haircut. again.

Short hair!

Oh, and books.

I recently read these books called The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. They are the first two (and only books so far) in the Hunger Games series. I hate reading a series while the books are still in the process of being released. It means I have to wait forever. Which I do not like one bit.

BUT.

The books are really good. Easy, pretty basic writing. Easily understood by children. They are young adult books. The stories though are pretty complex.

READ THEM. Or maybe wait until all the books come out - and then read them.

Haircut, visit, house. More news than I thought.

I've been doing a better job writing in my journal, but doing a much worse at keeping up my blog. I have not though that I had much news. I've been working, going to school, etc etc. But nothing particularly exciting has happened. Most of the big changes lately have been internal and pretty personal, so I haven't wanted to write about them for all to see.

I was talking to Lana about my lack of big news to share though, and she readily spouted off a list of things that I had not mentioned on my blog. As I got thinking about that, I realized she was very right.

So the things that I have neglected to mention:

I got a haircut! Finally. Becky and my hair pact ended at the beginning of September. So of course I cut it.

I actually had Emily cut my hair for me on a Sunday afternoon and then went to the hair school that Janessa attends to have her straighten it out for me. (it was a bit uneven. but not too bad).
Which reminds me... I never posted about that weekend. Emily and Delanie, two of my oldest friends, came to visit me from Arizona. They arrived late on a Friday night and left the next Monday.

While they were here, we went to my favorite restaurant of all time, the Hong Kong Tea Room and Restaurant in SLC.


We visited Temple Square and I showed them all around Salt Lake.


We ate a lot of of food during their visit. Like, a lot. We went to the Malt Shoppe one night with Sophie and then went disco skating afterwards.


In other news:
I got a job. Finally. I work on campus in the Office of IT in the tech. support call center.
Classes are good.
Becky's bridal shower is in two days! I'll have to remember to post about that one later.
I realized how completely inept I am when it comes to the opposite sex.
We are finally settled into our house and into our routines. And we had a prowler. Cool.
Here are some photos of the house...

Our dead lawn. How sad.
Our kitchen.

Our living room.
My room.

The Ocarina of Time

Yeah, so. I have a million things to do. Writing papers, going to work, keeping up on the reading for my classes, attending FHE/whatever... and yet I find myself wanting to do only one thing.

Job? Ha.

I have spent so much time over the the last 4 months looking for a job. SEARCHING for a job. I have legitimately been trying. I have filled out countless applications, edited and re-edited my resume, struggled to write cover letters, worn my stupid dress pants (SLACKS, GROSS) that I hate, and stomped all over Virginia, Arizona, and Utah. What gives?

Just today, I have applied to five jobs. I spent an hour and a half taking the Office Skills Tests in the employment center. I have been, literally, pushed around (mostly by the new freshman and their parents who are swarming campus). I just left yet another office where I was told, "Oh, I'm sorry... We just hired someone. I guess we should take down that job posting now."

The number of times I have heard the phrases (or variations of the phrases):
"If you had just been here a day or two ago...! I just hired three new people."
"We aren't currently hiring, but you can leave a resume if you would like."
"This is a very fast-paced environment... I don't know if you can handle it." (Um, hi? I just introduced myself. You've known me for less than 30 seconds. You know this how?)

I know this post is full of bitterness and whining. But I am tired of looking for a job. And yet, I really, really need a job. I have to pay for school somehow. Even if I dropped out of school, I would still be required to pay for food to eat, a place to sleep, for clothing to cover myself... in other words, I have to pay to live. But no one will hire me.

And all I can think is... Rory Gilmore didn't find a job right away. But where is my offer to be a journalist on Obama's campaign bus? Hmm?

Oh, school.

Wednesday: turn in FAFSA documents (finally), pay tuition, purchase books, job search
Thursday: official start to my housing contract, pick up house key, move in, continue job search
Friday & Saturday: make sure I know bus routes, complete my grocery shopping, stock apartment with necessities, continue job search
Sunday: attend new ward!, enjoy final day of summer, get a good night's sleep, set alarm for the first day of school!

I am so very excited for school to begin.

While this semester promises to be intense (I have 22 required textbooks for my four classes), it also promises to be promising.

My semester is going to consist of classes on philosophy, art, language, and faith. I searched for my required textbooks on Amazon and read the summaries and reviews for each one. They focus heavily on religion, society, belief, understanding of the world, conscious appreciation of art, and an attentiveness to all aspects of life and thought.

In case I ever waiver in my excitement at a later date, I want to state publicly this: I am looking forward to my classes. I will work as hard as I can in all of them. I know it will be difficult. I know I will struggle. And I also know that it will be worth it.

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Airports, changes, and beginnings.

Soph and I are in the Denver International Airport. We are using the FREE wifi. It is also raining outside. I officially love Denver. Awesome. In about two hours we will be landing in Salt Lake City. So soon.

This is the start of the next phase of life. It's like in a book, when a new chapter begins. You turn to a new page and great, bold letters declare that your are about to begin a fresh part of the story.

A new semester is beginning,
I am turning twenty in about a month,
New experiences are just around the corner
both for myself and those around me.

The weather will soon begin its changing, fall will settle in on us, and a new year will take hold. Because really, you may start writing the date differently on January first... but as every student knows, the fall is when the new year actually starts.