The Life of Brian:

Spain Blog

2011-08-26T08:41:00.000-06:00

I know I'm terrible about keeping up on my blog, but I've started a Spain blog to document my adventures. Check it out at http://brian-in-spain.blogspot.com!

Insufferable imbeciles

2010-10-01T10:49:00.000-06:00

Today's FANCY WORD OF THE DAY is one of my personal favorites; I've been saving this one for a special day. Which is today. Ready?

imbecile (n.) - One who is inane, stupid, absurd, idiotic, marked by mental feebleness or weak intellect.
Ex: You, sir, are an imbecile of the highest order.

Ostensibly odious...

2010-09-16T11:48:00.002-06:00

It's been a while since my last FANCY WORD OF THE DAY. So today's installment is:

odious (adj.) - Deserving of hatred; exciting hatred or repugnance; hateful; disagreeable; offensive; repulsive.

Ex: I found both the movie and its devotees to be veritably odious.

I've got quite the collection of FANCY WORDS OF THE DAY, each awaiting its debut. Prepare your minds.

Sneaky slatterns

2010-08-16T16:03:00.000-06:00

Today's FANCY WORD OF THE DAY is:

slattern (n.) - a woman or girl untidy and slovenly in person, habits, or surroundings.

Ex: Sneaky slatterns savor sleazy, sinful situations.

Here is an example of one particular slattern looking incredulously sleazy:

Graduation!

2010-08-12T10:50:00.001-06:00

Today is Commencement at BYU. So to honor all of my friends who are graduating and moving on with their lives, I'm doing a special FANCY WORD OF THE DAY!

indomitable (adj.) - that cannot be overcome or subdued by labor, difficulties, or opposition; unyielding; stubbornly persistent or resolute. But in a good, noble way.

Ex: Carry on, with an indomitable spirit and a cheery disposition.

This applies to those who are still in school, as well as out of it. In whatever you're doing, be INDOMITABLE!

Those voracious vorianders...

2010-08-02T16:41:00.000-06:00

This month, I've arranged for a very special treat for my faithful readers. Each FANCY WORD OF THE DAY will follow a featured theme, so prepare your minds to absorb some of the most useful lexicography you will ever encounter. Smashing!

Today's special word is brought to you by Burgess Unabridged: A New Dictionary of Words You Have Always Wanted.

voriander (n.) - a woman who chases after men, instead of being chased; a woman who telephones to men, or invites herself to dinners at his expense.

"The voriander is sometimes pretty, but never attractive. Her attempts are usually dodged, but she still persists."

"Never introduce a friend to a voriander. There are kinder ways of getting rid of her. A cat can be kissed to death, or smothered in fresh butter; not the voriander. You have simply to leave town."

"The voriander is 'crazy' over you, and your purse. She writes you perfumed notes, she telephones you during business hours. Many vorianders are over thirty years of age."

Piqued vs. peaked.

2010-07-22T15:59:00.000-06:00

I'm overdue for a FANCY WORD OF THE DAY, so without further ado or procrastination, I present to you today's installment:

pique (vt.) - to stimulate or provoke to action, esp. by arousing jealousy, etc.; to arouse (a feeling, esp. curiosity or interest).

Ex: The news of this dark chocolate has piqued my interest.

PLEASE NOTE:

This is not the same word as:

peak (vi.) - to project or rise in a peak.

Ex: The wave peaked, then proceeded to crash down upon the unsuspecting surfer. Cowabunga!

That's one of those things that bothers me, I hate when people refer to their interest being peaked. Unless, of course, their interest really has risen to its peak. But that's usually not the case.

Anyways, stay tuned for another episode of THE JOY OF LEX!

The Scream

2010-07-09T15:07:00.004-06:00

I picked up this little treasure at the gift shop at the Museum of Art on campus:

Yes, it's a refrigerator magnet / finger puppet. See the resemblance to Edvard Munch's "The Scream":

Check out some of the other sweet personalities here. I kinda want the Frida Kahlo and the Charlie Chaplin ones.

Color inspiration

2010-06-30T16:24:00.015-06:00

All my friends seem to be buying new furniture, painting rooms, etc. So I figured I'd get in on the fun as well. Unfortunately, my apartment contract prohibits me from painting or in any other way beautifying my living space. However, it is nice to dream. So here are some of the ideas that I've come up with for a living room.
Paint:
This beautiful color is called Riverside Blue, by Behr. (If you ever want a good time, go to behr.com and play with the color creator tools there.) Accent trim will be bright white.

Flooring:
This is the Tundra laminate floor, in medium brown. From IKEA.
Don't forget a shag area rug. I love feeling shaggy carpet under my feet.

Furniture:
I love sectionals, but they've got to have a chaise. This one does, so it wins my liking. Check out this chocolate brown microfiber sectional here at RC Willey's website. Throw in this matching ottoman too. (They really are the same color, I've seen them in the store, haha.)

I love IKEA. Here is a sweet end table from there:
Finish it all off with this entertainment center/bookcase combo, also from IKEA:

A tedious tome...

2010-06-30T14:32:00.003-06:00

I apologize for the recent lack of FANCY WORDS OF THE DAY, I took ill last week and essentially ceased all functions for a few days. Anyways, today's FANCY WORD OF THE DAY is:

tome (n.) - a book or volume of books, usually suggesting a large, heavy, old-fashioned publication.

Ex: A tedious tome is a terrible time.

Pestering pedant...

2010-06-24T14:34:00.003-06:00

Today's FANCY WORD OF THE DAY is brought to you by Kirsten:

pedant (n.) - A person who excessively reveres or parades academic learning or technical knowledge, often without discrimination or practical judgement. Hence also: one who is excessively concerned with accuracy over trifling details of knowledge, or who insists on strict adherence to formal rules or literal meaning.

Ex: A pretentious pedant promptly pesters prudent persons.

Those reprehensible rabble-rousers!

2010-06-23T13:16:00.003-06:00

Today's FANCY WORD OF THE DAY comes from my own extensive repertory of fancy words.

reprehensible (adj.) - deserving of criticism, censure, or rebuke; reprovable; morally detestable.

Ex: Who even understands those reprehensible rap guys anyways?

Weekend with the family!

2010-06-22T13:26:00.002-06:00

Shelby and Monica came to Utah to celebrate Tiffany's birthday and to attend a Cake concert. The following is an accounting of my weekend:

Thursday: Everyone came to visit me at work, then they went and checked out the campus til 5 when I got off work. Then we ordered Brick Oven pizza and watched the Lakers/Celtics game. They went on their way to Ogden.

Friday: I woke up and went to pick up my rental car, but my card was declined. I put the deposit on my credit card, so that worked out. But then when I went to Bath and Body Works, my card was declined there too. So I called Bank of America, and it turns out they shut off my bank card without thinking to tell me. So I ended up having to write myself a check to deposit at UCCU so I could have money for the weekend. Moral of this story: Bank of America sucks butt. If you haven't already done so, you should break up with them. So once I finally got to Ogden, things were great. We went on a walk around the duck pond, went to Target, had a swim, then made dinner and watched a movie.

Saturday: Woke up early and made green scrambled eggs with bacon bits for the boys. Then we went to Tiffany's birthday luncheon at Wingers. A good time was had by all. Then we went to Salt Lake to shop around at the Gateway. After waiting a couple hours for the concert to start, we were finally seeing CAKE! The concert itself was great; but the swarming mass of drunkards and trollops was a little hard to bear. I got beer spilled on me twice, and inhaled just enough second-hand smoke to shorten my lifespan by 72 hours. Nevertheless, Cake put on a great concert.

Sunday: We woke up at the crack o' noon, lazed about til 2:30 or so, then went to Temple Square. Came back, had dinner, and watched Alice in Wonderland. Thankfully, I fell asleep before I had to watch the Futterwacken dance that so effectively ruined the whole movie for me.

Monday: Woke up early, packed everything up, stopped at Einstein's Bagels for a delicious blueberry bagel with honey-almond schmear, then went home to run errands all day.

So, it was essentially a great weekend. I'll post some pictures sometime soon. Cheers!

A perfunctory day

2010-06-22T13:16:00.006-06:00

Today's FANCY WORD OF THE DAY is brought to you by Robyn:

perfunctory (adj.) - done merely as a matter of duty, form, or routine, and so without interest, care, or enthusiasm; carried out with a minimum of effort

Ex: I greeted the student at the window with a perfunctory smile.

Feeling fractious...

2010-06-17T15:06:00.005-06:00

Today's FANCY WORD OF THE DAY is...

fractious (adj.) - refractory, unruly, peevish, especially of children.

Ex: The small EFY children are quite fractious.

The Food Journal

2010-06-16T19:48:00.007-06:00

Dieting - EEEEEW!

There comes a time in every person's life when he or she must become accountable for one thing or another. Because my efforts to fit into my skinny jeans (no, not the nasty emo jank the punks wear; I refer to the jeans I could fit into when I was skinny) have heretofore been unsuccessful, I became determined to become more aware of what I was feeding myself. In the simplistic metaphor in my head, dieting is like banking. You deposit calories when you eat, and withdraw them when you exercise. Unlike real banking, where overdrawing is a terrible, terrible thing, in dieting you want to withdraw more calories than you've deposited. Life is so much easier when you make everything into a simplistic metaphor, isn't it?

Anyways, those of you who know me should know by now that I hate counting calories. I usually cringe at the thought of reading a nutrition label (especially for a product that I have just consumed; it's like finding out you did worse on a test than you had previously thought!) I was reading WebMD.com's Health and Cooking section (I highly recommend it to anyone) and came across the suggestion to keep a food journal. I found this awesome, blank Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone journal from God-knows-when and decided that would be come my new FOOD JOURNAL!

I try to keep it simple. At the end of each day, I write what I had for each meal, and any snacks in between. If something (or a combination of somethings) I ate made me feel sick, fat, greasy, healthy, whatever... I write that in there too. If I made a naughty food choice, then I can analyze which emotional or environmental influences possessed me to do so. Then I can make a sort of GAME-PLAN for the next day. This has really helped me be more conscious of what I'm eating. If I want to eat something naughty, I have to first weigh out the consequences (namely, how I'll feel when I have to write about it in that day's entry.) The good thing is, instead of beating myself up over one bad choice, I can just write about it and have a plan for the next time I'm confronted with that or a similar situation.

Here's an example of an entry. This was Sunday, June 4, 2010:

Skipped breakfast (woke up at 11:30)
Lunch: Chicken salad sandwich w/ Muenster cheese, sweet potato fries, Cherry-Pom juice.
Dinner (Ward Break-the-Fast): Subbed Garden Burger w/ Provolone for hamburger, hot dog (made me feel gross), wedge of watermelon, 2 small handfuls of potato chips, 2 cookies.
Late-night snack: Chocolate Slim-Fast w/ PB and banana (ended up being too much)
Tomorrow: Cereal and juice for breakfast, Take a Fiber One bar for a work snack, COME HOME for lunch, Chicken or pasta for dinner w/ salad (but go easy on the cheese and dressing)

See, it's not so hard!

I've been keeping said journal for just over a week, and I've already noticed emotional and physical differences. I don't feel like I've lost weight quite yet (although a few people have noted a slight difference); however, all this eating well has made my tummy-box not feel quite so broken.

I know this was an extremely lengthy post in comparison with my usual ramblings. But this food journal has really been a great addition to my daily life. It might not be YOUR solution (heck, it might not even be MY solution!) Find something that works for you! If you need some great ideas on living and cooking healthy, sign up for WebMD's Health and Cooking emails (found at the bottom right of the webpage.) They rock.

Traipsing through the tiger lilies

2010-06-16T12:44:00.005-06:00

Today's FANCY WORD OF THE DAY is:

traipse (vi.) - to walk or go aimlessly or idly or without finding or reaching one's goal.

Ex: I should very much like to traipse through the tiger lilies.

Fancy word of the day

2010-06-15T15:35:00.002-06:00

Salutations! As you can see by checking the dates of my most recent posts, I clearly have an issue with posting regularly. So I spent some time (about 30 seconds, to be precise) thinking about why that could be, and the answer came to me: I don't have anything to write about regularly! I've already attempted to create a blog that stuck to one subject (q.v. "You Learn Something New Every Day"), but that was a failure. In my desperate search for a blog-worthy subject, some friends suggested that I use my love of obsolete and obscure words as material for blogging. I therefore present you with:

THE FANCY WORD OF THE DAY!

Not all of these entries come directly from my brain. For example:

Today's word is brought to you by Maren.

trollop (n.) - An untidy or slovenly woman; a morally loose woman.
Ex: That trollop has stolen my billfold, as well as my reputation.

Here are the Kardashian sisters looking quite trollopy:

You know it, now you can't un-know it!

Brace yourself for more... FANCY WORDS OF THE DAY!

The Happy List

2010-06-09T15:58:00.008-06:00

Hi everyone! It's been ages since I've posted. I've made several attempts at posting again, but alas, they've all just been saved as drafts after a few sentences. But today is the day I complete a post! Huzzah!

Anyways, I've been feeling kind of down lately, for various reasons. So I thought it would be a good idea to make a list to remind me of things that make me happy. I've already done this once before on this blog (q.v. "Simple Pleasures") but it's time for a new list. Here goes:

Fluffy white clouds against a blue sky. On a clear day, of course.
Feeling grass between my toes. (Even though it makes me itch)
Singing at the top of my lungs while in the shower
Drinking milk after a PB&J sandwich
Avocados on sandwiches.
Walking into a clean apartment. (This doesn't happen very often, haha)
Seeing the first tulips in spring
Serving somebody food and you can tell that they love it after the first bite
Finding the perfect opportunity to use a fancy word in everyday speech
Hearing people speak in a British, Irish, or Australian accent
(Or a Spanish accent if they're speaking Spanish)
Watching foreign films
Meeting people that have awesome British names, like Carlisle.
Popping bubble wrap
Feeling the nape of my neck right after a hair cut
Watching the reel of unwanted receipts get super-long (My Recorstration buddies know what I'm talking about)
Feeling warm sunshine after I've been in a cold room
Scratching behind puppies' ears.
Sunflowers, daffodils, day lilies, all the awesome summer flowers :)

To be continued...

Supplementary Blog

2009-12-23T13:54:00.002-07:00

Heaven knows I hardly post on this blog. However, I've decided to start another blog. Have a look:

connectingsynapses.blogspot.com

Oh the weather outside is frightful

2009-12-23T09:38:00.004-07:00

Hello friends! I just realized something about my blogging patterns. I have to have an inspiration to blog. I've had "Let it Snow" stuck in my head ALL morning, so that's the inspiration for today's random ramblings.

The weather outside in Provo is certainly frightful. It's been snowing and the roads are all freshly covered in ice. And it's bitter cold. Here's the view from my desk:

But, let it snow. However, we DO have a place to go. Tomorrow I'll be driving home to the motherland, California. The forecast: sunny in the mid to high 60's. Can life get any better? I submit that it cannot. For all my Bakersfield buddies... I'll be there for three days, then Tiffany and I are driving back on Monday morning. So if you want some Brian time, make sure to let me know and I'll try to pencil you in.

A very Happy Christmas to you all!

Thankful for Craziness

2009-11-24T16:39:00.007-07:00

Hey, remember that one time I was good at posting often? Nor do I. I won't bother you with details of how busy my life has been; If you're interested, read my last post and multiply the stress factor by 3.

Seeing as I have lots to be thankful for, I figured it might be appropriate as the Thanksgiving holiday approches to start thinking about those things. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and is not meant to be in order of importance. Just in the random order they come to mind. A-here we go!

Family - I really do appreciate my family. Let's not fool ourselves, most of the time it was rough growing up in such a special family situation. But I wouldn't trade it for the world! I'm so thankful that Shelby and Monica were willing and able to take in my sisters and me after our parents passed away, so that we could all live under one roof and have a strong family. Shelby and Monica have always been there as an example and a support. I know we don't agree on everything, but you guys gave me a great foundation and I know I'm a decent person now because of it. Tiffany and I used to fight like cats and dogs. I just always figured that we were too different to get along. The funny thing is, we were too alike to get along! I'm thankful that I have gotten to grow closer to her now that we're adults. She is always ready to listen, and she has never judged me or made me feel bad about myself for what I've done with my life. Keri was my example of christlike service. To this day, I don't know how that girl survived high school; she was always swamped with school and activities, and still managed to keep a smile on! I'm thankful for the time she would give to me so that we could have a life chat when I was down, and she would often go out of her way to make me feel better with little notes and what-not. I suppose Jacob and Ezra get a plug in here too. (Monica, make sure they get to read this, haha.) Jacob, you've always been an example to me of a good older brother. Most of the time you would do what Ezra wanted to, and you're a good kid. And I know Ezra can tell. Ezra, I'm thankful for the smiles you brought into the house when you were born. You are kind of a crazy daredevil, I'll admit :P but your energy and happy disposition rub off on other people.

Friends - I wish I had the time/space/energy to write about all of my friends. Alas, I have work in an hour. But... I'm so thankful that I have awesome friends. The best ones are the ones that need me sometimes, and I need them sometimes. Those relationships are my favorite. It's nice to have people that understand you and are there for you, whether you just need to hang out or chat or vent or have a deep soul-searching life-talk. Each friend fulfills certain needs in my life, and vice versa. I don't thank my friends nearly enough. So... here goes. THANKS! :)

School - Given the amount of complaining I do about school, you might be surprised that I actually like school. I love learning new things and opening up my mind, even if I don't particularly appreciate the workload the teachers burden we students with. I go to one of the best schools around yet my tuition is dirt cheap. That is a HUGE blessing. I don't subscribe to many aspects of the BYU environment, as most of you know, but I do love being here. I'm also thankful that I have a place in the world! That is, a major. I was accepted into the Spanish Teaching program last week, so I can finally start getting ready for a career.

Work - In this crappy economy, I am lucky enough to have two jobs. I love actually having enough money to pay my bills! It is often stressful when they overlap with school or each other, but I am thankful for work and especially the people in each job that make me want to go into work each day. I suppose they could go into the friends category too.

Speaking of work, look at the time! Time to jet! Here's a link to an old post with a similar list of things that make me happy.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and be sure to take a moment or two to reflect on what you're thankful for. It sounds cliché but I promise it's rewarding.

¡Ciao!

Back-to-School Bedlam!

2009-09-11T23:09:00.002-06:00

Wow, it has been a long time since my last post. My neglect of this blog can be mostly attributed to the beginning of a new semester, yet another chapter in the randomness that is my life!

What, you might ask, have I been up to since the last update?

This is the first semester in my new major, Spanish Teaching. I'm taking an Intro to Foreign Language Teaching class. This class is unfortunately held at 8 AM daily, so that's kept me pretty exhausted. Thankfully, it's only for the first half of the semester. Every other week we go out and about to different schools to observe classrooms. This past week, my group and I went to a junior high school in Lindon every day to watch Spanish 1-3 classes. It's been a pretty enlightening experience. But I am becoming more excited about getting out there and teaching!
I'm also taking Spanish Composition and Literature classes, re-taking Sociology (Ugh!) On the fun side, I'm taking Gold-level Social Dance and I'm in University Orchestra. I've also got to start applying for my major, and getting things in line to go to Spain next spring or fall. Should keep me busy!

The time has come for me to catch some sweet Z's, so I'll give you more updates later. Cheers!

Ridiculously Sweet Music Video

2009-08-07T11:30:00.003-06:00

Hey all. Check this video out. It's one of the most creative ones I've seen in a while.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_HXUhShhmY

Enjoy!

BTW, my blog is no longer private. I've fixed the problem with stalking, so feel free to read to your heart's content.

Oh, you just have to wait.

2009-07-15T14:39:00.004-06:00

I know you've all been waiting with bated breath for my next blog post. So here goes:

I had a fortune cookie the other day. I was expecting the standard post-meal fortune cookie to contain some sort of life-changing advice, perhaps something along the lines of "You make happy-happy eat at Chen's Noodle House!" Instead, the message inside read: "HAVE PATIENCE - IT WILL BENEFIT YOU." This fell perfectly in line with some good advice from my buddy Diana Ross, encapsulated in the timeless classic "Can't Hurry Love."

I have the tendency to be very impatient with everything. I think this fast-paced world we live in has given me the expectation that I can have anything almost immediately. Which is true in some regards. I can have my Pop-Tarts warmed to perfection in like 30 seconds. Neat-o! But there are some things in life that you just have to be patient with. Like love. It gets frustrating sometimes, but I guess there's nothing to do but "keep on waiting, anticipating."

Those are my thoughts at the moment. Maybe most of you already know these things and are now regretting that you won't get the one minute back that you spent reading this post. But yeah. Hopefully you gleaned something from that. Have a great week, everyone!

My life, turned upside down

2009-06-18T14:30:00.003-06:00

Everyone is familiar with nursery rhymes, right? They are a precious part of everyone's childhood. Well, not anymore. Have you ever stopped to realize just how sinister and morbid their origins are? I already knew that "Ring around the rosy" refers to the Plague. But there are so many other gems. "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary"? Let's have a look at the original words:

"Mary, Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockle shells and pretty maids all in a row."

Pretty innocent. And downright precious, right? Well, let's place it in historical context: Bloody Mary, Queen of England and daughter of Henry VIII, mercilessly killed many Protestants. Silver bells and cockle shells sound nice. But they were instruments of torture. And maids in a row? The Maiden is another name for a guillotine.

Aren't you so glad your childhood was enriched by these happy lines? If you'd like to check out more, here's a sweet website:

http://rhymes.org.uk/

Enjoy!

Some thoughts

2009-05-31T12:35:00.002-06:00

Hi friends! I started this blog as a way to put out all my amazing intellectual ideas. However, I've only been using it like a Mormon housewife (meaning it's just a place to put up pics and talk about myself, haha). So, here are some things I've been thinking about lately.

I've noticed recently that a lot of the little insecurities I've had about myself have started to resurface, to become big insecurities. They're things that I was always aware of, but never really gave much thought to. But, for whatever reason, they've begun to take up a bigger space in my mind. I've just been worried about some of my shortcomings and/or deficiencies.

Thankfully, somebody pointed out to me that I should spend more time thinking about the strengths that I have, and how I can use those to work on my weaknesses. Then came the question: What are my strengths? I was directed to this awesome website by the University of Pennsylvania where you can take a survey and it will tell you, out of 24 characteristics, which are your strongest. The survey is really long (240 questions) but I feel like it was worth it. The results were pretty accurate; nothing came as a surprise to me, but it was more like a reassurance of things I already knew about myself.

One of the points of this survey is to focus on your top 5 and bottom 5 strengths. Here are my results:

Top 5:
1. Humor and Playfulness
2. Kindness and Generosity
3. Judgment, Critical Thinking, and Open-mindedness
4. Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence
5. Citizenship, Teamwork, and Loyalty

Bottom 5:
24. Self-control and Self-regulation
23. Industry, Diligence, and Perseverance
22. Bravery and Valor
21. Spirituality, Sense of Purpose, and Faith
20. Honesty, Authenticity, and Genuineness

So yeah... this survey was a great way for me to do some reflection and self-inventory. I'd recommend it to anyone. The person that showed it to me suggested taking the top 5 strengths and seeing how I could apply them to different aspects of my life, like my friendships, my career, etc. Doing that has helped me to regain some perspective on things.

Click here to check out this survey. Click on the "VIA Signature Strengths Questionnaire" link.

Just thought I'd share that experience with you!

Random Ramblings.

2009-04-23T12:22:00.002-06:00

Well, another semester has ended. I survived, relatively unscathed. A lot of stuff happened between January and now! A brief recap:
* New major (and new life plan)
* New car
* Sprained an ankle (and still danced a mean tango in competition)
* Okay, so nothing else comes to mind at the moment.

But still, it seems like just yesta-noon I was starting out a new year. Today is graduation here at BYU. I'm excited that so many people are moving on in their lives, but it also makes me kind of sad that I'm not getting anywhere in mine. Sure, I've changed my major and I'm on my way there. But I feel like I've been slaving away at school for the past 3 years, and have hardly anything to show for it. (Except for a bunch of general courses, haha.) Anyways, enough about the past. What does the future hold for me?

I'll be working at the Recorstration Office throughout the summer. However, I am getting cut to half-time. Gotta find an afternoon gig. Any suggestions? I won't be taking classes. However, I do plan on trying out for the summer ballroom team again. So in the rare circumstance that I get on the team, I'll have to take that class from 7-8 AM every day. Nasty.

What else is happening this summer? I'm trying to plan some road trips to make up for the depressing lack of them last summer. Hopefully things will work out and I can go to California for a bit!

In the near future:
I'm moving into a new apartment on Monday. I still don't know how that's all going to work out, because I can't move into the new place until 9 AM but I also have to be out of the old place that day. And I couldn't find anybody to cover my shift at work. Ugh! Hopefully that goes over well. I'm excited to have the customary housewarming fiesta once I move in. I think this time will be Mexican-themed, i.e. mojitos and enchiladas. Like nobody's business. ¡Será una fiesta muy muy sabrosa para mi boca!

Anyways, that's my life at the moment.

Dancesport Pics and the Festival of Colors

2009-04-08T22:42:00.008-06:00

Hi peoples! I've finally gotten a hold of the videos from Dancesport, and have decided to post them here for your viewing pleasure!

Here's the Tango. We made it to the 3rd round. We're couple 534, in case you have trouble spotting us.

And a Rumba. Again, 3 rounds. Sorry the video is kinda jumpy.

Finally, the Waltz. We made it to 4 rounds. Hott-dang!

So yeah, that was Dancesport. Here's a shout-out to Jannelle and Kami, my two amazing partners! *Air five*

Last Saturday I decided to go with some friends to the Festival of Colors at the Krishna temple in Spanish Fork. It's a celebration to bring in Spring. Basically... at a specified time, pandemonium begins to ensue and everybody throws different colors of chalk dust at each other. Then, about 2 minutes later, it's over. And there's just some random band singing 8 million different versions of the Hare Krishna song. It was a good time though! :D Here's a pic:
I always thought I'd look better in green!

Spelling Fail

2009-04-06T11:34:00.003-06:00

Today's priceless gem is brought to you by the Daily Universe, BYU's newspaper.

FRONT-PAGE TYPOGRAPHICAL ERROR CAUSES MASSIVE LAUGHTER.

Enjoy!

Cute Video!

2009-03-22T22:49:00.001-06:00

You all have to watch this video. If you've got 12 minutes to spare, it will make your day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy0HNWto0UY

New Hair

2009-03-22T22:34:00.003-06:00

Okay, so I finally got a pic of the new hair. Enjoy!

Life!

2009-03-20T09:50:00.002-06:00

'Ello everyone! I know I'm LONG overdue for an update, so here goes:

I've been sick since about Sunday. No fun. I was watching Mean Girls at Chris' place, then suddenly I felt like I was having an emphysema attack! I was couging and congested all Monday and Tuesday, then I woke up on Wednesday and felt like I'd been hit by a truck. I came to work but stayed home from classes. Yesterday was worse. I woke up and had a fever and no voice. No work OR school. I took an 8 hour nap and felt a little better. Today is a bit better... hopefully I'm on the upside of this nasty business!

School has been kind of crazy lately. I've officially changed my major to Spanish, and my minor to Music. The operation was nearly painless. Except for the part when the music advisement centre completely deleted my major and minor. But it's fixed now. I have to apply next fall for the teaching program, and for an ESL minor. I'll get there... eventually. Classes are pretty stressful too. I had a D&C midterm this week, and got a 76, better than I expected! I'm not TOO worried about it, seeing as the professor completely canceled the first midterm and gave us all 100%. That should help boost up my grade, hehe! I'm worried about band. Because of being sick I've missed three rehearsals and 2 clarinet lessons. NOT easy to make up. Yikes. Spanish is going pretty well, I got a 91% on the last exam. Yay. As for ASL, life is good. I got 100% on my midterm. You can see the video of it on Facebook.

Dance classes are going well. Dancesport was this past weekend, I did Silver Rumba and Gold Tango on Thursday, then Silver Waltz on Saturday. We danced 3 rounds of Rumba and Tango, and 4 of Waltz. Got cut right before the quarter-finals in every event! Grrrr. Oh well. I am super proud of our dancing. I'll have some pics/vids up once my partners get them to me.

What else? I am super stressed out about this summer. I have to find housing and a job before April. Then I get to do the whole thing over again for August. Ugh. If you have any leads, let me know! :) BTW, I have new hair. You'll all just have to wait til I get a pic up to see it!

The semester thus far:

2009-02-14T17:16:00.007-07:00

Hi everyone! It's been an eternity since I've posted on here, so I figured I'd let everyone know what's going on in my life these days!

Where to start?

Well, I had the worst weekend ever two weeks ago. On Friday afternoon I was in my dance class doing the tango when I slipped and rolled my ankle. It was SUPER swollen, so I went to Urgent Care to make sure it wasn't broken. Luckily it wasn't but the nurse told me that I'd be on crutches for a week, and using an ankle brace for at least 6 weeks. That was terrible news, considering I was getting ready for a dance competition the following Wednesday, and I had a clarinet audition the following day! Oh well. The next morning, I hobbled to my clarinet audition the next morning. I got there 40 minutes early so I took some time to warm up and practice, and I thought I was playing really well. Then I went into my audition... and bombed it. They asked me to play 2 easy scales (Ab major and F# minor) but my fingers completely forgot what they were doing. The pieces I performed were okay. Maybe mediocre at best. They didn't even want to hear my sight reading. So, I hobbled home dejectedly.

Anyways, my ankle was doing a bit better, so one of my dance partners wrapped up my ankle and I got to dance at the dance lab on Wednesday. I danced 2 rounds of Paso Doble, and made it to the semi-finals for Tango. Sprained ankle and all. Woot woot!
Here are the two Paso Doble videos. Sorry they're not that great, I'm not the best at it.

And here's a Tango video:

So things continued to pick up a bit. My D&C teacher completely canceled our first exam, and gave us all 100% on it. Way better than I could have done!

Anyways... So last Monday I got an email from the School of Music, letting me know that I was not accepted into the Music program. (I've gotten three of these during the past three years.) So I kinda had a breakdown and started making plans to transfer schools. It sucked.

But, things have already been looking up a bit. I changed my major to Spanish on Thursday. I think it's time to hit up my back-up plan and become a Spanish Teacher. I have an appointment with an adviser to make sure it's a good idea and it's really what I want to do.

Anyways, that's where my life is at now. Still no concrete plan, but at least I have some prospects now. And, a car update: I successfully and without *too* much trouble managed to replace the nasty blown speakers and the cassette deck stereo in Esteban (the new ride). I'm so proud! And it sounds great.

I'll try to be a bit more consistent with my blog posts! Valentine's Day is completely superfluous and commercialized, but I hope you all have a great one anyways! :D

The Alphabet of Me!

2009-02-08T00:58:00.002-07:00

This is a little som'n-som'n I posted on Facebook, so I figured I'd copy/paste it here for your enjoyment and wonderment. Hopefully it'll hold y'all over until I eventually feel like doing a legitimate post! :D

A
- Available: I'm not sure.
- Age: 20 1/2
- Annoyance: People walking, driving, or talking slowly. Get a freakin' move on!
- Animal: Puppy!

B
- Beer: No thanks. It's gross.
- Birthday/Birthplace: 18 August 1988. Bakersfield, CA
- Best Friends: Chris, Marcus, Jane, Julie. (Not in any particular order, haha)
- Body Part on opposite sex: I won't lie... I'm a sucker for pretty eyes.
- Best feeling in the world: Making someone's day. Or somebody making my day.
- Been on stage?: Countless times.
- Been beaten up?: A few times. But I can hold my own pretty well :)
- Believe in yourself? Most of the time.
- Believe in life on other planets: I'm not sure. It really doesn't affect my life, so I don't think about it too much.
- Believe in miracles: A resounding yes!
- Believe in magic: No. But the world of Harry Potter is amazing.
- Believe in God: Yes. We are sometimes not on good terms, but he's definitely there.
- Believe in Satan: Yes. He's a tricky little blighter.
- Believe in Santa: Not since I was 5 or 6.
- Believe in Ghosts/spirits: Not in the spooky Halloween sense. But yes.
- Believe in Evolution: Yes. I don' think that's the beginning though.

C
- Car: 2001 Chevrolet Blazer. His name is Esteban.
- Color: Blue and green.
- Cried in school: Yeah, all the time!
- Chocolate/Vanilla: Chocolate, please. But vanilla is good too!
- Chinese/Mexican: Let's put it this way: I'd rather be Mexican than Chinese.
- Cake or pie: Depends on the flavor / quality. And my current mood.
- Country to visit: Spain. ¡Viva España!
- Comedian: Brian Regan or Dane Cook.

D
- Day or Night: Definitely day.
- Dream vehicle: A Beemer. (BMW)
- Dance: Yes!!! I love ballroom dance.
- Dance in the rain?: Yes, but only in warm tropical rain.

E
- Eggs: Yum. I like them.
- Eyes: Blue. I think they're my best feature :)
- Everyone has: a secret.
- Ever failed a class?: Heh. I could go on and on about it.

F
- First crush: I don't remember.
- Full name: Brian Robert Munn
- First thoughts waking up: Gross. I have to wake up.
- Food: I like orange chicken and ice cream. But not together. Eeeew.

G
- Greatest Fear: Being rejected. It's a legitimate fear, it happens all the time :(
- Goals: To be a better person every day. It takes me a while to get there.
- Gum: Only if I need a last-minute breath-neutralizer!
- Get along with your parents?: We get along, but I'm not very close with them these days.
- Good luck charm: Luck happens, you don't summon it with inanimate objects.

H
- Hair Color: Brown but with blond undertones. I'm getting that one fixed today. Darker brown, here I come! :D
- Height: 5'10". I wish I were 6', I've always thought that would be the perfect height. Oh well.
- Happy: Nearly always!
- Holiday: OMG, Christmas!!!
- How do you want to die: Well, I generally try to avoid it, but if it does happen I want it to be quick and moderately painless.
- Health Freak: Anybody that knows me knows the answer to this question. No way! I don't want to die with the guilt that I pushed away that plate of cookies!
- Hate: When people are intolerant in the name of the Church!
- Heart Broken/when/who?: Oh, it's so hard to narrow it down to one.

I
- Ice Cream: Mint chip.
- Instrument: Ready? Clarinet, piano, guitar, saxophone, oboe, and i'm working on flute, ukulele and violin. I also play some mean spoons. (Cue bluegrass music)

J
- Jewelry: I won't even wear a watch.
- Job: Recorstration. Best coworkers ever! :D

K
- Kids: Not sure. Probably not, given the circumstances.
- Kick boxing or karate: No, thanks.
- Keep a journal?: Not anymore.

L
- Longest Car Ride: California to Tennessee. But the stretch from Bakersfield to Little Rock was made without interruption. Ugh.
- Love: Friends, family, chocolate. A few others too.
- Laughed so hard you cried: All the time!
- Love at first sight: Heh. Sometimes I'm not even sure about love, period.

LAST PERSON WHO...
1.Slept in a bed beside you?: I have no idea. It's been forever.
2.Saw you cry?: Some random guy who was nice enough to help me down the stairs the day after I sprained my ankle and bombed my clarinet audition.
3.Went to the movies with you?: Chad, today.
4.You went to the mall with?: Chad.
5.You went to dinner with?: Chad.
6.You talked to on the phone?: Chad. Haha.
7.Made you laugh?: "He's Just Not That Into You"
8.Made you cry?: Myself.
9.Broke your heart?: You know who you are.
10.You vented to about a boy/girl?: Chris. As always, haha!

M
- Milk flavor: 1%, please.
- Movie: Juno.
- Mooned anyone?: I doubt it.
- Marriage?: I doubt that too.
- Motion sickness?: Generally no.
- McD's or BK: Eeeew. Neither!
- Memory: Soaking up the sun at Hapuna Beach in Hawaii.

N
- Number of Siblings: A brother, a sister-in-law, two sisters, and two nephews. Weird family situation, as most of you know.
- Number of Piercings: Never.
- Number: I like 7. Or 27. Not sure why.

O
- Overused Phrases: "Shut up!" when used as an interjection of amazement or surprise.
- Odd phobia: Asphyxiation. Although, it's not so much a phobia as a desire to live! Haha.

P
- Place you'd like to live: The beach. Probably in California.
- Pizza: Sausage and olive. Or Brick Oven's garlic chicken pizza. Yum!
- Pepsi/Coke: Mountain Dew.
- Person you miss: Julie!

Q
- Quail: California's state bird.
- Quiet music or loud: Whatever is appropriate to the situation...

R
- Reason to cry: Frustration.
- Reality TV: God, I hope nobody's reality is like that! So fake.
- Radio Station: Whatever station I create in Pandora. Love it!
- Roll your tongue in a circle?: Yes. Thanks Mom and Dad for that completely superfluous genetic trait.

S
- Song: Seasons of Love
- Shoe size: 9 1/2 or 10.
- Salad Dressing: Honey mustard.
- Sushi: Never tried.
- Scent: Coconut Lime Verbena. Delicious!
- Skipped class: Like nobody's business!
- Seen a dead body?: Yeah. Doesn't really phase me. So long as said body does not become reanimated.
- Smoke?: Hell-to-the-no! Biggest turn-off ever.
- Skinny dipped?: Admittedly, yes.
- Shower daily?: Yes. Daily showering should be mandatory.
- Sing well?: Depends on the day. I think I can hold my own though.
- In the shower?: Yes. What could be more fun than belting out Michael Buble's latest and greatest while wet and naked?!
- Swear?: Like a sailor. Some days I think it's a bad habit. But most of the time, when used tastefully it can greatly enrich my lexicon.
- Stuffed Animals?: Nope. But there is a huge collection of Beanie Babies somewhere back home that is clearly wishing to be shot at.
- Single/Group dates: The whole dating thing is overrated anyways.
- Strawberries/Blueberries: Blueberries. Yum!
-Sport: Blah. I have better things to do.

T
- Time for bed: SUPPOSED to be 11:30. Hardly ever works out that way though, haha.
- Thunderstorms: Nasty.
- TV: The Office.
- Touch your tongue to your nose?: Yes! I'll show you some day.
- Tattoos?: Nope. My body is a temple, no graffiti allowed.

U
- Unpredictable: Nope. Anyone that knows me well enough can predict my every move. I'm working on being more spontaneous.
- Used to play: Soccer and baseball.

V
- Vegetable you hate: Lima beans. Icky poo-crap.
- Vegetable you love: I don't actively love any vegetables, haha.
- Vacation spot: Last one? Hawaii. Eventually, Spain!

W
- Weakness: I have horrible sweet teeth!
- When you grow up: I want to be British.
- Which one of your friends knows the most about you: Probably Chris. Then maybe Jane.
- Who makes you laugh the most: I laugh a lot anyways, so it's hard to tell.
- Worst feeling: Knowing that I F*d up something really badly.
- Want to be a model?: I'll take the body, but hold the arrogance.

X
- X-Rays: A few times.

Y
-Year it is now: 2009
-Yellow: Aurora!

Z
- Zoo animal: Panda! I love you!
- Zodiac sign: Leo. Rawr.

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009!

2009-01-07T23:20:00.004-07:00

Hi friends! I know I'm very overdue for a post, so here goes. I finished out the semester and got by with 3 A's, 2 B's, a C, and an E from a very ridiculous teacher. Not bad. I worked the first week of the break, then flew home with Tiffany on Christmas Eve. Shelby came and picked us up from the airport and we made it into Bakersfield about 9:30-ish. I stayed up and helped prepare for the Christmas festivities, then finally went to bed at 1:45-ish. I was awakened at a ridiculously early hour by the sound of the nephews anticipating their Christmas gifts. There's a funny story to insert here about Monica's secret plot to fool Jacob and Ezra into thinking the Wii Rock Band was for Tiffany and me. I'm too tired to write it all out, so feel free to read about it on Monica's Blog.

I got to hang out with some great friends, and it was sad that the vacation was so short-lived, but it was a good time all the same. We all piled into the Suburban and drove to Utah on Monday. It was a bit stressful, so I came home on Wednesday and had various people over at different times throughout the evening. I rang in the new year, had a glass of sparkling grape juice, and went to bed! I don't recall doing anything very substantative on New Year's Day, I think I just kinda chilled.

On Friday my loans finally came to me, so I went up to Salt Lake to buy my new car! Here are some pics!

It's a 2001 Chevrolet Blazer, complete with 4x4, awesome upholstery, a 12-disc changer, and, the best part... a working engine! The dealer was great, he ran a CarFax for me, and apparently it used to be owned by Enterprise rentals. So that explains the immaculate condition. On the other hand, all of the speakers are blown. So I fixed that today. Anyways...

I ended up getting another new toy the same day. I had T-Mobile for years, and they were always great to me, until recently. They've screwed up my bill one too many times! So, when my contract ended in December, I vowed it was time to change it up a bit. I was planning on holding off until January or February, but the heavens aligned and my SIM card died. T-Mobile wanted me to extend to another 2-year contract and buy a new phone to give me a new SIM card. Wasn't gonna happen. So... long story short: I have AT&T now. And an iPhone. I used to think they were overrated, ridiculous, and for nerds. In fact, I still feel that way about most of Apple's products. Anyways, several friends have been trying to persuade me for months to make the switch. And it has been great. I now have a phone and an iPod all in one. And the App Store is amazing. I won't go on rambling about how great my new phone is. You'll just have to join the rest of the world and get a sweet phone/iPod/camera/GPS/slicer-dicer. Check it out here:

School. It's always stressful during the start of a new semester. It's hard to adjust to a new schedule, new classes, new teachers. Plus, I work at the Records/Registration (Recorstration) Office, so I get to deal with the influx of students adding classes or wanting transcripts, or blaming me for them dropping their own classes. Good times. But, the first week of this semester has been surprisingly bearable. Granted, work is never as bad as I make it out to be because I work with some of the best people ever and they make it awesome. Classes are going well. I'm taking an easy semester this time around a) because I need to get my GPA up with some easy classes, and b) because I'm kind of in a rut with the whole music program thing. So this semester, I am taking Spanish 321, ASL 101, Symphonic Band (of which I am 5th chair. I'm so proud!), Clarinet Lessons, Intermediate Latin Dance, Intermediate Standard Dance (ballroom), and D&C 325 (the second half). It's been so long since I've enjoyed going to classes every day, so this semester should do me some good.

Well, as Bret would say, "I think I might go to bed, I've got work in the morning." However, it is NOT Business Time, it's really sleep time.

An update, and an accounting of an amazing evening!

2008-12-07T18:29:00.009-07:00

Hi friends! I know it's been a while since I've posted, so here's a general update. Thanksgiving was great! I went to my friend Chris' place and we had an awesome dinner, then watched some movies. Good times.

School has been really stressful. It's always so hard to come back to school after Thanksgiving because it's the hardest part of the semester, and there's so little time left that it's easy to just blow it all off. Anywho... I had my orchestra concert last Tuesday night. I had some great solos in "La Forza del Destino" by Verdi, and "Valse des Fleurs" from the Nutcracker. Good times! On Wednesday morning, I did my medals exams for Social dance. I got a 90 on cha cha, 90 on waltz, and 88 on triple swing. Then Thursday morning I did my Latin exams. Got a 89 on rumba and a 90 on samba. It was really hard doing samba because I twisted my knee doing triple swing the night before. So my TA and I had a little system. She would poke me whenever I was facing the judges so I could turn on my 100-watt smile, then when we were facing away, I could grimace as needed. Goes to show that sometimes you've gotta do whatcha gotta do!

Yesterday I had the funnest evening ever! I went to dinner with a lovely young woman from my dance class. We went to Brick Oven Pizza. (I'd never been there before. I fully endorse it.) Then we went to Christmas around the World, put on by the BYU dance department. It was awesome to see the folk dancers do different dances from all around the world. I think my favorite was either the Riverdancers, or the one from the Philippines. Or maybe the Ukranian one. Heck, they were all my favorite! So we did that, then went to a BYUSA-sponsored event (I know, that goes against all I stand for!) at Seven Peaks. They had ice skating, dancing, cookie decorating, among other activities. So we danced, then decorated cookies for each other, then skated. I LOVE ice skating! I'm moderately good at it... the only time I nearly fell was when I was doing the ice waltz, and tried to execute an open right turn. Not so graceful after all. All in all, it was an amazing evening! Thanks Allison! :D

I didn't have my real camera with me, so I didn't document much of it. But I do have some great pics of our cookies. You'll have to excuse the mediocre quality, as these pics are from my cell phone. Enjoy!

Me and my Oscar the Grouch cookie. I'm unsuccessfully trying to pull the same face.

A Christmas tree that I made.

3-D snowman cookie. Amazing!

Both of us with our finished confectionery creations!

Fun Fridays!

2008-11-21T15:15:00.002-07:00

I love Fridays. There's the impending weekend in the air, we normally have food at work. And it's the day where I can justify not doing any homework. In any case, today has been a pretty good Friday.

Today we had our Triple Swing test in my Social Dance class, and our teacher Betsy asked me to help write down her comments. After a few couples danced, I mentioned that I felt like the American Idol panel, because it was me, Betsy, and our TA Jared. We decided it would be sweet to replicate AI, so we did. After the couple danced, I grabbed the microphone and said in my best Simon accent, "That was absolutely repellent." Betsy put on her Paula voice and said "OMG, that was the best dance ever! You are beautiful!" Then Jared pulled a Randy and said, "Yo yo dawg, that was awesome."

When I first spoke, I got a lot of dirty looks. But then when everyone figured out what we were doing, it was great.

That's my story.

DanceSport!

2008-11-15T14:48:00.009-07:00

Well, I know you've all been waiting with anticipation for this post, so I shall deny you no further.

First of all, let me just reiterate how much I love DanceSport. Everybody that knows me knows that I haven't been able to shut up about it for weeks! Some historical commentary: I started dancing here at BYU in my 184 Beginning Standard class, and I never thought I would get into it. It was just a fun class to take to fulfill a general requirement. But, since then I've started to LOVE dancing. So yeah, I took Beginning Standard my freshman year, then took beginning Social my sophomore year. Absolutely loved that class! So, this semester I figured I'd be ambitious and decided to take two dance classes simultaneously: Intermediate Social and Beginning Latin. Anyways, on to this weekend's competition.

Last night (Friday) my partner and I danced the 380 Waltz (which was bold because we're 280 students). I thought we did really well, considering we were dancing different steps than everyone else, and we also had less experience. We made it to the second round! Yay! Then this morning, I did Samba and Triple Swing. It was kinda crazy after a while because I was dancing two events, and I had two different partners to coordinate with, and those partners both had two events and two partners. It was wild. But, we survived. I made it to 3 rounds of Samba and 3 rounds of Triple Swing. By the last rounds, we were both tired, so I think that's why we didn't go much further...on the video of the last triple swing, you can tell we're both just exhausted! Anyways, I've included some real-life footage of us dancing! (We're the couple wearing black and blue.) I apologize if it's hard to find us... the samba is a progressive dance, meaning we move across the floor. So sometimes other couples get in the way. Also, none of the triple swing videos turned out very well, so I've just got pictures of that. Enjoy!

1st round of Samba!

3rd round of Samba!

Triple Swing!

Joy and me:

A Bit Scandalous!

Update

2008-11-10T15:41:00.002-07:00

Hi friends! It's been a while, and I feel like the last post's venting doesn't represent how I feel any longer. Soooo.....yay! Anyways, I thought I'd throw out how grateful I am to have awesome friends! I'm not referring to the friends that are there for you when it's convenient, or when they need something. I'm referring to the few friends that are there for me no matter what.

In any case, this weekend was actually pretty relaxing for me! It's still rough not having a car, but I'm adapting little by little. I also bought some of my outfit for DanceSport, which is this weekend. I'm SOOOO excited for it! I'm competing 380 Waltz on Friday night, and 280 Triple Swing and 185 Samba on Saturday morning. Now, I'm not the greatest dancer, but I still LOVE the competition, because I get to watch all the upper-level competitions.

So yeah, that's just a brief update of my life!

Life Drama...Ugh.

2008-10-30T13:36:00.002-06:00

I know this blog is generally about happy happenings, but let's be honest: Nobody's life is comprised entirely of happy happenings. Unless, of course, you are a Disney character, in which case you should immediately kick yourself in the pants for giving children the false notion that life is always happy. Seeing as I'm not one o' those, once in a while I've gotta vent to my blog peeps about drama. So here goes. Deal with it.

My car, Baxter, has decided to completely crap out on me, an event that I foresaw coming for a long time. However, I did not expect it to be brought on prematurely by some idiot filling the gas tank with diesel fuel. And said idiot is refusing to pay for it. So, I'm at a loss for what to do. I don't have the money that I need to fix it, but I can't just leave it sitting there at the auto shop. I also have rent due today, and I have to pay a huge cell phone bill that T-Mobile screwed me over on. I have no idea how I'm gonna get out of this one. I hate money.
School is ridiculous. I studied long and hard for this D&C midterm, yet still walked away with a 57%. The teacher was so highly recommended by everyone I asked, yet this teacher seems to be consumed by a fit of ridiculousness. He doesn't go over anything in lecture, and he doesn't tell us what we're supposed to know for the exams. I suppose we're expected to memorize the entire D&C just in case something random appears on the midterm? Ugh. Also, there are only two grades for the entire class: the midterm, and the final. So I'm reasonably sure I'm going to fail this class. And English. I try to keep caught up, but it's hard to do without a textbook. The bookstore ordered the wrong ones, and now I'm expected to go spend $80 on another book. There's no way that's gonna happen given the current money quotient. I'm so burnt out from this semester. I'm vaguely thinking of deferring for a semester and just working here in Provo for a while. It might help refresh me and give me a chance to get my head on straight.
Prop 8. Despite several announcements, blog posts, facebook statuses, etc. that have expressed my non-desire to hear about it, people still seem to think that they're the exception. If you have an opinion about Prop 8, that's great. Keep it to yourself. If you're a California voter, vote accordingly. If you're not a California voter, get your nose out of our politics, and worry about your own state's affairs. Thanks! :D
Halloween. I love Halloween! I guess this one isn't so much venting as wondering. I still have no idea what I should dress up as. Any last-minute ideas?

If you've read this far, I applaud you. You're either a good friend, or really really bored. In either case, have a great day!

8 Things

2008-10-24T16:18:00.002-06:00

8 Things

8 Favorite TV Shows

The Office
Futurama
My Name is Earl
That 70's Show
Psych
What Not To Wear
Will and Grace
Avatar :)

8 Favorite Restaurants

Bajio
Chen's Noodle House
Zupas
Goodwood
Panda Express
Taco Bell
Chilis
Rosa's

8 Things That Happened This Weekend

My car died.
I bought some hott new argyle shoes.
I made steak last night.
Watched Family Guy
Lots and Lots of homework!
Slept in on Sunday
Had a pumpkin pie shake from the Malt Shop. YUM!
Went shopping at Smith's.

8 Things to Look Forward To

Getting a hair cut.
Halloween movie night!
Social Dance lab.
Getting out of school...eventually...
A successful date. eventually.
Road trip to España
Samba!
Enjoying whatever life brings me

8 Things I Love About Fall

Argyle!!!
Hot cocoa
Pretty colors
The beginning of the holidays
The school semester goes faster
Crisp air.
The sunsets
It is my favorite time of year

8 Things On My Wishlist

A new laptop
A new car
A significant other
Trip to Spain
A break from school
A higher-paying job
A college degree
Every Star Wars Lego set ever!

8 People I am tagging...

Monica
Keri
Tiffany
Britney
Mike
Stacie
carla
Whoever else is bored enough!

So true!

2008-10-20T15:08:00.001-06:00

I found this on PostSecret, and it basically describes my life:

=W=eezer describes my life!

2008-10-15T23:08:00.002-06:00

*Choose a singer/band/group.
* Answer using ONLY titles of songs by that singer/band/group.
* Tag 3 more people
Band: Weezer

1. Are you male or female? The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)
2. Describe yourself. My Name is Jonas
3. What do people feel when they're around you? We Are All on Drugs
4. How would you describe your previous relationship? Pink Triangle
5. Describe your current relationship. Waiting on You
6. Where would you want to be now? Island in the Sun
7. How do you feel about love? The World Has Turned and Left Me Here
8. What's your life like? Beverly Hills
9. What would you ask for if you had only one wish? Buddy Holly
10. Say something wise. Always

Autumn Ramblings

2008-10-14T14:45:00.004-06:00

Hi everybody! It's been a while since I've posted. Here are some of the things on my mind:

Autumn -- Autumn is coming! I absolutely LOVE all the colors. In Bakersfield, it would switch from summer to autumn in about a day, so it's nice to actually have a few weeks where the leaves turn colors and the air is crisp and cool. However, I find myself unprepared for the impending cold. But, I'm very excited for the start of baking season! On Sunday, I made a pumpkin pie to celebrate. There's just something comforting about having the apartment smell like spices and other yummies. Also...hot cocoa. I had my first cup of the year yesterday. It was a hard choice; drinking cocoa means admitting that it's getting cold. But it was worth it. Every minty sip of it.
Proposition 8 -- This is some pretty hot news. Everywhere I turn people are clamoring for one side or the other. And to be honest, I'm sick of being attacked by both sides! I think that gay/lesbian couples should be allowed the same state AND federal civil rights as married couples. However, the separation of church and state should be maintained; i.e. it's not the government's business to tell churches they have to marry same-sex couples. In any case, if I know you well enough, I probably already know your opinion on it, and "what [you] would do if [you] were [me]." So enough already. I know what I'm going to vote, and I don't need people calling me at all hours soliciting votes. Thanks! :D
Dance -- When I started Ballroom Dance my freshman year at BYU, I didn't think I'd ever really get into it. I just wanted to fulfill my wellness credits. However, after taking a few dance classes, it turns out that I really enjoy it! So this semester, I'm taking beginning latin and intermediate social dance. I'm having lots of fun in Latin, although I'm not very good at it. I guess some peoples' hips are just not made for shakin'! In any case, we had the mock competition last Wednesday for Latin, and I was dancing the Rumba. I made it to a few rounds, so that was good! And we just started Samba, which I've decided is the hottest dance ever. Also, we're doing triple swing in my social class. Way fun! For the social dance lab, each 280 class has to do an exhibition, so our class is dancing the cha cha to none less than the Men in Black theme song. Huzzah. Should be interesting to see. More to follow.
Halloween -- Halloween is rapidly approaching! I was reminded of this when I got booed at work. (Someone left a little poem on my desk about getting booed, accompanied with a little ghost to hang that says "Brian was booed" and a small treat. It was precious.) Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. I mean, what's more fun than putting on a costume and parading around the streets demanding candy? Yeah, good times. I need some input on this one: I don't know what I should be for Halloween. Any ideas?

So that's about all that's going on in my life at the moment. Drop a comment and let me know if you have any good Halloween ideas! BTW, the pic from the top is one I took myself around this time in 2006. Isn't Utah beautiful?!

Loves!

September 11th

2008-09-11T13:53:00.003-06:00

Salutations! I just wanted to take a moment and reflect on this date 7 years back. I remember that morning pretty well...I was getting ready for school, and listening to NPR news. They announced that a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers, but I didn't even know what those were or why it was so significant. So, I continued getting ready, and got on the morning bus. Everyone was wearing a somber face, and we were all listening to the radio, following the breaking news. I remember hearing that the second tower had been struck. At that moment I was actually scared, because by then I had realized the significance of all these things. When we arrived at school, the principal came around to all of the classrooms and talked a little about what all was going on. For some reason, I don't remember much else about that day, except that I was at soccer practice and it was hard for me to focus on the game because I was really worried about all the people in New York.

So, that's my memory from that day. Today in my Spanish class, I learned a cool bit of Chilean history. On September 11, 1973 there was a military coup, and several opposing people were kidnapped and never heard from again. That dictatorship remained in place until 1990. Wow. So y'all can stick that in your gee-whiz file!

First week of school!

2008-09-07T16:42:00.005-06:00

Hello everyone! I apologize for the general lack of posts from me; I was kinda blindsided by the ridiculous amount of work that was required the first week of school!

But...first things first. Y'all remember my last post about my new glasses...well, I've got them. I actually got them later that day, but yeah. So... Here they are! (With my new hair...I'll discuss that later.)

What else is new? Hmmmm. This semester should be interesting. I thought it would be an easy workload: Spanish 206, Advanced Writing, clarinet lessons, University Orchestra, Beginning Latin Dance, Intermediate Social Dance, and D&C. I was mistaken. Juggling all that AND working 20 hours a week has proven to be quite a task!

My nephew Ezra was baptized yesterday. Weird. Well, not necessarily weird; it's just crazy that it's been 8 years! He is quite the active little dude! (Check out Monica's blog for more details.) To commemorate, I figured I'd share this gem with you all:

It was time to go to bed, but he was adamant that he was "SOOOO hungry!" So we gave him an apple, and he fell asleep with the first bite in his mouth. What a punk. BTW, this pic is dated 2 October 2005, shortly after his 5th birthday.

Well, I've gotta get back to the mounting pile of homework. More to follow later! Loves!

20 years old!

2008-08-22T16:27:00.002-06:00

¡Hola todos! So, as the title states, I'm now a whopping 20 years old. I know, be amazed. How did I ever make it this far? I have no idea. I certainly didn't make it unscathed, but here I stand. Or, more appropriately, sit. I'm at work, as usual.

Anyways, apart from my birthday on Monday, not a whole lot has happened since my last post. My birthday was alright; I stopped into work to drop off some cookies that I didn't want to deal with, then some coworkers took me to lunch at Burger Supreme. Yum! (For my Provo friends, that's the place on the corner of University Parkway and Freedom Blvd. For my Bakersfield peeps, it is comparable in nature and ambience to Pop's Drive-In on Niles Street.) After that, I went to the duck pond with my friend Therman and we fed the ducks, then went to my place and hung out. Our friend Sean picked us up and we went to Bed Bath and Beyond to get him some decor for his new place. As is customary, I ended up getting some sweet stuff. Like stripey kitchen towels and a mini-bar. I know. It's great. Anyways, after that Therman and I watched Beauty Shop (featuring Queen Latifah -- Always a great movie if she's involved!) I took a nap, then hung out at my place all night and watched trashy TV. Yay for being 20!

On Tuesday I woke up late, made myself a tortilla española, (you might recall the reference in an earlier post; it's basically the best food ever!) lazed about all morning, then went in for an eye exam. The good news: my eyes aren't getting as bad as fast. The bad news: my eyes are really photosensitive, so I have to be really careful and always wear sunglasses outside. Sad day. On the bright side, I did get some new spectacles. Check them out here! (For the record, I did not get them from Lens Crafters and I didn't pay nearly that much for them.) Those are in the process of being made, and I should get them sometime next week!

Sad news: Unfortunately, I will NOT be receiving my laptop this week. Or next week. Or ever, for that matter. HP has once again proven their incompetence. They said that they had the part (a new motherboard, of all things) in stock, and that there was no shortage of labor, so I would receive my laptop on the 22nd (today). I called them this morning to confirm that it had been shipped, and they said that the delivery date had been moved to September 5th. So, after several minutes of being transferred to different departments, I finally got to speak with a supervisor, who proved to be most unhelpful. So I basically had to be all mean and unpleasant, but I told him that if I have not received my laptop (repaired or replaced) by next Friday, then they will give me a refund for the value of the laptop. Ugh, I hate the whole situation. I guess what I'm basically trying to say is... avoid HP like the plague.

It's quittin' time here at the place of employment, so I'll give y'all another update at some future point in time. Loves!

Weekend Happenings

2008-08-11T15:00:00.003-06:00

'Ello everyone! This past weekend was pretty interesting. First news: I got a new keyboard! I figured I'd outgrown the previous one, so through some finagling I managed to get a-hold of a Yamaha DGX-505. She's a beauty! This keyboard is basically the coolest thing ever! If you're into that kind of thing, check out this link to see the specs:

In other news: My laptop is dead. Again. Sir Felix was working just fine yesterday afternoon, then I came home and it wouldn't turn on... It just turns the fan on, stays on the HP logo screen, and does weird things with the power, charging, and "thinking" lights. Ugh. So I have to send it off to HP, where they'll probably lose it, then I'll spend a whole month bugging them to get me a new laptop. Grrrr. Oh well, that's just another frustrating part of life.

Also: I spent last night and will spend tonight packing. Why? Because I'm moving tomorrow! Nowhere far away, just down the street. I'm really excited for this new apartment. Reasons:
1. I get to have my own room again. I haven't minded sharing a room since freshman year, because I had the best roomie in the world! But, it will be nice to have my own space again, just like when I was growing up.
2. New roomies. I like meeting new people, it should be an adventure.
3. Proximity to campus. This new place is just 2 1/2 blocks south of campus.
4. Proximity to friends. It's just half a block away from my old place, so I'll still be around. I just don't have to deal with crappy management.

So, that's my life at the moment. I'm not looking forward to spending all night packing, but once I get settled into the new crib it should be all good. Anyways, keep on the edge of your seat for the next exhilarating installment of my life!

Crazy Weekend!

2008-08-04T09:58:00.002-06:00

Hello all! You are about to go on a textual journey through the craziest weekend of my life!

Thursday morning (as I was in the middle of writing the previous post, actually), my supervisor Coral came up to us and was like "Everyone shut your windows, forward the phones. Emergency meeting right now!" So, we did as told and gathered in the receptionist's area. Apparently, the moving process that wasn't supposed to begin for a week or so was spurred on by the BYU Moving Dept. They just showed up with a bunch of furniture and wanted to kick us out! So, we put everything on hold and moved out all morning. Since we had to close down the office, we all got to leave early at 12:15-ish. (And we got paid til 5!)

We were closed Friday too (and still got paid for 8 hours of work!) so I slept in. Woke up at 10 and made some key lime bars for our supervisors (who still had to be here at work.) I went to lunch at a little Ma-&-Pa burger place called Rocky Mountain Burger Joint. It was pretty good. Then we went to the Provo Towne Centre mall and window-shopped a bit. I came home, worked out for a bit, then did some more shopping with my two home-jiggas Cami and Shawna. I went to Plato's Closet and traded in an old peacoat that was 2 sizes too big for a Perry Ellis track jacket. Haut couture at its best! I made a Target run and found a hand-cranked ice shaver, just like we had back home in the day. Later that night, I went to my friend Chris' house and we had a movie night. We watched Talladega Nights on his huge 50-something-inch TV (that I may or may not have helped persuade him to purchase, haha.)

Saturday was pretty boring, I'd already run all my errands on Thursday and Friday. In fact, I don't even remember what I did half the day! I did manage to go to Bath and Body works and use my sweet coupon! I spent $15 on some aromatherapy stress-relief foot soak, and got a free sleep-conducive pillow spray. Delicious! Funny story: I spent about 30 minutes talking to the sales associate, trying to figure out what I wanted. Afterwards she was like "Is this for someone special?" I replied, "Umm, I'm special...It's for me." Awkward. But she told me it's awesome that I'm like the only guy in the world that would come into B&BW for myself. I'm not sure if that was a compliment or not...whatev's.

Yesta-noon I skipped out on my own ward and decided to hit up my friend Therman's ward. It was...interesting. Some girl got up and talked about how we're all so beautiful, and the anatomy class she's been taking has made her realize how beautiful our bodies are, especially our livers? Random. After church I came home and made some cookies for a ward break-the-fast. Tangent: Break-the-fast. I think it's the stupidest social function ever invented by singles wards. It's almost like a Super-Bowl party, minus the football. Gross. Anyways, back to my narrative... We went to break-the-fast, then I went to my friend Robyn's house to watch Anne of Green Gables. Yay!

So, that was my c-razy weekend. Deal with it!

Random Ramblings

2008-07-31T09:16:00.002-06:00

Hello, my avid readers! I know all of you just can't bear the thought of waiting any longer for a new post, so I've decided to satiate your innate need to hear my words of wisdom and/or random ramblings.

What's on my mind at the moment? Bridges. Random, granted. I just read an article in the Daily Universe (BYU's newspaper) about how most of the highway bridges across the US are sub-standard. Not that they're all structurally unsound, just that they fail to meet safety guidelines. That thought kinda scares me, to be quite honest. Nothing could be more fun than driving across a bridge and having it fall down on you! Anyways, it turns out that about 3% of bridges in Utah are classified as "structurally deficient." However, the state is doing a really good job of keeping up with maintenance and replacement. And here's something for your gee-whiz file: Most of the bridges/overpasses they're putting up on I-80 are constructed off-site, then rolled in on African ironwood logs greased with dish soap. COOL!

Enough about that. I'm pretty excited at the prospect of road-trippin' it home sometime in August. I've secured the time off work, made the appropriate living accommodations, etc. Now I just need to generate some funds. In any case, that week is going to be absolutely wild! On Thursday I'll be moving out of the current apartment and into the new one, then probably driving up to Ogden to grab Tiffany. Friday morning, we'll drive down to Bakersfield. Saturday is my roomie Jonathan's wedding reception in Santa Barbara, so I'll be driving to Valencia, meeting up with my friend Nicole (yay!) and we'll carpool to the SB. Monday is my 20th birthday...Huzzah! I'll be heading back up to Utah on Thursday the 21st.

So yeah, those are my random ramblings.

Mamma Mia!

2008-07-22T08:04:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I was having a pretty down day, so one of my friends decided to take me to see Mamma Mia. It was a SUPER fun movie! Or, as one of my friends would say, it was mayjah! :D

Normally when you write a musical, you develop a story line, then write the music to fit. However, for this particular musical, they decided to take a bunch of ABBA songs and write a storyline around it. It made for a reasonably abstract plot, but the music was amazing! (Come on, this is ABBA!) Check out the movie website and trailer here. Anyways, the inclusion of Meryl Streep into the mix made it an overall success. I recommend it to anyone that needs a good laugh, and/or a road-trip to the 70's with ABBA.

Editorial

2008-07-01T09:25:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! I opened up the Daily Universe (the BYU newspaper) and was surprised to find that my letter to the editor had been printed in today's edition. Several people have asked to read it, so I figured I'd just post it on here for everyone.

JUDGE NOT (The original title I put was "Christ Loves Them, You Should Too" but they changed it)

This is in response to the June 26^th letter, “Those who believe, follow.”

Just a quick thought. You might recall the story in John 8 about the woman that was taken in adultery and brought before the Savior. The scribes and the Pharisees were looking for the Savior to condemn this woman, yet he gave this simple reply: “Let he that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her” (John 8:7). It is neither your place nor mine to judge those who deal with same-gender attraction. Would you like to have your peers judge you for your problems? I would think not.

You might also recall the Savior’s response to this woman: “Neither do I condemn thee: go and sin no more” (John 8:11). There are countless members of the Church that struggle with same-gender attraction, yet choose to press forward in the Gospel, take the sacrament, and are temple worthy. In the Church, there are no “gay” members or “straight” members, only those who are trying to live the Gospel, and those who aren’t.

As a final thought, think of the words of Alma at the waters of Mormon. This “gay-bashing” letter is probably not conducive to “[bearing] one another’s burdens that they may be light” (Mosiah 18:10). We should help and support our brothers and sisters in their efforts to live the Gospel, whatever their struggles may be.

Brian Munn
Bakersfield, CA

¡Viva el español!

2008-06-27T11:03:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! I've decided to list some of the ways in which learning Spanish has blessed my life.

1. I can communicate with so many more people.
2. I can sing along to Enrique Iglesias' song "Dimelo" (That's "Do You Know" in English.)
3. One day I can go to Spain, and I'll be able to survive there!
4. Understanding Spanish really makes it easier to understand most of the Romance languages. (ie, French, Italian, Portuguese)
5. Tortilla Española. I don't know what this has to do with the language, but this yummy Spanish goodness has provided many a yummy meal! (Check it out here)

Happy Birthday Sisters!

2008-06-23T08:27:00.000-06:00

I know it's a little belated, but I just wanted to drop a holla to my two beautiful sisters, Tiffany and Keri!

Handy Latin Phrases.

2008-06-19T15:44:00.000-06:00

So I know all of you are just desperately wanting to learn Latin. Stop denying it. So I've compiled a list of some handy Latin phrases. Use them whenever you get a chance!

Sentio aliquos togatos contra me conspirare.
I think some people in togas are plotting against me.

Sona si Latine loqueris.
Honk if you speak Latin.

Si Hoc Legere Scis Nimium Eruditionis Habes.
If you can read this you're over-educated.

Vacca foeda.
Stupid cow.

Noli me vocare, ego te vocabo.
Don't call me, I'll call you.

Non curo. Si metrum non habet, non est poema.
I don't care. If it doesn't rhyme, it isn't a poem.

Fac ut gaudeam.
Make my day.

Visne saltare? Viam Latam Fungosam scio.
Do you want to dance? I know the Funky Broadway.

Re vera, potas bene.
Say, you sure are drinking a lot.

Utinam barbari spatium proprium tuum invadant!
May barbarians invade your personal space!

Utinam coniurati te in foro interficiant!
May conspirators assassinate you in the mall!

Quo signo nata es?
What's your sign?

Tam exanimis quam tunica nehru fio.
I am as dead as the nehru jacket.

Magister Mundi sum!
I am the Master of the Universe!

Te audire no possum. Musa sapientum fixa est in aure.
I can't hear you. I have a banana in my ear.

Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me videre?
Is that a scroll in your toga, or are you just happy to see me?

Vescere bracis meis.
Eat my shorts.

Sic faciunt omnes.
Everyone is doing it.

Fac ut vivas.
Get a life.

Anulos qui animum ostendunt omnes gestemus!
Let's all wear mood rings!

Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam.
I have a catapult. Give me all the money, or I will fling an enormous rock at your head.

I hope you all feel a little bit more cultured after that. Always be on the lookout for opportunities to insult people in a dead language!

Jim and Pam

2008-06-18T13:32:00.000-06:00

So good story. My coworker Stacie found this online and set it as the wallpaper for one of our computers. But we could never find the file again! After literally months of searaching, I have found the file. Feel free to use it as a desktop background! :D

Typing Test.

2008-06-17T13:35:00.000-06:00

Go ahead. Be amazed.

84 words

Speed test

Figure 8

2008-06-16T15:50:00.000-06:00

8 Things I am passionate about:

Music
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Family
Spanish
=W=eezer!
The Office
That 70's Show
Strawberries

8 past books I've read:

Harry Potter (All 7)
The Phantom of the Opera
Pride and Prejudice
Green Eggs and Ham
Artemis Fowl
Cat's Eye
The Book of Mormon
The Insult and Curse Book

8 things I often say:

What the random?!
Heck to the yes!
Hells no!
That's what he/she said
What the ho?!
Ugh!
What is this business?!
And how!

8 things I look for in a friend:

Random sense of humor!
Intelligence
Respects other points of view
Good taste in music
Honesty
Integrity
Sense of adventure
Optimistic

8 things I want to do before I die:

Sky dive
Become a music teacher
Go to Spain ¡Viva España!
Compose a symphony
Own a grand piano
Go backpacking in Europe
Get thin. Eventually!
Own and operate a bakery

8 things I have learned this past year:

You have to be really careful about who your friends are. Even the good influences can hurt you.
California is indescribably better than Utah.
When speaking Castellano, the theta only happens on z's and c's between 2 vowels. Anything else and you sound retarded. Whoops!
Sea turtles are mean. Don't be fooled by Finding Nemo.
Always look for ways that you can be the answer to someone's prayer.
I really don't actually hate anyone or anything at all. (I copied this from Britney, but it's so true! Nevertheless, I will continue to express my hatred for certain things.)
Baboons don't have blue bums. They're red.
If you think you can, then you can. If you think you can't, then you're probably right.

8 people to do the 8 things:
Okay, I changed my mind.

Monica
Julie
Keri
Tiffany
Stacie?
Carla
I don't know anyone else that blogs, haha!

200 Things

2008-06-12T16:57:00.001-06:00

It is a list of 200 things. The ones in bold are the things I have done.

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars - I recommend it.
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it - I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it.
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise - So beautiful!
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game - Mormon Night at Dodger Stadium!
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables - Tomatoes!
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment - That happens at least once a day.
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill - Bi-weekly occurrence at ModusLink last summer :D
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun - We do that all the time at work!
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment - These moments are fleeting, but they make the rest of life worth it.
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied - I've come to learn I'm never satisfied with money, haha.
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach - This is definitely going on the list!
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight - Do I need to answer that?
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke - Loud and proud, baby!
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't - So many. Where to begin?
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie - Investidating!
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch - It truly is the only way to make them.
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently - I can speak Spanish reasonably well. I suppose that counts for something.
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check - I am horrible about watching my bank statements.
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy - Jenga!
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over - Probably gonna happen sooner than later.
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph - Baxter can go 125 mph. (This has been verified.) Yee-haw!
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover - Yeah, and a lot of good that did me!
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school - I've never left school. Depressing.
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch - Most of my hobbies I learned from scratch.
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair - The results were horrendous. Yet, I'm planning on doing it again come fall. Go figure.
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four - Heh. Heh.
106. Raked your carpet - What the random?
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring - Those things are a load of crap!
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe - Several ones. Enchiladas, pumpkin roll, chocolate chip cookies (I will never tell my secret!)
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco - Does the roller-disco count?
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum - I highly recommend the Red Butte Gardens at the University of Utah
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need - SO many times!
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in a historic place - Depends on how historic. Evey place has history!
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating - I used to be a carhop at Sonic.
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf - Eventually...
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem - I prefer to set them to music. But then they become songs.
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission - Nope.
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks - I live 2 blocks from a duck pond. YAY!
164. Gone to the opera - I'm a music major. How have I missed out on this?!
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz - Waltz, quickstep, cha cha, foxtrot, swing. Soon to include samba and rumba. And I can dance a MEAN stricken chicken! :)
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog - I'm trying!
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR - I'd better take a refresher course before I try it again, haha!
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

My Look-Alikes

2008-06-12T16:47:00.000-06:00

Friends List

2008-06-12T16:19:00.000-06:00

Hey all! I'm making a list of my friends' blog links...don't be offended if I haven't added you yet, I'm working on adding people. If you want your name to grace the list, just lemme know! :D

Very British Afternoon

2008-05-30T15:16:00.000-06:00

Rule Britannia! In an effort to add some diversion to our office, we decided to designate today as our "Very British Afternoon." Thusly, we brought an assortment of delectable delights, such as trifle, biscuits (cookies), and tea. We've also provided a selection of British hits from various artists, such as The Beatles, Queen, and David Bowie. We've even compiled a "Registry of British Names" so students coming to our window can create their very own British name! My British name for the day is Reginald Baxter-Kensington.

Plus, this morning, we had an Office Mini-Golf Tournament. So today has just been a fun day in general! I'm happy!

Simple Pleasures

2008-05-29T15:51:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! I know you're all sitting on the edge of your seats anxiously awaiting the next installment of my Hawaii trip, but I guess you'll all just have to wait. It really is a pain trying to upload pictures of my trip from work, and seeing as that's where I spend most of my day, it's going to take me a while to get Aloha part two going. In the meantime, here's a small list of the simple pleasures in my life. Disclaimer: This list is in no particular order and is not meant to be exhaustive.

· Sinking my toes into wet sand on the beach

· Warm cookies and milk

· Robyn hugs

· Puppy noses

· Puppies that walk all lopsided and clumsily

· Heck, puppies in general! J

· Goldfish crackers

· That warm tingly feeling you get when you hold hands for the first time. (Hear the song “Bubbly” by Colbie Callait for a more detailed description)

· Getting the first whiff of soup in a thermos

· Sunsets over the mountains

· Cold watermelon in the middle of the summer

· Blowing bubbles into milk

· Picnics with friends. Preferably at Hart Park. During school hours. *Devious chortle*

· Being warm under the covers on a cold morning

· Hearing your favorite song on the radio

· Food samples at Costco

· Driving with the windows rolled down on the first warm day in spring

· The first snowfall of the winter

· Tropical rain

· The earthy smell of planting a garden.

· Window-shopping at the mall with my friends.

· Flying a kite

· The really pulpy feel of high-pulp orange juice on my tongue

· Cold apple juice

· Walking into a warm room on a cold day. Except when I’m wearing glasses, cuz then they fog up.

· Being barefoot in a park with really nice grass.

To be continued…

Aloha!

2008-05-10T20:39:00.001-06:00

Well, here I am in Hawai'i, which is God's green gift to man. Seriously. I've been here 3 days and I'm still not over how beautiful it is! We're in Kailua-Kona (which is on the big island, Hawai'i). Not to be confused with O'ahu, which is the smaller island where Honolulu is. Anywho, life has been great. I flew in on Thursday morning, after 8 hours of traveling it was great to get up and do something! We settled into our room (more like condo, actually) and took a little nap, then decided to go rent a car and go to dinner. It took us over an hour to find the restaurant...thanks to GPS lying to us, and the most intense outpouring of rain I've ever seen in my life! But we finally arrived at Fish Hoppers, and the mahi-mahi (a deep-water fish aka dolphin-fish...NOT a dolphin, haha...served on a bed of sweet potatoes and steamed vegetables, topped with a fresh mango salsa...YUM!) made it all better!

Friday we woke up early in the morning, ran some errands / got food, and packed a lunch. We drove up the coast to Hapuna Beach State Park, which is said to be the best beach in the state of Hawai'i. Which I believe. It was beautiful. White sand, and turquoise water. We played on the beach for about 4 hours, then headed home and I cooked dinner...tortellini and crescent rolls.

Today, we woke up early again and went down to some bay (whose name escapes me) and got on a boat for a snorkel tour. We went out and stopped in some other bay whose name I couldn't spell anyways, and got to snorkel around for a bit. I got to touch a sea turtle!!! It was exhilarating. Really. Then we hopped back in the boat and went to another bay (where the Captain Cook Monument is) and did some more snorkeling. That bay is a marine sanctuary, and the cliffs around it are where most of the Hawaiian royalty are entombed, so you're not alowed to walk there, you have to come in by boat. Pretty cool if you ask me.

Well, I'll have more updates later; in the mean time, enjoy some of these pics I took! Aloha and mahalo!

Random Ramblings

2008-04-29T15:00:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! So, I know I promised pictures, music, and dancing midgets, but I just don't have those types of things here at work! So you'll just have to keep on the edge of your seats. 'Cuz when it comes, it's coming big!

Anyways, I'm SO glad school is over. It's been great not having to worry about finals and papers and all that business! I think I did reasonably well this semester...Or at least I'd like to think so! In any case, the semester is over, and I get to spend the summer relaxing, working at the best job ever (BYU Registration), and doing all that fun summer stuff. I'm trying out for the summer ballroom team, I think that would be way fun. I love dancing, and I've decided it's time to put myself out there and see where it goes. But yeah, I was at the audition at 7, ready to go, but they didn't end up getting to everyone so I have to show up again at 7 tomorrow morning. Grrrr. Oh well. If I make it that's great, if not, then I have that much extra free time all to myself! :D

What else? ... OH! I'm counting down the days until May 8th. What is so special about that day, you ask? I'm going to Hawaii! Amazing tan, here I come! I'll be there from the 8th to the 16th. Going with friend Julie. I'm so excited! I've never really traveled anywhere before (Moving to Utard does NOT count!) So yeah, I'm totally ready for a vacation.

I moved into a new apartment last Thursday. It's been great, the roomie situation is a lot better, it's a nicer apartment (I don't have to live in a cave, YESSSSS!) I was so excited yesta-noon. I was at WalMart and noted that flowers were on sale! So I got tulips for 60c apiece, and a huge pot of 10 daffodils for $3.50. I'm gonna find some place to put them, haha. I kinda didn't think about the fact that I'm not allowed to plant flowers outside. :( Oh well.

I'm pretty happy about Saturday, I went to DI with my roomie Marc to get a TV, and walked out with a flute, and no TV. This kind of thing happens to me all the time! So yeah, this flute is definitely worth about $300, and I got it for $65. Huzzah for Israel! Not that I'm any good at the flute, but hey, who knows, I could become a maestro!

Well folks, I'm outta here! Stay tuned for the next update!

Almost Done!

2008-04-22T15:40:00.000-06:00

Hey all! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, life has been pretty raucous what with finals and working! I promise eventually I'll have another post, complete with pictures, music, and dancing midgets. Well, maybe not dancing midgets, but it'll be amazing. Stay tuned for the next thrilling installment of "Life of Brian"

All Thing Bright and Beautiful

2008-02-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Thought I'd take a minute and update everyone! Well, I'm at work right now, which is kind of unfortunate because it's bright and sunny outside and I can't be out there enjoying it! Plus, I've got a cold right now, so I have to stay inside.

Other than that, life is pretty good. I didn't get into the School of Music, but I'm appealing. I submitted some of my compositions to the Composition and Media Music departments, so if they like them then I might have a chance! If not, then Spanish is a good major too.

First week of school

2008-01-11T12:42:00.001-07:00

Well, my first week back at school is winding down. I've been REALLY tired lately, school hit me harder than I thought it would. Plus, with work thrown in, it makes for a really long schedule. Oh well, It's almost the weekend, and I can relax a bit and catch up on all the homework I didn't get around to. Oh, and an update on trying to add that Mission Prep class: I've decided to just keep the class I was registered for, on Tuesday night. But yeah, other than being really tired, things are going okay.

Happy Happenin's

2008-01-02T16:10:00.001-07:00

Hello everybody!!! Here's the latest update:

For New Year's I went with my friend Robyn up to her grandparents' cabin at Sundance, we played in the snow, had hot cocoa, I fell down the stairs while trying to choreograph a musical.... all sorts of joyness. It beats my original plans... sitting in the corner in the fetal position, crying and wishing I was in Bakersfield! :) But yeah, I had a lot of fun.

Now for school. I've been trying for a week to get into Mission Prep with Randy Bott, who I hear is the best teacher. Only problem is, every time I go to add it, between the time that I click "Add" and it processes, the spot is already gone! It's SO frustrating! Oh well. I hate registration. Oh, and I'd better clarify, as Jane pointed out. I don't hate Registration as in the Registration Office (which is where I work and I love it!) I hate the act of registering.

Oh well. I'd better get back to work. (And to trying to add Mission Prep!)

Stay up, players!

Christmas!

2007-12-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I'm at work, wasting resources. YAY! Yeah, so I didn't end up taking that Independent Studies job I referenced last time. About 20 minutes after I posted that, I got a call from the Registration office, and they offered me more money, and more hours. So, I took it, I started last Wednesday. So yeah, I'm here at work, it's been SO slow. I've had 7 people to deal with in 5 hours. Oh well. It's good money!

Christmas was so good! We all road-tripped it to Ogden to stay with Tiffany. I wish we all coulda stayed for longer, but Keri and Merrill had to work, and so did I. Oh well. It was fun while it lasted. I think I'm coming down with a cold. I feel all stuffy and such. Better take some Cold-eez!

I'll post some pictures of the trip later!

Life at the moment...

2007-12-17T22:51:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I just thought I'd drop in and let everyone know how I'm doing!

Today was a pretty good day. I found out HP is finally sending me a new laptop, seeing as they couldn't fix the one I sent them. (Suckaz!) I finally got a job! It only took 18 interviews all semester long to finally have someone call me back with good news! So yeah, I'll be working at the Independent Studies customer service place. Only thing is, it starts at 1 every day, and that's when i get outta classes. So I have 10 minutes to book it from the JSB to the Harmon Building over by DT. (For those of you who don't know the BYU campus, that's a LONG freakin walk, and all uphill too!) Also, I took my cooking final today, and got an 82%. Now if only I can get that much on my New Testament final! Bah, humbug. So yeah, life is pretty good at the moment. Just trying to get through finals week in one piece. I'm excited for Christmas, excited to spend it with my family! (If only I could have my family and California be in the same place!) Oh well.

So yeah, thats' my life.

Registration...Ugh!

2007-11-13T01:20:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. Thought I'd drop in and let y'all know how things are going at the moment. I'm trying to get all my classes in order so I'll be able to work next semester, I HATE registration. Now that that's off my chest, LOL.

I think I've decided on my immediate course of action with regards to academics. I'm going to switch to Open Major, then declare two minors: Music and Spanish. So then if down the road I decide to major in one of them, I'll already be ahead. Yay for me!

This coming week is going to be CRAZY! I registered for winter classes today, I have a New Testament midterm tomorrow. I have a clarinet lesson on Wednesday and I haven't practiced at all for it. :( Thursday I have to turn in a New Testament paper, and then Friday I have to take a Spanish test, then leave for Keri's wedding. I don't know how I'm going to fit it all in!

Well, that's my life at the moment.

Llamapalooza!

2007-10-31T00:30:00.000-06:00

So yeah, here's some pictures from a Halloween dance we went to. It was just a standard ho-skankity dance, but there were some llamas in the corner. Pretty lame. Oh well, here's some pics of our costumes! Toga-licious def. :)

Life...

2007-10-17T00:30:00.001-06:00

Hey everyone! Thought I'd drop in and say hi to everyone, and give a bit of an update!

Well, I guess the biggest news is that I'll be starting my mission papers soon, probably next Sunday. So I'm excited about that. Otherwise, school is going okay. I have an oral exam for Spanish tomorrow that I haven't studied much for, so that should go over well!

Oh yeah, I have a great story about my Spanish class! So on Friday, we were talking about the 5 senses, and the teacher asked which was the most important in communication, so we said sight. Then, she asked who in the class was married. So a couple people raise their hands, and she asked, "Between you and your spouse, what is the most important sense?" And I kinda blurted out "el sexto" (the sixth) but it totally came out like "el sexo" (sex). So that was really embarrassing!

So yeah, that's my life right now.

Random Quiz Thingy

2007-09-20T00:44:00.000-06:00

So yeah, I saw Tiff had done this survey, and it looked fun, so here goes:

Easy as 1-2-3
A- age: 19
B- bed size: crappy college twin
C- Chore you hate: Sweeping and Mopping
D- Dessert you love: Warm chocolate chip cookies with cold milk... 1% of course :)
E- Essential start of your day: taking a warm shower
F- Favorite musical artist: A lot... mostly just =W=eezer and Cake
G- Gold or Silver: Silver, I hate gold things.
H- Have to Have: 3-pocket check, every time I leave the house: cell phone, keys, wallet
I- Instruments you play: Ready? Clarinet, piano, guitar, tenor sax, oboe
J- Job title: Student. Lame, I know. I'm working on getting a job.
K- Kids: Not quite yet :) Hopefully someday
L- Living arrangements: Huge but ghetto apartment, sketchy roomie situation. Blah.
M- Most favorite month: December, I love Christmas like a fatty kid loves cake!
N- Nickname: Brian? Well, Nicole calls me "b-munn" or "Munninator". *Shake n' Bake*
O- Ordered last on the internet: Umm, I pre-ordered HP7 on amazon.
P- Phobia: Snakes, spiders, big crowds, talking in big groups (bet y'all didn't know that one, lol)
Q- Quote: "You are a smelly pirate hooker" ~Ron Burgundy, Anchorman
R- Right or Left handed: Definitely right. Have you seen me try to function with my left hand?!
S- Siblings: Shelby/Monica, Tiffany, Keri
T- Traffic tickets you've received: *sheepish grin* 2
U- Unique Talent: Blah.
V- Veggie you hate: Lima beans are an abomination unto my soul!
W- Worst habit: Where to start? I bite my nails 24/7. (as I pull my hand away from my mouth :) )
X- What body part would you Xerox?: My face. Oh yeah.
Y- Yummy food you make: Enchiladas. Hott-Dang!
Z- Zodiac sign: Leo, which consequently is also the mascot of Gryffindor House. Boo-Yah!

Start of School

2007-09-07T19:51:00.000-06:00

Well, school has officially started here at the Y, and things are going okay...I think I'm in over my head, but everyone feels like that when they start school! I'm very excited to take this Spanish class, but I'm also a bit worried...I can read and write very well, but the teacher talks so fast that I can hardly keep up! :( I guess I'll just have to spend more time in the Conversation Lab! I'm happy to be back up here with all of my friends, it's been a good first week back. In the 2 1/2 weeks I was home, I forgot how much I love the scenery here! And it's good to be back on campus, going to classes, running into old friends, all that warm-fuzzy stuff!

So yeah, life is kinda hectic right now, but otherwise I'm having a good time being up here and just doin' my thing! I don't know what I'm gonna be doing for the weekend...most likely catching up on sleep. And I think there's a ward activity tomorrow night, so it should be fun to hit that up!

Got Roped In!

2007-08-19T01:20:00.000-06:00

So yeah, I've decided to give in to this new fad that is called blogging. So, keep on the lookout for some random postings of my life!