Over the 24th weekend my family and I went camping at Lyman Lake in the Uintas. (Not Smith and Morehouse, as I was mislead to believe.) While we had fun four-wheeling our little hearts out, there were a basquillion mosquitos in, about, and around our campsite. As in, plagues of Egypt status. I deftly eluded them the first night and day, but on the second day they feasted on my flesh like it was the nectar of the gods.
I have over ten bites on my left ankle alone.
SO YEAH NOW NO ONE'S SURPRISED that I've developed symptoms of West Nile Virus. Yes, I am referring to the very virus I once dismissed as being a ruse.
For the past couple days I've been waking up with very bad headaches and have been extremely tired, sick to my stomach, and just not feeling well. Pretty sure I'm not pregnant so it had to be something else. The possibility of west nile clicked for me this morning when I found yet another bite on my elbow meat and I decided to do a little research. (I love research.)
Symptoms of West Nile Virus
Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, and body aches, occasionally with a skin rash (on the trunk of the body) and swollen lymph glands.
And I'm over here reading this just like
Le crap. I have all of these minus the rash.
Aaaand that's pretty much the end of the story. I so brilliantly didn't take any medicine this morning so now I'm sitting at work calculating whether I can afford to take the rest of the day off to take this party on home and fetal-position it in my bed. (I can't.)
I should be fine though, since I'm not a youngin' or an old'n, nor is it contagious (because that last part is what you were all really wondering about, right? Rite.) And that's why you always bathe in bug spray. Lesson learned.
7.29.2011
7.28.2011
i don't always write serious blogs, but when i do, you're not required to read them.
I'm at a loss in this situation called life. Just when you think you have things figured out, reality smacks you in the face and reminds you who's in control. (I shake my fist at you, Shatner.)
For the past couple of months I've been trying to figure out a way to move out of state. My reasons for doing so mostly involved me wanting to experience something new, e.g. dating scene. (Well-researched fact: Most single LDS men in Utah are crazy with a capital BORING served with a steaming side of self-absorption.)I had my eye on Raleigh, North Carolina, there for awhile and had even started researching housing options. But lo and behold, our wonderful Indian-giver (totally not PC, so sue me) government put a nasty little caveat in the housing credit that said if my house ceases to be my permanent residence within three years of closing, I would have to pay the $8,000 back. No moving, not even renting it out. Say whaaattt?
Major bummer. There was much sobbing. So now I'm not even back to square one; I'm at about negative square-age. So here's to another year and a half in Murray. I'm going to make the best of it. Crazy men and all.
For the past couple of months I've been trying to figure out a way to move out of state. My reasons for doing so mostly involved me wanting to experience something new, e.g. dating scene. (Well-researched fact: Most single LDS men in Utah are crazy with a capital BORING served with a steaming side of self-absorption.)I had my eye on Raleigh, North Carolina, there for awhile and had even started researching housing options. But lo and behold, our wonderful Indian-giver (totally not PC, so sue me) government put a nasty little caveat in the housing credit that said if my house ceases to be my permanent residence within three years of closing, I would have to pay the $8,000 back. No moving, not even renting it out. Say whaaattt?
Major bummer. There was much sobbing. So now I'm not even back to square one; I'm at about negative square-age. So here's to another year and a half in Murray. I'm going to make the best of it. Crazy men and all.
7.27.2011
internet-found geekery.
Art history + Star Wars = I would honestly frame this and put it in my house:
And I'm not sure who's asking, but the answer is yes:
K bye!
And I'm not sure who's asking, but the answer is yes:
K bye!
7.19.2011
lunch with dad: a true story.
Dad: Do you want this strawberry?
Me: Nah, I'm good.
Dad: They're good for you.
[pause]
Tony Robbins says so.
Me: . . .
Me: Nah, I'm good.
Dad: They're good for you.
[pause]
Tony Robbins says so.
Me: . . .
top ten tuesday: books to read.
So I'm still working on that "more intense" top ten list; it's taking longer than I thought it would. Aaaaand I might have been not exactly working on it too much. But that's ok since I still have a list for ya'll today. Here are the top ten books that I want to read right now.
Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Want to Read
1. Inside Delta Force: The Story of America’s Elite Counterterrorist Unit, Eric Haney
2. The Winter of Our Discontent, John Steinbeck
3. The Fabric of the Cosmos, Brian Greene
4. Angle of Repose, Wallace Stegner
5. The Fist of God, Frederick Forsyth
6. Caravan, Dorothy Gilman
7. The Map of Time, Felix J. Palma
8. The Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood
9. Parrot and Olivier in America, Peter Carey
10. A Pair of Blue Eyes, Thomas Hardy
There you have it. Even though it's summer, this overcast, humid weather makes me want to commence hibernation and read all of these in a week. But I gotta like, ya know, do things with my life.
Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Want to Read
1. Inside Delta Force: The Story of America’s Elite Counterterrorist Unit, Eric Haney
2. The Winter of Our Discontent, John Steinbeck
3. The Fabric of the Cosmos, Brian Greene
4. Angle of Repose, Wallace Stegner
5. The Fist of God, Frederick Forsyth
6. Caravan, Dorothy Gilman
7. The Map of Time, Felix J. Palma
8. The Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood
9. Parrot and Olivier in America, Peter Carey
10. A Pair of Blue Eyes, Thomas Hardy
There you have it. Even though it's summer, this overcast, humid weather makes me want to commence hibernation and read all of these in a week. But I gotta like, ya know, do things with my life.
7.15.2011
why hermione granger really matters.
In a world of weak vampire lovers, and as a fan of Hermione's character, I appreciated this article. Even if it is from Huffington Post. :P We need more Hermione-like characters in fiction. Otherwise, I don't feel comfortable raising daughters with certain writers on the publisher's payroll.
Amen and amen.
Amen and amen.
7.14.2011
relaxing playlist.
As part of Cara's graduation present (a post-grad relaxation kit), I made her a playlist of chillout songs. I just rediscovered this and after listening to a few songs I'm all, awwww yeah relaxing playlist yeah. Here it is in its entirety, in case you're interested in checking some of the songs out:
relaaaax: post-grad 2011
1. "Prescilla" Bat for Lashes
2. "When the Devil's Loose" A.A. Bondy
3. "Vision One" Royksopp
4. "All That We Need" Ardentjohn
5. "Playground Love" Air
6. "Cat Piano" Seabear
7. "Song for a Sleeping Girl" Devics
8. "Lay Me Down" The Boxer Rebellion
9. "Smokescreen" Tigers That Talked
10. "Chanson triste" Carla Bruni
11. "Warning Sign" Coldplay
12. "Southwest of Orion" Dark Dark Horse
13. "June Hymn" The Decemberists
14. "Tangerine" Led Zeppelin
15. "Prelude 2" Dustin O'Halloran
16. "Magic Hour" Fruit Bats
17. "Secret Meeting" The National
relaaaax: post-grad 2011
1. "Prescilla" Bat for Lashes
2. "When the Devil's Loose" A.A. Bondy
3. "Vision One" Royksopp
4. "All That We Need" Ardentjohn
5. "Playground Love" Air
6. "Cat Piano" Seabear
7. "Song for a Sleeping Girl" Devics
8. "Lay Me Down" The Boxer Rebellion
9. "Smokescreen" Tigers That Talked
10. "Chanson triste" Carla Bruni
11. "Warning Sign" Coldplay
12. "Southwest of Orion" Dark Dark Horse
13. "June Hymn" The Decemberists
14. "Tangerine" Led Zeppelin
15. "Prelude 2" Dustin O'Halloran
16. "Magic Hour" Fruit Bats
17. "Secret Meeting" The National
7.12.2011
top ten tuesday: nein.
The official announcement is this: No top ten today, in preparation for a more intense one for next week.
In other words, the author is battling a migraine and some crazy emotions. And possibly a cave troll.
In other words, the author is battling a migraine and some crazy emotions. And possibly a cave troll.
7.07.2011
last night i had this freakout where i really missed my grandma so here's this post.
Isn't she a dish? I love my Grandma Randall (or Dorothy Rae). I have so many memories of her that it's hard to name just one, but my favorite has to be when I was younger (fourth or fifth grade, I think), and I used to spend my off-track time in Monticello. (Monticello is the greatest little town, by the way. I would definitely live there.) I remember she and I, both being book lovers, would go to the library and pretty much clear the shelves before hunkering down in her living room and just reading together. For me, it was always The Babysitter's Club series, or Goosebumps. So many quiet afternoons spent reading together and not having a care in the world. She was the editor of her high school newspaper, which I didn't know until the past couple of years.
I also remember climbing the small metal ladder up to the nook in the weeping willow that was between the lilac hedges and writing in my big red leather journal. I always got a little homesick just as the sun was setting, but being with my grandma made it better.
When we went to Zuma, I would squish in between her in grandpa in the white pickup and try to pretend I didn't believe we would careen off the side of the road as we made our way into the canyon.
Picking peaches and cherries, pruning the apple trees, making applesauce, hanging out the clothes to dry on the line (still the best thing ever, in my opinion), learning to quilt, driving to Cortez, bonfires and family reunion on Blue Mountain, fresh tomato sandwiches at Zuma, riding the three-wheeler and slowing down only when going by grandpa and grandma, getting Pepsi and cruising around town with Bonnie, hunting for arrowheads, watching fireworks from the lawn, Wagon Wheel pizza, French braiding my hair, walking to Motor Parts, the flower shop, going to church and having them say, "Oh you're Debbie's daughter?," not wanting to leave, the mansion house on the corner that I still believe I'll live in in and fix up someday, Pioneer Day parade, the firehouse bell going off at noon and all the dogs in the neighborhood howling, Navajo tacos at the carnival, eating ketchup with pepper in it for the first time at Slider's Cafe, glaciers at the Shake Shack, riding horses at Joi's, sagebrush and red rocks, people praying for rain, walking around Lloyd's Lake, spotting Anasazi ruins and tracks up the canyon at Zuma, the time I got a really bad sore throat but went to a basketball game with Heather at the high school anyway, being cured by echinacea, adventures in Moab and Canyonlands, getting a cactus spine in my hand, the baby frogs in the Zuma pool, adoring her wedding ring, writing her and grandpa letters while they were on their mission in Independence, Missouri.
So many memories, it makes me feel like I have another life trapped in another time.
I also remember climbing the small metal ladder up to the nook in the weeping willow that was between the lilac hedges and writing in my big red leather journal. I always got a little homesick just as the sun was setting, but being with my grandma made it better.
When we went to Zuma, I would squish in between her in grandpa in the white pickup and try to pretend I didn't believe we would careen off the side of the road as we made our way into the canyon.
Picking peaches and cherries, pruning the apple trees, making applesauce, hanging out the clothes to dry on the line (still the best thing ever, in my opinion), learning to quilt, driving to Cortez, bonfires and family reunion on Blue Mountain, fresh tomato sandwiches at Zuma, riding the three-wheeler and slowing down only when going by grandpa and grandma, getting Pepsi and cruising around town with Bonnie, hunting for arrowheads, watching fireworks from the lawn, Wagon Wheel pizza, French braiding my hair, walking to Motor Parts, the flower shop, going to church and having them say, "Oh you're Debbie's daughter?," not wanting to leave, the mansion house on the corner that I still believe I'll live in in and fix up someday, Pioneer Day parade, the firehouse bell going off at noon and all the dogs in the neighborhood howling, Navajo tacos at the carnival, eating ketchup with pepper in it for the first time at Slider's Cafe, glaciers at the Shake Shack, riding horses at Joi's, sagebrush and red rocks, people praying for rain, walking around Lloyd's Lake, spotting Anasazi ruins and tracks up the canyon at Zuma, the time I got a really bad sore throat but went to a basketball game with Heather at the high school anyway, being cured by echinacea, adventures in Moab and Canyonlands, getting a cactus spine in my hand, the baby frogs in the Zuma pool, adoring her wedding ring, writing her and grandpa letters while they were on their mission in Independence, Missouri.
So many memories, it makes me feel like I have another life trapped in another time.
7.06.2011
7.05.2011
polyvore: mykonos.
So I made this Polyvore set way back in the day and just remembered about it. Something about my brain wanting to be there right now? Somethin'. Poor little bankrupt Greece...I still dream of you!
top ten tuesday: jobs.
When I was growing up I thought that college was this magical place that ultimately would result in me being given my dream job. Fast forward fifteen years later aaannnd...let's just...not. Oh the dreams of youth.
Top Ten Tuesday: Jobs I Dreamed of Having When I Was Younger
1. Marine biologist
2. Actress
3. Astronaut (Still very much want. The tears that well up at the mention of space...)
4. Concert pianist
5. Veterinarian
6. Writer (le sigh)
7. Photographer
8. Architect
9. Museum person (That's what I called it then. I thought they lived in the museum. Now I know they're called docents. And have respectable housing outside the museum grounds.)
10. Forest ranger (No comment.)
Top Ten Tuesday: Jobs I Dreamed of Having When I Was Younger
1. Marine biologist
2. Actress
3. Astronaut (Still very much want. The tears that well up at the mention of space...)
4. Concert pianist
5. Veterinarian
6. Writer (le sigh)
7. Photographer
8. Architect
9. Museum person (That's what I called it then. I thought they lived in the museum. Now I know they're called docents. And have respectable housing outside the museum grounds.)
10. Forest ranger (No comment.)
7.04.2011
cancel all my plans--something's come up.
I just...cannot even.
I don't know what's more disturbing: The fact that the title of this blog is absolutely true, or that somehow Discovery has managed to tap into my dream database. And then plan their shows accordingly.
7.01.2011
only ninety-five more to go.
Recently I joined a Goodreads challenge to read a certain number of books in 2011. I originally committed to 200, but then I did the math (Natalie helped me) and realized I'd have to read a book a day for the rest of the year. Yikes. So I lessened my sights to 100 books. So far I have finished [only] five. Goodreads reminds me that at my current pace, I am 44 books, or 44% (did not do that math) behind. Oops. Better pick up the pace here!
Semi-segue: How much is this my child? (Minus the hipster leanings.)
Cara added it to our shared "Baby" Pinterest board and I loved it. Oh yeah!
So I'm committed to this goal. The trouble is deciding what to read next! I just finished my Sherlock Holmes collection (le sigh...it flew by) and am planning on starting a running book Natalie's letting me borrow. But I feel like I need to have one more in the mix. We'll see. Any suggestions?
Semi-segue: How much is this my child? (Minus the hipster leanings.)
Cara added it to our shared "Baby" Pinterest board and I loved it. Oh yeah!
So I'm committed to this goal. The trouble is deciding what to read next! I just finished my Sherlock Holmes collection (le sigh...it flew by) and am planning on starting a running book Natalie's letting me borrow. But I feel like I need to have one more in the mix. We'll see. Any suggestions?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)