Old Before My Time

Subtitle: How does one spell "fogey"? Seriously, how? The only English word that sounds at all similiar is "vogue" and I can't imagine it's spelled similiarly.

It has come to me suddenly and repeatedly this week that I have become an old fogey. I have outlined several points clearly illustrated that I am no longer a spring chicken.

Point One:
To begin my swift descendent into old age, I discovered Monday that rock concerts are not to my liking. I went to my first rock concert (and note, it wasn't even REAL rock, just British pop) and although I had a very good time at the concert, I found the music and especially the crazy light effects were distasteful to me. The music, as a whole, was too grating and the crazy lighting hurt my eyes. I don't see how shining very bright lights directly into the eyes of the audience members is supposed to make the music more enjoyable. (Honestly, you can't tell me I don't sound like a 80 year old right now.) However, apparently the more young-at-heart surrounding me enjoyed it. I couldn't believe they weren't shielding their faces like I was. I kept thinking "Preserve your retinas people!"

Point Two:
The next morning I went to work and imagine my joy when I discovered that my food storage order from the Church had arrived!!! Honestly, I thought excitment of this magnitude regarding a non-personal-salvation issue church point wouldn't come until I was at least 40. (I'm sure it will amuse you to know that the pictures of canned wheat on the church website are copyrighted and thus cannot be downloaded to be used on my blog. So instead, here is a picture of my very own wheat and oats sitting in one of those coat closets at work waiting for me to take them to their new home.)

Point Three:
Then Tuesday I went and saw the movie Ironman which was very good and (dare I say it?) perhaps even emotionally satisfying. I really enjoyed it. But oh my goodness, it was intense! At points I was sure my poor nerves couldn't take it! I used to LOVE being stressed out during a movie, but now, although I did love the movie as a whole, I did not love the stressful parts.

Point Four:
Last night I had a very happy dream in which I went to the library and got a book I was excited about. And I woke up in a state of bliss because I thought that I was going to write an essay on the book for class when I was done. Is this what my fantasy life has come to?

Point Five:
I can't remember the name of the book I was excited about. A senior moment at 28.

Point Six:
I've spent all day listening to Peter, Paul, and Mary.

Point Seven:
Today, I started an 401(k). Which is actually quite exciting:(a self-potrait of me and my 401(k) explanation form)
So now I'll have plenty of money for when my body catches up with my mind and becomes old. Not that it really matters because I'll be super rich by then anyway.

Extremely Joyful Spring Title

Subtitle: Tulips are like opium, only better.

I consider myself to be a happy person. I think that, on a whole, my capacity for joy is unusually high. I think that I am happy most of the time. And it has always seemed to me that I feel my joy rather intensely.
Also, I have never been one to think that one's mood needs to correspond with the weather. Just as easy to be happy in the winter as in the summer, I've always thought. I've always enjoyed spring very much (same as fall, and most of summer and winter) but I've never understood the very high levels of excitment a lot of people seem to associate with spring.

That said, I cannot remember a spring ever having such an overwhelmingly powerful influence on me as it has these last several days. I just cannot believe how HAPPY this weather is making me! The other morning I literally thought, "I would have supposed I'd have to be in love to reach this intense of a level of happiness!" I just feel like there is joy and rapture gushing out of me. Soemtimes I think my neuro circuits are in danger of being overloaded with happiness and my brain just might explode. Seriously. That's how happy the spring is making me.

I've pondered about why it is that I'm being so very strongly influenced by the weather for the first time ever. This is my theory: I think I am being more exposed to the spring then ever before. I wake up around 8:30. I can see a wide expanse of bright sunny sky from my bed. I have wonderful wonderful amounts of sunlight all around my apartment as I'm getting ready. I walk by a park on the way to and from the subway. (coming home is the best because the park is full and everyone is having fun and Mr. Frosty is selling ice cream. sigh!!). I go to work and sit in front of this all day:


The picture (which I took myself, thank you very much) does not do it justice. It is so lovely looking out over Trinity Church and it's surround yard with flowers. And I can see parts of the Hudson AND the Harbor. And the buildings are beautiful. And it is so wonderfully sunshiny. I'm getting gushy just thinking about it. Also, I think I'm just basically surrounded by more beautiful scenary then I have in a long time. For example, here in the fiancial district where I work a lot of the buildings have flower beds and/or huge planters of loveliness. You don't see that in the printing district (where I worked before).

So basically, the only time I am not keenly aware of my beautiful sunshiny glorious weather is while I'm on the subway.

And while I'm on the subject, have there always been so many tulips in the spring? I've never noticed them before. I just don't see how a person can look at a tulip and not go into a tizzy of pure joy.

I am a lucky girl! I love my life!

The best day of my life.

Subtitle: Joyfully, joyfully, biking to our home

I feel like I have been bike obsessed for the last several weeks. Before I did something crazy like going out and buying one, I decide to borrow someone else's to see if bike riding is really as awesome I remember it being. I attempted to borrow one Saturday morning and even had it in my possession for a full 40 minutes, but due to a long series of small, seemingly unconnected events that were somewhat humourous but which I will omit here for the sake of brevity, I only ended up riding it for approximately 3 pedals. That, however, was enough to convince me that I absolutely had to have a bike that day.

I called my friend Marcus who is a hardcore biker and therefore knows things. He told me the best place to go and even came with me to help pick one out. With Marcus' help, it was an easy decision. I fell in love with this one right away:



Mine is red like the one above, but has a woman's frame like the one beneath:


I decided to include them both so that you can begin to fully comprehend how beautiful my bike is even without seeing it.

To date, the purchase of my bike is the biggest impulse buy I have made in my life. But I think even just for the joy it has already given me, it is worth it. I get absolutely weak in the knees when I anticipate a full summer of biking about. Oh the joy and rapture!!
Marcus, Corina and I went on a little bike ride on the Hudson River Trail to break in my bike and the whole time I just kept singing a happy song (for the exactly lyrics see "Subtitle" above).

Here's a picture of me and Marcus at a lookout point long the Hudson River Trail.



Then Marcus had to high-tail it back to his place to get ready for stake priesthood meeting while Corina and I lolly-gagged around a bit enjoying the beautiful weather and the feeling of wonderfulness that is bicycle ownership.

Then we manged to leave our bikes for just a few minutes to do a bit of rock climbing:

(We were trying to make it to the boat seen below and we almost did, but decided Corina was in the wrong shoes to go into the water, which might have been necessary.)

Oh, I am a happy happy girl to own a bike!!!

PS I named my bike Rosie, partially because she's red and partially after Rosie the Riveter (because she's made out of metal and Rosie the Riveter is awesome).

The Rumors are True

Due to certain irresponsible, and some would say near-suicidal g-chat status messaging (done largely by me) rumors have begun to circulate that I underpaid my 2007 taxes by nearly $800.

These rumors are true.

Upon making this startling realization, I will admit I felt heavy internal pressure to unravel, which I did but only to the extent of issuing public g-chat status messages regarding my state of turmoil and subsequent arrival at peace.

Having thought it over more thoroughly, I have decided to turn this into an opportunity to be thankful to be a some-what aggressive saver so that this little incident will not actually affect the quality of my life at all. I've also decided that $800 is a small price to pay for living in what is largely considered to be the country place on earth.

So really, I've made it a joyful experience.

Musical Apartment

A few weeks ago, I procured a piano keyboard. This was part of my ongoing desire (although, as yet lack of follow-through) in becoming a proficient piano player. My goal is to be able to sight read hymns.

Well I spent about 20 minutes trying to play out of the hymn book, then I lost interest probably largely due to my lack of talent. Then we had a rip-roaring roommate music fest. Although my musical talents extend only as far as typically being able to pull off a good alto, my roommates are more talented. Amelia played the piano, Christina played the violin, and I sang (soprano--ugg). It was pretty awesome. Blissful even.

It's a running gag

Subtitle: Best $2.50 I ever spent.



Yes, I made another heart-shaped cake. Yes, I'm aware I have better things to blog about. But for some reason, I've turned compulsive with the need to bake, badly decorate, and blog about heart-shaped cakes.

But, in my defense, (i) I do make a tasty cake, (ii) usually when I host, the heart-shaped cake pan is the only one available, and (iii) I've come to think that my guests expect a yummy heart-shaped cake awaiting them at my home. (I realize this last one is probably not true, but leave me my fantasies please.)

And just so you know my life does, in fact, have meaning, purpose, and direct--here are some other blogs I'm planning on writing in the near future:

1. on my new working space
2. going green
3. turning my living space into a home
4. why I like my job II