BYU vs. SUU Part 3: Oh, the Wonderful World of Dating

So...we meet again, this time comparing the guys at each university. I swear, there are some very admirable qualities of BYU...but I will get to those later...because the guys are not an admirable quality here.

I realize that it is unfair to make such a sweeping generalization about a population which I have limited information about. However, I do have my experiences and, somehow, I deem these worthy of making a very educated hypothesis. And my hypothesis is this: Boys at BYU are tactless.

tact·less/ˈtæktlɪs/ Show Spelled[takt-lis]

–adjective; lacking tact; showing no tact; undiplomatic; offendingly blunt

Please observe the following experiences I have had whilst enduring my summer at BYU that have lead me to the formulation of such a hypothesis:

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Situation #1:

When I started working at my new job on campus, I met a very friendly individual. We got along fairly well, especially because one day after work, like 2 weeks after we met, he offered to purchase me some ice cream, which could possibly be the fastest way to my heart, so kudos on his part. However, things quickly took a turn for the worse, when a week later he revealed his secret goal to me. "Kim," he said, "my goal before I go home at the end of this term (term ended middle of June) is to kiss you." Do all guys think there's something wildly romantic about making awkward goals so blatantly obvious? Did he think that I would rush into his arms, lips fully puckered, because-if I didn't-what kind of snotty girl would I be-not letting an innocent young man fulfill his long contemplated aspiration?

In his defense...I still don't know if he was joking or not.

And FYI: He returned to his home town for the remainder of the summer without accomplishing his goal.

Situation #2:

For my minor-Family Services-I am taking the class "Preparation for Marriage." It's actually a really interesting class...but that's beside the point. On the first day of class, as I entered the room (I want to emphasize the fact that I was literally entering the room when I heard this comment, I had been in the class for less than 10 seconds), I overheard one of the guys in the class say to another fellow male, "I plan on getting more than a couple of dates out of this class." Yes, he said it loud. Yes, he said it despite the fact that there were clearly several young women in the room at the time-who could unquestionably hear him. And, yes, he was checking everybody out the remainder of the two and a half hour class.

Situation #3:

My most ginormous Human Development class is always running out of seats. People have to sit in the aisle every day. So, I try to arrive early enough that I can sit on a real chair. On one such day, I spotted an empty seat on the end of a row, so I asked the boy sitting next to the empty seat, "Is anybody sitting here?" To which he replied, "Yeah. My new girlfriend."

He actually said that.

Sorry, buddy, but I'm not a freshman, so that line's not gonna work on me. Thanks for the flattery, though.

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Anyway. That is what has lead me to make the very educated hypothesis that has been presented. I would explain how the SUU boys that I have associated with have tact...but this post is long enough-so just know that they do (oh, wait-minus one boy...but he didn't technically go to SUU...okay-I'll tell that story later) have tact. Generally. And BYU boys don't. Generally.

Good News!

I am clearly very handicap in regards to technology. With such an encumbrance, it never occurred to me that you can text pictures to your email! Even without internet! Oh, how you learn new things everyday. Anyhow, lucky for all of you, you will now have access to view my future wedding dress...assuming it is still sitting at the Rexburg DI in 2+ years for the fabulous price of $40.00. And, also assuming that I don't gain that sophomore seventeen (or is it seventy?) because we had a difficult time zipping it up as is. Anyhow, enjoy!


I know, I know, the dress is basically to die for. Now you know what you were missing out on.

P.S. For any of you who enjoy the BYU vs. SUU posts, I've definitely got another one comin' so get excited...

ROAD TRIP!!!

So, once upon a time, my cousins-Mary and Anna-and I decided to take a road trip. Our awesome cousin Hailey is going to school at BYU-I in Rexburg and we thought it might be fun to hit it up some weekend. So we packed our duffel bags, mooched milk and cereal from Aunt Gretchen (not to mention a tank of gas), and set out on our wonderful journey.

The terrible traffic finally cleared up past Logan-ish. And the rest of the trip went smoothly (*cough* minus A. the time when Mary had to slam on her brakes in order to stop her car from careening into the car in front of us that had stopped-not slowed down, mind you-but just suddenly stopped and B. the time that Mary was driving on the wrong side of the road at like 10mph and another car was coming our way *cough.*) But really. It was a pretty awesome drive, despite the near deaths and the fact that we spent an extra hour in the car due to the horrific traffic.

Now, as is understandable, we were a little worried about the trip. I mean, it's Idaho. Like, when you think Idaho you think potatoes. And, I mean, I'm all for potatoes. Really, I love them. But a whole state that has no other identifiable assets? Yeah. We were a bit distressed about how this was going to turn out. And we were going to the heart of a college campus. And not just any college campus-but BYU-I. The place where you go if you are too righteous for BYU Provo. And, apparently, too desperate for Provo, as was made obvious by this lovely sign situated on the first apartment complex we saw upon arriving:

But-not to worry-Hailey lived in the apartment next to the above monstrosity. Also lucky for us, we have an awesome and a half cousin who got the party going before we even walked in her door. We went straight to a drive-in-theater. I barely missed the drive-in-theater craze in my youth-so the one and only drive in movie I have ever attended played Zorro and The Parent Trap. This time, we were apparently on a Cameron Diaz marathon-because we watched Knight and Day and Shrek Forever After.


***Movie critique: I didn't think Day and Knight deserved all the awesome ratings it has been getting. Shrek was funny...but I don't know if I would have enjoyed it if it weren't 1 in the morning***

On Saturday we went garage saling and then to DI. I purchased a most fabulous purse for the most fabulous price of 1 dollar (Bob, one dollar! okay, sorry). And, I regret to inform you, that I also tried this epic wedding dress-with poofy sleeves, mermaid cut, ruffles-we're talking about the ninety's works- but the camera I took on the trip had no memory left on it and had no batteries left (I'm super prepared)-sorry (p.s. thanks mary-I stole these photos from your facebook). You're missing out. I promise. But we also went to this little boutique that had these cute hair things. When we saw them we said, "Those are super cute. But we could totally make that." So we reached deep (some had to reach deeper than others) for that crafty side and ravaged the local Wal-Mart to create these:
All that churning of creative juices made us starving so we went to the Teriyaki Grill. We ordered 2 plates for 5 people and still couldn't finish it. That's how much food they served. And it was delish.

Next on the agenda was traversing through these wicked sah-weet ice caves. It was like Nutty Putty cave mixed with Spooky-the slot canyon-but in the arctic. I was soaked to the bone...and being soaked in jeans is quite uncomfortable. So the bonfire with s'mores after the hike was especially fan-freaking-tastic.

In the morning on Sunday we went to church...Okay, it was just the sacrament meeting portion and I had to pinch myself to stop me from falling asleep because of all the partying of the weekend. After that we had to say goodbye. The drive home was still awesome, but much less...exciting...in regards to death. Anyway. Awesome weekend.
I LOVE MY COUSINS!

BYU vs. SUU Part 2: Orch Dorks and Choir Queers

Another thing I've noticed while perusing BYU is the abundance of nerds.

This is a terribly awful thing to say, especially considering the fact that I don't really know know many people on campus. However, just walking around you can sense the generally dorkiness. Now, clearly, BYU doesn't consist entirely of a population of pocket protector-wearing geeks. But let's just say that the number of men I see sporting parted missionary hair is way too high. And conversations I overhear walking across campus can be pretty ridiculous. And nerdy paraphernalia abounds.

Don't think I'm being a hater-because I'm not. In fact, my high school years were filled with friends who were orch dorks and choir queers and an occasional band geek (there weren't too many because the band at SHS is reminiscent of a cult...no one really said it-but we all knew it). I was one of those choir queers (though, not a true one-I was in and out of choir throughout the years and I finally quit halfway through my senior year (best decision ever)-oh-and I refused to sing on the bus-clearly, I am not a true choir queer...but I digress).

So, yeah. Nerds and IQs abound here are BYU.

And, speaking of choir queers, such is the epitome of SUU. Just kidding. Kind of.

Hold on...I feel a random tangent that I must get out before I continue: Okay, so lots of people assume the SUU is only for theater majors...but its NOT. There are plenty of other majors at SUU. That is why it's a university...get it? Yeah, I thought so.

Okay. Now that everyone is aware that SUU is, in fact, a real college, we can discuss SUU's thespianism. SUU lives in the same town where the Shakespearean Festival is held. Thus, Cedar City is filled with copious amounts of drama loving people. And that is one thing I notice on campus quite often. Whether it's the outrageously planned costumes at the institute's themed dances or the people singing at the top of their lungs (and to/by themselves, mind you) as they walk across campus, you can tell that you're in Festival City, USA.

Again, having choir going friends through high school, I'm actually quite used to random bursts of song.

Anyway. I don't which one is better-geeks or thespians. But that's the difference. And thus it is.

BYU vs. SUU Part 1: Thou Shalt Not Sin

I mentioned earlier that I thought it would be interesting to compare the two universities I've experienced thus far in my life. I was going to pull out a bulleted list expressing my thoughts on each school...But I have realized that I have LOTS to say about this. So. This is the beginning. The beginning of a series of posts expressing my thoughts on each school. It should be interesting. For all of us. And thus it begins.

BYU vs. SUU Part 1: Thou Shalt Not Sin

Now, it is quite obvious that BYU has...different standards than SUU. And by different, I mean higher. I mean everyone knows about the strict honor code (like how you can't even go to the bathroom at a guy's apartment because the moment you descend into the abyss that is the more private area of living, more specifically, the bathroom, you will be tempted to fornicate). SUU has basic rules-like no alcohol on campus...but nothing as strict as BYU.

To each their own, yeah?

However, it seems that no one breaks rules. Period. Even rules that aren't specifically stated. Like, no one cuts across the lawn to more efficiently get from point A to point B. Also, I've noticed that no one crosses the street unless they are at a cross walk and the walking guy symbol is up. Forget about the fact that there are zero cars present-crossing without that walking guy's okay-is unforgivable. Trust me, I find myself pretty capable at knowing when it's okay to cross and when I might get run over if I do. So, I'll cross if it's clear, regardless of whether or not the walking guy is coaxing me forward. And when I do this, people stare. And no one ever follows me. I've only seen 2 other people cross "illegally" in the month that I've been here.

I'm convinced that this is directly related to a conversation a professor struck up in my driving class. The first week that I started work, I was sent off to a driving course where we spent two hours listening to a guy tell us not to text and drive, which I already knew, haughty as it may sound. But half way through the lecture the professor stopped talking for a second then said, "You know, during your temple recommend interview, your bishop asks you if you obey and adhere to the laws of the land. If you speed, are you really worthy of that recommend? Just something to think about."

And maybe, you know, I'm not worthy...because this morning I was going 65 mph over Ironton Hill-a 55 mph zone-along with the majority of the other-very likely LDS-drivers I was around.

Anyway, the point is that people here at BYU follow the rules. More than me. And it very well may be due to the constant guilt trips these kids are getting during their driving courses. However, I will not judge. In fact, I give kudos to those people who so ardently obey the walking guy.

But I'm pretty sure that I'm still going to cross when I deem it safe. And I'll probably cut across the grass too, you know, if not too many people are watching.

Backpacking!

So my family and I...okay-like half the fam since most everyone is gone...went backpacking! It was a pretty rad trip. We were backpacking in Grand Gulch-home of several ancient Indian civilizations. Awesome? I think so. Here's a pic of one of the kivas:
We hiked 23 miles in 3 days. What's even more impressive than that-we drank what little water we found on the hike. It looked something like this:
Looks delicious-right? Okay...its wasn't quite that bad. But trust me: it tasted like a swamp and had many unmentionables floating around in it.
The hike was probably made most fabulous by my lovely, brand new backpack.
I know-it's beautiful. And it was super comfortable. And Eric was-and still is-super jealous of me. Trust me-he has reason to be.

Summer Fun?

Once upon a time I decided that this was going to be the most boring summer ever. And it has been. The End.

Okay, okay, life is not that bad. Actually, I'm having a pretty good summer. I mean, my social life is almost nonexistent (excluding the few awesome board game nights we've had at Matt's...who knew scrabble could be so outrageously fantastic?), but I've been doing some mediocrely awesome stuff. Here's a list of stuff that has made up my summer (3 weeks so far-I'm sure the summer will get better as it moves along...one can hope). List:

• Work. The event that takes up most my time. And, yes, I am still completing the most mundane jobs. However, I had a lovely chat with Nan, my boss, yesterday as we were cutting scrap paper into usable pieces. She thoughtfully explained to me that work is work, and even if it doesn't seem to mean anything to me, it means something to her. So, that doesn't really make my job any less tedious or any more glamorous, but at least someone appreciates the fact that I spent two hours polishing a silver tray that gave me a headache from the fumes. Also, for those of you who are unaware, I work with my Uncle Wes, and I'm pretty sure that he's aware of my mind numbing tasks. A week ago, he took me to the warehouse and had me outfitted with some gloves, safety glasses, and a smock. I spent the rest of the day cutting aluminum on his band saw. Which, by the way, I think is pretty awesome. As of now, I am much more experienced in mechanic-y things than my brother, Kyle.
  
• Experiencing BYU. Ha ha. It makes me laugh. BYU, I mean. It's just funny how different SUU and BYU are. Actually, I believe this topic deserves its own post. So, I will expound on this later.
  
• Running. Hooray for running! If you can't tell, I love to run. It's my fave. Really. There is nothing better. I have pretty much decided that running is my only true love. Well, maybe pretzels too. So, my first week of work I was running after work, around 5:30. But then I decided to try running at 6:00 in the morning instead, so that I had more time in the afternoon to do...other stuff. But, yeah-I LOVE running in the morning. Ees the best. It sounds cheesy-but running at that time is so pretty. I mean, there aren't very many people out that early and everything is just so peaceful and beautiful. But I'm going to stop talking about it because I feel very retarded talking about how the dew on the grass smells so sweet, and how the air is so crisp and...etc. etc. You get the picture. Also, this predicament may just explain my absence of a raging social life-I have to go to bed so darn early.
  
• Sewing. I'm sewing myself a quilt. And, actually, it is not moving very quickly. I sewed most of it last summer. In fact, my plan was to have it finished before I moved out-you know, clear back in August- but lots of stuff kept happening, and, well, it just never got finished. So, now the quilt pieces are sitting there, ready to be sewn together, and I am working on it very slowly. I blame the slow moving on the purpose behind it. When I started making the quilt, I decided that I'd put it in my cedar chest until I got married-then it'd serve as mine and my husband's bed spread. Cute, right? However, I am nowhere near considering marriage, so the need to finish the quilt has been depleted considerably. But I really want to start another project eventually...so I will finish someday. Hopefully.
• Cake decorating. I'm taking a cake decorating class and it is the bomb! I have been having so much fun. I love to bake-and being able to make my goods attractive makes all the difference. It is fantastic and a half. And, okay this comment is completely random but somehow extremely important, this lady in my class has a Power Ranger cake pan mold. How awesome is that? And I was looking online and there is also a Powerpuff Girl pan. And a Harry Potter one (not for me...for the friends). It is unfortunate that I am a poor college student and can't spend 20 dollars on something that's pretty unnecessary. Someday...someday.

And that is what has comprised my summer thus far. More summer-y posts to come, though, I'm sure.