adequate hydration

"You should get a bigger water bottle."...a seemingly innocuous comment...that I seem to have gotten a lot of. Firstly, why do all these people even care that I have to walk a whole 15 steps into the office to fill my 12 oz. water bottle almost a whole two or three times a day? Secondly, don't they think I knew what I was doing when I purchased it? I am verging on 29 and have lived away from home for much of that time. I mean, my little bottle is just the size I want! It fits in my purse, can be tucked under a jacket, doesn't look out of place on my desk, and is not ungainly to drink from. It's not like I'm crossing the Sahara in my daily commute. I only have to make it from one conveniently located source of purified water to the next. If I had a cup you wouldn't be saying "you should get a bigger cup," but cause it's a bottle it needs to be bigger?! I also got stainless steel on purpose since most of my fluids come from it and I don't want to intake any more of that plastic chemical that is reportedly bad for me than I have to. And maybe I like having an excuse to get up and walk around every so often throughout the day. Who wants to sit inert for 5 hours together? Certainly not me.

So, honestly, while I don't hold anything against these people with their truly innocent, yet irritating comments, I do beg of you, should you notice my diminutive-yet-perfectly-adequate water bottle and wonder why I didn't splurge on a larger...just keep it to yourself.

i got tagged

So my cute friend loves these things. I am always getting emails that have been forwarded with long lists of questions or details that she's answered and now I'm supposed to answer and email back as well as to some more people. I'll usually answer them and send it back only to her since I know she likes it. Well now she tagged me with this game so I figured I'd indulge her yet again...besides some of these questions are actually pretty fun.

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning. B. Each player answers the questions about themselves. C. At the end of the game the player tags 5 people, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog.


10 years ago: Am I old enough for that question? Crazy. Ok then, I was nearing the end of my first year at BYU. I had a crush on a guy in my freshman ward who's last name was Callister, but I don't remember his first name. I was playing tons of volleyball and trying to get over being shy. I'd just started a zoology class that had a 7:30 am lab every Friday where we dissected something new each week. That was pretty cool.

5 things on my to-do list today: 1) Make pizza 2) call family 3) shop for snow boots 4) get a Valentine's gift for my boyfriend 5) vacuum

Snacks I enjoy: chips and homemade salsa or guacamole, chocolate, Ben and Jerry's ice cream, cheese and crackers

I would do if I were suddenly a billionaire: pay back my parents for their help with cars, buy them four-wheelers for their new house (one with a snow shovel attachment), sell my wonderful car and buy two others--one hybrid 4-wheel drive, one super-awesome-but-not-too-ostentatious sports car (also hybrid), renovate my Aunt's kitchen to raise the ceiling and replace the cupboards, buy a vacation home in Switzerland and plan some European vacations with any family (or friends that are almost family) who wanted to come, buy Rosetta Stone and really start to learn Italian, save, invest, donate

3 of my bad habits: 1) Picking at my eyelashes. I know I know, I'm still working on it. 2) Snapping in moments of frustration. I'm not doing that anymore. I don't like being snapped at, I shouldn't do it to others. 3) Thinking I'm smarter than other people, it's hard not to though when it's true. Hee hee.

5 places I have lived: Las Vegas, NV, Provo, UT, Falls Church, VA, Murray, UT, South Jordan, UT

5 jobs that I have had: lifeguard, envelope stuffer, dry cleaners employee, entomology TA, teacher\tutor

5 things people don't know about me: This one's pretty hard considering that basically everyone reading this is family and knows almost everything. I'll give it a shot, though. 1) I always have some stuffed animal that is kind of sentimental to me in my bedroom. I've tried not to be a weirdo single girl who fills her bed with them, but as much as I always say I'm not that sentimental, there is something comforting to me about having one or two around. 2) I want to be ambidextrous. I've totally practiced writing with my left hand enough that it's perfectly legible, I use my mouse with my left hand when I can, I try eating with my left hand, I just generally try to do stuff left handed that would normally be right handed. I just think it'd be cool and possibly useful. 3) I want to ride in a hot air balloon really really badly. And if it could be in the East during the autumn that would be super duper awesome. 4) I want to learn Italian. It is just so cool sounding! 5) I like skinny dipping. I haven't done it much, but would love to have privacy such that I could.

So there you have it. I think I'll tag some people on their blogs. If you like this sort of thing I'd be curious to see your answers, if not it's no biggie...I'll love you anyway.

stereotypes

Do you ever meet anyone who makes you think, "Man, YOU are why there is that stereotype!" It's not a frequent occurrence, yet always a surreal one...like this can't really be possible and you've only just wandered into a taping of the latest tween movie or something. I, personally, will sometimes have students who remind me of stereotypes. Often further acquaintance re-sorts them in my mind, but every now and then, in particularly precious circumstances, the stereotypic resemblance holds and, indeed, becomes more and more remarkably accurate. Whether it be the ditsy (or at least pretending to be) bimbo, the handsome out-going jock, the BYU co-ed (I've a friend who told me this existed, that I wasn't one, but then outlined all the particulars and I swear I met that exact girl not two months later...she'd just graduated from BYU-Idaho), or (as most recently) the big dim-witted lug (for you sceptics out there, Crabbe and Goyle really do exist), if you are at all connected to society the likeness can't escape you.

So, as infrequent as these encounters may be, I always find myself musing about stereotypes, why they exist, if it matters that they do exist, and if I should feel bad for so readily categorizing this person whom I've just met.

Ok, so I don't really feel guilty. I figure that obviously enough people have noticed enough similarity in enough of the population to recognise that they might be an almost valid subset of the general populace and so have, cumulatively, labeled a stereotype. And what's amazing is that they are reliable enough that everyone relates, everyone has seen it, and whether or not they admit it, everyone uses those stereotypes on almost a daily basis to relate themselves to the rest of humanity.

Yet, I find myself surprised every time I meet one. I'm always amazed that they really do exist. I suppose I must talk myself out of believing that they could actually be real! that someone could really be that way! that people could really be so seemingly accurately defined by so broad a description as a stereotype! It's fascinating.

Maybe the fact that I AM surprised bodes well for me. Maybe it means that I don't usually use stereotypes and instead they have to sort of be forced on me. At least I hope I don't use them to judge people...even if I most certainly use them to categorize and describe. I do my best.

All of which leads me to wonder...Has anyone ever met me and thought, "OH...she's one of THOSE people..." And if they have, what are THOSE people? Do I want to be one? Do they later re-sort me after they know me better? Should or do I even care?

All I know is, that after the latest stereotype encounter, I'm just really really glad that whatever stereotype I might fit into, I'm pretty sure it'd be a smart one.