I went through my saved emails today...

...and I found this. I wrote this my sophomore year in high school I believe. One of those days where I went home early because of a choir thing and I was bored.

To Whom It May Concern:

A recent study of crabs in the O-zone layer has shown that the hard shell of a crab is impenetrable to the UV light from the sun. Scientists have begun the dissection of thousands of our underwater friends to create a giant crab-shell shield around the earth. Crab-lovers everywhere are protesting by holding lobsters hostage until our side-walking allies are released. The production of flashlights and light bulbs is on the rise because no one is sure how the people of earth will be able to see with a giant shell-shield blocking the sun's light.

The crabs seem to be on to the scientists--they have disappeared from beaches everywhere--and are now hosting an enormous International Underwater Convention For the Protection of Sea Critters aboard the deck of the Titanic. Several crabs were spotted off the coast of Antarctica making snowcrabs. An astronaut claims to have seen a miniature space pod piloted by two crabs heading toward Mars.

Scientists continue their pursuit of our six-legged two-pincered buddies, but these crabs aren't going down without a fight.

To support the protests of this heinous crime, call toll free: 1-800-SAVETHECRABS.


Gosh I was (am?) weird. I sent this email to about ten different people. One girl actually believed it. But that's not even the best part. Last year, when I told the Native about this, he actually called 1-800-SAVETHECRABS and he got a machine for some save-the-children organization.

It's been over a week

That never happens. I'm usually addicted to blogging. But this last week+ has been crazy.

I had two midterms this weekend, both of which I did well on, so that's good. I've had tons of homework and projects and labs... The most recent lab is due today. I spent six hours in the lab on Saturday, five hours yesterday, and in about twenty minutes I'm going to go put the finishing touches on it. I'm tired of that class. Especially since it prevented me from going with AtP to visit Samantha. :(

Things with Jacob are really good. We carved pumpkins Saturday night, which was quite enjoyable after spending all day in the Clyde building. We sort of had some communication glitches this week, but the past two nights we've had some really good chats and last night I went home with a huge smile on my face.

Everything else is going well. I'm going to Arizona with my family for Thanksgiving, so that should be fun. I'm sorry if I haven't seen a lot of you in a while. Life has just been crazy. Hence the lack of posts. And it's not Jacob's fault either--I'm pretty sure he's missed my blogs too.

School should be calming down a bit after this week, so if any of you would like to do lunch or something I'd be delighted to hear from you.

Post 200: For Guillermo

Guillermo, aka Klobas, Klo-bizzle, and my adopted big brother, was the inspirator (which I don't think is really a word, but I like it anyway) for this blog. He has made a demand for cake.

And since this is my 200th post, just for Guillermo, I give you cake.

First we have a scrumptious-looking cockroach cake. It can survive a nuclear holocaust.



Next, in case you just can't get enough cholesterol, we have the hamburger cake.



If you like explosions, maybe the volcano cake is the one for you. The lava is edible, but has a consistency similar to that of toothpaste.



Okay so this one actually looks like a baby...but it's a cake...


This one is for your inner bad boy.



This is one of the coolest wedding cakes I've ever seen. That's Mario and Princess Peach if you can't tell.


So...this next one is really cool because it combines the two great Goodnesses(es) of music and cake.


Okay this one is just cool. Admit it.


And last, but not least, a cake for bloggers. Complete with joy stick.


Well I hope you had your fill of cake, mon frere. That means brother in French. I don't even know why I know that--I took four years of Spanish!

And there's your Arrested Development reference.

Yay! Happy 200th post to me.

Just my luck

So I was leaving campus (for the second time today) around 6:20 when this guy comes up to me and asks if I'm in the 22nd ward. I responded that I was and he asked if, since we live near each other, he could walk home with me. I was glad to have some company on the way home; plus if I had said no, we still would have taken the same route home, which would have been awkward.

He was a really nice guy, and taller than me. Not cute, but not ugly. I could see how if you liked him you might think he's cute. He asked me the regular questions: Where are you from? What are you studying? Why haven't I seen you at dessert night? etc.

He told me he's studying geography and that he makes maps. I almost laughed because it reminded me of an Arrested Development episode(I think it's the first or second one from the first season) where Buster is studying cartography and someone asks him, "Hasn't everything pretty much been discovered and mapped?" But I didn't laugh, and I resisted the urge to ask this question. He seemed very nice, after all, and I wanted to return the favor. It was a pleasant walk home.

Similar type of story: I'm in a couple of computer/electrical engineering classes where there are typically 1-5 girls per class. Guys talk to me. Nothing particularly flirty--let's face it, their social skills are usually pretty pathetic--but they talk to me.

Guys in my music class talk to me sometimes too. I usually don't talk back very much--that class and the people in it annoy me because it's a 101 class. But still.

I just thought it was funny--some guy that noticed me at church(and he must have really noticed me because I haven't been to our ward for several weeks, and I know I haven't met that guy before), decides to talk with me and walk me home, random guys in my classes are initiating conversations; I mean, where were they two months ago when I was dateless and manless? Don't get me wrong--Jacob is fantastic and I certainly wouldn't trade him in for a cartographer or a geeky computer kid--but I just think it's hilarious that suddenly I have boys talking to me now, when I'm not available.

Just an observation of how cruel and cold the universe is. Just kidding. Jacob's amazing.

Boip

It's so nice to just relax. Seriously. I had a midterm on Friday. And on Monday. And on Tuesday. And on Wednesday. For one of those midterms I went through 7 chapters of slides and Cornell-noted the hell out of them. I got an 80 on that test, which was good enough for me. That class is hard. I got a 95 on my music midterm, and 100 on my religion midterm, so that was good. I don't know about the other one, but I think I got a B.

And now, believe it or not, I'm listening to the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack. It's one of my all-time favorite movies. Jacob got it for me for Columbus Day (don't ask) so he and I watched it the other night with Peas. Le sigh. I love it.

I really don't know what to write about. I think that's why I haven't blogged this week. Life is good. I'm happy, school is going well, I love my roommates and friends... *Shrug.* I'm content. I just suddenly have blogger's block.

Well, I hope you all are doing well. You have my love.

Dad

I've never been super close to my parents. I mean, I love them, and they love me, and I feel like they were/are pretty good parents, but I've never really had any desire to confide in them. I just really like my independence. I rarely asked them for help with homework, I never told them about boys I liked, and I just didn't rely on them emotionally. I'm not really sure why that is, but it just is.

That's probably why moving to Provo was so easy for me--I didn't really leave behind any huge emotional support. But being away from them really has made me appreciate them more. I have a lot of memories that I'm very fond of--listening/dancing to music with my dad, cooking with my mom, playing games with my entire family... It always makes me smile to think about the fun times I've had with them. I love them dearly.

We still aren't very close. I call them once a week. Talking with them during the week is rare and is always a surprise. I've been trying to tell them more about my life because I want them to feel included and because I want them to be a part of my life in some small way or another. It was sort of a big deal for me to tell my mom that I'm dating Jacob. But we're getting better at talking. It's one of my favorite things to hear my mom's excited voice telling me something new about the family or what she's been up to. I really love those moments.

I'm closer to my mom than my dad. In a lot of ways. People always tell me I'm just like my mom, and I know it's true. She and I are better at talking and at spending time together.

Dad is trickier though. Some of my dearest memories are spending time with him as a little girl; in fact, I'm sure I spent more time with him when I was little than I did with my mom. But then I became a teenager and my interests changed. It was very gradual, and I don't think it was a bad thing, but we just weren't super close. We didn't have any huge conflicts though, so I still enjoyed spending time with him.

We never went to any father/daughter events. Sometimes I was glad he wasn't that kind of dad. Sometimes I wished he would ask if I wanted to go. Sometimes I thought about asking him, but I just thought it might end up being awkward because we'd run out of things to talk about. So we never went. I don't really mind that. It's just interesting to note.

I've always thought he was really cool though. Seriously, I think my dad is one of the coolest people I know. It's one of the reasons I'm really proud to be a Pedersen. He's just so cool. He's hilarious and weird, he works hard, he's way smart, he's way spiritual and he understands a lot of really deep doctrine in a really simple way, he's generous and giving, he's a good speaker, he loves movies and games, he's a natural leader, he's laid back and fun, and he's incredibly selfless.

The past year, I've noticed that I take after him in more ways than I previously thought. And I like that. A lot.

He doesn't talk much on the phone. I'll tell him about my life and then ask what's new. His response is usually along the lines of, "Nothing new. Everything's the same. Pretty boring." I don't really like that. I'm trying to connect with this man that gave me half of my genes, and he has nothing to say. My sister assures me he's like that with her too though, so at least I know it's nothing personal. I guess I just noticed that he's quieter lately. When I went home this summer I noticed he's quieter. He's getting older too. Nothing drastic, but it sort of made me sad.

I got home today was washing some dishes when my phone started buzzing. The screen displayed, "Dad cell." I actually thought it might be my mom calling from his phone--after all, why would he be calling me on a Thursday afternoon?

It actually was him. I said hello and asked what was up. He responded, "Not much, I just hadn't talked to you in almost two weeks so I thought I'd give you a call." That is seriously one of the best things he's ever said to me. He was calling just to talk to me. That really meant a lot.

So he started by asking how school is going, if I think I'm going to get good grades, etc. We talked about Calculus because my little brother Handsome is also taking it. Dad talked a bit about when he took Calculus, and then he asked about my other classes. He and my mom are on vacation now so I asked how that was going. He actually responded with more than one sentence. We talked about Thanksgiving plans and then he asked me all about Jacob. Multiple questions. He actually sounded interested, like he wanted to know all about my life. We even laughed a bit.

We hung up and the tears came immediately. It was only a 15 minutes, but it was one of the best phone calls I've ever had.

This week the trend

So I love going to FHE at the Matis's. Not only are the speakers always really good, it seems like each time there are more and more people I know. I was really glad to see Potentate and the Gymnast there (I didn't name the Gymnast--I've heard that's what he's called--correct me if I'm wrong). And Glee brought his mom, who had amazing hair. AtP wanted to hide small African children in it, but I'm pretty sure he didn't have any with him. I also got to see DanishBoy, which is always a joy. He's definitely one of my favorite people--just sweet all around. Plus he gives really good back rubs. :) (I promise, DanishBoy, I'm not just using you for your gifted fingers.)

Anyway, I just love going. I always get something out of the lesson, and then I get to socialize in an environment that is just filled to the brim with love.

Jacob and I went to the Instrumental Showcase last night on campus. It was really fun to go on an official date with him, and he was fabulous company. I loved that he listened and enjoyed the concert, that he knew some of the pieces before they were played, and that I could have an intelligent musical conversation with him about it afterwards. It was a good concert too. There were things I didn't like, but there was plenty that I did like. Peas was in the Wind Symphony and she was amazing. Her group was my favorite.

The fire alarm went off during the third piece of the concert. The piece happened to be Ghost Train by Eric Whitacre, and the alarm went off at the most intense part. The best part of this was, though, was that immediately after the piece ended (and it ended quite dramatically) the fire announcement said, "Please evacuate the building." Everyone laughed, including the conductor, who had hardly had time to drop his hands. It was funny, until the entire contents of the DeJong concert hall attempted to exit the HFAC all at once. Then it was just annoying.

We got SmartCookie after though, which is always good.

PS I've almost reached 200 posts. Holy. Crap.