Birthday

That's right, it's my birthday. Yeh for me!

A meme a day....maybe not.

A meme is a unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another. The word meme was coined by an evolutionary biologist in 1976. In blogland, a meme is an idea that is shared and passed from blog to blog, such as a question that is posted on one blog and then is somehow answered on other blogs. There are lists of meme's on the web that can be answered by anyone. Here are some websites, among many unlisted ones, that give examples of meme's: Meme's list, The Daily Meme, Friday's feast, The Thursday Threesome, and Unconcious Mutterings. I think that every once and a while I will answer a meme on my blog.

Here is my first one:

I say...and you think...?
Rhyme: lime
Substantial: reason
Instant: pudding
Greed: bad
Brad: crazy man
Season: fall
Accomplished: sister
Invite: party
Sparkle: sunlight
Rainbow: long

(Isn't free association fun? I wonder what the words I chose say about me?)

Another great index card

I think I have mentioned this blog before. The above picture is from indexed, which I think is a fantastically done website.

A long update

Circumstances being what they are, I haven't really had the time to update my blog in the past two weeks. I will try to summarize what has happened and hit the high points for my readers.
I got a flu shot on the 17th which caused my arm to hurt quite a bit. On Friday night, the 17th of November, Roberts and Lowe women alike met to help Alison with the Festival of the Trees project. We cut, sewed, and frayed stars. There was good food, good conversation, and two adorable babies to entertain us so the time quickly sped by. The next day I worked from 9:30 to 3 pm, then went to a late lunch with Ryan and John. I went home exhausted with flu-like symptoms. Sidney and Wyatt came over to have fun with their Grandma and Poppy. I spent most of the time upstairs trying to shake the flu-like symptoms caused by the flu shot I had received the day before. I did come downstairs in time to see Wyatt taking a bath in the sink. What a funny boy! On Sunday morning I felt even worse and did not go to church. I slept quite a bit but still managed to get a paper written for my History of Christianity class.
Work and school followed for the next two days. On Wednesday, the 22nd, I was awakened by my darling niece who showed me the hole in her smile since she had lost a tooth. I had breakfast with Mom, Dad, Sid, and Wyatt, then went to school for one class. (My other two had been canceled but Dr. Francis would not relent on his grilling class schedule.) After a rousing class in which donuts were served, I returned home to help with my niece and nephew and clean the upstairs bathroom. Jen and Lauren came out to help with the Thanksgiving preparations and a good time was had by all. I ended up watching two episodes of an interesting show called Numb3rs and cleaning up the basement in anticipation of Aunt Renee and cousin Mark's arrival.
On Thanksgiving the following people came over to eat: Grandma and Grandpa Roberts, Jen, John, Lauren, Josh, Brooke, Uncle Mike, Renee, Mark, Timothy, Roxanne, Doug, John D., Jen D., Jason, Jacob, Emily, Michael, Ethan, RJ, Nathan, Diane, Larry, Amy, Sarah, Nancy, Jordan, Alison, and Isaac. Jeremy, Britnie, Sidney, and Wyatt came over later. We had three turkeys and a ham along with some other great food. Three tables of people made for fun madness. We ate, talked, and then ate some more. After 3 pm, we had a baby shower for Brooke. Jen and I went together on a gift of books and baby blankets. By nightfall, the aunts were in the living room talking while Brooke, Josh, Alison, Sarah, Amy, and I played a game. It was fun. Amy and I were crushed by the other two teams. (It is nice to be humbled every once and a while :) Jordan and Dad went to see Grandma, who seemed to be better and appreciated the Thanksgiving feast they brought her.
On Friday morning, Dad and I went to the temple. Afterwards we went to see Grandma. When entering Grandma's room, a person is required to put on gloves and wear a face mask. Her cough is still horrible but the pneumonia seems to be getting better. After we went home, I headed off the Alison's house to babysit Isaac while she worked on the tree skirt for the Festival of Trees. Isaac had just gone down for a nap so I studied for a while. I finally decided to take a nap myself when Alison's parents arrived. Her dad played with Isaac while the two ladies sewed. I then took a nap only to be awakened by my mother and Aunt Renee stopping by. All in all, I am not sure how much sleep I got. When Alison and her dad left to buy wood for the signs, I took over playing with Isaac. What a darling baby. I helped introduce him to the blanket buddy that Grandma Roberts made for him. It is a bunny. He seemed to like it once he realized that it couldn't hurt him and that he could eat the ears. After putting him down for a nap, I helped Alison and Pat finish the tree skirt and then headed home to get ready for a night out. Ryan and I ended up at Mikey's house where we watched the end of the Jazz game and then hung out for the rest of the night. Once in a while it is nice to just hang out at someone's home and watch movie previews, listen to music, and talk.
On Saturday I was awakened by my mother telling me about a job that Aunt Diane had seen on the Provo Library website. I decided to apply for it because it pays more than my current job and it would be a nice change. I finished the book I was reading, 84, Charing Cross Road, and took a shower. Later that night I went to dinner with Jen Evans and her friend Erin, who seems really nice. We ate at Mimi's Cafe and had fun talking about life, men, traveling, school, and other interesting topics. We then went to the theater to see Stranger than Fiction, which I would highly recommend. Will Ferrell isn't his usual goofball self, Emma Thompson is brilliant as a tortured writer, Maggie Gyllenhaal is great as an angry baker, and Dustin Hoffman is the typical odd literature professor. It follows the life of Harold Crick, an IRS agent who begins to hear a narrator speak about his life. I won't ruin any more of the movie for those who plan to see it. I would give it 4 stars out of 5. Since there are only about 15 movies ever made that get a 5, that is pretty good. As a person who occasionally writes short stories, the idea that a character from my story could be walking around is amazing. Anyway, I got home about 12:30 pm but couldn't get to sleep until about 3 am. Cursed insomnia :(
Today I went to school and work. School was fairly uneventful. I got a paper back that my Victorian Lit teacher wants me to re-write. Grrr. In my History of Christianity class we discussed the beginning of the Baptists and Quakers in the 1600's. Good stuff. Mom took the day off to help Alison decorate for the Festival of the Trees which is this week. I included a picture that Mom took with some of the background blacked out. The stuff in the background was very distracting and I wanted to have the phocus be the tree. Alison, Emily (her sister), Aunt Diane, and Mom were the decorators. The theme of the tree is taken from a poem by Robert Frost. Tonight, work was completely crazy. Mondays after holidays are always insane. I guess I should try to go to bed now.

Another weekend update

On Friday night I went to see Pride and Prejudice at the Pioneer Theatre. It was pretty good although I took exception to the narration style. I guess that's what I get for being so familiar with the subject matter. It was good though and I would recommend it (even if the character of Elizabeth wasn't as sassy as I would have liked.) Mom, Dad, Jen, and John will be seeing it on Tuesday.
Grandma J. is still in the hospital and I haven't seen her since Wednesday. Dad went to see Grandma J. tonight. Her hip isn't healing as fast as anyone would like. Besides having a brief run of pneumonia, she now has a staph infection that seems to be resistant to many drugs. In order to see her you have to put a mask on and glove up. I guess this is to protect her and the visitor. Her legs are pretty swollen because she can't get up and walk around. She is basically confined to her room until the Staph infection is under control. Her biggest complaint is loneliness and boredom. (If anyone wants to call and cheer her up, she is in room T11.)
Mom and Dad went to see Grandma and Grandpa R on Friday night. Grandpa had a cataract removed and is seeing better. The surgery on his other eye is this week. Hopefully this will help with his falling down. According to Mom, he sleeps a lot these days and is very thin. Grandma is worried about him but is still strong as a ox herself.
After church on Sunday, Josh and Brooke came over for a great dinner. Brooke is feeling well and my nephew-to-be is growing. According to measurements, he weighs 14 oz and still has his head up by her ribcage. Jordan, Alison, and Isaac came over a little later. We all played a round of Times Up and Isaac was darling. He lay on the floor playing and talking to one and all. I got some pretty cute pictures of him.

Warning: annoying person at large

The following happened at work on Monday:
A man came into the library talking on his cell phone. He set a book on cd on the desk, looked at the librarian, and pointed to it(meaning the book on cd.) He then walked farther into the library. The librarian checked the book on cd to make sure all the cd's were there and proceeded to check the item in. It was on hold for another patron, so the librarian put the new patron's name on it. The man on the cell phone then returned to the desk to inform the librarian that the reason that he pointed to the book on cd was because there was a cd missing. The librarian informed him that he was incorrect. Had he bothered to look at the cd cover, he would have plainly seen that there were only supposed to be three cd's in the case (the librarian said these words in a much nicer way though.) He then wanted to take it home again. The librarian said that he couldn't have that particular copy because it was on hold for someone else. The man on the cell phone then said "But I didn't want you to check it in." I ask you, dear readers, what was the librarian supposed to think? Being a good librarian and a person who tries to be nice, the librarian apologized and asked if she could put another copy of it on hold for him. What she wanted to say was this: "If you hadn't been yapping away on your cell phone, we could have had a discussion about why you were pointing at a book on cd. Turn that stupid cell phone off and attempt to be respectful in a place that is supposed to be quiet. If you want my help, treat me like a human being. Grrr." The librarian probably would have pointed towards the door at this point in the conversation.
If any of you readers feel the need to talk on your cell phone while in the library, don't. If you must, do not expect a librarian to be happy about it.

Weekend report

This weekend I saw the movie "Man of the Year." It was a really interesting look at a our political system. Robin Williams plays a John Stewart type comedian who ends up as a presidential candidate. The preview makes this movie look like just a comedy but it has a serious side. It has an interesting, if slightly implausible, conspiracy theory. Anyway, it was worth going to see in the movie theater. I stayed out a little too late considering I had to work on Saturday morning.
I attended Stake Conference on Sunday. It was wonderful. It was sort of a regional stake conference. All Davis County residents were invited. I went to a stake center in Fruit Heights to watch it on the Satellite. Elder Bateman, Pres. Packer, and Pres. Monson spoke. It was two hours of spiritual food. I ended up taking three pages of notes. On Sunday night, Jen, John, and darling Lauren came for dinner. Lauren hadn't had a decent nap and was a little grumpy. We had a wonderful dinner, thanks to Mom and Dad. Dad and I took some cute pictures of Lauren before she became too grumpy. (I put some of mine on the family flickr sight.) It was a fun night. Lauren especially responded to her Grandma tickling her and playing with her feet.

Old siblings and friends

On Friday night I went over to Jordan and Alison's house to have some fun. Jordan fed us some wonderful pasta, we watched Practical Magic, and then were joined by Josh and Brooke. We played a fun game called Abstract. Brooke is getting that cute pregnant belly and Isaac was adorable (except for the brief moment that he spit up on me.)

On Saturday I got together with some old friends. In my first years of college I belonged to a sorority. Lamda Delta Sigma was a big part of my life. This group of people that also belonged are still important to me even though I don't get to see them very often. We met at Dave and Suzie's house. In attendance were the following: Dave, Suz, Jen (and her date Dan), Ryan, Jacq and Travis, Brit, Toffer and Michelle (and their two girls). We were hoping to see Hali and Marc but they were out of town. We ate, talked, played games, and had fun. While most people left by 11 pm, a couple of us ended up staying until 2 am. It was nice to see everyone.

A fun quote

I'm NOT short. I prefer to think there is simply more space above my head for word balloons full of devastatingly pithy witticisms.

-R. Stevens, May of 2006

School and Work

Since I am suffering from yet another round of insomnia, I thought I would update my blog on my school and work situations. School is going as well as can be expected. There are not enough hours in the day to complete all the reading that is required. Even if there was enough time, it is still hard to read for hours at a time. In my Literary Crit class we are discussing Post-Colonialism. This riveting form of criticism can hardly compare to the amazing Marxist criticism that we studied last week. When discussing "Heart of Darkness" and its ethnic complications, my entire class could hardly remain seated. Oh wait, that wasn't what happened. Oh well. In my Victorian Lit class, we are discussing the Rossetti siblings. Christina Rossetti wrote some very interesting poetry including "The Goblin Market." In our last class period, we discussed fallen women and prostitutes. Dr. Rogers is a very knowledgable and interesting person. My third class is my most complicated and interesting. Dr. Francis teaches the History of Christianity. On Wednesday we discussed heretical movements that were squashed by the Catholic Church in the 1300's. This was the very beginning of the Inquisition. Poor heretics; being burned to death isn't any fun. After class on Wednesday, I stuck around campus to hear a lecture by Dr. Francis on MacBeth. He discussed the historical character of MacBeth and the differences between the historical figure and Shakespeare's interpretation of him. It was very interesting.
Work is going well. I feel that I am fitting in with my co-workers (with the exception of one grumpy one) and I love working in a library. Tonight, Thursday, I got to dress up for Halloween. The library had a special Halloween story hour at 7pm. We got to dress up. I was a dark fairy and had Dad take a picture of me for all you blog readers to see. I made the wings myself, and am, sadly, a little too proud of them. Mom and Dad brought Sid for the stories. She is dressing up as a princess this year and wore a long, blond wig. She wasn't that impressed with the stories but loved the pumpkin walk that city hall sponsored. Thus concludes my update on school and work.

A fun Friday

Well, it's official: I have had the funnest Friday ever. I slept in until 9:45 am. I picked up my cute niece, Sidney, at 11 am and we went to the Treehouse Museum. After some initial confusion about where it was, we finally arrived. The whole drive to Ogden was filled with "guess what's" by Sid. Her favorite conversation is that phrase. I find it adorable and did my Auntly duty by saying "what." We paid to get in and spent the next two hours running around. I think one of the coolest things about the museum is the huge tree in the middle. It has one flight of stairs in the middle of the trunk and another going around it. In all, I think I counted going up 30 flights of stairs. (I am paying for it today; ouch!) We went to the different stations that included: the medical clinic, the store, the school house, the native American section, the music area, the medieval area, the many different country areas, the Utah area, the American history area, and the dinosaur area. I took a few pictures but Sid never kept still long enough for a good one of her. I guess I was too busy to take very many. She did manage to take one of me in the mock-oval office. After two hours we were hungry. We ended up at Wendy's, were Sid had a kids meal and I had a bacon burger. Yum. After wards, we went to Petsmart. Sid loves to go around and look at all the animals. The fish were interesting and I had to read what each one was. She took particular interest in the crabs, who had brightly painted shells. She also loved watching the hamsters and mice. The birds were also interesting. I managed to take a picture of her with the hamsters, where we spent at least 20 straight minutes. After stopping for bagels, I realized that it was time to take her home. I stayed and played with Wyatt for a few minutes while I talked to Britnie. I drove home to find Jordan, Alison, and Isaac. My cute nephew spit up on me twice. He did it with a smile on his face though. I got ready and rushed out the door with only a brief hello to Mom, who had just arrived home.
I picked up Ryan by his work and we ran to get food at Noodles and Co. in SL. Ryan and I had tickets to see "Thriller" performed by the Odyssey Dance Theatre. Even though parts of it were quite dark, it was still amazing. I would really recommend it. (No, I didn't take the picture, I got it from their website.) Afterwards, we went over to Bryan and Ryan's house for a little while. Ryan, Mikey, and I then went to Chilis for dessert. Our waiters was very odd, yet amusing. They were out of my favorite dessert, Chocolate Moulton Cake, so I settled for a chocolate chip brownie thing with ice cream. Afterwards we returned to Bryan and Ryan's for a little more fun before I drove Ryan to his car. (I finally got lawyer Ryan to let me take a picture of him, even if it was with a dog.) I got home at 12:30 am and slept well. I had so much fun on Friday. I am now ready to face any giant or problem. Today I got a haircut and have a Halloween party later. (I should probably finish my costume.)

The Luau

In my annoyance over the my last blog, I forgot to write about the Luau on Saturday night. After work I went home and relaxed a little. Then I went to a Luau sponsered by the Bair Canyon Branch. It was a lot of fun. The food was good, the professional dancers were amazing, the canoe races were exciting, and the limbo was a sight to behold.
I was out of the limbo contest by the second round. The finalists were one girl and two boys (pictures of all three are included.) It was amazing to see them move their bodies to get under that (eventual) three foot pole. The professional dance troop had a couple of the Branch members dance with them. Yes, it was an excellent time.

That's right; I'm annoyed...and worried

Well, tonight I am annoyed because I was lied to. The night started out well. I went to Family Home Evening, where two guys flirted with me. Then I went to IHOP with some friends. This is where, while talking to a friend, I found out that another friend of mine lied to me. As some of you might remember, my friend Curtis (see blog of August 28th, 2006) was deployed at the first of September. I was told that he was going to Quatar, a relatively safe place to go if you must be deployed to the Middle East. He actually told me this himself in a conversation we had a friend's front porch in August. Our mutual friend John mentioned that he was worried about Curtis since there have been deaths at his air base in the past few days. I was surprised because I hadn't heard Quatar mentioned in the news. Apparently Curtis is at the Air Force base outside of Balad, Iraq. It is app. 60 miles north of Baghdad. Camp Anaconda (its official name) is 15 square miles and is the largest support base in Iraq. It is home to 25,000 soldiers and has its own theater, swimming pool, Baskin Robbins, and Pizza Hut. Its nickname is Mortaritaville because of the frequency of it being attacked by motar shells and/or rockets. In 2004, there were usually two attacks every day.
I realize that one of the reasons that I wasn't told is because I tend to be a worrier. However, I am annoyed that I was led to believe that Curtis was in a "safe" area and not in Iraq. I guess I should be grateful that he rarely leaves the base because he is in the Air Force. He doesn't have to go into the major cities like the Marines and Army soldiers do. Still, I am now worried about very worried about him. I think I will step up my prayers for him.

Babysitting Lauren

On Tuesday night I babysat Lauren while Jen, John, Mom, and Dad went to see Chicago. She is just about the cutest girl ever. Mom, Dad, and I went into SL and met at their house. Off to Bombay House we went where Lauren decided she wanted to be outside. She fussed when she was inside so she and I spent some time outside on the steps talking about the history of Christianity and the weather. When John and I switched places, I came to find that I like Indian food. I guess I went in with preconceived notions which were incorrect. After dinner, everyone else went to the play and I gave Lauren her medication and dinner. We read some books and played with her blocks for a little while. While on the floor, she kept rolling to her side so I suspect it won't be more than a month before she learns to roll over. We also sang and talked for a little while before I dressed her in her Winnie the Pooh pajamas. She only fussed for two minutes after I layed her down. What a beautiful, delightful baby.

Over a week

Well, it has been over a week since I have posted. I guess that is what happens when your life gets busy. During the week, I went to school and work. On Thursday I raced from work up to Ogden to see Tricia's reception. She and Kim looked so happy and I wish them all the best. I got there in time to hug her, eat a piece of cake, and see them off although I still have their gift in my bedroom. On Friday, I went to dinner with Ryan and then to Barnes and Noble. There was an author and illustrator signing books. I bought a copy of their book and had it signed and the illustrator drew a caricature of me in the front. It was really cool. If any of you want to know, the book is May I have the first dance? by Sonja and Paul Linsley. They are a mother/son team. Ryan and I decided to make it an early night so I stopped by Albertsons to pick up some cough drops. While checking out, a guy from my high school days stopped me. It is strange how eight years can changed people. We looked familiar to each other but it took us a minute to figure out where we knew each other from. Jon and I ended up talking to each other for a half an hour in the parking lot.
On Saturday Mom, Dad, and I went to lunch with Josh and Brooke. Brooke and the baby are feeling well. It was nice to see them (and Josh.) Afterwards we went to Barnes and Noble where Brooke and Mom bought a copy of May I have the first dance? and had it signed by the author/illustrator.

Sunday was a busy day. Church was interesting. Because of a directive by the Stake Presidency, young single adults of the Stake are now having their records automatically transfered to the singles ward. Because of this, there were three times the normal amount of people at church on Sunday. Sunday school was combined and taught by the Branch President. It was strange to see so many new faces. Hmm, new dating material. Oh wait, I mean new people to befriend. After church I went to a get together of the Laser/Reid clans to celebrate the blessing of Keaton. It was nice to see everyone and I got some good pictures of Haley, Stefanie, and Maureen Laser holding babies. After leaving there, I went to Lisa and Andy's house to celebrate the blessing of their twins. Braden and Ellie are darling and it was nice to see friends that I haven't seen for a while. Jacqueline is as funny as ever and I had a really interesting conversation with Suzy about mutual friends and how complicated our lives are. I hope to get together with some of them this weekend. Afterwards, I finally went home and got to talk to my parents for a little while.
On Monday, I went to school as usual. In Literary Criticism, we are reading The Merchant of Venice. In Victorian Lit, the class discussed the grumpiest critic ever: Ruskin, and Saint Francis of Assisi and St. Thomas Aquinas were the topic of discussion in the History of Christianity. After class, I went up to the student union to see a Jeopardy challenge between the Social Science teacher and students. The teachers won even after a huge deduction on one daily double challenge. From school, I went straight to work where it was a usual Monday. Sometimes we were running around, then a few moments of calm would desend. Tonight I am babysitting Lauren while Mom, Dad, Jen, and John go to a play. I haven't spent quality time with Lauren for at least a week so I am looking forward to it.

Our newest member

This is a picture of the newest member of our family. (Thanks to Josh's webpage, which I borrowed the picture from.)

A family weekend

This weekend seems to have been all about family. While I still have a cough and some sniffles, I am finally over my cold. On Friday I missed my first two classes because I accidentally set my alarm for 7 pm instead of 7 am. It was especially annoying because I had done all my reading as was prepared for all my classes. In my History of Christianity class we started talking about Charlemagne and converting by the sword. In the afternoon I went to Barnes and Noble to buy a copy of The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare. After being given another raincheck by a friend, I decided to go to dinner with my parents, John, Jen, and Lauren. We ended up at Ruth's diner up in the canyon. My pasta was excellent although I started eating a little later than everyone else because I was holding Lauren. She was getting fussy because she was so tired. We walked around and I sang to her. Sometimes it is hard being a baby. We got dessert to go and went home. I ended up watching some episodes of Scrubs and crocheting.
On Saturday, I was awakened by my mother asking if I had turned off my alarm. I was very confused because I hadn't set my alarm. It turns out that Alison, Mom, and Dad had heard an alarm and assumed that it was mine. Not so; it was the alarm on Alison's phone. Oh well, such is life. I watched both morning and afternoon sessions of General Conference (for any people who are not of my faith, see the link to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more info.) Alison, Mom, and I watched part of Emma while the boys were at the Priesthood session from 6 to 8pm. We then ordered pizza and ended up talking for a while. Josh and Brooke showed up and let us see their ultrasound pictures. If the pictures and technician are correct, they are having a boy. I admit to hoping for a girl, but I am so excited for them and our whole family. There may be some issues with the baby, but I won't discuss them right now. Jeremy called to say that Sid had been to the emergency room. Apparently she had an allergic reaction to a cashew. He tried calling us but, because of a mix up of phone lines on Main Street, we never got the phone call. She is fine but is allergic to tree nuts, including but not limited to cashews, walnuts, almonds, pecans, pine nuts, etc. She doesn't appear to be allergic to peanuts though.
This morning, Sunday, I was awakened to Sidney climbing on my bed. She told me about throwing up the day before and that she might get to go to the zoo today. I got up and had breakfast with Mom, Dad, Jen, John, Lauren, Jeremy, Brit, Sid, Wyatt, and Brooke. It was nice although I wish I could have looked a little better. Hopefully no one got a picture of me. I didn't hear as much of the morning session as I would have liked, but heard a lot more of the afternoon session. I found Pres. Hinkley's brief talk very moving. It seemed like a goodbye speak, as though he is trying to prepare the Saints for his eventual death. It gave me pause. Lunch was a pork roast with a new sauce made with pumpkin seeds. I love it when mom tries new recipes. I always enjoy trying something new, even if it doesn't become one of my favorites. Sid helped Mom make dessert, which included her licking the spoon. (Very cute!) I got some cute pictures of the nieces and nephew. One picture includes John and Jen reading to Lauren. Now I have to think about doing some homework so I will end this post. If any of you family members want to see other pictures that I took, I put them on flickr.