The things one does when bored

Sometimes when I’m bored I do math. But only practical math.

For example, by my calculations, I make about 25 cents per minute at work. If someone handed me a quarter every minute during my work hours, in one day I would leave with approximately 480 quarters! In a week that would be 2400 quarters. I could play 12,000 nickelcade games with that. Or buy 6000 Lil’ Homies from one of those coin machines in the front of grocery stores. This means I make about half a cent every second. Who knew?

Final Countdown

Josh gets home in less than a week!!!! I can hardly wait. This is going to be the longest week of my life.

You'd think after years of watching the movies and reading the books I would have learned...

Today I learned that I am more and more like Anne Shirley of Anne of Green Gables every day. I grew up emulating her - a writer/actress with too much imagination for her own good - but I was determined to never make her mistakes. I told myself time and time again that I would never, EVER let my Gilbert Blythe get away. I mean, it always seemed so obvious to me that they were meant for each other. Well…..

This young man liked me, you see. He’s one of my best friends, and he liked me just the way I am. In fact, he adored me. But I had “bigger” plans. I wasn’t interested. He moved on and dated someone else (Gil’s Christine, anyone?). I was surprised by the violence of my feelings of remorse. I became Anne, crying when she realized she may lose Gil without him ever knowing how she really cared. I let him get away.

Sure, things aren’t over with this guy. Perhaps there will be a time in the future when we’re both single and both interested in each other. But there also is a chance there may not be that time. And that’s the part that kills me - what might have been…. But then again, Anne may never have come around to loving Gil if she hadn’t almost lost him first.
I needed that wake-up call. And you can bet I won’t let another one slip away.
Lesson learned.

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY I WILL BE PICKING UP MY BESTEST FRIEND/TWIN/OTHER HALF FROM THE AIRPORT AFTER TWO YEARS OF MISSIONARY SERVICE. TWO WEEKS AND COUNTING!!!!!!!

Emily done got married!

One of my best buddies, Emily Anderson, got married on Thursday, August 4, 2011!

Emily is the mother of our little group of friends from high school known as the Anderson family. Trying to explain this family is a bit convoluted, but here's a brief description: when most of the kids were at breakfast one morning, Steve Anderson sat at one head of the table and Emily Anderson (no relation to Steve) sat at the other head. The matching last names and the seated positions automatically fostered the image of mother and father - thus the Anderson family was born. Each friend received a nickname that delineated their role in the family - Favorite Child, The Annoying One, Rebellious and Mischievous Child #1, etc. You may be wondering how I fit into all of this - I'm not exactly sure how I lucked out, but I was the only person adopted into the family post-creation. It might have been because my brother Josh was in the family. Whatever the reason, I became the Older Sister Who Is Never Home (I am a year older than all the other kids and went away to college before they did.) I love this group of kids - they are some of the nicest, most caring people I have ever known. It really is like a wonderful family.

Three of the family members, now including Emily, are married. For Emily's wedding we got to be a part of the temple pictures, wedding luncheon, and reception. I love receptions; everyone is generally ecstatic and smiley. However, my least/most favorite part of the reception (I say both least and most favorite because I both love and fear awkwardness) is usually the bouquet toss. Not only is it generally awkward but I really don't enjoy the idea of catching the bouquet and getting the "you're gonna get married!" comments because I haven't dated anyone exclusively in about two years and currently am not dating anyone. Well, we single ladies were all predictably lined up towards the end of the evening for said toss. I made sure I was in the back so the chances of me catching the bouquet were lessened. Regardless of my lack of desire to catch it and my hidden position in the back of the group, the bouquet came soaring towards me. I muttered an "Oh, crap..." before catching it, much to the chagrin of the girls who actually wanted the bouquet. My mom was there, and apparently her face upon my catch was priceless - a shocked, kind of frightened look. The bouquet looked and smelled gorgeous, and in the end I'm quite glad I caught it. If marriage comes my way in the near future....woohoo! If not soon, no biggie. I'm not in any kind of what could even possibly resemble a hurry. I have a lot of personal issues that will play a larger role in when I get married than a wonderful bouquet will. And now I get to keep these beautiful flowers! All in all a win-win situation, right?

Anyway, the rest of the reception was great fun - dancing, singing, laughing, etc. I think it's one of my favorite receptions I've been to. It was simple and beautiful. And I had a lot of friends there. And I came home with awesome flowers!

My grown-up job!

I am now an employee of the School Improvement Network. It's my first real, big, grown-up job! I have a 401K and benefits and everything - I get a SALARY.

I had mixed feelings about taking this job, not because of the job itself but more because it meant I had to grow up even more. This summer really has been the official ending of my childhood, which is both exciting and daunting. I'm pretty sure I could be clinically diagnosed with Peter Pan syndrome.

The job itself is wonderful. I am an Assistant Video Editor. I have a name plate and everything! This basically means that I do everything involved in editing without actually editing. The senior editors get to do the final edits. But I help them get there! I convert footage, compress footage, create basic edit timelines, and laugh with my co-workers. The people I work with are really dedicated and super nice. They have definitely made me feel welcome. For the first two days I felt a bit lost, but I'm starting to get more of a footing now. I am still amazed that I got a job in my field straight out of college. I feel very fortunate.

The School Improvement Network is located in Midvale, UT in a building that used to be a bowling alley. They took all the bowling lane wood and made desks out of it - my desk used to be a bowling lane! Pretty cool. There are three different kinds of water in the break room - yes, it's that high-tech - and pretty good restaurants around. There's a fun company atmosphere and team themes and goals. There's a Hawaiian theme here, which is fun. the company is growing like crazy. I completely believe in what we do, too. I have always felt that media should be used to teach, and here I am helping make videos to help teachers become better teachers! I still work in a cave, like I did at Independent Study, which is actually rather comforting. It feels more like home.

The Captain

I saw Captain America again last night. Yes, AGAIN. I absolutely love it. It's not a perfect movie, but it hits most of the right spots. I just adore the Marvel Universe and the Marvel movies especially. I love seeing all the different comic book stories cross paths and interact. I especially love the Avengers. And Captain America has quickly become my favorite of the heroes part of that group. I think the thing I like most about him is where he came from and the person he is. Some heroes have cool powers, some have cool gadgets - Cap just has accentuated human features. That's not to say he isn't super. He most certainly is. But he's good. He was chosen to be a hero because of his goodness and compassion and strength of heart. I think the thing that really sets hims apart is that he was actually chosen for his job. Most superheroes are born with powers or opportunities that lend themselves to superheroity. Their struggle is coming to terms with their responsibilities as heroes. Cap wanted to be a hero - to stand up for the little guy and sock Adolf Hitler in the jaw - and he was given that chance. It kind of gives him a unique position in the superhero world. He's smart and a great leader too.

I think one of the other things I love about him, though, is his lack of skill with women. It's endearing. Most superheroes are pretty suave when it comes to girls - Superman flirts with Lois about the color of her underwear in the first movie, Tony Stark is a notorious womanizer, Thor is extremely chivalrous and uses it to his best advantage. There's nothing wrong with these men's dating habits, of course - I would die to have Superman flirt with me. Captain America, however, gets supremely nervous around girls (I refer to the heroes' movie incarnations - I've not read the comics, though I would like to). For some reason I find that more intriguing than the womanizer. A man with killer good looks and a to-die-for heroic attitude would naturally be flocked by women. I loved seeing his face each time a girl came on to him - it was all new for him, something that he was constantly surprised by. And how baffled he is by women is chuckle worthy. So much fun.

I think Cap takes his place above Iron Man as my favorite Marvel hero. Superman still holds his spot as king of the DC universe. Superman has always been my all-time favorite. We'll see if that continues to hold true. Cap is giving him a run for his money, that's for sure.

Next up? Learn more about all things Marvel, starting with the purchase of this resource: The Marvel Encyclopedia