There are certain stereotypes about BYU that I would really like to not believe. Today one of my bubbles was shattered. In Relief Society, the bishop taught the lesson. Now, I have had the awkward modesty and chastity lessons, but I had never before had a dating lesson.
He got up and told us that we need to flirt more. He also told us that we shouldn't sit next to our roommates in sacrament meeting because if there are young women sitting next to us, the young men can't sit next to us. Then he told us that we don't come to church just to listen to the lesson. We also are not at BYU to get an education, which is too bad, because education is pretty expensive and time-consuming. We apparently are here (at BYU and at church) so we can flirt and get married and have children. Sigh.
For the record, I am all for getting married and having children, and I definitely want that in my future sometime. I just don't want to be told in church that I need to flirt more and go on more dates, etc.
My only consolation is that it isn't just a BYU thing. Thank you Emma. We should form a support group sometime.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
I promised Josh and Emma that I would blog about the date I had this weekend, which is the first date I have had since Christmas. Of course, Josh called me early this morning and I already told him about it, but here it is, recorded for posterity and anybody else who cares.
On Friday night Josh and Emma were coming down to Provo. My phone rang, and I assumed it was Josh, because he is the only person who ever calls me. So I answered the phone "Hallooooo?" with a weird accent because I thought it would be funny. "Uh...is this Rachel?" Rats. It is not Josh, or even one of my friends. Instead, it is Clint, a guy who was in my ward last year. He asked me to go on a group date with him the next night. I agreed, and he said he would pick me up at about 7:30. So far, so good.
I spent the day in Draper with my former roommate yesterday, and then she came back to Provo with me. We got back to my apartment at about 7:15, and I decided to go get ready a bit. Instead, there is a knock on the door. I sent Rebecca down to answer the door while I brushed my teeth, because nobody likes a date with bad breath. From downstairs, I hear "Are you ready to go?" Rebecca looks sort of similar to me, and Clint apparently thought she was me. So, I figured we were almost even for the way I answered the phone. She explained and I came down. I wasn't ready, but that's what happens when your date is 15 minutes early and you planned to spend 10 or 15 minutes on preparation.
We walked to his car, where he informed me that he doesn't believe in opening doors for girls. I happen to really like it when guys open doors for me, but no biggie, I guess. Also, all the other members of the "group" mysteriously couldn't make it. Suspicious. Anyway, we went to a theater about 2 miles from my apartment. We were half an hour early, so while we waited we talked. Clint was an interesting guy to converse with. Our conversation went about like this.
Me: So, what do you like to do?
Clint: I like to study.
Me: Oh. OK.
[pause]
So what are you doing this summer?
C: Writing a book on the plan of Salvation and memorizing True to the Faith.
Me: Oh. Wow. [pause] That's cool.
After some awkward conversation, we watched the show. It was an improv show called The Thrillionaires, and it was hilarious. The actors took suggestions from the audience, and then incorporated them into the show. For example, they would say, "I have a shady past. What does it involve?" Or "I am obsessed with something. What?" Well, one of the characters had some phobias--she ended up being afraid of monkeys, giraffes, and the dark. So I said, "What about you? What are you afraid of?"
"Sin."
OK, then. So most of our conversation went like that. It was a tiny bit awkward, and I felt like anything I said would sound really trivial in comparison to his responses. Fortunately, he didn't really ask me a lot about myself. When he did, I alternately tried to come up with the least trivial-sounding things I could and tried to make him laugh. I don't think I was very successful at either.
After the show, we got milkshakes, and then came home. At the doorstep, he gave me a side hug. It was awkward. Now, in his defense, I think Clint was probably trying too hard to seem spiritual and impressive. He was a really nice guy, and he chose a great activity. I had fun, and he probably seems a bit more normal as you get to know him better. And that was my date.
On Friday night Josh and Emma were coming down to Provo. My phone rang, and I assumed it was Josh, because he is the only person who ever calls me. So I answered the phone "Hallooooo?" with a weird accent because I thought it would be funny. "Uh...is this Rachel?" Rats. It is not Josh, or even one of my friends. Instead, it is Clint, a guy who was in my ward last year. He asked me to go on a group date with him the next night. I agreed, and he said he would pick me up at about 7:30. So far, so good.
I spent the day in Draper with my former roommate yesterday, and then she came back to Provo with me. We got back to my apartment at about 7:15, and I decided to go get ready a bit. Instead, there is a knock on the door. I sent Rebecca down to answer the door while I brushed my teeth, because nobody likes a date with bad breath. From downstairs, I hear "Are you ready to go?" Rebecca looks sort of similar to me, and Clint apparently thought she was me. So, I figured we were almost even for the way I answered the phone. She explained and I came down. I wasn't ready, but that's what happens when your date is 15 minutes early and you planned to spend 10 or 15 minutes on preparation.
We walked to his car, where he informed me that he doesn't believe in opening doors for girls. I happen to really like it when guys open doors for me, but no biggie, I guess. Also, all the other members of the "group" mysteriously couldn't make it. Suspicious. Anyway, we went to a theater about 2 miles from my apartment. We were half an hour early, so while we waited we talked. Clint was an interesting guy to converse with. Our conversation went about like this.
Me: So, what do you like to do?
Clint: I like to study.
Me: Oh. OK.
[pause]
So what are you doing this summer?
C: Writing a book on the plan of Salvation and memorizing True to the Faith.
Me: Oh. Wow. [pause] That's cool.
After some awkward conversation, we watched the show. It was an improv show called The Thrillionaires, and it was hilarious. The actors took suggestions from the audience, and then incorporated them into the show. For example, they would say, "I have a shady past. What does it involve?" Or "I am obsessed with something. What?" Well, one of the characters had some phobias--she ended up being afraid of monkeys, giraffes, and the dark. So I said, "What about you? What are you afraid of?"
"Sin."
OK, then. So most of our conversation went like that. It was a tiny bit awkward, and I felt like anything I said would sound really trivial in comparison to his responses. Fortunately, he didn't really ask me a lot about myself. When he did, I alternately tried to come up with the least trivial-sounding things I could and tried to make him laugh. I don't think I was very successful at either.
After the show, we got milkshakes, and then came home. At the doorstep, he gave me a side hug. It was awkward. Now, in his defense, I think Clint was probably trying too hard to seem spiritual and impressive. He was a really nice guy, and he chose a great activity. I had fun, and he probably seems a bit more normal as you get to know him better. And that was my date.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Highlights
I have had a fairly eventful week, by my standards. Of course, that's not saying too much, but I feel like I should blog about some of the highlights. I have been informed that my blog is boring, and this post will probably be even more so than usual, so consider yourselves warned.
- I spent last weekend in St. George and Zion's. My family picked me up on Friday and we went to In'N'Out Burger for dinner. Halfway through my burger, I realized it was pink to red in the middle and spent the next several days worrying about E. coli. However, the Mayo Clinic says healthy adults tend to recover on their own, and I don't have any symptoms, so life is good. :)
- Southern Utah is beautiful. I love red rock. Also, we went to Brigham Young's winter home, and he had fig, pomegranate, pecan and almond trees. I may have to live in St. George when I grow up.
- At Zion's, I got stuck climbing a 9 foot tall rock. I told the story to Josh, and he agreed that I am one of the ditziest people he knows.
- Three words: Mango ice cream. Try some, it's delicious.
- We played Bingo, and I won big money. Seriously, I won $2, and I feel rich.
- Back in Provo, I made "Amish" friendship bread. Amish is in quotes because the recipe calls for instant pudding, which I doubt is very Amish, but it was good. I am a fan of baking.
- Two book recommendations: The Thief by Meg Whalen Turner, which kept me up until 3:00 am reading, and Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan, which makes me feel ridiculously smart.
- Restaurant recommendation: Tucano's. Josh came down to Provo on Wednesday, and we went to Tucano's (good food, good service, good company) and played Frisbee. I ate sushi and chicken hearts. Good times.
- Incidentally, Wednesday was also the first time I intentionally skipped class (the last day of school or after AP tests doesn't count).
- I went to bed before 1:00 am for the first time in months. It was good, and I felt virtuous. It will probably not happen again for a while.
- I leave for Wales five weeks from today.
Friday, May 22, 2009
In the News
I saw an awesome headline today: "Snake wasn't used as school jump rope". I don't know about you, but I definitely think this is newsworthy. In fact, I can count on one hand (maybe even no hands!) the number of snakes at my schools that were not used as jump ropes.
The actual article was quite disappointing, but if you want to read it, the address is
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30856215/
The actual article was quite disappointing, but if you want to read it, the address is
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30856215/
Dreams and Goals
Usually my goals are completely unrelated to my dreams. This is because usually my dreams are horribly disturbing and completely unrealistic. Finding myself the last survivor of all-out biological warfare or stuck in the middle of pitched battle, while definitely not what I want to do, are not the kind of things I need to make a goal about. The other night, though, I had a dream that actually led to a goal. In this dream, I had been kidnapped by a homicidal maniac. I had already tried several ways of escaping, but none succeeded. My kidnapper told me that if I tried to escape again he would kill me. Then one of my friends sneaked into the house where I was being held and told me to run. I decided to try it, so I ran out of the house, but the kidnapper chased me. I was running as fast as I could, but I got tired and slowed down and he caught up with me. He was going to kill me, and then I woke up.
The upshot of this is that I'm going to take up running so I can run away from all the homicidal maniacs Provo is so well-known for.
The upshot of this is that I'm going to take up running so I can run away from all the homicidal maniacs Provo is so well-known for.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Mmmm
My roommates have embarked on a quest to make me more culturally aware. Therefore, we are watching movies like there's no tomorrow, and also eating really good food. I highly recommend frozen hot chocolate to anyone (and everyone). You take your hot chocolate mix and hot water, mix them together, and put them in the freezer for a few hours. It is amazing!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Uncomfortable
I don't handle other people's problems very well. When people tell me about the horrible things that have happened/are happening to them, I just don't know how to respond. Like this week one of my friends told me she probably has epilepsy and another (violin performance major) told me she has carpal tunnel. Sometimes "Sorry to hear that" or "can I do anything for you?" just doesn't cut it, but I don't know what else to say. So I end up coming off cold and heartless, which is not how I feel. :(
Monday, May 18, 2009
The dangers of Facebook
I read an article today about the threats inherent in facebook. Apparently Israeli security forces have determined that extremist Arab groups are using facebook and other social networking sites to recruit people to their cause and find spies. They (the Israeli security forces) have issued a warning to Israelis not to answer unsolicited requests for phone numbers or other personal information. My first thought when I read this was, Really? Extremist Arab groups use Facebook? My second thought was, Doesn't common sense tell people not to give your personal information to people you don't know? And if you are that kind of person, do you have enough common sense to listen to security warnings?
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Bad signs
My computer is dying. I think I've already said this. The process is long and painful. The newest signs of its impending death:
It smells like burning sometimes when I turn it on.
Sometimes it gives me an error message and shuts down randomly.
The power cord gets ridiculously hot, and will only charge the computer if I hold it in a certain way.
Whenever I touch any of the jacks, like the internet jack, headphone jack, USB ports, etc. I get shocked. Based on that, it may not be my computer that dies. The shocks may get worse and I might beat it to the punch.
It smells like burning sometimes when I turn it on.
Sometimes it gives me an error message and shuts down randomly.
The power cord gets ridiculously hot, and will only charge the computer if I hold it in a certain way.
Whenever I touch any of the jacks, like the internet jack, headphone jack, USB ports, etc. I get shocked. Based on that, it may not be my computer that dies. The shocks may get worse and I might beat it to the punch.
o_O
My hair is short now. As in, really short. As in, it hasn't been this short since I was about eight years old. Also, the first person who saw it told me he "prefers long hair". Then two minutes later he needed my help studying, so he came over and said "Your hair is already growing on me. Do you know how to do this?"
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Spine
As you get to know me, you may realize that I am rather spineless. I have a ridiculously difficult time saying no to even the most ridiculous requests. This was re-brought to my attention yesterday.
First, there was a knock at the door. My roommate answered. A few minutes later, she came into the kitchen and told my other roommate and me to go talk to the people at the door. They were selling newspaper subscriptions to put themselves through college. If we would pay just $0.25 per day, they would be able to go to college, and they would give money to inner-city children.
The last time I encountered these people, I fell for their sob story. I wrote them a check, and proceeded to never see either my money or a newspaper. So this time, I was able to resist (that, and my other roommate was there backing up my refusal). I said no, then felt guilty about it for the rest of the evening.
While I was still feeling guilty, I was hit up with another request that I wanted to refuse. There is a midterm in one of my classes this weekend, and two other people in my ward are in the same section. They wanted to set up a study group and study for about four hours. I had planned on studying for this test for about twenty minutes. Due to my inability to say no, I will now be studying for four hours. Eventually I will get a spine. Until then, I'll be in the library studying Thucydides.
First, there was a knock at the door. My roommate answered. A few minutes later, she came into the kitchen and told my other roommate and me to go talk to the people at the door. They were selling newspaper subscriptions to put themselves through college. If we would pay just $0.25 per day, they would be able to go to college, and they would give money to inner-city children.
The last time I encountered these people, I fell for their sob story. I wrote them a check, and proceeded to never see either my money or a newspaper. So this time, I was able to resist (that, and my other roommate was there backing up my refusal). I said no, then felt guilty about it for the rest of the evening.
While I was still feeling guilty, I was hit up with another request that I wanted to refuse. There is a midterm in one of my classes this weekend, and two other people in my ward are in the same section. They wanted to set up a study group and study for about four hours. I had planned on studying for this test for about twenty minutes. Due to my inability to say no, I will now be studying for four hours. Eventually I will get a spine. Until then, I'll be in the library studying Thucydides.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Pain
I bought flip-flops last week. I have somehow lived my entire life without ever wearing flip-flops, so I decided it was time to give in to the peer pressure and join the crowd.
Somehow, I had imagined that because almost everybody wears flip flops sometimes, and some people wear them all the time, they must be comfortable. I was wrong. They hurt between my toes, and wearing them has been akin to torture. Still, millions of people can't be wrong (famous last words) so I am determined to keep wearing them. Maybe if I break them in (or break in my feet) things will get better?
Somehow, I had imagined that because almost everybody wears flip flops sometimes, and some people wear them all the time, they must be comfortable. I was wrong. They hurt between my toes, and wearing them has been akin to torture. Still, millions of people can't be wrong (famous last words) so I am determined to keep wearing them. Maybe if I break them in (or break in my feet) things will get better?
Friday, May 8, 2009
Happy
Today was a good day. I was officially accepted into the chemical engineering program.
Also, I didn't have class today. I love not having school on Friday. Instead of being productive, I bought food, so now I won't starve. Then I watched Mythbusters. Now I know that it is definitely possible to blow up your house with bug bombs if you don't follow the directions. And also that it is possible to find a needle in a haystack. And that a child couldn't be carried away by balloons at a carnival unless the balloon man had 3000 balloons and gave them all to the child at the same time. And that you can, in fact, raise a sunken ship by filling it with ping pong balls. It is a pretty cool show, and I recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen in.
And, if that wasn't enough, tomorrow I am going to have a free french toast breakfast. I feel a tad bit guilty about taking free food from businesses that are trying to promote themselves when I know that all I want is the food, but not bad enough to stop eating it.
Also, I didn't have class today. I love not having school on Friday. Instead of being productive, I bought food, so now I won't starve. Then I watched Mythbusters. Now I know that it is definitely possible to blow up your house with bug bombs if you don't follow the directions. And also that it is possible to find a needle in a haystack. And that a child couldn't be carried away by balloons at a carnival unless the balloon man had 3000 balloons and gave them all to the child at the same time. And that you can, in fact, raise a sunken ship by filling it with ping pong balls. It is a pretty cool show, and I recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen in.
And, if that wasn't enough, tomorrow I am going to have a free french toast breakfast. I feel a tad bit guilty about taking free food from businesses that are trying to promote themselves when I know that all I want is the food, but not bad enough to stop eating it.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Anti-social
I have come to the conclusion that I am naturally anti-social. I am working on overcoming my anti-social tendencies, but they are still there. And today I was reminded of why.
I was in my civilizations class, which is two and a half hours long, located in a windowless room that is completely white and gray. I do not get along very well with this class. Anyway, the teacher told us to discuss the relationship between freedom and happiness with our neighbors. I said that if you are free to act on the choices you make, you can be happy, assuming you make good choices. The guy I was talking to asked me for an example. I said that if I had been born in Iran or Saudi Arabia or somewhere like that, I wouldn't be free to choose my religion, what to study in school, or even to go to the store by myself.
Me: So it's probably easier for me to be happy here, where I do have those choices.
Him: Or harder for you to be happy.
Me: No, I think it's easier for me to be happy in America than it would be in Iran.
Him: It could be easier for women in those countries to be happy.
And this is why I don't talk to people.
I was in my civilizations class, which is two and a half hours long, located in a windowless room that is completely white and gray. I do not get along very well with this class. Anyway, the teacher told us to discuss the relationship between freedom and happiness with our neighbors. I said that if you are free to act on the choices you make, you can be happy, assuming you make good choices. The guy I was talking to asked me for an example. I said that if I had been born in Iran or Saudi Arabia or somewhere like that, I wouldn't be free to choose my religion, what to study in school, or even to go to the store by myself.
Me: So it's probably easier for me to be happy here, where I do have those choices.
Him: Or harder for you to be happy.
Me: No, I think it's easier for me to be happy in America than it would be in Iran.
Him: It could be easier for women in those countries to be happy.
And this is why I don't talk to people.
Karma
I think I have bad karma. I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe sometime somebody was starving and I took the last free roll that was being handed out, or something. Anyway, now every time I'm starving and I'm offered free food, it ends up being hot dogs. I hate hot dogs, and have hated them since I was three.
Today I went to institute for the first time. The main reason I went is that I had heard they would feed me dinner afterwards. I went, and then afterwards they had hot dogs. The last time I was offered a free meal, it was also hot dogs. The time before that, it was hot dogs.
And thus we see that I have bad karma.
Today I went to institute for the first time. The main reason I went is that I had heard they would feed me dinner afterwards. I went, and then afterwards they had hot dogs. The last time I was offered a free meal, it was also hot dogs. The time before that, it was hot dogs.
And thus we see that I have bad karma.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Near Death Experience
I feel like a cheater for blogging this because I already told half or more of my blog's readership, but I didn't tell Emma, so here we go.
I had a near-death experience as I was coming to Salt Lake on Friday. This is because my bus driver was somewhat insane. (Aside: I am very grateful for bus drivers.) This particular bus driver was not a very good driver and seemed to have road rage issues. The first indication of this was when I was getting on the bus, and instead of pulling over to the side, he just stopped in the middle of the street.
As we drove on the freeway, he kept swerving around, which was frightening because buses were not built to swerve. The road rage issues also came into play here. He did not like it when other people were speeding, apparently. So, he kept abruptly slowing down, I guess to throw off tailgaters. I was thinking, "Oh, great. I'm not even wearing a seatbelt and I'm going to die! My family will hear about this on the news. I wonder who will tell my roommates? I'll never even be 20!"
This was bad enough, but I became even more frightened and started praying really sincerely when I looked up. The bus driver was reading a book, while he drove. Yes, you read that right. He was reading a book and driving at the same time. The book was spread open on top of the steering wheel. He would look at it, glance up, look back down, repeat.
So, if you never hear from me again after tomorrow, I probably had the same bus driver and he did get in an accident this time. I'll miss you all.
I had a near-death experience as I was coming to Salt Lake on Friday. This is because my bus driver was somewhat insane. (Aside: I am very grateful for bus drivers.) This particular bus driver was not a very good driver and seemed to have road rage issues. The first indication of this was when I was getting on the bus, and instead of pulling over to the side, he just stopped in the middle of the street.
As we drove on the freeway, he kept swerving around, which was frightening because buses were not built to swerve. The road rage issues also came into play here. He did not like it when other people were speeding, apparently. So, he kept abruptly slowing down, I guess to throw off tailgaters. I was thinking, "Oh, great. I'm not even wearing a seatbelt and I'm going to die! My family will hear about this on the news. I wonder who will tell my roommates? I'll never even be 20!"
This was bad enough, but I became even more frightened and started praying really sincerely when I looked up. The bus driver was reading a book, while he drove. Yes, you read that right. He was reading a book and driving at the same time. The book was spread open on top of the steering wheel. He would look at it, glance up, look back down, repeat.
So, if you never hear from me again after tomorrow, I probably had the same bus driver and he did get in an accident this time. I'll miss you all.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Compulsory
I have been informed by Josh, Emma, and Kristina that I need to blog. However, I have nothing to say, except that last week Tuesday was Raptor Awareness Day. As in velociraptors. We had a cool sign for our door that said, "This area is not safe in case of raptor attack" but I failed to take pictures. Which is why I did not mention this in an earlier blog. But I encourage you all to think about whether you would be safe in case of velociraptor attack. In the public service announcement vein, remember, either log out of your facebook account when you're done or password protect your computer. I hope you're happy now!
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