Many people know that I am in love with my Macbook Pro. Alright, not in LOVE, but I use it pretty much all of the time. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit to it, but I check my email probably upwards of 15-20 times a day. I also listen to my extensive music collection on iTunes multiple times per day. Sometimes I'll look back on my old pictures (mostly of London), or I'll get on the internet and read blogs, check Facebook or my bank account, etc. I do most of my homework assignments in excel and submit them online for credit. I even clock in for work online and enter grades on my laptop. Needless to say, my computer is kind of important to me.
Just in case it isn't clear how deep/pathetic my connection is to my computer, it has a name, or rather, he has a name. Stuart. When I got my laptop as a high school graduation gift, I named it as if I had given birth to a child. Let me just clarify that I rarely name inanimate objects in my life...Jose is the name of my Nikon D90. But that's it, I promise.
Anyway.
Stu gave me a little scare a couple of nights ago when the screen went black. This had happened multiple times before, but I was always able to recover the screen. Not this time. Bummer, dude.
Since the nearest Apple Store is in Salt Lake City, I took Stu to the Simply Mac store yesterday. To say the least, they couldn't help me out. So today I took a lovely little drive to the Gateway Mall where I dropped Stuart off for a week-long and free-of-charge vacation to the repair shop. In the meantime, I'm using Bryce's PC (PC...barf) for all of my computing needs, which is extremely generous of him.
Lessons learned from this experience:
#1 - Keep your files backed up on an external hard drive. That is how I have been able to minimize my stress.
#2 - A trip to Gateway Mall requires a stop at Anthropologie. I bought a navy skirt and awesome shirt on sale.
#3 - Being patient and happy = apple geniuses working extra speedily.
#4 - I still think Utah drivers are crazy.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Ninety-Nine Days
That's right, in 99 days Bryce and I will be getting married :) I'm not big on counting down, but I've discovered that I really can't help it. Blame it on my love for numbers, but when my mind is idle I find myself doing random math calculations in my head to reference how long that really is. It's about 14 weeks, which is the length of a typical semester (excluding finals week). It's also slightly over three months (3 months and 10 days) and also divisible by 3, 9, 11, and 33. Most importantly, it's only a double-digit which means the day is getting closer. Thank you, time, for continuing to press forward.
Michelle informed me that since I have yet to blog about the engagement, I have committed some sort of engagement-blogging sin. So I take this pleasant opportunity to recount the evening of December 16th, 2010.
It was the night before the last day of finals, and I was leaving for home the next day. Bryce had hinted that there had been some "complications" with getting the ring finished on time, and so we were both crossing our fingers that it would be finished before I left for the two week break. (he obviously knew more about it than I did...)
Anyway. Bryce got off of work, and was coming over to give me my SECOND Christmas present. (he had planned on having the ring the night before, and had told me I would be getting my Christmas present then...but the ring wasn't done so he ran to the store and bought me Rook cards and The Great Dalmuti as a substitute. We're big game fans.) He came to my apartment with a brown cardboard box in hand, which he handed over to me with a smile and a "Merry Christmas!" I opened it, and found a bunch of wooden puzzle pieces inside. He had custom ordered a puzzle with a picture of the Portland Temple. Very cute, very sentimental.
The finished puzzle.
As any puzzle-lover would do, I sat down at the table and began to piece it together, not really thinking anything of a proposal. You must understand, by this point I had been anticipating the proposal for probably too long that I stopped looking for hints that it was coming. As we got closer to finishing the puzzle, I realized that a piece was missing. I looked in the box, glanced around on the floor, and Bryce just said "it's okay, we'll find it later." Okay, I thought, might as well put in the pieces we have. Well, we finished the beautiful puzzle, but that piece was still missing. Bryce promptly got on the floor to "look for it" and just as quickly popped up with the piece in hand. On the back of it he had written "will you marry me?" He had had the piece in his pocket the whole time, along with the ring. As soon as I read the puzzle piece, I grabbed his head and began kissing his forehead. Poor guy didn't even get the chance to say what he wanted. No, but I sat back and let him propose properly. He was "conveniently" already on the floor, so he got on one knee, told me all the mushy things that no one probably wants to hear about how he loves me and all that good stuff, and then asked again if I would marry him. Direct quote, I said "okay, YES!"
Ring went on finger, and smiles got as wide as possible.
We celebrated by getting ice cream at the Creamery on Ninth, and then driving around looking at Christmas lights, while making and taking phone calls, texts, etc.
Some homes in Provo go ALL-OUT when it comes to Christmas decorating. This is just a small taste.
Despite the fact that we both had finals to take the next day, I'd say it was a pretty relaxing and enjoyable evening. You know...getting engaged is pretty fun.
We're "seriously" engaged. But seriously, we are.
Michelle informed me that since I have yet to blog about the engagement, I have committed some sort of engagement-blogging sin. So I take this pleasant opportunity to recount the evening of December 16th, 2010.
It was the night before the last day of finals, and I was leaving for home the next day. Bryce had hinted that there had been some "complications" with getting the ring finished on time, and so we were both crossing our fingers that it would be finished before I left for the two week break. (he obviously knew more about it than I did...)
Anyway. Bryce got off of work, and was coming over to give me my SECOND Christmas present. (he had planned on having the ring the night before, and had told me I would be getting my Christmas present then...but the ring wasn't done so he ran to the store and bought me Rook cards and The Great Dalmuti as a substitute. We're big game fans.) He came to my apartment with a brown cardboard box in hand, which he handed over to me with a smile and a "Merry Christmas!" I opened it, and found a bunch of wooden puzzle pieces inside. He had custom ordered a puzzle with a picture of the Portland Temple. Very cute, very sentimental.
The finished puzzle.
As any puzzle-lover would do, I sat down at the table and began to piece it together, not really thinking anything of a proposal. You must understand, by this point I had been anticipating the proposal for probably too long that I stopped looking for hints that it was coming. As we got closer to finishing the puzzle, I realized that a piece was missing. I looked in the box, glanced around on the floor, and Bryce just said "it's okay, we'll find it later." Okay, I thought, might as well put in the pieces we have. Well, we finished the beautiful puzzle, but that piece was still missing. Bryce promptly got on the floor to "look for it" and just as quickly popped up with the piece in hand. On the back of it he had written "will you marry me?" He had had the piece in his pocket the whole time, along with the ring. As soon as I read the puzzle piece, I grabbed his head and began kissing his forehead. Poor guy didn't even get the chance to say what he wanted. No, but I sat back and let him propose properly. He was "conveniently" already on the floor, so he got on one knee, told me all the mushy things that no one probably wants to hear about how he loves me and all that good stuff, and then asked again if I would marry him. Direct quote, I said "okay, YES!"
Ring went on finger, and smiles got as wide as possible.
We celebrated by getting ice cream at the Creamery on Ninth, and then driving around looking at Christmas lights, while making and taking phone calls, texts, etc.
Some homes in Provo go ALL-OUT when it comes to Christmas decorating. This is just a small taste.
Despite the fact that we both had finals to take the next day, I'd say it was a pretty relaxing and enjoyable evening. You know...getting engaged is pretty fun.
We're "seriously" engaged. But seriously, we are.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Joe's Gadgets
So today has been your typical Tuesday. I had class this morning, watched the BYU devotional, deposited a couple checks at the bank, and then Bryce came over and we did homework and other odds and ends for most of the afternoon. Well, Bryce did homework...I guess I graded papers and then just daydreamed for a couple hours, occasionally asking Bryce random questions about our future. It's alright though, because I have no homework due tomorrow (please don't ask about Thursday and Friday).
Anyway, the point is.
Last night we went and looked at an apartment, and fell in love with it. It has everything we wanted, but isn't so big that we'll fill it up with random stuff and then have to move it all after graduation next year. I'm pretty excited, and have been picturing cooking and doing laundry there for maybe 7% of today. (I think I'm going through what my sister Abby went through shortly after she got married, just prematurely. You know, feeling the extreme need to be all homemaker-y, wear an apron, clean...hmm, maybe not THAT much)
Application and contract-signing are in the works. I'll be relieved once that's all taken care of. And paid for. Sheesh, life is expensive.
Also. My mind has also been slightly occupied with wondering what sort of job I'll get here in Provo after the wedding. I'm not very worried about finding a job during the summer, since Provo clears out and a ton of positions open up. However, I would like to find something that would give me SOME sort of work experience in accounting or business. Bryce often checks the job board at the MTC just in case something good pops up. This week he called me and told me there was a "development financial specialist" position available (perfect, right?). I finally got around to tweaking my resume and typing up a cover letter for it this evening. I spent a good 15 minutes going over my document, saving it as a PDF, then looking at it again, going back to the Word document, making changes, saving it as a PDF, repeat, repeat, repeat. Of COURSE, when I finally emailed it to the guy, I accidentally attached the Word document instead of the PDF. Such is life. We'll see how it goes.
I've come to learn something about myself. When I have little errands or things to do, I can almost never completely focus on schoolwork until I've finished the other things. I promise that I sat at the kitchen table with my tax textbook open to Problem 81, Part A for at least half an hour and got nowhere. And yet, I feel like I've accomplished something good today.
Perhaps now I can reopen that textbook and figure out whether or not Joe can deduct the cost of his "gadgets" from his business income.
Anyway, the point is.
Last night we went and looked at an apartment, and fell in love with it. It has everything we wanted, but isn't so big that we'll fill it up with random stuff and then have to move it all after graduation next year. I'm pretty excited, and have been picturing cooking and doing laundry there for maybe 7% of today. (I think I'm going through what my sister Abby went through shortly after she got married, just prematurely. You know, feeling the extreme need to be all homemaker-y, wear an apron, clean...hmm, maybe not THAT much)
Application and contract-signing are in the works. I'll be relieved once that's all taken care of. And paid for. Sheesh, life is expensive.
Also. My mind has also been slightly occupied with wondering what sort of job I'll get here in Provo after the wedding. I'm not very worried about finding a job during the summer, since Provo clears out and a ton of positions open up. However, I would like to find something that would give me SOME sort of work experience in accounting or business. Bryce often checks the job board at the MTC just in case something good pops up. This week he called me and told me there was a "development financial specialist" position available (perfect, right?). I finally got around to tweaking my resume and typing up a cover letter for it this evening. I spent a good 15 minutes going over my document, saving it as a PDF, then looking at it again, going back to the Word document, making changes, saving it as a PDF, repeat, repeat, repeat. Of COURSE, when I finally emailed it to the guy, I accidentally attached the Word document instead of the PDF. Such is life. We'll see how it goes.
I've come to learn something about myself. When I have little errands or things to do, I can almost never completely focus on schoolwork until I've finished the other things. I promise that I sat at the kitchen table with my tax textbook open to Problem 81, Part A for at least half an hour and got nowhere. And yet, I feel like I've accomplished something good today.
Perhaps now I can reopen that textbook and figure out whether or not Joe can deduct the cost of his "gadgets" from his business income.
Monday, February 7, 2011
The TA Office
I am currently in the political science TA office, as I am every Monday and Wednesday afternoon. Unlike the first day I was here, when I was the only person in this room and it was beautifully silent, there is now seven other TAs, all of which are either political science or international relations majors. As you may assume, they continually erupt in heated discussions over current events topics and whether or not students’ papers deserve a failing grade.
It is entertaining, really.
While I am not entirely unconcerned with current events, public policies, whether or not democrats are more educated than republicans etc. etc, I choose not to involve myself with their discussions. Part of this comes from my lack of energy on Monday afternoons, and the other part comes from the fact that I like to use this bi-weekly hour to peruse wedding blogs or other wedding-related things. Last week I spent the hour registering online, looking at ratings, reviews, descriptions, prices, and pictures for cutting boards, sheets, and frying pans on Target.com. Today, I took the opportunity to catch up on my favorite wedding blog: www.stylemepretty.com
And now it is 4 o’clock, which means I get to go clock out, head back down the hill to my apartment, and resume my tax homework.
Happy Monday.
It is entertaining, really.
While I am not entirely unconcerned with current events, public policies, whether or not democrats are more educated than republicans etc. etc, I choose not to involve myself with their discussions. Part of this comes from my lack of energy on Monday afternoons, and the other part comes from the fact that I like to use this bi-weekly hour to peruse wedding blogs or other wedding-related things. Last week I spent the hour registering online, looking at ratings, reviews, descriptions, prices, and pictures for cutting boards, sheets, and frying pans on Target.com. Today, I took the opportunity to catch up on my favorite wedding blog: www.stylemepretty.com
And now it is 4 o’clock, which means I get to go clock out, head back down the hill to my apartment, and resume my tax homework.
Happy Monday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)