GRADES!!!

I just looked up my grades for last semester and I did better than I thought. I got all Bs with As in Religion and English 291(early British Literature). From all the trouble and stress I had this semester, I really thought I would end up with at least one C, so YAY. Bs are above average.

But really, grades need to be done away with all together. They have become so inflated and mean different things to different teachers. I mean I have gotten As in classes that I got Bs in doing the same amount of work in a different class. My B in Shakespeare means so much more to me than the A in Eng 291. There is no good way to judge how much people have worked or learned to earn a grade.

Chronicles of Narnia: the Movie

Last Saturday, I went with my friend, Jessi, to see the new Chronicles movie. It was super good!!! I love those movies and the books that I've read. I started to read them a while ago, but got distracted by school and never finished the series. I'm going to get back into them soon though.

This last movie has a TON of religious symbolism and while I liked it, I don't think that the general population will appreciate it (hence it's horrible reviews). I was surprised to find out that Disney didn't make this movie because it was of the same caliber of the previous films. I wonder why they chose to not go on with the series. At least my boyfriend, Ben, was in it...

Frankly My Dear...

I decided to watch "Gone with the Wind" today. We got back from a yummy Linner (come over at 3:30? really? what is that?) at our neighbor's apt (white bean soup, cornbread, and salad) and I was looking for something to do/watch and as I was flipping through my DVDs, I saw this one and didn't even think about it, it just fit perfectly. I love this movie and every time I love Rhett even more. Scarlett is so awful, but I guess you have to think about how young she is and how that impacts her responses. It's been a while since I read the book, but isn't she 16 when the war starts, maybe 18? Which makes her 20-22 when it's over and at that point she has been married, lost a husband, experienced a war, had a baby, lost her mother, father gone crazy, gone from pampered to worker and had to deal with working in the hospital. I'm turning 20 on Tuesday and I haven't experienced that much. Still, I always wonder why Rhett loves her so much. He seems like the kind of guy who would be attracted to her beauty, but also I can't imagine him putting up with all her crap for long no matter how beautiful she is.

So I've been on a few dates recently that I need to update you all on. A guy from my ward took me to the Carl Bloch exhibit at the Museum of Art on campus and then we got Frozen Yogurt afterwards. It was fun, he is a really nice guy and we had fun chatting. Then he got tickets to go to the Christmas Devotional at the Conference Center. So we went with his roommate and another girl from our ward. On the way home we stopped at his house (he is from Sandy) and had a little dessert. Again, it was fun and he is really nice and we had fun chatting, but I don't really "like" him. So I'm letting that fizzle.

Second date was with a guy who asked me out at Winco(best supermarket ever!). I was getting cream cheese and he comes up to me and starts chatting and asks if I want to go get ice cream that night. I was busy but he wasn't a creeper so I gave him my phone number and told him to call me after I turned in my papers. So on Thursday we went to the Missionary Training Center and played the part of investigators to the Church for the sister missionaries to practice with. It was fun, but also a little weird because we ended up playing the part of a couple. He is also really nice, and I enjoyed talking with him. But he invited me out on a second date that night, which is OK, but two dates in three days seemed a little much too me and I wanted to hang with some of my other friends anyway so I told him next week or after break. He will get a second date for sure, but I don't know about a third. I don't think that there is a reason for a third date unless you think you might really mean it.

Neither of these guys are Rhetts. They are super nice and pleasant to be around, but they aren't rich blockade runners who love so deeply. I am realistic, I understand that I can't just sit around waiting for my Rhett or Darcy or Edward because they aren't exactly real (and I don't know that they are what someone would want in real life anyway). I just don't really like dating. I hate sitting there answering the same questions over and over again "Where are you from?" "Family?" "Major?" "hobbies?" "Where do you want to travel?", it's all so inane!

How do you feel about dating? Any fun stories?

PS I am coming home on FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!

Looking REALLY Far Ahead

So as I was walking through the Wilk (the student center) today my eye was caught by a Princess Cruise booth...ohhh cruise! Shiny! So I looked over because I had a bit of time. Turns out it was for summer jobs working at the lodges in Alaska for the cruise line. Can you imagine working in the middle of a beautiful forest all summer long? Hikes in spare time, discounts for family, all the goodies. (check it out here)



Now, I'm not saying that I have an entire desire to do this, but just that it got me thinking about the summer. My family has mentioned a trip to Israel to visit some friends. The problem came when I began to think about school. See, I have this apartment until August and so originally I was planning on staying on for spring and summer terms. But then I did something stupid and didn't apply for the teaching program in September which severely limits the classes I can take. I mean that, besides religion credits, I have two more classes to take after winter semester before everything is blocked/not offered. That will get me through one term. So what to do with summer? Do I stay in Provo and find a full time job? Do I head home(and deal with moving, yet again)? Do I go to Alaska for the summer (do my friends want to come? It would be like the college years of Saved by the Bell hahahaha!). What about another study abroad? Two semesters of culinary school?

I know it's early, but I like to plan. What are you doing this summer?

Serving Church Officials...Literally

So my job isn't really cool, except when they have events where we host the First Presidency and the quorums of the twelve and seventy and their spouses. For those of you who don't know, those are basically all the highest officials in the LDS church.

A few weeks ago, I was scheduled which was odd because we usually aren't scheduled more than a week in advance. We got an email saying that they needed to know now if we could work because our names were going to have to be cleared for security. Then last night we had an extra training meeting where they informed us who we would be serving and gave us a mini lecture on not being star-struck.

I wasn't serving, I was working in the back, but honestly, I preferred it. I hate carrying trays back and forth. But they did let us out to "help clear" so we got to see them all up close.

I am not someone who tends to get all excited over meeting people and this time was no different. These are just men, though they are extremely important people to me, and I think that is really important to recognize. It's part of what makes them so special is that they aren't special. Every one of these men have influenced so many lives for the better and they did it with humility.

I love that I go to a school where my religion is so prominent. I love that gospel principles get brought up in my Shakespeare class. Religion shouldn't be reserved for Sundays or for religious discussions, religion is for everyday life.

I Accept That Challenge

My dear friend has issued a sort of challenge to express our gratitude more during this holiday season and I had a thought today that I want to share.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR WARM CLOTHES!!!I walk to and from school and its about 15-20 minutes each way and it is getting cold here. In fact, it snowed a bit today and it is supposed to snow some more over the next few days. I love my snow jacket. It is amazing and I am so grateful that I have it.

On Turning in a Paper

I am just about to do the last revision/read through of my Shakespeare midterm and I can't wait to get it out of my hands. I love that feeling of complete done-ness that goes along with turning in a particularly grueling assignment. The minute it hits the teacher's hands, there is nothing you can do but wait. No more stressing about if the wording is right or if the formatting is correct. It is completely out of your hands. I got so excited to turn in my 4,300 word essay on George Herbert that I walked into class and pulled it out of my backpack like it was a moldy banana that had been getting too ripe in there and threw it down on the teacher's desk (he wasn't there yet, but it was so satisfying). Everyone in the class at the time agreed with the sentiment expressed.

This particular midterm was painful on several levels. She handed it out about two weeks ago with the instructions to not open it until we are done studying. Once we open it, we can no longer consult other peers or the internet. We have our texts (the plays and the Bedford Companion to Shakespeare) our personal notes, and the King James version of the Bible. So we reviewed and had study sessions and then eventually we had to open it. There were 7 prompts and we had to pick 4 to write on. Just to give an example, here is one of the questions

"What is the epistemological crisis and why is it important to take into account when studying works such as Shakespeare's? In this regard, how does familiarity with Renaissance philosophy affect our understanding of Shakespeare's sonnets? [choose two sonnets to focus on] The sonnets stress beauty in relation to insight - how would you characterize the relationship between Truth and Beauty set forth in the sonnets you have chosen?" (that was one of the easier ones)

Each of my responses are about a page and a half single spaced. We shall see how it all turns out, but at least I can look forward to that sweet sense of relief as she removes this burden from my shoulders. I have had no life the past two weeks thanks to this and other midterms/tests.