This Obsession of Mine

Ob-ses-sion [uh b-sesh-uh n] n.

The domination of one's thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire, etc. (or sport)
As in: Taylor has an obsession for hockey.

My first game was overwhelming. Watching men skate in circles in an attempt to get a small puck past the sumo-wrestler-sized goalie and into the net, all while slamming into each other like a giant pinball machine.

There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to the constant flow players moving in and out of the game, or the face offs that occurred throughout. To make matters worse we absolutely stomped the team 15-2 and so fans kept throwing their hats on the ice and I had no idea why. It was a bit of a culture shock--in my own little town of Logan.

With each game I became more and more in love, and spent time looking at the rules and started researching the teams in the NHL. I must say that I am supremely grateful for the internet in helping me with this endeavor. Now I can adequately follow what is going on and the game is much more interesting I assure you. :)

These are the reasons I love Hockey: 

1. CANADA--All things connected with Canada automatically get brownie points. This is due in part to Tyson serving a mission there right now, and also due to the fact that my love for the Olympics began  when they were hosted in Vancouver last year. I have lots of love in my heart for the Great White North. 

Also, half of USU's team is actually FROM Canada. How cool is that? 

2. Names--The team has the coolest Canadian last names (some of them aren't exactly from Canada, but they have cool names nonetheless): McFadden, Madigan, Wyman, Arsenault, Mistelbacher, Armitage, Huppert, Allington. 

Even if you don't think that's a good reason, Jess agrees with me. :) 

3. I grew up watching football, like every American, but hockey adds another dimension to the game. Hockey is like football plus soccer ON ICE. I am awed and amazed by their skating ability for one, because on the occasion that I go skating (about once a year) I am glued to the railing and barely shuffle my feet to keep from falling. But these players make it look so easy! I'm fairly certain that the Canadian players learned to skate before they walked. 

The physical aspect of hockey is close to football. Constant shoving and smashing into each other, penalties for tripping, interference, and even holding. This I am accustomed to. The soccer aspect (putting the puck into the goal) was a simple change come from years of playing little league. Put the two together and you have one large case of: hockey.

There are many other reasons for my love of this sport, but I won't burden you more than necessary. Suffice it to say: I LOVE HOCKEY. It has even gotten to the point that while making up star constellations with my roommates I found the USU hockey symbol. Yeah...

I have had so many good times going to hockey games with my roommates! Jess, Melissa, Hilary, and Mallory have all gone with me to at least one, and we have had some great times. Opening fortune cookies, discovering the "hat trick", eating peanuts, trying to solve the problem of deflating plastic noise makers, sitting "next to" Tai Wesley, dreaming of one day becoming Zamboni drivers, free wristbands, and disappearing stamps. My favorite memory is affectionately termed "man smell". 

Jess and I got there super early and got great seats to see the game, right next to where the players come out! We were stoked! They all came out for warm ups and then we realized a horrid truth: hockey players STINK. The best way to describe this comes from the movie "Tangled" (new favorite!!!) 

Flynn: "Can you smell that? Take a deep breath in through the nose! That's part man smell, and part really bad man smell!" 

That couldn't be more true. To add to our displeasure the entire team stayed in the little alleyway below us because it was senior night and so all the graduating seniors waited in the wings and then skated on the ice to get their jersey while the coach gave a speech about them. It was horrid and lasted for way too long. I'm so confused because they hadn't even played yet, why did they smell so bad? I don't think they do laundry, or shower--EVER. But I will never forget the smell, and believe it or not--it is a fond memory. :)

To make this love official I have set about choosing a favorite NHL hockey team--and it is much harder than I thought. With football, it was easy. The Dallas Cowboys was practically written in my DNA. But choosing for myself? It's proving to be difficult. Here are some of my conclusions thus far, from one gringo to another:

Canada rocks, and so all teams from Canada get one point right off.
Edmonton! Point! But they are the Oilers...not such a fan of that...
Dallas Stars, I could go with them! But they are not from Canada, and I'm not a fan of green.
Washington Capitals? Ottawa Senators? No thank you--I'm anti-politics.
Anaheim Ducks? Do you WANT to get beat up?
What is a canuck anyway? Some sort of rodent? (I looked it up: slang for "Canadian.")
All teams sporting the color orange get an automatic -1 point.
Coyotes, Penguins, Sharks, Blue Jackets, Sabres, Bruins, Panthers...
The Predator logo SCARES ME.
Minnesota Wild? That doesn't even make sense.
Wayne Gretzky played for the Oilers first... He's the only hockey player I've even heard of.
New Jersey Devils--that's a flashback to high school... the horror. :)
Toronto Maple Leafs? LEAFS?! Does grammar mean nothing?
I'd feel like a traitor if I chose the team that's winning this year--part of rooting for a team is loving them whether they win or lose.

Pretty much the only thing I have to go off is how much I like the team colors, how well designed is the logo, and whether or not they come from a cool city. I'm a tabula rasa for everything else. So, all these important things in consideration here are my top 6 (in no specific order):

Pittsburgh Penguins
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Philadelphia Flyers
Toronto Maple Leafs
Vancouver Canucks

That's about as far as I've gotten--which is huge mind you, 30 teams down to 6.

I discovered this love right in time for hockey season to be over, which is good for my pocketbook, but not so good for my happiness. I just need to choose a NHL team and start watching before the Stanley Cup! Oh, and did I mention that USU's team is going to NATIONALS?! That's right! We got #2 in our conference! If I was loaded I would go to San Jose to see the tournament... but alas, I'll wait here to see the results.

(For all of you that managed to read this ridiculously long post--serious brownie points!)

So, I love hockey. That is all. :)

Triumph Over BNR 320

I love Anatomy. Ask anyone I associate with and they will tell you that I am a full-on NERD when it comes to the human body. I am convinced that in another life I would have been a physician, I love it that much.

But there is one feature of anatomy classes that I have DREADED my whole life.

Cadavers.

In BNR 320 there are eight dead bodies preserved in formaldehyde and dissected in order to see the various organs of the human body.

For the first several weeks of the semester they stayed nice and zipped up in their black bags while we studied the bones.

This week was muscles week. This week was the real test to see if I could survive.

Taking extra precautions I entered the lab, along with a few other scared individuals, and two muscle cadavers were unzipped for the day's lecture. The teacher began pointing out the various muscles--poking things and moving things--and I waited for panic to set in, or at least some realization to happen.

I looked down at the intact hands and noticed that her fingernails were painted pink. Strangely enough I thought, "That's cute." I looked at the sign hanging above the table and it said, "Crystella--67, neoplasm of the breast" (breast cancer). I think it's adorable that a nearly 70 year old lady painted her fingernails.

For some reason I was able to recognize that this was a human and be OK with it. I honestly don't think it's a "person" because their spirit has left. It's just a leftover glove that they have given to help me learn.

I did get queasy ONCE when a fellow student who is apparently very comfortable with this situation started sifting through a pile of...discarded materials. But that was only once and for a brief moment. I feel accomplished for beating this great fear of mine.

Let it be known that Taylor went to cadaver lab, didn't faint, and didn't become a vegetarian. All is well with the world.

The Real McCoy

Once upon a time... there was a girl's choice dance. I decided to go last-minute, and with no adequate dress for the occasion I turned to my stalwart friend, the DI.

The DI is one of my favorite places EVER. There is always something cheesy, hilarious, or awesome waiting for you. I needed a semi-decent dress so I browsed the racks of discarded clothes looking for something suitable.

$30 dollars later I had three dresses that I absolutely could not part with.

Dress #1 was a salmon-colored, pleated 20's dress that fell in love with, because I practically should have been born in that era. How can you argue with $5?

Dress #2 was a standard formal that looked very princessy and just needed to be cut to tea-length--my back up plan in case I wasn't brave enough for dress #3.

Dress #3 was a lacy, homemade-looking yellow dress that was certainly not your run-of-the-mill formal. Empire waist, sunshine yellow, and an abundance of lace around the neck. It looks kind of ridiculous on the hanger, but I put it on... and fell in love. (I added the ribbon later to make it match better with white.) The lace reached down to cover the shoulder and I had full range of motion in my arms--which was a huge bonus, especially since I had a tall date.

The lacy-ness of it seems like something that might have been popular in the 70's, but it didn't look unfashionable or dated. It was almost reminiscent of the Regency era, and I felt like Elizabeth Bennett wearing it.

The only real way to describe it is classy. I kind of loved it a lot.

While buying the dress I concocted this grand idea of what to wear with it, namely: a long strand of pearls and elbow length white gloves. The idea was so lovely that I couldn't just let it go, so I conceded to the (ridiculously expensive) white gloves, and it was worth it. As for pearls, I borrowed a set from my dear friend Hilary that were fabulous! I looked classy. Much love.

Cue [Frank Sinatra] music...

The date itself was grand. I went with a good friend and was able to relax, be crazy, and have one night of honest to goodness fun. He taught me a bit of country swing, and for the last song we interpretive danced to "My Heart Will Go On"--emphasis on the interpretive dance. He's kind of eccentric, and it was delightful! Delicious food, dancing, a gorgeous dress, chivalry, what more could a girl want?

P.S. For the purposes of this blog I decided to look up [slang used in the 20's]. Fantastic. I wish we still talked like this...

My favorites:

Applesauce- an expletive same as horsefeathers, As in "Ah applesauce!"
Bank's Closed - no kissing or making out - i.e. - "Sorry, Mac, the bank's closed."
Don't take any wooden nickels - Don't do anything stupid
Dry up - shut up, get lost
Ducky - very good
Flat Tire - A dull witted, insipid, disappointing date
Goofy - in love
Hotsy-Totsy - Pleasing
Jake - OK, as in , "Everything is Jake."
Level with me - be honest
Putting on the Ritz - after the Ritz hotel in Paris; doing something in high style
Razz- to make fun of
Real McCoy - The genuine article
Scram - Ask someone to leave immediately
Spifflicated - Drunk. The same as canned, corked, tanked, primed, scrooched, jazzed, zozzled, plastered, owled, embalmed, lit, potted, ossified or fried to the hat (That is just way too funny!)
Spiffy - An elegant appearance
Swanky - Ritzy
What's eating you? - What's wrong?

Pretty much, I love the 20's. And I am totally going to start saying "ducky" and "Jake."

A Chinese Groundhog New Year!

This story must be told in two parts, and so we begin with:

THE COOKIE FIASCO

Groundhog Day is such an under appreciated holiday. As we were discussing it a month ago we decided that we needed to do something fantastic to celebrate it. There aren't a lot of traditions associated with the day (outside of Punxsutawney, PA) and so we were hard pressed for ideas. Watching the movie "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray was certain, but what else?

Cookies are always a good idea. Hoping that there was such thing as a groundhog cookie cutter we perused the internet, and did indeed find one. WIN! Groundhog cookie cutter, $4.95. Sold.

When Groundhog Day rolled around I started to make the cookies and the madness began.

Problem #1: We were missing cream cheese, butter, sugar, and flour. Fixed easily by a quick trip to Wally World.

Problem #2: Of the two mixers housed in our apartment, neither was functional. Thanks to GREAT friends in C1 that let me borrow theirs!

Problem #3: Upon further inspection of the recipe (after I was mostly finished with the batter) I came to a line that said, "Cover and chill for 2 hours." WHAT?!? By this time it was 9pm and I didn't have 2 hours to wait for stupid cookies... So I decided to put them in the freezer for 30 min and hopefully that would be good enough.

Problem #4: The kitchen is too close to the TV room. They are connected in fact. And I simply couldn't pull myself away from the movie to go finish the cookies.

Problem #5: Cookie batter left in the freezer for 2 hours is very solid. Solid enough that you can tip it over and shake the bowl and nothing moves. No bueno. So after much frustration I put them in the fridge and went to bed.

The next time I was able to work on them was Friday. And they had been thawed and frozen a few times in between days. I was terribly afraid that they were diseased, but that's why you cook them, right?

Problem #6: When cookie dough is left in the fridge for 2 days it has the consistency of dried-out play dough. But, apparently a minute or so in the microwave fixes this problem and makes them a more manageable consistency. :)

Lots of rolling out and baking later we had groundhog shaped cookies. And after this ordeal I officially hate making sugar cookies. But they were certainly delicious.

CHIN-ADIAN NEW YEAR

Feb 3: Chinese New Year and USU Hockey vs. Northern Arizona. As a new hockey fanatic I just couldn't pass up this game! As we waited for it to start we opened up fortune cookies.

Such great fortunes yes? 

The game was spectacular. I'm learning more and more about hockey just by watching, even though I haven't looked up the rules quite yet. We had planned on leaving after the second period but it was tied 2-2 and we couldn't just leave--regardless of the homework load. The last period was the most intense. An actual, for real fight took place! I don't think you can get the whole hockey experience unless you witness a fight, and we certainly did! Also someone beaned our goalie in the head with a stick (jerk). Luckily after a few minutes of recoup the goalie could play just fine. 

In the end Utah State prevailed, 6-2. GO USU HOCKEY!

To finish off our celebration of Chinese New Year we watched Mulan, one of the greatest Disney movies ever. Fortune cookies and Mulan is a good enough celebration, right? We think so. Welcome everyone to the year of the Rabbit!

Happy Chinese Groundhog New Year!