Playing with blocks

For Christmas, Mallory gave me a whole array of lovelies that perhaps I will tell you about sometime, and one of them was this beautiful mug. I love this mug. I drink out of it whenever possible, and I'm always bummed when it has to take its turn in the dishwasher. (But I'm grateful for dishwashers.)

Here's the thing. I love stories. I love hearing a well-told story almost as much as I love telling a well-told story. There's nothing quite like the feeling of spinning a yarn and weaving it around and through the audience. The craft of telling a story is something I like to think I've come by quite accidentally, but it's a skill I enjoy. No, where I feel I've lacked in the past is actually having a story to tell.

Well, no longer. I choose now to make my writer's blocks my play things. I will build them in to great big towers, and maybe they'll fall. Or maybe they'll rise up into the most epic game of Jenga ever played. But whatever happens, I feel confident in the beginning of my story, and the first few chapters are really the stuff dreams are made of. I don't know how it will end, but I know where I want it to go. And the great thing about being the writer is that I have more of a say in my story's outcome than maybe I give myself credit for.

So here's to the hours and words, the weeks and chapters, and the years and volumes to come.

I miss you!

I've decided I'm almost to the point where I'm going to sacrifice my home time during lunch hour to stay at work to blog. I miss it that much. Things happen, and sure, I'll let the peeps on twitter know when things happen, and while I think I'm darn clever in 140 character or less, it's just not the same.

So, maybe twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I'll post pictures, or links to funny videos, or short yet entertaining essays, and then you all can comment on them. Deal?

Also, I'm getting ready for NaNoWriMo. I know. I've said it before, but this is the year. I don't know what it is about reading for a living, but I am getting a ton of ideas for novels/movies/web series/etc. and it's exciting. So, be ready for exciting things.

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.

But I HAVE moved to Springville to a lovely new apartment really close to work. My books are unpacked and shelved according to spine color, and I've shaved an hour and fifteen minutes off of my commute.

The only downside: we don't have internet yet! As one might imagine, this cuts deeply into my blogging time, and I miss it deeply. I have videos I want to share, treats I want to show you, pictures I want to feature and food I want you to be jealous of. But no, we might have to wait longer for any of these things to happen.

Thought(less) Thursday

So one time (like two months ago) my dad and sister were completely shocked to discover that "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and "The ABC Song" were actually the same tune. Until that moment, they had gone their whole lives not knowing this.

I made fun of them.

Imagine my embarrassment when I wandered into Albertson's for some lunch yesterday and it dawned on me that "deli" is short for "delicatessen."

Don't worry, Pop and Sis, I made fun of myself.

What about you? Any sort of silly things you probably should have known a long time ago but for whatever reason just figured them out?

Happy 100!

It started as Do What? in April 2006. It became What Now? in July 2008. I'm ashamed to admit that I'm only just now, almost three and a half years later, hitting the Hundred Post Mark.

So, in recognition (ashamed people can't really celebrate) I'm counting down my top ten most popular posts, according to Google Analytics:

#10 For Auld Lang Syne... A recap of 2008, and a list of resolutions for 2009.

#9 Let the Celebrations Commence! Delicious dinner with the parents, and the kick off to the first of three Birthday Fortnights in 2009.

#8 Year of the Yurt Starting 2009 with an adventurous trip through the backhills of the Uintas.

#7 Quarter Life Crisis Turning 26, watching chic flicks, and Michael Vartan. No wonder it made the top 10.

#6 Other Shameless Self Promotions of Birthdays /One More Thing..., Technically these weren't even about me, but I won the jewelry anyway.

#5 Be still my heart Delicious food meets delightful damask. You can't beat that.

#4 Dining Rooms (and Duvets and Desks) Again, more damask. It's popular.

#3 Test Apathy I'm really glad this one ranked so high. It's one of my favorites, and only my second post! (Google it, it's the number 2 hit!)

#2 It's good to be an evil genius. This one is self explanatory

#1 The hills (and depots!) are alive! I really love this one. I defy any of you to watch the video without smiling.

I hope you all enjoyed this trip down memory lane as much as I did. And may the next hundred posts come a lot quicker.

Resolutions Revisited

The most important part of setting goals is accountability. This is what they told me on my mission anyway. I've meant to revisit my resolutions each month and while I've done so internally, I see no reason why I shouldn't let everyone else in on the fun.
Mind

• My friend Ben is going to write for a half hour every day. I think I will join him. When I look at it now, this one is almost laughable. However, there are still 9.75 months left in the year to get better.
• Write a novel. Not yet. And I probably won't revisit this one until October as I get ready for NaNoWriMo.
• Write a screenplay. Getting ready. Script Frenzy starts next month, and I'm going to give it ago. Don't worry, I won't ask for your help like I did last year. Doing so turned out to be a fiasco. (Thanks for the 3 of you who did help. I appreciate it.)
• Read 36 books I've never read (3 a month) I think I'm at 5. I should be finishing up 15 this month. I had better get cracking.
• Enroll in an independent study British History course. Not yet. I'm thinking probably in the summer time. I have to save my pennies, in times such as these.
• Learn Adobe Flash and make a short cartoon. Luckily, this is happening because work is endorsing it. I can make a glass of soda fizz, and I can sync audio with video. I would show you examples, but unfortunately the lesson on how to share and host video doesn't come until later in the book I'm working from.

Body

• Continue on the weight-loss journey. See below.
• Go to the doctor. I've gone to the doctor, had echocardiograms, blood work, even had my saliva tested for Cushing's Syndrome. (Sound familiar? It was featured on House! Don't worry, not one of the life threatening ones.) I wanted to know if there was an internal reason for the rapid weight gain I experienced late in 2008. It turns out there might be some cause, but mostly it's going to take the ol' elbow grease to get back down to where I want to be. This week I'm signing up for a membership at the city athletic center. They have nice facilities and a swimming pool, not to mention Pilates classes on Tuesdays. Also, now that the days are getting nicer and longer, I'll be more likely to walk around this beautiful neighborhood I call home.
• Swim in the Deer Creek Open Water Swim. We'll see.
• Establish a regular sleep schedule. Getting better all the time. Part of this is keeping my room clean. The more of my floor I can see, the sounder I sleep.

Spirit

• My friend Jenna is going to read an Article from the Ensign magazine each week. I think I will join her. I've been reading my Ensign, but perhaps not as regularly as I should.
• Study Conference talks. Have plans to finish up before April.
• Enroll in Institute. Done and done. I'm thoroughly enjoying it. It took me a couple of weeks, however, to get over the fact that the Institute instructor is a cross between my Uncle Stan and Benjamin Linus from Lost.
• Increase my temple attendance. Between the ward temple nights, stake temple meetings, and once-monthly visits with my family, this one resolution has probably made the single greatest difference in my health and happiness. I love the temple.
• Go visiting teaching in the first half of the month. This is true for half of my route. My companion is getting married in less than a month, so it's sort of hard to corral everyone together. However, I have become good friends with one of the girls I visit teach. How great is that? We even went out for ice cream after the above mentioned stake temple meeting with some other people in the ward. See Mom? I am making friends.

Well, for those of you who have read this far, thanks for letting me be accountable to you. As a bonus, I'll let you in on my goal for March: No reruns or repeats! This means no TV on DVD (unless, of course, it's a new-to-me show) and no movies I've already seen! I'll admit, I already fudged this a little bit by watching Two Weeks Notice last night with my roommate for our Saturday night in. There might have also been a lunch time viewing of Gilmore Girls. But no more, I say! This will also pertain to books. I have this pesky habit of rereading books. I really don't see much wrong with this, but this month, it's all new all the time!

How about everyone else? Still resolved?

The Weather Outside is Frightful

Our next door neighbor warned us about a coming snow storm.



He wasn't kidding. But he did give us time to stock up on some videos so today has been the first Saturday I haven't been running around like a chicken with my head cut off since I moved up to Salt Lake City. But the best part? I've had plenty of time to plan blog posts. So, with out further ado, I bring you:

• The Office
• Mo Tab Concert (with Grandpa Gilmore!)
• And the long awaited Christmas Tree

Ch-Ch-Changes

I confess, I've been hiding from the blog-o-sphere. This whole job-hunt-waiting-three-weeks-to hear-from-highly-desired-jobs-deciding-where-I-want-to-live extravaganza is tricky! And sitting down to write about all of the disappointment and discouragement made everything seem that much more disappointing and discouraging.

So I hid.

But, I'm back, baby! And not only am I back, but I'm back with a fancy new background, a new blog title, and new things to say! So be excited for the great new things to come...