neon

Surprises of all surprises...
I got A's in both American Christianity and French Lit!

In fact, I got A's in every class except physics (A-) and my favorite class, quantum mechanics (B+), making my Fall '09 semester my third best gpa yet.

Universe, I know you keep telling me to major in French but guess what. You can't make me.
And I am going to rock my second half of physical chemistry class because guess what else. It is my subject of research, and I am not going down without a fight.

So there! :P

(You know what's uber depressing though? I already have homework I could be doing for both my quantum mechanics lab and my thermodynamics class...what the heck?? Where did my break go??) Edit/Confession: I've been working on my thermo homework while waiting for an experiment to go through, and I've sort of been enjoying myself. Nerd I am indeed.

Makes the world go round and makes me a little angry

$45 in insufficient funds fees later, and what do you get?

A New Year's Resolution to actually use that beautiful Excel spreadsheet you made six months ago to keep track of money.

AGOIahrnadhah!

More resolution posts to come. What are yours?

(500) weeks of

It seems like elementary school just can't stop repeating itself.

Or junior high.

Or high school.

It seems...it is written.

It was really fun to go through old photos! We were so little! Dearest Kim, you are in every one. Probably because you are my oldest friend.

Oh, the love/hate relationship I have with cliff hangers....

You know what Christmas presents I think I end up loving most?

Books.

In fifth grade I got Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. By the time we got to California the next day, I had devoured it and was begging my mom to buy me the next two.

The year I was sick during Christmas and had to stay home instead of going to my grandparents' house, I had Ella Enchanted and The Golden Compass to keep me company.

This year, I think I surpassed my own speed reading record by consuming Catching Fire (minus eight chapters I read in Borders yesterday afternoon) in approximately three hours.

And this time, I can't beg my mom to go buy me the next book because
IT DOESN'T COME OUT UNTIL AUGUST 24th.

Dear friends,

You must all read these books so we can go to the midnight release party that Borders will surely throw.

My recommendation of these marvelous works of storytelling is my Christmas present to you.

Merry Christmas and happy reading!

Yours truly,

Katie

Christmas Adam

You know what is particularly awesome about Christmas break?

Random free concerts with friends.

Working in the lab whenever and for however long you want.

Playing Rock Band (of course).

Going shopping and finding jeans that fit...finally!

Reading a book until 1:00 am just because you absolutely had to finish it in one sitting (The Hunger Games...oh my greatness...I adored it).

Being home. And not having to do anything.


*Cue random photo from last summer's trip to San Fran with the fam. Aren't we cute?

Minuit Chrétiens

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever..."
-Isaiah 9:6-7

Merry Christmas everyone! May we remember why we celebrate.

i can't stop myself from blogging lately

probably because I have a desperate desire to put off studying and finals and all other associated things...

Dear Jody,

You are absolutely right.
Life is beautiful and I love where I am right now. Sometimes I just get silly when I'm up late at night and am supposed to be finishing French papers.
Thank you for the reminder. :)

Your ridiculous friend,

Katie

copper wires to be varnished, soldered, and laced

My header is the thermometer that I'm working on rewiring right now. I had to take pictures of it to make sure I could remember how to put it all back together, and then I realized the photos were kind of cool...so here it is as my header....

Just to put your fears at rest.

:)

in the pages

I have goals for Christmas break so that I do not waste my time. They range from the very silly to the very serious:

Play guitar on Rock Band on expert. On every song.
Watch every episode of Avatar with ballroom people.
Read "Uncertainty".
Read my book for my chemistry girls book club, "Land of the Green Plums".
Memorize the "Ice Ice Baby" rap (yeah CJ!)
Research grad schools.
See "Sherlock Holmes" and "(500) Days of Summer" (again).
Start running SnO2.

What are you doing over your break?

rummaging for answers

I went. I watched. I loved.

"(500) Days of Summer."

(aka "Amélie"* of the US)

Except "Amélie" is pure agony until the very end and then it's absolutely wonderful.

And "(500) Days of Summer" oscillates repeatedly between absolutely heartbreaking and absolutely perfect.

I think the reason why I loved it so much was because I am afraid I will become Summer.
But Summer ended up all right in the end.
And I will too.
P chem** finals and bad karma and all.

*Did anyone else think that part where Tom falls asleep in the theater and inserts himself into a movie just screams Amelie? Or the omniscient narrator who tells us all these random details at the very beginning? Or the cinematography? Or the part where Tom walks down the street, and it becomes an illustration?

**It's over! Now all I have left is French, American Christianity, Gold Bar Latin, and Physics...

the most human color

and so we pick ourselves up and cling to the hope that we can do this.

my internship application is all complete, letters of recommendation and all, and for today, i'm trying to accept that as enough.

life, the universe, and everything

It is freezing, biting, negative kelvin (ha) degree days like today that make me wish I could live in this world instead:

Nantucket

Flowers through the window
lavender and yellow

changed by white curtains –
Smell of cleanliness –

Sunshine of late afternoon –
On the glass tray

a glass pitcher, the tumbler
turned down, by which

a key is lying – And the
immaculate white bed

Dear William Carlos Williams,
I kind of (mmm litote) heart your poetry.

Dear Universe,
Please don't kill me next week (I'm talking to you, p chem and physics finals).

elementary

I am almost tempted to go see this on Christmas Eve.
But then I would miss out on animal wars* with Becky and Jeff...
Anyone want to go see it the day after Christmas?

*Every Christmas Eve my 17 year old brother, [almost] 19 year old sister, and I sleep in the same room and play a game where we make forts out of pillows and then throw stuffed animals at each other.
We are really cool.

8th time's the charm

K. Seriously? I believe I am done.

Highlight of my night: everyone sitting around the octahedral glass table (that had one C8 and 8 C2 rotations...chem test on Monday...) at Sara's Christmas party discussing my dating life.

"Is he team Jacob or team Edward? Because if he's team Edward then I don't think it's going to work out."

Bam. Pretty much all you need inquire apparently.

Best part: that would be Anthony who said that quote.

I heart my chem major friends.

white

It is the first day of December, and it has yet to snow and stick.

Perhaps I will convert to global warming after all.*

Happy Tuesday (oops, it's now past midnight, make that Wednesday) everyone!

*I still think Al Gore is ridiculous, and so is all of the political hype surrounding global warming.

Oh, and with that footnote, I just reminded myself of a thought.

Anyone else share my disbelief and anger that Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize?

Ridiculous.

Especially when people like Greg Mortenson were nominated.

Grrrr.

the smell of clean sheets is one more reason why life is beautiful

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!
Live the life you've imagined."
-Henry David Thoreau

Proactivity (is apparently not a word based on the red line currently under it, but I'm going to use it anyway) is my new theme in life. My application for the French internship is in, including my letters of recommendation (many thanks to Julie and Stephanie for doing that for me!), my request for post tour travel is all filled out and just needs to be turned in, I have an updated resume, I have clean clothes (haha, this is a big deal for me, laundry is not my friend), invitations for Shannon's bridal shower will be done by tonight, my undergraduate research proposal is complete, I found where the two broken wires on the thermometer in the calorimeter need to go. Oh! And I'm giving a talk in church in January because I pretty much volunteered for it.

Dear World,
I am back.

What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon?

Alfred Pennyworth: A long time ago, I was in Burma, my friends and I were working for the local government. They were trying to buy the loyalty of tribal leaders by bribing them with precious stones. But their caravans were being raided in a forest north of Rangoon by a bandit. So we went looking for the stones. But in six months, we never found anyone who traded with him. One day I saw a child playing with a ruby the size of a tangerine. The bandit had been throwing them away.
Bruce Wayne: Then why steal them?
Alfred Pennyworth: Because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

Lt. James Gordon: Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight.

Bruce Wayne: People are dying, Alfred. What would you have me do?
Alfred Pennyworth: Endure, Master Wayne. Take it. They'll hate you for it, but that's the point of Batman, he can be the outcast. He can make the choice that no one else can make, the right choice.

Batman: What happened to Rachel wasn't chance. We decided to act! We three!
Two-Face: Then why was it me who was the only one who lost everything?
Batman: It wasn't.
Two-Face: The Joker chose ME!
Batman: Because you were the best of us! He wanted to prove that even someone as good as you could fall.
Two-Face: [bitter] And he was right.

Batman: You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. I can do those things because I'm not a hero, like Dent. I killed those people. That's what I can be
Lt. James Gordon: No, you can't! You're not!
Batman: I'm whatever Gotham needs me to be.

Alfred Pennyworth: You spat in the faces of Gotham's worse criminals. Did you not expect casualties? Things were always going to get worse before they got better.

Harvey Dent: The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming.

---

I love this movie because its theme of this movie of putting what is best for others above what is best for yourself is so powerful. I love how it portrays human nature as intrinsically good instead of intrinsically selfish and evil as the Joker would have us believe. The symbolism of light vs. dark, Two Face/Harvey Dent, the juxtaposition of Batman's work in secrecy and darkness vs. Harvey's use of the law, Harvey's deterioration from symbol of hope to agent of chaos and terror is all so awesome.
And you know, it's always a plus that Heath Ledger plays the most horrifying villain of any superhero movie and Christian Bale is incredibly attractive...

colors of the wind

This is a day late, but I am thankful for:

The Gospel.
Where would I be if I didn't understand who I was, where I came from, the purpose of life, what happens after I die, and how to achieve happiness? How grateful I am to know these things! How grateful I am to a God in heaven who knows me as an individual, is concerned about my well-being, answers my prayers, and blesses me with all the other things for which I am thankful. I am so grateful for Jesus Christ and for His atoning sacrifice, for the fact that I can be forgiven of my sins and return to live with God again.

My Family.
Yesterday all of my mom's side of the family got together at my grandparents' house for dinner and games. We went around and each said three things we were thankful for. I was having a hard time keeping back tears, because I love these people so much. They have been such a tremendous support and example to me in my life. I can't even begin to express how much my parents have done for me, and how grateful I am to them for the way they've raised me.

School.
I feel so blessed to be attending an excellent university and to be studying the subjects that I love. I am so blessed to have so many opportunities! I get to work in a research lab, I get to learn about quantum mechanics and French literature, I get to learn everything from how to problem solve effectively to how to dance the samba properly. It just blows my mind by how much knowledge there is out there to be gained, and how readily available it is to me.

Friends.
I could not ask for better people to associate with. I look at the people my friends have become and what they are doing with their lives, and I am just amazed. I know that you will all go on to do great things with your lives, and I feel so privileged to have been a part of that. Thank you all for your encouragement, your advice, your willingness to do crazy things with me, and everything else. You are amazing people.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
What are you thankful for?

I have had it up to here with solenoids and current direction

Dear Physics,

We only have 24 days left together. Please do not make it any more torturous than is necessary, and perhaps I will look back on our shared experience with the fondness gained by many years of separation.

Psyche.

Sincerely,

Katya, the chemist

On this joyous note I begin my Thanksgiving Break:

Guess who had the best correlation on her ECCE models of half a dozen hydrocarbons?

BAM.

Give ECCE some love, and it will love you right back.

It's been a while since I've had anything to brag about concerning chemistry. Please forgive my enthusiasm and excess number of posts mentioning ECCE...

currently less than threeing*:

a. Candles. Not sure why, but it gives me much joy to light the little candle I bought at Smiths when I get home.
b. "Doogie Howser", the ever-so ridiculous early 90's tv show about the sixteen year old doctor. Starring Dr. Horrible, aka Neil Patrick Harris. I'm sort of in love with him. Too bad he doesn't like girls.
c. ECCE, the amazing molecular modeling software. See last post.
d. Curry. My roommates and I made some last night, and then I got to have the leftovers for lunch today. Delish!

What are your current obsessions?

*Laura asked me what this meant, and it occurred to me that probably no one but me knows...people type things like i <3 you because "<3" looks like a heart on its side, and if you say what those symbols are it's "less than three". Therefore (I feel like I'm making a mathematical proof), "currently less than threeing" is the equivalent of "currently loving".
Whew. That was a long explanation.

I am waiting for a calculation to go through on the computer so...

I thought I'd blog!

I have several nerdy thoughts for you:

1. For Christmas I would really like a periodic table poster, one that is simple, black and white, and big. I am not having much luck finding one however...any ideas?

2. I wish I had ECCE on my laptop so I can build molecules and calculate a ton of different things. Such a cool program. Unfortunately, I don't think my little dell has the capacity to make all of those calculations. Sad.

Thanksgiving Break, please come soon.
That's all.

have a little faith

"It's not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man actually in the arena, whose face is marred with dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worth cause, who at best knows achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place will never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

-Theodore Roosevelt

via a card from Laura. What a perfect quote! Thank you!

I am feeling much better mostly for two reasons:

1. Because of a tremendous outpouring of love and support from my mom, roommates, teammates, friends, and coaches. Thank you all for your words of encouragement. I really, really appreciate it.

2. During my mad scramble this morning to see if there was any possible way I could still apply for an internship I discovered that the deadline was extended to December 1st. Miracle of miracles, I still have the chance to at least be considered for this amazing opportunity!

More than anything, I guess this weekend has been a testament to me that I don't need to freak out. Things will be okay, and whether the definition of okay matches with mine or not is not important. This time it did (minus the fact that there was no way to go back and redance the competition), but it won't always in the future. And I have to accept that. Heavenly Father has a plan for me, like he does for each of you, and if I'm doing what I can to live the Gospel, I need never worry about what events or circumstances I have to experience.

That being said, this girl is not going down without a fight.
Bring it on, finals week, scary social situations, and the next round of ballroom competitions (ah?). I'm not dying with the song still in me.

knock on wood.

And then when I thought I was okay, I realized I missed the French internship application deadline by 52 minutes.

Congratulations November 14, 2009. You are my worst Saturday ever.

I lost the invincible summer somewhere in the last few hours.

I do not know what to think, I don't know what to do, I don't know how to act.
I don't believe that I've ever driven away sobbing from a competition. I am so tempted to cut my losses right now, walk away and be done forever. I have wasted so much time, so much of my parents' money, so much effort, and for what? To not make it past the quarterfinal in a single event while I watch all of my teammates dance the final?

No thanks.

Maybe it is time to be a chemist.

Because then I can get out of it exactly what I put in. The right answer is the right answer. I either know it or I don't. I don't have to worry about someone else's opinion. I don't have to worry if my hair, makeup, fake tan, costuming, etc etc etc are good enough. I don't have to watch myself crash and burn. I don't have to come up with some euphemism as an answer when people ask me how it went. (real answer: Basically it was the worst competition I've ever had and oh, I don't think I want to continue competing. fake answer: It just wasn't my best.) How embarrassing is it to walk around with the evidence of being a ballroom dancer, the nails, the fake tan, and have nothing to show for it? I can explain away one bad event, I can explain away two, but all three? How many flukes do I get?

I left the competition with the dance still in me. I wasn't even tired, except emotionally from crying. I think that was the saddest part.

Is this a message? Am I supposed to be done, stop taking lessons, sell my dresses and never look back?

Sounds like a pretty good option right now.
Peace out ballroom. I dislike you too.

mouthwash

"In the depth of winter I finally learned that within me lay an invincible summer."

-Albert Camus

She

just might get you lost
And she just might leave you torn
But she just might save your soul
If she gets you any closer.

Why did your concert have to get canceled Dashboard? :(

the ink in my veins keeps scribbling the same song

I wish I could put into words whatever it is I'm thinking. Some frustration, sadness, nostalgic, tired (as usual), sentimental...I don't know. More of the same as previous posts I guess.

Sum total: I wish I could fall asleep while watching "Pride and Prejudice" on my stadium seating we threw together for tonight's Fall of the Berlin Wall party instead of frantically reading a French book and writing a paper on it.

Too much partying the past semester, I think.

it has commenced...

ballroom season.

the ridiculously long fake nails are on. the two cans of $7 aura hairspray have been bought. the spray tanning sessions are planned. the rush to alter costumes is just now making me anxious.

Friday and Saturday, it is on.

Bring it.

deux petites lettres pour votre plaisir

Dear Family,

Thanks much for the Rock Band. I greatly enjoyed playing every evening for significantly longer than I had planned. :) My apologies to my roommates for the noise...

Love,

Your somewhat lost, currently academically challenged Katie

Dear Everyone Else (particularly guys),

What do you think of girls asking guys out?
Just curious.

Love,

Katie la courageuse

Have a "Horrible" Halloween!

I know I've posted this once before on this blog, but I think it's fan-freaking-tastic and Halloween-y enough to repost:

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

You must invest approximately 42 minutes of your time to fully enjoy this. It is all worth it.


Happy Halloween!

First Snow

I muttered and complained all day.

Glared at the snow-happy physics TA.

Put my sith lord peacoat hood on.


But tonight, I'm warming to the idea.

Threw on my Old Navy pajamas with penguins on them.

Made candy cane hot cocoa.

Embraced the oncoming winter, if only for one very fleeting night.

what kind of blue are you?

I've been meaning to write this for some time now, but thank you to all of you who recommended jeans to me! In the past three weeks I have tried on H&M, Forever 21 (can't beat $13 skinny jeans), 7s, It! jeans, Vigoss, Express, True Religions, and...one other that I can't remember right now. The point is, I was willing to plunk down $120 for True Religions at Nordstrom Rack, but they didn't fit. How lame is that? I have a friend who works at Buckle who's going to set me up with a jean fitting, so hopefully I will be able to find some that fit like a glove (for lack of a more interesting cliché).

Also, I miss Rockband.

Dear Family,

Can I maybe borrow it and the Xbox for a week? Probably Jeff would kill me, but it would do wonders for my stress levels.

Love, Katie

love, save the empty

I'm sitting in my room listening to the rain fall. Today I was in the homecoming parade, handing out balloons marked with "50th Anniversary- Ballroom Dance Company Annual Concert April [whatever the date is that I can't think of right now, but you should all buy tickets from me and come when it rolls around]" to little kids. It was actually really fun. All of the other teams had to dance lindy, but we did not (and did not have to spend the time to learn the routine), as we have already sacrificed enough time to the ballroom gods lately.
This week was sort of weird for me. I got back from tour and jumped right back into school...except kept doing performances with Homecoming Spectacular all week too...so it was like tour...only at home... (odd thing number one) somehow I managed to get all the way caught up with my schoolwork by Tuesday night (odd thing number two). Granted, this took failing (ok, so I use that term loosely) a physics test (perfectly normal), but at least it's over. This white cat with one blue eye and one green eye has been wandering around my apartment complex (odd thing number three). I named it Francis in my head as it followed me back and forth between my apartment and the laundry room a couple days ago. Both of my classes were canceled on Thursday (odd thing number four). It was national chemistry week, and I ate liquid nitrogen ice cream every other day. I finished my physics homework that's due Monday on Friday (odd thing number five).

I feel a little...off kilter? maybe? I'm not sure what I'm "supposed" to be doing with myself now...I could leave on a mission next fall. I could do study abroad next fall. I could stay on the team and go to Thailand next summer. I could do more research and get a paper published. I could, I could, I could.

But what is it that I should?

Hmmm.

I should go study for American Christianity.

Happy weekend everyone. :)

currently listening to:

Originally, this was going to be a post about how much I like the lyrics of "If it Kills Me" by Jason Mraz. It morphed into a list of three artists I think you would all enjoy.

Recommendation One: Jason Mraz

Pretty sure you've all listened to him before.
Let me just say that "If it Kills Me" is an awesome, awesome song, both the Casa Nova version and the regular one.

Recommendation Two: Erin McCarley

She has this Ingrid Michaelson/Sara Bareilles vibe going on that I absolutely love.
Listen to "Pony (It's Ok)" or "Love, Save the Empty."

Recommendation Three: Renan Luce

Probably you won't appreciate him as much as I do, because he is French and I am automatically inclined to like all things French...but, he has this nice acoustic-y, sort of Sondre Lerche-esque sound with this gorgeous French voice. My favorite French artist thus far. (Let's see how many times I can get "French" into one description...that would be five)
Listen to "La Lettre" or "Mes Racines"

What are your current favorite artists/songs?

i can do hard things, i can do hard things, i can do hard things

This afternoon quickly spiraled into a I-need-a-cupcake-or-fudge and I-want-to-hurl-glass-beakers-at-the-concrete-walls-of-the-chemistry-building sort of day.

Me and physics have the rockiest relationship.

:(

time is all around

As of 5:10 this morning, I am back to reality.

Tour was so much fun this year. I knew what to expect and what not to expect (vacation-like experience, I don't think so), so it was a lot more enjoyable. We got to see some cool things like the beach (we didn't get to swim, but we did get to get our feet wet), the Reagan Presidential Library (which has his Air Force 1 plane in it, the entire, huge, actual plane. It was awesome.), the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica (shopped at H&M and got a delicious ham and cheese crepe), Downtown Disney, multiple temples, Hollywood, In-N-Out, and more. The thing that always strikes me when we tour is how generous people are. We stay with host families every night, and they are always so welcoming, so willing to do whatever to make us comfortable. You have the chance to see people from all walks of life and from all socioeconomic statuses, but everyone has the same high level of hospitality. It's awesome. It's also great to go to church in different cities and see that it's still the same, no matter where you go. The members believe the same things, give talks on the same subjects, testify of the same doctrine everywhere in the world. What a testimony of the truthfulness, stability, and unity of the church.

The forecast for this week is:
three tests
three extra homework assignments that should've already been done
two 5-11 pm rehearsals for Homecoming Spectacular
two performances for Homecoming Spectacular
one morning full of balloon handing out for the Homecoming Spectacular parade

May I be blessed with three extra hours in the day and twice as much brainpower for the next seven days...

crack the shutters

This website is really funny. I saw it on Amanda's facebook, and it made me laugh out loud in the dressing room earlier.

We're in Lancaster, CA right now. It's finally sunny! It rained all yesterday and the day before (perhaps misted is a better word). We got to explore Downtown Disney yesterday, without actually entering the theme park. This was rather depressing and led to us deciding to do a weekend roadtrip to Disneyland next semester. Instead of riding rides, we ran around the little shops, settling on the Lego store to spend most of our time. Becky, Ryan, Jared, Daniel, and I built an Egyptian pyramid, and then an obelisk, and then a reflecting pool, and then a sphinx. It was awesome. That night we performed on an extremely small stage in a theater without air conditioning. We were swwweeeeeaaaatttttyyyy.
This morning we went to Santa Monica. Some people went to the pier. I did not because it's a one time only experience, and I believe I am at least twice past that quota. Instead, Toffer, Ian, and I headed to the 3rd Street Promenade for some rad shopping. I think I just might start a blog series about jean shopping, I have done it so much lately (and I'm pretty much desperate for some good fitting jeans. If you have any brand suggestions for girls whose jeans are always too tight in the hips and too loose in the waist, let me know).

Tonight we're performing in an awesome venue. Another performance in Oxnard tomorrow, a matinee in Long Beach on Saturday (my cousin Nick and grandma are coming! I'm really excited to see them!), and we are on our way back.

So I have two more days to prepare to take three tests when I get home.

Maybe I will drop out of college and become a stage crew member instead.

Just kidding.

Sort of.

Our host family is awesome, and this is why:

"They're really fun, sweet kids...who just happen to be in gangs."
-our host mom, who has the biggest heart in the world

In Australian accent:

"Changing lanes is like an extreme sport here."

"I teach the Sunbeams and they get these crazy ideas. Awhile back they decided that Jesus's surname was Price. 'Jesus Price!' they'd say to me. I had to set them all straight before their parents found out and got me thrown out."

-lady from Tazmania who had dinner with us

It's that time of year again...

Greetings from Bakersfield, CA!

Tour has been a lot of fun so far. Everyone on team is really nice and pleasant to be around, so that is always a plus. I had forgotten how fulfilling it is to perform for people who don't have the opportunity to see our kind of show very often. I think I had forgotten how much I love being on the tour team.

I've been taking mental snapshots in my mind during rehearsals, getting ready, performing, etc, all of the little things that go into being a part of this. Setting up the light trees, taping down mats on the stage, unpacking thousands of dollars worth of costumes, slicking our hair, putting on shockingly red lipstick, waiting and watching from the wings in the dark, rushing to make quick changes, getting annoyed with the lights for not coming on fast enough in the latin medley, spraying costumes with alcohol to kill bacteria, finally finishing it all off with "Show Business", mingling with the audience and taking pictures with little kids, cooling down onstage, striking and back coiling cables (I am so proud of myself for being able to do that), repacking costumes, removing lipstick, this is all part of being on the team.
This is what we do, night after night after night. Sometimes we get bored with it all and resort to telling pirate jokes while laying on the floor in the middle of "Pirates" or yipping really obnoxiously during the mambo, or seeing just how far away from the standard pink and brown eye shadow we can stray (blue? how rebellious!), and sometimes we get tired and ornery, and it is not so fun.
And then we get to talk to the audience, and shake their hands, and see their gratitude for performing for them, and it is all worth it.

I would not trade this experience for anything in the world.

I was going to work on physics homework, but then realized I didn't understand resistivity and got stuck here instead.

Sugar free pudding has no point (if you're going to buy pudding, why bother trying for healthy?) and almost no taste. I wish I'd remembered this while grocery shopping on Friday.

A big thank you to everyone who came to our mocktail extravaganza for Laura's birthday on Saturday! If you weren't there, you missed some awesome drinks including: Upside Slammer with a Twist, Mocktinis, Strawberry Daiquiri, Peach Pina Colada, NCMO on the Beach, Au Pair, Everything but the Kitchen Sink, Twisted Brown Cow, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Pop-n-Rock, Screwdriver, Kamikaze, Death by Chocolate, Spicy Shirley Temple, and more...to the total of 21 completely unique mocktails. Yes, we are that cool.

If you're wondering what to make for dinner, why don't you check out our new dinner group blog for recipes? Let me say I am oh so very glad that our apartment decided to do this. Thanks to Avenues 123 guys for inviting us!

Conference was awesome. Can't wait for the November Ensign to come out so I can attack it with a highlighter. I'm feeling a tad guilty for falling asleep not once, not twice, but three times, once per session for every session except Saturday morning. Oops. That's what the mp3 files online are for...

Little Bec Bec is dancing this Thursday at the dance lab, and she looks AMAZING. Oh my greatness, I am so excited to watch her kill everyone in the silver latin competition. I shall be organizing a cheering section for her since I don't actually have to compete due to taking Gold Bar Latin this semester. Yay!

Happy Monday everyone. Hope you all have awesome weeks. :)

On the Polanski controversy and the far left in general...

"And that’s the main reason I am grateful for this controversy. It is a dye marker, “lighting up” a whole archipelago of morally wretched people. With their time, their money, and their craft, these very people routinely lecture America about what is right and wrong. It’s good to know that at the most fundamental level, they have no idea what they’re talking about."

Way to sum it up, Jonah Goldberg.

Read whole column

ender will save us all. physics will kill us. (or maybe just me)

You know what. I never should've gotten that A- in Math 113 after getting a 37% on one of the midterms. Ever since then I've been in the mindset that one test won't matter that much and that if I just study really hard for the others, I'll be just fine!

Note to self: This is a trap.
Stop. Thinking. Like. This. And. Go. Study.

Now.

ugh....

high and dry, i am so sorry

I have tried and tried and tried to sum it up, to find something that says it better than I can, but I have already used up my most depressing French poem, and all of the lyrics to the songs we loved are far too happy.

Dear World,

Could you please be nice to me this week? I think one more thing might leave me undone.

Sincerely,

Katie

It's 4:20 already?!

Currently: avoiding homework while listening to Natalie watch the football game.

Should be: typing up a paper for American Christianity. Or reading for p chem or physics. Or studying physics. Or writing a French paper.

Want to be: sleeping. Or eating Mexican food. One of the two would be awesome.

Earlier: Saw "Pan's Labyrinth". Sort of liked it. Didn't like how arbitrary the tasks Ophelia had to do were. Liked the creepiness and *****SPOILER ALERT******** stop reading right here and right now if you'd like to find out for yourself what happens in the movie***********











the fact that practically everyone dies. (Now that you think I'm a creeper, let me explain. It's sometimes more powerful when the main character dies because you don't expect it to happen. They're the main character, they have to live. And the fact that the villain gets what he deserves and dies too was satisfying to me.)

Am now going to: take some tylenol and go back to reading. meh.

Go cougars!

fly like paper

Dear World,

Today I played around with the idea of double majoring in French and chemistry. Am I crazy?

Ambitiously yours,

Katie

THE back to school post

Hey happy blogging buddies. Seeing as it's the third week of school, I suppose it's about time I got around to writing this. I worked very hard to be taking only 14 credit hours this semester, and you know what, I have a lot of time that I'm not spending in class. It's quite nice. I don't know if I'll be able to do this again, but I'm sure enjoying it.

As for classes, I'm only taking four that aren't dance:

Chem 462- Physical Chemistry: Quantum Mechanics
This is probably my favorite class. The professor is super engaging and really good at making something completely obscure and very difficult conceptually easy to "get familiar with" which, combined with twice a week study/homework sessions with my friends, has led to me somewhat "understanding" the material. I think anyway. My first test is next week so we'll see...

Physics 220- Electricity and Magnetism
I swear, I have never learned anything from attending a physics lecture. This semester seems no different. Once again, I'm hoping the physics gods will smile upon me if I can keep my distaste for the subject hidden. It's bearable because my chemistry friends are in it too.
And it's the last physics class I will ever have to take!!! WOOOOOOO!!!!

Rel 353- American Christianity
I think history/social studies was the one subject I never really did enjoy through junior high and high school, so although the subject matter is not incredibly appealing, the professor is CRAZY entertaining, so I like it. Plus Josh is in that class, so you know, that's always good too.

Fren 340- French Literature
So far, it's all right. I got a 97 on the first paper I wrote, and it was not particularly good, so this bodes well for the rest of the semester. It's just fun to listen to French, speak French, read French, write French.

Overall, I love this semester. I think I'm maybe (?) getting a clearer idea of what I want to really study...maybe biophysical chemistry? We shall see.
I'm really liking all of my classes (okay, actually that's a lie when applied to physics), I love the fact that Y Chem is going to be awesome this semester, ballroom is going well (the 3 couple cha-cha I'm in, kid you not, is my absolute favorite routine I've ever been in, and I think you should all come to our concert in April so you can see it because it is going to be sahweet), I'm still dating Josh (in case you were wondering...), I have an iPod that works again (!!), I finally got a parking sticker for a Y lot, World of Dance is over, and all of a sudden this list morphed into a grateful list which sort of deserves its own post, so I'll stop it right there.

Hope the school year is going well for all of you as well!
Happy Tuesday! :)

speak.

"I'd like to make myself believe
That planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
Cause everything is never as it seems."

Go Owl City, go.
I liked them before they were on the radio, thank you very much.

ti-89 please. if you have one for less than $120, i am interested.

also...

why are calculators still SO expensive? it's not like we haven't had this technology for decades...

*my lack of capitalization demonstrates my disgust.

mmmm....the land of curry...

This morning was the tour meeting for the ballroom team where we talked about our upcoming tours to Southern California (2nd week of October), and the British Isles next May.
The guy from performing arts management also mentioned what the plan is for next year's summer tour...

Asia.
meaning:
Thailand
Vietnam
& possibly Cambodia and Singapore.

It is enough to make me want to stick around another year.

I'll have to take that into consideration when planning my life...

I did a very good job of avoiding homework today.

I found this little poem while perusing Jacques Prévert's poetry in search of something I could use for a French assignment. I think it's really beautiful and rather sad:

Dimanche

Entre les rangées d'arbres de l'avenue des Gobelins
Une statue de marbre me conduit par la main
Aujourd'hui c'est dimanche les cinémas sont pleins
Les oiseaux dans les branches regardent les humains
Et la statue m'embrasse mais personne ne nous voit
Sauf un enfant aveugle qui nous montre du doigt.

Translation: (this is just my own, so forgive my mistakes)
Between the rows of trees of the avenue of Gobelins
A marble statue took me by the hand
Today is Sunday, the movie theaters are full
The birds in the branches watch the humans
And the statue kisses me, but no one sees us
Except a blind child who points at us.

Well drat, now my formatting's all off, but that's okay. I especially like the end-"no one sees us but the blind child"-quelle antithèse!
Anyway, now I'm going to go read my uber dry American Christianity textbook. But, I am not complaining. :)

scatter sunshine

"I am glad that you are young, and I hope you are enthusiastic, because there is a terrible ailment of pessimism in the land. It’s almost endemic. We’re constantly fed a steady and sour diet of character assassination, faultfinding, evil speaking of one another. . . . The tragedy is that this spirit of negativism seems to prevail throughout the country. . . .

I come this evening with a plea that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I’m suggesting that we accentuate the positive. I’m asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort. . . .

My dear young friends, don’t partake of the spirit of our times. Look for the good and build on it. There is so much of the sweet and the decent and the good to build upon.

You are partakers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel means “good news.” The message of the Lord is one of hope and salvation. The voice of the Lord is a voice of gladness. The work of the Lord is a work of glorious and certain reward. I do not suggest that you simply put on rose-colored glasses to make the world look rosy. I ask, rather, that you look above and beyond the negative, the critical, the cynical, the doubtful, to the positive."

-President Gordon B. Hinckley

I think that I'm guilty of this from time to time, especially when life gets stressful. I start thinking of all the opportunities of things that I get to do as burdens that I "have" to do. I don't have to study French and chemistry, I don't have to be on the ballroom dance tour team, I don't have to go to school at all. But I've chosen to take advantage of these opportunities. When things get hard I need to remember how blessed I am for having the chance to participate in all of these things. I won't be doing this forever, I won't be here forever. I need to enjoy it while I am.

Goal: No more complaints about dance or school for the rest of the week.

delta x times delta p is greater than or equal to h bar over two...

I just spent fifteen minutes trying to figure out how to come up with a pretty way of applying the uncertainty principle to my current mood and couldn't come up with anything that would make sense to anyone else (even anyone who knows what the uncertainty principle is), so let me just say this:

"Life is hard, and then you die."

Thanks to Mr. Wakefield for those words of wisdom.

eigenvalues, operators, integrals, oh my!

Thanks to chem 462 and physics 220 I have been tossed into a stormy, swirling sea of math, and I....

....am loving it?

Maybe p chem is for me after all.


One of these days I'll do a back to school write up. I promise.

I'm hoping by the end of the semester I will understand every word:

Deep in,
they're there, they're
at it all the time, it's jai
alai on the hot molecular fronton-
a bounce off walls onto the packed aleatory
dance floor where sideswipes are medium of exchange,
momentum trades sealed in swift carom sequences,
or just that quick kick in the rear, the haphaz-
ard locomotion of the warm, warm world.
But spring nights grow cold in Ithaca;
the containing walls, glass or metal,
are a jagged rough rut of tethered
masses, still vibrant, but now
retarding, in each collision,
the cooling molecules.
There, they're there,
still there,
in deep,
slow

hey self that loves school. i need you to come back now.

I have never started a school year feeling so unsettled, so unready to devote my life to academics (as you can tell by the past couple of posts).
It's pretty darn painful. I decided to drop my dad's 455 class, and I'm really upset about it. I think it's the smartest thing for me to do right now, but gosh, I very much wanted to take a class from him. I don't know if I'll get another chance to do so in the future. I loved being in his lecture this morning, for my last time in 455 of this semester, watching him teach. That's my dad, I kept thinking, so full of pride to be his daughter. He was whipping out the mechanism to make asprin from benzene and explosives from acetone, toilet bowl cleaner, and peroxide, throwing out types of reactions faster than I could write; he was great. I wish I had the opportunity to continue to see him like that.

I'm really, really, really going to miss it.

Bring it on chem 462, physics 220, french 340, religion 353, and dance 485R.
You have a lot to make up for.

if it kills me

I SWEAR I'M NEVER GOING TO GRADUATE.

That's all I have to say about that.

Actually, I have a lot to say about that, but it hurts to much to think about and then I'd have to pull up my life plan excel spreadsheet and start rambling off on chemistry classes with scary names, and study abroad, and ballroom tours, and it just wouldn't make any sense to anyone but my mom (and maybe Josh).

Let me just complain once again about how nervous I am about this semester and what I'm supposed to be doing and blah blah blah blah blah.

I need a nap.

The problem is, I liked all my classes too much and therefore want to take them all.

I want to flip open my text book and find a handwritten message.
I want to look up and see a plane writing it in the sky.
I want to trip over a rock and find it in sidewalk chalk.

"You need to take [insert class here]. It will be the most beneficial to you and make you happiest this semester.

-God"

I hope that's not too sacrilegious of me...

Alas, I fear this is one of those take-a-step-into-the-dark-and-then-figure-out-whether-you've-made-the-right-choice type of deals. Ugh. Help.

triple necklace with eiffel tower charm...i think yes.

I can't believe that classes start tomorrow. Ever since I can remember I've anticipated the first day of school, starting to get myself mentally prepared weeks in advance. This time around it feels like it snuck up on me. I'm pretty sure I'm only taking physics 220 and chem 462 for my major classes this semester....but....I would really, really, really, really like to take 455. And maybe I still will...haven't dropped it yet...but probably will...I'm planning on auditioning for dance classes during the class time tomorrow. I've a million things running around in my head: what to wear (yeah, I still do the whole lay-out-your-back-to-school-outfit-the-night-before thing), what colored notebooks I want to use for which classes (I just really like color coordination), whether to shower tonight or tomorrow morning, what to pack for a lunch, what shirt to wear for dance auditions, what time to get up, how to do my hair (just as important as the back-to-school-first-day-outfit), what to take (!!!), etc etc etc.......

tehe.
I get a little silly about back to schoolness. I just like everything to go well...it's a good omen for the rest of the semester, ya know?

Fingers crossed it'll be awesome. I have a good feeling about Fall '09....

IKEA follow up

If you would like to join me for another IKEA run (I went with my mom, sisters, and Amanda yesterday and managed to shatter the frame I got, so I've got to go back), here is the plan:

Be at my apartment (if you need my address, facebook message me) at 3:00 on Friday to carpool up there, or meet us at IKEA by 3:30-3:45 ish.

I'm thinking we could skip the showroom and go straight for the marketplace.

Thoughts?

455? 462? 220? 391? 481? 120? 340? 361?

Seeing as there is less than a week until classes start, I should probably figure out what I want to take (and major in).

Hmmm...

nah.

IKEA...IKEA...all we ask of you...*

....is a whole lot of really awesome house stuff for very cheap.

So.
A lot of people have been wanting to make an IKEA run. I propose the following:

Tuesday afternoon, Friday afternoon, or Saturday after boating.

Afternoon = 4:00 ish

Thoughts?

*to be sung to the tune of Aida :)

firefly (aka I do enjoy post titles that have nothing to do with the post itself.)

I have moved.
Many thanks to Jeff, Josh, and my parents for helping carry my stuff across the parking lot from one building to the next. I'm really liking my new apartment. Why might you ask? For the benefit of Kellie and Laura who will in the future be joining me there let me elaborate.
Nicer flooring (the fake stone vinyl that's in A building)
Prettier (sort of) cabinets (off white instead of cocoa brown)
Black leather couches
Air conditioning
Bigger closets
TWO desks in every room instead of one (however, there's only one dresser...go figure...I'm going to get plastic drawers to stick under my bed for my excessive amount of clothing)

And this week I splurged a little bit at Target and bought a new 12" skillet (stainless steel with copper bottom, very pretty), and white bird salt and pepper shakers (so Martha Stewart) at the suggestion of Josh. I'm looking forward to an IKEA run sometime in the next week to get a kitchen shelving unit with hooks for pots and pans, a coat rack, and a couple of yards of fabric to sew some pillow coverings (I'm seriously on a domestic roll here).

I told my mom I knew I was an adult since I got so excited about pans.
Yep, I'm that awesome.

P.S. During the school year I want to do a foreign film night every so often since Laura and I are going in on a Netflix account/the International Cinema is just so darn accessible and fun.
You are all invited. :)

How to Wax Your Floors: A Tutorial by the Not-So-Domestic Goddess Katya

Step 1. Cover floor in floor stripper without a plan to avoid kneeling in it.
Step 2. Freak out while wondering how corrosive floor stripper is.
Step 3. Forget about freaking out when you discover how fun it is to skate around on soaked floor on your knees.
Step 4. Scrape wax off.
Step 5. Flood floor with water in an attempt to "rinse" it.
Step 6. Attempt to rid floor of excessive water by flicking it out your front door with a paper plate (for this tutorial you don't have access to a mop), coating your front porch with liquid wax/floor stripper combo.
Step 7. Destroy bathroom towels after step 6 fails.
Step 8. Coat floor with wax and trap yourself in the back of your apartment for 35 minutes until it dries.
Step 9. Decide your floors were never worth waxing in the first place and feel slightly resentful toward your apartment complex.

Goalage!!

I've been thinking a bit here and there, and I've come up with some goals for the back to school season. There's nothing too life changing, but little things here and there to make for a more successful semester.

Spiritual:
1. Morning scripture study before I go to class. Now, I have class at 7:00 AM almost every morning, and I love, love, love my sleep so this is going to be particularly difficult. However, I feel that if I make scripture study a bigger priority by doing it first thing in the morning I'll be blessed in other areas in my life where I desperately need some divine help.
2. Weekly temple attendance. I think once the semester starts, and I get a regular schedule going I'll be able to find mornings or late afternoons where this will be possible.

Physical:
1. Running (or some other form of exercise I can stand) twice a week. Yeah, I know that's not really enough to do much for me, but combined with all of my dancing, I think I'll be okay.
2. Practice twice a week for dance. This is cutting back hugely compared to years past, but I think it's all I can handle. I really want to focus on...

Academic:
1. Study at least an hour a day on my own for both Physics 220 and Chem 462. I want to make the Dean's List this semester (which means I have to get straight A's), and I did awful on studying last semester, so....yeah.
2. Work in the lab ten hours a week. Last semester I was working maybe two. Every two weeks. I'd like to up that a bit to earn some money and real life experience!

Social:
1. Know the names of all my neighbors (hahaha, so I'm not the most social person) and go to all the church activities I can. Freshman year I was really bad at this. Sophomore year was improved (anything would've been an improvement), but...I can still do more. I want to know everyone in my ward and make a lot of friends there.
2. Do something for someone else every day. It doesn't have to be big, but just some small act of service. I get busy and stressed and then I spiral down into a busy-stressed-self-pitying vortex, so I'm going to try to avoid that this time around. :)

Random:
1. Keep track of money. I am so, so awful at this. I did however, make up an excel spreadsheet a little while ago to keep track of expenditures. Have I been using it? Well....that's something to work on.

So there you have it. Anyone else have back to school goals?

I think I'm wearing the Slytherin locket horcrux.

Life is awesome.

But today all I want to do is crawl into bed, listen to the rain, and read Harry Potter.
And fall asleep and not wake up until tomorrow.
Shirk all responsibility.
Escape.

vous ne risquez pas d'être un légume

Sometimes it feels like French is a private club for members who are either from there or served missions there, and I will never gain membership. I take the classes, I read the Book of Mormon in French, I talk with my mom, but this is not enough. This will not make me fluent. And I keep ignoring that and pushing it aside, but one day it will become very embarrassing for me to say I was a French minor and yet can't carry on a thoughtful conversation with someone. (I mean, I could carry on a conversation about food, or airports, or families, or school subjects, or house-related things "la chaise est verte!", but anything that actually matters? describing situations and events? politics? religion? okay, actually I've upped my gospel vocab a lot by reading scriptures in French, but I couldn't bear my testimony or anything. Maybe. Have yet to try.)

Usually I assuage my concerns with the desperate hope that one day I will get to France and I will stay there for a while and I will become fluent if it kills me! And usually I'm fine after I think that to myself.

But every so often reality is shoved in my face in my inability to understand French tourists in San Francisco and I want to cry. It's impractical, it's expensive, and what exactly would I do? I don't think my language skills are where they should be for an internship, I travel with the ballroom team at the same time as all the French study abroads, and I really don't have anyplace to go.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this post to be one long whiny rant. I'm a little discouraged.
Don't take me too seriously. After all is said and done I still believe it will all happen. Somehow.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

mmmm wheat thins

Couple more things:

1. It is so uncomfortable to eat while half your mouth is numb.

2. I think I'm going to go back to being blonde before school starts.

"Did you give an angry Cuban my home number?"

Well...I was going to post about the Shakespeare Festival, but it's been too long and Jody wrote up a lovely post detailing all of our adventures including, but not limited to, dance parties broken up by sketchy 40 year old men in church parking lots, fun with glue sticks, late night ice cream runs, fake crushes on actors, and fabulous plays. Read all about it here.

In other news...

I forgot how much I love "House" until Josh and I started watching it again, and wow, I love "House". I was so incredibly upset when everyone quit/got fired, and now I can't wait for Chase and Foreman and Cameron to be back (we just started season four). And can I just say that I absolutely love House and Wilson's relationship? And also that I love Wilson? I am almost inspired to be a doctor....almost...except for the whole needles, blood, death, trauma, an excessive amount of schooling, etc. I think I'll stick to chemistry.

Also, all of a sudden I'm very curious about what's going on when I'm at the dentist (got a cavity filled today). What exactly is that big gun thing they stick in your mouth after you've gotten a cavity filled? I'm sure it's supposed to dry/set/whatever the cavity filler, but by what means? What does it do? And what exactly is it in the molding that makes it go from pink to white when it dries? What chemical is that? And how exactly does anesthesia work? How do the chemicals knock out your nerves? And why does your lip feel fat and your face swollen? Anyone secretly a dental hygienist or in dental school who can satisfy my curiosity?

And another thing, after reading this post (thanks Bob!), I am re-inspired to make goals. I found the paper on which I'd written down my goals from last fall (or maybe end of fall semester?), and it turns out I did pretty well. No US national semi-final for ballroom this year, but we were the next couple in for amateur standard. And I pretty much did awful with my financial goals, but I didn't actually try on those ones...anyway, classes start in less than a month, I'm moving into a new apartment (same complex, different building), and I think it would be smart to use this time of change to make new goals for the next year. What those will be I have not yet decided. I'll post something later this week.

Last thing: can we please please please know which numbers we're in next year for team? I'm dying to know if I got any of my requested numbers, and we were supposed to get an email last week telling us and I've been checking my email every few hours just in case it got sent and waiting is making me type sentences with far too many clauses and not enough commas...

Happy Monday everyone :)

ooh! another one!

K, this site is beyond hilarious too.

Cake Wrecks.

A taste:

"Mo-ooom! Have you seen Giselle?"

"Suzy, what did I tell you about leaving your dolls lying around?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know? So you're telling me you don't remember any of the HUNDRED times I've warned you about leaving your toys strewn around the house?"

"No."

"So you don't remember what I said yesterday? About what would happen if I found your doll on the floor one more time?"

"Ummmm... Maybe you said something..."

[silence]

[whining] "But I want my dolly! You HAVE to give her BACK!"

"Oh, don't you worry, honey. I'm sure she'll turn up after dinner."

See the cake here.

I'm going to submit the Brick Oven guarantee card.

So I'm sitting at work, trying really hard not to laugh audibly, and I am failing miserably.
Why?

This site.

Preview: Stop! Wash your hands before touching "a" puppy! "You" can-pass-germs from puppy-to-puppy!

Too funny. I spotted this on Kylie's blogroll. Many thanks for the laughs. :)

The good, the bad, the Shakespeare

To Whom it May Concern:

We recently dined at your ********* Pizza Factory location. Living in ********, we've been to the ***** and ****** Pizza Factories many times and have thoroughly enjoyed our dining experiences there. We were looking forward to a similar experience as we went to the Shakespeare Festival in *********.

We were disappointed.

First, your waiting area has a TV with trivia and advertisements playing as guests wait. The slides are all out of order. We were informed that Mount Vernon is the cause of tsunamis, the average mosquito has George Washington amount of teeth, and the most popular boardgame in the world is "Baywatch".

But it didn't end there. Our meal started out with very bland, irregularly-shaped breadsticks. The delicious butter/garlic basting sauce that we've come to love and expect at Pizza Factory was spread over a thin ribbon of the enormous and bulging breadstick. Our waitress then brought out our salads which were drenched in so much dressing that the lettuce was soggy and the entire course was unappetizing. Perhaps leaving the dressing on the side so the diners may use it at their discretion would be a wise choice? Our pizza and pastas then arrived. The alfredo sauce was the most bland alfredo sauce I have ever tasted. At this point we were all wondering whether your kitchen stocks garlic at all. I asked for salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, and garlic powder (surprise, you do have some) which I used to give the dish at least a little more flavor. The marinara sauce tasted like pureed tomatoes with, again, no spice. The pizzas were delicious, although the cooks messed up our order the first time.

It is disappointing to us that the original Pizza Factory is being surpassed in quality by its secondary branches. Our suggestions: figure out your trivia, invest in a spice rack, and for goodness sake cut back on the dressing.

Sincerely,
Austi
Jody
Kim
Katie
Megan

P.S. blog readers, account of Shakespeare Festival to come :)
Actual city names will be filled in when I mail this to the company. :P

wrap up

I'm home! Burbank was very chill and very fun. Did the whole Venice Beach thing again (and ate at that one awesome little cafe with the delicious BLTs. It's become my own tradition now), went shopping on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena (3 cheers for H&M and a good Forever 21!), ate taquitos and bought ceramic chili peppers on Olvera Street, saw Harry Potter twice, discovered this delightful and incredibly good Chinese restaurant a few minutes from my grandma's house, and saw American Ballet Theatre (one of the top companies in the world) perform Romeo and Juliet. It was beautiful. I thought that I'd get a little bored (it's 2 hours and 55 minutes long with two 20 minute intermissions), but I was completely enthralled the entire time. It clipped right along, with no 20 minute pas-de-deux or anything. It was highly dramatic with all the emotion that Harry Potter lacked. :)

It is, however, nice to be home. I'm looking forward to a roadtrip with the girls this weekend, having Kellie stay in my room, going to Park City with Josh, working in the lab again, and TAing for next week's dance camp.
Cheers!

A night in review: Harry Potter 6

My siblings and I went and saw the "Half-Blood Prince" two nights ago at 12:35 in Burbank. Now back at home...people get a little crazy at midnight premieres. Especially at midnight premieres where there is ample opportunity for dress up. We thought we'd have some fun and go along with that a bit, so we bought white v-necks at Target and painted them with fun Harry Potter things. Becky painted "I love Harry!" in Gryffindor red and gold, Jenny painted "Ginny is my homegirl!", I painted a Ravenclaw crest and stuck a Ravenclaw quote on the back. Jeff was the only smart one and opted out of the shirt making. We show up at the theater at 11:00 wearing these over-sized, hand-painted shirts and NO ONE is wearing anything out of the ordinary. Maybe it's because all the crazies got 12:00-12:03 tickets and were already in the theaters or waiting in lines out of our sight. All I know is everyone is dressed in regular old clothes minus a few schoolgirl outfits here and there. Becky and I quickly zip up the jackets we wore just in case this should happen as we make our way to the only group of four seats left in the theatre: front row baby! aka seats so close you have to move your head to fit the screen all in.

The movie was pretty darn good I have to say, definitely one of my favorites. Seeing Daniel Radcliffe on liquid luck was probably the best part for me. Absolutely hilarious. However...I thought it was really funny that they sort of ignored the whole Half-Blood Prince part...seeing as it is the title of the movie, you'd think they'd do a bit more with that. Also, when are they finally going to make the endings sad enough?! I mean, they kill off Cedric in number four and all we got was some downtrodden and solemn looking Hogwarts students. They kill off Sirius in number five and yeah, Harry looked angst ridden, but I was still wanting more...I thought for sure that they'd get it right at last with number six, but alas, I was disappointed yet again. The most powerful wizard, the only one who really presented a challenge to Voldemort is DEAD and all you're going to do is raise your wand in remembrance (I did think that was a nice embellishment on the book and overall a lovely scene, but)?! I need some sobbing here! I want students with disbelief and fear written all over their faces! I need some What?! No! He can't be dead! He's Dumbledore! And what?! Snape killed him?! It can't be! What's going to happen to us?! Who will save us now?! Where can we turn for protection?! Voldemort's going to kill us all!!!
But I digress. Overall, nice movie. Way to go Potter people.

One last thought...
who's beyond excited for "Sherlock Holmes"? :)

Expelliarmus!

In honor of tonight's premiere of "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince", I have chosen to share with you all a hilarious dialogue from this site. (Check it out for more hysterical commentary on celebrity outfits.)



RUPERT GRINT: Dude. Apparently my getting swine flu brought with it a previously unpublicized side effect: I no longer show up to premieres looking like I just rolled out of bed! Now I wish I'd gotten it earlier!

J.K. ROWLING: I'm a gazillionaire. And this color looks great on me. AND I'm not working on a crazy deadline anymore. How awesome are things for me right now? Pretty awesome.

EMMA WATSON: I am ALSO pretty. Tonight is going SO WELL! What a relief!

DAN RADCLIFFE: Oh gosh. Am I....wearing a suit that closes with a TOGGLE?

RUPERT: I look charming and Dan's suit closes with a toggle! AT LAST RON WEASLEY COMES OUT ON TOP! Come on, everyone! How about a rousing round of "Weasley Is Our King!"

JO: I wonder who talked Dan into that toggle-closure. Was he Confunded in his dressing room? I mean, if that were real.

EMMA: Poor Dan. Someone's going to need to buy that boy a drink. He looks so alarmed. I told him not to go for the toggle. Why doesn't he listen to me? What HAPPENED with him?

DAN: What HAPPENED to me? Is there any way I can blame this on dark magic? Think, Radcliffe! THINK!

The fog comes on little cat feet.

Greetings from San Fran!
It's the first time I've been back here since I was ten (? maybe?), staying with my aunt and uncle in their truly lovely home.

Highlights of the trip so far include:

tour of Genentech, many thanks to Uncle Al who's a patent attorney there-
ohmygosh, if I were to be a biochemist (or change my major to biochemistry...have been playing around with that idea lately...), this would probably be my dream job. Great facilities, huge company, awesome atmosphere, fabulous cafeteria (very important when selecting a job). Becky pretty much summed up that experience, "This is like Disneyland for Katie." Wooo!!!!

Muir Woods-
beautiful, awe-inspiring redwood forest. It was absolutely incredible. I'd rank it up there with Niagara Falls as random-outdoors-place-that-I-thought-would-be-way-overrated-but-surpasses-all-the-hype.

Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square-
fun shopping, quaint atmosphere (at least the square was), and I ate a chocolate cupcake with coconut cream cheese icing (felt very Rockstar Diaries-esque).

We also drove past the "Full House" house, took photos of the cute Victorian houses, drove on Haight and Ashbury, shopped at Nordstorm Rack, went to the Academy of Science, Bay cruise, and walked on the Golden Gate Bridge.

This summer I've really been blessed to travel and see all kinds of fascinating places, whether it was Jared's mansion cabin in Island Park, Washington, DC, Burbank with friends, Philadelphia, the Sacred Grove, New York City, Boston, Indianapolis, Kirtland, Nauvoo, Independence, etc. And it doesn't end there. We'll be headed back to Burbank next week, I'm doing a roadtrip to Cedar City with some friends the weekend I get back, might possibly be going to Vegas, and will be going to Irvine, CA...all before school starts.
I may not have gotten to go to Europe this summer, but I feel really grateful for the opportunities I've had to travel throughout the country, literally coast to coast.

odonata

It's so interesting to me how the smallest things can trigger a memory that you haven't thought of in years...

I was walking outside the chemistry building this afternoon, and I saw a dragonfly, and all of a sudden ninth grade biology came rushing back to me. There I was in my backyard with a net, running around with Kim and Merissa and Amanda and Jordan and Amanda M. trying to catch everything we could. Kim and I caught a couple of bees in a jar and christened them all sorts of ridiculous names. Merissa and Jordan took off to catch grasshoppers while I stayed firmly planted far away from the field that was chock full of them. (I'm deathly afraid of them.) Later, we were trying to catch the swarm of dragonflies that circled above our heads, just barely out of reach. I said a halfhearted prayer in my head that I would be able to catch one. After a long time of trying, we gave up. Everyone went home and I went inside. It grew dark as I ate dinner. All of a sudden I heard this unusually loud thud and buzzing sound. My mom, brother, and I went out on the deck to see what it was.

A dragonfly had flown into the screen door and landed in a spider web that just happened to be right next to it. I couldn't believe it. It was trapped there, ready for the taking. My bug collection gained a dragonfly, and I gained a testimony of prayer.

God knows us. He understands the problems and hardships we are facing. He knows what will help us to pull through. He loves us enough to help us with the things that are so insignificant in the eternal scheme of things. Does a dragonfly really matter? No. But because it mattered to me, it mattered to Him. Time and time again I have seen this principle in my life. It doesn't matter if it's a math test, an o chem grade or a ballroom competition, none of which are really important. God cares because I care, and because He loves me, just as He loves all of you.
"Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God."

Please let me remember this tonight.

housewarming

My apartment's been getting some fixing up lately...mostly due to Janessa and Noelle's presence. Yay for awesome roomies! :)

Our couch is no longer hideous plaid! It's now bermuda blue! Note the adorable IKEA pillow.


No more ugly blue, awkwardly shaped chairs! Now they're sleek black!


The beyond amazing kitchen shelving unit that I want to steal when I change apartments (just kidding, I'll buy my own). Aren't the hooks hanging our pots just adorable?


Meet Bridget (as suggested by Josh), my latest experiment in gardening (ha). Photography credit also goes to Josh.


Many thanks to Jill and Garrett for new mixing bowls! I swear I've used them everyday for the past week. They are fabulously colored AND they have lids. Seriously, what more could you want?

I'm hoping to pick up a coat rack, three shelf bookcase, and a giant bulletin board in the next little while. I love new house related things. :)

I live on the parade route

Pros of that post title:
I'm sitting in my bed watching the parade, instead of having to camp out all night (in the rain) to see it.

Cons:
I was awakened at 7:30 by it.


I've watched two large blowup creatures, two horses, lots of jeeps carrying lots of veterans, three beauty queen floats, a flock of cutest baby award winners in strollers, three, no make that four marching bands and attached flag twirling squads, bunches of cars, two senators, and a group of dancers go by as I've watched through my blinds and translucent purple IKEA curtains. As much as I keep saying parades are lame, and I'd never take my kids to one...well...it does look a little fun. The people throw candy into the crowd, the little kids run and pick it up, there's all this patriotic music and cheering, the floats are sparkly, it's just sort of a hokey, fun atmosphere. I love America. I think I maybe want to run for Miss [insert name of my city here]...kind of...it would be awesome to get some more scholarship money (which of course would not be nearly worth the amount of time and effort I'd have to put in to win some, but...), and I already know what I'd do for a talent and platform. Talent: ballroom solo. Platform: getting little kids (specifically little girls) interested in science! I could do chemistry magic shows at all the elementary schools. It would be so much fun. The only problem is March is ridiculously busy for me. I'll keep thinking about it...
(Go [insert university name here]!!! The float just went by)

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great Fourth of July.
God bless America!