Sweet and Simple Date Ideas

For the many boys who would appreciate ideas.....

Sweet and Simple Date ideas:

· Lunch date – homemade picnic

· Rent a game – outdoors unlimited, or neighbor (free)

· On Campus:

· Museum of Art

· Bean Museum

· Planetarium

· Anthropology Museum

· JFSB exhibit

· Other exhibits on campus

· Foreign films (International Cinema)

· Bowling

· Divine Comedy

· Humor U

· Concerts (Honors card = $2 tickets or Freshman BYU Arts card)

o BYU’s got talent

o Acoustic explosion

o Student recitals

o Dance, Choir, Band, etc.

· Cinnamon Rolls and Hot Chocolate at the park

· Sports Events (borrow a sports pass)

· Go up canyon – walk, hike, bike, enjoy – Find constellations in the sky

· Count the classrooms in a random building on campus

· Play the penny game in the SKWT (go to the top floor of the stairs in the SKWT and have a competition dropping pennies down the stairwell – first one down in the least amount of drops wins)

· Service (Y serve if you need ideas – key with service: simple is wonderful (you don’t have to build a house on your date))

· Dollar movies

· Go to Library and take cool pictures

· Go country or salsa dancing

· Lights at Temple Square, Thanksgiving Point, and neighborhoods in Provo (also, may be pricey, but the Festival of Trees in Sandy)

· Mini-golf in a building on Campus (a “mini date” may include mini golf, mini smores (mini mallow, choc chip, and teddy grams), mini pigs in a blanket (smokey’s in a tiny biscuit))

· Club night Tuesday (in WILK) – try out a random club together

· Cabella’s, IKEA, Thanksgiving Point (or any other place/store worth visiting)

· Snowball war/fight (off campus), snow sculpture competition, igloos, sledding, ice blocking (might be illegal), go-karting

· Go see Music and the Spoken Word live

· Also, check out http://www.timolsen.com/wiki/Free_Date_Ideas_- for more ideas.

Book Leecher

Proud confession: I am a classic "book leecher" who, instead of purchasing a book with the precious money earned from 2.5 hours of working at my student job or waiting 7 months, 3 weeks, and 2 days on "hold" at the library, will occasionally pass through a bookstore, pick a book, sit down, and not only flip through the pages, but actually read most (if not all) of the book. I know, I know - the gall. If I were a TRUE biblophile, I would spend every last penny earned at my $9/hr job by investing in every single book I desired to devour rather than in the textbooks that are synonymous for deadweights used to drown the life in humanity. (Yet they manage to take a chunk of my paycheck almost as large as tithing. …Further proof that my defintion is accurate.)

Regardless, it is becoming more and more of a common occurance for me to take a gander through the BYU Bookstore, see a book that catches my fancy, take it over to a blue chair with brown armsticks they try to pass as armrests, plop down and start reading the book. Normally, this is fine. Quite wonderful, to be honest. I just saved myself 2.5 hours at work and almost 8 months of suspense.

However, today it was not quite wonderful. I picked a book I had heard about for years, but due to its unavailabilty at the library had never read it.(Sidenote: I had also been a wee bit weary to read it as one of the “reccomenders” sometimes appeared a little queer to me, but I decided to chance it.) So far, so good. I pick up said book, weave my way past the candy section to the the blue material with sticks holding it up the bookstore passes off as a chair, and to my surprise – there is already a girl sitting down in one of the chairs. (There were three.) Apparently I’m not the only “book leecher” at BYU, that’s good to know. I take the chair furthest away from her. I sit down, and begin reading. Still good so far. I begin reading and almost to my shock, I find myself enjoying the book – emmensly.

The characters are developed, it’s written well, it’s not your typical novel in the genre. Well, the author happens to write so well she pulled off a feat that has not happened to me in MONTHS. I found myself getting teary-eyed and on the verge of crying. Now this may be acceptable at home, in my bed, wrapped up in fuzzy blankets, but I was not at home, nor in my bed, nor surrounded by blankets. I was in public, sitting on a uncomfortable product of machinery they call a seat, with the girl a chair away from me stealing not-so-shy glances in my direction. Uh…. . Sorry. I had no idea this book would get this reaction from me. I thought it would be a simple story with a generic plot that somehow slipped past the publisher, not a captivating chronicle that would touch my heart. And that that heartburn would somehow cause an allergic reaction causing water to flow out of my eyes and snot to seep its way through my nose.

I should know better. Really, I should. I should carry kleenx or at least realize that this is what I should expect for reading a book in public. Sooner it was bound to happen. Me trying to contain the firehose flood of tears. In public. With random men walking by thinking there is a crazygirl crying in public from reading a book, and a fellow book leecher making not so subtle glances at me trying to figure out what my problem is. As if I knew this was going to happen.

Moral of the story: if you are a book leecher, take some advice from our friends the boy scouts: be prepared (preferably with kleenx). Or, better yet – just wait for it at the library.

Quote of the day

Heaven: "Well, it looks like I'm wearing my dress to Anthropology."

Sarah M: "Oooh! You're going Shopping??"

Google

I love Google. If I could work for any company - I would work for Google, second only to Pixar. Why, you may ask, do I love this source of never-ending FREE information, entertainment, and creativity?

How do I love thee, Google? Let me count the ways:

1. Today as I went to your home page, I saw the google logo had magically transformed into PacMan. playable version.

2. You do random fun things like honoring Topeka, KS for naming themselves after you.

3. You did a sweet "Google 4 Doodle" competition and the results are amazing.

4. I can text you. And you respond. immediately.

5. You created Google Earth.

6. The little man on google maps "street view" is amazing. I feel like I have vicariously traveled to Europe now.

7. I love randomly looking at your homepage and being surprised by the cool doodles you come up with.

8. I love that you alter your homepage slightly and minutes later it is viral on the internet - on every major news post. your influence is that gigantic.

9. Google Books are my friend.

10. You created Gmail, google voice, google news,google pictures, google calendars and a whole bunch of other stuff.

11. Did I mention your amazing skills and resources are FREE?

12. You had something to do with the creation of my phone.

13. You know everything. Well most everything.

14. Sometimes you realize what I'm searching for before I do.

15. Uh, what is there not to love?

P.S. I am completely okay with the idea of you taking over the world.

Because I don’t want to write my paper. And because I’d rather write this.

Tonight I made the trek from CP to the HBLL, pioneering through the April snow for the sake of my Critical Analysis. After 4.5 minutes of soft, white, fluffy cold, gray, snow blinding me as it hurled itself at my face, I arrived at the library and sauntered over to the “new” no shh zone, aka the place the library “allows” you to eat snacks. This section of the library has extremely relatively comfy arm chairs that make studying (almost) enjoyable.

So there I was, minding my own business and using the worldwide source of knowledge to search for useless info and mind-numbing news before I dove into my paper with a belly flop - when who do I see, but a very attractive boy out of the corner of my eye. And I think to myself, “too bad I’ll never get to know him since it’s the library, but I welcome him coming to the library so I can appreciate his splendor while I attempt to study”.

Well, after a few more side glances, I realize that this splendid looking boy is in my ward. And I start to think along the lines of, “glad this doesn’t have to end at the library” and “I get to see you in white on Sunday, unlike the rest of the suckers here” and other selfish thoughts.

And, during one of these (few) side glances, he catches my eye and waves to me. I wave back (yes, I was that coherent), already happy that he noticed and recognized me, when he COMES OVER to where I am (yes, a whole 30 feet) and pulls up a chair and starts talking to me. Whoa – not expecting that, but who am I to complain?!? We talk about tabs, TV shows, CP’s slow internet and writing papers (or the lack thereof in my case). After a few minutes, he puts the chair back and goes back to “psych it up” with his study group.

Yes, just wanted to share this Momentous Occasion (or Marie Occurrence – just realized they have the same initials) with you. The odds that Marie notices a cute boy, realizes she already knows him, he recognizes this fact and comes over and pulls up a chair and talks to her – are slim to little.

I hope you enjoyed this experience as much as I did. :)

why I am excited for Hermana Sheree Olsen to come Home!

10. She is beautiful 9. I miss her 8. She is a marvelous Missionary 7. She may or may not be my favorite sister, if I were to have a favorite sister 6. She is kind and Christlike 5. I want to go to school with her, and I haven't since I was in 2nd grade 4. I miss her 3. I want to be her roommate before she gets married 2. I miss her 1. I love and miss her a lot. Guess who's excited for Thursday???!?!?!?!

things sarah does that I find humorous...

While in class next to me she leans over and whispers, "You smell like Jolly Ranchers. I want Jolly Ranchers... do you have one for me?" --- uh no, Sarah, I have not put a Jolly Rancher in my mouth for months.

While sitting in class next to me, she chooses to EMAIL me, rather than just talk to me.

While saying, "Nuh, uh. I'm NORMAL." Her face screws up in lines and wrinkles. She waves her hands frantically to stress her point. Definitely Normal.

She multi-tasks. She can chew her gum, hunched over and staring at her screen intently, and type all at the same time. Oh, and while moving her head to the beat of a song she is singing to herself. While sitting in class next to me.

why I love my job....

I work at BYU Independent Study as a Customer Service representative. People call me and ask questions about the program, order finals, pay for things, and sometimes - just to yell at me. But, I love it. I really do. Because things like the following happen:

A southern woman calls in, I answer the phone, "BYU Independent Study, how may I help you today?" and she says, "Yes, I go to BYU University". ...And I'm thinking - really? Brigham Young University University. nice.

Or when you end the call by saying "Have a great day" and the 17 year old boy ends the call by saying "Love you too".

Another great thing is speaking with students all around the world with their various accents (and yes, this includes mothers from Georgia).

One thing you should know: students are required to take their tests with a certified PROCTOR (an certified person (usually an educational employee) that watches them while they take their test) - for security reasons. .... Consequently, students will sometimes call in and ask for a PROXY for their test. (nice try!)

Last week, a 17 year old boy called in and said, "Yes, I need a PROCREATOR for my test."

Oh. My. Goodness. I could barely contain my laughter till the end of the call.

I love my job.

bathroom nail clipper

Today I was using the bathroom in the library when in the stall next to me I hear the "clip,clip, clip" of nail clippers. Yes, the girl IN THE STALL next to me was clipping her nails. That is a little weird to me, no lies. Why she would chose to clip her nails in a public bathroom stall is beyond me.

attractive man

So today I wanted to blog again, but I wasn't sure what to blog about. So all day I was thinking of fun things that had happened to me that I could share with all of you and came up with exactly squat.

Then, I got out of class and went to the Tanner Building to wait and read until my group was supposed to meet. I got there around 6:20 and talked to Sarah on the phone for about 15 minutes and then I started reading a required book for one of my classes.

I was just sitting there, reading and minding my own business, when I glance up, and out of the corner of my eye, I see the 'attractive man' from the microwave incident yesterday. No Joke. He's peacefully sitting there, unmarried (and after yesterday, definitely uninterested), 20 feet away, and talking with some other guys. I look up and double check that its him (it is and it is), but I digress, my vantage point did not include a clear view of his infamous left hand. (Not that it really matters, as I already had yesterday's brilliant findings under my belt).

Anywho, he sits there with his friends for a few minutes and then they walk past me to go to another room to (I assume) study. I know he had to have seen me as he walked by and I was right in his line of vision. But don't worry, I made sure to find my book subtitled "From Malachi to Matthew" extremely fascinating as he walked by.

the value of "ring checking"

Today I learned the value of "ring-checking". For those of you unfamiliar with byu culture, ring checking is the art of scanning a male's left hand to see if the ever-important forth finger whistles to the tune of some other cute girl. Before today, I believed that this ability to examine a man’s hand discreetly was over-rated and over-used. As of 12:38 today, I believe that the skill of scrutinizing a man’s hand is a vital expertise that demands proficiency.

I now take you back to my day roughly around 12:34. I had some left over rigatoni in my backpack I wanted to eat, but needed to heat up first, so I went to the JKB to use a microwave there. As I pass the vending machines and near the microwave, I see a very attractive man with really curly blonde hair.

Upon seeing him I think back to last Winter where a girl in my Greek and Roman Lit class was telling me about her fiancé with very curly blonde hair. After class most days, her fiancé would be there waiting and they would walk off into the sunset (or in BYU’s case, down the long white hallway) together.

Well, this man standing by the vending machine looked an awful lot like her fiancé. But whatever, I’m not going to go out of my way to ask him how married life is. Well two minutes later I’m standing at the microwave waiting and watching while my food spins around getting any nutritional content it once had nuked out of it, and out of the corner of my eye I see ‘attractive man’ behind me.

And for whatever reason, I am compelled to ask him something along the lines of, “Hey, this is random, but do you happen to be married to ______?” And the moment I am about to say the name of my friend and old classmate, is the moment her name decides to escape not only the tip of my tongue, but my mind. So I’m stuck there, looking really stupid as I can’t even remember the name of my so-called friend. So I start to explain my frazzled thought process. “There was a girl in one of my classes who married someone who looked a lot like you…” And he just looks at me with a quizzical expression framing his beautiful face. And I think/say simultaneously, “You’re not even married, aren’t you?” while I try to fluidly scan his left hand. His answer of, “No.” and the lack of metal on his hand register in my head at the same time. “Oh, sorry. Good to know.” Did I just say, “GOOD TO KNOW” when he said he wasn’t married???!?!?!?!?!?

Wow. I’ve said some stupid and embarrassing things in my short life, but that definitely makes the top 3 list. So, I turn around and channel all my attention to the rotating machine that is frying my food and possibly my brain, and stare at it like it is the most fascinating thing in the world. For the next 42 seconds I stand there, patiently waiting for the nutrients in my food to be completely gone and the bell to ding. And what do you know, my brain chooses these moments to remember my friend’s name. Kylee Eyre.

Moral of the story: do not take rings for granted. Even if you know that he’s too cute to be single, or, no, especially when he looks like eerily similar to your friend’s fiancé, CHECK THE RING. I once took too lightly the value of ring checking, but never again. I know better now. Take my advice. Or don’t, and have your own embarrassing story.