Boys are stupid, and girls are mean.

It's nothing new. I've used this blanket statement an endless amount of times before. Yet, no matter how many times I say it, I still feel it to ring true.

Boys are stupid, and girls are mean.

Why Rachel, how could you say such a terrible thing? What a rotten generalization you've created for the human race! Well, you know what!? It's true.
It comes as no surprise to any of you that I've dated some winners. We're talkin' down home cookin, old fashioned, gee-golly-darn-fresh winners. These guys should win awards for the special kind of winners that they are. I'm not pinning anyone down here, just more of an all encompasing statement really. If you threw them all in a barrel, shook them up, threw them off a mountain, and made some soup of them, you'd have the world's greatest winner soup. (I use the term winner as an attempt at a lighter, more jocular word. If I used the words I'm really thinking, which let's be honest are still incredibly mild, I'd feel bad for a long time. So to avoid my own personal self-hating guilt spiral, I'm goin with winner.) Buddy the Elf would have to sincerely congratulate this soup for being the world's greatest winner soup. And what has it mostly boiled down to for me? Boys are stupid.
I have a lot of guy friends. A LOT. I've called myself the chronic homegirl. (Yes, I realize that's probably some sort of reasoning for my statements above, but just go with me here, ok?) As chronic homegirl, which I absolutely enjoy by the way, I have heard a lot of stories about girls. I hear about the trickery, the manipulation, and the meniacal little snots that my friends find themselves dating, and each time I just want to find these girls and punch them. Or slap them, or pull their hair, or break their necklace or something. I'm probably not tough enough to actually punch a girl, so I'd just make some attempt to physically harm them. Why? Because I'm a little bit mean. These girls lead my friends on, they go back to their ex-boyfriends, they use them for their motorcycles, they rebound, all of it. Too many girls have messed with too many guys, and each an everytime, it breaks down to the same thing. Girls are mean.
Well Rachel, not all girls are mean. You know what, that's really true. There are some good hearted and sweet girls out there. A lot of them I'm sure. I could even name a few. But too many times when there's a problem, and even though it can be unintentional, that problem is that girls are mean.
Rach, not all boys are stupid. Scientists, presidents, doctors, lawyers, teachers, comedians. There's all kinds of really intellegent guys out there. Some guys are really sensitive and thoughtful. My husband's not stupid. I love him. But you know what, at some point, if you run into a problem with a boy, it's probably because he did something stupid. Because boys are stupid.
Now I say this with love and respect for both genders. I love being a girl. And I love boys. Seriously. I love them. Someday I'll love a stupid boy of my own, and I'll probably do something to be a mean girl. When we fight, I'll laugh, and smile, and think in my head 'Oh honey, you're so stupid' and I'll give him a kiss and say 'Babe, I'm sorry I was mean.'

No Burgers or Fried Foods, it Agitates Godzilla.

Sometimes things go wrong at my place of work. It happens to everyone right? Well, I worked this chilly Monday morning, and we had a little issue at work. The fans in the kitchen went out, and when you fire-grill and fry the majority of your food, it creates a lot of smoke. Without fans, the smoke has nowhere to go but throughout the restaurant. Naturally, the room got pretty smoky. We were moderately busy, and guests were upset, UNDERSTANDABLY! We couldn't really open the doors to air out the restaurant for long periods of time, because it's about 22 degrees outside. So, we shut everything in the kitchen down for about a half an hour until someone could come to remedy the problem. Yep, that means no burgers, no fries, no onions rings or cheese sticks, no grease, which is what our restaurant does best. After it was mostly over, I had this conversation with my one of my co-workers, Sean.

"Wow, that was fun wasn't it?" (Sean)
"Yeah, the best part is that I have about 23 dollars to show for it." (Me)
"Wow, it doesn't get much worse than that.... long pause..." (Sean)
"What?" (Me)
"I'm trying to think of something that could've made it worse, but I've got nothin." (Sean)
"Ha, yeah." (Me)
"Godzilla. That would have made it worse." (Sean)
"You know, you're right, that would've been worse." (Me)
"Sorry about the smoke folks, Godzilla's in the back" (Sean)
"He just ate one of the cooks." (Me)
"He's pretty upset." (Sean)
"We'll be holding funeral services in a couple of hours." (Me)
"If you stay for it, you get free desert." (Sean)
"But no burgers or fries." (Me)
"No, no burgers or fried foods. It agitates Gozilla." (Sean)

On days like today, despite the pathetic amount of money I didn't make, my serious re-consideration of continuing into a 3rd year at this place, and the potential of black lung from the fryers, I love working. Red Robin.... yumm....

Sleepy sleepy sleepy.

I'm sure it hasn't escaped anyone's attention that I haven't blogged for a month and a half. I just get into ruts where I just don't have anything to say.... the rut still isn't gone, so I'm posting a g-mail conversation I had with my friend Bryce back in March. When I found it, I laughed out loud, and still wish that this were possible.... If only this invention existed. If only....

me: that's good... i oddly have not gotten tired enough for a nap today... i think it's cause i've gone to bed before midnight this week..

Bryce: i just ran out of ink...good times.

Ha, I took a 10 minute nap an hour or so ago

me: ha ha

Bryce: bliss

7:01 PM me: those really can be. unless you wake up two and a half hours later. that's the worst.

Bryce: and then you can't sleep at night

and the cycle continues

me: ah sleep. how you control my mood, and my day, and my life

7:02 PM i desperately love my friend sleep, but we generally don't get along. i guess it's a love hate relationship.

Bryce: haha

I agree

7:03 PM sleep, he's an interesting one

me: He likes to tease

7:04 PM Bryce: and the jokes on us

cuz he always wins

7:05 PM me: I know it

I think he's roommates with Satan.

Bryce: HAHA

and they love to go tubing together

7:06 PM me: Indeed. Indeed they do. And the inner tube is gigantic.

7:07 PM Bryce: Satan loves it

Sleep is indifferent

he just likes to learn Satan's tricks

and use them on us

I wish we could store sleep

7:08 PM me: Oh my gosh. That would be amazing. Like rollover minutes. When you sleep to long you can keep them for when you don't get enough sleep.

Bryce: You could decide, ok, for the next week, I'm gong to stockpile my sleep

7:09 PM and then use it for months

We should invent a device to capture it

7:11 PM me: Oh man. If only. Like, next week, I don't really have time to sleep on Monday or Tuesday, and I leave for Cali on Wednesday. I don't work Saturday, so I could just take like a 6 hour nap and load up for next week.

My Fall Soundtrack

It's finally fall. Finally. And along with fall comes some music that, for me, really makes the season what it is. If mix tapes were still around, this cassette would have stickers of red and orange leaves and a quote by Robert Frost on it. These are all songs that I feel are meant to be listened to with your windows down, sweater on, cool breeze coming in... basking in the incredible that is the autumn season. These songs bear no other theme than that. I hope to compile another set, but for now, I hope you can enjoy as much as I have.

Finally Fall Mix.

1-Trevor Hall-Sing the Song 3:38
2-Band of Annuals-David's Country 3:34
3-The Starting Line-Something Left to Give 3:35
4-John Mayer-Perfectly Lonely 4:28
5-Switchfoot-Enough to Let Me Go 3:52
6-Joshua Radin-They Bring Me to You 3:59
7-John Mayer-The Heart of Life is Good 3:21
8-Guster-Demons 4:26
9-The Weepies-Living in Twilight 3:04
10-Jason Mraz ft. Tristen Prettyman-Shy That Way 3:31
11-Dave Barnes-Little Lies 2:48
12-Eric Hutchinson-All Over Now 3:27
13-Augustana-Either Way I'll Break Your Heart Someday 4:11
14-The Format- Sore Thumb 3:19

When Everything You Thought Was Wrong....

Once in a long while, things come out utterly different than you could have expected. Something you never wanted to like, you end up loving, something you love gets old, someone you didn't expect to talk to again calls, etc, etc, etc. You know what I'm sayin'. This can be fun once in a while... or it can suck. But let's focus on the fun things. A few of my discoveries as of recently...

I really like avocados. I went nearly 22 years without appreciating the things. This new love is mainly due to my sister in law's incredible guacamole.
I like travel books. I think they're fascinating. This is due to one of my classes at school. We literally study travel books and maps. Gotta love upper division courses.
The Orem Library is AWESOME. I don't think I'll ever become a member because it costs like 80 bucks if you're a non-resident, but I greatly enjoyed the place. The visit was due to an assignment for my amazing travel book class.
And to wrap up the post for the day.... I usually don't like entertainment that is old school. Things like black and white movies, old music, that kind of stuff... but due to Pandora's genius suggestions, I can't get enough of this song lately, so I thought I'd link the YouTube vid.

Enjoy. I certainly have.

And, just to make the moment more legendary, this song was sung on my one of my favorite TV shows on Monday night. True Story.

Fall is Finally Here.

For me, fall is a time for my soul to be inspired. As corny as that sounds, for me it rings true. The colors and the crisp smell and feel of the air brings out good things for me. I love sweater weather, driving with my windows down, and the festivities of the beautiful season.

Try not to get caught up in something
you don't have...

I said this to a friend tonight, and as soon as I said it, I realized it was for me. There is so much beauty to take in right now. I smile just thinking about it. Happy Fall everybody. I'm so glad it's finally here.

Things That I Like... and Things That I Just Don't.

I really like my new boyfriend fit shorts from American Eagle, they're comfy and wonderful.
I really don't like my dad's teeny tiny running shorts, they make me want to throw up a lot.

I really like the smell of my amazing new perfume, every time I spray it I'm delighted.
I really don't like the smell of the squash that I accidentally left on the stove top for the weekend... sorry mom.

I really like to get letters from my friend Jessica on her mission, they make me smile.
I really don't like to get my cell phone bill in the mail, it's always more than it should be.

I really like to sleep with my window open, it makes my room smell nice and I sleep kinda chilly.
I really don't like when I come home at night when the parents are gone and realize I left the back door open, I have to call someone to come make sure no one's creepin in my house.

I really like pb&j sandwiches and Capri Sun, they make me feel like a kid.
I really don't like when my parents ask me why I came home so late, they make me feel like a kid.

That's all for today... this may be a post I do more often...
Rach :)

Lies We Tell

I found that meeting new people can be a game sometimes... just waiting to see what they think of you. Waiting to see what their first impressions are. Soon those impressions wear off, or, they end up being right, either way, always entertaining. I was hanging out with my friend Chris a few weeks ago, and we talked about our first impressions of each other, considering we had known each other for about 2 years, but had never bothered to really get to know each other until then. Well, some funny first impressions came off, and it gave me an idea for a post... The lies we tell people, or let people believe. Just for the sake of it. Come on, you know I'm not the only person that's ever done this... here are some of mine...

These are things I've had people assume about me, so, lying, I played along...

I played soccer in high school. (I get this one a lot for some reason...)
Also, that I'm really good at sports.
I'm a natural blonde.
My hair's not naturally curly. (I usually proceed this one with telling them I have a really tiny curling iron. Guys fall for this all the time. It's hilarious to see their reactions.)
I have a lot of younger siblings and I love kids.
I ran track in college.
I'm a really good student, and I get really good grades...
My favorite kind of music is country.
I like to go hiking and camping, ie I'm an outdoorsy kind of girl.

And, lies I get a kick out of telling other people...

I'm from Vermont. (Nobody knows anything about Vermont, so they don't ask questions)
I'm an only child.
I've never traveled out of Utah.
I have a kid... I never let this one last long, it's just great to see people's faces.
I've auditioned for American Idol.
My name is Rebecca. Sometimes Michelle. (I don't particularly like either of these names, no offense to anyone, they just seem to be the first ones that come to mind.)
I've shot an elephant.

Yeah... that's all I can think of today. Who knows why I get such a kick out this, but hey, we all gotta do something to keep ourselves entertained right? It's always a good thing to be able to laugh at yourself. I just might do it too often...

Things That Must Go.... Restaurant Style

I like to listen to the X96 morning show... I like this idea... And I'm a waitress... here ya go.

~Children that run around the restaurant at free will while their parents ignore them and talk to their friends.
~Asking your waitress for one thing, and when she comes back with it, asking her for one more thing, and when she comes back with it, asking her for one more thing, and when she comes back with it, asking her for one more thing.... BRAINSTORM PEOPLE!! Do you need napkins and fry sauce? ASK AT THE SAME TIME!!
~Complaining about the selection on the menu... you want steak? Go to Ruby River!
~Verbal tipping. Doesn't do me any good just to hear I did a good job. Doesn't do me any good if you just write me a nice comment card. I am working. For money. If you can't afford to tip, you shouldn't come to a sit down restaurant.
~Sitting in your booth for 3 hours on a Friday night. I don't know how to explain this to you to help it sink in, but as servers, we make $2.13 an hour. $2.13!! My hourly wage depends on how much I'm bringing in off of tips each hour. If you tip me $6.00, and you stay in that booth for 3 hours, I only made $2.00 an hour off of you. If you're gonna stay, you've gotta leave more money. I'm trying to pay for college my friend.
~Standing in an isle for 15 minutes talking to friends. We need to serve people food. You're in the way. Please move.
~Getting REALLY upset that we don't have Pepsi. There is nothing I can do about that. I'm sorry you're addicted to Pepsi, but you getting upset does not change our soda machines magically somehow. Just get water. You'll live. I swear.

Sigh... Ok, I try really really hard no to complain when I'm working, and I know there are only like 3 people that read this... so I'm sorry if you hated it. But I needed it. Ha. Thanks all....
:)

So far from where I feel like I should be.

Do you ever feel that way? I don't say it in a depressing, "I think I'm a pathetic excuse for a human being, so you must pity me and tell me how great I am" kind of way, just stating a fact. I wonder sometimes how I'll be able to get closer to the person I want to be.
This all stemmed from that chance I had to attend General Conference for the second Sunday session, and Elder Foster gave that amazing talk about mothers. I bawled nearly the whole way through. My friend Ben was sitting next to me, and put his hand on my back and said, "Aw Rachie, it's ok." I looked at him and with tears streaming down my face, I whole-heartedly said, "Benny, I'm scared to be a mom." Frankly, I am scared to be a mom. I'm terrified. Not only because I am some day going to house a growing fetus inside of me that in 9 months has to come out, but because I am so far from where I feel like I should be. The way that I spend my time, the shortcomings I have, and the lack of responsibility I possess even for myself show me how far I have to go. I will be a terrible mother if I carry on like this.
I'm not a bad person. I don't make terrible decisions. But I want to be stronger. Less lazy. More committed. I'm working on it. Get back to me in 10 years. I'll let you know how it's going.

If I weren't me...

My friend Jordan and I were sitting on the stage of Studio 600 a few weeks ago. The night was winding down from hours of country dancing, and they were playing the last few songs. (Yes, I still go country dancing.... ) Despite my attempts to be a kind and loving individual, Jordan and I were poking fun at a few people on the dance floor. As we did so, I got that crappy feeling knowing that I shouldn't do that, and I promptly tried to stop. It then occurred to me. We were sitting on the stage, not dancing with anyone, laughing hysterically to ourselves, ages 21 and 22, wearing friendship bracelets. No doubt in my mind that if there wasn't someone currently making fun of us, they had at one point during the night. More than that, I fully deserve it. So, I've decided to make my blogging come back by pointing out all of the things about me, that if I weren't me, I would definitely make fun of... cause let's be honest, I'm kind of an idiot.

I crack my knuckles about twice an hour. All of my knuckles. Every knuckle in my hand. Loudly.

I'm 22 and the background on my computer is Glee.

I have 3 different friendship bracelets that I wear often.

My laugh is incredibly loud.

I laugh all the time.

For some reason, everything is funny to me.

Even when I'm mad, I'm smiling. That's really annoying.

I hiccup just once about 7 times a day.

My hands wave as though I'm speaking sign language when I'm telling a story.

I only have one dimple.

I also crack my ankles about every hour.

When I yawn, my eyes water. I'm tired a lot. I always look like I'm crying. With a smile.

I dance in the isle of the grocery store.

I almost always run and jump onto my shopping cart, pretending I'm a race car driver.

Coloring books and fairly new crayons are a staple for me.

I wear my hair in a prom do, everyday.
I tend to think that I'm hysterical.

Country dancing is a frequent hang out for me.
Poking people is a way of life for me.
I bite my nails incessantly.
If my fingernails are painted, it's an insanely bright color.
My socks never match. This is on purpose.
My hands look like an 80 year old woman's.

Well, that's all I can think of today. Feel free to add.
Seriously, I would make fun of me if I weren't me. A lot.