Strange Beauty

The vase on my dresser
Hold some strange beauty
Death more fascinating than life

The Green-Eyed Monster

Last night I saw my favorite Jane Austen novel, Persuasion, on stage.
It was quite good!
(And it made me super excited for this!)

But I found myself getting a little bit jealous.
You see, the girl who played Louisa?
I knew her.
No, I went to Late Summer Honors with her our freshman year.
And there she was, on the stage.

And it hit me.

I want to be an actress!
I love the stage!
This is so unfair!
How is she there and I am not?

Thank goodness for Lady Smaggle and her guest post on my favorite blog, Yes and Yes.

Duh.

If I really wanted to be on the stage, then I would be working towards it.
And if sometime in the future I change my mind and decide that I do want to work in theatre, then maybe I'll actually make some goals and work towards them.

For now, I shall enjoy everyone else's hard work and sit in my plush chair and be entertained by the thousands of hours they've spent in dress rehearsals.
You are welcome to join me.

to be, or not to be

My second post on this blog was about Shakespeare.
That lovely obsession sometimes lies dormant, only to rise up with intensity when I am reminded of it.


Because of this deep love of Shakespeare, it's safe to say that I love his Hamlet.
In my opinion, he is quite arguably the best tragic character ever written.
(Joey says that it's Batman, but I disagree. Shakespeare is as good as it gets as far as tragic figures go. No one else can even come close. 400 years has proved this.)

But with over 70 different film or tv interpretations (or so IMDB tells me) how am I to choose my favorite?
I have seen quite a few.
The basics-- Mel Gibson, Laurence Olivier, Kenneth Branagh.
The not so common-- Campbell Scott, Michal Czernecki.
But when I saw that David Tennant and Patrick Stewart did one last year, how could I resist?


And, of course, it is now my favorite.
Because Patrick Stewart makes me want to believe that Claudius is good, that he is not what Hamlet and the ghost suggest he is.
Because David Tennant's Hamlet is entirely and apologetically and utterly convincingly mad, without guilt or explanation, yet I still question whether he is or not. Naughty but so sweet that you want to forgive everything he does. I feel what he's feeling and am convinced that he is in the right, while knowing that his methods are sometimes immoral.
Because I cannot figure out Gertrude! What does she really believe? Why doesn't she understand her son? Why does she alienate him so? Her feelings seem genuine enough. Why do I believe her, but hate her, too?
Because Polonius is so annoying, but you still feel sorrow for his death.
Ophelia is the only one that is not what I would have her be. I love her in the beginning, but her madness is not a convincing transition from her cheerful state in the beginning. But then, I don't know if I shall ever understand Ophelia.

Shakespeare is always lovely to read, but his works were meant to be played.
And the Royal Shakespeare Company reminds me of this.

You doubt?
Let me convince you.

Creepy

Talk to me about this.
There is no reason for me to expect anything besides an empty shower.
Yet I do.

I can't let my hand hang off the side of the bed.
There is nothing under my bed but suitcases and giant rubbermaid containers full of winter clothes.
So why do I feel like something is going to pull me under?

Do you ever feel like that?
The irrational fear that makes the back of your neck tingle?

Slim and a little bit foxy.

Guess what?

Australia fell through.
I'm not going this summer.
Which is fine.
I have plenty of opportunities to go to Australia.

So, I've decided to do something else.
Namely, London.

It all started with David Tennant.


He decided to star with Catherine Tate in a production of Much Ado About Nothing this summer in the Wyndhams Theatre.
In London.

What, with his credentials and great hair?
{He's been Barty Crouch Jr., Doctor Who, Hamlet, Casanova...}
How could I resist an opportunity to go to London?

So Michelle and I bought tickets.
It was a spur of the moment decision.
And it has made this an incredible week.

I am dancing around at least once an hour, thinking about this wonderful opportunity.
We have found great flights and a place to stay.
So we're going to drive to Florida in August and fly out from there.

Awesome, huh?

You can be jealous now.

Also, here is a funny picture that makes me laugh.
I do not expect more than 3 people to get it/laugh and think it is funny.
I do expect my mother to get mad at me for swearing.
But I'm not swearing, Dumbledore is.
I just think it's funny.
Skip it if bad language offends you.

Quoteables

Because we all love Vincent
{right? riiiggghhtttt......?}
I am copying this from Rebecca's blog.

Sometimes I wish I lived in an Airstream

My recent addiction to Adele's new album and some other good music (thank you, Heaths) has made me want to hop into a car and drive drive drive.

A road trip.
By myself.
Toward sunshine.
And warmth.
With the radio super loud.
And lots of snacks.
And a beautiful destination in mind
(preferably hot sand and cool, salty water).
Or no destination in mind at all.

Unfortunately, I am between cars at the moment.

It is a good thing I live in a town as small as Provo.
It makes the car-less thing easier.

It is also a bad thing that I live in a town as small as Provo.
It makes escape seem so much more appealing.

Not that I'm not happy.
Because I am.
Very content, too.

I just like being alone.
And I like road trips.
And I like sunshine.

Unbothered

"You're a weird kind of lazy, because you do things, but you do them terribly."
-Joey to me,
commenting on how I stuck a bag in the trash can, but didn't actually pull it up around the edges.

This is very true.
Last night I wore two different shoes because I was too lazy to look for the match.
I don't mind if my straps are twisted.
Or if the tongue of my shoe is shoved up.

It doesn't bother me.

I will fix it if I'm trying to look good, though.

I am a special kind of lazy.
Aware, but usually don't care.

Overheard at BYU

I love my school.
But sometimes I hear funny things as I pass people on campus.

1. Random girl on telephone: "...she was feeding her boogers to my dog..."

2. Girl talking to friend: "Oh, I love tramp stamps! If I got a tramp stamp, it would be of a pair of angry eyes. Like Mr. Potato Head's angry eyes!"

3. Professor talking to class by some trees: "Just look at this one! You should all make time this week to come climb this tree."

Things I've Learned from Living with Stangers

College brings some interesting stuff.
One of the most fascinating things to me is how we move in and share rooms/houses with complete strangers.
There are a few things that I've learned over the past 3 years.
Things that I now can't believe I never knew.
Here is my ultimate list.


1. Always bring your key when you step outside.
Even if you are just taking out the trash, odds are you'll get locked out, someone will pretend deafness, and you will wind up sleeping on your friend's couch.

2. The best way to get rid of your roomie's boyfriend that is glued to the couch is to walk out in your underwear.
Your roommate will not bring him back for a while.

3. No one will ever clean the bathroom or buy toilet paper.
So invest in a Costco sized amount of tp and 409 and swish and wipe each morning.

4. Four roommates with long dark hair = white carpet looking brown.
Invest in a good vacuum cleaner and/or make sure to live with someone obsessed with vacuuming.

5. If you decide you like a boy, odds are that your roommate is going to start liking him too.
Date people she doesn't know.

6. Most girls only like chick flicks.
So they are not going to respect your Star Wars/X-Files/Doctor Who marathons.

7. Your cold is someone else's hot and vice versa.
You could fight over the thermostat, but it is better to invest in a small heater or sleep with your window open.

8. Edit what you say if you don't want it to wind up on the quote board where everyone can see.
I am still trying to figure out why people are shocked when I'm naked and in love with gay men.
{Curse Johnny Weir's loveliness!}

9. Sleep is for losers without a social life.
Actually, I am the only person who goes to bed before midnight most nights.
So making smoothies for 6:00 am breakfast is not an option.

10. If you make a treat and do not offer some to your flatmates, you are a selfish b--.
Not my words.
Doesn't matter if you made it for an upcoming activity or a boy that you like.
Treats are property of anyone who resides in the house.

11. You can learn to hate someone you once loved based on their pathetic music tastes.
Rap and Emo should not be played so loud.

12. Some people hate animals.
So don't buy a pet snake without consulting the people you live with.

13. Spiders are a life and death situation.
Never take your eye off them until they are dead.

14. Some people can survive on the strangest food.
I had one roommate that I never saw eat anything besides ramen noodles, scrambled eggs, and mountain dew.
Another never ate at all.
And yet another was obsessed with potatoes.


15. Nothing is better than movies in blanket forts.
Musn't forget the blanket forts.

16. Sharing a room is wonderful.
Conversations at 2:00 am with the person in the bed across from you are fabulous.

17. Showers are better with loud music playing on the ihome.
Preferably country.

18. Costco water bottles are the only thing worth drinking.
Way better than Smart Water.

19. Finals week is fun week.
Pull all-nighters, eat tons of sweets, and watch massive amounts of silly television.


20. Brownies are the foundation of the food pyramid.
Never be without them on the counter.

21. When you wreck your car, they will come.
Regardless of recently removed wisdom teeth and the flu.
That is what friends do.


22. Pictures are awesome.
Document all fun events.
Specially road trips.

23. Scary things can be fun.
X-Files.
The Boomerang at 7 Peaks.


24. Games are fun!
But always have the strongest person on your team.
{I am very weak...}


25. Laundry need not be done every week.
If you plan it right
{and have enough clothes}
you can go all semester with only doing laundry once.
{Also in that picture, a pumpkin that sat by my bed for months. Pumpkins don't go bad.}


What is on your list of things that you have learned from living with roommates?


My first set of roommates (and one extra...who is that girl in the tie?)

Missing: The Best Shirt Ever

Once, I had the best shirt ever.
It was magical.
I bought it when I was 15.
It never wore out.
I lost it awhile ago.
{Not sure when...}
I want it back.

Because where could it have gone?

I am sending out a blog cry for help, because I am sure that anyone who might have seen it last {aka borrowed it or something}
probably reads my blog.

It was white.
The collar bone up was a crocheted lace.
The neckline came up in the back.
And down in the front.
It was soft.
It was lovely.
I miss it.

Have you seen it?
Do you by some miracle have it among your things, misplaced in an apartment move?
If you do, please bring it to me.
If you do and are embarrassed, just leave it in my mailbox.


Here is a picture of me wearing it when I was 16 or 17.
The crazy hairs are obviously in the way of your view,
but if you've seen it, you might recognize it.

This was a fun day, by the way.
The Florida Aquarium with friends.
It might have even been a date or something.
Who knows.

Quoteables

I am always doing that which I cannot do,
in order that I may learn how to do it.
~Pablo Picasso

It's been so cold lately that all I really want is something fuzzy to cuddle with.
Any of the above would do.

Reason #546 why I should have been a hippie

I mean, look at that!
Beautiful.
I want to drive around the country in that car with my little hippie babies and my adorable hippie husband.
Too bad I'm in college!
Who thought that was a good idea?

Oh yeah.
I did.

Well, maybe when I graduate I can do this.

via

Just for you, Elfie.

Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet
Eating her curds and whey
Along came a spider
Who sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away


I saw this picture and thought of you, Heather.
Even I would be afraid of this spider.

Can I have a consensus?

Bahahaha!

This is so true.
Right?

I feel like we ladies tend to jump ahead of ourselves.
Not that I think it is detrimental to me and my relationships.
I will probably do this till the day I'm married.
Because it's fun.

Thoughts?
Arguments?
(Joey? I know you don't like this.)

Happiness is a Warm Gun. False. Sorry, Beatles.

Basically, this is what I had for dinner.
Mmmm...tortillas with Nutella and bananas.
{Oh, don't try this with regular tortillas. They have to be uncooked when you buy them.}
Most nights I try to be healthy.
But other nights (aka tonight) I indulge.
And I like to think that I'm happier for it.
Speaking for happier, I read something awesome today.

"Money matters, but less than we think and not in the way we think.
Family is important.
So are friends.

Envy is toxic.
So is excessive thinking.
Beaches are optional.
Trust is not.
Neither is gratitude...
Ultimately, happiness is relationships and trustworthiness.
Trust is a prerequisite for happiness.
Trust not only of your government, of institutions, but trust of neighbors.
Several studies, in fact, have found that trust--more than income or even health--is the biggest factor in determining happiness."

~Eric Weiner, The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Place on the Planet

I really like that.
I want to be someone people can trust.
I like trusting people.
Which is why I've never made my blog private.
It's also why I forget to lock the door.
{Don't worry, my roommate is a door locking nazi and makes up for this.}

I would argue, however, that having a Nutelleria on your street would rival the whole trust=happiness thing.

My Current Fascination

Nothing makes me happier than a man in boots.
'Specially if there are fancy socks underneath.

Quote of the Week

Roommate: "Wait, Anne Frank died in the Holocaust?! I thought she was still alive! How did she publish her book then?"

...

Life is Swell

Today I spent the day in bed.
You know, sick stuff.

And yet I still feel as if I could write that book.
Because I have 14,000 things to be happy about.

Life is beautiful.
School is fabulous.
I got a lovely job.
I have amazing friends
{I mean, my mom has to scratch my back when I'm throwing up. But Jessica? What a gal.}
I have two wonderful parents.
I have 3 amazing brothers.
I have a pile of books by my bed.
I have everything I'll ever need.




Besides a baby.
I still want a baby.
One that looks like this:

{ignore my creepy overly excited face that one}

or this: