Hot Chocolate Snob

I've had kind of a long day. Majority of my plans didn't go the way I thought they would so to top of this day I had a hot mug of cocoa and thought I'd share the magic of hot chocolate made the RIGHT way.

Don't get me wrong, I'll still drink the hot water and powder. However, if you're drinking this for the sheer pleasure, its worth the extra few cents for the add ins.

mug
milk
chocolate chips
hot cocoa mix (at least 2-3 heaping spoons full)
whipped cream
candy cane is a good addition but entirely optional

Fill the bottom of your mug with chocolate chips and then poor milk into the mug most of the way up. Stick this in the microwave about 1 min 20 secs or until the milk is steamy but won't burn your tongue. Mix in the additional cocoa powder thoroughly (Stephen's is my favorite although I had Nestle's tonight and it was still good). Top it all off with a generous portion of whipped cream. Sip carefully and savor the journey. It starts of slightly cool and creamy and then as you progress further down the cup things become more rich and chocolaty. Don't forget to take breaks to just hold that warm mug and smell the cocoa. That's one of my favorite parts. Cheers everyone!!

Gizzard's are dangerous

Today on my short walk from the parking lot to the lab I noticed a few birds picking at pebbles. Most of us know that these pebbles go into the birds gizzard and help grind up seeds. It makes sense since beaks don't seem to be made for chewing so the gizzard plays an essential role in the digestion process.

This is me taking a moment to say 1. Gizzards are weird/cool and 2. I'm glad I don't need one.

1. I took human anatomy but I never got around to taking a fowl anatomy... So, after looking at wikipedia, I discovered that gizzards are very popular in the animal kingdom. Birds, some reptiles, earthworms, some fish, some insects, some mollusks, and even some dinosaurs had gizzards. In a lot of dinosaur museums they have displays with fossilized gizzard stones.



swEEEEEEEt! I guess the animal swallows the food whole, it swishes around in gastric juices in the true stomach and then the whole mixture gets pulverized in the gizzard. The stones look all polished because of the acid and grinding they do. This is why birds have to swallow lots of pebbles too, since all the acid/grinding seems to wear down on the rocks in addition to those seeds and berries.

2. On a different note, I'm really glad we don't have gizzards. Well, don't get me wrong, it would be convenient. In the morning you could just swallow some pebbles (they've got fruity and cocoa so selling gravel pebbles wouldn't be that much of a stretch) and a whole apple and then race out the door without worrying about having to take the time to chew. Eating time would be cut down significantly. I also feel there is also something very manly about a man who eats rocks. At some other point I'll have to post about the man's man who is the epitome of manliness.... but I'll save that for another day.

You may think it would be cool to save all that time but I think eating would lose its appeal. It seems very... uncomfortable. I hate that feeling when you feel something too big go down your throat into your stomach. Imagine that sensation with jagged rocks...

I also like to savor the flavors and truly revel in my food. Its hard to do that if you're eating it all whole. I guess you could still savor ice cream and we'd all take a different approach to cooking, but that in itself seems like a lot more work preparing the food that should take less time to eat.

Finally, it would be dangerous. Someone could poison you with ease by sticking poison on the inside of your baked potato and you'd guzzle the whole thing down oblivious to the fact that you've sealed your fate. Maybe that's another reason mothers tell their children to chew more slowly. She knows if she trains them well, when they're finally secret agents their taste buds will detect cyanide and they'll have time to spit out the food and/or hunt down the antidote.

Here is a tribute to us not having gizzards. This guy is also famous for doing the periodic table elements song.

Christmas Wish List

Instead of going to bed and being responsible, I'm going to post a list of what I REALLY want for Christmas. I figure I successfully resisted the temptation to go to Sherlock Holmes so this is the lesser of two evils...

1.

My own microscope. I'm tired of not having a place to look at slides at work. On top of that, can you just imagine all of the good time's I'd have at family night? "Kids, hold your arms still so we can collect a decent sample for the blood smears!" Good, wholesome, educational family time. I don't have kids yet but when they do come, I want to be ready.

Oh, and this one has a camera on top so we could capture pictures of all of our favorite white blood cells and put them in the family scrapbook.

2. Bioluminescent Trees. I figure I love the Christmas lights but with a bioluminescent tree, you could enjoy a cheerful arborous glow all year long. There's bioluminescent plankton and fish so a tree can't be too big a stretch. Sure, things would look a little Avatar-y but that wouldn't be a bad thing would it? I thought the plot wasn't very original but visually, that show was all eye candy.



3. My own Galaxy. People get to name stars and stuff and that would be pretty cool but I figure, I'm worth taking that dream and stepping it up a notch. I figure then I could name hundreds and thousands of stars instead of just one.

"This one is Jillapidos, that one is Jillgamesh, this one is Llij (that's Jill backwards)"



4. Time Machine. Bill and Ted had an excellent and historical adventure. Ludo sang a rock opera about a man facing pterydactyls, zombies, etc. to get back to his true love. Dr. Who has one. I could go to the future, figure out who I'll marry and then remove all the drama from dating. I'm trying to fathom how this gift could be anything short of perfection...



This model not only would be functional but a stylish piece of furniture for my new home. I could use some more furniture.

5. Light Saber. Because really, I'm a small girl living in a big city and I feel like a girl has gotta be able to protect herself. Who knows if there are rapists, scorpions, Sith Lord's that'll cross my path and I don't want to be caught defenseless.



6. Cheese. I'm a fan of a Med Sharp Cheddar but I'm fond of Mozerella and Parmesan as well. There are so many fancy flavors that I've never tried too. I ought to broaden my horizons and get some sort of exotic cheese. Doesn't this image just make you salivate?



Yeah... its bed time... I'll dream of all the unicorns, flame throwers, magic carpets I would ask for if I were to stay up late enough to finish this list.

Remarkable Women

Today I was talking to a friend and had this overwhelming sense of "Boy, she's remarkable" flood over me. There are plenty of fabulous women in my life but I realized that this girl who seemed outwardly very average Joe was, upon further inspection, someone far more than what she appeared to be. I wonder how many people I take as "just ______" are saving all of the world's orphans, raising slews of kids as a single parent, battling terminal cancer, and baking everyone chocolate peanut butter rice krispies for the local church potluck.

This is me just taking a quiet moment to think about what I'm doing to become like them. I want to leave this life like Kay Scott or Jessica Wilson, valiant to the last breath. Even when their lives had come crumbling apart and they had every right to be bitter with God and the world, the were faithful, selfless, and beautiful in every sense of the word. I am small, weak, and hopelessly flawed but someday I hope when I meet my Maker I can look Him in the face and say "You know what, I did alright"

Confessions of a girl this many years old...

I was at Target picking up some things for my new place and I noticed something beautiful in the toy isle.



That's right. Legos. Not just any Legos. Ninja Legos. And not just any Ninja Legos. These were Ninja Helicopter Legos. Can the world handle such a cool toy? When I was little I used to sneak into my brothers' room and play with their piles of Legos. I was rather envious of their enormous stache. So many opportunities to create, imagine, destroy, plus they're so colorful. We'd collect the clear short one peicers and and pretend they were rupies like from the Zelda games. Plus there was the thrill of following the directions to put together all sorts of fancy things like castles and stuff.

Well, there I was in Target and there's a whole isle of Legos and I'm a working professional. I can afford to buy whatever toys I want. Thus I wandered over and started drooling over the whole lot. The 7 year old Jill would be so happy.

In the end I resisted the temptation. First of all, I don't have enough storage space as it is. Secondly, I had this vision of my roommate's dog eating them. Then all three of us would be rather unhappy. No... I'll have to come up with other things. I could always build another pinata in the kitchen...

The Awkward Time Bomb

Have you ever been in a situation where you know something very awkward is about to happen and you have no way of stopping the inevitable disaster? Its like a steam engine careening out of control and your standing on the tracks hoping to stop it with your bare hands... not very pretty

So, Mr. Life-Ninja date guy aka David called me on Wednesday to say hi and ask if I was going country swing dancing in Mesa that night. I told him that I appreciated his call but already had plans but would be there next week. We had a nice chat and since both of us were busy we decided we'd hold off doing another date until after this weekend. Since he had finals and I was moving it would make sense to hold off on things until Wednesday

Well, another guy put the moves on me and the conversation goes as follows.
"Hey Jill, you like Lindy hop Swing Dancing right?"
"Yeah"
"How about Country Swing Dancing? Do you know any country swing?"
"Yeah, I know some."
"Do you want to go Country Swing Dancing with me this Wednesday?"

Scenario 1: I could have said no. However, would I go on to explain that I have plans to meet up with another guy there on a "not date"? Do I say I have other plans and then show up only to have him discover my other plans were to go country dancing without him? Do I just blow both guys off and not go altogether?

Scenario 2: I could say sure. However, if David does show up (I'd be surprised if he doesn't) he'll be trying to ask me to dance while my date tries to dance exclusively with me and even if David is slick and manages to sweep me away I'd still likely need to carpool back with Robert and THAT would likely be awkward. I could also have a good time with Robert and nothing will matter that much except David may take me showing up with another guy as a total blowing him off....

I voted for scenario 2. I think "The Rules" would set that aside as the correct decision but the book doesn't seem to be everything I need. How about "How to disable Awkward Time Bombs"? I'd invest good money in that volume.

Power Plants and Maria Von Trapp

Two things.

1) On my way to work I noticed this billowing trail of black smoke. "Funny," I thought to myself, "that's the same direction the hospital is in." I kept driving and after a few miles seriously began to worry that the hospital was indeed on fire. How was I going to find another job? What about all of the patients? What would become of us all?!? Then, I realized it really wasn't the hospital burning down. Too bad for all of the employees at the local power plant. The whole experience made me really grateful to have such an awesome job. I mean, seriously, I fight cancer and run tests like Heparin Anti-Xa and the HIT panel. My job sounds rather hard core... which it is.





2) I had an Aha moment today. I want to grow up to be Maria Von Trapp. Am I the only person who could see me with a trail of kids dressed in clothes I fashioned from curtains, hanging around in trees, climbing mountains, and singing to guitar melodies while doing it all? I guess there'd be a few alterations... I can't play guitar but I recently decided I ought to learn the ukulele which my small hands can handle better. I am not catholic nun but I might consider the monestary if I could be a flying nun.



I'll have to work on that.

Life is a ninja

So there was this time I went Country Dancing... I know, I'm not that into country and it doesn't compete with Lindy Hop Swing, but I felt like I needed to get out of the house and my friend was going and I went "Sure, why not". Well, there was this one guy who danced with me, talked with me, and then asked for my #. He seemed like a cheerful, handsome, intellectual, righteous sort and I figured, "Sure, why not." Just any other guy, right?

A week goes by and he invites me to go to a dinner dance thing with him at the institute building and I was all "Sure, why not." Then we talked and danced some more like we did the other night and then... suddenly I'm at the doorstep going "What the?.... What just happened?"

Dear life, this is Ninjill bowing to your awesome ninja skills because you have snuck up on me and left me baffled. I don't know if I should be laughing, ashamed, giggling, musing... needless to say I ought to be sleeping but we'll see if that happens any time soon.

Working, Pinatas, and Men

This'll be short since I ought to be asleep but I feel like a lot has been going on and I've failed at keeping updated on here so... I'll type quick.

Work is still fantastic although I really am excited for the updated computer systems since the programs they are using haven't been updated in 6 years. I guess they've been waiting to get this program Soft installed for that long so they stopped getting updates and as a result everything done to result patients is a hassle. Fortunately it'll be gone in a month so then things will hopefully be a little less archaic. They do have some fancy technology like this microscope set up so 4 people can look at the same slide at the same time (I kind of want one for myself...). I've been having fun looking at slides from such variety of patients and learning all of the new tests I'll be required to know by the time my training is through.

So there was a service auction in my ward last night and I decided on a whim to auction of a giant pinata. My old roommate Mandy made one once and I paused and thought "Hey, I could do that". Turns out it'll be a lot more work than I initially thought. My GPS took me on a wild goose chase but I eventually found a party store and got a HUGE balloon. Then I started added paste and paper. So far I've only got about 3 done and it'll need tons more before I'm convinced its actually stable enough to pop the balloon on the inside and decorate. It'll be epic though. After its done I can check off bucket list item #97.

As for men... I thought I'd get a LITTLE bit of a break but no, they will pursue... Even just tonight I went to the gas station and some guy spent about a half hour just talking to me and wanted my number. I guess I should be flattered. Even if I'm not particularly interested in the gas station mystery man, I am happy with the overall male population here in AZ, particularly in my ward. There are a few guys that I feel like I'd be excited about going out with. Maybe the novelty will wear off and I certainly won't move fast with anything... But having the hope of something is enough to brighten my spirits.

Off to bed with me. Hopefully I'll have sweet dreams. Something like that dream I had of dancing in the trees with a white ninja... That was a good dream.

Arizona and how I finally managed to get "settled"

Okay, its been like... half a month, maybe more and a LOT has happened since I last posted. I'm going to try to sum up the highlights as briefly as possible since I ought to be getting ready for work in the next bit.

So I left Provo. It was good to leave all of the boy drama, the cold, and feel like my life is moving forward. However, I was sad to leave my friends, my co-workers, etc. I still miss everyone. Regardless, packing went smoothly enough and then viola, I was on the road.

I managed to check off bucket list item #70: Go to all of the temples in Utah. I may have driven out of the way twice, first to Logan and then to Monticello, but I got it done and it makes me really happy since it would potentially NEVER happen if I waited a year or two since there'd be 3+ new temples operating. I'm kind of excited that I can someday tell my grandkids that when I was there age, I had gone to ALL of the temples in Utah and they'll go "Grandma, you're so old!!!"

The next day I proceeded to next drive to Zion National Park and hike Angel's Landing and it was quite the trail. People had warned me how intimidating the trail is and I had a hard time envisioning the chain you cling onto for dear life while other people are trying to squeeze past and, oh yeah, there's NOTHING behind you... you're thousands of feet above the ground and if you fall you're a dead man... woman. I guess it wasn't that hard of a hike and it'll sound silly since I went sky diving and everything, but I still really don't care for heights. Good news is the view from the top is FANTASTIC!!! Made the whole sketchy trail totally worth it.

After that I hiked up Hidden Canyon. It was fun in the sense that you got to scramble up and down the rocks and it satisfied the ambitious "someday I'll be a great rock climber!" adventurous side of me. I didn't make it to the end of the trail because it was going to get dark and it got dark before the end of the trail. I whipped out my flashlight and the batteries were dead.... TRAGIC! I guess its a good thing i didn't keep going or I would have gotten lost or died in the canyon which really didn't have much traffic.

Well, I got to Arizona safe and sound and moved to Fountain Hills. This turned out to be a great mistake (more on that after I talk about some other things.)

I started work and I must say I have the most fantastic job EVER!! I love the lab, I love the people, and I feel like the stuff I'll be doing will be really interesting. Granted, it also feels a little intimidating too since I hear the Pathologists are really picky but I'm excited to be working with the pathologists at all (didn't see them graveyard shift) and to expand my horizons in my career.

I also must say that I love my ward. Its everything I could have hoped for. Lots of working professionals, great people, kind, attentive bishop, plenty of activities, and all in all a really good feel. I'm glad that I decided to leave the student wards and put myself in an appropriate environment for someone my age and situation.

For Halloween I took the time and effort to dress as a jellyfish. The costume turned out quite fantastic. I'll post a picture on facebook eventually. I even had glowsticks so I was bio-luminescent. At one party I was at on Monday some guy gave me a sticker that said i was "creative" and had me participate in the costume contest. It was a lost cause though. There was no way I'd beat the guy dressed like a port-a-potty.

So back to that place in Fountain Hills. I didn't like having to commute 1-2+hours a day to get to everything and I had figured early on it would be temporary since my roommate was 19 and at a different stage of life. It didn't seem like that big of a deal to me initially since I was getting away with rent at $200 a month but Maddy did a lot of small things that were starting to make me more and more unhappy. Things like I put a magnet on the fridge of my family and she moved it to the side of the fridge, she watched some graphic zombie show on Sunday in the living room while I'm trying to eat dinner, she told her mom she went to a birthday party of "so and so, this friend of a friend that I hate"... So in my head I was making plans to move but last Sunday she asked if we could chat.

"I've decided I don't want a roommate. I kind of miss having my space and privacy. Hopefully you're alright with that.

"I was feeling the same thing. Hopefully you don't mind giving me some time to find someplace new. The movers are coming on Thursday and I still don't know what areas are that safe or nice in town and I want something affordable."

"Well, mom and I can help you. Lets plan on having you out by November 11th."

"Ummm... that's not a lot of time but I'll work on things."

The next day I find a sign on my door which states the following.

"Jill,

Mom and I want to have the carpets cleaned on Monday to prepare for some guests we'll be having so we need you out by Saturday. That's longer than the trip Mayo gave you to find housing. Mom and I will help you with the moving.

Maddy"

That message still makes me REALLY upset. Who does she think she is posting an ad and agreeing for me to pay to live with her and then kicking me out on a whim for something like cleaning the carpets. Legally I could sue her for false advertising. There's a guest bedroom besides so there would be no point in kicking me out of my room anyways. She mentions that I can find a place by Saturday but I already have made weekend plans, I have to figure things out with a moving company which would either make things really expensive and/or complicated with trying to recruit members of the ward to help me move all of my things.

Well, I decided the best course of action would be to just get out asap since even if I could fight and get more time to stay there, it was already feeling like a hostile environment and I knew I could be a lot happier if I was somewhere, anywhere really, besides with these two.... Oh yeah, that was one of the worst things. The girl's mother knew everything that was going on. I think the two of them both deserve a spanking for being such spoiled rich brats.

Through a series of blessings from the Lord I found another place and already I think things will be much happier with my new roommate. We have a 1 month lease at this current place and we may luck out and get a really great spot right after at another place. I hope it all works out. In the mean time I'm still here.

There are plenty of other things I was going to talk about like boys (yes, I'm getting problems with men already... meh) and activities I've been to, etc, but i don't have time. Gotta jet! TTFN!!!

Spread my wings and fly away

x Find a place to live
x Find a ward that is epic and make sure said house is in the ward boundaries
x Get awesome job
Find the motivation to pack up all my stuff and go

Halloween Costumes

I'm waiting at the airport to fly to Arizona to house hunt. The whole situation feels a little overwhelming considering I'll be in a new city by myself... So I'm going to write about something completely unrelated to my trip and worry about finding a place to live/moving/figuring my whole life out later.

Halloween is coming up and I feel like I need to make the most of this holiday. The way I see it, I'll be in a new social scene and which costume I pick could label me as the life of the party or a social outcast. Here are a few ideas I thought could be fun. If you have a favorite, let me know.



Okay, I wouldn't be wearing this one... But half of you guys have babies and I figure SOMEBODY could use this idea. I think its absolutely, fantastically adorable.

#1 Jellyfish

I think I would try to combine a few of these methods and make something that would be colorful with the lights and stuff but more of a hat style rather than an umbrella style. I feel like this one is rather unique and quirky but it might get annoying to have all of those streamers in one's face.





#2 Medusa

It would be easy enough to get some dollar store plastic snakes, a sheet, and then do some crazy make up to look Gorgonesque. I think that it would be a lot more feminine and look rather cool but I am stealing this idea from another friend and my friend Deseret from home said she liked the idea enough to want to do it too. Of course, neither girl would be here so that doesn't really matter too much does it.






#3 Mary Poppins

This one would take a little bit more work to put together since I don't have the right clothes on hand, but I would totally be able to wear a simple dress and blouse like hers again... The hat would be easy enough to make too. Who doesn't want to look practically perfect in every way?





#4 Staphylococcus

Not to be confused with "a bunch of grapes". I think it would be fun and it might be amusing to confuse the unmicrobiological. Then again, I think this one might be a little bit uncomfortable depending on the balloon placement and might be a tad bit too nerdy to wear amongst strangers.




So yeah, everyone should give their input. Thanks!

The Morgue

Yes, its been a while. I've been kind of busy with moving plans, running, men being confusing, life, etc. However, tonight I am "training" so I thought I'd take a moment to share a tale that you will hopefully find amusing.

So I was "training" (aka watching someone else do my job) and going CrAzY. I'm a bit of a workaholic when it comes to the lab and I felt like I needed to be doing SOMETHING... ANYTHING. I decided to ask my co-worker Amy if she'd like help doing some WBC diff's.

"No thanks. If you like you can take this Path Review up to the pathologist's office though. I don't like going up there. Its kind of creepy at night... like something out of the Sixth Sense... Just hoping nobody will sneak up on you"

Work!! YAY!!! With a joyful little skip, I ran to grab the key, paperwork, and tray containing some slides and frolicked off to the elevator.

Fact: The hospital is infinitely more eerie at midnight. The elevator door opened and the hallways were only half lit. I walked past the morgue and remembered a strange tale I had heard about a code blue (cardiac arrest) happening in the morgue. When I first heard the story, I couldn't decide if the person having the heart attack was a physician realizing the "deceased" wasn't really dead or if the "deceased" woke up, realized they were in a morgue and had a heart attack. I suddenly had visions of some zombie-esque soul banging on the door of the morgue trying to break out and causing me to have a heart attack. O_o

I scurried quickly down the hall, turned the corner, and fumbled through my keys to get into the pathologist's office. The key ring is a giant metal arrow which I have often found strange, but at this moment seemed mildly comforting. At least if someone came after me in the hospital I was armed.

Wandering back to the lab I decided to sing bousterously to myself. Its hard to feel anything but happy when you're belting "Les Mis" in an empty hospital hallway. I turned the corner and somebody at the end of the hall was staring at me.

"Oh good," the housekeeper said, letting out a sigh of relief. "I was kind concerned there for a second. We couldn't figure out who'd be up here at this time of night."

Moral of this Ghastly Tale: Morgues are spooky at night but Singing Broadway Showtunes can be just as frightening.

I GOT THE JOB!!

YES!!!! ARIZONA HERE I COME!!!!! : D

Jill the Irrational Woman

So, I was supposed to hear back about the job yesterday.... Yep, still no news. I did get a rejection e-mail from Mayo about another job and TOTALLY freaked out... until I realized that it was a different job number and then I became a normal person again. Emotionally I've been kind of all over the place the last few days.

Other highly emotionally charged situation: the fact that guys have attempted holding my hand this month... thats right. Not one but TWO. Apparently I'm giving off some "I'm running like the wind" vibe that is probably setting the men off to act rather boldly. The first guy, well there was no excuse. It was a first date and he didn't really KNOW me (facebook stalking doesn't count). The second guy, well, I've known him forever but I am really not very sure of my feelings on the subject since he's always given off a "we're just friends" vibe (talking about dates with other girls, etc.) Plus I've been trying to move out of Utah for 6+ months.

Since I'm being so bipolar EVERYWHERE right now, I'm going to watch some happy videos online until I am no longer being quite so crazy. Then I can be productive and move forward with my day rationally.




My favorite part of this video is about 1:30. I really like watching the swing dancing too. Dancing is one of those things that makes me feel a deep healthy happy, like having a good laugh. I went social dancing for the first time in a while last night and it really was like soaking in the sunshine.



This picture made me think of something Maren said about men being mystified by the names of colors.



This video always makes me happy.



Same with this one.

To Be or Not To Be

I have a job interview on Thursday. I'm REALLY excited yet terrified at the same time. If I butcher this, I may be in Provo a lot longer than I thought I'd be. On the other hand, the Lab manager e-mailed me to let me know they were going to post the job and asked to interview me less than two days later. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't go through the trouble if she didn't think I'd be worth hiring.

So in this last general conference Lynn G. Robbins of the Seventy gave a really good talk about doing vs. being. Sooo... I recently came up with a long term "To Be" List to go along with my life "To Do" List (aka, the bucket list). Hopefully this is a good start but if you can think of more, I'd love to hear what you think.


To Be List

Spiritual
Christ-like
Faith
Hope
Charity and Love
Virtue
Pure
Knowledge
Patience
Humility
Diligence
Obedience
Compassionate
Purposeful in Prayer
Understanding of the Scriptures
Meek
Grateful
Peaceful
Obedient
Guileless
Merciful
Servant
Kind
Mentally
Intelligent
Wise
Organized
Clean
Healthy
Adventurous
Happy
Serving
Aware of the Lord’s Hand in My Life
Trusting in the Lord
Diligent Daughter and Sister
Domestic
Tolerant
Loving
Financially Wise
Beautiful (Inside and Out)
Modest
Teacher
Missionary
Medical Technologist
Future Wife and Mother
Family historian

My Dream Job

They POSTED IT!!! YAY!!!! It took what, 3 weeks, but I'm glad they didn't forget me after all.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Awkward Hugs

For starters, I'm visiting home right now and it is glorious. Life in Provo is good but home is likewise good, just in highly concentrated doses. It makes me happy, the sort of happy that is refreshing, full, and deep like a drag of ice water after a run. You don't realize how much you needed it until the glass is almost empty.

However, this blog entry isn't about the joys of home (although I'll post stuff about that at some point.

Yesterday I had a conversation about awkward hugs. This blog entry will describe the best of the best of the awkward hugs so you can try them on your friends, spouse, family, etc. Nothing quite shows you care like these displays of affection.

1. Arm trap- Go in for a "bro hug" (see Exhibit A). Once you've initiated the shoulder tap, pull the other person in, let go of the hand shaking hand and wrap this around the other shoulder. This leaves the other person's arm trapped between the two of you with no where to really go. They eventually resolve to just leave their hand patriotically on their own chest (see Exhibit B).



2. The Breather- Go in for the hug and once the person is close enough, breath warm air on their neck. This hug gives exponentially more awkward results in correlation with how well the other person knows you.

3. The Sniffer- Similar to the Breather but replaces the warm breathy exhale witha sniffley inhale. This hug is perfect if you have a cold because no one wants you exhaling your viral breath on their neck and at the same time the sound of your sniffing is acoustically magnified by your diseased state.

4. Back Scratcher- This awkward hug should not be attempted by amateurs because it may be misinterpreted as just "really flirtatious" if performed incorrectly. Obviously you could get away with something slower with a complete stranger. With a significant other I'd try something like a startlingly vigorous scratch down starting mid hug.

5. Midget- When in close proximity, retract your arms and grab the person's sides while keeping your elbows at a 90 degree angle.

6. Keep Holding On- Ignore the "shoulder tap out" and hang on an extra 30 seconds before releasing the person from your embrace.

7. The Leg- Similar to the Back Scratcher, this hug should not be attempted on a spouse since it might come off as flirtatious.

Long....

So I want to share with everyone what things make my life long.

Waiting for the Mayo Clinic to post my job. Two days ago they posted a Med Tech job and I got all excited until I realized it was still graves and it was a microbiology position... Yeah, I swear they did that just to get me all excited and then crush me to the ground. I guess there's still 2 weeks left until I get to start officially fretting about it again.

Moving. I hate it... loath it. It would be fine and all if I had a half dozen boxes of stuff but no... I have piles and piles to the point where after 3ish days of packing, I'm still not done. At some point it may be prudent to break myself of the whole pack rat habit.

Work. My Coulter broke last night and because of the trouble shooting i worked the entire 10 hour shift without stopping for a breather. : P

Moment of Fame!... Sort of

So apparently I ended up in the Daily Universe on Friday for my participation with the Sing For Something organization. The fact that I've been done with BYU for 3 years and that I wasn't AT ALL involved in the performance this year is not enough to deter the Daily Universe from granting me my moment of glory!!!

Okay, now I need to go to bed. :P I'm going to be tired tomorrow since I had two dates dancing this weekend. I should get an A+* for applying what they taught us in church last Sunday for 2 hours...

Bucket Listing...

Amanda showed me this link of an 88 year old woman working on her bucket list and it has given me another boost to work on things.

ksl.com - 88-year-old woman learns to drive semi for birthday

So here are the latest on the bucket list... Many of you have seen these items before but I'm posting it again anyways cuz I can!


1. Marry the most attractive man in the world for time and all eternity.
2. Have the most fantastic kids ever (accomplish after item 1)
3. Learn German and go to Germany on a Family History Adventure
4. Buy a “fixer upper” house and renovate it so it is “our/my” house
5. Save someone’s life (physically and spiritually)
6. Become a temple worker (will complete when I get to AZ)
7. Go to a Renaissance Fair and watch a jousting match while eating a leg of mutton.
8. Witness a total solar eclipse.
9. Learn to ride a horse so I can ride said horse into the sunset. (Galloping horse on the beach.. ½ credit)
10. Learn archery and shoot a bull’s eye.
11. Go waterskiing
12. Go sailing
13. Go to Hawaii (accomplish 13-17)
14. Learn to surf
15. Hike a volcano
16. Swim with the dolphins
17. Go to a legitimate luau with a pig and a spit, the dancing, the grilled pineapple, etc.
18. Ride in a hot air balloon.
19. Learn how to fly a helicopter (or at least ride in one)
20. Go white water rafting.
21. Take a pottery class
22. Learn how to navigate using the stars, or at least be able to identify the major constellations
23. Learn how to perform enough magic tricks to perform a magic show
24. Learn how to juggle
25. Learn how to paint with oil paints and do a portrait of someone
26. Learn origami (cranes in particular, those little jumping frogs [check], and something else…)
27. Join a Big Sister’s program
28. Volunteer at a homeless shelter
29. Write and publish a children’s book
30. Learn car maintenance (maybe take a shop class… more than just changing the oil and tires… I can do that)
31. Go to culinary school. At the least finish copying Grandpa Schuler’s recipes.
32. Become informed, politically, with the news, etc.
33. Grow a Bonsai tree
34. Learn how to earn money in the stock market, about finances in general. (half way done with the book "Women and Money" so I'm making progress)
35. Become the master of myself in awkward situations (look people in the eye and don’t laugh uncomfortably.)
36. Figure out how to discern when someone is lying or hiding something from you.
x 37. Learn how to speed read
38. Go to a rodeo (dressed for the occasion with the boots and hat)
39. Own an island
40. Go on a safari (again, dressed for the occasion)
41. Ride a dog sled
42. Learn the basics of tree and bird identification.
43. See the Olympics live.
44. Break a Guinness World Record
45. Name a star
46. Build a tree fort
x 47. Go spelunking
48. Learn how to drive manual
49. Learn how to do a Rubik’s cube and finish it in less than a minute
50. Do 100 push ups
51. Perfect the art of candy making, particularly chocolates.
52. Stay a night at the ice hotel in Sweden
53. See a film festival
54. Send a message in a bottle out to sea.
55. Go to the world’s largest food fight in Tomatina
56. Take a bicycle tour somewhere (France?)
57. Learn Morse code (Attempted... need to find a friend to learn it with me though)
58. Summit Half Dome
59. Ride an elephant
60. Plant an orchard and win an award using fruit grown in said orchard (like award winning apple pie or peach preserves)
61. Figure out how to do a head stand or hand stand
62. Go to New Zealand to see the set of Lord of the Rings
63. Scuba at the Great Barrier Reef
64. Learn how to ice sculpt
65. Serve a mission
66. Learn how to whittle a stick, maybe an instrument?
67. Learn how to play all the hymns in the hymnal
68. Build an igloo and sleep in it.
69. Spend a year in a foreign country
70. Go to all of the temples in Utah (halfway there)
71. Blow glass or make a stained glass window
72. Ride a camel across the desert
73. Experience zero gravity
74. Moon walk on the moon
75. Figure out how to use a pogo stick
76. Master the fine art of doing a cartwheel
77. See the aurora borealis
78. Zip line tour in New Zealand
79. Learn how to rock climb/boulder
80. Kiss in the rain. I hear it’s magical.
81. See the Hill Cumorah and Manti Pageants
82. See the pyramids in Egypt
83. Go to Jerusalem
84. Fly in a squirrel suit
85. See Wicked
86. Play Quidditch
87. Learn the Napoleon Dynamite Dance… and Thriller
88. Yodel from the top of the Eiffel Tower
89. Have a bird land on my finger, like unto a Disney Princess.
90. Master the art of photography (as in learn all the different features on cameras, space, color…)
x 91. Dirty Dash, followed by mud wrestling
92. Snowboard down a double black diamond
93. Raise a chicken until its old enough to lay eggs and make an omelet from said eggs.
94. Weave a basket underwater
95. Take an interior design class
96. Win a Jack and Jill Competition with a boy named Jack
97. Make a giant piñata and have a piñata party
98. Choreograph a light saber duel and have a staged battle in a public place
99. Watch someone give birth
100. Service Vacation
101. Learn how to ride a unicycle
102. Go hiking with llamas (walked around with llama at llama fest. 1/2 credit)
103. Get a concealed weapons permit
104. Go kite surfing
105. Crowd surf
106. Ride a tandem bike
107. Swim with bioluminescent plankton
108. Visit the Sedlec Ossuary, aka Church made out of bones, Czech Republic
109. Write “Thank You” notes to my elementary school teachers
110. Attend Loy Krathong Festival of lanterns in Thailand
111. Go blob jumping
112. Ride a mattress down a stair case
113. Make a crop circle
114. Float in the Dead Sea
115. Have an ice cream flavor named after me
116. Be an extra in a movie… not a home video.
117. Ride a Segway
118. Build a HUGE Lego something… Maybe a pirate ship or something…
119. Stand on the equator
120. Travel to all 50 states
121. Milk a cow
122. Pay for someone else’s groceries
123. See Cirque de Soleil
124. Ride a Mechanical Bull
125. Go to a legitimate spa for a day
126. Learn how to do a pressure point message
127. Re-master the art of baking delicious yet nutritious bread
128. Collect recipe book of “recipes people always ask you for”
129. Go to “Chick-Fil-A” dressed like a cow to get free food
130. Attend the World Cup
131. Go zorbing
132. See the rain forest
133. Go to an airport with no preconceived idea of where I’m going and take a trip
134. Go the Parasite Museum in Japan
135. Drive a Semi Truck
136.

So tomorrow I'm going to work on item 70 by going to the Vernal temple, followed by figuring out the whole storage facility thing and top it off with dancing in SLC. If only I could have multiple lives and I might actually finish everything... Bah, why does life have to be so short?

My mouth ain't as smart as it used to be

Fact: Jill is sometimes impulsive to the point of recklessness. Most of the times it involve things of little consequence... things like going out to eat when I have other things I ought to eat, hiking mountains by myself on a whim, going on adventures at the drop of a hat, etc. Yesterday I did something that would have been reckless and consequential if things had gone amiss... fortunately it didn't.

So Tuesday after work I came home, ate some leftover barbecue and cereal, went to sleep at 8am woke up at 10:00am, carpooled with my friend to SLC and had my wisdom teeth removed as well as a few cavities filled. After that I went to institute, to a stake interview to renew my temple recommend, and now I'm at work for the rest of the night.

When I told my coworkers of my plan yesterday night everyone declared I was CRAZY! They told me horror stories of people out of commission for 2-3 days after having wisdom teeth pulled. It made me a bit nervous actually since I don't really use pain meds often and since I'm a smaller person with a smaller mouth I could see the operation being hard on my system. I just had these visions of me being totally incapacitated at work and a sore, swollen, nasty mess from the whole operation. I had visions of a "stoned" Jill missing something big at work and killing someone at work due to all of the meds...

Despite my inhibitions, the operation went really smoothly and besides a little bit of bruising, most people wouldn't be able to guess I even had the operation. No drowsiness from the meds... I could eat frozen yogurt less than an hour after the procedure. I probably wouldn't need the meds much at all if I was continuously icing my cheeks.

The operation itself wasn't that bad either. I had these visions of things being incredibly painful, grinding, and foul tasting. Despite the mornings inhibitions I told the dentist I didn't want laughing gas (hoping this would minimize my recovery) and honestly I don't see why people need it. I'd be listening to CNN talking about the failing economy and then I'd glance over and realize that Dr. Broadbent was grinding away and my teeth or yanking on something. Maybe it had something to do with how I was running on no sleep... Needless to say, things didn't ever get as bad as I thought they would. I'm eternally grateful for modern medicine which put me in a situation where I couldn't really feel anything. I'm sure I'd sing a different tune if I had felt it or if the Dental Hygienist didn't have one of those sucky-upper things that she was quite skilled with so my mouth didn't taste vile.

FYI about the whole job/AZ thing...

So, I'm still in limbo but not a hopeless state of limbo.

Mayo Clinic hasn't posted the job they want me to apply for yet so things are kind of at a dead halt there. I applied at some other places but haven't heard back from them yet. As a result I am in the process of making back up plans to delay my migration South.

I am currently thinking of renewing my contract where I'm living at and then selling it once I get a job (that'd be what... $50 to sell the contract and $200 would be worth not having to move my stuff to a storage facility...) or rent a storage facility and then hang out with local people who wouldn't mind me couch crashing for a bit. I have a few options I've thought of but if you or a friend knows a place I could temporarily live at, I wouldn't mind suggestions...

That's where my life is right now. I hope to have news and answers asap but for now I just don't have them... thus in a few weeks I may be very much homeless.

Dance Partners

Most of you know I love dancing. I'd like to present you with a collage of the guys I danced with tonight.

1)The Old MIA's- Half my favorites didn't show up tonight. These are the guys that really genuinely make you feel beautiful and stunning on the dance floor AKA they know what they're doing. There were still plenty of guys who could dance but without the history, its not quite the same...

2)The Creeper- See Exhibit A. So I've only done three sealing sessions at the temple and at one of them, I was paired up for as "wife" for a guy named Bro Friend. I went dancing two weeks ago and recognized someone and realized it was indeed Brother Friend. Well, to put things bluntly... he's not the best dancer and this week he was creepy. Like, intense, getting in my bubble sort of creepy. He's a nice enough guy but yeah... Brother Friend needs to stay that... just a friend.


Exhibit A: Note the hovering, creepy intense stare, and invasion of space...

3)Orange Clove Cologne- Some guys do their part to make the dance enjoyable by smelling good. One guy in particular always wears the same cologne. 10 points for you orange clove cologne man.

4)Smilers- There are some guys who have good dance faces. One of my favorites looks like this every time he dances. It kinda makes me happy.



5)Zip-line Man- Met a new guy who wants to go to Panama and do a Zip-Line tour. He seems smart, handsome, and he definitely can dance. Too bad I'm moving in a few weeks...

Spoiled Brat and Stumbled Upon

First and foremost, I would like to declare that I'm a spoiled brat... as far as job hunting is concerned. I applied for jobs yesterday and I felt like an arrogant punk snubbing my nose at half the stuff posted. There are lots of jobs and I feel rather competitive in the field. If Mayo doesn't give me the job I want (which is currently not posted yet... stupid HR taking forever), I'll have plenty to pick from.

So I want to share my latest <3. Its called stumbleupon.com. I've heard it declared as crack for nerds and I think that is an accurate statement. They have videos and websites with cool yet random stuff like this.








http://www.dumpaday.com/index.php/2011/07/simple-ideas-that-are-borderline-genius-40-pics/

http://funny2.com/facts.htm

http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/diy_health_remedies/printer.php

Basically... its got tons of really interesting random stuff... enough of this. I'm going to bed now like a good girl...

UWAGS

I want to talk to you all about a disorder plaguing many young men and even some old in our community. Its called UWAGS or Uncontrolable Winking At Girls Syndrome.

Some of you may doubt the severity of UWAGS in Utah. You ask how can UWAGS really effect me? Well, you see some guy and he keeps winking at you and the first thought to cross your mind is "Oh, is he flirting with me?" You begin assessing the situation and then you find out the truth of the matter. He's married. He's engaged. He is winking at anyone female before and after he makes any joke. It may seem harmless enough if a single man is interested in a single girl but its quite another matter if you're at a wedding reception and the groom is winking at you while his fiance is standing next to him talking to her old roommate. 78% of these young men have no knowledge of their disorder or the fact that it scares away some women and confuses others.



If you or a loved one is suffering from UWAGs, there is hope. You can join a support group WA (Winker's Anonymous) or have someone classically condition you to stop winking (aka squirt you with a squirt gun over and over everytime you wink). If that doesn't work... well, I guess the rest of us will just have to start winking back until you realize how ridiculous all this winking is. ; P

Zombie Car Wash among other things

I guess my days were mixed up so I still have one more day until I hear grom Mayo....So I went to get my car washed today which put in mind something my little sister had told me about.



Musical Zombie Carwash. Thats right. I guess it was some kind of fundraiser a local theater put on back home. I feel like my life is not as complete as it once was knowing that something like this exists and I haven't ever been to one... I guess this is something I'll have to hunt down sometime in the not so distant future, or at least when my car gets dirty again.

Here is another reason my life is incomplete. Someday I want to do something like this. I have no idea how I'd get into something like this...



Finally, I have yet to attend Llama Fest. I totally had to miss it last year and this year I'm determined to go. Seriously, who can say know to a festival celebrating one of the world's most fantastic animals?

I guess if a girls gonna dream, she's gotta dream big. Things like marriage, having a family, and going to the zombie car wash will just have to be part of my "someday" list...

The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow

The suspense is killing me... Tomorrow I'll get to talk with Lisa, the Lab Manager, about another position at the Mayo Clinic which she thinks will be a good fit for me but I'm nervous. If it isn't a good clear fit I'll have to brood over things and try to make the best decision. I loath big decisions. I'm grateful for personal revelation, the Spirit, and all that or I'd probably never get married, move, etc. I'd be too afraid of making the wrong choices and messing my life up.

Indecision was Hamlet's downfall and it shan't be mine... Dear life, I will unravel you... In the mean time I've got 24 hours to wait wondering where my life is going.

KaeRn

I ought to be sleeping or taking care of that to do list I mentioned in the previous entry, but I'm going to finish watching a movie I started, write this entry, and then probably go to bed... probably.

Well, today when I was running errands I came across one of the most beautiful sites of summer: A Sweet Corn Stand. Being from Minnesota, I'm kind of a corny person (har har har). But really, corn is a big deal. I passed this water tower to and from school and church on a regular basis growing up.



Growing up, we ate a lot of corn on the cob and for a few summers, my brothers and my best friend and her brothers all worked in pick up trucks selling corn by the side of the road. As a result, we ate EVEN MORE fresh corn and I discovered, with the help of Deseret, that it is best raw. Be a skeptic if you will, but fresh candy corn is way better than other corn, just in the same way snap peas are way better than the reheated peas most of us find in the frozen food section. During the summer everything needs to be barbequed or eaten cool, crisp, and fresh. Its more summery, plus its easier to eat when its cool. Then you don't have to worry about hot corn water dripping down your arm or scalding your finger tips.

The only other way to REALLY eat corn is to slather it in butter and chili powder, rehusk it, and barbeque it. I only found out about it this last summer, but it is divine. Its just the way they eat in Nacho Libre. I can't believe Jack Black would do something like this... What a waste of corn.

Juggling

I really need to learn how to master juggling my schedule. Most people seem to have it down to a fine art, but I really don't. With like with my new stake calling and my job finding/moving plans, on top of all the old things like learning German, writing a book, CE credits for work, reading all the books I'm in the middle of, I feel like my juggling act looks about like this.



Add in the fact that I really have a fun time trying to juggle just one ball and that puts into perspective how I feel. My to do list has about 14 things on it and I've done 3... I suppose this is my cue to stop taking a lunch break and get back to work. : P

Lack of a Plan B

So, to get to the point, I got an e-mail last night saying I didn't get the job but they'd be interested in considering me further for a future core lab position... Which makes me inclined to think that they found someone who was up to par in both Blood Bank and Core Lab. I don't blame them but this does put me in an unfortunate situation.

To move or not to move... That is the question. I don't want to move if I don't have a job lined up. It shouldn't be too hard to get a Med Tech position but I LOVE my job here and I don't want to take just ANY job. I don't want to sign a contract in Provo and find out a week or month later that a new position opened up and then have to figure out what to do about a housing contract AND a deal with moving on top of it... I can see some benefits to staying (Good job, friends, familiarity, dating, etc.) but I can see benefits to flat out moving, even if I don't have a job lined up in the foreseeable future (new friends, new dating scene, new adventures, etc).

I'm going to the temple to brood. Hopefully I can figure my life out... I just wish I had thought out a clear plan B so that when this moment came I wouldn't feel so lost about what I'm doing with my life...

A Good Date and a Job Interview

Jill's vacation is over. It has all kind of whizzed by but its good to come back to work and see everyone and all my analyzers, even if I'm busy the entire 10.5 hours and have a tricky slide from a cancer patient. Well, I have a lot to do to catch up from all of my gallivanting but I thought I'd at least let you know about two events in between my travels that would be of interest.

Tuesday night I had a blind date with Riley. It took a little for the date to get warmed up but I'd say it was a success. Maren Dennis had told me he was smart, a little nerdy, tall, lean, spiritual, active, outdoorsy, and warned me he was quiet and that proved to be all true. I kept asking him things and he would answer and then he'd sort of get quiet when the other couple started talking (it was a double date and the other couple was very talkative) so I tried to balance talking to the other couple and then try again to get Riley back in the conversation.

We went on a Papusa picnic (delish for those of you who've never tried them) and then played frisbee golf. We didn't really know too much about the location and at the third "hole" we lost our frisbee in a bush. However, I made a comment about how the frisbee was "stolen by ninja's" and then he responded with a "some kid was walking around and said 'hey, free frisbee' and ran off with it" and we began bantering which is a big plus.

We ended the date at a frozen yogurt place called Spoon It Up. It was tasty stuff and as we sat and talked I feel like the conversation improved leaps and bounds. Part of it might have been because I got going on bucket lists. Part of it had to do with the fact that the other couple left. At the end of the date it took about a half hour for us to get from the Alta parking lot to me actually going home because the conversation had improved so much. He said we should go out again sometime. I agree.

The following day I had my job interview. I had spent a good while answering the questions on the Mayo Clinic Website job interview page but they didn't ask ANY of those questions. However, the whole process of going through the other questions did leave me feeling prepared and I feel like the interview went well. There are 3 other applicants so I should know by Friday if I got the job. Hopefully I got it. If not, well, what will be will be. I guess if I lingered longer in Provo it would give me time to get to know Riley better and that would be a good thing.

Well, I have lots to do before dinner group so I'm off! I WILL post pictures... If you're impatient about the Mexico photos, you can see the whole lot of them at this link.

http://achf.smugmug.com/MexicoJune2011/June-2011-Jill/17863231_LbXq2s#1366289319_DrxqSSc

Mistletoe

So I WILL post Mexico pictures... along with all of the other pictures I've been meaning to post BUT I wanted to give everyone a biology lesson I learned in Mexico. Hopefully all of you will find it as diverting as I did.

Mistletoe, also known as Viscum album, it a hemi-parasitic plant. Birds eat the bright red berries and then excretes the seeds. If the seeds fall just right, the seed ends up in a tree where it proceeds to take root. The mistletoe will grow right in the tree, sucking its nutrients from the host tree. As the plant reaches adulthood it grows even more berries which more birds eat. Eventually, if enough plants take root, the mistletoe will suck the tree of all its nutrients and it dies.

Mistletoe is also a poisonous plant (at least for humans). If eaten, it causes acute Gastrointestinitis, low blood pressure, and Diarrhea.

This December, I hope we all take the opportunity to share this biology lesson with that someone special before we kiss them under this parasitic, poisonous plant.

WHAAAA!!!

I have a job interview with the Mayo Clinic. This is me taking a moment to be really excited yet slightly overwhelmed that things are really happening and happening fast.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Hummingbirds

I love my Hummingbird feeder. I do a lot on my laptop sitting on the couch in my apartment and I get a simple pleasure watching birds dart about my window in their happy whirring chirps. They fascinate me with wings that are flapping so fast they are a constant blur. They're so small yet they still manage to ride the winds well enough to get through stormy weather (albeit, not without a battle). They are drawn to red, just like a bull, and they charge at each other with similar gusto (I have three hummingbird friends who play tag with their beaks).

I have a confession. Aaron Andrews told me once how hummingbirds will sometimes land on his hand and ever since I've been extremely jealous. Granted, Aaron has a knack for taming nature. This doesn't change the fact that I secretly wish that I could coax the hummingbirds to land on my hand. I think it would be evidence that I'm a Disney Princess or something like that (well... Aaron would obviously be a Disney Prince) Either way, my hopes are kind of remote since I'm too short. Even then I don't know if I'd be persuasive enough to lure the birds onto my fingers, even if I was taller.

Its hard to be Jill sometimes.

The Platypus that could Fly

I have an awful habit of drawing in my church notes notebook. Today I drew a picture of a Platypus skydiving. If I had had more paper I would have drawn him with other skydivers like an ostrich and penguin. However, with my limited space the Platypus won out. I guess its not even a real bird to begin with but I imagined a platypus thinking "I lay eggs like a duck. I have webbed feet like a duck. Ducks can swim and fly. What is stopping me from hitting the skies!"

I can visualize the Platypus stepping to the edge of the plane, pausing to ask "What gave me the audacity to think I was born to fly?" Then he jump out of the plane anyways and hopes that his parachute works.

I heard back from the Mayo Clinic and there will be a job opening sometime in the near future that includes working core lab hours that won't totally kill my social life (9am-7:30pm 4 days a week. I'd be like a normal person again) I feel like its the tipping point, that moment where everything will start happening REALLY fast. I'm at the edge, looking at my life, pausing to ask "What gave me the audacity to think I could fly away to Arizona." I guess we'll have to see if this little platypus has a functional parachute. Here I go!

I should know better

Have you ever thought to yourself "Well, at least that isn't me?" I've realized that it usually gets me into trouble, especially in regards to callings. I really ought to know better than to let myself have such trains of thought because they always come back to haunt me. Well, I've made the mistake again and there's no fixing it now...

So once upon a time there was a girl named Jill who was Activities Committee co-chair in her ward with a boy named Mike. Mike later got called to be stake Activities Committee co-chair and Jill got released. "Well, at least that isn't my calling." Jill said as she accepted a lighter VT Coordinator calling. Its been a few months and Mike recently started slipping hints. Said hints were confirmed when I got asked to go to President Lewis' office. I guess things'll be busy this summer now that I am a Stake Activities Committee co-chair as well as a VT Coordinator.


: P

Some days are just like that

Do you ever look back at your day and say "Hmmm... That's kind of a weird combo" Today was one of those days. Marvel at the randomness of it.

-Book group discussing Lorna Doone whilst eating Lorna Doone cookies.
-Surfing indoors. I successfully stood up on the boogie board and am now ready to try open water surfing.
-Dinner at Wendy's followed by a night at the opera.
-Gave a lady $10 so that she could buy her drugs (at Walgreens)
-Cleaned my stove.
-Watched a video about Snow Leopards.

Yep... I'm pretty sure today will be a little less bizarre but who knows, crazy stuff could happen on my Willy Wonka themed date or in hematology when I cover a shift this afternoon.

Men are Peculiar Creatures

We've all heard about feminine intuition right? Its that feeling a girl gets when she knows something is wrong or that she ought to call that friend, etc. I propose men have a similar sense. However, their sense is limited primarily to dating.

I've mentioned feast or famine principle to many people before (most of you... maybe not Matt Yancy but I'm sure he's heard of it) but I'm 99.7213% sure that it is an actual phenomena. When a guy asks a girl on a date, he somehow creates some sort of force field around her. She is totally oblivious to it but all of the other men can sense it and it drives them crazy. In unison they all decide that they must get in on the action. There must be something that caused that one guy to ask her out. Its a male race to figure out what it is.

So I have 2 dates this weekend as opposed to the 1 almost but not really a date I had all last semester. I guess with me planning on leaving Utah its time for the men to work their thunder. Three words to you, men of Utah. Bring it on.

Up in the Air

When I was little, my parents had a game where they'd let each of us kids sit in a blanket in the middle of the living room. After we got seated they'd each grab the corners of the blanket and then toss us into the air. We managed to get some good height before we landed safe and sound in the blanket. Although the game usually didn't last long (especially when we got heavier) my siblings and I loved it.

I feel like my life is in this sort of blanket right now. As a child I had total confidence my parents would catch me in the blanket. I have the same confidence in my Heavenly Father. If I am doing my part, trying my best and striving to have the Spirit with me, He won't let me walk off of any spiritual cliffs without some sort of warning.

Well, its already June and I still don't have my job figured out and now Germany looks like it'll be on hold until I can find a new travel buddy... My summer looks like it'll still be awesome (I'm going to Havasupai and Mexico) but part of me wishes I had my feet on solid ground.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I know things will work out but the anticipation of when and how is killing me. : P

Word of the Day

One of the joys in my life is the Miriam-Webster word of the day. Half the time I know the word already but sometimes they throw in something bizarre. I find such words highly amusing.

Today's word is nictitate. Its a verb synonymous to the word wink. I think it would go well with my current favorite word of the day, osculate aka kiss. I could write a very successful romance novel if they keep sending me words like this.

With pursy lips and a nictitate, the Palooka endeavored to osculate the Coquette.

I'd sell more copies than Harry Potter if I strung together sentences like that. Well.... maybe. I think I'm the sort that'd be 10x more likely to succumb to temptation if a man leaned in and whispered that he desperately wanted to osculate my face. I guess most of the world might not be as ridiculous as I am.

That Time I Almost Died

I wanted to go hiking... No, I needed to go hiking. This last weekend I went camping with friends and was informed we'd be jeeping and hiking. However, things worked out so we did all jeeping and no hiking. This created a "I need to hike" void in my life. Being the impulsive woman I am, yesterday I dropped my other plans, grabbed my camel pack, threw some chips and pistachios in a backpack, told my roommate I'd be back before 5pm and drove up to hike Y mountain.

I was feeling pretty good during the first part of the hike. Being in nature gives me a buzz that few things can come close to matching. The dopamine from a comfortable work out was leaving me feeling content with life. Not only this but I felt rather smug about my level of preparation. I had my ipod so I could listen to "Lorna Doone" and finish my book group book. I had a hoodie because I figured it'd get cooler at the top. Finally, I brought pepper spray as evidence I was being safe and responsible. The last thing I'd want is to be attacked in the woods by some creep and be totally defenseless. Jill, the Jujitsu, Tae Kwon Do, Pepperspray warrior was unstoppable.

At least I felt this way until I heard a rattler about to strike at the edge of the trail. I probably leaped back a whole three feet and landed in a very rigid "WHHAAAAA!!" sort of pose. The pepper spray was close at hand but wouldn't do me much since I didn't know how far the pepper spray could shoot. Plus, I think if I had sprayed it then it would FOR SURE come after me. I didn't like the idea of being in the mountains by myself without any antivenom or a hiking side kick. ("Robin, pass me the Rattle Snake Bat Antivenom!!!)

I hoped the snake would eventually leave, but of course it just sat there rattling its tale and bobbing its head and flicking its little black tongue. It was a big snake, at least 9 segments on the rattle. I really didn't want to deal with it... However I did want to finish my hike. Finally, I decided to go around the rattler but it wasn't easy (there was a lot of foliage I had to weave through)

This has made me decide to add a new item to my bucket list. 102. Get a concealed weapons permit. Don't know when I'll get around to this one but I think it would be very worthwhile. Then if I ever come across another rattler or a cougar or something I can shoot it and avoid getting poisoned, mauled, eaten alive, or a combination of the above.

Infertility Irony

I worked 18 hours in the last 25 hours. I'm pretty epic like that.

While covering a shift this afternoon I got one of my least favorite tests: Semen Analysis for Infertility. We never receive these during graveyard shift but I unfortunately got stuck running 2 today. Ironically, the first didn't come in a sterile cup like semen tests usually do.

Specimen Processing places a small glass jar on the urinalysis counter. I pick it up and notice a "Gerber" label. Can someone please tell me an infertility test is being sent to me in a baby food jar? Usually people getting a test for infertility don't have to feed their baby. Maybe I'm missing something....

Moment to Mope

They have 3 PAGES of Med Tech Positions for the Company Banner Health yet they only have 1 Med Tech position open at the Mayo Clinic in Microbiology... Yeah, I'll probably apply but I would MUCH rather be in Hematology and Chemistry....

Food snobbery and the Lost Skeleton of Cadavra

Food is one of those things that makes my life beautiful. I could never be anorexic or support creating a magic pill that would make it so you'd never need to eat again. The pill would save time, to be sure, but my time spent eating is time well spent.

I've realized that during the last three years since I've been done with school I've developed a bit of food snobbery. I'm concerned it might develop into a problem. Its exhibits itself in little ways. I've previously mentioned my "I'll eat what I want when I want it" syndrome but I've realized another dimension of food snobbery is starting to get out of hand.

How you eat something has a huge impact on how much you enjoy what your food. Doesn't milk straight from the gallon container tastes better than it does from a glass? A peanut butter and honey sandwich tastes fine but when its been warmed in the microwave and everything is melty in your mouth it reaches perfection. Do you ever catch yourself digging through the dishwasher to get a particular spoon to eat your cereal? Actually, I often want to discard the silverware altogether. I think food tastes better when you've felt its warmth in your hands and let its juices dribble onto your fingers.

So many people rave about eating "natural foods" but I think they ought to consider eating things the natural way. I think if I continue to go down hill with my eating habits dinner at my future home could end up like this (about second 0:50 on).



BTW, I highly recommend the film "The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra". Its a cinematic masterpiece that must have cost millions and the acting is phenomenal. Here is another clip for your viewing pleasure.

Odd trains of thought

Brace yourself. I've been working on my cover letter today since I finally heard back from my boss and this will be a very "Jill" sort of tangent.

I don't know what I'll do when I'm pregnant because sometimes I have bizarre food cravings. I usually have recurring food cravings too, foods that I go back to for a month or so until I start craving other food. Most of the time I crave things like mangoes, cheese, chocolate, yogurt, etc., things that aren't that out of the ordinary. However, once in a while I hit a phase that definitely strays from the norm, such as this latest "I must eat this NOW" fix: Flax Seeds.

I bought a bag of flax seeds to go in my latest bread recipe (which is delicious btw) and at one point I decided to try a pinch full straight. The consistency made me thing "oh dear, I've just eaten bird seeds" until I started chewing and realized it had a delicious, almost nutty after taste. It started with me just picking at the bag as I'd pass through the kitchen but has gotten to the point where its the only thing at the table and I'm eating them without any reservations or shame.

I am trying to decide what I should gather from this odd food craving... Am I turning into a bird (flying would be pretty sweet)? Is this how people get "flaxen" hair (Flaxen hair is actually supposed to be a pale blond but these seeds are pretty dark and my hair is almost the same color)? Am I anemic (explaining a craving for a seed high in Iron according to the bag as well as a beef craving I had a few days ago)? Am I just crazy?!?!?

All I can conclude for sure is that I'm rather fond of flax. It will probably become a more prevalent part of my future diet.

Inexplicable

Last night I went dancing. I very much needed it. There are few things that boost my morale more than a good dance. A dance where the smooth music sways around the room, where the men make me feel beautiful as they skillfully spin me about, where there are enough partners so I'm not having to sit around and wait for the next dance, where I receive simple complements on my blouse, my being a good follow, etc. Its on Jill's list "A Thirteen Keys to Total Happiness" (the others are 2. Good food, 3. Frisbee, 4. Running under the stars, 5. The laughter of small children, 6. Science, 7. Martial Arts, 8. Sleep, 9. Reading, 10. Being outdoors, 11. Snowboarding, 12. People I love, and 13. The Gospel of Jesus Christ)

Well, I was in a splendid mood when a boy I was dancing with very much confused me. I really don't know how I was supposed to respond.

BoyA: Jill, you're inexplicable.
Jill: Whats that supposed to mean? I'm not sure I'm able to really explain myself. I'm an enigma.
BoyA: Well there is something attractive about you and its easy to explain about other girls but for you I just can't explain it.

I really didn't know what to say after that. First off because I wasn't really that interested in him in THAT sort of way. Second because it made me think of Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, the pink one where Mr. Darcy calls Lizzie "Strangely Attractive." He could have TRIED to then clarify, something about maybe my personality, me being nerdy, my aloofness, my taste in fashion, etc. but he just left it at that and now I'm not sure which part of me is so "inexplicably attractive"...

Maybe I just need to spout out some colors and flowers. Maren said those sorts of things mystify men and then he can at least say that my vocabulary is inexplicable.

Jill: I planted some fuchsia petunias this week along with some periwinkle forget-me-nots.
BoyB: Oh Jill, you're so mysterious and inexplicable.

All is Well

According to the laws of dystrophy, what starts out organized will inevitably become more and more chaotic as time progresses. This seems to be true with life. Basically my life is vague and unorganized as far as exactly where I'll be working, when I should quit my job, my plans for Germany, my dating life, etc...

In spite of this I feel very much at peace right now. My life is beautiful and happy and I've decided that it can continue to be this way even if so much of it is vague and unclear. I just need to do what I can and pray about things and Eventually things will straighten themselves out and work out for the best. Heavenly Father has looked out for me in the past and He will continue to look out for me. I just have to trust in Him. Hopefully my boss can straighten stuff out with HR and I can get a move on with the job applications by the end of this week.

MacGyver Moments

Have I mentioned recently that I love my job? I do. I think I'd probably come to work even if I didn't get paid just because I love being in the lab so much (I won't turn down the money though...)

Well, things were breaking last night and I realized we pull a lot of MacGyver type moments in the lab. People don't realize how often things break in the lab and when technical service, engineering, and Dexter aren't racing to the lab in the middle of the night (because we apparently don't need a functional laboratory at night in a 24 hour facility...), we have to do what we can. Here are scenarios from this last year for your enjoyment.

-There was a pipette sampling jam in the Vitros analyzer last night. It would jam, I'd have to undo the jam, reinitialize the analyzer, and then I could hit run again and get a single sample loaded. Then it would jam again. This meant it took about... 5 minutes to run what would take 10 seconds. So I used a pipette bulb and wedged it into the front of the pipette loader so that it would still sense the pipettes waiting to be loaded and then I loaded them manually in the back of the analyzer. Cut things down to about a minute a sample. Not up to par still but considering the 20+ samples I HAD to run on that analyzer.... I felt pretty good.



-Earlier this winter the heating system broke and the was cold air from outside blasting into Microbiology. Apparently, the Bactecs didn't like this because the alarms started going off. Well, I didn't like this so I used cardboard and taped up the vents. My coworker also came up with the idea of using space heaters to try to warm the analyzers back up so the alarms would stop going off.

-There was a power outage a few months ago. The analyzers went crazy and needed to be rebooted but that was nothing compared to the cytology alarm. The cytology alarm went CRAZY! Imagine a fire alarm a few feet away going on and on for a few hours. Well, it would have if we hadn't been creative. Chase and i pulled out a pink micro tub and a bunch of towels and taped it over the alarm. Later we learned we were supposed to call histology.... Well, next time theres a power outage at work we'll be prepared.

Home

A few from my visit home.



We went bowling. These are our names.



These are the scores. Obviously we are pretty pro at this.




Mom didn't know what to do with us.



We were all really into the game. Jessica and I had placed bets about who really was the worst bowler in the family.




My siblings.



I went paint balling with Deseret. I made a friend and FleetFarm while we picked up some CO2.



GUNS!!



Modeling some of the fine hunting attire.



These hats make me think cowboy Michael Jackson



The gang ready to shoot stuff at each other.

Okay.... Cliff Hanger!! I need a nap... and to do my laundry... and to bake some bread... I'll finish this another day.