*faceplant*  Boy, did I have a weekend - crazy, insane, yet all in a good way.  To recap:

Thursday - I had to go to Provo to talk to the people printing the yearbook (it's getting to be crunch time on this sucker).  Now, if you've never been to Utah, the majority of road are on this ingenious little grid system (I didn't know how ingenious it was until I tried to drive in Florida - holy crap on a cracker, THAT is insane!)  Everything is some-number North, South, East or West by another-number North, South, East or West.  Basically, if you can count, you can find your way around.  In theory, at least (well, it works in places like Salt Lake, Logan and Delta).

Well, Provo and Orem border each other and they have separate grid systems.  And I had to take the University Parkway exit on I-15, which is the border between these two cities (at least, that's what I've been told - but it's not clearly delineated.  You just have to know that kind of crap).  So, I'm looking for an address on North State Street - I found State Street (not hard to do) and I read the sign and it says I'm on South State Street.  Logic says - go north to find North State Street.  Which I do - except logic doesn't work in Utah County.  I wanted North State Street in Provo, but I ended up at Center Street in Orem.  Oh, did I mention I was driving there in RUSH HOUR????  And my car was making funny metal-on-metal noises?  And I was already frazzled because I had another 1-2 hour drive to get where I was ultimately going?

I don't do well driving in the city.  Well actually, I do okay until there's a boatload of traffic that I have to deal with.  It's one of those things that I do if I must, but I don't enjoy it.  I'd much rather be on a deserted backroad in the country somewhere because you can see any kind of obstruction coming a mile away and you can prepare yourself for it.  In the city, the obstacles are ever-present and constantly changing and if you have one moment lapse in concentration (or you are looking at one thing and something comes at you from the other direction), you are hosed.  It doesn't do my anxiety any favors.

Friday - Went to the temple with Kathryn - that was great.  Then I had my class that afternoon.  I still hadn't really recovered from my driving experience the previous day, so I was still dead tired.  But I felt soooo much better in class.  When I'm doing my schoolwork, I feel like I'm getting somewhere in life instead of just in a weird holding pattern.  I know I'm doing something productive with myself, but some days, I don't feel like I am.  So, it was good to be in the same room with all my classmates.

Saturday - Class from 9-5.  Repeat of happy, productive feelings from the night before.  Still tired as heck, but a good tired.  Then, I had a four hour drive back home, but it didn't feel as long as Friday's drive felt (I took my normal country road route, so that most likely had something to do with it).

Sunday - Church (yay!) Some people were out that I hadn't seen in awhile, so it was good to see them.  Came home, had dinner, watched "The Princess Bride" with Haylie.  Then, Johnny and Christopher wanted to watch "2012," which I had not seen (their grandma and uncle are out and Uncle Jerry brought it with him).  I don't usually like end-of-the-world-disaster-type movies, but the boys were all "It's not scary, you'll be okay,"  So, I watched it because I will not look like a wuss in front of a 12- and 10-year-old ("pride goeth before a fall").  And here's my analysis (under a cut because that's my policy) -

FLEE!! )

Sigh... well, I'm still tired and I have another big week ahead of me AGAIN!  But that's a surprise *evil, mischievous grin*  Watch this space for pictures and stuff later ^_^  In the meantime, I borrowed the "John Adams" miniseries on DVD from the library, so I'm going to enjoy that (it came highly recommended).

... it's time for an LJ dump!

Letssee...  (ooh ooh - "New Moon" TV spot - pardon the ADD moment... okay, I'm back) ... the actual week was okay - nothing crazy to report.  My second job asked if I could post my articles, which amounts to some extra hours (yay!!)  Then the weekend - I went home because our stake was having big devotional at the Manti Temple (like, in the upper priesthood room; like, a once-in-a-lifetime big deal thing).  That was pretty sweet and I enjoyed it.

Also, we had our family Halloween party (apparently, this tradition started while I was on my mission - it's a tradition I can support, though).  A few nights before, I decided I was going to go as one of the Twilight vampires (didn't have a particular one in mind, just whoever), so I had to scramble for what I needed.  I had makeup (I'm fair-skinned as it is, so I just had to go a little paler) and some cool looking high heeled boots.  I went online to see how to be a Twilight vampire and they all said you had to have colored contacts, which I can see.  But I already wear prescription contacts and getting colored prescription contacts for one night is pretty stupid (I'm NOT going around with yellow eyes in real life).  But - intelligent me, forgot the button-up shirt that I'd found to wear, so I had to turn my Gators shirt inside out (lucky it was black).  But it was cool.  When I go to the Scream on Friday, at least I won't be leaving parts of my costume other places.

(TV-ADD Moment: Oh jeez, these Redskins stink...)

The party was fun - got to see some cousins that I don't always get to see.  Then Saturday, Mom and Dad went to the Utes game and I stayed in Delta with my sisters and the dog (hands down, the dog was better company).

I have a beef, however - Why is it that Utah State's football team, who aren't exactly headed for any championships anytime soon, can get on ESPN, but the two teams in the state that are ranked in the BCS (Utah and BYU) have to cater to the small fish at Versus and Comcast?  We have DirecTV at home and the idiots at Comcast has bought out Versus and said that no one else can carry that channel.  Versus was the ONLY chance Mountain West fans had to watch the games on TV because we have to have that insanely retarded mtn. channel - it's not even big league enough to spell anything out, I'd like to point out (hate you, Dave Checketts, HATE YOU!!!)  It sucks that I can watch every NFL game that I want, but I can't even get a simple local college team on TV.  Sigh... an argument that's been levied for at least three years and probably will be revisited until the rest of forever.  It's like universal health care - no one wants it, but they snuck it through and now that we have it, we can't get rid of it.

Oh well - the Utes won.  BYU got spanked.  Even though they beat BYU, TCU is fast becoming the Patriots of the Mountain West - where the crap did they come from, can we please shut up about them and will the Utes please beat the snot out of them?  I just don't want them beating MY team, that's all.

Oh - my roommate had some fun updates from Steve - I guess he told her mom that we were "good people."  Let the analysis begin!  I guess the way he said it makes this significant.  This means that we must go back and make it a BIGGER visit (not sure what "BIGGER" means - I'm not going in a wedding dress or anything).  But my roommate is taking over the logistics, which is good, because I haven't a clue what to do - if anything should be done at all.  I reiterate: I wouldn't mind getting to know this guy better - he's really cool and had life pretty well figured out.  But how do I do this and not look like a desperate twit?

(TV-ADD Moment - I usually love adaptations of "A Christmas Carol," but this Disney 3D version looks like a hack job just to have a 3D Christmas movie.  Hm...)

And last night, I got back at 12:30 am - and I'm getting a cold (Zicam, NyQuil and orange juice are on hand), so I am wiped out.

Well, that's what's on my mind.  At least, what's on my mind that I could post on LJ and not get my butt kicked by certain people (and they know who they are).  But that's what hard copy journals are for ^_^
Well, Real Life in general has been a frenzy lately, but I referred to Election Day simply because I'm quite opinionated about this Referendum 1 that's a big issue this election cycle (and since that was the only thing on my ballot).  I'm for Referendum 1 simply because I'm for parents having a say in their kids' education and because public schools have been doing jack crap with the property tax money we're forced to give them anyway, so why not kick them to the curb and tell the teacher's unions to stick it where the sun don't shine?  I think it's ironic that the public school folks used the motto "Referendum 1: Full of flaws. Fails Utah's families" because public schools have been failing for at least the past 20 years (well, as far as I can remember).  I guess that would make public schools experts at failing Utah's school kids, so maybe they really do know what they're talking about.

I graduated from high school nearly five years ago and it's really sad when I can count on one hand the truly exceptional teachers I had in the public school system .  I can think of more teachers who I swear they picked up off the side of the road than I can think of teachers who made it their business to teach us how to read and write.  Despite what those sissies at KSL say, those heartwarming "Teachers of the Week" deals are the exception rather than the rule around here.

Anyway, enough politics (besides, that post is out of date by now, even though I had planned to do it.  Oh well...) I was coming back from home last night when I suddenly got a migraine, you know, the kind that make you dizzy and you can't see straight.  The problem was that I was in the middle of nowhere on the freeway going about 70 miles an hour when it hit.  Thankfully, I made it to Grantsville where my family has a house where I could crash for a few hours while my head tried to kill me.  I mention this because my usual "Heroes" rehash is a full day late, but I did catch it.  And it was a doozy.



CSI was on tonight, but it was a rerun from last year.  That being the case, there will be no rehash this week (I consider myself a forward thinking person).  Suffice it to say, someone was killed, Brass said something funny, Doc Robbins looked exasperated, Grissom and Sara flirted, Nick looked hunky and the "pleasure provider" did it (well, she did 1/4 of it - this is the one with the washed-up boxer that lives in "The Best Little Whorehouse in Vegas" - shameless Jimmy Stewart film plug there - dies of drowning, an allergic reaction, snake venom and an arrow wound.  Yup, another regular day at the Las Vegas Crime Lab).

All jokings aside, there is something of a more serious nature I need to discuss (but it's a good thing, don't worry).  First off, I've made a rather important decision that will affect my life for approximately the next two years and I want to share it with my flist.  I have decided to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I've been thinking very seriously about this for the past year or so, ever since I found out that I could graduate in 2007 rather than in 3007.  Before then, it had never been something I'd ever planned on doing, but it's a very viable option for my life right now.  I'm done with school, I don't have a boyfriend, I don't have much tying me down and, most importantly, I feel like this is something I need to do in my life.  My faith has always been very important to me and a very critical part of my life, especially since I graduated from high school.

You hear a lot of times about people who, once they turn 18 and are legally adults, turn away from their faith and "grow out of religion," as though religion is this childish thing, like watching Sesame Street or playing with baby dolls.  For me, it was exactly the opposite.  I always had a testimony that the church was true, but I needed to know that it wasn't "just" my parents and my church leaders "making" me think that.  So, a few years ago, I went through a very personal and soul-searching time where I decided that the faith I grew up in was indeed the true gospel.  My adult years (few though they may be) are actually the time when I started to learn so much more about the gospel and begin to understand it at a deeper level.

For me, a mission is going to be a chance to share something that I value and treasure with all my heart with other people.  Some may reject it, but others will be touched by the Spirit and gain their own testimony.  Granted, this is going to be hard for me, but I believe that this is going to be a great experience for me.

Sister missionaries spend 18 months dedicating themselves completely to the work (as opposed to the guys who serve two years - hey, guys need to be kicked in the pants a little harder than the girls do.  That's 'cuz we're wonderful ^_^).  Missionaries have to follow strict rules in appearance, conduct, where they are, what they see, etc.  Seeing how this is the case, this LJ will be on hiatus as of the day I leave for the Missionary Training Center.  I might have access to Internet, but that will most likely be strictly limited to e-mailing my immediate family and nothing else (depends on what my mission's rules are).  But don't worry, it won't be for a few months.  There's a lot of paperwork and things to get ready for before I actually leave (and there's that little issue of actually getting The Call in the mail that tells me what far-flung area of the world I'll be assigned to - that's probably the most nerve-wracking part, not knowing where I'll be a few months from now).

In the meantime, I'll keep everyone posted on how things are going.  I have papers to fill out, doctor's appointments to go to, clothes to buy and a lot of really, really exciting things that I never thought I would do.  But I can't forget why I'm doing all this: it's to bring people to a knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ and His love for all of us.  I hope you all understand how important this is to me and to so many people who have served missions or who have loved ones who have served missions.  I'm excited to be doing this!

Okay, got to get some sleep now.  I'm going to Hurricane tomorrow for my brother's playoff football game (I don't know if they'll actually win, but it's a trip with the fam) and then I'm going home for the weekend so we can celebrate [profile] adjie1026's birthday (which is tomorrow - Happy Birthday Dirt Clod! ^_^ \/ ) and so I can get started on all the mission stuff I have to do (eeeee! I'm going on a mission!)

ETA: Okay, I've given it some thought and I figured out what I could do.  Since I'm a horrible letter writer, I think what I'll do is give [profile] adjie1026 my password and username (she's my sister, I trust her) and have her monitor my LiveJournal while I'm on my mission.  When I write to her, I'll include a paragraph or so that she can post just for my flist.  Idk, I don't want to leave you guys out of all the news and whatnot.  It may not be fandom-related or whatever, but it might be fun.  A lot of my flist (okay, all of you) are actually my friends beyond fandoms.  If you'd rather not hear about it, comment on this entry saying so.  I'll set up a mission flist and put those that want to get mission updates from me on it and I'll tell my sister to post there.  Just so you know, those'll be the only updates anyone gets from me for 18 months.  If you're not on the filter, you'll just see a big "I'm On Hiatus" post the day I leave and wonder where the heck I disappeared to the rest of the time.

If I don't hear from you, I'll assume you want to be on the mission flist
I was all ready to go this morning, but my boss called and told me that he didn't need me today. Just as well. This job is not going to last very long and I need to find something more substantial (it only pays $10/hr with no benefits and I don't get very many hours. Granted, it's better than absolutely nothing). Luckily, I didn't wait for today to figure that out - I have an interview today at 3:30 with one company and should be scheduled for a second interview with a different company this week (I had the first last week, so this is good news). Both have pretty good pay and benefits (yay for benefits!) Cross your fingers that I'll have something soon.

But for today, I'm just cooling my heels on this Columbus Day (side note: this is the first time I've ever had Columbus Day off. School was never out for it, though I may have had it off when I was in first grade and they quit doing it somewhere along the line). Got some errands done that I didn't get done over the weekend (rainy/snowy Saturday will do that. Plus, it was General Conference and I rarely have a desire to get out of the house during the "bye" week).

"Heroes" is on tonight too, and I hope that we've had enough filler-set-up episodes and we actually start getting to the meat of the story. The problem with all these many characters in separate plot lines is that you have to keep track of them all and you forget about characters and things get muddled (sort of my beef with the "Wheel of Time" series - too many lines to keep track of, everyone is separated and you'd go whole books without seeing any of the main characters). With Heroes, I'm hoping that some of the characters' storylines will take them into other characters' storylines so everyone will be together and we can keep track of it easier.

But all that aside, after two weeks of teasing, it seems that Sylar will indeed be returning to the story. I keep thinking the girl with him in the promo looks like Ali Larter, which means that maybe Jessica and Niki are now separated? Or Sylar's been caught and he's in some drug-induced hallucination that creates the illusion that he's retired to the super-evil-villains Tahiti. I wonder if the Company(tm) caught him. Hmmm... so much speculation...

And a Quiz Because I'm Bored )
But not me...

Right now, my mom and my sister, E, are on an airplane flying to New York for the weekend.  D'you know how close I came to going on this trip?  Let me put it this way: if I'd called tails instead of heads...

Alas, there was only one open slot in the group and E got it (stupid quarter).  But, I'm not bitter.  E doesn't have class today and she's hasn't been on big trips like this and I went to Nashville with the newspaper a couple years ago, so it's not like I haven't been anywhere exotic (keep in mind, the most exotic place I've been is probably Disneyland - and that was once two years ago.  What can I say?  I'm a homebody).  Besides, my mom will probably have more fun with E anyway (but they were gunna go to a Broadway plaaaaaayy.... *whines*)  Oh well, my new Knight Peter icon can keep me company this weekend. *is a little wistful*

Oh, and I finished the first of my SongFic 100 drabbles last night.  I'm debating whether to post it here or somewhere else or to post it at all.  Though, this is one I could actually put into my story (that was sort of the idea going into this).  Maybe I want to wait until I have a couple more written.  It's amazing what a little success can do for your creative juices ^_^

Ugh, it's only 10:00 and I'm sooo tired.  TGIF.
Sheesh, I check my f-list for the first time all weekend and nobody's done a thing.  You'd think it was summertime.

I got the Lappy back on Friday (and there was much rejoicing in the land).  She's almost good as new, but I have to figure out how to get the backup files installed back onto the hard drive.  I have most of the important stuff back, but Microsoft Office is being a whore.  I was going to take it to my uncle over the weekend, but he was sick with heatstroke or something, so I'll have to wait on that.

Anyway, the story of how I braved insane Wasatch Front drivers to secure the hostage: CompUSA called while I was at work, so I decided to take a slight detour (oh... about ten block detour) after work, but the problem is that I forgot that it was Friday and everyone would be eating each other trying to get home for the weekend.  And there was construction in a number of places.  It was quite the harrowing experience, but like all such experiences, you learn to leave work at 4:00 and go straight home away from the psycho Friday 500 races.

Then my brother's basketball team was at the U for summer basketball camp.  It was fun to go watch them play against teams from much bigger schools and even more fun to see the family.  Except that my dad volunteered me to take some of the boys halfway home on Saturday after the camp was over (my mom met me at the halfway point, so I didn't have to go all the way to Delta).  I wouldn't have minded, except I was kinda planning to go to the park with some friends on Saturday afternoon and my dad didn't even ask me if I could play chauffeur.  By the time he even informed me I would be performing this service, it was too late to tell the coach that I couldn't.  Blech.

But in really good news: I found an apartment to move into!  It's in a fairly nice complex in Holladay (with a pool! My bedroom overlooks it, which could be good or bad, depending on who's down there at the time) and I can actually afford it.  I'm planning on moving the weekend of the 13th (seeing as how the Order of the Phoenix movie got moved up), but I probably could move earlier if I wanted to.  The funniest part is that the girl I'll be rooming with was actually my neighbor in Logan last summer.  I didn't know it her advertising until she answered the door when first I went to see the place.  Funny how these things work out...

My sister went home to the desert with the rest of the family, so I'm on my own for the weekend.  I've just been making friends with TV Links and re-watching "24" season 4.  The problem is that some of the eps don't work and I've been deprived of the major Tony/Michelle moments of that season (which I am a shameless sucker for) and even some of the more tender Jack/Audrey scenes (which everyone is required by law to love and I don't care who you vote for).

Holy crap! It's quarter after eleven and I have work at eight tomorrow morning!  I just realized I'm tired.  G'night!

Love from,
Jenny Wildcat

PS, The infamous politically charged rant?  Scroll down a few posts if you really want to read it.  Just to advertise... you don't have to...

Profile

jenny_wildcat

December 2011

S M T W T F S
    1 23
45678910
11121314151617
1819 2021222324
25262728293031

Syndicate

RSS Atom

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jul. 11th, 2025 04:58 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios