These Are a Few of My Favorite Pinterest Things

I used to be anti-pinterest, but now I'm all for it. Well, I'm still anti-"pinterest things you will never make but just like to look at" because that's just a waste of time, but I love trying out new things that seem do-able. Here are the top five things I've tried out from pinterest:

1. Pumpkin Pie French Toast

This recipe is perfect for fall! It was SO GOOD! It's like pumpkin pie... but french toast. How could you go wrong? We made it with whipped cream and syrup.
For the recipe, go here: http://www.closetcooking.com/2009/11/pumpkin-pie-french-toast.html

2. Avocado Hummus

I liked this hummus better than the kind I get at the store. So if you are a hummus person, this super-cheap/healthy recipe is a must. I already bought the ingredients to make it again.
Go here: http://www.foodiecitymom.com/best-hummus-recipe-easy-avocado-hummus/

3. Stuffed Shells

Anyone who knows me well knows that I LOVE experimenting with tofu. I will never understand the bad rap it gets--it really just takes on the flavor of whatever it's mixed with. Plus, it's way good for you. These tofu shells are so sneakily healthy. Everyone I've fed them to loves them, and is shocked when I tell them the center is tofu. I've made this dish like 5 times--that's how much I love it. I also sometimes make it pasta-style, using the same ingredients but with regular noodles, and crumbling/frying the tofu instead of blending it.
Go here: http://www.pbs.org/food/fresh-tastes/stuffed-shells/

4. Tofu and Mushroom Saute with sauce

K, this dish was AMAZING! Probably my favorite of this list because the taste is so unique. It even has a hint of peanut in it. I would recommend this recipe to anyone, even to picky eater. Try something new!
Go here. I mean it: http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/tofu-and-mushroom-stroganoff

5. Fading Color Nails

So this isn't food (obviously) but I couldn't leave it off my list. It's super easy to do and looks way cool. It's fun to try with different colors.
Go here: http://www.makeupwithdrawal.com/2012/04/tutorial-easy-sponge-gradient.html
This is what my nails turned out like--obviously terrible picture quality (my phone's a dinosaur.)


There you go--I hope you try some of these ideas out!

PS--A lady at the school I'm observing at asked me if I was a student this week. I need to start wearing more makeup or something.

PPS--I start observing at the high school tomorrow! I''m so excited, but now I'm reeeally gonna look like a student.

Every Day He's Hustlin'

Do you live in Provo? Go to the Farmer's Market in pioneer park. 11-2 on Saturday's. It's delightful.

Today my friends and I were sitting in the grass at the Farmer's Market and this cute little kid (maybe 8 years old?) came up holding out his hat. This is how the conversation went (to the best of my memory):

Kid: Would you like to donate money?
Me: What's the money for?
Kid: 2 dollars, 1 dollar, however much you want.
Me/other friends: No, what are you using the money for?
Kid: Oh, uh.. charity.
Me: Which charity?
Kid: (motioning to the top of his head) The bald.
Me/friends: The bald?
Kid: (continues to motion) Yeah, yeah, the bald. It's a new thing.. In Salt Lake..
Austin: Well I would like to help the bald. Here, I've got eighty cents but that's all I can give you.
Kid: Thanks.
Austin: Rogaine for everyone!

So yeah, that kinda made my day. Plus there were HUGE pumpkins on sale for just 3 dollars! So I'm definitely going back.

Sum Up Your Life In Six Words

It's said that Hemingway was challenged to write a short story using six words. He came back with this:

For sale: baby shoes, never worn.

This legend sparked an idea. In 2006, the online storytelling magazine SMITH asked their readers to submit their own six-word memoirs. In one of my classes, we tried this exercise on our own. It's really difficult to describe your life when you only have six words to do so--every word, every punctuation mark is vital!

It was really fun to do, though. I ordered a book online full of six word memoirs by famous and obscure authors (remember that Amazon obsession I have?) Some are beautiful, some are funny, some are sad/poignant. I love it. Here are some memoirs that I particularly liked:

Retired music teacher enjoys life's symphonies.

In a city that never sleeps. Sleepy.

New roommate. Fake cleanliness for today.

Never really finished anything, except cake.

Type A personality. Type B capability. 

Well, I thought it was funny. (Steven Colbert)

Found true love, married someone else.

Followed white rabbit. Became black sheep.

Afraid of becoming like my mother.

I sell hamburgers and french fries.


Here's the one that I came up with:

Optimistically assuming people value my opinion.

I wish I were more witty. Hey, I guess that sentence could be one too.

So try it yourself! It really makes you think, "What is the essence of me."

P.S.--that One Direction fan from the class I'm observing is starting to weird me out.  She carries a book about One Direction, her conversations revolve around One Direction, she plastered her binder in One Direction pictures, and she screamed—yes, screamed—when the announcements mentioned One Direction’s name over the intercom (I don’t know the context in which they were mentioned—I was spacing. Guilty.)

On a side note, a cute little nerdy girl in my class today complained that she got grounded from reading.

I hope all my future students are like her.

First Week as an Almost Teacher

“Does anyone have any questions for Miss Leavitt?” Mrs. Bushman asked her eighth graders as I stood in front of them for the first time, attempting to mask my nervousness with a smile. One boy’s hand shot up: “Don’t take this the wrong way,” he started (never a promising start to a question), “but have you ever been told you look like you’re sixteen? Because when I was talking to you this morning, I thought you were a ninth grader!” The class laughed. “Well, I will take that as a compliment,” I said, feeling a bit awkward, “because in ten years I’m sure I’ll want to look younger. Luckily, I haven’t been asked for a hall pass yet!” Only a few students chuckled at my lame humor attempt. Mrs. Bushman consoled me with her similar experience looking young as a student teacher, and then asked the class for more questions. The next gem came from a girl: “Do you like Justin Bieber and One Direction?” she asked with wide eyes. I had noticed her reading a book full of quotes from and pictures of the boy band earlier. I mentally debated whether or not I should admit to liking the very juvenile boy band—I was, after all, just accused of looking like a ninth grader, and liking One Direction wouldn’t do much to establish a mature reputation. “I love them,” I blurted out anyway—maybe because I wanted her approval, maybe because I couldn’t think of anything else to say. “Good,” she said, smiling. “We can be friends.”

Friends. I remembered Dr. Coombs saying something about how teachers are not meant to be friends with the students, but to teach them. I would definitely say that this week, the topic of my relationship with my future students was on the forefront of my mind. Because I look younger—a fact not unnoticed by the students—I might have a more difficult time gaining control of my class. I’m not what you would call intimidating. Several girls in my field experience classrooms complimented me on my “cute” shoes, dresses, hair, etc. as if I were their classmate. Can I be viewed as a mature adult and yet still be approachable?

So far it seems that my major problem is being respectable. Not so. I’d say that an equal concern of mine is whether or not I have the potential to be truly likeable as a teacher. I discussed this topic with a friend. I told him how I didn’t know how to relate to the seventh graders in my field experience classroom. Surprisingly, I actually liked grading their papers; seeing their funny and, at times, insightful observations made me feel connected with them. But I somewhat dreaded when they would start waiting by the door for the bell to ring, making me feel a tugging obligation to converse with them. You can only ask different students about the book they’re reading so many times before you start looking like a book-obsessed weirdo! Is it unnatural that I would rather grade the kids’ papers than talk with them about their hobbies? What’s wrong with me? Am I going to be an extremely unlikeable teacher?

My friend told me that I need to just learn how to be more comfortable around the kids and talk with them more. He said that everyone’s favorite teachers in his high school were the ones that they could joke around with, the ones that the students go out to drink with now that they are graduated. I told him that I didn’t think I could ever be one of those super fun/funny teachers. I was probably getting ahead of myself, but I started to feel like a bit of a failure.

Then I thought of my favorite high school teacher. Mrs. Creaser was an older, motherly figure. She wasn’t necessarily funny, although she did have a sense of humor. I consider her my favorite teacher because of the amount I grew during her class. I enjoyed the meaningful projects she assigned, the eye-opening books she selected for class study, and the way she encouraged us to work harder than we thought possible. She sincerely cared about her students, which showed through her purposeful teaching style and the way she treated us with respect.

As the week progressed, I began to enjoy talking with the students more and more. I began to feel more and more comfortable around them. Who knows? Maybe when I get enough experience in front of a class, I will be able to make them laugh. Maybe I will find in myself a more genuine interest in their out-of-school hobbies. But most importantly, I will find a way—maybe it will take a few years—to reach that “respectable yet likeable” status through good teaching.

#thingstodowhenbored

 Today I felt like painting the bottom of my shoes. So I did. I think they turned out to be pretty cool.

Book Recommendations for You!

I hate how I read thirteen books this summer. I mean--I loved reading them, but I wish I read just two more so I could say I read fifteen books instead--that sounds much more impressive. Oh well, what do ya do?

I have ranked my summer books from the ones I would recommend the least to the ones I would recommend the most. The rankings are based mostly on how much I enjoyed reading the book, but also on how the book made me feel and on the themes I drew from it. If I say something offensive about your favorite book, please don't hate me. If you loved a book I didn't (or vice versa), good for you! You're opinion's not wrong.

I will write short/sweet/superficially shallow explanations of my rankings, so don't expect any insightful reasoning here. I'm also tossing in some quotes from the books.

13. The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain 

Okay. Mark Twain. He's, like, one of my favorite authors ever. Tom Sawyer? Huck Finn? Pudd'nhead Wilson? Delightful, clever, and mind-opening. So I am as shocked as you that my least favorite book of the summer came from Twain himself. Dull and very plot-driven--felt like an extended fable.

12. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte 

Whatever souls are made of, his and mine are the same. 

I was expecting more of Heathcliff since he's notorious for his brooding bad-boy charm. But no. No, no, no. I hated every character. Harsh? Yes, but they were all awful. Barely redeemable. Note: Never, EVER, under any condition watch this (extremely boring) movie! (Okay, maybe under the condition that someone pays you fifty bucks. But that's it. Heathcliff isn't that good-looking in it anyway.)

11. Temple and Cosmos by Hugh Nibley

Truth did not come into the world naked, but she came clothed in types and images. (Gospel of Philip)

I took a class from Nibley's daughter and got interested in his works. Much of this book went over my head. I mean, the guy's a genius, but I felt like he failed to simplify, summarize, and explain the significance of many of his points. He's a rambler for sure. Likeable, though.

10. Dracula by Bram Stoker 

How sweet it was to see the clouds race by, and the passing gleams of moonlight between the scudding clouds crossing and passing--like the gladness and sorrow of a man's life. 

It was cool to familiarize myself with this classic. It has that great Victorian-esque feel. However, it's very long and not too much action happens. A lot of repetitive events. This is definitely not the same type of horror authors write today.

9. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

The future belongs still more to the heart than to the mind. To love is the only thing which can occupy and fill up eternity. The infinite requires the inexhaustible. 

I know this is like THE book everyone says you have to read, but alas, it only made number nine on my list. I read the abridged version--850 pages instead of 1600ish--because numerous people told me this was the only way to read it and not go crazy, as the long version has tons of superfluous passages. The way Hugo words things is interesting, as he originally wrote the text in French. I loved the whole justice vs. mercy thing going on. There were lot of insightful, albeit didactic, pithy statements. But in the end, I wasn't jumping up and down to turn the page. I was relieved when it ended. Still stoked for the movie!

8. 1984 by George Orwell 

In the face of pain there are no heroes. 

What knowledge have we of anything, save through our own minds? All happenings are in the mind. 

This book exceeded my expectations! Contrary to popular belief, I found it to be less about government or dictatorship and more about society in general and its reaction to its own mortality. It got me thinking, "How do we as humans employ doublethink (which is basically convincing oneself of falsehoods to stay put in a comfort zone)?" Read the book--it has tons of interesting philosophical musings that'll get you thinking!


7. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. 

This book is a failure, and had to be since it was written by a pillar of salt. It begins like this: Listen: Billy pilgrim has come unstuck in time. It ends like this: Poo-tee-tweet? 

Billy Pilgrim says that the Universe does not look like a lot of bright litle dots to the creatures of Tralfamadore. The creatures can see where each star has been and where it is going, so that the heavens are filled with rarefied, luminous spaghetti. And Tralfamadorians don't see human beings as two-legged creatures, either. They see them as great millepeds--with babies' legs at on end and old people's legs at the other," says Billy Pilgrim. 

Have I mentioned I love Postmodernism? No? I do. Why? See above quotes. Non-linear, non-conventional, and delightful. Get prepared for a ride if you start this book, because it takes you to other worlds (like, literally. The guy gets abducted by aliens...unless he's crazy, you never really know.)

4. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

You hate to tell new stuff to somebody around a hundred years old. They don't like to hear it. 

This book really gets to the center of the rebellious teenage mind. It has a simple, beautiful, and unstated moral. It's not didactic; it simply portrays life and allows you to draw your own meaning. Quirky with a witty voice--first person narrative rocks.

5. Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin. 

Baldwin is a renowned contemporary author who writes gorgeously. The book starts out with an on-the-surface view of several characters and then delves into their past.  It makes you laugh, it makes you cry, it makes you marvel at his poetic language. Lovely. Reminds me what it is to be human.

4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks.

How did I get through high school without reading this classic? All about compassion and understanding. A real heart-warmer. Read it if you haven't. Five stars.

3., 2., and 1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,
and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Do I lose all credibility by placing these children/young adult novels above classics like Les Mis and Dracula?  I am SO impressed with J.K. Rowling. She created an imaginary world that rocked the real one. I was excited to turn each page. It inspired me, touched me, entertained me. I saw themes of bravery, loyalty, understanding, friendship, and love. I saw that people can turn out to be better than they seem (hello, Snape?), that power corrupts when valued above people. My favorite sections of the books, though, are the ones in which Dumbledore gives his two cents. These truths are simple enough to be in a children's novel, yet profound enough to keep us all all thinking. Here's some Dumbledor-isms to end this post:

To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.

It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.

Fear of a name increases fear of a thing itself.

Ah, Harry, how often this happens, even between the best of friends! Each of us believes that what he has to say is much more important than anything the other might have to contribute!

Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love.

Sammich Making

Today, I amazed myself.

Let me introduce you to what I like to call "Heaven Between Two Slices of Bread."

K, maybe I'm not the best at taking gourmet pictures of sandwiches... but let me assure you, it was amazing.

This is a turkey pastrami avocado spinach pesto grilled cheese. Too many ingredients, you say? You're wrong. 

I kid you not when I say that this was as good as/better than any Zupa's sandwich I've ever had--and MUCH cheaper. So go throw some random things together and make yourself a sandwich! Like I always say, anything tastes good if it has melted cheese in it! (Ok, I don't always say that...but I should because it's pretty darn true.)

The Quote Wall

This:

is our apartment's quote wall.

It is my pride and joy.

For the past four months, we have tried to capture every funny moment on paper and stick in on the wall.

I think it's pretty cute, myself.

I'm sad to see the end of the wall. We'll probably save the papers in a photo album or something. But for now, I have chosen what I feel are the top ten quotes. Of course, things are never as funny out of context and when you don't know the speaker... but these are still pretty funny regardless. 

10. 

9. 

8. 

7. 

6.

5.

4.

3.

2. 

1.

Slow Loris Sunday

Since I'm currently packing up all my stuff and getting ready to move to a new apartment, I thought I'd write a post reflecting on the summer and musing about change. Then I decided to post pictures of slow lorises instead.

I recently discovered these things, and I must say that they are at the same time the freakiest and cutest animals I have ever seen. Just look at those eyes! Is this real life?

Anyway, just thought you might appreciate the fact that these exist.

Now you can go on with your day.

List Love

To understand me you have to understand that I have an abnormal obsession with lists. Here are the lists that I currently have saved on my computer:

Daily to-do list
To-do over 2 week break list
Fall bucket list
Life bucket list
Meal/treat ideas
Life lessons learned since college
Movies to see
Books to read
Books I have read this summer
Books I have liked since high school
Favorite words
Favorite jokes
Favorite book lines
Favorite quotes
To buy for new apartment list

So now I probably have you all convinced that I am clinically insane. But I predict that many future blog posts will come from these lists, so I just wanted to give you a heads up.

P.S. Look it's a sleeping bag snuggie!

The Search for an Obscure Instrument

So last week I decided I would learn an obscure instrument. Why? Why not. I'm kind of addicted to finding random things on Amazon (like the head massager I have coming in the mail--woohoo! It sounds weird but if you tried it, you'd be obsessed.) Here are some of the instruments I was looking into (each costs about $20):

1.

The ocarina. This would be cool because apparently Link plays it in Zelda.

2.

The panpipes. This would be cool because apparently Peter Pan plays it. I guess I'm intrigued by instruments played by fictional characters.

3.

The Irish pennywhistle. There's a youtube video of this girl playing the Harry Potter theme song on it and it's perfect.

4.

The kalimba. It's African--need I say more? It sounds absolutely beautiful if you get one with lots of keys:



but sounds pretty lame when it only has 9 keys... and the ones with more than nine keys are freaking expensive.

5.

The mijwiz. These are Middle Eastern and have a cool name (big selling point). Unfortunately, they are hard to master--you play both flutes at the same time. The funniest thing about the mijwiz is the buying recommendation that came up along with the page on Amazon:

If people are buying this instrument with goat leggings, it must be pretty legit.

So after hours of looking up prices/difficulty levels/youtube videos of several unique instruments, I started to seriously imagine myself with one of them and decided I'd never actually use it. I didn't buy one  and saved myself the money. I guess you could say I'm fickle.

As Long as You Love Me

Yesterday I was in a car.

And people were talking about all these underground bands and how great they were.

And I didn’t have anything to contribute to the conversation.

Then I was like, “So has anyone seen Justin Bieber’s new music video?”

And everyone laughed.

But I wasn’t joking.

It was a serious question.

It’s so fantastically dramatic. It makes me laugh.

P.S. I learned Big Sean's rap from this video. You should too.

First Post

Confession: Sometimes I write blog posts in my head.

So I figured I should probably just start typing them out. I don't have much else to do at this blasted laundromat anyway (Oh yeah, that's where I work. Hi.)

Funny things happen in life. So many things have happened to me this summer that have made me think, “This would make a funny blog post”--like the time that I started a fight/chase in the Laundromat by giving a kid candy, or the time I found sushi socks, or the time my friend and I disguised our failed tofudog baking attempt as sugar cookies and gave them away…

K, now I feel like I’m just bragging about how awesome my life is. But that’s part of the point of blogging I think. So here we go!