A Smile Does Wonders

Keys, Keys, We Have the Keys!

2012-01-12T15:26:00.000-08:00

You know, I really hate nowadays that pretty much ALL cars have the stupid car key requiring the special chip in it in order to operate. When Eric and I first bought this car (2001 Honda Civic) last summer, one of the first things we went to do was make a copy of the key. The last car we had, it cost all of 1, maybe 2 dollars to do.

Much to our surprise, the cost to copy this key was going to be about $45. Yikes! Well, seeing as how we didn't have $45 to spare, we just shared it. And it had been working just fine for months until... that key, our precious only key vanished on Monday. The crazy thing is that Eric even puts the keys around his neck because I attached a lanyard to it (much easier to find with a lanyard attached). One minute they were there, and the next...poof! He still doesn't know how they managed to pull an abracadabra.

Well, that put us into quite the predicament. First of all, that is our only car. Second, with no spare key, we had no way of accessing it. Third, to get a replacement key for one requiring the security chip would cost about $150. Fourth, Eric's most recent paycheck was in there because he was planning on depositing it after class. So, not that we had money to spare anyway, the only money that we had was INSIDE the car.

He went to Lost and Found, but to no avail. UVU (and I'm willing to bet pretty much every college campus) doesn't allow cars to stay parked in the lot overnight and if a car is there, it will be towed. So we were able to get a one-night 'free pass' to let the car stay there. Surely someone would turn the keys in by tomorrow, right?

Guess again! So Tuesday evening rolls around and we have plans to tow the car to our driveway. There is a guy in our ward who owns a tow dolly (is that what it's called?) and Eric's dad has a big truck, and there are always plenty of willing hands to help out. But when Eric calls about the dolly, apparently one of his employees had borrowed it and wasn't sure when he'd be back. So, we're up a creek again.

Eric then calls UVU Police, explains the situation, and they tell us not to worry about it and that they will send out some sort of notice to those checking the lots to leave our car be. Sweet.

Now comes Wednesday. At this point, Eric is sure that the keys vanished while he was IN class, so he is hoping that one of his classmates has them and is waiting to return them during class. Last class of the day aaaand..... nothing. Gah!

Thursday. At this point, we have decided that it is a lost cause. If they keys were going to be found (and turned in), it would have happened by now. We plan to bite the bullet and call the locksmith when Eric gets out of class. His last class ends at 4 and we make one last effort to call and see if they have the keys. Say what? Someone just turned them in?! Amazing!

I text Eric (it's about 3 and he's still in class) and tell him the good news. But of course, there is a catch. For whatever reason, the Lost and Found closes AT 4 o'clock on the dot. NO! Eric's last class ends AT 4 and is off-campus. I call the Lost and Found lady again, explain to her the situation and she tells me that she'll wait for him. THANK YOU! Thank you Lost and Found lady, thank you! Luckily, Eric's class got out a few minutes early anyway, so he got there right at 4.

So, we now have our keys back and don't have to fork out an unnecessary $150. Hurray!

THANK YOU to the kind, dear person who took our keys to the UVU Lost and Found. I don't know you, but I love you. =D

Wishing, Waiting, Wanting

2012-01-06T17:38:00.000-08:00

Well, through a series of very odd events, I have found the most perfect and absolute DREAM JOB of mine. Sadly, I don't actually have it... yet. :)

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to work for the Forensic Audio, Video, and Image Analysis Unit. Yeah, say that 5 times fast. Most people have never even heard of the unit, and I have a difficult time ever even finding information about it. I have wanted to work for the FBI since I was probably 14 and officially found out about this specific unit about 5 years ago.

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About a year ago, a friend of mine knew I wanted to know more about the unit and what it specifically does, so since his dad is some major head honcho at FBI headquarters, he gave me his dad's information. His dad was extremely nice and accommodating, told me he would connect me with the right person and that was that. A few days later I get a call from him giving me the name and number of the *head* of the unit at FAVIAU (who knows if they actually use that acronym, but I'm gonna go with it). He told me that he had contacted her, gave her my information and I guess as a personal favor or something, asked her to call me. I was stoked.

A day or two later, I got a call from her. I was so mad because I knew it was from her but I was at work and we were currently filming something and I had a mixer around my waist and a boom pool above my head and there was NO way I was going to be able to answer it right then. BAH! Luckily, we were almost done and 10-15 minutes later, our crew was on our way to lunch. I called back immediately, but only got a busy signal. I listened to her voicemail and she said whom she got my info from and that she was leaving town in about an hour (from when she called) and would be gone for about a week so if I missed her that day, to try again in a week. I tried probably 4 or 5 more times within that hour but each time it was a busy signal and I was SO frustrated that I could not have answered when she initially called.

I tried calling the number several times in the next month, but each time I got that same wretched busy signal. FINALLY, after about a month and a half, the call *finally* went through... to her voicemail. ::sigh:: Well, at least it wasn't a busy signal! I left a message explaining why she hadn't heard from me earlier and told her that I was still extremely interested in talking with her and learning more about the unit, told her I would love and greatly appreciate it if she called me back, gave her my info, and hoped for the best. I never heard back from her. I think I tried again one more time, but eventually gave up. Plus, at that point, Eric was pretty certain on the military route and I knew that if he did military, I couldn't do FAVIAU. As much as I wanted to do it, it went on the back burner and I convinced myself that it was something I was no longer interested in.

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But who was I kidding? Of COURSE I am still interested in it! I know it's not by any means a true portrayal of reality, but *all* of my favorite shows are government related shows. The job that Penelope Garcia has in Criminal Minds looks amazing to me. Analyzing audio and video is so much fun to me! Putting puzzles together and finally solving them is exhilarating! (but not jigsaw puzzles - sorry mom). NCIS, Numb3rs, Bones, etc. Those are all by far my favorite shows. Only, I wish I were actually doing that for real... for a living!

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OKAY... Now to the reason I started this entry in the first place. So, as many of you may know, as much as I love freelance, I have been trying desperately to get out of it. I want a STEADY job that pays the same amount every 2 weeks so I can actually budget right! I want one with benefits so if I even *do* have to make a trip to the hospital or doctor, I won't have to worry about it costing me my first born. I have been looking for a while now and through a VERY strange order of events, I found this job... with FAVIAU... in Quantico...

I have to add that I was searching for government jobs in UTAH, and it came up with FBI jobs in VIRGINIA. And not just Virginia - Quantico!! And not just FBI - Forensic Audio, Video, and Image Analysis. The exact unit I have always wanted to work. Oh, *and* - the start date was that day (the 4th), and the closing day was in 6 days. Don't ask how... I have no idea. My mom jokingly said that it was divine intervention. She also said wouldn't mind one bit if I "had" to move back to Quantico. haha.

I had seen a posting about a year ago for that unit, but they were looking for a photography guru and at that time, I hadn't purchased my camera or any equipment yet and had no idea about any of it. As much as I wanted to apply, I knew I didn't stand a chance. Had it been audio and/or video, I know I could have at least made a dent in the application process, but photography was a lost cause.

ANYWAY... I quickly began putting together the application. I revamped my resume to cater toward video and spent several hours perfecting my cover letter. I sent it to my mom for revising (she's been my personal editor since I was 12!), and then to Eric's dad (he's a recruiter and reviews resumes and cover letters for a living) who gave me a few good pointers as well.

Next up: references. Originally, I just had local references. People I had worked with in the film arena of things and a couple of personal references (5 are required). But then Eric's dad brought up a great point - work your Virginia contacts. Duh! I can't believe I hadn't thought of that!

Immediately, Bishop MacKay's name came to mind. That man has been in more branches of government than I can count (and has more lives than a cat!). I know for a fact that he has either been officially employed by or worked with all three NSA, CIA, and FBI. Currently he's with DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) at Quantico (I think it's Quantico - it's with USMC so I'm assuming). Anyway, I knew he would be a fantastic reference to have, so I called him up to ask and before I could even finish my request, he interrupted and said "Absolutely!" He gave me all of the information the application required for references, and wished me the best of luck. I'm pretty sure he is one of the best possible people to have as a top reference. Hopefully it'll work to my advantage.

The other references are people I have worked with in film along with my best friend Mary because she told me a few months ago that I should use her as a reference because she'd talk me up in every which way. haha. Plus, I've known her for close to 15 years now (wow!) and they always like references of people you have known for a long time.

Once I actually submitted all the pieces of my application, I was taken to this massively long questionnaire. I was pleasantly surprised that I could answer "yes" to almost every bit of experience they were asking about. THEN... this was even better. The last section asked for any letters of praise I had received from any former government positions. This is was one of those one-in-a-million advantages to being a pack rat.

In 2003 and 2004 I worked for the Department of Defense in Alexandria, VA. I was just a summer intern straight out of high school, but I impressed the heck out of them. At the end of each year, I was given this fancy schmancy letter talking up all of my achievements while in that position, presented to me in this nice folder thing, signed by the head of the department. I thought they were cool, so I saved them and filed them away. BUT since I am a very *organized* pack rat, I knew exactly where these certificates/letters were, so I ran downstairs, pulled them out of my file, grabbed my camera, took a picture of each of them, realigned them in Photoshop, and uploaded them to my application. Every little bit helps, right?

So I am hoping - and praying, and crossing every finger and toe - that I will actually have a shot at this job. The application is 100% completed and submitted and now comes the painstakingly awful period of waiting...and waiting...

Wish me luck!!!!

(By the way, in case you were wondering, Eric knows that I like - and prefer - working and told me that if I were to get this job and wanted to do it forever, he would have no problem not doing military and being a stay-at-home dad instead. Isn't he the best?!!)

I'll Be Home for Christmas

2011-12-30T16:29:00.000-08:00

Well, through the determination of my mother, Eric and I managed to make it home for Christmas!!! And by home, I mean Virginia. :) We got there on Christmas Eve (plane tickets were $100 cheaper to fly on Christmas Eve!!) around 2pm and a few hours after we got home, my mom and I did our traditional shopping while Eric was held hostage by my youngest 2 siblings. We got back from the store and left almost immediately after for my grandma's house for our traditional Christmas Eve stuff. Jasion and Tashia and their kids were there -- and so was Tashia's chicken salad. :D I cannot tell you how much I missed not having that last Christmas Eve! We visited, read different Christmas stories, the original story in Luke, and then sang a bunch of songs. Eric had everyone in earshot laughing when he sang his Elvis impersonation of Blue Christmas, accompanied by Jason. My mom said "he sounds exactly like him!" all the younger cousins were giggling the entire time.

Since Christmas was on Sunday this year, we had church before any stocking opening or present opening. My parents normally have church at 8am (yuck!) but because it's Christmas and there is only Sacrament Meeting on Christmas, they pushed it to 9 (thank you!). Quantico ward had an absolutely fantastic Christmas program! But then again, anything with Gerald Fowkes' cello playing is bound to be fantastic. Haha jk there was more to it than that.... but I am most definitely a sucker for any good cello playing. Rachel also sang a solo and it sounded great! I think it may have even been the first time I heard her sing a solo since she was maybe 12! Unfortunately, all of her high school choir concerts were while I was in Utah - even the Christmas concerts were well before I went home for Christmas. So it was fun to finally see her perform!

The next week consisted of lots of quality time with the family. We spent a good majority of the time playing games and stuff. I had fully intended on donating my hair again (it was plenty long enough), but the first thing my mom and sister said as I got off the plane was "Your hair is so long!!! and so pretty!! You CAN'T cut it!" So Rachel convinced me to try a new look/cut instead. She cut off about 4 inches and added a lot of layers. I still have no idea what to do with it though, and it usually just ends up in a ponytail. (I am a retard when it comes to hair - all the way down, or all the way up is about the extent of my abilities).

The fateful day came and we had to go home. Thursday evening my mother, littlest sister, Logan, Eric, and I piled into the car and headed to Reagan. We said our goodbyes, Eric and I went in to check in and as we do, the guy helping us says, "Oh... it looks like your flight has been overbooked and we are looking for volunteers to give up their seats. We will put you on the next available flight and you each will get a $400 voucher toward flying with us at a later date. Are you guys interested?" DUH! We snagged those vouchers, called my mom (who had stopped with the kids to watch the planes land and take off) and she hurriedly came and picked us back up!

Our initial flight was to leave at 6pm Thursday, and we were rescheduled for 6am the next morning... and for that 12 hour difference, we got $800 worth of plane tickets!! Why can't that happen every time!? :P So we enjoyed one more evening of fun and games - and Rachel's amazing sesame chicken. Mmm.

Anyway, we're back home now and back to real life. Meh. Although, the one nice thing about being back is that we may actually get some substantial sleep tonight, since I feel like I haven't slept in a week! haha.

Appendectomy?? I Think Not!!

2011-11-08T15:05:00.000-08:00

Day 1 (Nov 1st)

5:45am - I am awoken by the most excruciating pain in my lower right abdomen. It hurt so bad that it took almost 10 minutes just to rotate from my side to my back. I prayed that it would just go away, and managed to fall back asleep.
8:50am - I wake up once again and the pain is still there. I'm afraid to move, and really hoping it is just the worst ovarian cyst rupture I have ever had - anything but appendicitis!!
10:30am - Not quite as unbearably painful as earlier, but still hurts to move. Since I have nothing going on today, I decide to stay in bed... on my back... without moving.
1:15pm - The pain has been here for almost 8 hours and I start to freak out a little. I'm pretty certain at this point that it is, in fact, appendicitis.
1:17pm - I call my mom and express my concerns. She gives me a nurse advice number to call through insurance.
1:20pm - I call this number and they look up the policy... and inform me that it was terminated on 13 September.
1:22pm - I call my mom back and tell her what they told me and she gets mad at them and said that it was reinstated on the 14th and to call my dad.
1:25pm - I call my dad and tell him what's going on and he then realizes that he forgot to put me back on the plan and begins making the necessary calls.
1:25-2:30ish - I begin to increasingly freak out with the idea of a necessary surgery, no insurance, and $35,000+ to get my appendix removed (without insurance).
2:45 - I call Eric in tears and ask him to come home as soon as he can (he was at work).
3pm - Insanity ensues and I have 4 different people trying to call me at the same time. (my mom, my dad, Eric, and Eric's mom).
3:05pm - Eric is on his way home, and my dad calls to tell me that I am officially back on the insurance and it should be okay... but it won't show up until tomorrow... so hopefully it'll still be good for today.
3:10 - Eric calls our home teacher to come and give me a blessing.

Okay, enough with the time stamps. Our home teacher came over to help Eric give me a blessing and after the blessing he said "You know, you should talk to my wife - she's beaten appendicitis twice now!" "...Beaten it?" I asked. "Yeah, she used all sorts of crazy herbs and homeopathic stuff, but it worked!" Well this has definitely sparked my interest. He gave me his wife's phone number and as soon as he left, I called her. (Mind you, as soon as the blessing was finished, Eric and I had planned to go straight to the hospital.) I told her what was going on, she said remarks such as "Oh you poor thing!" and "That's awful!" and told me the first and more important thing is to not eat a thing. Luckily, since the thought of an impending surgery was on my mind, I had abstained from any and all foods all day anyway. Check. She also said to drink tons and tons of herbal tea - especially peppermint and the likes. Conveniently, I have a whole box of peppermint tea (herbal) in my cupboard, so I start on my journey of a tea-only diet.

About an hour later she comes over with three different combinations of herbs and a reusable tea bag to make the teas in, gives me about 10 pages worth of reading on the homeopathic solution to appendicitis and is on her way. I read the material, am fascinated by it, and then brace myself for the call to my mother where I will tell her that I am *not* going to the hospital yet. Surprisingly, she took it quite well. (yes, I know I am jumping between past and present tenses... deal with it. :) )

The next few days were awful, because I pretty much had LOTS of tea. The evening of Day 2 I finally had half an apple and it was the most glorious food I had ever tasted. The morning of Day 3 I have a very light soup, but still eat next to nothing the whole day. Day 4 I am starting to feel more like myself and actually eat a bit of solid food - some toast. By the evening of Day 4 I feel weak, but almost completely back to normal.

Eric's dad calls and invites us to the BYU basketball game that night and I am SO sick of being in the house and can finally move around again without Eric's help that I tell Eric I want to go. He is obviously concerned about this and it takes a bit of convincing that I really am up for going out, but he eventually gives in and his dad picks us up a few hours later.

The walk from the parking lot (the football parking lot across the street from the baseball stadium) to the Marriott Center was unexpected and a bit strenuous for me, but once we got to our seats, I was cautious, but fine. I even ran into a good friend and her fiance (whom I had not yet met) while we were there, so I was glad that I went.

I still ate VERY carefully the next several days to make sure I didn't aggravate it again, but I think it is officially gone!! Hurray! SO... if you ever think you have appendicitis but don't want to go to the hospital and have an appendectomy, call me and I'll walk you through it step-by-step! :D

Getting Older...?

2011-10-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I know that I am by no means old, but it's still weird when people you grew up watching suddenly grow up too. haha. The most recent example of this is Melissa Joan Hart. I grew up watching "Clarissa Explains it All" (which, to clear anything up, no my name is NOT Clarissa and please do not ever ask me again to 'explain it all' (kids on my street growing up teased me about that ALL the time)) and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch." But those ended and I haven't really seen her in anything until now and suddenly she went from 20 to 30 lickety-split!

I was browsing available shows on Netflix instant play (we don't have any TV channels) and one called "Melissa and Joey" popped up. I thought, "Hey, why not?" I mean, I loved Melissa Joan Hart as a kid, let's see how this show is. It's kind of like a weird mix between Who's the Boss and Two and a Half Men. Melissa's character ends up in charge of her niece and nephew after her sister and brother-in-law are sent to jail, but she's a busy working woman and can't juggle both and ends up hiring a "manny" (male nanny) to help out. So it's like Who's the Boss in the sense that he's pretty much the housekeeper, but Two and a Half Men in the sense that neither of them have a clue how to raise children.

I will admit, it is a pretty funny show. It does have more innuendo than I would like, but it is definitely way toned down to most shows these days. Probably comparable to Still Standing or Grounded for Life... (though I still miss ones like Family Matters, Step by Step, and Sister Sister, where innuendo wasn't necessary). I have only watched a few episodes, but I have already been literally laughing out loud with no one else home.

Joey Lawrence in "Blossom"

By the way, the male nanny is Joey Lawrence, from "Blossom" and "Brotherly Love", whom I also have a hard time seeing as essentially a 'father figure' when all I can remember him saying was "Whoa!" (a clip would make it so much better) as a goofy teenager! I love the banter between the two, though. And he does a pretty good job as the pseudo dad.

I'm curious though, if they ever save and essentially "reuse" old sets (or parts of old sets) from sitcoms, because their set is like a combination of Reba and Boy Meets World. But that thought had absolutely zero relevance to the rest of the entry...

Anyway, another short and sweet entry. I find the show rather amusing and seeing as how it is still currently on the air, I hope it actually lasts more than a couple seasons...!

The Day that Wouldn't Die

2011-10-17T21:27:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness days like today are never fun. However, they are fun to tell when all is said and done...

So today was my "big" interview (frankly, just excited that I finally GOT an interview). Eric took the bike (oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I let Eric get a motorcycle a few weeks ago - I'll have to blog about that one later) so I would be able to use the car to get to the interview. I spent a good portion of the morning prepping for the interview, and since I had some time to kill, I even painted my toenails. I got dressed in some business attire (yuck), and headed out. I got about 2 miles onto the freeway and the car spiked up to the red zone and had pretty much completely overheated. NOT good.

I turned on my hazard lights and practically coasted to the next exit (which was luckily quite close). There was an IHOP right off the freeway, so I parked the car there and then frantically called Eric. Frankly, I was quite surprised that Eric even answered. His last class gets out at 2:15, it was about 2:45 and I thought for sure he'd be on his bike and not be able to answer. But luckily, he did.

I frantically asked, "Where are you? The car overheated, my interview starts in 15 minutes and I have no way of getting there..." He had stopped at a shop not even 5 minutes where I was, so he was able to get there by about 2:50. However, our only other mode of transportation is the bike, and we only have one helmet... AND like I said, I was in business attire... and open-toed dress sandals... and a short-sleeved shirt, of course. But thanks to the fact that Eric practically lives in the car during school (wow, I never thought I'd actually be grateful for that), he had some pretty heavy duty slippers in the backseat (still not ideal, but better than sandals!). There was also a jacket back there. So, I took off my sandals, stuffed them in my purse, put on the slippers and jacket, and looked pretty ridiculous.

Eric got there, gave me his helmet, and found a baseball cap in the back of the car to wear. (I'm pretty sure our car is like Mary Poppins' bag...) I slung my purse around me like a side bag, and off we went. Mind you, this is my first time ever on his bike... and apparently it does NOT like having two people on it (it's an older bike, designed more for one person). It complained all the way there. And to make thing worse, the bike is mainly meant for around town - not freeway - so we had to take University Avenue... and I kid you not, I have never in my LIFE hit so many of those lights red. It was absolutely ridiculous.

Okay, so this really has nothing to do with my entry, but this describes about how I felt for a good portion of the day!

We FINALLY got to the company building and and I was getting off the bike, my phone rang and it was the lady waiting for me (I had called beforehand to let her know what was going on and that I would be a few minutes late) calling to reschedule. But before she had a second to say that, I answered and said "I'm here! I'm walking in right now. I'm so sorry!"

So she had me come on in, and could immediately see how frazzled I was so she asked me if I wanted to take a moment to catch my breath and I told her that I was fine, but asked her if my hair looked okay because I had to wear the helmet and a bathroom was conveniently right there so I ran in real quick, did a double check, ran out again, took a deep breath, and tried to relax. (Yes, I meant for that to be a run-on sentence because that's how I felt)

She took me to the guy who was interviewing me and I apologized to him and he was extremely understanding of it, said "these things happen" and said "don't worry - your message got to the right place so we knew what was going on." Oh thank goodness.

The interview itself went pretty well. I thought it was interesting that about halfway through the interview, he said "You know, I'll be honest with you... when I first saw your application, I thought "well that's a definite no.... but then I looked at it again and said, 'well, maybe...hmm...' " Not exactly the most comforting thing to be told, but at the same time, I completely understand. Like I said before, most people in an office setting, can't understand how film and freelance can relate at all, so I was just relieved that he took the time to consider it for a change.

I felt like I answered pretty well though, when he asked me how my experience in freelance and film could help him/the company. I told him, "Well, I may not have gained my experience in an office setting, but it is all still there. For example, because I am freelance, I am essentially my own business. I have to track all of my expenses, keep all of my receipts, file all of my contracts, pay stubs, etc. I have to be a go-getter or else I don't work. On the films that I am a mixer, I am head of my department and go to the pre-production meetings to represent my 'unit.' I have to find people for my team and instruct them accordingly."
The application also mentioned needing the ability to be able to work with 'high profile' people, whether it is CEOs or just really important clients, so I also added, "and in film I am constantly dealing with high profile actors and directors and know how to handle myself around important people." I mentioned working with Danny Boyle on 127 Hours and how it didn't phase me at all. (Honestly, I think that's why I have done so well in the film industry is because 'famous' people to me are just any other person...just more people know who they are. I don't get star struck or tongue-tied at all). All in all, he seemed very impressed with my answer. :D

So the interview ends and Eric is downstairs waiting for me. I slip on the crazy slippers and jacket again, he hands me the helmet, and off we go. We get back to the car, and there is a gas station about 50 yards away, so we drive the car to their parking lot and go inside to get some coolant (we were pretty certain that was the issue). We buy the coolant, Eric holds it in his arm, against his jacket, and as we walk outside we realize it has a puncture wound on the side and has leaked all over Eric and his jacket. So he holds his finger over the mysterious puncture wound while I run inside and ask the clerk if he has any duct tape. Of course, no duct tape. He tries to just give us another thing of coolant, but whattya know... it was the last one. The clerk is nice enough to try and give us a refund, but of course he can only give a refund if we paid in cash, and we paid with a debit card. Lame. So we have to go back tomorrow morning when a manager is there to approve the debit card refund.

After that fiasco, we decide to go to Wal-Mart instead (it's within walking distance of this gas station). We go in, buy yet another container of coolant, and fill the car. Yeah, pretty sure there is a leak somewhere, because we just filled the coolant a month or so ago and the car took more than half of the massive container we bought. PS, we JUST bought this car end of June and it now has a leak, doesn't start half the time (we have to wait a couple minutes and try again), and for some unexplainable reason, the driver's side seat belt oftentimes needs to practically be jammed in several times before it actually locks. (and it was working in tip-top shape when we bought it). I'm telling you, I am cursed with cars and anything electronic.

Anyway, we did eventually make it home... and neither of us cared to go anywhere the rest of the evening! Hopefully it was worth it and I will get called back for a 2nd interview...!!

Don't Mind If I Do

2011-10-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

So I have been applying for jobs left and right lately... but to no avail. The problem with my 'field of work' is that it is such a small niche, that no one else seems to even consider it experience. ...especially when it comes to any sort of office job. But I have still been applying for those types of jobs because hey, I type 120 wpm and that's got to be worth something, right?

So yesterday I found a possibility that I actually seemed to qualify for quite well... the only thing that I didn't have was a shorthand speed of 120wpm, so I just included in the cover letter that I may not have shorthand experience, but I do type 120wpm the good 'ol fashioned way. Well, I suppose shorthand is more 'old fashioned' than typing, but it is pretty much obsolete these days. Eh, semantics.


I don't know about you, but this looks a heck of a lot more like Arabic than any English wording!

Anyway, they must have liked something in my resume if they called me for an interview less than 24 hours after sending my application! I have an interview Monday at 3pm. Wish me luck! :)

Dishwashers!!!

2011-10-08T23:37:00.000-07:00

I got a dishwasher, I got a dishwasher, I got a dishwasher hey hey hey HEY!

Yes, we picked up a portable dishwasher today from someone in Eagle Mountain (about 20-25 minutes away). Thanks to good 'ol KSL classifieds always finding the best deals! I can't even begin to tell you how extremely THRILLED I am to finally have a dishwasher!! I love my place (and will love it even more when we get it all painted!) but the biggest downside was that amidst our huge kitchen, there was no dishwasher. :(

But that has now changed! I have never been so excited to actually do the dishes! haha. Okay, so I guess it's not really "doing the dishes" when all I'm doing is putting them into a dishwasher, but it counted for me! I've been hand-washing ALL of our dishes for over a year now and I was sooo dang sick of it! You don't realize how much you take things like that for granted until you don't have one anymore. My kitchen is going to be SO much cleaner all the time now - I guarantee it!

Anyway, short and sweet entry - hurray for dishwashers!! :D

What Good Can Come From This?

2011-10-06T15:52:00.001-07:00

So, two days ago I found out that the job I really really wanted (and thought I at least had a shot at an interview) is no longer in the running. :( It would have been full time, local (no more every-other-week travel crap), benefited, etc. And it would have been in sports... and I love sports! But alas, no such luck.

I then started to get really down on myself because I felt like no matter what 'category' you look at, I never quite make that top rank. After being in YAs as tech for a year and with so much encouragement from performer teammates, I decided to audition for a performance spot. With all of the extremely enthusiastic and positive encouragement I was getting, I thought I'd at least make it to callbacks. I didn't even necessarily care if I made it on the actual team - just to know I was good enough to make callbacks would have been enough. But alas, no such luck.

I did ballroom dancing as a kid and was in lots of competitions and stuff. Just once, I wanted to be in the top 3. One of my best friends always managed to be in that top tier, but I was always just one step behind... in 4th or 5th... with a measly ribbon.

I was a smarty-pants in school and my best friends always seemed to be the 100%-ers well, 100% of the time. In 8th grade, my middle school gave out a trophy if you got all As all year. My very last quarter, because of a group-project-gone-wrong, I got a B+ in one class and was 2 points away from being in line with my friends for that trophy. So close, yet so far...

Anyway, you get the idea. Everyone has their down days, and Tuesday was definitely one of mine.

But don't you think for a second that I am telling you any of this to have a pity party.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

To start, this is just one more reason why I love Eric so much -- because of what he said to me when I was expressing these very feelings to him.

He listened intently, waited for me to finish and then paused, looked at me, smiled, and said "maybe that's why you turned out so wonderful." Confused, I responded so eloquently with "...huh?" I thought to myself, "I've never been the best at anything and that's why I'm so wonderful?? I don't get it..." He said, "Well, you've never had a chance to be conceited or arrogant. Because you were always just below "the best" you never got overconfident in yourself. It kept you real and down-to-earth. And it helped you to relate to others."

Hm... I'd never thought about it that way. Not that I like coming in 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) in every single stinkin' thing, it's still a heck of a lot better than most - which is another thing Eric said to me. He also said: "I want you to

be the best you - not the best at something."

(Oh how I love that boy!)
I guess you could say he helped me get my head on straight again.

It was then that I remembered the single most important thing I have learned in this life:
everything happens for a reason.

I learned that through 2 tear-filled years of high school that took about that long to see the good that came from the bad; but it was there... it's just that most people don't know where to look, or refuse to look amid the bad.

See, whenever something really crappy happens to me, I try my best to ask myself,
What good can come from this?
and I start coming up with the craziest stories and ideas as to how this bad thing will actually better me.

It's part of how I cope, I guess you could say.

For example. I dated this major jerk of a guy a few years ago who messed with my head and just made life miserable. I thought, "why in the HECK did I have to go through that? What good can possibly come from that?"

But then a few years later, I started dating a different guy who had far too many similarities to Jerk #1. Because of this, I was able to recognize it and end it before it ever really started. I later found out that that guy was 10 times worse than the first one and could have really screwed up my life. So apparently the first awful experience was actually saving me from far worse of an experience. Funny how things work out...

So I started thinking, "What good could come from not getting this job?" It took a while to get to that mindset because everything about this job seemed so incredibly perfect. I won't get into details, but suffice it to say, it was a dream job. At least, that's what I imagined it to be...

But then I started again with the crazy hypotheses for why it might have been a good thing. I thought, "you know... there is so much stinkin' drama over there ALL the time." Also, I have not once the entire time I have been involved over there heard a single nice thing leave anyone's mouth about one of the head guys. I've never met the guy, so I can't speak from personal experience, but even the nicest people I know have had less than stellar things to say about him. Maybe it would be best not to have to work with (or rather, under) this person.

(P.S. I took this photo myself)

Maybe I'll find a job that is so close to home I could literally walk there! (Eric and I still share a car)
Or maybe at whatever job I get, one of my co-workers will live so close to me that I can catch a ride every day!

Maybe the job I end up getting will pay even more than said dream job! (doubtful... but not impossible).

Maybe there's a reason I am not supposed to be working right now... a reason that I have yet to discover. Someone I may end up being able help because of it...? Something that will make me so grateful I didn't have 8 hours of work a day...?

Maybe whatever job I get will not only be full time and give benefits, but will be super flexible and let me do the occasional freelance gig!

Anyway, you get the idea. It's actually kind of fun to throw all the maybes out there, no matter how outlandish it may sound.

I don't know why I didn't get that job, but I know there's a darn good reason for it. And hopefully, within the month I will find work and can put the majority of freelance behind me and stop worrying about when my next gig is coming. Don't get me wrong, I love freelance... but it is just so unreliable, and in this economy, it has pretty much died (I haven't worked on a feature in over a year).

So it's back to the drawing board for me! ksl.com job board, jobs.utah.gov, and craigslist are my new best friends again. But hey, something even better is in store for me in the very near future, right? Right.

Hodgepodgery

2011-10-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

If you haven't noticed, I like making up words. :) That said, today is just a random conglomeration of stuff that I have found that I absolutely love!! The first is probably my favorite -- it is an elderly couple of 62 years, but this video will show you that you can still be rockin' when you're 90! It totally made my day:

Isn't that awesome?!!? I definitely want to be like that when I am nearing 90!

Next up is a hilarious video with a dog "talking." Okay, so he is obviously not actually talking, but someone added words to each time the dog opened his mouth to make it seem like he was talking. Thank you Victoria for sharing this!! :)

Hehehe it makes me laugh every time.

Okay, last but not least is a picture. Now this isn't a "funny" one, but it is a dang awesome one and one that exponentially increased my respect for Emma Watson. First I will show you the picture, and second I will show you a direct quote from her:

Here is what she said:

"I find the whole concept of being ‘sexy’ embarrassing and confusing. If I do an interview with photographs people desperately want to change me – dye my hair blonder, pluck my eyebrows, give me a fringe. Then there’s the choice of clothes. I know everyone wants a picture of me in a mini-skirt. But that’s not me. I feel uncomfortable. I’d never go out in a mini-skirt. It’s nothing to do with protecting the Hermione image. I wouldn’t do that. Personally, I don’t actually think it’s even that sexy. What’s sexy about saying, ‘I’m here with my boobs out and a short skirt, have a look at everything I’ve got?’ My idea of sexy is that less is more. The less you reveal the more people can wonder."

Isn't that awesome!? A Hollywood star who actually goes on record saying less revealing is more appealing. Good for her!! Anyway, I just thought that was so cool that she had the guts to actually speak up. Too bad there can't be more stars like her!

Well, that's it for my hodgepodgery today. Enjoy! :)

Natural Remedies

2011-10-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

You know, you learn a lot of really bizarre things when you are constantly searching for home remedies of every imaginable ailment! See, I don't have insurance... and each time I go to the doctor's it costs about $100, so I'm going to do everything in my power to make it so I don't have to go. Because of that, I have learned some really interesting "remedies." Some that seem to work really well, and others that make you say, "...really?"

Poor little guy...

For example, yesterday my ear started hurtin' something fierce. It definitely felt like an ear infection, but alas - I was trying to avoid that whole doctor route. So I began my home remedy search. Want to know one of the most common suggestions? Onions. Yes, onions. Several sites that I found said to cut an onion in half, heat it just slightly, wrap it with some old t-shirt fabric and put it on your ear for about 30 minutes. Weird, huh? Well, these days I will try just about anything - especially if multiple sites advocate it. So I chopped an onion in half, put it in the microwave, cut a piece of cloth from ratty old t-shirt, and put it on my ear!

The warmth from it actually felt really nice, and after about 30 minutes I took it off and it didn't hurt anymore! Buuut then about 10 minutes later it started hurting again. Drat. Maybe I'm supposed to do it multiple times a day. But I already felt weird enough holding a half-onion to my ear, so I decided to forgo that option.

Here's another interesting remedy... if any of you have eczema problems, try this one. Mix some olive oil with a few drops of tea tree oil and massage it onto the affected area, the way you would with lotion. Eric will occasionally get random eczema spots on his fingers and I did that for him a few months ago and it made it almost nonexistent!

Oh, tea tree oil is one of my new best friends. It seems to be a cure for everything!! I also use it on zits. I especially hate those threatening zits that you KNOW are there, you can feel them, but there is just nothing there to pop and you just have to wait the wretched amount of time before you can actually get rid of them. Well, before I go to bed, I wash my face off and then use a q-tip to put some tea tree oil on and dab each red spot on my face. 9 times out of 10, the spots are gone by morning. I've also heard that toothpaste does similar things, but I've tried that and all it seems to do for me is make a mess on my pillows...

Have any of you ever gurgled apple cider vinegar? I'm pretty sure it is the worst tasting thing in the world, but my grandma (Brown) swears by it. When I was younger, I didn't believe her... I think mainly because I didn't want to go near that vile bottle of nastiness. But when I no longer had insurance, I was willing to try just about anything. If I started gurgling that stuff when I felt the slightest tickle in my throat, it worked wonderfully!! It also seems to help clear phlegm out of your throat in no time. Granted, you have to do it a couple of times a day, but it definitely helps... much to my chagrin. I think I am building up an immunity to it, though - it didn't taste quite so vomitous last time I used it.

Also, garlic is a natural anti-bacterial. I always have a bottle of garlic pills on hand for when I start to feel sick. Also a miracle worker is echinacea ... which, I am rather confused right now why the dictionary doesn't recognize echinacea... weird. Anyway, zinc is amazing as well, as is - of course - vitamin c.

Oh!! Another weird home remedy I discovered last night is that of ibuprofen. Well, substitutes for it I mean. There's a whole list of foods that have natural anti-inflammatory as well as foods that are best to avoid when in pain. These ones below are the pain reducer foods. The other foods are in the link.

apples	apricots	avocados	bananas
beans	beets	berries	broccoli
cabbage	cantaloupe	carrots	cauliflower
celery	chard	cherries	cucumber
currants	dates	figs	garlic
ginger	grapes	kale	lettuce
mangoes	melons	mushrooms	olives
papaya	parsley	peaches	pears
peppers	potatoes	pumpkin	radish
raisins	soybeans	spinach	squash
sweet potatoes	turnips

Anyway, these are a few random 'natural remedies' I have discovered in the last few years. I'm sure I will discover more in the near future!!

A Cool New Way to Save Recipes

2011-09-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I am still trying to get into the habit of writing more often. As you can see, not doing so hot yet! But hey, this is my third one in the same month! (just don't think about the fact that it's the last day of the month...)

I thought I'd share with you what I have been doing recently.

So, when I was little, I remember my mom always having a 3x5 box of recipes that she'd acquired from all over the place. Any time we cooked anything, she had me find the recipe in the box. I have several friends and family who keep all of their recipes in a big binder and I did try that, but it just didn't feel like... home. I guess we like what we know, and I definitely know 3x5 recipe cards.

That being said, while I wanted to transfer my favorites to 3x5 cards, I sure as heck did not want to spend hours upon hours writing them. I'd still rather type them and transfer them. Plus, regular 3x5 cards are so... boring! I wanted some with a little pizzazz!

I thought it would be fun to find some recipe templates online, but goodness gracious are they hard to find!! And what I mean is that ones that are free from lines or words. Just a cute design where I can do what I want with the rest.

Ultimately, I'm pretty sure that the route I took has already taken WAY more time than it would have just to write them all out by hand, but I guess I do have a lil creative juice in me after all and quite enjoyed myself while putting these cards together. I even downloaded a ton of really fun fonts to choose from!

I must admit that several of these recipes I have yet to try - they just looked so good that I knew I would want to try them... and soon!

So how did I do this? Actually, after being fed up with stupid recipe creator sites that wanted to charge me to do something I knew I was capable of doing, I said to heck with it. I opened up PowerPoint and never looked back. Turns out, you can save PowerPoint slides as pictures!

But where on earth was I going to find a place that actually prints 3x5 pictures? Pretty much every place has 4x6 and then a wallet size. WELL... after doing even more research, I found this awesome little site called mpix.com and they will print not only a 3.5x5 but a 4x5! I'm not entirely sure what a 4x5 is for, but hey! they have odd sizes. Hurray for the unusual!

So once I get a big chunk of them made up, I am going to upload them as individual pictures, have them printed off as 3x5s and voila! you have eggs! Sorry, that last part was an inside joke with my family.

Also, this site is extras awesome because they have different print options that actually apply to what I want to print off. If I wanted a regular "high quality" picture it would be $0.29 per 'photo', but I really don't care if it is glossy or not, and there is an option that doesn't do color correction or gloss and it's only $0.19/ea instead! What did I say before? Oh yeah - hurray for the unusual!

Anyway, these are just a few of the ones that I have done so far. I think I've done about 30 at the moment, and I have awesome templates that I want to use for probably another 60. It's a fun lil hobby to have. :D

So if any of you have any absolutely AMAZING dishes and would like to share the recipe with me, I'll make it up like one of these and then give you a copy afterwards. I'm always looking for new recipes... so go ahead and comment, email, or facebook me with yours!! :)

10 Year Anniversary

2011-09-11T16:47:00.000-07:00

September 11th, 2001

World War III here we come. Today started out as any other day... until 3rd period in Mr. Chirhart's class. We were in the middle of a hard drive lab and Mr. Wiz comes in quietly, talks to Mr. C. for a few minutes, quietly leaves, and then out of the blue Mr. C. asks, "Anyone know anyone that works at the World Trade Centers?" We all looked around at each other and said "No...?" He said "Good - because a plane just crashed into one."

We were all like "what?!" and completely shocked. Then we weren't too in to our lab and he turned on the TV and we turned it on thinking we were watching the replay of the crash only to realize we were seeing a second crash live into the other tower. Now we were REALLY surprised and completely dumbfounded or tongue-tied.

We just sat there in silence watching the TV not really knowing what to do or say, and after a while, they showed us on TV that a third plane had just hit the Pentagon; but when Angie heard that, she started freaking out and saying - almost crying - "No! They did NOT just hit the Pentagon!! My DAD works IN the Pentagon!" After that she was really quiet and I didn't really know what to do or say.

From then on Mr. C. was really quiet too because he was trying to get a hold of his dad-->who also works in the Pentagon. He let Angie use his phone a few times too, but the phones were so jammed up nationwide, that it was impossible. Mr. C. looked like he was about to cry, too. I felt really bad for both of them but there was nothing I could do.

Then the bell rang and we all walked out still really stunned, yet spreading the word because not very many people had any idea what was going on yet. They were all just as shocked as us and as I got into class (Health, 5th period), I was like "Coach Mac, did you hear what happened?!?!" She said she had, but I could tell she didn't know the whole story.

We didn't do much in Health today either - just watched the news the entire class period. By 7th period, half the kids had been pulled out of school by their parents. It took me almost 2 hours to get home on the bus because there was so much traffic and chaos.

I found out later that Hayley's dad worked in the wing of the Pentagon that was hit, but he luckily was in another room watching the news when it hit, so he wasn't there, thank goodness.

-------------------------------

That was my entry on September 11th. Granted, it is written by a 15-year-old girl with lots of "we were like/they were like", but these words were what came to my mind on that day. I wish I had written more, because I was definitely feeling a lot more.

School was cancelled the next day. Two boys in our school lost their mother, and I'm sure several other surrounding schools lost someone too. There were several people in our ward who worked in the Pentagon at that time, but all were lucky and weren't in the area that was hit. I remember that bus ride... the longest bus ride in the world. Part of me wanted to just get out and walk because it seemed like it might be faster...I just wanted to get home!

On top of all of that, it was my poor father's birthday... not so happy of a birthday anymore. :/ It's really weird calling to say "Happy Birthday Dad!" when everyone else is somber and reflective.

Last September, I had the opportunity to travel to NYC for work and one of our interviewees was directly involved with some of the rescue attempts. He told us how he went under the rubble to search for survivors and he heard 3 taps (which was the response signifying "I'm here! Someone is here!") and wanted so badly to find him, but right at that point, everyone was evacuated from the area because it was unstable. They waited the obligatory time, but by the time he got back down there, the taps were gone. He never found the person. It was heart-wrenching to hear him tell the story through streams of tears. I can't even imagine what that would have been like to be there and KNOW someone down there was still alive, but not be able to save him before it was too late.

I don't really have a solid ending for this entry. Just a reflective entry, I suppose. One thing I do want to mention though is: support our troops. You can be totally against the war itself if you so choose, but don't turn your back on our troops. Whether you like it or not, there is a war going on and our people are over there fighting every day to preserve our freedom.

I am PROUD to be an American. I hope you are proud as well.

Dinner Invitation

2011-09-08T21:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm doing better today. I guess you could say that I've cooled off. I still have to filter my thoughts/word choice with regard to yesterday, but I'm not as ready to slug someone. haha. :)

Eric and I had a GREAT time tonight at a ward member's house. The Hawks family in our ward invited us over for dinner and we had a blast. We went over about a half hour before dinner because Natalie (the mom) agreed to do some alterations on Eric's pants. Dinner was some amazing make-it-yourself burritos, and then we chatted, enjoyed each other's company in the backyard, etc. Eric especially had fun talking with their son (about 16 years old) about ROTC and different branches of military. The family as a whole had a lot of questions for me as well, but with regard to the film industry. Several of the kids (3 of the 4 at home are teenagers) asked how different things were possible (ie removing Anna Sophia Robb's arm in Soul Surfer), so I explained to them the basics of 'green screen' technology and how they use it for different things. I *love* explaining stuff like that because it just absolutely fascinates people!

Sorry guys, this is a short post... not a super eventful day, but I promised I'd try to get better at more frequent writing. :) More to come tomorrow!

My Wonderful New Toy :D

2011-05-31T22:59:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, for years now I have wanted to get into photography. Any time a friend of family member has a DSLR, I eagerly offer to take the pictures for whatever the occasion. However, these cameras are extremely expensive and I've never had that kind of money to blow... BUT... thanks to some birthday money, some money I'd saved up, and selling a few things on KSL, I was finally able to afford one!!!

I got the most entry-level DSLR you can get (Canon Rebel XS), but hey... I am quite pleased with it. Also, since I have a ton of friends in photography (comes with the territory of working in film) I sought out many opinions on cameras and lenses. I initially was going to buy this awesome package deal online that came with the camera body, two lenses, a carrying case, a tripod, a memory card and card reader, a battery and battery charger, and a few other odds and ends. It sounded like a good deal... but right before I bought that one, I ended up chatting with another photography friend who told me that those lenses are "pretty much crap." He said that they were the stock lenses, cheaply made, and wouldn't last as long. So, I told him my budget and he recommended two different lenses instead.

Thanks to the beauty of Amazon, I was able to buy everything separately and pay almost the exact same thing. (I didn't get ALL of the odds and ends that the package had, but I got most of them). But instead of the 'crappy' lenses, I now have two very nice ones! Well... one at the moment. The other one still hasn't come yet...grr. Actually, about half the stuff still hasn't come yet; but I suppose that's to be expected - I only ordered it this past Thursday.

To my surprise the body, 50mm lens, and memory card all came on Saturday - just two days after I placed the order! However, I thought that the body came with a battery and much to my dismay, I was incorrect in that assumption. Luckily, (and thanks to facebook) I was able to locate a spare battery from a friend of mine and am using that til the end of this week. He saved me!! It was *torture* having the camera but not being able to use it!

I went out for quite some time yesterday and photographed a ton of flowers at the nearby cemetery. I don't know if this is a Utah-only thing or if Virginia is just weird, but here, Memorial Day seems to be treated more as a blanket "remember your loved ones who have died" day rather than honoring veterans and those who died in war. Anyway, for that reason the graves here are covered with flowers on Memorial Day. And it had also been raining 3 days straight at this point and I really wanted to catch the water droplets on the flowers before it all dried up.

I then spent about 2 hours today up the canyon becoming better friends with my camera. I'm still not a pro at the right shutter speed and aperture, but I feel that I am catching on rather quickly. Only time will tell. :P

Anyway, the pictures that are scattered throughout this post and below are some of the ones I have taken in the last 2 days. If you want to see all of them, just go to my facebook profile and the link should be right there. :)

PS, now that I have a reason to post again, expect more frequent posts from now on. :D

I Promise, I'm Still Alive :)

2011-04-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

I'm back! Well... hopefully. Sorry I haven't written in so long. In my defense, our one and only computer died about a week after my last post and we didn't have a working computer again until 2 weeks ago. We were at the mercy of friends and family to use their computer for a few spare moments here and there. It wasn't worth it to try and use those rare occasions to blog.

February was crazy - I was only home for MAYBE a week. I was in Florida the first week, California the 2nd, and Arkansas about 5 days after I got home from CA. And a few days after I got home from Arkansas, I was in Vegas for 5 days. And I was *supposed* to be in California again 6 days after that... and Ohio a week after that... and Oregon a week after that... But after Vegas I told my boss that I can't do all these out of town trips anymore. Maybe one every month or two, but not every other week. After Vegas (March 1-5), I calculated that I'd been out of town just over 30 days since the beginning of January. I missed my first Valentine's Day with Eric (or anyone, for that matter - never had a Valentine before), I missed Eric's brother's homecoming and all of the family partying that week, monthly family dinners, ward functions, etc. I was literally on the verge of a nervous breakdown. If I had taken that California trip, I think I might have actually snapped.

Oh PS, work has also begun to destroy my back (and I sadly have begun a long and frustrating search for a 'real' job that (1) keeps me in TOWN, and (2) guarantees x amount of work). Having to haul the equipment around my front while holding the boom in my hands day after day started giving me huge back problems. I went to a doctor in early March and he prescribed me 3 different kinds of medications and sent me to a physical therapist and a chiropractor. The PT helped me to strengthen my back and gave me a lot of exercises to continue to strengthen it. I'm still seeing the chiropractor about once a week and working really hard to become a back sleeper because he said that stomach sleepers often have a lot of back pain and I'm trying to minimize the back stuff a much as possible.

I promised a friend I'd get back into music and yesterday I played the piano, then my flute, then my oboe, and finally pulled out the clarinet (just started that one). (It sounds great, but I've only figured out about 12 notes - I need to get a book with all of the proper fingering. :P Once I get the clarinet down, saxophone is next. I've always wanted to learn that one. The only problem is acquiring a sax!) It was pretty sad when I realized just HOW long it had been since I'd played flute and oboe - Eric had never even heard me play. Wow. I've really got to pull them out more often!

My mom came to visit a couple of weeks ago and it was AWESOME! It was pretty much just me and her for a whole week. Eric and Cameron would play Halo (or something similar) and my mom and I would be in the other room playing Demon (to you Utahns, this is known as Nerts), Boggle, or Rummikub. We also made a lot of food. We made my mom's famous meatloaf and I later found out from Eric's mom that Cameron said that it was the best meatloaf he had *ever* had. She of course wanted the recipe after that kind of review. :P Same with my mom's carrot cake (basically, it's the best). It is a PAIN to make but dang is it good! Apparently Eric's mom is a connoisseur of carrot cake and she told me it was the best carrot cake she's ever had. She wanted the recipe for that as well. :) My mom and I also made an apple pie - with her homemade crust recipe. Eric sure loved that! (we made apple because I knew it was his favorite). We were going to make a pumpkin pie too, but we ran out of time. We also went and saw the PG-13 version of The King's Speech and that is easily the best movie I have seen all year. It totally deserved the Academy Award! I highly recommend it.

Alright, well I need to go make some snickerdoodles now because I have become known for my cookies in Eric's family and there's a family party tonight to celebrate his grandparents coming home from their mission and I promised I'd bring snickerdoodles. I promise to try to write more, now that I actually have a computer again!

Everything is Connected

2010-12-31T13:56:00.000-08:00

You know... it's funny how when you think about it, EVERYTHING works together and/or affects everything. I mean, all things considered, I should have never met Eric. I had only been to Tucanos once and only because I was treated to it with a group of people. I didn't even find out that you could get a free meal from there until 3 apartments ago when one was in the mail for someone who no longer lived there. This year was the first year I finally remembered to sign up for it. But then my problem was finding someone to go, because it IS expensive - especially if you go at night (lunch is much cheaper). But the problem was that no one could go during the day - they don't have goofy schedules like mine where I work for a week and then I'm off - or whatever the case may be.

I started thinking about this because I found out that one of my friends just got married (yeah, I was a little late to that bit of info) and was looking through her pictures. I saw a picture of her with a friend who had gotten married in May and realized that that was the wedding Tara had flown out to Utah for. Had Tara not flown out, I never would have gone to Tucanos and I probably would have ended up dating the guy I currently liked (and gone out with a few times) when I met Eric. OR... I would have gone, but by the time I actually did, I would have been dating someone else and Eric would have just been another waiter.

But because one of Tara's friends got married and because Tara is the most loyal friend a person could have, she flew out for the wedding, and she and I had a chance to go to Tucanos because she loved it and missed the food there. Otherwise, I probably would have ended up going there on a date and even if Eric had been my waiter, there is no way he would have left his number if I was with another guy.

AND... because all of this happened and Eric and I got married soon after, his sister Mackenzie and his former mission companion Josh are now practically engaged - all because of our wedding. (Josh was Eric's best man, stayed with my grandma - along with Eric's parents and Mackenzie and thus had a lot of time together). I just think it's funny to think about sometimes, how everything is connected to everything in one way or another. It may seem crazy at times, but I'm sure glad it happens!! :)

Dear o Dear

2010-12-28T13:19:00.000-08:00

I have failed in the "at least weekly" posting thing. Funny thing is, I keep taking pictures of things so I can post it all... but then I never get around to doing it! For that reason, this one may be a long post.

November 29-Dec 2 I worked in St. George with a BYU TV show. We interviewed a very interesting man. His name was Floyd and he was 87 years old - he served in WWII and was in France the day after D-day. He told several war stories and then what he did when he got back to the states: became a barber, went to beauty school, and then became a full-on hair dresser/beautician. Weirdest combo ever! His story was funny, though - because he talked about how he just wanted to take one haircut class on women's hair and they recommended that he do the whole 'school' or whatever and he said no way... but they convinced him to come for a tour the next week and when he got there, there were 5 other guys so he decided "okay... I guess I will." He opened his own shop in St. George and was apparently THE place to go for a few decades. But he said he got tired of all of the crazy women and eventually retired. Now, after convincing from a friend to try it out, he crochets while watching football. Haha!! PS this guy is totally straight. Married for 62 years with 6 kids. And completely 100% lucid, too. (His wife was a different story - batty as can be, but hilarious).

Anyway, the only picture worth showing from that trip was this random toilet we found outside a shop... it made me laugh. So here it is:

The sign says "please put your butts here." hehe.

Alright, next on the list of pictures that I took - our Christmas tree!! We didn't realize how expensive those darn things are, so we went for quite some time (in December) without one. Then, Eric's mom was kind enough to get us this cute little white tree that was about a foot tall with mini ornaments to put on it. We finally had a tree! We decorated it and stuck it on our coffee table. But then Eric surprised me about a week later with roughly a 3-foot tree (fake) that a buddy of his gave him for $10. It totally made my day! I got so excited that I took pictures of it after we hung our ornaments. Here it is:

And the next is our first ornament - we bought it in Williamsburg (on our honeymoon). We plan to make it a tradition to get a new one each year. :P

And this one was one of Eric's as a kid and I thought it was so cute that I had to post a picture of it, too.

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I forgot to mention that Rachel and I met Joanne (my grandpa's cousin) at my grandpa's grave (Brown) on the anniversary of his death. It was probably the foggiest day I have ever seen... or worst inversion ever. It was ridiculous!! And I kid you not, it was a good 20+ degrees colder in Bountiful than in Orem! We got there, look at the grave, set flowers down, took a couple pictures, hugged, and said goodbye. It was a pretty fast visit because we were all freezing! But here's a picture or two from that:

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Okay... now, fast-forward to Christmas. Well, Christmas Eve. This was my first year away from family on Christmas and I had a pretty rough time with it on Christmas Eve. I was trying so hard to be in a good mood, but I wasn't succeeding very well. However, luckily, Christmas day was loads better. Not sure why. Maybe I had finally come to terms with it. haha.

I was so excited to give Eric his gift and was really glad that he liked it as much as I thought he would - a camouflage bathrobe! I have a bathrobe that I use a lot and he has said multiple times "I wish I had a robe!" He even used mine once or twice before Christmas. I already had the intention of getting him one, but when I went to the store to get one, I saw that camouflage one and knew that was the winner. His parents cracked up when they saw it. He has worn it every day since. :P Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of it.
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What else... I'm pretty sure that this house we're currently in has the WORST dust (and whatever else) that I have ever experienced. To my knowledge, I have never been allergic to *anything*.... yet, I have pretty much had a stuffy nose since we moved in... all day, every day. A month or so ago, I got some over-the-counter daily allergy medicine and have been taking that every day along with a good amount of vitamins once - or twice - daily (echinacea, garlic, zinc, vitamin c, etc). I don't think I even realized that it really has been EVERY day until this past week. I guess I was in the house more than often and it just got to the point where it was practically unbearable - not even nose spray would clear my nose. :(

Eric brought up the idea of getting an air purifier but we were pretty tight on money (isn't that the case with everyone during December? haha) so we knew we couldn't afford one right now. However, I love KSL classifieds more and more every day. We found one on there for $40! (new it's about $175). I went and picked it up today and it is currently on full speed in our bedroom. Eric said that after 5 minutes he could tell a difference in air quality, but I'm still thinking that for him it was more of a placebo effect vs actually being that effective that quickly. My nose is still 100% stuffy, so the jury is still out as to the effectiveness of our cool new gadget. I sure as heck hope that it works though, because I would REALLY like to be able to breathe normally again!!

Well... I think that's long enough for now. Sorry it took me so long to catch everyone up. I never realize how many people actually follow it until I stop writing! Then, suddenly, I get a ton of people asking "why aren't you writing on your blog!?" Whoops. Okay, I promise to do at least once a week. Deal? :)

Space Cowboys

2010-11-26T23:37:00.000-08:00

Okay... you may not think this is funny, but I thought it was awesome. Tonight, Eric and I watched "Space Cowboys." Neither of us had seen it, and it was on Netflix's "instant play" (best $9/mo ever!) so we thought we'd give it a shot.

Overall, it was a pretty good movie. It had a huge cast, too. But the one problem I had with it was that one of the characters looked SO familiar to me and it was driving me nuts!! I could not for the lift of me figure out what it was that I had seen him in. I kept racking my brain because he seemed so familiar to me but I couldn't pinpoint what movie I knew him from.

As soon as the movie ended, I hopped onto my computer and pulled up IMDB. (one of the best sites ever! Punch in my name - as Marisa Kelley - and see how many films you find for me!) I loaded the cast list for Space Cowboys, scrolled down, and whammo. As soon as I saw the name I couldn't help but burst into laughter. I felt like a fool once I realized who it was and why he looked so familiar.

This is Wiliam Devane

I didn't recognize him from some film or TV show - I recognized him because I worked with him for over a month!! I've never seen a single thing he has been in! His name is William Devane and I guess he was a bit bigger 10 or 20 years ago, but most people now don't really know who he is so it's not that humorous to most people. But I just got the biggest kick out of that. I think it was mainly because Space Cowboys wasn't exactly a straight-to-DVD type of movie. It was an A-list film and I knew and worked with an actor in that cast!

Eric kept laughing at me because I was so amused by it. I would keep randomly chuckling throughout the evening just thinking about it again. What can I say - I am easily amused! :) Anyway, there's my random story of the day!

Yummy Holidays

2010-11-25T21:26:00.000-08:00

No, this wasn't my actual plate. :)

I love Thanksgiving. I am pretty sure the only holiday that I love more than Thanksgiving is Christmas. Thanksgiving is the one day a year that I can eat as much as I want and not feel bad about it. It's the only day that I will eat until I feel sick... and then regret eating that much, but still loving the food I just had. hehe.

Eric and I went to his aunt and uncle's house for Thanksgiving this year (April and Brad). His aunts and uncles Troy and Katie as well as Eric and Bobbi (and everyone's kids) all came too. By the way, I absolutely LOVE everyone in Eric's extended family (immediate is a given - they're all fantastic already). They are all so much fun and they make me smile... and they're fun to be around. And they all genuinely like being around one another!

Mine looked similar to this.

We all chatted for a good long while, played several games, chatted and laughed some more, and told/heard some great stories. I was actually sad to leave. I even had fun helping out in the kitchen before the food was ready (shocking, I know)! I made my mom's famous "Candied Yams" (ie a sweet potato casserole) and they seemed to be a pretty big hit! Sweet! I'm thinking about making them for Christmas, too... (hey, they were easy AND delicious!)

Don't worry - though I haven't listed anything in an 'orderly fashion', I made sure to count my blessings and things to be grateful for. I am especially grateful for family right now - twice as much as I had last Thanksgiving, but twice the joy. :) I'm pretty darn grateful for Eric, too. :P I love Thanksgiving!!

Make Up Your Mind

2010-11-24T20:57:00.000-08:00

Well, here's a funny story... and slightly embarrassing, but not really.

I worked the BYU Men's Basketball game at the Marriott Center yesterday. We got there at 12:30pm and started setting up. At one point, I headed for the women's restroom and there was a sign on the door saying that it was Utah State's locker room. I was slightly confused, because that is the restroom that I always use when working games at the Marriott. I began my search for another bathroom and soon came across another one. The sign on the door said "Men and Women." I thought it was just a small little one-stall but it was a full restroom with two stalls. So, I used that one all day instead.

We finished setting up, had dinner, and before we went on-air, I went to the bathroom. A guy was in one stall and I thought to myself, "This co-ed bathroom thing is a little weird..." (though when you think about it, it's really not that weird - we're just not accustomed to it). He left before I came out to wash my hands and I thought nothing of it.

I exited the bathroom just like normal, but as I was exiting, I noticed something strange out of the corner of my eye. The sign on the door had been changed: "Men's Restroom." I have no idea when they had changed it, because I had used it not an hour ago and it was still Men and Women... but I definitely walked straight into the Men's room and used it like it was nothing out of the ordinary! I suppose now that it's a very good thing that the other guy had exited before I came out!!

I was so confused, because I could have sworn that on my way to that bathroom, the other door still said "Utah State" on it, thus leaving the other bathroom my only option... apparently I missed the switch! Haha. It definitely gave me - and the other audio guys - a laugh though! I vote that they should have a restroom on that base floor that is just stalls - not stalls, showers, and locker rooms all rolled into one. It makes it really confusing!! :P Then again, I guess it can make for good stories, too!

Guaranteed Work

2010-11-23T11:05:00.000-08:00

So, the other day my boss asked me if I was available from Nov 29-Dec 2. I told him yes; he was told to make sure I was comfortable working on an "all-male" (minus myself) crew. I told him that it didn't bother me, he said "I figured you'd say that, but I just had to make sure."

Great, so I had 4 days of work... that was a good start to December -- especially since I wasn't sure if I'd get any work during December (Christmas and New Year's and stuff... most people don't want to schedule shoots around that time). Don (one of my two bosses) told me that I'd get an email soon with more info. Nothing out of the ordinary... or so I thought!

A couple of days later, I did indeed get an email... except it was for shoot days scheduled through APRIL! Sweet! There are roughly 7-10 days per month that I now pretty much have guaranteed. (and a lot of them are travel weeks!) Eric and I have budgeted for me to get around 10-12, and 90% of the time, at least a few more shoots pop up each month. Plus, I'm working some of the KJZZ games again now, so that means that I don't reeeally have to worry about getting enough days until the end of April!! Well... unless this show gets canceled prematurely (like the last show that I was working on). But I don't see that happening with this show, so hopefully I'm good!

It's funny that stuff like this always happens right when I'm about ready to seriously consider throwing freelance out the window and finding a 'normal' (ie 9-5) job. I had even started looking around the last couple of weeks, and then this popped up. I don't know why, but I STILL am supposed to be a freelancer. (every time I start seriously looking for a different job/line of work, something like this happens). It's really kind of eerie how often that has happened in the last 3 years.

Anyway, that's really all I wanted to say. Yay for work and paid travel. I've actually got to head to a gig right now. Men's Basketball. For those of you who are BYU basketball lovers, be jealous. I will be walking up and down the floor the whole night! ;)

Renewing Our Covenants

2010-11-21T18:19:00.000-08:00

I gave a talk in church today on renewing our covenants. I'm one of those weird ones who actually quite like preparing and giving talks, so minus the lack of time that I had (I wrote it during work last night), it was quite enjoyable to prepare. I'm pretty sure I have never learned more from preparing a talk than I did in this time around.

Also, ever since I took a religion class at BYU (from Brother Bott), I have prepared talks differently. He heavily emphasized that you should have a good solid outline, but to never write it out word for word. I have done that for the last 3 talks. This one, however... for some unexplainable reason, as I started doing my research I strangely felt the need to write this one out. I don't know if it was for coherency's sake or what, but I wrote this one out.

So... since I actually wrote it and since my 'research' had so many insights I didn't even know about, I'm going to include it here. Enjoy.

Last week, Brother Cowley asked me to speak on renewing our covenants. Let me start off by asking, what exactly is a covenant? According to the LDS Gospel Library, “A covenant is a sacred agreement between God and a person or group of people. God sets specific conditions, and He promises to bless us as we obey those conditions. When we choose not to keep covenants, we cannot receive the blessings, and in some instances we suffer a penalty as a consequence of our disobedience.”

The most commonly talked about covenant is our baptismal covenant, as that is the first of many covenants we will make in this life. It can also be argued that it is the most important because without this covenant, we cannot progress to make further covenants with our Father in Heaven.

In Mosiah 18, Alma discusses baptism by saying, “Behold, here are the waters of Mormon… and now, as ye are ^adesirous to come into the ^bfold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

Yea, and are ^awilling to mourn with those that ^bmourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as ^cwitnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the ^dfirst resurrection, that ye may have eternal life.”

Brigham Young elaborated on baptism by saying, “They covenant to cease sustaining, upholding and cherishing the kingdom of the Devil and the kingdoms of this world. They enter the new and everlasting covenant to sustain the Kingdom of God and no other kingdom. They take a vow of the most solemn kind, before the heavens and earth, … that they will sustain truth and righteousness instead of wickedness and falsehood, and build up the Kingdom of God, instead of the kingdoms of this world.”

Now, when most of us hear ‘renewing our covenants’, we automatically think of our Baptismal Covenants. But as I started researching more on what exactly entails renewing covenants, I came to realize that it is much, much more than that.

Each week, we are given the privilege of partaking of the sacrament where we are once again able to renew our covenants with the Lord. Now, if it’s not just baptismal covenants, what else is it?

In the March 1995 Ensign, John E. Mackay stated:

“According to our latter-day prophets and leaders, when you partake of the sacrament you renew whatever covenants you have made with the Lord. For example, if you have been baptized only, that is the covenant you renew. If you have received the Melchizedek Priesthood, you also renew that part of the oath and covenant related to your having received that priesthood. If you have received your endowment, you also renew the covenants associated with it. Further, if you have been sealed, you also renew that covenant. In other words, when you partake of the sacrament, you renew all the covenants you have made with the Lord.”

Reading this article was somewhat of an “aha” moment for me. I knew the purpose of the sacrament was to renew our covenants, but I didn’t actively think of or review all the other covenants I have made with the Lord while partaking of the sacrament.

The three main things we are reminded of in the sacrament prayers are to promise our Father in Heaven:

1. To take upon us the name of Christ.

2. To always remember Christ.

3. To keep the commandments of Christ.

President Ezra Taft Benson said, “We go to our chapels each week to worship the Lord and renew our covenants by partaking of the sacrament. … Our agreement to keep all the commandments is our covenant with God.”

Part of keeping the commandments of Christ includes keeping our personal covenants that we have made with the Lord… and sincerely renewing them each week.

In 1989, President Howard W. Hunter emphasized that our Father in Heaven knows us each individually and that the covenants we make with Him are all one-on-one. He stated,

“I have always been impressed that the Lord deals with us personally, individually. We do many things in groups in the Church, … but … the most important things are done individually. We bless babies one at a time… We baptize and confirm children one at a time. We take the sacrament, are ordained to the priesthood, or move through the ordinances of the temple as individuals—as one person developing a [personal] relationship with our Father in Heaven. … Heaven’s emphasis is on each individual, on every single person.”

In Virginia, I was one of very few members in my high school. A sneaky way I had of getting friends to come to church with me was “I’ll visit your church if you visit mine.” I remember going with my best friend to her church once. They also had the sacrament but the cups were passed around and each patiently waited until everyone had a cup in their hand. The pastor said a prayer and then, at his direction, they all drank in unison. It was a very weird experience for me to see 200 heads all go back at the same time. It never occurred to me until I started preparing for this talk just how important it is that we are given our own chance instead of partaking in mass numbers.

While we may all participate in the sacrament at the same time, it is not in unison. It is one after another… each with our own turn… each renewing our own individual covenants made with the Lord.

One thing we mustn’t forget though, is our attitude and our thoughts during the actual blessing and passing of the sacrament. I know I have been guilty on several occasions of letting my mind wander every which way while the sacrament is being passed. My mental checklist of to-dos, my hungry stomach, trying my hardest to keep myself awake… the list is endless. But the way we treat those few sacred minutes can and will make all the difference.

When I was in Young Women’s, one of my teachers taught an unforgettable lesson. She taught of the importance of reverence during the sacrament and emphasized that we need to keep our mind from wandering but instead focus on what it really means to be renewing our covenants. We should be thinking of our Savior and his atoning sacrifice; we should have the spirit of repentance in our hearts, and the determination to be better and rise from our past misdeeds. She recommended reviewing the words of the sacrament hymn during the passing of the sacrament to keep our minds focused. Ever since that lesson, I always keep my hymnbook open so I can re-read the words that were just sung.

The Gospel Principles manual also gives advice on preparing oneself for the sacrament. It states, “During the sacrament service we should dismiss from our minds all worldly thoughts. We should feel prayerful and reverent. We should think of the atonement of our Savior and be grateful for it. We should examine our lives and look for ways to improve. We should also renew our determination to keep the commandments. We do not need to be perfect before partaking of the sacrament, but we must have the spirit of repentance in our hearts. The attitude with which we partake of the sacrament influences our experience with it. If we partake of the sacrament with a pure heart, we receive the promised blessings of the Lord.”

Most covenants that we make are a one-time thing. Unless extenuating circumstances are present, we are only baptized once, we only go through the temple and receive our own endowments once, we are only sealed once, and so on. So how do we remember what those covenants are and what exactly it is that we promised our Father in Heaven if the ordinance itself is only performed once? This is one of the reasons the Lord has given us the privilege of partaking of the sacrament each week. If we forget our covenants, where does that leave us?

According to President Kimball, “Remembering covenants prevents apostasy.” What happened to the Nephites when they forgot their covenants with the Lord? There is a reason we need to be reminded so frequently of what we have promised. Our finite minds require immense amounts of repetition to stay on the straight and narrow. That weekly reminder helps us to better maintain those promises that we made last week, last year, or 10+ years ago. Our covenants don’t change, the Lord doesn’t change – only we change. And it’s up to us in what direction we change.

In the April 1989 New Era, H. Verlan Andersen stated, “If … you live a normal life span, you will probably renew the sacrament covenant more than 3,000 times before you die. That covenant must be highly important to the Lord or he would not ask us to repeat it so often. But… if we make the same covenant that many times and then fail to keep it, what will he say to us when we meet him? On the other hand, if we keep it, we will obtain those blessings which are ’the most desirable above all things.’ ”

It seems that oftentimes many of us get into such a set routine that it becomes nothing more than ‘just another part of Sacrament Meeting.” But the sacrament is the whole reason for this meeting! It’s not ‘just another part’ – it’s the sole purpose. We don’t “have” to partake of the sacrament – we get to…so long as we are worthy. The moment you are no longer allowed to take the sacrament is the moment you realize what you have been taking for granted.

I had a close friend who once slipped up and was working through the repentance process. She told me that it was the worst feeling every week knowing that she couldn’t take the sacrament and had to pass it along to the next person without partaking. She also had never been so eager to take the sacrament as she did the day her bishop told her she was once again okay to partake. She was absolutely overjoyed.

In a 1995 Ensign, Bonnie D. Parkin discussed the joys of covenants, and of renewing them. She asked, “How did you feel the last time you partook of the sacrament? Did you ponder those covenants made in fonts and within temples? The sacrament enables us to renew our covenants. Thus, if we keep those covenants with honor and exactness, we can feel as fresh and as pure as we did when we were first baptized. We can feel as committed to a temple sealing as we did as a new bride or groom. Covenants keep us new.”

Who wouldn’t want to take advantage of the opportunity we are given each week to feel clean again? Who wouldn’t want to remember the way we felt as we came out of the waters of baptism or after we came out of the temple for the very first time? The Lord blesses us with that opportunity – if we so choose – each and every week. It is our privilege given to us by our loving Father in Heaven to renew our covenants with him every Sunday.

It is my testimony that treating this weekly experience – this weekly blessing of being able to renew our covenants with reverence and with sincerity will help us grow that much closer to Heavenly Father.

(PS, for those of you VA people who know the Quantico ward, that YW teacher was Betsy Garner. She probably doesn't even remember the lesson, but I definitely do)

Funny/Odd Pictures

2010-11-20T17:37:00.000-08:00

I just... can't... move any more!

And you thought you had it bad...

They've got a point...

Summer Love

So close... and yet so far!

I couldn't get the text to go to the top so here it is. I was just goofing around and found a few funny pictures. That's all for today.

Mics Coming Out of My Ears

2010-11-18T19:41:00.000-08:00

I am currently sitting in the BYUB truck working at the women's volleyball game... getting paid to watch it. :) I love working sports. Although, I would rather trade sitting on my rump during the game (and working my butt off setting up before the game) to operate a camera (which is pretty much vice versa of what I just said). But instead, I have been catching up on blog reading of friends' blogs that I have failed to look at in several months. :)

Audio in the truck - that's my boss!

It's kind of hard to concentrate in here, though. I am currently looking at 13 screens. I believe 8 of those are the different cameras, 4 are tape (basically, the people who are in charge of getting the amazing replays in a game), and 1 is the on-air camera that everyone else gets to see.

I am also listening to 6-7 people talking... mostly at the same time. We have our two commentators more in the background, the director, the producer, the occasional random additional voice from the truck, and a few other varying people. It's kind of loud and chaotic in here during games.

I may have forgotten to mention but I have to give a talk on Sunday. This past week I went to ward choir for the first time in nearly 6 years and a member of our bishopric is in the ward choir. After we ended, he cornered me and asked me to give a talk on Sunday. The weird thing though is that while I normally don't mind at all giving talks in church (weird, I know), I just really don't feel like giving one this week. haha. Partially just because I'm wondering when I'm going to get it done!

I work until 11 tonight, have to be in SLC by 8am tomorrow, won't wrap til 9 or so tomorrow night and home around 10ish. Then I work another 10 hours on Saturday (2-11pm) and Eric and I made plans to go to the temple Saturday morning and then IHOP for breakfast. (neither of us has eaten out for breakfast in a long time so we thought we'd switch it up a bit since Eric usually works nights).

My initial thought was "Hmm... well... I do have 1-2 hours while the game is in play where I could do some research and at least get started..." Yeah, not happening! Too much stuff going on and the director keeps saying random - and funny - stuff that makes it hard to concentrate on anything when he's cracking the whole truck up half the time (usually unintentionally... which is half the humor in it).

My absolute favorite game was several years ago and involved the A1 (audio mixer for the game) and the director. One of the girls on the soccer team had a really unusual last name and the A1 thought it was awesome so he turned it into the joke of the night and he and the director went back and forth the whole night trying to one-up each other with ways the name could be used. (ie: "Oh man... my back has been killing me! I think I strained my Kakedelis." or "That was so Kakedelis I can't believe it!") Okay, maybe it's not so funny to people who weren't there. I also don't know if this post will sound coherent at all since I feel like I am listening to (and watching) 27 things at the same time.

Oh PS, in case you were wondering why I just get to chill for the duration of the game it's because I am the "A2" which means that after I set every single mic, cable, etc for the game (which is WAY more than you think), I am just the A1's backup. So if a mic suddenly dies or something happens on the court, I run out and take care of it. Sometimes a game is flawless and I sit in the truck the whole time, and sometimes I actually have something to do. Tonight I have had to go out twice and fix something... so that's good... sort of.

Let me give you an idea of how many mics we have set up for a typical volleyball game...

Pistol grip for shotgun mics

-L & R shotgun mics (ie a very directional mic) - one one each side of the net. These mics have an operator and their sole job is to follow the ball wherever it goes. It catches the audio of a lot of bumps, pancakes, etc.
-L & R camera mics - there are usually 2 handheld cameras on the floor and each of those has a spot on the camera specifically designed for mounting a mic. These are used when the cameraman gets up close and personal with stuff that happens on the floor.
-Near net and far net mics - there are actually two extremely tiny mics that are placed on each end of the volleyball net to capture any movement involving the net. They're used quite frequently to catch the audio of a really intense spike, block, etc.
-L & R team mics - we have a small mic pointed toward each team to catch any good audio the team may be saying... these mics sometimes pick up rather colorful comments
-High L & R mics - there are two cameras high up pointing toward the volleyball court and next to either camera is a mic pointed toward the crowd
-High game cam mic - this one is new but the A1 wanted to test out a stereo mic next to game cam to see how well it picked up the crowd.

ECM 77

-"Snoop Mic" - this one is also new as of tonight and the name was created by the A1. Last game we worked there was a huge (and LONG) argument between one of the coaches and a ref... most of their discussion was in the perfectly wrong spot for audio and we couldn't hear a thing. So for experimental purposes, we put a "snoop mic" (one of the tiny mics) on the side of a table... just in case we had another heated discussion.

The total? 12 mics. Not to mention, the entire booth that I have to set up (where the commentators sit and communicate with the people in the truck). So yes, I work my tail off before the game and thus don't really feel bad for some down time during the game. :P Okay this entry is already far too long because I felt the random need to explain all the mics I placed tonight. The end.

I'd Rather Work, Thanks

2010-11-16T11:17:00.000-08:00

Well in a matter of hours, I went from having zero hours of work this week to almost 40! Tomorrow is only 5 hours ("Fresh Take" - a BYU TV show), but Thursday is 10 (BYU game), Friday is 13 (Utah's high school football state championships - one game after another), and Saturday is another 10 (another BYU game). So that's almost 40 hours! Sweet!

And aside from the hour drive up to SLC, I am so excited for Friday because I am finally working CAMERA at a sports event! For those of you who don't know, even though I am predominantly an audio person, I much prefer camera positions to audio with regard to sports events. They are WAY more fun.

Thanks to my friend Aaron who told me that KJZZ still does cover games and that it's just a different guy who crews. Lucky for me, I actually knew the guy already (from a year or two ago when I worked games for KJZZ quite frequently) and even luckier - he remembered me. Yay!

He actually called to crew me for a game last Friday, but I was scheduled for work for BYUB so I said no... about 2 hours later, BYUB called to inform me that the shoot had been canceled. But by then, the position for the football game had been filled with someone else and I was left with zero work. BOO! For those of you on facebook, that's what my status was about last week. haha.

I guess that's all I really have to say right now. Without work, my days are pretty boring (and annoying and restless and frustrating, etc). But maybe we'll have some good stories later in the week. :)

Primary Programs

2010-11-14T16:02:00.000-08:00

Well... most of you probably don't know that about 5 minutes after we moved into this ward, Eric and I were called to be Primary teachers (5-6 year old class). Joy. I have been EXTREMELY frustrated with the calling because we were brand new to the ward and before I even had a chance to get to know anyone, I was sucked into Primary where I get to see only a small handful of adults in the ward (but don't even really get to converse with them because we're all busy trying to keep our classes under control) and no one else, really. Even my visiting teaching companion is in Primary.

And oh-so-lucky for us, the Primary Program was right around the corner when we were called. I hadn't seen one in 6 years, and hadn't been a *part* of one in... 13. It has definitely been an adjustment being in Primary again. With the exception of a few songs, I hadn't sung any of the primary songs since I was actually IN primary, so most of the songs they have been singing have been completely foreign to me. But the teachers were given a piece of paper with the words to all the songs - thank goodness.

This week was the first week I didn't absolutely hate it. I still don't love it by any means. It has probably been the most difficult calling I have ever had, but at least it's getting better. We have a huge class (as far as primary goes) and all but one (there are 7-8 total) are pretty manageable. There is one girl though who has a slight mental disability and at times cannot be controlled at ALL.

For example: the very first week I was in primary, this little girl sits next to me. She gives me a sweet smile and tells me her name and I think to myself, "aww she's cute." But then out of nowhere she immediately pulls a Jekyll and Hyde thing because she then promptly yanks my arm, starts pulling my fingers as far apart as she possibly can (to the point of pain for me) and once I finally manage to get her iron grip off of my fingers, she immediately latches onto my dangling earring and starts pulling. With great difficulty, I get her hand away from my earring, but not in time to keep her other hand from taking the first hand's place. Struggle number 2 ensues and luckily, I am able to get both hands off and successfully away before she rips the earring right through my ear... but barely. And that, ladies and gentlemen... was my introduction to Primary.

Anyway, the primary program went great, everyone loved it, and now it is over - thank goodness. Now, as long as I can survive Jekyll and Hyde girl, I'll be in good shape!

Cabins, Ribs, and Pool

2010-11-07T21:30:00.000-08:00

I have very little "immediate" family in Utah (PS, to me 'immediate' includes aunts and uncles) - but I have a *ton* of super extended family (great uncles, second cousins, cousins-once-removed, etc) out here. Unfortunately, I don't know most of them very well. However, I do know one great uncle and aunt very well - Roger and Teresa. They are so much fun!

When I used to work in SLC a lot, I would stop by their place on my way there or back, during lunch, and/or occasionally crash on their couch if we didn't get done until 4 or 5 in the morning (yeah, film hours can suck). I always love spending time with them. Before I got married, Roger kept joking that it wouldn't be official until he got to meet (and grill) Eric. :P

Unfortunately, Eric and I never quite made it to their house for dinner this past summer. :/ But I promised we'd still do dinner sometime and we finally got a time/day set up and went up to their cabin today! We had some of the most delicious ribs I have ever had, homemade fries, garlic bread, etc. Afterward, we chatted for quite some time and then played 3 intense games of pool.

The sunset there was beautiful!

Okay, they weren't really 'intense'. None of us are really that good. Eric said that he used to be pretty good at pool, but it had been years. However, I am proud to say that in my first 3 games of pool, I didn't do too bad! I may not have always hit the balls in, but I sure as heck hit a ball almost every time! (and yes, I did hit several in in the process). I actually want to play pool again sometime soon! Apparently I was doing pretty well for my first game!

Well, this is a short entry - just working on keeping the blog up to date this time around. :)

The Snickerdoodle Experiment

2010-11-06T20:30:00.000-07:00

I'm told that sugar can actually become more or less addictive, depending on how often you are accustomed to having it. I have never been big on sweets - I used to eat 3 Skittles and feel like I'd already had too much sugar. However, like I said in the last entry, ever since I decided to test out this little-to-no-sugar thing, all I have wanted is sugar!

It's weird how you don't think you are 'addicted' or in love with something until you consciously deprive yourself of it. Suddenly, it's all you think about. I am still surprised at my own reaction, but I am now realizing just how much sugar I had every day. Not necessarily in candies and cookies, but in everyday foods. (I promise I'm getting to the Snickerdoodle part!!)

I had at least one serving of milk every morning with my cereal (12g of sugar), raisins and peanuts for snacks (raisins are healthy yes, but also FULL of sugars) a sandwich, a yogurt, and some Wheat Thins for lunch (4-6g in each piece of bread, 27g in each container of yogurt, and 4g in each handful of Wheat Thins), random odds and ends between lunch and dinner (5-10g probably), and dinner was always different, so we'll just say 10g for whatever was in an average dinner. That alone is roughly 75g ... not including if I so happened to have a dessert that night (by the way, even Jell-O has roughly 80g of sugar per package)!

Okay, enough rambling. On to the Snickerdoodles. As many of you know, I absolutely LOVE Snickerdoodles. I may not be a huge sweets person, but oh how I love me some good 'ol home baked Snickerdoodles!! But of course, cookies are a no-no on ANY "diet" or "healthy eating" system. Soooo... I thought I'd try an experiment with my new-found ingredients to healthier eating. I bought a bag of Xylitol when I was at Good Earth and the label said to switch it over gradually... to basically let your body get used to having that instead of sugar. So, I half-and-halfed it -- half real sugar, half Xylitol. I also am not a huge butter person, so whatever any recipe calls for, I only put in about 75%. (and nobody has ever been able to tell a difference!)

I continued with the rest of the recipe as usual, but when it came to rolling the dough into a cinnamon-sugar blend, I thought I'd experiment a little more and make a Xylitol-cinnamon blend instead. I rolled the first 9 in that blend and baked them as usual. However, I almost burned them because they still looked doughy all over - and even *felt* doughy. But they were getting rather brown (not quite burned) so I took them out. It was the weirdest texture I had ever felt on a cookie.

I let them cool and tried one. I can't fully describe the texture... my husband just said it almost felt like bread, and that it tasted kind of like a sugar-y bread. Crap. So, xylitol and cinnamon...? Not working so well. But I thought, "Okay, well let's try mixing the dough in the regular sugar-cinnamon mix. I baked 6 of those, let them cool, and Eric and I both tried one. They tasted great! Since I am not as sensitive to tastes, I asked Eric his opinion and he said "it tastes just like a normal cookie this time." Fantastic!

But of course, I got more curious with it because the whole point is to *remove* as much sugar as possible, and the only way they tasted normal was to use regular sugar on the top. I mixed two with just straight up cinnamon, put one without anything, one more xylitol one just for kicks, and two more regulars because Eric and I wanted another good-tasting cookie.

We tried the cinnamon ones and they tasted okay, but almost kind of ... dusty. I guess cinnamon will do that to ya if you leave it straight! I was surprised at how good the plain ones tasted. They really weren't that much different from traditional snickerdoodles. And the poor xylitol one still had the weird almost bread-like texture to it.

The final results:
*1/2 xylitol / 1/2 sugar for basic recipe: SUCCESS
*Xylitol/cinnamon mixture for outside: FAIL
*Straight cinnamon: Meh
*Plain cooked dough: SUCCESS

I'm having fun with these little cooking experiments (if you couldn't tell).

(PS the picture of the cookies from top to bottom: cinnamon, sugar-cinnamon, plain, xylitol-cinnamon)

Parker's Old-Fashioned Pancakes

2010-11-05T20:03:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I finally have all (well, most) of the ingredients needed for a good deal of the recipes in the Belly Fat Cure book. Since I have decided to drastically cut sugar from my everyday lifestyle, I have never been craving sugar-y foods more than now. That being said, I decided to try a pancake recipe today that involves absolutely ZERO sugar - syrup included. The ingredients are as follows:

2 1/3 cups Arrowhead Mills Organic Soy Flour
2 Tbsp. plus 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. xylitol
1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1 1/3 cups half-and-half
1/3 cup Almond Breeze Vanilla Unsweetened Almond Milk
2/3 cup water
4 Tbsp. melted butter

However... when I went to Good Earth yesterday and took a look at soy flour prices, I said "to heck with that!" I had the choice of regular 'ol white flour or wheat flour. I thought, "Well... I could at least see how the wheat tastes..." Also, I didn't half any half-and-half so I substituted it for evaporated milk. Also, I used sea salt as opposed to regular salt, and unsalted butter.

That being said, I mixed it all together - dry and wet separate and then poured the wet mix into the dry mix. I halfed the recipe because it's just the two of us and it says that it serves 4 people and I didn't want an abundance of pancakes. Just to let you know, cutting this recipe in half made us 10-12 pancakes.

The pancakes cooked just fine, and Eric and I were so hungry that we couldn't wait for them all, so we split the first one and just ate it plain. We were both incredibly surprised at how good they tasted! Since we weren't yet ready to sit down and eat them on a plate with a fork and knife, I thought we might as well pull out the new Nature's Hollow Raspberry Jam that I got yesterday (jam with ZERO sugar!! - it is sweetened with xylitol). Ooh that jam on the pancake was heaven.

We finally finished cooked all the pancakes and sat down to eat them like normal. I tried my new "Joseph's Maltitol Syrup" with it and it tasted exactly like syrup - but with no sugar! Yes, the pancakes were delicious. I actually couldn't decide if I preferred it with the jam or the syrup... so I had one of each. I am definitely marking this one as a success.

Parker's Old-Fashioned Pancakes: SUCCESS

Back in the Habit

2010-11-04T20:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess I didn't realize how many people actually followed my blog until I went several months without writing anything. So many times I have thought about starting it back up, but it seemed like I was never going to catch up... SO... though I know many of you are dying to hear the "how we met" story, that is not this post. However, I promise you that by December I will post it - be on the lookout. :)

That being said, a LOT has happened since May. The day after my last post was my 24th birthday. 8 days later I went to Tucanos with my friend Tara where we met Eric, our waiter. Three months - to the day - later, Eric and I were married in the Washington D.C. Temple. Yes, I am leaving out a GREAT deal of information that makes that story even plausible. Like I said, be on the lookout. ;)

Eric and I now live in north Orem just a few blocks away from his parents' house. I'm still freelancing but working predominantly for BYU Broadcasting again (worked for them the entire time I was in school). They sent me on a crazy week-long chase from Utah to Florida to New Jersey, to California, and finally back to Utah. A week later I was on another trip to New York City. A week after that I was scheduled to film for a week in Dallas, but unfortunately, the funding was cut. It has always been one of my "dreams" to get paid to travel and work all over the place so it was a blast to say "I'm working in NYC right now." Paid hotel, per diem, nights off (mostly)... it was awesome. I have now been to three major U.S. cities within just a few months of each other. (worked a gig in L.A. earlier this year, went to D.C. to get married, and NYC to work. YEAH!) Not sure when that will happen again!

My mother-in-law introduced me to this awesome book called "The Belly Fat Cure." It's this awesome "healthy eating" type of book that talks about why people can't seem to lose their belly fat no matter what they do. That has been my problem for YEARS - no matter how healthy I eat, how much I exercise, etc., I still can't seem to get rid of that annoying bit of belly fat. This book talks about how "sugarized" (yes, I just made that up) America has become and that practically EVERYTHING has sugar in it!

Before I actually bought the book, I started checking food labels just out of curiosity. Did you know that even hot dogs have sugar in them? What killed me though was milk!! There are 12-14 grams of sugar in every serving of milk!! He recommends less than 15 grams of sugar a DAY. One serving of milk and you are done for!

I finally got the book about a week ago and was able to go shopping yesterday for all of these 'new' ingredients. Things such as Almond Milk (unsweetened), Xylitol, Maltitol, Stevia, Nature's Hollow jam, sugar-free ketchup, etc. There is even a brand of soda that has no sugar in it - Zevia.

Oh PS - most "sugar-free" stuff is actually worse for you than straight up sugar. Don't eat things with stuff like Aspartame (Nutrasweet), Sucralose (Splenda), Saccharin (Sweet'N Low), etc. Luckily, I have avoided aspartame like the plague because my mom is allergic and she and I are so similar that I didn't want to risk it so I've never in my life had a diet soda. (Yes, most diet drinks are sweetened with aspartame. The side effects? "...it can cause imbalances in your brain; aggravate migraines; and affect your nervous system, your moods, and even your quality of sleep." (from the Belly Fat Cure book)

I told this to my sister Rachel, who once drank 1-2 diet sodas a day. She had been complaining for ages that she got massive headaches a lot, had difficulty sleeping, and her moods were all over the place. She decided to stop drinking diet sodas (and thus, aspartame) and after 2 or 3 weeks of doing that she said she feels SO much better - just by cutting out diet sodas. Yes, diet sodas = bad.

Anyway, this book contains tons of different recipes for eating healthy carbs and little to no sugar. I've decided to include each recipe I try, how it tastes, how Eric likes it (gotta have a non-biased one too!), the difficulty level, and whether or not I recommend it. Sooo the next entry will be on my first recipe I use from the book. Enjoy! :)

Long, Long Time

2010-05-12T14:44:00.000-07:00

Wow, I have been severely lacking in the blog-posting area. Sorry about that. I guess life hasn't been exciting enough to write about...? Okay no that's a lie. Life is always exciting! Perhaps it has been TOO exciting...! :P

Well, the first two weeks of April I was working on a film called Snow Beast. Then I somehow ended up planning this absolutely MASSIVE party that ended up being at my house on April 30th (it was supposed to be outside at the park, but stupid weather forced a location change). Once upon a time, I had on my bucket list that I wanted to host a successful party of 100+ people or more... yeah, after that party I'm calling that one good. I don't know how many people total came, but it was crammed. I'd say at least 60 or 70. But I didn't really get to enjoy the party at all because I was constantly running around trying to fix things that had gone wrong (ie Rockband wasn't working, the live music area had some glitches, needed a new cable, etc; projector wouldn't hook up to the cable). *However*, despite all of that, I am still glad that I put it on.

The whole idea of having this party was to get the four 'older' wards in my stake to socialize a bit more. I feel like a lot of people in these wards have a harder time branching out and getting to know people if they are not at a ward activity, etc. So with the help of others in the neighboring wards, word went out and it was a success. I even had a friend come up and tell me later, "your party = huge success. Someone asked for my number and we're going out next week!" Well, that was the whole idea of the party, so I'm glad it worked!! :)

Aside from that... I worked on 127 Hours for two days, but that was it. I have high hopes for that movie. It will definitely be rated R (I mean hey, they film - in detail - the arm cut off. It's based on a true story - of the hiker in Utah who cut his arm off to survive) but I could see it getting lots of awards.

My birthday is tomorrow! Yay, I'm excited. Although, somehow 24 seems so much older than 23. 22 to 23 wasn't that bad, but 24 sounds like a bigger jump. Yeah yeah, I know - I'm still young and blah blah. 24 will be a good year. :)

Oh, and a random funny story from yesterday. So, this week I have been TRYING to get to sleep at a decent hour (ie sometime between midnight and 1) and each night something has come up and I have failed miserably. Last night was just so funny I swear it had to have been timed to happen like this. Around 12:30 or so, I was still talking with a friend and finally said that I really ought to get some sleep. We said goodnight and RIGHT as that conversation ended, another friend of mine messaged me. This friend needed advice on a few things, and it turned into a super long (but good) conversation. But it was past 2:30 and I finally said that I really should hit the sack. Agreed. But no joke, less than a minute after that was said, and AS I was reaching to click "go offline", another friend messaged me! Luckily, that conversation didn't last too long and I was in bed by 3... yeah, 2+ hours past my goal. Fail. Tonight will be better... I hope!

Snow Beast

2010-04-09T21:52:00.001-07:00

Well, I started writing this on April 9th, thinking I'd actually have enough time to write a full entry. Apparently I was wrong. haha. But here's at least part of it since I wrote absolutely zero about the film.
----------
So, sometimes I'm really good at posting regularly while filming... and other times? Not so much. This has been one of those not-so-much ones. Almost the entire first week was spent on top of a mountain (Aspen Grove area) in the middle of a blizzard. By the way, this was all outside. The first day was fine (wasn't snowing) and so I thought I would do just fine with the gloves and boots that I had. Boy was I wrong! Day 2 was a full on blizzard and by the end of the day, I seriously was worried about frostbite. My fingers were so cold that they hurt... and I couldn't feel them. Yet somehow they still hurt. I don't know how to explain that.

As soon as we wrapped that night, I texted Doug and Joe to see if I could borrow their massive snow boots that they let me borrow during "Frozen" last year. They're currently filming 127 Hours in SLC and I had no idea when they wrapped, but I didn't care - I would come pick up the boots at any hour. I wanted to maintain feeling in my toes the rest of the week! Joe called me when they had time (in between takes, etc) and Doug gave me instructions as to how to acquire his snow boots at his storage unit.

Day 3 was amazing. I had snow boots from Doug, snow pants from Brittany (one of our producers), gloves from Stan (in my FHE group), and winter attire from my own wardrobe. I was ready to take on anything! Of course, it didn't dump snow on us this time, but I was plenty okay with that!

Hare Krishna: Festival of Colors

2010-03-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest events in Utah during the month of March is the Hare Krishna Festival of Colors. At the Hare Krishna temple thousands of people gather to join in the celebration/welcoming of spring by throwing bags of color in the air (more or less, powdered chalk). In the past few years, it has become SO popular that this year is the first year that they actually split it into two separate 'sessions.' And even then, I still feel like the session that I went to was JUST as crowded as last year - if not more.

I went for the first time last year (pictured to the left), but was not nearly as prepared for it. I had a dark blue shirt on, went with only one other person, and we only had two bags to throw. I have since corrected the errors of my ways this year and wore a light-colored shirt (I still don't own any white shirts - weird, huh?), went with a group of 10-15, and we all had at least 1-2 bags each! Oh it was such a blast. I got completely COVERED in color this year!

For those of you unfamiliar with this ritual, if you want to know more, go here. If you're ever in Utah the last week in March, I HIGHLY recommend checking out the Festival of Colors!!! :)

Anyway, here are some pictures from this year!! :) (PS, sadly, I took none of these. A girl in my ward did)

Stickies and a Film

2010-03-26T11:52:00.000-07:00

Man o man I have not done a good job at keeping up very well lately. In my defense, my computer is still dead. Thus, it makes it much harder to write when the computer I have will - without warning - turn off and anything unsaved (ie a blog entry) is immediately lost. PS, my computer is officially dead and I am quite sad about it. Well, dead but it can be repaired. I need a new hard drive - but I won't have any money until this film starts (I'll get to that). Sooo... I guess it's a few more weeks of using my 6-year-old computer! :P

Let's see... another quick update since the last time I posted:

--I came up with a great idea that works pretty well for me. I always have this problem of wanting to get all this stuff done, but never actually getting it done. Usually, it's because even if I make a list, I rarely see it. SO... I came up with the sticky-note idea. The walls in my room are pretty empty (normally, I don't go through the effort of decorating because I tend to move to a new place every 6-8 months), so I decided to plaster one wall with something: sticky notes! Any time I think of something that I want to get done, I slap a sticky note on there with the 'task' written on it. Once I complete it, I take the sticky note off. It's right by my bed and the markers are right there too, so that way even if I'm trying to fall asleep and think of something that I need to do, I can easily write on one of the stickies real fast (I have blank stickies on the wall, too). Anyway, it has worked pretty well so far. I highly recommend it. :)

--I caught up with a bunch of old friends, and made friends with a bunch of random people. Every week at Institute now, I make it a point to sit next to people I've never met before. It's way more fun that way because hey, I already know the people in my ward - why not broaden my horizons when given the chance at a stake function? :P

--I went to this party last week and started talking with this guy... only to discover that he was my friend's little brother (21). haha!

---------------------------------------------

Now the biggest piece of news: the FILM. I was playing volleyball last Saturday when I got a phone call. I think his name was Andrew and he told me they were looking for a boom for this sci-fi movie they're shooting in a week or so. The best part though is that this is a direct result of my unexplainable ability of "right time, right place" syndrome. haha.

A couple of weeks ago I was on the set of Den Brother (TV Disney movie that was being filmed in SLC) to talk with Doug (the mixer I frequently work with) and Joe (the boom I frequently work with). However, the day that I decided to come, another local mixer showed up as well. He and Doug are both mixing this film "127 Hours" right now and they needed to have a lil pow-wow about what all was going to go down the following week (Week 1 of 127 Hours). But a lot of the time Doug and Joe were actually working because hey, they WERE filming that day. So in the down time, Steve (the other mixer) and I had a lot of time to chat.

Though we have never actually worked together, both knew of the other through the grapevine and the most recent thing he had heard about me was to do with Hatchet (the slasher movie I quit in January). He said, "So... I hear you worked with Bobby for about two days..." At first, I thought "oh great... I blacklisted myself from Utah people too..." I hesitantly said, "Yeah... that was me..." But to my surprise, Steve's reaction was quite the opposite from what I expected! Not in these words, but he basically said "that must have been a tough decision, but good for you sticking up for yourself and your standards." Wow! Really? Cool!

Turns out, Steve is one of the oddities in this business who is actually still active LDS. He told me about a time where he signed on to work this film but after looking at the script realized he couldn't in good conscience work on this film because it was the exact type of film he tells his kids not to watch. So before it started, he respectfully declined and they used someone else for that film.

Anyway, apparently I made a good impression on him because HE was the one who recommended me to this producer! Andrew told me that he got my name from Steve and that they were looking for a boom operator, etc. Wow! I have still never actually worked with Steve and he's already tossing my name out there. Guess I made a good impression on him! It was funny too because a few days later when I went to the production office to talk with the director about the 411 of this film, the first thing he asked was "so you've worked with Steve a lot then?" haha well...

I told him, "Actually, I haven't. But I have worked with Doug a lot and I know Steve through Doug." I guess that was good enough for the director. haha. Oh and the day rate is actually decent this time. Finally!! So I start on March 30th and wrap on April 13th. At least, that is the tentative schedule. The only thing that worries me is HOW low-budget this thing is. They may be paying me a decent rate, but the rest of the production sounds really low-budget. I'm honestly kind of worried as to how it will all pan out.

Oh, but one parting thing for those of you who know who he is and would appreciate it, John Schneider is the lead in this film and I'm kind of excited about that because he seems like such a nice guy. Just FYI, he was the dad in Smallville, and played "Bo Duke" in the 80s Dukes of Hazzard. So starting Tuesday, I will TRY to keep you all a tad more updated now that I have something to actually update on. :)

Back That Thing Up

2010-03-11T14:46:00.000-08:00

Well so much for planning to post every day in March! My computer had other thoughts on that one, I guess! On Tuesday, it started acting up. It froze on me a few times and I thought maybe it just needed 'a day of rest.' So I turned it off and didn't really use it that day. Wednesday, I turned it on and it seemed to be working fine again... or so I thought. It started getting incredibly slow, and froze on me again! This repeated 2 more times before I decided to put it away for the time being.

Now, luckily I have been paranoid about my computer crashing since 2004. My freshman year my old PC pulled the "blue screen of death" on me and I thought I had lost everything. Mind you, I write my journal on my computer (and have now for 6-7 years) and at that point in time, I had no external source on which the entries were saved. When my uncle pronounced that computer dead, I thought I was done for. But miraculously, it came back to life and I was able to retrieve my data. But ever since then, it has left me uber paranoid that something could go wrong with a computer at any moment.

So now, I back up my files every month or two. As for my journal, I send myself the attached file nightly - as soon as I finish the entry. And all of my journals are on some attachment saved in a special folder in my email. My pictures are also in several places and because I back it up once every month or two, I always have *almost* all of my pictures. Same goes for the music. Those are the three most important things on my computer.

Now, back to Wednesday. I have a few 'computer nerd' friends who work with computers for a living, so I asked one of them about it and he told me he knew who could help. I was told that I probably needed to defrag and that would most likely fix the majority of my problems. So we started defragging it... but alas, the computer froze in the middle of what it was doing. Ultimately, the computer was turned off... and has not booted since.

You may wonder how I am writing this right now if my computer is still in a coma. Lucky for me, because I am such a big packrat, I have my 6-year-old PC still here with me today. Broken power source, missing keys, chipped edges, stained casing, slow-running, louder-than-a-hair-dryer, and all. I have never appreciated my Mac so much in my life.

Anyway, so my Mac was dead. It wouldn't boot. Now this is doubly problematic because (1) it is still very much a PC world (and thus most are unfamiliar with the dymanics of a Mac), and (2) Macs aren't supposed to die, so when they do... most people don't know what to do to fix it. I broke my 'facebook fast' for a day in order to post on my status that I was in desperate need of some computer help. Thank goodness for facebook - I had a friend over here within a few hours.

My uncle told me how to get to a command prompt screen and with that, Steve (the computer whiz friend) was able to start accessing my stuff. Luckily, because I back my stuff up on a regular basis, I was not stressed about losing my stuff because even if it was pronounced 'dead', I had my most important files. However, he discovered that he could mount an external drive, access certain files and folders and transfer them onto my external drive while in the command prompt setting. Awesome. So he set that up and we went our separate ways. It is still yet to be fully fixed (he's coming back again sometime today) but it will be back to normal within a day or two.

I am coming back a few hours later to finish this post and I just want to reiterate how incredibly grateful I am for my Mac!! Though it is awaiting some serious surgery, it'll pull through and will be up and running in no time. And this old PC is reminding me more and more how lucky I am to have the other computer!

Basically, this entry is to remind all of you to BACK YOUR STUFF UP. You never know when your computer will just go kaput without a moment's notice. Hopefully you won't lose any important documents in the shuffle!

Exercise: You Don't Have Time Not To

2010-03-08T20:59:00.000-08:00

I have decided that Provo is in fact the most "exercise-conscious" city in the country. It is not Los Angeles, nor is it New York. It is Provo, Utah. Never in my life have I seen so many runners outside (AND in the gym) as I have in Provo/Orem.

I was curious to the actual number I see on a typical drive, so as I was driving to the gym today I decided to count the number of runners I saw. My 4:30pm drive TO the gym consisted of 17 people. Seeing as how my drive is only about a 7-minute drive to begin with, I thought that 17 was quite a bit!

I got to the gym (the massive one in Orem) and like always, about 90% of the cardio-related machines were in use (there are easily 50 if not 75 or more machines there). Luckily, I went for Zumba, which requires no machine. Afterward, I did weights in the "Women Only" room where there were a good 10 or more women in there lifting weights as well. There was even a pregnant woman in the weight room! Also, the weight machines in the 'open area' were about 40% in use; I counted 6 people swimming laps in the pool and there were a bunch in the basketball/racquetball rooms, too.

I left the gym and began my 7-minute drive home. By this time, it was just after 6 and I was curious to see how many people I could spot running this time. To my surprise, I counted 23. ...and I thought 17 was a lot. And just like in the weight room, I even saw a pregnant woman running. Only in Provo, right?

I went to the smaller gym (in Provo) on Saturday morning and have discovered that it is apparently the place to be on a Saturday morning. I have never seen that gym so crowded! Just about every machine was in use, and the cardio machine that I usually use only had one open one left! Luckily, I claimed that one. :)

I have run into more people I know while at the gym than any other place in Provo (aside from campus when I was actually a student). Almost every time I have gone to the Provo Gold's, I bump into at least one person I know. I guess we are all 'staying fit' together. hah.

So take that L.A. and New York. I have FOUR Gold's Gyms to choose from - all less than 10 miles from my house - and SAFE sidewalks to run on if I so choose!

Moral Obligation

2010-03-07T22:31:00.000-08:00

The Academy Awards were on tonight. Because of this, I had my computer out the whole time, with imdb open... just in case I wanted to look anything up. That somehow landed me on the main page for the disturbing film I worked a whole two days on. I think it was during that "horror montage" they had tonight, and something about it made me curious. I think I saw someone I recognized from that film. Anyway, I found myself on the imdb page and saw an interesting "trivia" thing listed, so I proceeded to click and look at the other random trivia they already had for it, seeing as it was only filmed a month and a half ago.

Most of the trivia dealt with pointless facts about the film, but then I saw the second to last 'fact.' I had to re-read it to make sure I had really read what I thought I'd just read. Yep, I really had. I had made it onto the trivia page. At first, I wasn't sure if that made me angry or happy. I mean, my name wasn't included, but I knew darn well that it was about me. But after about 5 seconds of "freak-out", I loved it. And this is why:

"It was reported on the horror websites that a crew member quit on day 2 due to "moral reasons" with what was taking place within the scenes."

Haha I love it. Yep, that's me! Yes, I was definitely 'morally opposed' to this film! It was so bad! And like I stated in earlier entries, it's not like it was an easy decision. I definitely needed the money (it would have brought me 4-5 grand). And I loved the crew! But man that subject matter... I can deal with most gore on sets because it is so fake when you're filming. I mean hey, you see the tube attached to the back of the guy's head and you see the effects guy waiting for the director to call 'action!' so he can press the button that will shoot out the fake blood. It's actually kind of cool...!

But the sex scenes were what did it for me. Day One and we're already filming those? Oh no way no how. And if I were any other part of crew, I could probably work around it because most crew members aren't actually ON set when filming stuff like that. So were I not in sound, I could totally disappear for those scenes. However, it is the exact opposite when you are the boom operator. You are in fact the ONLY crew member in the room with the actors during scenes like that... and it's days like those when booming suddenly becomes the worst job in the world.

Oh and this was another trivia: "[The set] was plagued with accidents, injuries, trips to the hospital, and a swine flu epidemic that took out almost half of the personnel on set." Sounds lovely... I think I'm glad I left when I did! May I remind you that this is the same film where I stepped on a nail and ended up at the hospital that night? Yeah, that trivia can technically include me as well, since I had to spend the better half of my evening that night being treated and x-rayed! (It took nearly 3 weeks to be able to walk fully normal again) Now it makes me curious what else happened after I left!

Anyway, in the end, that first trivia made me happy to see. Yes that was me, and I am proud OF it! Just because I work in film doesn't mean that I have to drop down to their level. If that confines me to TV Disney movies and the likes for the rest of my life, so be it. I love me some ultimate cheese. :)

Murder Mystery Dinner

2010-03-06T22:59:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, my friend Jess and I were talking about how neither of us had ever done a murder mystery dinner and decided that we should do one. We looked it up online, found one that sounded rather entertaining, ordered it, and got a group of 8 together to do it. Tonight was the 'big night' and everyone came over to my place. Our theme was old western, so we all had to dress the part. The names alone were hilarious. They were as follows:

Butch Chastity
P'Elvis Swagarin
Helena Handcart
Chief Breaking Wind
Elvira-Lynn Fekshin
Wyatt Hertz
Dee Adela Muerte
Elias Truis-Heath

It ended up being a lot more risque than we thought it was, but honestly, I thought it added that much more to it when we discovered 'frightening secrets' of our characters' hidden pasts! Just about every character had a secret lover that was made known at some point during the game and the reactions were great. Anyway, I highly recommend doing and/or hosting a murder mystery dinner. We already want to do another one. Below are some pictures:

(Oh and by the way, I was "Butch Chastity" and was the only girl who got to wear jeans! Yeah! Believe me, I had fun with this one. I LOVE (and collect) knives, so I was packing six knives in various places, a fake gun, and a whip my friend let me borrow. It was awesome to have an excuse to wear all of this stuff!)

Alice in Wonderland

2010-03-05T14:53:00.000-08:00

I think I can take another 10-year break from Alice and Wonderland after yesterday! haha. I'll admit, Alice in Wonderland was never one of my favorite Disney movies. It's a little out there, and doesn't really make sense. I honestly don't think I've seen the Disney version in 10 years or more. But last week a friend in the ward called me and asked me if I'd help host her birthday party - Alice in Wonderland themed. Hey, I'm always up for helping plan a party. I thought it was funny when I found out she wanted to have the party at my place, even though it was technically going to be her party. But I love coming up with crazy ideas, and it was actually easier to have it at my place, so I was all for it.

She bought 4 decks of dollar store cards and I hole punched about two decks and strung them up everywhere. We still have cards hanging all over our house. The other two decks are splattered on various walls, windows, and doors throughout our main floor. We also still had a bunch of red hearts still up from our big Valentine's Day party and since we have the whole "Queen of Hearts" thing in Alice in Wonderland, we just left it all up. Why not reuse them? :P I also wrote about 12 signs saying "THIS WAY" and "THAT WAY" pointing both left and right, and posted them all over. We made all sorts of goodies and labeled them "EAT ME" and bought mini water bottles, put food coloring in them, labeled them "DRINK ME," and distributed them all over the living room and kitchen. I know this is bad, but I couldn't resist - I put one of the yellow colored "DRINK ME" bottles in the bathroom. hehe.

We also had various shapes and sizes of teacups and had a bunch of herbal tea and hot chocolate for people to choose from. We hid two "Queen of Hearts" cards just for fun, but everyone ended up getting really into it! They were looking all over the place for the two cards! Eventually, both were found and the two who found the cards had a duel in Alice in Wonderland trivia for the 'grand prize.' It was actually quite entertaining. We also had in attendance our very own Alice, the Queen of Hearts, and the Mad Hatter. Below are pictures.

At about 10 o'clock, my friend called to see if I was going to see the midnight showing of the new Alice in Wonderland with the group from my ward. I really wanted to (I LOVE midnight showings), but I'm trying as hard as I can to say "NO" to anything that costs right now - I am beyond broke. She then proceeded to inform me that her brother (whom I have already met) had an extra ticket that I could have if I wanted it. Seriously? I am so there! So I left around 11:30 to meet up with this other group, and watched the midnight showing! Woohoo!

All things considered, it wasn't that bad! I mean, this is Tim Burton we are talking about... he is always bound to be rather "off his rocker"; but this is Alice and Wonderland after all. What better story for Tim Burton to re-create? My favorite character by far was the Mad Hatter. I know it may sound cliche, but Johnny Depp really is an amazing actor. Who else could go from Edward Scissorhands to Gilbert Grape, to Ichabod Crane (Sleepy Hollow), to Jack Sparrow, to James Barrie, to Willy Wonka, to Sweeney Todd, and now the Mad Hatter? ... he is definitely not a typecast actor. Although, I found it rather amusing to see bits of Jack Sparrow and Willy Wonka come out of the Mad Hatter!

Anyway, it's definitely worth seeing at least once. I found it much more enjoyable than the 1951 Disney version. And maybe it was just me, but I laughed a lot in it...

Brick by Brick / Terrified

2010-03-04T13:04:00.000-08:00

About every week or two, I find a new song that I just want to listen to over and over on repeat. Last week it was Jason Reeves/Kara DioGuardi's song "Terrified." Luckily, my roommate shared the same liking for that song, so we just listened to it on repeat for over an hour while chatting.

Yesterday I was in Borders just perusing the shelves, trying to figure out how to spend my $25 gift card I got for Christmas when this new song came on. I had never heard it before, but I instantly loved it. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing the 'now playing' song. So... I pulled out my phone and wrote a 'note' to myself with part of the lyrics from the chorus of the song so I could look it up later (this is a frequent occurrence for me). I came home to discover that it was actually a song by Train! Train usually has a very distinct sound, but for some reason it sounded different when I was at Border's. I downloaded Train's newest album, "Save Me, San Fransisco", and I love it. Brick by Brick is still my favorite track, but really, the whole album is awesome.

Anyway, when I find songs I love this much, I want everyone to love them as much as I do! So, I am posting both "Terrified" and "Brick by Brick" on here for you to enjoy as well. :) The lyrics and links are below. :)

"Terrified" (as sung by Katharine McPhee)
You by the light
Is the greatest find
In a world full wrong you're the thing that's right
Finally made it through the lonely to the other side

You said it again my heart's in motion
Every word feels like a shooting star
I'm at the edge of my emotions
Watching the shadows burning in the dark,
And I'm in love and I'm terrified.
For the first time in the last time
In my only life.

This could be good
It's already better than last
And love is worse than knowing
You're holding back
I could be all that you needed
If you let me try

You said it again my hearts in motion
Every word feels like a shooting start
I'm at the edge of my emotions
Watching the shadows burning in the dark
And I'm in love and I'm terrified
For the first time in the last time
in my only

I only said it cause i mean it
I only mean cause it's true
So don't you doubt what i've been dreaming
Cause it fills me up and holds me close
Whenever i'm without you

You said it again my hearts in motion
Every word feels like a shooting star
Watching the shadows burning in the dark
And I'm in love and I'm terrified
For the first time in the last time
In my only life

"Brick by Brick"
The dust has finally settled down
The sun is shining on these pieces that are scattered all around
This house was everything we knew
Its where we kept our love and
every single memory of me and you
Every letter, every note, every dress you never wore under your coat
Thrown away
Brick by brick, we can build it from the floor
If we hold onto each other, we'll be better than before.
And brick by brick,
we will get back to yesterday
When I made your body shiver and
when you took my breath away,
you took my breath away.

The sky has made it back to blue,
everything that's left is telling us the worst of it is through.
Home has never felt so right, there's nothing in the way.
There's nothing in between us
knowing where we're going is inside.
Every letter that I wrote,
every dress you never wore under your coat
Thrown away
Brick by brick, we can build it from the floor
If we hold on to each other,
we'll be better than before.
And brick by brick,
we'll get back to yesterday.
When I made your body shiver
and when you took my breath away.

All the pictures that we've taken
and the songs that we have played
They have all kept track and
followed back the love that we have made.
Now they're spread out on the
surface where we can try to congregate
It's not too late to believe that we can get it all again
Brick by brick, we can build it from the floor,
If we hold onto each other,
we'll be better than before.
And brick by brick,
we'll get back to yesterday
When I made your body shiver and
when you took my breath away,
you took my breath away.
Brick by brick
We'll get back to yesterday,
when I made your body shiver and
when you took my breath away,
you took my breath away.

Learning Through Life's Trials

2010-03-03T13:49:00.000-08:00

So the other day in FHE we were talking about the Ensign article “Learning Through Life’s Trials.” Normally our lessons are more or less ‘short and sweet’, but we actually talked about this one for quite some time. Everyone had a lot of insight on the matter and/or personal experiences to share and it got me thinking.

There are a lot of people who don’t fully understand “why bad things happen to good people.” And oftentimes, even if they say that they understand, simple actions prove that it still isn’t fully comprehended. I will be the first to admit that I definitely didn’t understand it until a few years ago. I constantly used to ask myself “Why me?” on so many different facets of life. I was a good person, so why did I have to go through so much crap? It took me literally years of the same trial before I finally figured things out: it makes you a better person. Well, that is… if you let it. That also took me a while to figure out. I was so bitter and angry for so long that it took me forever to be able to see any good that came from my situation.

In high school, someone deeply hurt me. I felt like no matter how hard I tried, this person only shot sharp words and insults in response. There were so many lies involved, so much deceit and mean games played that at one point in time, I truly did hate this person. But I hated feeling that way. Plus, it was hurting me so much more than the other person because I was allowing said person to get to me and to affect me so deeply.

So I did the absolute hardest thing: I began praying for this person. Believe me, this was not an easy thing. I was filled with so much pain, anger, and hatred, that the last thing I wanted to do was to ask Heavenly Father to bless the one who caused me so much pain. No good deserved to come his/her way. Yes, my view was very skewed at the time I began this, but that was all the more reason and proof that I needed to pray for this person. It started out rather lackluster, and in the very beginning was more of a “please help him/her be able to grow up” rather than something like “please bless this person that he/she will be able to become an even better person” or “please bless this person with good friends who will be able to help him/her in the future.”

In time, things began to change. I started to see this person in a different way. I no longer felt anger or hatred toward this person but instead, love and compassion. I began to see him/her the way Heavenly Father does – as a child of God. I know it may sound silly, but it’s true. Praying for this person really did change my views that much.

We never did resolve things because we both moved to different places and lost contact. However, I still think about this person quite frequently. I even anonymously sent a big “21st birthday” package to this person in 2007. I put no return address on it because I didn’t want it to be ‘credit’ for me – I wanted it to be simply what it was: a present from an unsuspected friend.

Now, I’m not saying that I did everything right in this years-long situation, because I was far from it. I had plenty of stupid and/or ‘speak-before-you-think’ moments of my own that I am sure only furthered the problem. In fact, there were a lot of those. Many of those stupid moments make me cringe just thinking about it. But what I am getting at here is that I learned from one of my own life’s biggest trials. I gained SO much from that experience. The end result very heavily molded me into who I am today. It was the absolute hardest (and longest) thing I have ever had to go through, but I would not trade it in for anything. I learned to see people in an entirely different light, I grew to understand that you don’t know anyone’s full story unless you talk – and listen – directly to the source, and I learned that the best way to forgive someone is to pray for and serve them. I promise that you will without a doubt begin to see said person as God does.

I also learned to look for the blessings within a trial. This particular one took me quite some time after the fact to see all the good that came of it, but the blessings from it are immense. Now, when I am in the middle of a really hard trial, one of the only things keeping me going is to take a step back and ask myself, “okay… what possible good can come of this?” and then think of all the blessings that may come because of the trial I am faced with.

I know this might sound like a really weird or random (or LONG) entry, but it is something that I feel very strongly about and have been thinking about a lot since Monday night. And I don’t care how cliché is sounds - we ARE all children of God and he loves all of us equally. He may not always like the things we are doing, but he will always love us, and we should do the same for each other. We are given trials because Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to become the best person we can be. It’s how we handle the trials that really count.

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are

2010-03-02T21:47:00.000-08:00

Wow, I can't even remember the last time I went this long without writing! I apologize to those of you who follow my blog regularly. I may or may not back-post a few entries depending on how I feel in the next few days. Let's see... quick updates:

-I have still been going to the gym every Monday-Friday. I started out going 2 hours every day (an hour of cardio and an hour of weights) but after 2-3 weeks of that, it went down to an hour, and now it fluctuates between 30-60 minutes every day.

-I have decided that I am in the most social ward known to man. There is - no joke - something to go to literally EVERY night of the week. Sunday after ward prayer is game night, Monday is FHE, Tuesday is movie night, Wednesday is institute, Thursday someone always happens to have a birthday party... and the Fri/Sat parties vary, but without fail, there is at least one - if not two - parties during the weekend.

-I got to be a science fair judge for 6th graders. My roommate is a 6th grade teacher and needed volunteer judges. It was actually quite fun!

-I have become a master at Rockband. A few weeks ago we had a Valentine's party here and my friend Dave brought Rockband... and left it here for over a week. Needless to say, my neighbor (Jess) and milked that for all it was worth.

-I got to sing in the YA reunion fireside on the 14th! Every 5 years there is a YA reunion and the current and past members sing together at a fireside. Seeing how that was my absolute favorite part of YAs, I was thrilled to be able to sing YA fireside music again.

-I got to work on the newest TV Disney movie they're currently filming in SLC for two days. The best part though: I got to boom on ice skates! I am definitely no pro, but I am now MUCH better than I was!

-I got to have sushi with my old-time sushi friend (Beau) after nearly a YEAR!

-I went on a double blind date. (my friend set me up and I in turn set her up and we doubled)

-My apartment's smoke alarms all (6) went off at 5AM last Wednesday for no apparent reason. Scared the crap out of me and my roommates, got our adrenaline going, and then suddenly stopped after about 10 minutes. Talk about the ultimate wake-up call!

-In the past month I have decided to quit film, go back to it, quit it again, and rethink that again. Of course, this is all just in my head - I never actually did anything drastic to affect future possible gigs (since this IS currently my source of income... when I'm lucky).

-Also in this past month, I decided that I want to go back to school and get a Masters in Linguistics. The only pre-requisite is to be roughly fluent in two languages (aside from English). So the current plan (though it is always subject to change) is to get my Spanish back, hopefully test out of a bunch of the classes, and then start taking real Russian classes instead of teaching myself. If I do go back, it won't be until Fall of 2011.

-As of yesterday, I started my "Facebook Fast." Ashamedly, I am addicted. I spend at least an hour on there every day... as sad as that is. And I was tired of wasting time, so I said goodbye to facebook. I am currently planning on a week, but I may try for longer. By the way, it's amazing how much more productive I was today without facebook to distract me!

-I also cut out gchat. The two windows I always have open are facebook and gchat. I have a ton of friends who are on gchat all day (at work), and so I usually end up spending a good deal of time on there as well. Without my two biggest vices around to distract me now, I am getting a lot done! (also part of the reason I am finally updating my blog!)

-I have gotten hard core back into songwriting. I watched Music and Lyrics for the first time the other day and realized that I could totally do that (and really wanted to a few years ago). After all, it is what I went to school for originally. My problem though was that I could never put my lyrics to good enough music. But a good friend of mine is amazing at the music side of things, so we are going to start a collaborative effort as soon as he gets back in town. I pulled out my old songwriting notebooks today (I have 4 1/2 filled) and was so dismayed to discover that with one exception, I had not written ANYTHING since mid-2006. I used to write a couple every week!

So, I am very heavily getting back into that. The last time I was really into songwriting, I was also really self-conscious and worried about 'what others would think' and all that crap that I finally threw out the window in 2008. So this time I'm really excited to see what happens, essentially starting over but with the not-so-new-anymore mindset that took me so long to find!

Anyway, that's what's up with me right now! I don't have any solid upcoming projects right now. I am really struggling trying to find a way to keep myself afloat. That's part of the reason I am getting back into the songwriting thing, because if I play my cards right, that can work to my advantage as well. Freelance is a beast, but I won't let it consume me!!!

"I'll See You Again"

2010-02-02T23:56:00.000-08:00

So a friend of mine and I ended up going through our music last night, showing each other different songs the other hadn't heard before. He absolutely loves Westlife, and while I do like them, I had kind of forgotten about them and had no idea they had 10 albums out! I think I have two... maybe.

Anyway, I just got their latest album and was just listening through it and the last song came on. It's called "I'll See You Again." I couldn't help but think about my grandpa, who passed away almost two months ago now. Now, for reasons unknown to me, my tears hardly ever work so I didn't cry when I listened to it, but I have a feeling that the average person would. Thus, I warn you that this song I am posting below MAY make you cry if you have lost someone close to you - especially if it was recent.

I really like the lyrics, so I am going to post those below the link for you to read if you so choose. The link is from YouTube and is just a user's interpretation of the song, taking video clips from certain films. Anyway, enjoy. :)

I'll See You Again:

Always you will be part of me
And I will forever feel your strength
When I need it most
You’re gone now, gone but not forgotten
I can’t say this to your face
But I know you hear

Chorus:
I’ll see you again
You never really left
I feel you walk beside me
I know I’ll see you again
When I’m lost, when I’m missing you like crazy
I tell myself I’m so blessed
To have had you in my life, my life

Chorus

When I had the time to tell you
Never thought I’d live to see the day
When the words I should have said
Would come to haunt me
In my darkest hour I tell myself
I’ll see you again

Chorus x 2

I will see you again
I’ll see you again
I miss you like crazy
You’re gone but not forgotten
I’ll never forget you
Someday I’ll see you again
I feel you walk beside me
Never leave you, yeah
Gone but not forgotten
I feel you by my side
No this is not goodbye

Facebook ... "Friends"

2010-02-01T13:14:00.000-08:00

First of all, thank you all for reading my blog. Secondly, why does no one ever comment!?! :( If I didn't have a tracker embedded into my page, I would think that no one reads it and might stop posting. *hint hint* Yes, please comment so I know you are all alive! :) AND... if you have a blog, give me the link and I will comment on yours!!

Now, onto today's topic: facebook friends. Some people have 100 or less, some have over 1,000. But how well do we really know all of our facebook friends? Most of us are 'friends' with them because we at one point in our lives were actually friends, but have since gone our separate ways and may not make contact for years at a time now. I know a lot of people who "facebook purge" every now and then and delete a huge chunk of their friends because they haven't talked with them in over a year, etc. I totally understand that, yet I cannot will myself to actually do that... and this is why.

Somehow, for reasons I do not know, I always have a few random run-ins/"reconnections" each year. Someone who is on my friend list whom I barely know will randomly reappear in my life. I had a friend from middle school whom I had not seen since 2000, and found out she had moved to L.A. So when I moved to L.A., we actually met up. I never thought I'd actually see her again, but because I didn't delete her, we did! Exact same scenario but with a friend from high school, also.

I've gotten work a couple of times from friends I went to school with (and haven't seen since) who knew I did sound and knew of someone who needed a sound person. Had I deleted them... no work! Also, there have been instances where I never thought I'd see the person again and he/she ends up in the same complex or ward! That has been the latest.

I have been 'facebook friends' with an old friend's ex-boyfriend ever since they dated... 3 years ago. I just never got around to deleting him, but as it turns out, it's a good thing I didn't because he just moved into my ward! I just can't make myself delete people! But in my defense, I *do* know all but about 3 on my list. And those few whom I don't actually know are for networking purposes. They work in film, we have about 30 friends in common, and they want to keep me on the back burner for the next time they need a sound person. I'm okay with accepting adds for work possibilities!

Anyway, this is a very random post of strange thoughts of mine that I happened to write out. Enjoy.

The New Age of Sledding

2010-01-30T17:30:00.000-08:00

So my ward had a sledding activity today. We just went to a park and found places to sled - no real 'ramps' or whatever. We hiked up this path and used that as our sledding spot. Half the time involved massive snowball fights instead of actual sledding, but it was awesome. We had a few tubes and those worked the best - putting 3 people on it made it go the fastest!

The best part, though... was at the end. We were all done, almost all packed up, and ready to go. But then someone had the bright idea to attach a rope to the back of Rob's car and two people could sit on the tube, hold on to the rope, and let the car pull you down the street (which was covered in snow/ice). Jess and I did it the first time and it proved to be a pretty stupid idea. The tube ended up going faster than the car and we almost ran into the moving tires! So we improved it a bit. We got much closer to the car, put our feet on the back bumper, and tried again. However, this time Jess and Matt were on the tube. I was in the back of the car videoing the whole thing. And Isaac and JJ joined in as well. It's a pretty awesome video. Enjoy.

Zumba, Pilates, and Weights, Oh My!

2010-01-27T15:08:00.000-08:00

So a year and a half ago, I did this workout program. I learned how to exercise properly as well as how to eat healthier. I was really good at it for 3 or 4 months, but it kind of died down after that. I still stuck with the healthy eating portion of it for the most part, but the exercise/weight training part sort of went down the drain. I would do it here and there if I remembered, but it never was a permanent or set thing.

Well in October, I decided that I wanted to get back on track, so I finally caved and bought another gym membership. My plan was to go at least 3 times a week to start with. But then I got a film, and that plan quickly died. Films are so exhausting that it's hard to make yourself go to the gym after a long day/night - especially if you're not already used to going every day. And then I was home most of December so that sort of impeded my plan once again. And the very night I got back to Utah, I got a call for work in L.A. and off I went.

But NOW... I am back in Utah, and hopefully will be for quite some time (please, no more suitcase-living!). My roommate, Karie, finally got me to go to a Zumba class with her. It was the first "class" at the gym that I had ever been to. I don't know why, but I had always been a bit leery of the classes and had never gotten around to trying them out. As it turns out, I loved it! Granted, I felt absolutely retarded trying to figure everything out, I still had a blast and an awesome workout. (Zumba is kind of like Latin dancing + aerobics).

So I started going with Karie to more of those classes. Yesterday, I decided to branch out and try a new class: Pilates. Oh man, it kicked my butt! Luckily, I was fully prepared for that. I had heard from others how intense a Pilates class can be, so I was ready to be whooped. It fully succeeded in major butt-kicking, but it was awesome. I felt like I got a really good workout with muscles I didn't even know existed! lol. After the class was over, I did my upper body workout, and then got on one of the bikes for about 15 minutes to fully destroy myself. haha. I am definitely feeling it today!

I am trying to use as much of my "free time" as productive time, and while that isn't *always* going so well, the gym part is rocking. I went 3 or 4 times last week for an hour or more each day. I went on Monday for an hour, yesterday for two hours, and I am about to head there again for another Zumba class and then either weights or some more cardio afterward. I have FINALLY gotten into some sort of gym schedule and it is awesome! I highly recommend it. :D

Holy Wind, Batman!

2010-01-21T23:59:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness! Tonight we had the craziest windstorm in Provo!! I haven't been in wind that strong since hurricane season when I lived in Orlando! And apparently weather.com isn't quite as trustworthy as one may think: it said that we had winds that were 17mph. Pah! Well, weather.com, then tell me why we had our back fence entirely RIPPED off, and our door twisted and thrown to the ground! It's pretty safe to say that the wind was MUCH stronger than a piddly 17mph!!

I was actually so bummed that I couldn't stay for the whole storm! I later found out from my roommate who was here the whole time that she didn't dare go upstairs because the entire house was rattling and whatnot. Ahh! I wish I could have been there. I think there is something wrong with me: I love storms! I actually quite enjoyed prepping the house for a hurricane and then watching the storm from the safety of my house (Orlando was lucky - we never got too terrible of ones because we were far enough inland). Once, it picked up our trampoline and flipped it upside-down!! And it ripped massive branches from our trees as if they were twigs!

The best part about this storm though, was that it started right as I was getting out of the theater from watching 2012. I had gone out to see it with someone from my ward and as we were driving back, we could literally feel the pull of the wind on his car! It was almost kind of freaky! So we were joking about it being "the end of the world!" since we'd just come from that movie. I got home and actually went in my front door for once (almost always use the back door - it's where the parking is), changed, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and then headed out for the concert I was going to...

That was when I discovered my door:
Hmm, not quite what I was expecting on my way out! I opened the sliding door and was slammed with a huge gust of wind and just by instinct, I yanked my body back into the house and quickly closed the door. I stood and watched for a few moments, and then thought, "never a better time to get some awesome pictures and video!" So I grabbed my camera, prepped myself a bit more for the strength of the wind, and took some pictures. It was then that I realized that it wasn't just our door that was gone. Our next door neighbors lost their door as well!

It was completely torn off! I took a few more pictures of other backyards and finally headed off to the concert. I initially thought I was going to be slightly late, but I forgot that you can give a couple hours of buffer time with all of the opening bands. So I got there with plenty of time to spare. And the concert itself was pretty good. The headlining bands were Safetysuit and Parachute. Safetysuit was the real reason I went to see it, and they rocked.

I thought for sure that the wind would have died down once I got home, but oh was I wrong! I drove up my street and it was crazy to see all of the wreckage done to my neighbors' fences as well as my own! From the time I left to the time I got back, half of us had lost doors and/or fences entirely! Here are some of the pictures:

When I got home, my next door neighbor Jessica was over and we got talking about all of the fun things we could do with the wreckage. The first idea was to take some of the larger pieces of debris, save it, and use it as wicked sleds for the next time it snows! We still might do that... But our second idea of fun with the wreckage was to take pictures underneath it. These were the results:

Happy People Just Don't Shoot Their Husbands!

2010-01-20T22:59:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness. I think that if everyone could realize how AWESOME it is to exercise, we'd have people banging on the doors of all gyms to get inside! Okay, maybe not. But shoot, I love it! And see, it's one of those love/hate relationships because I really do love going to the gym - it's just a matter of actually getting myself there! It's like how I was with swimming and lacrosse - I always hated the initial going TO practice part, but once I was there, I loved it and didn't want to leave!

Same goes with the gym. I always have the hardest time getting there, but then once I'm there, I can't believe it took me so long to get there! My roommate Karie finally convinced me to go to Zumba with her last Friday and I loved it! Zumba is kind of like a workout routine of the Latin-dance persuasion. It totally felt like a dance class to me, and it was awesome. So I went with her again today and it was a blast! And afterward, we did our arm routine (weights) again! Dang, I hadn't done that in far too long!

Karie and I did this workout program a few summers ago where our trainer taught us how to properly 'train' and whatnot. He was a nutritionist as well, so he got us on a more healthy eating plan as well. But his workout routines were for upper and lower body. We usually just call it "arms" or "legs." So we decided to do arms today and I'm definitely going to be feeling it tomorrow! But I love being sore! Might sound weird, but I love it because I know I worked hard at it!

After the gym, I came home, got ready for institute, and went... and immediately following, I went country dancing! Yay for dancing! I hadn't been since the first week in December and I'd missed it dearly. It never ceases to disappoint me! I still can't believe the night and day difference from the before and after times of my 'epiphany on life' (see here for story). It just baffles me. I seriously used to never get asked and now, even if I try to sit one out, I still get asked! It's crazy! I love dancing, and I love life! :)

Post title: quote from Legally Blonde

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

2010-01-16T22:59:00.000-08:00

Today... was awesome. On all accounts. It had three parts to it, and all three parts rocked.
It started with meeting up with a bunch of old friends from freshman year. Dave's birthday is tomorrow and a bunch of us went out to eat to celebrate, and then to a friend's house afterward to play games. For those of you who know the crew, we had Dave, Eric, Allan, Tim, Kevin and his wife, and Dan and his wife. Most everyone had to leave before we played games though, so Dave, Eric, Allan, and I went back to Eric and Allen's to play games. But it's always fun to get a group like that together and reminisce. The best part though, was that any story that we remembered about Tim, he couldn't remember. Even after we tried to jog his memory, he still had absolutely no recollection of said event ever actually happening. We all got quite a kick out of it.

We played the Italian game "Bang" at Eric's and I was 1st to 'die', so since I still had a talk to write, I decided I ought to leave. (It was 5, and I had plans at 7:30 and still had to get ready, too). But for some unexplainable reason, I decided to call my friend Josh before I left Alta (where Eric lives). I hadn't seen him since before his mission and knew that once upon a time he lived in Alta, so I thought "Why not? I'll check and see." As it turns out, he DOES live in Alta again! All those plans of actually writing my talk at a decent hour immediately went out the window. We had far too much to catch up on.

A quick background for those who don't know who Josh is (since I've only started blogging in the last year or two)... Josh and I met freshman year and became really good friends. He wasn't a member at the time, but a few years later he ended up joining, and a year after that, he decided to serve a mission! (And a random side note - his mission president happened to be my old stake president from when I lived in Florida! Weird!) Anyway, he was one of my best guy friends and I would talk with him about everything.

But then he left on his mission and I hadn't seen him since! So it was an awesome little mini-reunion. We barely skimmed the surface of the last 3 years of each others' lives, and definitely need more catching up. But it was just SO good to see him again! Have you ever had a friend who no matter what just automatically puts you in a good mood? I can't not be in a great mood whenever he and I talk. I am so happy to have such a great friend back!

I left there around 7, got home, and had barely any time to get ready for the dance thing tonight. Oh, this dance is apparently every week at the Murray Arts Center and it's a dance full of classic dancing! (ie ballroom) Oh my gosh it was awesome. It kind of depressed me at the same time because I was never made so aware as to how much ballroom dancing I have forgotten over the years; but aside from that, it was awesome. Every song that came on was truly danceable and EVERY song was partner-dancing! I danced triple step swing, two step swing, west coast swing, fox trot, cha-cha, samba, salsa, and waltz. It... rocked. And the best ones were when I got asked by someone who really knew what he was doing and I could follow. All I really need is just a refresher course and then I'd be good to go, and that's how it was with those dances.

This one guy asked me to dance on one of the waltzes and I later found out that he was or is on one of the BYU ballroom teams, so he definitely knew what he was doing... and each new move we did, I kept thinking, "Oh yeah!" or "I remember this one now!" or "I can even remember what comes next!" It made me happy. I will have to go to those more often, because THAT is real dancing. THAT is how dances should still be. If dances were still like that, I would probably be a dance junkie, because I absolutely love ballroom style dancing!

We Are All A Little Weird

2010-01-15T22:59:00.000-08:00

I don't know why this is, but for some reason I am always incredibly good at keeping my blog up-to-date whenever I'm in California, but the second I get back to Utah... not so much. So I'm going to try to do better...

On the 13th, Jackie and I went to the temple. It was really exciting for both of us: for Jackie, because it was her first time; and for me, because I had never before gone with anyone who had never been. And it was just overall a really awesome experience. And randomly, we ran into one of her home teachers who had been trying to get her to go, as well as a good friend in her ward who had just been talking to her about the temple a couple days prior. We celebrated afterward by going out for sushi! Yay for sushi. :) And then, of course, stayed up WAY too late chatting. I was originally going to leave for Utah at 7 or 8am... yeah, definitely didn't even wake UP until 9. But I figured, I should probably get at least 6ish hours of sleep before a 10-hour drive. :P

I actually made record time getting back to Utah. I left Jackie's right after 10, and pulled into my 'driveway' at 7:47pm. But it worked out really well, because I actually had a date that night and getting in that early gave me enough time to actually unpack my car, shower, change, etc. When I found out we were going for sushi before the movie, I laughed, but loved it. I had sushi Monday, Wednesday, AND Thursday nights this week. It has been an excellent week. :P

After sushi, we went and saw quite possibly the absolute weirdest movie I have ever seen. It was called "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus." It was Heath Ledger's last movie and he died in the middle of filming it, so they got Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell to play different parts of his character. Oddly enough, they actually made *that* part make sense. Though, that was about the only thing in the movie that did make sense! It was like one big acid trip or something. I left the theater feeling the like world should be swirling in different colors. Later on, I discovered that it was directed by the same guy who directed Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and the insanity made a little more sense, but it was still an incredibly odd movie.

In other news, I finally got to hear the engagement story of a very close friend of mine! Jameson has been like my surrogate 'big brother' for quite a few years now, and so I was ecstatic when he called me on New Year's to tell me he was engaged! But he didn't have time to tell the story then, so I had to wait until today! In case he doesn't want the story posted about, I will refrain, but suffice it to say that he definitely had it *very* thought out and it was incredibly cute. :) Congratulations, Jameson. It makes me happy. :)

Post title: a quote I happened upon and it just struck me funny.

Boo to R

2010-01-12T15:18:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness this just keeps getting more difficult and/or frustrating. I got an email today from the Utah Film Commission inviting me to a "cast and crew" screening of Frozen at Sundance this year. Haven't I had enough tests for one measly little week? Apparently the term "when it rains, it pours" can apply to many different facets.

See, the issue at hand is that this film is rated R. And in the last week, I have realized now more than ever WHY I need to "stand fast" to my decision. But it just sucks, because how often do you have a film that you worked on premiere at Sundance?? That's not exactly a tiny little film festival. It is in fact, the "largest independent cinema festival in the U.S." ::sigh:: There *is* a cast/crew party beforehand that I might go to. We'll see. Maybe I'll still get the tickets (they're free) and just give them to a friend of mine who really wants to go.

Or, you know, I could actually work on films I *want* to see the final product of! Wouldn't that be nice. One day, right?

I Love to See the Temple

2010-01-11T22:59:00.000-08:00

Well, since I no longer have work to worry about, I met up with a good friend of mine today - Jackie. Jackie and I met originally at a party last summer, then randomly ended up working on the same film short together, and we just became really good friends. She was an investigator at the time and once I was back in Provo, I found out that she finally had an official baptism date set. So, her friend Paul and I carpooled from Utah down to L.A. in September for the baptism and I hadn't *seen* her since then.

It was great to catch up with her, and amidst our conversation, I found out that she hasn't been to the temple yet. She really wants to go, but she's just a little nervous about going. That and I guess she lost her recommend a few weeks ago and hadn't been able to find it. So, since I really have no need to be in either place (UT or L.A.) right now, I said "Shoot, I'll go with you!"

I was originally going to leave tomorrow, but oddly enough, I'd had this really odd desire to go to the L.A. temple before I went back to UT, so this was perfect! After we came back from lunch, we looked through all the places she thought the recommend might be and voila! we found it. Yay! So now we're going to go on Wednesday night and then I'm going to stay with her that night and drive back to Utah on Thursday. I'm so excited!

The Hardest Choice

2010-01-10T22:59:00.000-08:00

This weekend I had to make one of the hardest choices I have ever had to make. And no, I am not over-exaggerating. It was seriously that hard. I waffled all weekend over it, weighing the pros and cons, never fully being able to decide one way or the other. I love the crew that I'm working with, but the subject-matter is just awful. And I love the fact that the entire thing is filmed on a sound stage and that we get to stay in the same place and that the temperature inside is absolutely perfect, but again... the content is troubling me. And I was thrilled that I would more than likely get to go on location with them to Lousiana for a week in February to film the last portion of the film, but I had this unexplainable *awful* feeling on set that I just couldn't quite explain. But then again, if I quit, I'd be giving up a LOT of money... money that I really need right now... money that I can't really afford to say no to.

Saturday night I spent a good hour or more talking with a really close friend of mine who brought up a TON of really important points and said things in ways that I hadn't quite been able to word. He also was able to help pinpoint WHY I was feeling so rotten after I came home from filming. I'm not going to get into the details of that, so if you really want to know, then email me or something and I'll tell you, but suffice it to say, he really helped put things into perspective for me, and got me that much closer to a decision.

I thought and I prayed about it, prayed and thought about it. I tried to figure out if it was worth it to stay on for the full show, or if I should take the hit and wait for something else. Well, whenever I have to face really tough decisions, I like going to the temple to help me decide... clear my mind from everything else and just be able to really think clearly.

So I thought, "Man, I wish I could just up and go to the temple right now..." But it was a Saturday night, and here they only do baptisms certain days at certain times. So then I thought, "Well, maybe I could go right after work on Tuesday..." and immediately after *that* thought, I thought, "...but I wouldn't feel right about going to the temple if it was coming straight from set."

That was pretty much my answer right there. I had to quit. If working on this film made me feel THAT gross inside that I wouldn't feel right about going to the temple after work, then it wasn't worth it. I could have been making 10 grand on it and it still would not have been worth it.

Plus, in talking with my old (and sort of current) roommate Sarah (I live at her family's place when I'm in L.A.), I realized the whole justification thing trying REAL hard to creep in. And that's exactly how Satan gets to people - by degrees. You start with something small, justify that, then justify the next level, and the next... and before you know it, you're totally off the deep end. If I were to justify "just this 'one' film", then it would be that much easier to agree to "just one more" down the road, and so on. I've got to start high up and stay high up.

So I called John (the friend I had already given Monday to) and asked him if he wanted to take the full two weeks. I explained to him that I just didn't feel comfortable on set and really would prefer not to finish it. I also warned about the content beforehand, and though he appreciated the warning, he was more than happy to take the two weeks from me. Now, the only part left was to tell the mixer.

I know the best way to do these things is either (1) in person or (2) on the phone, but I also knew that there was absolutely *no* way that I was going to get everything out that I needed to get out unless I wrote it all down. So I initially intended on just sort of making a bullet list of all the things I wanted to make sure to tell/explain to him, and it just sort of turned into this really well worded letter instead. So I decided that it would ultimately just be best to email him instead... as lame as that seems. But I did also include in the beginning that I would have preferred to talk to him verbally, but knew I wouldn't be able to say it all in an organized fashion, etc. He responded an hour or so later and said that he totally understood, no hard feelings, that 'horror films aren't for everyone', and that maybe we'd work together in Utah soon (he's based in Utah, too).

So there you have it. I gave up a full feature, 2-3 grand, a great crew, an 'all expense paid' trip to Lousiana, a credit, and a huge networking opportunity. Sheesh... when you list it that way, anyone would say that I'm absolutely insane for giving it up. But so what? Let them. I know that I am making the best possible choice for myself. I feel very much at peace with my decision and I know that better things will come along if I am just patient. I don't have to resort to doing films like these.

Decisions, Decisions

2010-01-08T22:59:00.000-08:00

DAY TWO:

Well, today proved to be a turning point for me. I also debated whether or not to even put this on here, but hey, this is me - it's who I am and who I'll always be. Most people find it rather surprising that working in FILM, I still have never seen an R-rated movie. And no, it's not because anyone "told" me not to see them - it has been my own choice since an incredibly young age. And yes, I have worked on them - but that is SO different than watching one. The blood and guts look so fake when you're on set - and it hasn't gone through post yet either, so it looks nothing like the final product when you're actually on location.

The language part of it... yeah, I can't get away from that on ANY set - whether I'm on a potential R film, or G. Crews are just notorious for their sailor-like usage of choice words. So whether it's on set or in the script, I have no choice in the matter, and just learn to develop a filter with the language that I hear. I am proud to say, though, that I have still never said a single swear word in my life, despite the mass amount that I am bombarded with every day.

The topic of discussion today however, is sex scenes. I don't particularly care to work on the slasher films and gory scenes, but I'll do it because like I said - it's so fake when you're on set. But I don't care if it's on screen, off screen, or what - sex scenes I just will not do. Unfortunately, I had no warning and on my very FIRST day, there was one. And let me just say... it was the most uncomfortable thing I have EVER had to boom. I don't ever want to do it again. Ever. I was hoping that that would be the only scene like that since this film is supposed to be a big slasher movie where the 'bad guy' basically goes around killing everyone in gross ways, but when I got the shot list for Monday... well, I had to do some thinking.

I couldn't very well just tell the mixer, "hey sorry but I'm not coming in on Monday", but I'm also in L.A. and don't know many boom ops out here. Luckily, I do know one. I worked with him on a film short while I was living in L.A. last year and he was great to work with and knew what he was doing. So I texted him while I was on set today, asked him if he was free and if he wanted to make an extra $200 on Monday. Fortunately for me, he had nothing going on on Monday and was totally up for it. So I gave him the info, the address, and the call time, and he's going to take my place on Monday.

Yes, I know I am giving up $200, and that the mixer may not hire me on for the next thing he does if he knows ahead of time that there are sex scenes and that I will get a replacement for those days, but you know what? That is just one thing where I draw the line. I *love* working on films, but I don't need to see that stuff...ever. It's disgusting, it's offensive, and I don't want any part of it. I'd rather be out of work and in debt than be subject to that for a month straight.

I'm still wondering, though... why, especially when I live in UTAH, can I not find any 'good and wholesome' movies to work on!? Why do I keep getting these blood and guts movies?? Sure, those "Feature Films for Families" movies are about as cheesy as you can get, and kid movies in general are so corny, but I would SO much rather work on those than movies where everybody dies in gross ways. Plus, I really hate that I can't recommend half of the movies that I work on to any of my friends of family. I worked on Frozen last March and sure it was fun to work on, but there is no WAY I'm going to recommend it to my family! People die gruesome deaths, and the f-bomb is dropped every 4 seconds!

I know the High School Musicals are super cheesy, but you know what? I love them. Working on HSM3 was a blast, and I actually can't wait to work on HSM4 (yes, there is a 4th one...) even though I know it's going to be incredibly lame. Why? Because it will be a good, wholesome movie, and I won't have to worry about all the junk that comes with slasher-type movies. I *really* hope that the next few films I work on will be closer to the PG-G end rather than the R-PG-13 end.

Nasty Naughty Nails

2010-01-07T23:36:00.000-08:00

DAY ONE:

Well, I discovered one way for an entire crew to immediately know who you are! Yes, my friends, it's called, "being the first to discover the upright nail... with your foot." However, I suggest a much safer - and more sanitary - way of making an entrance.

I forgot to mention the other day that I had actually worked with a lot of this crew prior to today - randomly enough. As it turns out, the director for this film (Hatchet II) was also the director on Frozen (a film I did last March, premiering at Sundance this year). There were quite a few others who had worked on it as well who finally made the connection later on in the day. Frankly, I was surprised that *any* of them had remembered me - I only worked on Frozen for about 6 days total. (I filled in for the main boom op on the days he couldn't make it).

But I am sure you are quite curious about this nail, so, moving on. I'd only been on set for about 4 hours when suddenly, I stepped back to make more room for someone walking past, and BAM! in went the nail - straight through the shoe and directly into the upper portion of the super soft part of my foot. It was on some old board (the entire set is made from scratch - and made to look like a really old cabin) and had 4 or 5 of them just sticking straight out. Yep, I was lucky enough to be the first to discover them. I was also lucky, because I didn't put my full weight on it, either. Since I was stepping backward, it wasn't as much weight had I been stepping forward, but it still definitely went in a half inch or more.

The nail went straight through my shoe and into my foot. A couple people saw it happen and immediately rushed to help me. That old piece of wood was out of there in a heartbeat, and there was instantly a place for me to sit. Never had I had so much preferential treatment on a set! I quickly sat down and took off my shoe and sock to examine my foot. It had started bleeding, and at that point, the best boy grip (Mitch) came up to me and asked, "when was the last time you had a tetanus shot?" I laughed an uncomfortable laugh and replied, "heh... about 12 years ago..."

Yes, I know - it's supposed to be every 10 years. Well... I don't have insurance and haven't had it for a few years now (got kicked off my family's plan when I turned 22), so I just hadn't gotten around to it. That, and I absolutely abhor needles. I guess this is *one* way to go about getting a tetanus shot without having to pay for it...! haha. The set medic took me back to his office where he just did a prelim examination and judging by the bleeding underneath the skin, the developing bruise, and the pain of the pressure on the foot when he tested it, he said that I'd probably hit a tendon. He cleaned it, put a massive bandage on it, and sent me on my way.

By the end of the day, they had all the paperwork for me (including the stuff I'd already filled out) and gave me directions to the 24-hour clinic up the street. Hah! As it turns out, the so-called clinic was in fact, a hospital! Lame. 2 1/2 hours later, I was FINALLY out. I was getting so frustrated with all the stinkin precautions they were taking with a stupid foot! Yes, I punctured it, yes I need a tetanus shot. The end. Give me the friggin' shot, and let me go home!! *sigh*

But of course, it wasn't so easy. After waiting an eternity just to get IN, there was finally a nurse to do the prelim stuff. He took my blood pressure, pulse, made me soak my foot in some weird disinfectant stuff, etc. (And each of those things were in 10-15 minute increments.) Then, another nurse came in, asked me a bunch of questions, and disappeared again. Eventually, the real doctor finally came in, looked at my foot, and decided that we ought to x-ray it to make sure I didn't "chip a bone." Are you kidding me? Let's think about this... doing any sort of damage to a bone causes excruciating pain, correct? So how on earth could I have chipped a bone if I was still walking on my foot and putting pressure on it!? Again - give me the friggin' shot and let me go!

But after talking with my mom about it later on, she helped me realize *why* they were being so incredibly - and practically OVERLY - thorough: lawsuits. They have to take very possible precaution to avoid any sort of lawsuit. Gosh, that is just pathetic. The sad thing is, I totally believe it. There are so many greedy, awful people out there who look for any and all possible ways to file a lawsuit. My brain doesn't even think that way.

In other news, I really enjoy working with this mixer, Bobby. He's really down to earth, and surprisingly not as high-strung as most mixers seem to be. The whole crew is great, too. I like how relaxed - yet efficient - the lower budget show's crews are. Makes me wonder if I really *want* to work on huge productions if the entire crew is going to suck! (PS, the latter portion of the day was HIGHLY uncomfortable. If you want to know why, let me know; but I'm not posting it here.)

So there you have it... the highlight of good 'ol DAY ONE. What a way to start! More to come!

Up, Up, and Away!

2010-01-05T23:39:00.000-08:00

I guess I'm going to start off the year with a bang! I flew back to SLC yesterday, and as I turned on my phone once we landed, I was surprised to discover that I had 3 new text messages and two new voice mails. The first voice mail was from Glenn (a guy I have worked with on many productions) informing me that his son, Bobby, is trying to get a hold of me - he is in dire need of a boom operator for a film starting in 3 days. The next voicemail was from Bobby. Yep, he needs a boom. They start filming on the 7th at 7am...in Los Angeles... and it's currently the evening of the 4th and I'm in Utah. I quickly called him back, got it all squared away, and began preparing for a mini-move to L.A. as soon as I got home. I called up the Womacks (the family with whom I stayed all summer) and they agreed to let me do the same deal I had over summer. Housing: covered (thank goodness). I then spent all day running errands, doing laundry, sorting through a few things, depositing checks, paying bills, etc... and bright and early tomorrow morning, I make the 10-hour drive to L.A. My goal is to put at least *something* each day of this film. We'll see how well that goes...

2010 - A New Year, A New Decade

2010-01-01T22:28:00.000-08:00

I guess life hasn't been exciting enough to post in the last little bit. Well, either that or *too* exciting. Oct-Nov was a bit too "exciting" with the film, and post-Thanksgiving has been all funeral related. Christmas Eve was hard for everyone when it came time to read the Christmas story. Our family finally put up a tree about 2 days before Christmas - only because the little kids were dying to decorate one. My 17-year-old sister, parents, and I had no desire to decorate the house this year. The sparsely decorated tree by the younger two was about as festive as we got.

My uncle (Alex) and his two kids (Niya and Quincy) came up for Christmas though, and it was really fun to have them in town again. We spent quite a bit of time with them. Christmas Day we all went over to Jason and Tashia's to visit with each other. There was still a lot of snow, so the kids had a blast sledding down the hill near their backyard.

I got into a cleaning mode (as I often do) and luckily was able to pull Rachel in on it and this past week or so we have spent cleaning a great deal of the house. The first were the kids' rooms. I helped Logan with his room, Rachel helped Tiana with hers. Next up was the kitchen and family room. The first time was more 'basic cleaning', but the 2nd time (a few days later) was super deep cleaning. The next day was the hall pantry and the kitchen pantry, and re-straightening of the living room. After that came the fridge and the butcher block. The day after that, Rachel and I finally tackled *her* room. Anyway, that was our present to Mom for Christmas - cleaning the house, since she'd pretty much been away for nearly a month with all the funeral stuff (staying at Grandma's, flying to Utah, etc).

I can't believe it's 2010 already. I remember when I was a little kid thinking that I was going to be "so old" in 2010. heh. I went to the Pratt's party last night and it was so much fun. No matter who is telling the stories, there are always loads to go around. Well, Happy New Year.

Family is Forever

2009-12-22T22:39:00.001-08:00

Wow, it has been a while since I last posted. Although, I'd say that I have a pretty good excuse. I had been home (my place in Utah) less than 48 hours when I got the call about my grandpa. 3 days later, I was on a plane back home for the funeral. 6 days after that, I was on a plane again back to Utah. The next 3 days consisted of family-related things in Utah + the burial + a memorial service.

Afterward, we spent the entire day with extended family on the Brown side, and once evening came, Mom and Grandma came with me to Provo to see my place and stay the night. Thursday morning we went to breakfast and then met up with Kent, Grandma's cousin, who lost his son two weeks prior to Grandpa's death (he is the father of John Jones - the one who died in the caving accident in Utah a few weeks ago) and had a really good chat with him. It was really nice to talk with him and be able to relate in such similar ways to having just lost a loved one. And though it is still incredibly difficult, I think he may have helped Grandma see Grandpa's death in a different light. He gave some really good insight. Got me and Mom thinking as well.

This whole thing has got me thinking now more than ever about the importance of family. And I'm not talking about parents and siblings - I mean everyone. Aunts, uncles, cousins, 2nd cousins, cousins once or twice removed... all of it. Family is family and in some way or another, we will all be 'stuck' together forever, so we might as well learn to like it now! Okay, that was trying to lighten the mood a bit, because I already love all of my family. But what I realized, is that I don't even know a lot of my family. I don't know a thing about most of my extended family. And when I say "extended family", I mean beyond the immediate aunts, uncles, and cousins. I mean everyone else. The relatives you have to sit and draw a map to figure out how you're related and what to call each other before simply resigning to "cousin" as the simple answer.

If there is one good thing that has happened from my grandpa's death, it is the reiteration of the importance of family. In the past 3 weeks, I have met so many distant relatives that I can't believe took me this long to meet! (or to get re-acquainted with). My mom has talked about her aunts, Kim and Kay, so many times growing up... but I had never actually met them. Kay's son Rob and I were even friends on facebook... but I still had yet to meet him before the funeral.

On the Brown side (the 1st three were on the Harvey side) I met so many cousins 'once or twice or three times removed' that I couldn't keep track. The only two whose names I remember are Joanne and Paul, and they are awesome. As we were leaving the memorial service in Bountiful, Paul (in his 60s - grandfather-ly type) shouted from his car, "Hey! Maybe I'll see you again in this lifetime, eh?" I will definitely go visit him. Grandma's cousin Kent, whom I spoke of previously, once I "met" him I realized that I remembered him - he was one of the cool 'cousins' at all the Jones Family Reunions I'd been to (my great grandma was a Jones). He reminded me of some of the crazy songs we all sang together.

Doug and Kay (Grandpa's brother and brother's wife) I had not seen since 2004... and they live in Salt Lake, just up the street from Roger! (Grandpa's other brother, whom I visit all the time) Three of their kids DeAnn, Jeff, and Kenny (and their families) all live in Salt Lake and most of them I can't even remember the last time I saw them - before last week. And I'm only 45 minutes away! Then there's Grandma's side of the family (the part currently residing in Utah), with her twin sister Judy's kids, and *their* kids all an hour or less away. But again, I had not seen any of them in 4 or 5 years.

I learned so many new stories about family members of mine this month. I heard new stories about my grandpa (which, if you knew my grandpa, that's pretty surprising), the full story about an uncle of mine passing out in a hospital, childhood stories of the uncles, stories about my great grandma Brown (referred to in my family - Mom and siblings - as Grandma Jean), and so many others. (And for those of you who know my middle name, yes, she is the reason it is Jean). At the memorial service Mom even learned how she got her name. I found personal histories of my great grandpa and great-great grandma that I started to read. I'm learning all sorts of things about family members - both living and dead.

Nowadays, family can be so spread out. My "immediate" family alone spans 6 states and 3 times zones. However, we are blessed with modern technology that allows us to keep in touch in ways we never could have before. We don't have to wait 5 years to send snail mail anymore - we have email, facebook, text messages, picture messages, and the good 'ol phone call.

If you don't already keep in touch with family very well, do it. Our time on this earth is a lot shorter than we realize. Make amends now. Don't let it wait. Your father will always be your father, brother always a brother, etc. Shoot, cousins are sometimes like siblings too. Keep in touch with them also! Family is an amazing blessing and we should never take it for granted. I myself am guilty of that and am going to make it a goal in the coming year to visit as much of my 'super extended family' in Utah as possible.

I don't care how corny this sounds - I mean every word of it:

Friends come and go, but a family really is forever.

Robert Martin Brown: A Husband, A Father, My Grandfather

2009-12-05T22:30:00.000-08:00

Grandpa Brown died today. It’s still so weird to me. It’s like it’s not even real. I keep thinking about it and somehow it doesn’t seem real. I’m going to go home for Christmas and he’s still going to be there, just like always. He’s the glue that keeps the family together. No matter what differences everyone else in the family has, they can all agree on one thing: Robert Martin Brown was and is and always will be a great man. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, bishop, stake president, friend, and so much more. I can’t even begin to count the number of lives he has touched. Even just within the family, he helped so many of us through some really rough times. He drove me to a fireside once just so we could chat – the two of us. I was going through a really hard year and he somehow always knew just what to say. I had the coolest grandpa – all of the youth in the stake loved him. He was my own stake president and every time other people saw me, they’d say “Hey, tell your grandpa that he’s awesome and I say hi!” I had youth in the stake come up to me all the time and say, “Your grandpa is the coolest! You’ll never believe what he just did!” He was a kid at heart his whole life.

He was an avid motorcycle rider. One of his bikes is a bullet bike – it’s awesome. Some of my earliest “grandpa memories” are taking rides up and down the street on his motorcycle. Once, a friend of mine wanted to get a bike. However, he was 16 and his parents didn’t want him to and none of us really wanted him to, either. Boys aren’t very responsible at that age. Grandpa then said to him, “You want a bike? Here, let’s go for a ride.” He took him for the wildest ride of his life, going 3 times the speed limit on this winding road. Passed a cop, too. Needless to say, he cured my friend of his desire to get a motorcycle!

During my junior year of high school, I went to a stake dance for New Year’s Eve. My friend was spending the night that night, so as we got to my house around 2, we were expecting to have to be real quiet so as not to wake anyone. However, we came home to lights, noise, and laughter. To my surprise, not only were my parents still up, but my grandparents were still up! The four of them had been there playing games for hours. They continued playing games until about 4 that morning. That night, my grandparents officially became the ‘coolest grandparents ever’ in the eyes of my friend. She couldn’t believe I had grandparents who would stay up that late. It’s one of my favorite stories to tell about my grandpa.

He always had the craziest stories and each time he told them, the stories got wilder. Grandma would get frustrated and say, “That’s not what happened!” And Grandpa would smile and say, “…close enough.” It didn’t matter how much was true and how much was real – he sure always made them exciting!

My absolute favorite story he ever told me though was my junior or senior year of high school. For some reason, people can hardly believe this when I tell them, but growing up, I never got asked out. I only went on a handful of dates all throughout high school. I never even got asked to a homecoming or senior prom. I pretended like I didn’t care and that it was no big deal, but it still kind of hurt. So one day, Grandpa and I are talking and I haven’t even told him anything yet. But for some unexplainable reason, he proceeds to tell me this story…

He was in high school and had asked this girl to prom. He goes to the front door on the night of prom to pick her up. She opens the door and is horrified. Somehow there was a misunderstanding somewhere down the road: someone else had asked her and he was going to be there any minute. She didn’t know what to do, but Grandpa said, “no worries – have a great time!”

So here Grandpa is, the night of prom…and no date. He thought to himself, “Who could I find to go with me on such short notice?” He then remembered Sarah (I have no idea what her name really was). Sarah was known as one of the most beautiful girls at school, and all the guys wanted to go out with her. He thought, “I wonder if anyone actually asked her…” He called her up, and come to find out – no one had. She was sitting at home. So Grandpa asked her if she wanted to go and she was thrilled. They went to the dance and had a blast.

That story helped me so much, because at that point, I had started to wonder “What’s wrong with me? Why does no one ever ask me out?? What am I doing wrong?” Grandpa never even tried to juxtapose his story with mine. Just telling the story was enough. After he told the story, we talked about other stuff – it was just a small part of the conversation. But he knew exactly what to say to make me feel better. He complimented me without even saying anything. I thought about that story all the time.

Each Christmas we go to my grandparents’ house and read Christmas stories. Then we read the real Christmas story – in Luke. Grandpa always reads it. I can never remember anyone else ever reading it. It’s going to be so weird this year, going home for Christmas, and having someone else read that story.

He loved Grandma so much. You could just see it in his eyes, his face, his mannerisms. I was lucky enough to spend the entire day with him this past Tuesday. We went to D.C., took a tour through the Capitol and Library of Congress, and then went out to dinner. Grandma joined us for dinner and after nearly 50 years (50 would have been August 2010), they still loved each other the same way they did when they were first married. Grandma would wrap her hands around Grandpa’s arm to keep her hands warm. When we left, they were holding hands. They even kissed goodbye (because Grandpa still had to take me home). One of my favorite memories of the two of them was one summer when I was staying with them. Grandma had Sinatra on and Grandpa came home from work, walked up the stairs (split level stairs), took Grandma’s hand, and they danced all around the entire floor. Through the kitchen, dining room, into the living room… they just danced around the house. And even though I was only 12 or 13 when I saw that, ever since then, it made me want to marry someone who would dance with me around the house when he gets home from work.

I try to look for the positive in everything – no matter how serious the tragedy. And while I am going to miss him so much, good things are still to be found in it. My family used to have family reunions every year or two. I loved it, because I love my family and we always have fun. But a few years ago, our family was severely damaged. Hearts were broken, things were said, and it more or less divided the family. We haven’t had a reunion since. I have tried to remain neutral throughout it all because I absolutely hate that there are “sides’ to the family now, and I don’t want to lose any family member in any way. My Grandpa’s death will bring everyone together again. All the petty difference will be put aside, if just for a day, for this wonderful man whose life we will honor. I am deeply saddened that it takes such a tragedy to bring us all together again, but I am glad that we will all be able to see one another again.

Grandpa Brown, I will miss you. You helped more people than I can count. I am thoroughly convinced that you did in fact know everyone. And you never forgot a single one. No matter who it was, you remembered them. No matter what their trial, you somehow knew just what to say to help them through it. You had nothing but love to give to everyone around you. I never saw you upset or angry. Always calm during trials, and somehow keeping a smile on your face through just about everything. I know you are in a better place now, but I still wish you could have stayed with us a few years more. I love you, and I hope you are having a rockin’ time up in heaven. :)

Knock Knock

2009-11-29T22:08:00.000-08:00

Knock knock. Who's there? I have no idea. I don't know what it is, but for some reason in the past month I have gotten so many random people whom I have never in my life met trying to add me on facebook. My current 'friend request' count is 14 - and I do not know a single one of them. I average about 1 a day right now. It is seriously getting ridiculous!! And in times past when I have gotten some random person, I take the time to message them and say some tactful version of "I'm sorry, but who are you?" But I only used to get those once every few months. I'm tired of sending that stupid thing and getting a response clearly indicating that we have never met but that they *want* to meet or get to know me or network or whatever. Newsflash: If I don't know you, I will not add you! Sorry, but I prefer the old-fashioned way, thanks.

I told a friend of mine about it and he joked that it was my profile picture that it was doing it, because I "look like a model." Seriously? It's just a picture, and I am most definitely not a model! However, it's worth a shot. So I just changed my profile picture back to a 'normal' one, taken by yours truly. I guess we'll see if that fixes it.

A Great Surprise

2009-11-26T22:12:00.000-08:00

For the last 2-3 weeks I have had to keep one of the biggest secrets of my LIFE! It wasn't a 'serious' secret or anything, but it was DANG hard to keep. See, my mom and I are best friends. I talk to her almost ever day. I tell her everything that is going on. I complain to her about my frustrations with certain things (especially in the last month with this film going on), and tell her my plans for the day, week, month, etc.

Well, about halfway through the film I decided "you know... it would be great if I could go home for Thanksgiving this year..." Everyone on set had been talking about their Thanksgiving plans, because we were to wrap just days before the holiday, so everyone was looking forward to it. It got me thinking, "Hmm... where am *I* going to go for Thanksgiving??" It's a great holiday when I'm at home, but otherwise I actually kind of dread it, because I always feel like I have no place to go without imposing on someone else's family.

So just for fun, I looked up the price of plane tickets. $311. I thought "hey, that's not too bad. I could probably handle that..." That was when the idea of surprising the family popped into my head. "Hey, what if I didn't tell ANY of my family members and just showed up on the doorstep? How awesome would that be!?" I called up my best friend who recently returned to the area and said, "I'm thinking of possibly surprising my family for Thanksgiving this year... if I did, would you be able to pick me up from the airport?" She could hardly contain her excitement for my plan and said with enthusiasm, "YES!! That is so awesome! Of course!!" Perfect!

However, I wasn't 100% sure, so I didn't buy the ticket right then and there. I don't like to make a massive decision like that without at least giving a bit of time to process and be sure. I mean, $311 is a lot of money to buy something 'on a whim.' Unfortunately, I guess I should have. The next day, the cheapest ticket I could find was about $380/$390. Drat. Maybe I won't go after all. I decided to continue looking a few times each day for the next few days to see if it would go down at all. Three or four days later, I came across one for $338. The departure and arrival dates were a bit more spread out than I had initially planned, but I thought "you know what? Why not? The film will be done, I will want a break, and what better way to take a break than with family you haven't seen in almost a year?" So I bought it. Done.

Now, the only problem was keeping it a secret for the next two weeks. And let me tell you... I have never in my LIFE had a harder time keeping a secret! And it almost slipped SO many times. I mean, half the time we would wrap for the "day" at 5 in the morning. So since it was 7am VA time and my mom was up getting kids ready for school, I'd call her and talk to her to keep me awake while I drove home from SLC. Well, when you are rather fatigued, it becomes harder and harder to remember what things you are and are not supposed to say!

Fortunately, it never slipped out. There were a few close calls, but I succeeded. I even disabled my facebook wall the day before I was to fly out, just in case someone who knew I was going to VA would forget it was a secret and write on my wall, giving it away. Now, for the actual surprise.

I got to Dulles around 4:30, and Mary picked me up around 5:30 (she had work til 5). We got stuck in the most horrendous traffic ever and it took us nearly two hours to get home; but it actually turned out to be a good thing, because my dad had only been home for maybe 10-15 minutes by the time we got there. Once we got to my street, I had Mary pull up just past my house and turn off her lights. I then got out of the car and proceeded to call my mother. It was nothing out of the ordinary - I talk to her every day.

"So, did you get the package I sent you??" I asked.

Confused, she replied, "No...? I don't think so...?"

My front door was in view and I was almost to the porch. In my best "fake-surprise" tone I asked, "Really?? ...because I got confirmation today that it was delivered."

My mom was thoroughly perplexed at this point. What package could I have possibly sent, and why was I so eager for her to get it? By then, I had reached the front door and could hear both on the phone and inside the house, "Logan? Did you sign for a package today??" Confused, Logan answered simply, "...no...?"

The footsteps were getting closer. I know my mom, and I knew she was going to check the front porch next. While still on the line with her, she opened the door and looked up. I stood, phone in hand, waving with the other; smiling, of course.

"huuuuuuuhhhh!!!" is about the only audible thing that followed. And yes, that is one of those deep-intake-of-breath noises. Also known as gasping, I suppose. At this point, my dad was curious as to what all the commotion was, and he and the kids quickly came to the front room to see what my mom had just discovered upon opening the door. After my mother got over her initial shock, she grabbed me and hugged me tightly. Then the tears came, and amidst the tears, she managed to utter, "You got me good."

Then the younger siblings got involved. Tiana came and tackled the bottom half of me, and Logan wrapped his arms tightly around my midsection (shows how tall each of them are. haha). I then went to hug my dad and then we all sat and chatted for a while. Then Logan came up with a brilliant idea: hide in Rachel's room and scare the crap out of her when she gets home. So we found out roughly when she would be home, and a few minutes before she was to be back, I went into her room and hid under some blankets.

I waited until I heard her open the door and then I jumped out of the sheets screaming, "RAAARRR!" She screamed, jumped, and backed into her half-open door - all at the same time, of course. haha. Then, once the initial shock had subsided, she excitedly asked, "What are you doing here!?!" and proceeded to tackle me. Come to think of it, I guess my siblings and I like to tackle each other... because Tiana and Logan almost knocked me down when I first got here. haha.

Well, there you have it. The best surprise I have pulled off thus far in my life. It was pretty awesome. So, I am now spending the next week in VA with my family. Gosh, I love Virginia. :)

The Change in Time

2009-11-19T00:37:00.000-08:00

It's funny how time can change things. In March, I worked on this film called "Frozen" and I had two "puppies" on that film. But after the first day or so, one of the guys more or less went 'back to normal', so he was okay again after that (plus, he was only 2 or 3 years older than I was, so it wasn't as weird to me). But the other one kind of freaked me out. He would come find me every time he had downtime, and would always sit next to me at lunch, and... he was "waaay older." I was kind of relieved on my last day of that film (I only worked 1-2 times a week on it) because I knew I wouldn't have to see him again for quite some time - if ever.

The first week of this film went by and we had only our "skeleton crew" ... Then, the last day of the first week, a few people were added to the crew. I was grabbing some of my stuff and walking back to where we were about to film when all of a sudden this guy walked past me. At a glance, he looked kind of like another guy on crew (Seth), but without the beard Seth had. I was so confused because I knew it wasn't Seth, but I couldn't figure out why I knew the guy. Then it hit me: he was the puppy from Frozen. I momentarily freaked, and then hoped/thought "maybe he won't remember or recognize me..." Wrong! About ten minutes later he came up to me and started chatting with me. I thought "Oh no, it's going to be like this for the rest of the film... great..."

However, to his credit... at that very moment that he came up to me, I was seconds away from leaking like a faucet and needed a distraction in the worst way. (The last two days had had a lot of crap happen both on and off set, and something else major had just barely occured on set to add to the stress... I was fighting the tears SO hard) When I am like that, I don't want someone to give me a hug or say "it'll be okay" or any crap like that. I just need a distraction - something to talk about that is *completely* unrelated. Luckily, that is exactly what he did. Props to him for that. Still, though... I kind of avoided him for the rest of the day. I still had the "Frozen" mindset and didn't want to maintain a puppy for the duration of the film.

Well... it is now 3 days before picture wrap and yes, my how time changes things - in multiple ways. At this point in time, he has probably become one of my closest friends on set. Not that I'm really "close" with anyone on set, but you get the idea. We chat during downtime, quite frequently sit at the same table at lunch, trade off backrubs, and play mini wars all throughout the day (I try to stick tape on him without him noticing - he tries to stick clothespins on me without me noticing. One of his clothespins even said "PAY BACK" - and one of my tape pieces said "GOTCHA"). (PS, grip and electric use clothespins for the lights; and yes I like my parentheses)

I think one of the biggest reasons he 'freaked me out' with Frozen was because he was "so much older." Yes, "waaay older" to me in March was anyone over 30. But in the last 8 months, the wards I have been a part of have probably had an average age of 29-30. The bulk of my friends in my new ward are 28-34. This guy is 32. And this time around, 32 was no longer weird or freaky to me. Also, he didn't maintain his "puppy" status and 'gave me my space' I guess you could say. Because of that, I was more willing to talk with him, knowing he wouldn't follow me around.

It's just funny that your views of someone can change so drastically in time. I went from almost dreading seeing him to looking forward to it. Seriously, those 'wars' have actually gotten me through some pretty rough days, because it adds some much needed 'comic relief' to my days of stress. And I have actually never before met anyone who gives such amazing backrubs (and trust me, I don't say that lightly - I've had my share of backrubs, and sorry to any who have ever given me one, but he trumps you all!) Talk about a perfect 'de-stresser.' Now, looking back, I don't know if I could have survived this film as well as I did without him to keep me sane. Thank goodness things can and *do* change in time!

I'm Still Alive, I Promise

2009-11-15T13:09:00.000-08:00

Okay, I have a few people wondering if I have dropped off the face of the planet or something, due to my lack of blog entries. Indeed, it has been a while... and I'm usually not this bad at keeping everyone updated, but these last few weeks have been some of the absolute busiest weeks of my life! I started working on another film - The Kane Files - and it has pretty much consumed my life. I mean, normally, when I work on a film it takes up a lot of my time already, but I have discovered that as mixer (vs boom), it takes up even MORE of your time and energy. I have to haul all of my equipment there and back everyday. I have to take the disk and upload it to my computer every day. I have to put it on a flash drive for the editor. I have to make sure the sound reports match the audio files and that it's all good to go to send to the editor. I have to prepare the equipment, make sure everything has fresh batteries, etc.

I am constantly in search of what the next shot is, if it will be wide or tight, if we can boom it or if we are going to have to lav the actors. If we *do* have to lav the actors, after I see the blocking rehearsal, I have to tell the 1st AD so she knows that they'll need a couple minutes before a real rehearsal so I can have time to mic them. I have to talk with the DP to find out what exactly the shot is and where my boom can fit - if anywhere. I have to make sure my entire pack is portable for the times we have to walk (or run) with camera (almost the entire film is hand held). Basically, I have to be prepared for anything... every day.

We have also been filming mostly at nights, which means we don't *start* until 5pm and we don't *end* until 5am. Then there's the 'pack up and put everything away' part, and the drive home. So basically, all I have done for the last 3 weeks is eat, sleep, and work. Even my mother (whom I normally talk to every day) has called me a few times asking how things are going, because she hasn't heard from me in a while. Seriously, it IS my life right now - it'll all I have time for. So I will probably put up a "Week 1" "Week 2" etc post that sums up each week, but I can almost guarantee you that that will not happen until *after* we wrap.

Luckily, we at least have Sundays off... except I was so drained and stressed from yesterday (possibly the worst day yet) that I slept through church... oops. :/ So I have a few short hours each week to 'get my life in order' for the next week and that's it. Clean the room, do some laundry, catch up on my journal, and prep the equipment yet again for the following day. Yeah, definitely prefer booming to mixing. This mixing stuff is NOT my cup of tea.

Photo Shoot!

2009-10-22T22:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, a very unoriginal title this time. I got lazy. And this will probably be the smallest text post ever. Yesterday, a friend from back home posted on facebook that she wanted to do a photography session. So shoot, I volunteered! I went over there today and had an absolute BLAST! She asked if I had ever thought about/done modeling and I said "not really" (it doesn't really count when you're 6-years-old) and she said "well you should!" It made me smile. :) Anyway, here are a few pictures from the day! Enjoy! :) (and might I add... after 23 years, I think I have finally figured out how to do my own hair and makeup. haha)

PS, all pictures are by Kati Henshall - she's fantastic!

It Just Keeps Going and Going, and...

2009-10-21T10:43:00.000-07:00

Wow, I haven't gotten this behind in quite some time! Let's see... where do I even begin? I finally renewed my gym membership last week and I'm trying to go at least 3-4 times a week if not more. We'll see how well that works out. I went country dancing again last Wednesday and it was probably one of the most fun times I have ever had, and I was only there for about an hour! But for that hour, I was dancing literally nonstop. I have never had so many people ask me one after the other. It was crazy!

Thursday, I went up to SLC to meet with Ty, the DP for the film I'm starting, to look at the sound equipment they have available to them and to let them know if it is all the necessary sound equipment. Oh yeah, I got work on another film! It's called "The Kane Files" and we start filming on Monday. However, though we haven't started yet, I feel like I have been kept plenty busy this whole week. I'm the sound mixer on this one (usually I'm boom - this will be the first feature I have been the sole mixer) and so that means that I am involved in all the pre-production side of things and have been talking back and forth with the producer multiple times a day. It's a whole new experience, but it has been really good for me.

Fri-Sat we had a Relief Society retreat... I was originally not going to go, because I normally hate RS stuff; but I decided I should probably give it a chance and ended up going. I was so glad I went! As it turns out, I am in a ward with hardly any girly-girls! The evening consisted of hot tubbing, mafia, and a Wii. haha I thought it was awesome.

Saturday afternoon I went to a football party to watch the BYU/SDSU game. A guy in our ward has a party for every away game and he always has a really good turnout. Afterwards, my friend set me up on a semi-blind date (turned out I had actually met him before) and we all went to the Corn Maze at Thanksgiving Point. It was actually pretty fun.

Sunday I got to play Settlers after church again! It was a fun tradition back in April/May and I'm happy that I now have friends who *do* play every Sunday! So I played it with Shark and Rob (FHE brothers) tonight and then we went to ward prayer. Afterward, we had yet another highly successful round of ward game night at my place! :) A guy in our ward told me and Karie that we are "the popular apartment" now. Haha sweet!

Yesterday I went with my great uncle (my mom's uncle, Roger) to visit his friend who owns "this studio." The way Roger was talking about it though, it sounded like this small studio where a few things come through every now and then. Oh no. This studio... MASSIVE. It was where we filmed HSM3! We pulled in and I said to Roger, "I've been here before!" Yeah, this place is no small thing. It's a massive warehouse with multiple stages and sets, a 50-foot green screen, and it's pretty much amazing. And the guy who owns it, James, basically gave me an open-ended offer to come and work for him whenever I want! He knows that I'm about to start work on this film, but told me that whenever I wanted to come in, just let him know! He even has an office for me! Awesome! Oh and below are some sweet pictures of the awesome set they are currently creating for this film called Area 51.

Afterward, I went to the production office for the film I'm about to start and got everything squared away with that, signed some paperwork, got the paperwork for my boom ops, and headed home. However, when I got onto the freeway, I suddenly felt like I was in L.A. traffic again. We were moving ridiculously slow and I knew something had to be up. We finally passed one accident and I thought I was home free... wrong! After talking with my mom for 40 minutes and only going about 11 miles, I decided to ditch the whole freeway idea and take back roads all the way home. After all, I have a GPS now!

So I started on the back roads and turned on a traffic/news station to hear what was up with I-15 S. Turns out, there were not one, not two, but THREE separate accidents down I-15 S! My goodness. All in all, it took me nearly two hours to drive what is normally only about 45 minutes. Yikes.

THEN... I got home and ended up talking with a friend who is an aspiring photographer and wants people to practice on... so I'm going to her place tomorrow at noon for a photo shoot! I'm so excited! I have actually always wanted to do one just for fun, but have never had friends who just "need the practice" so I'm pretty stoked about it.

The rest of today just involves about a million things to do to get ready for this film that starts on Monday, plus regular mundane things like laundry and room cleaning. But, with everything going the way it has in the past month or so, it sure is looking like moving back to Utah - for now - was definitely the right choice! :)

Life is Either a Great Adventure, or Nothing

2009-10-12T23:59:00.000-07:00

Wow, talk about eventful! ...yet, thoroughly exciting! So my FHE group went to a corn maze tonight and took 3 different cars to carpool up there. I rode up and back with this one guy in our ward, Rob (same one from the dinner last night), and 3 other girls. On our way back home, we passed by this 'entrance' to off-roading up the mountain and he said "who wants to go off-roading!?" I wasn't sure if he was serious or not, so I replied in a way that could be taken either joking or serious but implying that I actually thought that it sounded like fun. Of course, none of the other 3 girls were up for it at all, so we drove another 2 streets back to Deer Haven (our neighborhood). But then I found out that Rob really was quite serious about it, so shoot, of course I went!

We started on one road and he saw a pathway that he hadn't taken before and said "ooh let's take this one!" We were going pretty fast - as far as off-roading goes - and then all of a sudden this MASSIVE rock (more like boulder) came into sight --> but not in time. We smashed SO hard into that thing! We stopped (obviously) and both gave each other this "oh crap" sort of look and I immediately opened my door to see what kind of damage we were looking at (we hit the passenger's side). I figured that he was going to have this massive dent in the side of his car, but to my surprise… nothing! I was really confused as to how that was possible, and then I heard this hissing sound. We had a flat. The tire took most of the fall.

Pretend this is the path, and the rock on the right is what we slammed into (though it was more on the path than this).

So since we were not on ANY sort of steady or flat ground, he said “alright let’s go as quickly as we can with what air we have left and try to get to some flat ground.” So we turned around and started going the way we came, but we turned the wrong way at the fork and had to back up a bit to get on the right road... and in the process, the car suddenly began to tip to the right. It seriously felt like the car was balancing on something and that was about the point when he said "Lean left!!!" So we both leaned as far left as possible while he put it into the right gear for this maneuver and then said "Let's hope this works...!" Luckily, whatever he did worked and we managed to get to the other road without tipping over. Although, it would have been quite the experience to actually be IN a car as it tipped over...! :)

This, however, was by no means the end. We got the car to semi flat ground and knew that the tire was completely shot and that the spot we were at would have to be good enough. We got out, grabbed the tools, and he started jacking up the car. But in the process he remembered that the back of his four runner (I think that's what kind it is) was jammed and nearly impossible to open (the only way to access the spare is with that open). But apparently WD-40 usually did the trick... So we called up Stan (his roommate) who managed to successfully find the neighborhood right below us. However, we still had to climb halfway down the mountain in order to get to civilization. haha. But Stan found us and we went to the gas station down the street and got some WD-40. Then he took us back to that neighborhood and from there, we climbed back up to where the car was.

Unfortunately, the WD-40 wasn't working. No matter what we tried, that thing wouldn't budge. Then, we saw lights ahead and a car came all the way up to us and stopped. Turns out, it was a Utah County Sheriff car. He asked if we needed help and between him and Rob, they were finally able to get the darn thing open. Shortly thereafter, the flat was off, the spare was on, and we were good to go.

Am I weird that I found this whole excursion incredibly fun and exciting? First of all: off-roading. I don't know why, but I actually think it's really fun - and I never get to go! So I was excited about that already. Then, smashing into something that hard with no visible damage to the car was pretty exciting (and somewhat miraculous) as well. And having to climb down a mountain and back up it again (in the dark, with very slippery shoes)... well, I'm always looking for adventure and that sure was adventurous! It was just really fun!! It made me wish I had a beast of a car to do crazy stuff with. But then again, maybe it's a good thing that I don't have a car capable of that... :P

Post title: quote by Helen Keller

Dinner and a... Game

2009-10-11T23:59:00.000-07:00

It's kind of sad that today was only my second FULL time at my new ward. I went the first week I moved in, but then something has happened every week since that has caused me to be out of town for it! Oh, and then one week I was sick too. Anyway, --oh, I need to preface something first. We got new FHE groups a couple of weeks ago and the guys in our group are really cool, and Karie and I decided that we should have them over for dinner sometime or something (there is only one apartment of guys that actually comes to FHE). We just thought it would be fun. WELL... after church today, Shark (one of the guys in that apartment) came up to Karie and me and invited us to dinner tonight at their place. I do have to include though, how he invited us, because it was really funny.

Shark walked up to the two of us and started with "So... the other two girls bailed..." haha! Stan (one of Shark's roommates) happened to overhear how Shark started with the invite and said "Dude! That's not how you ask!" Oh my goodness it cracked me and Karie up. We gave him a hard time by saying something like "we guess we'll come, since we're your backup and all..." It was so funny watching Shark trying to backpedal. But, they're cool guys and of course we accepted the invite!

We got there at six and I was quite impressed at how much work they'd put into it! We had pears as a starter, a salad, 'juice' (ie Kool-Aid), and a main dish (some sort of Mexican dish that was actually really good). Afterward, we even had homemade peach cobbler! Stan is a mean dessert maker (he made one for FHE last week too and it was delicious!) and when we commented on his skills, he said "... I like to eat...!" haha.

As soon as we finished dessert, Erin (the other girl there) had to leave, and Rob had pulled his whip out and wanted to give a demonstration. So we all went outside to watch. Yeah, that thing could do some serious damage. After that, Rob left, and Stan, Shark, Karie, and I started playing a game of Settlers of Catan. I was so excited to play again because I hadn't played since May, and I used to play every single Sunday! But then we had ward prayer and then ward game night was at our place again, so we had to cut the game short (first to 6 points instead of 10 -Karie won!) BUT... it was still fun! :)

Catch Me When I Fall

2009-10-10T23:59:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been quite a few days and quite a lot has happened, but I'm just going to quickly summarize this week instead of writing it all out ...

Monday: We have a new FHE group, it's awesome, and I love it. We are severely lacking in guys, which is a bummer... but the apartment of guys that actually comes are all awesome so I guess it somehow makes up for it. Tonight we played "in the manner of the adverb" and it was actually really fun! Afterwards, I went to the dollar theatre with my friend Jamie and watched The Proposal.

Tuesday: A group in my ward plays football every Tuesday evening and I played with them tonight. It had been so long since I played football, and it was a blast. Afterwards, Karie and I had our first ward movie night (Iron Man)... and might I add, it was VERY successful! We had every seat filled, and every open floor space as well! I think about 25 people total came.

Wednesday: I got a job interview scheduled for a desk job (hey, work is work and right now I'll take just about anything) and made plans with an old friend for Thursday. Then I went to a friend's birthday party and caught up with a bunch of old friends from last year's ward.

Thursday: I quite possibly may have work on a film! Oh yeah, the job interview... turns out it was only a part time job and they were asking for a year commitment, so that didn't work out. But a friend with whom I have worked on other projects called me up and told me to contact these guys about mixing and/or booming for a new feature and miraculously enough, they were still looking for someone!
Friday: Talked with the producer about the feature and they are trying to give me RIDICULOUSLY low rates so that is yet to be determined. I have to call the producer back Monday or Tuesday to discuss details with him. I also went to this really fun party in Sandy tonight, where I knew the most random combination of people. I think everyone there had ties to someone who either currently lives or has lived in Roman Gardens. I didn't think I was going to have as much fun as I did only knowing a few people, but I ended up staying until 1:30!

Today: I FINALLY got my new phone! And oh my goodness I absolutely love it! It's the EnV Touch (Verizon) and it is awesome. I didn't think I would like another phone as much as my Chocolate, but this one rocks and does so many cool things! I have been playing with it all day.
Karie and I went to Nate and Matt Seeley's tonight for the football game and yay! we won. It was a fun game to watch, too.

There, now you are caught up... haha. :)

The Fuel in the Furnace

2009-10-05T11:35:00.000-07:00

I am going to start with two quotes:
(1) Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement. -Brian Tracy.
(2) The ability to convert ideas to things is the secret to outward success. -Henry Ward Beecher.

Can you guess what I'm going to write about? Goals!! Last night was awesome. Karie and I hosted our ward game night (which was a blast, by the way) and then afterward, she and I just sat and talked for a while. Amidst the chat, we came up with a brilliant idea that we are both quite excited about. Each week we are going to make a list of 5-10 goals of things that we want to achieve and/or accomplish that coming week. After we write them down, we share them with each other so we are even more accountable for those goals. Then, the following Sunday we report back to one another to see how many of our goals we achieved.

I love it! We both made a list of about 10 goals of basic to intense things. For example: one of hers was "get my oil changed" and one of mine was "get a new phone." But then another of mine was to get a group together in the ward and go sing hymns to people in nursing homes after church on Sunday. I was in a ward once that did that and admittedly, I didn't go very often that year, but I still thought it was an awesome idea. And I have been wanting to do something service-y for a while but haven't been able to find something. You wouldn't believe all the crap you have to go through to volunteer at a hospital!! I wanted to go to a children's ward and just visit with and play with the kids there, and I think it might possibly be more difficult to do that than to get a job! Sheesh! So, throughout the week we shall see how many of these goals we accomplish. I am really liking this idea, though. I think it will help me get more things done during the week - especially since I have no real schedule as of right now. I will report back next week!!

General Conference is Amazing

2009-10-04T23:59:00.000-07:00

I don't know how it happens, but inevitably, I end up going to at least one session of conference. It's so weird, because I don't even try to get tickets - they just sort of appear out of nowhere. Last conference, Martin had some and we were dating at the time... so naturally, I went with. The time before that Jeremiah had some... and again, we were dating at the time... so I went with him. The year before that, a friend had extras so again, I went. And this conference I went with my friend Rob. He's from Australia and is visiting for the week (we met in a BYU ward 4 years ago) and randomly stopped by earlier in the week and while we were talking, said "Oh! I have an extra ticket to conference - do you want to come?!?" ...Why stop the trend now? lol. So of course, I went.

I actually had never been to the Sunday morning session before (at least, I don't think I have), so it was really cool because we saw the whole "music and the spoken word" thing too. Their final song was "Come Thou Fount" and that is one of my all time favorite hymns, so I was excited to hear that one. They started singing, and I found myself humming along... to the alto part... of this particular arrangement. Suddenly, I was incredibly confused. "How do I know the alto part to the MoTab arrangement?" I thought. The song continued for another 30 seconds and then suddenly it hit me - this was the arrangement we sang in YAs! (Young Ambassadors) This was our closing number for each and every fireside we did throughout that whole year. I must have sung that version of "Come Thou Fount" 30 times or more. No wonder I still knew it!

After the morning session, Rob and I walked a few blocks to a church building where there was some sort of Vietnamese reunion (he is Vietnamese-Australian and served his mission Vietnamese-speaking) where they had a ton of food. It was all Vietnamese, but I love trying new foods, so I took a little bit of everything. Most of it was pretty good, and the few things that I didn't like, Rob did - so he ate it for me. haha. After lunch, I drove home and listened to the first half of the 2nd session on the radio (because I'm in Utah again and can do that now) and the rest I watched when I got home. Elder Holland's talk was quite possibly one of the most powerful talks I have ever heard, and so I am going to include the video for it in case you missed it. Because he is pretty much amazing.

You let it DIE!

2009-10-02T23:59:00.000-07:00

I went to the football game tonight - and it rocked. I hadn't been to a game in so long! Well, I hadn't been to a football game that I wasn't *working* at in a very long time. It was nice to watch a game as a fan again. Afterwards, I was supposed to meet up with Karie and her friend Chad at this YSA dance, but instead I ended up in limbo for the next few hours. My phone is in very, very sad shape. It only lasts for about an hour or two after I take it off of the charge. If I sent 4 or 5 texts, it's done for. If I make more than one phone call, it turns off. Today was the worst, and it is now not just something I want, but an absolute necessity to get a new phone!

Let's rewind for a minute. I bought the ticket from a friend of a friend and when I got it, I saw that it said "STUDENT" in big, bold letters. Well... I am not a student anymore and thus this was going to present problems as to how I was going to get in with a student ticket and no valid student ID. One might think "why not just use your student ID from last year?" Trust me, I would have... except the first semester I was out of school, BYU decided to change the format of the IDs (see picture), so mine doesn't look a thing like current IDs! Blast. So I called up my friend Alyssa (Johnson) and said "I have a random question for you - can I borrow your ID tonight?" She laughed, but agreed. So I drove to her place, and she was nice enough to just drop me off at the stadium so I wouldn't have to worry about parking. In return, she got to use my car for the duration of the game! (she doesn't have a car)

The plan was that I would call her when the game was done and she could come get me and all would be well. However, my phone decided to die about 5 minutes before the game ended. Perfect. I had to play the "on/off" game with my phone 4 times before I was able to successfully retrieve her number from my phone before it died. I then used my friend Matt's phone to give her a call. Since Matt was driving back to Sparks/Arcadia, I just got a ride home with him. So I was calling to tell her that she didn't need to come get me and that I'd be there momentarily.

However, she had tried to send me a text telling me that she was at Wyview (really close to the stadium) and that I should just go there. Drat. So I went back to Sparks, and she was still at Wyview doing laundry. Sooo... I just sort of meandered throughout Sparks saying hi to old friends. I stopped by Apt 10 for a little while, but it was Ian, his friend, and Jason... and about 7 giggly sophomore girls who are way too girly for me. So I meandered some more and ran into Jake and some of his friends in the clubhouse and ended up playing ping pong and whatnot until about 11:30 when I decided to go see if Alyssa was back. I went to her place and hurray! She was back.

But since I didn't get my car back until 11:30, the dance was most definitely out. It's kind of sad how much we rely on our phones these days. I mean, it wasn't that long ago that cell phones didn't even exist! What did we do back then? Set up a time and place for us to meet and hope it worked out? What if there was a misunderstanding? Tough! So yeah, I felt very strange not being able to call or access any of my friend's numbers tonight. Definitely time for a new phone!!

post title: part of a line from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

What A Difference A Day Makes

2009-10-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

Or in this case, what a difference a light makes...

So, I realized that while I may not be on the lighting crew when I work on films, I have been around it enough to know the basics and how to improve the lighting of a room, especially for pictures and video. I got bored yesterday and realized that my profile picture on facebook was incredibly old. I thought, "hey, I should probably take a new one..." and nowadays, people will take pictures of themselves for the sole intent of creating a new profile picture.

So I grabbed my camera and set it up on my stereo, with only the white background of my wall visible. I set the timer, and ran back for the picture. The only problem... it was too dark. Sure, you could still see the picture, but it didn't "pop" or anything like that. Nothing was screaming "nice picture!"

I don't exactly have any kinos (see above picture) or 1ks, 2ks, etc just laying around, so hey - ya make do with what you've got! I grabbed a standing lamp from our rec room, unscrewed the top, took off the cover, and had just the bulb shining. I placed it accordingly, and tried again. Voila - instantly better pictures! Alright, so it had a bit of a yellow tint due to the bulb, but hey it was still a lot better than *no* light! Anyway, here is a before and after picture of my escapades!

(and yes, I touched it up before posting the far right one as my profile picture. :P )

Take A Hint!

2009-09-29T23:36:00.000-07:00

Alright… I hate being mean… especially when it comes to guys. I will almost always go on at least one date with a guy who asks me out, and sometimes a second. But if there is no interest on one or both parties, the guy can usually pick up that the girl is in fact, not interested. But, that doesn’t always stop them. Some are very persistent little buggers and there is no nice way to break the news to them! Such is the case with Joe (I changed the name). I don’t even know when or where we first met. We’re in the same ward, so probably at church or some ward function. And actually, when we met I was dating someone else so I didn’t even think I had to worry about that. But either he never knew that, or it just didn’t stop him.

A few weeks later, he asked me out, and I had since broken up with the guy I was dating, so I figured “why not?” Like I said, always give the guy a chance. I don’t remember what happened, but something very legitimate came up and I -- oh, I finally got some work and I had to take it.

Anyway, so we rescheduled and did something the next week instead, but I just wasn’t feeling it. He however, must have thought differently. He called me up a few days later and asked for that coming Saturday. I told him I wasn’t sure if I’d be in town or not, because there was a very likely possibility that I’d be in California that weekend (for Jackie’s baptism). He said, “well let’s just tentatively set it and then if you do end up going, give me a call.” Well, the next day things worked out for my trip to California so I called him up to cancel and he randomly happened to on my front porch, trying to get a hold of another roommate of mine. So I went upstairs and let him in and while he waited for my other roommate, I cancelled.

He said, “Oh that’s okay – we can do it next weekend!” I said, “Oh, but it’s Conference weekend.” (I have various plans that whole weekend with friends in town, etc). He said “Oh that’s right – okay we can do it the weekend after that.” That was the point where I’m sure my face said more than my words because in my head I thought “Are you kidding me?” because who makes plans 3 weeks in advance? Shoot, I don’t even know what my schedule 3 days from now is let alone 3 weeks! So then he said, “oh are you working that weekend?” I told him that I might be (which is true, because it was 3 weeks away) and so he finally relinquished and said that we’d figure something out after I got back from California. (Oh I forgot to mention that the day I was driving to California, he also invited me for ice cream somewhere, but again, I couldn’t go – I was sort of driving through Vegas at that time.)

WELL… I am currently at my grandparents’ house for a few days and got this voicemail tonight. It was from Joe and I had missed the call (there isn’t very good service up here, so most calls just go straight to voicemail). So I listened to it and about fell over. He was calling to make sure we were still on for this Friday! …seriously? When was that discussed and where was I when those plans were made? I can’t call out here, so I’ll have to wait until I get back to talk to him (he doesn’t use facebook or anything; and thus doesn’t know about my blog either, thank goodness), but you’ve got to be kidding me! I already said that Conference weekend was out! And now all of a sudden we have a date planned?? Is he trying to be sneaky or something? Sorry buddy, but I have an excellent memory (and a VERY accurate journal) and I sure as heck would have remembered agreeing to that. I am just getting more and more frustrated with this guy and don’t know how to break it to him gently that I am clearly not interested!

Why is it always that the ones you’re interested in are never into you, and the ones you are clearly not into are the ones who won’t leave you alone!? Bah!

The Energizer Bunny

2009-09-28T23:25:00.000-07:00

Wow, so I was home for a grand total of about 9 hours before I was on the road again. Paul and I went to the L.A. 1st Ward yesterday, ate some food at break-the-fast, and then got on the road. We didn't leave L.A. until about 6:15pm. Thus, we got into Provo at 4:30 or 5am. I got my stuff inside, got ready for bed, and got into bed around 5:30 or 6, got up around noon, did a few essential things and then left just after 2pm for my grandparents' house. There must be something wrong with me... because I LOVE having that busy of a schedule! I somehow thrive on it, where it seems to kill most people. Yet somehow I gain more energy with weeks like this. Strange, huh?

Anyway, it's always fun to visit my grandparents. I got there around 6 and we had dinner chatted, watched a bit of TV, and then my grandma and I chatted until nearly midnight! I was surprised, because my grandparents usually go to sleep relatively early (my grandpa went to sleep around 10 tonight). But it was so much fun talking to my grandma!

Another fun thing about "going to grandma's" is the food. Admit it, you are all thinking the same thing. What better place to go for good food than to your grandma's house? I always leave their place plenty filled! And because they live so far up in the mountains, it is always awesome to look at the stars! They're so bright and vivid! Okay, so tonight they weren't... the moon was too dang bright to be able to see them as well as normal, but you could still see them better than in Provo or any "city." There is just something about stars that fascinate me and I could look at them all night... one of these days I want to literally go "camping underneath the stars" and just look up into the sky for hours. Wouldn't that be fun?? :P

Baptism!

2009-09-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

Jackie got baptized yesterday! It was awesome!!! I was telling her on Friday that she's the first really close friend of mine to get baptized and that seemed to make her even more excited. It sure as heck made me excited! We got up yesterday morning, got ready, fed her friend's dogs, and then headed to the church. Oh and before we left her house, we had to take pictures of course. :P

We got there a bit early, but had time to chat with those who were coming in. I also disappeared for a few minutes so I could go and put her gift together, so it would be ready once the baptismal service as over. It started with a couple of really awesome talks from friends of hers, and then... she got baptized! Yay!!! Oh, but before that there was this amazing musical number that her friend and a friend of his put together and it was beautiful. It was their own impromptu version of "I'm Trying To Be Like Jesus" and I'm pretty sure it made Jackie's mom cry (she isn't a member).

After the baptism, a bunch of us went to Cheesecake Factory to celebrate. Jackie, Jackie's mom, Jackie's friend Alice (but said like "uh-leese"), as well as her friend Jeanette and her boyfriend, Adam Johnson and a friend of his, the missionaries, and I all went. We had a blast and were there for quite some time. And while it was great fun, the thing I was most impressed about was Jackie's mother.

Her mom is born-and-raised Catholic and oftentimes when people join the church, it seems to tear families apart, though I still can't understand why. Anyway, I was just absolutely blown away by her mom's support. She wasn't exactly happy about it, but she was happy for Jackie and very supportive of her decision. She bought her a gift, as well as a 'Congratulations!' card and even came to church with us today. She is an absolutely fabulous mother. I wish more mothers acted like that when their child makes the decision to be baptized. She may not agree with church doctrine, but she does recognize that Jackie not only believes it, but that it has made her a better person. I can't say enough about her mother. She was awesome.

I am so excited for Jackie! And I am SO happy I was able to make it down to L.A.!! Baptisms are awesome!!!

Strangers are Just Friends Waiting To Happen

2009-09-24T10:36:00.001-07:00

Everyone has those few friends with whom you can share absolutely everything. They usually come far and few between, but when you find a friend like that, it's awesome. I've had 2 or 3 friends like that for quite some time now, but I've recently gained another. And it's funny because Alyssa and I have only known each other since May! But yet it's as if we have been the closest of friends for ages - and I love it!

Anyway, I went to Alyssa's last night just so we could catch up and whatnot, because it had been about a week and a half (she still lives in Sparks, and I'm about 2 miles away now). We ended up talking for almost FOUR hours! We definitely never run out of things to say to one another! And it was just one of those really good conversations, ya know? We talked about everything. And I just love it when you come across friends with whom you can tell anything to and know that it will be okay. Alyssa, you're great! :)

In other news, I leave for California today! Unfortunately, I'm not leaving until 5 or 6 tonight, so it's going to be a looong drive. But Paul (the guy I'm driving down with) doesn't get out of classes until 4 I think, and he's driving down from Salt Lake. Bummer. I know the "polite" thing is to stay awake the entire drive - for the driver's sake... but I'm not sure I'll be able to do that. I'm like 99% back to normal (from the whole wisdom teeth thing), but the only thing that isn't 100% normal is my sleeping habits. I feel like a little kid who needs a nap every 2 or 3 hours! So I very well may conk out for a few hours here and there!

But I'm so excited to go. Hopefully this time next year I'll be back in California - permanently. Well, maybe not permanently, because I don't want to live there forever... but for a good many years at least. And to go along with the post title... I have met Paul once... and he was dressed as a pirate. ha! So I've never seen him dressed normal, and I've never actually talked to him for more than 5 seconds, so it will definitely be an interesting - but fun - drive. He seems like a cool guy though, so I have a feeling there will be some good conversation that will come. Here's to California!

She'd Be California

2009-09-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

So... I have gone back and forth about 20 times as to whether or not I would be making a trip out to CA this weekend. Jackie, an awesome girl I met this summer, is getting baptized! We met at a party the first month I was in CA and randomly happened to be working on the same film short the following week and have kept in touch ever since. I really wanted to go, but I had a double dilemma: (1) money, and (2) work. I was scheduled to work this event Friday night so I would have had to fly, and I couldn’t find anything for less than $200. So after much deliberation, I decided late last night that I wouldn’t be able to make it.

However, I got a call this afternoon from the guy who crews me for the sports events and he began to explain the gruesome details of the event on Friday. He said “let me preface this with the fact that I love having you on my crews and if you still choose to work this event, I will gladly take you… but I just thought I should let you know what exactly is going down…” It’s this bloody bare knuckles cage fighting event that is being filmed in Wyoming because pretty much everywhere else it would be illegal. And it is supposedly planned to be so gruesome that it is only going to be broadcast via internet. I will spare you the rest of the details, but after talking with him, I decided that it may be best to pass on this one.

Suddenly, my Friday was free again and I was excited because I was actually going to go to this dancing thing with Karie that I really wanted to go to anyway. But then I called Jackie to wish her a happy birthday and found out that her friend Paul, who moved to SLC, is driving out for her baptism! I told her that my work thing had just been ‘canceled’ and that driving out was once again an option! So she gave me Paul’s number and I called him up and he’s going to pick me up on his way down and we’re going to road trip it to California tomorrow! I love the spontaneity of my life. :P

Now, the only thing that I feel bad about is that I did have tentative plans for Saturday. The YA tech crew does a reunion about once a year and they’re actually really fun. It’s this Saturday morning and I was definitely planning on being there, but alas… I guess I won’t. And I also had a date this Saturday, but luckily when it was scheduled, he already knew it was tentative so at least the idea of me canceling was already a possibility.

It’s funny, because I just realized that I haven’t even been gone a full month, yet it feels like I have been gone forever. I guess I fell in love with California more than I thought! Anyway, I’m excited to go back – even if it is only for a few days!! :)

Post title: song by Rascal Flatts

I'll Be Out In A Jiffy!

2009-09-18T23:20:00.000-07:00

Well, as you probably would suspect, I wasn't really up to writing in here yesterday! But I will let you know that all went well and I feel that I am recovering rather quickly. The quick run-down of what happened yesterday:

Zarah got here around 10 and we drove up to SLC. We got there around 10:50, I filled out some paperwork, went back to get my x-rays and then had to wait til about 11:45 before they finally called me back. I then had to wait another 10 minutes or so for the dentist to come back. He had already looked at my x-ray and said "well, it looks pretty clean cut. We'll be done in about 15 minutes!" I was slightly confused because I had heard that impacted teeth were more difficult and could cause more complications, so I asked him about that. He said "Yes, the bottom two are technically impacted; however they have partially surfaced, which makes them much easier to get out, so it'll be a breeze."

The anesthesiologist had come in right around then and began explaining to me what he was going to do/stick me with, and how it would affect me. He tied this elastic around the upper part of my right arm and told me to make a fist. He distracted me while he stuck me with something, and then informed me that next he'd be putting in the medication that would knock me out. He said it would take about 30 seconds for it to take effect. I remember beginning to say "I think it's working," but I'm pretty sure it sounded more like "I think... it's......." haha.

Next thing I knew, it was over and I was awake. Well, sort of. I was still pretty out of it. The nurse went over everything with myself and Zarah and I was definitely grateful for Zarah because I sure as heck didn't remember a thing the nurse was saying! Once we got back to my place, Zarah told me everything that I had said, and admitted that she was slightly disappointed that I hadn't said crazy things. She said "you were definitely out of it, but you were asking really intelligent questions! You kept asking the nurse about things that you could or couldn't eat, and you asked if you could have a milkshake. You asked about the prescriptions a couple of times, too." And I apparently asked Zarah 3 times from that point to the time we got home if she had called my mom. (My mom told me Thursday morning before I went in that she wanted Zarah to call her afterward so she would know that all was well).

We stopped at Wal-Mart on the way home so we could fill my prescriptions. I'm not entirely sure why, but I have FOUR. One is just a massive dosage of ibuprofen (800mg each). Another is some sort of antibiotic that I'm supposed to take breakfast, lunch, dinner, and right before bed. Then I had "Lortab/Percoset" and I'm not sure if that is combined in one or if it is two separate ones. But with the Lortab, I know I do take a smaller pill as well. So maybe that's the percoset? Or maybe that's the other antibiotic of sorts. I really have no idea. All I know though, is that whatever I'm taking... it's working!

I was worried that I would barely be coherent for the following days, but I have done pretty well yesterday and today! Granted, after I take one of the sets of meds, I usually conk out for a few hours afterward, other than that I am great! I think the Lortab/Pecoset stuff is what knocks me out more. I took that at 3 this afternoon and suddenly it became very difficult to stay awake. I was out by 4, and don't remember a thing again until about 6!!

My cheeks are kiiing of swollen, but not really. A few friends came over tonight and watched a movie, and they said I hardly looked swollen at all - and that I "definitely didn't look like someoneo who had just gotten their wisdom teeth taken out." So that's good! I have been following all of "doctor's orders" to a T. I have been 'rinsing' my mouth with saltwater multiple times a day, taking the meds every 3 hours as recommended (alternating between the Lortab set and ibuprofen set), eating with each dosage, icing as frequently as possible...

What I'm still scared about is dry sockets. I'm told that those usually appear on the 3rd day, and tomorrow will technically be Day 3... and I'll be working all day tomorrow up in Weber. I just hope that I'll be coherent enough to work and function and be able to operate a hard camera for an entire football game...! We'll see what happens! When everyone else goes for lunch, I will probably just find a place to crash and take a nap. :P

But there you have it. My first experience "going under" and so far, I am one of those "good experience" stories. I just hope it stays that way and continues to be smooth sailing from here on out!! :)

Going Under

2009-09-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

Alright, I know I have already written a post on this, but seeing as the appointment is tomorrow, it is sort of largely on my mind: I get my wisdom teeth taken out tomorrow. I have never had mouth work, never had a needle or an IV stuck into me, and never had any sort of anesthesia/been "knocked out." Granted, I have no idea the procedure for wisdom teeth... I have no idea how they go about 'knocking me out' or what will happen afterward. I doubt IVs will be involved, since it is supposedly such a short procedure - they'll probably just gas me or something, but who knows! But then, what if I'm the 1-in-100 where whatever they give me to knock me out doesn't last long enough and I wake up in the middle?!

I have heard both really good and incredibly bad stories of friends who have already gotten theirs out. One friend said that they didn't even put him under, and he was fine by the end of the day. Another said he was out for days afterward. A roommate of mine two years ago had hers out while we lived together, and she was out for quite a few days, too. One was coherent pretty soon after, but in constant pain. I have another friend who said and did the strangest things once he got home - the drugs they gave him did weird stuff to him. So, I am also slightly worried about the weird things that I may say or do after, and the level of pain and coherency that will exist as well.

Maybe I'm sounding like a wuss about this, but it's really freaking me out! I guess it wouldn't be AS bad if I knew I had nowhere I needed to be for the next few days and could just be 'dead to the world' for a bit... but I have work on Saturday! I *have* to be back to normal by then! *sigh*
I'm just praying that it is a NORMAL procedure and nothing goes awry and that I will heal quickly.... wish me luck!

Real-Life Sitcom

2009-09-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

My mom tells me my life could be a sitcom. She loves my morning calls because I fill her in on the 'excitement' of the night before. And let me tell you, it is SO much easier to be incredibly social in Provo than in L.A.! I always hesitate how much or how little to include on here, so I guess we'll see what happens...

Last night, Karie and I went to our combined ward FHE barbecue. I decided about a week ago that I was going to be as social as possible and hang out with a different group of friends each day, if possible. I did a pretty good job of that Sunday-Thursday of last week, but then I had to go to Pocatello Fri-Sun so that temporarily killed it. But not to worry - I picked up right where I left off and Sunday was a combination of old and new friends (at Sparks). I guess you could say that last night was also a combination of "old and new" friends... but this time around, it wasn't at the same time.

Karie and I were in line to get food and we started talking with these two guys in front of us, and we all ended up sitting together, too. I never caught what Braden does, but JB said "I'm a police officer." I don't know why, but just the way he said it sounded sarcastic and he seemed to have the personality that would joke about something like that; so I actually didn't believe him at first. But he really is - I saw his gun and badge later on. I've never been friends with a cop before so I suddenly found myself being extra careful of the things I said and did around him, even though it probably wouldn't matter at all, because I really have nothing to hide. Well, except maybe, my knife. I'm like 99% sure that it's a fully legal knife to carry around, but I've never actually measured the length of the blade, so I can't say for *sure* whether or not it's legal, and I don't have a concealed weapons permit yet either. Luckily, last night was the 1-in-10 that I didn't have my knife on me.

No one was expecting it to have rained ALL day, so the barbecue was *supposed* to be this warm and dry day... and JB had brought a football to throw around, but no one wanted to throw it because it was so wet outside and still raining a bit. But I'm a sucker for football and will throw anytime anyplace. So we threw back and forth for 15 minutes or so - until it got too slippery and too dark. I then went back and chatted with Karie and this guy Nate, and JB disappeared. A few minutes later he came back and invited me and Karie to his place to watch a movie. A friend of mine and I had joked a bit last night about doing something tonight, but I hadn't heard back from him, so I figured it wasn't actually going to happen... so Karie and I went to JB's for a movie.

Well... about 10 minutes before the end of the movie, the same friend who joked about doing something tonight suddenly texts me (it's about 10:15). Turns out, he's still planning on stopping by... but Karie and I are still at JB's. Luckily, the movie is almost over. The movie ends, he walks us back to our place, we say 'thanks for the movie', unlock our door, walk inside, begin walking towards the kitchen, and literally about 5 seconds later there was a knock at our door. It was my friend Aaron. I guess I can see how my mom thinks my life could be a sitcom!