The list of a few.

In the last couple of days, I've experienced:

Something that made me happy:

This picture of my brother-in-law and my nephew on the beach in Oregon. Isn't it the cutest ever?

Something that made me cry: This talk by President Uchtdorf.

Something that made me hopeful: This news about bullfighting being banned in a region in Spain. This just happened this summer and I don't know how I missed it, but it makes me so hopeful.

Something that made me laugh: Mark's reference to a little boy in church who smeared soggy bread on his slacks as having "slobbery bread fingers."

Something that will never get old: A knock knock kitty.

Something that made me excited: My brother is coming over this week to stay for a month!

Jeans shmeans.

I have a dilemma.

I've hit a fashion crossroads. All my jeans have holes in them from wearing them too much. But here's the thing, I don't want to buy more to replace them.

I despise jeans. I loathe jeans. Just the thought of putting them on makes me queasy.

How did I come to this realization, you might ask? About a year ago, I've decided that I've really just been fighting my hatred all my life. I've always passed them off as a minor annoyance and just decided that it was something I had to put up with.

Here's a short list of why I don't like jeans:

1. They're uncomfortable. Come on, you know they are!

2. It's virtually impossible to find a pair that fights you perfectly without getting tailored.

3. They all start to look the same after awhile.

4. It's also next to impossible to go from a sitting position to a standing (and visa versa) without having to make some sort of adjustment. (am I the only one with this problem?)

5. They're expensive.

6. Finding a good pair is like finding a needle in a haystack. Hipsters. Boot cut. Low rise. High rise. Skinny. Baggy. Relaxed cut. How about a fits-my-body-instantly cut?

7. Yawn...they can make an outfit look blah.

8. Jeans aren't forgiving with shapes.

All my life I've resorted to jeans as my standard wear for my legs, but no more ladies! No more!

As I've wandered through various European street fashion blogs, many women aren't wearing jeans. Tights, leggings, jeggings, skirts, dresses--these women are my inspiration. They must be so comfortable in those things, and they look fabulous too!

So now I'm on the hunt for the perfect items to add to my wardrobe to replace my holy jeans. It's going to be quite the task, but oh man, it's going to be worth it.

I love this girl's trousers. So cute. (image)

Now, does anyone want to join me in a ceremonial burning of the jeans?

New name and a new life.

Well, my blog has had yet another name change. For some reason, each name seems to just get old after awhile. Is there something wrong with constantly changing blog names? Who knows.

For those of you who read my last post, perhaps I should throw in a bit of a disclaimer. I don't intend for everyone around me to be vegetarian/vegan, but my meaning when I say that "people don't want to hear" is that some people absolutely don't want to know what happens to their food. It's one thing to not know and consume and another to know and still eat it anyway. I think we all need to know what happens to our food and where it came from because it is so elemental and essential to life. I hope I don't sound prudish or rude here, but after I reread my post, I just worried how people would take it.

Anyway, moving on...

Perhaps you remember this post? Mark's possible internship with Deloitte & Touche kinda fell through the cracks. However (and I can't remember if I mentioned this in the last post) it wasn't an official position that Mark was applying for. He was the only one who applied and we weren't sure if there was going to be a place for him over in Munich, and it turns out there wasn't. Kind of a bummer after waiting months (and months!) to find out what was going to happen this summer. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Mark applied for another internship for Bosch in Waiblingen, Germany. This one looks for promising than the last (at least I hope!)

USU has revolving internship positions for Bosch. I'm not sure when we would be going over if he ended up getting the internship, but it would be for 3-6 months. The student from USU that is over there right now is on a 6th month internship. Holy cannoli. If we did go over there for six months, what on earth would I do with myself while Mark worked? I told Mark that I would have to find a job somewhere, even if that meant being the cleaning lady at a hotel or something. The thought excites and scares me at the same time!

This is all speculation, of course. I mean, what else can we do but be excited for the possibilites? Who knows what's going to happen, but I hope we hear news soon!

I'm graduating in about a month. We're moving sometime soon (date is unknown because of the internship). I had a job interview this past week with the local newspaper. I have no idea what I'm going to be doing in May! Has anyone else had this happen to them? You're literally a month away from huge changes, but you don't know what they are yet. I'm not sure my stress levels and tense neck muscles can handle this! :)

On the other hand, I sure am excited for summer to come. I just hope it involves lots of bike rides, tennis, softball, sunshine, campfires, and the lake! It's going to be great!

Next post: Oregon trip. (I'm just too lazy to do it right now.)

Why I'm a Journalist

My mind only works past midnight.

At least that is what I've come to discover. I just finished a rough draft for an article for a class, and I blogging now because I know this is a time when I can get it done.

College has been a challenge for me. Not in a sense that it's been a lot of work...well...I take that back. It has been busy. But it is challenging at the same time, in a different sense.

Picking a major was like picking a favorite food. Next to impossible for me. I picked journalism because I liked to write and I liked the news. That's it. How was I to know what I wanted to do if I hadn't really experienced it?

So on I trudged. There were so many times when I would receive a writing assignment for an article and just groan. Interviewing people is not my strength. So why, you may ask, am I in journalism? Good question.

After finally getting up the guts to call someone to set up the interview, my stomach would just be churning. Ugh...do I have to do this? I would be so nervous that it would feel like I was being eaten alive. I never felt prepared and I felt like I was so bad at jotting down notes.

But this year has been an entirely different experience.

For an assignment in class, I was to think of someone who has done something amazing or unique and write an article about them. My mind instantly zoomed to a girl I know who had recently gone to Uganda. Exactly what for, I wasn't sure. But it sure was amazing to me that she had gone there.

I contacted her and set up an interview. We met for lunch and she told me her stories. Along with a group from the university, she went to teach Ugandans, specifically Ugandan women, about public health issues. She explained about the northern part of the country that had been ravaged by war, how many children were killed and how these women remained unbelievably strong.

She mentioned something called the Invisible Children. I, being the extreme novice that I am, did not adequately do my research about the country and I had no idea what she was talking about. Either that, or I had been living in a deep, dark closet all these years. Probably the latter.

There has been brutal civil war going on in Uganda and it is still going. A rebel guerilla group known as the Lord's Resistance Army and the Ugandan army continue to wage war, especially on the civilians. No one is safe, especially not the children. They must migrate into the cities to sleep safely at night, for fear of being abducted by the LRA and being forced to be either a killer or a sex slave.

And by children we're talking tens of thousands of children. Tens of thousands of children who are forced to wear guns and kill. Children.

My interviewee taught public health seminars in this area. What amazed her the most was how happy and strong the people were, even though they were going through a brutal civil war.

Had it not been for a documentary, these children would probably still be invisible, almost non-existent. No one really knew this was happening. Three Americans traveled over to Sudan, looking for a story. They ended up in northern Uganda and witnessed these Invisible Children, and they made sure their story was heard.

My interviewee also told of a young man who was their interpreter on the trip. One of his dreams was to come to the United States to study engineering, in the hopes that he could take what he learned back with him to help rebuild his country. He has found a sponsor in the U.S. who is going to pay for his schooling. As she told me this, I got goosebumps.

Being a journalist makes you realize how much you don't know. How much is going on outside your own little bubble, and in a very real way. It isn't a history book that is lectured to me while I slumber safely in my desk; it's a cold, hard slap across the face forcing me to wake up. Each time I interview someone, no matter what it is about, I leave humbled and opened to a different view of the world.

Every person has a story to tell, no matter how small or large. Every person is significant. My job is to somehow pluck out that single thread, and to weave a story from it.

So for now, I'll keep weaving.

To read a recent article of mine, click here.

Thoughts on a Thursday morning

-How do professional bloggers write every single day? I'm lucky if I can scratch out one measly post a week. Hmmph.

-Finding unexpected apple cider in the bottom of your fruit crisper is not a good thing. Take note: eat your apples or get better at cleaning your fridge.

-The Feminine Mystique scares me. I have to read parts of it for a class and when I do, I'm reminded that I am, in fact not a woman, but a chicken. Imagine that!

-I would rather write a paper than take a test any day. Plus, while I'm writing a paper I can always have a stack of snacks on hand. Good or bad thing?

-I wish I could tell the guy who keeps racing up and down my street on his bullet bike to just relax.

-Nothing's worse than having exceedingly good news to tell and not being able to tell it, yet.

-Mistaking your hair for a bug is surely a sign that you're losing your mind.

-Three more months to go...

-Copy editing, is indeed, the devil. It's and its, that and which...can I just scribble a Chinese character and call it quits?

-I have to write a make-believe law brief with two guys named Mr. Goodguy and Mr. Mouthpiece. ??

-After I spend almost two hours scrubbing my shower to death with my mom's special cleaner, she calls me two days later to inform me that I need "a lot of ventilation" when I clean with it. Kind of hard when you live in an apartment with basically no windows. No wonder I felt like such a crab at my niece's birthday party.

-Confession: I have a picture-less frame hanging on my wall. And it's been there awhile.

-Anyone else excited for Halloween?

Summer Shutdown

I would like to issue an apology for my blog being so boring lately. Well, then again, when is it ever exciting?

But I've been racking my brain trying to think of things to write about and getting the motivation to do it, and my thoughts are about as drab as ever. I call this "summer shutdown." There's just something about when the weather gets warmer, I get lazier--if that's even possible.

In the meantime, I think I'll go take a nap and sip some lemonade.

Oh! This is my 100th post! So here's some good news:

--I met with my counselor this past week and he informed me that I didn't have to retake my Stats class! I originally thought my grade was not considered passing, but he told me that I was all done with it. BEST NEWS OF MY LIFE. What really had me scared was the fact that I would have to take a stupid math test. USU has a rule where if it's been a year since the last passed math class that you took, you must take a "math placement exam" to place you back where you should be in math. So since I thought I didn't pass my Stats class, and it had been a year since I passed Math 1010, then I would have to take that ridiculous excuse for a test to place me where I should be, that meaning I could end up in Math 1010 or 0900. I would basically have to start math all over again. But THANK GOODNESS I'M DONE! (One gift I was never given was the gift of numbers. Even small fractions make my brain go haywire.)

--I also applied for graduation! I had 19 credits left to take, so instead of cramming them into one semester, I decided just go apply for a Spring graduation. I'm so excited.

--Mark has two years left! So by the time that I'm finished, he'll only have a year. Man, I'm excited. It seems like we've been students for an eternity.

--I'm actually kind of excited to go back to school this year. I feel like I really have the end in sight and I'm not really scared. After I graduate, I think I'm going to take a few computer programming classes at Bridgerland to freshen up my HTML, CSS, and Photoshop skills and to learn PHP and other types of programming. That's something I really like to do, and I hope to have a job where I can work from home.

Well that's it for now. Here's a photo that might make you smile. This is me, in the '60s!

Have you yearbooked yourself yet? Trust me, you'll be laughing for hours!

The scariest violin playing in the world!

I'm probably the last person who should be posting this because I've always been criticized of not putting enough feeling into my songs, but I'm pretty sure this is a case where this is just too much. 

No matter how many times I watch this, I instantly die of laughter. 

AH HAHAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHAHAHA HAHAHA! (wiping tears from my eyes)

My Idea of Working Out Lately

Or perhaps...

or last but not least...

I'm being completely serious. Well, at least somewhat. 

Before I got married, I used to have a regular workout schedule. But now, it's pretty much...oh you know... NONEXISTENT. 

And let me tell you something, I hate it. Almost every day I tell myself that I'm going to make it outside or up to the gym but when I actually have time to do it, I would rather do other things. At the end of the night, I kick myself for not going. The next day, it happens again. 

AHH the constant frustration! Where has my motivation gone? 

What do I get as punishment for not exercising? My body is in shambles. SHAMBLES. This morning, I woke up and felt so stiff in my neck and my arms. I was so confused, what have I done lately to be sore? Oh, and I instantly had the answer: practicing my violin. How pathetic. 

So I'm asking you, in some form of desperation, where/how do you get your motivation to get up and get moving? Also, what is your favorite, most effective form of exercise? And last but not least, I know you all are so busy, how do you fit it into your schedule?

Forget Hook, is Disney the True Villain?

"There'll be no more dogs for nursemaids in this house!" George, father of Wendy, John and Michael screams as he drags Nana out the door and down the stairs by her collar. George, in disgust, ties Nana up to the doghouse in the back complaining that his children don't pay any attention to him (for obvious reasons as illustrated). 

This is just one dramatic scene from one of my favorite Disney movies, Peter Pan. I've always loved this movie, but at the same time, I think about what I'm learning from watching this simple child's movie. 

I can't help it. It all started about a year ago when I took a Media Smarts class on campus. In this class, we analyzed different forms of media and how they could be subliminally affecting us. Although my teacher seemed to have an affinity for hip hop music and horrible rap videos (traumatizing in many, many ways), we did watch a documentary about the effects of watching Disney movies. 

In this documentary, many people analyzed different factors of all the movies and concluded that they are indeed sexist, racist, and violent. And that's only the beginning of the story. 

Take for example, one of my favorite ladies, Tinkerbell. Not only is her jealousy and hatred for Wendy searing (in fact, searing enough to burn through a green leaf) but she portrays what critics claim as the stereotypical woman. Remember the part when she's standing on top of the mirror and she sees how big her hips are? She holds her hands at her sides then brings them straight out in front of her. Doomsday music blasts in the background as she immediately looks depressed. Are you kidding me? This lady is a fairy and she's probably about the size of a grasshopper! So not only is she jealous and obsessed with killing Wendy, she's also concerned about her 3 grams of total weight. 

A lady in the movie cited Princess Jasmine as her bad example of women in Disney movies. According to this lady, not only does Jasmine have a waist the size of my wrist, she tries to seduce Jafar to save Aladdin and the genie. The lady went on to explain that Disney's usual portrayal of women was something with huge doe eyes, long eye lashes, and unbelievably small bodies. They try to persuade men with their bodies. True, to some extent. 

When I was watching this in class, I heard several scoffs. I thought, wait a minute...my peers have every right to be upset. Disney movies are just a part of many children's lives. I know they were a part of mine because I was borderline obsessed with Ariel. In fact, I would sit in the bathtub and add piles of salt hoping to somehow grow scales from my legs. (No joke!) 

These people were going against millions of children's lives here. So are their points really valid or are they just causing controversy for the sake of it? 

Does anyone remember watching Jungle Book? Do you remember hearing the voices of the apes in this video? A lady in the documentary said that it promoted racism, because the voices of all the apes in this movie were voiced by African-American actors. This would make children associate those voices with apes, apparently. 

The same lady discusses the chihuahua Tito in the film Oliver & Company. She said that Tito reenforces negative stereotype of Hispanic men: they are conniving, small, sassy, deceitful womanizers. Within the story of Peter Pan, the "red men" are portrayed as stupid and horrible speakers. I mean, you are faced with the stumping question of "what makes the red men red?" 

And then we move on to what is perhaps what is the most daunting one of all: violence. I remember seeing Bambi when I was little at my grandma's house and watching in horror as Bambi's mother is killed. I haven't watched it since. 

Add to that the image of George dragging the family dog out of the house by the collar as I mention above. If you saw this in real life, wouldn't it be horrible? All of these examples are just one of many. 

I could go on and on about this topic, for there are violent scenes in every Disney movie. Granted the word violent is quite the loaded word, but we have to think, "How violent is this to a 5 year old?" 

The topic of Disney putting subliminal text and images in their movies is a different post, because that is a huge topic all together. I assume that you've all heard the urban legends. You probably know what word appears from the puff of seeds in The Lion King. You probably know what image is right next to the two mice as they take off in their albatross plane in The Rescuers. You've probably heard of the atrocities in The Little Mermaid. 

Do our children notice all these messages, even subliminally? I don't know. One might argue that we can't keep our children sheltered forever by feeding them perfect media (which rightly doesn't exist). I agree. But at the same time, are these messages helping our children? Do Disney movies reflect the ills of society or are they helping to create them? 

Those questions are pretty hard to answer. In the meantime, I'll enjoy my Peter Pan, 101 Dalmations, and Sword in the Stone. But perhaps I'll think twice about propping my child in front of one.

What do you think?

OOoh...October!

Even though it's about halfway through the month of October, (scary! time goes by way too fast) I just realized how much I love this month. And of course, I've compiled a list of reasons why.

1. Halloween--I love this holiday! Although I secretly wish I was 11 years old again, tromping around the streets of Paris with Laura in our bellbottoms and platform shoes. What good memories. When we were little, my family and I used to decorate the house with fake cobwebs and pots of dry ice and water. I love Halloween decorations. 

The good thing about my apartment is, all the cobwebs are natural! We basically live in a haunted cellar. I'm afraid that I don't have to do much decorating around this place to get it to look spooky. 

Can I just tell you how much I love carving pumpkins? We got together with Sue and Ryan last year on Halloween, ate dinner, and carved pumpkins. Here's some pictures: 

Here's Mark's pumpkin. I love its evil eyes. Not too bad for his first one ever, huh?

This is my disaster of a pumpkin. Apparently I was going for some sort of Egyptian Cat. Weird, I know. There's whiskers and a mouth, but they wouldn't show up on my camera phone. 

Ryan carves the best pumpkins every year! This pumpkin cracks me up. 

I've always wanted to go trick-or-treating in Logan. Can you imagine all the candy that you'd get? It makes me want to dress up and try to pass myself off as a 12-13 year old. Do you think I could do it? ;)

2. Unbeknownst to me, but October is Vegetarian Awareness Month! Although I'm sure there's a awareness month for everything, it makes me excited that there is a month for this. So for this post I'd like to give a shout out to some of my favorite celebrities, some of whom I had no idea were veggies! 

Doris Day

Gladys Knight

And some well-known vegans:

Joaquin Phoenix

And last but not least, good ol' Paul McCartney.

3. As I'm sure you are all aware, it is also National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I am thankful that this is becoming more well-known and that many more women are able to detect it earlier, even in the case of my mother. I love that many companies are coming out with Pink Ribbon products. Thanks for helping to educate and spread the word! 

4. And one of my favorite reasons...

Ahh...I love the leaves of fall. 

Etsy

Have any of you heard of Etsy? I just barely found out about it, and I think it's fabulous. If any of you have any crafty items you want to sell, you can sell them on here! I love the knitted and crocheted section. What a great idea. 

Here's a little number that I quite like:

Now if only I had some money...

Call Me Crazy, But...

I LOVE this hair! 

I Can Speak Geek, Too!

Believe it or not, I am slowly becoming more self-reliant. I am getting better at this over the years, but now it is extending into the realm of computers as well!

The good thing about it is, now I won't need Mark to whisper sweet HTML codes in my ear anymore. I will know it myself! (Hopefully.)

I am taking a Website Design class where I'm set to learn HTML, CSS, and XHTML. Also, I'm taking an online journalism class and I'm supposed to record and produce a podcast. I am nervous about the website design...well actually, I'm nervous about it all! I have to design a site for a client for my final and that's what makes me squirm. 

Looks like my Mac and I will become even better friends over the semester, if that's possible. My teacher told us that learning HTML and CSS are like learning a second languages, only we'll be talking to computers. I forgot to ask her if my computer will be talking back, and if he's willing to do the laundry and give hour long massages.

A Letter to a Roommate

Dear Mr. Hobo,

I realize that it may be pretty hard to find a place to rest your weary legs. However, Mark and I would like you to know that you are not welcome in our home.

Please don't take it personal. We would love to make you kindly welcome, but there have been a few things that have been bothering us. I, personally, was not a big fan of the time when I saw your long legs wrapped around the edge of my bathroom door at one in the morning. We might be pretty bad insomniacs, but I think you have us beat.

And I know that Mark doesn't like it when you suddenly appear out of nowhere (you play these magic tricks all the time). We're just not big fans of the theatrics. Mark especially hates it when you try to climb his foot when he's about to chomp on his cereal in the morning. Scaring someone when they're about to eat is bad manners, you know. 

Lastly, I'm pretty sure that our landlords will not like it when they see a third roommate in this tiny, cramped apartment. Especially not one that has a pretty nasty bite.

Regards, 

Candice 

Photo Booth

I've got a confession to make: I'm not much of a picture taker. I usually am with my cell phone, but I almost always forget my camera. I'm also really bad at taking pictures of Mark and me together. I was looking at the picture that I have posted on my blog and for some reason, it just looks really weird in a thumbnail. (Well, it doesn't really look like either one of us.) What we are good at, though, is taking pictures of ourselves on Photo Booth on my Mac. So here's some "somewhat normal" pics.

Here's my favorite:

Haha, one thing's for sure, if you're ever bored, Photo Booth can certainly entertain you. I guess my pictures don't look that "normal" after all.