2 Nephi 9:51

"...let your soul delight in fatness."

Another long night with the Jerman, AtP, and Roommates A and B (Roommate A may also be referred to as the Pygmy Scapegoat). It was amazing. "Drop Dead Gorgeous" is probably the worst movie ever, and it was wrong on SO many levels, but at the same time it was incredibly amazing and I totally loved it. Another glorious night and a plethora of awkward moments.

I need to confess something. I have been a freakin COW this weekend. Thursday--ice cream with the Jerman; Friday--pizza and fried cookies with the above peoples; Saturday--frosties from Wendy's; today--brownies, and later dessert at Grandma's. I hope I fit in my clothes this week.

What can I say? My soul delights in fatness.

A loooooong night

The Jerman bought Moulin Rouge because I hadn't seen it and he said I needed to. So last night he, Roommate A, and I hijacked a projector in the Snell Building (Jerman's got the hookups) and watched Moulin Rouge on the big screen. It was delightful, although we all agreed that next time we need way more people.

As far as the movie goes, I loved it. The choreography was wonderful, as well as the costuming and set design. Scenes changed from black and white to color, and music and weather conditions were ideal for the tone of the scene. There were some very artistic camera shots--a lot of the flying camera type of thing and even one scene where there was a half of a mirror effect. (ok so I suck at describing this stuff and I know very little about film, but there were a lot of lovely subtleties). The plot, though unrealistic, was original and focused on various themes throughout. One theme that I really liked and was "the show must go on." Through the entire movie this came up--how sacrifices must be made so that life can go on. Near the end there was a huge song about it that had a wonderful cathartic effect (at least on me). It made me realize that sometimes we get into those lose-lose situations and we don't know which one is better; we don't know what is reall the best thing to sacrifice. And then of course the movie goes on and love wins--it won't be sacrificed. The end is a bit bleak, and the main character isn't very happy, which makes me think that sometimes the show goes on whether we like it or not and we have no control over it. That wasn't a terribly in-depth review, but it sufficeth me. A very thought-provoking movie indeed.

After the movie we met up with AtP. After a failed attempt at finding food, we went got some pizza and went to the Jerman's house. Roommate B called, lonely and afraid of Roommate C and her boyfriend on the couch, so we picked up Roommate B and went to the Creamery. Frozen cookies, foil, and off to the bell tower to roast the cookies. AtP and I failed miserably at flipping the cookies over and many a cookie were lost. It just wasn't working out between us. Our last flip was successful, which excited us greatly, although the cookies didn't turn out so well. After nearly hitting a person with a flying cookie, witnessing a guy proposing to his girl (and probably ruining the moment for them), and meeting AtP's friends D and S, we decided we were cold enough and we went back to the Jerman's house. AtP, D, and S left 50 awkward moments later, and Roommates A and B and I left around 3:30.

I didn't get up until 12:30 pm today. I can't remember the last time I did that.

Coming soon: adventures/tragedies of Spanky the cardboard cat.

I sit at a random table with this guy. I acknowledge his presence with a nod.

I begin eating, and he begins talking.

First it's the usual--How's it going? How's your lunch? Where are you from? I have family near there, do you know them? What are you studying? What year are you? Where do you live? Then there was discussion about BYU atmosphere in general, I voiced my dislike for freshman girls (even if I am one). We talked of the general lack of 20-year-old guys, the lack of gangsta black people, and other oddities of BYU.

He takes out his phone (a pink Razr, mind you) supposedly taking a call. Sounds like his cousin is considering proposing to some girl, there is various talk of girls, hooking up, etc. I pretend like I'm not listening. He hangs up and asks me if I like his pink phone. I tell him it's amazing. He suddenly receives another call--this time the whole conversation is carried out in some Asian language. Though I couldn't identify the language, it sounded badly pronounced.

The thought occurred to me that this guy was trying to sound impressive. For all I know, both phone calls could have been faked. That language could have even been faked. I mean, I do look hot today. I feigned disinterest by looking over my chemistry notes. Soon after his phone call he picked up his stuff, said it was nice talking to me, and goodbye.

All the while, some REALLY LAME "comedy" act is going on in the Terrace. Highly obnoxious and not funny at all.

Oh dear. Only at BYU.

I don't want to admit it, but...

I'm sitting in the ESC on campus. I hadn't realized what a lovely study place it is. A bit noisier than "the bubble" in the Benson building, but the rainforesty/scientific/cozy atmosphere is much more open and friendly than the rigid/chemical/plainness of the bubble.

I could be studying. I could be reading. I could be doing something productive. Alas I am playing on the internet.

I'm a little bit sad. Not in a bad mood--I'm fairly content actually--but part of me is sad. I hate to admit it but I am slightly (only slightly, I repeat) homesick. Three months into the semester, when I'm closer to going home than ever.

It's odd--I don't miss my family a whole lot. I do miss them, and I do laugh when I wonder what crazy schemes Matt is plotting, or when I think of Ethan pretending to hate his piano lessons. I chatted with my mother the other day for a while, and that was fun. But I've always been so independent that I didn't have that hard of a time leaving them. And they will always be there for me to return to.

It snowed a teeny bit yesterday, not even enough to really stick, but it made me miss California. Growing up, we always hoped for snow that never came. Now I am hoping against it when it's sure to come.

I think most of this sadness is due to missing friends. I have met so many wonderful people here, and I'm grateful for that, but sometimes I reflect on my summer and wish I could go back. My family will always be around, and Vacaville will always have mild weather, but my friends have scattered and are living their own lives--lives that I minimally participate in. It makes me so sad that I'm not there to comfort them when they need it or to rejoice with them when they succeed. I love them so much!

I suppose this is normal and that eventually I will move on. But there will always be a special place in my heart for the years I spent in that sunny little town of Vacaville.

To steal from AtP-- le sigh.

"Welcome to the Official Website of Stephanie Pedersen"

I googled myself today. I would like to let everyone know that I'm an author of books titled "Shoes: What Every Woman Should Know," "The Bra: A Thousand Years of Style, Support & Seduction," and "K.I.S.S. Guide to Planning a Wedding." I live in New York City with my husband and two sons.

You can visit my website at www.stephaniepedersen.com

All the right ingredients...

Last night the Jerman and a friend who we will call J came over to my apartment to kick it with me and two of my roommates. We sat around, contemplating what to do, and then decided to try the Thai place next to my house. We were seated adjacent to a table of ten girls, who were quite loud (as the Jerman repeatedly pointed out. He was a little more annoyed by it than the rest of us). The Jerman, J, and I ordered different things, and my roommates decided to just eat our food. I ordered what was called Fahb--chicken cooked in lime and cilantro and onions--basically AMAZING. The Jerman and J ordered items C4 and C6 I believe (pronunciation problems and bad memory contribute to the fact that I can't remember the actual names of the food) which were also delicious, although I've decided that yellow curry is a bit too spicy for me. Between everyone making fun of how I move my hands when I talk, the amazing food, learning new ASL words, and making "your mom" comments, it was a lovely dinner.

We then headed over to Smart Cookie, where we piled onto the love sac to consume our tasty treats. We stayed there for quite a while...More "your mom" jokes, more laughter. Then back to our house to watch "Timeline," a wonderful movie that I had forgotten about. After it was over, we pretty much sat around talking and making fun of each other. We were contemplating going to get ice cream but then another of my roommates came in and said the boys had to leave because it was after hours. We ended up making the "right" decision by just calling it a night so that we wouldn't be dead in church today.

A pleasant evening, with just the right combination of people. I hope our lovely little group does this again (ahem, Bombei House and Ferris Beuller perhaps? Haha).

I'm going nuts

I really hate puns. But that never stops anyone from using them, does it?

I'm supposed to be studying but I'm not focusing too well. I was snacking on some assorted nuts and began thinking about all the many different kinds there are...
This particular mix consisted of peanuts, almonds, pecans, Brazilian nuts, cashews, and filberts.

I would have to say this mix was quite delicious, even though it lacked my favorite nuts: walnutsa and hazelnuts. Hazelnuts are pretty expensive though.

Then there are cacao nuts. I've never had one before, but chocolate can be derived from them so I like them. I've never had a kukui nut either, but I have a bracelet and necklace made out of them...I'm pretty sure they are mostly used for Hawaiian jewelry rather than for food.

Macademia nuts are also delicious. Especially with chocolate. And pistachios are fun. They require some effort to eat, but are tasty. Pistachio ice cream is good too.

Oooo I miss the nut-flavored gelatto from Italy...A scoop of hazelnut and a scoop of chocolate--Pure heaven.

Did I miss any nuts? I don't think coconut counts...maybe it does...who knows really?

Alas, now I must return to the no-nut world that is organic chemistry. Au revoir mes amis.

Hmm...

You are a Social Conservative (35% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (33% permissive) You are best described as a: Totalitarian Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

State of Grace

I watched this movie today on campus. It was amazing.

It's about two missionaries serving in Santa Cruz--one comes from a sheltered LDS family, the other is a converted gang member with a rough history who is counting down the days until he goes home. I don't want to summarize too much, but major conflicts in the movie are: gangs/loyalty, keeping rules vs. keeping commandments, learning to see everyone as children of Heavenly Father, overcoming family problems, keeping baptismal covenants, and forgiving oneself and others. The plot presented these conflicts in realistic events without the cheesiness that tends to be associated with LDS films. I felt like it was so real--types of issues and people that actually exist. Though it was a bit lengthy, it didn't feel like it was too long. It was a bit emotional (at least for me), and though I was near tears for a good chunk of the movie, there was plenty of comic relief.

Criticisms: A few parts at the beginning were a bit hard to visually focus on because of the movement of the camera. There were two scenes that had some weird lighting. There were a couple of discrepancies that made us think things like "Why isn't the elder wearing garments?" or "There's no way they would have an apartment with a view of the beach" but it didn't really interfere with the plot. Some might think the the amount of violence was inappropriate, but I thought it was very realistic and that it wasn't overdone or offensive.

Music: Really well done. The music always matched the setting and tone of the scene.

Other: There were plenty of good little subtleties that added to the main themes and tone of the movie. A lot of parallelism that was really well done, sometimes through the subplots interweaving, and other times visually.

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed. I will definitely be buying that movie when (if?) it's released on DVD.

Bleeding to Death

Today was a good day. I gave blood, took a nap, and then volunteered for several hours at this place called Friday's Kids. It's sort of like a day care center (only it's on Friday nights) for children with disabilities and handicaps so that the parents can go on a date and be alone. It was awesome. Along with two other girls, I was given the charge of a child named Josh. He was very bright and soooooo cute. Apparently he had some rare condition (insert really weird named condition) where he couldn't really understand what was right and wrong or good and bad. He had so much energy, and tried to eat pretty much anything. He was so much fun though, and he was soooo smart. Sometimes he would just speed through the hallways, trying to explore rooms with us in tow, and other times he would stay in one spot for 20 minutes at a time. He put himself in a box in the playhouse outside and stayed there for a while as we just talked to him. We read him some fire engine books several times through and demonstrated how to properly be a siren. We played with playdough, danced around, and ended up making several (approx. 10) trips to the bathroom so that we could don gloves and "change someone" on the changing table. He had so much energy and kept us moving a lot, but he was not a trouble-maker at all and we just had a blast. I was sad to say goodbye. Courtney, Jenni, and I will probably return.

So we came home, and I made some smores. I was (am) still a bit tired from the loss of blood, but I was going to go to the crazy party thing down our street anyway (I think it's called "Rock the Block or something cheezy but it's supposedly fun). My arm bandage was getting uncomfortable so I decided to cut it off before we left, only then my arm decided that it didn't want to stop bleeding. Um I've never had that problem before. So I told Courtney to go on without me and that I would just sit here and bleed to death. Makeshift first aid: nylons tied over gauz on my arm. I'm a genius.

I waste WAY too much time blogging, but...

...I was thinking about my summer today. It was probably the best summer I've ever had.

My birthday fell on the last day of school this year, so that was an awesome present: No more high school for the rest of my life. I had an awesome birthday too. No party or anything, but my friends all gave me cool stuff, I went to Missy's birthday party (ha, that was kind of funny to go to someone else's party), Naked Native and I went on a mad-crazy bike ride and discovered some people smoking weed in a bush, I got a funny card from my sister, my mom made me amazing cake (a "cake roll" with ice cream in it...ooo it was scrumptious) and then I went to a late night movie and fell asleep. A wonderful birthday.

The next day was graduation, which was thoroughly long and boring. Some person (who I would love to meet so I could hug them) managed to get a beach ball going while the superintendant droned on and on. Gradnite was pretty amazing too, although I left around 2 am because I had to get up early the next morning.

Why would I get up at 5:30 am on my first real day of summer? Because my mom and I decided to fly to NYC as a sort of birthday/graduation present for me. It was AMAZING. I absolutely loved it and I can't wait to go back. It made me hate SF for a while...I have a lot of good memories in SF though so that didn't last long. We only stayed in the city for a couple of days with my aunt Sharleen, and then we went to her house in Rochester (upstate). We saw all of the Church sites and Niagra Falls and Eastman (ahem where my uncle is a jazz professor, thank you very much) and all that good stuff. I could totally live there.

I was home for a week before I left again. Destination: Europe. I must admit, I didn't want to go. I thought that going with the choir was going to be soooooo lame and that I would be miserable for two weeks. But Mr. B. bribed me with "if you play piano for us we will pay for half of your trip." I couldn't refuse, even though I had doubts that I would enjoy it. I can honestly say I am soooooo glad that I went. I had a blast. We went to Lake Como and Venice in Italy (fulfilling a childhood dream of mine to go to Venice), Salzburg in Austria, and Fussen, Rothenburg, Rudesheimer, Oberammergau, and Frankfurt in Germany. We got to sing for and with amazing people. I picked up some Italian phrases, and even more German ones. I spent way too much money, ate way too much gelatto, and didn't get nearly enough sleep. It was glorious.I got sick the last day in Germany, so the plane ride home was absolutely awful. But who cares? I freakin went to Europe!

We got home Friday evening. The following Monday I began what would be the greatest summer job of all time. My friend Jeremy's mom, Serena, runs a youth theater in Fairfield called the Missouri Street Academy of Arts. They do plays, workshops, activities, dance, voice and piano lessons, and anything else that you can think of. Serena wanted me to help with some of their three-week summer camps as a music instructor. Basically I sat at the piano and taught various age-groups of kids different songs, then I worked with my amazing friend Naomi who blocked and choreographed the songs so that we ended up with a bunch of musical numbers to perform. I had a group of 8-10 year-olds and a group of 5-7 year-olds. Oh I loved them so much!!! I did two camps with Missouri Street so I was there for six weeks. I will never forget those six weeks with those amazing kids. I had so much fun. And I got to work with Jeremy and his brothers and parents, which was awesome. I was very sad to say goodbye.

I went to our local Singles ward this summer as well. I was only in it for a little over a month, but I quite enjoyed it. I had so much fun serving on our FHE committee under Klo-bizzle (now my Big Brother). Playing Assassins was great because it was so full of deceit and cunning...I was killed in one of the more morally questionable attacks, and I almost got Big Brother by luring him to my house with a plate of cookies. Only then he almost took my hand off in his car window. I liked that game.

My last week at Missouri Street was the week before I left for Provo. The week I left for Provo was filled with random adventures and phone calls. My last night in Vacaville was spent at Naked Native's house making boxers for our pet Brazilian. I admit I cried when I left. The next day I headed off for the mecca and moved in to my little apartment where I am currently blogging.

I loved this summer and I'm eternally grateful to those who made it so wonderful.

Weirdness....

Some missionaries just stopped by my apartment. Apparently they are the on-campus Spanish elders. They asked me if I had any non-member friends who are speak Spanish.
My reply?
I don't have ANY non-member friends here.
Umm...that made me feel really weird.

Early Marriages and Thai Cuisine

So there is this girl in my psychology class, and last week she made some comment about how she was going to get married on Friday. So now she's married. In class today, we divided into groups by age, and she was in the 18-year-old group. It kind of freaked me out. I mean, maybe she is mature and knew the guy forever or something--I'm trying not to be judgmental--but I just thought, what if I were married right now? That REALLY freaked me out. I'm sooooooo not ready to get married.

I am ready to try some Thai food though. There is this cute little Thai restaurant about 25 yards from my apartment...I walk by it a couple of times a day and I always glance in at the beautiful aquarium that is just inside the door. I have no idea what Thai food is, but I love the look of that little place, and I want to in and enjoy the atmosphere. Anyone want to come with me?

I just really like this

2 Nephi 9:50 "Come, my brethren, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price."

I am grateful...

...that my mother taught me to be clean.

Cleanliness is next to godliness, my friends, and sometimes I think my apartment is the closest I'll ever get to the depths of hell on earth.

Why can't they be clean?

I've decided...

...that somewhere in the world, there is at least one person that looks like you. I seriously saw five people today that looked like people I know from Vacaville. My friend Jen calls these people "bogus" people...Someone who looks like Richard is a "bogus Richard."

I think I would like to see a "bogus Stephalumpagus."

Time to Kill

No, it's not time to kill someone, I just mean that I have some time to kill. Here's what happened:

I got up early so that I could shower and thoroughly wake myself up before HEPE. I have a problem with falling asleep in that class, but after getting a 76% on the first test, I have resolved to never fall asleep in class again. I could have done it today. Except that class was cancelled. I knew it was cancelled. But I forgot. I wasn't the only one either...I would estimate that at least 70 people forgot.

So now I'm sitting here in the JSB, eating an apple and wasting time. The apple is really crispy and juicy, and it's wonderfully tart, as green apples should be. It's awfully noisy though, and it's a little embarrassing, but hey, I wouldn't care if they all ate loud apples.

I have been thinking about my life lately, which is normal, I suppose, as I am getting used to college and living on my own and all that nonsense. I have a lovely life. I have a nice apartment with nice roommates (even if some of them are quite lacking in the cleanliness department) and some wonderful friends. I go to a nice school with good facilities and good professors (ahem, for the most part). Every weekend I fear that I will be bored and not have anything to do, but it always works out and I haven't been bored yet. I even have a date this weekend ;) . It's for a homework assignment, but it's a date nonetheless.

I have a wonderful family. My sister, who conveniently lives down the street from me, always makes sure that I am taken care of and that I am doing well. I talk to my parents every week, and they are always willing to help me if I need anything. My little brothers are incredibly entertaining, and Matt even comments me on myspace. I don't have very much contact with my older brother, but I hear of his doings and he hears of mine. We've never really been close because of our age difference, but we've never really minded that either. I hear my cat is still alive, which is wonderful. I miss Chester. He always made me laugh, that mischievous thing.

My friends are amazing. I can't say I have a lot of really good friends here, but I am content, and I have lots of friends back home who I love very much. There are a couple of them that I talk to almost every day.

Yes, life is good. I can't say it's perfect, but things are going well. I still don't know what I'm going to major in, or how I'm ever going to fit harp and music in with school. I don't have a job, and I am suspicious of all boys. Some of my roommates don't clean up after themselves, and we don't have a working vacuum so our apartment is filthy. Strangely enough I am not doing well in classes like HEPE and Book of Mormon, yet I am acing my Physics class. But I don't really mind.

Mmm ten more minutes until I have class.

My mind is suddenly blank. The other night as I lay in bed, I had all these deep thoughts and I wanted to turn on the computer and just type the night away. I refrained. Now I wonder where those thoughts have gone. Are they gone forever? Maybe I'm just more intelligent at night. It's possible.

I wish the blood drive place would email me back. I really want to give blood and volunteer as a helper person (ahem I love blood drives and I need service hours to "repay" my scholarship, so it's like a two-for-one).

Have a wonderful day, world.

Laughter

Two of my crazy friends who I love very dearly made me laugh really hard tonight. A webcam and a blanket were involved. I couldn't stop laughing. Courtney asked me if I was getting married or something because I was so happy and was laughing so hard.

I told them I was going to bed right now. But I suddenly miss them and wish I were in California having fun with them. Instead, I'm several states away, going to sleep.

Another week. Wish me luck.