birthday

Today is my birthday. Which I do not mention just to get birthday wishes (you should know I have already been VERY popular on Facebook and texts). But rather to say out loud to you dear internet, my birthday goal.

It is both convenient and inconvenient to have a birthday so close on the tails of holiday and New Year cheer. The inconvenient has rarely been an issue but still it's like, hi my name is Emily and if you ever date me just know you will have Christmas, Birthday and Valentine's within a six week span (which is the reason I have blacked out November - April should I ever have a wedding). Luckily I am awesome and don't care much about presents!

The convenience comes in though because I quite like that a year of me being alive coincides nicely with a year the earth has been alive (according to Christians anyway). The end of every January I get to reflect on the past year and figure out how to make the next one, and me, better. And blah, blah, blah, I have a nice life so I won't be complainy because really...it's great. I have been feeling kind of crappy though the past few weeks so when I ran across the blog of Kelly McCaleb and her 31st Birthday goal, I got really excited.



You see, she has decided that every birthday she will make that many newborn kits so some babies in the world get a nice birth day themselves. And I maybe cried when I read that idea because babies make me cry and because that seems like such a great way to contribute. So I'm going to help. I'm going to help Kelly by working on 27 newborn kits for her project. It will take the whole year and require Elizabeth and my mom showing me how to sew the simple blankets and layette gowns, but that's good. If you're interested in participating, Kelly has all the information HERE.

So happy birthday to you and happy birthday to me and happy birthday to all the babies born this year.

teenage lobotomy

So my morning class got out early enough today that I decided on my way to work I had enough time to stop and get a soda, since we are tragically out of Diet Dr. Pepper at my office right now. I of course decided to stop at Sunburst, the gas station of my younger years, located pretty much in the parking lot of Cottonwood High School. Not only is Sunburst the station probably most frequented by Cliffords throughout time, but it also has Diet Dr. Pepper in the fountain machine AND offers paper cups (because fountain drinks in paper cups is the best way to drink).

However, as I approached I saw it was swarming with teenagers, as evident by this photo I took:

High school lunch at 10:30, how I had forgotten. No bother, I don't mind teenagers!

Except when I got closer and could see them individually, I realized I was basically disgusted. Their pants were so low! Their hoodies so oversized! Their stares so blank! Their highlights so chunky! As I got even closer I saw inside was packed. The guy who works there was standing by the doors allowing them in only one at a time as a few would exit. I was so creeped out I turned around and left.

Why are they so gross? What has happened to our youth?! Or maybe, what has happened to me? I thought I understood them, I've got a 17 year old sister who I hang out with often and who I only occasionally make furious. And Janelle and I spent like 3 hours in Forever 21 on New Year's Eve buying slutty-ish teenager clothes. I thought I could connect with them! But all I wanted to do was pull up all of their pants and cut all of their hair.

So I think I'm totally going to be the meanest mom ever (and also, the Diet Dr. Pepper I ended up getting at Top Stop had to be in a plastic cup and totally tasted like soap, so whatever).

trying my best to love you

All morning I've been watching the snow out of my office window...the fat flakes moving with purpose earlier, the lighter flakes moseying on down after that, and recently the tiny flutters that remain.

I'll take the winter on days like this when the valley is white and the mountains occasionally peak out from behind a thick wall of clouds. I'd prefer to take these days from my couch with something warm to knit and something comforting to watch. But instead I'll make due at my desk with a heater at my feet and Jenny Lewis in my headphones.

I've been a pretty alright fan of hers in the past, but this last album sold me for sure, I love this song.

ribbons undone

Sundance wraps up today with the award winning films playing FREE at Rose Wagner tonight. I didn't hit my 10 movie goal but last night I did watch a lot of Dexter (I love it). I also finally finished a little knitting project I started in December. I actually finished it on Christmas Day, but then since I am apparently not smart enough to figure out how to make a couple of ribbon bows, it has taken me until now to totally complete.

Even without the bows though, I think it's still pretty adorable.


Detail on the back:


It has some complicated rows but knits quickly and really is pretty simple as far as skill level is concerned.


In the middle of the ribbon drama, I realized I knew no one with a baby girl who is still tiny enough for the little thing through the remaining winter months. Luckily, Joel reminded me that another old elementary school friend, Hugh, and his wife recently had their first, so I am mailing it out today to the new little family.

thought I'd have learned

If you know me in real life or have read much of my blog then you know I have some issues being a 26 year old college student. Not a 26 year old grad student, a good old fashioned, bachelor's degree seeking undergraduate student. Also I turn 27 next week, so really I'm a 27 year old college student. I sit in classes with 19 year olds. I study with friends younger than me working on masters degrees or barely older than me finishing up doctorates. And yes, probably it is a bigger deal to me inside my head than to anyone else.

However, it is all only amplified when on the first day of my Cultures of Africa class my professor hands out a map and informs us that the first quiz will be filling in the names of all the countries in Africa. Oh, hello 5th grade geography.

The wound is deepened though when I look at the map and realize I didn't even know there is a country in Africa called Burundi (but there is and it's just south of Rwanda in case you are wondering).

I of course turned to the internet for study help and ran across a site I remember a friend sent me a long time ago. It's both sad and awesome at the same time. Sad because if you're like me, then you'll score really terribly on all of them, especially when you do Europe and think it's going to be easy but then there are all those weird Eastern Europe countries. But it's awesome because you can learn.

So try Africa and if you score well I will give you a star sticker before you go to recess.

get it like you like it

So we are one week into the Sundance Film Festival here in Utah. Which means I am one week into being the boss of the Salt Lake Theatres. Just kidding! I'm not the boss, but rather I make sure that the Rose Wagner, Broadway Theatres and Tower are running smoothly and correctly. And they all are so you should go see movies there.

I usually get in at least 10 films and so far I'm behind with a grand total of just 4 at this point, but I have high hopes for the rest of the week. I do, however, have some highlights of my Festival so far:

-A conversation in the 9th and 9th Barbacoa with Mathieu Kassovitz, most famously known as Nino from Amelie.


-Rain boots the nice grandma volunteer Dora at The Tower gave me because she said she was too old to wear them and because she was "excited how fu***** adorable they will look on you Emily."


-My favorite of my 4 films, No Impact Man


-Ushering Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon into a movie at the Broadway. She was wearing a tiny dress and heels and sparkling everywhere.

-The pattern on the couch in the Rose Wagner Volunteer lounge.

here today

Awesome.

village green preservation society

When I was a kid, hands down my favorite color was red. I loved red everything. And as a little person who had (has) a hard time coming up with absolute answers (what if I say pizza is my favorite, when it's not all the time!?!!!), having one for sure 'About Me' kind of answer on those elementary school questionnaires was a relief.

So I stuck with it. What's your favorite color? Red. Easy, done.

Then I noticed a few years ago, that I was starting to feel much more drawn to earthy colors, particularly green. So no problem, I liked green. But as a grown up, who cares about favorite colors? It doesn't really come up and you don't think like an 11 year old anymore.

But this morning when I opened my bag at school to get out my computer I was horrified by what I saw:

I even buy green drinks? Come on Emily...

And then I came to work and saw it all again, but needed to hydrate so I took out my Nalgene bottle and, ahhhh!!!


Then I dropped a chip on my lap and I remembered I'm wearing a sweet Forever 21 scarf:

Yikes!

I'm not that person, I don't want to be that person who is oddly obsessive about something that is normally totally benign. Cus you know that even if you think that person is nice, you still totally think there is something wrong with them. I don't want to wake up in a house someday that is all green and have to wear only green clothes.

But I thought I was being careful, I thought I curb the green crap I buy and look what still happened...I don't want to be a crazy!







(Oh, but just for the record, pizza totally IS my favorite all the time now.)

missing my baby

It has been practically a month since I posted anything about nephew Morgan so it's high time I make an obnoxious picture post.

I babysat last night, which meant I got to smell baby neck for like 4 hours...delicious.

And first we played with (ate the trunk of) his adorable elephant that Elin made.

Then he cried at me for a while.

But then we went down to the basement and Morgan watched some Felicity with me (awww...just like his dad).

Well, and also he ate a giraffe.

Then I laughed at this for a while because it was so cute.

Then he threw up on me.

But then I proved I am a great aunt babysitter (it wasn't open, he likes the cold on his gums).

And finally, I furthered my child caretaking skillz by coming up with the clever idea of giving him my burrito wrapper for entertainment. It worked! I'm so smart!

Total success.

come on feet

This morning I walked past Kingsbury Hall and saw that Lord of the Dance is coming...ON MY BIRTHDAY.

Is Michael Flately probably the world's biggest d-bag? Yes.
Are the dances 1/3 creepy? Yes.


But did I just spend 30 minutes watching youtube clips? Maybe.

I'm sorry, but I can't not watch (and love).

last song

So the song off results with Dainon were close...like I won by just one vote. So I guess we're both awesome!

But lets talk about a big issue I've been having lately. My fingers crack and turn disgusting in the winter. Melissa turned me onto this stuff and it's been very helpful.

The problem is I have to pee approximately one thousand times a day, so I wash my hands at least one thousand times a day. Thusly, the cracked fingers get gross and also hurt (and bleed) which leads to BandAids.


But people, how do you wash your hands with BandAids on your fingers without rendering the BandAids useless (and smelly)?

autumn all the time

Sister Katie and Friend Dainon recently had themselves a song off via their two blogs. Dainon challenged me for his second try, so the rules are as follows.

You listen to my song. You go to Dainon's blog and listen to his song. Then you leave a comment with your vote for your favorite of the two. There is no theme, the goal is to just present two great songs.

My song, a hidden gem by The Sugarplastic. My friend Dave passed it my way some years ago, I pass it to you now. It's perfect...breezy lyrics, drums in the middle that sound like something Phil Spector would have created, the feeling everything is going to be better than okay.

Turn it up loud please. And don't be ashamed to close your eyes.



Now go to Dainon's song.

sesame street

When Mr. Rogers was on the Diane Rehm show some years ago, my mom and I cried through the whole thing because geez...it was Mr. Rogers.

I found myself similarly situated yesterday while Diane and her guest Michael Davis discussed his new book, Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street


Because geez...it's Sesame Street

pride and joy

So I've got to say that while feeling healthy or getting a good grade are well worth the effort they require, a really great fix to playing the Winning At Life game happens like this- You go into a French Connection store in Vegas and fall in love with a red cardigan. But you don't fall in love with the fact that it's $118 and not like, made of gold or anything. So you hang it back up and go buy cheap crap at H&M.

Then you use the internet to your advantage and you watch the sweater.

And some weeks later it drops to $80 (but your internet sixth sense says you can do better).

And then some more weeks later it drops to $40. So you buy it.

But when it arrives it still has the original price tag on it.


Emily - 1
Life (for today) - 0

thanks and praise

Internet! I left you for my couch and 2 weeks of no work, but I am back around now. I didn't get up my last set of thankful photos before the break so here are the things that took me through to Christmas.

December 15 - Boots! I lived through 26 winters not realizing how manageable it can be if your feet are properly (and adorably) shoed. Amazing!

December 16 - Our Christmas tree at night. I think it's lovely.

December 17 - Sunny winter days. I'll take a blizzard once a week and if the rest of the the time the sun can be out.

December 18 - I maybe speak about/post pictures of Morgan and his mother all.
the.
time.
but I always love it when it occasionally works that Christopher and I are both not busy at the same time because it's delightful to see that little brother of mine.

December 19 - I know this isn't a picture I took but everyone should go see Slumdog Millionaire because it's like the best movie ever.

December 20 - having enough space (and cute cups!) to last minute host all these people. Don't worry, this is pre-prayer, not during a prayer.

December 21 - So I wasn't actually there, but this is Katie stuffed in an oversized stocking. Which fits nicely with other pictures I have of Katie ohh...covered in wrapping paper. Or Katie tied into her coat. Or Katie loaded with too many scarves. The boys always come up with something clever to do to her when she visits.

December 22 - The women I spent many a'weekend with toilet papering cute boys' houses.


December 23 - My friend Aaron (who has yet to learn that if you turn your head I keep taking pictures). We became friends this summer and I'm glad he's around still.


Now here is the thing I have thought a lot about with this little project...mostly I ended up with photos of people and stuff that keeps me warm. So if those are the things that matter the most to me, why do I have closets and space and a life full of other things? 2009 shall usher in a simplification for me (hopefully...).