The Mandolin?

So I ended up getting some money for my birthday. Quite a bit more than I thought I would actually. I have enough to realistically LOOK at purchasing a mandolin. I decided I wanted to learn the mandolin a while ago, but figured it would come in the future, after all the other things I wanted. Now I have enough not to fully purchase one, but I bet I could look around and I would only have to save up for a couple of months or something like that. Plus, my sweet, sweet husband said, "Well we did just get our tax returns." When I brought up the idea. I'm super excited, but here is what's keeping me from right out doing this.

1. I really want to buy a new pair of shoes to wear with my new Sunday outfit my sister bought me. Brown, leather, nice for Sunday. I haven't looked around yet, but I'm sure that would take up a big hunk of change.
2. If I get the mandolin I will really need to be serious about learning it. Yes, I would do it, but it is a pretty big commitment.

So here's the question. Are those two hang-ups justified or should I just move ahead with the mandolin idea?

So Blessed

Yesterday was my birthday and my family did what they always do. They make a big, big deal about the whole day. It's like Valentine's Day just for one person. When it is a person's birthday it is the day for everyone to tell them how much they love and appreciate them. Also, that they are happy to have that person as a part of thier life. I think more than anything that is my favorite thing about birthdays in general (not necessarily my own, although it was pretty nice). I like to make a big deal about that day for people. I like to call all day long and continually sing happy birthday.

It reminds me of when my sister and her boyfriend were with us on a family trip during his birthday. He's not technically part of the family (yet?) but we all LOVE the kid (I guess he's not technically a kid as he is older than me). So anyway, we spent the day doing things that he really wanted to do in Seattle, we went to pike place market, and to the original Ivar's on the pier for lunch and my dad bought him a hat with original "artwork" on it with something to do with ear doctors. Also we had one of those guys that make balloon animals make him a balloon hat. There were a ton of other things. We continually burst out into the happy birthday song so that everyone would know that it was his special day. I don't know if it overwhelmed him or not, my sister said he liked it. It was just good to let him know that we appreciate him and that we love him not only for who he is, but also for how happy he makes my sister.

Going back to the title of this post, I am so blessed to have a family that thinks this is important. My mom called me about 20 times my dad two separate times from my mom and my sister 2 times and my brother even sang on the voice mail for me. My husband made me a pancake cake and we ate it together in the morning. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I am so blessed to have a family that loves me so much!

Carried Away

Last night I fell in love, again. My husband and I had to go grocery shopping. We were in the car and he was singing along to his CD and we stopped at a red light. Right then he looked at me and sang the rest of the song just for me. It was some romantic song and we were sitting there in the soft red glow of the stop light and I just fell in love again. It's cheesy, I know. Later that night he turned to me and said, "You are the most beautiful woman I know. I love you." Who wouldn't love a man like that? I am so blessed! I love him bunches and bunches.

Ah-ha!

I just found out that one of my finals is optional! (Translation, I'm not taking one of my finals!) That means that for the six classes I'm currently taking I only have two finals! Only one of those finals do I really even need to study for. Man I love OSU sometimes!

Sake

I think that after graduating from Oregon State University I will know more about alcohol and alcoholic beverages than the vast majority of drinkers! My class last friday was about Sake (rice wine) and I learned all about how it is made and what is in it and why people don't like it unless it's really fresh. I'm also learning about wine and a little (very little) about beer. I find it to be very interesting, even though I'm not going to consume any of it.

Yet another reason

Today for the last lab of the term for my food formulation all we did was make our own flavored dairy blend! They just gave us all the ingredients and said have at it and the best one wins! (For anyone who doesn't know an example of a flavored dairy blend is a fruit smoothie). Our group never quite got the beverage tasting quite right. It tasted like grape laffy taffy, which is good if you're marketing it to kids. That's why we called ours pirate juice. My favorite came from another group that did a strawberry lemonade smoothie! It tasted like those italian ices. The last bit of class we got to taste everyone's! No grades, no pressure, just fun.

Wow

Well today I have gotten the worst grade on a test since I think my sophmore year. The worst part is that I KNEW what I was doing, but I got freaked out because the time and just lost my mind. I got it back today and just hung my head because it was that bad. Oh well. One week until I'm done with that class. Plus, the other two tests so far I've gotten a 94 and 82 percent. No worries.

Kitchenaid

Dear Kitchenaid,
I am very dissapointed in you. I can't believe that my mixer cost $89 to fix and still isn't even fixed! When I called your customer service line all they could say was that my problem shouldn't be happening and that something was wrong but that you could do NOTHING! I don't believe that it only had a six month warranty! I don't care what model you sell if it's going to cost as much money as I'm sure it did I don't think you should only cover it for six months! Now I can't do the one thing that I really like to do with the mixer! I should have just saved the $89 and spent it on an appliance that a different company would stand behind! Why did this happen to my mixer and not my mom's or my sister's or my mother-in-law's? What a load of crap!

Sincerely,
Unhappy Customer

The Squirrel

We live in the first floor of the apartment complex. The windows are at ground level. We have a bird feeder that sits on the ground right outside of the window. It's great. We see birds all the time. Last week I opened the blinds to see a squirrel munching on our birdfood. I tapped on the window. The squirrel ran away. I did this with the squirrel for the next hour. Finally he didn't come back again.

Until the next day.

So I moved the bird feeder to inside this bush so he couldn't find it.

He found it.

All the bird seed is gone. I was very angry with the squirrel. I spent days making sure the squirrel wasn't getting the food. I think he stole it at night. I decided to stop putting out birdseed for the squirrel.

Jump forward to today. I woke up and looked outside and there was snow on the ground. The only good thing you can say about Oregon weather is that it doesn't snow. Until now. It's the worst kind of sloppy, dripping off the trees down the back of your neck kind of snow. It melted. Then it snowed again this afternoon. The weatherman says it's going to do this all weekend.

At first I was just upset for myself. Then I thought of the squirrel. Outside, in the snow. Now there's a pile of birdseed outside our window.

Conundrum

I just got back the grade for my lab notebook. I knew it wasn't going to be that good because I actually forgot part of the way through the term that I needed to be taking notes in it. Consequently I had to go back and fill in a lot of holes. Well, my grade was worse than expected. Much, much worse. While looking at the rubric for grading (which was not handed out before the assignment, and thus I find to be a mean, mean trick) I see that I got marked down for things I CLEARLY included in my notebook. I can go through and highlight sections of included information and whatnot. Should I:

1. Go in and argue for those 8 points back, even though my grade on the notebook would still be bad. These 8 points could mean the difference between an A and a B (I don't count -/+ since that was never counted while I was growing up).
   
2. Figure that getting a B in the class is just fine since all I have to do is graduate. Let the whole thing go and ignore the headache. Plus I hate to be the person that argues for points back. It just makes me feel like a leech.

I have the remainder of the week to decide so any input would be greatly appreciated.

Ferocious

Last weekend was Vert Fest, a climbing competition on campus, which is put on by Dickson Rec. My husband, being a worker for the rock gym, was involved in setting the routes for the competition. This meant that he wasn't home Thursday or Friday.

On Thursday he was planning on going into work at noon so he could get off about 7 to study for his midterm the next day. This would have been a great plan if there were other people working with him and if the people the night before had taken down holds. Well, nobody had done anything when he got in and nobody else came into help him work for five hours. He was alone, taking down holds and putting up routes for five hours. Because of his sense of responsiblity and comittment (which I admire very much) he stayed unitl the job that needed to get done was completed on Thursday. That meant he was working until 10pm on Thursday. This got him angry because he didn't get the time he needed to study for his midterm. He called other people to come in, namely the guy that was supposed to be there with him, but that guy didn't answer his phone. So he called a girl that he works with that said the other guy had a midterm he was really stressed about the next day so he wasn't even answering his cell phone!!!!

Now hearing this of course made him angry, because he had a test the next day too, but he was in doing his job. When my husband told me this story I was immediately very angry with the kid. I think he took advantage of my husband's sense of responsiblity. That kid knew he had this midterm since JANUARY. He also knew when vert fest was. He should have planned for both. When I was talking to another kid at the gym about this he said, "Yeah, but that's (insert kids name here)." That is not an excuse! Apparently that kid is so undependable that the people around him expect him to let them down. Well, my husband got over it and went to work the next day just fine. I on the other hand sort of don't really want to talk to this kid ever again, which is a real problem because when we go climbing he's always working.

So I realize that I get very defensive of people I love. When I feel people are taking advantage or hurting the people I love I get angry and don't really like those people anymore. Well that's not true, but it really does ruin the opinion I have of them.

The other day my sister told me about someone that hurt/is hurting her right now and doing something I feel is very selfish and stupid. It reminds me of what happened to me in high school with some of my friends. This makes me very upset at this person. I realize that Kaite might figure it out with this person, but I think they're stupid for treating her this way.

Countdown

So if I discount the rest of this week. And finals week (which for me is really only finals DAY).

I only have two weeks left of this term!!!!!

Not that I don't enjoy what I'm studying. Actually this term has been one of the most interesting terms I've ever had. Ever! Next term I bet will be just as good. The real excitement is that in total I only have 12 weeks left of my undergraduate carreer! (Again not counting the two finals weeks.) I am so close to my prize! What I will do with that I have no idea, but it feels good to know that my work for the past, hmm, 16 years of my life will finally have a crowning accomplishment. I will be a college graduate! Now all I have to do is just get it done!

One Year

The summer after fourth grade my family moved. I think this ended up being one of the best experiences I went through as a child, although at the time I didn't really like it. I can always hear my mom say, "Give it a year. Then it will feel like home." A year seems like a long time, but after a year you're no longer the new kid, you have friends and you know where everything is at school. Your bedroom actually feels like its yours, and the yard starts to grow in right.

Going to college was sort of the same thing--only I had forgotten about the "one year" rule. It was never until the second half of the school year that I finally felt at home in my new living situation. I guess I'm a little slower than others in that it took me until the second half of the school year to feel like I had friends wherever it was I was living (except of course for those that stayed with me the whole time.)

Transferring schools this year is yet another prime example of the "one year" situation. The whole first term I felt really bad about not being at BYU for my senior year, even though I agreed to it. I tried, with varying degrees of success to just deal with it and be happy. I realized this weekend that I finally feel as though I fit in at Oregon State. I have friends in my major that I study with and I know where to go for most things I need. Although I'm not going to graduate with a group of friends as close as my sister did, I do know people that I can sit by and talk to.

The kicker really is that I'm moving in just four months. After that who knows where I'll live? If we get into UW then I'll live in Pullman for less than a year and then in Seattle. At least in Seattle I will live there for about three years. I wonder if there's a way to speed up the "one year" rule?

Accomplished

I woke up at 6:30 AM this morning like I do almost every weekday. My mind was tired because it was working on my homework all night. I've had this happen as long as I can remember. When I go to bed with schoolwork yet to do, my mind churns with the thought of it. Even when I fall asleep the figures and statements still run through my head. I had a paper to write. This paper has been on my mind all week, but I haven't had time to do it because other homework assignments, and a midterm today to study for have been more pressing. It is due by 5 PM today. I was nervous I wouldn't get it done so I thought I'd just get up and go to the library to finish it right off. That's when I found out how different this morning would be.

This morning I was at the library at 7:30 AM, right when it opens. My walk surprised me because the sun was out. I saw all the flowers blooming on campus and I arrived at the library relatively free of stress. I checked out a laptop so I wouldn't have to be in the computer section which is always noisy because it's not a designated quiet area and inevitably I end up stuck next to someone that wants to chat on their cell phone for about an hour.

This morning I went up to the sixth floor. I think I was the first person on the sixth floor today. I found my way to the south east corner of the building, as far away from the entrance as you can get. It is there that I found my glory seat. It is quiet and I'm alone. I am sitting right now looking out onto the bluest sky I've seen this term. I saw the sun rise. The geese flew in their perfect v towards some unknown watery destination. The flag flying above city hall has gone from the rosy hues of the morning to the sharper image waving in the breeze. I enjoyed this while writing, but best of all I look apon this picturesque scene after having finished my paper. Yes, it's only 10AM and my paper is done. Abstract to conclusion.

Now as I sit and listen I hear the sounds of the day have started. There are big semi trucks roaring along the street below, motorcycles and cars rush up and down the street in their hurry to get where they need to go, and some other students have come up to the sixth floor to study. Their quiet page turning and pencil scratching can just be heard above the sound from the trucks below. I have much yet to do today, but I think I just might take this little moment to relax. Breathe deep. Enjoy.

Best and Worst

One of the best things about Oregon State is the huge amount of laptops they have at the checkout desk in the library that you can check out for a couple of hours like a book (only it has to stay in the library). All of them have wireless internet acess and are really nice. I think that's one of the best things about OSU.

One of the worst is that for some reason the people that planned the campus thought it would be a good idea to build the main campus downwind from the barns for the agricultural students. Also the agricultural students find it necessary to air out the barns about once a month and the campus smells like cow poo for 3 to 4 days.

Gutherie

My husband and I played some songs at the institute talent show. Banjo and fiddle. Now all these bluegrass people are coming out of the woodwork.

That night we talked to this other kid from the institute who knows about this little place in Gutherie that has a one room school house that is converted to a music hall. Every friday night people from all around just come together for a bluegrass jam session. All the musicians pull out their instruments and sit in a circle and take turns shouting out songs to play or even just start playing them. The other musicians join in and you're welcome to join in too. If you don't know a song you can just sit and watch everybody else play. There are other people that come and just listen and dance and generally have a good time. Everyone brings refreshments to eat and be eaten by others.

We went with our friend last Friday. I didn't bring my instrument because I'm a sissy and just wanted to see what it was like before jumping on in. I sat next to the gossip of the hall that goes every week and had a blast learning about her and just about everyone else in the room. There were so many different types of people, professors, plumbers, electricians, young couples, kids, and grandparents. I danced with a little 3 year old boy and also waltzed with an elderly gentleman. I even got in a little clogging on one of the songs. I have never been winked at so many times in one evening! It was great! I loved it!

So my question is who doesn't like this sort of thing? The lady I was talking to said that some wives of the musicians don't go because they don't like it. What's not to like? Just go and enjoy!

Take That!

So I'm taking this food formulation chemistry class where we take apart a juice beverage and analyze all the macro components and then eventually put all the information together to synthesize a formula for a replicate. So in this class we have TONS of extra reading to do and extra study to do. There was so much that I felt overwhelmed. In the first week of class I asked the the professor how important that extra reading was and he said, "You would need to do it if you want an A in the class or on the tests." Interpretation to my ears, "No." I decided not to do the extra reading. Because of this I studied the class notes really hard before the test and expected to get about a B on the test. Today I got it back from him and I got a 94.5% and he said, "I can really tell you studied Maggie." I said, "Yes I did," because I did study, just not the extra outside readings--and I still got an A! Take that!

On Another Note

Once a week for two weeks now I have been awakened at 5AM by the people living in the apartment above us having sex. Yes, that's right. They're not quick about it either. Their bed is so loud as to wake me up. Last night the bouncing went on for an hour! They really need a new bed. One that doesn't sound like small children jumping on a rusty trampoline.

Oh nuts!

Everytime we go grocery shopping we pass the aisle with the planter's honey roasted peanuts. I always make a comment about how much I love them, but we never get them because well they're just treats and we don't need them.

All day yesterday I was wondering what my Sweetie would get me after our two talks about presents. He's been so busy lately when would he even have time to get me anything? Well, he certainly does know me well! He had gone grocery shopping on his own! (A gift in and of itself.) And purchased me two types of cold cereal and honey roasted peanuts!

These presents may not seem like much to all of you readers out there, but considering our lack of money right now it almost made me cry. He really thought about getting me something! It was way better than candy, flowers, or anything else really. His presents are always winners!

I don't even Mind

Well it's Saturday. Do you know what that means? Yep! You guessed it! I'm studying in the library. Normally this would really bum me (and it sort of does), but I don't even really mind right now. These are the reasons why:

• Yesterday my husband and I took half the day off and went up to the temple in Portland and picked up my Kitchenaid mixer from the shop and spent the afternoon together.
• Also yesterday we played for the institute talent show. He played his banjo and I played the fiddle for "Cripple Creek" and "Cotton Eyed Joe." We rocked! Also we talked to a guy in the other ward that just got a mandolin for Christmas and next weekend we are going out to "The Grange" which is this old one room school house that people in this area get together and play bluegrass. I'm a little nervous about doing this as I'm not to confident in my fiddle abilities and I don't know any songs, but the kid said that the old people there are more than happy to help you learn the standard songs.
• I cleaned my whole apartment on Thursday. Sort of a Spring clean type of thing as I also went through my closet to sort out the clothing that I no longer wear to give it to the goodwill. If I'm not wearing it then it really should go to help someone else. Normally I would give it to the ARC, but I don't know where one is or who to call to have it picked up so it's going to the goodwill.
• I didn't study for my test on Monday all that much this week so I have to study to even think of passing it. This reminds me of when I was at BYU and would spend a Saturday studying organic chemistry for hours just to try and pass a test.
  
• Nobody is in this library on Saturdays so I actually have a chance of finding a quiet place to study. Which I would normally have no hope of finding since there are only two designated quiet areas in the whole stinking library. The rest of the place people chat uninterrupted. It drives me nuts.

So all in all I'm not too bummed about having to study today. Plus I'm studying interesting stuff. All the components on how to formulate a juice beverage that matches one currently on the market. Its pretty cool.