...And the Rest of the Days.

Well, due to the amount of snow and the recent holiday, my 30 day challenge of a Healthier Me sort of went out with a flop!. I do, however, continue to take long walks outside (but that will most likely come to an end when I get up to Idaho, seeing as their is twice as much snow) and often think about what I might do if I ever go to the on-campus gym... That counts as exercise right? Thinking? Well. Anyway. I best be finishing. I have better things to blog about. I think.

My Book.

When I was sixteen years old I wrote a book with one of my dear friends. It was based on the book "Sorcery and Cecilia" (which is really good, by the way) in which there are two characters writing back and forth to each other in a series of letters. The book took us about six or so months to complete and there is a total of seventy letters.

Anyway, my dear friend moved away for school and soon married. While I've been home during my off-track I took the liberty of typing The Game up with my dear friend's younger sister, who is, in fact, another dear friend of mine. After a while we finished typing and I sent off (via-website) the manuscript to a self-publishing company called Lulu. The book was very inexpensive, considering, and it took about two weeks to get here.

I got the finished product weeks ago, but was unable to post about it due to the fact that this dear friend of mine had no idea of its existence. It was a surprise Christmas present.

Here is the finished product:

Avatar.

I watched the new movie "Avatar" today. I got to watch it in 3D! If you have a choice, see it in 3D. It's totally worth the extra $2.

Directed by the oh-so-famous James Cameron, "Avatar" is a futuristic movie about a paraplegic war veteran, Jake Sully, who is brought to another planet, Pandora, which is inhabited by the Na'vi, a humanoid race with their own language and culture. Those from Earth find themselves at odds with each other and the local culture. And I won't say any more than that because if I do, I'll be giving away the entire plot.

Anyway. "Avatar" was A-MA-ZING! I totally give it an A+. I loved it! Loved it! Loved it! ...But, I'd prefer it if you didn't blame me when you go to see it with huge expectations and you end up hating it. But you shouldn't. I will be sad.

It's rated PG-13. To put it plainly, there is quite a bit of swearing and a kissy scene, but I suppose for most of you that's not a big deal. Well, moving right along. The soundtrack is totally awesome. The graphics, the plot, everything is very well done! If you haven't seen it, do. And if you can see it in 3D, do to!

Day 27

Lots of water, lots of fruit, went outside and ran in the rain (ish). I also went and watched the new movie "Avatar." And it was A-MA-ZING! So I'm making this post short so I can blog about the movie!

Day 26.

Well, I skipped out on running since my allergies are getting worse and I had this terrible cough that was practically cured by Delsym. I spent most of the day just being bored; surfing the internet, watching TV, reading a book, visiting friends. ...I am very bored. I think that's usually what happens right before I go to school. Sort of like a calm before the storm. Super bored then BANG! no more time to be bored. Oh well. At least I'll be with friends.

Day 25.

I ran almost six miles today. Well, I think I did more walking than running. This cold air and my lack of breathing capabilities forced me to simply walk most of the time. Anyway, I drank lots of water, ate all my meals and... I am very bored.

I had the time to watch ALL of "Gone With the Wind" for the first time as well as "Arsenic and Old Lace", for the first time too. I had heard that these movies were very good and that I would surely be missing out if I didn't watch them. ...HA!

First off, "Gone With the Wind", Miss Scarlett O'Hara (who only remains Miss O'Hara for the first ten minutes of the movie and yet that is the name for which she is famous, doesn't make sense) is just about as tolerable to me Miss Emma Woodhouse ...No. I take that back. I actually liked Gwyneth Paltrow and even Kate Beckinsale as Emma, it was just getting through the book that gave me so much trouble. In fact, I haven't finished. Anyway. Scarlett O'Hara is very ...very ...unlikable. And it was almost painful for me to get through the entire movie. And the end! Oh! I just hope the book ends differently!

Now, for "Arsenic and Old Lace". If you're the type of person who likes ...who likes.... Oh. The only person I can think of to say is Edgar Allan Poe. Well, if you like him and old, black and white Cary Grant movies then you'll love this one! I, being the type you does NOT like Edgar Allan Poe stories, did NOT like "Arsenic and Old Lace" (And I mean no offense whatsoever to the person who recommended it to me. I'm sure if I watched it with a different audience that the outcome would have been somewhat altered). I guess if I were to rate these movies I would most definitely not give them an A or a B or a C... I'll just leave it at that.

Anyway, now that I have no job and very few hobbies, I am usually very bored. If anyone has any movie, or book, or any sort of recommendations, I'd love to hear them! For now, I think I'll beg my best friend's sister if I can babysit for her kids for free. Anything that will give me something constructive to do!

Day 23 & 24

Well, I spent nearly the entire day Saturday sleeping, or rather, trying to sleep. It's very hard to sleep when you've got something on your mind. And, of course, today being Sunday I did close to nothing, exercise wise that is. I have less than two weeks left in Missouri and then it's off to Neverland! My teaching partner, in my nursery class, told the kids today that this was my second to last Sunday with them. ...I don't think they understood, or else, they were probably just more interested in their cheez-its and animal crackers. I guess I'll worry about telling them again next week.


Can you believe I'm missing three kids??

Day 22.

Well, I spent almost the whole day in the car driving up to Winter Quarters, Nebraska with my cousin and her husband for a wedding. So, yeah. Today, not so good. Lots of Fast Food food and not a single exercise. ...Well, does it count if I'm still extremely sore from yesterday?

Day 21.

I went running! Four miles! Plus I worked out. And boy, I sure had a terrible time breathing. ...Well, I guess that's about all for today. I need to go make banana bread for the Ward Party tomorrow that I'm not even going to. I'll be in Nebraska for a wedding!

Days 18, 19, & 20.

Well... That's weird. I sort of forgot about blogging yesterday and the day before. ..That's unusual. Anyway. I have been, believe it or not, drinking a lot of water! I have also been chowing down on my parents fruit supply. They keep a big bowl of apples secretly stashed away in the middle of their main counter. Well, I haven't eaten an apple in over three years. I've had braces on and now I have a permanent retainer. "So, it's like having braces on the inside of your mouth," I tell everyone. Because it kind of is. You still have to be careful about what you eat. So. No apples. But yesterday, for whatever reason, I had the urge to bite into an apple. So I did. And it was delicious! And then today I ate three apples in a row! (...and you do realize that this is between you and me right?) I haven't been doing anything cardio wise. I still haven't found a way to keep me from getting bored of The Bike. I'd like to run, but it's been kind of cold. Maybe I'll run anyway. Well, I guess that about sums up the past three days. Today was my last day of work, so, hopefully my 30 Day Challenge will not end in vain. Wish me luck!

Dear Jane.

Okay, so years and years ago we had these missionaries in our home and one of them pulled out a HUGE book of missionary stories and jokes and other such odds and ends. One of those things that I remember the most was a letter. A simple Dear Jane letter. This is a love letter from a boy to a girl, however, the girl's father does not like him and wants them to stop their relationship. And so, the boy wrote this letter to the girl with the knowledge that her father was sure to read it. Here it is:

"The great love that I have for you
is gone, and I find my dislike for you
grows every day. When I see you,
I do not even like your face;
the one thing that I want to do is to
look at other girls. I never wanted to
marry you. Our last conversation
was very boring and has not
made me look forward to seeing you again.
You think only of yourself.
If we were married, I know that I would find
life very difficult, and I would have no
pleasure in living with you. I have a heart
to give, but it is not something that
I want to give to you. No one is more
foolish and selfish than you, and you are not
able to care for me and help me.
I sincerely want you to understand that
I speak the truth. You will do me a favor
if you think this is the end. Do not try
to answer this. Your letters are full of
things that do not interest me. You have no
true love for me. Good-bye! Believe me,
I do not care for you. Please do not think that
I am still your boyfriend."

You may be asking yourself right about now why it is I like this letter. Well, it turns out that, before handing over the letter to the girl, the boy told girl to "Read Between the Lines" meaning only to read every other line, starting with the first. Now. Read it again.

LDS Twilight Spoof.

Twilight Years from Tom on Vimeo.

Firelight.

I love Taylor Swift! And I love Twilight! Enjoy!

Day 17.

I sure love Sundays! ...And I can't believe I only have two left before I leave!

Well, aside from my awesome nursery class, I also went to Y.S.A. for the first time in a long time and that was awesome too. My institute teacher gave the lesson in Y.S.A. and I haven't been to institute for a long time either, so going tonight was like two birds with one stone. Anyway, my day was pretty full-ish. I went to church, came home, took a nap, went to Y.S.A. and I actually did take the time to exercise. I know it's Sunday so I didn't exercise too much, but I did, at least, do it. And I use the excuse "daily exercise" to make Sunday's okay. ...Is that bad?

Day 16.

Stayed up late working on a Christmas present. Slept in REALLY late. I had just enough time to get ready for work. I went straight to my parents house after work, because I found this really cool refrigerator magnet that I just had to get for my mom. It read: Dinner Will Be Served at the Sound of the Smoke Alarm. And when I gave it to her she said, "Uh! That's not true! ...Anymore." So uhh. No exercise today. Unless you count actually being at work. I did drink a lot of water though. And ate all of my meals. I'll be glad when I finish work. Then I'll actually have time in the morning to do what I want.

Wanted: Dreamcatcher.

I had the most bizarre dream last night. I was over at my friends house (which was odd and disorderly) and we were discussing the matter of Young Woman medallions and about the Young Woman in Excellence Program. When I mentioned that I had received my Young Woman's medallion at the age of seventeen they became astounded. How on earth could one so young achieve such a great honor? When they noticed my surprised look they explained... In order to achieve the Young Woman's Medallion and finish the Program you had to construct, by hand, a huge and working and amazing camera. The costs were sure to be great and it was sure to take years.

After hearing this I told my friend and her mother (with whom I was having the discussion) that I did not think that that was fair and that NOBODY was ever going to graduate the program because no one has the financial means to construct, by hand, a huge and working and amazing camera. So, standing there in my friend's house (which was odd and disorderly) I came to the realization that I am a failure. I did not graduate Young Woman's and I did not earn the medallion that I proudly stash in my bathroom cupboard underneath the q-tips. I woke up from my dream feeling horrible. What could it mean? ...Do you think maybe I'm paranoid that I can't find my camera?

P.S. Have you ever woken up from a dream and thought, "Hey, I've had that dream before." And then, the more you think about it, the more you realize that you actually haven't had that dream you dreamed before and that you only dreamed that you had previously dreamed that dream...before? ...Has that ever happened to you?

Days 14 & 15.

Lots of water. Yada, yada. ...I biked for a bit. I just get bored too fast. ...I need better motivation. Maybe if I made myself believe that if I DIDN'T bike then the world would suddenly careen out of space, maybe then I'd actually bike. Or exercise period. Hmm. Anyone have any good motivational tips? ..Maybe if I was competing for something, or getting married...

Day 13.

I can't breath through my nose. Not in. Not out. I feel miserable. I am so glad that I only have a week left of work. But... if you think about it, I'll be in Idaho in less than a month, where it's cold and snowy and cold and freezing and cold. So, I guess I could just kiss whatever hopes I had of recovering goodbye. Because I'm not. Not for a few more months at least. Well, due to this horrible case of allergies or a cold or whatever it may be, I've retired from running outside. I have an exercise bike inside, maybe I'll put that to some use. Well, toodles.

Day 12.

Well, it rained. I didn't go running. I worked this morning. ...Yeah, it's not been a good Day 12. I went to a baby shower. I didn't eat anything chocolaty or sugary. Just bread and crackers. :) I also drank their sugar-free punch! How cool is that??

Day 11.

I feel like garbage! I don't remember the last time my allergies or this cold or whatever it is, was this bad. I am experiencing a constant runny nose (not that you particularly needed to know), plus sneezing, and itchy eyes, and pretty much everything that goes with it. I did go running this morning, I probably shouldn't have considering I think being out in the cold made it worse. But my daddy picked up some medicine for me on his way home from work and so, I should be fine once my body gets use to the stuff. I should be good to go hopefully pretty soon. Besides I only have about a week left of work, which means, only a week left of running. ...I won't go running tomorrow. With the way I feel right now I'm ready to call tomorrow a day, and today isn't even over! ...I sure wish they could up with some sort of cure for allergies. It's really driving me nuts! ...I've been eating mostly soups today. No surprise. Well, anyway. I'd better go. The sooner I get to sleep the sooner I don't have to worry about my allergies! ...or at least, for the time being.

Just in Case You Haven't Already Seen It...

Day 10.

Well, today has been fine. It's Sunday so, not much to tell. But I had a great day at church! I'll talk about that.

We played Duck-Duck-Goose at the end of class and, of course, we'd have four other kids walking around the circle hitting everyone on the head, I just had to pay close attention to the person who was "It", and then we'd have like half a dozen kids chasing that person, not just around the circle, but around the whole room! And one of the girls would say, "Ock, Ock, Ooose!" and another, "Tag, tag, TAG!" It was so funny!

And before the opening prayer one of the children decided they would take their shoes off. So they did and proceeded to chuck them at me. I caught the shoes and tossed them behind me into a corner. Well, what one kid does, another is sure to follow. We started prayer and one by one the kids would take off their shoes and pelt them at me. I teach ten kids; that's twenty shoes! (But luckily there were a few kids with sense and did not take off their shoes) It was very hard to be reverent.

P.S. I only have three Sunday's left! How am going to break it to the kids that I'm leaving??

Day 9.

Today has been one of the longest days of my life! At least, at the moment it sure feels that way. I had a really long and busy and stressful and exhausting and, well, just a really really long day at work. Anyway, I went running again. Lots of food. Lots of water. Blah. Blah... :)

Day 8.

I went running! And in 16 degree weather! It was great! I'll be going again tomorrow. ...I don't know what we'll do when it starts snowing. Just run in the snow I guess.

Well, I worked for a huge chunk of the day but I drank a LOT of water! And I ate all three meals. I haven't exercised yet (apart from running anyway) but the night is still young! :) Wish me luck!

Day 7.

Okay, so, today wasn't so good. I exercised like for six minutes. I did drink a lot of water though! And I think I ate like four bananas (plus more food)! And, to tell you the truth, they're not very filling.

I Heart Letters.

I just received a letter from my brother the other day and in it, he gave me the count of how many letters I have given to him over these past seventeen months. The count was seventeen. (Plus I just slipped my reply in the mailbox this morning.) In my opinion, seventeen letters in seventeen months is pretty pathetic. I mean, I can do better than that. I know I can. A few years back I played a game with one of my friends where we came up with different, fictional characters and we wrote letters back and forth. Within seven months we had a grand total of seventy letters! It was super fun!

A few weeks ago I was going through some boxes and one of them was chuck full of letters and, because I can't find sentimental things without going through them, (that's why it takes me so long to clean anything or organize my stuff because I get so side tracked) I started opening some up, and reading them, and counting them, etc. etc. My cousin, who was visiting, asked me what I was doing. So I told him that I was going through letters from a corespondent of almost ten years. I don't think I've ever thrown a letter away...

"Did you not believe in emails?" my cousin asked, astounded.

"No," I answered, "I did ...well, no, I guess I didn't."

I LOVE writing and receiving letters! Yesterday I was writing a reply to my brother and my friend declared how much she didn't like writing. Which is understandable. It seems to be a thing of the past. It's like what Anna Quindlen, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author once said, "The age of technology has both revived the use of writing and provided ever more reasons for its spiritual solace. Emails are letters, after all, more lasting than phone calls, even if many of them r 2 cursory 4 u." (I love it!)

I love quotes too. So, here are some fun/funny quotes on the matter of Letter-Writing:

Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company. ~Lord Byron

To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart. ~Phyllis Theroux

What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters. You can't reread a phone call. ~Liz Carpenter

Or don't you like to write letters. I do because it's such a swell way to keep from working and yet feel you've done something. ~Ernest Hemingway

The one good thing about not seeing you is that I can write you letters. ~Svetlana Alliluyeva

Letters are above all useful as a means of expressing the ideal self; and no other method of communication is quite so good for this purpose. In letters we can reform without practice, beg without humiliation, snip and shape embarrassing experiences to the measure of our own desires... ~Elizabeth Hardwick

Day 6.

I now have a list! Thanks to my brother. (Thank you brother!)

1. No soda (very important).
2. No seconds on dinner.
3. No deserts or sweets (you probably could break that one occasionally)
4. No more than two tortillas (well, keep in mind this is from my brother who's serving his mission in Phoenix and is speaking Spanish. So. I wonder, how I could translate this into English..?)
5. No eating after 6 PM (very important)
6. And just workout and run.

Notice:

Due to current circumstance and my completely uncreative brain, I am allotting myself six months. (Though six weeks might be more correct, it shouldn't take me THAT long) Refer to this post.