Of Missionaries, Dating, and Men

Once upon a time there was a girl, named Taylor. She fell in love with a boy, and they dated for a very long time. The time came that he was called on a mission to the Great White North, and although it was very sad, they parted ways in hopes that one day they would be reunited.

Fast forward several months.

Taylor writes this boy each week, and still loves him, but somehow she must continue living all by herself. It’s been a hard road, but she’s done it. And thus far she has been successful in keeping all individuals of the male gender at bay. One awkward date in September. Three dates in February. All is well with the world.

Last month of school.

Last week: date to Fiddler on the Roof.
Tomorrow: date planned with a former crush. Why now?
Next week?: hang out with Fiddler on the Roof man?

Of course. Last week of school. And I’m NOT coming to USU next year. Thus it is all pretty much pointless. Why now?

But the big angst in this whole situation is my internal confusion. What do I want? I think it’s perfectly fine that I have had a crush while my missionary is gone, I still love him most of all. It’s just soooooo difficult that he is miles away and I can only talk to him through hand-written letters like it’s the dark ages or something.

But what do I want? Him, but that it still another 15 months away. But what if this guy…? I guess I could give him a chance. But is that leading him on? What IS my relationship status? 

             Answer: so complicated it’s not even funny!

Dating is fun. It’s fun to get dressed up and feel special for a night. I like talking to people and getting to know them [and honestly, who can begrudge free meals and desserts?].

But dating also sucks. It keeps you up at night wondering, Did I do something I shouldn’t have? Will he get the wrong idea? What does he think about this? Did I act like a complete idiot? 

Sometimes I just want to nix dating completely. And others, I sort of miss it and think, “Well, it can’t be that bad…” And then I go on a date. And the turmoil starts over.

If I didn’t have my missionary, life would be simple. Open to all dating opportunities just to “see how it goes”. But now I’m all tied up. Do I go for it? Do I tell the guy this complicated situation?

My family really likes my missionary. To the point that if I started dating anyone else my brother would come and “beat him up”. But I still want to be happy and enjoy life, and I really want to look at other people and decide if he really is the right one. So far he is the best I’ve ever found, but it won’t hurt to go on a few dates. Right?

Ugh. The joys of dating. One more week and all my problems will be solved,--more like avoided. Hopefully.

"Send me a sign! A hint! Anything!" [name that movie!]

Any suggestions for this poor, confused, single girl?

My Favorite Word

I just finished a 10 page paper and am very happy with myself, so I decided to take a break and blog. It's super short today, but here is the Physiological Finding for the week.This one I actually discovered in high school, but I will never forget it.

It happens to everyone.
Mid sentence, mid awkward date, mid staring contest.
Your eye flutters,
                  seizes,
                     contorts,
and in a flash it disappears, leaving you thinking, "Say what??"

Eye twitch = blepharospasm

[bleh-fah-ro-spazm]

Now when that attractive person asks you what just happened to your eye you can redeem your moment of freakishness by answering intelligently.

Blepharospasm.

Baby Animal Days

Spring Fever had hit full force. We had looked forward to this event for weeks, and even the freshly fallen snow couldn't deter us.

Although I had an Anatomy test to study for I was coerced into going by my good friends Hilary and Chase, and so we spent several hours at American West Heritage Center cuddling furry animals and walking through mud. So worth it!

Chase brought a set of "wild west rags" for us to wear. They are large bandannas made of silk that the "real" cowboys use to keep themselves cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Putting them on was a challenge, but after we succeeded in that we looked like a pretty spiffy group.

Chase, Hilary, Me, and our new friends Sarah and Kelsey

And then, we saw the absolute cutest little frogs that you could buy as pets! So naturally Hilary and I bought one. His name is Cricket and he is an African Swimming Frog. He lives fully in the water and is about the size of my thumbnail. Touching him scares the tar out of me [I haven't done it yet] and changing his water is a huge ordeal. It was an impulse buy [can you argue with $3???] But we love him. :)

Physiological Findings

Due to my extreme love for the human body [and Mallory's voiced interest in the matter] I've decided to start posting my "Physiological Findings"--[credit goes to Mal for the title!]. There are so many wonderful, and miraculous things that happen in this tabernacle of clay, and I wish to share them with you, my dear friends. So here is the first of many posts sharing the knowledge I have acquired. Enjoy!

Today's Topic: Medical Terminology for Dummies

You've heard of the patella, Achilles tendon, epidermis, and the medulla oblongata. Maybe gluteus maximus and ischial tuberosities are also on the familiar list. But here is a list of medical words that you've probably never heard before, and yet you use them everyday.

Pollux -- thumb
Hallux -- the "Great" toe
Olecranon -- bone that makes the prominence of the elbow
Calcaneus -- tarsal bone that makes the prominence of the heel
Antecubital fossa -- opposite the elbow, where they commonly draw blood
Supraorbital margin -- region where the eyebrow is located
Acromion -- bony prominence of the shoulder
Scapula -- shoulder blade
Anterior crest of the tibia -- shin
Ulnar nerve -- commonly mistaken for the "funny bone"
Orbicularis oris -- muscles that pucker the lips
Pinna -- the external cartilaginous portion of the ear
Palpebrae -- eyelids
Philtrum -- [Latin for "a love charm"] the indent above your lips
Mentum -- chin
Interphalangeal joints -- knuckles
Umbilicus -- belly button, navel
Axillary region -- armpit
Natal cleft -- crack between your bum cheeks ; )
Flexion creases -- folds of skin on the back of your knuckles
Acetabulofemoral joint -- hip joint

And lastly I leave you with a medical definition:

Kiss: juxtaposition of two orbicularis oris muscles in a state of contraction.

Nerdy-ness

Everyone is a nerd to some degree. Think for a moment. What is your passion? What field of science overrides all of your thought? What sport do you know inside and out? What do you wake up thinking about that continues all day long? Which famous philosopher/writer/saint do you quote on a daily basis?

If people don't have some sort of obsession they are (1) boring, or (2) lying. EVERYONE has something! Martin Luther King Jr. said, "If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live." I'm not saying you have to be willing to die for this obsession, but if we don't have a passion, are we fit to live? If we pass through life indifferently without every truly loving something, was our life worth living?

These thoughts in mind I made a silly preliminary list of my obsessions:

---I LOVE CANADA! For a multiplicity of reasons, the foremost being that my favorite missionary is serving there. [If you don't know what a missionary is, I guide you to the "my faith" link on the right side. This website explains my church and the core values that I believe.]

---I have an undying love for hockey as cited in [this post], a love that will continue when I have free time...

---I love music, and every second of the day I have a song in my head repeating over and over and over...
---I'm a princess, and princess things make me so happy!
---Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, even Toby Keith once had my heart.
---I love to sew, make new things, and fix old things! I'm not by any means proficient, but I love it. Yet another thing I will do when I have more time.

The deeper I looked, the more things I found, and the nerdy-er I became. Is it safe to say that Taylor is a nerd about everything? Because that's the conclusion I came to. Take a look:

Physics. I miss physics. If I had all the time and money in the world I would get a degree in it. I miss Dr. Sojka and even Mr. Hylton. It's so fascinating! Rotational inertia, friction, integrals and derivatives used in life, calculating velocity and friction. I honestly love it! And this one counts as extraordinarily geeky because I think about it all the time in real life. Example:

One of my roommates has super thick hair, and breaks the handles of her brushes all the time. I've been restraining myself for months from giving her the reason why this happens. The physics explanation is: you need to reduce the coefficient of friction between your brush and your hair. The best way to do this is to reduce the contact surface area, i.e. get a smaller brush. You would think that thicker, longer hair needs a thicker, bigger brush, but this is not the case. So instead of the 5 inch by 5 inch megalith you are using [and consequently breaking] try a medium-sized brush.

Chemistry. My first love. Coming to USU I was a chem major [and it's still listed as my declared major at this moment...] and I've always held love in my heart for this field. Most people hate it, which might be part of the reason I love it. It's challenging, but fascinating, and always predictable. Chemistry never changes, and it's the same in China, Malaysia, Kentucky, or right here in Utah.

It always made sense to me, which is good for something you love, right? I'll never forget the reason it gets warmer when it snows, or the real reason water boils, and especially not the true meaning of "burning"--which is "adding oxygen". Chemistry manifests in my daily lifeas well. I will never again waste my time writing "sodium" when a simple Na will suffice. In all of my classes there are chemical equations hidden in my notes: O2, N2, K, Mg, Fe, CO2. It's forever embedded within me.

Psychology. This is one of my great loves. It began with Mrs. Leek, declined with Joe Baker [the crappy test maker], and is now growing and thriving under Dr. Madden. I think psychology is so useful in everyday life. Raising children, teaching in an elementary school, even managing a grocery store could use a little help from psychology. It teaches you why people do the things they do, so what could be more useful when you interact with them all day long?

The thing I am most excited for though is the fact that this field can help me be a better mother. I've changed my life plan a few times and reorganized my priorities, all the while trying to follow Heavenly Father's plan for me. I've found that my number one priority is not to become a pharmacist, physicist, chemist, or psychologist. I'm supposed to be a mother and to raise them the best that I can. I feel like psychology will help me do that, and so I'm going to try so hard to finish this degree.

Physiology. My most recent love is tied to this amazing gift called the human body. After taking physiology and anatomy I can say with no doubt in my mind that this body was not an accident. These systems work so perfectly together and have such amazing abilities. I discover something incredible every day. It's become an obsession. I know how reflexes, brain freeze, and hiccups work. I know why your knuckles make sounds when you crack them [and no, it will not give you arthritis]. I know EXACTLY why you die without oxygen [lack of the terminal hydrogen ion, and electron acceptor at the end of the respiratory chain]. I know why your toenails grow slower than your fingernails.

This body is so fascinating and intricate, and I've only scraped the surface. I am convinced that if things were different I would be a physician in another life. And this nerdy-ness extends into my life. Almost everyday I tell Jess something cool I learned in anatomy that day. Or once, last week I looked up the biological importance of tears [thanks to my dear Hilary]. Just because I'm nerdy like that.

So there you have it. A rather long explanation of the inner workings of my mind. Nerdy, in every way, shape, and form.

So now I pose a question to you: What is your passion? What makes you nerdy?