Friday, September 30, 2011

And let me tell you...

When it's so early in the morning, blogger is a strange comfort. I know I will be greeted with blogs filled classy outfit posts, cheerful words and nerdy indulgences. I empty all my thoughts into this pensive.

Today I was full of Spanish. It filled me up and I was brimming with all the vowels and soft syllables, the trilled r's and the galloping rhythm of the sentences. I had things to say in class and I said them fearlessly. I felt so wonderful.

Not all Spanish days are like this. Many days I don't understand anything and I can't articulate. I hate not being able to say what I mean.

This weekend is so welcome. Another week at the Chronicle has ended, and we had far fewer difficulties than we had a week ago, when the server had the flu and we had to do some voodoo with wires to make everything come out all right. All good and faithful techies of the world deserve a hug, but ours earned a gold medal of awesomeness.

Today's picture is a darling comic from the archives of the Chronicle--circa 1982. Enjoy.

-Meg

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Two words I love today


oscillate

Example sentence: "I osculate between country and rock music."

This word is usually used in scientific and mathematics, which is why I love it. I could have used "go back and forth," but that's too wishy-washy. There's a pattern and deliberate movement between the two categories. It isn't arbitrary.

Actual dictionary definition

fortuitous

Example sentence: "It was fortuitous how I slept through my anthropology class, but it was cancelled anyway." (True story, btw)

Fortuitous is more than just lucky. It's the lining up of fate and tender mercies. It derives from "fortune," obviously, but it's disguised--kind of like how fortuitous things are often not what they seem at first.

-Meg

Monday, September 26, 2011

Oat bran muffins, and other astonishing things

Healthy and hearty. These muffins are down to earth, lumber jack tough. I tried out the recipe on the back of the oat bran bag I got when I made last week's muffins.

Recipe found here. I used pecans instead of walnuts because I had lots of pecans. I also didn't use dates because I didn't have any.

I'm getting kind of sick of muffins... but everyone loves them and I don't want to give up my goal!


Yesterday was an amazing Sunday, as Sundays usually are. Dinner at the bishop's house, game night that was of course thrilling, and then being serenaded by Griff.

Life seriously can't get much better than this.

-Meg

Friday, September 23, 2011

Happy Birthday, Dad





(Thanks to Steve Petty, my dad's best friend growing up, for this pictures. We sure got a kick out of them.)
Today my dad turned 50! He opened 50 presents and the biggest one was a trip to Hawaii to see molten lava. He's always wanted to go see that.



Here's the poem I wrote for my dad for one of his presents:


If my father had been told
upon my birth that he was to have all daughters,

he would have asked to see it in writing.

Because my father is polite as a pocket-knife--
a one match fire,
no whip cream,
Shakespeare from the pulpit
kind of guy.

He uses Tabasco sauce like he uses jokes--
in everything, almost to make life less clam-chowder white.

A tome in one hand
and a sling shot in the other,
he adventures through the universe.

Even untraveled roads are familiar to my father,
and although the same cannot be said of me,
I know how to work a compass
because he taught me how.

Other notable things happening around "The House:"


So I have more Chrony stories, but those will come tomorrow.

-Meg

Monday, September 19, 2011

Publications of all sorts


This week's muffin recipe is from my first cookbook ever! I have many recipes, but never an actual book. Now I have legit book.



The recipe: Mixed Berry Oat Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup oatbran (This is really hard to find, try looking in the health foods section of your local grocer.)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk (That's a half-pint, in case you are wondering.)
2 Tbsp.vegetable oil
1 egg
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen berries (mine were fresh and it was the best.)
powdered sugar for dusting

Cook at 350 degrees, for 20 minutes.

Combine the wet ingredients (except for the berries,) and separately combine the dry ingredients, then put them together. (I'm finding this is super common in recipes. I don't know why the wet and dry ingredients can't be friends.)

When they cool, dust them with the powdered sugar.

From Cupcakes & Muffins published by Weldon Owen.

Big thanks to my new friend Sam who helped me make said muffins.

-Meg

Sunday, September 18, 2011

A dose of perspective


That was some game, wasn't it? Go Utes! It was much better than last year's game... I'm so happy we won by a landslide. I love love love love love football.

It was super weird because as I made that link up there I was all: "Holy whoa my life has changed so much in a year!" Because it has. My life really does just keep getting better. (Except for my hair. My hair was awesome and long back then. I want it back!)

Today at church everything was so surreal and wonderful. I felt like I was learning everything anew. A Tongan elder spoke in our ward and I thought of Elder Hill of course, because about half of his companions have been Tongan and he teaches a lot of Tongans who live in Fiji. The missionary talked about how he found the gospel and how much it means to him. Maybe one day one of the kids that Elder Hill teaches will be a missionary. I needed a good dosage of perspective.

Oh, and today I hurt my butt really bad... but that's beside the point.

What I really want to talk about is this:


This is the Rivalry Chrony for last weekend.

We created quite a stir, which is what we do best. I just want to say that I'm glad we have freedom of the press, and freedom to bash BYU. 

OK, so some of the articles were questionable, but we weren't stupid. I laid out news and that was surprisingly controversial (Well, the douchiest college story wasn't a surprise. But besides that...)

I also want to say that I totally made that headlyne up. 

I love my job.

-Meg

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Sunflowers


It's a midweek lull and the only response I can give to anyone about anything is "I'm tired."

But I have fresh berries and carrots in my fridge and Katie put sunflowers on our mantle. I am sure I will go to the farmers market again soon.

I have been working on my teaching philosophy and it is more interesting to me than I could have imagined, although I still don't think I have a full grasp of the meaning of teaching.

In fact, I can't tell if I'm grasping anything these days, but I think as I start to get more sleep, things will clear up inside my head.

-Meg

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Lemon Poppyseed

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These muffins are so good that I was reduced to a frenzy and rendered incapable of any notion of normalcy.
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They were easy to make, and I regret not doubling the recipe, which can be found here.

I keep wanting to spell "seed" as "sead." Silly me.
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I have this habit of sprinkling sugar on the top of my muffins to make that gentle crystal crust. Try it! 'Tis so yummy.

I also couldn't help but show off our amazing game night treats. Game nights on Sunday have become the best part of my week. A bunch of people get together and play awkward and awesome games. Then we have treats. This is what we brought yesterday:
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And I'm really tired, but also really giddy. (That's an old fashioned way of saying hyper.)

-Meg

Thursday, September 8, 2011

12:59 a.m.

I know it's super late, but that is what I am famous for: late night posts.
Today I practiced one of my new goals. I try to be involved in some way at least once in every class, every day. I just make it happen.

I'll answer a question (or try, even if I'm not sure I'm right.) I read aloud in Spanish. I ask a question. Just something.

This is a secret I wish I had learned earlier! It keeps me awake and I think it will make my professors like me! My classes have suddenly become meaningful because I have invested myself in them.

One of my over-arching, almost-a-motto tag-line is to be fearless. (Yes, like T. Swift.)  If I'm afraid, I just stop being afraid. I shut up that fear inside of me and force myself to embrace whatever comes.

I'm tired and I have no energy, but courage grants me strength, even when I'm just pretending I'm brave. (Yes, like "Just Whistle a Happy Tune" from The King and I. ) I do need to figure out a way to sleep more, though. Maybe closing this post and actually doing my homework would be a good start.

Now that I've made a few embarrassing music references, I will cease prattling on. There is work to be done. Good night, all.

-Meg

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

White Chocolate Rasberry, (Late Muffin Monday)

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Recipe found here.

I don't know why they are gray! If you have any answers, please tell me. Someone suggested it might be the lemon juice? I don't know.

These weren't too bad, but the color just threw me off. They are rich and moist. Almost too moist?

Labor day was a pretty great day. It started off with a big breakfast (at which these muffins were served.)

Then we went hiking to "the beacon." That's code for "top of the mountain."

My legs were still sore, but it was so fun to go on adventures with some of my new found friends.






We finished the day by swimming. Why do we ever have school on Monday? That's my question.
-Meg

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Lame excuse

I am as busy as the president. Except my schedule is less important. And people don't hate me.

Muffin Monday is going to come, I promise! It will just be on a Wednesday...

Please forgive me? KThanks.

-Meg

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Breaking the boundaries of my fear

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 I left a few tears along the grueling sunflower-lined 13.1 miles I ran on Saturday.

First, I was tired and cold. I knew something was wrong when I hopped on the bus and realized I was the only person who was without a jacket. I was in a tank top and my short shorts. (I expected it to be really hot!)

But it wasn't hot; I could see my breath once I was at the race start. They were serving coffee, and even thought I don't drink coffee, I just got a cup so I could hold it. It helped warm me up.

I was talking to a lady before before it started. She had run 12 marathons and this was her 12th 1/2 marathon. She said, "Not to scare you, but this is one of the harder halves I done."

Eek!

I was about to burst into tears, but as most of you know, I just can't cry in public. I just can't. Nope. My body does not allow it. So instead I just kept shivering.

I suddenly realized that I did not want to run this race. I didn't want to do it.
It was like a rollercoaster ride where as soon as you sit down, you realize that you don't want to ride the ride. But this I wasn't strapped in a cart that was going to take me on this journey whether I liked it or not.

I was 13 miles away from home, and I needed all my will power to get down.

Then the race began! The first four were all uphill. Grueling, knee-scraping uphill. But at least I was fresh, right?

I don't want to recount every one of the 13 laborious miles, but I would like to say that it was pretty long and boring. There were moments when I felt so great, and so powerful. But most of it was enduring and trying to push through.

It was strange to be at say, mile 6 and think: "Man, I just did a 10k. Now I need to do it again."

My nose was doing the same thing as my legs. I seriously considered asking one of the random people on the side of the road for a tissue.

My knee wasn't hurting like it had a few weeks ago (and subsequently caused me to cut back on training.) I hurt everywhere, but that was more just exhaustion.

When I came out of the canyon, I saw my dear sisters there cheering me on. Then they joined me and pepp-talked me through the last 2 miles. I'm so glad they were there!
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There was chaffing (ya, it's awful) and nasty. There were, what should we call them? We'll call them "adverse  bathroom side effects," (And by the looks of the portopotties, I wasn't the only one...) and emotions that would put a pregnant woman to shame! All of these I did not quite expect! But it's all part of the experience, right?

Today I have been so stiff. I do feel accomplished, even if I am hobbling around like a lame pony. 

Yesterday I also saw Mary Poppins. That was magical. I didn't know what to expect, but I was well pleased. 

It was also the last time I'm going to see my cousin Katelyn before she goes to BYU HAWAII! Yes, she's super lucky. Next time we'll meet is Christmas time!
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Kristen is going to BYU I and so I'll see her a bit more often... but not much.

My sister is going to Weber, but I hardly ever get to see her either. Ugh. Why must life separate me from my most beloved cousins? We have all picked different Universities, but we stay close.
-Meg