Stuff My Brother Tells Me

So my car had a heart attack on Friday. My brother came over Saturday morning to check it out, and after a bit of time, it was discovered that Afton (that's my car) needs a new timing belt. Instead of lamenting that fact and wallowing in it (which I might blog about later) let me fill you in on the advice my brother gave me as we drove around.
--do not over-think guys
--guys do not use special codes or hidden messages; don't try to find them
--guys are not like your girlfriends, so don't expect the same things from them
--sometimes you've got to be a little aggressive and straight up

I share this with you, in case some of you don't have a brother and are in need of a male's perspective. Everything he told me is almost the exact opposite of what my female friends tell me. Strange.

Books and Music

Mockingjay, the third and final book of The Hunger Games, came out on Tuesday and my two awesome friends, Cat and Pam, and I went to Barnes and Noble at midnight to get it. That's why these girls are awesome--they love to read just like me and we're always getting books for each other and lending and borrowing from our personal libraries. I finished the book on Thursday. I loved it, probably because it ended just how I wanted it to. But also because I've come to love the characters and the story.

On Thursday Pam and I headed downtown to catch the last Twilight Concert Series in Pioneer Park. The act was She and Him, and I loved it, despite it being hot and crowded (but that's what you get when it's a free summer concert!). The music was super cool; Zooey Deschanel has a crazy cool voice and plays the piano and ukulele. The best part of the night was when their (totally awesome) band left the stage and it was just she and him (haha, funny I know) with their voices and guitar. I love simple and stripped down music.


The end of summer is pretty much here now, but I'm glad I got in one last good book and outdoor concert!

Another Semester Underway

Today was first day of classes for Fall Semester. I only have three classes this semester, but with Grad School beckoning in the near future I was already planning on dropping one of them because it really wasn't needed. And tonight I learned that I can drop one other class AND that I'm just one class away from getting a Certificate in GIS!! Seriously, this made me super happy.

The euphoria, though, was quickly replaced by my remembering that my laptop has really gone kaput (not a virus this time, but my hard drive all of a sudden not being "bootable" when I turn my laptop on; yeah, that's not good). And I need that laptop to get schoolwork done this semester (and to post to my blog and Facebook and check my bank account and check out movie times and watch hulu.com and pretty much everything). So I'm feeling the stress of my pocketbook pinching as I try to figure out how to buy a new one on top of paying tuition.

Guess it's a good thing I dropped that class and my tuition bill is lower.

(P.S. Since the laptop is currently out of commission, and work doesn't allow me to actually post to my blog, my blog posts will be very few and far between for the next week or so. Try to hide your sadness at not knowing all the goings on in my world for a little while. We can make it through together.)

The Sweet Feeling of Completion

I really like it when things I am dreading--3-week Public Speaking Course, Statistics, prepping for a 10k, taking the GRE--go from being in the future, to the present, and finally to the past. For all the dread and fretting, they all inevitably end up in the past. And they generally end up being not as bad and terrifying as I expected; Public Speaking was over before I knew it, as was Stats (with an A-, natch), the 10k came and went, and the GRE that I worried about is now over, with pretty decent scores. Everything feels so much better when you can move it into the "Past" column and can feel the sweetness of completion.

Simple Pleasures

Earlier this week I was driving in my car with my nieces, Ivy riding shotgun and Elliett in the back. Since my AC doesn't work, I told them they could roll their windows down to cool off. Since my car is old, there are no "child-safe" windows and they go all the way down, which they of course took full advantage of. As we drove down Redwood Rd, they laughed and squealed with so much delight at the wind blowing in their faces. They rode just like dogs--their heads out the window and tongues sticking out. I usually think of it as such a burden that I must roll down my windows to stay somewhat cool while traveling, but to them, man, it was just so cool.

Test Freak-Out

I am taking the GRE next Monday afternoon, and I am slightly freaking out about it. When I registered six weeks ago, the date seemed so far away that I was sure by the time it came I would be ready. But with Stats (and other things) taking over my life I never really hunkered down and studied for the GRE. Until now, when I have one week to do so. And I still can't hunker down.

All of a sudden I need to take a nap, or organize my room, or go to Jimmy John's for a BLT, or read a book, or take another nap. And when I do finally hunker down for an hour or so and take some practice sets, I get super discouraged because I've missed half of the questions. I do not think missing half of the questions on the actual GRE will get me accepted.

What really frustrates me is the idea that this test is an accurate gauge of whether or not I can do graduate school. Does it really matter if I can write an essay in 60 minutes, or if I know the antonym of enervate, or if I can figure out the area of circle within a rectangle? They all seem a bit arbitrary to me, and not in the least indicative of what I'm actually capable of. The real world is not a standardized test.

My Weakness for Books

Tonight, against my better judgment because I know myself, I went into Barnes and Noble to get a book for my nephew for his birthday (I am that aunt that always gives a book for a present to encourage their love of reading at a young age). I say it was against my better judgment because I know that whenever I go into a bookstore with the intent to just buy a book for someone else, I inevitably end up buying one for myself. I just can't control myself. There's always a billion books that I want and a billion more that I think I should have read by now.

So after I perused the children's book and found one for Mo and his five-year-old self, I started looking around for myself. I happened upon a table of the ever-popular-and-even-more-so-now-because-of-the-movie, Eat, Pray, Love. I took it over to a comfy chair and started reading. I was hooked, and, even though in my poorer New York days had once read an entire book in multiple trips to Barnes and Noble, decided I had to have it for my own personal collection and promptly headed for the register. Forty pages in and I am sufficiently intrigued.

This happens very regularly. Most often with their "Classic" collections that are usually buy two get one free. That's the best way to stock up on classics. It's also a great way to get way behind on your personal to-read list. I currently have four books that I'm reading. Good thing I have a break before classes start again....

Mo is 5!!

Happy Birthday to my nephew Mo, who is 5 today! Which means that today is his Golden Birthday! Mo is super cute and I love him to pieces. Whenever he calls out my name, "Aunt Jewie," it just melts my heart. He loves cars and Batman and Spiderman, he likes to play basketball with the little hoop in Grandma's kitchen. He is just too cute and I love him. Happy Birthday little guy!

Dear Statistics Class,
Tonight is the last night I will stress over you. And, in all honesty, I'm not even stressing that much. I did pretty awesome on your last test, and the final from last semester that you gave as a study guide did not phase me. So yes, I feel confident that our time together will not have been a complete waste of time, but instead, like any relationship, a time of learning and growth. Thanks for taking up my summer nights and weekends and making them less carefree. (In case you can't tell from these words on the screen, my tone is a bit sarcastic.) I will take your final and have that be that.

Sincerely,
Julie

Perkes Reunion

Every year, on the last Saturday in July, my mom, her six sisters, their kids, and their kids' kids, descend on a park in Blackfoot to eat, run races, play volleyball/softball, and get updated on each others' lives. I always enjoy getting together with family and seeing how they all change. Since my mom is near the end of seven sisters, I have a lot of cousins that are older than me. This means that they're all married and have kids, some of which aren't that much younger than me. So we have lots of little ones running around, participating in races and getting in to trouble.



























I am pretty sure that I was the only cousin there who was not married and/or has kids (thanks for not coming, Em!). Because of this, I took my time getting to know my cousins' kids and trying to learn their names and get to know them. It was a fun time and I'm already looking forward to next year!