be said.

Generally, after the exchange of "hello"s, there is an expectant silence from the . . . call-ee? . . . as he/she waits for the caller to speak. It is during this expectant silence that Problem #2 begins to be felt, quite acutely, by the caller. Silences during phone calls are not only uncomfortable, they are taboo. The caller may begin, at this point, to wonder just why they did call and if it was really worth it, whatever the reason was. Things may be made easier if the call-ee has something to say to the caller and only later thinks to ask why the caller called in the first place (unforseen circumstances on either side may also be helpful, but--then again--might just lead into Problem #3), in which case the caller can just voice the verbal equivalent of a shrug--"No reason", "Doesn't matter", etc.

Things become further complicated if the call-ee is exceptionally busy/frazzled at the time of the call. The caller may imagine the call-ee thinking things like "they bothered me now for that?" or "why did I have to answer the phone?". Or, what if the person isn't home? Answering machine Anxieties crop up. (Should I just hang up? you wonder, or should I leave a message saying I called? What if they call back and ask why I called only to find my reason isn't important enough? Do they have CallerID--if they do, I can't just hang up, but if they don't . . . you get the idea.)

With cell phones it's even worse--don't even get me started on them . . .

Problem #2:

Phone conversations leave no time for thought and no opportunity for non-verbal communication, either.

This fact becomes exceptionally prominent in the forefront of ones brain when an uncomfortable silence falls during a phone conversation. What more need be said?

Problem #3:

There is no way of knowing what the other person in a telephone conversation is doing--and they have no way of knowing what you are doing, either.

This means that the chances of having a conversation with someone who is not multitasking in some way are highly unlikely. It also means that you, as a call-ee or a caller, are more likely to be tempted to multitask and less likely to give 100% of your attention to the conversation. Not a very good communication tactic . . . Also, background noises tend to give hints of what's going on and it is hard to tell just what the other person knows you can hear or what they, themselves, can hear from your end; a fact which creates unique situations and dilemmas.

When chatting/Instant Messaging, you also don't know what the other person is doing--in fact, they could be carrying on five conversations online, one on the phone, playing games and doing homework at the same time and you could have no idea. The difference is, you don't care. No strange silences/sounds arise because of their multitasking--in fact, it is expected that you are doing any number of things when you are online.

Problem #4:

You never know who might answer (yes, even with cell phones).

Have you ever called someone--either on a cell phone only they should have or someone who lives alone--and had no idea who answered the phone? Or answered the phone and been mistaken for someone else? Recieved or called wrong numbers? If so, then you know why this is a problem.

Aside from the obvious difficulties associated with this problem, there is also the chance that the person who answers the phone--while not the person you intended to call--knows you and begins to talk to you. This is fine, usually, but it tends to make a quick phone call long or a long phone call longer. What is worse is when the person who answers hangs up when they're done talking to you (apparently forgetting that you called them), or you forget your reason for calling, leaving you wondering whether you should call back immediately to try to get the person you called for in the first place--chancing that the other person will answer the phone--or wait and call later. Or, perhaps, forget the call entirely. This Dialing Dilemma is not easily solved by those who don't wish to embarrass themselves or anyone else and enjoy avoiding any confusing situation.

There are other contributing problems to Telephone Terrors, but I think you get my drift . . . and, if you have never experiences Answering Anxiety or Phone Frustration, perhaps you understand why some people do.

2006-06-04T17:28:00.000-06:00

These are a few of my favorite things . . .

Authors/Books:

Francis Hodgson Burnett/A Little Princess, The Secret Garden
Gail Carson Levine/Ella Enchanted, The Two Princesses of Bamarre
Charles Dickens/um, all of them ^_^
Fyodor Dostoevsky/Crime and Punishment
Leo Tolstoy/Anna Karenina
Victor Hugo/The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Terry Pratchett/the hilarious Discworld series
JK Rowling/Harry Potter, of course
Gregory Maguire/Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
CS Lewis/The Chronicles of Narnia series, The Screwtape Letters
JRR Tolkein/The Lord of the Rings
this list is getting too long, and I have the feeling it will never end, so . . . on to the next subject!

Movies:

Almost anything with Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, James Stewart, Katharine Hepburn, Peter O'Toole . . . ok, this list might not end, either. Main point: old movies are the best. Classics like The Philadelphia Story, How to Steal a Million, and all the Alfred Hitchcock movies. I also love musicals (especially Kismet and Fiddler on the Roof).

Topics of Interest:

These are things I might study on my own just because I'm interested.

Fairytales--history and adaptations
Fantasy--defining the genre
Genetic Engineering (Botanical)
Poetic Styles
Shakespeare
Egyptology
Middle Eastern Conflicts and Current Events
Ecology/Environmentalist ideas
Music

Embarrassing Enjoyments (Hey, get your mind out of the gutter!):

Neopets.com (I must confess, I'm something of a Neoaddict *sigh*)
Harry Potter fandom (the books, not the movies. I've read them more times than you might guess)
Reading Children's Books (you're never too old for Dr. Suess, Abel's Island, Rudyard Kipling, Roald Dahl . . . need I go on?)

Music:

The Beatles! (John, Paul, George and Ringo were and are the best!) Actually, most classic rock rules. I also enjoy new age; classical (you know--Mozart, Bach, Beethoven); movie soundtracks like Peter Pan (the new one), The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and other movies that just have great music. Actually, the only music I don't like is rap, heavy metal, and any other noise that is simply loud and degrading. I even enjoy Arnold Schoenberg's atonal music.

Food:

breadsticks, decent pizza, spinach salad, potatoe soup (I like most soup), ice cream, chocolate anything (especially Lindor truffles and caramel Cadbury Eggs), crisp apples, pasta (just not alfredo), grilled cheese sandwiches dipped in tomatoe soup, german chocolate cake, white cake with nothing on it . . . ok, now I'm just making myself hungry.

Things to do When I'm Bored:

Write (poetry, in journal, nonsense, my novel . . .)
Read
Nap
Walk around outside (if the weather's nice--sometimes, a light drizzle or snow counts as nice)
Catch up on all my online activities (you know--email, Elfwood, Writing.com, blogs, *cough* Neopets *cough*)

That's all for now, folks!

2006-06-04T17:18:00.000-06:00

Energy:

the capacity of a physical system to do work, forceful exertion, enterprising or ambitious drive, a healthy capacity for vigorous activity, something Elizabeth Wilcox does not have right now.

Lately, I've been feeling somewhat . . . fatigued. Of course, that's not anything new, but it does make creative thinking difficult (and noncreative thinking, for that matter). I am writing a novel right now and I have done next to nothing with it in the past year, I haven't felt like coming up with any new poems, I haven't even felt like adding to my blog (as you may have noticed) or writing in my journal; my inspiration seems to have dried up along with my energy. Hopefully, I'll recharge this summer. And, if not, I'm going to begin training myself to accomplish more than the basics no matter how tired I am. Wish me luck!

2006-05-29T13:51:00.000-06:00

I Survived!

The semester has ended and I not only maintained my scholarship, I surprised myself and earned a 4.0! I'm still in shock. Now, all I have to do is try to enjoy summer and prepare for fall semester at the same time. Is that even possible?

2006-05-29T13:35:00.000-06:00

Finally! An Update!

Well, it's about time I finally did something with my blog. Like update, for instance. . .

I am now in North Dakota playing the role of houseguest in my brother's home at Minot Air Force Base. I left Utah the evening of Mother's Day for a 24-hour drive with Dan's wife Nikki and the three kids (Ethan-aka Pookie, Gabby-aka Squishy, and Elijah-aka The Bun). Dan was already home and eagerly awaiting his family's arrival. I'm not certain how long I'll be here in North Dakota--at least through June.

Meanwhile, I have already learned a few things about what is worth taking on an extended leave and what isn't. Examples: do bring comfy, cute clothes--don't bring jewelry (odds are you won't wear it--especially with kids around who love to grab onto things like necklaces). Do bring plenty of reading material--if you don't have room for both books and music than forget the music. It's easier to hum a tune or find a radio than to find something to read. When in doubt about the number of shirts or pants to bring, remember that three pairs of pants is more than enough and you're more likely to notice a certain lack of selection in your tops (*sigh* I miss my clothes . . . ).

Some advice for on-the-road: Bring plenty of Go-Gurt and don't be afraid to buy more when you've already consumed three boxes. Nikki and I agree that Go-Gurt is what got us through the long drive with only two twenty-minute nap stops and without really feeling tired until the last five hours. Don't speed once you're within an hour of your goal--apparently, there's a greater chance of getting pulled over . . . if you think maybe you should slow down, do slow down. Also, if a certain small fluffy animal jumps in your way and gets smooshed do not keep mentioning said animal periodically throughout the drive (it just might annoy fellow passengers). Last, but definitely not least, avoid Business Loops like the black holes they really are.

2006-04-06T17:28:00.000-06:00

A White Easter

Ok, I woke up this morning to find that a huge winter storm had hit during the night . . . and it was still snowing. Now, just a few days ago I was walking around in sandals and a t-shirt. Anyone else see something wrong with this picture? In a couple of days it will be Easter, and it looks like we'll be having a white one. Is this some sort of cosmic joke? An attempt to make up for our green Christmas? We have so much snow here at the University they actually cancelled evening classes. Walking outside is like walking through a war zone--dangerous terrain and the possibility of having something fall on your head at any time (especially around buildings like the HC and when walking beneath the trees that are so plentiful in the Fort Douglas area). What ever happened to Spring?

2006-04-03T16:56:00.000-06:00

Guess Who's Blogging Now?

So, I finally decided I should start a blog. This way, I'll feel less guilty about my correspondence habits (or lack thereof).

In a little over a month I will be able to say I made it through one full year of college. I have met some interesting people, learned some things, read until my eyes were sore, written until my wrists ached, and done all sorts of "firsts". Strange as it may seem (even to me), I will actually miss the people I've met here. Sure, lots of them get drunk occasionally (is every weekend occasional?), most of them don't share my values, only a few are more than acquaintances . . . Still, I've gotten used to them and they certainly made life interesting these past few months. Anywho, I've got to head out to the HC for dinner, then off to the Honors Center for an art show. By-the-way, HC is Secret On-Campus Student Code for the Petersen Heritage Center, where all students who live on-campus eat, buy ridiculously-priced necessities and check their mail.