The Pleasure of Your Company

When I was younger I was one of those people who was too cool for a best friend. Back in 3rd and 4th grade people didn't ask you who your boyfriend was, they asked you who your best friend was. And in response to that question I always said, "oh you know, I don't really have a best friend, I just have a group of really good friends." Psh, I was such a liar. Or maybe I wasn't but if I said that now I would be. If someone asks me now who my best friend is, and sometimes even if they don't ask, I say that my best friend is Heather Williams. I'm going to try to not get overly sentimental here, but tis true, Heather is my bff. I've known her since I was four and she is one of the very few people I can be totally myself with. I don't have to worry about what I'm saying and who's going to think I'm a bad person or any of that. See, Heather knows I'm a bad person, and is going to join me at my party in hell. What brings about this sudden gush of feeling towards a person who I very rarely hug? Probably the fact that I spent most of the weekend doing nerdy things with her. Nerdiness binds two people together in a way hugs just can't. Which is probably why we don't hug. It's just weird. We do salute though. Anyway, back to the point. This weekend was awesome. I came home after the Utah-UCLA game (weird for me to watch) and called Heather to inform her that I was home and my mom had purchased HP 7.2. Five minutes, 2 doorbell dings and 2 knocks (sorry Header) later my family, Heather and I were curled up watching the movie, laughing and crying at mostly appropriate times. The fun did not stop there. Sunday we went to the homecoming of the fabulous Allen Warner, which was fun, but not nerdy. Then we watched "The Two Towers" extended version, skipping all the gross boring Sam and Frodo stuff. Yeah, in one weekend we watched both HP and LOTR. And we wonder why we don't have boyfriends. Spending this weekend in nerdom with my bestie made me feel super grateful that I have someone who is willing to accept me for me because she is just like me. I love Heather, and am totally alright with the idea of never marrying and living with her and some pit bulls. So yeah, that's my rave review of Heather. She's fantastic and I wish she would leave the UC bubble and live with me in Salt Lake. It would make my life a lot better. It would also provide me with a social life that I am seriously lacking. It would also also mean that I wouldn't have to get and give all life updates via facebook. It would also also also make me very happy, and eliminate any more rando horrible roommates.

Grand Canyon Adventure+Halloween Adventure

So I have been super lax in updating my blog of late. Something my father told me I needed to fix. So here I am, fixing it. As you may recall from one of recent-ish posts, I decided that I wanted to have more adventures in my life! And the good news is, I HAVE! Yeah for accomplishing what I set out to do! Here now for your enjoyment is a recap of my great adventurous life.

ADVETURE 1: THE GRAND CANYON

Yeah that's right, I went to a national park that isn't in the state

of Utah. What now? Here's the story. My dad, and my alternate parents Jen and Wayne Pullman decided that for UEA they wanted to hike across the Grand Canyon, from the north rim to the south rim, in one day. Are you shaking your head thinking "you crazy fools"? Cuz that's what I did. But they needed another driver, so I said I would drive. And drive I did. 3 day, 20 hours of driving, 5 1/2 of those with no one but my self and the music playing off my iPhone speakers in the car. That part was just as fun as it sounds, not very. A quick side note if any of you ever find yourself thinking, you know what I think I'm going to move to the middle of nowhere Arizona and sell Native American craft items out of a road side stand, reconsider, immediatly. Because that is some bleak bleak land out there. The Grand Canyon itself though was absolutely spectacular. Everyone should see it at least once in their life, if not more. Pictures below.

ADVENTURE 2: Halloween

So Halloween is hands down my favorite holiday. I love it more than Christmas. To me Halloween is a holiday that everyone can enjoy. All you have to do is dress up and have fun. Also there are pumpkins to be carved. So this year I had a pretty great costume. I was the Grapes of Wrath. The picture, will hopefully do it justice. I went out, I had fun. I even won some money at work. But the real fun was making the costue. My mom and I had a really superb time coming up with how we wanted to make the grapes and make me look angry, and gangster. All in all I love halloween.

Insights given to me by songs of yesteryear

Listening to the golden oldies while writing a paper or studying is just how I roll. In between focusing on doing my actual work I have been able to pick up some real gems and insights into what living in the past must have been like.

"If you want to be happy for the rest of your life never make a pretty woman your wife... get an ugly girl to marry you." Amen brother.

"I walked her home, she held my hand, I knew this couldn't be a one night stand." Times, they have a-changed.

However guys still want girls to "sta-a-ay just a little bit longer." So things haven't changed that much.

And finally, because I have to stop listening to the hits of the past and go to class with my hastily written 5 page paper of suck....

Aretha Franklin is a total bad ass. End of story.

Quest for Awesome

Looking at my life from the outside it might seem like I've got things all figured out. I have a job,I get good grades, and depending on the day I have some really great friends. However after doing some soul searching and self reflection and other deep and meaningful stuff this week I've come to realize that my life is missing something. It's missing awesomeness. I'm 21 years old and my life has already fallen into a predictable and ever repeating cycle. I go to school, I go to work, I do my homework, I sleep. Everyday, endlessly. It's not like there is anything inherently wrong about this. The people I work with are wonderful, classes are good, but I feel like I personally am failing to do awesome things Things that I will look back on with fondness when I'm old and morbidly obese. But all that is changing RIGHT NOW! From yesterday onward I have decided that at least once a week I am going to do something at least mildly spectacular, something that will shake up my routine. Since I like to strike while the iron is hot my first adventure took place yesterday. On the recommendation of a friend I got up this morning and hiked myself up to "the living room."

As you can see from my horribly placed photos the living room is a ledge that over looks the whole Salt Lake Valley where people have used slates of rock to set up furniture. It's pretty sweet, and surprisingly comfortable. The hike up was beautiful, the set up was perfect for a sitting and thinking, the sky was perfectly blue and basically cloudless and the view was breath taking. In a word it was awesome. This hike has set quest for awesome off to a smashing start. Check back in next week when I will hopefully be posting more of the awesome things I've done.

Oh! I also cleaned my room, and my car, which is spectacularly impressive, especially if you know me.

The Worst Thing about Missions

The worst thing about missions isn't not being able to see or directly communicate with your best (male) friend for 2 years. The worst thing about missions not being able to see or directly communicate with your best friend for 2 years and then having them come home and realizing that your best friend is gone. That the hilarious, inappropriate guy who just two years ago was pushing your buttons and the envelope right along with you has been replaced by a shell of that same person. A person who can't even talk to you. A person who no longer laughs at your jokes. A person who is shocked when you say the same kind of things that used to have them on the ground laughing. A person who can make you feel more judged in one sentence then you ever did growing up in Utah county. Its hard to imagine lose a friend for two years while they go off and serve for something they feel is important, but you adjust. It's impossible for me me to think that I might never get to talk to that person again. It hurts to see them go, but it kills when they return. Sometimes the worst thing about a mission is the returned missionary.

Schooooools Back From Summer!

Ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of year again. The time of year when yellow buses once again block our driving paths. The time of year when school supplies go on super sale and my mom gets really excited about it. The time of year when I remember all the things I love about getting an education and all the things I hate. Since this time around I am not stuck in a moving-away-from-California funk I can really appreciate, and loathe all the little details of school being back. And since I have a blog I have a place to list all the things I love and hate. I think I'll alternate.

Thing that I love: New class schedule

Close your eyes everybody, my nerd is showing. I love confess I love putting together my schedule for the new semester. Trying to figure out how things will fit together, struggling to get the classes you want, without having 7 am classes or 8 hours on friday. It's a rush. And when you finally get everything perfect. It's a pretty great feeling.

Thing that I hate: New professors that are like all other professors.

I know that all professors are different. Some are men, some are women, some are young, some are old, some speak english, some really don't, but on one thing that most all professors have in common is that they seem to think that theirs is the only class you're taking. As such they feel justified in assigning insane amounts of homework from the get go. There is no easing into it, you have 3 physics assignments, 2 papers, and 200 pages of reading due by the end of week 1. Thanks guys.

Thing that I love: New classmates

New classes mean a whole new set of classmates to learn and grow with. Who knows you might actually meet some new friends. Or if you're me you might actually find some people whom you enjoy watching and eavesdropping with in order to creepily make up their life stories. Either way good times are had.

Thing that I hate: New classmates

No matter how many students are in the class I always end up sitting next to the worst ones. The two sorority girls who continue to giggle and talk even after lecture has started. Then when they finally quiet down one of them pulls out the worlds biggest Red Delicious and starts chowing down, with her mouth open and the sound of apple chewing mere inches from my ear while the other pulls out and starts texting on her phone that still has the sound on in the buttons whilst nibbling on crackers that crunch so loud children in Africa are getting even hungrier. Meanwhile instead of focusing on my professors explanation of the laws of physics I am focused on not going all Kill Bill on the Bobsy Twins' asses.

Things I love: Having a job

Haha suckers! I have a job! I can pay my rent! I don't have to add the stress of finding a way to financially support myself to the list of other stressful first week of school things! Ha!

Things I hate: Having a job

The first week of class is the busiest week at the campus store. This translates to me working 8-9 hours a day everyday of the first 2 weeks on top of class. That's too much work for Jessica. I go a little crazy, and get a little grumpy

I think that does it for my explanation of my love hate relationship with school. Let me know if I miss anything. And for all of you who are back in school yourselves, try and enjoy yourself.

My Social Demise

Today is Saturday. Thus far I have slept in, showered, gone to a dollar movie, seen ten minutes of said dollar movie, left the dollar movie with a voucher because the theater broke, studied for the GRE, cleaned my bathroom, gone to Target to get a hand towel. Yeah. That is my day, and I expect the rest of my night to go like this, study for the GRE and watch "Clueless." I don't feel like this is what I should be doing on a Saturday night, but its what I'm going to do. I think I have figured out what my social problem is and to validate my thoughts I'm going to break it down, and maybe come up with a solution. But probably not.

1. My first problem is I lack motivation. Sure I could call a friend and we could do something. But then I would have to know who I wanted to play with and what I wanted to do. I hate planning. Multiple years in the young woman's presidency and one year as IWA president at UCLA have basically ruined me. I never want to plan anything ever again. I am done feeling responsible for making sure everyone is having a good time. And if I call people and want to do something I feel like I have to make sure everyone has fun. It's just not worth it. Basically the only way to solve this is for me to get motivated; I don't think that is going to happen this late in life. Hopefully I used that semicolon right; I'm trying to practice semicolon use for the GRE.
2. A majority of my friends live at home in Sandy, or California, or Mapleton, and as such always want to do stuff in Sandy, or Murray or wherever. I'm not saying I'm unwilling to drive down there, but I always go to them, always. They never come up here,and gas is expensive,and I am not made of money. I mean sure I could drive 20 minutes to see a movie in Murray or I could see a movie closer to home and save money. Basically I need to move or find closer friends. Both could help me in the future, but neither of those help me tonight.
3. A lot of my friends have a significant others; it sucks. Because when someone gets an opposite-sex-friend they are no longer interested in spending time with their single friends. Or if they do invite you someplace its with the bf/gf. I get that you're in love but could you separate yourself for one night and just hang out with me? No? Ok well could you get me a boyfriend or something? No? Ok, well then this seems like an impossible problem then.

So as you can see because I am single, living in not Sandy and unwilling to plan something that makes everyone happy I am destined to be alone, with my roommates stack of movies tonight. Maybe one day I'll be social again, until then I have Paul Rudd movies to watch.