At the risk of sounding redundant...

I just really, really wanna have babies. And all that comes with it. You know, like, a husband. That'd be nice.

Though, I must say, it's been very reassuring to have people in my life who had to wait a long time for these blessings as well. It gives me hope. Family members, church leaders, friends--all people I love and admire, and if they can wait, I suppose I can, too.

But I'm growing extremely impatient. And since my biological clock has been ticking since I was about 19, I think I may just shrivel up and die when I reach 30 and I'm still single and baby-less. 'Cause it's gonna happen, guys. It's only six months away, looming over my head like the countdown ball on New Year's Eve: slowly dropping, ready to squash my dreams.



I have to find something to do to distract me from my despair. Like crocheting "Tetris" scarves and "Mario" rugs and "TMNT" hats and "Pac Man" afghans. Right? Keeps my hands busy.

And reading great books. OK. If you've never read Ender's Game, you probably should. I'm only a bit over half way through it, but it's amazing. Also, The Giver is one to have on your shelf. Also, I've read the Chronicles of Narnia again, and those books are just the best. There is so much to learn from these seemingly simple stories. [Is there a Master's Degree in YA Literature? Because that's what I'd study if I could.]



I'm grateful for the good weekend I had. I was able to do a lot of fun things, and all with pretty awesome people. I'm glad I'm on the 8-5 schedule at work this week, because extra sleep is needed thanks to the stupid time change. I'm looking forward to having Friday off and spending it making pillow covers with Ashley. I'm sad I won't be going home to see my dear friend (another) Ashley get married, but circumstances beyond my control have made it impossible. Sad sad sad. But I hope she and Derek enjoy the gift we're sending. Oh, baby. (Photos will be posted. I'm particularly happy with this one.) I'm grateful for my (right now, extremely messy) apartment and the solitude is affords. It's lovely to hang around with really cool people, but it's great to go to a quite home of my own. And it's nice to be able to leave a mess for me to clean up later because I finished a project so late and was too tired to clean it up. (Maybe I'm not really ready for babies...) I'm grateful for inspired leaders who teach me that I'm not still single because of anything I've done wrong, but because I'm being molded to be the kind of wife and mother I will need to be in the future. (Three talks in two days with the same message. Someone's trying to tell me something.)

"When you are discouraged thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessing..."

And I'm grateful for you, my family and friends (even the ones who don't read this, though I love those of you who do a little bit more than I love those of you who don't...). It'd take pages and pages and pages of internet space to list all of the people I love and the reasons I love them, so I won't bore you. But know that I love you and I'm grateful for you and I wouldn't be me without you. And I like me, so thanks.

Love to you all!

Jewelry Boards

So, as some may know, my Ashley friend and I like to hang out and do stuff. We get together about once a week and just chill. Lunch, shopping, chatting, etc. It's been like this for a long time and we love it. Recently we decided that we could be a little more productive in our afternoons together. We've started a board on Pinterest, titled it "our projects," and have started to make stuff we pin. I'm happy to say that the plan, so far, has worked!

A few weeks ago, we picked a project to work. The next couple of "dates" were spent gathering materials to complete the projects. Last Saturday, we spent pretty much an entire afternoon finishing the project (and my afternoon I mean we worked from about 2 to 8, and ate pizza, and talked a ton, and then we played and talked more the rest of the night). I'm seriously so proud of us! We've actually finished a project!

So, what was this project we worked on? We decided to make jewelry boards. Yay! I don't have any pictures of Ashley's, but her's is super cute. She took an old picture frame, painted it a pretty blue color, and fixed a decorative aluminum sheet into it. Then she took a separate molding board, painted it the same color as the frame, and attached coat hooks. She's gonna hang them together, using the aluminum to hang dangly earrings and the hooks for necklaces and bracelets. Cute, yes? And I think she was gonna use ribbon to hang one or the other or both, and then use the ribbon to store studs. I love it.

For mine, I bought a framed cork board, covered the board with a textured material (and I don't know what it's called, but it's kinda like burlap, though much less abrasive), attached knobs, pulls, and hooks as well as some lace for look. The knobs I've used for necklaces, the hooks for rings, and the pulls for bracelets and dangly earrings, while sticking the studs directly into the cork. Here's the proof:

   

As you can see, I stuck two of the pulls (the black ones) upside down to use sort of like cups. Originally, I was going to use them to store the studs, but changed my mind and used them for hoops and other hard-to-arrange jewelry.

Needless to say, I'm very proud of my board. I love it so so much. And I'm very proud of Ashley and myself. We finally finished an actual project!

We're gonna move on to a new one starting next week. We've decided to work on some throw pillows. The hard part is ahead: choosing the style and design we like best (Ashley and I are known for our indecisiveness). Wish us luck!

Welcome, February!

I'm not sure why I like February so much, but I do. Maybe it's because there are some holidays coming up, and one for which I get a day off work. Maybe it's because it's a short month. Maybe this particular February is fun because it's Leap Year.

Whatever the reason, I wish you all a wonderful February.

This particular month started with sleeping in (yay for still having Wednesday's off--makes the week more bearable), some light cleaning (my sink was FULL of dirty dishes--and it was starting to stink), a fun afternoon chatting and project planning and shopping with Ashley and Teagan (that baby girl is super smart and pretty darn cute--she's got a tooth now which just adds to the cuteness), and then some crocheting (I finished a hat today--one I'm very eager to share but am waiting to do so until the owner has it in his possession), while doing some movie watching (The Chorus--which I hadn't seen before and absolutely loved--and Dear Frankie--one of my all-time favorites). All-in-all, it's been a lovely way to start the month.

Something cool: I ended January with a temple recommend interview with a member of my bishopric, and I'll start February with another interview with a member of (the new) stake presidency. Also, we have Stake Conference this weekend. I enjoy Stake Conference for two reasons: one, it's good to have a bit of change (and I love only being in church for two hours instead of three and getting it done early instead of late) and two, the counsel given is always good and needed, and the Spirit is always strong.

And after conference, I'm gonna be eating delicious food and hanging out with some awesome people know as the Chinn family, and I can't wait. Superbowl Sunday for me equals food and family. I don't give to shakes about the football. I just want the comforts.

See what I mean? February is gonna be good.

hitRECord

I've promised a blog about the amazing show I saw the Sundance Film Festival, at the Eccles Theater in Park City. This is by no means meant to take away from the film I saw at the Broadway in Salt Lake City which was also part of the Sundance Film Festival called Room 237, an entry in the Experimental Documentary category. And because I don't want to take away from Room 237, I'm gonna give a little information on that one first.

Room 237 is about a few different theories on what Stanley Kubrick's The Shining was "really" about. The most popular theory--and I say popular only because I had heard it before--was that the film was really about the Indian (Native American) genocide that took place, pointing to the line about the Overlook Hotel being built on an Indian burial ground and the other little hints and signs referencing Indians throughout the film. Another idea was that it was a statement about the Holocaust. Other ideas noted were things like, "It's meant to be [figuratively and literally] seen forwards and backwards," or it makes reference to the fake film that was televised of the Apollo 11 moon landing (not saying it didn't happen, just that what was on TV wasn't real), etc etc etc. There were so many ideas in this film, and in the Q&A afterward we learned that there were other theories the movie makers researched but didn't use. The awesome thing I found in this documentary was the way it was put together, the actual screen footage we saw. The film was mostly just a ton of strung together clips from other Stanley Kubrick films put together to tell the "story" of these themes and to "narrate" the talking-heads voices. For example, if the talking-head said something like, "I know I'm being watched," shown on the screen was the scene from Eyes Wide Shut where Tom Cruise's character is literally being watched and followed. They also used the actual footage from the film to show exactly what the talking-heads were talking about. So if someone was describing the way the window in the hotel manager's office is in a place in the hotel where there couldn't possibly be a window (emphasizing that things in the hotel are not always what they seem to be, or what you think they should be), what you saw on the screen was the window in the hotel manager's office. This served quite a few purposes, but the one I loved the most about not seeing any of the talking-head's faces was that I wasn't prejudice about what I was hearing based on the way the person looked, or what was their connection to the film, or what they may have previously said but I couldn't remember the particular person who said it because I never saw his/her face. It was awesome. If you have any feelings (good, bad, or in-between) toward Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, or if you have seen it at all (even if only once), you'll find this film insightful and interesting. And then you'll want to see the original again.

Now, I've paid my homage to Room 237, which I really did thoroughly enjoy. But now I can move on to what was seriously one of the coolest "shows" I've ever been attended. Yeah, I may be a little biased because I found the owner/Master of Ceremonies extremely attractive. But seriously, this show rocked.

hitRECord is an online "open-collaborative production company... [for] writers, musicians, filmmakers, video editors, animators, photoshoppers, illustrators..." etc. (see hitrecord.org) owned and run (along with others, though he really does seem to have a hand in pretty much everything that gets produced through this organization, based on the credits at the end of each of the short films we saw) by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. They've put out a collection of videos/music/short films/art in box-set, as well as a collection of tiny stories. Really, seriously, just go to the website and watch the little video that explains what the company is about. Then come back and read the rest.

OK, now that you've seen what the big deal is, let me tell you about the show. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (RegularJOE, but I'll just refer to him as Joe from here on out) comes out and just starts filming and getting the audience pumped. Then he tells us about the organization. Then starts in with some audience participation. The theme for the night is "Independence." What is it? How do we attain it? How do we use it? What's the difference between "Independence" and 'Indie"? He has this dude come up on stage and kinda has a conversation with him about the difference and then he gets into the definition of the word "hipster." Check this out.



Unfortunately, the other audience members who made it to the stage were equally ridiculous. Joe did his best and made the most out of their conversations, which was impressive. He didn't let the idiots ruin the show.

There were a ton of new short films (collaborative efforts made by hitRECord artists) that debuted at the show, all of which were different in style and message and genre. And all of which I enjoyed immensely. There was one that was an animated statement on the right to take pictures in public (though, of course, it was more than just that). The animation had a song also, and at the end, the chorus had the "follow-the-bouncing-ball" kind of sing along. So, after we watched the video, Joe asked for whoever wanted to be part of the "choir" to come on stage and sing along. Marie, Jana, and I ran up there. None of us got a great video of it, but I think Jan's came out best, so here it is: proof we shared a stage with Joseph Gordon-Levitt for about two minutes.



About 3/4 of the way into the show, Joe brought another star to the stage: Parker Posey. They had a chat about what Joe's doing with hitRECord and that kind of thing, and how she's never seen or heard of anything quite like it. They chatted for a bit with another audience member, and then they put on a little show for us. Well, they and Brady Corbett, who starred in another Sundance film called Simon Killer. The three of them acted out chapter two from Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Saywer. I'm in the middle of editing that one, though. It's a long video, as you can imagine. For now, I'll give you a taste.



These are the kinds of things we saw and participated in during the show. It was pretty awesome, as you can see. Joe performed a couple of songs for us as well.





And then it was over.

We had a lovely time. I just can't say enough about it. My biggest qualm with the whole thing was that Joe seemed to feel the need to swear a good deal, and I think that was mostly to get the audience to cheer. Something about the f-bomb makes a crowd get louder for some reason that I just don't understand. I personally don't let myself get offended by cussing. I grew up around it, and I don't want to say that I'm used to it because I don't think I'll ever get used to hearing certain things, the f-bomb being one of them, but I don't really get offended. It's more like a feeling of losing my balance. Anyway, though I'm not offended, it is highly unattractive. But since Joe did sing to us, and dedicated "Baby Mine" to his mom, I'll forgive him.

A long post, I know, but I hope an interesting and entertaining one. Leave me a comment with questions or ideas about how to make these videos awesome (I want to submit some to hitRECord.org--which Joe asked the audience to do--and then hope that something I submit gets collaborated on) or just tell me you read/watched, or just say hi, or whatever. I like having proof that people read my stuff. I need the validation.

Love to you all!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Change is hard. It's a difficult process. It literally gives me anxiety and leaves me short of breath.

But I have to make some changes in my life.

My beautiful and insightful sister shared some of her thoughts and a devotional talk on her private blog earlier this week which I read today. It was eye-opening and comforting, and it helped in motivating me to do what's right not to please anyone else or to "earn" salvation or whatever, but instead to show my appreciation and devotion. And I thank Marie for sharing.

It's time to do a little more growing up. I need to get myself out of rut and figure out what I want (besides the obvious, of course). And I need to be better at the daily things.

Hold on to your hats. It's gonna be a bumpy ride. But it'll be worth it in the end.

Sis. Hyer

I haven't yet put my feelings into words about dear Sister Hyer, who passed away on Christmas day, 2011. I have to do this. It's going to make me cry, I know, but I have to do it to remember her and remember how she made me feel.

I love Sister Hyer. She was my primary teacher. She was my leader. She was my friend. She was a co-leader. She was almost like a third grandma. Though I was never extremely close to her, I always felt like she loved me and cared about me in the same way that my biological grandparents do. She taught me how to spell "family":
Father
And
Mother
I
Love
You
She taught me more than that. She was the most wonderful example of how to be a good visiting teacher, not only by being a good visiting teacher, but by being available to be taught. Marie and I were blessed to be assigned as Sister Hyer's visiting teachers for a while. I loved visiting her. It was always such a warm, comfortable, spiritually uplifting experience being in her home. She welcomed us with a hug and let us go with a kiss. Caroling to Sister Hyer every Christmas was always a joy. She was so happy to have us in her home, and never allowed us to just sing on her door step. We were always invited in for a chat and to warm up, and easily enticed to sing a few more songs inside.

This Christmas was only a little bit different. We planned ahead when we would visit her. We brought some food with us to help feed her family who had gathered to her home for their last Christmas with their mother and grandmother. We were there only a little while because we didn't want to intrude. We sang a few hymns. She requested that we sing "White Christmas" and her favorite Christmas hymn, "Silent Night." She gave each of us a hug and a kiss, with us bending down to reach her warm cheeks and be enfolded in her arms. She whispered, "Thank you" and "I love you" to each of us. We said our goodbyes.

And then she was gone. That was the last time we saw Sister Hyer in this life. She died early on Christmas morning. She was able to spend the day celebrating with her husband, who passed nearly 30 years ago.

She was a wonderful, sweet, kind, generous, humble, Christ-like woman. Full of love, without guile. I love her very much. She will always hold a special place in my heart. I hope she knows how much she means to me, how much I value her love and her example.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Everyone sets goals, New Year Resolutions. I do too. I won't lie.

But that's not what this post is about.

This post is to share a couple of silly videos. That is all.

Jingle Bells!


Deck the Halls!


Oh, and one more thing. Do your best to keep your goals. Follow your heart. Make a plan. Take it one day at a time. And please remind me to do the same.

My love to you all!

Watch this!!

Christmas time is here...

I've already shared this thought with many of people, but I want to send it out to the blogosphere.

This year, I was able to help (in a very small, small way) with the United Way and their Giving Tree at the University Mall. What an awesome experience. It was so great to be part of something that brings a little joy into the lives of those in need. More than that, though, it was such a wonderful thing to experience the joy of giving through others. There were many people who came to pick names off the tree, and the excitement and merriment in these people's faces was contagious! From the youngest to the oldest, these people were just so happy to be giving gifts to people less fortunate than themselves. It was beautiful to see. I wish I could put it more eloquently than that. It made my heart happy to see others so happy to give!

It was also exactly what I needed to get into the spirit of the season myself. So, thank you, United Way (mostly Marie who begged everyone she knew to volunteer) and the happy givers, for helping me feel the Spirit, for bringing joy to so many homes.


Also, a shout out to my parents for putting together Advent Books for each of their children. I'm so happy to have my own. I love reading these thoughts and scriptures everyday. They also help to keep the Spirit in my heart as we move through this season, which can sometimes be rushed and haggard. It was my secret wish to have my very own Advent Book, and I think you heard me somehow.

Merry Christmas to you all. Much love and joy I wish for you!

Stuff and Things

It's been a little while since I lasted blogged. And I don't really have much to blog about today. I guess I just wanted you all to know I'm still alive.

I've been working on the projects for Christmas, which has been keeping me happily busy. I love to crochet. I love that my hands keep busy while I do other mindless things, like watch TV shows and movies on Netflix. :)

I'm totally excited to go home for Christmas. I can't wait for time with my family and to see some friends. I wish it was time to go home already.

That's all for now. I'm alive. I promise.

Ah, Christmas. And Thanksgiving. Rolled into one post.

I know, it's the day before Thanksgiving. What's with the Christmas songs already???

Well, I love Christmas songs. And I gave myself permission to listen.

And these are some favorites. Be happy. I fondly remember listening to these albums (on record, I might add) while the family decorated the house in lights and santas and nativity scenes and snowmen and ornaments and fake snow. Tree skirts and doilies and wreaths. The smell of pine needles (when we had real trees) and candles burning. Such wonderful times. I miss them.

But, since it really is Thanksgiving tomorrow:

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. I'm so grateful for so many things. I should make a list. I will.

Family
Friends
Roof over my head
Clothes on my back
Food on my table
Electricity
My job

Pretty basic, but I truly am grateful for these things. I've heard some stories this year about people in need and those who've stepped up to provide comfort and care, and I am just absolutely blessed. Love you all.

Happiness?

So, remember this post?

Well, now I want you to read this article.

Pretty awesome. I've decided--this was actually part of what was helping me feel better--that I'm not going to worry about "happiness" anymore. I'm just gonna live my life and hope for the best and "Come what may and love it" (thank you, Elder Wirthlin).

You know. Keep Moving Forward.

The end.

We won!!!

Well, we won third place. Out of 14. Not bad, for our first entry. I'm proud. Here's the video. Enjoy!

How did it happen that I missed blog updates from some of my favorite blogs? I have no clue. But I got caught up this morning, and I just have to say that I know some pretty freakin' awesome people. Creative writers, new mommas, designers, decorators, arts & crafts aficionados... loving, caring, passionate, driven people. I'm very blessed to have these influences in my life. I love you all.

Oh, the horror!!

I'm not exactly sure how this happened, but I'm currently helping to make a horror film. It's extremely low-budget (meaning those of us involved are paying for all that's involved) and it's extremely short (meaning it will probably be less than five minutes long, end credits included) and I'm not sure at all of what I'm doing (meaning I show up and do what I'm told) but it's a fun experience so far.

I get to play one of three dead girls haunting the man who killed us. Two guesses on who is playing the other two dead girls. We get to be creepy. It's gonna be hard to keep the laughter to a minimum.

We have the rest of this week to get it done (editing and all). We'll be presenting our film at the Horror Movie Festival in St. George next weekend. I'll let you all know how it goes.

Speaking of which, I need to write a news report about us missing girls...

David Missed Me

It has been brought to my attention that my last blog post was September 22nd. Thank you, David.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to spend some time with the nephews and niece. Heather and Travis went up to Park City, and I got to stay with the kiddies. I loved being there. It was nice to have some time off of work, first of all, and I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with Hunter, Courtney, and Jacob. Those three kids are the greatest ever. We watched The Princess Bride (which they had never seen, but of course loved) and ate pizza and ice cream. We went for a couple of walks/scooter rides around the neighborhood. We played frisbee. It was lovely. Saturday and Sunday were spent watching Conference and enjoying the company of family. Heather and Travis were home Saturday afternoon, and Marie and Jana came over on Sunday. What a lovely weekend. Not exactly relaxing, but it was nice nonetheless. And I got a lot of crocheting done. Working on a rug. It's gonna be awesome.

The weekend before that, Lindsey and Ashley were here for a visit and we got to have dinner with them and the Doxey's. Good times. It was fun to chat and laugh together again. I miss those girls so much. All of the giggling and silliness, and all of the great conversations.

I just love spending time with people I love.


As a side note, work has finally gone back to normal--meaning we're back to a normal pace and getting all of the normal stuff done. It's nice to not have to smile begrudgingly at students all day long and get some paper work done instead. I know, boring. But I like it. Also, we're back on 4-10s and it's so nice to have an extra day off. I have Wednesday to myself this time, and I'm looking forward to a break in the middle of the week.

Another side note, my toilet doesn't run and run and run anymore. Hallelujah!

Also, who said it was OK for the weather to go from mid-80s to mid-40s overnight? Not OK. I'm all for Fall and cooler weather and sweaters and rain and hot chocolate and warm socks and snuggling up in big blankets, but overnight?! I need time to adjust! My feet are confined in real shoes today, and they don't like having that sprung on them. I had to pull out my coat! I don't think I'll get another skirt/dress day without leggings until May. I just wasn't prepared for this. On the up-side, I get to wear sweaters and beanies and scarves again.

One more side note, I went for a bike ride the other day, and my butt still hurts from the stupid seat.

Realization

I don't drink enough water. I know. It's one of those "duh" things. But seriously. The last two nights, just as I've been almost totally asleep--you know, that space between awake and asleep--I've jolted awake with my heart racing and sweat streaming from each pore. Too many carbs and not enough water. I get up and eat some cheese and down 16 ounces of cold water, sit up for about 15 minutes, and then I'm fine and can finally relax enough to sleep.

Water is a freakin' life saver.

I want Hanson for my birthday every year.

I'll let you in on a little secret. Every time I see Hanson live, I turn into my 16-year-old self who saw them live at the Hollywood Bowl thirteen years ago, back in their "MMMBop" days. I saw them two years ago at the Kern County Fair, last year at the Depot, and again on Thursday night. The last three years, it's been a birthday present to me. I think they know.

(I'm going to post some videos, but be warned--my camera doesn't record sound very well.)

They started the show with "Musical Ride," which is fitting since the tour is called the Musical Ride Tour. This song was stuck in my head all during work the next day.

They started playing "Where's the Love" and I thought, "It's in Lindsle's shoe!!" I almost texted her. Maybe I should have.

They played "Go," which, if I'm not mistaken, is Julia's favorite. I thought of her.



They played "MMMBop," and I thought of all of you lovely people who, as amazing as you are, don't know any other song by Hanson. As much as I wish people would get over it, I still found myself singing and dancing along with a grin on my face.

They also played "A Minute Without You," and the look on Zac's face at one point was priceless. I could almost hear the internal dialogue: "Are these people really that excited to hear this song again?! I'll throw in my 'oh! yeah!' right now... Yep, made the crowd happy... my gosh, this is stupid... and really, really fun. So glad this is my job."

They played "Something Going Round," which is one of my favorites off of the Walk.



They played "If Only," and again, I thought of my Lindsey friend. She would have loved it. All of the jumping Taylor encouraged us to do during that song has left me with stiff legs and sore knees. Yes, I'm serious. But it was fun!

And my personal favorite off the Shout It Out album, "Give a Little."



I mean, can it get any better than lyrics like, "Make her blush when you put your hand on her hips..." "When you move in close, take your time..." "Leave an empty shoulder, let her move in closer..." "She loves to keep you in suspense..." "Wrap your arms around her body, tell her all she needs to know..." Pair that with fun melodies, a good hook, and some brass, and you've got yourself a really great song. It makes me dance every time I hear it.

When they came out for the encore (By the way, what's the point in leaving the stage if you know you're gonna be back out in less than five minutes? I mean, really... the encore thing is just dumb to me), they played "Madeline" because some guy was apparently holding up a sign during the whole show that said something about it being his girlfriend's birthday, and her name is Madeline, and will you please play it. So they did. Made me think of Jana, because Jana likes playing this song, too.



Then they played "Penny and Me" and "Tearing It Down," during which I think I finally lost my hearing and my voice, because we were encouraged by the band to sing and dance it out. Zac said, "This is it, guys, so make it count!"

The audience was surprising. Fake plastic barbie dolls with too much make up and too much hair. Dude-bros. Tattooed, pierced, and drunk chicks and guys. Hipster kids (boys and girls alike) singing along to every song. And, of course, the typical "I love you Hanson," kind of girls. I probably fall in the later category. Look. Like them or hate them, I don't care. I love them and I always will.

I can't sleep...

I hate when this happens. It's annoying. I lay in bed and my mind just won't shut off. Grr...

So I was thinking about stuff, and I realized that Thursday is tomorrow. Yeah, big surprise. But what I also remembered when I realized that Thursday is tomorrow is this: Hanson's playing at the Depot in Salt Lake on Thursday. Yes, tomorrow. Guess who's going to see Hanson for the fourth time, and for the third year in a row... for her birthday? Yes. I'm excited.

They did this thing with this tour where the concert goers got to vote for the album they wanted to hear the most songs from (yes, Hanson has recorded and release more than one album). They picked three out of their five studio albums for each show and let the fans vote. I was sad to see that Salt Lake wanted to hear "The Walk" more than "Shout it Out" but I'm happy "The Walk" won over "Middle of Nowhere." I wonder what the other cities voted for. It would be interesting to know if any of the cities picked "Middle of Nowhere." I hope we've all gotten over "MMMBop" by now. But probably not.

That got me to thinking, wouldn't it be awesome if more bands reached out to their fans like this? I'm not saying Hanson's the only one that does, because I know that's not true. But it would be super cool if more of them did. I mean, I'd love to be able to vote for which Sting album I'd like to hear, beginning to end ("Ten Summoner's Tales," hands down, followed closely by "Mercury Falling").

And that made me think about how much Sting tickets cost. That man has money coming out his ears, but his concert tickets are always so freakin' expensive. Why does he have to charge so much? Why can't artists be happy just to play for their fans? I mean, I get that there are tour expenses, but keep it low budget. Yes, I want a show, but you don't have to make it all flashy. And Sting rarely makes things flashy anyway. He usually makes it all low-key and jazzy. So, he has to pay his musicians and roadies, etc. Fine. But anything over $50 for a concert ticket is just ridiculous.

And that gets me to thinking about how so many things are way overpriced, and how the price of some things rises and falls on an almost daily basis. Like a plane ticket. Are you kidding me? Pick a price and keep it there. Gas? Don't even get me started, and I don't even own a car! It's just asinine.

Yes, I'm babbling. But it's my blog and I'm allowed.

And I can't sleep.... 

I did a dumb thing.

Not a REALLY dumb thing, just a little dumb thing.

Next Sunday is my birthday. But I wore my birthday dress (the one mom and dad got me while I was at home) yesterday. Dumb.


Also, I'm excited to eat manicotti for my birthday dinner and cheesecake for my birthday dessert.

Yes, I'm 29-years-old, and yes, I still look forward to my birthday as if I were turning ten. Don't ask me why. I never know what I want to do or what I want to eat or what I want to receive, but I'm always excited for whatever happens.


YAY for birthdays!