Ukulele

So I bought myself a ukulele for my birthday a few months back.  Seriously one of my better life decisions.  Reasons that the ukulele is such a rad instrument.

1.  Built for small hands.  I always struggled trying to get bar chords on a guitar but with four strings there are very few chords that I REALLY just can't play.

2.  Its a "Sing-along" sort of instrument.  The violin is not as conducive to that sort of thing.

3.  Easy to learn.  This is an instant gratification instrument.  By day two I could play at least a dozen songs.

4.  Travel size.  Its a lot easier to justify stowing away a ukulele then a guitar.  Perfect for singing around the campfire.

5.  FUN!  Now, for your viewing pleasure, a video!  I'm still a little shaky at some parts and my laptop is kind of loud so I used my headset so yeah...  don't judge.

Stray Italian Greyhound

I've done music posts before but its been a while.  Here are some songs that I play over and over and over and OVER again in my car.

Many of you dear readers are familiar with Vienna Teng.  Don't know if you've checked out her latest cd Inland Territory but it's awesome.  There's a song about reincarnation, a grandma's "stay in school" song, and this one I posted above, about unexpected love.

Most of you probably haven't heard of Zee Avi but she has an awesome sound and plays the ukulele.  I like to play You and Me on my uke but this is my favorite of her songs.

And for something that has a completely different sound...  am I the only person who didn't know about Muse and how awesome they are?  Here is a video of their excellence.  I'll warn you in advance that this video has a lot of destruction and teddy bears.

Halloween 2012

I finally decided what to be for Halloween!  Here are the runner ups as well as my final decision and my latest favorites for future Hauntings.

Calvin and Hobbes

I think if I were doing a couple costume that this would be the most fantastic costume EVER!  Unfortunately, I'm not so...  yeah, scratch that idea.

Medusa and Statue

I toyed with this idea last year (and gave up on Mary Poppins since I saw about 4 Mary's last year) but obviously after more thought I decided to put this one on hold again.  It would be a lot more fun to be Medusa if you had a Statue friend.

Mozilla Firefox

Sufficiently nerdy but I'd get tired of running around with an exercise ball AKA carrying the world on my shoulders.  I also realized that I could convince a guy to dress in a blue safari costume and be "an internet explorer" so...  yeah, another costume idea on hold.

Pikachu

Rather comfy looking and kind of cute but...  it didn't make the final cut.  

Rosie the Riveter

We can do it!  Simple, classy, and femine...  But I think there's a high risk I'd run into another Rosie.  Next!

Ent

It'd be pretty cool and fairly cheap to throw together but not a lot of trees to work with out here in AZ...  maybe another year.

Smurfette

It would be fun, girlish and quirky but require a LOT of paint makeup and that would probably get EVERYWHERE!  Plus, I remember this incident where I used tattoo crayons and they didn't wash off.  Do you remember that time I had to wear a long skirt to church because I had a snake slithering up my leg?

Peter Pan

I really like this one but there still is a high chance of finding a costume double.  It made me think of another green costume.

Link 

Zelda is a video game I haven't played in years and I thought being Link could be a fun.  Its a comfy costume plus you have a sword.  However, everyone kept telling me I should be Zelda...  

Zelda

At first I thought it was unreasonable since that armor is obviously a lot of work.  Then I did some research and well...  TA DA!  Final decision.  Turns out you just need foam sheets, spray paint, and a glue gun for the decor and the dress isn't TOO unreasonable.  We'll see how it goes!

My Feelings are Dumb

Sometimes I hate dealing with my emotions.  FACT:  Even though I'm very much a scientist and nerd, I'm a VERY emotionally driven person.  This is why many of my decisions might seem random or impulsive.  That isn't to say I disregard reason or logic, but when I follow my gut it usually leads to positive experiences and fills me with positive energy.  Ex: desire to make enormous piles of Oreo Truffles, spontaneously taking a 10 mile hike, dancing in the rain, etc.

However, it is a VERY frustrating problem when I feel bad about something and I can't explain why.  There are few things as bad as having someone ask why you're feeling the way you do and having to reply "I just don't know."  I wish I had something reasonable to say like "I can't date a man who kicks puppies."

So here is this video dedicated to not knowing why you feel the way you do.  Maybe someday they will create colleges for our emotions and then my heart won't be so clueless.  : P

Understanding the Subconscious

I've been having weird dreams again.  I have yet to determine if they indicate anything significant or if they're mental regurgitation because I'm stressed/confused.  Maybe you, after reading this, will be able to better understand my inner mind....  or you'll just think I'm crazy....  maybe both

The OJ, vampire, Erma, Purple Bunny Dream

I'm going on a vacation.  My friend Deseret and her brothers are helping me load food into the van.  At one point they declare we can't make all the food fit.  I prove them wrong using my awesome cooler sorting skills I manage to get all the orange juice into the cooler.

On the vacation my brother Jon informs me that he and my dad are doing a prank on my brother Jeff.  They have a Vampire tracking app and hinting online that Jeff is likely a vampire.  While we're standing in a garden courtyard Jeff calls them out on their prank.  Seconds later Jon is showing me instagrams, one of which indicates he's planning on taking up gymnastics.

Then we're in a store where my old neighbor Erma used to work.  Erma's coworkers insist on giving me some glass slides which are actually photos we can look at under a microscope.
Finally I'm at my home in Minnesota and there's a purple bunny on the table.  Someone said I can have it if I wanted it.  A few months back I had a bunny adopting dilemma but this bunny was PURPLE and I REALLY WANTED IT.  Before I pick it up or anything I woke up.

The Concert, Drive of a Cliff Dream

I'm back in MN for a choral concert.  I have to leave early or I'll be late for work.  I have 15 minutes to drive back to AZ.  I hop into my Corolla and head down the hills back home.  But at one point traffic set in.  There were sandstone cliffs, a stream and such (I figured it was UT).  I get lost and ask for directions.  At one point I drive off a cliff.

I try calling work to let them know I'll be late but to no avail.  Somehow I end up at a lodge in UT and one of my supervisors Pam is there.  There are seven minutes left until my shift starts and I tell her I need to go.  She asks if I'd like some cocoa and proceeds to tell me that Dr. Valdez feels I could be doing better quality work.  I tell her I'll be better but first I need to get to work of I'll be late.

These dreams are less recent but still just as weird.

Losing my teeth in San Fran

I'm on a trolly in San Francisco.  Suddenly my teeth start falling out painlessly one by one.  I turn to my dad and tell him I need to get to a dentist right away.  "But we're on a trolly Jill.  We can do it later."  I become passionate as I try to explain to my dad that my teeth really are falling out and that we need to find a dentist right away or I'll be toothless forever.

Black and White Dream

I am at my old job reading a slide and I can't tell which cell is which because its a black and white dream.  The cases are urgent and I can't do anything.

Wizard of Oz Utility Belt

I'm Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz skipping down the yellow brick road.  When I get to the point where Dorothy meets the scare crow I see Batman is waiting for me.  He gives me his utility belt and then vanishes. So I'm skipping down the yellow brick road in a blue dress, ruby slippers, and Batman's utility belt.  I get to the location where Dorothy is in the forest with the apple trees and before I can use the utility belt I wake up.

Snow-Tubing Ninja

I was snow-tubing down a mountain on a giant red blood cell instead of a snow tube.  At one point I look to my right and I see a ninja in white careening down the mountain beside me.  I look back and suddenly its Kocoum from Pocahontas.

Sing-Along Blog

I know, I just posted a second ago...  really, I wrote that post on Sunday so posting today is okay, right?

I just wanted to share this video with everyone.  Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog: I'm kind of a fan.  I'll add the disclaimer that Captain Hammer makes this PG-13 (I know that many of our readers have small children).  Its also 42 minutes.  If that concerns you, be aware that they'll be 42 minutes of musical, nerdy, good v. evil, tragical splendor.  Also, I can no longer do my laundry without getting the first song from this stuck in my head.

ENJOY!  Now I have to finish my latest oil painting, set up my fall garden, buy stamps to complete bucket list item 109, go to the temple, clean the house, tye die some shoes, swim some laps, practice my orchestra music, etc.  I might go back to bed first....

The Muffin Allegory

Once upon a time I was a visiting teaching district leader and I realized that I needed to be better at magnifying my calling.  Many of the girls in my district are MIA as in I haven't interacted with them...  ever.  I've tried calling, texting, and e-mailing but without any success.  Sooooo...  I devised a plan.

"I'll make muffins.  Everyone loves muffins!  I'll drop by the homes of my MIA sisters and use baked goods as a reason for the impromptu visit."  At this point I threw in a maniacal laugh.  ::MWA HA HA HA::  It was brilliant.  Not particularly original but brilliant none the less.

So in less than half an hour the muffins were baked, on a plate, and I was ready to go.  I dropped by one house...  then another... then another...  By the fourth house I wasn't even able to knock on the door since I learned I needed an apartment number I didn't have.  I still managed to get rid off all the muffins after church but I still felt like a big fat failure for not having had a single conversation with any of my sisters.

Well, I went to a dessert party later that evening and after the dessert party my friend Kim hunts me down.

"Jill, I just kept thinking about you today.  I made something for you.  Do you like muffins?  If you want, we can go to my car and grab them.  Hows life?"

Those who aren't religious might find this scenario merely ironic.   They might conclude that we Relief Society chicks just really dig muffins.  However, considering I hadn't talked to Kim in over a week and she has never made me food before...  I'm glad that even though I'm far from perfect, a mere fleck in this vast, infinite universe, that God is aware of me...  Well, He's aware of each of us really, but I'm glad that I have the gospel in my life.  When I'm feeling inadequate, confused, and the like and then when I have these sorts of experiences, I remember that God cares about me, in spite of everything.

....Now that I'm finished with that, you can all watch this movie clip from "The Importance of Being Earnest".   I read the book for the first time recently and I'm kind of a fan.  Enjoy!