As a Mormon my entire life I've been encouraged to make and keep goals. While serving as a "missionary guide" on Temple Square I was strongly admonished to make individual weekly and monthly goals. In addition my companion, whoever the lucky gal was at the time, and I were to make and keep companionship goals.
So much has changed since my mission. Now my goal setting is limited to New Year's and academic semesters. Although my goals seem consistent from year to year, this year I have established a motto for the year. 2006 will be known as the year of "Down With Men." Sound familiar? All my girlfriends ask, "Isn't that the name of a movie?" or "Have you seen that movie, Down With Love?" My answers are always the same. "No," is my response to the first inquiry, and "Yes," is my answer to the second.
You may be wondering why I have chosen this motto for the new year instead of another. Well, after much serious reflection and several personal experiences I have decided its time to take a break emotionally, mentally and physically from men.
One thing I have noticed about myself, is how nuts I become when I'm interested in a man. Suddenly every woman is out to win his affections, he is attracted to every woman he meets and he lies about everything. These thoughts of paranoia transform me into an "emotional trainwreck." The metamorphosis is even more terrifing if the object of my affection is a Mormon. This means the stakes are higher and if failure ensues the hurt greater.
Considering my 2005 dating experiences, in addition to previous disasters, I say Down With Men!
Leslie, my counterpart in the American Studies Program, was chiding me about my decision yesterday. "Amber," she said, "you are the most boy-crazy woman I know. I bet you will have a new boyfriend in a week." I love Leslie to death and truly value her opinions but for anyone who knows me, this is simply not true.
Case in point. For Christmas my brother gave me two magnets. One depicts a girl passing gas. Yes, I have to admit, I have a slight problem with gas but that's beside the point. The other magnet shows the same girl kicking a guy in the balls. The boy is screaming in pain.
Four years ago my own mother, who's motto has always been Down With Men, bought me a postcard from the Rhett Butler store in Charleston for Christmas. She could have chosen any scene from Gone With the Wind, i.e. Scarlett at the BBQ, Scarlett and her father looking at Tara, Scarlett in the red gown, Rhett carrying Scarlett up the staircase, but which one did my mother choose? The postcard of Scarlett slapping Rhett across the face. So, for those who really know me, 2006's motto Down With Men is not surprising. In fact, given past and present circumstances, its long overdue.
It is interesting to relate since declaring my motto one ghost from my past has reemerged. Scott, my San Fran water polo champ and former West Point cadet, sent me an email just before Christmas. Prior to this attempt at communication, I have not heard from Scott since May. In response to his email, I, diplomatically, told him to buzz off.
Three days later, I receive another email from Scott. In this email Scott claims he wants to renew our friendship and make a goal to see one another again. (We met while Scott was in DC for the Presidential Inaguration.)
I am not sure what I should do about Scott. Songs from Primary keep popping in my head, namely "Jesus said love everyone, treat them kindly too. When you're heart is filled with love. Others will love you." Then the Down With Men side says, "The guy's a liar. Plus, he's younger, not LDS and has nothing in common with you. You can never be 'just friends' with a man. They always have one objective."
I have offered men second chances in the past, which I have always regretted. They always prove unworthy of any kindness I extend. In fact, the worse I treat a man the better he treats me. I honestly don't understand this behavior and what's more important, I am incapable of playing that game. I value honesty above all else in a relationship. I could never be something or someone I am not. To pretend disinterest in a man, to secure his, is ridiculous. So, I shout Down With Men.
But the Sunday School voice persists and the dilemna continues. For now, I will leave it. He's in Brazil, I'm in DC and 2006 is the year of ME! Whatever anxiety he suffers in anticipation for my answer is not my concern. He made his bed.
Heartless, you criticize. Selfish, you chide. How can anyone, especially a Mormon feel good about devoting a year to themselves. Easy. Men do it every second of every day. :)

Who can believe it! Not our readers, of course. All 2 of you that still read us. lol. Boo and I have a goal for the next year to post once a week. Ok. Well, I have that goal and I'm dragging Boo into it. We're headed out for some crazy New Year's adventures so expect to see something soon! Yahoo!!!

Boo and I love it there! We went shopping today and then to see Pride and Prejudice. Boo can blog her own thoughts on it (as if she actually blogs) but I thought it wasn't nearly as bad as last time.
Then we walked back to Benihana for dinner. I had sushi, finally! I miss being able to eat it as frequently as I'd like. Mostly because I think sushi should be a social event and lately it's been solitary. Anyway, sushi for dinner followed by STUPIDLY big ice cream cones at T. Sweet. Then a walk back to Dupont. It was a great night! The picture here is one of an amazing exhibit that was showing in one of the windows. This can't begin to capture intricate design and execution of this painting. It's one of the reasons that I love Georgetown. All the odd people and art. And now I must bowl. Nick and Rae await.

Boo and I haven't updated this in forever. Forgive us. Please. We want you. We need you. Oh, baby. Oh, baby.

Yesterday we Ate. Not just eating, you see. We Ate. I made Pumpkin Cheesecake. Turkey. Boo's Yams. It was all amazing. And then the power went out so we all talked in front of the fire for a while. It wasn't an eventful day but it was comfortable. Everybody helped with dishes and cleaning. We had funny conversations about what to eat and what we had eaten. Thanks to Aly and Amber I know more things about pumpkin than I ever have.

And that was our Thanksgiving. We all loved it. No pretense, no boys (sorry, Dad. You don't count). Just the girls, good food and good conversation. Not a great adventure but a great day.

So, I'm sitting here in this little coffee shop tonight studying and suddenly there are teenagers. They come in droves, you know. Tonight I seem to have encountered the intellectual teenage crowd. They are all attempting to speak HS Sophomore level French to each other. I can't help but wonder if I did this at that age. I know that we went to coffee shops and pretended to be sophisticated. We spent hours sipping hot chocolate (or lattes for my friends) discussion our HS views of the universe. It was truly astounding that people didn't just shoot us out of sheer annoyance. I'm pondering the necessity of these few. Perhaps they are expendable. :) That counts as an adventure, right?

I'm so excited! Alex scored two goals and I aquired my first official "I love Alex! #8" t-shirt. Fun night for all. Boyd filled in for Sarina with Rae and we had a blast! Turns our Karl's roomie Scott is a bunch of fun! I love Gwen for getting us these tickets! There were some tense moments at the very end of the game but all in all we did well. I read a prediction that we wouldn't win more than 25 games this season. I don't agree. I think we're young and I don't expect to have a killer season but I think we'll be solid. Looks like, in our insanity, Gwen and I will be going with Amber to another game on Friday! I wish they had cheap seats for football! Ok. That is the end of my exclamation extravaganza!!! GO CAPS!!!!

I just decided to pre-blog the event. :) lol. More later.Yahooo!!!!

So, I made this little quiz. lol. Everyone try it! It should be fun. :)

http://www.quizyourfriends.com/yourquiz.php?quizname=051003094858-504400

Boo is so much the more responsible person in this relationship!! lol. I decided to blow off another night that I should have been cleaning my room and go to ANOTHER hockey game w/ Gwen. It turned out very well. :) We were standing in line and two guys approaced us, asking if we were looking for tickets. We hesistated and then one of them said, "We just have extra tickets that we didn't want to waste and you are welcome to them." We decided, "Why not?". Turns out the tickets were for center ice, club level! So good! And, much to Gwens delight, Forsberg dressed for the Flyers. Great game. We ended up going all the way into sudden death shoot out and then lost to the Flyers 7-6. Hot, hot game! I can't wait until you are all as addicted as I'm getting. Home opener Wednesday night here we come!!!

Last night Boo and I attended a great bridal shower for our friend Amanda! There were about 20 people in our favorite restaurant (www.cilantrobistro.com) and it was a good time. After dinner Amanda opened her lingere right there at the table, much to the delight of the 5 of so business men at the bar behind us. They kept leering at her so poor Amanda didn't hold things up as high. I think the hit of the night was Harvey's "Position of the Day" book. lol. I haven't seen Amanda that red in a long time! Photos to come!!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LDSExtract/

Here's the link for those interested!

I just tried to seperate accounts for Boo and I so that y'all can keep track of who's posting what when and why.

See how even that is confusing?

This is Boo and I! I thought that I'd add it for the fun of trying to add an image to this blog. Also it is, after all, one of the Adventures had by Iron Bladder and Bond Girl. :)

Abstract closed and so Danite and I formed a new email discussion group. LDSExtract@yahoogroups.com Everyone should join! Discussion, fun and even lemon squares.

Yahoo!

http://quizbox.com/personality/test82.aspx

So, That is the personality test I just took. The results were as follows:

Your view on yourself:
You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.
The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:
You are a true romantic. When you are in love, you will do anything and everything to keep your love true.
Your readiness to commit to a relationship:
You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.
The seriousness of your love:
Your have very sensible tactics when approaching the opposite sex. In many ways people find your straightforwardness attractive, so you will find yourself with plenty of dates.
Your views on education
Education is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can.
The right job for you:
You're a practical person and will choose a secure job with a steady income. Knowing what you like to do is important. Find a regular job doing just that and you'll be set for life.
How do you view success:
You are confident that you will be successful in your chosen career and nothing will stop you from trying.
What are you most afraid of:
You are afraid of things that you cannot control. Sometimes you show your anger to cover up how you feel.
Who is your true self:
You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.



So, I wonder what people will think of that. It's a pretty spot on analysis, in my mind. It's an odd little quiz but I guess it works. Interested to see how that is possible!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 9:30am It's my last weekend before classes begin. I'm allowed. :)
2. Diamonds or pearls? Duh, pearls.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? March of the Penguins. Great movie, lousy company. JK.
4. What is your favorite TV show? I love the news so CNN Headline news would be tops on my list.
5. What did you have for breakfast? I had a peach, some peanut m&ms with a pb, honey and banana sandwhich. Yummy.
6. What is your middle name? Erin
7. What is your favorite food? Chicago Style Pizza
8. What foods do you dislike? Anything (apples excluded) that begins with "A" in addition to black olives, onions and tomatoes.
9. What is your favorite chip flavor? Lime Tostitos or Sun Chips.
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? The "Happy Birthday" cd my brother made for me. Thanks Joshie.
11. What type of car do you drive? I own a '94 black 960 Volvo, four dours, sun-roof, leather interior. Pimp. In DC I hoof it.
12. Favorite sandwich? Hickorykist Turkey on wheat with lettuce, green pepper, cranberry mayo and cheese. Too bad its only available in Provo. :(
13. What characteristic do you despise? Dishonesty
14. Favorite item of clothing? Hats!
15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would it be? Isle of Capri. My dad always said I should go there for my honeymoon.
16. What color is your bathroom? Yellow, white and chocolate.
17. Favorite brand of clothing? Anthropologie
18. Where would you retire to? Charleston, SC, naturally.
19. Favorite time of the day? Its a tie between mealtime and naptime.
20. What was your most memorable birthday? My 20th. I celebrated at the Ben and Jerry's on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem.
21. Where were you born? Rome, Georgia. Go Dawgs!
22. Favorite sport to watch? Basketball or baseball. Although I have a thing for this cricket player so this is subject to change.
23. Who do you least expect to send this back to you? No one.
24. Person you expect to send it back first? No one!
25. What fabric detergent do you use? Gain only because I can't afford Tide.
26. Coke or Pepsi? Where I' m from Coke is the only beveridge worth drinking.
27. Are you a morning person or a night owl? I agree with Ben Franklin's statement "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." That is the pattern I have tried to adopt.
28. What is your shoe size? 7.5
29. Do you have any pets? Not with me. My two cats live with my mom in Tampa, FL. Their names are ZuZu and Mary. They were named after characters in the movie Its a Wonderful Life.
30. What did you want to be when you were little? Indiana Jones, Bond Girl or Hawaiian Barbie.
31. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with your family & friends? What they don't know won't kill 'em. :)

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:50 MDT. I'm visiting my sister in MT!
2. Diamonds or pearls? Conflict-free Diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Fantastic Four. No laughing, please.
4. What is your favorite TV show? Judging Amy
5. What did you have for breakfast? I haven't had breakfast yet. Probably pancakes.
6. What is your middle name? Lee
7. What is your favorite food? Asian food
8. What foods do you dislike? Anything from a digestive tract.
9. What is your favorite chip flavor? Salt and Vinegar but only with orange soda.
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Melissa's Lucky
11. What type of car do you drive? '85 Chevy Suburban
12. Favorite sandwich? Potbelly Turkey with no onions or tomatoes
13. What characteristic do you despise? Apathy.
14. Favorite item of clothing? Blue jeans and t-shirts.
15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would it be? B.'s Bedroom :)
16. What color is your bathroom? Gold and white. I didn't decorate.
17. Favorite brand of clothing? I love all clothes equally. Shoes, another issue.
18. Where would you retire to? Missoula, Montana.
19. Favorite time of the day? Sunrise.
20. What was your most memorable birthday? A surprise party thrown by my Mom for the big 21.
21. Where were you born? Springerville, AZ
22. Favorite sport to watch? The Greatest Show on Turf!!!! STL RAMS RULE!!!!!!!!!!!
23. Who do you least expect to send this back to you? No one.
24. Person you expect to send it back first? No one!
25. What fabric detergent do you use? Tide
26. Coke or Pepsi? Mountain Dew
27. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Depends on the activity. Usually a morning person.
28. What is your shoe size? 10
29. Do you have any pets? Yes, a dog!
30. What did you want to be when you were little? An astronaut.
31. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with your family & friends? That I love MT and I'm happy to be back!!!!! I hate going home. Blah. :)

Boo was bored and I decided to create this mushed up blog for the two of us to play with. :) Tee hee. Now people can keep track of our adventures and rants and we get to choose the pictures they see!!

Yahoo!!