On Friday I had just come back from running (I unwisely ended up "running" through post-football game pedestrian traffic--my run turned into a walk for a period of time) when I learned that Hanna the Idahoan horse was in town. I changed and then visited her and her equine friends. We caught up and talked about my opinions of tarantulas. At some point in the conversation, Hanna said that she was glad she had made cinnamon rolls back in May because it led to her knowledge about my strange diet. Her friend Kristen then pointed out that I can eat things now because of Halloween, and then I mentioned that I could eat anything that week. Then they found out it was my birthday, and we ended up taking a spontaneous late-night trip to Smith's to buy some ice cream (I later learned it was just a "frozen dairy dessert") and then ate it by the stream on campus. It was after midnight, so it was technically my birthday. I realized that if our spontaneous celebration counted as a birthday party, it was the first birthday party I've had since I was twelve.
Saturday morning I had to get up early because my ward was doing a service project. But my GPS didn't have the location of the project, and I knew I would get lost, and I didn't want to get lost, so I went back to bed. I don't really regret it. Then I went home. My parents presented me with a collection of random gifts. First they gave me a non-present of used speakers for my computer (so that I don't have to use the laptop speakers if I take it out of my room) but I don't know if I can get them to work they way I want. I got a Michael Vey book. I'll read it eventually, but not anytime soon. I got a giant fake spider, an insulated cup with a skull on it, and some fall-colored peanut butter M&Ms. (The M&Ms, not the peanut butter, are fall colored.) I got the first season of Hogan's Heroes (a show I haven't seen enough of to decide whether I like it, although I suspect I will). My mom nearly forgot to give me two CDs, but the conversation led her to remember. She got me a CD by the Lower Lights, who put a folksy twist on traditional hymns. Sometimes I feel like the MoTab tries to suck the life out of any song they sing, so it's nice to have these songs reinvigorated again. But don't think I'm too harsh on the MoTab, because the other CD was their newest Christmas concert album. I doubt it'll be very good (who likes opera singers anymore?), but I like to collect them. Their concert albums with Sissel, the Kings Singers, and Brian Stokes Mitchell were all fantastic.
After going to Chili's for lunch and doing grocery shopping, we had cake and ice creams. I showed my parents Mad Monster Party?. With my parents' opinions in play, I decided to count it as a Halloween movie, due to its monstery theme and its October setting. Then I came back to Provo and had to do some studying for my test tomorrow. It was a satisfying birthday.
Sometimes as I get older, I like to reflect on my life and the ways I've changed--hopefully for the better. My mission was obviously the biggest catalyst for change in my life, and I think I changed more during that period than I would have during a normal two-year span.
But even though I haven't been on a mission, I still think I've had some significant changes over the last two years.
This is a picture of me on September 15, 2010.
And this is a picture of me from this August, with my nephew Baby.
Two years ago at this time, I had never even seen Baby!
Two years ago, I had recently finished my first year of college. I was searching for a job. I later got a job, and then returned to it a year ago.
Now I have a paid internship as an "editorial assistant." I'm getting exposure to the kind of work I plan on doing in life.
Two years ago, I still had a lot of prescriptive grammarian in me, although it was diminishing.
Now, I am more of a descriptive grammarian. Some of you may have taken a survey this week about the use of "This is he" vs. "This is him" when you answer the phone. The "correct" way is to say "This is he"--but that's an incredibly stupid rule. They say you should use the subjective pronoun when the verb is to be. Never mind that you use the objective pronoun in most other predicates! Those foolish seventeenth-century grammarians created this rule because Latin would use the subject pronouns. But English isn't Latin! Furthermore, French would use an objective pronoun in this construction, and French is from Latin and is more close to English than Latin is! I was a bit dismayed by all of my survey respondents who said that grammar rules are important. It was practically a dagger to the heart when one of my ELang colleagues said she teaches people to answer the phone the "right" way! She, of all people, should know better!
Two years ago I was content in my ELang and editing studies, and wouldn't have considered studying more.
Now I am also a geology minor, which allows me to do all sorts of fun things. This week I got to play on the stream table, which is a glorified sandbox (with plastic sand) that illustrates fluvial processes. One of the times I observed it, it started out looking like this:
Two years ago I was terribly socially awkward.
Today, I'm, well, terribly socially awkward. But I feel God keeps putting me in situations to force me out of my comfort zone. Like my air conditioning going out for six weeks last summer, or my present calling as a ward clerk.
Two years ago I was concerned about being a Halloween tree. If you put a shiny red ball on a green pine tree, it looks good. But if you put that same shiny red ball on a black, dead, ugly Halloween tree, it doesn't look good. Just as I, I would say, am a Halloween tree, therefore I can't have Christmas ornaments. Now I'm more willing to try things that I would consider to be Christmas ornaments. I listen to regular radio stations and even buy songs that I hear. I have some colored pants. And I do some other Christmas ornament things.
On the other hand, two years ago I was kind of ashamed of my Halloween ornaments.
But now I'm not so ashamed. I openly play my music, both Halloween and Christmas ornaments, for anyone to hear. I have my Halloween DVDs, from Peanuts to Bewitched, out on the living room shelf for anyone to see. I'm more comfortable being a Halloween tree, even though I'm less of one.
Maybe there's nothing wrong with being a Nightmare Before Christmas tree.
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