I just watched Disney's The Princess and the Frog this week. My roommate had brought it home when it came out on DVD, but I'd never taken the chance to watch it. I finally did with my friend, and I'm so glad I did! It's SUCH a good movie! The style took me back to the good ol' days of the classic 2-D animation Disney movies that I grew up on. I love the music, and the characters and voices are so fun! It's about working hard to achieve your dreams and focusing on what's most important in life: love. Seriously, this is one to see if you already haven't!
Image source: Movereviewspro.com
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Census Job
Image source: BCNN1.com
Training was one of those boring ones where you sit and fill paperwork out while the trainer reads a script. Luckily, office clerk training is only a few hours long (unlike the enumerators--door knockers-- who have to train for 3 or 4 days). I also got fingerprinted, which was an interesting experience since it was my first time. It just seems like there's no easy way to do it. The guy did notice the interesting groove pattern on my left hand index finger. :)
Then we had lunch break, and then I started work. They really didn't have assignments for us, so I was passed from person to person until I was in the area with the schedule I wanted. Then they just kind of threw me in and said 'good luck!' Happily, I was able to figure things out quickly, and a couple hours later I was walking around the office doing things like a professional. ;) Ok, maybe not quite, but I felt really comfortable.
The office was so busy that they called in enumerators to help out. And, they told everyone in the office that overtime was open. Sweet! I ended up staying until almost 11pm. Talk about making some serious money!
I spent the whole day doing QC (quality control) for the enumerator binders. I got pretty dang good at it, too, after that long. The hardest part was that we had so many different supervisors telling us to do different things, and we didn't quite know who to listen to. There wasn't much of an order to things, so that gave me a chance to put my love of organizing to work. I think this job is really going to satisfy that love. And, I kind of like the hectic setting of the office because there's always something to do and that drives me.
I also had to learn a lot of acronyms like LCO, FOS, QC, EQ, LMR, NRFU, etc. I think the government probably has more abbreviations than the Church! Haha. Good stuff.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Music
I just put some music to my blog. (Sorry if it gets annoying.)
I guess it's what you'd call my blog's theme song.
"This Never Happened Before"
by Paul McCartney
Image source: Amazon.com
I fell in love with it when I heard it in the movie The Lake House.
Image source: Trailers.apple.com
Once I realized who it was sung by (I am a Beatles fan, Paul being my favorite), I understood why I immediately loved it.
I'll probably add some of my current favorite songs to the playlist every once in a while.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Bike Repairs
Sorry, I hope this post isn't too boring. I just really wanted to post about my skills (and struggles).
So, remember that bike I bought last week?
I fell in love with it as soon as I first tried it because of how nice it rides. The rack on the back was a big selling point as well. I've also come to love the lightweight, male style bike frame.
But, there have been tons of problems, starting almost immediately after I rode off after buying it (for $70).
1. The back break needed to be tightened. Took it into the shop for that. $10
2. The seat would twist and sink down when you rode, no matter how you tightened it. Turns out that the seat post was just a bit too small. I tried Googling some homemade solutions, and found one (slip aluminum from soda cans around the seat post to fill up the gap), but it didn't work at all. So, I decided this one needed professional help, too, and I took it into the bike shop on campus to buy a new one. That was $20.
3. Then the saddle I already had wasn't standard, so it didn't fit the post they had, which meant I needed to buy a saddle as well. Thankfully the nice employee said that the saddles they sold weren't exactly the cheapest, and dug around in their spare parts bin to find one, and he sold it to me for $15 (versus the ones they were selling for $40). It's a pretty awesome seat, too. I love it!
4. A couple of days later I was riding home, and I was going north between Helaman Halls and the Marriott Center, when my left pedal, which had been wobbling for a while, got really lose and when I stopped to check it out, the pedal pulled right off. Lame! Luckily I was close to University Parkway, so I just coasted all the way down the street. :)
When I got home I pulled out the tool box and put the pedal back on, tested it out, and thought it was fixed. Next morning I rode to campus and the pedal came lose again. I figured I just hadn't tightened it enough, so I took it home and used my roommate's socket wrench this time to put it back on, much tighter. The next day the same thing happened, so I rode the bike home wobbling and gave it up for a day.
I did a couple Google searches to find out what the problem was, and I found a blog where someone had posted about the exact same problem and it basically said the corners of the crank arm's socket were worn from being lose, and it would just keep wiggling off. So, I just gave in and went to the bike store behind Glenwood and bought a new crank arm for $18, then took it home and put it the bike myself. I rode it to campus today and it seems to be working just fine!
5. Finally, my chain had been skipping and clicking every time I rode it, and it was getting pretty annoying. I did some more Google searches and found a couple different things it could be, but finally figured it was probably a stiff link. I had my bike upside down in the living room and watched the back derailleur until the stiff link came through. Happily, it was just an easy matter of wiggling it back and forth until it popped lose again.
Things I learned from this experience:
So, remember that bike I bought last week?
I fell in love with it as soon as I first tried it because of how nice it rides. The rack on the back was a big selling point as well. I've also come to love the lightweight, male style bike frame.
But, there have been tons of problems, starting almost immediately after I rode off after buying it (for $70).
1. The back break needed to be tightened. Took it into the shop for that. $10
2. The seat would twist and sink down when you rode, no matter how you tightened it. Turns out that the seat post was just a bit too small. I tried Googling some homemade solutions, and found one (slip aluminum from soda cans around the seat post to fill up the gap), but it didn't work at all. So, I decided this one needed professional help, too, and I took it into the bike shop on campus to buy a new one. That was $20.
3. Then the saddle I already had wasn't standard, so it didn't fit the post they had, which meant I needed to buy a saddle as well. Thankfully the nice employee said that the saddles they sold weren't exactly the cheapest, and dug around in their spare parts bin to find one, and he sold it to me for $15 (versus the ones they were selling for $40). It's a pretty awesome seat, too. I love it!
4. A couple of days later I was riding home, and I was going north between Helaman Halls and the Marriott Center, when my left pedal, which had been wobbling for a while, got really lose and when I stopped to check it out, the pedal pulled right off. Lame! Luckily I was close to University Parkway, so I just coasted all the way down the street. :)
When I got home I pulled out the tool box and put the pedal back on, tested it out, and thought it was fixed. Next morning I rode to campus and the pedal came lose again. I figured I just hadn't tightened it enough, so I took it home and used my roommate's socket wrench this time to put it back on, much tighter. The next day the same thing happened, so I rode the bike home wobbling and gave it up for a day.
I did a couple Google searches to find out what the problem was, and I found a blog where someone had posted about the exact same problem and it basically said the corners of the crank arm's socket were worn from being lose, and it would just keep wiggling off. So, I just gave in and went to the bike store behind Glenwood and bought a new crank arm for $18, then took it home and put it the bike myself. I rode it to campus today and it seems to be working just fine!
5. Finally, my chain had been skipping and clicking every time I rode it, and it was getting pretty annoying. I did some more Google searches and found a couple different things it could be, but finally figured it was probably a stiff link. I had my bike upside down in the living room and watched the back derailleur until the stiff link came through. Happily, it was just an easy matter of wiggling it back and forth until it popped lose again.
Things I learned from this experience:
- Don't buy a random bike off Craigslist unless you're willing to put some work into it.
- Google is your friend for do-it-yourself bike repairs.
- I like fixing bikes!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Finals and New Job
BYU's finals ended yesterday (Wednesday), and I am so happy to be out of classes for the Spring term, and maybe Summer as well! And I am LOVING this warm weather (despite the fact that it did snow this morning...hmm).
I'll be staying to work in Provo for spring and summer, and coming home for a couple of weeks to play!
In other news, I found a temporary second job yesterday. I'll be working with the U.S Census Bureau in a clerical position, full time, for 8 weeks starting next Wednesday. This is the third job offer I've received from them, and the first time that my schedule worked out for me to be able to accept it. I'll still be working my other part time job with BYU Info, so it's going to be a crazy 2 months working 60 hours per week. I definitely won't have a social life, but I'll be making some serious money, so I guess the trade-off is okay. :)
Guess that's it for updates right now. Did I mention I LOVE SUMMER?
I'll be staying to work in Provo for spring and summer, and coming home for a couple of weeks to play!
In other news, I found a temporary second job yesterday. I'll be working with the U.S Census Bureau in a clerical position, full time, for 8 weeks starting next Wednesday. This is the third job offer I've received from them, and the first time that my schedule worked out for me to be able to accept it. I'll still be working my other part time job with BYU Info, so it's going to be a crazy 2 months working 60 hours per week. I definitely won't have a social life, but I'll be making some serious money, so I guess the trade-off is okay. :)
Guess that's it for updates right now. Did I mention I LOVE SUMMER?
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
The Triple 'A's, Reunited!
Remember my friends Ashley and Ali? They were in my ward last year, and we became friends around the end of last winter semester after we all went to Idaho together. Ashley's from Idaho, and Ali's from Canada. We call ourselves the Triple 'A's and the Three Amigos:
Anyway, we got together before they both go home for the summer this week. I told them my prom story (if you haven't read it yet, check out the next post for a good laugh). Then we watched that Three Amigos clip and laughed about the night we watched the movie and danced to it at like 2am last year. Good stuff.
And here are some pictures of us goofing off and what not...
I'm gonna miss those girls...
Anyway, we got together before they both go home for the summer this week. I told them my prom story (if you haven't read it yet, check out the next post for a good laugh). Then we watched that Three Amigos clip and laughed about the night we watched the movie and danced to it at like 2am last year. Good stuff.
And here are some pictures of us goofing off and what not...
I'm gonna miss those girls...
Provo High Prom
Ok, so this is kind of a long story, but I'll try to make it as short as possible.
Last Wednesday, a girl in my FHE group, Xandra, came over and asked me if I would go to prom with her younger brother, Jake. Apparently he'd already asked three girls, and none of them could go. Prom happened to fall on his 18th birthday, and he was feeling a little down, so Xandra thought that going with a college girl would boost his spirits. So, I agreed.
Saturday comes and I go over to Caidy Atwood's house to get all ready. I tried on some of her dresses, and some of her BFF's dresses, but none of them were really working, so I wore the dress I'd brought. They did my hair and make up and nails and such and then Caidy took me back to my place.
Caidy stays with me to take pictures and see me off. So, Jake knocks on the door and comes in. Apparently, he wanted to go to dinner dressed more casually, but I was already all dressed, so I stayed in my dress and he wore his more causal shirts with his slacks (pictured).
His mom drove us in their minivan. We ate at Legend's Grill on campus. I'd never been there before, and it was pretty yummy.
Then we came back to Glenwood and he got his shirt and changed at Xandra's apartment. I changed my litlle cover-up, too, because it was more comfortable.
We were about an hour late to the dance by this point. It was on the top floor of the Provo Library (old BYU Academy building) which has this really nice ballroom. It's beautiful! His mom took pictures outside, then we went inside and got pictures taken. Then we spent about another hour waiting in line to do the promenade (walking down the front stairs with all the parents waiting outside to take pictures).
Also, he didn't know how to pronounce my name correctly. He kept introducing me to everyone as "Alex-a" instead of "A-lex-a." Oh man.
Then I went to the bathroom and texted my mom about everything, and she called me. I talked for a while, then said I needed to go because he was waiting for me. lol.
Then we went into the actual dance. He had been trying to hold my hand the whole night, every time we were walking somewhere, but I'd just grab his arm to let him escort me. We danced for a bit, then there was the first slow dance. By the end of the dance, here's how the conversation went.
Last Wednesday, a girl in my FHE group, Xandra, came over and asked me if I would go to prom with her younger brother, Jake. Apparently he'd already asked three girls, and none of them could go. Prom happened to fall on his 18th birthday, and he was feeling a little down, so Xandra thought that going with a college girl would boost his spirits. So, I agreed.
Saturday comes and I go over to Caidy Atwood's house to get all ready. I tried on some of her dresses, and some of her BFF's dresses, but none of them were really working, so I wore the dress I'd brought. They did my hair and make up and nails and such and then Caidy took me back to my place.
Caidy stays with me to take pictures and see me off. So, Jake knocks on the door and comes in. Apparently, he wanted to go to dinner dressed more casually, but I was already all dressed, so I stayed in my dress and he wore his more causal shirts with his slacks (pictured).
♫ We go together like a wink and a smile... ♫
His boutineer
My BEAUTIFUL corsage!
Then we came back to Glenwood and he got his shirt and changed at Xandra's apartment. I changed my litlle cover-up, too, because it was more comfortable.
We were about an hour late to the dance by this point. It was on the top floor of the Provo Library (old BYU Academy building) which has this really nice ballroom. It's beautiful! His mom took pictures outside, then we went inside and got pictures taken. Then we spent about another hour waiting in line to do the promenade (walking down the front stairs with all the parents waiting outside to take pictures).
Also, he didn't know how to pronounce my name correctly. He kept introducing me to everyone as "Alex-a" instead of "A-lex-a." Oh man.
Then I went to the bathroom and texted my mom about everything, and she called me. I talked for a while, then said I needed to go because he was waiting for me. lol.
Then we went into the actual dance. He had been trying to hold my hand the whole night, every time we were walking somewhere, but I'd just grab his arm to let him escort me. We danced for a bit, then there was the first slow dance. By the end of the dance, here's how the conversation went.
Jake: So, if you could, would you give me a kiss?
Alexa: *laughs* I don't know about that.
Jake: Are you sure?
Alexa: Uh, yeah.
Poor guy. I felt pretty bad for him, but seriously, I'm 2 years and 3 grades older (yes, he was a junior) and this was our first date. He must have noticed all the other couples making out around us. Oy. I haven't even had my first kiss yet, and some high schooler I hardly know isn't going to get it. I spent the rest of the night worried that he was just going to swoop down and land one on me. Yikes!
Happily, the dance only went until 11pm. Then we waited outside for his mom to come pick us up, and she took me home. I gave him a hug goodnight, luckily avoiding any attempt at a kiss.
Well, that's my story. What a night.
Trasportation!
So, I don't know if I mentioned this before, but my bike got stolen sometime in February, and so I've been looking at bikes for sale recently, and I finally found one and got it last week. It rides so nice like my old roommate's bike that I loved.
There were a couple problems with it and I've tried to fix what I can on my own, but I had to take it in to a bike shop a couple times. It's great otherwise. And I love having a faster way to get around now.
There were a couple problems with it and I've tried to fix what I can on my own, but I had to take it in to a bike shop a couple times. It's great otherwise. And I love having a faster way to get around now.
Sweet rack on the back and an awesome seat the bike store sold me out of their spare parts bin
Just today this pedal came off while I was riding home and I had to figure out how to put it back on
Amazing light-up combo lock
(don't worry, that's not my combination lol)
And as a side note, it's SPRING!
The flowers are blooming!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Price is Right... at DI!
So, today is a reading day to prepare for finals.
Yeah, right.
So, instead of studying, I decided to go to DI today after work.
If you know me or my mom, you know we love a deal, so let's play...
If you know me or my mom, you know we love a deal, so let's play...
You're the next contestant on
The Price is Right!
The Price is Right!
First item up for bid: waterproof duffle bag.
Actual retail price: $20
DI: $2
A difference of: $18
It's now storing my 72-hour kit, waiting for that rainy day..
Next item up for bid: bike helmet.
Actual retail price: $30
DI: $4
A difference of: $26
Final item up for bid: nightstand.
Actual retail price: $30
DI: $5
A difference of: $25
(I'm gonna make it prettier eventually.)
Total spent: $11
Total saved: $61
Day, and money, well spent. :)
I Won a Hiya Papaya Bracelet!
Remember that drawing on the Cristi's Creations blog?
Well, I won!
(Thanks to Kim Middleton tipping me off that I did... I didn't even notice at first!)
Check out the super cute bracelet I got!
And it comes it a cute bag and tissue paper
I absolutely...
You can get your own (there are TONS of different ones) from Cristi's Etsy store, Hiya Papaya. Cute name, huh?
Seriously, check it out!
Thursday, April 08, 2010
My eggs and shirts are dyeing!
Easter night I got together with one of my good friends, Alicia, and we dyed eggs. We had even bought a nifty kit that came with glitter to decorate them with. Messy, but fun being with Alicia. We have waaaaay too much fun together. :)
Pretty eggs!
Alicia so pretty
Eggs anyone?
YUM
Friends <3
Egg eyes!
I ended up making deviled eggs with them a couple days later, and boy were they delicious!
And while we're on the subject of making homemade food--
hey, I'm in college, ok, these things don't happen that often--
here's some french fries I've started making. So yummy!
So, back to dyeing...
Last night my Relief Society had out closing social for the year and we dyed t-shirts.
(BTW, can you believe there are less that 2 weeks left in the semester??)
It's funny that I've never really tye-dyed in all my years of school, church activities, and girls camp, except for maybe once or twice and so I was pretty much lost as to what to do.
But I think I did well, considering.
This one is my favorite, it's the shirt they gave us to color.
Look at that sweet patterning!
Then I got a little crazy and started bringing my old white shirts to color.
Simple swirl
Shirt I caught at Mr. Wyview last year.
"I can be your hero!"
And I may or may not have tye-dyed a pair of underwear... but you won't get to see that. ;)
Friday, April 02, 2010
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