Real puppets aren't cool anymore

The youngest age living at my home is 19. And they just moved out to their own place. I'm now the youngest person in my home. I'm 23. I watch things like Gilmore Girls, Everwood, and Grey's Anatomy (that's just a recent development).
I'm in California visiting some friends and I'll be watching their kids this weekend as they head to a wedding in Utah. They youngest they have in their house is 6. (Or at least I think she's 6) Yesterday while I was getting ready for the day I was left alone with Princess Girly Girly (PGG). It was a holiday so there was no school. She was chillin on the couch and I see on the tv bare hand puppets? I'd never seen a kids show like it. They have eyes and wigs attached to the hands. The thumb is used as the bottom of the mouth and the rest of the fingures are the top of the mouth. It was...interesting to watch.
When I was a kid puppets were real puppets. I watched Eurika's Castle. There were dragons and fairies and wizards. They were real puppets. But I guess you have to be different. You can't do things the same as everyone else. Real puppets just aren't cool anymore.

Fight or Flight

Gray's Anatomy season finale was based on the old (well old to me anyway) technical term "fight or flight."

I always thought of myself as a fighter. Who didn't run away from confrontation. It's not that I'm not afraid. I just don't like wasting time.

But then I wonder, am I really the type that stands and fights? Or am I the type to fly away when faced with serious conflict?

I look back on those moments in time when I felt like I was out of control and in pain. And I wanted to run. But then I never did and I never do. I WANT to but I never seem to make it. Why is that?

I think there's more to the theory then scientists and doctors know. Sure you have the fight. Standing there like an idiot and taking your hits whether you have the skills or not. Or....

there's the flight AND coming back to kick A$$!!

I went running on our new tread-mill tonight after I watched Gray's Anatomy. Making plans in my head to run away for the weekend by myself to McCall. A little city in the mountains about 2 hours northeast of here. Beautiful area. As I stepped on to the tread-mill I intended to run until I couldn't think any more while I listened to Rob Thomas. I wanted to forget about my problems, forget about how confused and emotional I've been lately. Run away from the memories of recent events. I just wanted to listen to music and run as far and as fast as I could.

But instead of letting my mind wonder from my woes the music brought me back. I started applying the words to my problems and I saw my enemy in my minds eye and said, "You can't have me!" Yes, I think in those terms. I think a lot about Christ and Satan and about the influences they have on me (Read 2 Nephi 28:20 and 2 Nephi 33:1 and you might understand why).

And I felt the fight come back to me. Which made me run stronger (not faster cause I was on a set speed). My steps were surer and my breathing was more calm, relaxed, determined.

I was weak. I couldn't fight and so I had to run away for a little bit. But that just means I'm getting ready to come back and kick some butt. I'm not ready for a full battle yet, but I'm getting there and I know how to get ready.

I feel so alive!

What I learned in College

1 - If I study every day I won't hate my classes.
2 - If I do my homework every day I won't hate my classes.
3 - If I turn my work in on time because I did my homework every day I won't hate my classes.
4 - If I go to my ALL my classes ALL semester I won't hate my classes.
5 - If I get to know my teachers and not be afraid to ask questions I won't hate my classes.
6 - If I plan my time wisely and stick to that plan I won't hate my classes.

Essencially I learned the keys to not hating my classes.

That was a very expensive lesson.

Pictures from my Choir Trip

This is The Gang. From right to left:
Dolly, Lady, Pepper (me), and Kitty. No these are not our real names. We have our own cute little club with cute names. It's funny how we got them. I'll have to tell you about it sometime.



This is in Spokan. Dolly's with me and that's another choir member Kelly. She's an awesome singer. She's nice too which is always a plus.

Some more choir people. The two boys on the end are Seth and Joey. Joey's the one I tried to hav a CTR (Choir Trip Romance) with but he's a slow mover.

Angel's the crazy looking one, Stephanie is next to Dolly, and Petite is another member of our gang.

So I know this looks like a gross picture. But it's a cool story that goes with it. You see while I was in Spokan we sang at a seminary early in the morning. On our way there we saw a "dead" porcupine and this was about six. Hours later we come back and he's still there. There was a crowd of people (like five) around him. My friends wanted to see and I said, "It's dead there's nothing to see." But they went over there anyway. And guess what, IT WASN'T DEAD!! So we stayed there in the middle of the road trying to keep any other cars from hitting it. Now, you would ask, "Who would hit a porcupine? I mean it's huge! Who could miss that?" Well you're right, they wouldn't miss it. There were two other pools of blood showing that it was indead hit more then once. This guy was pretty beat up. We called the police, fire department, vets were all closed, and animal control. Which, btw, is about two hours away! We were there for hours. We thought if it wasn't dead yet it would be. People would offer to have them kill it. Finally we thought maybe we should. But someone, who lives around there, said, "It's against the law." That put us in a tangent about cruelty to animals. We can't kill them because it's against humanity but don't offer any help to them either so they can die a slow and painful death. Yeah, real smart. Basically the only way this guy was going to get any help was if someone put him in their car and drove him to a vet. Only two of us were willing to do that, me and Kitty, but we didn't have a car.

So we waited some more. Finally someone came that knew a vet and the vet said they would get him. We also had someone go and get a couple of shovels. We put a towel over him so he wouldn't shoot quills at us (Yes they shoot quills) and moved him to the side of the road.

Later we found out that he wasn't dieing. He just had a really bad cut on his tail and was playing possum. HE LIVED!!! We were all very excited. When we went to the temple later that day, just after we left him for dead on the side of the road, we (that is Kitty and me) prayed for him. :) Yeah we are bleeding hearts and lame. But it was fun.