And BAM, this is what I thought:

Hey World,

Maybe I should be a teacher.

A French/chemistry/ballroom teacher.

Just throwing that out there.

Sincerely,

Katie

where did she go?

In math I was the whiz kid, keeper
of oranges and apples. What you don’t understand,
master, my father said; the faster
I answered, the faster they came.

I could see one bud on the teacher’s geranium,
one clear bee sputtering at the wet pane.
The tulip tree always dragged after heavy rain
so I tucked my head as my boots slapped home.

My father put up his feet after work
and relaxed with a highball and The Life of Lincoln.
After supper we drilled and I climbed the dark

before sleep, before a thin voice hissed
numbers as I spun on a wheel. I had to guess.
Ten, I kept saying, I’m only ten.

-Rita Dove

What's with me and poetry lately? Oh, and I hereby resolve to stay awake in French and pay attention in chem lit. Goodness. Also, maybe I'm going to expand my ultimate career (of "Avatar:The Last Airbender" watching and blogging) to include science fair judging and doing chemistry magic shows. More on that later.

I agree:

"It is disturbing that so many, especially women, have self-doubts and question their ability to succeed. Addressing female students studying math, science, and engineering in March 2005, BYU president Elder Cecil O. Samuelson Jr. of the Seventy said: “One of your professors has commented to me … that some of you have less confidence in your abilities and prospects than do your male peers, even when the evidence may suggest that this is not justified. You do need to recognize your talents, skills, aptitudes, and strengths and not be confused about the gifts that God has given you.'"

-Elder Dallin H. Oaks

This is getting ridiculous

Here I am again, in my home away from home, aka the chemistry building. I do believe I have spent more time here than anywhere else the past little while and that is including the 4.5-5 hours of sleep I'm getting at home a night. It's gotten to the point where I'm here, not having showered after water polo, in my socks (my boots got wet) and sweats, not leaving until I finish my French stuff and do 30 minutes of writing for my chem lit class. I think it's kind of funny actually. Yesterday four other chemists and I were here finishing up p chem lab stuff/swapping dating advice until 2AM. If you're going to major in something that's likely to drive you to tears/insanity, at least you're surrounded by some pretty cool people.

If you want to hear more about our adventures, you should check out our newly formed blog:

The Free Radicals
tagline: an adventure in self-polymerization.

hehe, we're so nerdily funny.

Declare yourself. VOTE.

Hey all. Remember this post?

Well, my cute little brother's band's got a song uploaded, and this is me asking you all to vote.

Click here. Then check the circle on the left side of the band "Marina and Some Boys". Then click vote. Several times. Because for some reason you can. And you can vote every day.

Please, please, please.
And thank you in advance. :)

P.S. Les Pensées de Katya has had an update for the first time in a while. You know who you are, and you know where to click.

down they forgot as up they grew

Sometimes, I really like poems even when I don't have a clue what they mean,
just because the words sound so cool together. This one by e.e. cummings
is a stellar example. (I know it's a tad on the long side, but just read it. Do it.)

anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn't he danced his did

Women and men(both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn't they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain

children guessed(but only a few
and down they forgot as up they grew
autumn winter spring summer)
that noone loved him more by more

when by now and tree by leaf
she laughed his joy she cried his grief
bird by snow and stir by still
anyone's any was all to her

someones married their everyones
laughed their cryings and did their dance
(sleep wake hope and then)they
said their nevers they slept their dream

stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)

one day anyone died i guess
(and noone stooped to kiss his face)
busy folk buried them side by side
little by little and was by was

all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april
wish by spirit and if by yes.

Women and men(both dong and ding)
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their came
sun moon stars rain

I get that there's some sort of life progression going on here, or some sort of passage of time, but I haven't decided yet if it's happy or not.

Today I think it's happy.
Mostly because today I am.

I think I'm going to run a 5K next month. Any tips for a girl who dances too much, but never goes running?(Also, if you're in the area, you should run it with me! March 13th, 9:15 AM)

Hope you all have a good week, living in your pretty how towns. :)

ow and yay.

I always forget that shin splits feel like growing pains.

Good thing I'm friends with a premed who can sort me out/diagnose me with a leukemia osteoporosis combo.


Oh! I just remembered exciting news:

My little brother Jeffy got into my university!!! Wooooooo!!!!!
Just you wait and see, Jeff. College is awesome.

And...I'm going to go study for French now.

Addendum:
Also, sometimes it feels like my left leg doesn't fit properly into my hip socket, like a sharp pain when I stand up and straighten my leg. Diagnosis please? And how can you tell if your scoliosis is getting any worse besides driving 45 minutes to the children's hospital and getting another costly x-ray?

good bye apathy

I think it's interesting!

Did you know that if you can lower the conductivity of your tin dioxide gas sensor (maybe by doping it with some other compound) you can increase its surface interactions with a reducing gas like hydrogen and therefore its sensitivity? Isn't that cool? I still don't understand band bending (except that it makes me think of water, air, earth, and fire bending...uh...I mean...), but this topic is starting to come alive for me, a little bit at a time. I'm not dragging myself tonight. Hallelujah! And guess what else. I made those SnO2 particles! And I'm going to measure their heat capacities! And then someone else can make them into a gas sensor that can detect carbon monoxide and save someone's life.

Science is awesome!

*cue ASL sign for applause*

agni kai!

Is there a job where I can just get paid for watching "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and blogging? Because that's pretty much all I feel like doing anymore.

There's not? Alas.
Guess I'll stick to chemistry then.

I have a question to pose to you, readers. I'm planning my 21st birthday extravaganza, and have a couple of ideas for what to do.

Option 1:
Playing laser tag.

Option 2:
Eating chicken tikka masala and naan bread at India Palace.

Option 3:
Seeing "Alice in Wonderland" (celebration of my un-unbirthday! how appropriate!) and maybe having a "tea" party.

Option 4:
Mocktails in test tubes à la classy scientist party.

Option 5:
All/some combination of the above.

What say ye?

february air

Tonight, I would just like to stop feeling like I'm dragging myself through everything.

I would also just like to stop being afraid of life in general.

The end.

I have a suggestion

Watch "The Last Airbender" trailer.

I promise, you'll get at least half-excited as I am.
(but not more than I am, because I don't think it's physically possible. This is the girl who searched etsy yesterday for a Katara water tribe necklace for 2010's Halloween costume. To quote my sister, "People don't realize how big of a nerd you are.")

Just click here. It's only 32 seconds long, and oh so very worth it.

not to brag, but

my little brother is a rock star.

For reals.

He plays drums in the band Marina and Some Boys

featuring...Marina...and some boys.

They are incredibly talented and adorable (he's on the far left).



And they got robbed this weekend by two severely musically challenged bands.

Dear Battle of the Bands judges,

Were you even LISTENING to ***** band?! Or were you too distracted by their guitarist's ill-fitting True Religion jeans and the choreographed head banging?! (HAIROGRAPHY? KILL YOURSELF!) Did the fact that they have a gig at the Velour next week (who's paying to see them? you ought to if you'd like to listen to some rhythm-less, melody-less, harmony-less crap for an hour) CLOUD YOUR JUDGMENT or was it all of the smoke and mirrors (literally on the smoke, they blew it right out of their mouths...slightly satanic/we wish we were dragons?) that left us with zero substance??? Or how about the utterly lackluster performance by Seinfeld obsessed *****? Really? How could you fail to notice their complete lack of synchronization in one of my favorite Relient K songs?! Their drummer was totally off, not to mention the singer's boring and out of tune voice! "Be My Escape" left us all wanting to escape right out of the auditorium!

I really hope that next time you decide to judge a music competition, you actually bother to listen to the bands.

Sincerely,

Katie

Side note: Readers, they might still have a chance to be the wild card in the state battle of the bands if they upload one of their songs and enough people vote for them. Should they decide to do so, I'm going to beg and plead with you with all my heart to vote. They really deserve this.

Anyway, I hope your Saturday night was thoroughly less enraging than mine. Bon weekend!

like a little seed

"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise."

-Alma 37:6

This week has been really, really rough. And right now I'm sort of clinging to the hope that the fact that I gave up two hours of my evening going to the temple (small thing) instead of doing a number of other things that need to be done will help me get my presentation (great thing, as in huge task, not as in my presentation is going to be so awesome) done before 7 AM tomorrow.

My chem lit professor would cringe at the construction of that sentence.

Here's to having a little faith, for once.

Guys. I need your opinion.

What do you think of high waisted dresses, jeans, skirts, etc on girls? Think high waist pencil skirts, jeans with shirts tucked in, etc.

See exhibit A:After a very eye-opening conversation, I came to the realization that what I think is cute may not actually be attractive. Help me out here!

this is unimportant, but

what is with me and repeating words or short phrases three times in the last few posts?

just saying...?

curse my lack of foresight for not wearing waterproof mascara

Today is one of those days when I feel very small and ask myself what I was thinking when I declared this major.

Too hard, too hard, too hard.