525,600 Minutes

On this day, one year ago I started this blog. How fitting it is, seeing that school is starting, fall is beginning, and it is also Heidi and Rob's anniversary (congrats, you two!) I've blogged about reminiscing and change before, so I won't go off on that again. I feel that blessings is an appropriate subject for a "milestone" like this. I've been blessed since before I was born, with my parents, my family, my home, being in Utah. I can't think of a better place to call home. I see God's hand daily, and I hope that others recognize it, too. I've faced challenges, overcome obstacles, and learned lessons. I thank God for those things. I thank him for my very very dear friends: old and new. I can't express how much I love the people I am close to.

Enough mush. If you haven't made an account on Pandora, I suggest you get right to it! It has broadened my music interests, and introduced me to some incredible artists that I never would have heard of were it not for Pandora. Just go to the website, and you'll find out what it's all about.  Terrence is doing well, although he picked a fight with Pablo today, and we had to separate them for good, which was going to happen anyway. The weather is growing colder, and I'm actually okay with it. Fall is my favorite season, I just wish it were longer. I've grown tired of war, and hearing about war, so I decided today to make a "Peace Album." More about that tomorrow. I'm sitting on my back porch in the dark, except the moon is full and bright, and beautifully milky. I can also see the stars... mocking me for looking at this computer screen instead of their twinklings.

Little Companion

Today I finally bought a mouse. Two, actually. One for me, and one for my younger sister. I have been wanting to for awhile, and I finally made the purchase. My mouse is black and white, and hers is all black. They are both males, and very tiny and curious. We spent a good 90 minutes trying to decide on names, first coming up with famous pair names, then finally decided that they would be separated, so we gave them separate names, Terrence and Pablo. Terrence, first of all, because it is Steve McQueen's birth name. Second of all, my friend, Trent, suggested it as a name of a pet that I would have. Pablo is originally named after Pablo Picasso, but my sister just likes the name. Anyway, Terrence will be living with me at college in one week, it'll be interesting to see how the trip goes.

"Animals are such agreeable friends- they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms."

-George Eliot

LISTENING TO: Chris Merritt

Girl of 100 Lists

I am a list-writer. I have many notebooks, of which, half of the pages are filled with lists. Never lists of what I need to do that week, or day. Never lists of classes that I have, or homework that is unfinished. Lists of everything but those things.

List of lists I have created (in no particular order):

1. Best Ice Cream Flavors

2. Most tantalizing male voices

3. Places I want to visit

4. Best-smelling scents

5. My crushes ages 8 to 18: "43 boys I've luvd"

6. Greatest rainy day songs

7. Favorite Toys

8. Perfect songs for Summer

9. Most Loved Literary Heroines

10. Most Loved Literary Heroes

11. Favorite Actors/Actresses of the 50s & 60s

12. Books to read more than once

13. Band Names (just in case)

14. Kim Makes Up Pies: Recipes

15. List of lists I have created

These are just a sampling of many other lists I have created. My newest, yet oldest, list is called my "Life List." It consists of things I have not done, but that I am determined to accomplish in this life. Some are really simple, and some are kind of a big deal. Here's the beginning of it: (also in no particular order)

- Travel to Brazil (Recife)

- See Sting in concert

- Sleep in a hammock

- See the sky from a high point, to view the entire dome, and nothing else

- Write 2 good songs on the guitar

- Get a puppy

- Go snowmobiling

- Go kayaking

- Visit Mt. Rushmore

- See Paul McCartney 

- Kiss in the rain

- Paint another wall mural

- Sew a dress

- Speak a foreign language well

- Play/sing in a band

- Visit Liverpool

- Visit Tokyo

- Try every kind of cheese

- Change a life

- Master the art of sushi-making

- many other things...

"Ghetto blasters, phony jewels, cathedrals, castles, making up rules. This is a list of the things I love. I am the girl of 100 lists; from what I shall wear, to who I have kissed. Check items off, let nothing be missed, sing I to myself and my 100 lists..." -The Go-Gos 

LISTENING TO: Band of Annuals

Superwoman?

Usually when I blog... I can think of a million things I want to write about, but restrain myself, thinking, "Oh, I'll just have to be patient and write about that next time." Yeah, well, I can't remember what it was that I wanted to write about right now. It must be lack of sleep. I am beginning to doze off. My cushioned kitchen booth is starting to look like a really nice place to nap right now. Aaaaanyway...

I was listening to NPR this morning (as usual) and the news was being broadcasted about Russia and Georgia's conflict, rehab for juveniles, murder in Beijing, etc. I also overheard a few bits of conversation by my neighbors about mail-order babies, and it sparked my thinking a little. Or rather... it shook my soul. There are so many things going on in the world, and there are days when all I want to do is help make them all right! Where do I begin? After going to a convocation about bioluminescence and aquatic life, I immediately wanted to save the whales. Seeing how frustrating and terrifying cancer can be, I want to do anything that will help find a cure.  I can't accomplish these things, however, and it kind of puts a damper on my soul sometimes. The great thing is, it's only for a short moment. I realize I try hard to make the world a better place, and that's enough. Prayers, faith, and trust in God, along with some service, dedication, and sacrifice can bring about miracles. Whether it's saving a single spider from being squished, or tutoring an underprivileged child, everyone can make some difference. It's also about being a Christlike example to others. Let them see your light. I can change the world. Cheesy, I know, but it's a big deal, and it's true. Try something selfless and see how you feel.

"Yes, how many times can a man turn his head, and pretend that he just doesn't see... And how many ears must one man have before he can hear people cry... how many deaths will it take till he knows that too many people have died? The answer, my friend, is blowin in the wind. The answer is blowin in the wind." 

                                                                                                                           -Bob Dylan

A Hard Day's Job

I know most people I associate with have not gone into their full-blown careers yet. We have part-time, and summer jobs so we can scrape our ways through college. Currently, I am working 2.5 jobs for the summer. I was working a third, at Bath & Body Works, but it was just too stupid to work 3 hours shifts 20 minutes away. My jobs right now:

1. Britches Inc: This is probably the most peculiar job I have ever had, although for others it may not seem so peculiar. Basically, I sit behind a counter in a boutique for 9 hours. Usually I Facebook (I'm ashamed), Blog (like right now), and read. Every once in awhile I'll get tired and have to stretch or excersize. If I'm lucky I'll have a couple of customers, and if I'm REALLY lucky, they'll buy something. It's a simple job, but I do have to study the great mysteries of the brassiere. My favorite part of the job is probably selling to husbands and boyfriends. I can tell they feel like I did before I worked here: "Is that like a permanent wedgie?"

2. Promontory Kids Cabin: The most draining job I have ever had, yet, it keeps me energized. Promontory Kids Cabin is like the mini version of Promontory Ranch club, it's just for kids. It's open 7 days a week from 9-5, and we do camps and workshops all summer. Every Tuesday I get to teach art, which can be fun and frustrating. To sum it up, I play with 4-12 year-old kids all day. It's a fun job! We did Movie Making Camp a couple of weeks ago, and I got to write the scripts. It's amazing what talents and dedication can show when kids are doing something they love.

2 1/2. Babysitting: Sounds like a job for a 14-year-old, right? Well, does a teenager get paid $20 an hour to play with a couple of kids, eat whatever he/she wants, and then watch TV the rest of the night? I think not. I should say that I "Nanny," except that it's not the same kids. I'm not complaining.

When I think about my future, I will sure be happy to be doing something I love. Being able to use my creativity and ideas to create anything! For now I'll just stick with selling thongs.


"Now I am older, the more I see, the less I know for sure. Now I am older, the future is bright and so is the hour." - John Lennon

Shawty

My new goal is: to shorten the length of my blog posts! They are too much like essays. Nobody really wants to read essays. Done.

Writing

"I should write a book."

A phrase I hear often. A line heard in films, read in novels, whatever. How often does it really happen. To say the least, there are millions of books in the world, published, in the process or otherwise. It seems as though we who enjoy reading are addicted to the printed word, keeping a place for each character, place, and lesson in our hearts and minds. But I'll talk about reading some other time.

If you don't want to read about my writing, please skip to the next paragraph. I've kept a collection of "novels" and other ideas for stories in a couple of journals since I was 14. None of those stories are even near half-way through when it comes to the vision I have for them. I realized about 2 weeks ago that my situation is like that of Jo March in Little Women, or Anne Shirley in that I seem to write dramatic fantasy tales, or vicarious teen novels. I tried a new source for my ideas. Not necessarily from personal experience, but from real-life characters and people that I have come in contact with one way or another. I began writing it, thinking about what I wanted to happen, then realized that I was going to go about it in a way that was more like an exploration of my mind than scripting out a basic plot. Thus far there is no romance and very little drama. It seems to come as a vision when I am writing rather than a conclusion that I must lead up to. It seems as though I come up with story ideas that have a beginning and an end, with very little plot in between. It's very easy for me to begin a story, but when it comes to filling in the plot, I tend to drag, and make little progression in the way of creating a climax. Another note: all of the stories I have started are about 40 pages long, and no longer. I just get so many ideas, and get bored with the old ones., that I have to start a new one.

Enough about that "novel."

How is it that authors retain such distinctive styles in their writing. Some that are so obvious, and others subtle enough that it is difficult to capture exactly what it is that distinguishes them from the rest. Is it the vocabulary? Sentence structure? The type of stories they tell, or character development? I have a hard time pin pointing which of these qualities my favorite authors encompass.

Think about writing. Do you have a knack for poetry, or great story ideas? Writing is a great way to get to know ourselves. I find that when I write in a journal, or blog, I learn more about my motivations, attitude, and ways of thinking. When you write without purpose, just free writing, it's like drawing a picture of your thoughts. It can be theraputic as well. Whatever the reason, write. Write your thoughts, dreams, what you see, what you do, how you feel, write about something you love. Write about something you hate. Write.