Official Singles Ward

There's no going back now. I am well and truly stuck. I am now a Singles Ward attendee (is that the word would you use?). The complete, "We have new members, stand up and feel awkward while we all look at you" thing. It's official. Which, let's be honest, I'm not super thrilled about. I feel like that's taking church to a completely ridiculous level on the Awkward Scale. And, let's be honest again, I don't really need oodles of help in the Awkward Department. I've got it covered pretty well on my own, thanks. However, I have some great (I use this term very loosely) friends * cough cough Bree and Megan* who think Singles Wards are great fun. Don't ask me where they got that idea. So now I get to regale you, my faithful blog readers (the whole, I don't know, two of you?) with all my fantastic adventures in the singles ward! So far, well, I don't know. I guess it could be worse.

The first week we went, they pretty well lived up to the stereotype. Lot's of, err, shall we say, interesting people? Nice, for sure. But very interesting. And the lesson in Relief Society was about patience, which just begged the girls to talk about wanting to get married. And a few of them were also baby-hungry. So weird. Especially because I'm just this little 18 year old (which feels ridiculously young), and wow, I'm not at all concerned about getting married and having babies at this point. Not even close. So that was weird. And Sunday School was also a fascinating experience. By some cruel twist of fate we ended up in mission prep with about three other people. On the plus side, we got to hear a very interesting story about a bird that was caught by a dog and had it's legs broken or something and then flew away in answer to a prayer (I shouldn't mock, I know, it's a ticket straight to fire and brimstone. But honestly, it was hilarious).

The good news is: Things have gotten progressively less weird. Last time, we didn't even hear marriage mentioned. And this week was much better. Due in part to the fact that they skipped the third hour for a Linger Longer. I don't usually like those, but this one was okay. And not that I don't like Relief Society, but I don't mind switching it out every once in a while for food. What can I say? I'm a sucker for brownies and cantaloupe.

So I guess things aren't really so bad. And I'm sure it'll get better when I'm there a little longer and start feeling comfortable there. But for now? Things are still weird. Getting better, but weird.
I'm in an [OFFICIAL] Singles Ward.

Unofficial Sherlock Fanatic

So there's this show. Called Sherlock. And it is absolutely amazing. Honestly. So good. The last episode of season two aired last night, which makes me super sad. And of course they would end on a massive cliff hanger. Is that not the coolest thing? No. It's not. And besides that, it was the best episode by far. And they're are only six so far, I know (three each season, which is super lame). But this one was so fantastic. I cried. Actually sat on my couch and sobbed a little bit. It was pretty pathetic. But if you watched it, you would understand. Out of the goodness in my heart, I won't divulge any of the secrets here. But you should watch it. It is amazing. And then you can cry too. I'm not even a crier! I just don't cry! You know if it reduced me to tears, it was pretty freaking amazing.

For you neanderthals who haven't seen it: As you may have guessed, it's a Sherlock Holmes spin-off. Is that what you would call it? Anyways, it's Sherlock Holmes stories set in present day London. And may I just say, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would be proud. They stay so true to the books. I've only read a couple, but from what I've seen, they stay right there with it, which is pretty rare in the world of Hollywood. Just take the Sherlock Holmes movies starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law for example. I'll be the first to admit they're great movies. Very entertaining and good story line. But are they Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson? No. They're fine, in their own way. But they just aren't as true to the books as I would like. And I think for me it's mostly just Robert Downey, Jr.'s interpretation of Sherlock that isn't quite right. The writing is totally fine. It's just his performance that doesn't really holler "SHERLOCK!" like it should. He isn't serious enough, and he isn't quirky enough. Yeah, it's still good. But it just isn't Sherlock. And when you compare Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law's Sherlock Holmes to Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman's? Wow. It is a stark contrast, and the winner is pretty obvious.

Sherlock is done by Masterpiece Mystery, so that right there is a step in the right direction. I LOVE all things Masterpiece. They are fantastic. And Sherlock is by far one of my very very favorite things they've done. The way the stories are tweaked just a little to fit the present day is super cool. They really work the technology angle in solving the mysteries, but not so much that it feels like the technology is solving the mysteries instead of Sherlock.

Benedict Cumberbatch is by far the best Sherlock Holmes EVER. He just fits the character so well, I really can't imagine any better performance than the one he's given. He stays so true to the character of Sherlock. He's absolutely brilliant and can't understand why the rest of the population doesn't understand things the way he does. He's slightly aloof and proud because of his massive intellect. He works like a machine, very methodical. He doesn't seem to have feelings, so those times when you see actual emotion creeping especially meaningful. Benedict Cumberbatch is perfect for the role. It is amazing, how good he is. Really truly amazing.

And lest we forget the good doctor, Martin Freeman is an amazing Dr. John Watson. The best Dr. Watson, actually. And that means a lot, because I am a huge Jude Law fan. But Martin Freeman is just perfect. And the chemistry (no, it's not romantic chemistry. They ARE NOT gay. Actually, Watson is pretty clear about that. They are just friends, really good friends) they have is awesome. The back and forth dialogue between the two is so clever, and they work really well off each other. Not only that, but watching the friendship they develop and understanding the depth of it is really beautiful (so cheesy, right? But true). Absolutely brilliant. Martin Freeman is a perfect Dr. Watson. Where Sherlock is so purely machine, Watson is human - he is full of feeling and empathy. He tries to understand Sherlock, but let's get real here. No one really truly understands him. It seems to me that Watson brings some humanity to Sherlock. As they become closer, we see more and more that Sherlock is human.

Do yourself a favor. Go watch it right now. Here's a little trailer. If that doesn't motivate you to go watch it, I don't know what will.

I already can't wait for next season. Which is *fingers crossed* supposed to be ready for 2013. Oh man. That seems forever away. Why all this waiting? First the Jazz, now Sherlock! I just wish the world worked by my time. That would be an improvement.

I am un[OFFICIALLY] a Sherlock fanatic.

If you watched it, you would totally understand. So watch it! Seriously, right now. Watch it. This isn't even a joke.

PS - They set up Dr. Watson's blog and Sherlock's website, and they are SUPER cool. Check them out.

http://www.johnwatsonblog.co.uk/ - Watson's blog

http://www.thescienceofdeduction.co.uk/ - Sherlock's website

Unofficial Bucket List

I know what you're thinking. "Two posts in one day? You know, you probably could've just made one post using both topics and that would've been okay. Weirdo ..." And I know. I totally could've done that. Except, I'm an insane OCD psycho freak, and I can only have one topic for a post. But I have two things to post about. And thus we get one day, two posts. That's the long and short of it.

I would like to announce that I totally rock at Bucket Lists ... That may not be entirely true. Perhaps I'm getting a little ahead of myself. How about instead we say, I would like to announce that I totally get to cross something off my Bucket List today. That's more accurate. Tonight I completed item number 59 on my list: Blow out a dandelion all the way. Exciting, right? I really live life on the edge. But honestly, my whole life, I've never been able to blow all the stupid seeds off one of those dang dandelions! It's about 80 times more difficult than it looks. Ridiculous. So tonight at the Young Family Mother's Day Extravaganza, Lizzie, Laura, and I snuck away to the elementary school by Grandma and Grandpa's house. Where they most conveniently have a field full (and I mean seriously full) of dandelions just waiting to be blown away. It took forever, but we have a success. Not only do I get a wish come true (oh goody!), I also get to put a little check mark on my bucket list! YES! So great.

In other Bucket List news, I have inadvertantly completed number 55: Write a blog. And I totally forgot it was on my list! That's another check mark.

I've chosen a few other things from my Bucket List to work on this summer.

1. Stay awake for 24 hours straight. I always end up taking a nap on accident.

26. Read all of Jane Austen's novels. Only two more to go!

27. Read Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Still working on that ... At a snail's pace ...

28. Purchase "Cats Don't Dance" on DVD. For those of you who haven't seen it, let me tell you, you're missing out big time.

40. Own a potted plan that DOESN'T die. I just can't keep them alive. It's ridiculous.

44. Have an Unbirthday Party. Yay!

52. Burn all math/chemistry notes in a fire. That will be cathartic.

53. Color an entire coloring book. Think about it. No one ever actually finishes them. I will be the first.

Sounds so super fun, right? It's okay to be jealous. My life is very exciting, and jealousy is often the reaction I get. So don't worry. It's totally normal.

I am well on my way to rocking my un[OFFICIAL] Bucket List.

*It's not official until it's printed out and hanging on my wall.*

Officially Have The Best Mom Ever

This is my Mother's Day post. As I'm sure you could tell from the title. My title creating skills are legendary, are they not? So here we go ...

Moms are the best. They really are. Where would we be without our moms, right? But I'm afraid I'm must admit I think mine is the best of the best. I really lucked out where mothers are concerned. She really is amazing. I will now outline a few of the reasons why my mom rocks. Because if I were to outline all the reasons, well, it would take quite a while.

1. She is the best carpool buddy in the world (and for those of you who don't know, yes, my mom and I carpool up to Weber together because she works at the Institute). When I first realized I was going to drive up to school with my mother, I was a little leery of the arrangement. I mean, really. I'm in college. And I ride up with my mom? That's cool ... But it was that or public transportation (my arch nemesis - buses seriously scare the living daylights out of me), so my choice was made. However, I have actually legitimately loved it. It's an extra hour a day I get to spend with my mom, just the two of us. And I get to tell her all my funny stories (well, I think they're funny) and she tells me all her funny stories (and they actually are funny), and we have oodles of fun.

2. She buys me chicken strips. I know it sounds really silly. But it actually does mean a lot to me. I have this really intense hate of eating meat off the bone. It just grosses me out to no end. So whenever we get chicken for dinner (you know, the bag of chicken at the grocery store? That sounds gross, so I hope you know what I'm talking about, or you're really going to get the wrong impression) she always gets a chicken strip for me. It's not a big deal, but it's a little way that she shows she loves me.

3. She is a great pianist. She is really really great. I used to have a lot of trouble getting to sleep when I was little, and then I had all this anxiety as it got later and later and I would get so worked up that sleep was all but impossible. But when mom played the piano, it helped me to calm down and finally sleep. I can't count the number of nights she'd play for me. And now that I can play too, we like to play duets on the piano together. That is seriously one of my favorite things.

4. We can talk about anything and everything. I honestly know that I can tell her anything. And, actually, I do tell her everything. It is so nice knowing I can really talk to my mom. And I mean really talk. Not just "oh, yeah, work was fine". It's more like, "So, tonight, at work, blah blah blah and at school I saw so-and-so blah blah blah yada yada yada and so on". Very fascinating stuff, as you can see. But really, there is nothing we can't talk about. I love that.

Isn't she fantastic? Of course there about a million other things I could've said, but these are the first four I thought of.
I [OFFICIALLY] have the best mom ever.

Unofficial Fan of Blankets

I am so bored. "How bored?" you ask. SUPER BORED. It's one of those days. You know the kind. It's like I have some sort of intense aversion to doing something useful. I just can't. And isn't for a lack of useful things to do. Finish registering for classes? Nah. Clean my room? No way. Do my book club reading? Psh. I'm behind about a hundred pages. I figure when I'm that far behind, there's no saving this thing (... just until I'm feeling productive again. Then I really will catch up). Blog stalk? Oh yeah, that sounds really fun and like a good way to spend a couple of hours! ... I'm not sure it was really that long. But it's not like I've been keeping track. 

*A Side Note*

Dear Reader,

     If you're still reading along, hoping and praying that this blog post is going to get better, I hate to rain on your parade, but it's really not. Save yourself while you can.

This is today. And it's not even worth blogging about, believe me, I know. But all that blog stalking got me in this mood. I was reading all those super exciting and terribly witty posts, and now I want in on that action (but don't except anything super exciting or terribly witty here - like I said, this isn't a pretty one). Which brings me to my actual purpose for blogging: blankets.

Sure, we're all fans of blankets. They're warm, they're cuddly, they're lovable. Like sea otters. Minus the fact that they are not alive. And some other stuff, but let's not go into all that. So we agree we all like blankets, yes? It may be possible, however, that I more than like blankets. Like maybe I have a little bit of a fetish. It's totally silly. Because, I mean, they're blankets. What kind of wacko has a blanket fetish? I mean, a shoe fetish? Yes, that's normal. Bag fetish? Yes. Still normal. Blankets? ... Weird. But I love them. And I kinda have a lot of them. Way too many of them. In fact, I'm running out of places to keep them. The top of my closet and the space under my bed can only fit so many. And yet, I continue to throw my money at blankets. Like this one.

This is my newest acquisition. Cute, right? It's huge and soft, and I feel like I'm sleeping on a cloud when I cuddle up in it. Which makes me want to cuddle up in it now with a good book (like Les Mis! Look, I may be productive yet!) I love this blanket. But that's not the point. The point is, there is really no justification for my blanket fetish. Honestly, there isn't a soul on the planet who really needs more than a couple blankets (I will make an exception for those in Russia. I hear it's pretty chilly). So what am I doing, spending my hard earned cash on blankets? I can't even think of a good reason. I need to stop. Besides, I really am out of room.

I am an un[OFFICIAL] fan of blankets.

Unofficial Endings

Endings. There's something very melancholy about endings. I think we can all agree they must exist, but they're not very fun.

Tonight, the Jazz 2011-2012 season ended. They made it to the play-offs, but were swept by the San Antonia Spurs. The losses were all pretty demoralizing, especially the first two in San Antonio. They were closer tonight, but just not close enough. So it's all over. The play-offs are finished for the Jazz. They weren't expected to make it past the Spurs, but just one win would have been nice. Of course, you've got to remember they're a fairly young and inexperienced team who were lucky to make the play-offs at all, and they've got a lot of good basketball ahead of 'em. But it's still sad to see the season end.

I went to the game tonight, which was super fun. My throat is raw, I've got a pretty mean headache, my hands are numb, and I'm don't think my hearing is exactly 100%, but it was super fun. There's something extra special about being at a live game. Watching them on tv is great (and I really love being able to rewind and fast forward - ah, the joys of modern technology), but being there in person, seeing the players out there on the court, feeling the thrill of the crowd, hearing the shoes squeak - it's truly magical. Our seats were good, the atmosphere was amazing - the only thing lacking was a win at the end.

So now I'm left wondering what I'm going to do until the next season starts. Besides being bored of my mind, of course. I guess I could do my reading for book club (sorry, Megan, I'm trying ... kinda ...). That would be good. And I'm sure my mother has oodles of ideas (and none of them in the least interesting - I imagine most of them would have something to do with yardwork). Wow. Five months suddenly seems an eternity.

A final salute to the Utah Jazz 2011-2012 - It's been a good run. Until next season, fellas.

This is our un[OFFICIAL] ending.

But seriously. It's only unofficial. Because come October, I'm gonna be ready for some Jazz basketball. And I am expecting great things.

I spent forever looking for a team picture, but apparently they don't believe in those. 

 And just for kicks ...

Hayward gets a second pic on the blog. Lucky boy.