BYU Horror Stories

First, I have to admit that while BYU is a very strange place, it is not as bad as I imagined it to be. It's not one big stake activity all the time. However, there are some really strange things that go on every now and then, the culture is very unique, and sometimes I eavesdrop on conversations that drive me insane and then make me laugh.

Monday's and Wednesday's I have class until 1:50 and then not until 4. This week I decided it would be better if I just stay on campus all day and get homework rather than go home for a couple of hours and get distracted by facebook or something. The weather was amazing this afternoon, so I decided to sit outside the science center and study for spanish on the grass.

I was laying there when I kind of spaced out for a second and I heard this group of about 3 seemingly normal looking girls talking 10 feet away from me.

"Did you know you have to confess to the bishop if you french kiss...EVEN when you're married?"
"What? I knew I should have walked away before you said anything, I wish I didn't know that."
"It's what the prophet says."

They were completely serious and honestly concerned. I could not believe what I overheard. It drove me insane for a couple of minutes and made me a little sick to my stomach to know some people actually think things like that, but then I decided that it was hilarious instead of disgusting...though I still think it's probably a combination of both. I'm still astonished by some of the people I'm surrounded by.

Anyway, as far as good news goes, The Arcade Fire played at Thanksgiving Point and it was the best show I've ever been to. So much fun. And, as a bonus, the hot sign was on at Krispy Kreme donuts in Orem on our way back, so we got free fresh donuts.

atrocities committed at Lawrence University- chapter 1

Atrocity #1
So last night, I was playing Scattagories with some cross country people. The letter was "C" and the first category was "Famous Females" I got really really excited. Of course, Carrie Chapman Catt- that is a triple "C" meaning three points. When we shared all of our words after that round- I couldnt wait to show off. I said, "You guys, this is the best one ever... famous females, Carrie Chapman Catt!!" ................. silence. and now.. the dialouge following
supid boy #1: "who?"
me: "carrie chapman catt? seriously? you know one of the founders of the feminist movement??"
stupid boy #2: oo suurrre. whatever. just make up names.
me: are you kidding me? i will go ask these people here sitting in the lounge... you guys are dumb. everyone else will know who I'm talking about.
me (to people in lounge): you guys know who Carrie Chapan Catt is right?
Lounge people: *blank stares* .... uhh....
me: please excuse me while I take the apparently none existent feminist movemetn and jump off a bridge

Shannon, I don't know what is wrong this world.

I finally am starting class!!! I had my freshman studies class Monday and Cultural Anthropology and Intro to Religious Studies starts tomorrow. I am very excited about this. With a paper already due, I am hoping to be able to keep up with all activities and school work but looking forward to a challenge... this brings me to

Atrocity #2
over the summer the university sent every freshman a copy of Kafka's Metamorphosis to read for the first day of Freshman studies. We had FOUR MONTHS to read a 60 page story. so this girl walks into my class (total it has about 13 people in it) and she says, "So, did you guys read the story?" and we, of course, all said yes. and she goes, " oh, well, i skimmed it... I guess I'll just be really quiet today" And I'm thinking... SERIOUSLY? do you know how much that girl's parents are paying for her to be here?! (im sure she's not paying for it herself) and she couldnt even bring herself to read a short story for the first day of class? sad.

Cross country is still going well-ish and I get to see my parents this weekend they are coming to my meet in Minneapolis. Overall, life is good. I love my roommate, we get along very well and it is nice to have everyone on campus. minus the part where i have to wait in line for food. with all of the new people though i have started to spot look alikes of people in Ames.

Atrocity #3
Tina, someone stole your body and put it on some lady in Appleton. You should look into getting that back.... some lady is walking around who looks just like you!

well, this is a very long post and I have a class dinner to get to. woo hoo. apparently we have to write letters to ourselves to get back at our graduation. I was advised to put $20 in mine so I can go out to eat on graduation day. I love and miss you all!

wait! i forgot atrocity #4 which is that I think there is something wrong with my sink... underneth the sink it gets really hot - all the time, not just when the hot water is on. I feel like some weird water fire is going to start. Also, i have a feeling the warm, moist climate is perfect breeding grounds for mold, something I would very much like to avoid. If you have any advice on what this problem is or how to fix it let me know!

I missed hiking Timpanagos for this

"Hey, so I'm bored, I'm walking back to my car and I'll be on my way home. I thought I'd call, I feel out of the loop." -Elizabeth at 9:00pm walking to her car in Salt Lake City alone in a mini-skirt

"Okay, I can't talk right now so I'll call you in a while. See you later." -Me

At 10:30 I was at my apartment and I realized Elizabeth still wasn't home. It had been about an hour and a half from the time she had called in Salt Lake and I thought maybe traffic was bad or something. I called her, no answer. I called again, no answer. At 11 I called her again, and again, no answer. I started to freak out a little because as my mother's child, I naturally started to think of all the terrible things that could have happened to her.

My logical mind was telling me it's ridiculous to freak out, she probably ran into someone and is hanging out with friends. Then I thought: "Wait, Elizabeth and I don't have friends. She couldn't be hanging out with people." I was hesitant to do anything, but I knew 2 hours was too long to not have heard from her.

After talking to my dad around 11:15, I decided to call the police and have them see if her car was still in the LDS Business parking lot, but of course in order to have them do that, I had to file a missing person report. We basically had our entire complex over, along with another apartment complex, BYU security while I'm on the phone with the SLC police.

I hacked into her email around midnight (after trying her phone several more times, almost 3 hours since she said she was leaving Salt Lake) and got the number of one of her coworkers. While talking to him and telling him why I called and asking if he'd seen her leave, I hear a beep on my phone. I look and Elizabeth is calling.

"You called the police on me?"
"WHERE ARE YOU?"
"I was playing lazer tag, and when I listened to my voicemail, there was a message telling me I was reported missing."
"Yeah, well I guess I'll let the BYU police in our living room know you're alright."

So I guess Elizabeth does have friends - but only those creeps on the bus. And I will probably be my mother.

Maybe I've had one too many safety lessons in my life, thanks Dad.

3 Weeks Offically

I left Ames 3 weeks ago today, as hard as it is to believe, it actually went by fairly fast.

I'm going to be honest, the last 2 weeks were the worst 2 weeks of my entire life, but it's getting better lately. Everyone told me the first couple weeks to a month or so would be hard, but I had no idea what that meant.

I've been cooking a lot lately, which is oddly fulfilling. I've made sourcream chicken, rice pilaf, rolls, lots of quiche, and I'm going to make coffee cake and soup soon.

School is getting a little better too, it was definitely hard to come back after a really long summer. I dropped Women's Studies which is making my schedule a lot more enjoyable and I feel like I'll be able to do better in my other classes now. So now I'm only taking 12 credits, but I figure it's good to ease into all of this.

Basically, I'm getting into the swing of things and figuring out new parts of life everyday. Plus, I have a few fun things going on the next few weekends. I'm hiking Timpanagos this weekend, Gran and Papa are coming through next weekend and then Zeb and I might go to Rexburg, and the next weekend I'm hopefully going to Colorado. Not to mention Arcade Fire is coming to Thanksgiving Point Wednesday.

Don't worry, I'm still doing my homework and keeping up with class.

wisconsin meets utah meets iowa via the magnificent internet.

Finally, the reject wisconsin friend gets invited to the blog. I have been at Lawrence for three weeks now so here are the top three highs and lows of life in Appleton, WI



highs:

1. A week at a lodge owned by the university right on lake michigan. It was really nice to run in the woods and go to the beach. We had a team talent show there which proved to be hilarious. Highlights included someone doing a rubix cube in under 60 seconds, 350 digits of pi, a list of all of the Lawrence University presidents and fun facts about them, and a rap of the ingredients in Pop-tarts.

2. First collegiate cross country race. My time wasn't the best but it was so nice to just have it over with. It was fun to race again and to cheer again. The best part, of course, is the uniforms. All spandex, all the time. Definitely not BYU approved booty shorts. My next meet is this Saturday. It is supposedly a really hard, hilly course. But we are having a picnic afterwards- so I guess I might show up.

3. Lot's of movie watching. By myself and with the team. It's been fun though and a good way to occupy a lot of down time. We watched Cool Runnings the night before our race- classic. And my recent favorite was the Blues Brothers. Nothing too great or thought provoking, but a good way to hang out with people you don't know too terribly well.



lows:

1. Plantar falicitis- aka shooting pain through my right foot when I walk. I am currently riding a bike instead of running.. which also creates a lot of butt soreness. Hopefully I will be able to run again by the end of this week. Until then my cure is running my foot over a tennis ball a million times. 999,100...999,101...999,102...999,103...

2. Still no school. all running all the time gets a little boring. and the only people I ever talk to are the cross country team.. some interesting folks, but I would like to meet some other people as well.

3. It is turning to fall very quickly here and I'm not ready for the cold weather. Sweatshirts, scarves, and hats have all been brought out and I realized if I'm using all of this now, I dont know how I'm going to stay warm this winter. I'm thinking a nice thermal body suit complete with hot chocolate camel pack might do the trick.

This Aint No Pre-K

I've been in Provo for about a week now, and I've learned a couple of things:

• Friends aren't as easy to make as they used to be
• Classes are a lot harder than high school
• You have to go to a grocery store to buy food otherwise you won't eat
• Self-entertainment is incredibly valuable
• Baking is not a natural talent

I started school Tuesday and being in college and being in Provo is a huge adjustment. Everyone told me college is the best time of your life, or these years anyway, but also that the first few weeks would be hard. It really didn't occur to me what hard actually meant. So for the time being, I'm hanging out with Elizabeth, reading lots of books, and developing life long skills...of adjustment... or so I'm telling myself.

We went to 7 Peaks water park and may have contracted waterborne illnesses

We baked delicious rolls

We ate ice cream at the Creamery

A Different World

Tuesday marks my second week in Provo, and thus far I would say it’s been quite the experience. Most people think of college as a way of meeting new people, exploring new places, and finding new hobbies. I have most definitely experienced all these things, but in a very unique way.

The people I have met here have honestly been some of the friendliest people ever. In most cases these are the kind of people you want to surround yourself around. Riding public transportation is a different story though; the friendliest of people can also be the strangest people you’ll encounter. Take, for example, my bus rides to and from Salt Lake every day. Just the other day I literally shared a seat with a guy for no reason. He had offered the seat to a woman who didn’t have one, but instead of offering to stand while she sat, he just scooted all the way over on top of me, wanting to fit three people in our seats! When she declined his offer he remained in the center of the two seats while I silently squeezed myself against the window, trying to keep focused on my book. I have been bringing a book to read on the bus to try to escape form these awkward bus situations, but have found that it really doesn’t do much. Another man on my way back to Provo sat next to me telling me about his time in the Army. I would take a break from reading to listen to these stories for a while, go back to reading, and be interrupted a paragraph later with another story of where his daughter was conceived (Germany, for all those wondering.)

Basically, I’ve learned how to problem solve these past two weeks. If you don’t have power, call the electric company until you do. If you have a flat tire, find someone that can change it (if it’s not you). And if people are being too friendly, invest in headphones.

the beginning

I thought it was about time to start up a blog and since Elizabeth and I now share everything, we might as well share a blog too.