Before I get to what I was going to say, let me just express my annoyance with my Kindle Fire and Blogger. I started this post before I had to leave for class at 10, and I didn't have time to finish it before I had to leave. When I got to class I opened Blogger on my Kindle Fire to try and finish it, but I accidentally ended up erasing everything I wrote, and now I have no way of getting it back. So I have to retype this entire post, and of course I can't remember exactly what I wrote before. So I'm kind of annoyed. Maybe it will be better the second time around. But anyway.
Why is it that when someone tries to do something good there are always those who try to tear them down? Yes, I am talking about Kony 2012. I watched the video yesterday and I immediately wanted to do everything I could to help. Yet anyone who is actually following anything that has to do with Kony 2012 knows that there are those who oppose the campaign. I read two articles today that are anti-Kony 2012 and anti-Invisible Children Inc. Here they are if you'd like to read them too:
http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/03/07/guest_post_joseph_kony_is_not_in_uganda_and_other_complicated_things
http://wilwheaton.tumblr.com/post/18920717928/thedailywhat-on-kony-2012-i-honestly-wanted-to
Now, I think what these articles are trying to do is inform those people who won't inform themselves, and that is a good thing. Making informed decisions is important. How can you support something if you don't actually know what it is that you're supporting? I'm all for informing people about what it is that they're actually supporting. And as misguided as Kony 2012 and Invisible Children Inc. may be, at least they're actually trying to do something good. What are the writers of these articles trying to do? Tear down a good cause? If the guy who wrote the second article is actually donating to those charities he linked in his post, then I can stand behind what he posted, and I'll donate to those charities too. It's one thing to simply tear down a good cause, and another thing to tear down a good cause but provide other solutions and actually utilize them. Somehow I can't believe that Invisible Children Inc. is simply using this campaign to line their pockets and only donating a small portion of their profits to actually helping the Invisible Children. That video seemed so genuine. What kind of despicable person takes advantage of a situation like this to make money? A person like that deserves to burn in hell, and they certainly will burn if they really are people like that. So I can't believe that all they're really doing is lining their pockets, but I can believe that they may be misguided. It's not just about their misguided-ness though. It's about the fact that they're trying to make a difference. The world is a big, bad place, but there are people out there who are trying to do something about that. It seems like an impossible task, but rather than lying down and doing nothing because it's such a big task, you have to start somewhere, no matter how small. Even if you only make a difference in one person's life, you've still made a difference. If everyone tried to make a difference, no matter how small, those differences would add up. I believe in making a difference. Do you? Do the people who wrote those articles? Does the world?
If you're powerful, I think you have an obligation to help those less powerful than yourself. I admit though, that there's something in protecting your own interests. If it doesn't impact your own personal security or whatever, stay out of it, and I can see how that's a good stance, though I don't personally feel that way. If you see someone being mugged on the street, are you gonna ignore it, or are you gonna help? I certainly would try and help, and even if I ended up getting killed, at least I would have died doing something that was right. You may not agree with me, and as long as your own decision is informed, then I am perfectly fine with letting you think that way. That's my whole point here. Make your own informed decisions. Acknowledge all other options, but don't let anyone else make your decision for you. Decide for yourself, and once you feel you have enough information, stick with your decision. If you're well enough informed, you won't be swayed by opposing opinions. And perhaps there's no right or wrong decision. A lot of times there isn't. There can be good and bad in both sides of the argument, and it is more important than ever to be informed in those cases. This applies to more than just Kony 2012.
So even if we stop Kony, maybe another guy will just take his place. I mean, would it really be as bad as these articles make it sound to stop Kony? If it would be, then I guess I stand by these anti-Kony people. If it's gonna be worse for the world if Kony is captured, then perhaps we should just leave well enough alone, or at least let Africa deal with their problems themselves. But if it wouldn't be, then what the heck are these people trying to do? I can't imagine that it would be better for the world if Kony were to remain at large. It certainly wouldn't be better for those children whose lives he has ruined, or all those people that he has killed. And even if someone else does take Kony's place, at least we've shown those children affected by Kony that their lives matter. At least we've shown those who have died through his hands that they deserve justice. At least we've shown the world that we know what is right, and we're not afraid to do it.
Personally, I support Kony 2012, because I support the cause it represents. I support right causes, but I also support being informed. So make an informed decision people. And while you can let what I've said influence your decision, don't let it make your decision for you. I'm not going to tell you to support Kony 2012, or not to support it. But I am going to tell you to make your own informed decision. Don't let anyone make your decision for you, on any matter. Get educated, and make a difference in the world, in any way you possibly can.
So there's my two cents on that.
*Wrap*
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Palm of Your Hand
So one of my new(ish) favorite bands is the band Cake. If you've heard anything by them, you've probably heard their song "The Distance," a song which Andrew ruined for me, but I won't ruin it for you. Oh and also, if you used to watch the show Chuck the theme song is an instrumental version of their song "Short Skirt/Long Jacket." So this song that I posted is their song called "Palm of Your Hand," and it's one of my favorite songs of theirs. It has a very pointed message I think, and that message is that you can't say that the future is in the palm of your hands because nothing is permanent. The lead singer sings about how if you knew this particular house, you'd never believe that that house is now gone. Houses are fairly permanent, at least until something unexpected comes along and takes them out. And if houses can be so easily destroyed, who's to say that something can't take out something else we think is permanent? The song is basically saying we can't say that the future is in the palm of our hands because nothing is really in the palm of our hands. It's the nature of this world to ruin our plans. So now that you think my intent with this post was to thoroughly depress you, I'll get to the real intent. We can't say that the future is in the palm of our own hands, because it isn't. "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men/ Gang aft agley" (I decided to use the actual quote because Alex and I argued one time about whether the quote was "the best laid schemes," "or the best laid plans"). If you've never heard that quote before, you've probably heard it like this: "The best laid schemes/plans of mice and men often go awry." We shouldn't be living in the future, we should be living in the present. We have some control over our present situation, but we have even less control over our future situation. We should appreciate the things and the people we have now, because they're not always permanent. And now I'm going to get a little bit gospel-ey, I hope you don't mind. Our future may not be in the palm of our hands, but it's in the palm of God's hands. And we do have one aspect of our futures in the palm of our hands. We get to decide where we go in the next life. We get to decide, by the choices we make, whether or not we want to return and live with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I think that's the one thing in our lives of which we have complete control. When things don't go as we planned, we shouldn't let it get us down. Things aren't always supposed to go as we planned, that's the whole point. The important part is how we react to things not going as we planned. It's a lot easier to deal with it when we keep an eternal perspective. So yeah, I hope that made sense and it wasn't super depressing, cause I wasn't trying to be super depressing. I was just trying to get you to think about living in the present, but also living with the real end goal in mind.
Oh and I know a lot of times the things people say (ESPECIALLY women) have double meanings and often it's because of something that's going on in our lives that we say things, but I would just like to assure you that there's no veiled meaning or reason behind this post. My life is going perfectly well. I just have a lot of thoughts, and I just wanted to analyze a song that I like. So don't worry, Andrew and I are doing fine.
*Wrap*
Friday, February 24, 2012
My Hunger Games Obsession
Sorry I suck so much at blogging. I do have a bit of an excuse though, cause I just had four tests in the past two weeks which was a little bit crazy, but I'm still alive, and now it's over with so that's good.
Anyway, so I first read The Hunger Games trilogy last school year. Stevie had all three books so I borrowed them and read them, and I loved them. I thought they were amazing, but I also wondered how in the world someone comes up with an idea like that. Who writes a story about a country which requires its citizens to give up 24 of their teenagers for a competition in which they kill each other? And that third book was crazy gruesome. I can't imagine how they're gonna make the third movie and keep a PG-13 rating without cutting out quite a few scenes. In spite of this, I did love the books. I will admit that there were a few things I didn't like as much about the series, such as how the third book ends, and Katniss kinda started to bug me in the third book too. Not nearly as much as Bella though, when I read the Twilight books a second time around. I couldn't stand Bella, whereas Katniss is only slightly annoying, and who isn't slightly annoyed about something with every person they know? So anyway, I enjoyed the books the first time I read them but I wouldn't say I was obsessed. And that was that.
Well, with the movie coming out pretty soon, about a month or so ago I decided I wanted to reread the books, so I bought them on my Kindle Fire (which my amazing husband got me for Christmas...he's the best, and I seriously love that little thing (not my husband, the Kindle)) and I reread them. Well, it took me all of about four days to reread the series and I pretty much couldn't put my Kindle down. I all but ignored school for those three days to reread those books, and I fell in love all over again. I think they were even better the second time. The ending still kinda bothered me, and I think it was actually this read through that made me realize Katniss was a bit annoying, but they were still better the second time around. So now after rereading them I'm obsessed. It's a bit of a sick obsession really. The Hunger Games consumes quite a few of my waking thoughts. I bought tickets for Alex and Andrew and I to go see the movie opening night in IMAX (which I'm so excited about that I can hardly contain myself). Andrew's even getting annoyed with me; when I told him I thought I was obsessed he said something like, "Yeah, you are, and I'm getting really sick of hearing you talk about it." I don't think that's exactly what he said but that was the gist of it. I'd really like to go to a midnight showing in IMAX, but I'm dancing in BYU Lu'au in March (BTW you should all come) in the Tahitian and Samoan sections and Tahitian section practices at 6 in the morning on Fridays. Plus Andrew has PT every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6 in the morning so I don't think he would have gone for that. I guess I'll just have to settle for opening night. That's the next best thing right? And if you'd like a little more detail into my crazy obsession, I look up stuff online about the movie all the time, and I even entered a drawing to win all the nail polishes inspired by the movie that China Glaze is coming out with. If you've ever heard the song Pyro by Kings of Leon, I personally think whoever actually wrote the song must have been thinking about The Hunger Games when they wrote it. I'll post it in case you want to listen to it. Oh and also I think the first book might be my favorite, but I liked the Quarter Quell from Catching Fire better than the games in The Hunger Games, so maybe I actually like the second one better...whatever. I'm so obsessed with The Hunger Games that I dedicated an entire blog post to it. So now you know how crazy I am.
Oh, and one thing that I hope they don't do with this movie is play up the love triangle too much. I mean I know it's a huge thing for the trilogy as a whole, but it's not a huge thing in the first book. They can play up the love triangle a little bit, but if it turns into Twilight I will be pissed. The Hunger Games is NOT Twilight, and the two aren't even comparable. I mean, sure they both have a love triangle, but so do a lot of other books and movies and TV shows and basically everything that involves any romance. And one thing that I saw when I was creeping around online is that the producers of The Hunger Games said that none of the actors from Twilight can be in any of The Hunger Games movies. Thank goodness for that. And I'm not making that up, just Google, "Twilight actors can't be in the hunger games." Oh and by the way, I like Peeta a million times more than Gale. I would definitely be Team Peeta, but from what I saw online, the fans of the movie who aren't 13 year old girls also obsessed with Twilight don't want this "team" thing to start, probably because they don't like Twilight.
So basically I'm so so SO excited for The Hunger Games movie. I have no idea how I'm gonna be able to wait another month till the movie comes out, but luckily the older you get, the faster time flies by, so it will be here before I know it. At least that's what I'm gonna tell myself.
*Wrap*
PS- It may sound like I'm a Twilight hater from this post, but I'm really not. I mean, I hate Bella (here's why: she is constantly whining about not wanting Edward and Jacob to get hurt, but one's a frickin' vampire and the other is a frickin' werewolf, what the heck does she think is going to happen to them? ), and I probably wouldn't read the books again, but I don't hate them like all those anti-Twilight people do. And I saw the movies (well the first 3) and I admittedly enjoyed them. I didn't think they were anything to get obsessed over, but I also didn't think they deserved all the hatred they're getting. And I wouldn't mind seeing the fourth or fifth ones.
I can't get this put on this movie's soundtrack since it's already made, but maybe I could get it put on the Mockingjay soundtrack. It fits that book better than the other two I think. Well it fits the series as a whole, but out of the three books it fits Mockingjay best.
Anyway, so I first read The Hunger Games trilogy last school year. Stevie had all three books so I borrowed them and read them, and I loved them. I thought they were amazing, but I also wondered how in the world someone comes up with an idea like that. Who writes a story about a country which requires its citizens to give up 24 of their teenagers for a competition in which they kill each other? And that third book was crazy gruesome. I can't imagine how they're gonna make the third movie and keep a PG-13 rating without cutting out quite a few scenes. In spite of this, I did love the books. I will admit that there were a few things I didn't like as much about the series, such as how the third book ends, and Katniss kinda started to bug me in the third book too. Not nearly as much as Bella though, when I read the Twilight books a second time around. I couldn't stand Bella, whereas Katniss is only slightly annoying, and who isn't slightly annoyed about something with every person they know? So anyway, I enjoyed the books the first time I read them but I wouldn't say I was obsessed. And that was that.
Well, with the movie coming out pretty soon, about a month or so ago I decided I wanted to reread the books, so I bought them on my Kindle Fire (which my amazing husband got me for Christmas...he's the best, and I seriously love that little thing (not my husband, the Kindle)) and I reread them. Well, it took me all of about four days to reread the series and I pretty much couldn't put my Kindle down. I all but ignored school for those three days to reread those books, and I fell in love all over again. I think they were even better the second time. The ending still kinda bothered me, and I think it was actually this read through that made me realize Katniss was a bit annoying, but they were still better the second time around. So now after rereading them I'm obsessed. It's a bit of a sick obsession really. The Hunger Games consumes quite a few of my waking thoughts. I bought tickets for Alex and Andrew and I to go see the movie opening night in IMAX (which I'm so excited about that I can hardly contain myself). Andrew's even getting annoyed with me; when I told him I thought I was obsessed he said something like, "Yeah, you are, and I'm getting really sick of hearing you talk about it." I don't think that's exactly what he said but that was the gist of it. I'd really like to go to a midnight showing in IMAX, but I'm dancing in BYU Lu'au in March (BTW you should all come) in the Tahitian and Samoan sections and Tahitian section practices at 6 in the morning on Fridays. Plus Andrew has PT every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6 in the morning so I don't think he would have gone for that. I guess I'll just have to settle for opening night. That's the next best thing right? And if you'd like a little more detail into my crazy obsession, I look up stuff online about the movie all the time, and I even entered a drawing to win all the nail polishes inspired by the movie that China Glaze is coming out with. If you've ever heard the song Pyro by Kings of Leon, I personally think whoever actually wrote the song must have been thinking about The Hunger Games when they wrote it. I'll post it in case you want to listen to it. Oh and also I think the first book might be my favorite, but I liked the Quarter Quell from Catching Fire better than the games in The Hunger Games, so maybe I actually like the second one better...whatever. I'm so obsessed with The Hunger Games that I dedicated an entire blog post to it. So now you know how crazy I am.
Oh, and one thing that I hope they don't do with this movie is play up the love triangle too much. I mean I know it's a huge thing for the trilogy as a whole, but it's not a huge thing in the first book. They can play up the love triangle a little bit, but if it turns into Twilight I will be pissed. The Hunger Games is NOT Twilight, and the two aren't even comparable. I mean, sure they both have a love triangle, but so do a lot of other books and movies and TV shows and basically everything that involves any romance. And one thing that I saw when I was creeping around online is that the producers of The Hunger Games said that none of the actors from Twilight can be in any of The Hunger Games movies. Thank goodness for that. And I'm not making that up, just Google, "Twilight actors can't be in the hunger games." Oh and by the way, I like Peeta a million times more than Gale. I would definitely be Team Peeta, but from what I saw online, the fans of the movie who aren't 13 year old girls also obsessed with Twilight don't want this "team" thing to start, probably because they don't like Twilight.
So basically I'm so so SO excited for The Hunger Games movie. I have no idea how I'm gonna be able to wait another month till the movie comes out, but luckily the older you get, the faster time flies by, so it will be here before I know it. At least that's what I'm gonna tell myself.
*Wrap*
PS- It may sound like I'm a Twilight hater from this post, but I'm really not. I mean, I hate Bella (here's why: she is constantly whining about not wanting Edward and Jacob to get hurt, but one's a frickin' vampire and the other is a frickin' werewolf, what the heck does she think is going to happen to them? ), and I probably wouldn't read the books again, but I don't hate them like all those anti-Twilight people do. And I saw the movies (well the first 3) and I admittedly enjoyed them. I didn't think they were anything to get obsessed over, but I also didn't think they deserved all the hatred they're getting. And I wouldn't mind seeing the fourth or fifth ones.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Humility*
If there's one thing I've learned in my time here at BYU, it's humility. I wouldn't consider myself a particularly prideful person, but when you're constantly brought low, you start to wonder if maybe you are. I often find myself in humbling situations, as I'm sure many others do, and my tendency when these humbling situations come around is to feel inadequate. I feel inadequate when I look up at that screen in the testing center and see my test score, particularly if it was a test in a class I study 12 hours a week for. I feel inadequate when I find out I'm not as good at Tahitian dancing as I thought I was. I feel inadequate when I just can't seem to figure out how to drive stick, no matter how much Andrew encourages me. I feel inadequate when I just can't seem to do well in a class. I'm a klutz, I can't cook very well, I never really learned the value of hard work, I can't seem to keep anything clean, and I don't think there's anything that I'm particularly talented at. I could probably go on forever, but that would just make me sound like I'm wallowing in self pity, which isn't the purpose of this post. I probably already sound like I'm wallowing in self pity, or like I want you to pity me, but that really isn't my intention. I don't even have a particularly hard life, or anything big to wallow in self-pity about, but life seems to know exactly how to get at me to bring me down.
So anyway, the point of that was that I find myself in humbling situations a lot. These humbling situations don't help my self esteem much, which has always been pretty low in the first place, but I think I'm finally starting to learn how to pick myself up again. The more humbling situations I find myself in, the easier it becomes to face the next one. I'm also finally starting to learn how much I need Jesus Christ. I realize now I'm inadequate because I'm human, and I'm not supposed to be adequate on my own, or at least not perfect on my own. We like to think we can do it on our own, but eventually (even if it's not in this life) we learn that we really can't. We are absolutely nothing. We live on a relatively small planet, in a rather large solar system, in a rather large galaxy, in a rather large universe, and who knows what's beyond that, if anything. There is so much that is bigger and more important than we are, and yet we are big and important to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We are their children. They know us personally. They know what's going on in our lives, and they care what's going on in our lives. "I believe that He doesn't care one bit if we live in a castle or a cottage, if we are handsome or homely, if we are famous or forgotten. Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely. He loves us because He is filled with an infinite measure of holy, pure, and indescribable love. We are important to God not because of our résumé but because we are His children. He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken. God’s love is so great that He loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant, and the wicked." That's from Dieter F. Uchtdorf.
In view of this, I don't let those humbling situations get to me. Well actually I kind of do, because they certainly get me down, but I don't let them get to me by shaking my testimony or diminishing my faith in God. There could be any number of reasons for my humbling situations. They might be consequences of past actions. They might just be a part of life. They might be Satan trying to make me miserable like he is. They might be God humbling me so that I come to Him. I don't know where this quote comes from (other than a handout taped into my scriptures), but someone said, "God will have a humble people. Either we can choose to be humble, or we can be compelled to be humble." Maybe I haven't yet learned how to choose to be humble, and so I'm being compelled to be humble, but from whatever source my humbling comes, it doesn't make the gospel any less true, it doesn't mean Jesus Christ isn't my Savior, and it certainly doesn't mean God isn't there and that He doesn't care about me. I know He's there, and I know He cares about me. Life can keep throwing these humbling situations at me, and I will keep loving my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and maybe one day I will come to see myself as they see me. Maybe one day I won't feel so inadequate, but until that day comes, I'll keep trusting that there's a reason for everything, and I'll keep trusting God.
*Wrap*
So anyway, the point of that was that I find myself in humbling situations a lot. These humbling situations don't help my self esteem much, which has always been pretty low in the first place, but I think I'm finally starting to learn how to pick myself up again. The more humbling situations I find myself in, the easier it becomes to face the next one. I'm also finally starting to learn how much I need Jesus Christ. I realize now I'm inadequate because I'm human, and I'm not supposed to be adequate on my own, or at least not perfect on my own. We like to think we can do it on our own, but eventually (even if it's not in this life) we learn that we really can't. We are absolutely nothing. We live on a relatively small planet, in a rather large solar system, in a rather large galaxy, in a rather large universe, and who knows what's beyond that, if anything. There is so much that is bigger and more important than we are, and yet we are big and important to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We are their children. They know us personally. They know what's going on in our lives, and they care what's going on in our lives. "I believe that He doesn't care one bit if we live in a castle or a cottage, if we are handsome or homely, if we are famous or forgotten. Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely. He loves us because He is filled with an infinite measure of holy, pure, and indescribable love. We are important to God not because of our résumé but because we are His children. He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken. God’s love is so great that He loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant, and the wicked." That's from Dieter F. Uchtdorf.
In view of this, I don't let those humbling situations get to me. Well actually I kind of do, because they certainly get me down, but I don't let them get to me by shaking my testimony or diminishing my faith in God. There could be any number of reasons for my humbling situations. They might be consequences of past actions. They might just be a part of life. They might be Satan trying to make me miserable like he is. They might be God humbling me so that I come to Him. I don't know where this quote comes from (other than a handout taped into my scriptures), but someone said, "God will have a humble people. Either we can choose to be humble, or we can be compelled to be humble." Maybe I haven't yet learned how to choose to be humble, and so I'm being compelled to be humble, but from whatever source my humbling comes, it doesn't make the gospel any less true, it doesn't mean Jesus Christ isn't my Savior, and it certainly doesn't mean God isn't there and that He doesn't care about me. I know He's there, and I know He cares about me. Life can keep throwing these humbling situations at me, and I will keep loving my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and maybe one day I will come to see myself as they see me. Maybe one day I won't feel so inadequate, but until that day comes, I'll keep trusting that there's a reason for everything, and I'll keep trusting God.
*Wrap*
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Update On My Previous Post
So ever since Andrew saw my last post (he didn't actually read it though, he just saw the title, and probably the word "dog" somewhere in that post) he's been taking the time to inform me that we are never getting a dog. He's told me point blank like three times that we are not getting a dog. And when I told him I still want a fish he even said no to that. "First it's a hamster, then it's a fish, then it's a dog," apparently. Maybe when Harley dies I'll get my fish, cause he's already told me we're not getting another hamster. And now he even acts like he doesn't like Harley as much. What kind of man did I marry??? No I'm just kidding, I know exactly the kind of man I married and I'm perfectly okay with that man. I decided if we never get a dog I'll be okay with it, cause I'll still have him. Unless he dies (since he's going into the Army after all), in which case I will get my dog, and I will probably never be happy again. That's kind of a depressing thought and you probably didn't come here to get depressed so we'll just move on from that.
Also, Harley is not quite so vicious anymore. I think she really just wasn't happy with being forcibly taken from her old home. You'd probably lash out too if someone took you from your friends and put you in a box and shook you all around while they were driving and then stuck you in a new cage in a completely foreign place. In fact, you'd definitely lash out, and you'd probably call the police, if you still had your cell phone. That actually sounds like the basic plot to a lot of movies. But hamsters don't have cell phones, nor do they speak English, so all Harley could do was bite us. Like I said though, she's calming down a lot. She lets us pet her now without whipping around as fast as she possibly can and trying to bite our fingers off, and she even let me hold her last night without trying to bite me. She's still as feisty as ever, and she doesn't like being held, but maybe in a few days (or weeks...or never) she won't bite at all.
*Wrap*
Also, Harley is not quite so vicious anymore. I think she really just wasn't happy with being forcibly taken from her old home. You'd probably lash out too if someone took you from your friends and put you in a box and shook you all around while they were driving and then stuck you in a new cage in a completely foreign place. In fact, you'd definitely lash out, and you'd probably call the police, if you still had your cell phone. That actually sounds like the basic plot to a lot of movies. But hamsters don't have cell phones, nor do they speak English, so all Harley could do was bite us. Like I said though, she's calming down a lot. She lets us pet her now without whipping around as fast as she possibly can and trying to bite our fingers off, and she even let me hold her last night without trying to bite me. She's still as feisty as ever, and she doesn't like being held, but maybe in a few days (or weeks...or never) she won't bite at all.
*Wrap*
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
I Am Slowly Wearing Andrew Down
Don't worry, it isn't as bad as the title makes it sound.
So I've really wanted a fish for awhile now (I've been asking if we could get one since before Thanksgiving), but Andrew wouldn't let me get one because what were we gonna do with it over Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks? So I patiently waited for winter semester so I could get my fish. Well it's now winter semester, and after asking a couple of times and begging if we could go last Saturday, Andrew (rather reluctantly) gave in and said we would go Monday (as in yesterday). Well on Saturday night Andrew, Alex, and I went up to my grandparent's house and Alex told us he wanted to bring his dwarf hamster with him but he was afraid of being caught on his way out of the building. Obviously this implies that they're not allowed to have pets in his dorm, so please please don't turn him in or show this blog post to his RA (or any other RA for that matter, unless you know they aren't gonna do anything) cause I would feel really bad if I got him in trouble and you would be a jerk. I mean, neither my brother nor his hamster are doing anything to you, so what would you possibly gain from turning him in? Nothing, that's what, besides maybe a new reputation as a jerk. So anyway, Alex told us we should come look at his dwarf hamster when we got back to Provo, so when we got back to Provo on Sunday night after a relaxing day with our grandparents, we did indeed go look at his dwarf hamster. It was freakin' cute. Either Alex would make a good salesman, or I'm just a sucker, cause after that I wanted a dwarf hamster.
Monday came around and Andrew and I had lots of errands to do, like grocery shopping, going to Plato's Closet to get some new jeans, and picking up our new pet. Oh and here's a random story that made me super happy but has nothing to do with our new pet. A couple of weeks ago Andrew and I went to Big Lots to look for stuff to hang one of our new Christmas presents (it's obviously a picture), and there's a Dollar Tree next to the Big Lots, both of which happen to be next to the Macey's at which we shop. We stopped by the Dollar Tree too, and I found some two-packs of nail polishes that were the one of the brands I like and were only one dollar (because they were at the Dollar Tree). These nail polishes are like $2.79 or something at Target and $3.79 at the Macey's next door, so I was amazed at what a steal that was. I didn't get any then though, but since we're over there like every week when we go grocery shopping, I figured I'd get them eventually. So yesterday when we went to Macey's to do our grocery shopping I ran over to the Dollar Tree to get some of those nail polishes. I ended up getting a 4-pack of emery boards, two of those two packs of nail polishes (one of them had one nail polish and this Vitamin E nail and cuticle oil), and base/top coat. I go up to the register thinking this is gonna cost me $4 (which is actually really good for all of that), and the lady rings me up and tells me my total is $2.17. Thinking something is wrong she checks the price, and sure enough, the two packs of nail polishes are ringing up at one cent. She calls her manager, who calls another manager, who says that that is indeed what the price is. She actually yells this across the store, as she didn't actually come over to the register. So if any of you need new nail polish, you should definitely check out the Dollar Tree next to the Macey's on State Street and Bulldog, right across from the hospital. Even if they fixed it so they don't ring up at one cent, you're still getting a $7 value for $1, and who doesn't want to save $6?
Anyway, back to the pet story. After we did everything else, we stopped by Petsmart (even though Alex told us he got his hamster at Petco) and we found out that while Petsmart may be the superior store for pet supplies, it is most definitely not the superior store for actual pets. They did have way cooler fish than Petco did though, so if I ever convince Andrew to let me get a fish too (I still want one), then we will definitely be getting it from Petsmart. So anyway, by this point Andrew was in one of those pissy moods he gets in when he doesn't want to be doing something or is mad about something, but we went to Petco and found our dwarf hamster. We ended up getting this cute little female one, who, while she may look cute, is actually quite feisty and somewhat vicious. Sounds like a lot of women doesn't it? She spent the whole ride home trying to claw and bite her way out of box she was in and if you put your finger anywhere near her, she'll try to bite it. We figured it was just because of her eventful day and because she probably wasn't happy about being taken away from her two pals that she shared the cage with at Petco. We decided to name her Harley, because we couldn't think of any other names and that was one of the suggestions when I Googled, "What should I name my hamster?" We also Googled stuff about how to get your hamster to stop biting, and there were lots of good suggestions, and if you have a biting hamster you should also check it out. I actually don't know if we're allowed to have pets in our apartment complex, but another couple who lives here got a dog, and they got permission from the managers, so if they can have a dog, I'm sure it will be okay for us to have a hamster. Oh and if you're wondering how they can have a dog in a tiny apartment, it's just a little pug puppy, so it's probably okay. It's not like they're trying to cram a Great Dane into their apartment.
So anyway, here's why I'm wearing Andrew down. I really really REALLY want to get a dog eventually, but Andrew absolutely refuses. He says it's the one thing he won't give in on. He basically thinks they're a waste of space and money and if he's gonna spend money on something, it's gonna be our kids. My dad pretty much felt the same way when I was growing up (though his big things were that a dog sheds all over the furniture and that he'd end up being the one taking care of it), but eventually he gave in when my Grandma Kalauli actually gave us a dog. I'm holding out hope that Andrew will eventually give in, even if it takes 16 years, which is how long it took my dad to give in. I've always wanted a Great Pyrenees, or at least since my Auntie Nani got married and we went over to my Uncle Walter's friend Geo's house and he had one. If you don't know what they look like, they're white, and they're massive. They're one of the biggest breeds of dog. Anyway, Andrew didn't seem too happy about getting this hamster at first. He said it was "my thing," and he claimed he didn't care either way. As soon as we brought Harley home though, she started growing on him. He doesn't like "bitey things" (his words), but that doesn't stop him from going over to the cage to look at her, or talk to her, and when I suggested we look up ways to stop your hamster from biting, he was all for it. He even used one of the suggestions and went and got some gloves that he got from my parents for Christmas to mess with her inside the cage. I guess it's just too hard to resist the allure of your first pet (his first pet of course, not mine). So that's how I'm wearing his resolve down. I know there's a big difference between a hamster and dog, but I'm warming him to the idea of pets, and you have to start small right? I'm performing inception on his mind, and eventually he will give in, because he always gives in if it's important enough to me. I'm not saying I always win arguments, nor am I saying that I don't ever give in, but what I am saying is that he might one day give in on the dog issue, and when that day comes I will be very happy indeed. Oh and as soon as he saw this post he said, "No. No. We are not getting a dog, so you can just forget about it." We'll see about that.
*Wrap*
So I've really wanted a fish for awhile now (I've been asking if we could get one since before Thanksgiving), but Andrew wouldn't let me get one because what were we gonna do with it over Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks? So I patiently waited for winter semester so I could get my fish. Well it's now winter semester, and after asking a couple of times and begging if we could go last Saturday, Andrew (rather reluctantly) gave in and said we would go Monday (as in yesterday). Well on Saturday night Andrew, Alex, and I went up to my grandparent's house and Alex told us he wanted to bring his dwarf hamster with him but he was afraid of being caught on his way out of the building. Obviously this implies that they're not allowed to have pets in his dorm, so please please don't turn him in or show this blog post to his RA (or any other RA for that matter, unless you know they aren't gonna do anything) cause I would feel really bad if I got him in trouble and you would be a jerk. I mean, neither my brother nor his hamster are doing anything to you, so what would you possibly gain from turning him in? Nothing, that's what, besides maybe a new reputation as a jerk. So anyway, Alex told us we should come look at his dwarf hamster when we got back to Provo, so when we got back to Provo on Sunday night after a relaxing day with our grandparents, we did indeed go look at his dwarf hamster. It was freakin' cute. Either Alex would make a good salesman, or I'm just a sucker, cause after that I wanted a dwarf hamster.
Monday came around and Andrew and I had lots of errands to do, like grocery shopping, going to Plato's Closet to get some new jeans, and picking up our new pet. Oh and here's a random story that made me super happy but has nothing to do with our new pet. A couple of weeks ago Andrew and I went to Big Lots to look for stuff to hang one of our new Christmas presents (it's obviously a picture), and there's a Dollar Tree next to the Big Lots, both of which happen to be next to the Macey's at which we shop. We stopped by the Dollar Tree too, and I found some two-packs of nail polishes that were the one of the brands I like and were only one dollar (because they were at the Dollar Tree). These nail polishes are like $2.79 or something at Target and $3.79 at the Macey's next door, so I was amazed at what a steal that was. I didn't get any then though, but since we're over there like every week when we go grocery shopping, I figured I'd get them eventually. So yesterday when we went to Macey's to do our grocery shopping I ran over to the Dollar Tree to get some of those nail polishes. I ended up getting a 4-pack of emery boards, two of those two packs of nail polishes (one of them had one nail polish and this Vitamin E nail and cuticle oil), and base/top coat. I go up to the register thinking this is gonna cost me $4 (which is actually really good for all of that), and the lady rings me up and tells me my total is $2.17. Thinking something is wrong she checks the price, and sure enough, the two packs of nail polishes are ringing up at one cent. She calls her manager, who calls another manager, who says that that is indeed what the price is. She actually yells this across the store, as she didn't actually come over to the register. So if any of you need new nail polish, you should definitely check out the Dollar Tree next to the Macey's on State Street and Bulldog, right across from the hospital. Even if they fixed it so they don't ring up at one cent, you're still getting a $7 value for $1, and who doesn't want to save $6?
Anyway, back to the pet story. After we did everything else, we stopped by Petsmart (even though Alex told us he got his hamster at Petco) and we found out that while Petsmart may be the superior store for pet supplies, it is most definitely not the superior store for actual pets. They did have way cooler fish than Petco did though, so if I ever convince Andrew to let me get a fish too (I still want one), then we will definitely be getting it from Petsmart. So anyway, by this point Andrew was in one of those pissy moods he gets in when he doesn't want to be doing something or is mad about something, but we went to Petco and found our dwarf hamster. We ended up getting this cute little female one, who, while she may look cute, is actually quite feisty and somewhat vicious. Sounds like a lot of women doesn't it? She spent the whole ride home trying to claw and bite her way out of box she was in and if you put your finger anywhere near her, she'll try to bite it. We figured it was just because of her eventful day and because she probably wasn't happy about being taken away from her two pals that she shared the cage with at Petco. We decided to name her Harley, because we couldn't think of any other names and that was one of the suggestions when I Googled, "What should I name my hamster?" We also Googled stuff about how to get your hamster to stop biting, and there were lots of good suggestions, and if you have a biting hamster you should also check it out. I actually don't know if we're allowed to have pets in our apartment complex, but another couple who lives here got a dog, and they got permission from the managers, so if they can have a dog, I'm sure it will be okay for us to have a hamster. Oh and if you're wondering how they can have a dog in a tiny apartment, it's just a little pug puppy, so it's probably okay. It's not like they're trying to cram a Great Dane into their apartment.
So anyway, here's why I'm wearing Andrew down. I really really REALLY want to get a dog eventually, but Andrew absolutely refuses. He says it's the one thing he won't give in on. He basically thinks they're a waste of space and money and if he's gonna spend money on something, it's gonna be our kids. My dad pretty much felt the same way when I was growing up (though his big things were that a dog sheds all over the furniture and that he'd end up being the one taking care of it), but eventually he gave in when my Grandma Kalauli actually gave us a dog. I'm holding out hope that Andrew will eventually give in, even if it takes 16 years, which is how long it took my dad to give in. I've always wanted a Great Pyrenees, or at least since my Auntie Nani got married and we went over to my Uncle Walter's friend Geo's house and he had one. If you don't know what they look like, they're white, and they're massive. They're one of the biggest breeds of dog. Anyway, Andrew didn't seem too happy about getting this hamster at first. He said it was "my thing," and he claimed he didn't care either way. As soon as we brought Harley home though, she started growing on him. He doesn't like "bitey things" (his words), but that doesn't stop him from going over to the cage to look at her, or talk to her, and when I suggested we look up ways to stop your hamster from biting, he was all for it. He even used one of the suggestions and went and got some gloves that he got from my parents for Christmas to mess with her inside the cage. I guess it's just too hard to resist the allure of your first pet (his first pet of course, not mine). So that's how I'm wearing his resolve down. I know there's a big difference between a hamster and dog, but I'm warming him to the idea of pets, and you have to start small right? I'm performing inception on his mind, and eventually he will give in, because he always gives in if it's important enough to me. I'm not saying I always win arguments, nor am I saying that I don't ever give in, but what I am saying is that he might one day give in on the dog issue, and when that day comes I will be very happy indeed. Oh and as soon as he saw this post he said, "No. No. We are not getting a dog, so you can just forget about it." We'll see about that.
*Wrap*
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Oh Hi
Did you miss me? Well Christmas break is officially over, and it's back to school for Andrew and I. We had an awesome Christmas- we spent it in Kansas with Andrew's family and then drove down to Texas to spend New Year's with my family. We both loved spending time with our families and had tons of fun. Personally, I don't think we spent enough time in Texas (we were only there about 3 and a half days), but oh well, it was Andrew's family's on year to spend Christmas together. I definitely missed spending Christmas with my family, but I had a good first Christmas with Andrew and his family. The most exciting thing I got for Christmas was a Kindle Fire, and I love it. It's awesome. I prefer it to the iPad, and not just cause it's like $300 cheaper. Of course, I'm saying this based playing with other people's iPads, cause I don't have one of my own. We didn't do anything too exciting over the break. We spent time with family, saw a few movies (Sherlock Holmes, which was amazing; War Horse, which was really good-kinda depressing but at the same time it had a fairly happy ending; and Mission Impossible 4, which was good), and blew up gingerbread houses on New Year's Eve. All in all, it was a good Christmas break.
And now, it's back to school. Andrew is taking 15 credit hours and I'm taking 16. I'm super excited for a few of my classes, namely genetics (which some people might not find interesting, but I find it fascinating), astronomy, Greek and Roman mythology, and the second half of the Doctrine & Covenants with Brother Bott, who is one of the best professors at BYU. I'm not really excited for the second half of organic chemistry or history 201 though. Normally I really love history, but I don't like discussion based classes, and that's what this one is going to be. I'd prefer to be lectured to. Plus this class is pretty much all papers. Another reason I'm excited for genetics is because the professor is really funny. Today in class when he was explaining to us why he doesn't accept late homework, he declared, "I'm not Solomon. I can't cut that baby!" He also joked that some of the students in the class were ugly.
So yeah, I've lost interest in this blog post and I've run out of things to say, so I guess I'll just wrap it up. But first, if you have similar musical interests to me you might enjoy this. It's a remix of Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes. It was actually on the trailer to the new GI Joe movie. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m7e7tCn7Bk. And if you really like it, there's a link to download it in the description box.
*Wrap*
And now, it's back to school. Andrew is taking 15 credit hours and I'm taking 16. I'm super excited for a few of my classes, namely genetics (which some people might not find interesting, but I find it fascinating), astronomy, Greek and Roman mythology, and the second half of the Doctrine & Covenants with Brother Bott, who is one of the best professors at BYU. I'm not really excited for the second half of organic chemistry or history 201 though. Normally I really love history, but I don't like discussion based classes, and that's what this one is going to be. I'd prefer to be lectured to. Plus this class is pretty much all papers. Another reason I'm excited for genetics is because the professor is really funny. Today in class when he was explaining to us why he doesn't accept late homework, he declared, "I'm not Solomon. I can't cut that baby!" He also joked that some of the students in the class were ugly.
So yeah, I've lost interest in this blog post and I've run out of things to say, so I guess I'll just wrap it up. But first, if you have similar musical interests to me you might enjoy this. It's a remix of Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes. It was actually on the trailer to the new GI Joe movie. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m7e7tCn7Bk. And if you really like it, there's a link to download it in the description box.
*Wrap*
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