Life as a Idaho born BSU hater

Disclaimer: Many people who read this know about the content of this blog already, due to my outspoken nature. And I am sorry that you must be exposed to it once more. But, I just need the world to know why I feel the way I feel. My blog is now a grounds for punishment by my fellow Idahoans. Let the pain begin.


I’m an Idahoan, born and raised. I love Idaho with every fiber of my being, what with the potatoes and great outdoors. (And no, I did not grow up on a farm. I’ve never even been to a potato farm, thank you very much.) But if there is one thing I hate, it has to be universities based in Idaho. All of them. No matter the location, school mascot, or student population, I hate it.

And for some strange reason, I have a great deep and passionate loathing for Boise State. When they won the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma, I was very disappointed. I wanted Adrian Peterson to throttle them. To break them and make Ian Johnson cry like a little girl. I wanted Oklahoma to take it to them in every way possible. Even now when people try to convince me that game was the greatest college football game ever played, I always manage to come up with ten games that were better. Did ANYONE watch the national championship of 2002? Overtime with Ohio State and Miami? Seriously? Or, what I consider to be the greatest game of all time: The Rose Bowl, 2005. Vince Young and the Longhorns playing Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and the USC Trojans. That game was full of back and forths, ups and downs, and some of the most amazing football I have ever seen courtesy of Vince Young. Everything he did that night was perfect magic.

Now, please don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying the Fiesta Bowl of 2007 was not a good game. It was, in fact, an incredible game. Hook and ladder, statue of liberty, first real BCS buster (Yeah, Utah. You DON’T count)…but I still do not see it as the greatest game of all time. I’m guessing I feel this way because just thinking about Boise State makes me want to gag. I hate them enough to root for the University of Utah when the two teams play. And as a true blue, dyed in the wool BYU Cougar, that’s saying something. And the nice thing about the two of them playing is that one will lose!

I will, however, say three things that are positive about them. First, I will NEVER deny that they are a good team, as much as I may want to. They are solid defensively, offensively, and on special teams and I always have a hard time finding weaknesses. But just because they are good doesn’t mean I have to like them, just like the Yankees. Also, I think that Chris Petersen is a class act. He is well spoken and intelligent. He’s not like Lane Kiffin, the utter moron who runs USC at the moment. He coaches his boys with dedication and teaches them sportsmanship. Also, I think the fact that a so-called “mid major team” is doing so well is good news for anyone who is in a Non-AQ conference. It shows that the BCS is absolutely ridiculous and should be done away with. But now that BYU will not be in a Non-AQ conference after the season is over, I’m not that mad about it.

But those good things don’t change the fact that Boise State is everything that I hate in college football. Any foe they face, I end up pulling for the other team. Don’t ask me why or how I came to hate them. I honestly have no idea. I think back on my Boise State exposure and realize I have no legitimate reason to hate them. They have never done me any wrong. But the point is that I honestly can’t stand them.

There is only one kind of Bronco I will ever cheer for and he stands on the sideline of the BYU Cougars. I guess there’s only room for one kind of Bronco in my heart.

It's HARRY FREAKIN' POTTER!

So, last night my roommates and I watched Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Two of my roommates had not seen it yet (missionaries...) so I ordered it on Netflix and we had a Harry Potter Pow-Wow in the basement of our little townhouse. And as we watched, one roommate had many questions about what was going on. And I, being the dork that I am, tried to provide as many answers as I could about it. And that's when I started getting all nerdy and excited about Harry Potter. I have discovered that I really could talk about it all day if I had someone to talk to about it.

This is where I need validation. Someone PLEASE tell me I am not the only Harry Potter nerd in this world!

Please keep in mind that you don't have to be a crazy nerd like I am. What it a crazy nerd? Let me explain:

When Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (the book) was released, I read it in a day. And then, my older brother, two older sisters, and I had a meeting in my room about Harry Potter and what we thought the 7th book would be like. For HOURS, we sat in my room and talked about Horcruxes and what we thought they were, how Harry, Ron, and Hermione would go about finding said horcruxes, and if Harry would die in the next book or not (still wish he had).

The day that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out in 2007, my family was up in the mountains for a family reunion. But, the fact that we were about an hour away from civilization didn't stop all of us from driving to Ogden, Utah to get our books at midnight from a local book vendor. There were 7 of us in the car and all 7 of us had a copy of our own on reserve. Fast forward two hours and visualize all 7 of us reading in various corners of the condo we were staying in. I finished at about 10 a.m. that morning. Ten hours of stress, jumping jacks, Dr. Pepper, and bliss. Problem: no one else was finished. To this day, I still have no idea how I kept the explosion of excitement inside. I had to wait until my sister Kate called me after I had taken my extra long nap to discuss it.

And then, last night I watched Harry Potter with the roomies. And I often forget how much I adore Harry, Ron, and Hermione (but mostly Ron because he's the best! I love me a ginger) but I was reminded of my love while talking with my roommates last night. But I'm not ashamed at all that I love Harry Potter because I grew up with it. Harry was 11 when I was 11 and I could completely put myself in his shoes as I read. I really wish there were something as fantastic to read now. Sure, there are popular teen and children's series out there (some better than others...i.e Hunger Games, which, if I may say, is a great series) but none of them can really stack up. None of them make me nerd out the way Harry does.

Plus, the trailer for the 7th and 8th movie is EPIC and amazing. How could you NOT get excited about Harry Freakin' Potter?!

Wishin' and Hopin'

So, med school applications are in and now I wait. And while I wait, I make playlist after playlist to listen to while I do NOTHING. Now that I am done teaching anatomy for the summer (and have been unemployed ALL summer), I will go home and live in Idaho for a time while my mother feeds me and I continue to do nothing with other people. So, here is ONE of the many playlists I made. If you like it, good. If not...well, we won't go there.

Brainy by the National- You know how I feel about the National. He is fabulous.

Howl by Florence + The Machine- A band I discovered in January, but it took me a while to like them. To be honest, the lead singer is very strange and they sing about the weirdest things (if this song doesn't prove it, listen to more of their music). But, the more I listened to them, the more I loved them. And no, I did NOT start listening just because they were on the new Twilight movie's soundtrack. I listen to them because their music is kind of awesome.

Kids by MGMT- NOTE: do not watch the music video for this. Most disturbing thing ever. But the song is pretty much awesome.

Love Lost by Temper Trap-YES. DO watch the music video for this. It's pretty much EPIC. And I have developed a love for this band I never thought I would have. But, they are truly awesome.

Fury by Muse-The obligatory Muse song. This is from Absolution, quite possibly Muse's best album (but then again, has Muse ever had an album that doesn't ROCK?). I became obsessed with listening to this song in the car as I drive. People totally see me rocking out and judge me, but I don't care. This song makes me wish I were more hardcore.

In My Veins by Andrew Belle- Heard this song on Grey's Anatomy. And I fell in love. Of course it's probably the most depressing song ever written, but I still love it. Good choice, Grey's. Good choice.

Heavy In Your Arms by Florence + The Machine- Some of you will say that I should eat my words from above about Florence and Twilight. But this song is made of sweet awesome. I am obsessed. I will give props to the soundtrack people and say that they know how to pick bands that make me grateful to be alive. But at the same time it makes me bitter that little teen girls say they love bands they have never heard of. I'm actually legit.

The Call by Regina Spektor- I like Regina Spektor enough to listen to her occasionally, but not on a regular basis. However! I really love this song. Every time it comes up on my iPod, I always listen to it.

No One Does It Like You by Department of Eagles- I just grin whenever I hear this song. So happy. One of my current favorites.

The Wrestle by Frightened Rabbit- I have a love affair with the lead singers voice. That is one beautiful accent.

Trouble by Ray Lamontagne- Suzanne you made me love this man. I owe you forever. The end.

True Love Waits by Radiohead- Thom Yorke could not be more awesome than he is. Radiohead is still one of the best bands. Maybe ever.

Chicago by Sufjan Stevens- SUFJAN! I heart him. And I heart this song. His style is so distinct and fascinating to me. I want him to do albums for each state. I wonder what his CD for Idaho would be about? I assume he would sing about potatoes.

With You In My Head by UNKLE-Such a cool song. Listen and love.

Hazelton by Justin Vernon- Oh...Bon Iver/Justin Vernon. I could listen to him sing all day. Sometimes I do. Perfection.

The End

LOST is ending this weekend. Despite my ups and downs with this show (I was obsessed, then I didn't watch for a season and a half and now I am re-watching after getting caught up one Sunday afternoon...yep, one day to catch up) I am back on the train and I am very depressed about the show ending. But, a friend of mine sent me this video and it cheered me right up.

Spring Playlist-ing It

That's right. I made another playlist to post. Mostly because I'm bored and I don't have anything else to do. Well, I do have something I should be doing, but I'm to the point that I don't care anymore. I just want to stick it to the man. Anyway! Playlist:

Sleep, Don't Weep by Damien Rice

Kettering by The Antlers

Re: Stacks by Bon Iver

To Me You Are a Work of Art by Morrissey

Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths

Blackout by Muse

Son by The National

The Great Salt Lake by Band of Horses

A White Demon Love Song by The Killers

Black Mirror by Arcade Fire

Campus by Vampire Weekend

Oliver James by The Fleet Foxes

Contortionists by The Republic Tigers

Erin Avondet: Television Producer and Writer

Following a series of extremely disappointing events on all of my favorite television shows and a long conversation over dinner with a friend about these events, I have decided to become a television producer and writer. In my dinner conversation, my friend and I rewrote a few TV shows to fit our liking. All of our rewrites made us downright giddy. We almost did a happy dance in the middle of the restaurant. This abrupt and desperately needed career change stems from one thing and one thing only: the inability of television-powers-that-be to make their characters happy.

I mean THINK about it. Have you ever watched a TV show where the character is actually happy? Legitimately happy. NO. Okay, well actually, with the exception of Jim and Pam on The Office, there are ZERO totally happy characters gracing the television. Something always has to go wrong. ALWAYS. And where is the justice in that? And how realistic is it? Not at all. They only get to be happy when the television network finally decides to cancel a show.

Example:
I'm going to take this example from Chuck because it's the one that has me mad. For those who do not watch this wonderful slice of heaven, Chuck, the adorable nerd, is in love with Sarah, the hot spy, who secretly loves him back. These two have clearly been set up from the beginning of the show to be together. Everyone knows it and it's no longer "will they, won't they?", it's "they will...but when?" Scenarios like this are beyond frustrating. Especially when they've confessed their feelings, had a steamy make-out session, and one half of the couple has asked the other to run away with her to live a life of baby making and bliss. How can writers logically and rightfully continue to keep them apart?

I know that everyone says once you put the two lovers together, the show loses its spark and the only way to get it back is to break them up, a.k.a. The Ross/Rachel Conundrum. I disagree. A show should not be based on the romance. One should be able to get two characters together and keep the show interesting by using the relationship. Jim and Pam have done it, and people are still watching The Office. Granted, it's not as good as it used to be, but that's not because Jim and Pam are boring. It's because the writers are running out of material.

On another note, making characters happy doesn't necessarily have to do with romance. It's about the character's interests and their desires. On Alias, Sydney Bristow is never happy until the end. Again, they use these tragedies and road blocks to set up plot points, but COME ON! Give them a little happiness every once in a while rather than giving them a taste and then totally ripping it out from underneath them. That's just cruel. Not to the characters. No, no. They're not real. It's the viewers I'm concerned about. I utterly despise feeling sad for fake people. And I hate feeling betrayed. And I really hate it when the writers are just dragging something out needlessly. It's one thing when it's believable (which makes it bearable) and completely another when the show just feels like it's being altered to keep the suspense.



Thus, I will become a writer. I will have a TV show of happy people who end up with the people they love after the appropriate amount of time, without the extra love interests that keep them apart for no reason and without the excess pains that most writers insert into the lives of their characters. My new show will make people across America (and possibly Canada) happy. And because I will be a television producer as well, I will never have my show cancelled. One happy TV show. That's all I ask.

How to survive the MCAT with MUSIC

As of the first week of January, I have been diligently trying to study for the MCAT. It's pretty intense and most days I just want to 1.) cry, 2.) shoot myself, or 3.) burn something down. Thus, to deal with my anger and stage 8 depression, I listen to music. This may not be a wise decision considering the fact that my music is kind of depressing. My sister once told me that she just wanted to slit her wrists when she listened to my music. I'm still offended.

Closer by Kings of Leon- Yeah. This song is sexy. That's all there is too it. I have recently fallen in love with Kings of Leon despite his strange voice. But it's too good to pass up. I'm obsessed with this song. If you want another Kings of Leon song listen to Sex On Fire or Be Somebody. Those are my other favorites and they convinced me to love this band.

Blood Bank by Bon Iver- Bon Iver is straight up beautiful. I've said it one hundred times and I'll say it again: it's the chill, folksy way he sings. Everything about this song is great.

Get Up Get Out by The Rosebuds-I kind of stumbled across this band while music surfing. I'm still not sure how I feel about it...but I'm putting this song on probation. And it has a secret hilarious meaning. "Get up, get out" is an inside joke with some of my good friends. It has been yelled many times in my apartment.

Backwards Walk by Frightened Rabbit- ACCENT. Listen to this Scottish man sing. I think that's why I'm obsessed. Lurve it.

World Spin Madly On by The Weepies- I might be obsessed with this song too. Not shocking. I'm obsessed with lots of songs. This song has never gotten old in the few years I've known about it. I could listen to it forever. Chill guitar, great song.

Casimir Pulaski Day by Sufjan Stevens- With a name like Sufjan, how can you go wrong? My roommate and I have an imaginary love affair with him. This song is extremely depressing, but it's beautiful and almost heart wrenching. Sufjan has a very distinct style. Listen to more of him and you will see...

Lake Michigan by Rouge Wave- What a great little band. I love their cover of Maps by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Big fan of this one too. Fun background clapping and it's pretty catchy.

What Sarah Said by Death Cab for Cutie- De. Press. Ing. This song is also sad but in a totally different way from the Sufjan song. And I love it. Cynical and bitter. Sometimes you need that.

Black and Gold by Sam Sparro- Makes me want to be a spy so I can make my entrance using this song and then proceed to kick some serious bad-guy trash. And that's why I'll never be a spy.

Give an Arm to its Socket by The Republic Tigers- His voice is very different from anyone I've heard in recent memory. I can always pick it out of a mix of songs. The Republic Tigers are my favorite recent discovery.

Dream On by Aerosmith- Yep. I'm going old school on you. This song is sweet. And Steven Tyler is cool. Mostly because he's Arwen's dad. But also because he's in Aerosmith.

Signs by Bloc Party- Got to love that percussion at the beginning. I can't really explain it, but something about this song makes me grateful to be alive.

I Know What I Am by Band of Skulls- Awesome. They feel old school but...not at the same time. Their album Baby Darling Doll Face Honey is definitely worth a listen if you think this song is good. I know I love it. Death By Diamonds and Pearls is my personal favorite.

Human by The Killers- Why on earth do I love this song? Oh, I know, because I want to dance to it. Because I am not Human. I am Dancer. Wait...what does that even mean? All I know is that this song is kind of epic.

Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3 by Muse- I wanted to put all three Symphonies on here for everyone to hear, but that would just be excessive. SO LISTEN TO ALL THREE. Trust me. It's worth it. They are probably the best part of the newest Muse album, The Resistance. Matt Bellamy is too amazing. He integrates classical music seamlessly with rock. It's perfect. I adore him. Maybe I'll name my children after him...he definitely deserves it.

Dear Sicky:

Over the last few months, with the out break of the Swine Flu, BYU has instituted a policy concerning sick students. If you are sick, contact your professor and DO NOT come to class. At the start of last semester, signs were everywhere. Literally. Every building was practically plastered in them. It was, however, for good reason. Why spread a sickness when the majority of the people living in Provo are students who have to go to class and the last thing they want is to get sick. I personally turned into a hand washing/hand sanitizer maniac. I was not going to get sick.

This policy of "if you're sick, please don't come to class" was and still is a good policy, despite the fact that The Swine is essentially dying down. It did, on the other hand, give people license to say that they had the flu and could not attend class for a week, when in reality these people were perfectly fine and decided to go to Disneyland instead of class. I'm not mad about that. THIS is what I'm mad about. I will preface with a story.

In my Advanced Molecular Biology class, I sit in the back of the room, in the same place every day. There is a boy who always sits behind me every class period. The other day, I sat down only to hear sniffling and snorting. That's right. He was sick. I looked over my shoulder only to see that he had bloodshot eyes and a red runny nose. Now, the fact that he was sick would have been bad enough. But no, he's not just sick, he's a mouth breather. As in "hey, sorry, but I can't breathe through my nose so I hope that it's okay that I breathe really loudly through my mouth instead and I hope you don't mind if I'm breathing RIGHT on your neck" mouth breathing. Needless to say, I felt so germy by the end of class that I wanted to bathe in hand sanitizer. But, oh. It gets worse. Just moments after leaning forward to get as far from sicky boy as possible, he started coughing. More like hacking. And the worst part was, he didn't really cover his mouth. As my roommate Emma said, "Doesn't he realize he broke like, 17 cardinal rules about being sick by NOT covering his mouth?" No Emma, I don't think he did realize. Now he was spreading his germs more by not covering his mouth and I was getting the full effect of it. I thought it couldn't get worse. But it did. He was sniffling and I knew he was going to sneeze any second. Oh boy did he. On me. At this point, I gagged. In fact I almost threw up in my mouth. I was ready to give him a piece of my mind when the bell rang and he was up and out the door. I turned to my friends in the class who just stared at me. One said "That...was foul." The other said, "Seriously? He has no manners."

So, to the Sicky Boy in MMBio 441: If I get sick within the next few days with a cold, I know that you are the one who gave it to me. I know where you sit every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning from 9:00 to 9:50. And I will come to drop off my bills for Tylenol and Nyquill to you. But I will not stay in class because I don't want to get other people sick. And I'll even wear a mask just for their benefit. But it will be because of you that I will be dying and I will show no mercy. You will pay me back and I will enjoy every penny. So you had better hope that my antibodies and white blood cells are awesome because if they aren't, it's on.

A word to all- please do not come to class (or if you don't have class, don't go out in public) if you are sick. And if you do decide to come, don't cough or sneeze or breathe on people. It's yucky. And it makes other people sick, which is generally not a good thing. Bring some tissues and sit as far away from everyone as you possibly can. That would be favorable.

Two Goals, One Objective

This blog is about goals. Two goals I made over Christmas break in particular. One short term, the second not so short term. Keep in mind that both goals are not only ridiculous but AWESOME.

Over Christmas break, I made several short term goals that could be fulfilled over the break. These goals included reading several books, figuring out how busy my schedule this semester would be, making my mother's Christmas madness a little less crazy, and so on. But the most important goal was that I needed to get at least 10 hours of sleep each night. And since I am gradually becoming an old lady, that meant falling asleep by about 10 every night, 11 at the latest. At this rate, I did not get 10 hours of sleep a night. Oh, no. I far exceeded my goal, typically waking up at about 9:30 or 10 depending on how late my evening was (yes I stayed up till midnight on New Years. Granted, I was lying on the couch with my blanket, in pajamas, drinking wassail, and long blinking every five seconds while watching Star Trek with my dad. But I made it!) Sleep has never been more amazing. I think I would rather sleep than eat or maybe even breathe. But that kind of sleeping is called dying, so let's not go there.

My second goal is what I like to refer to as the "Spies have hot bodies, so why can't I?" goal. In other words, I aspire to look like the spies on television. Two spies in particular: Sydney Bristow from the now cancelled "Alias" and Sarah Walker from my favorite television show, "Chuck". On the one hand, both of these women are actresses and thus have personal trainers, wardrobe people, stunt doubles (to make them look cooler than they really are), and are basically born smoking hot. Since I have none of the first three (too non-talented in the actress department) and I've never really seen myself as a natural "bombshell", this goal has quickly evolved into the second most "difficult-to-achieve" goal I've ever tried to reach. But my motto is that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. So, I will embark on a journey to look somewhat like this:



Ooorrrrr this:



I don't think it will be too much of a stretch to have expectations to look slightly like these women. It's not like I'm going to go all Octo-mom and get plastic surgery to look exactly like them, facial features and all. That's just creepy. But I figure if I work out, I'll have a shot. I suppose the biggest work out will be this summer when I spend my time hiking and basically playing outdoors all day. Even if this goal seems unrealistic, I could care less. I just like that it gives me some motivation to be smoking hot.