And I have been accepted to the Utah State dietetic internship!!!! I am so excited! When I first saw it, I was very surprised. I applied to two internship in San Francisco, so I have been envisioning my life as if I were going to be living at home. But I was matched to Utah. It only took a minute, and then I became very excited and happy!
I am so grateful for the peace and excitement that I feel. I have been stressing over this whole thing for so long, and I would pray every night for faith in God's plan and comfort that I did all that I could do. At times I felt peace, but mostly I talked myself through the last two months, continually telling myself that it would work out for the best, and trying to believe that. But not one minute after I read the results of the computer matching, the peace came like a tidal wave, and now I have nothing but hope for the future.
In conclusion, the Gospel is true, prayer works, the Holy Ghost is real, and Heavenly Father knows and loves His children.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
My Garden of Forking Paths
I realized something today as I stood in front of the beverage section of the Twilight Zone: I am paralyzed by too many choices. Even now I still stand here, creating this post using my iPhone. Okay not really, and I don't have an iPhone, but in some other version of this world I do. Eventually I did pick out a bottle of V8 Splash, leaving behind the dozens of other choices.
I then sat down to by bagel, apple, and "juice" and attempted to read "The Garden of Forking Paths," all the while sufficiently distracted by the warmth provided by the sun that finally decided it had ignored Provo long enough. Needless to say, I didn't get much reading done, nor did I understand much of what I did read. I quickly read a summary online, and then went to class, hoping I was prepared enough. But no, not really. There was an essay quiz, for which I was able to produce moderately coherent ideas...at a very slow pace.
"The Garden of Forking Paths" by Jorge Borges presents the idea through a fictional short story that at every point of choice, time branches off into many possible futures, all of which happen simultaneously. These paths completely diverge or run parallel to each other, and sometimes they converge. While I am not sure about the many continuum of time occurring simultaneously (if there is anything I am not it is a physicist), the class discussion certainly sparked my interest. What about the decisions I had made recently? If I had been more prepared for class, perhaps I would have included some brilliant insight in my essay, which would have left my teacher weeping on her desk. Certainly she would have shown this insight to her husband in the English Department, who would have shared it with the rest of the faculty, leading to an offer to work with me on some book that will change the world and immortalize me...but that is in some other time continuum. In some other divergent forking garden path it is very probably that I did stand in front of the beverage section, iPhone in hand, unable to make a decision (but then I never would have read the text or been in class, making this particular post not probable, but let's not overanalyze anything). As I told my rommate about all of this, and said something to the effect that my choice of juice probably wouldn't have changed the course of my life, she provided this alternate future: "What if you had picked up some juice with cranberry in it (I hate cranberry juice, and she knows this), and the guy behind you in line was so impressed, because he loves cranberries, that he asked for your number, you guys dated and got married. Your marriage would be based on a lie!" So it's a good thing I didn't choose cranberry...or is it? Maybe my choice to buy that delicious, but surely calorie-dense cookie began my path towards 50 pounds of weight gain. But maybe my decision to go running made by path converge with another where I maintain weight (dare I mention lose weight?).
Whatever other possibilities existed for me in the infinite versions of my future, I am glad that this one includes graduation from college in a short while.
I am fast approaching a fork in my garden, and one which is more obviously divergent. Dietetic internship results will be posted on April 20th, at 12 am CST. Which means that at 11 pm on April 19th, I will be attempting to access the webpage, along with every other person that applied for an internship. So when I finally see the results two hours later, I will be taking my first step on the diverged path of my future.
I then sat down to by bagel, apple, and "juice" and attempted to read "The Garden of Forking Paths," all the while sufficiently distracted by the warmth provided by the sun that finally decided it had ignored Provo long enough. Needless to say, I didn't get much reading done, nor did I understand much of what I did read. I quickly read a summary online, and then went to class, hoping I was prepared enough. But no, not really. There was an essay quiz, for which I was able to produce moderately coherent ideas...at a very slow pace.
"The Garden of Forking Paths" by Jorge Borges presents the idea through a fictional short story that at every point of choice, time branches off into many possible futures, all of which happen simultaneously. These paths completely diverge or run parallel to each other, and sometimes they converge. While I am not sure about the many continuum of time occurring simultaneously (if there is anything I am not it is a physicist), the class discussion certainly sparked my interest. What about the decisions I had made recently? If I had been more prepared for class, perhaps I would have included some brilliant insight in my essay, which would have left my teacher weeping on her desk. Certainly she would have shown this insight to her husband in the English Department, who would have shared it with the rest of the faculty, leading to an offer to work with me on some book that will change the world and immortalize me...but that is in some other time continuum. In some other divergent forking garden path it is very probably that I did stand in front of the beverage section, iPhone in hand, unable to make a decision (but then I never would have read the text or been in class, making this particular post not probable, but let's not overanalyze anything). As I told my rommate about all of this, and said something to the effect that my choice of juice probably wouldn't have changed the course of my life, she provided this alternate future: "What if you had picked up some juice with cranberry in it (I hate cranberry juice, and she knows this), and the guy behind you in line was so impressed, because he loves cranberries, that he asked for your number, you guys dated and got married. Your marriage would be based on a lie!" So it's a good thing I didn't choose cranberry...or is it? Maybe my choice to buy that delicious, but surely calorie-dense cookie began my path towards 50 pounds of weight gain. But maybe my decision to go running made by path converge with another where I maintain weight (dare I mention lose weight?).
Whatever other possibilities existed for me in the infinite versions of my future, I am glad that this one includes graduation from college in a short while.
I am fast approaching a fork in my garden, and one which is more obviously divergent. Dietetic internship results will be posted on April 20th, at 12 am CST. Which means that at 11 pm on April 19th, I will be attempting to access the webpage, along with every other person that applied for an internship. So when I finally see the results two hours later, I will be taking my first step on the diverged path of my future.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
My Hilarious Niece
I am going to take the time to refer you to my sister's recent post. It is hilarious. Where my niece comes up with these things, I don't know. I almost hope she made it up, because can you imagine if it was a real song? Anyway, you will just have to check it out.
http://bardsleyland.blogspot.com/2009/02/blackmail.html
Someday I will upload some pictures and give an update about my life. But not until applications are mailed, research papers are written, and tests are failed. Thank you for your patience.
http://bardsleyland.blogspot.com/2009/02/blackmail.html
Someday I will upload some pictures and give an update about my life. But not until applications are mailed, research papers are written, and tests are failed. Thank you for your patience.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Internships
My time at BYU is about to end. I graduate in April. I'm really not mature enough to be a college graduate, but life waits for no one. I will be graduating in Dietetics, which means I am well on my way to becoming a Registered Dietitian (RD). The big thing that stands in my way is an internship. It isn't that I'm not incredibly excited to do an internship and finally practice everything that has been drilled into me for the last 4 years, but I have never been good at making big life decisions. I actually kind of suck at it. I spent months researching and praying about what to major in, terrified of making the wrong choice, as if I couldn't change it anytime I wanted.
And yet, somehow, I stumbled my way through making the decision enough to request recommendations from my professors. The current decision is as follows:
2. Bay Pines VA Medical Center
3. Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital (in Chicago)
4. Utah State University
UC San Francisco is definitely my first choice. They offer a stipend ($1300/month) and healthcare. Plus, I could live at home, seriously cutting down on expenses. However, I think I would be happy with any of the options. Bay Pines is in Florida, and is right on the coast. So great weather, and a stipend (all VA hospitals offer stipends). Chicago would be cool. I have never been there. USU would allow me to stay in Provo for my internship.
The problem is that my first three choices are really competitive. Any internship that offers a stipend is going to be competitive. I think that with UCSF and Bay Pines, the fact that I come from BYU will be in my favor. They have had BYU graduates in the past and have really liked them. Thank goodness for impressive former students reflecting well on the BYU dietetics program.
Applications are due mid-February. I'll hear back in April. What a long month and a half that will be.
Wish me luck.
And yet, somehow, I stumbled my way through making the decision enough to request recommendations from my professors. The current decision is as follows:
1. UC San Francisco
2. Bay Pines VA Medical Center
3. Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital (in Chicago)
4. Utah State University
UC San Francisco is definitely my first choice. They offer a stipend ($1300/month) and healthcare. Plus, I could live at home, seriously cutting down on expenses. However, I think I would be happy with any of the options. Bay Pines is in Florida, and is right on the coast. So great weather, and a stipend (all VA hospitals offer stipends). Chicago would be cool. I have never been there. USU would allow me to stay in Provo for my internship.
The problem is that my first three choices are really competitive. Any internship that offers a stipend is going to be competitive. I think that with UCSF and Bay Pines, the fact that I come from BYU will be in my favor. They have had BYU graduates in the past and have really liked them. Thank goodness for impressive former students reflecting well on the BYU dietetics program.
Applications are due mid-February. I'll hear back in April. What a long month and a half that will be.
Wish me luck.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Home Again
Finally. It is nice to be home, sleeping in my own bed. On Wednesday morning I woke up thinking "Tonight I will be sleeping in my own bed!" If only I knew then what the night would hold for me...
My flight back to Oakland was scheduled to leave at 9:30 on Wednesday night. According to the departure screen, my flight was scheduled to leave on time. Unfortunately I forgot a book and my ipod, so after waiting to board the plane, at 9:30 I went to an airport shop and bought "The Alchemist." I sit in my spot in line (I was flying Southwest) and read for a half hour, when I started listening to the conversation between a disgruntled, waiting passenger, and whoever was in charge of taking boarding passes and loading the plane. Apparently there was no pilot. Great. For the next 20 minutes, several airport workers are coming and going, talking to each other, using the phone, and looking stuff up on the computer. Finally, some guy makes an announcement that because of the Las Vegas airport shutting down (3 inches of snow in Las Vegas, and of course no one in Las Vegas knows what to do with snow, or had any equipment to use anyway) our pilot is stranded. They were looking for another pilot, and they would get back to us. Through more eavesdropping, I learn that there are several flights terminating in Salt Lake, but that each of the pilots had flown too long that dayto legally fly a two hour flight. What do you expect? It's 10:30 at night. Now they are checking with pilots that live in the Salt Lake or Park City area. Fortunately, a girl from my ward was on the same flight. We played cards while we waited. At midnight, they make the announcement that the flight is officially cancelled, and they will rebook us on the the 6:30 or 10:20 flight the next morning. Start Part 2 of my trip home.
My friend and I get in line to rebook our flight. Right behind us are two other college students from BYU, so we make friends and commiserate together. We had all decided that we just want to get on the 6:30 flight and stay at the airport that night. We don't want to hassle with getting back to Provo or getting over to a hotel just to be back at the airport 4.5 hours later. At about 1 am (yes, that was 1 hour standing in line to rebook) I finally rebooked to the 6:30 flight. The airport employees had brought a box of sodas, ritz crackers, peanuts, and airplane blankets and pillows. Luckily, there were no arm rests between the seats, so we could lay down on the benches. I settle in with two blankets and a pillow and attempt to sleep. They had provided ear plugs, but I could still hear CNN playing on the tv and the crying baby (poor, poor woman and poor baby) pretty clearly. At 2 am, a flight from Seattle arrived, and I happened to be "sleeping" right by that gate. It was freezing and loud for the half hour the plane emptied. I couldn't get warm again after that. I slept for about 5 minute incriments over a 2.5 hour period, but I layed awake for most of that. Eventually I got sick of trying to sleep, so I just sat up and listened to CNN while I played Monopoly on my phone. The next 2 hours passed really quickly, and finally it was time to board the plane! I was asleep before the plane took off, and slep until about 10 minutes before we landed. I arrived in Oakland at 7:45 pacific time, about 13 hours after I had arrived at the Salt Lake airport the night before. Which means that without the snow in the Sierras, I could have driven home in less time.
I think that the most awesome part of the whole experience is that I can now say that I have had a flight cancelled because there was no pilot. That is like cancelling school because they juts couldn't find a teacher. With no snow storm in Salt Lake at the time, who would have thought that a flight to Oakland, CA could be cancelled. Well, when there is no one to fly the plane, what else can they do?
On a completely different note, I was watching VH1's top 40 vidoes of 2008 this morning. Apparently Britney Spears has made a comeback with the song "Womanizer." I was a little confused when I heard it because at first I thought she was singing about herself. Turns out she was singning to a man, while she is sitting in a steam room, wearing....nothing. Britney, you don't need a womanizing man to exploit you. You are pretty good at doing that yourself. Thank you for trying to stick up for women, but you just objectified yourself instead.
My flight back to Oakland was scheduled to leave at 9:30 on Wednesday night. According to the departure screen, my flight was scheduled to leave on time. Unfortunately I forgot a book and my ipod, so after waiting to board the plane, at 9:30 I went to an airport shop and bought "The Alchemist." I sit in my spot in line (I was flying Southwest) and read for a half hour, when I started listening to the conversation between a disgruntled, waiting passenger, and whoever was in charge of taking boarding passes and loading the plane. Apparently there was no pilot. Great. For the next 20 minutes, several airport workers are coming and going, talking to each other, using the phone, and looking stuff up on the computer. Finally, some guy makes an announcement that because of the Las Vegas airport shutting down (3 inches of snow in Las Vegas, and of course no one in Las Vegas knows what to do with snow, or had any equipment to use anyway) our pilot is stranded. They were looking for another pilot, and they would get back to us. Through more eavesdropping, I learn that there are several flights terminating in Salt Lake, but that each of the pilots had flown too long that dayto legally fly a two hour flight. What do you expect? It's 10:30 at night. Now they are checking with pilots that live in the Salt Lake or Park City area. Fortunately, a girl from my ward was on the same flight. We played cards while we waited. At midnight, they make the announcement that the flight is officially cancelled, and they will rebook us on the the 6:30 or 10:20 flight the next morning. Start Part 2 of my trip home.
My friend and I get in line to rebook our flight. Right behind us are two other college students from BYU, so we make friends and commiserate together. We had all decided that we just want to get on the 6:30 flight and stay at the airport that night. We don't want to hassle with getting back to Provo or getting over to a hotel just to be back at the airport 4.5 hours later. At about 1 am (yes, that was 1 hour standing in line to rebook) I finally rebooked to the 6:30 flight. The airport employees had brought a box of sodas, ritz crackers, peanuts, and airplane blankets and pillows. Luckily, there were no arm rests between the seats, so we could lay down on the benches. I settle in with two blankets and a pillow and attempt to sleep. They had provided ear plugs, but I could still hear CNN playing on the tv and the crying baby (poor, poor woman and poor baby) pretty clearly. At 2 am, a flight from Seattle arrived, and I happened to be "sleeping" right by that gate. It was freezing and loud for the half hour the plane emptied. I couldn't get warm again after that. I slept for about 5 minute incriments over a 2.5 hour period, but I layed awake for most of that. Eventually I got sick of trying to sleep, so I just sat up and listened to CNN while I played Monopoly on my phone. The next 2 hours passed really quickly, and finally it was time to board the plane! I was asleep before the plane took off, and slep until about 10 minutes before we landed. I arrived in Oakland at 7:45 pacific time, about 13 hours after I had arrived at the Salt Lake airport the night before. Which means that without the snow in the Sierras, I could have driven home in less time.
I think that the most awesome part of the whole experience is that I can now say that I have had a flight cancelled because there was no pilot. That is like cancelling school because they juts couldn't find a teacher. With no snow storm in Salt Lake at the time, who would have thought that a flight to Oakland, CA could be cancelled. Well, when there is no one to fly the plane, what else can they do?
On a completely different note, I was watching VH1's top 40 vidoes of 2008 this morning. Apparently Britney Spears has made a comeback with the song "Womanizer." I was a little confused when I heard it because at first I thought she was singing about herself. Turns out she was singning to a man, while she is sitting in a steam room, wearing....nothing. Britney, you don't need a womanizing man to exploit you. You are pretty good at doing that yourself. Thank you for trying to stick up for women, but you just objectified yourself instead.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
I've decided to dedicate a post to the lyrical genius that is "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch." Apparently the lyrics to this song were written by Dr. Seuss. You learn something new every day.
You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch.
You really are a heel.
You're as cuddly as a cactus,
You're as charming as an eel.
Mr. Grinch.
You're a bad banana
With a greasy black peel.
You're a monster, Mr. Grinch.
Your heart's an empty hole.
Your brain is full of spiders,
You've got garlic in your soul.
Mr. Grinch.
I wouldn't touch you, with a
thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole.
You're a vile one, Mr. Grinch.
You have termites in your smile.
You have all the tender sweetness
Of a seasick crocodile.
Mr. Grinch.
Given the choice between the two of you
I'd take the seasick crockodile.
You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch.
You're a nasty, wasty skunk.
Your heart is full of unwashed socks
Your soul is full of gunk.
Mr. Grinch.
The three words that best describe you,
are as follows, and I quote: "Stink. Stank. Stunk."
You're a rotter, Mr. Grinch.
You're the king of sinful sots.
Your heart's a dead tomato splot
With moldy purple spots,
Mr. Grinch.
Your soul is an apalling dump heap overflowing
with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable
rubbish imaginable,
Mangled up in tangled up knots.
You nauseate me, Mr. Grinch.
With a nauseaus super-naus.
You're a crooked jerky jockey
And you drive a crooked horse.
Mr. Grinch.
You're a three decker saurkraut and toadstool
sandwich
With arsenic sauce.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
My Maxims
First: If you want me to call you back, leave a message. Otherwise I assume that either you didn't consider the call important or it was only relevant at the moment so there is no need to call back. For example, someone calls because they are going to a movie in a few minutes and are inviting you to go. No point of leaving a message if you didn't answer because it would be obsolete in ten minutes. However, there are times when I don't follow my own principle. I rarely leave messages on my parents phone because I know that my mom almost always calls me back if she misses my call.
Second: Certain rules of the road should apply to pedestrian walkways. Generally people should walk on the right side of the sidewalk and pass on the left. And if you are walking with a group of people, the person on the edge must yield to oncoming pedestrians. Don't push someone off the curb or into the mud because you can't handle stepping behind your friends for two seconds.
Be careful when you stop in the middle of a walkway. People may be walking quickly behind you. (It really irritates me when I almost run into someone because all of a sudden they stop, but I am definitely guilty of doing stopping without warning)
Third: When you line a trash can, push the bag down before securing it to the bin so that there isn't a huge air bubble trapped under the trash bag. It just makes sense, because otherwise you throw away a paper towel and the garbage can looks full.
Fourth: Gum should be spit in the trash can, and if there is no trash can, then it needs to be spit in a bush or something, not where people are going to be walking. Nobody wants gum stuck to the bottom of their shoes. It really isn't that hard to find a trash can or bush.
That is all I can think of right now. Feel free to add to the list. I am curious about your maxims.
Second: Certain rules of the road should apply to pedestrian walkways. Generally people should walk on the right side of the sidewalk and pass on the left. And if you are walking with a group of people, the person on the edge must yield to oncoming pedestrians. Don't push someone off the curb or into the mud because you can't handle stepping behind your friends for two seconds.
Be careful when you stop in the middle of a walkway. People may be walking quickly behind you. (It really irritates me when I almost run into someone because all of a sudden they stop, but I am definitely guilty of doing stopping without warning)
Third: When you line a trash can, push the bag down before securing it to the bin so that there isn't a huge air bubble trapped under the trash bag. It just makes sense, because otherwise you throw away a paper towel and the garbage can looks full.
Fourth: Gum should be spit in the trash can, and if there is no trash can, then it needs to be spit in a bush or something, not where people are going to be walking. Nobody wants gum stuck to the bottom of their shoes. It really isn't that hard to find a trash can or bush.
That is all I can think of right now. Feel free to add to the list. I am curious about your maxims.
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