Adult World

So this week I joined the world of adults: I got a real job. I have been working for BYU Independent Study as a student employee for the past year and a half and this week I joined their full-time staff. It's been a busy week and so many problems came up and I had to make so many decisions. But, it was a really good start. Everyone was really nice to me and very welcoming. I was super impressed by everyone.

But I realized something as I was sitting in one of my many meetings during the week: my peers have now become people 15+ years older than me. I sat around looking at everyone and realized that most of them have several children and were either going through puberty when I was born or were already in college. It was then that I realized that I'm glad that I've always gotten along well with people older than me. I think it will serve me well. I think it also helps that my humor is "mature" (so says one of my co-workers), meaning that I have humor drier than a new-comer's skin to Utah.

So the coming weeks will bring a lot of new experiences for me and new ways of seeing the world. (Such as being introduced to Howard Jones's music this week. Who doesn't love 80s music?) Hopefully I work well as an all-around liaison for anything you could imagine at Independent Study. Let's see how it goes. Any advice?

Liberation

So about two months ago I started to become aware of my hair. I know that may sound odd, but I just started to feel it all the time. Obnoxious. It was like all those nights when you've made the brave decision to wear socks to bed. (It can be pretty hit or miss.) And suddenly all you need to do is take off your socks because you've suddenly become aware that they are there, and they are suffocating your feet. That is how my hair began to feel to me. With every time I put on my scarf, and my coat, and my backpack, I felt my hair as I irritatedly pulled it out from under each of these new enemies. It was a constant annoyance.

So a month ago, I chopped it off. Nine inches of it. Every time Patrick took another slice at my hair, instead of feeling panicked and distraught, I felt freer and lighter. And I have not looked back since.

Hello, new short hair cut. You are my new best friend. I have missed you.

Sometimes all it takes is facing the enemy and deciding to make a change.

Happy New Year

So in true Thomas fashion we celebrated the coming of the new year by playing games. I got crushed playing Five Crowns. And my parents pretended we were on east coast time and went to bed at 11:00 p.m., naturally.

Every new year I wax quite sentimental. I am filled with all the hope in the world that the coming year will be magical and that I will experience so many new things. This past year has been one of quiet growth for me. I don't feel that a lot changed for me externally, but I am now a different person than I was last year, and a better one I believe. In our culture we get so caught up in the overt manifestations of progress: new car, new house, new whatever. These aren't bad things necessarily, but they can mask the beautiful subtlety that life can bring through the visually silent progress a person makes.

So for this coming year, I am filled with the hope that I can, like the Army always tells me, be all I can be. And I suppose, do all I can do. So here's to changing the world a little and to changing myself as well. Happy New Year everyone. May it be a year of growth and joy for all of you.

Easy Wonderful

So for years I have loved the band Guster. It's good music that makes you happy: my favorite kind. Recently these fine gentlemen to the right came out with a new album. It's called Easy Wonderful. And it's just that. It's easy to listen to and wonderful. The best part is that it grows on you.

I'll admit, the first time I listened to it, I wasn't sold on it being as great as their previous works, but after listening to it a few weeks ago, I was converted. It's fantastic. Check it out. I think you'll like it. And be jealous of me (or come with me) on January 15th when I see them in Salt Lake.

If you want to check out there music, go here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/recsradio/radio/B0041ON37S/ref=pd_krex_listen_dp_img?ie=UTF8&refTagSuffix=dp_img

If you want to check out this gem of a website to see short film interpretations of the songs, go here: http://www.easywonderful.com/. You will be delighted. Bad, Bad World was particularly good.

Merry Christmas.

More on Texas

70 degree weather. In December. That's all I've got to say.

Head Out on the Highway, Looking for Adventure . . .

There are many things that I love about being home: seeing my family, hearing people talk Texan, my bed, the pantry at my house, seeing all of my friends, watching endless movies. But there's one thing that I can't replicate outside of Texas: driving on the highway.

Whenever I come home I look forward to driving on US 75, or really any of the other highways in Dallas (there are several, Dallas is huge). The lanes are wide, the lanes have lines, there are lights, people actually drive at least the speed limit (gasp!). But what is the best is that I am reminded that the way people drive here is the reason I drive the way I do. I expect the fast lane to actually be a passing lane. Here it is. I am not shocked for frustrated when people change lanes frequently. That's just the way it is here. I feel free as a bird when I begin to merge. (Yes, people don't hang out in the far right lane either, and if they do, they let you in. Amazing, right?)

You just can't beat driving in Texas. I'm ready for whatever might come my way.

Rant

Be advised: I'm flustered.

So I love living in Utah. The weather's nice. There's no humidity. BYU is a great school. I love my professors. I love what I study. I live with the nicest (and cleanest) girls I've ever lived with. I have great friends. Life is good. But there is still one thing that I can't stand about living in Utah: the prevalence of flakeyness as a socially acceptable behavior.

Now I realize that it's not only in Utah (I'm sorry, I should specify), Provo, that people are flakey. I've lived around the country and outside of it. I know that people have their fair share of flakeyness. But it is rampant here. How is it acceptable to make plans with someone and then never follow through with them?

I'll give you an example from my day today:

So I went up to Salt Lake to hang out with some friends from my mission. So three of us were talking and I thought, hey I should call my friend, we'll call him Dane. So I pick up the phone to call my friend Dane to see if he wanted to hang out with us. He lives in Salt Lake and he complained to me at our mission reunion that we never talk anymore. I mentioned that it was because I was always the one to call him. He apologized and said that at least he always called me back. So since then, I've made more of an effort to hang out with Dane. Two times since then, I've called him to make plans. Two times we've made plans. Two times he hasn't called me like he said he would. But tonight I thought I might have more luck. After all, I was in Salt Lake. All he had to do was take a hop, skip, and a jump and he would be there. So I call him. He's at the Jazz game and picks up the phone. I tell him who I'm hanging out with and invite him to come. He says that he'd love to but he's at the Jazz game. I understand this and so I tell him to just give us a call when the game gets out and he can catch up with us. (After all, it wouldn't take any time to get over to us.) So I continue with my perfectly pleasant evening. I keep expecting him to call to at least say that he can't make it. But no. No call, no text, nothing. Three strikes. He's out. At the very least, he could have made some recognition that he couldn't go.

I don't expect people to drop everything and come running to me with daisies and lollipops and teddy bears. No, we all have lives and schedules. I get that. I really do. But still. Is it that hard to just call and say you can't do it? Really.

I realize that my ranting is not going to change anything. I get that. I really do. And I'm not saying that I haven't been the culprit. But it just drives me crazy. I know rejection is face-threatening. I study linguistics; I've studied this. But just saying you can't is so much better than just letting the other person wonder. So please guys, if you make plans with me, just communicate. That's all I ask.