The E Files--Part 2: Setting Up My Profile

Last time on E Files, Agent Mattie was entering an alien, unknown world of online dating, and her first task was to pass the grueling entrance exam to appear like the aliens themselves. It's only by pretending to be one of them that Agent Mattie can really learn more about their mating rituals. The next step, now that Agent Mattie was in, was to make herself a profile, to be included as part of the alien community:

Luckily some of my profile was filled out when I took that test. But then, it asked me to include some more info and answer more questions, you know to make sure I really was invested and putting myself out there. Since the profile is basically my advertisement to the world, I had to make sure it looked good, but at the same time was me.

This was hard to do. At least on Facebook, for example, I can really be me because I'm talking with friends and family and putting up links and photos so you get the sense of how I am. With my eHarmony profile, I tried to be me as much as I could, but I didn't want to lay it all out at the beginning or else they wouldn't want to get to know me, right?

So I did my best trying to explain myself in the limited space I was given, answering the questions as truthfully as I could, but at the same time putting my style and personality in the writing. I think what I came up with was pretty good (click to enlarge):
My profile lets people know I'm fun, religious, family-oriented, smart, funny, and ready for a challenge.

Now, all I had to do was wait.

The E(harmony) (Pro)Files--Part 1: The Personality Test

As some of you may recall, I received an email on Valentine's Day weekend advertising that eHarmony was free for 5 days. Well, not really. I misread it, and it was really free communication for 5 days. But, I thought, what the heck. I was curious, and I figured I'll sign up and see what happens. If anything, I'd get some pretty entertaining material like a friend of mine had.

The first step of setting up an eHarmony profile is taking the personality test that helps eHarmony's algorithm match you up with the most compatible people for you. You know, they match on "29 dimensions of deep compatibility." Now that I've taken this test, I think it's a load of crap. Maybe it's just me, but some of these questions were ridiculous:

1. "True or False: My house is often cleaner when I have company coming over."
Ummm... don't most people clean when they know someone's coming? Pretty sure I don't know anyone who says, "Company's coming! Quick make a mess!"

2. "True or False: I generally want to come out ahead."
Doesn't everyone? I really don't want to be matched with someone who wants to come out behind because he clearly has no ambition or goals.

Then, there were preference questions, and I felt a little odd answering a few of them. For example, it asked me what race I would prefer to be matched up with. I felt a little racist putting "Caucasian," but honestly, I don't see myself with a little Chinese man. So, to make up for my glaring racism, I put that it wasn't that important to me that this guy should be white.

There were, however, a few things that I said were really important to me, like the fact that I wanted to be matched with another LDS person (or at least one that claimed to be) and someone that didn't smoke or drink at all. However, eHarmony, I guess, felt like I was being too restrictive on the drinking one and told me this:
Sorry, eHarmony, I don't care how many more matches I'll get if I say I'm okay with someone drinking once a week or more; there's a reason why I have it set that way in the first place!

Anyway, so I finally manage to get through the compatibility/personality test after a couple hours. No, seriously, it took forever. There were 10 freaking sections. I felt like I was going through an extensive background check/vetting process, or an intense employment application or something. I had to take several breaks just cause I couldn't stand staring at the screen and answering questions anymore. It was crazy, but I had completed the test and was signed up to be a member of the eHarmony community.

The next step was setting up my profile...

A Brief Interruption for an Announcement

I know I said in my last post that the next few posts were going to be my adventures in the world of online dating. But, I had a blog-worthy announcement that merited an interruption of said series.

Today is Ash Wednesday, (no that's not my announcement)and although most of you (and really even me) don't care about this, it marks the start of Lent. Well I don't observe Lent (which mostly entails giving something up for the days between now and Easter), never have, but I decided that this year it coincided nicely with my decision to be healthier.

So, for the first time in my life, I decided to "observe Lent" in the fact that I will give up something for a month. What is it?

Sweets.

That's right folks, I've decided to give up sweets for a month (although my Catholic friend says Lent is actually 46/47 days and you can cheat on Sundays, but I'm going to do it my way). I'm not exactly doing it in the spirit you're supposed to for Lent, but I figured, if other people in the world can give up something during Lent for the sake of the Lord, then I can too.

Yeah, I'm praying I last more than a week.

*And now back to your regularly scheduled posts.*

As we near the end of that Hallmark holiday...

Quick, send out those Chinese New Year cards while you still can! It's ending soon.

Oh yeah, there was another holiday today as well, Valentine's Day or Single's Awareness Day, whatever the case may be. I actually wasn't too upset this year being without a significant other on this most ridiculous of holidays (after 23 years, it's the norm). I hung out with my friends, ate chocolate, and for the most part avoided the sappy-ness of the seasonal sections of stores. Although, I, unfortunately, was unable to avoid the cheesy human interest/Valentine's Day mentions during the pairs figure skating of the Olympics.

However, in a moment of weakness, and really pure curiosity, I decided to act on an email I received; I filled out an eHarmony profile. Yeah, I did. I received an email saying it was free for 5 days (I found out later that it was just free communication for 5 days, not a free membership.) and decided, why not? I've always wondered what fun entertaining things I'd find on here, and thought I'd try it.

I've always been weary of online dating; something about having to tell your children that you met their father online just isn't something I've ever wanted to have to do. I've known plenty of people that are perfectly happy and some even married having first met online. It's helpful and works out great for some people, but I just don't think I'm one of those. So, me signing up for eHarmony is for pure entertainment and experimental purposes, not that I actually want to meet (or even talk to) any of these guys.

So, the next few series of blog posts will be my experiences, adventures, and observations about the brave new world of online dating. Oh, it's going to be fun.

In other news, Happy President's Day tomorrow!

2009 Wrap-Up: Resolutions Revisited

If you'll recall, in January 2009, I decided to become a better person. With my list of goals that I wanted to accomplish, I made the resolution to learn or do something new every month. While I did succeed in most of my other resolutions (such as reading some new books thanks to my awesome book club), I didn't do too well in others (like finishing my parents stockings I started in middle school, perhaps they're not meant to be finished?). But as most of you might know or have guessed, I did complete the one I was most excited about last January. Let's take a look back:
January: Sew a Skirt
February: Dancing and Flirting
March: Taxes
April: Changing a Tire/Car Maintenance
May and June: Cake Decorating
July: Make a New Dish
August: See a Musical
September and October: Calligraphy and Photography
November: Speed Reading
December: Origami
I am so glad I made this resolution. Not only was it something that I actually completed and kept doing the whole year, but I also learned so many great things I might not have otherwise learned. Through accomplishing this resolution, I discovered several things about myself. I discovered that most things can be accomplished if you have a kit or a great teacher. I discovered a new talent/skill that I really enjoy doing (cake decorating), and I discovered that if I really set my mind to it and have a plan, I really can succeed and accomplish anything.

In my resolutions post last January, I wrote about how I never liked making resolutions because I always gave up a few months into the year. But, now that I have actually been successful in keeping up on a resolution for a whole year, I feel like I can do anything. Ok, maybe not anything, but I now know it's not as hard as you think to be consistent and to keep a resolution all year long.

Having completed my year of doing something new every month, I realized that having a plan and excitement for a resolution really helps to keep it all year. Last year was great, and I achieved many things. I can't wait for what this next year has in store for me. There were several things I had put on my list to learn that I wasn't able to get to (like painting and juggling), which I will try to do this year.

And while last year was really fun and easy, I've decided that this year I need to continue to be better by being more observant of others. Last year, I kind of focused on me learning new things, (and I did have a service-oriented goal too, but it kind of fell by the wayside), but now I need to focus on helping others. It's going to be hard, but I think I can do it. I'm more confident in my abilities now that I was successful last year. I am also trying to be more healthy too, but since I started doing that last year, it won't be listed in my new year's resolutions. Come to think of it, I don't really have a list this year (which might set me up for failure, so I'll work on them).

My one main goal has always been to become a better person, and helping others will definitely help me achieve this goal. Here's to being nicer, kinder, and more helpful to others in 2010! Let's hope I can keep it up. I'll post a list/goals to accomplish this resolution soon because everyone needs a game plan. What's yours?

December--Origami

Awhile back I bought an origami kit. It comes with everything! Even a bone folding and scoring tool! Pretty sweet, I know. The book that came with it, though, just had a few animals in it (and some modular stuff), and it didn't even include the traditional crane! (Something I really felt I needed to know how to do.) So I went out onto the internet, fountain of knowledge, and looked up the directions on how to make a crane (and various other patterns). Let's just say there are pretty much a bajillion different ways to fold paper into a crane. Every site I found had a little step that was different, granted it did end up with the same result.

I didn't necessarily make a 1000, but I made alot of cranes (and a few other things): That's supposed to be a gorilla (it was from the book that came in the kit). (The ones on the right were the only ones I made; the top left my dad did, and the bottom left came with the kit...)

Origami is pretty easy as long as you have really good instructions and diagrams so you know how to fold it. Some are a little more complicated and involve scissors and glue and different pieces (like the gorilla). (I tried making a unicorn and I gave up because I just couldn't understand what the picture and directions were trying to tell me to do!) Origami is fun, and talk about easy, cheap Christmas tree ornaments!

This Ain't My Scene

Most of you have already heard this story from me, so I apologize for the repeat. If you haven't heard, please enjoy the next bit of nonfiction:

Recently (ok like a few weeks ago), I attended a New Year's party with a few friends of mine. I just barely made the age cut off of the 23 to 45 year olds that were invited to attend. A friend had asked me to accompany her, and since I had dragged her to an 80's YSA dance the night before, I thought it was the least I could do to get dressed up a little and go with her to this party.

When we arrived, there were probably 20 people there, including the live band of 5. Luckily, we found some other people we knew and talked with them. As the night progressed, I continually felt like the youngest person there (and in all reality, I probably was). I was enjoying talking with my friends, but it wasn't the best atmosphere for talking because the band's volume was really loud in such an enclosed space. There was some food, a few board games, a pool table, a couch, and a big screen TV tuned to some football game. Ok, now that the scene has been set, here's what happened:

My friends and I were sitting on the couch, a sectional to be exact. So, at the end was my friend Jane* (*Names have been changed for their protection), then Erin*, then me, then the corner of the sectional was empty, then Emily* (who I came with) and Reese*, and then some random dude we didn't know who was messing with his iPhone. We were chatting about random things when this man, who looked to be about 35, comes and stands in front of us (Jane, Erin, and I) and proclaims,

"There are too many girls sitting in a row, so I'll have to sit right there," as he points between Erin and myself.

"Umm ok," I say. "Do you want me to scoot over?"

"No, no. I have to earn my spot," he says as he proceeds to sit right next to me, at the corner of the sectional. He introduces himself, let's call him Bob, and we do the same, each of us shaking hands as we do so. After intros were made, he then turns to me and asks Jane's name again.

Then he says, "Excuse me, sorry," and gets up to stand in front of Jane. "Sometimes I have these urges. Will you indulge me for a moment, and let me snap your nylons?" He then tries to grab Jane's tights on her leg to appease his "urge." He of course can't grab it, so Jane helps him out (which i have no idea why) by lifting it up a little for him to get a hold of. He thanks her and comes and sits back down next to me.

Now at this point, I'm really dumbfounded and a little creeped out by this man who obviously has no self-restraint with complete strangers. But, then, I'm even more shocked as he continues,

"Sorry, sometimes I have these inclinations. Like for example, when women wear low cut blouses and their cleavage is showing and they're really pushed together, you know? I just want to come by and shove something in between there, like a credit card or something. Or if they are kind of far apart, maybe like a pen or something," he says, while illustrating what he's talking about with his hands the whole time.

Now, I'm really creeped out by this perv because he's talking about shoving things in women's cleavage to 3 women he has never met. I think all three of us were a little shocked and didn't know what to say. So, to ease the awkward silence a bit, Erin starts talking about how she has some friends that like to throw things at people in restaurants or something.

"Oh, okay. I'm glad I'm not the only one," he remarks, to which I'm thinking in my head, Well you're the only one stupid enough to say it out loud to three females. And to save himself, "But, you guys are okay cause you're not wearing anything low cut, so you're not tempting me." (Oh, what a relief.)

He then asks if we're of the "Mormon persuasion" (we all say yes), and he says, "Oh, good, then we can talk about "insider stuff." Now throughout this whole time, I was convinced he wasn't a member because he reeked of smoke (not just his clothes, his breath, too). So I was thinking, maybe he's drunk (or high) and stumbled in here from the apartment complex. But, he is now trying to convince us he, too, is Mormon.

So as to explain his smoke smell, he tells me, "Oh,do I smell like smoke? We went to this restaurant. Well, I guess it was a kind of a bar restaurant, and they let people smoke in there." I can smell it on your breath. You're not fooling anybody, pal.

More awkward silence.

Now, I really want this guy to leave, and I'm tired of smelling cigarette smoke, so my arms are crossed, and I'm staring at the TV in front of me with my lips pursed together. He then turns and looks at me and tells me,

"You look like the cure for boredom. But, you're holding back and keeping you're cool."

"Yup. That's exactly it," I say in my most sarcastic, dripping-with-malice type voice.

"Well, here's what we're going to do," he tells me as he jumps/squats in front of me. He has his arm out in front of me (about a foot away from my chest, actually; although, my arms are crossed, so there was a barrier) and starts to reveal his plan. "We're going to pretend like it's the horse races and you're in the pen, and we're going to let you out. Then, you're going to go crazy and bust out and get the party going!" Ummmm....

"No, that's ok," I say, curtly.

"No, come on. You can do it, but you got to get real close to the gate you know like the horses do, so we can let you out," he says while he pats his arm, clearly telling me he wants me to press myself to his arm. Excuse me? Are you serious? do you really think that I am stupid enough to not see what you are really getting at and follow your idiotic, perverted "plan"?

"No, that's ok," I say again. "I don't want to scare anybody."

"Oh. Okay," he replies, looking a bit disappointed and sits back down on the couch. Now, I've had it, but I really am quite comfortable on the couch, so I look for a way to get him to move on, as opposed to me having to leave. So, I point over to where people are starting to dance,

"People are dancing over there, you should go and check it out."

"Well, I don't want to leave you guys."

"No really, that's ok," we all say, with all of us saying something about how we're tired and will stay on the couch.

"Oh, okay. Well, I will go, but I will have a sad face on because you guys won't be over there." Then, finally, he walks away.

At first the whole thing is almost surreal; did that guy really say and do those things? Then came the realization--it was all real, and that now I feel icky, and I need to avoid this person the rest of my life. The whole time Emily and Reese casually looked on, but apparently Reese was dealing with her own weirdo (the guy on the phone, who asked about her bra). But, she didn't hit the jackpot like I did.

So, after that interesting occurrence, we stayed for a little while longer. When Emily was ready to go, I was more than happy to oblige her. It was fun to talk with my friends, but I'll be honest, I felt a little out of place. As we were leaving, Bob decided to sit next to Reese this time. But, unlike me (who tried to save her), Reese told him off gently instead of letting him keep going. I obviously could learn a thing or two from her.

The party wasn't my scene, but I came back with a hilarious and extremely awkward story, so it was totally worth it, right?

A few pictures to pass the time...

I realize that my last couple posts were intellectual/philosophical, or as my mom said, "boring." So, I realized I needed to put something up before you thought I had gone all existential on you and left the blogosphere to take up handwriting letters. This is not true. I'm currently working on several posts to finally wrap up 2009 (sorry for the delay), but I have not had a chance to finish and put them up. So, in the meantime I figured I'd put up a few pictures of what I've been doing for the past few weeks, cause a picture is worth a 1000 words, right?
The awesome black and white play I went to with some friends.
A birthday cake (Buzz) and a Thank You cake (camera) for our family's photographer and her son. The photographer took these (and others):My brother Caulin's birthday cake (the pic on the cake was another one taken by the photographer).
The next cake looks like a boring old cake, huh?
Until...

That cake I made for a coworker after she showed me this blog (whose cake and pictures are alot better looking than mine).

And those are some of the things I've been up to while I've been away. More blog posts forthcoming.

The Art of Letter Writing

The following was inspired by a piece by Garrison Keillor called "How to Write a Letter":

I feel and fear that the art of letter writing is a lost one. And, it is my duty as a creative-artist type person to try to revive it, or at least not let it die and fade away into oblivion to be forgotten by almost all of the future generation. Yes, if we had really wanted to know up-to-date information of each others' lives, there are plenty of other quicker, more efficient means of doing so than writing a letter. There's email, facebook, twitter, blogs, texts, phone calls (another near-dying means of communication) in which we could learn of each others' lives as they happen.

But, letter writing has nothing to do with that. Yes, perhaps in a more primitive time when the only means of communication was by messenger, the letter was a vehicle of transferring prevalent information. But, really, since the telegram and beyond, there wasn't a real need any more as letter as conduit of information.

Granted, some use it still to inform like for those in third world countries or those cut off from modern conveniences and technologies... like missionaries. But, for the rest of us in the modern, internet-connected world, what is the need for writing letters?

We have so many ways to stay connected to each other that we have lost the very connection that these new technologies were meant to improve and keep in tact.

Which brings me to my point... letter writing. We must go back to the basics, the more primitve, early means of communication to repair the damage done by our own ambition.

Those that have gotten a handwritten letter before can vouch for the giddy, child-like joy and glee you feel when you receive such a thing in the mail. It's almost like waking up on Christmas morning and seeing just what Santa brought you. A letter is something tangible that you can keep forever and show your posterity that people loved and cared enough about you to take the time to sit down and write you a letter.

I don't know about your parents, but my parents lived about an hour away from each other while they were dating. So, to keep the "flame alight," so to speak, they wrote letters. My parents have a box of letters and cards they had sent to each other, and looking at them now helps remind me that my parents were young once, too. I just got to say, it will be incredibly hard to show your kids the facebook messages, emails, and texts you exchanged with their father while you were dating. It's not like you can store them in a hat box in the closet.

How we get to know our ancestors are through their letters, their journals, and their keepsakes that they left behind. How will our future posterity know us? By searching for our abandoned blogs and long forgotten online profile pages? Unless we go and print all of our emails and blog entries, how will anyone know about us? What if the internet isn't around in the future, or at least what we know now as the internet?

To leave our mark on the world, it can't be through our Twitter feed. We must again take up letter writing. Even if it's a short, quick note with only a few lines. The person who receives it will know you cared enough about them to do it and will understand why it had to be short. You'll feel good about yourself as you stamp and mail the letter off.

Why? Because you will not be forgotten; your life will be remembered through the letter, and others you send like it, and you will leave your mark on the world.

Besides...I got to use up these Christmas stamps I have left over from sending cards!

Happy New Year's!

It's the first day of 2010, the start of a new decade. Feel any different?

Yeah. Me neither.

I have to say though, looking back on the year, and for sure the decade, I have changed a lot! You have, too; you know you have. I think sometimes we think that in a year we should have been a whole new person, a better person than what we thought of ourselves at the beginning of the year. For the rare few, this actually does happen, but for the rest of us, we come to the start of a new year and feel like the past year was a waste, which is not true, but this new year will be different.

The truth of it is, things happen, life happens, and the goals we made for ourselves in order to achieve the idyllic vision we had of what we would be at the end of the year get adapted or abandoned. It's ok. As humans, we are susceptible to this. We have huge lofty ideas of how things should be or how they'll change, but when it comes down to it, we get lost and more often than not fail.

But, most of us will find our way again, get back on track, and try again because most of us are also really stubborn and resilient. We "won't take no for an answer," and "if at first we don't succeed, we try, try again" because "failure is not an option." It is this trait in us that forces us to make the same goals every year because this year will be different. This year, we'll quit smoking, unlike all the times and years before; this year, we'll loose those 20, 30, 60, 80 pounds, unlike the several attempts we've made in years past; this year, we'll find that special someone, we'll find that better job, we'll be that better person because this year will be different.

And maybe this year will be different for you, but it's up to you on whether or not it actually happens.

For 2010 for whatever goals you've made and resolutions you've resided to accomplish for this year, the key thing to do is have a plan, and then follow up with that plan and adapt it to whatever life throws at you. We tend to make one huge goal that we can't possibly achieve because it is just to hard for our finite selves to grasp. Make a plan, write it out, have a mentor or motivator that will keep you honest, put a reminder wherever you will see it. You might not want to do it now, but your future self will thank you for keeping them on track.

We all fall, we all get behind, but we shouldn't get down on ourselves and completely abandon our goal and give up and say, "Oh well, there's always next year," because we'll never do anything great for ourselves if we turn around and head back to the beginning at the first sign of trouble only to do the same thing the next year. Really make this year different and commit to whatever your resolution is and revisit your progress every month not just at the end of the year.

Don't worry. You can do it because this year will be different.

(Steps off of soapbox)

I will soon be posting my December skill and my recap of 2009 and the decade with a visit to that 2009's resolutions and what I learned and achieved. I'm hoping to get these posted before the end of January, but we'll see. I'll also be posting a whole new set of goals for 2010, so be on the look out because this year will be... awesome! (You thought I was going to say different, huh? Ha ha! Tricked ya!)

My New Found Love For Audio Books

A few months ago, my book club had decided to read Dracula. I don't know if you've read or seen a copy of Bram stoker's Dracula, but it's incredibly long. I started freaking out because I was worried I wasn't going to be able to finish it. But, then I remembered I had downloaded a free iPod app for free audio books. The website has volunteers (yes, even you can read for them) read books, poems, short stories, essays, etc. that are in the public domain. It's all free (hence the volunteer readers part).

And that's right, Dracula is in fact in the public domain! I quickly found the audio book and started listening. I was saved! I listened to it at work and at home. The only downside? Because it's free and all volunteer readers, you don't always get the best narration.

What do you mean, Mattie? As long as you're "reading" it, why does it matter who reads it? Oh... let me tell you, friend, it makes a huge difference. Here, I'll show you:

There were a few really great, enjoyable people (I could only get a link to the full chapter the person reads, so listen for a bit (perhaps starting half way through) and then come back here):

Click here to listen to Reader 1
Click here to listen to Reader 2
Click here to listen to Reader 3
(As you can tell, I fancy the male, British readers...)

Then there were a few okay, tolerable readers that were only slightly irritating, but I got through it:
Click here to listen to Reader 1
Click here to listen to Reader 2
Click here to listen to Reader 3

But then, there were truly terrible people (well in this case, just one), that thought Dracula was a really melodramatic Harlequin romance novel and called for really breathy narration:

Click here to listen (go to middle to get full effect)

This same person read the last two chapters! I could barely get through hers when she read a chapter in the middle of the novel, but luckily she was a tiny bit better at the end. Only, she decided to read Van Helsing's parts with a weird accent that didn't add to the visualization but instead just made it hard to understand.

Click here and here to listen (same person, but the ending chapters... so a little better, minus the ridiculous accent for Van Helsing, which can be found towards the beginning of the second link).

But, I did get through it, and for the most part it was an enjoyable experience. It converted me to audio books, and I listened to other ones. It helped me finally finish Pride and Prejudice! (Yay! I'm no longer a failure as an English major!) I also bought some other audio books (definitely worth the money) from audible.com for the following month's book club after Dracula.

I now LOVE audio books. Granted, it's not the same as reading the actual book (which I will still try to keep doing), but it helps so much (especially if you get really good readers) because you can listen to it in the car, and while you're working or exercising. It's amazing! Well, except of course when you get a dramatic, romance-novel-type reader, in which case you might be better off just reading the book yourself. In fact... I think I will. When I get a chapter/book up on that website read by me, I'll let you know!

November--Speed Reading

I was hoping that by me doing speed reading it would be a quick thing. The month of November was pretty crazy for me (you know... making a wedding cake and all). I bought A Complete Idiot's Guide to Speed Reading, and I read about four chapters and then gave up.

If I really concentrate, I can read fast. But, my problem is that most of the time, I read to read, not to get information, which is why speed reading is kind of hard for me. I got to the point where I started "speed reading" the speed reading book.

A major point in the guide is that you're supposed to practice and time yourself. Well, I really didn't have time to do either let alone finish reading the book! I'll have to revisit it again, so I can really get better at speed reading.

But, at this point in time, my secret to speed reading is... audio books.

December is the last one in my "learn something new every month" resolution. Let's hope I finish out strong.

Texas White Christmas

So I realize that my most recent post gave the impression that I have been rather lacking in Christmas spirit. Lest you worry, I wanted to clear up the fact that I did find some in time for Christmas. Turns out viewing a few choice films from the canon really did the trick.

Granted, I don't think I'll ever obtain the child-like glee I once had about Christmas (except perhaps when I have children of my own), but for now, I'm ok with that. I have been rather busy these last few weeks with trying to prepare for Christmas. Last week I was baking up a storm I tell you! But luckily, the busy-ness subsided this week and I was able to enjoy a rather relaxing Christmas Eve and day.

Now, living in Texas, there is no way I would expect there to be a "white Christmas." It just couldn't possibly happen. But, lucky for me Texas tried the best it could. Perhaps it was the constant playing of "Let it Snow" and other snow and winter-related songs on the radio, or maybe it was the 24/7 showing of "White Christmas" on A&E. Whatever it was, on Christmas eve afternoon it started snowing! Now, it wasn't enough to play in, or enough to really coat the ground (like I said it's Texas), but it was good enough for me.

(This was during the day when it started snowing.)
(This was Christmas eve night when it was still snowing.)

The snow stuck around for most of the morning on Christmas day, but eventually it turned into ice and then slowly melted by the afternoon. It was fun while it lasted. I guess all the dreaming of a white Christmas with all those Christmas cards I wrote and sent on the 23rd really worked!

Hope y'all had a very merry Christmas! And if you don't celebrate this holiday, I hope you had a good day staying at home since practically everything was closed!

Feeling a Little "Scrooge-ish"

When I was younger, I used to love Christmas. I mean, I still do, but I used to go all out. I was one of those people that started listening to Christmas music early, sometimes even as early as July (yeah... I was one of those people...). I couldn't wait till the day after Thanksgiving when my family would put up the tree and all the decorations. Wrapping presents was my fave! Even after I knew about Santa Claus, I still couldn't wait till Christmas morning and to see the excited looks on my family's faces when we each took turns opening our gifts.

While Christmas is still one of my favorite holidays, the last couple of years my joy and excitement for the season has gone down. I really didn't help my family put up much of the decorations; I haven't been listening to Christmas music all that much. I'm still excited about giving presents, but the normal Christmas spirit, I feel, is lacking and in turn leaving me feel Scrooge-ish.

My thing is, I've been thinking about it, but I can't figure out why. I'm really trying to be a little more cheery, but I'm not my usual Christmas self. Is this how it's going to be now, now that I'm all grown up? I hope not. I have no excuse not to be in a good mood, but for some reason, Christmas is feeling a bit like a thing I have to do/get done, rather than what it's actually supposed to be: A celebration of Christ's birth.

I'm slightly getting back in the spirit, I'm just a little behind. Hopefully, I'll be up to speed by the time Christmas rolls around. Snap out of it, Mattie! Remember the reason for the season! :)

Maybe I just need a pint of eggnog and to watch some movies from the Christmas canon.

The Christmas Movie Canon

That's right, there's a Christmas movie canon, just like there's a scripture canon and a literature canon. If anything, the Christmas movie is just as sacred and important as the other canons in the world. And just like every canon contains differing things with every person you ask, the Christmas movie one is different depending on you and your family.

There are, however, a few classics that are pretty much required to be present in your family's Christmas Movie Canon:
1. It's a Wonderful Life: There is a law (I'm sure) that says it is not Christmas unless you watch this movie. The end.
2. White Christmas: While this one is not quite as important as "It's a Wonderful Life," it is still one of those movies that helps ring in Christmas. I mean, who doesn't love Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye cross dressing? (If for some reason the musical aspect of this movie is too much for you, feel free to add/replace this with "Miracle on 34th Street" (old school or remake).)
3. Some version of A Christmas Carol: Come on, there's like 500 versions, surely you can pick one to include in your Christmas canon. Personally, I have two--Scrooged and The Muppet Christmas Carol.
4. A claymation/animated classic: It's just not a true Christmas season without watching at least one of the claymation/animated movies. Take your pick: Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (my choice), The Little Drummer Boy, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, The Year Without a Santa Claus, A Charlie Brown Christmas, not to mention the Disney/Mickey Mouse Christmas movies; heck, I'd even let you count The Nightmare Before Christmas if you wanted!
5. A Modern Christmas movie: Although I tend to pick many in this genre to include in my own canon, you can just pick one if you want (or can). Here's the one's I pick--Elf, The Santa Clause (I could care less about the sequels), The Polar Express (which could be considered an animated also), The Grinch, Christmas Vacation, and Love Actually (which isn't explicitly a Christmas movie, but it's set during Christmastime, so it's good enough for me). There are plenty more (and new ones come out every year) then these. If anything, turn on the Lifetime or Hallmark channels (or ABC Family) during the season, and you will be barraged with thousands of made for TV modern Christmas movies (many are cheesy and predictable though, just to warn you).
6. Lastly, A Christmas Story: If you have not seen this movie, you have obviously lived a terrible, deprived childhood. If you've seen it and didn't like it, I encourage you to give it another chance and don't watch it for an explicit plot or moral life lesson. If you're telling me, "Look, Mattie, no matter how much you plead, I am not going to like this movie!" then I am sorry for you. If you have already made up your mind, then there is no way I can convince you. Go watch "A Christmas Vacation" or a few Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas movies to make up for the gaping hole in your Christmas movie canon. For the rest of you, this movie is an American Christmas classic. It is silly, hilarious, and just all together enjoyable for the whole family. It completes any Christmas movie canon.

And with that said, it completes my Christmas movie canon. How is yours shaping up?

Thanksgiving Sans Family

This Thanksgiving, for the first time in my life, I had someone else's family's traditional Thanksgiving meal. My family drove to New Mexico to spend Thanksgiving with my grandparents, but my best friend was getting married the day after Thanksgiving (and I was making her cake), so there was no way I could go to NM too. Luckily, I was not without turkey because some family friends invited me to join them for their feast. It was great, and I'm thankful that I did not have to spend Thanksgiving crying at the McDonald's all alone (like another friend was worried I'd be doing). I am also thankful for some great friends that were worried about me and offered me their leftovers so I wouldn't go without.

Here's the reason why I stayed home while my family was out of town: It really took the whole week to make, but because I love Mary a ton, I did it. The leaves are made of fondant and all hand painted. The acorns are made from chocolate and peanut butter chips, and the butterflies are the only things that aren't edible. My Thanksgiving was incredibly busy, with cleaning, getting the cake made, and shopping, I wouldn't even really call it a break. In fact... I think I need another one. Good thing Christmas is coming up really soon.

What I Learned in My Driver Safety Course

I had to take a Driver Safety Course a month ago, and I did it online. I passed, and I thought I would share with you what I learned because it was so helpful (at least some).

1. Traveling with children and pets can be "fun and a challenge." (no kidding?)
2. All people with road rage will dramatically throw their arms in the air, have an angry look, and frustratingly look at their watch.
3. You should hold the steering wheel at the bottom, not at 10 and 2, and you should use a "push/pull" type of thing when turning instead of crossing your arms.
4. Driving is a privilege not a right (this was emphasized several times).
5. Any badly animated CGI video will help emphasize any obscure point.
6. I should always fill my tank once it gets half way empty.
7. I read faster than the required amount of time I was supposed to spend on the page.
8. Thank goodness for save buttons so I could go and do something more important than reading driving facts and statistics.
9. I will know when someone is drunk if they look weird and loopy and laugh like Beavis and Butthead.
10. I never want to get a ticket or have to take this class ever again because it was a huge hassle.

Lesson Learned.

Where Has Common Courtesy Gone?

Recently, I attended the midnight showing of New Moon on Thursday. Yes, I attended the midnight showing, and I'm not a teenager. I will have you know I went with my little sister who's 12 and my mom. There were plenty of older ladies there, too, so I am not embarrassed.

Anyway, I knew that because it was a midnight showing, there would be some screaming when it started and when the main guys came on the screen. I knew it was coming, but what I wasn't expecting was screaming and squealing every time Edward or Jacob came on the screen. I'm not even exaggerating, EVERY TIME.

It was especially bad when the people behind us kept talking and screaming after the initial yelling. They were upset every time Taylor Lautner came on with his shirt on; they were yelling "NO!" when Bella and Jacob had near kisses, then yelled "Yes!" when the kiss didn't happen.

What was worse, they were talking about things that weren't even related to the movie we were watching. They were talking about Channing Tatum and the new movie Dear John that he was going to be in. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore so I shushed them. Then they shushed me back. Seriously? You are the ones talking for crying out loud! I'm missing half the cheesy, ridiculous dialogue because you are too ADD and rude to concentrate on the movie at hand.

The constant screaming was annoying, but the incessant talking behind me was aggravating. Do these people not have any common courtesy to quietly enjoy the movie so others can enjoy it too? I've been to plenty of other midnight showings, but this one was the worst. There were hoots and hollars at the beginning of those showings, too, but at least these Spiderman, Star Trek/Wars, Batman, and Lord of the Rings nerds had the common decency and respect for other people to shut up during the rest of the movie.

Then when we left the theater, people didn't have any courtesy then either to let people take turns out of the parking lot. Seriously, people? Why must these people be so rude? We were stuck in our parking spot forever just because there was no one nice enough to let us through. It was ridiculous. Where have kindness, courtesy, and manners gone? And, how do we get it back... or can we? I'll have to see New Moon again to be able to hear the dialogue I missed, although... I think I'm ok with waiting.

September and October--Calligraphy and Photography

For those that are wondering, yes, I have been keeping up with my resolution of doing something every month. This post has been a long time coming, but it's finally here. I kind of did both calligraphy and photography in September and October (and even some this month), so I combined them. I will say, both calligraphy and photography are difficult to learn in a month. Here's what I mean:

Calligraphy: I bought a calligraphy kit that included a book and ink and nibs (the tip of the pen that you write with). I read that book, but it was really difficult to figure things out by reading a couple of written instructions and looking at a black and white picture. I tried to follow the directions,but after a while, I just gave up and started to play around: I probably made up my own type of font because I didn't exactly follow one. I combined the ones I liked:I also gave up on using the old school ink/gouache, and I broke down and bought some marker-type calligraphy pens.I could probably get better if I had an actual teacher and practiced some more, but I don't think I like calligraphy enough to invest in that kind of thing. Oh well... as long as it kind of looks nice, people won't be able to tell, right?

Photography: When I first tried to get into photography, I knew I was going to need help. My friend's sister directed me to a rather helpful website, and in my own research I found this site. I also took a little Relief Society Super Saturday class from a professional photographer (I'd have to say, she was probably the most help). Even my brother, Cameron decided to give me some tips!

Even with all this help, again, I think having a teacher (and a nicer camera than my current point and shoot) would help me more. I did the best I could on my own, and it's helped me remember some good tips when I am taking pictures. I would love to get a really nice camera and take a photography class or two (which I might do someday), but at the moment, my time and funds can not help me fulfill this dream. Here's a few "artsy" pictures I tried to do:Yeah, I need help. Well, even though these last two months were not my best this year, I have two more months to go, and I've got high hopes.

A Few Changes

I was getting tired of that background since I've had it for a while. So, I picked one for Thanksgiving. :) I also got rid of the music, in case you guys were wondering where it went to. I enjoyed the music, but I think sometimes people get really annoyed by it, which I can understand. I might bring it back, but for the moment, it is not here.

Also, I would like to add a few more things to the side bars like a search bar, labels, links etc., but I'm curious to how you guys feel about that. I know alot of you just follow me on Google Reader (or some other kind of RSS feed) so you don't really come to my actual website, and therefore don't really care what I put on the sidebar. But, if you do care and want your opinion heard, please, please tell me. I'm kind of clueless about this sort of thing, so I could get all the help I can.

Speaking of help (no, I do not need mental help, so don't comment on that...), does anyone know how to add an audio clip to my blog? I'm working on a blog post in which you need to hear audio clips to really understand my post, but other than linking to another site that has the audio clip, is there a way to actually make it part of my blog post?

You guys are awesome... more blog posts to follow, don't you worry.

Fun Times With Google

(I'm trying to make up for my lack of posts in October; can you tell?)

I'm sure we've all used Google for other things besides research, right? We've googled ourselves (don't lie, you know you have). We've even used it as a fortune teller of sorts. Have you tried the "(Your name) needs" and then seeing what comes up? Such as... "Traci needs a good map to Vegas." Or perhaps, "(Your name) wants"? If you haven't, you should because sometimes it can be really funny. In my case, it's just sad because tons of people name their dogs "Mattie" so most of mine are "Mattie needs a good home." I'm sure there lots of variations of Google as Oracle that you have tried/can try to get some entertainment.

Well, inspired by this Slate article in which they use the Google search guesses (the predictive searches that appear when you start typing) to find hilarity between "less intelligent" and "more intelligent" searches. For example, typing "how 2" brings up significantly different results than "how might one" (for more funny searches, click the link for the article).

While, I'm not going to try my hand at the more/less intelligent searches, I was curious to find out what my fellow googlers are searching for (which is where Google gets its suggestions to your searches). So, here's the funny results I found: I hope Google helped whoever that person is who wanted to know what to do with his life. I also enjoyed Google predicting what the person was going to have for dinner. Yes, because I too want to know how to own a Canadian. And, I just don't understand the reflection in the television one.Ahhh poor kid, why don't girls answer him back on facebook? Google, please tell him.All of the "learn how to" searches seem pretty generic until you get to "learn how to type for free." Ummm... who's charging you to type? Did you just have to pay to type that phrase into Google? (Yes, I do know what it actually means, I just thought that was humorous at first glance.) Really? Who loves getting cursed at? I don't get it. (On this one, it kept bring up lyrics, so I just kept typing until it brought up something funny.) Ok, last one: Ummm pretty sure all of these are hilarious. Obviously these googlers have alot of bodily problems... which probably lead to the one that doesn't have any friends.

Ok, now it's your turn. Try to find hilarious search suggestions, and let me know if you find some awesome ones. When I get bored, I'm definitely turning to Google to entertain me.

The Music Box

Last week for FHE, we were supposed to bring something to have a little silent auction and then bring a story to go with that item. Here's what I brought and my story (the funny events will follow):
"When my great, great grandma Emma was younger, she lived in England in a rather poor but loving family. For her 12th birthday, her family had scrounged together 3 pounds for her to buy whatever she wanted. Her family rarely gave gifts, so this was an incredible sacrifice. Emma was so excited because there had been this jewelry box at the store, and it cost exactly 3 pounds! With the money her family had saved for her birthday, she went the very next day to purchase the box. When she took it home, she discovered it was also a music box! Even though the box is not worth much, Emma cherished it. She listened to it every night before she fell asleep, and although she didn't have much jewelry to put in it, she loved the box.
Eventually, once she was married and had a daughter of her own, she moved to America. Emma played the music box for her daughter Blanche when she was a baby as a lullaby. Blanche also came to love her mother's music box as well. When the time came, Emma gave Blanche the music box to illustrate the importance of willing to sacrifice for others and to show her daughter love. Blanche, after Emma died, held on to her mother's music box to remember her mother by. Blanche passed it down to her daughter Verla, and it has continued through the generations.
Although this is a family keepsake, I think Emma would understand if I sacrificed this music box to help someone else, just as her family sacrificed to let her buy the music box.

Now before you start fretting about how I just gave away a family heirloom, this story is entirely false. (I made it up in like 5 minutes before the activity.) I think the only truth to it is that I have a great aunt named Verla. I originally thought that the silent auction was with real money for charity, hence the last part about sacrificing to help someone else. What it was is that we each got 10 poker chips that we could use to "bid" on what other people had brought and to take it home. Items ranged from a used band-aid to a guitar (that's right... someone brought a GUITAR to just GIVE away...). I made sure we could make up the story, and since it was ok, I had fun with it (since the fun part for me was making up the story not auctioning for items). The funny thing was that several thought my story was real and were really worried that I was giving away such a priceless family treasure. I assured them that it was not such a treasured item, nor a sacrifice for me.

The real story is that last Christmas (I think, could have been the one before that), my aunt gave me some jewelry, and she put it in this box. In fact, my sister has the same type of box only her's is green and oval shaped. I'm sure my Aunt got it at some department store or something. I think that the box is very nice (don't ask me what song it plays though cause I can't remember), but it has been sitting in my closet since that Christmas I got it.

There was a guy there who wanted the box desperately; he even wanted to pay me actual money to take it out of the auction because he wanted it that bad (I'm pretty sure he was getting it for his girlfriend). I probably should have taken real money over poker chips, but I figured he'd probably get it in the end so why make him pay real money for something I'm just giving away anyway. This guy was hilarious; he ended up paying real money to someone else to get their poker chips, and you know what he bid? The infinite symbol. Yeah... he won. Hopefully his girlfriend will appreciate it as much as my great, great grandma Emma did... or would have had she been real.