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!

The Aggie Blue and Fighting White

Thursday: USU Basketball vs. Louisiana Tech
Friday: USU Hockey vs. Boise State
Saturday: USU Basketball vs. New Mexico State

Yes. I attended all of them. USU spirit is hitting me full force, and I love it! This is my last semester in the beautiful town of Logan and I intend to thoroughly enjoy it. Starting with USU sports.

Thursday Hilary and I battled the crowds for a seat in the Spectrum. The variety of cheers and the sheer vocal power of the student section is amazing. I honestly feel bad for the opposing teams, Aggie fans are a little rude, and they are always incredibly loud. But the school spirit is positively unmatched. The down side is that you can never understand what is going on because the cheering is continuously deafening.

Needless to say, we blew Louisiana Tech out of the water, 74-57.

Friday included driving to the outskirts of Logan to get to the ice rink and forking out $5 to see the game (basketball games are free to students, but sadly not hockey games). As sad as it is to part with $5--it was worth it. My indifference to hockey has now become love. I love hockey!!! Jessica has infused in me a love for the Olympics, and by extension, a love for all things Canada (Tyson being in Canada helps too). So that hockey is primarily a Canadian sport, and that half of the USU team is actually from Canada, made it amazing. 

I discovered that hockey is a mix between soccer and football. Soccer because you pass and hit the puck on the ground toward a goal, and football because slamming people into walls is totally legal--within bounds. I happen to love football, thanks to my father, and hockey is basically football on ice. Wicked awesome.

I was confused for a lot of the game because I know absolutely none of the rules, and Hilary and Jessica didn't know them either. But through eavesdropping we did learn one thing. A hat trick is when one player scores three goals during one game and all the fans throw their hats on the ice. It's kind of a big deal. Most games end at like 6-3, so one player getting three goals is a big deal. And after two or three times the referees get really mad and threaten the team with a penalty, because they have to skate around and pick them all up. Hehe.

In between periods they had a couple things going on, mostly kids throwing treats and skating around. But they had a mini hockey game during the 20 minute break and it was the most adorable thing I have ever seen. A group of little hockey players came onto the ice and played a game for us to see. See the pink pants? That little girl is my hero. I wish I was as brave as she is! The only girl on the team. It was just like watching a 6 year old soccer game where everyone groups together in a clump and follows the puck. But I'm certain they skate much better than I do, so I secretly wish I could take hockey lessons, so I could actually learn to skate.

Jessica's secret wish is to someday become the Zamboni driver.

Hilary's secret wish is to date Tai Wesley. He is one of the super fantastic players on the basketball team, and he is apparently really attractive. And we saw him at the hockey game and he sat right next to her. Well, there were 10 seats and a set of stairs between them, but Hilary was technically sitting next to Tai Wesley, and she was ecstatic. As evidenced by this picture. (He is the tiny figure wearing brown.)

We left at the end of period 2, with another period to go, but the score was 14-1. We were pretty sure that there was no contest. Sorry Boise. Aggies Rule!

But I am now in love with hockey, and will be attending another game--just as soon as I figure out the rules.

Saturday was another home basketball game, and Michelle's first one ever! This game was aired on ESPN and there were so many people there. By the time the game started there was probably not a single seat empty in the student section, and at the end they said that 10,013 people attended that night. It was a full house. 

Every game starts in a strict format. Cheering uncontrollably when USU comes out of the tunnel, and then the band begins playing "Hail the Utah Aggies,"

Hail the Utah Aggies,

We'll play the game with all our might.

See the colors flying,

The Aggie Blue and Fighting White.

How they stir us onward!

We'll gain the victory, All Right!

Hail the Utah Aggies,

We're out to win so Fight! Fight! Fight!

Utah State Hey! Aggies all the way!

Go Aggies! Go Aggies! Hey! Hey! Hey!

Immediately followed by the Scotsman:

Show me the Scotsman who doesn't love the thistle.
Show me the Englishman who doesn't love the rose.

Show me the true blooded Aggie from Utah

Who doesn't love the spot where the sagebrush grows!

In the 30 seconds before the game begins the cheering section starts yelling:

I believe!

(crowd:) I believe!

I believe that

(crowd:) I believe that

I believe that we

(crowd:) I believe that we

(all:) I believe that we will win!

I believe that we will win!

I believe that we will win!

I believe that we will win!

....(jumping up and down required)

The first ten minutes were tense, but once we got a comfortable distance away the tension ceased.We screamed our hearts out nonetheless, and USU ended up winning their 21st straight WAC game 59-49 against NMSU. Go Aggies!

The most exciting part of the night was the half time show. A group of Golden Girls, ages 50 to 94, performed a dance to the song "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz. Full of thriller moves, shimmys, and even the robot, it was the absolute greatest half time performance ever. They did an absolutely amazing job, and they worked just like a drill team. I decided that I want to be in Golden Girls when I am old. They are my heroes.

So it's official. I'm a USU sports fan and a convert to hockey. And I'm proud of my Aggies.

Home Sweet Home

I'll admit, I was a little afraid to come home for the holidays. The last couple weeks hadn't been so great, and so spending a month with my family was not appealing. The holiday could turn into one of two things: boring, or grouchy.

It ended up being neither. It was fantastic. I love my family. Sure there were boring times and times when I wanted to smack Kameron upside the head, but on the whole it's been wonderful.

This break I: (in no particular order)

--Spent a day in Salt Lake City to see the lights and watch Kam's choir sing in the Assembly Hall.

--Played Rockband, pool, Mario Party 8, and Wii Sports Resort to my hearts content.

--Wrote family letters and cried on Christmas morning.

--Spent a week with Grandma and enjoyed her company and sewing expertise.

--Drank lots of hot chocolate and apple cider.

--Played in the snow for hours pretending I was little again. (Mom playing too hard and throwing her back out.)

--Got a Disney Princess calendar, Barbie movie, and my own sewing machine for Christmas.

--Went bowling and threw 9 balls in the gutter, almost straight in a row.

--Worked a week with my dad and the dear elderly at the Berkshire.

--Fell asleep in bliss every night with a heated mattress pad.

--Made homemade caramel, white chocolate popcorn and hundreds of chocolate dipped pretzels.

--Enjoyed party after party after party after party....

--Named a snowman Howard.

--Sent a (very late) package to my missionary with enough sweets to keep him happy for a year.

--Finally took poor Gracie to the shop to get fixed.

--Sewed more flowers and hair bows than I know what to do with.

--Fasted and prayed for a dear friend to open his heart to the gospel.

--Brought in the new year with fantastic friends and good food.

--Gained several pounds in candy weight.

--Finished reading the conference Ensign cover to cover.

                  And had fun doing it all!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it SNOW!

It snowed for two days straight. School was cancelled. There was SO MUCH SNOW! My mom of all people really wanted to go and play in it and so we donned the multiple layers and braved the outdoors. The weather wasn't cold at all, but just perfect for playing.

Any day in the snow requires 4 things:
1. Snowball fight
2. Snow Angels
3. Snowman
4. Hot chocolate

Naturally we began with a snowball fight--instigated by my mother. McKenzie and my cousin Michelle joined us and it turned into a splendid war. Kameron got on the Brute Force (mom's fourwheeler) and started plowing the snow into a big pile in preparation for a later snow fort. He joined us eventually and we made pathetic attempts at trying to hit him. I got him square in the face once, and got more than my fair share of payback. Between the three of us aiming at him we might have made 1 or 2 hits, but we were all pretty lousy shots.

Next we attempted to make our snow angels, at my mother's request. But Michelle insisted that you can't make snow angels in this snow, "because, watch." She dropped to the ground with her arms outstretched and a mound of snow fell on her head, covering her face completely. Because, apparently, you get buried. Point taken.

But of course we all had to try. And we were indeed buried.

We discovered that this snow was not particularly ideal for snowmen, even though it rocked for snowballs. The pretty and round shape typical of these winter figures was very difficult to create. First of all it didn't roll very well. Secondly, it had a bad habit of picking up cancerous growths. We heave-ho-ed the pieces together and then shaved them into the roundest shapes we could muster. Mom found a carrot, scarf, and plenty of buttons and we slowly created his face. She found an old pair of spectacles and a hat that belonged to my grandpa and we added them to the mix. Kam cut some tree branches for arms and Michelle took sticks to make adorable eyebrows. I'm fairly certain this is the cutest snowman I have ever made.



Michelle, McKenzie and I brainstormed ideas for a name, because he most assuredly needed a name. Walter, Sedgwick, Franklin, Sylvester, Harold, Fredrick, Robert,..... but he looked most like a Howard. So this is Howard our snowman.


Michelle made a little dog for Howard and he was the cutest thing ever. With buttons for his eyes and nose and a cute red ribbon, who can resist such a puppy? The Santa hat was also a nice touch.


Girls make snow angels and snowmen, and boys get in snowball fights and make snow forts. Kameron had amassed a enormous pile of snow and so we made it bigger, packed it down, and began to dig through it. It's hard work, let me tell you. I let little Megan do most of the digging and I helped clear out the extra snow. It took a long time but they made it all the way through the pile and made a little room. My kneecaps froze (I know, right?) and so I baled before it was finished, but they worked on it until the sun went down and I had hot chocolate waiting for them inside. It's so wonderful to come inside and take off your wet clothes and warm up with hot cocoa.



The next day it rained and this was all that remained of poor Howard. He may be lost, but he is not forgotten!

Best day in the snow ever? Heavens yes! Why I haven't done this in years I'll never know. Thanks mom. :)