Day 7: A Funny Youtube Video

I watch a lot of videos on youtube.  A lot of them are hilarious.  This one never fails to make me laugh...



There's something about laughing babies that gets me.

Day 6: What did I eat today?

Unfortunately, today was a day when I didn't eat very spectacularly.  I didn't even cook anything, really.  It was in and out and off to church most of the day.

-Toast for brunch
-Cranberry raspberry juice (my faaavorite)
-A tangerine
-A fortune cookie
-Corn
-Lasagna
-Garlic bread
-Berry smoothie

Donezo.

Maybe I should have eaten more today...

Day 5: A letter to my crush

I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of this one.  I choose for my letter to consist of song lyrics.


The Quiz by Hello Saferide


You look nice alright
and I like the way you nod after everything I say
like it actually means something
to you

And I like your record collection
Townes and Jens with a hint of Rickie Lee
And you've cleaned up the bathroom, made a really nice soup
but a bit too much sci-fi in your shelf of DVDs

But there's some things you need to know about me:
I'm weak right now, so weak right now
I need proof before I dare to open this heart
so I prepared a quiz for you:

Would you freak out if I said I liked you?
Do you walk the line?
Is your IQ higher than your neighbour's?
And is it very much higher than mine?

Can you sleep when I grind my teeth?
Do you look away if I slob when I eat?
Will you let me be myself?
Can you at all times wear socks?
because I'm still scared of feet

Do you talk in the middle of Seinfeld?
Do you read more than two books a month?
Do you get racist or sexist when you've had a few?
Is it fine if I make more money than you?

Have you slept with any people I work with?
Is there anyone you'd rather wish I'd be?
Do you still keep pictures of old girlfriends?
Are they prettier than me?

And if I fall, would you pick me up?
If I fall, will you pick me up?

Day 4: Photo of me ten years ago

Ten years ago I turned 12.  My birthday was also crazy hair day.  And the day my mom totaled the suburban.

I'm not sure if I've gotten any taller since then...

Day 3: The Favorite Movie

There are a lot of movies that I could call my favorite, but I'm gonna stick with the one that generally comes to mind first.  The Fall.

There aren't words for me to describe how much I love this movie.  It's visually stunning, the plot is simple but heavy, the humor is quickly but very funny, and the acting is superb.  I'm a Pushing Daisies fan, so falling in love with Lee Pace's portrayal of Roy wasn't unexpected. However, the real star of the movie is Catinca Untaru, a 10 year old girl from Romania.  I just want to squish her face because she's so adorable.  She plays the part of Alexandria pretty much flawlessly.  I have no criticisms for her, especially because she didn't even speak English before the shooting of this film began.  She is one heck of an actress.  

This movie tugs at my heartstrings.  It makes me ache for Roy and his pain, melt with Alexandria and her love for him, and sit in awe at the beauty it shows.  It's about a stunt double in the 1920's who's been hospitalized. He befriends a young immigrant girl and begins telling her this story, which we see the way she imagines it in her mind.  I don't want to give away the whole plot, but it is a heavy movie.  The themes presented are fairly dark but portrayed so well.  I love this movie.

I recommend this movie to anyone who wants to dive into a beautiful, mature film.  

"What a mystery this world, one day you love them and the next day you want to kill them a thousand times over."

Day 2: My day in bullet points

I wish today had been more exciting...

• Woke up and drove my brothers to school
• Went back to sleep
• Woke up yet again
• Showered
• Went to For Heaven's Cakes, Nothing Bundt Cakes, and The Valley Bakery to apply
• Practically forced the girl at The Valley Bakery to take my resume
• Went home
• Made a sandwich (it was delicious)
• Watched an episode of Arrested Development
• Put gas in the suburban
• Picked up my brothers
• Got some laundry going
• Picked up the other brother
• Got bread from Great Harvest
• Did some dishes
• Folded some laundry 
• Made some dinner
• Did some more dishes
• Ate dinner
• Went to Institute
• Went to Linnea's and talked and watched Monk
• Came home and blogged.

What a boring day.  But it's so...typical of my life.

Day 1: An introduction

I've seen other people do this and it seems like a pretty fun idea.  Plus, I need a few reasons to blog.  I've been a lazy blogger.  I mean, blogging about Ikea shopping carts?  Really, Amanda?  So without further ado, an introduction to me:

My name is Amanda.  I was homeschooled for 8 years but managed to not end up with any socialization issues.  I've completed two years of college and changed my major five times.  I went to culinary school.  I've been skydiving and loved it.  I have a bucket list.  I'm obsessed with cats.  And penguins.  I write in my journal too much, watch too much TV, and spend too much money on books for my kindle app just so I can read whatever I want whenever I want.  I play more solitaire than should be allowed.

I'm driven by passion for life, learning, and love.  I fear spiders more than almost anything.  If I don't paint my nails, I'll bite them.  I'm short and I like to dye my hair.  I really enjoy coconuts.  When I think about things too much, Carpe Diem creeps into my mind and I usually end up doing something reckless, but often the result is satisfying, or I at least learn a big lesson from it.

I'm a glutton for sleep.  The end.

"Why would anyone steal a shopping cart? It's like stealing a two-year-old"

Have you ever pushed a cart at Ikea?  Well, all the wheels rotate enabling you to push the cart forward but also spin it around at the same time.  I can see why my sister finds this annoying, but I find it flat out amazing.  Even more so when children are involved.
In the warehouse part of the store they have these big flat carts, so you can load them up with boxes full of things that need to be assembled.  These carts move in the same fashion and are ideal for lugging small toddlers on.

Exhibit A

The warehouse is just like Costco or Homedepot with tons of big huge isles, just begging for someone to run up and down them.  I had Ava and Seth hold onto the cart while I started to run at the beginning of an isle.  As we picked up speed, I jumped up on the cart with one foot (the other served as an emergency break) and we'd glide down the isle, turning from side to side as I shifted my weight.  I'm fairly certain I enjoyed this more than the kids, although I'm pretty sure they loved it.  Ikea is rad.  Don't believe me?  Look up Ikea carts on youtube. 

“Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction"

I wasn't scheduled to work this week on account of my being hired as a seasonal employee.  Because of that I've found myself being super lazy.  I'm not sure what it is about not having anything I have to do that makes me think it's okay to sleep until after 12, but that's what I've done.  I feel so lazy.  I relish the beautiful sleep, of course, but at the same time I feel like I ought to be doing more.

Today I woke up around 8 and found that I couldn't fall back asleep.   I got out of bed, prepped for the day, then went and made a cake.  A dear friend of mine just returned from his mission in Indiana and I figured it would be fun to welcome him home with a cake.  Really, it was nice to have a reason to bake.  I like baking so much but even more so I love baking for someone.  Seeing someone enjoy something I've made is one of the things that makes cooking so wonderful.  

Anyway, I made this cake.  The buttercream recipe is sweet, but delicious. 

I went and picked up my culinary certificate.  Now all I need is a frame so it can go on my wall.

I spent the entire evening at Sam's house playing card games.  It was a blast.

Best day I've had in a long time.  I should start getting up earlier and baking things.

Except I'll probably sleep in tomorrow instead.

Update:: I was up before 9:30 to go to Ikea with my sister.  That's like getting the best of both worlds

"Feeling a little blue in January is normal"

Suddenly I've found myself on January 5, 2011 wondering how on earth I got here.  I feel like time just slipped through my fingers, but I was too busy looking somewhere else to even notice it passing.

Where did Thanksgiving go?  Christmas?  New Year's?  All throughout this holiday season I felt anxious for the actual holiday.  I felt them sneaking up on me, making my mind swirl with how quickly they were approaching.  And then they were gone.  Done.  So much anticipation and preparation for events that stuck around so briefly, I hardly even noticed them.  Don't get me wrong, I had wonderful holidays and I remember them fondly.  I'm just dumbfounded that they're already gone.  That we're already hurdling through 2011 and, before you know it, we'll be preparing for the holidays again.

2011 is going to be my year.  I don't know what is going to happen to make it so, but I can just feel it.  I'm so close to a pivotal moment of my life.  Maybe it's going back to college, maybe it'll moving away from home, maybe it'll be switching jobs.  I've already started the application process so I can be prepared for school in the Fall.  I'm already thinking about cars I might want to buy.

I'm excited for this year.  Kind of sad that last year is already over, but I'm ready for the changes that await me.

2011, show me what you got.