Well, it's been a crazy two weeks!
You know how you feel about the same on your birthday as you did before?
Yup. It doesn't seem a lot different to be 18.
The law says otherwise, though. I am now a legal adult who can sign my own papers (crazy, I know) and any future employers won't have as many rules for me due to my age. Hopefully, that means something to my potential employers. If not, there's always Wal-Mart or Key Research.
I hope I'm never that desperate. Working for an obnoxious phone survey company that will literally hire anyone does not sound like my cup of tea.
Now, it's time for some SHOUT OUTS!!!!!!!!!
Shout out to my awesome family for making it work to have family birthday parties while I was home. Breakfast parties and shopping with everyone for cake and ice cream is crazy, but better than chilling in Ephraim with the few people that stay home for the weekend.
Shout out to Kimverly! Even if she has a bad day, Kim always finds a way to keep me positive! I couldn't find a better influence and positive role model if I tried.
Shout out to the one and only Misha! Not only is she a regular comedian with a much funnier blog than mine, she is also a fantastic accompanist, a great friend, and a good example of punctuality to me. Check out her blog for some laughs! https://mishajo.wordpress.com
Shout out to Brandon and McKenzie for setting up a crazy strategy for a fun date! Even though it didn't go as planned, it was super fun!
Shout out to my friend Marco who, despite being Catholic, watched ALL of general conference with all us Mormon kids! Thanks for staying up late making conference cinnamon rolls with me.
Shout out to the amazing people in my community who smile back at me and greet me despite having never seen me before. Also, shout out to all the fantastic guys who hold all the doors. Way to be!
Shout out to my fantastic flute teacher Amy! She puts up with helping me struggle to correct bad habits and is still fantastically friendly and amazing! Not only is she a flute teacher, but she is a great friend, and I really appreciate the opportunity to work with her.
Well friends, it's been fun. Watch Facebook for any snips of concerts I can post. The music we have for our upcoming concerts includes Carmina Burana, which I have come to LOVE, and we have some fun marches and rags in band by John Williams and Billy Joel. My directors have hit a musical jackpot, so I hope you enjoy them as much as I have!
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Psychology Pickup lines in Tweet form
Here are those psychology tweets as promised! Definitions are provided for those who aren't up to date on the parts of your brain, like myself. Enjoy!
(The Parietal lobe processes info about Touch)
Dude, your parietal lobe is so slow! Just hold my hand already! #awkwardfirstdates
(The Temporal Lobe processes hearing)
GRANDPA? DID YOU HEAR ME? #temporallobeisnolongerhisforte
(The Medulla coordinates heart rate, circulation, and breathing)
Medulla, Medulla, why do you fail me now? Oh, you hurt me, desert me, in my darkest hour! #psychologylovesongs #Wham #Heartbeat
(The Reticular formation regulates sleep/wakefulness and levels of arousal)
*Gives friend a hug* Hey. You smell different when you're awake. #creepyfriends #lockyourdooratnight #reticularformation
(The Cerebellum controls fine motor skills)
Wow!...Do you have any idea how thankful I am for the angel with the messed up cerebellum who dropped you from heaven? #terriblepickuplines
(The Thalamus relays and filters info from your senses)
Sorry, did you say something? My thalamus is filtering you out! #psychologyputdownstocheesypickuplines
(Hypothalamus regulates body temp, thirst, hunger, and sexual behavior)
Is it just the 100 degree heat or is your hotness just messing with my hypothalamus? #attractivepeoplemakemethirsty
(The Pituitary Gland controls all hormones)
You make my pituitary gland go haywire! #attractivepeople #uncontrolablehormones
I don't usually cry this much, I promise! #Thattimeofmonth #pituarygland
(The hippocampus creates new memories and stores them)
Let's put our hippocampus' to work, say Saturday at 6? #creatingmemories #firstdates
(Basal Ganglia directs intentional movements)
(Mine doesn't work sometimes...)
If I ever flip you off or assault you at random, it's due to my damaged Basal Ganglia. With that in mind, let's continue shall we? #thatcrazyinstructor
(The Corpus Callosum supports communication between the two hemispheres in your frontal cortex)
You're so hot you scramble my corpus callosum! <3 #brainmalfunction #LandRbrainsdon'ttalkwhenyou'rehere
(The Occipital Lobe processes visual info)
Is it just my occipital lobe, or are you drop dead gorgeous? #psycholobypickuplines
Credit for Parietal lobe, temporal lobe, reticular formation, cerebellum, and basal ganglia go to my awesome new study group who's names I don't remember.
Monday, September 18, 2017
PE vs Homicide
Despite the title of this particular post, there have not been any deaths in my PE class as of right now. However, my muscles will beg to differ.
Part of the story is that I am super out of shape. That's just what happens when Saturday workouts become a distant memory and those little nasty fairies start sewing your clothing seams up tighter at night. Unfortunately, working approximately 75 hours a week at a Scout Camp all summer doesn't leave a lot of time or any energy for exercising.
The other part of the story is that when you do 80 push-ups, 80 crunches, and a bunch of running in-between, you're going to be sore unless you are regularly doing large quantities of push-ups and crunches. Due to my practicing breath control a ton lately, I wasn't sore from the crunches. However, for someone who definitely doesn't regularly do any push-ups, let's just say my arms would have bawled the rest of the week if they had tear ducts. Even today, 6 days later, after two visits to the gymn with my roommates to lightly work-out my arms in order to make the sharp aching in my right arm go away, I can still feel a light twinge in my right tricepts when lifting my 10-15 lb backpack onto my shoulders.
Saturday was fun, because my roommates and I, after going to the gymn, stopped at Walmart for some groceries and some ice cream, then at Little Ceasar's for pizza, and we ate our dinner outside our apartment complex because the weather on Saturday was perfect. We felt good because endorphins do that to you, and we ate ice cream and pizza in perfect weather. What more could you ask for?
Today, I got an assignment from my psychology teacher to right 10 tweets on some assigned parts of the brain that apply the meaning or function of that part. The assignment should be pretty funny, so I'll be adding them to my next post.
There are 6 days and counting until I become a legal adult. I can still be entertained by the looks on people's faces when they find out that I'm still 17. 😄
Part of the story is that I am super out of shape. That's just what happens when Saturday workouts become a distant memory and those little nasty fairies start sewing your clothing seams up tighter at night. Unfortunately, working approximately 75 hours a week at a Scout Camp all summer doesn't leave a lot of time or any energy for exercising.
The other part of the story is that when you do 80 push-ups, 80 crunches, and a bunch of running in-between, you're going to be sore unless you are regularly doing large quantities of push-ups and crunches. Due to my practicing breath control a ton lately, I wasn't sore from the crunches. However, for someone who definitely doesn't regularly do any push-ups, let's just say my arms would have bawled the rest of the week if they had tear ducts. Even today, 6 days later, after two visits to the gymn with my roommates to lightly work-out my arms in order to make the sharp aching in my right arm go away, I can still feel a light twinge in my right tricepts when lifting my 10-15 lb backpack onto my shoulders.
Saturday was fun, because my roommates and I, after going to the gymn, stopped at Walmart for some groceries and some ice cream, then at Little Ceasar's for pizza, and we ate our dinner outside our apartment complex because the weather on Saturday was perfect. We felt good because endorphins do that to you, and we ate ice cream and pizza in perfect weather. What more could you ask for?
Today, I got an assignment from my psychology teacher to right 10 tweets on some assigned parts of the brain that apply the meaning or function of that part. The assignment should be pretty funny, so I'll be adding them to my next post.
There are 6 days and counting until I become a legal adult. I can still be entertained by the looks on people's faces when they find out that I'm still 17. 😄
Friday, September 8, 2017
It's the End of the World as we know it!
Does it seem like the end of the world is coming?
I thought so too.
In the past week, we have had three hurricanes, several fires all over Utah, the fires in Montana reached the 1 million acres burned milestone (unfortunately including the beautiful Glacier National Park), Disney's Marvel may be leaving their relationship with Netflix, and I had to run the mile on Tuesday.
Now, the mile may not seem like a big deal, and I tried to not make it a big deal, but when the world is on fire and you are breathing in all the fire crap in the air, it sure makes it easy to be light headed, have a hard time breathing, sneeze a lot, and generally feel like crap. Oh well, I stopped feeling like fainting at some point in the day. Did I mention that I'm also very out of shape?
Speaking of the world being on fire, Snow College is doing a routine fire-alarm test for every single building on campus, despite the fact that I'm absolutely positive that our fire alarms in Snow Halls not only work, but are also SUPER sensitive. Every time a fire alarm goes off in our building, I can hear it. Particularly when my roommate accidentally burned some eggs and set our alarm off just after I had woken up. This morning in particular was nice because I am already not feeling well (I possibly have a cold), and I just wanted to sit and eat for the small amount of time before I needed to go to the Library to work on some homework before class, and I had to be hearded outside in shorts and a t-shirt with no shoes (it was 62 degrees outside this morning) and walk across the road with my unfortunately sensitive feet wailing in protest.
Well friends, I'm off to class! I hope I make it up the stairs despite my protesting body.
I thought so too.
In the past week, we have had three hurricanes, several fires all over Utah, the fires in Montana reached the 1 million acres burned milestone (unfortunately including the beautiful Glacier National Park), Disney's Marvel may be leaving their relationship with Netflix, and I had to run the mile on Tuesday.
Now, the mile may not seem like a big deal, and I tried to not make it a big deal, but when the world is on fire and you are breathing in all the fire crap in the air, it sure makes it easy to be light headed, have a hard time breathing, sneeze a lot, and generally feel like crap. Oh well, I stopped feeling like fainting at some point in the day. Did I mention that I'm also very out of shape?
Speaking of the world being on fire, Snow College is doing a routine fire-alarm test for every single building on campus, despite the fact that I'm absolutely positive that our fire alarms in Snow Halls not only work, but are also SUPER sensitive. Every time a fire alarm goes off in our building, I can hear it. Particularly when my roommate accidentally burned some eggs and set our alarm off just after I had woken up. This morning in particular was nice because I am already not feeling well (I possibly have a cold), and I just wanted to sit and eat for the small amount of time before I needed to go to the Library to work on some homework before class, and I had to be hearded outside in shorts and a t-shirt with no shoes (it was 62 degrees outside this morning) and walk across the road with my unfortunately sensitive feet wailing in protest.
Well friends, I'm off to class! I hope I make it up the stairs despite my protesting body.
Sunday, September 3, 2017
It's all about Perspective
Recently, I have been mulling over perspective. Not my perspective necessarily (I know mine well enough ), but the perspective of others. The way others see me and the way I see others are two very different perspectives sometimes. I have been reminded a lot lately that how I think I look and sound and act are different from how others see me.
This is a picture that was drawn of me at a block party by one of my R.As (resident assistants). Both my roommate and I compared our pictures to ourselves and felt like our pictures didn't look like ourselves, but when we looked at each other's, we each thought the other's picture was a good likeness. I was so sure that this picture looked nothing like me that I was sure that my AR must not be a good artist, but then I remembered that I had seen examples of his art, so I knew that wasn't true. After thinking about it, I came to the realization that even though I felt like I looked different, this was how my friend saw me. I was still kind of stewing about this picture and how people really must see me, and I decided that the best course of action was to color my picture to look like me so I would stop worrying about looking so different to other people.
After coloring my picture, I felt much better about the picture of me that actually really did look like me, I was just having a hard time seeing the resemblance without color.
Isn't it crazy the difference it makes when we can see the color? The picture is the same, but my characteristics are more defined.
Throughout history and even in current times, physical appearance has been a big part of how we pass judgement about others. We don't always necessarily do it in a bad way, but we as humans have judgement skills that we use to qualify whether someone looks like they would be friendly, or a criminal, or an ally. Although qualifying judgements are usually an initial judge of character, it's a a pretty big deciding factor in who we chose to socialize with and to spend our time with.
This is why, although appearances are not the most important thing in the world, the way we appear to others matters. It's the reason we dress in uniform for concerts or wear shorts and a t-shirt when we work out or why people often dress up for job interviews. Not only does the way we appear affect other's opinions of us, but the way we appear has a big impact on the way you feel about ourselves. I find that I am often more comfortable standing up in front of people for any reason when I have put some effort into looking nice.
There are times when it's good to let go a little and not stress too much about how you look, but when you know you look good, it is easier to feel good about yourself and to subsequently be a positive influence on others who look up to you that may be struggling themselves.
Something that I have been trying hard to do lately is to eat healthier and to exercise. No, this is not an easy task, and yes, it is a life-long battle, but being healthy effects your appearanc in a positive way. Being in good health helps you to have more confidence, to be a happier person, to have better focus, to sleep better at night, to reduce anxiety and depression, etc.. And it's hard, so you have the added benefit of becoming a stronger person by doing the hard thing by eating an apple rather than chips or drinking water rather than a soda. One of the benefits of having good health is that it is not a defined thing. You don't have to be a certain size or weight to be healthy, and best of all, if you are regularly eating well, it's still ok to eat cookies and ice cream sometimes. I know I do!
My goal for myself and others this week is to think outside your perspective. Dress up a little. Maybe eat a little better than you did before. Whatever you need to do to feel better about yourself this week, do it! You'll feel better if you do.
This is a picture that was drawn of me at a block party by one of my R.As (resident assistants). Both my roommate and I compared our pictures to ourselves and felt like our pictures didn't look like ourselves, but when we looked at each other's, we each thought the other's picture was a good likeness. I was so sure that this picture looked nothing like me that I was sure that my AR must not be a good artist, but then I remembered that I had seen examples of his art, so I knew that wasn't true. After thinking about it, I came to the realization that even though I felt like I looked different, this was how my friend saw me. I was still kind of stewing about this picture and how people really must see me, and I decided that the best course of action was to color my picture to look like me so I would stop worrying about looking so different to other people.
After coloring my picture, I felt much better about the picture of me that actually really did look like me, I was just having a hard time seeing the resemblance without color.Isn't it crazy the difference it makes when we can see the color? The picture is the same, but my characteristics are more defined.
Throughout history and even in current times, physical appearance has been a big part of how we pass judgement about others. We don't always necessarily do it in a bad way, but we as humans have judgement skills that we use to qualify whether someone looks like they would be friendly, or a criminal, or an ally. Although qualifying judgements are usually an initial judge of character, it's a a pretty big deciding factor in who we chose to socialize with and to spend our time with.
This is why, although appearances are not the most important thing in the world, the way we appear to others matters. It's the reason we dress in uniform for concerts or wear shorts and a t-shirt when we work out or why people often dress up for job interviews. Not only does the way we appear affect other's opinions of us, but the way we appear has a big impact on the way you feel about ourselves. I find that I am often more comfortable standing up in front of people for any reason when I have put some effort into looking nice.
There are times when it's good to let go a little and not stress too much about how you look, but when you know you look good, it is easier to feel good about yourself and to subsequently be a positive influence on others who look up to you that may be struggling themselves.
Something that I have been trying hard to do lately is to eat healthier and to exercise. No, this is not an easy task, and yes, it is a life-long battle, but being healthy effects your appearanc in a positive way. Being in good health helps you to have more confidence, to be a happier person, to have better focus, to sleep better at night, to reduce anxiety and depression, etc.. And it's hard, so you have the added benefit of becoming a stronger person by doing the hard thing by eating an apple rather than chips or drinking water rather than a soda. One of the benefits of having good health is that it is not a defined thing. You don't have to be a certain size or weight to be healthy, and best of all, if you are regularly eating well, it's still ok to eat cookies and ice cream sometimes. I know I do!
My goal for myself and others this week is to think outside your perspective. Dress up a little. Maybe eat a little better than you did before. Whatever you need to do to feel better about yourself this week, do it! You'll feel better if you do.
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Music is AWESOME!
Did I mention that music is awesome? Well, it is.
I have had the wonderful opportunity to sit in the middle of some fantastic bands in my lifetime so far, and I have to say that sitting in the middle of a band that is playing some rockin' music is one of the coolest experiences a person can have. You just don't get the same vibe by sitting outside the band. Something that everyone should have on their bucket list is to sit in the middle of a band, even if you're not playing.
If you couldn't guess by now, I played with the pep band last night, and it reminded me just how awesome it is to play with a big group that is so good that it makes you want to be better just to not feel like a failure. It's exhilarating to have to improve to meet the group's standards instead of half heartedly improving to be better than a group that's only kind of decent. Don't get me wrong, I loved playing with the Cyprus pep band because my wonderful teacher Mr. Wilson loved it, but the Badger pep band is literally insane, and the feeling of music so loud that it is literally reverberating through my body is absolutely exhilarating.
On another subject, I have really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know and enjoy my wonderful roommates. Although we didn't know each other before we moved in together, we have all connected really well which has lead us all to spend a lot of time together. Three of us are in the same sectionn in band, which makes it even more fun because we spend lots of time ever doing something we all love. And even though we all have lots of similarities, we are all different enough to have a really fun time getting to know each other.
Well, I'm off to more adventures!
I have had the wonderful opportunity to sit in the middle of some fantastic bands in my lifetime so far, and I have to say that sitting in the middle of a band that is playing some rockin' music is one of the coolest experiences a person can have. You just don't get the same vibe by sitting outside the band. Something that everyone should have on their bucket list is to sit in the middle of a band, even if you're not playing.
If you couldn't guess by now, I played with the pep band last night, and it reminded me just how awesome it is to play with a big group that is so good that it makes you want to be better just to not feel like a failure. It's exhilarating to have to improve to meet the group's standards instead of half heartedly improving to be better than a group that's only kind of decent. Don't get me wrong, I loved playing with the Cyprus pep band because my wonderful teacher Mr. Wilson loved it, but the Badger pep band is literally insane, and the feeling of music so loud that it is literally reverberating through my body is absolutely exhilarating.
On another subject, I have really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know and enjoy my wonderful roommates. Although we didn't know each other before we moved in together, we have all connected really well which has lead us all to spend a lot of time together. Three of us are in the same sectionn in band, which makes it even more fun because we spend lots of time ever doing something we all love. And even though we all have lots of similarities, we are all different enough to have a really fun time getting to know each other.
Well, I'm off to more adventures!
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
A New Beginning
I have had some requests of late to share my experiences with family and friends through a blog, so here it is. As of today, I have become an official Snow College student with the intent of gaining my Associates of Art and transferring to Utah State to major in Therapy with an emphasis of Music Therapy.
So far, with the exception of Statistics, my classes seem like a lot of fun. I am excited to learn about Doctrine in the Book of Mormon, I am excited to learn more about psychology, and the piece we are doing for our concerts titled "The Monestary: After Hours" is this fantastic song called Carmina Burnana by Carl Orff, which is one of my favorite pieces of classic literature.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go to high school and have a lot less drama? Well, welcome to the culture at Snow College! We may be living away from home for the first time in our lives and making our own financial and living decisions, but the student population is small enough to give you the feel of a large high school. Campus is conveniently small, and we are becoming more and more familiar with each other due to the small student popuation, and I love it! It sure makes getting to know people easier than it would be at a large university!
Well, I'm off to do some more scheduling! Feel free to ask questions, and I will answerthem in my next post. Thanks!
So far, with the exception of Statistics, my classes seem like a lot of fun. I am excited to learn about Doctrine in the Book of Mormon, I am excited to learn more about psychology, and the piece we are doing for our concerts titled "The Monestary: After Hours" is this fantastic song called Carmina Burnana by Carl Orff, which is one of my favorite pieces of classic literature.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go to high school and have a lot less drama? Well, welcome to the culture at Snow College! We may be living away from home for the first time in our lives and making our own financial and living decisions, but the student population is small enough to give you the feel of a large high school. Campus is conveniently small, and we are becoming more and more familiar with each other due to the small student popuation, and I love it! It sure makes getting to know people easier than it would be at a large university!
Well, I'm off to do some more scheduling! Feel free to ask questions, and I will answerthem in my next post. Thanks!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)