Procrastination

I feel like I haven't procrastinated for a while. This is mainly because I'm no longer in school. But then I realized, I procrastinate EVERYTHING. I feel like Scarlett O'Hara. "I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow." Thank you Scarlett. You have taught us all how to procrastinate.

I have a handful of stuff I need to do on my desk. I don't want to do it. What I really want is a treat. There is a desk that has a bowl of M&Ms on it. I just got a small spoonful. I want more. BUT, if I go get more, I'll give myself away and everyone will know I'm back for more. I'll wait until the desk owner is gone.

I have a handful of stuff I need to do on my desk. I don't want to do it. What I really want to do is to learn the Flags of the World. That's right. You read that right. I want to learn the flags of the world. And yes, I am a huge geek. Have you ever visited the website Sporcle? Well, it's premise is "mentally stimulating diversions". Perfect. I mastered the countries of the world a few months ago, and then decided I would move on to another something to master. Flags of the World. But first I'm starting out slow. I'll master the flags of each region/continent before I make the jump to the world. Because, let me tell you, I'm bad at it. But I'll tell you this, once I learn the Flags of the World, I'm thinking I'll come in really handy for Olympics watching parties...

I have a handful of stuff I need to do on my desk. I don't want to do it. What I really want is make my grocery shopping list for the week. I should really have gone to the store on Tuesday after getting back from New York, but I didn't. Now for lunch today I brought a can of soup. And only vegetable soup for that matter. Nothing exciting like, White Bean Tuscan Chicken or something. Meh. I hope it's a little good. But my hopes aren't high.

I have a handful of stuff I need to do on my desk. I don't want to do it. What I really want to do is sleep. I have a new daily regimen which includes waking up early and going to the gym. Last night I stayed up too late to watch Persuasion. (Yep, after blogging about Captain Wentworth, I had to go watch it! Besides, my roommate hadn't seen it yet.) Worth the missing sleep time but I'm still really tired now.

I have Kelly to thank for the discovery of Sporcle and the ensuing obsession--eh hem, love of games found there.

Masterpiece Theater

Do you watch Masterpiece Theater on PBS? I love it. Today while browsing for the show schedule I found The Men of Austen. I feel like the usuals are known--Mr. Darcy, Mr. Knightly, Mr. Ferris-- you know, the ones that got made into movies staring famous leading ladies (Keira Knightly, Gwyneth Paltrow, Emma Thompson). But Masterpiece Theater has done remakes of the other ones. And they are fantastic.

See how handsome Captain Wentworth from Persuasion is?


or Mr. Tilney from Northanger Abbey?


even Colonel Brandon from the new Sense and Sensibility.

and here's Mr. Farrars


I love Masterpiece Theater and although I watched the new Emma already on youtube, I think I might just watch it again in a couple weeks! So, go watch Masterpiece Theater on PBS. You won't be sorry you did.

Some moments I'd like to relive

While Facebook stalking today I saw pictures posted of someone's sibling's recent return home from a mission. It made me realize I think I'd like to relive that moment too. So, here are some exciting moments in my life I would like to relive (and in no particular order).

1. Opening my mission call. It was excitement, fear and extreme emotion all wrapped into one. We waited about 30 minutes for my dad to finish up surgery and get home so that he could see me open it in person. I cried when I saw Poland Warsaw after saying incredulously, "Oh. my. gosh."
2. Getting home from my mission. My family had a banner, saying "Welcome Home Lauren!" spread out across the entrance into the Eugene Airport. Since I was the first one off the plane I ran through it like I was finishing a race. My mom hugged me so tight. And I'm pretty sure my dad cried.
   
3. The moment Ewa said she would be baptized. I could hardly believe that what I was hearing was true. I think I asked a couple times to make sure I wasn't getting my Polish mixed up. After she left the chapel my companion and I hugged and kind of jumped up and down. There was probably a bit a squealing in there.
4. Seeing the Pyramids for the first time*.I teared up. Everyone on the bus was screaming because they were RIGHT THERE. I have never wanted to see anything so bad my whole life. (Perhaps when I make it to Greece and the other places I posted in the previous post I'll have the same reaction.)
5. Finishing my very last paper in college. It was a mixture of sadness and extreme happiness as I walked out of the JFSB on BYU's campus knowing that I would never be an undergrad again and at the same time wishing I had a whole 'nother semester. (Maybe because I wanted to take Bookbinding yet again.)
6. Walking into the Celestial Room at the Portland Oregon Temple for the first time. Both sets of grandparents and my parents were in there waiting for me with big smiles. It was akin to coming home after being gone for a long time.
7. Holding our new puppy all the way home from her breeders. When we got Lizzie (our first dog, who passed away a few years ago), we picked her up on Christmas Eve because she was a surprise for my youngest sister Rachel. I got to hold Lizzie the whole way home. She was so cute and little. I remember asking my mom for a dog in Kindergarten. We didn't finally get one until 14 years later when I was already in college, but I was still really excited.
8. Standing at the top of Nevada Falls and realizing I did it. Last summer my mom, Rachel and I hiked Nevada Falls at Yosemite. I didn't want to do it but my mom talked us into going on that part of the hike instead of going half way up to just Vernal Falls. I wasn't totally physically up to the hike but I was glad I did it because it was really pretty.
9. Impromptu talent show at our grandparent's house in Orem. My uncle apparently had a bright pink cape (made by my grandma), a flamboyant suit, top hat and sunglasses that he wore to a church dance once and performed to Shining Star. He redid the dance for us and no one has ever seen it since. (Not even his kids who weren't there.) The grandkids sang, danced and played musical instruments too, but Uncle Craig's Shining Star dance surpassed everything and has now just become a legend.
10. Passing around treats in the car. I love treats. I think most people that know me know that. My family loves treats. We share them. And by sharing them that means we will buy anywhere from one to ten treats and pass them around the car, each person taking a bite and passing. Maybe you're a germ-a-phobe and this grosses you out. Well, we're obviously not, and we want to try all the treats. It's perfect.
    

In an effort to keep this post from being 20 pages long, I'm going to keep it at ten...for now. These are a few moments that I thought of this morning while I kept myself busy at work.

*Thanks to Peter I actually have some documentation of that. Not the crying, but the excitement. Go HERE. (I hope you can see it!)

Lifetime to do (Post 4)

Now, I stared this thing--Lifetime to do list--ages ago yet I've been very slow adding to it. So, here we go, two days in a row.

Yesterday as I read my friend Kristen's blog I had sudden jealousy for her life. She is getting her Master's in Art History from a university in Edinburgh, Scotland. That is a cool city. I would love to live in that city. (Oooh. Maybe I should have put up a picture of that one...) Anyway, she and her husband went on a trip to Paris and it looked so fun. So...

Number 4: Travel the world with my husband

(though really I suppose this should be Get Married)

(Chichen Itza--Mexico; Hagia Sophia--Turkey)

(Machu Picchu--Peru; Yosemite--California)

(Great Buddha Statue--Bodhgaya, India; Church of our Savior on Spilled Blood--St. Petersberg, Russia)

(Taj Mahal--Agra, India; Stary Rynek--Krakow, Poland)

(Trevi Fountain--Rome, Italy; Parthenon--Athens, Greece)

These pictures are of some places that I would like to go, or love and would like to go with a significant other. Some pictures just represent a whole. Like Poland for instance, I would like to go to Krakow again, but I really would just like to go to Poland. Or Yosemite too. It kind of just represents my desire to continue seeing new places and traveling around the United States. But I've only been to three of the places pictured, so I have lots more to see.

Lifetime to do (Post 3)

Number 3: Live in a big city.

Now you're probably thinking: "But Lauren, you live in DC. You know, big city. Washington, DC."

Well, my dear one, that is actually where you are mistaken. I live in Virginia. In a house. (A house that Carly calls a mansion.) I live close, as it takes me a mere 30-40 minutes to get from house to bus to metro to work. Close, but not actually in the city. I would like to live in one.

Where would this big city be? I'm not entirely sure.

But here are some possibilities:

PS. I feel like there should be a prize for anyone who could guess where these are, as they are all big cities that I wouldn't mind living in. But I'm thinking you are for sure going to get the second one--if you grew up in the 90s, if you watched Full House even once.

Swearing in

Just got back from the swearing in.

1. Yes, her [Hillary's] ring is HUGE. I could see it sparkling from across the room.
2. The new administrator, Rajiv Shah, has two young kids and a beautiful wife. The son tried to run off stage after seeing all the people. The daughter tried to pull her dad's had away from the Bible (or other book he used) as his wife held it. The wife struggled holding the child and book together. Rajiv Shah couldn't keep his son still while he held one arm on the book and the other in the air as he took his oath of service. It was endearing and I loved it.
3. His wife is gorgeous. They got engaged at the Taj Mahal when he flew there for one day to propose. (Hillary told us so.)
   
4. He gave a really good speech which made me excited that I work at USAID and work for a good organization.

That's all.

2010

Well, it seems customary with blogs and the beginning of the year that everyone puts up their Resolutions. I'm not going to. But, I have them. I have a long list of them in the following categories:

Spiritual
Physical
Mental
Social
Financial

I think they're good. And it's going to be a good year.

Yesterday I realized as I put my lunch in my bag that all my food for the day was orange. I had a peach yogurt, clementines (three to be exact--I love those things and knew I'd want more than one), tomato soup (which is always a little more orangy than red), and carrots. That's what you get when you're throwing in the fastest things in the kitchen together 30 seconds before running out the door to the bus.

Today Hillary Clinton is coming to USAID to swear in our new administrator. Apparently she has a huge rock on her hand. I hope I'm close enough to see it...