Physics. You're killing me.

For real.

Despite our lengthy discussion earlier today, nothing has been resolved. You are as confusing and as impossible as ever. Physics, as of right now, we are not on speaking terms. I don't even want to think about you.

Here's why we're no longer friends.
1) I don't understand you.
2) You don't even try to explain yourself when I tell you I don't understand you.
3) You're the neediest little class I've ever taken. Reading. Homework. AND an exam every other week?
4) You make me feel really dumb sometimes. Okay, all the time.
5) Our differing interests and needs make us incompatible as friends.
6) You made me cry from pure frustration.
7) Plus, I know you don't like me. Well, the truth is, I've never liked you either.

It would appear that we should just go our separate ways, but alas, 'tis impossible.

So please, Physics, can we just get along long enough for me to pass this class? I swear, after this semester, I'll leave you alone. Actually, I still have to take Physics 106 (the thought of which makes me want to tear my hair out), but after that...and after Food Engineering, I promise to do everything within my power not to have anything to do with you anymore.

Truce? 'kay good.

Impact.

Once upon a time, Haley and I decided we were going to be more service-orientated this semester...so we went to the Y-serve, and signed up for Impact. Impact is a mentoring program. Basically, it pairs up two college kids with a child who might come from a rougher background, is handicapped, or maybe even just needs some good friends. After that, it's up to the college students to hang out with the kid at least once a week, get to know them, be a good influence, and have some fun.

I met Neil (my partner) last Sunday and we both met the child we were going to mentor last Tuesday. Tonight we had the first of a series of weekly hang-outs with Brady. Brady is the kid we're working with this semester. He's 15 and has high-functioning autism. He's also an awesome person. He's pretty small for his age, but he definitely kept reminding me he was 15 just from the way he talks. He's smart, polite, and has an opinion about most things and isn't afraid to express it. We went bowling tonight and had a blast. Brady had a very salty pretzel--he had to spit it out in the trash and gargle with water. The lady gave him a new one. All three of us thought it was hilarious. Bowling was great. I had the lowest score of all of us--but let's face it. Is this really a surprise to anyone? 

I'm really excited about this program and super pumped to keep hanging out with Brady. It'll be one of the things I look forward to doing every week! 

It HIIT me first!

Remember those times in the car when you would hit your sibling? And then they would hit you back. And so you would hit them back. And so on and so forth. It leads to a very  long car ride, if I do say so myself.

Well, a couple weeks ago I bought a wristband so I could go to a semester's worth of  fitness classes for free. Tonight, I figured that I might as well go get my money's worth. My roommate and I went to HIIT (high intensity interval training). It was war right from the start. My muscles were burning within the first three minutes.

It kicked my butt, no questions asked.

I will be so sore tomorrow.

It was a very long class, if I do say so myself.

An Old Irish Blessing

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind always be at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

and rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Sometimes in life, you come across these little treasures. Something that has just been around for so very long that nobody even remembers where it came from or who wrote it--but the strange thing is, somehow that's not even important anymore. Because now, it's something that touches you and resonates within you. A faint whisper of the past infusing the present with hope. Something that can't even be described as pretty--because it's so beautiful. Something brimming to the top and then overflowing with goodwill, friendship, and love--real Christian sentiments--sentiments in which the typical modern society is sadly deficient. A mere six lines that capture a good life--and where philosophical explanations of "how" and "why" would seem redundant and futile. Powerful simplicity. 

Strange how sometimes just 47 words can touch the soul and make it sing. 

Conquering Fears.

Last Thursday, I entered my apartment at 8:15 in a foul mood. I was 100% sure I was going to fail public speaking. Somehow, I had managed to bomb my 3-5 minute INTRODUCTORY speech--who DOES that? I hadn't even received a grade yet, but it doesn't take a genius to know these three things about public speaking:

1) Making good eye contact is important.
2) Shaking is probably really distracting.
3) Saying "Um" and "uh" consistently is not an adequate way to showcase your intelligence. 

I was in an even worse mood because I knew I was going to have to teach the lesson for relief society that upcoming Sunday. 

Public speaking is a huge fear of mine. But that comes from an even bigger fear--messing up in front of people. I hate embarrassing myself--having people pity me. Ugh. Oh, and I realize that this fear comes straight from pride. I know, my friend. I know.

However, any pride in public speaking I had was squashed. Simply squashed. I am a terrible public speaker. I can admit that. I could even embrace it if I didn't have to get a grade for that awful public speaking class. I did still have some pride in my general public image though--and I did not want my somewhat normal reputation to morph into an "Oh, have you met Emily? She's the relief society teacher. You know, the hyperventilating, shaking one." How embarrassing. 

So I prepared in agony. Half of me was loving everything I was learning in the lesson. The other half couldn't stop thinking about how scary actually teaching it would be. The good thing about all of this was that I soon realized that I would not be teaching anybody anything. God would have to, because I couldn't.

It's after church now. The lesson has been taught. The good news? God did come through and He definitely made up the difference. He even went the extra mile. I not only managed to teach the lesson, I also managed to lose the fear. That's something I love about God. God is good.

I'll still have to work really hard in that public speaking class. But hey. I'm all right with that.

Of Packages and Pictures (and the first week of school).

I got a package today in the mail.

I've been getting quite a few packages lately. But this one was better than the one from Amazon that had my rice noodles and garam masala. It was better than the one with my [awesome] nalgene water bottle or the one with my book on exploring Europe on a budget. It was definitely more well-received than my textbooks and more anticipated than the jewelery I ordered from Forever 21.

This particular package was from my mom. It had all my requested piano books. It had Christmas cards and gifts from my extended family. It had chocolate covered pretzels (my favorite) from the Peanut Store (also a favorite). It had gum, candy, and other miscellaneous bits of goodness. It also had a picture drawn by my darling little sister.

Here's that picture, hanging in all its glory, right next to my bed.

That's me, Evelyn, and Mom. Cute, aren't we?

Yes. It is awesome.

On a different note, the first week of school is over...I'll be taking a grand total of 19 credits (I decided to drop the dance class). So far, I'm still feeling pretty good. No feelings of panic or extreme stress as of yet. :) My classes are as follows:

Chemistry 106: It's pretty self-explanatory. It'll be more math-based than Chem105 though.

Physics 105: Promises to be a challenge. Hello, it's physics.

Honors 202: Lots of reading and "philosophizing"...basically,  it explores the idea of utopia (the "ideal city") in modern western civilization. I'm not sure yet whether it'll be interesting or life-drainingly boring.

Mission prep: I think it'll be fun and uplifting. The teacher calls all his midterms "celebrations." The final? "Final celebration." I've heard great things about the class.

Public speaking: I don't like public speaking. Nonetheless, my class only has 20 people, the teacher is crazy, but funny, and the class is only once a week. I think I'll live.

Spanish 321: I walked into class and thought I was the only girl. There's actually one other girl as well (thank goodness). The guys all seem to speak fluent Spanish, almost all having lived in Spanish-speaking areas for two years. Kind of intimidating. Nonetheless, I'm sure that despite being a challenge, the class will help my Spanish to improve.

Prep classes: I'll be taking two of them. One for the Spain study-abroad, and one for the Cambridge study abroad. They're both two hours long once a week...but both classes don't start till halfway through the semester. And I imagine they won't be difficult. My Mexico prep class certainly wasn't. 

Well, there you have it. 

Resolved: my classes aren't nearly as exciting as that package was. 

New year. New resolutions.

New Year's resolutions and I have had our good moments and our bad. On one hand, I found them helpful but amusing. On the other, rather discouraging--especially when you break them only three weeks after you've made them. Maybe they were just a habitual occurrence every January 1st. Or I thought--maybe they had the potential to be year-changing.

Now I look at them as opportunities to get things right this time around. And maybe they won't be kept throughout the year--but kudos to whoever makes them for trying. Maybe you won't keep them. But sure as heck you're more likely to keep them than if you had decided it was hopeless to begin with. In that spirit, here are a couple of my goals for this upcoming year. I can't guarantee I'll accomplish all of them. But you can bet that I will do my best to try.

1. Stay on top of things for Choose to Give.

2. Volunteer at the MTC once a month.

3. Run a marathon.

4. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.

5. Call my family regularly.

6. Go to salsa club.

7. Finish the Book of Mormon in Spanish.

8. Finish reading Mere Christianity.

9. Get good grades.

10. Stick to the shopping list at the grocery store.

11. Stay up to date with this blog.

12. Read Les Miserables.

13. Smile more, complain less.

14. Experience (not just see) Europe (I'll be making a separate list for this later).

15. Balance having a social life and getting sleep with working two jobs and taking 19.5 credit hours.

I think I'm going to focus on two general philosophies this year. First, to live life like crazy. I had a bishop talk once to all of us young people about living life like crazy, about appreciating every moment, about making every second count. That really hit home. Life's too short to spend it just existing. Second, to go the extra mile. To go the extra mile when I'm running, studying, working--to go the extra mile in life.

To all of you reading this:

May you get all your wishes but one,

So you always have something to strive for.

Irish saying

Seriously. Having something to work for, wish for, strive for is what gives purpose to life. So best of luck to all of you in your hopes, dreams, aspirations, and goals for this upcoming year.

2011 will be a year to remember.