IDK what this is about.

1. Don't worry. I just filled out 4 brackets. That might be a record for me. I usually have like 2. Maybe 3. Favorite bracket name I came up with: #winning. BAHAHAHA.

2. This weekend I partied hard at the wedding reception of one Megan Marie Knell (Yates). I wandered into her reception by myself and found her in the crowd. She turned and looked at me with sheer shock and excitement that I was there, and I was just SO HAPPY to see her. Seriously I think it had been since 2010 when I ran into her in the library and BYU. And she is such a dear friend and such an amazing person. We spent a lot of time together in high school, but we first met on the stake pioneer trek in 2003. We were sisters and both the new kids. She was my favorite. :) But so anyway, I started blubbering like a baby. It was embarrassing. I rarely get emotional about, like, anything. But I really love my friends. And Megan Knell is just one of those dear people that you kind of just want to keep with you forever. And so we hugged like 3 times and just kept saying "I love you!!!" and it was great. But quite blubbery on my part. Ick. The wedding, by the way, was gorgeous and amazing and all I would have imagined it to be. I am so happy for her. And I was so happy to be able to make it to the reception.

But so anyway, I called Elise while coming home from the reception and confessed that I was no longer in the mood to go to this St. Patrick's Day party that I was planning on. I didn't feel like being social anymore...I had just been blubbering. And I was feeling sorry for myself about not being married or having a child (I had just read Dani's blog post of her baby's birth story and was seriously feeling a lot of jealousy). Somehow my mother pulled it out of Elise that I wasn't going to the party anymore, and then I get a text from mother instructing me to go to the party so that I could meet boys.

I just think that I do a very good job of being social and I am only upset about the marriage thing like 1% of my life, so I'm pretty sure that taking ONE night off isn't going to kill me. And by the time I got home I was feeling pretty much better anyway, so that's when I went bowling. See #3.

3. I also partied at the random bowling alley on 3300 South on Friday night. With some buddies. I bowled an 85. Not. too. shabby.

4. The next party took place on Saturday at my cousin Samuel's play. He was a star. Check my instagram for a movie poster-esque ad for the play. It was Shakespeare. Troilus and Cressida. And it was really awesome. Sam was a lead and had to kiss and be all over this girl. I was like, WHOA THERE LITTLE BOY (it was like when Bieber kisses that girl at the end of that Chris Brown video and you mourn the loss of baby bieber). He's 17....but he's my little cousin. It was weird. He's such a doll, though. And the play was intense. I was literally on the edge of my seat. :)

5. Our second roller blading escapade happened this afternoon. We did the usual visits and then we tried to ride past one of those signs that tells cars how much over the speed limit they are going. We were under, just so you know. A whopping 6mph. Pretty sure we are going to try for higher speeds next week. We also got severals offers from boys with bikes to pull us waterski style behind them. I think that sounds delightfully dangerous and it will happen in the near future. But I might buy some knee pads first. Or maybe just the cool-looking wrist guards (because I'm pretty sure I will catch myself with my hands if I fall and my wrists are already fairly fragile).


And there you go. Some random random for your reading pleasure.

Sick day

Attention: post written yesterday, on Valentine's Day.

What does Audrey do when she takes the day off because she doesn't feel good?

1. She talks to herself A LOT. I've lost my voice. So it's really funny to hear myself talk. And do you want to know what instinctively comes out when I want to test my voice?? Either the phrase, "can I talk??" or that slightly creepy "Hello, Hello" song you sing in Primary when there's a new kid. Why do I start singing that song???

2. I watch old Cary Grant movies. "I Was A Male War Bride" was briliant and hilarious. I laughed my funny no-voice-laugh a million times. It starts out as your classic "we hate each other" movie and then they decide to get married. She was a Lieutenant in the US Army and he a Captain in the French. So he has to get a visa. It's all legal and everything, but then they won't let him on the ship because his papers say he is a Mrs. You can understand the problem. So they DRESS CARY GRANT UP LIKE A WOMAN. I was rolling. Watch it. Available instantly on Netflix. Made in 1949 and based on a true story.

and..... here's a taste.

3. I watch music videos. Today it was exploration of UK artists. Because I can't deny them attention. so behold. the new British invasion:

Rizzle Kicks. These are the dudes that opened for Ed. And you can totally see Ed in the background of this vid.



The Saturdays. the new Spice Girls.


One Direction. obviously.


Ed Sheeran. obviously.


Olly Murs. this dude opened for 1D and he was rad. Also check out "Troublemaker." Probably my favorite song of his.


Cher Lloyd. infectious.


Adele. doesn't really fit in this category. she is above and beyond. but still.


And the list goes on.

4. I talk to my brother on the phone. That brother of mine was like, "HOLLER IF YOU CAN HEAR ME!!" In the middle of our conversation. And I was like, "HOLLEEEERRRRRRRRR" in my almost-no-voice-that-disappears-when-it-gets-too-high-pitched. And then conversation continued like normal.

5. And then I try to get up the motivation to get out of bed and maybe do the dishes or something. But what is a sick day good for if you still have to do the dishes??

and that's about it. I keep thinking I should read a book or something... but somehow it never happens. All I want to do is go shopping, but I have told myself not to buy any more clothes until Spring is legitimately in the air.

Tonight I'm going to eat dinner with my girl Lauren and then we're going to "Safe Haven" (not my pick) with our fave home teacher, Chris. Seriously one of my favorite people in my ward. Maybe he'll be my Valentine. Attention Rachelle: he looks like a mix between (speaking in code now) that one boy you dated who got engaged on campus while his fiance was wearing her backpack and that other boy you only KIND OF dated who has the same first name as that other boy that you actually did date but then everything blew up bad. Get the picture?

And now I present to you a small sample of textual interactions of the sick day (any other social happening was limited, don't judge):

1. This text from my favorite boy, who I kind of wish was my Valentine: "...being in DC reminds me of you and then a Queen song came on in my head which made me think again. Happy Valentine's day to you!"

2. And then this convo with the one and only Mike Poulson.

Mike: Audrey....
Me: Yeah?
Mike: nothing. I just wanted to text your name with an angry inflection.
Me: Too bad I didn't read it that way. But why angry?
Mike: It was a sudden impulse. No explanations. But now that we're talking, how are you today?
Me: home sick. in bed.
Mike: homesick or at home, sick?
Me: At home, sick. I am going to St. George tonight, though.
Mike: both things sound unfortunate.

I don't know why I still talk to him.

3. Nathan: did you stay at home?
Me: yep. unfortunately.
Nathan: That sounds like it's no fun...except you have a 30 day weekend.  (it's really 5 days)
Me: yeah, but I'd rather have the days spread out.
Nathan: but sick days aren't worth anything if you don't use them.
Me: exactly why I'm still in bed.
Nathan: lol, dork

hey, now. That was uncalled for. not really sure why I still talk to him, either.

4. Elise: I got asked out today by a 32 year old neuro-surgeon from LA for dinner tonight. On Valentine's day. Omg...
Me: So did you say yes? How was dinner?

no response. so rude.

And I guess that's about it. The lame day of a lame Audrey.

hahahahahahah get it? get the pun??

True story.

This conversation took place with my coworkers today. I want to say that names have been changed, but they haven't. This is because the story is mostly about me.

Some background: John hates Valentine's Day. He think it feels contrived and that his wife already knows that he loves her. And he doesn't need a special day to show it. Liz hates Valentine's jewelry commercials and their stupid tag lines. I'm unsure of the reason for this.

And so the conversation went as follows:

John: I hate Valentine's day.
Liz: I hate jewelry commercials.
Jason: But then you can't go to Jared!
Me: (yelled over the cubicles--- I couldn't actually see these people) Yeah, every kiss begins with Kay!!
Me: (to Brooke, who I could see) Oh Em Gee, I'm so glad that every kiss DOESN'T begin with Kay.
Brooke: What?
Me: There would be a whole lot less kisses in the world.
John: Yeah that would be bad.
Brooke: every jewelry store would have to start with "K."

.......pause......

Me: (still processing. and then, in my best explanatory and exclamatory voice:) OH MY GOSH EVERY KISS DOES BEGIN WITH "K"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(John bursts out from behind the cubicle wall, on his wheeled desk chair)
John: What did you just say??????

Extreme laughter from all parties at the expense of Audrey.

I can't believe I never understood that before.

This is like the day when I realized why "The Biggest Loser" is called "The Biggest Loser."

And just for the record, I love Valentine's Day and everything about it. Because why wouldn't I want an extra reason to remind everyone that I love them?

Also just for the record,

THIS:


I feel like this song, WAY MORE than "Suit and Tie," is what we were all waiting for. It's like a hint of classic JT but with some new swag flavor.

And this:


And also this:

Phillip Phillips is coming to Orem in March. And guess who is going to be there? This girl.

The concert.

The dude seriously records the sound of his Rice Krispies in the morning and then freestyles to it.

At the beginning of his tour for "+" he did a concert in Birmingham and at the beginning asked the crowd to part and then set up a table in the middle of the floor and just stood on it with his guitar and performed the whole thing acoustically without a microphone. in the middle of the crowd. would that not be the coolest thing of your whole life???

Some videos. If you watch one of them, please let it be the second one. Or the third.

A great interview:



A great studio session:


And another great studio session:


I watched these sorts of things. live.

It was the best concert I've ever been to. Let's recap the other concerts I have seen: NSYNC, BSB, One Direction, Neil Diamond, Beach Boys, Goo Goo Dolls....and I don't remember what else. I loved the Backstreet Boys concert. It rocked. It was a dream come true.

But Ed was just a different story. He wrote these amazing songs and then he performed them, on his own, with no band, and I was just standing there, smashed in the crowd, with my fists clenched and my mouth open. The whole time.

Lauren and I got there a little over an hour early and found my friend Candace in line. We were so lucky to have her. She was towards the beginning of the massive line and we got excellent placement in the crowd once they opened the doors.

We did not stay in that excellent place. I have never experienced such pushing. People started pushing towards the front the moment the place started to fill up. It was a little insane. And I started to lose it a little bit. I don't think I've ever been so mean in my life. But when you are in this sort of situation, you have to hold your ground, dang it! If you let everyone in front you that tries to push forward, you will end up at the very back of the crowd, which would be no bueno!! One girl was like, "can I get between you guys?" Because she and her girls were trying to find their friends up at the front. I said no. She was like, "but I need to find our friends." And I flat out said, "they have literally saved a bubble of space up their for you? Because there is no room." She was like, "WHAAA?" And I said, "you can go up there if you want, but you'll have to find a different way."

I took a picture to commemorate the small air bubble in front of me for a couple minutes. And that girl's hair, btw, was OUT OF CONTROL and in my face LOTS.

After a while Lauren and I started to feel like we are getting too old for this.

Lauren, Candace, me.

But we had our matching shirts on and we were just SO EXCITED to see Ed.


There were two opening acts. The first one was boring-ish and the only thing I could think was that opening acts are the worst idea in the history of mankind. But then the second one was good. Both openers were British, which was cool, but then they spoke so fast that we couldn't understand them when they said their names. It was difficult. But we figured out that the second was called Rizzle Kicks. They were UK rapper dudes. Zac Taylor would have loved them. And they grooved. I was excited.

And then Ed appeared. He opened with "Give Me Love" and I about died.

Ed in blue.

And then the set list included "Drunk," "U.N.I.," "Grade 8," "Small Bump," "Kiss Me" (again, I die.), "Lego House," "Wayfaring Stranger" (not an Ed original, btw), "Gold Rush," "You Need Me, I Don't Need You" (which went on for like 10 minutes), a traditional Irish piece (I wish he would have closed with this), and finally, "The a Team."

oh hello there Ed.

He kept telling everyone to sing instead of scream and he would give us harmonies. And then for the slower, sweeter songs, he just told everyone to be silent--almost like it was reverent. It was really cool. And he would sing and play and loop his stuff like in those videos.

They should pay me for taking a picture this good.

Ed waving good bye

When it ended Lauren and I were speechless. We wandered back to the car, and while we were waiting in the parking lot for literally 1 hour before we could pull out, we listened to the whole album again. And it was like magic.

Oh, and Saltair was pretty cool. I'll have to go out there again because it was SO FOGGY that I swear I couldn't even see the whole building, nor the surrounding areas (namely, the lake).

So if you ever get the chance. Buy tickets to see Ed.

at the end... :(

the shiny gold thing??? That's about the only part of the building we could see.

waiting in the car, very sleepy.

And also. "The a Team" is nominated for Song of the Year at this year's Grammys. And Ed's performing. So watch it.

And a last note: Someone asked in an interview what he has spent his money on since becoming rich and famous. He was like, "well, someone gave me a Ralph Lauren sweat shirt that I really liked... so I bought 7 more in different colors." Who does that???

Over Again

1. So much for having as many posts in January 2013 as I did in the whole year of 2012. I was close, though.

2. January 31-- the birth day of Justin Timberlake. A day that I will always remember. I see the date and the only thing I can think of is Justin Timberlake and how I was so jealous in 6th grade of my friend Mackenzie because she had the same birthday as the One and Only. The Google home page is paying homage to Jackie Robinson. It's appropriate, I guess. But someday I bet there will be a little cartoon JT smiling at me on this day at google.com.

3. The more I listen to Ed the more I love him. And guess what?? The most exciting thing of 2013 happened today (actually, maybe not as exciting as a new JT single). BUT GUESS WHAT?????? I found and bought tickets for ED SHEERAN AT SALTAIR. NEXT WEDNESDAY!!!! I called Lauren the moment I saw them online and practically started screaming when she answered the phone. And then she was screaming too and then I bought the tickets. So now, next Wednesday will become the best day of 2013. The end.

4. To add to the exciting-ness that is Ed next Wednesday, the venue is the Great Saltair near Magna, Utah. This is one of those places that I have been dreaming of visiting since I started working at Special Collections at BYU and saw a bunch of pictures of this old water park resort thing at the Great Salt Lake and everyone was wearing those swim suits from the 1920s that look like regular clothes, complete with hats and everything. And Saltair itself looked like a palace on the water. I read up on the whole thing on Wikipedia like a year ago, and found out that the original building was burned down, like, a couple of times and it was rebuilt for the millionth time in the '80s and now they use it for concerts and such. And I get to go there and see Ed!!!! All of my wildest dreams are coming true. Next week. Now all I have to do is meet my husband there and fall madly in love, and the day will be unsurpassed for all of history.

Saltair now. rebuilt in 1987.

The old Saltair. Isn't it amazing??? The first Saltair burned down in 1925.

See all the people??? See the swim suits that say, "Saltair"???? I wish I could have seen it back then.

oh my heck, I should have my wedding reception there. And it will be a ball/black tie affair.

5. Great news: I DIDN'T HAVE TO SCRAPE OFF MY WINDOWS THIS MORNING!

6. Other great news: I have the day off tomorrow!! And that means I can stay up late and then sleep in!! HEAVEN!!!!

7. Do you ever feel like people only add you on Facebook because they want to Facebook stalk you for some reason, and you think you know what that reason is, but you are probably just being paranoid??? Do you?

8. Did anyone notice that the titles of my last three posts (minus the one titled "?") were all One Direction songs---the 3 songs that Ed Sheeran wrote for them??? Did anyone notice?? 5 points if you noticed!!

Ciao.

little things

1. Today I bought a BODY PILLOW.
2. I was able to hang out with both Grandma Janice and Grandma Colleen this weekend. They both just kept cracking jokes!
3. BYU basketball is my fave. Tyler Haws.
4. Still in love with that ginger. See below.
5. Amy came to church with me yesterday!
6. Awkward situations are best dealt with unawkwardly.
7. Anyone want to go to a monster truck rally with me on Saturday?
8. I tried to win tickets to OneRepublic on Friday. Apparently my text to the radio station that said, "PICK ME! RYAN TEDDER IS MY FAVORITE GUY!!!!!!!" wasn't enough.
9. Read a little book on Friday called, Lola and the Boy Next Door. I love boys next door. And I love chick lit. But this week's target is 1984, because I have never even read it. I'm reading a book a week this year, ps, alternating between real literature and sugary desserts.
10. this picture was finally posted to facebook:

read: I was in an interesting mood this evening.

11. and this one:

read: water balloon smacking me in the face, mid-cartwheel. And you can see the water splash.

12. Oh, and this one:

read: the dream team.

13. And, just for fun, let's hearken back to this gem:

just because there was a giant walrus. btw, drake's pants are about to rip.

ciao.

I don't even know what to call this.

What is the most frustrating thing that can happen to you in your whole life? Something that can happen any time of the week, and doesn't usually have any real, terrible consequences?

I had a very hilarious story planned for this post. I've been thinking about it all day. But now I'm just sick of telling this story. As it turns out, most people look at you like you are a big idiot if you tell them that you locked your keys in your car, while it was running, before work, TWO DAYS IN A ROW.

They don't laugh (as is the proper response). They look at you, very concerned, and suggest kindly that you should get a spare key to remedy your unfortunate and idiotic habit.

I think that sort of a suggestion is a perfect THANK YOU CAPTAIN OBVIOUS situation.

And just so everyone is aware, I now have three sets of keys. My normal keys. A set in a magnetic box attached to the underside of my car, and another that will be hidden near my house once the snow is gone.

And also, just so everyone is aware, I completely blame the cold weather. My car has been acting weird, period. And the locks are obviously playing tricks on me. And if I didn't ever need to scrape my windows I wouldn't have ever gotten out of the car after having started it.

So there.

And while I'm being angry, this is an anonymous note:

Dear Next Door Neighbor:

I shouldn't have to park 2 blocks away to find a parking spot when there are two available spots in front of your house. The temperature has not risen above freezing in like the last month, and I might get hypothermia or pneumonia or, I don't know, TB (haha) from making the trek from car to house and back. I will be sending you the hospital bill. And please stop being so mean.

Sincerely, your friendly neighborhood single people with 4 cars who need places to park them.

And Andrew, I don't appreciate your attitude when I confess to you about my keys-locked-in-car situation while I'm on my way to Stephanie's house and then you text her right away with a warning: "Audrey's coming. Guard your keys."

Options

So yesterday. It was Friday night and for several days prior I had all the optional activities swirling around in my head. Couldn't decide what my plans would be:

1. Go to Provo to do my laundry at Stephanie's before and after seeing Les Mis with her. She still hasn't witnessed the wonder.

2. Hit up Trader Joe's for some Speculoos and tart frozen yogurt (and that yummy granola) and then go ice skating with Audrey and Jessica-- 2 of my most favorite hilarious people. They were going to come down from Provo.

3. Hang out with a boy.

And this is what ended up happening:

After getting off work early because of massive snow storm Gandolf (that is seriously what they called it--although it's spelled wrong. And now the mystery is finally solved-- this must be how he went from "the Grey" to "the WHITE." A whole lotta snow.), I made a frozen pizza and watched "This Means War." I was cold and tired and actually kind of scared of the snow. And Lauren was home eventually-- and she watched the movie with me. Around 6pm we both settled into spots on the chair-and-a-half and couch in our front room. She was reading a book and I was doing my nails, still trying to determine the evening's plans. And then she had a suggestion. A book suggestion. A book I should totally read. So she got it from her room and I started reading--as if on command--and forgot completely about doing my nails. I am currently typing with only a base coat. The book was so delightful that by page 2 I started reading passages aloud. Lauren told me to keep reading. She put her book away and then just laid there... watching me, listening. We paused now and then to answer texts (we tried to give our home teacher a booty call, for example) She got me a couple glasses of water, you know, because my throat was dry, from all the reading-aloud. We took an hour break to shovel our driveway and jump into the snow (to a not-so-soft landing despite the 15 inches of snow, mind you), and then we resumed the story.

And then suddenly it was 2:30AM and we were on page 235 and my throat muscles are actually sore from using them so much.

Old Maid's Day

(I recently realized that I have a bunch of unfinished drafts of blog posts... so I'm going to publish some of them. This was written in June of this year.)

So I like to throw parties. In a series of fortunate events I learned that June 4 is Old Maid's Day. I decided that there was only one way to celebrate such a great holiday that commemorates so many of my favorite people. Because, you know, if more people celebrated Old Maid's Day maybe it would be more worth it to be an Old Maid. (ps, I don't actually think I am an old maid. But I love in Provo for crying out loud).

Anyway. That one way to celebrate was a monster girl party. The exclusive facebook invite looked a thing or two like this:

So guess what.

June 4th is officially Old Maid's Day (according to some random website I found like 2 months ago).

In Provo world, many of us are old maids. Or even if we are not old maids, we like to have girl parties.

So. Come for girl foods (aka chocolate, ice cream, buttery buttery popcorn, cutie cupcakes, and a veggie tray to make us feel less guilty), girl movies (aka She's the Man, Mean Girls, and/or How to Lose a Guy in 10 days), and lots of gossiping. Come with all your juice (preferably about cute boys).

And the most important part: this party is. a. secret.

It's an exclusive bash. "It's just for a couple of cool people and you better be one of them bio***." (guess)

Bring your pajamas, blankets for comfort and sleeping, possibly your mattress, food, and other necessaries.

LAST THING: BRING YOUR FAT PANTS LADIES!

I'm so funny.

So we had lotsa food (including chocolate chip cookie covered oreos. yep that's right) and lotsa Mean Girls and then lotsa gossip, which included a spectacular game of "truth or truth." Some of the best "truth" questions included, "who is your most embarrassing ward crush ever?" and "if you had to marry someone in the ward RIGHT NOW who would it be?" 

It was a blast, and after only 4 hours of sleep, all of us showed up at church all hyped up and ready to go.

Man. I love being single. 

Audrey's early politics

At the gym (about 10 minutes ago), I was watching CNN while listening to my Motown #1's. On CNN there was a breaking report about how Bill Clinton supports Obama's new tax something or other. And I remembered something.

When I was in 3rd grade during the 1996 presidential election and Clinton was campaigning for re-election. My elementary school was full of excitement-- all the classes took a poll and we kind of ran our own election. There was a giant graph in the hall that showed the polls and everything. Elementary kids in Utah were largely in favor of Bob Dole, token republican of the campaign.

I, however, was 100% behind Bill Clinton because for some odd reason, I thought that President Clinton had been in charge of the opening ceremonies at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, and I was obsessed with those Olympics and their opening ceremonies.

Seriously. My political views of age 8 were directly correlated to the grand show I had seen on my little television set several months earlier.

I remember that very specifically. And all the other 3rd graders thought I was crazy for liking President Clinton.

The end.

"It's mine. I bought it."

Quoted: Justin Bieber

I share his sentiment. In this funnyordie.com video, he buys a club so he can do whatever he wants with it. That just happens to be turning it into a Chuckie Cheese. Noble decision.

So I realized today that it actually really bugs me when people take my candy. Well, not just people, but boys that already bother me and then they take my candy without asking. Why would I notice this trend? How is it possible that it would have happened to me enough times that this would register on the list of Audrey's pet peeves?

Well, it only had to happen twice.

1. In 9th grade, students were given a candy bar for their birthday in seminary. On my birthday, I was super stoked to receive a Snickers bar, my favorite favorite candy bar. I opened the package and took one delectable bite. Then, it was time for the prayer. I folded my arms, still holding the candy bar in my fist, bowed my head, and closed my eyes for the prayer. During said prayer, my candy bar was STOLEN out of my hand, bitten off of, and placed back in my fist. And this was all before the prayer was over. I looked behind me to see my nemesis: an unnamed rude boy and graduate from Dixie High School, class of 2006. A boy who when I think of him, still puts a bad taste in my mouth. I had to break off another large piece of my candy bar to get his cooties off it, and was left with less than half a candy bar. And I had only been able to take one bite. I was seriously annoyed. And angry.

2. Today I brought mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cups to my practicum class for part of the lesson I had to teach. I left the bag open on my desk when I went up to the front of the room to get something, and when I came back, the obnoxious, too-smart-for-everyone boy that sits in front of me was EATING A REESES! I actually gave him a stern, annoyed look, took the bag from off my desk and placed it in my backpack, away from stupid boy who thought it was okay to steal my candy. Not okay.

Unreasonable? I think not.

So annoying, candy stealer boys: Remember, the candy is mine. I bought it.

Footloose

Been listening to this soundtrack on a loop for the past couple days. I forgot how much I love Footloose. It was an 8th grade obsession of mine.

Also, I had a crush on Kevin Bacon as an 8-year-old watching Apollo 13. 

Below is the cover for the album version that I wish I was cool enough to have. 

And you know what's so great about this soundtrack? Classic songs. "Let's Hear it For the Boy" "Holding Out For A Hero" and "Footloose." Or my favorite, "I'm Free." Kenny Loggins. And seriously, this soundtrack is like a mix of Prince, Queen, Heart, and honestly, a little bit of Michael. Some funky stuff, some classic 80s rock with hot male voices or strong, deeper female voices, and some deep bass lines. And there's one song that reminds me of the Goofy movie song, "Stand Out." What could possibly be greater?

A mix.

A quick something.

JK Rowling was recently on Oprah. I meant to watch it (because I always know when she has an appearance coming up), but unfortunately, I forgot. But, I caught the recap. And with the help of my friend Liz, I found this out:

1. Quoted from a news report: "Fans, rejoice -- J.K. Rowling offered a bit of hope on Friday that, perhaps, the final Harry Potter story has yet to be told. "I could definitely write an eighth, ninth, tenth," the celebrated author, 45, told Oprah Winfrey during an interview scheduled to air Friday. "I'm not going to say I won't. I don't think I will ... I feel I am done, but you never know."

My reaction: You know I love Harry Potter. But. I don't think there should be more. However, if the brilliant Ms. Rowling things there should be more, well then, there should be. I trust the woman.

2. Quoted from the same article: "However, Rowling mentioned that she did turn down one opportunity -- when Michael Jackson said he wanted to make a musical based on the books."

My reaction: I'M SORRY. WHAT??!? I had heard the rumors about a musical, but it was never public knowledge until Friday that it was MICHAEL JACKSON'S IDEA!!!! Now, I'm not sure that those two things- Harry Potter and Michael Jackson- should EVER EVER mix, but STILL!! Imagine the possibilities. WORLDS COLLIDE!

Here's the article if ya wanna read it:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/celebrity.news.gossip/10/01/more.harry.potter.ppl/index.html?eref=rss_showbiz&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_showbiz+%28RSS%3A+Entertainment%29

And another one about Michael's idea:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/J-K-Rowling-rejected-Michael-Jacksons-idea-of-Harry-Potter-musical/articleshow/6670974.cms

Neither are very informative, but it's the best we can do. Very little information available.


Adios.

Yep, that's me.

I realized, yesterday, that wherever I go, I carry little bits that boldly proclaim exactly who I am.

Exhibit A: My attire and equipment at the gym.

First, I will have my yellow iPod that has written on the back of it: "Ah Music." This is significant for several reasons: 1) It is chuck full of Michael Jackson music. He sings to me and it brightens my day. 2) yellow is my favorite color. and 3) the "Ah Music" quote actually comes from Albus Dumbledore in HP1 after the students and faculty at Hogwarts complete a spirited rendition of the Hogwarts school song. I love Harry Potter.

Second, I will be carrying a book, and quite possibly it will be a Tennis Shoes book (like yesterday). Around the book will be an elastic head band that I will use to strap the book onto the elliptical machine. I love books way too much, and somehow I came up with a way to hold the book open to read, while I listen to Michael Jackson and exercise at the same time. Multi-tasking. I'm a pro.

Third, The only piece of jewelry I will be wearing is a CTR ring. The CTR ring that I have been wearing for more than half of my life (purchased; $10; Nauvoo, Illinois; August 1999; age 11). I am a very sentimental person. I keep things for a very long time. AND, the ring signifies the high priority that religion is in my life.

Fourth, The probability that the shirt I will be wearing bears some sort of BYU logo is very high. I love BYU and I wish I could be a student there for the rest of my life.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

One of my favorite days of all time: July 21, 2007.

If the HP 5 and HP 6 releases were a fun and exciting, then the HP 7 release was THE MOST FUN AND EXCITING THING EVER.

I literally took 150 pictures, screamed so much I lost my voice, set up a Harry Potter shrine to shame all others (see pic above. Yes, 98% of that is MINE.), threw 2 book 7 preparation parties (the second of which was on July 16 to celebrate book 6 and to play a final jeopardy game to determine preparedness level for book 7), made HP7 T-shirts and bookmarks for all my friends and family, organized a binder full of editorials from Mugglenet that added to my ideas about book 7, made a schedule and re-read books 1-6 in June and July, made 2 different countdowns 100 days out (one was a chain and the other a little box with cards in it), spent hours and hours on Mugglenet and JKRowling.com to study, prepare, and check out new theories, rumors, and updates, recorded my own theories in detail, worked on a 3x5 HP character file system (complete with a note card giving details for each character in the series, and let's just say there are a lot), listened to Mugglenet's Mugglecast podcast everyday at the gym, collected more Harry Potter stuff, and so on.

I showed someone part of my Harry Potter collection the other day and they said, "wow. You have shown me a new way to be a fan." I think she got it. The enormity of the situation. The fact that when I am a fan of something, I am the biggest fan of something that you have ever come across. I am devoted.

And so, I once again spent the release with Nicole. And Judy and Shawn. My cousins and aunt who lovingly refer to me as "Potty." It originally came from "Audie Potty," but morphed into just "Potty" when the whole Harry Potter thing happened in my life.

We got our wristbands at the Bountiful Barnes and Noble at 3am on Friday morning (somehow we missed the wristbands at the Layton store- they did it a day early and didn't tell anyone. See picture on left with the green shirts), but still went to the Layton Barnes and Noble that night. Nobody cared. They did the bands in groups of the alphabet. We sat securely in line with our "A" bands. "A" is for "Audrey," "Awesome," and "Absolutely the most devoted Harry Potter fans ever because they came to get a wristband earlier than everyone else." We got our books at 12:01am, then rushed home to take even more pictures and read a ton. (picture below: Nicole and I being more excited than is probably healthy.)

The experience of reading those books for the first time is hard to describe. It just is. It. is. so. fun. so great. We laughed and cried and finished and then cried because we were done, and it was over. I mourned by joining the facebook group, "After page 759 in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, my childhood ended."

But I love Harry Potter.

PS, I listened to HP7 all day at work today. It was magical. (picture to right: the gang. Those of us in festive Harry Potter shirts are obviously the coolest)

"200 degrees, that's why they call me Mr. Fahrenheit...."

Freddie Mercury, ladies and gentlemen. I can't believe it took me so long to realize what an amazing singer/artist/musician this man was. I mean, really? Freddie, Freddie, Freddie. There are no words to describe.

In the words of Lynne, which I think are pretty accurate, "Freddie Mercury defies all expectation."

It's so true. He's CRAZY. He is like a constant surprise. The one thing about him you can count on, I guess, is for his voice and performance ability to always be amazing.

I don't know why I have this thing for music artists that are weirdos. Exhibit A: Michael Jackson. Exhibit B: Freddie Mercury. Oh wait, I know exactly why. They are fascinating. They are extraordinarily talented, like I'm talking mind-blowing skills, and really, they are just true artists. You know what I mean? There are artists who paint and artists who sculpt, and then there are artists who make music and actually treat music as art. They respect it, and they use their talent to enhance the art- further it- do more with it than had been done before. So many singers claim to be artists, when they are not. You cannot be an artist without changing your art in someway by what you do.

So Freddie had an unusual past. He was a Parsi-- a Zoroastrian whose ancestors migrated from Iran to India. He was born in Zanzibar, went to school in India, and then moved to England with his family when he was 17. They were fleeing Zanzibar for safety reasons- to avoid the Zanzibar revolution. It was in England that he me Roger Taylor, Brian May, and John Deacon- the other members of Queen.

And I guess the rest is history. I don't need to talk about the impact that Queen has had on modern music. We all know and love Queen songs. "We are the Champions" anyone?

But I do need to pay tribute to Freddie's skills as a performer. In 1985 Queen performed for 72,000 at a charity event called Live Aid. As a response to the performance, on critic wrote: "Those who compile lists of Great Rock Frontmen and award the top spots to Mick Jagger or Robert Plant, etc all are guilty of a terrible oversight. Freddie, as evidenced by his Dionysian Live Aid performance, was easily the most godlike of them all."

The "godlike" description brings to mind a comment that I read on YouTube under a video of a portion of the Live Aid performance (and seriously, ya'll should watch it). The comment read, "Elvis Presley is the King of Rock and Roll. Michael Jackson is the King of Pop. But Freddie Mercury is the god of Music." I'm not saying that I agree, I mean, obviously I love both Elvis and Michael more than I love Freddie. But, the quote makes a good point towards the amount of sheer worship that Freddie received from fans. Plus, it's just kind of funny.


My current favorite Queen songs--- that I would recommend to all and everyone.

1. Don't Stop Me Now (Seriously, one of the funnest songs I've heard in a while. It's fast and clever and upbeat. And just so fun to sing. The title of this post comes from this song. And it is actually the reason for my new obsession. Because I found this song. Thanks to Dani, actually).
2. Too Much Love Will Kill You (A beautiful ballad that showcases Freddie's amazing range and emotional attachment to his music.)
3. Let Me Live (OMG. Gut-wrenching, this song. The story is so real. The woman portrayed needs to leave poor Freddie alone. Let him live!! Sample of the lyrics: "Why don't you take another little piece of my heart/Why don't you take it and break it/And tear it all apart.")
4. No-One But You (written and recorded, I believe, after Freddie's death, so he doesn't actually sing on it. But the other members of Queen do a beautiful job, and I really think that the song is about Freddie, and moving on without him.)
5. I Want to Break Free (Okay, seriously, you have to watch the video for this song. Freddie is dressed like a woman, but still wearing his mustache. It's just. so. perfectly. unexpected.)
6. Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy (ha. hahaha.)
7. Another One Bites the Dust (I didn't realize until a couple of days ago that this is actually ONE OF THE COOLEST SONGS EVER!)
8. Under Pressure (with David Bowie. Can you get any better than that?)

Video of Freddie being really awesome at Live Aid. 



The end of Freddie's story? He died of bronchopneumonia brought on by AIDS. People suspected that he had AIDS for years before it was publicly announced, and when he finally did announce his condition, he died 24 hours later on November 24, 1991.

FINALLY, GUESS WHAT????!?! I own a song in my iTunes called "State of Shock." It's a Michael Jackson song that I have somehow overlooked. But guess who is featured in the song?? FREDDIE MERCURY. Bam.

Oh, and one last thing. The man had terrible teeth.

Robert Downey Jr.

So this man has had a little bit of a sketchy past. Lots of drug problems. Eek. But I'm totally hooked. He is just such a great actor. And so funny. And good looking in an unusual sort of way. Or the usual sort. Whatever. He's attractive.

Ben Stiller, quoted in 2008:

Yes, Downey is Iron Man, but he really is Actor Man.[...]In the realm where box office is irrelevant and talent is king, the realm that actually means something, he has always ruled, and finally this summer he gets to have his cake and let us eat him up all the way to the multiplex, where his mastery is in full effect.

(bolding mine)

I discovered that Lynne is also a big Mr. Downey fan. So now we're fans together, and we, um, like to watch his movies. So far we/I have watched:

Ironman. Yes. Again. 3rd time in a little over a week. Tony Stark is just too fantastic. I'm just way too excited that Tony will be making an appearance in at least two more movies: Ironman 3, and The Avengers.

Ironman 2. Same Tony Stark goodness.

Only You. He plays a shoe salesman. And the eventual lover of a woman searching for her soul-mate. It's set in Italy. They run around the city together. It's adorable. And he loves her so much, even though he doesn't know her, which is weird, but it happens all the time in movies, so oh well.

Sherlock Holmes. Oh Sherlock, you are so witty and clever and entertaining. Please keep solving mysteries so I can watch you do it.

Heart and Souls. I want to watch this movie every day of my life from this point on. It was so cute and sweet and hilariously awkward. It's has an unusual plot, and the romance is just a side-story. But I was smiling the entire time, so much so that my cheeks hurt, and when it ended, I wanted to start it over.

Soapdish. This was funny, but I could do without it. Mr. Downey was great, but I do not particularly enjoy the shriek of Sally Field. In fact, if I never saw her in a movie again, I would have a very happy life.

Chances Are...this is not worth watching. I have learned, through this Robert Downey, Jr. movie watching that old movies can be really weird. Think same awkwardness of 17 Again, but there's a body switch kind of a thing, and the younger boy actually ends up with the daughter. It. is. weird.

Next on the docket: "Chaplin" (he was nominated for best actor for this one), "Soloist," "Good Night and Good Luck," and the edited version of "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang." 

PS, I know he's kind of old. But so is Brad Pitt. Ha.

Audrey as a high school student

So, in my teaching writing class we have been talking about grading.  I've had a very easy time relating to the material and discussion because if there was one thing on my mind in high school, it was grades and looking smart. And that isn't really an exaggeration. I was obsessed with them. So, I thought I would let my blog readers in on my high school grade (and school in general) obsession. If you knew me in high school, just sit back and laugh at my past insanity.

And I present....

Audrey's life as a high schooler (WARNING: this is the story of arrogant little high school Audrey who thought she was smarter than most people and wanted everyone to know. Now, I just think it is funny).

1. The habit of checking my grades on PowerSchool. As a sophomore I checked my grades at least once a day. Usually more. Everyday, after eating lunch, I would hand my watch to the nearest friend and tell them to time me while I checked my grades in a minute or less. I would then dash away, run to the computer lab, log on, look at all my A's, log out, and then dash back to wherever I had left my watch and friend timing me. Now why did I do this? I don't know. I liked checking my grades.

The following years my grade-checking only increased. Multiple times a day. I always just wanted to make sure. And I wanted to see new scores posted. I wanted to look at more A's. A is for Audrey, you know. 

2. Compulsive need to get only A's. I had goals, okay? And sometimes I had to use my powers of persuasion to get those A's. In health class sophomore year, I failed the quiz on the male reproductive system. Why would I ever want to study for that? It was awkward and I was immature. Needless to say, when I checked my grades in a minute or less the next day, my grade had dropped to an A-, and the semester was coming to an end. I PANICKED.  I went to Mr. Bair and told him the situation. He told me to make up my own extra credit, do it, and then he would see how many points it was worth. So you know what I did? Made the man a QUOTE BOOK, complete with cover, graphics, binding, and multiple pages of awesome quotes (He put quotes up on his board everyday...). And you know what else? I got an A in the class.

One time I got a C on a paper for Mrs. Smyly in AP Lit. TERROR, right? I was traumatized. I will forever hate the book it was about- Josef Conrad's Heart of Darkness. The book was dumb anyway.

I failed a test one time in Mrs. Suddreth's Algebra 2 class. I had been absent for color guard and didn't know we were going to have a test somehow. Luckily, Mrs. Suddreth allowed re-takes. I retook the test after studying and got 100%. BAM.

Mrs. Smyly almost gave me an A- once. I cried. And freaked out. I found out that Kennedy Clayton was getting an A- too, but that Mrs. Smyly had bumped her up. So I talked to Mrs. Smyly. I got an A. BUT, it was such a close call that at the end of the quarter when they passed out money for 4.0s, I kept the paperclip that attached my $10 to the report card. It is still in my wallet. It is a symbol, okay?

Do I feel guilty about complaining and doing extra credit to get a couple A's? No, not really. I worked DANG HARD in high school, and I deserved those A's. Plus, in this specific situation with Mrs. Smyly, I had missed enough participation points to drop me the grade because I had gone to Provo with my family to take Andrew to the MTC. But she wouldn't excuse it and give me back the points. But hey, I made her see reason.
So Mrs. Smyly gave me a lot of stress about my grade. And man, the participation/attendance point issue was a struggle. I remember one particular instance where I stayed home from school all day because I had THE FLU, but I got out of bed and went to Smyly's class. I couldn't miss the points. I probably infected everyone in the class, but dang it, I got my A.

3. History classes. They were pretty much my favorite thing. Honors World Civ, AP US history, and AP European history. The best classes at Dixie High. Thank you Mr. Wegkamp and Mrs. Howell, you are fantastic. You are the reason I am going to school to be a history teacher.

I used to study so hard for those classes. I went in to take the tests without having any questions and I always knew everything. (So different from now might I add).

K, I just want to paint a picture for you here. This is what happened before and on test days in those classes.

First, review games. What could possibly be greater? My excitement for these review games was just ridiculous. I HAD TO WIN. I studied for the reviews, okay? They were usually the kind of games where the teacher asks a question and then teams of 4 or 5 would have to buzz in and then give an answer. And extra credit was usually attached. I was obsessed with extra credit. I didn't need it. I just wanted it. (In fact, I used to work extra hard on Mrs. Howell's assignments and color code the outlines just so she would write "wow" at the top of the page and give me a "+2" next to my score.)

Okay, imagine a review game team for AP US history composed of me, Braidy Bundy, Kennedy Clayton, Moe, and Jen. It was a DREAM TEAM. And we fought hard. We argued our answers and the scores, told each other what to say when it wasn't out turn... all for points. We had the knowledge... sometimes the rules just went out the window a little bit. One day, when our team was accused of cheating in AP Gov, Braidy was like, "Well, if you're not cheating, you're not trying!" Okay, Braidy, you are awesome. I mean, sometimes things got heated, but I couldn't help it. I wanted to win.

Me and Braidy were together in AP Euro too. And we always won. Well, most of the time. But I was a ferocious review game player. I would get nervous before class, but would just be so excited. My competitive edge would come out and rear its head, and I would attack, leaving a pile of bodies whose brains contained less historical knowledge than mine. It was so great.

Second, after review games came... the test.

I remember one particular instance- and I kid you not- two girls in my class actually asked if they could touch me before the test. They were joking, but seriously. That was ridiculous.

In World Civ and AP US the pattern for tests was the same. We took a multiple choice test, turned in the scantrons, and then wrote an essay. While we were all furiously writing those essays, the teacher would go and run the tests through the scantron machine and quickly determine who had the high scores.

Then, at the end of the class period, when every one was turning their essay in, the names of the high scorers would be read aloud. And honestly, I looked forward to this part the very most. I was just so excited to hear my name read aloud and written on the board again. I honestly don't remember a time that I didn't get one of the high scores. I don't think it ever happened in world civ. Might've happened in AP US. Not sure. But I fed off that praise. It only served as motivation.

4. What else? I did homework all the time. When I was in the school musical every year, I would spend much of rehearsal and actual performance time sitting in the hall outside the auditorium studying- trying to catch up on the missed days of school for matinee performances. I was crazy. One time Mr. Saxton mentioned my devotion to schoolwork to the rest of the cast, recommending that they do the same. I glowed.

The summary of this high school obsession with being smart and getting the best grades? It was stressful. Unhealthy, even. It was compulsive. (I did have a lot of fun in high school, though. I just had to make time for it. I loved high school significantly more than the average person, I would say.) I would even go so far as to say that my need to get good grades was directly tied to my self-worth. It blocked insecurity and made me feel important. I needed those good grades to feel good about myself. I really think that is true. I used to wonder to myself, "what would I do if I got an A-??" And my answer would be, "that's not possible. It won't happen. I just don't know what I would do." The whole idea just freaked me out. I would start panicking just thinking about it. I had to only get A's, and I HAD to be valedictorian.

Luckily, I was successful, and if anything made the struggle and stress worth it, it was sitting on the stand at graduation and cracking jokes during my speech.

After writing this, I have a small idea forming... what if I could apply this devotion, focus, and fantastic study skill to school NOW? What if?

Nah, I'm far too lazy these days. I've realized (and am more healthy now) that I don't need straight A's to be happy. Life, I've come to learn, is about so much more than that. :)

It's April, the second best month of the year.

Just some things of late:

1. New favorite music: Adam Lambert, almost the ENTIRE For Your Entertainment album. Except, I don't listen to the title track. It's, um, not uplifting. But the album is super fun. I actually like to listen to it while I do homework. Weird, I know. I never used to do that. But I love to now. "If I Had You" and "Pick You Up" are my favorite songs on the album. Except I really like "Aftermath" too.

2. I went to St. George this weekend. Dani came with me. :) She loves St. George now, and that makes me so so so so happy. Because I love St. George. And I want everyone I know to love it too. But while I was home, we had a picnic on the Sugar Loaf, went to the Art Festival, watched General Conference, celebrated both me and Elise's birthdays, celebrated Easter, showed Dani around St. George (yeah, I took her to the high school), went to Dairy Queen with Moe and Jen, and drew a picture of a pig for Elise to hang up in her bedroom while my sisters made headbands. It was a fabulous weekend of happiness and sunshine. And St. George. What could be better? Btw, Elise redecorated her room, and it looks AMAZING.  I'm so jealous of that's girl's decorating talents. She is so creative. Anyway.

3. Elise made me a shirt for my birthday that says, "I would've picked Duckie," on it. Pretty in Pink is one of my favorite movies, and Duckie is like my all-time favorite movie character. The girl, played by Molly Ringwald picks the dumb supposedly hot boy over Duckie, the sweet and quirky best friend. And well, I would've picked Duckie. And now I can declare that to the world when I wear my shirt.

4. My cousin Nicole is coming home from Hawaii to visit in May. We're going to set up the Harry Potter shrine and have a party. I'm SOOOOOOOO happy about that. I love that Harry boy. And Nicole. :) When I was home this weekend, and I showed Dani my room, I pulled out some of my old Harry Potter stuff. Dani thought I was a FREAK. I showed her my binder of editorials about Harry Potter that I printed off the internet and annotated in order to keep track of theories and devise my own. And then I showed her my character files. I have index cards with details of all the characters on them. She thought I was a weirdo and said she would have to re-think our friendship. haha. I told her that she had just underestimated my obsession. I mean you can only say, "yeah, I love Harry Potter" so many times, and people still just don't get it. It's funny, too, because while I was dating Josh I kept thinking, he just doesn't understand my obsessive nature... it'll be funny when he figures it out. Unfortunately or fortunately, I don't know which, he never figured it out.

5. I have two and a half weeks left of school. I am so utterly excited I can't even say. Summer is going to be relaxing and fantastic, and I will just get to lay out in the sun all day. Except for when I have to go to work.

6. Rachelle is graduating and moving out. That's going to be weird. Not living with her, I mean. I'll miss that girl.

7. Vanessa and Kennedy are coming home SO SOON. I am so sosososososo excited. I have to admit, I've been very much a failure at writing to them, but that doesn't mean that I don't love them! I do, I promise. Vanessa is coming home the 15th, and Kennedy the 21st. So like a week apart. That means that I'll have to go to St. George to homecoming TWO WEEKENDS in a row. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but it'll be all right. I do love St. George. The real problem is that it'll be right in the middle of finals. Oh, and I won't have money for gas. I'll just have to figure that one out.

8. I love reading books. I started a book blog at the beginning of the year. But it's private. And it only has like 6 posts on it. But it's super fun to write on. I can say whatever I want about books, and it doesn't matter. But I really do love reading. I had forgotten how much I loved it until this semester in my adolescent literature class. I have some new favorites: The Chocolate War, A Separate Peace, and Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones. Check 'em out. Read 'em. I do have to say, though, The Chocolate War is slightly controversial. I loved it. I read it in a day. But I was one of two students in my class who liked it. So beware, I guess. Rachelle liked it okay. She had some slight issues with it. Nothing big. But if you read it, make sure you let me know what you think. It's an interesting read.

9. Jen's baby is adorable, and Moe's is growing inside her. I love babies. And I love when my friends have them.

10. I finally saw Invictus in the dollar theater. I. loved. it. After like the first ten minutes, I turned to Dani and said, "I really like this movie." Cause I did. It was already super interesting, and I couldn't wait to watch the rest of it. It was a good one. Now I just have to see Blindside. I know, how in the world did I go so long without watching these movies?!??! I have no idea. Sports movies are like my fave.

11. Speaking of rugby, I love it now. Dani and I went to a rugby game last weekend, and it was SUPER COOL. Kind of scary because all players were getting in fights and stuff, but it was just so interesting! I kind of seemed like there were not rules. Like, players would punch each other and not even get in trouble! What kind of game is this?!? In Invictus they described it as "a barbarian game played by gentlemen." And football is "a gentlemen's game played by barbarians." Loved that. So, yeah, I just gotta find me a rugby player.

12. I'm in pretty much last place in my march madness competition. I was SOO winning at first... oh well. Maybe next year. Dumb upsets.

13. The color festival was last week. I love colors.

14. I found some new funny blogs to read. There is this one called the Daily Apple, and there is a random topic everyday to read interesting facts about. Like today, it was candy bars. I actually really like it. And if I read it everyday, then I'm bound to beat everyone at Trivial Pursuit and Jeopardy some time in my life. And that is the goal, right?

15. Did you hear about the people in Texas who are trying to take Thomas Jefferson out of history books? I'm not sure how valid that sentence is, it might not even be true. But we talked about it in on of my education classes, and I was shocked. And then there was something about it in the Daily Universe, which isn't exactly your most valid source. So I looked it up online, and all the reports were contradictory and confusing. So now I'm just hoping that good old TJ will stay in history textbooks forever, and everything will be back to normal. 'Cause we can't lose that guy.

16. I want a new build-a-bear. It'll be a koala named James Monroe. You know, the guy from the "Era of Good Feelings." Oh wait, that might have been James K. Polk. Oh well.

17. I need a hair cut.

18. There is a baseball game tomorrow. I'm going to it. Why? Because I love baseball games.

19. Did I already say I'm excited for summer?

20. I should go to bed now.