The Asian's Blog

What to do....?

2009-08-04T22:29:00.003-06:00

So, I neglected to include Ryan among those who requested I update my blog. Geez...sorry....didn't know people cared that much.

Now that that's out of the way...

Let me explain the complications of my life.

I haven't found housing yet, but I have temporary housing thanks to some very very very nice people. My mom gets the credit for finding these people. She went to the temple the day after I left to move up here. When she was driving home, she saw two women (a mom and a daughter) who were sitting next to her during her session walking home. She felt like she should turn around and offer them a ride since it's so freaking hot outside. They were grateful since they were actually visiting and took a 2-hour bus ride to get to the temple. As they got talking, my mom found out they were from Washington. My mom mentioned that her daughter (me) just left to take a producer job in Yakima, WA. Well...what do you know...these people grew up in Yakima! And of course, they still have a sister who lives there. So...one thing led to another...and now I'm staying with a very kind family. Yay for moms who go to the temple and for people willing to take a complete stranger in!

Anyway...now they're on vacation...so I'm house sitting for them. A win-win for everyone. And on Saturday...I'm going HOME. What??? But I just got to Yakima! Fired already? I hope not. Back in March, I applied to go to this AAJA (Asian American Journalists Association - laugh all you want) convention that's being held in Boston. If you get selected as one of the top student participants, they pay for your hotel, flight, and convention fee. Anyway, I applied thinking if I got it, I would get a free trip to Boston and improve my journalism skills, and if I didn't get it...oh well. Well.........I got it. Unfortunately, I didn't know about this Yakima job when I told them to book my flight from Vegas. So...rather than paying the $175 changing fee, I'm just going to fly home. YAYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!! I'm going HOME! AND I'M GOING TO BOSTON!!!!!! I've always wanted to go there. I even applied to a college out there, back in the day.

Anyway...so the housing thing is pending....although I have some options, and I want a vote.

1. Asian Lady
2. Christian Girl

Let me describe 1: She's Asian. She's married. She's a doctor fulfilling her residency in Yakima so her family lives 3 hours away in Portland. Her oldest son is 12. She goes home every other weekend. She's on-call a lot...and I think that means she's not home a lot. Her place would be a 10-month lease, and if she, for some reason (although it's unlikely since she still has 2 years left of her residency), she moved out, I'd be responsible for double my rent. On the flip side, if I decided I hated it there, I'd be stuck for 10 months.

Let me describe 2: She's Christian (I only know this from her listing on Craigslist). She doesn't smoke/drink. She's my age. She's an accountant about to take an exam to get her CPA license. She did ask me for references. She also asked me for a reference from KIMA-TV so that she could verify I actually worked there. I think we work similar hours. Her family lives an hour away so she goes home on the weekends a lot. Not sure how long her lease is.

So......the thing is...with Asian Lady, I have reservations because it would almost feel like I was living with my mom or something. With Christian Girl, everyone says she sounds intense/paranoid, but we are closer in age, and I would feel more like a roommate than a child. What do you all think? I'm going over to Christian Girl's place tomorrow to check the apartment out and meet her. I'll give you updates on the vibes I get from her then.

I thought about just living on my own...which would be the best and the easiest, but I decided I wouldn't be home often enough to enjoy my own place....and considering, I already don't make much (I mean...no....TV people make TONS of money.....................) I'd rather have the extra money to spend on Haagen Dazs Mango Sorbet...impulse buys at Target....or whatever the heck else I want.

Anyway...opinions, please!

Jack is Back

2009-07-27T01:09:00.012-06:00

Wow. It's been a while. I actually started several drafts of a new blog update (per Rindsey and The Dan's requests) but then never published any of them.

So…it's been exactly 4 months since my last post. In some ways, it feels like the longest 4 months of my life…and in other ways, it feels like the shortest.

I'm sure you all thought I died during my Zion "fun" Run (thus explaining my long absence from my blog), but that's just not the case. I survived…and got my t-shirt AND medallion...which I wear proudly almost every night to bed (okay, so I don't really wear the medallion to bed...all the time...). I even finished the run in less than an hour…which might not be saying much since it was all downhill. But still…

So what's been going on? Well…the last month of school was absolutely crazy. I had finals/final projects/getting ready for the RTNDA convention in Las Vegas + running the 10k + actually attending the RTNDA convention + graduation + moving… April was really insane. I'm still not sure how I survived it all. Graduation didn't even feel like graduation. Maybe because my stupid hat kept sliding off my extra slick Asian hair....

After all the craziness, I packed up my belongings and moved back down to Vegas…with really no plan at all. I really just thought I would find a job at RTNDA since people said that was THE place to network and find jobs. But I didn't find one. Instead, I found myself alone in Vegas…with nothing to do. I knew I had to find a job, but I was scared to death. I dreaded the thought of having to write cover letters….even though I really just needed to write one to send out to as many people as possible.

While my mom and everyone else may have labeled me as a bum living in her house…I was actually putting in a lot of hours working on my website. I'm putting in a plug for my site because...well, I'm dang proud of it, and I truly believe the countless hours I spent creating this website got me to where I am today. Let me tell you this: I have no background in designing websites. I had no idea how to use Dreamweaver. Everything you see on this website comes from trial/error, looking at other people's web coding, and answers from Google. While it is still somewhat in the works, it's complete enough that I can tell people about it. So may I present to you:

www.jackiewatanabe.com

So what has this website done for me? (Well, for one, it's made me a lot cooler since I have my own domain name now) I applied to about 10 producer jobs in various states. All of the jobs I applied to required a demo reel of a show I produced. Most places, I just sent a huge envelope with my resume/cover letter/writing portfolio/dvd of a show I executive produced for the BYU Daily News. One of the places I applied to said I could just e-mail an online link to my demo reel. So…I took advantage of being able to use my new website. I never heard back from any of the stations I sent envelopes to…but I did hear back from the station I sent my website link to. So what now? Let me give you a timeline:

July 2 - Got an e-mail from the news director asking me for a phone interview.
July 6 - Had my phone interview
July 8 - Had a follow-up phone interview with the assistant news director.
July 9 - Call from the news director offering me the job.
July 10 - After receiving tons of support from friends, family, professors, and mentors...accepted the offer
July 15 - Packed my car and left Vegas
July 17 - Arrived in new city
July 20 - Started my new job as the producer for the 5 and 6pm news

So where am I, you ask? If you haven't been following my facebook updates, this blog entry must have been so frustrating for you to read (or maybe it has been regardless). Well…I'm in the great city of Yakima, Washington [[the "Palm Springs of Washington," "Yaki-Vegas," great wineries, fresh fruit, Tree Top apple juice, sports racks]].

I've survived my first week in Yakima and my first week as a real producer (not that producing the BYU Daily News wasn't real…it's just that our viewers probably mostly consisted of our students' families). It has been complete insanity for me. Producing one show is one thing…but producing TWO? Almost back to back? Insane. Add to this, I still don't have a permanent place to live (but we'll save this story for another entry). I was lucky enough to have had experience in a newsroom where we essentially only had 4 hours to get a live, half-hour show ready.

Anyway...so here I am. Yakima, WA...who knew? I was only jobless for about 2.5 months, but it felt like 20 years with all the fuss everyone was making about me not having a job.

Thinking back to where I was 3 years ago...not knowing what the heck I wanted to major in and putting in my request to defer a semester of school (the best decision I ever made), I still sometimes can't believe these things:

I'm a COLLEGE GRAD.
I'm starting the first job of my CAREER.
I'm a PRODUCER.

Now people can get off my back for being a BYU graduate with no husband or prospective husband to "save" me from my unemployment woes.

Jackie's Lazy Journey to Zion

2009-03-27T01:24:00.012-06:00

So...I've kind of been avoiding updating...but I've also been busy with life (and napping of course)? Turns out getting ready to graduate is kind of stressful.

Updating a blog every day is a lot of work! I don't know how people manage....like my friend, Janssen. I'm pretty sure she updates nearly every day, and her entries are always very good and well-written.

I have to confess. I HAVE been lazy. Oh well. I'm still doing way better than I expected. So here we go:

Day Three:

Used Beauregard's family coming into town as an excuse not to go running.

Total Miles: 0

Day Four:

Same excuse...and there was a giant bear blocking every road, so obviously I couldn't go for a run safely...

Total Miles: 0

Day Five:

Sunday!! Day of rest. Heck yes, I'm going to use that as an extremely valid excuse.

Total Miles: zip

Day Six:

Okay, I finally decided not to continue the lazy streak. My roommate, Shena, informed me that every block is about .1 miles. I believe her because she is a very credible and hard-working Provo City meter reader (she goes around to all the houses and gets the monthly reading of how much water/power we use). Using this knowledge, I decided to run around the block my house sits on 5 times because I was too lazy to go to trespass onto the outdoor track, and I didn't want to go very far from home. Well, as I was running, I realized that the north-south stretches are somewhat shorter than the east-west ones....but I had faith in my roomie. I thought about doing an extra lap just to be safe, but I used self-control and overcame that thought. I did take a drive around my block five times to really see how far I went (see how my time is spent wisely?). Unfortunately, 5 laps= 1.6 miles. 6 laps = 2.0 Blast. Well, I tried.

Total Miles: 1.6

Day Seven:

I worked on an application for an Asian American journalism convention (stop snickering...) a lot this day, took a very important nap, and I can't remember what else I did...but I'm sure whatever I was doing was much, much more important than running...

Total Miles: 0

Day Eight:

I came home to find Shena excited to go on a roommate run. How could anyone say no to that? It was actually very refreshing to run with other people...except I'm not sure if I like it or not. The entire time, I struggled because I kept thinking, Just fall behind...you don't have to go at their pace or You can do it! This isn't too fast! You can't let them outrun you! Well, towards the end, I was feeling like giving up, and maybe it's because I wasted all my energy talking and laughing and being excited at the beginning of our run. I did make it, and I didn't pass out...but I did have the melon head feeling again.

Total Miles: 2 (although I should go back and drive the route we ran to really make sure...)

Day Nine:

I had to turn in a test today on campus before 9:00pm. I finished at about 8:50pm. I jogged all the way to the stairs south of campus (I only live a block away) and jogged up the stairs and ran all the way until the Joseph Smith Building. I even jogged all the way back home. All this within 7 or 8 minutes. I think with the stairs included, I can give myself half a mile's worth.

Total Miles: 0.5

Okay...so now that I've written all this out, I realize I have been extremely lazy. I'm going to do better, I promise. Maybe.

Deliciousness Can Really Hurt Later...

2009-03-20T01:04:00.007-06:00

Last weekend, I was introduced to these when I went to Jeramy's (no...I didn't not spell "Jeremy" wrong...it's what we call Jeremy and Amy. Although, now that they have a cat named Luna, perhaps we should call them "Jeramuna")for movie night:

They are the most delicious chips I've ever had! While on my weekly raid of the Brimhall Building vending machines, something caught my eye: a new item added to our selection of overpriced goods! Indeed...the bag of Kettle Cooked Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper was there, waiting for me to throw away my precious, precious signature card money.

Anyway, I went to Wal-Mart today because I just HAD to get my hands on a bigger bag of those. I didn't think they'd be all that popular since they're "new," but there was only one bag left!! I've already almost eaten the entire bag. Good thing I'm starting to run again...this leads me to today's update of Jackie's Journey to Zion!!

Day Two:

I trespassed onto the BYU outdoor track again. The weather has been extremely nice in Provo, so I've picked a good time to start running again. I ran the first mile at what I thought was a decent pace, but found out I actually ran it slower today...9:20. At least it wasn't 12:40... I didn't have the bleeding lung or melon head feeling today, but I had something even worse for the second mile: MAJOR CRAMPING (no, not the womanly kind)!!

We had a Relief Society Enrichment dinner today, and there were delicious chicken salad croissant sandwiches served (apparently the staple food of enrichment activities). There were other forms of deliciousness as well, and after one plate, I was pretty full, but I felt like I HAD to have another sandwich because it was just so delicious, and how often do I get to eat croissants? On top of this, there was a cake, and they gave us skittles to take home. When I got home, I saw the bag of chips, and I couldn't resist...even though I was "full." I then realized the chips would probably dehydrate me, making me feel awful on my run. That's when I decided to drink lots of water before going running.

Man, did I feel all of that. Needless to say, it was not a pleasant run. To top it off, I'm really really sore.

None of this will stop me from eating the chips, mind you.

Total miles: 2
Number of times I tasted my dinner: Just kidding....
On my iPod: Snails - The Format
Madison - Chris Merritt
Dance Karate - Chris Merritt
Baby Understand - Chris Merritt
MakeDamnSure - Taking Back Sunday
In Da Club - 50 Cent

Please try the chips. They really are quite good.

Day One!

2009-03-19T01:12:00.002-06:00

I didn't have a lot of free time today...I was busy until about 10:30 pm. Publicly announcing my running plans in my blog really forced me to get my first run in because I didn't want to look like a pansy on my first day. Perhaps this was not such a good idea.... Well, here's how I did today:

Day One:

I trespassed onto BYU's outdoor track so I could keep better track of how far I was running and also to get back to my old roots (no...not Asia land...). My goal was to just do one mile and see how I felt. A mile isn't as terribly long as I remembered it to be (or maybe I lost count and only did three laps?). It actually went by faster than I thought. I wasn't pushing myself too much and I got a mile time of 8:40. Don't know if that's good or bad...perhaps I shouldn't post times so people don't judge me...and then I'll be disappointed if tomorrow I get 12:40...

Anyway, do you ever get the nasty taste/feeling in your mouth/back of your throat like your lungs are bleeding? Maybe it's just me...but I hate that. Perhaps that's why I stopped running... Well, I had that feeling for just a bit today. Maybe I'm just "breaking in" my lungs. Also...after a mile, my head felt like a gigantic melon...don't know if that has to do with wearing my iPods while running...

After the first mile, I walked a lap and didn't feel like dying too much (except for the melon head) so I decided to run another mile at a slower pace. So there you have it...it's only day one and I doubled my goal. Yayyyy.....

Total miles: 2
On my iPod:
Dr. Jerk - Chris Merritt
Tower of Sand - Chris Merritt
The Cult of Karl - Chris Merritt
Bubble Toes - Jack Johnson
Automatic Stop - The Strokes

(keep in mind some of these were on repeat so don't think I finished my whole run in just these songs...I just go through phases of being obsessed with select songs...and I may not even keep listing what's on my iPod since it may end up being the same for a while, and everyone will think I have a boring taste for music. Man, I hate blogs sometimes...)

P.S. Hopefully every running day won't have an entry as long as this. Don't want to bore everyone...

Jackie's Journey to Zion

2009-03-17T22:21:00.000-06:00

I did track and field all four years of high school. I always loved it...especially when I found my calling as a jumper. I was never competing-at-the-state-level good, but I wasn't terrible, and I was decent enough to keep doing it.

My senior year of high school, I joined the cross country team - insane, I know. I did it to stay in shape for track in the spring. I was the only girl on the team who actually didn't care to improve her time (and didn't have a car with the license plate: RUN4AU)...my goal each time I ran was to simply not die. I think I accomplished that quite well. I even ended up with a medal on my last race. (Wasn't too much to be commended for...it was Junior Varsity and the first 50 people to cross the finish line got one, and I think I was number 45) I remember after my first cross country race, the girls' coach came up to me and said "You know, Jackie...if you didn't do this just to socialize, you'd actually do well." Socialize? Cross Country to SOCIALIZE? Of all the things a person could choose to do to socialize... Well, I guess that really was the only thing that got me through that season...I was friends with most of the guys on the team.

Honestly, Coach, I didn't do well because I didn't want to do well. Long distance running was never my thing, and I think that's why I didn't continue to run after high school. If I wasn't doing running to improve my sprinting speed or increase muscle strength for jumping, running was pointless to me. Sure, I've gone running a few times over the years, but I haven't gone running for more than two days at time since high school. Okay, so maybe it's not just because I don't have a reason to run anymore...it's mostly because I'm just freaking lazy.

Anyway...why all this about my former life as an athlete? Well, years ago I bought these in order to motivate me to stay active:

That obviously didn't work. Of course, they've come in handy sometimes....like for the 20 or so times I've worked out in the past 5 years, and I guess the weight training class I took (yes...laugh all you want...it got rid of a GE) during Spring term...

Well, a couple weeks ago, my roommates were talking about signing up for a "fun" 10K race down in Zion National Park in April to celebrate Zion's Centennial. They wanted me to join in on the "fun." I said, "absolutely not," at first, but then the more I thought about Zion, the more I wanted to do it. Zion holds a special place in my heart because I used to go there a lot with my family as a kid. The race is also downhill, which somewhat enticed me. They also talked about camping the night before, and that really drew me in. I think I'm really getting hungry for spring. I imagined myself just being out in the fresh air again, and the whole idea seemed quite nice(if anything, I could just walk and consider it a pleasant hike). Then I found out that all the participants would receive a t-shirt AND a medallion (the cost for both is probably included in the $25 fee, but that doesn't deter me)! That did it for me. I was in. It's time to put those shoes into some good use.

Anyway...I decided since tomorrow marks one month before the race date, I should probably start preparing for the race. I don't think I'll be motivated to start running again unless I do something....like keep track on my blog. I'm sure you all don't care at all, but it's my blog, gosh dang it! So may I present to you, Day Zero of Jackie's Journey to Zion!

Day Zero:

Today, I mustered enough motivation to write this blog, and I also stretched for about 15 minutes. I looked at my shoes but did not put them on. I did have an urge for a brief moment to go for a short run but overcame that urge quickly.

"May I have your attention..."

2009-02-20T23:52:00.002-07:00

I have mixed feelings about the library at BYU. Sometimes it reminds me of the times I have been so productive, and other times, it reminds me of the awful days of when I really was convinced I was going to die from Calculus II (I still truly believe unnecessary math can kill people).

My favorite place to study in the library is in the periodicals section by the huge windows. I've always just had good vibes from that place. It's peaceful, well-lit, and the large windows help keep me from feeling claustrophobic. I was quite disappointed when I found out that the periodicals section is supposedly known to be a place to pick up guys/girls and make out. I've never witnessed such a thing, and I've never tried to hit on anyone in any part of the library.

As great as this study place is, I have to bash it. I have to bash BYU. Isn't that the normal thing to do in blogs? Well, maybe just consider this an extension of my beef with BYU from this post.

The BYU library says it's open until midnight every night (except Sunday, of course), but it LIES! It's actually only open until 11:30. At 11:30, the student janitors come around to all of the tables and push all the chairs under the table, making clunking noises against the tables. These sounds are amplified by the dead quietness of the library. People, I come to the periodicals section for a reason! It's QUIET. "Oh, Jackie, it's only 5 minutes where they break your concentration," you say. WRONG! Once they're done pushing in all the chairs, they bring out the heavy duty vacuums...and continue using them...until at 11:45, the annoying man on the loudspeaker announces that the library is closing in 15 minutes. He also gives an ominous warning with something to the effect of doors being locked and armed at exactly midnight. But the library doesn't leave you alone there. The vacuums are still going during all of this and then...cue the music! They start to play loud music, signaling your time to leave. That last half hour is completely unproductive.

So why don't they just close the place at 11:30? It's not like the janitors need to start straightening up the place and vacuuming so that they can be out of the building by 12. I know this because when I'm exiting the building around 11:55, they're still vacuuming. It's hard for me to believe that they can finish vacuuming, unplug and wind up the cord, put the vacuum back in its storage place, and then exit the building all before midnight. The warning makes it sound like if anyone is left inside the library past 12, it will self-destruct. The presence of the janitors is evidence that this is not the case. So why, if they're going to stay past midnight anyway, is it necessary that they must begin their jobs at 11:30? If there is a reason, fine! But please stop deceiving me by telling me I have until midnight to concentrate when really I only have until 11:30 to get decent work done.

Also...why can't BYU be like every other university library and stay open 24 hours? Is it because the Holy Ghost goes to bed at midnight? If so, those janitors must be incredibly strong people.

Lost...and found!

2009-02-12T23:18:00.001-07:00

I've lost plenty of things in my years at BYU. I'm pretty sure I lose my keys at least twice a week. I really don't know how I'm still alive. One thing's for sure...I've been lucky I've lost a lot of these valuable things while at BYU and not at any other place.

I've lost my wallet before and got it back with everything still inside it. I've left scarves/gloves/bracelets/headphones only to find them right where I left them even days later. I've left my planner in a shopping cart at a grocery store. A store worker called me an hour later to inform me I had left it. I got my planner back...along with my debit card, checkbook, $100 gift card, $25 in cash, and pretty much my entire life plan for the rest of the semester all in tact (never realized how much valuable crap I keep in that planner....).

Last week, I discovered my CTR ring was gone. I never take the thing off. I haven't taken it off for more than an hour since my senior year in high school when my sister bought it for me. I did realize that the ring was starting to fit a lot looser than I remember. That's the last thing I remembered about the ring. Then one day, my hand just felt...naked. To my disappointment, my ring was not there, and I had no idea where I could have lost it because I never take it off. It wasn't expensive, and I wouldn't have cared except for the fact that I like how it's in the shape of a shooting star...and my sister got it for my birthday back in the day...and I've had it for freaking forever...and without it, I have no sense of right and wrong in my life and am prone to go on drinking binges and karaoke madness (kidding...). Today I went down to the good old BYU Lost and Found just for kicks. They had it. Can you believe it? I couldn't. What kind of a place is this where people are actually honest? Or maybe there's some kind of a Lost and Found fairy/guardian angel. I sure need one.

The only other place on earth I can think of where there are tons of genuinely honest people is Japan. I left my umbrella once at a phone booth, and found it in the same place I left it hours later. Mind you, I had purchased the umbrella at a 100 yen (equivalent to one dollar) store, and Japanese people have eyes trained to detect expensive things so no one probably even bothered to steal it.

Anyway...my point is...I'm graduating soon, and I may not have the advantage of living in a mostly honest people town. I may end up losing all of my valuable possessions until I'm left with nothing. This is just another item to add to my cons side of my list for graduating.

But on a lighter note....I appreciate BYU and their lost and found system. Very efficient especially when there are honest patrons. I thought a post on the BYU Lost and Found would be fitting at this time in life because it's one of the reasons I'm where I am today....So as a treat to you readers, let me present to you the first story I ever did in Broadcast Journalism at BYU and the lame story (funny how I thought it was pretty good when I first did it) that I used to get into the major I love so much. Please try not to laugh too hard.

Now compare that story with my latest story (I think I've improved at least a little):

Potty Mouth

2009-02-12T23:17:00.000-07:00

The following may offend some...but it must be said!

I've always pushed for toilet seat cover dispensers in BYU bathrooms. Why is it that BYU neglects this aspect of sanitation? Do they just assume that every BYU student is morally clean, and therefore physically clean and immune/free of disease and STDs? Yes, you could argue that if it really bothered you, you could just use toilet paper and finagle a make-shift toilet seat cover. However...consider this: What if there's a draft? Also, if you don't strategically place the strips of toilet paper, you yourself could create a draft when you go to sit on this make-shift toilet seat cover and thus blow them right off, undoing all of the hard work you just did. Plus, sometimes when nature calls, you barely have time to carefully and artistically lay out a pretty seat cover.

I've always been a strong critic about proper bathroom layouts and engineering. Bathroom doors need to be installed to swing outwards so that when you're exiting the restroom, you only have to push on the door with your foot or elbow. This way, you don't end up washing your hands in vain. If this is not possible, there should be a trash can next to the door so that you can use a paper towel to use the handle then have easy access to getting rid of the tainted towel.

Automatic anything is usually good in any public restroom. Except for maybe the automatic paper towel dispensers which never seem to work properly or go haywire and spit out too much.

I've only been to one restroom where I was truly impressed and stunned by the magnificently well-engineered wonderfulness of it all. This bathroom was at the student union at the University of Utah. Rivals...and yet, hands down, they kill us in constructing a well-engineered bathroom. Let me describe it to you:

First of all, there are toilet seat covers!!! Then, the toilets are automatic...When you're done, naturally, you go to wash your hands (I hope). But then you're slightly confused...and then amazed! It looks like there's no sink, but actually, there's an all-in-one sink! You just your stick your hands in the portal-looking thing and the soap comes out..and just as you're getting over the shock of the soap coming out, the water comes out! You finish washing your hands and then the hand dryer comes on!! All in the same portal! GENIUS!! Those Utes sure know how to do it right.

So why am I writing about all this? Because I went to the Wilkinson Center today (equivalent to BYU's student union for you non-cougars) and used the bathroom. I almost screamed when I went to reach for the TP and the paper just came out without me having to search for the end of the roll! Then I noticed the toilets now flush automatically. When I went to wash my hands, I noticed the sinks/soap dispensers/paper towel dispensers are also all automatic. Almost as cool as the U...except....NO TOILET SEAT COVERS!!!! I walked out of that bathroom feeling very angry. Instead of spending all that money to make everything automatic, I wish they would have just installed toilet seat cover dispensers. Someday, BYU...someday...

To make this post even longer, I'd like to add another bathroom woe.

I can't stand people who talk on their cell phones in public restrooms. It disgusts me. First of all, I think it's rude to the person you're talking to. Second, it's rude to the other people in the restroom! I was in the bathroom in the Brimhall building yesterday, and this girl's cell phone goes off...she answers it: "Hey, Dave? Hey. Yeah...I'm in the bathroom....I'll call you back." This is all while I'm tinkling away thinking, Oh hello, Dave. I'm glad you can hear me doing my business. Why couldn't you just ignore your cell phone for one minute? Especially if you know you're going to be out of the bathroom in just a second? To make matters worse, I don't think she even washed her hands. I guess this situation was somewhat better than others I've experienced because she actually said she'd call back when she was out...but still...what about those people who have full on conversations while they're doing their business? GROSS. Do people really have such limited time in their lives that they have to continue their conversations in the bathroom?

Anyway to recap...
1)Toilet seat covers
2)Don't talk on or answer your cell phone when you're in the bathroom
3)Wash your hands after you do your business no matter how clean you think you may have been.

Neglected Blog

2009-02-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

So...I guess I've been pretty bad at updating this thing. Surprise, surprise. Well, I'll attempt to make up for it by posting several things all at once. Enjoy.

A Tribute to My Father

2008-12-07T14:27:00.000-07:00

So...I haven't updated in a while...quite a while. I apologize. I know I promised so many pictures from autumn, but haven't posted any. Oops.

Today is my dad's birthday, so I thought it quite appropriate to dedicate this post to him. (Yes, it is also Pearl Harbor Day, and yes, my father is indeed Japanese...but technically he would have been born while it was still December 6th in America.)

I think the thing I admire most about my dad is that he makes the most out of everything in his life no matter what he's doing at the moment and no matter how bad a situation may seem. Somehow he always finds a way to make an alright situation into an awesome situation.

He never graduated from high school, but that never stopped him from getting the things he wanted in life. (I should mention that he recently got his GED, and I'm really proud of him!)

I can't really tell you all the skills he's been able to accomplish on his own because there are too many, and even some that I don't even know about. He is the perfect example that if you want to do something, you can really do it. It just takes a little drive and determination. Perhaps it's a gift he has...that he can just teach himself to be good at everything he tries.

He's one of the smartest men I know. Even though I may not always agree with him, I admire him for having the capacity to think and do things I could never do. Yes, he's a truck driver, but I bet you anything he's the smartest truck driver you'll ever meet.

So thank you to my dad for always providing me with everything I needed in life, and thank you for showing me that life is really what you make of it.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Rise and shout the Cougars are out!

2008-10-11T19:33:00.001-06:00

This is my fifth-ish year at BYU. I don't think I've ever shown any real school spirit since I've been here. I've decided to change that somewhat seeing as it's my final year as a student here.

I don't know why I've never really been true blue coug. Perhaps I still have purple and teal skyhawk blood running through me from when I was in high school. Perhaps it's because I've taken for granted how lucky I am to be here. Perhaps it's because I always thought the crazy pro-BYU people in my home wards growing up were a little bit too obsessed. Whatever the case, I sure have been missing out on some things.

Living a block south of campus definitely has many perks. One of them is that the homecoming parade comes right near our street. Last year, I was too sleepy and grumpy to get up. This year, I feel like I can't miss things because there won't be another year to make it up. And...I have a new digital camera that I desperately want to get a handle on. I rolled out of bed, threw on a sweatshirt, wiped the smudged mascara from my eyes, and headed up the street with my camera. I was hoping I wouldn't run into anyone I knew seeing as I was still in my PJs with quite disheveled hair. Of course, whenever anyone thinks this to themselves, they are 50 times more prone to run into someone. Luckily for me, I ran into two people I've been meaning to get a hold of: Alicia and Jonathan from my ward who just got married this summer - which worked out perfectly because I never had a chance to give them their wedding gift!

Anyway...may I present to you the latter part of the BYU Homecoming Parade!

Cool car.

I didn't get a free balloon....

How did they even get one of these?

They're supposed to be DNA. Hehehe. They were chanting: "We say Watson, you say Crick! Watson! Crick! Watson! Crick!" My sister would have loved it.

The Nursing School. I'm putting this up because she actually smiled at me.

Cute kids.

Beautiful Mary Dawn. I had no idea she was in the marching band!

Giant tooth. Further reminding me of the fact that I really need to go see a dentist.

Don't know how she does it...

These people on their hog were hilarious. They kept pretending they were hiding from the cop and then rev their engine to make him mad. The cop sounded his siren as a joke. They're being friends and making up in this shot.

Alicia and Jonathan stopped by my place so I could give them their gift! (Yayyy sushi!)

Canyon Excursion!

2008-10-11T17:57:00.000-06:00

My roommates and I (and Lindsey!) decided to take a short trip up to the canyon after General Conference. We don't have any pictures of us all together as roommates, so we decided it the trip would double as a photo shoot.

Unfortunately...I didn't think to really pay too much attention to white balance (It was really cold, and we wanted to take the pictures really quickly). I tried to fix the colors as much as I could.

Upon our return to Smalls' vehicle, we found she had a major leak of sorts. Her car was peeing coolant... Fortunately, a man who was there at the time said he didn't think it was a major issue and we could probably make it home safely. We surely did, and Smalls was able to get it easily fixed for $13 the next day!

Oh how Smalls loves him so

She's a little embarrassed I caught her in her moment of adoring Ochango

Beautiful Jess

Yes, Shena. They want to be in the pictures too!

True love.

We all take turns taking pictures with Ochango

Our beloved gnome

Ochango keeps all of our secrets

Uhhh...what were you doing with Ochango?

Shena pleading with Ochango to wake up for just one picture

My visiting teachee from freshman year!

Shena and Smalls examining the leak

The leak

While everyone else was worried about the car, Lindsey and I continued to document the event with our cameras, and Ochango slept soundly through the whole ordeal

Autumnal Bliss

2008-10-01T21:20:00.000-06:00

Happy October!

I've always loved fall the best...not just because you can call it "autumn," but also because it's just so beautiful with the leaves changing all different colors. I think I feel the most alive during fall. It means the start of a new school year, wonderful wardrobes, just-right temperatures, pumpkins, pies (also pumpkin pies), and pretty much everything wonderful.

I remember one fall, my friends and I raked a whole bunch of leaves and made a huge pile under a tree. Then we'd slide/jump out of the tree onto the pile.

I don't think I remembered how much I loved fall until last year when I spent my first fall in the S.o.C. (South of Campus) in the Sugar Shack (the name that our lovely home is known by in my ward). It's nice to actually have deciduous trees around here. It makes for some pretty breathtaking scenery. I'm just sad I didn't ever take the time to snap some photographs last year. Luckily, I decided to stay in this house for another year, and I decided to not make the same mistake again this year. So, may I present to you, the first of hopefully many more to come of pictures of beautiful fall in Provo, Utah:

Training Wheels

2008-09-25T02:05:00.000-06:00

Trying to develop a new talent always sucks. I can't tell you how many talents I've attempted and abandoned. Perhaps it's good to have varied interests...but not when you're not very good at any of them. Jackie of all trades, master of none. Patience is a virtue I too often do not have....especially when it comes to learning new things. I have to remind myself that I won't be able to get it on the first try, and that's okay. And yet, the perfectionist inside me yells, "NO! You WILL be good at it now!"

I'm trying my hand at learning how to use a digital SLR camera. I've probably taken hundreds of photos now with the camera I'm borrowing from my dad, and this picture of my roommate Jess's new bike is probably the only one I'm half satisfied with. It's also fitting because it reminds me that learning a new skill is like learning how to ride a bike...very hard at first, but you eventually get it if you keep trying. The only problem is...I don't really remember too much about how difficult it was or wasn't when I learned, and the last bicycle I owned, I ended up abandoning at a bike rack at Sparks II Apartments.

Nearsighted

2008-09-23T01:21:00.000-06:00

20/20 vision - Something I'll probably never have. That seems so strange to me. It always makes me wonder how much of the world I'm not really seeing. My doctor made me realize today when I went to my probably 10th eye appointment in 3 months that I've been wearing contacts for over ten years now. (First of all, that makes me feel old. Second of all, I'm freaking old!) Can you imagine an 11-year-old wearing contacts? $200 contacts for that matter? Astigmatism, they told me. Of course, I didn't know how bad it was. I was just excited because I had the same thing my mom had, and I was going to be able to wear glasses (*on a side note...my mom thought my sister and I were really strange when we were young because were both excited to get inhalers for some mild asthma...we thought they were cool for some reason.)! Little did I know, my poor vision would far exceed that of my mother's in a matter of just a few years... People don't believe me when I tell them I have really bad eyesight. If only they could be with me at any eye place when I hand over my prescription to an "eye professional."

*Gasp* "Whoa...that's one heavy prescription...."

I don't even know really when or how it started. All I remember is that I sat in the back of my class in 5th grade, and I couldn't really see the little stuff on the board. I thought that was normal. Ms. Col noticed me squinting a lot (Yes...you all are wondering, "How could she possibly have noticed since you're already squinty anyway?" Well, she was a very perceptive teacher.) and urged me to tell my mom to get my eyes checked. You don't really know how poor your vision is until you get it corrected. Funny how your body and mind just adapt to circumstances.

I wonder in how many other areas of my life, my mind and body have just adapted. Maybe I have other bodily handicaps, and I just don't know it because I've never had them corrected.

Google-licious

2008-07-12T02:07:00.000-06:00

Who really needs to call maintenance? I've been living at this house for almost a year now, and it's taken me this long to get our sink fixed. There are some things you must know about this house: First, the shower pressure is AMAZING. So powerful that if you use any other shower, you'll think they're all broken. Second, our sink pressure is incredibly low. So annoying. You don't even feel like you're really washing your hands thoroughly because the water just drizzles. Third, my housemates and I all avoid calling our manager about getting things fixed.....rather than just giving him a quick call, we all just chicken out and deal with things. On the rare occasion that I have contacted him, I requested that he try and somehow fix the low pressure in our sink. I guess he could never figure it out because we've lived with it forever now.

Well...something finally told me I needed to get to the bottom of this situation and last night, I decided to google "fixing a low pressure sink faucet." Lo and behold! There's actually a simple solution! Low sink pressure usually just means the aerator (the part where the water comes out of the faucet) is clogged. All I had to do was unscrew the part, stick it in a cup of vinegar for a bit, and then take a pin to get out crap from the hard to reach places. I screwed the piece back on and....holy cow! We have a normal sink, ladies and gentlemen! Now our sink is almost right on par with our shower!

So...next time you're too scared to call maintenance, just google it! I think the landlord should start paying ME.