The Glories of Youth

About the middle of the day last Friday, my friend Brooke asked me if I wanted to drive to Oklahoma City for a Shiny Toy Guns concert that night. It was supposed to start at 8:00pm, and I didn't get off work until 7:30pm, and it's a 1.5 hour drive. Anyone see a problem?!? We didn't either!!

So we ended up getting down to OKC around 9:20...which was actually pretty good. We figured both the opening acts would take about an hour anyway, so at most we'd miss a few songs. Perfect timing, right?! WRONG! What we failed to realize is that the directions we got from Google excluded a vital interchange. We drove around downtown for about 45 minutes before a friend finally called to give us better directions. It was actually a few miles OUT of town.

So by the time we got to the concert, they were playing the encore and we weren't going to be allowed in the door. The friend had apparently flirted enough with the lady at the door that she sent him to the back door to hear the end of the concert and told him he could come in when everyone was leaving to buy cds and what not. We met him at the back door...which put us backstage in time to hear two of my favorite songs (and see the back of the band). It was also just enough time to allow my clothing to soak in the smoke/beer smell. If nothing else, at least I would SMELL like I'd been to a rock concert.

We ran in afterwards, bought a cd (that we could have gotten at Wal-Mart), took a few pictures to prove we'd made it, grabbed some burgers and headed for home around 1:30am. Time of my freakin' life!!

No-Snow Snow Days

Today began like any other. My alarm went off at 4:53am, waking me from my dream about riding dragons while playing quidditch. (Not joking.) Took a hot shower. Drank a glass of pomegranate juice. Pulled my hair back. Brushed the ice off my car. Drove at a glacial pace to work....and heard on the radio on the way there that the area schools were closed for the day.

**Interjection**
There was no snow. The roads were covered with ice that fell in pellets all night. It was 75 degrees yesterday. Ridiculous.

Typically, as I later found out, we would not be open on days that school is cancelled. Had I known, I could have slept in in my wonderfully warm bed. Instead I spent 7 lonely hours in an empty fitness center with only a vacuum and duster for company. Needless to say, the place was spotless by the time I left.

I had nearly made it home with no problems until the final turn onto my street when I gently slid into the ditch. My neighbor who was just in front of me when it happened didn't seem all that worried about me. I'd like to think it's because he didn't see... although I could've sworn I saw him laugh in his rearview mirror. Anyway, I worked my way out after 5 minutes of maneuvering and approached my driveway in time to see my nephews riding off down the road on a sled being pulled by...not kidding...a lawnmower. Welcome to the Heartland.

The rest of the day was filled with treasures such as watching Jeopardy in front of my space heater, doing butt crunches with my sister, and trying desperately to find something interesting to write on my blog. (Obviously nothing came of that last one.) It was supposed to be filled with running errands and finding a Christmas gift for my "secret santa" person for our Christmas dinner at work tomorrow. The good news is that school is cancelled tomorrow which means there's a chance the party will be postponed. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

The morals of my story are two fold:
#1 - You don't need snow to have a wonderfully eventful snow day as long as someone in the neighborhood has a sled and a lawnmower.
#2 - Don't procrastinate. Things could get icy.

Give the Gift

I was asking my family what they wanted to Christmas the other evening when I encountered three different approaches to answering. My sister April said, "I don't know. Whatever." My dad said, "Check my list." My sister Brenda said, "A Jason Mraz cd." You can guess which of them has a gift from me under the tree.

Response #1 - "I don't know"
When you use this one, you really put yourself in a tricky spot. You are guaranteed something you either don't want, don't need, or both. In my personal opinion, when you say "I don't know" to someone who asks what you want, you forfeit your right to a Christmas gift from that person.

Response #2 - "Check my list"
This is a better reply than the first, but still leaves some problems. There's always the chance that two people could choose the same item from the list to buy, for one. When this happens, both feel dumb... and there's some strange guilt you feel with having to choose which to return.

Response #3
Perfect. Flawless. You are guaranteed to get exactly what you want... and assuming you tell everyone something different to buy, there will be no duplications! Sure it may remove some of the element of surprise, but who likes surprises anyway!?

Go ahead...ask me what I want.

Eternal....Something

Yesterday my sister April got married! Congratulations to her! It really was a great day. Busy, crazy, tiring, and slightly chilly...but great. This was wedding #6 for me. (Not quite 27, but I'm on my way!) Each of them has had a special little twist.

Two weddings ago, my best friend who is a little over a year younger than me had a reception in my home ward where we grew up together. Those who knew our age difference gave me looks that said, "Wait, aren't you older than she is?" or "No hope for you then, I guess."

The last wedding I was in was in a completely different state where I knew no one. The only problem with that was that I still stood in line, but being at the end and from out of town, nobody cared to shake my hand. (Although, I'm not sure I'd consider that a problem.)

The catch for this particular wedding was that all of the guests know us both and being the younger sister...expect me to follow soon after. Through all of the "You must be next!"s and the "When will this be you?"s and the "I wouldn't give you more than a year!"s I came to a definite and liberating resolution:

Weddings are totally more trouble than they're worth. When I do finally get married, it'll be a total surprise to everyone!!! Close relatives* will receive invitations to some exotic temple ceremony with flight itineraries enclosed one week prior to the marriage. I will send out anouncements the day I get back from my honeymoon with an address listed to which friends may send gifts should they so wish. NOBODY will have to stand in line next to me and receive consolation comments and unnecessary pressure. I believe THAT is what makes me a true friend.

*If you would like to be on the "free plane tickets" list rather than the "find out sometime later and send gift" list I will need to know. Not any time soon, however...

Life or Something Like It

I've been getting a lot of flack about not updating my blog often enough. My first thought in response to this is, "Geez, sorry people...I have an actual life." Of course, I never get around to saying it because it doesn't take too long for me to realize how ridiculously untrue that statement is. In an attempt to illustrate this whilst giving you all a legitimate update on my life right now, I'll give you a rundown of the usage of my time this week.

Work: 15.5 hours (I was off today.)
Cooking: 3 hours
Eating: more than 3 hours
Shopping: 6 hours
Sleeping: 20 hours
Making sarcastic remarks to my 6 year old nephew: 1 hour
Feeding the baby: 1 hour
Watching movies: 6 hours
Working on my sister's wedding: 3 hours

Okay bottom line: I work a part-time job that requires me to be in bed by 10pm in order to be at work the next morning at 5:30. I don't date and have few hobbies. I know the names of every character on All My Children. Heaven knows I have time to update my blog more often. We'll get there...you'll see!

Fancy Free?

Some of you may be thinking to yourselves at this moment, "Was Ami's blog always this fabulous?" No. It wasn't until this evening as I sat at a friend's house watching her create a blog for my sister that I realized how ugly and simple my humble blog has been. My deepest apologies to my readers.

It was in that same moment (when she asked if I had a blog and I was sincerely embarrassed for her to see it) that I began a deep and thorough investigation of the simplicity of life that I've settled into. What other details have I let slide? What lovely little happinesses have I left out? The investigation went as follows:

--- "Wow. My blog is lame. Have people actually been reading that? When was the last time I painted my toenails? Do I shave my legs all the way, or just to the knee? Holy smokes! Look at these split ends! I should eat salmon more often. I love salmon. Why don't I own a pair of hot boots? Would I ever wear boots? I need a new library card. I love photos! I ought to own a camera. I could post the pictures on my blog! Man. My blog is lame." ---

And so we see that this new and improved blog page is not merely a small piece of cyberspace set aside for the rantings of a moderately sarcastic and everlastingly single young woman...but the gateway to a higher level of living. It is my belief* that quality of life is directly related to blog aesthetics.

*This theory has yet to be proven.

Boy - Friends

I've been listening to a song a lot lately called "Boys with Girlfriends" by Meiko. The chorus of the song says, "I know better not to be friends with boys with girlfriends." I'm here to testify that these lyrics ring true! Better yet... I know better than to be friends with boys. Don't get me wrong...boys are a blast! In fact, I believe they are 98% easier to get along with than girls. However, before you take that step into the male universe, it's important to understand what exactly you're signing up for.

Let me explain.

The more you hang out with boys, the more they see you as one of them... no matter how much lip gloss you wear. It's almost...well, what's the female form of "emasculating"?! Before long they'll be referring to you as "dude", belching your name, and discussing other "attractive" girls as if you're not there. That last one is tricky, trust me.

As a young girl, I wanted nothing more than to grow up to be a boy. True story. Ironically, although I've grown out of that phase, I have been finding myself to be more "manly" than some of the boys I spend time with. It's difficult to decide whether it bothers me or them more. All those skills and interests you would think would impress them starts to throw them off. Ladies, you'll know what I mean if you can do any of the following:
- Properly throw a football.
- Change your own oil.
- Eliminate someone in a game of Risk within 2 turns.
- Bench press at least 70% of your own body weight.
- Use the words "line of scrimmage", "spark plugs", or "John-117" in proper context.

You get what I mean. Do it all whilst wearing dangle earrings and you can really freak some of them out!
The conclusion I came to after all of this thought was this: There is nothing I can do about it. At some point I'll be able to get one of the guys instead of being one of them... but until then, I'll keep fixing my car, watching sports, and kicking trash at world domination games with my high heels on.

The Spinster Line

Here are the signs I have noticed that may indicate one's crossing the line into Spinsterhood:


1. You go to a wedding and the bride just hands you the bouquet.
2. Upon college graduation, instead of congratulations, you receive the comment, "With no one...I mean...nothing to show for it?"
3. Every relative you have has "someone you should meet".
4. Your dad starts "encouraging" you to focus more seriously on a long term career.
5. Your collection of bridesmaid dresses outnumbers your Sunday dresses.
6. Single guy friends refer to you more frequently as "bro" or "dude".
7. Family friends stopped checking your left ring finger long ago.
8. You stop opening any mail item addressed in caligraphy.
9. Your grandfather suggests that you stand in front of the chapel doors and smile... maybe you could "catch someone" off guard.
10. Instead of mentally naming future children, you begin mentally naming future cats.

Turtles and Relationships

So you know how there are always those people that you are inexplicably attracted to? You know, the ones you never actually talk to but you're sure they'd be great if you ever did? Did you ever notice how by the time you get up the nerve to become friends with them they're already in a relationship with someone else? That's crap. There should be a way to tell before you get attached to them. For example, when you find a turtle you're supposed to paint a spot on its shell with nail polish. That way if anyone else in the neighborhood finds that turtle, they'll know you found it first.
I just want to know right away when someone already has a claim on my turtle... before I try to paint it myself.