The place for all things Brynn!

2009-05-13T18:31:00.001-07:00

This blog is officially out of order. Check out theartofbeingbald.blogspot.com for new Brynn updates.

LOVE!!!

TWENTY-THREE!!!

2009-02-09T23:03:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me!..... Don't ask me how old I am, but you might be able to figure it out by reading the title. I'm feeling slightly old and I'm getting wrinkles. Oh me oh my. :)

My friends Kristen, Jessica, and Rosalyn are going with me to LA over Valentine's Day weekend. So fun. We'll stay in Vegas Thursday night, wander around a bit that night and in the morning, then drive the rest of the way on Friday. At least that's the tentative plan. Who knows. I can't wait to eat yummy food and see yummy places and be with yummy people. Oooooh yeah.

Hopefully by then I will get the layout problem fixed so that I can post pictures. That would be nice.

Okay back to my ridiculous amount of homework.

Hand Sanitizer, anyone?

2009-01-29T10:13:00.000-08:00

Ugh. I'm sick. Probably just a little cold, but man its the pits. I have that fuzzy-head-runny-nose-achy-body grossness. Blah. Stayed home sick yesterday, but I'm afraid that the world won't wait while I get better and so I have to suck it up today and get on with life. You know though, being sick gives one a nice little reminder of the love which many lovely people have for one. Take this catalogue of the "niceness" given by people yesterday:

A visiting teacher brought me a strawberry shake
Cassie (roommate) made me fries
Jo (roommate) peeled an orange, gave me cold medicine, made toast, rubbed my achy shoulders

and lastly, Mark came over and did his homework here

The last was very unusual--he usually does his homework in the Clyde building so I don't see him unless I go do homework with him there. Which makes sense, both because it is really quite distracting especially with all my roommates home and us all talking, and also because there is a program he has to use which is only available at the lab there. Sad.

I want another sick day :(

A Bad Case of the Gruntles...

2009-01-22T23:19:00.000-08:00

You know those days when nothing "goes" quite right? While in the middle of mixing up a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough, you realize you don't have either brown sugar or chocolate chips, but it is now too late to give up the project because you've already mixed most of the other ingredients. Instead of skipping that meeting, you decide to keep your engagements and you go even though you are dead on your feet, but then you cannot find the meeting room, and in your half-crazed determination to find where you ought to be, you walk repeatedly around the building until finally you realize it is in a different building. Or perhaps you lose your keys, and after looking in all the usual places, you tear the house apart searching and as a last ditch effort, decide to look again in the usual places and there they are--in the pocket in which you always place them.

These kind of days are the days when you have to laugh to keep from crying, and then just give up on everything, clean something, make a chocolate cake, frost it while still warm and eat it straight from the pan with roommates to share in your yumminess.

"I could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled." — P.G. Wodehouse

New Blog Time?

2009-01-17T17:43:00.000-08:00

Some of you may know that I am a very transient blogger. I was completely happy with blogspot and thought I would remain here for at least a little while...but. Yes, but. The "layout" button has completely disappeared from my "dashboard" and I cannot change the layout of my blog. This is a rather irritating situation to be in. I last changed my layout about one year ago, in honor of Valentine's Day. And now Valentine's Day is over and I cannot change the colors or the pictures or ANYTHING!!!

It is most frustrating. If it doesn't get sorted in a few days I will change blog addresses YET AGAIN! I apologize in advance!

Eggs!

2008-12-22T10:26:00.000-08:00

I really, really love to eat my eggs scrambled with a bit of salt and some kind of soft cheese (munster, cheddar, anything along those lines...I've always wanted to try Brie) melted in during the final stages of scrambling. Usually I put the scrambled eggs on top of crispy-toasted bread, lightly buttered, but eating them plain is delicious too.

Fried eggs aren't really my thing, and I think boiled eggs are strange, although I will eat both variations. Eggs benedict are divine if you can forget the fact that you are consuming twice the number of non-nutrient-dense-calories with the sauce. Omelets are also quite good, with bell pepper, mushrooms, and cheese.

Aren't eggs simply amazing? There are so many recipes which call for eggs...how hum-drum would life be without yummy eggs!!!

The capacity of the creative mind astounds me....oh look, spring rolls!

2008-12-21T10:53:00.000-08:00

Went to the ballet last night--The Nutcracker specifically. A man there had on the most fabulous coat I have ever seen. Purple brocade with gold flecks, trimmed with black fur cuffs and collar, and finished with sailor buttons, 3/4 length. He should have been carrying a cane, but was not that I could see.

WARNING: RANT FOLLOWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Must say, not the best performance I have attended. It is an interesting commentary on mankind that the thing that garnered the most applause was a double backflip, and the most moving 'pas de deux' (kind of a solo but with two people--a man and a woman), was met with a mere smattering of applause. *sigh* It was a BEAUTIFUL pas de deux. I cannot describe adequately how graceful and moving it was. Truly.

And now for the other part that took the whole night down a notch. The people at 6:00 (directly behind me) talked not only through the entire ballet, but in loud voices which were extremely distracting, and one commented that "whoever came up with the (idea) for the Nutcracker must have been on drugs." This narrow minded comment, while not deserving of my notice considering that such ignorance is not likely to be corrected by the rantings of an overwrought 22 year old, must still be commented on.

If one were to accept his rule, that the Nutcracker needed stimulants in order to be produced, then one must also go through history, look at all major great works, and judge them by the same criteria. For the sake of the argument, we must objectively consider this statement. Let us take Picasso for our example, although you may really substitute any author, painter, composer, dancer, or other. Picasso, blessed with an extraordinary talent, was drawing on the level of Titian, Rembrandt, and da Vinci, before most have their multiplication tables memorized. His particular style of cubism was one he developed with a friend, and was "done" on purpose.

Film is the highly worshipped "art" of today, and the followers it's "artists" acquire could be classified as stalkers, with the number of tabloids some fans read, and the maniacal obsession of some others. These artists, whom the obviously well educated man who sat behind me may also adore, are actually quite literally on drugs. But their performance is lauded. "Nobody cares" that they partake of narcotics. The "work" they do is so moving. (please note the sarcasm) Noone would sit in a movie theater, watching _____ (fill in the blank with your favorite actor/actress' name), and say "man, they must be on drugs."

Now, in case some of you may have read this the wrong way, I AM NOT saying that I abhor film or film actors/actresses. I AM saying that the world (America) is degenerating in an alarming manner, as we move quickly away from the appreciation of that which contains true beauty and accept instead a fake-and-bake version.

Oh the Cleverness of Me!

2008-12-18T18:42:00.000-08:00

Okay so it's been........a while.

Here we go, are you ready?

Finished my Woman-of-the-Year campaign and lost, but only by a few thousand. Now I have a lot more experience in the how-to and how-definitely-NOT-to raise money for charitable causes. I also have a bit more insight into the non-profit world. Thoughts on that at some hazy-distant-in-the-future-time. Also finished chemo. Officially. My sister (Jessica) married some guy...no just kidding. He is great and his name is Greg and he and I were in the same Chemistry 105. Wore a fabulous green dress. Then I came back to BYU and have decided on (and filled out actual papers for) the Neuroscience major. I'm also tacking on an English minor for kicks. It gives me an excuse to wear all black a few times a week and pretend that I too ponder the words of Whitman, Cowper, Gray, Joyce, and Collins. And no, those are not all from one genre. Although Cowper, Gray, and Collins all fit into the late 18th century landscape poetry movement. Hiked the Y a lot with a friend. We climbed it 21 times in two weeks. Started a job at LDS Philanthropies making outbound phone calls to BYU alumni asking them for money. If you get a call that starts "Hello ___, my name is _____ and I'm a student calling on behalf of the BYU Annual Fund..." that's people I work with, or possibly me. Say no nicely. Or better yet, give money! Started reading Peter Pan on the plane home (it was a red-eye and I couldn't sleep). Great book.

Enough run-on-scrambled-together sentences for you? Me too.

Now I'm home for Christmas break, and I just made a double batch (read: A LOT) of sugar cookies. We frosted a few of them, but frosting takes such a long time! No joke.

I'm dating this boy....who is wonderful. His name is Mark and basically he is awesome. And he has red hair just like my little brothers. He's coming out to Virginia to visit over New Year's and then we're on the same flight home to Utah. Can I say that on a blog? Guess I just did.

Had two doctor's appointments today, my eyes are fine my teeth are not. My face is swelling because of a wisdom tooth that is coming in crooked. Ouch. Okay my face isn't really swollen...at all. I just feel like it is. Probably will be soon if they don't pull it! Maybe I'll have my dad do an emergency tooth extraction....he has a power saw.

What do you get if you cross a snowman with a shark? FROSTBITE!

Check Me Out!!!

2008-04-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE8jghFH15M

.........................................................................................

2008-04-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

This Saturday at 7 pm I am holding a Music/Hors d'oeuvres/Auction Benefit for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Come enjoy this black tie event with a live music from a string quartet and valet parking to prepare you to purchase some amazing items in the auction!

There is no minimum donation. On the invitation it specifies a "suggested minimum donation" but that is truly a suggestion, and the way I arrived at that particular number was by taking the median of what people have been donating. I just love throwing parties so come party with me!!!

MELON!

2008-04-09T20:32:00.000-07:00

I would be very remiss if I did not make the effort to jot down a few thoughts from this evening.

Mary Ellen e-mailed me a while ago to arrange some face-to-face time. She informed me that she would be speaking at this "thing" and asked would I be willing to come? It sounded like a great thing to do, so I rsvp-ed that Jessica and I would be there!

What a wonderful event! It was a banquet for the Mary Ellen Edmunds Nursing Endowment. Mary Ellen spoke as expected, and spoke about me, rather unexpected. And the trend kind of continued through the night. Met Kenneth Cope, who presented a few songs and thoughts. I've never heard/seen him live--awesome! Had a few pictures taken, shook some hands, ate dinner...

I'm feeling a bit inarticulate at the moment (which probably has to do with the long list of "to-do's" running around in my head), the long and short of it is I had a wonderful time with wonderful people, wonderful wonderful wonderful!

Melon, you are a dear. I just love people like her. They try to be "invisible" (and quite often succeed) but then once in a while you catch them "at it." You know--doing a good deed, heeding the call of the hungry, sick, afflicted. But they don't do it because of praise or acclamation, and such is refuted when it is attempted.

And a great quote (thank you Kenneth Cope):

"Truth is truth, wher'ere 'tis found, On Christian or on heathen ground." --Orson F. Whitney

Happy Birthday Grandpa...yesterday!!!

2008-04-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

Very, very quick update today.

First, General Conference...there are no words to express. Like President Monson said, we had a lot of quick fire messages that were all right on target. Lots to think about, and lots of new goals to set! One of the best weekends of the year! (the other best weekend is in October...yep, General Conference also!)

Friday we had a benefit "Million Dollar Danse Party," which a few friends helped me put together. These boys Scott, Nate, Jarrett, and Danny, are in a band Bi-Polar Bear, and they performed first and then Nate DJ-ed the rest of the shindig. It went over fairly well. Pizza Hut donated 400 pizzas. Yes, 400, that is not a typo!

In the middle of planning some more charity events, which I am very excited about (as long as I can fit in a *bit* of studying).

Side note: "Consider the Lillies" performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is my favorite song at the moment. Words cannot express...

Wish I had more time to say more of what I'm thinking/doing however, it is Sunday, I'm going to bed in 45 minutes, and I have yet to read my scriptures AND write in my journal.

Oh! Had a lovely dinner at my Grandma and Grandpa's house tonight. Grandpa's birthday was yesterday. I have the best grandparents. It's so fun to hang out with Grandpa. My dad is just like him. We had carrot cake and as I sat there next to him he had a fork and was eating the crumbs in the bottom of the pan--you know, the crumbs that fall from pieces as the cake is being served. It made me happy! My dad will be here in two weeks and two days!

2008-03-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

It is a very odd feeling to hear about people dying from the cancer for which I have been treated for the past two years. Maybe it is just me, but I don't often think about the possibility of dying.

British actor Paul Scofield died yesterday of Leukemia. This was rather startling to hear about. In light of this, and for so many other reasons, I am so grateful to have an opportunity to do what I can to further this cause.

Handicap!

2008-03-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

You know how in some sports, if a player has an unfair advantage, they play with a "handicap"? At least I think that's how it works. Out of all the candidates for Woman of the Year, I would probably not be considered the one who needed an EXTRA handicap (haha...). However, for the past eleven days I have been playing with a handicap. If you attempt to access my website for donations from the main page, the link doesn't work!!!

That probably deserves...at least $10K/day to catch me up to where I should be. Yeah.

In case you have been attempting to access the website to make a donation, once again, the link is http://www.active.com/donate/bluegrassmwoy/kjirstenbrynn

Smile, its St. Paddy's Day!

Snapshots

2008-03-14T21:50:00.000-07:00

Do you keep snapshots in your head? I have enough to fill scrapbook upon scrapbook...but snapshots I keep in my head are different than the ones you take with a camera. When its in your head, you can have the noise, the taste, the temperature...so many different elements that make up one "snapshot."

One of my favorite snapshots from the trip I took in May (with my dad and John Thomas) to Mexico couldn't possibly fit in an actual hard-bound scrapbook. I can't call it an image, because it has other sensory details that you cannot see with your eyes. In fact, I want you to close your eyes. Well, read the next paragraph and THEN close your eyes and try to imagine it in your head.

First, it is warm, so warm you could melt butter on the sidewalk, but not so hot that you can't walk barefoot comfortably. Now add color. A lot of color. Bright green, a big splash of red, cool blue water in a pool, tiled under in neutrals. Deep, opaque but at the same time completely transparent sky. A few fluff-ball clouds. You can smell something like barbeque, more like roasting peppers--slightly spicy, but not overwhelming. Chattering people in the distance, Mexicans selling their wares to tourists with broken English phrases.

I could keep on for pages describing my Mexico. There is so much I haven't even begun to adequately describe about this particular snapshot. I hope you keep snapshots in your head, and that you go through them periodically. It is these defining snapshots that make up the substance of you and me...without them, we would be rather two dimensional, don't you think?

It's Official!

2008-03-08T14:07:00.000-08:00

Alright everybody! My campaign has officially begun! We're working on planning some events in Kentucky, and here in Utah as well. Let me know if you'd like to do something to help out! I can use all the help I can get.

We will be having some fun incentives for donations of different amounts, so check back regularly to see what's new!

You can go here http://www.active.com/donate/bluegrassmwoy/kjirstenbrynn to donate :)

Love,
Brynn

This is Why I Love Chemistry

2008-03-04T10:06:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqeVEFFzz7E enjoy!

2008-02-28T22:31:00.000-08:00

Life is wonderful!

2008-02-22T08:11:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have been silent for a while. The only time I have to sit down and do something other than Chemistry homework (with a bit of Lit and American Heritage thrown in) is when I get home late at night. This will have to suffice for the time being.

If you have facebook, join my group "Kjirsten Brynn for Woman of the Year!" I can't wait to tell you all about the awesome events and things we have planned for my nine-week campaign!!!

My Fabulous Birthday!

2008-02-10T21:26:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay. So I have never had a birthday which could NOT be described as fabulous, but today was extra wonderful. I woke up to a phone call--my sister was on the other end asking if I was hungry. She made wonderful pancakes for breakfast which I ate with raspberries and whipped cream (mmm!)

After breakfast I opened my birthday package. It was full to the brim with the two things I love most--"warm stuff" and "stuff to read!" I now have a pancake mix and a fluffy coat and REALLY warm socks (really, my feet will NOT be cold this week)! My mom and dad spent some time in Barnes and Noble picking out the perfect present--"Betty Crocker's Quick and Easy Cookbook." I am going to work recipe by recipe through that cookbook and become a wonderful chef! I can feel it! Maybe if I sleep with it under my pillow I'll pick it up through osmosis...Also '101 Things You Didn't Know About Jane Austen,' AND an Audrey Hepburn book. I'm so glad my birthday is on Sunday this year, because if it had been any other day I would not have had the luxury of looking through my books. I would instead have been trying to figure out which elements make binary compounds, which have polar bonds but are not polar, and on and on...(translation--I'm taking Chemistry 105)...

Went to church, which was amazing as usual. I felt very colorful today...meant to take a picture but forgot. I would describe what I wore but a picture is worth a thousand words and really, a thousand words would not do justice to the amazing ensemble I put together.

This evening we had a birthday celebration with three (yes, THREE!) cakes. A chocolate, a vanilla (with rainbow sprinkles) and a chocolate-orange with orange glaze. Oh and sherbet-lemon-lime floats. Yum! Greg even made a "candle" for me to blow out using a paper towel!

I just love birthdays. A very merry unbirthday to everyone, and to everyone who was lucky enough to have their birthday today (like me!) happy birthday to you too!

Thanks to everyone who has been so sweet to wish me happy birthday, sing to me, or even just smile!

"I love smiling. Smiling's my favorite!" --Buddy (from the movie 'Elf')

Fundraising!!!

2008-02-08T16:28:00.000-08:00

Well the word is officially out. I am running for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Woman of the Year. It's a fundraising campaign and the winner is chosen based solely on a philanthropic basis. How much fun, just as I'm ending treatment, to have such a great opportunity!

Check out this article http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695249496,00.html about me!

When I have my campaign website up and running I will post it on here so you can all donate to my campaign! Make sure that if you do any donating that you specify that it is for my campaign because every dollar donated counts as a vote.

Alright, enough for now! I'll probably be contacting most of you to help me do a little fundraising if you're willing!

So much for that idea...

2008-02-04T18:54:00.000-08:00

I'm out!!! But sadly, not all better. I have a virus which means I will just have to wait for it to go away. I'm checking in with Primary Children's on Thursday to see if the virus is gone.

Funny story...my roommate got home a little while after me and she said, "so you have RSVP?" Har har har...

Brynn-itis?

2008-02-03T19:10:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to think of a good name for this illness that continues to recur. I like the name "Brynn" too much to have it be associated with the name of a disease. Embleyitis? Nah.

I'm back at Primary Children's for the moment. More tests and such will be done, and already being fairly certain that they will all come back negative. For now I will focus on simply enjoying having extra study time before my midterms (which I was supposed to be taking tomorrow).

My birthday is in a week--I'll be 22! I think I'll have a party with a "2" theme. But I can't really think where we'd go with that...play "Dos" (instead of "Uno") har har... Nah. But we are going to have an early birthday party here at the hospital. We're going to order 22 cupcakes and throw confetti or something along those lines. Should be fun!

Stardust is my new favorite movie. I just love it when she sparkles...so adorable! There is a picture taken of me at my *awesome* friend Laura's wedding in which it looks like I am emmitting light. I always knew I was a star...

2008-01-15T21:23:00.000-08:00

I cannot begin to say how completely unpredictable life is. I am home in Provo now, and the lung biopsy which was scheduled for today has been postponed pending another CT scan on Tuesday. Whether that scan shows improvement or the opposite will be the deciding factor for the lung biopsy. The CT scan from yesterday compared with the one from Friday showed so much improvement it is not a stretch to call it a miracle.

Chemistry has been re-added to my schedule, which adds a lot of stress to my life in the way of catching up and such. It will be worth it though. My brother John Thomas was really disappointed when I talked to him yesterday and told him I had decided to drop it. He is such a smart boy, he was going through the lessons and learning along with me. Any kind of science is for him not only fascinating, but easy as well.

The rest of this week will be a quick successsion of running around doing this and that, and getting back into "normal" life. Today in my CmLit lecture, we were given the definition of "normal." It is "something with which the majority of people can agree." You see, we are reading 'Don Quixote' at the moment, which is a novel that deals with the "psychological" truth that people deal with the unexpected with humor. I am sure I will be writing more on this subject at a later date, as there are many thoughts running around in my head about this idea. One of them being the memory of all my bald jokes (which, fortunately, I cannot use anymore as I now have a lovely growth of curls atop my head).

Thank you everyone so very, very much for your prayers. Whether you are Catholic, Episcopalian, Protestant, Lutheran, LDS, or Baptist, we pray to the same God, and I know that our prayers have been answered in this most recent of miracles. My love to all of you, thank you again for your support!

Another Hospital Visit!

2008-01-10T18:26:00.000-08:00

My apologies for waiting so long to give an update! That the past three days have been upside down are my only excuse.

Wednesday night, I discovered that I had a fever. Like any good patient, I called the HemOnc on-call, and she wanted a CBC so it could be determined whether or not to admit me. My ANC came back at 300, which is rather neutropenic, so Jess drove with me up to Primary Children's Medical Center.

Quite honestly it has been a miserable few days. Those of you who have been around me recently know that I have had a SEVERE cough and runny nose combination since Thanksgiving, and also that the omniscient "they" have decided it is nothing. Since "they" had me in the hospital, I decided to once again address this "something" that has been plaguing me for so long. To make a long and tedious story short, I INSISTED that they find out what is wrong. "They" hemmed and hawed and patted me on the head and very grudgingly sent me for a CT scan of my lungs and sinuses. When the scan came back "they" blushed and stammered and said "oh."

Yesterday they did a sinus biopsy. Believe me, you do not EVER want to have one of those. Insist on morphine, codine, and whatever other -ine they have. Local anesthetic is not enough. Ouch :(

A lung biopsy is scheduled for me on Tuesday. Apparently that is going to be extremely painful (after) and I will have a tube in my side for 4-5 days. So, I will be here for at the very least another week.

Right now I'm deciding what to do with school and so forth. I am definitely going to be dropping Chemistry, which I am sad about. No really, I'm serious about not wanting to drop Chemistry. It was going to be such a good class, my teacher is interested in his students, and really cares about the subject. Maybe next semester I'll try again. I don't know whether I'll drop the rest of my classes or not, I'll let you all know what I decide.

"Man makes plans, and God laughs." --Yiddish Proverb

GRADES!!!

2008-01-02T22:59:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd let everyone know that I achieved a 3.59 this semester!!!!!

Happy Anniversary!

2007-12-23T10:04:00.000-08:00

Today is the two-year anniversary of the day of my diagnosis.

I confess, I don't really know where to begin. I read through my entire caringbridge blog over the past few days. I am so grateful to have that as a reminder of some things...things I had forgotten, shoved away to the very darkest recesses of my mind. Not that these memories were bad, but they are almost like the experiences of another person. That wasn't me, I didn't go into the hospital barely holding on to the last vestiges of life, only to be diagnosed with leukemia. It wasn't me who spent the next few months in and out of the hospital. I think when my hair grew back I put that person away in the back of my mind with all my other...not unpleasant, but difficult memories.

This does have a happy ending, I promise. While reading over my caringbridge journal, I realized that it is okay to remember things like that. In fact, it is necessary. What was the point of all those experiences if I don't remember them and USE them in my life?

Actually these thoughts have been going on for a while, especially since coming out to school. The only person I told for the first few months was my Bishop. I started telling this or that person after I felt like I knew them well enough. You all know me well enough to know that I'm not a terribly secretive person. I'm fine with talking about treatment, what it does to me, how I'm feeling, etc. I didn't wear a wig because I felt like it would be hiding what really was going on in my life. I think that choosing not to tell people made my first few months out here a lot harder than they should have been. For instance, one night, we had a party at my house. Well, I hadn't been feeling well and was mostly keeping to my room...until I started throwing up. When it stopped for a moment, I went out into the kitchen to get a cup and some water so I could take a zofran (anti-nausea pill), but I had to walk through all the people to get to the kitchen. I really didn't have any energy to spare on trying to look like everything was alright, and so people probably ended up with the impression that I was in a foul mood. Not to mention it was difficult trying to throw up quietly.

A little while ago Jessica and I decided that it was time--that she is fine with people knowing, and I as well. Since then, I feel twenty pounds lighter. If someone asks about my hair, instead of being evasive or changing the subject, I just tell them the truth. (there have been quite a few instances where people asked either what made me decide to cut my hair so short, if I had ever had it long, if it is naturally curly etc and I answered in such a way that I'm sure they went away with the impression that I am either extremely odd or perhaps not the brightest crayon)

Overall, it has been a great two years. I'm not kidding, I'm not exaggerating; these past two years have been absolutely amazing and I am so grateful for them. I love each one of you; thank you for keeping up with me, and praying for me.

In case I don't post again before Christmas, MERRY CHRISTMAS! Now, go bake some cookies!

If you give a mouse a cookie...

2007-12-19T23:32:00.000-08:00

Today I took my English final. A bit more writing than I expected, but now thinking about it, I should have realized it would be mostly writing, you know, being an ENGLISH final. Oh well, I think I did fairly well on it.

Before eating dinner, I had planned on running to Wal-Mart to pick up some pictures I ordered online. It was supposed to be a quick trip, the only other thing I needed being a gallon of milk. I'm probably the worst grocery shopper I've ever met. But stories of my shopping incompetency will have to be another blog entry.

Six cans of soup, a box of crackers, loaf of bread, muenster cheese, yogurt, granola, clothes hangers, lemon juice, pasta sauce, one gallon of milk and some various other things that were "on sale" later, I straggled out of Wal-Mart. Having an unexplainable ineptitude of choosing the line that will take the longest, I stood waiting for more than 40 minutes. I think the couple in front of me were attempting to single handedly increase the profit of Wal-Mart.

I felt my eyes glaze over as I leaned against my cart and tried to drown out the repeated intercom announcements of "We need a CSM in Fabrics" "A customer is waiting in the fish section" "All CSM's to the front of the store"........AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

I am sure that they, and many of you, are very grateful for Wal-Mart. It truly is a one-stop shop for all your possible Christmas needs, but Wal-Mart should not only have a "15 items or less" line, but also a "40 items or more" line.

I am NEVER going to Wal-Mart again. Except to pick up the photos I already paid for. And maybe another gallon of milk...

How Finals Stole Christmas

2007-12-13T23:09:00.000-08:00

As you can see, I'm trying to feel Christmas-y. It is emphatically not working. Two words: FINALS. (har har)

With Christmas just twelve...eleven now that it is after midnight, days away, I can't even FORCE myself to be in a Christmas mood. This is just not natural. I find myself kept awake late at night contemplating the sacred rituals of the Himba, the significance of snow in The Dead, and trying to remember the main character's name in "The Things They Carried." Not very conducive either to a good night's sleep or to planning Christmas festivities. I am starting to feel decidedly Grinch-like. Ban all Christmas movies! To heck with frosting sugar cookies! Presents? Tosh! All I want for Christmas is a good thesis on "three aspects of human life/human experience that are common to all people, why they are universal, and what this tells us about human beings" (!!!)

I can hear you (lucky!) college graduates thinking "you should have started that paper earlier." Well, I did. However, my Professor, no doubt feeling that a pressure-cooker rather than a crock-pot (I hope my food analogies are understandable) being more conducive to well thought out arguments, decided not only to change the prompt for the final paper, but also to split it into TWO papers. Yes, it has morphed not once but twice. I'm afraid of going to sleep only to wake up and see that the monster has grown yet another head.

The odd thing about this is that I have completely fallen in love with Anthropology. Next semester I am signed up for Anthropology 309: Language and Culture. If you get a chance, read "Knowing Moral Knowledge To Be True" by David P. Crandall (my Professor). It's a serious article, definitely not light reading, but definitely worth it. I am actually considering an Anthropology major!

In love with Anthropology or not, my dreams, if I ever get so lucky as to fall asleep, will be punctuated by nightmares of being stranded in sub-Saharan Africa in a tribe speaking a Khoisan ("click") language...but I will awake to find the real nightmare waiting--the fact that I still have to WRITE about them! If you ask me, I'd take the stranding any day!

Misery!!!

2007-12-11T21:19:00.000-08:00

I have to say, today has been one of those days I hope does not happen again for a VERY long time. But, let's not even go there since it's just about over.

Now for the good news.....check me out: http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page.adp?item_id=484179 yep! That's me!!!

I hope that made your Tuesday happier, it sure did mine!!!

P.S. The photo was taken by my all-time favorite photographer Melanie Mauer! I know she'll be your favorite too, so check her out at www.melaniemauer.com :)

Camping!

2007-11-17T10:08:00.000-08:00

Provo Canyon is just beautiful. Yesterday, about an hour before our Anthropology class, my friend Serena asked me if I wanted to go camping. She had asked me earlier this week, but I had said "absolutely not." You see, I don't like getting dirty.

Well, she convinced me. I went. SO MUCH FUN! Apart from the fact that my voice sounds really strange today after inhaling smoke (from the fire) for a few hours last night, and aside from the fact that I'm STILL cold, and tired, I'm really happy that I went. It was literally so cold that I was wearing three sweatshirts, a scarf, leggings, flannel pj pants, and fur lined slippers, sitting next to the fire, and was still freezing. I guess I'm something of an anomaly because nobody else was cold...weird.

Tomorrow I leave for "home." I say "home" because my parents moved to Virginia and I have not met my new house yet. However, I have been to Williamsburg and L-O-V-E it! I'm so excited to see my fabulous family!

Cruel and Unusual Punishment

2007-11-14T23:11:00.000-08:00

My laptop in front of me, hands poised and ready, mental lists gone over again and again, the clock strikes midnight of my "priority registration date" (of course midnight, what other time could it possibly be with that preface) and I begin the process of registering for classes.

Have you ever seen a kid in a candy shop? Or perhaps, have you ever BEEN a kid in a candy shop? I really want to put this on your level so think of whatever it is that makes you act like that cliche, Nordstroms, Godiva, or Auto Universe. Got it in mind? Alright. Back to my analogy (translate into your analogy in your head) That's me. The dorky kid with the socks up to the knobbly knees and the grin of sheer and utter contentment. But slowly, that grin fades as the kid realizes that all the candy is out of reach and there is no step ladder and noone tall enough to reach for them. Poor kid.

Poor me. I had my classes planned out so carefully in my head. I'm STILL a planner, after all these years, if you can believe it (for those of you who don't "get" the irony in that, please refer to The Life of Brynn chapter 19...har har). Being the voracious reader that I am, and having gotten English 251 "the prerequisite" out of the way, I was more than ready to sign up for British Literature from 1800-1850, Masterpieces of World Literature, The American Novel, Shakespeare, in fact, anything that would involve reading classics, analyzing them, discussing them, I would sign up for. Alas for my priority registration date being that of a sophomore, ALL, and I mean ALL the classes were already full. You may think I exaggerate. I spent literally hours scouring the entire section of possible English classes. No such luck.

And the silver lining. I am signed up for what sound like fabulous classes. Civilization: Literature 2, and Western Humanities 201. My other classes are American Heritage and Aerobic Dance. I decided not to sign up for a religion class on campus, I'll go to an institute class of course, but my mom and I decided that maybe I shouldn't add so much all at once. I will probably be doing a lot of reading this next semester, but that is just fine with me!

The end of the story is that I got through signing up, and I am still breathing, two very important things to note. The other problem that I did not mention however, is that yet again, I have changed my mind about my major. ACK! Will the indecision never end? Welcoming all suggestions now.

Perhaps I'll just be a phlebotomist. According to a billboard I saw, I can become on in just ten easy classes.....

2007-11-09T08:35:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to the BYU/TCU game and I left my keys at home, thinking "my roommates never, ever lock the door, I'll be fine!"

I get home and it's locked.

So I give Jess a leg-up and she manages to get onto the balcony. The glass doors are also locked. AND on top of that, she can't get down.

I call Tyson, and am laughing so hard I can barely make myself coherent. He says something like "wait, you're locked out, and Jess is stuck...on the third floor?" I say "no, the second." Long pause. "Okay are you laughing or crying?" Which makes me laugh even harder. "No, I'm just laughing," I reply. "Alright just wanted to assess the seriousness of the situation." Is his response.

He arrives but Jessica refuses to be helped down (she's never been the dramatic-damsel-in-distress kind). Tyson climbs up all our balconies (we have five) and all but the very last doors are locked, so we finally get in, and by this time, Jessica has gotten herself down from the balcony with no more than a bruised knee.

Hopefully that came out as humorously as it was supposed to, but since I've never been very good at telling, or even retelling jokes, I wouldn't be surprised if you thought it was meant to be a tragedy!

Happy Friday!!!

2007-11-07T21:38:00.000-08:00

Wow can you say CRUNCH time. So I am going home for Thanksgiving and leaving in one week and two days. In that time I have to write six papers. One eight page, the rest two pagers. Two of them are extra credit papers. No, I have definitely not been procrastinating. I'm the kind who finishes papers (usually) at least a week in advance. It's just been crazy lately. Bon chance pour moi!

Have I mentioned the Malt Shoppe before? Probably. Well, my mom was just here for two days (FABULOUS!) and we went there TWICE. That's how good it is. Today I had an m&m, carmel, chocolate, and pecan shake. GOOD-NESS! Loved it.

Aaaand I'm on steroids this week, it hasn't started out that great, last night alone I was up three times in the night. At least I have a lot of cheerios for my 2 am cravings.

It was so good to have my mom here. She deserves another paragraph to herself. She bought my cleaning supplies (more of them). I didn't know I needed something other than Ajax to scrub the bathroom, so I learned something new today. She vacuumed as well, and helped me rearrange my room. It looks so much better, I just love it! I get to see her again in just a week and a half so that's amazing too. Aren't mothers just the best invention ever?

2007-10-25T23:25:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited--my mom is coming to Utah for my next chemo appointment which happens to be an LP (lumbar puncture) so it will be especially nice. Aren't mothers great?

2007-10-25T01:31:00.001-07:00

Opera. The new love of my life. I just saw Mozart's Il Nozze de Figaro and oh-my-heck is all I can say. Wow. And that's just from a relatively small fry performance. I can't begin to imagine Opera at the Met in New York... Just...wow. There are no more words. Go see an opera. Go. Stop reading. Just go.

2007-10-18T00:29:00.000-07:00

For my Anthropology class midterm, I get to write a paper on inner and outer beauty and how they relate to each other. Tonight some awesome guys to whom I will be forever in debt, came over and we had a nice little powow. I think I have enough material to write five midterms, but I think I'll probably just write one ;0)

And so obviously, I've been thinking a lot on this topic lately. What is beauty? How is it that a person can literally evolve from being absolutely beautiful, and within five seconds of speaking become so unattractive, or vice versa? What do you think of the "world's" concept of beauty vs your own? What is your standard?

I have gained a completely new perspective on this just over the past two years. My concepts of beauty have radically changed and I feel like an entirely new person. It's not often that people get a chance to change so wholly, but I'm one of those. Being bald was hard. My hair was such a security blanket to me. I lavished hours of time washing, drying, straightening (not because it was curly), to make it "perfect." All gone in less than five weeks.

The funny thing is that "before," I received compliment after compliment on my hair each day. Now, it's the same. In fact, I believe people tell me even more than they used to that they love my hair. But it's not because of the $100 and two hours I spent at a salon. It's just curly, fun, natural and ME! Before now I never would have thought that curly and short could go together and be beautiful.

Yes, eventually when my hair is long enough I will try straightening it some days and leaving it curly the next. I'm not going to neglect my hair just because I know it is temporary. It's just my obsession with it that has changed. My beauty or lack thereof no longer revolves around my hair. I'm happy with it short. I'm happy with it not California blonde (although it may get back to that stage naturally...if only it were summer!!!). I'm happy with me.

2007-10-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

A while ago I decided to stop reading the news. Instead of feeling informed and enlightened after "catching up" on the world, I would just feel depressed and helpless. Well, that was a bit selfish of me. What if I was living, well, pretty much anywhere else in the world? For starters, I probably would not even still be alive. What a great thing is modern medicine...and the insurance to pay for it!

To illustrate better what I am trying to say, click here: http://www.bread.org/learn/hunger-basics/hunger-facts-international.html; http://www.wfp.org/english/.

I'm sure you are wondering what exactly propagated this little rant? I'm sure you've heard about the crisis in Burma. If not, look it up on BBC news. It is hard to think that somewhere in the world such atrocious things are happening (Darfur, for example), but they are. Please, pray, fast, light a candle, donate money to a reputable institution, sign a petition, there are so many ways to "make the world a better place." Let's all do our best to help in whatever capacity we can, and whomever we can most effectively reach out to, whether that be the oppressed in Burma, the hungry in our own nation, or even "just" the lonely grandmother down the street.

2007-09-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

I just might be obsessed with weddings. I love looking at invitations, cakes, place settings, researching photographers, etc etc etc. One of my friends, Rachel, just asked me to be a bridesmaid. I LOVE it! I've been checking out wedding websites and blogs and things and researching dresses (she already has hers picked out but I don't have mine yet!!!). Her colors are going to be "Tiffany" blue and white and silver, as of right now. We're going to a bridal fair together in a few weeks, which should be fun. This will be my third...or maybe second and a half time being a bridesmaid. I don't know if last time counted or not.

You know what they say, three times a bridesmaid...

2007-09-14T22:36:00.001-07:00

I think I just ate an entire bag of Ruffles and a can of chip dip. Holy cow. And I'm still hungry. I think I'll go have a bowl of honey nut cheerios.

That's all!

2007-09-07T16:15:00.000-07:00

Drama, drama, DRAMA!!! Will it never end?

Oh well. I have now taken, oh, three trips to the bookstore to buy/return books for various classes (keep in mind that I only have THREE classes), and went to Wal-Mart almost every day last week. It wasn't because I love Wal-Mart so much, in fact, if there was a Target a bit closer I would be going there instead.

My camera is also still broken otherwise I would post some pictures for the benefit of anyone who cared to look. I miss my camera. It's with the Olympus people right now...I wish they would hurry and get it back to me!!!

I LOVE my apartment. Have I said that already? Well, I do. My roommates are sweet, and they all seem very soft-spoken. One is Korean and her name is said like Yookeung, but I'm SURE that isn't how it is spelled.

My room has it's very own balcony. I can't wait to go shopping for a chair and a potted plant to put on it. Best of all, it's the perfect in case anyone wants to come serenade me, or leave mysterious presents for me. Haha :)

So, I just asked my sister "what was that drug that made my hair fall out?" Her answer: "zoferin? pentamimine? lime....ade???" Ha, it made me laugh. Especially since she was serious. Utah makes my skin almost as dry as those heavy doses of iv methotrexate and whatever that drug is that I can't remember the name of.

2007-08-28T12:52:00.001-07:00

I am now in Utah. Actually I've been here for a couple of days. Dad and I started driving Friday around noon and arrived Saturday night. It was a long drive but totally worth it for this little ice cream place we stopped at called "Custard's Last Stand." I HIGHLY recommend it. I had a raspberry truffle concrete and dad had a triple berry concrete, and both were SO good that I was really sad I didn't get the biggest size they had. It was somewhere around Kansas City, on the western side of it. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Dairy Queen will never be good enough again.

Aaaaaand now for an update on housing. Basically I will be living in a tent, or maybe a cardboard box, because I can't find anything. Maybe it's a sign. Like, for instance, that I should go to Europe for a while...as if I haven't had enough play time!!!

Spare couch, anyone?

The Happy Ending

2007-08-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

I finally have somewhere to put my moose sticker! I bought a car today--it's a 2003 Mitsubishi Galant and I LOVE it.

Ready for a really scary story? (If you are a small child, stop reading NOW because this will give you nightmares). I went car shopping yesterday, and looked at a Mitsubishi Galant. It was really the first time I had actually checked one out. The moment I sat in it I knew it was a Brynn car from the pearly exterior to the sunroof. Took it for a test drive along with my mom, over to Danny Barker (the best mechanic in Frankfort), so he could check it out and make sure everything was okay. Of course we weren't expecting something to be wrong, since it drove just fine, but it's always nice to have a professional opinion. He looked under the spare tire, at the doors, shined a light at the speedometer, and declared that it was..........A FLOOD CAR! The bolts were rusty, the engine didn't look great, the hood had been repainted, etc etc etc. I was HEARTBROKEN.

So I went home, looked online, found another one in Richmond and I went down there today. I looked, or probably just felt, quite the professional with my little wind-up flashlight looking under the hood and at the tires, under the seats, and everything Danny had showed me to look for. I think the salesman thought so too because I got a very good price. LOVE IT!

2007-08-20T18:03:00.000-07:00

I love expensive paper. Anna brought me this adorable stationary set a few months ago, and I just used it for the first time today. It really is "me" stationary. The paper is embellished with Jane Austen quotes and pen sketches. You can check it out at www.baglady-designs.com but they're not taking any orders right now because of "high order volume."

So sad.

2007-08-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

How about that HEAT?!?! I wasn't able to go car shopping today because of it. It would have been miserable.

Speaking of miserable...I went looking yesterday (another extremely hot day), and have decided to become whatever religion doesn't use electricity/cars/stuff like that. Just kidding. But seriously, car shopping is, to say the least, EXASPERATING.

Blah.

2007-08-10T14:04:00.000-07:00

In true Brynn style, I have used the wrong e-mail address to create this blog, and now I have no idea what to do. Keep using the fake e-mail and hope that nothing important is sent to it? Blah. There is no way I can see of changing the "admin" e-mail, but I tried adding another e-mail address and it seemed to work.

It must be the radiation...I wasn't this scattered before, was I?

Thanks Janine for keeping up with me! :)

2007-08-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

I've been a bit blog-happy in the past few months. This would be my third blog in just one year and a half. Of course, considering how many times I've changed my major, is it really that surprising?

Quote of the day:

"The difference between the right word and the almost-right word is the difference between the lightning and the lightning-bug." --Mark Twain

Kisses,
Brynn