Stone Soup

I am in a class that studies farm literature and today we made stone soup. It made me think of my childhood book, which is about how everyone brings something to put in a pot and you make soup. And so, as a class, we did precisely that. We all brought stuff, threw it in a pot (crockpot) and ate it.

And it was delicious.

Top three coolest facts learned in farm lit:

1. Women were more marginalized after farms became larger and more commercial because a successful farm was illustrated if there was a wife who didn't have to do anything-contributing to her loss of status in society and her rights.

2. More people are starving now than ever before, even after the green revolution, because food is now a commodity and substance farming is virtually nonexistent.

3. The carbon footprint on food is incredible (especially in America). The average distance that food travels to make it to our table is over 1,000 miles.

Skiing, Falling and Gambling.

On Saturday I decided to do what the locals in Cache Valley do-which is to run the slopes at Beaver Mountain. This mom and pop shop was small, but quaint. Spencer and I pulled into a parking spot ten feet from the lift (which is unheard of because we came at like 12:30...showing that no one goes to this 'resort'). We started riding and as to be predicted, Spencer owned the jumps and I was more a mogul gal. We both had our strengths. Well it had been awhile since the mountain had gotten any snow so we were running the trees in search for powder. I basically followed the boy who know the mountain "like his own home."

Bad idea.

We ended up going on this run where there was this jump that I thought I could handle. I went off the jump, fell on the ground, rolled around, lost both of my skis and looked for my friend to help me. He was gone. I was cold.

Come to find out he and his friend actually crafted that jump the week prior. Curse them.

My back and neck have never hurt so much.

All in all though the trip was great because it was sunny and warm and it reminded me that cold weather can end.

But, the day was not over.

I had a date to the Aggie basketball game, which we won (it was a sad day for Cleveland and Fresno State) and my date and I got the customary Aggie ice cream. They love it like BYU students love cougar tails. I really impressed my date by knowing what a RPI ranking was for basketball. I really need to start thanking my brothers for indoctrinating me into a culture of sports....

Anyway, the school was having this big Mardi Gras party after, and the 6-5' boy I went with is pretty involved in the school so we went. A large part of the party was the casino. They gave you 1000 chips and you got to gamble and the person who won the most won free tuition for next semester. Unbelievable. Anyway, we had a fun time playing poker and watching the cute 18 year olds try to look like hookers (a dream come true for their parents). The date was fun but I ran into so many of my students that I felt like some social norms were really being breached. Speaking of breaching social norms, one of my students was at my apartment last week. I wanted to die. Anyway, I also feed some of my students gambling habits by giving them some extra tickets. Maybe I'll be the cool teacher.

After the night of school sponsored gambling (something I'm totally used to at BYU), we went to a school sponsored show produced by Satan himself. We went to a mentalist who is someone who literally can read peoples minds and do crazy things. I guess if you're going to sell your soul to Lucy you might as well do something cool like mind reading.

Take My Breath Away

I know this topic is seemingly banal but I promise if you were here you would understand.

This morning I woke up to weather that was -4 degrees and was about to walk to school when my friend texted me saying that his weather app claimed the weather to be deathly cold. Not wanting to lose a friend, he decided to save my life and come and pick me up. Little did I know the temperature with the wind chill was -18. When I got out of his car to walk up to school it was as though the cold air was entering my alveolar sacs, crystalizing and then bursting them in a frozen explosion. I thought I was going to die. Just up the street the temperature was -45. Yes, you read that correctly. -45.

Up until this point I always have figured that people who complain about the weather in Logan were just a bunch of wusses... I take back all of my previous thoughts about them. They're really soothsayers.

I feel like I more fully understand Robert Frost's poem Fire and Ice and if I am able to determine the way the Earth ends I am going to voraciously campaign against death by freezing.

Fire and Ice

BY ROBERT FROST

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

It was UN-BELIZE-ABLE

Ok, so maybe my trip wasn't un-belize-able like all of my friends who went to Belize last week, but why would you want to go to an exotic land in South America when you could enjoy the finest Idaho has to offer.

Sure my friends got sun, sea food, and probably cool souvenirs, but I got to go to LAVA HOT SPRINGS.

Though not located in South America, this Idaho gem has various hot tube like arenas that serve the general public by exploiting the natural hot springs in Idaho. P-A-R-T-Y!

When we decided to go I went to my friends apt and we rushed to get into the car. Once seated, Mike started talking about how I was really lucky to be going to the hot springs with 5 guys. Yes, I really think it's my luck to get into a swimsuit with a bunch of guys in the middle of January. Dream.come.true. Then, Mike said the most classic line I've heard in a long time. He told me it was like I was on elimidate.

If you haven't seen this show you need to. Like really, it's a pop culture gem. Basically it was the neophyte stage of reality tv and there would be one trashy girl with a bunch of guys and she would slowly eliminate them based on important things like level of tan, color of hair, quality of tattoo, and number of earings. The goal, of course, being a committed one night stand.

And so we drove the hour and a half it takes to get there with me thinking about what it would be like to be on elimidate.

The hot springs themselves were...well...hot. It was really nice to be in 10 degree weather though and not freezing. In all honesty, Lava Hot Springs was pretty fun. But, like Mark said, it would be better if there was a big screen with ESPN on. I corrected him saying he meant the bachelor, but it was the same idea.

After we went to dinner and then traveled home to lovely L-town.

It really was fun, and though I was sad I couldn't go to Belize because of school/work/life I am glad my friends had such a good time and I hope that this post about Lava Hot Springs doesn't make them too jealous. But I could see how it could....

S-L-I-C-K

The world of Logan was covered in a thin sheet of ice today. And I was late.

With 7:30 breathing down my neck, and knowing that I needed to be on time for my students, I put a hustle in my bustle. When I reached the hill I go up I realized how icy the ground was and before I knew what happened I was on the ground, thinking "how did I get on the ground?" A girl then emerged from the bushes, like a paid spy to see humiliating acts, and said "it's icy huh?" and began to laugh.

Duh.

The rest of my way to school was spent sliding across ice-because, I kid you not, I had more control gliding than walking or shuffling.

So, as to be expected, when I went to my class I asked how many people slipped. 7 students raised their hands and I felt like I was in good company. Until I asked how many actually fell to the ground.

That award apparently only goes to me.

Miracles are happening.

Logan has a downfall that drives me crazy. It doesn't have radio stations that I like....oh wait, it actually only had two stations: spanish polka and contemporary 90's rock. I hated both of these so I had to resort to listening to the only cool cd in my car-Phil Collins (because I always forget my ipod). I now know all of the lyrics to "I'll Be In Your Heart." Well this morning I got in my car and I heard the faint buzz of K Bull 93.3....I cocked my head and I kept driving. The closer I got to main street the clearer the music began. Yes my dear friends, I now have radio in my car. All of my presets work. Hallelujah. And now i'm just praying that it's not just a result of the weather up here...which was my friends rationale. One thing I don't get though is why not everyone is talking about this. I think it's a miracle and no one has even noticed. Lift up thine eyes Logan friends.

In other news BYU beat the Aggies last night in basketball and it was a great game. I was sad I didn't go but a bunch of us grabbed dinner and watched the cougars roll. Jimmer-will you marry me?

Thank you cougar fan, and formally employed student, for making my day with that thought. Just like the big brother who doesn't know there is a rivalry with the younger son, I am still shocked by the rivalry that USU is convinced is happening between the "other blue school."

The Poof

I was warned about two things in Logan.

Tied-dye shirts and the poof. I have had numerous experiences with both, but this post is dedicated to the poof.

If you don’t know what the poof is you must come visit. Northern Utahans (I just had to look up if that is really what natives of Utah are called, and we are indeed Utahans) love to sport the high volume poof in their hair. The style is simple. You take straight, beautiful hair and ruin it my ratting the under layers, destroying them (and possibly the atmosphere) with hair spray in a can, and then smoothing the top. Thus adding 4 inches of height.

I was talking to my roommates about the poof and Annie said “everybody poofs.” As if that statement alone isn’t funny enough, I couldn’t stop thinking about the book “Everybody Poops,” a childhood classic. I digress.

Anyway, I look around and it’s true. Virtually 80% of the girls up here are sporting the poof proudly. It seems unspoken that there is a competition and the one with the most poof has the most power. Poof=power. An odd equation, but one which the Loganites (I didn’t look up that name. I am choosing to believe they are called Loganites because it sounds fantastic) hold to. Sometimes I sit in class and look around at the poofs, because it’s hard to see the professor due to said poof, and I just think about how much work the poof is. The irony of it all is I spend all morning attempting to rid myself of my natural poof, a product of very curly hair, and am always a little disappointed with the inevitable remaining poof. In my world poof= girls with a inferiority complex whose fake nails are always too short for them and their Aeropostal shirts have been dried one time too many. But alas, there is the small voice inside of me that, for .5 sec thinks, I’m so glad I have natural (or any sort) of volumne in my hair.

I often wonder if the poof is natural though--or if they have invested in the ever classic tv infomercial of the bumpit. This invention, which comes in three sizes, allows for the unnatural look of the poof (sometimes referred to as the bump-hense bumpit) to be done in mere minuets. Thank you inventor--for further delaying the progress of women in Logan.

If you're wondering how a bumpit works I've added instructions.

The point of this post? To pledge to never intentionally poof and to keep a healthy perspective of how ridiculous the poof is. This could be a challenge because I am surrounded by it daily. Will you make the pledge?