It started out hopeful with the theme "find a mate in 2008". Swing and a miss.
But a lot of great things did happen. Let's look at them by location, shall we?
Sierra Vista: maybe not the most exciting place to ring in the new year, but there's nothing better than being with T&T and their beautiful kids. This is when I first met my nephew Blake.
Provo: living in the basement of an old house with the Wood brothers. Just one thought and I can smell the rice brewing, feel the post-laundry water emptying from the washing machine onto my feet in the shower, and hear Mike's blues riffs on the guitar.
LDS Motion Picture Studio: being in BYU's experimental musical/movie "Berlin" soaked up half of my life winter semester, but it was worth it. I played the French foreign minister, with an accent ranging between Pepe Le Pue and the Pink Panther. I also played Rich Karnicak, an arrogant '50s movie star, in Whitney Donald's senior project film, "Best Wishes! Love, Adele".
Phoenix: visiting the nieces and nephew again. It was about time. Isn't it about time again?
Spring Term in Provo, not Moab: sitting in physical science 101 lectures and studying for the LSAT, and writing grant proposals for Romania. Luckily, I managed to make it to the rope swing a few times, go for some hikes, and even down to St. George on a short road trip with Miss Latimer.
Colorado: welcoming home Sister Wilkin, despite almost not making it due to running out of gas for the first time in my life, was a blast.
Nauvoo: six weeks of an intense experience that changed my life. Unfortunately, I lost my journal. Does that mean I have to go back and do it all over again?
New York City: for a whole twelve hours I wandered around The City and made mental plans of somehow making it back. 'Cause if I can make it there, well, I can make it just about anywhere.
Romania: though entirely too short of a trip, it was wonderful. Through all the roadblocks and technical problems, I still managed to get some incredible interviews.
BYU/Parkway Crossings/Conference Center: it's hard to tell where I spent most of my time these past few months. Living with Whitney's Dane, still teaching and studying at BYU, and driving to SLC almost every night for Savior of the World has all kind of blurred together. There are definitely some significant experiences that stand out against the hazy backdrop, but this past semester was quite a ride...
Some of 2008's tasks are spilling over into 2009 as a result (I still have a lot to work on to finish my documentary and my law school applications), but I am keeping my sanity by savoring every minute and persevering towards dreams that have long kept me awake at night (and by blowing money on a camera that I've always wanted...and a new snowboard) . One thing I have learned this past year is that life is a gift. An amazing, beautiful, sometimes twisted but always adventurous journey that is to be enjoyed.
31 December 2008
17 December 2008
call the waaambulance
three things i want to gripe about:
1. the american academic schedule ruins the christmas season. do you want to be stressing over final exams and papers you were supposed to have started three months ago when all you really want to do is cuddle up next to the fire with a cup of hot dark chocolate, knit a scarf and do all that other sappy stuff kozy's delilah recommends? i just realized today that christmas is next week. and i haven't watched a single christmas movie...
2. three weeks ago i bought myself a new camera that cost more than i should have spent, despite being on sale. but i'm not writing to whine about the buyer's remorse--what i'm griping about is the fact that it is still in the box. luckily, finals will be history by friday and i'll be on my way to becoming like some of my hip, artistic friends. and posting the photo results for your viewing pleasure.
3. i can't sleep.
that's all. everything else is pretty awesome. still no girlfriend and still no provo-escape route in the near future, but life is good.
1. the american academic schedule ruins the christmas season. do you want to be stressing over final exams and papers you were supposed to have started three months ago when all you really want to do is cuddle up next to the fire with a cup of hot dark chocolate, knit a scarf and do all that other sappy stuff kozy's delilah recommends? i just realized today that christmas is next week. and i haven't watched a single christmas movie...
2. three weeks ago i bought myself a new camera that cost more than i should have spent, despite being on sale. but i'm not writing to whine about the buyer's remorse--what i'm griping about is the fact that it is still in the box. luckily, finals will be history by friday and i'll be on my way to becoming like some of my hip, artistic friends. and posting the photo results for your viewing pleasure.
3. i can't sleep.
that's all. everything else is pretty awesome. still no girlfriend and still no provo-escape route in the near future, but life is good.
30 November 2008
26 November 2008
holiday
On this joyous holiday weekend, I feel inclined to voice a little thanks. More than ever before, I am thankful for life; it's a beautiful, precious thing. I am thankful for possibilities and opportunities (not so thankful for having to choose between them, but thankful that I have them nonetheless). I am thankful that Sarah Palin isn't runner-up to the most powerful position in the country, but considering that I am also thankful for my family, all 187 of 'em, I must say that I am also grateful for a valuable lesson that I have been learning over the past year--to keep my mouth shut. Apart from the under-my-breath, snide commentary, (and a significantly awkward lashing-out at Matt's house recently), I have been making some serious progress when it comes to holding my tongue (and holding my keyboard, I guess you could say--which explains why I haven't written anything since the election...). Why do I bring this up now? Well, this new found, burgeoning skill will be absolutely vital to enjoying Thanksgiving dinner. Simply put, we, my extended family and I, don't always see eye-to-eye, and given the recently volatile political scene...let's just say if I don't keep quiet around the table...things could get ugly. And I would have to change the name of my blog to "somebody, somewhere still believes in me."
So, this Thanksgiving, as we gather round the hormone-ridden carcass of a buzzard that never saw the light of day outside of its cramped confinement, I'll do my best to keep the conversation focused on more light-hearted issues, i.e. the recent BYU-Utah game, new homes and new babies, Chloe's pregnant!, Matt's romantic life, the Twilight series, and so on.
Happy Thanksgiving. God bless us, everyone!
12 November 2008
Christmas Wish List
Dear Santa,
1. world peace (i'm not just saying that--i really want world peace. the more i study international security and policy, the more i am convinced that war can be a thing of the past...and if i had a billion dollars, i would buy everyone a puppy.)
2. a girlfriend (stop rolling your eyes and thinking, "if jeff really wanted a girlfriend, he could/should just..." you know what? do you have any idea how many blind dates i have been on in the last while? and i might be busy, but if you think i need to cut something out of my life to make room for things that 'should be taking priority', tell me what i should cut out. i dare you.)
3. a break (as in a break from everything for just a couple days. i kind of took a break last weekend, but that wasn't the kind of break i am talking about. a vacation style break would be nice--hiking through a rainforest, river rafting, scuba diving, playing with my nieces and nephew, time to read and write...sigh.)
4. a camera (a nice nikon, please. and i know, i know. everyone thinks he can be a photographer, but i just might be the next ansel adams, you never know.)
1. world peace (i'm not just saying that--i really want world peace. the more i study international security and policy, the more i am convinced that war can be a thing of the past...and if i had a billion dollars, i would buy everyone a puppy.)
2. a girlfriend (stop rolling your eyes and thinking, "if jeff really wanted a girlfriend, he could/should just..." you know what? do you have any idea how many blind dates i have been on in the last while? and i might be busy, but if you think i need to cut something out of my life to make room for things that 'should be taking priority', tell me what i should cut out. i dare you.)
3. a break (as in a break from everything for just a couple days. i kind of took a break last weekend, but that wasn't the kind of break i am talking about. a vacation style break would be nice--hiking through a rainforest, river rafting, scuba diving, playing with my nieces and nephew, time to read and write...sigh.)
4. a camera (a nice nikon, please. and i know, i know. everyone thinks he can be a photographer, but i just might be the next ansel adams, you never know.)
04 November 2008
02 November 2008
request for input
Before I say anything, I just want to make it clear that I am still planning on going to law school. That's what I want to do and that hasn't changed. My family may never quite know how to answer the question, "What's Jeff up to these days?" (or even harder, "Is Jeff ever going to graduate, get a real job, and get married?"), but my life only APPEARS to be wandering and aimless. I assure you that there is a bigger picture to be seen.
With that disclaimer, there is a small opportunity that has come up that I originally discarded as illogical. But, it keeps coming up. Instead of stewing over it myself, I'm passing it on to whoever wants to help out. The opportunity is Teach for America--basically, you teach two years in an underprivileged school in hopes of reducing the educational inequality prevalent in lower income neighborhoods. For more info, check out their site here.
Pros: hang out with kids, enhance teaching skills, get a master's degree, get paid a teacher's salary and benefits, get law school hook-ups, and possibly make a difference in some kid's life (think Dangerous Minds or Freedom Writers...or Sister Act II)
Cons: putting off law school for two more years (I guess this could be placed in the pro list) which means I wouldn't graduate from law school until the ripe old age of 97 (think... Billy Madison), I would have to stay in the US, and I wouldn't get a real job for another five more years. They say Teach for America gives you a whole new perspective on what you want to do with your life and increases your commitment for public service--I know I want to enter public interest law and I would be able to do more once I have my J.D., so why push it back two more years?
With that disclaimer, there is a small opportunity that has come up that I originally discarded as illogical. But, it keeps coming up. Instead of stewing over it myself, I'm passing it on to whoever wants to help out. The opportunity is Teach for America--basically, you teach two years in an underprivileged school in hopes of reducing the educational inequality prevalent in lower income neighborhoods. For more info, check out their site here.
Pros: hang out with kids, enhance teaching skills, get a master's degree, get paid a teacher's salary and benefits, get law school hook-ups, and possibly make a difference in some kid's life (think Dangerous Minds or Freedom Writers...or Sister Act II)
Cons: putting off law school for two more years (I guess this could be placed in the pro list) which means I wouldn't graduate from law school until the ripe old age of 97 (think... Billy Madison), I would have to stay in the US, and I wouldn't get a real job for another five more years. They say Teach for America gives you a whole new perspective on what you want to do with your life and increases your commitment for public service--I know I want to enter public interest law and I would be able to do more once I have my J.D., so why push it back two more years?
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