Creative Wanderings

No, I’m not engaged. C’mon people, I’m not even dating on a regular basis, let alone dating one person exclusively! That’s okay– life happens, and that will too when it’s time. Its just interesting though, for me to look around and see how many people I know that are engaged. Three friends of mine got engaged over the weekend. I’m counting down the days until my roommate has an actual ring to make things “official.” By the way, have I mentioned that I like my iPod? It’s smart. No sooner do I start typing this post than beautiful Josh Groban comes on and starts singing “You Are Loved (Don’t Give Up).” Anyways, love is in the air!! Another friend of mine is expecting a baby any day, another is expecting in the next few months, and I’m going to be an auntie again in August!! Here I try to convince Read more…

Who doesn’t love a Monday off work and school? Not that I have class on Monday, but it’s always nice to have a day off. And tomorrow will be Monday classes, so technically I do get a day off school. But that’s besides the point. Being the dedicated and hard-working lass that I am, I woke up bright and early to get a good start on the day. Well, that is if you count 11:30 am early and reading a novel for an hour and a half a good start. (I do.) A little bit of housekeeping, a shower and breakfast later, and I was ready to ponder how to spend my day. Alone. (Again, that’s beside the point. I usually spend free days alone if I don’t have rehearsal, and that’s just how life goes.) I decided to do at least one responsible thing today, so I dutifully got Read more…

In January, on some Thursday night after I taught dance, I saw this incredible full moon hanging in the cleft of the mountains. Of course I had to capture it on my new camera! I learned two things through this experience. 1) I really know next to nothing about photography and how to manually capture the shot I’m looking for. 2) I don’t know how to use photoshop to make it look cool. Below are my attempts to take and edit some pictures of that moon. Trust me, none of them do justice to the looming yellow disk that was illuminating the mountains. I just couldn’t get the outline of the mountains to stand out like I wanted it to, even though in real life it was quite clear and definite. Enjoy!

Half of me is frustrated at listening to a very annoying voice mail lady tell me that no representatives are available. Do they hire someone with the absolutely most annoying voice possible to do those recordings? Thank goodness a real person finally became available. It only took about 5-7 minutes of phone gymnastics to get to her. Outside of that, things are going quite well. I made a new friend this week (!!!) and she’s very nice. I know, I’m sure some of you all would rather I get a friend of the other gender. You and me both, kiddo. But given the fact that I essentially live alone now (almost engaged roommate), I’m not going to be picky about the gender of my friends.

In dance, all muscle training is done equally on the right and left side. Some dance forms, like Irish dance, preserve this symmetry in their dances– once you do a step on the right foot, you do it on the left foot. Then you move on to the next step, right/left. Some of my girls were getting a little confused yesterday when we were doing our two jig steps together. (By the way, I love this jig! I borrowed a step from the BYU curriculum- mostly because it was in my head- then came up with a nice second step to complement it. It rocks.) I emphasized to them that everything we do on the right foot, we do on the left foot too. What is interesting in all this, is that despite the “balanced” training, we still end up with a dominant side. My right side is generally dominant Read more…

Ah, the wonders of technology. It keeps people connected, even when time or distance or change of circumstances. I was casually perusing Facebook today, and found out that one of my good friends freshman year lost her baby. (What a strange way to phrase it… like a misplaced object?). She married a few years ago and had a baby back in Fall, but unfortunately their little girl had seizures and troubles. There was a while that she had to stay in the hospital, but she did get to be at home for the past two or three months. Anyways, more complications came up and they returned to the hospital, and on Friday their daughter passed away. How sad. Life is such a mix of highs and lows. What was interesting is that I noticed someone that commented about the events, someone who used to be in my ward senior year. Read more…

Seriously. Ok, please be forewarned that this is another work-related rant of sorts. I know some current students read this (aka my friends!) but rest assured that none of you fall into this category. This rant is about the dumb students. Really, so a student has gone to the website and can’t find the contact information for a particular lender. Ok, well before I judge their ineptitude, I give them the benefit of the doubt. I’ve perused enough bank websites to know that yes, it really can be confusing. So, in giving them the benefit of the doubt, and in hopes of providing them with a link so they can somewhat self-serve, I go to the website. There, on the top right, is a Contact Us link. Click on that, and lo and behold there is a list of services and the numbers for contacting people about those specific services. Read more…

I know we haven’t talked very much in the past 24 years, but I hope you realize how important you are to me. Without you I couldn’t see, and that would put a damper on a great many things in my life. Should I tell you this more often? I’m not a fan of your current passive-aggressive behaviour towards me. I understand you might be tired of wearing contacts, but couldn’t you tell me by getting dry or something, not be getting red and irritated? It’s very unbecoming to both of us. I’ve laid off for the past several days, letting you hide behind glasses. I think you’ve enjoyed this more, though your stunt today makes me wonder. Why, when I’m already acquiescing to your desire for glasses, must you react so strongly to the eyeshadow I put over you? I wish I knew if it were the color scheme Read more…

Ok friends, I know people read this without commenting, but this is one time where I’d really like as many comments possible. I have a hair dilemma. I can either dye my hair more blonde to match this wiggie, or I can buy a new wiggie to match my hair. I’ll probably be highlighting my hair anyways, but as you can see, that’s not really enough to tie it in to match. So, sweaty dance face aside, what would you do about the hair?

Bless students. They are fascinating creatures, prime for research and examination. Indeed, in my line of work I have the chance to see them and draw empirical conclusions. Here are some things I have observed. Most students who apply/are admitted have ACT scores in the 30’s range and GPA’s around 3.80 and higher. Most students who apply for financial aid don’t know how to read instructions. Manners have largely gone down the drain. Following manners are spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Students, students, students!!! Learn how to read, learn how to spell, and remember the manners your mother taught you. It’s time to practice being a grown-up. What’s interesting about this is that my musings were triggered by someone mis-spelling some basic stuff. But once you think about it, reading skills and manners follow somewhat naturally into the line of thought.