i dream in rhyming couplets

Ok not really, but this post is about rhyming couplets and dreams. First let's talk dreams.

I've been having crazy ones lately. Like the one where it was "Pretty Woman" set in Regency times. Or the amnesia one I mentioned. Or the tragic throat slitting one. I think my mind is under-stimulated without school. Last night the first one played out like some crazy foreign indie drama. I don't remember specifics but it involved a very strange looking foreign man who possibly worked for a priest running around doing things and had a bizarre message.

Then I dreamed that I was with some friends, or a cousin and her friends...I don't know. None of the people are actually real. But anyways, these chicks were bad news and I was stuck tagging along. Like, so bad they took grocery bags into a department store and just started filling them with stuff that they wanted to steal! Holy cow! So I was like "Yo, listen, you do whatever you want, that's cool, but I'm not going to do this." And then I turn around and there's the department store manager with a $7,000 gift certificate for me as a reward and as a way to promote business (?) So I get super excited thinking about what I'll buy, and the bad girls are all jealous. Why they aren't in jail, I'm not sure. But mostly I'm excited because they have an Aveda hair salon in the store (once again...what?) and I'm going to get my hair cut and dyed professionally and expensively. Awesome. That one I did not care to wake up from.

Moving along...did you know I wrote a rap about Colin Powell? Yeah, NBD, just threw down some rhymes. Well, when I worked at the Utah Neurological Clinic (UNC) we went to this motivational seminar, and he was one of the speakers. He talked about growing up in Harlem and overcoming obstacles, and also about how every member of a team is important. Example: the little migrant worker who cleaned his office in the white house made his job possible. I mean, he probably could have cleaned it himself or just not made a mess if we get right down to it, but for the sake of the take-home message we'll roll with it.

Anyways, afterward we had to do presentations at work on something we learned at the seminar. Some people made posters. Some of the posters had graphs or inspirational sayings. And then there's me and my friend Bri. We decide to rap, out of respect (and class stereotyping) of Colin's humble beginnings. Because we're ballin' like that. I write it and she comes over and we practice and practice and practice, much to the chagrin of my roommates. But we get the sucker down. And the day of we dress in black with sunglasses and yellow bandanas around our heads and we perform for the entire staff of the clinic. And they look at us with blank stares and clap half-heartedly. Whatev...you couldn't have done it! Just kidding, I love those people. But they really didn't know what to make of us. Anyways, I stumbled upon the lyrics as I cleaned out my gmail inbox for the first time in 2 years (and deleted 1600 emails. Yeah) and wanted to share. So that it would be preserved for posterity, you know?

so the rhythm (not the rhyming) is something liiiike a-b,a-b, c-c, c, c-c. At least the first line is, and then it sort of takes on a life of it's own after that. And the chorus is the tune of the chorus to Akon's Don't Matter. Enjoy!

Check this, up next is our man Colin

On the mean streets of Harlem he used to be rollin’

But now he flyin’ high, he’s up there on top

It’s all because the boy would not stop

Started off as a homeboy his outlook scary

But he dreamed big, was state secretary

The moral is kids – who cares where you start

It’s where you end up – just gotta have heart

Chorus:

You may have gotten off to a rough start

But it don’t matter, no

It’s where you end

The house was white, the flag stars and stripes

Col’ had the whole, he was doin’ a’right

But what would he do without the tight crew

That made his pad sparkle just like morning dew?

Straight up he’d crash cause we all need our peeps

From the bosses high up to the bros who push the sweeps

So watch yourself don’t be hatin’ a lot

You might find out you need what they got

Chorus:

You may have gotten off to a rough start

But it don’t matter, no

It’s where you end

So, let’s be friends and lift where you stand

We all important we need every hand

Remember this tale no way we can fail

And happy we’ll be at the U-N-C!!!

 

the busiest and best week of my summer

So I'm moving this week, and on the one hand I feel like the critters on the Secret of Nimh as they run around screaming their heads off that it's Moving Day. On the other hand I am scheduled to begin thinking about packing when I get home today, and refuse to do it a moment sooner. ie I have in no way started. So it doesn't feel real.

I am sadexcitedapprehensive about moving. I had a really great summer, and while I am sooo ready for school to start, I don't want the summer to end. I have had the best ward probably of my whole Provo experience and made so many friends and had so much fun. All my Winter roomies peaced out on me, so I had the chance to really get out of my shell and meet people that I probably wouldn't have otherwise. I had the coolest bishopric who had the coolest families. And I got to be RS president which opened up my world to a lot of new and wonderful experiences. Yeah, I'd chalk this one up as a "win."

But, like they say, all good things must come to an end. Fortunately the majority of my ward is dispersing, so I don't really want to stay. I just want things to stay the same for a while longer.

Anyways, last week was crazy but so good! Let me walk you through.

Saturday the 6th- Spend all morning/afternoon shopping for an upcoming activity and went to the gym with my friend Jamie. Had a lot of fun. Got a sweet black leather purse for $1, thank you thrift store. Had a migraine, took a nap. Went to wedding reception of two people in my ward, hung out with cool ward friends. Stayed up until 2 getting stuff ready for Sunday, did not sleep that night, probably because of said migraine.

Sunday was at church at 8 for meetings, run my mouth off pointing out that I never had to speak in church in this ward. Promptly get asked to speak the following Sunday, which is my last Sunday in the ward. Really? Really? Took 10 minute nap after church, made food for Break the Fast, went to Break the Fast and had fun, Spent some time getting activity stuff ready, went to ward prayer, sat and talked and had fun and got 11 mosquito bites.

Monday work 8-5, purchase hair dye and do more shopping for activity. Go to FHE, walk around ward passing out fliers for activity, spend an hour trying to locate gloves to dye hair. Realize I still have 7 frozen lasagnas in my freezer that need to be cooked the next day that I hadn't passed out. Cue texting storm. Finally dye my hair at midnight. (it looks good) Stay up way too late. Texts still going back and forth at 2 am.

Tuesday have a panic attack that everything is not ready for activity. Leave work at 2:30 so I can go home and make preparations. Cook 2 lasagnas, make 2 salads, and coordinate getting everything over to the stake center. Host Elder's Quorum Appreciation Night, where we fed them lasagna, salad, desserts, drinks, and decorated the tables with a million cute notes saying what we love about them, Hershey's kisses, and little signs. Balloons blown up and strewn about the floor. My friend Matt speculating that there is not enough food. Cue another panic attack and hurriedly making another salad. Turns out we have way too much food. Great turn out, lots of help. I love my RS girls. So tired I can't see straight. Lots and lots of fun. Clean up, friend Lindsay takes me home, we sit and talk about life for a while on my porch. More mosquito bites.

Wednesday Work 8-5. Still exhausted. Get home, finish paying back BYU so I can register. But it hasn't updated yet, so I can't register. Orient the new RS Pres, then we go to a stake RS pres meeting which normally lasts an hour but for some reason lasted 2 1/2 hours. Just. Need. A. Break. But can't quit now! Mosquito bite on right hand index finger knuckle giant and swollen. Go to bed way too late. Sleep fitfully, it's hot in our house. Awake to my computer making some crazy screaming sound at 5 am. Certain that my computer has screamed its last, I drag myself out of bed to examine the damage. It just restarted itself, no harm done. Go back to bed. Hand itching and writhing so badly from giant swollen mosquito bite, must get out of bed and get something to ice it. Head to kitchen, see a strange truck parked right behind our house that wasn't there before. Note that all the windows are open and if it's a serial killer it won't take much for them to get it. Sit and ice my hand for a while, go back to bed. Cue bizarre dream that person from my past is mad about something I had nothing to do with and they try to slit my throat, and kind of succeed. I run to the police but they don't believe me and convince me I'm crazy. I wake up. Why can't I just sleep?

Thursday Turns out the truck belongs to future tenant who is on vacay. Work 8-2:30, closed early for graduation, halelujah. Go home and veg, spend all day hitting refresh trying to get into classes I need. For some reason the only openings for 4 of my classes is the same time slot on Tuesday/Thursday. Great. Gary the Magnificent emails me and says they will let me move in early. I won't be homeless after all. Realize I never asked anyone to teach on Sunday. Make a couple attempts but realize it's not fair on such short notice when our ward will be camping all weekend. Add "Teach RS" to the list of things I have to do on Sunday. Glance through the lesson. Get the night off! Watch SYTYCD finale, Go Melanie! Get not enough sleep.

Friday work 8-5. Have had songs from A Very Potter Musical stuck in my head for 2 weeks now. After literally stalking the registration website all day, I finally get my perfect Fall schedule, including a piano class and a jogging class. First time I will take classes for the pure fun of it. Also have 3 english classes, 1 elang class, and christian history. I'm going to die with reading. Walk home with co-worker who just had their last day. Take a shower and pack and leave for ward camp out. SO MUCH FUN! Will get its own post. Go to bed at 2, don't sleep at all because it's freezing. Cry quietly to myself and wish for death or morning, whichever comes first.

Saturday Have fun camping until about 2 ish that afternoon. I love my ward. No mosquito bites. Really? Provo has more than the great outdoors? Go home and shower because I smell FOUL. Take a 2 1/2 hour nap that I've been needing for a week and a half. Get up and prep to start working on my talk. Get a text from Lindsay. Do I want to go get ice cream? Yeah, I do. Abandon all pretenses of working on talk. Go pick up 2 other friends and hit the frozen yogurt. Spend my last $3. Hope (a lot) that I get my reimbursement check the next day (I do). Finally at 10pm I settle down to write my talk. Stay up all night (again), except my body collapses a few times because I didn't sleep the night before. Must just survive one more day...

Sunday When I leave for 8am meeting, my talk is only half written. Cool, I'm only the first speaker and Sacrament meeting is at 9:25. Have a good PEC meeting, Bishop makes me bear my testimony. I cry. I loved being RS pres. Run up to the clerk's office, I have 25 minutes to finish my talk. Pull out my feeble and fragile laptop. Definitely should not be taking it from home, but this is an emergency. Start copy and pasting quotes like a crazy person. Print on the clerk's computer. Slowest computer in the world. Church started 5 minutes ago. Run through the halls and literally walk in the door just in time to be released with a vote of thanks. Like, I didn't even have time to sit down. Spend Sacrament reading my talk for the first time. Get up and give it. Not too shabby.

Sit down, pull out the gospel principles manual and start planning my RS lesson. Get distracted, the other talks are great too. Elder Cardon of the Seventy is at our meeting (his son is in our ward) and he gets up and talks as well. Super good. Move on to Sunday School. Still planning my lesson, and get a bare outline pounded out. Sunday School is good, I get distracted again. Most definitely not ready when RS rolls around. Work out a backup plan with new RS pres for when my lesson isn't long enough. But because my RS girls are so fabulous, they make a million comments and I straight up run out of time halfway through my lesson. Cue frantic paraphrasing. Then testimony bearing and public emotional breakdown as I say goodbye to the girls. Awesome Sunday, spirit very strong in every meeting. People saying lots of nice things to me. Lots of hugging. I'm going to miss them all so much! Grateful I got to teach one last time, even if it was a busy day.

Get home, fight to stay awake long enough to get home taught. Go take a nap for an hour, then go pay a visit to Laurel to borrow "North and South." Roomie Kelley has never seen it. (gasp) Spend the next 3 hours guilt free watching awesome British drama and chowing down on muddy buddies. First time in 4 months I've had a free Sunday afternoon/evening. It feels kinda nice. Ward prayer. Vows of seeing each other again before we all move later this week. Run home to finish "North and South". I love you Mr. Thornton! Sit and chat with Kelley for a bit and then BAM I realize how tired I am. Fall into bed.

I did it. I survived the week! And I wouldn't have traded it for anything.

nicely done

I am having a mellow day inside my head. Not sad. Not unhappy. Just kind of there.


So the other day I received a text message from someone I didn't know, and it was the third or fourth time I have received a message like this. Let me recreate it for you:

Hi Emily! You don't know me, my name is                   . I am a Mary Kay consultant and friends with (someone I know; different every time). She said you were really nice and could help me out! I would like to give you a free facial, and I'll come to you! Etc, etc, accumulating in a 3-text-long message.

Why do people think I'm so wonderful that I would love to give every inexperienced peddler of over-priced beauty products direct access to my face? I have sat down with many MK reps in my time, and let me tell you a secret: I hate Mary Kay products as much as their parties. So while I do love to help people, this is where I draw the line. 

I'm not that nice.

General Update:

I had a dream last night that some boy became my boyfriend. And while the whole thing was bizarre (my dreams usually are) I am now left with phantom-boyfriend-hangover. You know, where you have all these fake but strong emotions in a dream and you still kind of feel them? And you miss someone who was never really there?

I read Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson this last week. I thought it started slow but I soon was hooked. I love his writing. He's turning me into a Fantasy-genre nerd. But mostly I'm just nerd for him.

I have to move in 2 1/2 weeks. Boooooooo. I hate moving.

I'm putting together a last activity for the RS and it's a big dinner thing that the guys are invited to. I love event planning.

I'm getting released in 2 Sundays. :(

25 days until school starts. 

30 Day movie challenge:

Day 4: A movie that makes you sad.

This is a toughie. If there is a movie where someone dies, someone might die, or someone has died or people have to say goodbye forever, it will make me cry. More often than not, like a little girl. So I have lots, for a million different reasons. I actually really enjoy movies that make me sad.
But I will go with...

Blood Diamond

I'm a major sucker for tragic stories about Africa. I think Africa is fascinating and horrifying and beautiful. I saw this on TV and thought it was amazing. It makes me sad to see the horrors people inflict on each other: genocide, families ripped apart, child soldiers, betrayal. All in the name of money. So that makes me sad. And it makes me sad to see what happens specifically to the characters. I don't want to spoil the ending but there is a major theme of redemption and sacrifice in this that is very bittersweet. The sadness of missed opportunity, of coming to terms with life and a place that has essentially been forsaken. Leonardo DiCaprio is fabulous, I love his character in this. Great cast, great story. And it breaks my heart.