tagged

8 shows I watch:

Lost

The Office

30 Rock

Dancing with the Stars

The Biggest Loser

Criminal Minds

News

CSI

8 things I did yesterday:

Homework

Worked out

Listened to a guest lecturer

Went to class

Paid a few bills

Watched Dancing with the Stars

Made dinner

Went to bed

8 places I like to eat:

Max Brenner (this amazing chocolate restaurant in the city) 

Cafe Rio

Clyde's

The Carlisle

5 Guys

In and Out

Thaiphoon

Gondolofos

8 things I'm looking forward to:

The end of the semester

Having my paper turned in and my oral argument over for appellate advocacy

Twilight (I'm going to the midnight showing...I might be crazy!!!)

Thanksgiving in Texas

Carol's cooking in Texas

Christmas in Utah

Mom's cooking in Utah

Seeing my friends and family during the holidays

8 things on my wish list:

Getting married

Having money to pay my school debt

Getting a job when I graduate

Food storage

Having a better social life

Developing more charity for others

A spa day

A shopping spree

8 people I tag:

Hmmm...anyone who wants to...

Gratitude

Last year, a friend and I heard about an organization called A Complaint Free World. It's a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating complaining in the world. We decided to participate and ordered bracelets from the website, acomplaintfreeworld.org. The program is as follows. You put on the bracelet (whichever arm you choose is fine). Then every time you complain, you have to switch the bracelet to the other arm. The point, obviously, is to make you aware of the behavior and to try and change it. The goal is to make it for 21 full days, the time they say it takes to form a habit, without having to switch the bracelet to the other arm. Needless to say, it isn't an easy task. I kept in on for a while, switching it from arm to arm. Then I just wore it, telling myself it was a reminder not to complain. Then I just stopped wearing it at all.

Today, I was reminded of the goal as I was preparing my lesson for Relief Society on gratitude. I realized I just gave up without really trying. And so I decided to put it back on. I've only talked to one person since I put it on a few hours ago, a friend and fellow law student here in the building, and already I've had to switch it to the other arm. HMMM!  So, I have a new goal, not just to wear the bracelet, but to be aware of my attitude about my life, school, being the Relief Society President and people who aren't voting my way :). (That's a shout out to all my friends voting for McCain. I'll stop complaining about it. At least you are voting.)

I don't just want to stop complaining, however. I want to do something more than that.  I want to be grateful. As I was preparing my lesson, I came across this thought, from J. Reuben Clark. He said, "Hold fast to the blessings which God has provided for you. Yours is not the task to gain them, they are here; yours is the part of cherishing them." In the spirit of this Thanksgiving season, I want to improve upon my own level of gratitude. With that in mind, I have many things to be grateful for.

First, I'm thankful for my testimony of Jesus Christ. This is the center of my life and my being, and I am so grateful to know of His life, His love, His example and ultimately, His atonement. The gospel enriches my life in every aspect. 

Second, I'm grateful for my parents who taught me the gospel and who have always supported and encourage me in the things I do. I can't think of two people who are more supportive and loving. And along with the best parents in the world, I have the best siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews in the world. My brothers are awesome. I could go on forever about what good people they are. They are kind and good and smart, and they work hard. My sister is one of my best and closest friends. She is brave and kind and a great mom. My siblings married some wonderful people that I am so grateful to call friends. And I must brag and say that they also have the cutest children in the world. I always look forward to seeing my nieces and nephews.

I've also been abundantly blessed with friends. I've lived in several places. I've been lucky to make friends at work, church and school. I don't know what I would have done without them. We've travelled together, played together, cried together, supported each other. I feel really really lucky to have so many people to call friends.

And the last two things I'm so thankful for? School and travel. I've learned so much from both. I'm super lucky because I've been able to travel and see a lot of places. I've been lucky enough to not just graduate from college with my bachelors, I've also now had the opportunity to attend graduate school. 

Now if you've made it to the end of this long post, thanks!  Thanks for being a friend to me!

Manners???

I had an episode this weekend with a woman as I was getting on a train. I suppose I was feeling a bit put out because I'd been in the city, and several people had been bumping into me, and one woman shoved me with her shoulder as I was crossing an intersection. She didn't mean to, I'm sure, but would a quick, "Oh, excuse me," or a "Sorry," have hurt her. I think not. I realize New York is crowded, and you sort of have to put up with being jostled around.  But come on. Manners please!

I had watched an episode of Oprah earlier in the week concerning the lack of courtesy in our country. Apparently people feel it is pretty bad. So, going back to the train situation, I was getting on the one door the operator had decided to open for the hundred or so commuters (and yes there were several more that could be opened but that is a whole other rant for another day). I was trying to politely wait my turn, giving space to the people in front. After all, I knew that despite the inconvenience, I would get on and get a seat in plenty of time. However, the woman behind me felt differently. After being shoved from the back many time over, I turned around, and firmly said, "Please stop shoving me." I didn't yell. I wasn't trying to make a scene. I just was tired of being propelled forward into the crowd when all I wanted was to give others the same space that I wanted to be given to me.

Needless to say, she didn't take it well. She told me that she hadn't shoved me. I corrected her and said she had. She tried to make the excuse that everyone was pushing. I said that no, I wasn't. I was trying to leave some space so I wouldn't shove the people in front of me and asked her to please stay out of my space. She then said that I was rude and disrespectful of my elders, while, at the same time shoving my friend in her attempts to move forward. So, as I told her it wasn't a lack of respect on my part but on hers, my friend very calmly pointed out the fact that she was, indeed shoving, as she had just shoved my friend. She got quiet, having no obvious retort for the fact that she was being rude. She then proceeded to speak in a foreign tongue to her friend standing nearby, probably about how I was a rude little American.

Now, I shouldn't have gotten as upset as I did during the exchange that took place. I really wasn't trying to be rude. I just didn't want to be shoved anymore. What I don't get is why it is acceptable for someone to pull the age card as an excuse for rude behavior. Shoving people is rude. Asking not to be shoved is not rude. Am I crazy?

Guidos

Guido track suits...labeled as follows: (And no, I didn't make this up!)

"White"...sort of boring

Much more amusing..."DooDoo"

Yes, that's right, "DooDoo"!

The "Baby Blue"...not so bad...

For those of you feeling a bit 

more patriotic "The Statesman"

There is a phenomenon here I like to call "the Guido" Jersey Boy. It's rare when I spot a Guido. However, much like when one spots a mullet, it's quite amusing. This morning, I spotted a Guido. I seriously wish I had a camera and could take pictures. So what is a Guido you might ask? A Guido is found only in Northern New Jersey. Normally of Italian heritage, they typically sport a velour track suit and gold chains. And hairiness is a must. However, since only found in Northern New Jersey, they're quite the rare breed.

My first sighting occurred in torts last year. A fellow classmate (no names will be divulged) showed up to school in a mint green, velour track suit. I didn't think it was for real. I only thought that outfits like that happened on the Sopranos. Perhaps I was sitting in class with AJ. But I won't lie, it made me really happy. I wish I could have snapped a picture because I don't know many guys gutsy enough to bust out the velour track suit. This morning, much to my astonishment and joy, I once again ran into a guido. Only his velour track suit was black. 

All I know is that I thought what my friends and I affectionately call the J.Lo was only for the ladies. (And if men did happen to sport one, it was only for a role on television.) I guess not, as the above pictures demonstrate.  

a cautionary tale

My friends. Back your hard drives up. Seriously! Tuesday I was in the library, doing the normal studying and such. I was on Lexis, looking up a document for class, when suddenly I was getting no response from my computer. Nothing. Nada. Zip. The mouse arrow just disappeared. Usually when a Mac pauses for a few moments to "think", a colorful pinwheel spins along, letting you know the computer is pausing but that all is well. The pinwheel didn't come up. So, I shut the computer off. And then I restarted it. And nothing came up but a white screen. I turned it off and tried it a little later. This time I left it on, just to see what would happen. Nothing.

So here is my advice. Back it up. I just assumed because I have a Mac that I would be fine. And I do have Apple Care, so I didn't have to pay for the new hard drive. However, they couldn't recover my data. I had all my photos, including my most recent frolic in Europe, saved on my computer and nowhere else. Now I can contact some of my fellow travelers and get their pictures. However, I spent two days in Heidelberg by myself. I took about 150 to 200 photos. They are gone. I was, gulp, working on a book. I had about 100 pages written (it was rough, I'll admit, but still, it was 100 pages). Gone. I do have the old hard drive in my possession. And I'm hoping that one day I'll find a generous soul to help me out or that I'll have the cash to retrieve it (Jeremy, the Genius Bar assistant at the Mac store, told me it runs about 800 smack-a-roonies!). Anyway, I would hate for anyone to have this happen to them. 

Oh, and if you have any pictures that you think I might be interested in having in my possession, please let me know and send them on. Or, if you have them on facebook or something, let me know. I'm going to be signing up for that so that I can get some photos from my class mates. 

Not So Scary Anymore

Class started last Monday. As usual, the professors had posted and sent out their assignments for the first day of class. And, as the well-prepared student I am, I read. I then re-read some of the information. After all, getting called on the first day of class can be nerve racking. Naturally, being prepared helps. After my experiences last year, I most certainly didn't want to be called on and have no answer. 

But then the strangest thing happened. The professors didn't call on us. I was a little surprised at this turn of events. They just talked to us, introduced the course, told us fun anecdotal stories. I kept wondering when the drilling was going to start. It didn't. Only one professor started a case on the first day. And there were very few questions. 

So, I guess they are done scaring us. Can't say I mind. But I'm still going to show up to class prepared. After all, I never know what will happen.

Heads up, Fish!

So I did the silliest, ditziest thing. Well, not the most disty thing I have ever done. That involves a trip to London. My friend Lauren's family still gets a good laugh out of that. Maybe it is just a travel thing with me, but apparently I don't know how to pay attention to dates and times on tickets. 

So, I was buying a ticket to come out to Utah last night. I had two windows open with two different itineraries, one for August 11 and one for August 7. I was hemming and hawing over the cost and what not then finally decided on a trip for Monday, August 11. I proceeded to book it, and then went to bed.

So my mom calls me this morning. She asks me about my trip and when I will get to Utah. I open the email from Travelocity to check it out. So I'm flying out tomorrow. Yes, people.  I booked the trip for August 7, not August 11. And it is a good thing my mom called and asked because I probably wouldn't have looked at the email again until Sunday when I was packing when I would have then realized, much to my horror, that I had booked the wrong flight. So, I'll be in Utah tomorrow night...great job, Fish. Way to go. 

Oh, and for those of you wondering what I did on my London excursion. Well, my friend Lauren and I made plans to go to London for spring break a few years back. We arrived at the airport around four in the afternoon, in plenty of time to enjoy a little dinner and get to our flight, leaving at 6:51 pm. So there we are in CPK, enjoying a little pizza, and Lauren pulls out the tickets. Oh we weren't leaving at 6:51. We were leaving at 6:15. Yes, I had transposed the numbers in a moment of numerical dyslexia. There we were, on the other side of the terminal from where we needed to be at it was almost 6:00 pm. We paid for our dinner as quickly as possible and proceeded to run down the terminal. I was in heals. We had to go through security...needless to say, we didn't make it. The plane was right there when we got to the gate. But the door was closed, and TSA regulations won't allow you to board. I thought Lauren was going to kill me. H@#$, I wanted to kill me. So we hiked it back up to the ticket counter where a very lovely and kind woman booked us for a flight the next day and then delayed our return flight by a day as well. So we didn't lose any time in London. And we didn't have to pay for it, either. Pretty nice of the lovely lady. I wanted to give her a big fat hug right then and there.

So, you would think that would have taught me to focus when setting up my itineraries for trips. I guess not!!!

Planes, trains and automobiles

When I got back from Europe, I was hoping for a little bit of time to relax. But that hasn't happened. I got off of the plane, and left a few days later for Virginia. My parents were visiting my brother and his family in Christiansburg, so I got on the train...and then the bus. The Greyhound, to be exact.  I know Greyhound has a rep. Still, I hoped it wouldn't be too awful. I hoped in vain. It was disgusting. The bus ride from DC to Charlottesville made me a little sick. The window next to my seat was smeared with grease...thick, oily grease from someone who had clearly fallen asleep. I guess cleaning up is not a priority. I shiver to think about what the bathroom must have looked like. I wouldn't have even ventured near it. Not in the most dire of emergencies!

But it was worth it to see my parents, my brother, his wife and their little boy. They have a cute little house and we went on hikes and walks and picnics. It was so nice to be out in nature, as I get very little of that here. I also loved playing with adorable little Ethan. He's such a cute, sweet boy. We got to visit Blacksburg and see Virginia Tech where my brother, Chey, is attending medical school. I'm a little jealous. One of these days I'll post Seton Hall's law school "campus". The school is in a sky scraper, which is pretty cool. But I miss the feel of a traditional campus. 

The bus ride back to DC was eventful. The woman driving the bus almost took out a mail box on the side of the road, corrected, and almost swerved into oncoming traffic. I felt a little frightened for my life. Then, when we got to Springfield, just outside of DC, she made a stop. When she went to get back on the freeway, she went the wrong way. So she gets on the mike and announces her mistake. But this is an area known as the spaghetti bowl, so you don't just turn around easily. Twenty minutes later we were headed in the right direction. I could hear her mumbling about "all the signs...so confusing!" I held my breath, hoping she would successfully maneuver onto north bound 395 and not the beltway. Oh brother. Then, as we were arriving in the city, she turned into tour guide and began narrating about the Pentagon and the monuments, etc. I kept thinking, lady! Focus on the road! Soon we arrived near the capital, close to Union Station where the bus stops. Several of the streets in the vicinity are not open to traffic, so she starts driving down one of them. All the while a cop is standing there waiving right in front of the window to get her to stop. She finally sees him after she almost hit the poor man. So she has to back up, honking the entire time, onto a street in DC. SCARY! A very  nice girl on the bus stood up, went to the front, and directed her into the station. She seriously had no clue. But my favorite is when I stood up and she asked me, "Sir, do you need your luggage? Oh, I mean, ma'am." Do I look like a boy? I'm pretty sure I don't!!!  I seriously wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. What an experience. Next time I book a ticket to Charlottesville, I'm making sure I do it in enough advance time that I have a spot on the train!!!

Anyway, now I'm back in Newark, madly working on finishing finals (two down, one to go) and looking forward to a trip to Utah in August. I'll start working as a research assistant soon, and I can't wait for that. Oh, and I was recently called as the Relief Society President at church. Man, I'm tired!!!

Kylemore Abbey and Connemara

This was another great day trip. A group of us went out to Kylemore Abbey and Connemara. Connemara is a really gorgeous area, with lots of lakes, rivers, mountains, and forests. It's famous for its ponies...I'm not sure why. It was incredible.

Kylemore Abbey is a Benedictine monastery and home to a girls' boarding school. (I wish I had gone there! No offense to SFHS, but really, talk about a cool experience.) However, this wasn't always the case. Originally, the castle was owned by Mitchell Henry, a wealthy politician from England, who had it built for his wife. I know, I know, who builds a castle for his wife? And where can I find a guy like that? On top of building her a castle, he also had a small cathedral built near the home, along with a lavish garden. However, after her death, he rarely spent time there. During WWI, the abbey was founded when Benedictine nuns fled Belgium. The castle had since passed from Henry's possession and the nuns were able to purchase it for a steal. (I can't remember all of the details of that part of the story...sorry!)

Krystal and me in the garden.

Me across the lake from the abbey/castle.

A lovely little waterfall near the cathedral.

A river that runs through the gardens.

The Cathedral.

Another picture from the gardens.

This is a fairy tree. The legend goes that if you make a wish under the tree, your wish will come true. So here I am, making my wish.

Part of our little group, Morgan, CJ, Krystal, me and Kevin, in Connemara. 

Me in Connemara.

A stream in Connemarra.

Me near a lake.

PO-TAY-TOES... fry em', mash em', boil em' in a stew!

Kelly...digging into her potata...

Little quiz. Name the following three famous spuds...

1.  

2.

3.

Jen, Kelly, and me...after enjoying a delicious lunch. Bonus points...see if you can name some of the other spuds on the wall behind us.

 Me, happily digging into my potata!

How great is this? An enormous baked potato covered in cheese, ham, beans, and a yummy sauce. It was, as Kevin (a fellow student) would say, delightful!

And people on our trip had the gall to say that the Irish can't cook! Imagine!!! What with Bangers and Mash, Shepherd's Pie, chicken, ham and dressing, and excellent chocolates, I have no idea why they would say this. Here is a little (or huge) example of one of the many delicious items I sampled (or devoured, take your pick). My favorite little spot, and one I am tempted to copy here in the states (if only I had the capital and desire to run a restaurant, of which I have neither) is called Couch Potatas. YUMMY!!! Basically, they make baked potatoes topped with sundry, delicious combinations. As we all know, the Irish are famous for their potatoes, and this restaurant proves it. If you ever find yourself in Galway, you best find your way to Couch Potatas. I highly recommend!

A Rainy Day…in Ireland

Surprise, suprise! It rains in Ireland...a lot! They don't call it the Emerald Isle for nothing. And it didn't become the Emerald Isle because its hot and dry. No, in order to get green like that, you have to endure the rain. But, in spite of the rain, the Irish are very friendly, happy folks. It's a little surprising, considering how much rain they have. But I digress...yet again.

So, I suppose you can't win them all. Most of my day trips were really nice, all things considered. But not the day we went to Aran Islands. No, the day we get out on a boat, it not only rains, it pours, and it not only pours, it gusts. It was windy and cold and quite frankly, a little miserable. I'm actually shocked that I didn't get sea-sick. Usually a rocking boat on white caps will do me in. But I survived it. However, I didn't love the island. Sure, it was interesting. But we were stuck there for about six hours when all we really needed was two - three max. To top it off, almost everything was closed on the island because there was a power outage. No lie. So when we went into a restaurant for food, the choices were limited. And later, when we went to a pub to wait for our boat (and get out of the rain), most of them were closed. Still, I'm going to chalk it up to one of my truly Irish experiences...

The island is famous for forts that were built centuries ago. This was part of the trail leading up to the fort. it really gives you an idea of how wet we got.

A cemetery near a church. Keep in mind that only a little over 700 people inhabit this particular island.  

Me, in front of the fort, trying to be a good sport in spite of the weather.

Another thing about this area of Ireland...it is really rocky. So what did they do? They took the rocks, built walls, and farmed the ground. I'm telling you, they must have worked for years just to get a little plot ready to farm. No joke. There are so so so so so so many rocks! I decided to help out a little!

A view of the sea from the fort. A little like the Cliffs of Moher, but less impressive.

A little shelter inside the fort.

The sea below the fort.

An unobstructed view of the fort.

Cliffs of Moher

Before you look at the pictures below in any detail, I want you to imagine a heroine from a Jane Austen novel. Emma, Elizabeth, whoever. Take your pick. Now I want you to picture the long flowing dress, her hair blowing back. Now she's standing a top a cliff. I realize that Austen's heroines lived in England. But I think the Cliffs of Moher are the perfect scene for a future movie based on an Austen novel.  

We took a day trip by bus, and this was the highlight of the tour. It was beautiful. I absolutely loved it. Ireland is one of my favorite places because it has such variety. There are mountains, meadows, farms, castles, ruins...and the Cliffs of Moher.  

A view down to the water.

Me...I wish I was wearing a long flowy dress!

Me, Krystal, and Kelly. These two were life savers! I don't think the trip would have been half as fun without them

Part of the cliff that eventually was worn away.

A view down the coast line.  

Tired

No pictures today. I just got home, and I've been up for a long time. I left Ireland this morning at about 9 am this morning. I got up at 6 am for the flight. So I think I'm going on about 20 hours so far.  I just have to make it about two more hours...just two more hours. I'm dying. However, I just wanted to tell everyone I'm home, safe and sound. And it's fabulous to be in my quiet, clean, wonderful apartment. Who would have ever thought I wanted to get home to Newark?!?! Nonetheless, I am. Traveling is fantastic...but so is coming home. I'll post more later. I have lots of fun stuff from Ireland!

I Love the United States

There are many things I don't know. I know that is shocking to several of you; however, this is something I felt like I should have been aware of. Patton's grave site is not at Arlington, something I think I just took for granted. He's a war hero, after all, and I thought we buried all of our war heros there. Well, at least the big wigs, anyway. In any case, my assumption was mistaken. He's buried in the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial. There you have it.

I realize my review of Luxembourg was not raving. However, I am really glad I got to see this. I'm not homesick, really. But when I walked through the cemetery, I got choked up. I thought of all the Americans buried there, who never got to go home to their families. I thought about the reason they were there, and the cause they fought for. These Americans were far from home, from family, from friends, when they sacrificed their lives. It made me proud of my country. So even if I do love Europe (it is a beautiful place, after all), I'm still very grateful that I was born in the States, and I wouldn't want to have been born in any other place. I love my country! 

Patton's grave...

Me standing in front of some of the many many headstones...

Some roses...

More headstones...

Luxembourg

I really don't quite know what I think of Luxembourg. When we left Leuven, I was excited to see it. I think I pictured a really ritzy, glamourous place. I must say that the bus ride there was pretty amazing. We were going into the mountains and the countryside was breathtaking. Lots of trees. Anyone who knows me, knows I love trees and green places. A bit strange considering that I grew up in a more arid climate...but I digress. Anyway, I really thought at that moment that I wanted to be European. (More on that in another blog.)

When we got to the city/country, I wasn't sure I was so excited about it anymore. First of all, our hotel wasn't the type of place I expected in Luxembourg. In fact, I was a bit skeeved out by it. Now I've stayed in some nasty hostels in my day, as my dear friends Kate and Amy can attest to. But it goes with the territory. You expect hostels not to be five star luxury suites. And I realize I am on a student's budget. Still, I also wasn't expecting the Bates Motel. The rooms were eerie and bleak and creepy. A strange old man walked into two of my friends' room. No joke. Just walked right in. I was very uncomfortable there. Anyway, the city itself has some pretty sites, but there really isn't a lot to see. We did go to the ECJ (the EU's court). But my final verdict is...skip Luxembourg. Paris is much more glamourous and you can spend a week there and still have things to see.

One thing I did love about the city? The park. There is a valley/gorge in the center of town. This is a view of one set of stairs. It's actually quite expansive. I went running here one morning. It was beautiful.

So this picture is for Niki, Monica, Josh and everyone else who wants to see pictures of me. I'm heading into the park with a some of the other students. I'll have more from other locals in future posts. I'm trying to remember to get people to snap a few of me from time to time. 

Another view of the park.

This is a view from above the gorge, from one side to the other.

A building in the main square of the city.

Bruges

This place made me happy. I was so taken with its quaint charm that I was smiling the entire time I was there. Bruge is a little town outside of Brussels. I don't know much of its history, but I will say this. It felt like we were stepping back in time about 500 years. Of course, the buildings were old, just as they are in all of Europe. Some buildings were built as early as the 1300s. But it wasn't the age of the buildings. The town felt sort of undisturbed, less commercial than perhaps other places. I can't quite explain it, but it is my one of my new favorite places in Europe, one I highly recommend to all.  

The first picture is of the main town square. Very quaint!

The city is on the river. I love how the houses and buildings are right next to its bank.
This is what always blows me away.  Look at the height of that tower (part of a cathedral, I believe, but don't quote me!). Amazing. And they built it without all of our modern technology. That is what I call dedication to a cause.

The view of the river as you walk into town from the train station. It was so peaceful. 

This is me with Crystal (I hope I'm spelling her name right). She's one of my fellow students at Seton Hall. We are standing in the town square, enjoying the scenery. 
Hope all is well with everyone. I'm in Ireland right now. I have some updating to do on other places and sites, but this is the first time I've had reliable internet service for about a week. We left Leuven last Thursday and stayed in Luxembourg. I'll post some pictures from Luxembourg soon. Then we got on a plane on Sunday and flew into Dublin. We are now in Galway, and school has gotten a little more serious. So I'm not out and about as much, just because I have reading and studying to work on. More on that later. Miss you all lots!