A Quick Note

I'm in the mood to blog a little, but don't have the pictures or the time to really do much.  Summer is over and school is in session.  I had an awesome summer doing lots of new, fun, and exciting things.  But now it is time to get into the mode of school and studying.  All of my classes are online this semester except for one which I am not happy about, but I will get used to it.  So far, life isn't too bad, but I am sure here in a couple of weeks I will have more studying and homework than I actually have time for.

4th of July Weekend

Here are pictures from the 4th of July.  Don't really feel like writing about it at this moment, but just know that it was a great night!!!  Good eats, yummy drinks, Quelf, goofing off, blowing things up, and hanging out in a tent!
Oh and Picasa is great too!! :)

Shelfari and Book Clubs

Almost two years ago I joined Shelfari, a website where you can keep track of the books you have read, are currently reading, and want to read.  You can also rate your books, write reviews, and when you read the books along with many other things.  I'm pretty sure I just signed up for it and forgot about it for some reason or another because when I logged on the other day I had a whopping 3 or 4 books on my shelf (very sad, yes, I know).

So how did I end up back on Shelfari?  A couple of weeks ago I signed up for another book tracking website (I sign up for way too many things and then never again go back...I believe I may have a problem there...hehehe) called Goodreads (discovered through a Facebook friend) and found I didn't really enjoy it.  I had totally forgot about my Shelfari account until my roommate and I were talking about books and what not and she mentioned Shelfari.  The light bulb came on and tonight I have re-acquainted myself with my Shelfari account and so enjoy it.  I have many books to add both to the plan to read and have already read piles, but I got a start!!  So thanks Holly for reminding me that Shelfari existed!!!

While working with Shelfari I have discovered one little thing I wish it had.  I would love for Shelfari to have a recommendation component to recommend books to you based on what you've read or genres or whatever.  That would just be an awesome feature!!!

I also have always thought that it would be cool to join a book club.  Sometimes I stick to one type of book and don't really broaden my horizons and I would really like to enjoy and experience different books.  So I joined an online Book Club here.  They suggest one book a month and then you can discuss it if you choose.  I am pretty excited for this.  One book a month should allow me to read other books on my list (that is until school picks up and gets super crazy)!

And just on a side note completely irrelevant to this topic--BOYS ARE RETARDED!!!  I do not believe I will ever understand them and currently they are driving me nuts! 

THAT IS ALL :)

Eclipse

Last night was the midnight showing of Eclipse and I'm just going to say right now that it was AMAZING!!  We ended up having 6 of us in our group; me, my roomie Holly and her friend Lisa, Naomi, Sara and her friend Celeste.  It was great fun!  We got in line around 8; enjoying reading books and playing games!  It was definitely a great night out with the girls!!!

Now, the movie...definitely the best out of the 3 so far.  They continue to get better and better so I'm hoping that Breaking Dawn (which will be done in 2 movies) will be completely epic!!  The only complaint that I have about Eclipse is VICTORIA.  The new Victoria was horrible; she did not portray who Victoria really is:  mean, vicious, and just down right scary.  The new Victoria pretty much had a sweet personality about her and it kinda threw the story off a bit.  Other than that little detail the movie was great.  Jacob was great in all his hotness.  The lines were great and often hilarious.  The battle scene was epic.  Bella's ring is absolutely beautiful and I want one.  The Volturi are scary.  After reading The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner I feel bad that she had to die.  I am even getting used to Edward (Robert Pattinson) and enjoying him in the movie.  This will definitely be a movie that I see in the theater again and I wish we didn't have to wait a year and half for the first installment of Breaking Dawn!

Work

My desk at work...I'm working hard...LOL

A Greater Appreciation for the Pioneers

So there has been no hot water at my apartment since Tuesday because we didn't switch the utilities over soon enough (or so they say...). Anyways, I took a cold shower Tuesday morning thinking my roommate used up all the hot water; but throughout the day we discovered that we had no hot water AT ALL!! I called our managers Wednesday and that is when I discovered that our gas was shut off. TOTALLY LAME!!! So I call Questar to get everything set up...only problem...they can't come out until the next day (today) and they have up until 6 PM to get out there. Hopefully, we have water tonight, but it might not be until tomorrow morning...UGH!!!

Now when I go camping I'm all for being rugged and not showering and all that and I can go a few days, but when I'm part of society I HAVE to shower everyday (I often shower twice a day). So having no water sucks. I contemplated asking to shower at a friend's house but didn't want to put anyone out and then the light bulb went on! Why not boil my hot water and just take a bath! PERFECT...NOT!!! I now have a greater appreciation for the pioneers and people back in the olden days. They didn't even have a stove...just fire to heat up their water. I AM NOT A PATIENT PERSON!!! And waiting for two pots of water to boil was horrible. I didn't even wait until it was completely boiling; just until I couldn't leave my finger in the water any longer. And I only used the two pots and didn't refill them. So, I ended up taking a cold bath. I don't know what is worse...a cold bath or a cold shower. THEY BOTH SUCK!!!

So the gas better be on today because I can't handle being a pioneer anymore and I can't handle not showering!

Blogging from my phone! This world of technology gets crazier and cooler everyday!!!

Backgrounds

I'm pretty sure that I change my background more than I blog, but that is soon to change. School is out for the summer and I now have internet at my place. So stay tuned to more posts and me finishing what I started (30 days of blogging) even though I am way overdue!!

Day 11 -- A talent of mine

I have been playing this instrument for 15 years!! That is such a long time...it is weird to think back to 5th grade and when it all began. It all started with my cousin you I looked up to back then; I wanted to do EVERYTHING that she did: dance, go to Weber State, play the flute, cheerleading...all of it!!! So I picked up the flute. I am not really as skilled as I would have ever liked to be--I blame that on not practicing enough. I don't play with a band or orchestra anymore and don't play very often, but I do get it out from time to time and mostly play simple Disney music. It is a GREAT stress reliever--and I STRESS ALOT!!!

Day 10 -- My favorite book

In 6th I had the BEST teacher ever!!! There are so many reasons why, but one reason (which ties to this post) is that everyday after lunch we would sit on the floor in front of the class while he read to us. I learned that you are never too old to gather around and be read to--I absolutely LOVED it!!! Some of my favorite books (most of them, in fact) came from this 6th grade classroom, so thank you Mr. Martin!!

"It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened."

Thus opens this haunting novel in which a boy inhabits a seemingly ideal world: a world without conflict, poverty, unemployment, divorce, injustice, or inequality. It is a time in which family values are paramount, teenage rebellion is unheard of, and even good manners are a way of life.

December is the time of the annual Ceremony at which each twelve year old receives a life assignment determined by the Elders. Jonas watches his friend Fiona named Caretaker of the Old and his cheerful pal Asher labeled the Assistant Director of Recreation. But Jonas has been chosen for something special. When his selection leads him to an unnamed man -the man called only the Giver -he begins to sense the dark secrets that underlie the fragile perfection of his world.

Told with deceptive simplicity, this is the provocative story of a boy who experiences something incredible and undertakes something impossible. In the telling it questions every value we have taken for granted and reexamines our most deeply held beliefs.