Too Tired

I was going to post today....but from the time I got up for my morning class....to the visit with my sister, to the shooting activity to the concert....I really didn't have a spare minute.....


And now it is after midnight and I am exhausted........

So this is all you get.


P.S. The concert was AWESOME!

I knew not only every Styx song, but I knew the words to each song. :)

(Sadly, I only knew about 2/3 of the .38 Special songs and only 1/2 of the REO Speedwagon songs. Of those songs I was only able to sing along to about half of them. *sigh*
Blame Ralph, he was the one with the Styx CD's growing up. They were right up there with his ABBA collection. Lol!)

Proof of Age.....

Tonight I realized that with my birthday approching, I have started showing my age. What proof do I have, you ask......for starters:

• I am tired by 10:30 pm.
  
• I went to an Eagles concert and I knew not only all of the songs, but all of the words to said songs.
• Tonight I went to a BeeGee's Tribute concert.....where yet again I knew all but 3 or 4 of the songs. (At least I didn't know all of the words this time.)
• Saturday I will be headed to yet another concert....and I am really excited...but yet again, I will probably know all of the words, to all of the songs sung by Styx, Reo Speed Wagon, and .38 Special.
  

Sad I know....some days age just smacks you in the face.

*sigh*

Jumping up and down!

I know I'm a geek. But I get to see the new Night at the Museum movie. I loved the first one and am stoked for this. Hope it lives up to my dreams. :)
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Isn't this the music that Ross plays?

Alright...last one for today....Special thanks to Darla for all of the cool quizes!

You Are Electronic Music

You are energetic and expressive. You love feeling alive. You never get sick of your favorite things - they're what makes life special. You don't take tradition or conventions too seriously. You live for the future. You enjoy remixes and re-interpretations of things. Life is about making improvements.

What Kind of Music Are You?

Of Course.....

You Will Be a Cool Parent

You seem to naturally know a lot about parenting, and you know what kids need. You can tell when it's time to let kids off the hook, and when it's time to lay down the law. While your parenting is modern and hip, it's not over the top. You know that there's nothing cool about a parent who acts like a teenager... or a drill sergeant!

Would You Be a Cool Parent?

Not Very Rational?

You Relate to Deer and Pandas

Your Power Animal: Deer Animal You Were in a Past Life: Panda You are a fun-seeker - an adventurous, risk-taker.While you are spontaneous, you are not very rational.

The Animal Personality Test

There are days I hate being a girl.

So I am going to bed. Granted it is only 9 pm but maybe tomorrow will be better. I doubt it. But MAYBE.....
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And thus began the jumping for joy!

I have been stressing greatly over my Bio class this semester. Every one has heard how I have a research paper and a presentation due this Thursday.....

ACK!

Well today at work I registered for my fall classes. After getting everything set I realized:

General Bio is COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY!

So I spent the early part of the afternoon searching for any class that would fill the slot. Anything, at all! I needed something that was at least 1 credit so I could continue at 12 credits. (When I first registered I was told I had to have a 12 credit course load for financial aid) I came up with a big whopping nothing. So I put in a call to the financial aid office just to double check things. Then came the sweet sentence that has made my entire week. I am fine at 11 credits. I don't have to take the extra class.

Isn't there a song with the words...sweeit is the joy it brings.......Lol!

This means I don't have a research paper or a presentation due. Any one want to joing me in a hapy dance?

I will complete my science requirements over the next year with astronomy this semester, Bio Anthropology in the fall, and Cutural Astonomy next winter. They all interest me...so they can bring on the presentations and research papers...I am so eager to learn those. Plus, I get to return another book. I cannot tell you how happy I am. Maybe this one will make up for the cost of the extra Anthropology book I had to buy for a hundred bucks.

Everyone take a moment to chair dance with me......come on you know you wannna.....

Kant and his infernal Universal Law!

For those that haven't heard me rant, I have a 7 am Ethics class. I have been heard to say that "no one has ethics at 7 in the morning". Seriously, who can even think clearly at that time. Interestingly enough, this class is quickly becoming one of my favorites. (Ten times better then the dreaded Bio class)

Today's discussion centered on Immanuel Kant. I have to admit that I struggled with the reading and his theory of Universal Law. The Prof asked that we focus on the following quote:

"Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law."

Talk about over my head. My poor professor kept trying to explain it to me but I just wasn't catching on. I kept circling back to my understanding of Kant's statement and what I perceived he was saying regarding "willing that it should become Universal Law" My brain kept getting stuck on the fact that that there is no universal categorical imperative. In other words, there is no law or action that everyone follows with out exception. No rule that everyone agrees is always the right answer in a specific situation. Therefore, if all of our actions had to be based on the need for it to become universal law.....we would never act on anything.

Finally, towards the end of class, one of the students chimed in and I think I have finally started to get a grasp on the concepts here. Kant isn't saying that you have to act in a way that you can expect all others to act as well. I was right in thinking that there is no universal imperatives. What Kant suggests is that every time you act you should look at what the outcome would be if everyone else handled the situation the same way you did. If what you did became the norm...hypothetically, would that be good or bad for society. Then again, this seems to take things to an extremist point of view:

If I do X in this situation, what would happen if the whole world did the same thing? If the result is not good, then you can't do it.

But then if you take Kant's theory and say....
If I don't do X in this situation what would happen if the whole world never did the same thing?
What is to say that it wouldn't be a bad thing if the whole world was acting in X manner or not acting in X manner.
(I would like it noted that I wasn't the only one struggling with this reading, it made for quite a discussion as everyone had a different opinion)

Anyway.....that was today's rambling in my head. I will get a week recap up soon. It has been a fun one, despite my Bio teacher assigning me a Research paper and a presentation both due this Thursday. Now I am off to read Aristotle.....wish me luck. ;)

Quote for a fine Saturday......

"It's like the Budda's belly....rub Amber's boobs and all your dreams come true."

"Is there an apostrophe in Amber's? She does posses her own boobs, right?"

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The weekend begins.........

I realized yesterday that I thrive on my busy weekends. I know this is something that has been apparent to everyone, but after months of very little activity I was reminded rather sharply this weekend.



Boo and Steph are in town, my parents are out of town AND I have a TM event to attend this evening that will probably run into the wee hours of the morning......

So here is what my schedule looks like for the next week:

Last night I got off work at 6 and went to stay with my brothers. (Really they are old enough to be by themselves but Mom felt the need for a safety net.) There was a lot of fun which culminated in me finishing my new book at 4 in the morning....

This morning I was up at 6 so I could get ready for work, make breakfast, and have scriptures with the boys before 7:30 am. (We couldn't have them late for school, now could we) I am working form 8:30 to 3:30. I have a dinner starting at 5:45 which I do believe will run until about 5 or 6 tomorrow morning.

Which is a good thing since I have to be on the road by 7:30/7:45ish so I can be in Salt Lake to meet Steph and Boo by 9 am.From there we head on to Wyoming to see teh Grand Tetons.......don't ask, I am not sure why we are going in the snow, but I brought a jacket and lots of jeans......maybe I will pick up my long johns this afternoon between work and dinner. hmmm......

Monday starts bright and early with a session with my trainor. Since I haven't been to the gym in a week, I am really not looking forward to it. *sigh*

Tuesday is free...so far (but I still have to finish getting stuff ready for school...like a parking pass and a student ID)

Wednesday starts classes. My first one at 7 am!

So really my life will be jammed until somewhere around mid August. Though if you think about it, by then I will have chosen my fall schedule, so it will probably still be packed then. I think it will be fun.

Now I am back to work.....and my secnd Cherry Coke of the day. ;)

P. S. I bought myself my birthday present...I get to go see Beauty and the Beast the musical the first week of June. :)

Quote of the night...

Me:what do I look like the crazy cat lady.

Brother Paul: you need got either a cat or a boyfried.

I feel the love. How 'bout you?
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Again

How is it possible the last week we hit 85 degrees on Wed but it is SNOWING today?

Yay for springtime in Utah. Lol!
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Being sick stinks.....

But I have to give a quick shout out to my younger brother Ian
who kindly brought me Sprite....not 1 but 2 2 liter bottles.

Yay for me I haven't thrown up in 3 hours!

Now I am going back to my couch.

G'night

They always come back for more.....

I couldn't resist sharing this one......

You Are Chinese Food

Exotic yet ordinary. People think they've had enough of you, but they're back for more in an hour.

What Kind of Food Are You?

Not Comfortable.....

Religious post…….read at your own risk. ;)

Yesterday during Relief Society a story about the march of Zion’s Camp was used to emphasize how God can step in and help us out when things are beyond our control. During the lesson I had a thought but I couldn’t get my words to align so that I could express the sentiments running through my head. Ironically, while in the shower this morning everything snapped into place and I was able to word the comment I wanted to make. So you are stuck getting it. ;)

Abit of LDS background………

In the early days of the LDS Church the members were driven from state to state, trying to find a place where they would be allowed to live with their neighbors in peace. Time after time they sold what they could and moved on. At one point in Missouri, after mobs had forced the people to leave, the government in the area promised to help us get our land back if we provided the armed men to do the task. About 250 men volunteered to march from Kirtland, Ohio to the lands in Missouri to help the members that were living there. The group, called Zion’s Camp, ranged in ages from 17 to 79 and struggled to make the 1000 mile march. One night the men were warned that there was a mob gathering to kill them. Our men were outnumbered and outgunned. I am not sure what exactly happened at that point; I am at work so I don’t really have the ability to do more research. I am pretty sure prayer was involved but I don’t have the facts there. What I do know is that night a great storm arose. The men of Zion’s camp got wet and some of the tents were blown down. Some of the men even had to take shelter in a nearby Baptist church. The Prophet Joseph remarked that God was in the storm that night. A few miles away the men of the mob did not fare as well. The lightning and thunder spooked their horses. The rain that had fallen on Zion’s Camp turned to large pellets of hail. Bones were broken, guns were broken, and the river swelled to the point that the mob could not cross it to reach Zion’s Camp. The result: the men of Zion’s Camp were protected in their time of need.

All through our meeting yesterday the thought that it wasn’t comfortable kept running through my head. When it all finally clicked into place I realized that the men of Zion’s camp didn’t have it easy. During the storm, they got wet. There was lightning and thunder in the distance so it is possible that their own horses were a tad spooked. Their tents were blown over. They even had to take shelter in the Baptist church. To top it off…how would they know what the storm was doing to the men of the mob? The mob could have found shelter and were waiting out the storm to attack. Just because God steps in, doesn’t mean that life will suddenly be easy or comfortable. We can have the peace of knowing that we are doing what is right; but we will still have to work to follow that path that the Lord has set for us. I keep looking at the schedule my life will take here in a few weeks and getting more and more nervous about it. I know that I am doing what is right, but I guess I needed to be reminded that it isn’t supposed to be easy. This life is a test and a trial. Neither of those words are synonymous with comfort.

So in the end what did I learn in Releif Society yesterday:

Suck it up and deal!

A girl needs a forceful reminder now and then. ;)

What do I do now...

I spent the day running errands that I needed to have done before starting work tomorrow. The biggest thing being registering for classes. I am officially registered for 14 credit hours on top of my 35 hour/week job. (Shall we say I will be a tad busy during the summer semester?)

I had decided last week that I was registering for classes today whether or not I had a job. Lucky for me....I have a job, so I had to work around that schedule. It's not as easy as it sounds, but I managed. I am working to get all of my GE's out of the way so I can really concentrate on my English and History courses. (Oh yeah...Jess: I am working on an English Lit Bachelors and a Public History Bachelors before going onto our favorite Masters Program). Out of the 5 classes I am taking, I am mostly excited about 2 of them, the other 3 are required to get a degree throuh UVU. The ones that I think will interest me most are Social/Cultural Anthropology and Elementary Astronomy. Both classes seem to be something that will hold my attention. I can hardly wait to start them.

But now that I am done with that, I guess I had better get the apartment cleaned so I can go to bed ontime. But I really am not in the mood to clean or go to bed....*sigh* the struggle of being an adult. :)

I have a job.........

Yup you read that right:

I HAVE A JOB!!

It is more hours (35/week) then I would prefer in a week, but I can work a small school schedule around it. I have to go register for classes (hopefully this afternoon) but I should be able to pull at least one class in the morning and one in the evening. It might not be the full 12 credits I had planned but we can go this route for a couple of semesters at least.

As for details: It is a receptionist position at a small software company (Sound familiar Kristin?). So it is something I am good at and something I am comfortable with. It is in the salary range I was shooting for (Yay!) and I start tomorrow morning.

Next Question............With classes (morning and evening) starting in May.........when am I gonna go to the Gym? Ugh, I have to call my trainer, he is not gonna be happy with me. :)

Just late night ramblings......

Saturday was a big day for our family. After an early morning of Easter egg hunting the adults in the family headed up to the Salt Lake Temple to attend the sealing for my big sister and her family this weekend.
(Short version translation for my Non - LDS Readers: A Sealing part of the LDS wedding ceremony. It is part of our belief that marriages are to be 'sealed' for time and all eternity. (Now you know why marriage is such a big deal in our world...Eternity is a VERY long time.) Sometimes this is done at the time of the wedding, sometimes it is postponed for one reason or another.)

Lighthearted-ness aside it is a very spiritual moment for any family and I am very glad that I was able to be present for it. It was a sweet ceremony that gives us a reason to celebrate and be with people we don't see all that often (Hi Sandy and Travis!) The ceremony was followed by a great big dinner filled with family members. I was joking to a friend that we had at least 25 people at my mother's house for the dinner and that wasn't all of us. More then half, thank heavens, but not all. It is always an interesting time when we are surrounded by family. I truly enjoy the time I get to spend with them (even if they do stab you in the back every so often......"miracle" indeed Kent Jr! :P )

Ohhh.....also a quick shout out to my best friend and her amazing husband who took the time to come do a quick fix it job on my car when we broke down on the way to the temple. John was a sweatheart to come out to the freeway and take a look when I called Meg in a panic. So thanks to John we got moving again and made it just barely on time.

So after such a long event and family filled day, I took today off. Lol! I needed the quiet of my apartment and was very grateful to have it all to myself. Wahoo for living alone! Anyway, it has been a very relaxing day. And tomorrow I am back to job hunting, the gym, maybe a trip to the temple.......maybe a stop by the History department to talk to one of my advisors for school....there are so many options. :)

Happy Easter to everyone!

Scene from a semi-Italian Restaurant.......

My heart has been melancholy this week. It doesn't make any sense. My life is good. My family is good. Even Inkheart couldn't lift my spirits in the long term. Though, I liked it enough to see it twice. (Ya gotta love theater's that have movie's for under a buck!)

I think this melancholy is what led to my trip into the city today. It has been years since I have gone to visit the graves. I got directions only to find that the main buildings had closed. I had been planning to stop in and ask for directions to the actual plots. As I said it has been years so my memory is pretty sketchy. I walked around for a while trying to locate the plot but the wind was pretty nasty and I was starting to feel creepy. I mean who walks around a cemetery at dusk ALONE looking at all the headstones with out stopping. Apparently, people who can't remember where their family is buried! Argh! I finally had to give up when my hands started to freeze. My flowers ended up on the grave of of a Navy Vet from WWII. I'll try again next week, when people are actually working there. I know her body isn't there but I need to make sure the headstones are at least clean. Ya know, and she deserves flowers. Every girl deserves flowers once in a while.

Written during dinner.....hence the title.......

**Edit**
Just for clarification, the graves I was visiting were those of my best friend and her mother. They were killed when I was 11. It is kind of a long story....but they had a profound impact on my life.