Awwww shucks

Yup it's been a long time again, one of those weeks-long-lulls where I either don't have time to write or I'm want for inspiration. I'm currently sitting at my kitchen table with all these books spread out, ready to be productive on a Friday afternoon and to study...but I figure, baby steps right? I don't want to be thaaaaat productive tonight.

So when I got home from Italy in 2008, I had all these high hopes of writing a sweet music blog. Needless to say, epic fail right? Not only do I not blog, half the time I don't talk about music either. Well, fear not, because this post will be devoted to soothing your need for the latest and greatest: music for dancing, music for running, music for late-night-driving; music to live to.

1)If I ever need to feel good about myself, if I ever need to pump myself up to ask a girl out, or just put on my fake ray bans and roll down the windows on a sunny-day drive, I simply toss my indie-cred out the window and turn this one up real loud: Philip Michael ft. Akon - "Free to Be" (no idea why there's no music video for this one)


2)I haven't gotten into a band's whole cd for a lonnnnng time, but recently I've been listening a lot to the band "The Head and the Heart." All of their songs are good, even if not a whole lot stand out. My favorite though is "Lost in My Mind," which I'm pretty sure was featured on some commercial I saw recently. Anyway, I've never been hip enough to get into indie-electronica (which seems to be what's in these days), but I've always had an affinity for an unassuming, quality indie-folk song. Did I just say affinity? Too many chemistry classes for me.



3) Uh oh, here comes more Indie-folk. This one definitely has a different feel though. I'll admit, this next video is a little dark for my liking, but the song is fantastic (ok it's a little dark too). This song actually came out a few years ago, but for some reason I just barely stumbled on it: Blitzen Trapper "Black River Killer" (Just pretend it's a halloween music video...)

Ok, I just watched it again, and it is pretty morbid.

4) Well I figured you'd need a pick-me-up after that one, so I'll throw a video on here that needs no introduction:


Last Thoughts:
-grab the song "nothing" by Young Man off of Itunes while it's still free!
-The new Blink 182 cd is actually pretty mediocre. I do like the song "Ghost on the Dance Floor," just get it edited
-I'm so excited about new B.o.B, and I really like "Strange Clouds" as long as you can successfully pretend that Lil Wayne Tha Carter IV is actually not on the song

If you have other music to suggest-let me know!

Days Away

Today I had my SECOND cavity filled in my life. And they did not use that ultra-long, lidocaine filled needle. I've still never figured out how that needle fits into someone's gums without poking out the back of your head, or your cheek, or something. Anyway, I guess I should be grateful that no needle was needed, and that my cavity was minor, but sometimes I wonder if I really have a cavity at all. Maybe every 10 years or so they just "fill" one even if you don't have one. Luckily my dentist is THE MAN (Dr. Wilkes-everyone go) and so I almost wish I had worse teeth just so I could go see him more. Okay I take it back.

I have ONE last med school application to finish. ONE. So far I've applied to these schools:
Georgetown (DC)
George Washington (DC)
VCU (Richmond, VA)
Chicago Rosalind (Miami, FL) (Just kidding)
Hofstra (Long Island, NY)
UC Davis (Davis, CA)
UC Irvine (Irvine, CA) - REJECTED
Loma Linda (Loma Linda, CA)
Midwestern U (Glendale, AZ) - Interview Dec. 2nd
UTMB (Galveston, TX)
UT Houston (TX)
UT San Antonio (TX)
Texas A&M (Bryan, TX)
Wright State (Dayton, OH)
UCF (Orlando, FL)

And I'm almost done with AT Still, in Mesa, AZ. I'm so sick of sucking up to other schools and trying to talk myself up, but thanks to my freshman year negligence, I cant really afford to just write whatever the heck I want and expect to be accepted. Woops. I love google maps-ing each of these cities (except Irvine now) and wondering where I may be living next year. I get excited for pretty much all of these places! I just love exploring, and I'm ready for adventures.

Also I have had this thought lately, that it would help to learn how to at least pronounce some French, if not speak it. Because every time I get in the shower/use cologne I feel like I'm getting called things like "Gel Douche" and "Poor Homie."


Oh and there are 6 days remaining until school starts again. Right now I have mixed emotions, but deep down I know it's going to be the most fun I've EVER had, and I'm so excited.

California Sun

..is really what I've been needing all along. High 80's, low humidity, and a pool and a book (the Count of Monte Cristo-I really wish I had read it before having seen the movie). Honestly though, I had completely forgotten how much I love this place. Also, being at EFY all summer was AWESOME, but my body is so happy with me that I'm finally getting some sun, exercising, and not eating anything from the cannon center dessert bar. Tonight I went with my dad and my brother to see....

...and it was one of my favorite movies of the year. Granted, the only other movie I have really liked this year was Megamind, and woops that came out last year, but I didn't see it until it was in the dollar theater at the beginning of this year! Seriously though, tough year for movies. I'm rambling. I'm going to Disneyland next week with all of those great efy counselors out there. I don't remember if I like Disneyland. That's probably not something you say out loud though huh? I'm sure I'll love it-k goodnight!

Lint is a shell's best friend

Blog-a-log. I think I say that in my head every time I get on blogger...blog-a-log. Who knows why. This week has been tiring but great because I have run TWICE. Which isn't impressive, except with efy being so draining, those two times mark the first two times I have gone running ALL. SUMMER. It feels great.
I know I posted this on facebook but I have watched this video like 7 times today. And I keep giggling to myself every time and it is so nerdy.

I went to Arizona last weekend for Robby and Amanda's wedding and it was one of the best weddings I've ever been to. Besides being in Arizona and being so so hot. Sometimes you go to a wedding and it's like, "uhhh I don't know anyone and I've had so many of these chocolate dipped strawberries and fancy lemonades and this collar is getting really itchy...time to go." This was one of those weddings when so much is happening, no one seems too stressed, the bride & groom are actually enjoying the party, and there's a bit of a magical feel to the whole thing. That was last Saturday night in Mesa.

Oh and I decided I'm getting married next summer. I know that's a weird thing to decide when you aren't dating anyone but.... I think it's time.

Guess what I wear as a hat? A lentil!

11:45 pm.

Tonight was very reminiscent of being in high school for me: hanging out with people I love and going to In-n-Out for some late-night nutrition. So fun. But you know what I love? That drive home alone afterwards. And walking into my room and being alone and just having time to think. I was never one of those go-home-and-crash-in-two-seconds kids. I always stayed up for awhile, thinking about the night, thinking about life and the future. I'll admit that I often felt insecure in those alone moments in high school, but right now, I just feel at peace.

On my mind:
Harry Potter 7.5 comes out this week
Arizona on Sat!
My UC Irvine application is almost done
ipads. I want one
I just got Google+ but so far I haven't really figured it out

And as always, Italia....

My first day in Italy


These are my favorite Italian homies. The boy in the back's Dad died a few months before I met him here, and he gave me his favorite little matchbox/hotwheels car on the last day we came to their school to help teach English. I know those two things are completely unrelated, but he was the man...I loved hanging out with all of Francesca's class.

I'm going back next summer. Probably to teach English, but no matter what I'm going back. Anyone want in?

Humbled.

Happy 2nd of July! I can't believe it's already July, and that I'm almost halfway done with EFY. Shoot. I'm just sitting in my old apartment now, (I'm displaced until efy starts again tomorrow!) and working on my application to UC Davis! These applications get old. I guess staying here in Provo without a job/career path would get even more old though, huh?

Can I just say that for as much as I couldn't stand listening to corny EFY music as a missionary, I really like this song. Granted, it would probably sit more comfortably on an Adele B-side album than an EFY soundtrack. We got to see the original singer perform it live, and it was great.


This last week I felt so blessed. There was an AWESOME girl at efy this week, that happened to be from my hometown, who suffers from Conversion Disorder: basically she passes out randomly, and has to be revived by a "femoral artery rub"-which basically means you have to dig into their upper-inner thigh. I don't know all of the physiology behind how it works, but I was a little nervous all week about her passing out. Welp, she passed out twice this week. The first time happened on my morning off, and my awesome co-counselor Marissa brought her back that time. The 2nd time, I was in the next room over. When I got there, Marissa was trying to bring her back but she wasn't coming around after about a minute, so she asked if I wanted to try. I'd practiced the femoral artery rub approximately 0 times previously, because it turns out that rubbing someone's crotch who is not passed-out is not only extremely awkward, but could also be viewed as some sort of dodgy, illegal behavior. Anyway, I reached to where my best guess of the femoral artery would be and started rubbing, and in about 3 seconds she was back, and she just started sobbing; a mixture of embarrassment and frustration.

There are so many times in my life where I feel like I get blessings I don't deserve, and this was one of those times. I had no reason to be successful, but for some reason I was able to help this girl, and I felt a love for her in a way that our Savior must feel for us every day. That feeling I had to be able to heal is comparable only to the feeling I had to bring people into the church as a missionary in Italy. And I'm full of gratitude and humility, because I am so undeserving.

On a lighter note, this is what google offered up when I typed in "awkward" to make sure I spelled it right:

I lol'd. They are probably from Utah.

Summing it up

Well I'm on office duty at work right now, so I figured it would be a good time to post something before I disappear for another few months. Anyway this is my 4th week of EFY and so far each of them has been distinct...mostly for injuries and what not:

Week 1: knee dislocation week
Week 2: the flu epidemic week
Week 3: the on-stage seizure/first ambulance ride/15 year old fan week
Week 4: the lightning strike/MCAT week

I know I should talk about those in more detail, but I'm feeling a little too lazy to sum up all four weeks. But it's been so fun here! I thought I would definitely not be efy material, and not that I have become efy material or anything, but I've had a lot of fun and made a lot of friends. This week has been great, but it's been stormy! We had our games night at Kiwanis park yesterday which ='d pioneer trek a la 1846 hike from helaman halls to the park...it was so long! Luckily we have cars, but we had to hang out along the path and guide them up to the park, and it was windy and raining and lightning and thunder and all that fun. So then we did a few games in the wet and rainy park and then apparently lightning struck a gazebo thing where some of the counselors were and all the nearby kids ran under trees (aren't they boy scouts? c'mon!) so we reverse-trekked it back down to the dorms. Of course then it stopped raining. Anyway I wasn't near the park when the lightning supposedly struck but it sounded like a real interesting time!

Oh I got my MCAT scores back this week! I got a 32, which is a very average-accepted white kid score! So I think I'll be accepted somewhere! Sweet huh? I thought I could maybe do a little better than 32, but 32 is still very decent and like I said, is about the average score for accepted students. So no johns hopkins for me, but the real good news is: no trying to figure out other options besides med school either! Because for awhile now I have felt so so good about going; I've felt like it is really what I want to do in life. Now I have to finish my applications though, George Washington done, 11 (or maybe 14) more to go.

I also wanted to pay a little tribute to one of my sports heroes who just retired today - Paul Kariya. Kariya was my favorite player on my favorite NHL team, the Mighty Ducks (they were probably everyone's fav hockey team growing up, but at least I lived near Anaheim growing up). He retired after 15 seasons because of brain damage he received through multiple concussions, even though many teams offered him contracts to come back to play. Through his dedication to his rehab program, he "jumped from the 20th to the 80th percentile in brain function," which I admire so much. There are probably tons of people that would ignore the Dr's advice and just play, especially if they're feeling better, but it takes guts and a lot of wisdom to give up the more exciting life of playing a sport you love to focus on staying healthy. So admirable.


More stories to come? Yessir.