More Lists!!

Oh Happy.

4 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Working at a cub scout camp
2. Obsessing about the Utah Jazz
3. Planning a super cool 14th birthday party at Lagoon
4. Obsessing about lots of things. Lots. lol

4 things I was doing 5 years ago:
1. Breaking up with my first boyfriend
2. Trying to find a summer job
3. Dying for school to start again so I could go back to Virginia
4. Loving my c3PO friends

4 things I did yesterday:
1. Went on a date
2. Called a friend at 6:30 a.m. to come jump my dead car
3. Was consequently an hour late for work
4. Got really excited with the girls at work for the new Batman movie.

4 shows I stop for when flipping through channels:
1. Friends
2. Ninja Warrior
3. What Not to Wear
4. Old-school American Gladiators

4 Biggest Joys of My Life Right Now:
1. Lots of sunshine
2. Things to look forward to
3. Good books
4. The ability to change and grow

4 things that you might not know about me:
1. I dip my Oreos in water, not milk
2. I am repulsed by practically all forms of jewelry
3. My favorite time of day is dusk
4. I have a 49% win percentage on Free Cell and it drives me nuts that it's not 50.

I guess I'm supposed to "tag" someone now. If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged. Yay lists!

I Like to Ride My Bicycle

So I stole Dan's bike last week and it has become my new best friend. I have discovered the pure joy of the Provo River Parkway in the late evening. If I leave my apartment around 8-ish, I can make it to Utah Lake to get amazing views of the sunset and back home without being stuck out in the dark. I've been learning some great life lessons along the way, and since I firmly believe in the list as a serious literary form, I present the nuggets of wisdom collected throughout the past week.

--Coming to a very abrupt stop on a bike twelve sizes too big for you hurts. A bike made for a Lauren-sized person, where I can actually touch my feet to the ground when seated, tops my birthday wish-list. It really hurts.

--Don't wear a white shirt unless at the end of the trip you want an accurate count of the number of kamikaze gnats that tried to take you down...and failed.

--Little kids on trikes are cool. A little dude wasn't watching and drifting into my lane. I slowed way down and said "Watch out, dude" in my best "you're a cute little dude" voice. He looked up, glared at me like he's too cool for school, and proceeded to make the screeching tire noise "Euuurr!" as he came to a complete stop and continued to stare me down. I want a little dude like him.

--It's probably not socially acceptable to exclaim "Racooooooon!" like a 10 year old upon sighting your very first live raccoon in the yard of an apartment complex where boys live.

--It's completely socially acceptable to analyze superhero movies in your head whilst riding, then wonder why no man finds you ridiculously irresistible yet.

--Old people strolling along listening to the same iPod are cute.

--Somedays I just really really want to be a hobbit. Like the days I'm a nerd and listen to the hobbit song whilst riding.

--Gustav Holst should be sainted for the theme from "Jupiter".

--PLEASE WATCH FOR BIKES WHILST DRIVING!!! That's all I'm going to say about that one.

--Biking makes me happy.

Proof that I'm not Dead Inside

I cry in movies, but not in real life. I'll leave that for the therapists of the world to figure out. But I've decided to publish proof that my tear ducts are in fact not frozen shut, in that I will now provide a list of movies that I've cried in.
Most recently: "Lars and the Real Girl"
We've all got a little crazy inside of us. Coolest thing ever watching a little town rally around a delusional dude.
Hardest cry: "Sophie Scholl: die Letzten Tage"
This movie destroyed me. About a girl in Germany in the resistance in World War 2, fighting for truth and right against evil alongside her brother. They get caught. It's set in the winter and there's a whole big sun motif throughout the film. Hmm, parallels to my life at the time? Watched it while on a mission in the winter in Germany. Sun-starved, fighting for truth and right, receiving weekly letters from my brother who was also on a mission. I really embarrassed myself with this one. Definitely the hardest cry.
First cry: probably "The Fox and the Hound"
Why can't we all just be friends? I'm a hound dog, a wroo wroo wroo!
Most obvious: "Schindler's List"
If you don't cry in this movie, you're obviously dead inside.
Second most obvious: "Life is Beautiful"
So devastating, yet so life-affirming. And the little boy! He kills me! Speaking of little boys that kill me...
Most tear-jerking actor: Freddie Highmore
This kid could read the dictionary to me and reduce me to tears. His scene on the bench with Johnny Depp in "Finding Neverland" ripped me to shreds. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" was on TV last week, and just watching the scene where he passes around his chocolate bar to his grandparents made me all misty!! This kid almost made me cry in flaming "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"!! I only saw the first ten minutes of "August Rush" and was in full-out mock mode due to the worst dialogue ever recorded until this kid came on screen and started crying. It's just not fair, Freddie. My little heartstrings just can't take it.
Most epic: "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King"
I can't carry it for you, Mr. Frodo, but I can carry you. Come on! Oh Sam. You're fantastic.
The teenage angst cry: "Swing Kids"
Christian Bale turns Nazi, the pre-emo emo kid kills himself with his banned jazz records, Robert Sean Leonard gets sent to prison for dancing...Swing Heil!
Nerdiest cry: "Apollo 13"
Don't judge. This movie is powerful and had full sway over my life at age 11.
Cry I'm most embarrassed about: "Charly"
I was fully prepared and determined not to cry. I don't know what happened. Oh wait, yes I do. The grandma took off her shoes.
Inspirational cry: "Cool Runnings"
Derice, you dead? No mon, but I've got to finish the race. Go Jam!
I still am not sure why I cried, but I did: "Forever Young"
Mel Gibson gets frozen in a time capsule, comes back 50 years later, ages on screen while racing to his woman, and finds her. Lots of old person make-up. I think I had the flu. That's my excuse, what's yours?
Chick-flick cry: "Steel Magnolias"
I am a girl, after all.

Gotta Think Twice, Before I Give My Heart Away

Ear worms on this lovely Sunday: "Faith" by George Michael (cause you gotta have faith a-faith a-faith), "Oh Come All Ye Faithful," and "Strahlender Morgen" (there's even an enthusiastic elderly German person singing it in my head). On a corny note, I'm grateful for my family this weekend. We rocked it up, with minimal stress from the "freakers". Mad props to you, family. For real. And I am IronMan.

Ear Worms and Wimps

So today I was thinking about all the songs I get stuck in my head throughout a normal day. Here's a list of some top brain space contenders: "Stars of Track and Field" by Belle and Sebastian, the "Full House" theme, "More Holiness Give Me", plus about 5 gajillion inane songs from the top 40 station we listen to at work. I'm ashamed to admit that Chris Brown, Rihanna,
Jordin Sparks and the like (all of whom were blissfully absent from my brain space 6 months ago) are becoming permanent members of my psyche. And I just spent my first blog post talking about them. Brilliant. So I started thinking about the German phrase for "I have a song stuck in my head," namely, "Ich habe einen Ohrwurm"; which, being translated directly, means "I have an ear worm. Now there's an image. Then I started thinking about other funny German phrases (all whilst brushing my teeth five minutes ago)--specifically, some different ways to say wimp. I'm determined to find some more, but the two I do know are fantastic. The first is "Weichei", which, being translated directly, means "soft-boiled egg". The next is "Sitzpinkler", which, being translated directly, means "man who sits to make his number one-ly business". Fantastic, na?