The Girl Who Couldn't Laugh

I've decided that for whatever reason, I only seem to attract 2 subsets of men:

1. The overly confident, beautiful guys who know they're beautiful and walk up to me breathing testosterone into each word they utter with phrases like, "I know you want me. Why don't you just have my babies right now?" To which my response is invariably, "Barf! Can you lean your head back so I can more easily punch you in the throat?"

Or

2. The super nice, sweet, innocent, good guy that is about as exciting as paper. To which my response is, "Do you have anything sharp in your pocket? I want to see how quickly I can slit my own wrists and bleed out."

Why does it seem too much to ask to find a guy who is capable of making me laugh - not smile, not simper, not occasionally chuckle...I mean full on laugh my guts out, guffaw! Now I don't require that he make me laugh that hard all the time, of course, just knowing he has that ability is enough. There are plenty of amusing guys out there, it's true. I can smile or even laugh at them (or with them, rather), but my heart isn't in it. Correction, my brain isn't in it.

I'm not saying I'm some kind of philosophical genius that is so far above mere mortal humor that I cannot find any amusement in the things people say or do. FAR from it. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to laugh and that I can laugh quite easily. I'm just saying that for whatever reason, it is rare to find my brand of humor - which, by the way, welcomes awkward nerdiness, puns (good AND bad), corny jokes, good, intelligent wit, and even the occasional slightly ribald joke. So I laugh, but my brain may not be in it. To me, a good sense of humor is evidence of a sharp mind - one capable of both levity and thoughtful discussion on a variety of topics. I just can't figure out why it's been such a long time since I have really, truly laughed.

This morning I was thinking about this some more and it reminded me of a particular Grimm's fairy tale, the Boy Who Went Forth To Learn Fear. Follow the link to read the full version, but in short it's about a boy who is too "foolish" to know when to be afraid, but really he's just wise enough not to lose his wits when faced with all kinds of frightening creatures and challenges. In the end he wins riches and marries a princess, but still hasn't learned to shudder. At last, the only way he learns to shudder and shake is when his wife pours a bucket of minnows over him in his bed. I wonder. Am I a bit like the boy who went forth to learn fear? Instead of wanting to learn fear, I want to learn to laugh. Why can't anyone make me laugh, dangit? Am I too foolish to know how to laugh or is my foolishness actually protecting me from falling for a bunch of inflated egos and bland personalities? Even if my "foolishness" helps me meet a good guy, will he have to dump a bucket of fish over my head to get me to realize that love him?

I anticipate that this post might be met with any number of reactions. Let me just apologize if anything I say here is offensive. Keep in mind that I'm using this as a way of venting, so while it does reflect how I actually feel, I may or may not be exaggerating a thing or two for literary effect. (And let me just add here, that the picture above is just a silly illustration. I like nerds. I am a self-professed nerd, therefore, it would hardly behoove me to shun my own kind. I just desire the kind of nerd that can also make me genuinely laugh!) And I know that I might be "asking for it" here, but I'm really curious. What are your thoughts on my "little defect"? Do any of you deal with something similar?

Musically Uplifted

And that's what I have been - truly musically uplifted! I recently went to the best concert of my life. Bold words, I know. What made it so? Well, a combination of things, really; venue, the location of our seats, company and most importantly, the performers. Answer? The Birchmere, front and center (thank you, Lisa!), Lisa Fraser (a musician herself, great appreciator of fabulous music, and just all around fun to be with), and Ryan Montbleau and Martin Sexton. Sigh. I've been in love w/ Martin's music for about 9-10 years, but this was the first time that I was able to see him in concert. Speechless. And the opening singer, Ryan Montbleau - a great musician with a really sweet sound. He sounds like he's on his way to becoming as good as our dear Mr. Sexton. Both performed solo, stripped of any fancy-shmancy bands, but Martin did have a nifty microphone that created reverb. The end result was perfection.

And now, because my words can do nothing to explain how fantastic these guys are, here are some of my favorite songs.



And here's another gem:


Now for a little Martin...sigh. And in case you're wondering...yes, that's just his voice making those sounds. I know it's not the best quality, but he's so freakin' good!


Continued in next post...

Take two...

Musical upliftment continued...

Hey - even John Mayer agrees that Marty is the best! (That may not be much of an endorsement, but truly, John should be bowing to Martin's greatness!)


He did this one for our encore and it happens to be my favorite song.


Amen. I love good music. Any comments or recommendations?

Are you freakin' kidding me?

Seriously! What is it with me and animals? And I don't just mean any animal, I mean vermin, specifically.

You may recall a previous post dealing w/ some rodents and my car. After that infestation, I now wonder whether my car has a beef with furry little (and not so little) creatures.

Okay, here's what happened. I was driving w/ Becca and Adam to a friend's bowling birthday party - Becca in the front seat, Adam in the back. As I was driving, I looked down for just a few seconds to adjust my iPod in its adapter and when I looked up, there, in the center of my lane staring at me w/ a wide-innocent (if a mite vacant) expression was a full-sized raccoon. Did he run? No. Like a proverbial deer, he was transfixed by my headlights and in the .2 seconds I had between seeing his mug and reacting, my car had already made up its mind to end the life of this pitiful creature.



My immediate outward reaction was this:
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!", just as my car's reaction was this:
"Badump Bump Chunk!!"

Inwardly I thought, "I could swerve, there are no other cars on the road. I could slam on my brakes. I could... AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
As I kept screaming, I began stroking the side of my face, like I was my own mother (perhaps somehow hoping it really would be alright that I'd just destroyed one of God's creations) and I heard "Yup, he's a goner!" from the backseat. Adam had turned around to get a look at the twitching lump of animal my car had left behind. Apparently, it did not have the wherewithal to scamper away, so the prognosis wasn't good. As I continued to breathe small shrieks of horror at what I had just done, we heard a noise coming from underneath my car, "...scrape...scrape...flap...flap...flap..."

"Oh my gosh! Is he stuck under my car? Is he hanging on w/ one little paw, desperately trying to claw his way back into life?" I shrieked.

"Naw, he was definitely back there on the road", replied Adam.

We pulled into a parking lot and Adam gallantly crawled under the car to investigate the possibility of a ninja assassin raccoon...or worse, raccoon bits left to flap against the pavement. With the use of Becca's stellar cell phone light, he determined that there actually weren't any animal bits and that it was some kind of (okay, my ignorance of cars is going to come out here) metal plate that attaches to the bottom and likely protects the underbelly of the car from various things (see my earlier post for what kinds of things I may be referring to) was hanging loose and dragging on the ground. He managed to shove it back into place, but now I need to make sure I can get that fixed good and tight. I don't want to have rodents nesting in my air filter again.

But SERIOUSLY! What is the DEAL?! Does my car emit animal pheromones or something? AUGH!

And after such an ordeal, you might think that my night couldn't possibly get any worse, right? Not right.

Not really thinking ahead to the fact that this was a military fort we were going to, we were unprepared when we got there and they asked each person to show his/her ID, in order to gain access to the bowling alley where our friend's party was being held. Sigh. I had my ID, as did Becca, but poor Adam had had his wallet stolen not long before. So no ID. Double sigh. He generously decided to hang out a friend's house nearby while Becca and I went back to bowl. So after dropping him off, we made our way back to Fort Myer to show our birthday support of our good friend by rolling a large resin ball down an alley toward some penguin-shaped plastic pins. After the guards finished laughing about the fact that we'd ditched the dude w/ no ID so we could go bowling and inspected my car, we hopped in and entered the base. Silly us. We forgot to ask for directions to the bowling alley! Our hopes that we would find simple signage pointing the way were unproductive and we spent the next 10 minutes or so driving around the fort. Becca was busy admiring how charming the housing was on base, while I was becoming increasingly more annoyed and anxious to just get OUT OF MY CAR!!! She laughed and said something like, "It's not that bad!" I responded w/ something like, "It's not that good either. This night has so far been a total bust and I just need a lame game of bowling to cleanse my palate." Finally, after asking a couple for directions (and realizing that we'd turned too soon back at the beginning of our aimless drive), we headed for the bowling alley. Just as I realized I had overshot the parking lot by a bit and was planning to turn around, I saw flashing lights in my rearview mirror. It would appear that I just couldn't catch a break. I pulled over, put my car in park and looked at Becca, at which time we both just burst out laughing. I mean, could our night get any more like a cheesy 80s comedy? The cop told me I had been going just a little fast and asked if we were lost. I just told him that we had been looking for the bowling alley and was admittedly a little lost. He kindly just told me to turn around and pull into the parking lot and to slow down. I was more than happy to oblige.

WHEW! So there you have it. Oh, and while I am not and never plan to be a stellar bowler, it did, in fact, cleanse my palate and make for a very fun night! All in all - it was one crazy night. Ever have one of those?

Fishy Footsie Follow-up

Extreme Pedicures? How about a MANicure...

MANicure: Redux

ARGH! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post a follow-up! A. I've been kind of busy. B. I've been kind of lazy, and C. I've had a DEVIL of a time getting my videos to upload properly. And trust me, it's not HALF as fun w/out the videos.

So without further ado...here is a video/pictoral account of all my dealings w/ the fishies. (And click here, here and here if you want to watch them again on YouTube. We're famous!)

Jenn was up first, so I had the chance to get some shots of her reactions. Heh, heh. Priceless.




Becca and I were up next. After washing your feet for you, they put you in some cheapo sandals and walk you over to the fish foot tanks and help you step in backwards.

Here is a picture of our first reactions. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, no? How about a video?



In my research on this pedicure experience, I heard it described as the pins and needles one might feel if one's foot fell asleep. I disagree. It was mostly just unbearably ticklish - well, nearly unbearable. And then after about a minute or so, it becomes rather pleasant. Ya get used to it, ya know? But if you want a real experience, try spreading your toes for the little guys. Oooo! They loved that! Yipes!

Here is a close-up of the lucky feet.
Christina
Jenn & Becca
After our fifteen minutes w/ the fishies, we went over to the regular pedicure stations (complete w/ massage chairs...mmm) and had our feet/toes buffed, clipped, filed and painted. They even included a bit of a foot/calf massage. That was very nice.

Overall, it was a rather silly, but pleasant experience. Would I do it again? Mmm, probably not. Why? Because while my feet were quite smooth and the pedicurists did not have to use any razors to shave the dead skin off of my feet, I didn't notice any great benefit other than giving the fish a meal. So for the sake of the innovative technique, I'm glad I did it. I even recommend it to those who like to add things to their lists of slightly to definitely odd novelty experiences. And I most heartily recommend a regular pedicure to anyone - male or female.

Side note: I asked about the fish and whether this is detrimental to them at all, ya know over-feeding and whatnot? I was informed that they can eat and eat and eat and eat...and apparently poop and poop...so there's something else to consider when planning for your fish-icure. As an unrelated aside, I did have one floater in my tank, but I SWEAR that it wasn't my fault! I'd say it's more likely that he just gave up the ghost because he couldn't stand swimming in his own filth anymore. And in my last aside, they do change the water between pedicures.

I'll finish off with one more video.


Oh, and in case you didn't get it from the video, Diane Sawyer described the experience as having fish "kiss your feet". Uh...I don't know if I'm on board w/ that one entirely, but whatever floats your boat...or bites your feet, as it were.

What kind of things have you done just for the "novelty" of it?

MANicure

So you know the trend where everything has to be EXTREME? Well, I've just fallen victim to the latest trend of "extreme pedicures". Check it out. That's right...tiny little carp will nibble at the dead skin on your feet to make them all smooth and luxurious. And on this coming Saturday, my friend Becca and I will be offering our tootsies up as a morning snack to a school of hungry garra rufa. You may be asking yourself, "What in the sam hill?!" I ask you, "Why the sam hill not?!" I mean it's not like these little guys have teeth, so it won't hurt... I hope. I just hope my feet are at their most calloused, so I can provide them with a really good meal. Admittedly, when I first heard about this, my "wig-out" factor was at a level 8.9, but I was also secretly attracted by the idea. I mean...what a novelty, right? And who knows? I might actually like it!

And this leads me to the heart of my post. Thanks to gmail, the announcement of my upcoming ichthyotherapy caused a male friend to remark "As a self-respecting heterosexual male, I don't do pedicures in general, but the idea of fish chewing my feet does seem intriguing." So I wondered...do the majority of heterosexual men feel this way? Would the only way to get them in a pedicurist's chair be to tempt them w/ the promise of having fish gnaw the dead skin off their feet? Or is that just a ploy? Do they secretly want to indulge in something like a pedicure, but can't feasibly do so without the guise of "scientific experiment" or the excuse "my sister (wife, etc.) made me do it"?

Thinking that I'd prove my friend wrong about his gender, I began to poll all of my other available male friends on pedicures. My question of "Have you ever had a pedicure?" produced a wealth of responses:

• No way!
• That's a rather personal question...but no. I haven't.
• No, I'm a man.
• I have feet?
• No. Wait. I mean hell no.

So out of the eight men that I polled, only two of them had previously had pedicures and both were in favor of doing it again. Okay, I get it, guys. You don't want to be thought of as a nancy-boy, a metrosexual, a whoppsy. Fine. But does the occasional act of someone scraping the dead crap off of your feet really make you into a girly man? Would it really bring your manhood into question? Speaking as a woman, I see nothing wrong with a man who enjoys a pedicure from time to time. I mean, he doesn't need to get his nails painted - that would be going too far in my estimation. But, to me, a pedicure would in no way injure his manliness. But guys, are you more afraid of what other guys will think or of what women will think of you?

I'm not really trying to define a gender line here, I'm just wondering if maybe we're more similar than we are different. I know that often for women, our insecurities deal more with how we imagine we might be perceived by our sister peers, rather than by the male population. Are we really more fascinated by things deemed "feminine" or "masculine" than we let on, because we are afraid of how it might look if we show too much interest?

I didn't exactly expect my musings on foot-nibbling fish to end up where it did, but I'm curious to know your thoughts.

Memory Game

Okay, so I do have lots more to blog about and I promise to update you soon...ish. (Sometimes I wonder if anyone believes the words "I promise" from me anymore. Sigh.) But first, I'm fulfilling my half of a blogligation. Uh....I don't know if that worked. I just tried combining the words blog and obligation. Whatever. Here it is:

My sister-in-law sent this to me and I thought it was kind of a fun idea. I enjoy remembering good times and I love to be reminded of why I dig you people. :)

Here are the directions:
1. As a comment on my blog (or e-mail if you don't leave comments) leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew/know me a little or a lot - just anything you remember.
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. Judging from my sis-in-law's blog, it's kinda cool and sometimes pretty funny! If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

As a folklorist, I find the collection of memories fascinating and endless fun! As a bit of an egotist, I find it kind of gratifying. Hey, just being honest here. Come on! You know you like it too. :) (That may have hindered any possibility of a happy memory from you, but I couldn't help from pointing it out.)

Stream of Something...

Okay, on the recommendation of several of you, I'm just streaming now. I realize that one of my biggest problems with writing of any kind is thinking too much. So. Here I am. I'm writing.

So what's been on my mind lately? Whoa. I just had about 14 different things come to mind... Let's see if I can grasp onto any of them long enough to blog about it.

1. Summer.

I love it. I love warm weather. I love that I can walk out the door and bask in the warm sun. Of course, basking must be kept to a minimum of 10 - 15 minute intervals or I run the risk of melting, but still. It's bliss while it lasts. Actually, the weather has cooled off a bit, so the oppressive humidity that we'd been getting has somewhat dissipated. Hm. Now this has devolved into a weather report. New topic.

2. Dating.

Well, what do you expect? I'm single. And I'm Mormon. We're programmed to think of almost nothing else, so you really can't blame me. So what do I think about dating? I think it's a lovely pastime - one I thought I was actually rather "good" at, until I realized that it's not a sport that one should want to excel at. Am I right? I mean, there's a difference between being a good date and being a "good dater". Being a good dater just means that you're great at going out w/ a multiplicity of people while staying aloof from dating just one. That's not my idea of success. Well, not according to the aforementioned programming that Mormons go through. Let me just clarify that I'm not opposed to marriage. In fact, I'm very much a fan of the idea...and, as a matter of fact, it hasn't been until just recently that I started thinking of it as an inevitability rather than a fantasy. That may sound a bit strange, but trust me. It's a major paradigm shift. Anyway, I'm of the opinion that dating in the Greater DC Area is really rather fun. I feel very lucky to be surrounded by such a large number of fun and interesting people. And in a very real way, dating and socializing out here has been really instrumental in furthering my spiritual education. I feel like I'm better acquainted with who I am since moving here. I'm certainly more aware of my strengths and weaknesses and I'm more aware of what strengths and weaknesses in others will complement my own.

Does any of this mean that I'm any closer to marriage? Well, I wouldn't really go that far, but if it means anything at all, it doesn't wig me out quite as much to think about it anymore. Heh. The conclusion I came to after reading Alma 7:23-24 was that if I make good choices, then good things will come of it - good works will abound. Rather simplistic, yes. Did I already know that? Sure. Did I need to be reminded? Obviously. Good begets good, so now I'm working on doing that good and seeing where it takes me. Mmm, okay. Last topic.

3. A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Our stake is putting on a production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream this Fall (right around Thanksgiving, in case anyone is curious) and I've been cast as Cobweb, one of the fairy attendants to Titania, Queen of the Fairies. First, let me say that I'm so excited to be a part of the theater again, even if it is minutely! It's been...um...over 10 years since I've acted...so it's time I did something about it. A good friend of mine is directing and I'm really looking forward to see how her vision comes together. Second, I have to say what a brave choice it is to do Shakespeare as a stake production! I mean, I have full confidence in Eve, since she teaches Shakespeare at college levels and also teaches workshops to middle school-aged kids and helps them adapt their own versions to suit their situation and experience. I have no doubt that she'll do the same for us, but there's just the tiniest bit of me that snickers at all the bawdy jokes in this particular play. Hee. Mormons saying things like, "O spite! O hell!" [Snicker, snicker!] I'm not sure how much will be kept and how much will be edited out or just modified, but I'm really looking forward to seeing how it goes. Eve also plans to have music written so that the lyrics in the play can be sung. She told me and a fellow fairy today (Peaseblossom) that she envisioned us as a choir of angels singing. Ha. No pressure. So, while I may not have many spoken lines, I'll be singing and I'm really looking forward to that. So, yay to my re-entry to theater.

And I think my stream has flooded this post enough and it's time to call this good for now. What's been on your mind lately?

A Little Help?

Now that I've resurfaced on the blog-ocean, I've been trying to come up with something interesting to blog about. So far I'm only coming up with half-developed semi-interesting ideas. So in lieu of an interesting topic, I'm blogging about the very fact that I don't know what to blog about. How 'bout that, huh?

Here is what I propose: I will give you my list of half-baked ideas and then you (whoever you are) will vote on the ones you think will actually be interesting enough to read. Additionally, you can make any of my ideas better or add completely new ones. This way maybe I won't fall off the map again - at least not right away.

And here they are:

• Favorite/Least favorite words or phrases
• Exotic/foreign foods you've tried and now long for (could also extend to foreign experiences unrelated to food)
• Childhood memories, ie. fave TV shows, toys, games, books, movies, memories - I feel like this one has been done to death, but it keeps popping up in my brain
• Dream jobs
• Favorite random/hilarious video clips that make the work day shorter

Aaaand I think that's about all I've got for now. This post is short, but after my last one, I think that's a good thing. So...ideas?

The Mother of All Catch-ups

Believe it or not folks, I am alive. For those of you giving me a hard time for not posting since December, I'll have you know that I've started about 5 posts that I never got around to posting. I may have a few retro-posts in the next few days, if I deem them worthy...but I've decided that I have to move forward instead of fretting about the stuff I neglected to blog about before. Sound good? Good.

So, how about a little update on what I've been doing in 2008? I will add photos where available and try to keep my descriptions to a minimum so as A. not to discourage my finishing this post and B. to keep from putting you to sleep.

JANUARY

I rang in the New Year w/ a yummy Thai dinner, a dance party at my house and lots of really great friends. My roommate Amber and I brainstormed some new mottos for the new year, here's one that I tried out on Jan. 1st. Learn to skate in 2008!! (That was my first time ever on a pair of roller blades.)
Still later, Becca and I volunteered to serve food to the homeless on Martin Luther King, Jr. day. It was the first time that day held any real significance for me. It was a really moving experience...not to mention a cultural one! Becs and I were the only white folks for miles! Everyone was so nice and welcoming and I'd love to help out again next year!

At the end of this month, our beloved prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley passed away. He is truly missed, but we also openly welcome our new prophet, President Thomas S. Monson.












FEBRUARY

Uhhh, I don't think I can remember anything significant in February, besides school and work...and neither is really noteworthy. Moving on.

MARCH

Now March was a pretty eventful month. We started off the month w/ an homage to the 80s. It was pretty much every 80's cliche that you could think of. And while the TV show "Saved By the Bell" only began in 1989, several of us chose that as our inspiration. Here is Kelly, Zack, Jesse and AC Slater! In this other group, you will see JEM (she's truly, truly outrageous) and some other 80's hotties.









Mid-March was my BIG trip of the year (so far) to Puerto Rico for some tropical fun and relaxation. Well, that was the plan, anyway, but it was foiled when a winter storm stirred up the seas so severely that no one could get into the water for most of the days that we were there. So no bio-luminescent bay, no sailing trip around the Bermuda Triangle, no snorkeling...and barely even any swimming. Sigh. In spite of all of that, however, it was one of the best trips I've taken because of the people I got to spend it with. There was a lot of bonding that went on in that rented minivan of ours. VIVA PR!! No puedo expresar! (PR buddies include, Jen, Danny, Becca, Steph, Becky and Aaron)
At the end of the month the famous DC cherry blossoms hit their prime and my roommate, Amber and I went down and took some pictures of them. In fact, we even documented a well-beloved Primary song in pictures...but you'll have to go to my Picasa account to see the whole thing.












APRIL

The month began w/ a trip up to Rochester, NY to visit my friend Jen's parents and also catch the sights in Palmyra, which is only about a 20 min. drive away. This happened to be conference weekend and we attended the Solemn Assembly in Palmyra and I was just in overcome by the universal love for our new prophet, President Monson. It was really amazing to almost physically see a change in him as that mantle was placed upon him. I'm privileged to have been a part of that experience.

Afterwards, we walked around Palmyra and had the missionaries show us around. It was very quiet due to Conference and the cold weather. It was a lovely day, though and we all enjoyed some quality time in the Sacred Grove, viewing the various Smith homes, the Visitors Center, Hill Cumorah, the Grandin Press, and the Palmyra Temple grounds. Although only a short trip, I think I gained about 25 lbs. from Jen's mother's cooking and all the food we consumed on the drive up and back down. WHEW!

It's a good thing that in the next few weeks, I joined in on a Biggest Loser Challenge put on by some friends that included approximately 75 people, I believe. Some participated in groups and others individually, but it was a really great opportunity to pay closer attention to my eating, exercising, sleeping, etc. and get myself in a better way. It was mildly annoying (read: extremely annoying) that this also fell right during finals, but I suppose it actually was a good thing since I didn't lose too many points even when I was staying up all night writing papers!

But I digress... Let's see, the next big thing was the Cherry Blossom Parade, which always takes place after the cherry blossoms have all blown away. Sigh. Kind of lame, if you ask me, but whatever. Our ward volunteered again, but I was able to enjoy it more since I wasn't in charge of it. Wahoo! We had a few showers, but mostly it was a lovely, sunny day!

The following weekend, was the Lupus Walk in DC. This is the 2nd year that I've participated, because one of my friends suffers from Lupus. I was happy for the opportunity to do even just a little bit to bring more awareness to the disorder and hopefully help w/ funding so that they can find better and better treatment and someday a cure!

The last week in April was one of the most stressful that I've experienced in a long while, mostly due to my astonishing gift for procrastination. No really, I promise I'm better at it than you. Uhhh, this blog should be proof enough. Anyway, even though I was way past my ears in papers, some great friends still got together to make me the most scrumptious dinner on my birthday. (Spencer is cutting the delicious raspberry, chocolate cheesecake he created for me and Alexia was in charge of the main dish!) I was so touched that they'd all take time out of their busy schedules and do that for me. Thanks everyone! I still have some of those Strawberry Milkshake Oreos under my bed...mmm. Why, Nabisco? Why must you torment me like this, by only making them a limited time treat? You're evil and I hate you...until next year when they come out again and then I'll be your most devoted slave.

MAY

And we're almost caught up, can you believe it? So, Mid-May, some friends and I, (Jamie, Becky and Wendi) drove up to Lancaster County, PA and enjoyed the beauty and fun of Pennsylvania Dutch country. We went to Lancaster (correctly pronounced LANK-ih-stir, rather than the more common pronunciation LAN-cas-ter) and visited a big market...and bought some apple butter, good hearty breads, some traditional crafts and had our first intro to whoopie pie. Having no basis for comparison, I don't know if it was that good, but man...it was pretty durn good!! Before I go on, I also have to comment on how genuinely friendly and outgoing everyone was. I wasn't expecting that. I didn't find the Amish or Mennonites to be reclusive or stand-offish at all. So that was a lovely surprise. After that, we made a short visit to a local museum and then caught a buggy ride. We learned a lot from our driver, who was a young woman raised in a Mennonite family, but was not a member of the church. She explained ways to tell the Mennonites from the Amish and what it was like to grow up in that kind of community. She was what could be considered a "rebel" by bucking tradition and going on to get a college education. Most Mennonite and Amish children only go to school until 8th grade because they believe that higher education is another way to become too worldly. Isn't it an interesting thought that rebellion could take the form of something good like education? Anyway, we drove around more, stopping in Intercourse to go to a Rhubarb Festival (not my veggie of choice)...eat another whoopie pie (we couldn't resist, I mean come on!!) and drink some homemade rootbeer. We ate at an Amish family restaurant and after we were thoroughly stuffed to the gills, we kept driving, hitting towns like Bird-in-Hand and Paradise, where we saw a pretty covered bridge. And yes, that's right, Paradise comes after Intercourse. Look, I don't make this stuff up, okay? And that was the end of that.

And then this last weekend masses and masses of single Mormons flooded the Outer Banks of North Carolina for Memorial Day weekend for volleyball, relaxation and non-stop flirtation. I was in a much bigger house this year than last and I got to know so many awesome people. And yes, I did take part in my fair share of flirting. How can you not when it's the sport of choice? ;) I managed to keep from getting burned to a crisp and really did have a great extended weekend with some really great people. (In the pics, L-R, Ani, Me and Becca, people who stayed in "Heart's Desire" (where I stayed) and "Of Pines and Pelicans" - thanks to Kim, Ani, Melissa and Chelsea for putting all together!, Rich, Me & Emily neither spoke, saw, nor heard any evil while at Duck Beach. And how could a visit to the beach be complete without an homage to Daniel-san? Bless you, Andrew Gibby.)
And now it's just about to turn into June. Holy crap, for REAL?! And it's summer! I want to do so many things this summer!!

• Explore DC/VA/MD and the east coast as much as I can
• Travel back to UT for a short visit, if possible.
  
• Stay consistent w/ exercise and better eating habits.
  
• Run a 5k or 8k
  
• Spend time w/ good friends.
  
• Reorganize and possibly paint my bedroom.
• Make myself a better person.

So nothing too extraordinary, right? What are your summer plans? Anyone want to come w/ me to take some interesting walks or bike rides through DC? Hit a renaissance fair? Go to Boston, Philly or any other number of east coast cities? Anyone interested in going w/ me to the Holocaust Museum? I still haven't been, but I'd really like to go and I think it would be best if I had someone to discuss it with.

Okay. That's it. This post is far too long as it is. Happy now, folks? Whew! Let's see if I can keep this up. Maybe it'll be more interesting when I'm not playing catch-up.