Five (more) Fast Findings

Okay so maybe I have a lot on my mind today.

1. I've been sifting through a friend's facebook pics who has natural brown hair dyed platinum blonde, kind of like me, and she likes dying her hair in ombre shades of blue or purple quite often. She's still in high school. My first instinct? Man, I hope my kids are cool enough to want to do this someday. I'm serious though, I want my kids to feel totally comfortable expressing themselves. If that means goth, dressing like Peggy from Mad Men, drawing on my kitchen walls with 80's Glam Sharpies, whatever! I hope they go for it. Of course, with my luck, my kids will probably be happiest shopping at Eddie Bauer and Cabela's or something.

2. I have this major thing for art deco design. One of my favorite things about Smallville was its art deco focus, especially in the Daily Planet offices and at The Talon. The apartment above The Talon was kinda drool-worthy too. But anyway. If I could go back to the Roaring 20s, Prohibition, decadent velvet couches days, I would totally do it. Well, if modern utilities were included, of course:

3. Pinterest is an amazing place. I think my favorite part about it is going through other people's boards. You can really get to know a person's interests just by the pictures they've posted. After all a picture really is worth a thousand words. Follow my board:

4. I don't really get...immersed in the hip hop culture, but every once in a while there are a few artists who stand out to me. Flo Rida is one of them. He has a knack for sampling hits from years past and turning them into his own catchy song. I'm sure some people knock him for it, but what can I say, I like his versions! He first did it with Right Round (which sampled "You Spin Me Round" by one-hit-wonder band Dead or Alive), and now my current new favorite, Good Feeling, which samples, of all people, Etta James' "Something's Got a Hold of Me." The beginning of Good Feeling (and the resulting chorus) is all Etta. Lets take another listen, knowing that:

5. I've been having trouble lately trying to plot the next phase of my life. I think, though, that I have it sorted out. First off, I've been deciding if I want to do BYU-Idaho's Fast Grad program, which allows you to take classes year-round, and finish early. If I do that, I'd likely be done, with a BA, in July of 2013. If I just do my normal classes of Spring-Fall semesters, I'd be done in December of 2013. What's the problem, you ask? Winters in Rexburg, Idaho, suck. They are windy and cold and snowy. I don't do windy, cold or snowy. Good grief, my first choice for college was BYU-Hawaii! But a friend pointed out, wouldn't it be better to suck up a few months of misery for another year of your life? Or well, 6 months. So I think I'm leaning toward just sucking it up and getting things out of the way faster. Originally, I was planning on taking that winter semester to volunteer in China at the Starfish Foster Home, but a nifty alternative would be to get my BA in July, THEN go to China, AND since I would have the appropriate degree, I could probably find a job teaching English too. So I could still volunteer, but I would also be making some money, so I could potentially travel around China and see the sights for a year or so before law school. Eh? Eh? Anyway. That's kinda what's brewing in my head. It's kind of based on a lot of Ifs though, as in IF I survive winter in Rexburg, IF I don't fail any classes, IF I don't screw things up by (gasp!) getting married or something. If I do this Fast Grad program though, I'll probably take this year's summer session off so I can have 6 weeks to chill and do nothing til I hit the daily grind again. Thoughts, as usual, are appreciated, but I'm pretty much surfing it day to day at the moment.

Five Fast Findings

1. My phone cracks me up. It's an amazing little machine, the MyTouch 4G Slide from T-Mobile. But like any smartphone, it does sorta run out the battery. (Well, it doesn't help that I was using Google and Shazam all day because I had a long drive for work, but anyway.) I was trying to squeeze in one final text, but my phone ever so gently stopped me mid-sentence, flashed a pretty white screen with the HTC logo and the slogan "quietly brilliant," then softly faded the screen out to black, as if it was saying, shhh it's okay, I'll be back when you find the cord. It made me laugh. My last phone would just abruptly go black, leaving me frustrated with a now-useless paperweight and a face like the Scream villain. I love my MyTouch. (note that it is my personal opinion that the 4g SLIDE is better than the regular MyTouch 4G. Not that I use the slide-out keyboard much with Swype, but the 4G slide just seems to be higher quality, in case you're planning on purchasing one).

2. So I'm trying to cram in last-minute crafts that I've been planning on doing forever but never got around to doing, since school is starting in less than 3 weeks now. My current project is wrapping bangle bracelets and earrings with embroidery floss/thread (which were only 39 cents per skein at Joann!). It's kinda time-consuming and once you start wrapping, you can't set it down or it will unravel, but it's really easy. Just wrap, then knot at the end, and slather the knot in Tacky Glue (or super glue, really whatever strong glue will bind to fabric), then let dry for a few hours. I used this blog as a guide: Delighted Momma: DIY Colorblock Earrings. (little tip, she has a ton of crafts with much more helpful instruction than what I'll ever offer you, sift through her blog!)

And here's a pic of my first bracelets. They clash all together like this, so don't worry, I won't be wearing them like this in public:

3. As of tomorrow, I'll be halfway through my second month of Nutrisystem, and while it's been a bit tougher because my hours as a fast-food-restaurant secret shopper got increased for these last few weeks before I go to college, I've still managed to lose weight. I need to use the scale at the gym tomorrow (for consistency), but I believe I've lost a total of 10-12 pounds. And I'm definitely in the size 12-14 range, as my AE size 14 jeans are starting to feel a little less-snug. yay!

4. I went to Hobby Lobby for the first time tonight. It's amazing. Just. amazing. Soo much stuff. And lots of it was on sale too. I found a gorgeous lamp that I'm going to use as my nightstand lamp, it's $39.99, plus I have a coupon for 40% off one regular-priced item, so it will be quite reasonable. One nice thing I learned is that if I go to mobile.hobbylobby.com on my phone, I can just show them the 40% off coupon, instead of having to track down a printer. They only have one in the Spokane Valley right now, but rumor has it, they're building one on the North Side!

5. There's a difference between Equal and Splenda. Now that I'm being pretty much sugar-free outside of Nutrisystem foods, my new vice is no-calorie sweeteners. However, I'm learning that there's a reason why people request specific brands instead of just "sweetener" at restaurants. My preference is Splenda. I've found that Equal feels a little chalky and dusty to me, even mixed in herbal tea, but Splenda has more of a sugar-like consistency. The Walmart brand of sweetener (my parents have a massive bag of it) is also not bad. I know I'm just being super picky and I couldn't even blame the lady at the drive-thru window who gave me a blank stare today, but hey, I'm limiting my caloric intake hardcore, this is my last frontier of control!

Moving away to go back to college gives me an excuse to shop for my new room

I'm going to BYU-Idaho in a few weeks and my mom and I have been working on a quilt for me to take. It's made up of squares that we found at a flea market in Hawaii, so the quilt is bright and very Hawaiian-looking. Pics later. But anyway, I've been using this quilt as a good base for how I want to decorate my new room. I have a window ledge/shelf thing, so I've been looking for a print or wall plaque or something that I can prop up and display. Something that kind of conveys who I am. It's been quite a search for the past few weeks. Tonight I almost bought a print from Zulily.com, when I realized, wait a minute, my mom has a ton of Hawaii pictures from her DSLR, and I have Photoshop with some cool fonts...so here's what I created. I'll probably keep working in this vein, especially when I get my own nice camera. I can finally dig into my pages of good quotes I've saved on my computer over the years too.

I love photography, but I'm not really into the whole senior pics/weddings bread-and-butter stuff. I could see myself doing this type of art photography though, as a hobby of course.

Most indie movies suck, but there are some that are worth every penny of that director's second mortgage

I've taken a few film classes, both to satisfy obscure AA degree requirements (writing, diversity, guess my prior journalism courses and Native American heritage weren't quite enough, WERE THEY SFCC), but anyway, I took Intro to Film and Independent Film. Which means I've seen everything from Duck Soup to Boys Don't Cry, and everything in between.

I've learned the difference between an independent film and a studio film (one gets lots of creativity, blood, sweat and tears, and the other gets lots of money but may be limited or reduced in creativity to studio preferences), and I've learned that on the whole, most indie films are dialogue-heavy, with a message to share, and usually a pretty sweet custom soundtrack (because the latest Top 40 pop song is usually too expensive to secure for the film, and an emerging artist looking to get their name out there is happy to write a song for peanuts and a spot in the credits).

I'm not really into dialogue movies. I tend to get bored easily, and I like action and drama more than anything. However, there are several indie films that I not only tolerate, but have placed in my top favorites lists. As my title says, most indie films suck, but there really are some that I hope the director knows, it was all worth it.

One of my favorite movies, definitely in my top 5, is Ten Inch Hero. It's about the crew of an offbeat sandwich shop (hence the title), and a mix of romantic comedy, slice-of-life and coming-of-age genres. The actors are fairly well-known, and most people first watch this film because Jensen Ackles is in it, but I'll admit, when I first watched this movie back in 2008, I didn't really know who he was. I was working at Blockbuster at the time, and we had 5 free rentals a week, which I preferred to use to preview new releases. This looked interesting, and I'm so glad I watched it. I bought my own copy soon after, and now it's on Netflix instant, so I get to watch it anytime I want.

Besides the incredible cast and screenplay, I love two songs written by Bethany Joy Galeotti (of One Tree Hill) for the movie, The Long Way, and Something Familiar. I've had copies of the songs for years, but they're pretty hard to find, so good luck with that. I also like the fact that this movie really ends with everyone finding their other half. A good majority of indie films are too involved in sending a message to let us end on a happy note, but this movie truly makes you smile, through happy tears.

There are a lot of parts that ring true for me, for anybody who's ever, well, lived. When one character is meeting her Internet chat buddy/potential boyfriend, she gets intimidated when she spots him and realizes that he is way hotter than she is. Upset and panicking, she runs out. Later, she explains, "There's no way a guy who looks like that is going to want me." I've felt that way before. When her friend replies with, "you are the smartest person I know...you have so much to offer..." But I know exactly what is meant in the sad reply, "I didn't say I don't have a lot to offer, I said that people never know because they don't see me."

While that is a rare sad part of the movie, it, among other (happier) parts, rings true with me, and with most every girl, I think. And that's the beauty in this movie. It is very real, and very true to life. Of course, in the end, the less-pretty girl does end up with the hot Internet buddy, but even that, if it isn't always realistic, gives hope to everyone who's ever been in her position.

There are also little clips of random conversation, created from an eclectic crew with too much time on their hands at an eclectic sandwich shop ("All I'm saying is, Cobain wasn't trying to leave this world, he was just trying to leave Courtney."), and scenes ranging the gamut from a blue mohawk being filmed like a shark fin to domestic violence.

The dominant theme throughout everything in this movie, good and bad, is hope. And hope is the real reason for living, isn't it?

The ordered chaos of Sons of Anarchy

I've been watching Sons of Anarchy on Netflix this past week and I have to say, it's really an incredible show. My recent Netflix obsessions have featured cops or crimesolving, so this is a view from the other side of the law. But the Sons of Anarchy, a motorcycle club, have their own rules about morality, and strict ethics codes that they follow. Often, they are more about vigilantism than "gangbanging," and it's actually satisfying to see the bad guys get killed, without so much as a flinch from the club members. No sending them to jail with chances of getting let out, no last-minute flicker of a conscience, or whining about how every life is precious. It's like the Wild West, which had its merits. The Sons of Anarchy control a small northern California town, but they love it, so drugs aren't allowed to be dealt, and often when there are problems that law enforcement is unable to "properly" take care of (such as the rape of a young girl), townspeople turn to the Club to take care of things.

What I really like is the depth of the characters. There is no cut-and-dry character on this show, despite their stereotypical appearances (motorcycle gangmember, gang matriarch, dirty cops, etc).

The men are hardened, tough guys, many of whom have been born into the Club, with fathers who died for the Club, or are leaders in it. But they love women, and I mean, they respect the women, not just their flesh (though they certainly have plenty of "girls" around). Despite their tattoos, black leather vests and Harleys, seeing one of these men treating their "old lady" with care is enough to make you melt. Becoming their "old lady" means being put up on a pedestal for life, with a troupe of bodyguards surrounding you. The juxtaposition of tough and soft is squeal-inducing, and watching these guys do anything to avenge them is hot. We also see that vulnerability when Jax becomes a father, and nurses his son through prematurity. They're men's men, for that entails, but we see their affectionate side often, calling each other "brother," fearlessly hugging each other (albeit with manly backthumping) and even cheek-kissing each other before they go into "battle."

And the women. These wives and girlfriends are tough and battle-hardened in their own rights, continually standing up for themselves, the men they love, and the Club. But they too, have flashes of this beautiful fragility, especially the rare occasions when matriarch Gemma breaks down. And she's arguably the toughest person on the show, even among the men. Time and again, when the guys get into messes, it's the women who hold them together while they fight their way out. Gemma, despite her love-hate attitude toward most people and trigger-happy finger, is continually a voice of reason for the Club. Jax's Tara finds her own inner toughness after Gemma takes her under her wing. Her new street education is shown in Season 2, when she grabs a malicious supervisor by the throat, throws a solid right hook and successfully threatens her home and children to drop a damaging report involving the Club. The women keep many secrets, all for the good of the club, and often to their own inner turmoil, and we rarely see any obnoxious waffling or pretentious morality debates from the women. The raw black-and-white attitude is refreshing, though harsh at times, and the portrayal of simply taking care of business, removing the debate about what's defined as right is where this show's strength lies.

Despite Club fights and arguments, the club, the family, is what prevails, always at the day's end. It's an alternate reality that one feels comfort in delving into, and despite not-so-rare moments of shock and horror, it's usually surprisingly easy to root for the Club. Plus, like any family, there's enough joking around to make one laugh at least once per episode.

I have no patience to develop patience

I am getting pretty desperate to get back to school and have something to do. Here's why.

We have a big formal dance for church coming up, and it's traditionally girl-ask-guy, which is commonly translated as: "Girls who don't usually get asked to dances may now do the asking without ridicule, but guys are going to ask some girls anyway."

So the stampede for dates has begun, along with a flurry of texts back and forth between members of different friend groups, inquiring as to who is going with who, and who might be asking someone else, so that we don't have to endure the embarrassment of courageously asking someone to be our date, only to hear, "oh...that would be fun...except I'm already going with so-and-so."

What I've learned today is that I prefer my boy-free bubble that was created last semester, when I was too busy with school to worry about the drama of guys and dates. Despite the reputation BYU-Idaho has as "BYU-I Do," I'm looking forward to being too busy to deal with boys unless someone actually asks me out. Guys are a lot more drama than I prefer, especially since I have a lot of education to complete in the next 3 years, and getting married would only screw that up. So Father Time, let's get a move on and make it April already, so I can get started on real life.

Five Fast Findings

It's time for another Five Fast Findings, it's been a while.

1. I've decided that one of my passions in life is singing. Even if it's just karaoke, I feel so much better when I sing. Part of it is being the center of attention, in the crowd, receiving positive reinforcement afterward, but part of it is just the sheer joy of making music. I wish I were a better songwriter, I really do, because I would dive right into that. As it is, I'm planning on perhaps starting or finding a cover band that I can do vocals for. Maybe sing at weddings, etc.

2. I just turned 25 last Thursday (yikes) and I'm starting to feel a lot like that one person in every LDS singles ward that is just a little older and out-of-place than everyone else. Since my singles ward covers a whole stake area, there are actually a lot of us older people, but when you look around and realize that most everyone else in the group that you'd really like to be a part of is 5 years younger than you, it becomes surreal, and a little sad. I wish I fit in better, and sitting by myself because I don't want to barge into the younger group isn't really a great feeling, but at the same time, I've earned every one of those 5 years, so what do you do? Sometimes you just have to accept that you're NOT going to fit in, and learn to live with being "independent," until the right friends come along. Most friends closer to my age are now engaged or married, and that's been tough, not because I'm envious or anything, but because the luxury of spur-of-the-moment planning is gone for them, and it's hard to just hang out with them, even though I often feel more in sync with them than the singles ward crowd. I'm more than ready to go to BYU-Idaho and have more variety, not just with guys, but with friends closer to my age and life experience.

3. I got my hair done on Friday, just touching up the roots so I can be an official blonde again. I love being blonde, but anyway. The point of this finding is that while I was at the salon, there were a lot of "little old ladies" there for their weekly appointments. They were hilarious, but it got me thinking, as I looked at them with their unique style of putting on makeup and preference for hairstyling, is that just how they've always done it since their younger years in the 50s? Or is there a point somewhere in their later years where they start to do perms and stenciled eyebrows? It's like people who wear mom jeans. We know that there was a point where they wore acid-wash pegleg pants, so where did the mom jeans happen? When will I stop dressing "younger" and start dressing like a mom or a grandma? Or will this generation be able to eliminate the mom jeans once and for all?

4. I've just started week 3 of the Nutrisystem diet, and while I had some slipups at the end of last week (birthday party, food testing requirements for secret-shopping a fast food place), overall it's going well. I'm really, really ready for next month though, because there's several foods that I just have found to be gross, so I've put off eating them...now they're starting to become more dominant in my food box. blech. Still, having food provided is the best part about this diet. Except for a few isolated moments, I have been doing well resisting fast food. I'm learning a lot about myself too. I've realized I used fast food as a reward for myself, and I've done it for a long time. Now I can't do that, so I'm having to find other ways of making myself feel better (which may explain my shopping spree early last week..). It's really tough, and it means that I've been, not really depressed, but kind of on a plateau, with no real emotions up or down. It's slowly tipping though, and like I said in a previous post, I love not feeling guilty about what I eat. That really is making a difference in my outlook on, well, everything. I never realized how big of a role food played in my life before. As well, I'm learning to watch my calories, and take advantage of zero-calorie products like Splenda (I've concluded Splenda is better than Equal, which is too powdery) and diet 7up. I poured a small glass of Sprite at a potluck yesterday, and was shocked to realize that 8 oz. has 140 calories. That's an entire meal on the Nutrisystem diet! Diet soda, it is.

5. My parents are on this rather hilarious pre-retirement kick. It started just before I moved back home, and is really ramping up, with several trips just completed, and a new one being planned. They go on trips a lot, and have bought expensive, durable suitcases that are just the right size for carry-ons. My mom also keeps a ready-to-go toiletry bag with TSA-approved liquids underneath the bathroom sink so it's easier for packing. They have a well-used timeshare, and my mom just got an Alaska Airlines credit card that gives you extra miles when you use it to purchase Alaska airfare. I went with them to Houston last month, and they have a total regimen down at the airports. It's really interesting to watch, and it's kind of funny as an adult kid to see my parents actually enjoying themselves on trips, and spending money on themselves. My memories of childhood family vacations are basically good, but certainly they aren't as relaxing for the parents or the oldest child when you have a hyper younger brother and a frugal budget to remember. Certainly, I'd say my parents are making up for lost time a bit, but also, they ARE approaching retirement age, and I think they will have a good time when that arrives.