Stubbornness

Things I Find Difficult To Do:
-Call people on the phone, no matter why
-Write thank you letters
-Write any letters, of late at least
-Keep my promises to people lately, as well
-Stay on top of everything I need to do
-Not play with my hair when it's straight
-Not picking at my split ends
-Speak coherently
-Stay Sane

Blessings In Disguise:
-Stubbornness
-Shyness (when misread as mystery...)
-Somewhat average height
-Freakish memory

My Passions:
-Thinking of ideas for new blogs (I've got a few ideas that I'll implement some day)
-Dogs
-Movies about dogs
-Medieval history
-Medieval manuscripts
-Learning
-Laughing
-Martha Stewart

Accomplishments This Weekend:
-Eating out for four meals within three days, and eating leftovers for two days
-Practicing tango and gafiera for the first time in a long, long time
-Going to SLC with the roommates
-Shopping in SLC (I got a cardigan, belt and shoes-- all on sale)
-Visit teaching (yes.. it was done the last Sunday of the month, but at least it was done...)
-Eating little sugar (I did cave and eat banana muffins tonight)

The Dead of Winter

Music That Makes Me Happy:
-"The Rise and Fall of Ziggie Stardust" by Bowie
-K'naan (especially "Dreamer" and "When the Lion Learns to Speak")
-Tété
-Francoise Hardy (especially "Le Premier Bonheur du Jour")
-"The Great Escape" by Blur
-Some Beyoncé ("Freakum Dress" especially)
-"Dead Flowers" by the Rolling Stones
-"Norwegian Wood" by the Beatles
-Debussy
-Ragtime music (Joplin and James P Johnson)
-Early jazz (especially piano in stride style- ie Fats Waller)
-ABBA (mostly just the upbeat disco songs)
-Dick Annegarn
-"Mercedes Lullaby" (and most of the other songs off the Pan's Labyrinth soundtrack to a slightly lesser degree) by Javier Navarrete
-"Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo" by the Grateful Dead
-"Je Me Suis Fait Tout Petit" and "Mauvaise Reputation" by Georges Brassens
-"Ne Me Quitte Pas", "Le Plat Pays", "Marieke", and several other Jacques Brel songs

What Exactly Is Getting Me Through My Final Semester?
-I actually like the subject matter in my classes
-I'm taking my classes for fun
-I refuse to fail
-It's my last semester, so I should make it the best one
-The actual class part of my life is the easiest part of my life currently
-The above point makes it an excellent method of escapism from the rest of my life
-I am slightly perfectionist, and must do as well as I can
-School is one of the few things I'm competitive about. I have to be above average in my classes or else I won't function.
-Did I mention the rest of my life is harder than classes? Thus homework is a way to distract myself from other problems
-I think I've finally got the whole undergrad education thing figured out. It's time to move on...

Meditation

Things I Like in Other People:
-Good sense of humour
-Intelligence
-Patience
-Curiosity
-Passion for something unexpected
-Tolerance
-Quiet confidence

My Tragic Flaws:
-Inability to express myself correctly
-Not following through on things
-Forgetting the details because of obsession with other details
-Overanalysing minute details
-Timidity
-Sarcasm
-Weakness for sugar in almost every form
-Red hair (just kidding...)
-Too quick to laughter

CNN

Good News of the Week:
-ORCA grant ($1500 mentored research grant)
-I got 3 professors who know me fairly well to write my letters of recommendation
-I got mail
-Roommate's birthday
-Free dinners several times
-Birthday dinner from Zupas
-Key Lime Pie from the Village Inn (delicious)
-Not failing my classes
-No Latin on Friday (test in the testing center...)
-Dad's surgery went well
-Good friends
-Good LOST episode (ie any episode with Ben)
-Chocolate
-Finished a project for work
-Pepe le Moko
-Presented biography in German class and didn't make total fool of self
-Not called on in Latin class when unprepared this morning!

Future

My Plans for Next Year:
-English teaching assistantship in France
-Masters program for BYU
-Saving money for a masters program somewhere
-Learning better Latin, German and French
-Combating better my addiction to pulling at my split ends
-Establishing greater self-control
-Getting a large grant from Warren Buffet

My Favorite Places on BYU Campus:
-The mac lab in the JFSB
-The third floor of the JFSB
-The new addition to the TNRB
-The MOA cafe
-The RB
-The Reading Room of Special Collections
-The large ramp behind the Testing Center in summer

Odd Encounters with People This Past Week:
-The cashier at the BYU Bookstore who told me that France doesn't like America. (I've been to France, I study the French, I think I know better than comedians)
-Rose, the lady my roommates and I gave a ride home from Walmart. She gave us a blessing before being dropped off: to find three handsome, nice LDS boys to marry. Or just go out with, I can't remember.
-Running into a professor at a restaurant, which was probably the highlight of my weekend, to be honest.