What now?

A month ago, I went to work, because I had a job. Before the day was out, I didn't have a job. It happened just that fast.

And now a month has literally flown by. I've been writing cover letters and filling out applications like it's going out of style. I know I'm not alone in this situation, and I take comfort in the fact that people can honestly say they know how I feel. I would feel even better if we all were going out to our celebratory "WE FOUND JOBS" dinner.

Granted, it's easy to get cabin fever, or to spend the day watching tween shows on Disney Channel, or to sleep in much too late, or do similar less than worthwhile things.

Some days are harder than others.

Some days, I just ask, "What now?"

So, I decided I need a creative outlet. My mother tells me that I'm a passionate person. I truly love all sorts of different things: movies, treasures/trinkets (think anything damask), beautiful artwork, learning, food, the Gospel, people, etc. And until I find a livelihood that incorporates some or all of these things, I'm just going to use this blog. From now on, not only will I be posting EVERY DAY (and sometimes even twice!) I will be instituting themes for every day.

For example: Movie Mondays. I find that I post a lot of video on this blog. Movie trailers, TV clips, something viral that I saw on my Google Reader, etc. Now I will be posting these movies on Mondays.

Ahem.

I was catching up on one of my favorite blogs, Pop Candy, which led me to this article, which basically says that British people are funny, and here are ten British movies you ought to see.

One such movie is Son of Rambow, which is worth adding to your Netflix queue.



And there you have it. Movie Monday.

Bibliophiles: Commence jealousy now.

I decided recently that I needed something enriching to fill my time in the evenings. Something that I would enjoy, something that would potentially help out others, something that got me out of the house when I wasn't at work. (I love my house, don't get me wrong, but everyone gets cabin fever. I think the proved it on Mythbusters one time.)

Anyway, I also love the public library here in SLC. Love it. It's beautiful and wonderful. So I filled out an application to volunteer. On Monday I met with the volunteer coordinator, and she matched me with two programs I'm really excited about.

1) Mov'n: Once a month I check out books and deliver them to a resident of a local elderly home who can't make it to the library themselves. It's kind of like being the iTunes Genius, but with books (e.g. if they like this book, then perhaps they'll like this book and this book and this book.

2)Friends of the Library Organization: For this job, (and this is where the jealousy comes in) I use my new magnetic key card that gets me into the Library's. Inner. Sanctum. And let me just tell you, the back end of the library is just about as cool as the front end. Then I go in to a huge room of books. Shelves and shelves of books that have been donated and that are usually sold for a $1. Once I'm there, I go through and find the ones that are worth more than a $1. And then I get to read through them, write a mini review of them, and then list them on Amazon. Gloria, the lovely woman who was training me, told me I get to be as creative as I want.

This may not sound super exciting for some of you, so let me clarify. I have key card access to normally closed doors. For any of you who know me, you'll know that I love key card access to anything. The only thing that would make it cooler is this access required a retina scan. Then I skim books and write about them. This is a wonderful, wonderful thing!

So, next time you're on Amazon.com Marketplace, find the books sold by The Library Store. Chances are you'll find listings written by Yours Truly, so you can depend on their dependability.

The secret to world peace!

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.

Meet Elinor

My new hobby

In preparation for some exciting things happening in the near-ish future, I've decided the time has come to upgrade my camera. Unfortunately, in times like these, the disposable income for a significant upgrade is simply not in the stars. Regardless, I decided to research anyway. I checked out the amazon.com dSLR buying guide, the Consumer Reports buying guide, and my friend Jenna's blog about buying a camera.

As I was sorting through Jenna's photography posts, I remembered that she wrote about basic photography principles like ISO, shutter speed, aperture, etc. I looked at my camera and realized that I could manipulate a lot of the settings she described. As I further considered my camera, I noticed a little button on the front, but I had no idea what it did. Through internet research, I discovered that my little Canon Powershot A540 supported conversion lenses, like a wide-angle lens and a close-up lens for a tiny little fraction of the price of a real dSLR.

I made my way over pictureline, a fabulous camera store here in Salt Lake City, where they talked me though what lenses would work and which ones wouldn't, thus saving me a bundle of money. And, since they thought I was cool for recognizing a song playing over the speaker system, I scored a free t-shirt.

When I got home, I immediately fit my new purchase onto my camera, and hurried outside to try it out. (Note: this next part will not come as a suprise to my family and friends.) In my excitement, I closed the front door behind me. As soon as I heard it lock, I realized that I left my keys and cell phone in the house.

After spending the next ten minutes trying to break back in, I gave up, and spent the next hour and a half wandering around the Avenues trying out my new lens.

Here's what I came up with. Please note that none of these photos have been enhanced or edited in any way. Mostly because I'm writing this post lying down and all I have is my eraser head mouse. Photoshop is less fun that way.

Without wide-angle lens:


With wide-angle lens (please notice the magical appearance of my car, and the almond tree):


My view:


Then, I realized that I didn't have to keep my camera on the wide setting.

Sky:


During my wanderings, I walked down streets for the first time. Imagine my delight when I discovered these really cool stairs!


Anyway, just wait until I learn how to use my close up shot. I'm really excited about life.

Moab

I went camping with my ward last weekend in Moab. It was grand fun. I went rafting for the first time and managed not to die. I can't wait to go again. As you can see, I pitched my tent along side the Colorado River. The other pictures are just a sampling of the view I took in from my camp chair, set up behind the tent.

Georgia on my mind

Jacob

Kaylee

Matthew
Joshua

Warning: This is a terribly long post to appease my mother. If you are not a member of my immediately family (or on second thought, even if you are), you can skip the text heavy (albeit highly entertaining) description and skim right through to the photos. They’re fun.

I left for Georgia on Thursday really early in the morning I managed to leave myself just enough time to where I didn’t have to stop from the time I parked my car to the time I took my seat on the plane. “Just enough time” is the rough equivalent of “leaving house one hour before lift off, since that’s how I roll. The same rule applied for my layover in Atlanta.

I was greeted Jacksonville by Matthew (4) and Joshua (2) and Naomi (She’d kill me if I said). Matthew had interesting things to say, like “You’re a winner, Aunt Megan.” Joshua was a trooper for having a pretty high temperature.

Joshua The Trooper
Matthew The Ham

Megan The Excited To Not Be Traveling

We made the excruciatingly long and trafficky trip from Jacksonville, Fl. to Hinesville, Ga. At one point, Joshua quite literally tossed the cookies he was eating.

On our way home, we found out Jacob’s (A week from 9) little league game was called on account of rain. That was sad. We got to the Barley house where Kaylee (6), without any ado, warns us to not step in any of Jacob’s vomit. Turns out, he ate two pickles which did not agree with him. Awesome.

We put kids to bed and proceeded to watch the season premiere of So You Think You Can Dance which Jarum and Naomi so accommodatingly recorded for me. During this time we discovered that Brownie, the puppy, had not eaten any of her dinner. She was also very wet because of the aforementioned rain. So we brought her inside and notice she is very sedate. Brownie was then cuddled her in an attempt to warm her up with towels.

It wasn’t too long before she vomited as well. For those of you counting at home, that’s 2 children and a dog. Don’t worry, because Kaylee had a sympathy vomit scare. Don’t worry, nothing happened. I did threaten to buy a plane ticket home. Heavens.

Friday

All of the small children felt better about life. Jacob and Kaylee went off to their last day of school. Me The other munchkins and I hung out. Jarum went off to work out for like 4 hours. He’s a little insane. Naomi and I took the smaller two to drive around Ft Stewart. It’s really cool. We also ate yummy sandwiches at Michael’s (not the craft store) for lunch. I had mine with a side of fried okra. DELICIOUS!

Saturday

We spent the afternoon at Serbannah (Matthew-ese for Savannah) That was fun as well. The kids ate disgusting blue ice cream. I loved Savannah, so much so that I have already looked up information on the Savannah College of Art and Design. They have a dramatic writing program. Seriously, it’s a charming, charming place. (Pic of Factor’s walk, roof tops, and Paula Deen.

Factor's Walk, Savannah, Ga.

Savannah Rooftops

Paula Deen's restaurant, Lady & Sons

Sunday

At church, I got suckered into playing the opening hymn in Relief Society. This happens when your sister is a really good piano player; people generally think you are also really good. I managed to fake it okay. Anyway, It was a great ward. I would have loved to be a missionary in that area.

We also barbecued, since we couldn’t be sure we would have another fine evening. There was a lot of rain happening. Anyway, the barbecue was delicious. Then for Sunday Game night, we had a Wii Sports Olympics night. It turns am terrible at Wii sports. The only thing I was mildly good at was putting.

(Side note: When we put the small children to bed, they proceed to come out of their bedrooms for the next 2 hours to tell us “really important stuff.” It was one such time that Matthew came out with a lego-made structure, informing us that it was a Bertar. You know, for Bertar Hero.)


Bertar Hero! from Megan on Vimeo.
Monday:

Memorial Day: on our way out of town, we went on post to pay our respects to those from the Third Infantry Division who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. It was very moving. It made me think about things I hadn’t yet considered, but now is really not the time or the place to discuss them. Email me, and I’ll tell you all about them.

Anyway, we went on to Serbanna again and Tybee Beach! In celebration of Dad’s birthday, we tried to eat at this place called Mrs. Wilkes’ Boarding House. Basically, you and ten friends/strangers sit a table and eat every good thing the South has to offer. The bad news: it was closed for Memorial Day. The good news: we had the pleasure of seeing the Most Charming Street Ever. Did I mention that I love Savannah?

I read up on the GRE Literature Subject Test while enjoying some sun. By “enjoying some sun” I mean that I’m still peeling.

Tuesday:

I woke up and immediately went to Food Lion to restock Naomi’s supply of Ibuprofen and to buy some Aloe Vera in a vain attempt to make the flight that much more bearable.

We went back on post one more time to see the PX which is a fancy, fancy store for the soldiers and those who love them. I hit the jackpot and came away with lovely Lancome makeup that was sold at a lovely discount price. I came home and packed and got ready to go.

Where's Joshy? Or, Plum Tuckered After a Particularly Rousing Game of Help Aunt Megan Pack

We made the long trip back to Jacksonville (less trafficky this time). I felt bad for Naomi, because every time we drove in the car I would get really, really sleepy sitting in the passenger side. I haven’t been the passenger in such a long time that I forgot this about myself. So sorry, Naomi.

Naomi dropped me off pretty early at the airport, since she needed to be back in time for Jacob’s make-up game. Luckily Jacksonville Airport sports the free Wi-Fi so I managed to watch Glee. And Flight of the Conchords. So it all worked out. I survived the flight to Minneapolis (if you think that’s a random layover, you’re not alone) where I witnessed the world’s most disorganized boarding of a flight, ever. It took an hour. I got to Salt Lake, miraculously remembered where I parked my car, drove the harrowing ten minutes to my beloved house in the Avenues, and slept in my bed like a little baby.

Glamor Shots By Jacob

Momma's Boys

Goofy Fun!

The illusive Smiling Jarum!

Thanks for the great time, Small Children!

What happened to May?

Well, I can't be sure of what happened during the first two weeks of May. I might have to consult Twitter for a detailed account. I know Mother's Day was in there somewhere, and then I went to a concert with Mallory. Then I went to Georgia, and now I'm going to Moab! So many things that I should have been blogging. When I return from Moab on Sunday, I will do my darnedest to catch up. That's the first order of business, after a marathon nap.

I only said "4"

A note about the following video: If you're short on time, start at about 2:00 for the purposes of this blog. (Although the entire thing is hilarious.)



This weekend was interesting to say the least. After a sleep-deprived, yet wonderful time at Women's Conference with my mom, aunt and cousins, I decided to stay the rest of the weekend at home to spend time with Little Brother before he left on his internship in Arizona, and to basically relax. I also had plans to visit Miss Nesbit in Provo, shop for cellos, and maybe even see Wolverine.

Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans...

After a wonderful morning at the temple with the family, we decided to go to Walmart on the way home to pick up some things for Mom and Chris's trip to Arizona on Monday. Also? It was raining. So, Dad, being the living proof of chivalry, let the rest of us out of the car curbside so we don't have to walk as far in the aforementioned rain. I was hurrying ahead, careful not to slip on the cobblestone. (It's a really ritzy Walmart.) I made it to the automatic doors, then proceeded to take a spectacular dive on the small, but extremely slippery tile just inside the door.

A side note: I have what we call "broken Barbie doll knees." In medical circles, we call this severe hyperextension. Next time you see me in person, ask me to show you. I usually break it out at parties or for an icebreaker. Anyway, this cool trick means that I have poor support around the knee joint, with extra elastic-y tendons and ligaments.

Back to the dive: I fell and felt a "click out" of the knee as I fell. Painful. I then felt a "click in." Gross, but the pain is less. Also? I was in a dress when this happened, so a little worried about modesty. Anyway, Little Brother managed to seize the opportunity to find me a motorized scooter. That Chris, always thinking of others.

Anyway, I thought I was fine, but apparently my mother caught the bit about me writhing in pain so she insisted I go to the Emergency Room. I couldn't complain too much, since I have medical coverage and stuff.

After an emotionally tumultuous wait at triage (my brother is a funny, funny guy, who made me do that whole laugh/cry thing) I told them I was about a 4 in the pain scale. I went back, had some x-rays and talked to the doctor, who told me that everything was structurally normal, but that I should see an orthopedic surgeon in a few days to make sure I didn't damage any cartilage. She also gave me a knee immobilizer that prevents me from moving my leg in such a way as to cause pain, and also insures some amount of sympathy after going through this whole ordeal.

Anyway, long story short: I'm a klutz who hopes there will be no lasting effects due to my klutziness.

And now for an extra bonus:

POP TARTS!

Life pretty much doesn't get any better.

This is what I call a perfect end to Birthday Fortnight Round 1:

Lunch at Les Madeleines with the promise of this...

...for breakfast tomorrow.

And, as a special surprise, I just found out I won Jenna's contest!

So, thanks Birthday Fortnight Fairies, for the abundance of Birthday Miracles hurled my way.

One more thing...

I was remiss in giving photo credit where credit is was due. Friend and sometimes commenter Jenna is also a budding photographer! Go to her photog blog: http://jennacole.com/blog/. She's pretty much amazing, and I covet her new dSLR. She also gives wonderful tips to those of us who have photography aspirations.

Happy Birthday, Jenna! I'm happy to share my Birthday Fortnight with you!

Other Shameless Self Promotions of Birthdays

Friend and sometimes commenter on this blog, Jenna, (aka That Wife) is also a shameless self-promoter of her birthday. For weeks she's been bragging about lovely gifts That Husband has given. But as a totally self-less gesture, she's sharing the wealth in celebration of her birthday. (It's today! Go say hello!) And yet, I am staggered by her ability to be selfless whilst being shameless.

Here's the catch. She's getting her readers to blog about her. And since I'm all about winning these dainties...



I'm all over it. Well done, Jenna. Well done.

Happy Easter

It's a beautiful day, as it should be today of all days! As I was preparing my Relief Society lesson, I found this video on mormon.org

"One of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so."



For more videos, see The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints youtube.com profile page: http://www.youtube.com/user/MormonMessages

So, Happy Easter! I hope you find joy in knowing that Jesus Christ lives and loves us, and because of these two reasons, eternal blessings can be ours.

The hills (and depots) are alive!

I first saw this last weekend, and then, when while we channel surfing, my roommate and I caught a quick spot CNN did on the same thing.

If you can manage to watch this without smiling, I'm going to go ahead and say you might not have a soul.

Let the Celebrations Commence!

Dearest, Darlingest Momsie and Popsicle:


Thanks for officially starting my birthday celebrations with salmon, potatoes, peach ice cream and every good thing. (There were beans too, but I didn't manage to nab a photo before we ate them).


Thanks also for letting me hang out with you to watch Conference.

Love,

Megan

Quarter Life Crisis

Author's Note: First of all, let's have a big shout out to Maren for letting me use her computer to post this while I wait for a new charger to arrive in the mail. Also, thanks for the Frosty.

There's nothing quite like revisiting an old favorite movie from teenagehood. Back in those days, we called them chick flicks instead of rom-coms. I think in those days fro-yo was frozen yogurt as well. Times, how they have changed.

Anyway back when I was 16 watching Never Been Kissed I pretty much thought two things:

1. I hope I get kissed before I'm 25.
2. Michael Vartan is hot.

Well, now that I'm almost 26 watching Never Been Kissed I thought some more things:

1. 25 isn't that old. (As far as the kissing thing goes, I've found it's often more trouble than it's worth. Of course, Michael Vartain, nor anyone resembling him, has met me on a pitcher's mound before a high school baseball game. I think that's probably what I'm missing.)
2. I enjoy being 25 much more than being 16.
3. Life isn't like a movie, but it can be close if you know how to tell the story well enough.
4. Michael Vartan is still hot (related thought: how did it take me that long to discover Alias?). If he, or anyone resembling him, wants to meet me on a pitcher's mound before a high school baseball game, I would be amenable to that.

Be still my heart

My long lost coworker (she moved upstairs and I am bereft without her) invited me to a lunch meeting sponsored by AIGA SLC (American Institute of Graphic Arts, Salt Lake Chapter) at Caffe Niche in downtown Salt Lake. There are many reasons why I loved this. First of all, I love hearing people talk about graphic design. The event was called Shift.Option.Talk, which, if you have ever designed on a Mac, is just a cool name for a seminar. Last, and totally not least, I fell in love with Caffe Niche after visiting their website to peruse their menu options.

Look what greeted me:


The rest of these pictures I snapped with my camera phone, so they leave a lot to be desired, but I hope you catch my drift.



Finally, imagine this as a really big wall to serve backdrop to the speaker (image belongs to Caffe Niche):

So, this was extra cool because the speaker was there to talk about environmental graphic design, or the infusing of a space with the client's brand. Caffe Niche was a built-in case in point.

Tomorrow I'm off to an event called Slide Jam! at the Salt Lake Art Center. A handful of presenters have 5 minutes each to share their thoughts through slide images that have to do with a traveling exhibit called "Branded and On Display." I'm not much of a branding expert, but can appreciate good branding when I see it.

Isn't Salt Lake City great?

For those who care (Dad, I'm looking at you) I chose the Roasted Dame Sandwich for lunch: herbed goat cheese spread, roasted butternut squash, balsamic figs, arugula and lemon-chive oil on sourdough. Divine.

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?

To tide you over while waiting for the Post of Wonder

Mallory got this from her friend Michelle. I can't tell you how happy it made me.



Please enjoy it while I compile a post I've been meaning to write for quite some time.