Keep It Loose...

"Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight"
-Amos Lee

Well I walked over the bridge
Into the city where I live,
And I saw my old landlord.
Well we both said hello,
There was no where else to go,
'cuz his rent I couldn't afford.

Well relationships change,
Oh I think it's kinda strange,
How money makes a man grow.
Some people they claim,
If you get enough fame,
You live over the rainbow.
Over the rainbow..

But the people on the street,
Out on buses or on feet,
We all got the same blood flow.
Oh, in society,
Every dollar got a deed,
We all need a place so we can go,
And feel over the rainbow.

But sometimes,
We forget what we got,
Who we are.
Oh who are are not.
I think we gotta chance,
To make it right.
Keep it loose,
Keep it tight.
Keep it tight.

I'm in love with a girl,
Who's in love with the world,
Though I can't help but follow.
Though I know some day,
She is bound to go away,
And stay over the rainbow.
Gotta learn how to let her go.
Over the rainbow.

Sometimes we forget who we got,
Who they are.
Oh, who they are not.
There is so much more in love,
Than black and white.
Keep it loose child,
Gotta keep it tight.
Keep it loose child,
Keep it tight.

Keep it tight,
Keep it tight,
Yaa..

I love this song, and it seems to really be applying lately. Due to my latest new job I have been forced (thankfully) to think about what i think it means to "love everybody". Now this is an easy phrase to recite in school, church, or in conversation. But so hard to really live to the fullest. So often I think I have told myself and others that I am/strive to love everybody, but what I really mean is that I will love everybody from afar. Yes, I'll love the liar as long as he doesn't lie to me, I will love the homeless, as long as I doesn't mean he's on my property, I will love the ill, as long as I don't have to care for them...so on and so forth. Loving from a distance means loving people in theory, but not loving them personally, not actually surrounding yourself with them.

I have learned a huge lesson in loving, even if it is just in a very specific sense. I marvel at the things I learn and the feelings I feel when instead of worrying about how being around someone who has made poor choices may effect me worrying about how I can just show them love. Not condone what they have or haven't done but listen with out judgment and give all the love I have. I understand the logic of surrounding yourself with people who have made good choices, but in the last few months I have also learned that to truly love someone you must be with them, love right there next to them, not from a far.

Love is more than a recital to proclaim your "goodness" it is action.

"Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something" -Thoreau

All this time I thought I was helping them, but really they are helping me far more

Movies and Such

I have been watching movies like crazy lately (due to Spring Break and NO SCHOOL).
I don't want to bore you with my critiques...so I will be breif.


*** My mom and I got this out of the Redbox, and we had our doubts. But by the time it was over we actually liked it.***


*** Wow, great movie. Anne Hathaway definitely earned her Oscar Nomination. I thought of work the whole time I was watching. (by the way a few months ago I got another job).

*** Ummm...Sean Penn was FANTASTIC!!! He is an amazing actor and connected so well with the character. I loved the message of this film.***
*** This was intense, to say the least, thought provoking too. You can't go wrong with Leonardo Dicaprio lately everything I have seen him in has been good.***

Spring Break is such a good idea, even thought I have still been working like crazy. Even better is the lovely sunshine...maybe spring is coming after all.
{taken on campus}

Oh, and...Ian got hired by Festival for the summer season. He will be gracing audiences in the Adam's Theatre with his presence during Comedy of Errors and Henry V. Yay, he's not a starving artist forced to live in a box (at least not this summer :) )
{look, its actor Ian}

Random

Some conclusions I have come to

If the weather is going to continue on its current path I could really use some of these

{i figure i might as well find the positive side to the terrible Utah weather}

I think they would just make walking around the wet campus so much more cheery..and I have always had a thing for animal prints in small doses.

Also I think that next time I get pulled over (it is inevitable) I would like it to be a single man cop instead of a frumpy woman cop...which is a disgrace to feminists everywhere. I love feminism but hate tickets. Plus I figure if a man is going to let my femininity get me out of a ticket, so be it.

And lastly I just love Great Harvest. Especially when they make blueberry scones and especially when the worker knows me by name and saves one for me.

Sick and Stuff

First of all...I have been sick for 2.5 weeks.
I have seen the doctor at the student health clinic 3 times.
I have taken one round of antibiotic and codeine cough syrup
I still can't sleep due to pain.
Tomorrow I am going to the doctor ONCE AGAIN
I hope she can help me.

Enough complaining and on to Valentines Day.
Usually I am not a fan of extremely mushy disgusting blogs, despite being quite the romantic. However since Elaine and Jillian are the only two people who read it, and because over the last few weeks some of my friends at school metioned that they never see Ian and I together and they wonder if I even have a boyfriend, I decided...why not write a Valentines Day post.

We went to St. George and visited my grandma at her assisted living home. Ian taught her how to play canasta...super complicated game. She remembered all the rules WAY better than I did. Then we went to Olive Garden and acted like giddy school children because we were so excited for some of our favorite foods. We also laughed all through dinner (especially me). We are a fan of home made gifts. I made him a book called I Love You More Than... and he made me a rice bag that I can heat up in the microwave to keep me warm (yes, he sewed it). He also made the most fabulous card with little paper people that look JUST LIKE US. He cut them out by hand.(hes even holding up two fingers, since it is our second valentines day together)
(oh and disregard my bad crop job haha)

Goodness he's a artsy fellow.

His parents came this weekend and we played Munchkins...another complicated card game. It is a big deal to his family and they DO NOT MESS AROUND. Its so fun to see how into it everybody gets. It was my first time playing but Ian had no mercy. I was one level away from winning and so he was doing everything in his power to keep me from winning. He even blackmailed his dad into stealing an important card from me (I know this is kind of confusing, but the details of the game would take forever to type, not to mention probably bore Jill and Elaine to tears). This went on for a while. Then he drew a card that basically gave me the one level I needed to win based on my race and class. HA!! He was so put out, but thats what he gets for being dastardly.

I loved it. I love him. He makes my brain and my heart smile. I am never bored when hes around, and hes not bad looking either (**see new head shot, just taken this weekend).

Hows that for a mushy post?
***feel free to barf

City by the SEA...

I figured it was about time to blog about my adventures in the Emerald City...otherwise known as Seattle Washington. I went to tour a Medical School with one of my dearest friends, Miss Jacqueline Thomas. It was fabulous, we definitely painted the town red.

Without further adieu...here are ten highlights from my trip.

1) The first two days were spent with food poisoning. Even though I was in a city famous for its moisture, I did not let this rain on my Seattle Parade.
2) Jacque and I toured Bastyr, which was absolutely amazing, it is surrounded by a National Forest and is just minutes from Lake Washington, we decided that it was fairy land.
3) We went to Cupcake Royale downtown and got cupcakes (they won an award for the best cupcakes in the city). It was great. The store is pretty cute, all pink and their slogan is "Legalize Frostitution"-- clever.

4) Our rental car died right before we were supposed to leave for our clinic tour...not good. So we called a cab and upon arriving downtown drove around for half an hour looking for the right spot. Only to finally realize that we had the wrong directions, by that time we had missed the majority of the tour. Luckily we had the most awesome cabbie ever and he gave us a huge discount and even checked out our rental car when he dropped us off. He was very concerned about us saying "two young and beautiful girls like you should not have a faulty rental car, what were those people thinking giving you this car with such a bad battery. You could have gotten stranded downtown". To top is off he had the most wonderful African accent.
5) We had a great time exploring the city, thanks to GPS we hardly ever got lost. Jac drove and I navigated, we joked that now that we had GPS we had found another reason that we didn't need men. We strolled around and I took the opportunity to do some photography.
6) We met up with Dave Goodman ---the world traveler---he just got done exploring for 10 months and 10 days, he sold everything he owned and went all over Asia, India, Cambodia, Tahiti, Australia and New Zealand. He brought along his friend Nations, who has lived in Seattle for quite sometime and knows all the coolest places to go. He was an excellent tour guide.
7) Of course we took a day and went to Pikes Place Market. It was the coldest day Seattle has had in a while and it was snowing, but we didn't care and just bundled up and walked all around the city. The market was so much fun. We watched them throw fish. Also down on the piers is the very first original Starbucks, we took pictures but didn't go in (after all we didn't want to support the coffee monopoly).
8) I loved being so close to the ocean, there is just something about port cities that I love. We walked all along the piers and took pictures and laughed...those poor boys that were with us probably thought we were insane. But I think we brought some cheeriness to their lives at the very least. My good friend Niall met up with us there too and strolled with us. It was lovely to see her.
9) As our trip was coming to a close we were both very sad, and felt ridiculous that we didn't want to leave eachother. The day we were scheduled to leave I had to go to the Dr. to get a breathing treatment, then we went out to breakfast and I got oatmeal pancakes...which were really really delicious. I now want to make them at home (**hint hint** if anybody has a recepie). Since we were both flying out the same day we got to run amuck in the airport together, we went to Duty Free and bought perfume and also sat at the resturant over looking the ocean and reminised about our trip. After I boarded Jacque saw the guys from Myth Busters..she sent me a text that said "I just saw the guys from Myth Busters and they were acting exactly like they do on the show, running around being crazy. The one guy was even wearning his Berret".
10) JAC found out recently that she GOT IN TO BASTYR....and will be going this summer. YAY! and CONGRATULATIONS to the FUTURE DR. THOMAS!!!!!!!!!!!

Out With the OLD in with the CHANGE

**Disclaimer: This blog is slightly political

Who am I kidding? That was the understatement of the year....this blog is blatantly politically charged. And I am completely un-apologetic. Yes I am a liberal (some might call me a raging liberal), YES I am completely thrilled about OBAMA, and YES I am very open about above statements. (so I guess that wasn't really a disclaimer after all...) none the less....here it goes**
-------- And if you don't agree I hope you love me anyway.



Today is a wonderful day in history, regardless of political parties.
We as Americans have made a huge leap in transcending race.
This is a important example we have set for the world.
The international community is smiling on us, which hasn't happened very often in the last 8 years.
More people voted in this election than in previous years, especially my generation.
Our country has preached for generations that we are the melting pot, where anybody can be anything. Where people overcome poverty, abuse, and disability. Where difference in lifestyle, race, class, culture and religion are welcomed. America has always looked at itself as a powerful country, that keeps the world community in mind, that governs with intelligence, diplomacy, and morality.
How have our actions reflected our words?
With Prop 8?
With Riots?
With neglect to foreign crisis (AKA Darfur) ?
With War?
With No Child Left Behind?
With scandal in Washington?
With the patriot act?
Racial Profiling?
I feel like today our words and actions are beginning to be on the same page.

Many people may fear change...
Its new
Often uncomfortable
Sometimes it isn't right the first time
It takes some getting used to
But in time of turmoil...
When what has been happening for years is obviously not working
It is necessary

"It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory."
-W. Edwards Deming

I am full of patriotism for the first in a long time
I am proud to be an American
I can now tell any and all children that they can be anything, even president
I am excited to watch our country start something new
I can't wait to see what we can do.

God Bless America

Whats In A Name?

**Disclaimer: This is all out of jest(mostly) if you are someone or know someone who this directly applies to Please Please don't take it personally. If you tend to take things personally or get easily offended you may want to stop reading now.**

If you are still reading, I like you.
If you aren't, I still probably like you...but you may want to loosen up

Today, while at work I started talking to one of my favorite co-workers (Sombryn)...about names.

The discussion starts with baby names and we both express our distaste for overly unique names. I am all for naming your kid something different and out of the ordinary. That does not, however, mean I am a fan of Apple, Zuma, Diamond, Precious, Trendie, or Styles...the same goes for odd ridiculous spellings such as Kaelee, Aleeshah, or Jaimi.
------Why don't you just spell the name 'Bob' but pronounce it 'Todd'...then when the kid enters school the teacher will call roll and say "Bob" and the kindergartener can have the pleasure of responding with "actually we pronounce it Todd".

Our conversation then turns to the topic of nicknames...and how you need to think about how you shorten a name when picking it. Sombryn gave me a great example. She has a friend who's little girl is named Aspen...cute name right? Well she calls her Asp, which sounds eerily similar to ass. Hmmmm.....something to think about. The moral of this story is: in some cases it is not a good idea to make a nickname by simply shortening the name.

Thanks Som for a lovely day at work and inspiring this blog.

-Side note: A cute nickname story (to redeem this post from being a COMPLETE rant): Jill (another one of my fab co-workers) has a little boy who was quite a chunky little baby, earning him the nick-name "chubby". He has since thinned out, but still only answers to Chubby. His big brother even introduces him as "This is my brother and my best friend Chubby."
This story pulls my heartstrings so much I kind of hope he never learns his name :)

Awww...