eeny meeny miney mo, pick a President by the toe.

It's that time again, and boy am I ready. Because, really? does arguing over something change people's opinion? Are we all lacking a backbone so much that we half heartedly listen to CNN and then blurt out whatever we heard Wolf Blitzer say last night just so we can sound interesting and educated to our friends? Really? There comes a point where everyone needs to decide for themselves what matters to them. There comes a point when this electionitis needs to be cured and we need to face our fate as Americans. Oh, but it will never end. Because what's next? Whoever is elected is bound to screw something up, and then the radicals will blame it on the democracy or demand that popular vote was not followed and then we'll have another JFK incident and then we will self destruct as a world power. You can quote me on that, because I'd love to be given credit for jinxing the optimism of the American people. 

A few brief anecdotes I've been saving for y'all;

Me: Joseph, who are you voting for?

Joseph: I can't vote.

Me: Well, if you could...?

Luke chimes in: OBAMA!

Joseph: Doesn't matter to me.

Luke chimed in again: OBAMA!!!

Me: Joseph, what about the economy? The recession? 

Joseph: I am not the person to talk to about this.

Luke: OBAMA!!!!

Me: What about the war?

Joseph: I am REALLY not the person to talk to about this.

Luke: Nicktoons said everyone's voting for OBAMA!!!!!

and another

A couple weeks ago, I went down to meet the parents of a certain friend of mine who happens to be a boy and who meeting his parents happens to be a kind of big deal (sorry, i'm not big into details. or titles). They, with the rest of Texas (minus Austin) are (understandably) conservative. Ultra conservative. Would probably move out of the country to protest liberals, conservative. Wonder why people have agency on the matter, conservative. Would like to have as many guns in their house as they want and don't care who knows it GOSHDARNET!, conservative. I usually avoid political talks with these sort of people, not because I don't agree with them, but because I follow a strict "live and let live" policy. Meaning I don't care what you want to do. Some call it apathy, I call it saving myself from many awkward moments, like this one.

Father of the house was telling some joke about black people, and he turns to me to apologize if he offended me or anything. I shrugged it off because, again, live and let live. His son turns to him and says, "Oh, don't worry Dad, she likes black people. In fact, she's voting for one." Screeeeeeech. All of a sudden, all of these judging conservative eyes were ON ME. I felt my instinctive Gilmore Girls voice coming on in which I would say a million unrelated things at a speed faster than lightning in an attempt to undo the previous comment. I resisted the urge, and dug deep down inside for my ability to shut the heck up. Due, in part, to my silence I think everyone just assumed it was a joke so they wouldn't have to get up on their soap boxes about GUNS and EDUCATION and the need for WAR. But, really, they hated my guts and wondered why I was allowed to step on the property. Great first impression, I know.

And lastly:

Kyria: Did you vote?

Me: No, I don't believe in early voting

Kyria: I didn't register, so I can't vote. Who are you voting for?

Me: I haven't decided (obviously lying)

Kyria: Well, if I could vote, I would vote for Obama. Heaven knows we need more niggas in the white house.

Me: KYRIA!

Kyria: what? it's true. 

prompted by food, obviously

In a couple of months I will be returning to the great state of Utah. Last week I was dreading it, but about a day ago I got excited for the adventure. The excitement was spurred by an intense craving for Cafe Rio and J-Dawgs (simultaneously). We're talking one of those cravings that takes over and it's all you think about until you got to HEB and buy a pint of ice cream and realize it won't satisfy the craving so you throw the ice cream away on your way out of the store. If you've ever had J-Dawgs, and then been deprived for any amount of time, you understand the feeling. I also thought about Kyria on those tables at a party at the APX building and realized that at some point she's going to need a sister. Some point. Who knows when that will be.

I also thought about my career life and realized that it's pretty glamorous and ambitious but I still have so much growing up to do. I still have a lot of party in me. I don't want to go to bed at 11. I want to stay up late with hot strangers and worry about school and not have people take me so seriously. I don't want calls about about deadlines and color samples and a plethora of problems. And I miss Wendy's. I mean, I know we have Wendy's here, but I don't eat it ever. I haven't been on a budget in such a long time, since Provo, in fact and I want one.

I'm sure this will pass, and come tomorrow I will want to stay here forever and live without a budget and be with who I've grown accustomed to spending my nights with. I will enjoy being treated like an adult and acting like one and waking up early and taking care of business. Going to Utah just means facing a lot of things I have been avoiding for the past couple of months, but it might all be worth it for the Pork Burrito. 

good morning internet

I don't have time to write one of my famous frivolous rants. Reason being: I feel really sick and I have a lot to do and the sooner I leave and do those things, the sooner I will be checking out of my hotel and the sooner I will be driving to Austin and so my mom can hold me. I've been in this pattern were every night before I fall asleep I think about what would happen if I just stayed right in the slumbering state for a whole day, or week or something. Would the world still go on? Would I fail at life? Would I be fired? Wound they find a cure for cancer? Would they let McCain move into the White House? But then 7:55 rolls around and I realize that sleeping for more than 5 hours is just NOT something I'm capable of anymore. See, I thought that the older I got the more I would sleep- probably because I spend so much time with my grandma and she tricked me into thinking that she enjoys the 16 hours of sleep per night that she gets? What's the opposite of insomnia, because she has it. Maybe that's why she has to take all those pills, because she gets too much sleep. Or maybe she's just old and that's what we all have to look forward to. Pills and sleep. So far I'm sold.

this was a waste of time

8 TV Shows I Like to Watch:

1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Gossip Girl
3. Colbert Report
4. 24
5. Prison Break
6. Anderson Cooper 360
7. the O.C.
8. -

8 Things That Happened Today:

1. Submitted my first Proposal for a builder
2. Drove a LOT
3. Went to the Galleria, and broke my no shopping policy
4. Slept in. again.
5. bought an adorable high-waist silk embroidered skirt,
6. talked to Tim
7. supressed my desire to sleep with work!
8. missed summer

8 Favorite Places to Eat:

1. Chuy's
2. Cafe Rio
3. Jason's Deli
4. Mimi's
5. Taco Cabana
6. Cafe Rio
7. Martin's Cove
8. Tucano's

8 Things I am Looking Forward To:

1. The next time I do something good so I can rationalize buying myself the new Macbook
2. Wearing the aforementioned skirt somewhere!
3. My shows coming online so I can watch them
4. Christmas- scarves, hot chocolate, fires, cuddling, etc.
5. kicking butt and taking names at work tomorrow
6. moving into the cold again
7. sleeping! alone!
8. dancinggg

8 Things I am Passionate About:

1. my family
2. the sun
3. my friends- new and old
4. the gospel
5. shopping
6. walking around with a smile on my face
7. boyfriends
8. sleeping until 10

it's been a good week

Highlights

1.) Discovered The Houston Galleria. Picture this, the Forum Shops at Cesar's Palace - prostitutes + NORDSTROM .
2.) I found a Juicy Couture Outlet. I don't think you understand how much these two words shouldn't go together, but they do, and it was amazing.
3.) While at the outlet mall with the aforementioned Juicy store I found a True Religion outlet. Rodney and I have already planned a trip there when he comes back in December. We have chosen to not talk about the plane trip and the three hour drive that getting to our paradise will entail, we've only dwelt on the positives, like the fact that it's a True Religion OUTLET!!
4.) While at The Galleria, the boy and I managed to spend $40 on candy at Dylan's Candy Bar. Now, I thought that spending over $10 on refined sugar was a talent only Dials were born with, but clearly he picked that up somewhere along the way. The other highlight of this endeavour was that all the candy was gone within 24 hours.
5.) Spent a good amount of time with the oldest 4 Dial children. If I had to make a pie chart outlining how our time was divided, the categories would be trying on jeans, sitting at Del Taco, eating frozen yogurt, and dancing. Oh and dancing on tables would take up a small percentage of one very strange evening that I hope was not photographed.

typical

i fell for consumerism once again. now if only it was my birthday....

Prepare to fall in love, as I have.

Spotlight

i had all these great stories to write about today but, as usual, i ended up talking about myself. so predictable.

i whisper when i want to be heard and shout when i don't want to be. and it works.
i drive farther than i need to because it feels good to do what i want.
i like my jeans very tight. maybe i like my body that much, or maybe i just need some kind of restriction.
i play confused even when i know full well what is going on. i always know what is going on.
i don't give chances. not even first ones.
i am stubborn. so stubborn, in fact, that i purposefully forget how stubborn i am.
i ignore rejection and hang onto hope.
i like when people make me laugh.
i don't like when people try to make me laugh.
i have an easy time spending money if it's mine.
i buy things knowing full well that i am going to return them.
i love the smell of soap on airlines.
i talk about others, not because i'm selfless but because talking about myself is not an option.

Call me old fashion, but...

I used to hate dating. I used to take frequent breaks from this age old ritual by saying I was going to be un-boy crazy for a month or a semester or a season. The last time I took one of these self inflicted sabbaticals was in May. I moved to Texas and decided that with a new city I would live by a new set of rules. No more random boys, no more making out, no more of the drama associated with Saturday nights out with boys whose sole purpose was to entertain me and pick up the tab at The Cheesecake Factory. I thought I was really going to make it. I pondered about all the great things I could do when the only man in my life was my dad. I decided I wanted to knit and work a ton and eat more salad. I had this whole plan ready to set in motion... Then I went to church. And work. And the mall. And everywhere else where there were men looking at me the way I want and asking to buy me dinner. It became increasingly difficult to stick to my guns. Because you want to know what?! I love dating!I love attention and dinner and when they watch you walk and meet the family and get the door and look at you the right way. There's something exhilarating about it all.

Obviously my sabbatical ended about a week after it started, and since then I've contemplated taking a break. Contemplated taking a break and then shortly thereafter realized it is Saturday night and I am hungry for Sushi with a side of light, suggestive banter. Unfortunately, light suggestive banter is just not something my grandma offers. So I snap out of it, like a really stable cocaine addict.

i'll go inside someday

my desire for a Seattle trip has resurfaced. consider this fair warning that if you can't find me one day the first place to look might just be the Space Needle.

Another post prompted by Sonic

Here I am in my hotel room eating a banana pie shake (because they advertised for them on The Hills. I buy into consumerism), listening to Cute Is What We Aim For (navigate me through your body, duh), waiting for my phone call (it always comes), happy as a little school girl. Other news of the day 1.) got my hotel room free- proof that talking a lot really does get you places in life, 2.) love my job, 3.) love not selling pest control, 4.) kind of miss selling pest control. Ok... I know... but I was just so good at it! 5.) I'm in a really good mood, probably because of this banana pie shake. Seriously it is the best thing I've eaten all week, which isn't saying much cause it's Monday, but ask me on friday and I'm sure it'll be the same story, unless of course I get a caramel apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate factory between now and then in which case this shake will be the second best thing I've eaten all week, 6.) Dial girls will all be back together this weekend, 7.) I bought Sense and Sensibility!, 8.) WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR TOMORRROW?!?!, 9.) I haven't been on facebook in a while? 10.) did you hear I don't shop anymore? This is BIG news, it's like making headlines. How long will it last? I don't know. Probably only for tonight because my Internet isn't working enough for a proper nordstrom.com connection.

You know you love me. xoxo.

just some thoughts for the day

"I wonder if we can ever really fathom the immense power of prayer until we encounter an overpowering, urgent problem and realize that we are powerless to resolve it. Then we will turn to our Father in humble recognition of our total dependence on Him." Richard G. Scott, "Using the Supernal Gift of Prayer," Ensign, May 2007, 8

Everyday I receive little quotes to my phone, like this one. It's this program on LDS.org called Daily Gems. So, I have an outlet for my religious ideas, and this is not it, but this quote was compelling enough for me to want to write about it. This came on a day when my snow balling life came to a screeching hault. I had all these realizations; why I'm here in Texas, why we're not together, and what I'm doing with my life (hint: nothing). I also realized that I am powerless without the Lord, which seems to be a reoccuring and profound discovery for me. Profound because I like to have complete control, I don't like surprises or authority or really anything that affects me adversely. Reoccuring because I seem to have to repeat this process, this total concession of my will and power each time I face a new chapter. I used to beat myself up about it wishing I would just get the message, but now I realize that as long as I eventually submit, it's okay to be a little slow because of all the great things I learn along the way. This time I learned that life doesn't wait for you to be ready. It just moves along and your readiness is completely up to you. Ultimately, there are two choices, do what you can to move along and learn and love and choose to be happy, or don't. Luckily, we have help and something to fall back on and He knows the exact outcome.

"I wonder if we can ever really fathom the immense power of prayer until we encounter an overpowering, urgent problem and realize that we are powerless to resolve it. Then we will turn to our Father in humble recognition of our total dependence on Him." Richard G. Scott, "Using the Supernal Gift of Prayer," Ensign, May 2007, 8