Randomness

Lately my thoughts have been in a sort of 'stream of consciousness' mood.

I easily jump from one thing to the next, and that means that I'm suddenly sharing random facts with everyone I know - so I'm just gonna put them all down on paper.

Here are some of the most recent random facts I've been mulling around.  A lot of them I learned in my classes, so yes - they are medically related:

•  First - Botulism Toxin is the most lethal toxin known to man. EVER.  Less than 1  MICROGRAM can KILL you.  Get the picture?  Ok, then get this - Botulism Toxin also has a nickname - it can be shortened to: BOTOX.  Yes indeed - botox is in fact a diluted dose of the most lethal toxin in the world that people voluntarily inject into their skin.....That just gives me heart palpitations.

• Second - there happens to be evidence to support the fact that FLOSSING will in fact help not only your teeth but..........your HEART.  No, I'm not joking.  The fact is that flossing keeps down inflammatory responses in your gums which in turn helps mediate your entire inflammatory system....don't ask me to explain that, but it's real.

• Next - About 10 times more microbes live in and on the human body than there are human somatic (body) cells.  So basically for every single CELL there are 10 little microbes camped out ON or IN you; but before you jump in a pool of bleach you should know that these little microbial buddies actually help you live.  You should like them.......otherwise just pretend you never read this. (oh and P.S. they make up about 10% of your weight)

• Random and for fun - If Barbie were life-size, her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet, two inches tall and have a neck twice the length of a normal humans neck.(See, Barbie is NOT perfect)

• and finally - Beards are the fastest growing hairs on the human body for men. If the average man never trimmed his beard, it would grow to nearly 30 feet long in his lifetime.  (I wonder how long it took Dumbledore and Gandalf )
   
  Those are just some of them for now.  Also, my friend shared this great video on YouTube, and writing that Barbie fact made me remember it.  For those of you who have known people that think they're ugly because they're not barbie, they should see this:
   
   

October

October - came like a flash.

First off, conference weekend was perfect - everything I needed.  I know that God really does answer our prayers and talks through his apostles and prophets.  There's something so calming about being spiritually fed for two whole days.
In other news, I've been working on a stellar arrangement of the song "All I ask of You" from Phantom of the Opera for my brother's wedding.  I tried to work it after this beautiful arrangement:

 If only I could play it just like Sarah Chang.  the other problem: I am a soloist and won't have the complimenting part of the Cello, but I'm working around that.
Hopefully it will be everything Chris and Shauna had hoped for.  So - on the 21st I'll be taking off to Colorado Springs with my violin and trying to control my nerves so I can be part of their wedding.
I still need to figure out what to wear....sometimes I wish I had someone to make those small decisions for me - I waste far too much time in the morning staring at my closet and interviewing each of my articles of clothing... "So, why should I wear you today?".  If they don't convince me, I move on, and fact is - I end up right where I started in a second round of "interviews" until I throw up my hands and pull on my hoodie.
So, if I figure out what to wear NOW, I will therefore be preventing myself from going to a wedding in a hoodie.....although it might help my nerves.....no. no hoodies.  got it.

New Job! (sorta)

So, I have a new job! Still in the same office, but a way different set of responsibilities.
I'm now the hiring assistant for EFY. This means I'll be dealing a lot with counselors. Paperwork, training, the whole kabob.  
I'm excited about the newness of it all, and I'm already seeing that this new position is going to keep me busy.  Today I started compiling some general info for the EFY Employment page that will soon be up on facebook!  Way exciting.  We're just working on some final revisions and making sure we have all the necessary info.  Also, my new boss had to go on leave right after I changed to the new position, so it's been a little scary making sure I know what is expected of me and making sure I get things done on time.  In the meantime, we haven't yet found someone to cover my old position, so I'm doing both at the moment.  I feel like it'll sink in a little more when I'm replaced and make the switch completely.  So, wish me luck, and here we go!

P.S. just a shameless plug here: to all my friends wanting to apply for EFY check out our webpage here:

http://ce.byu.edu/yp/employment/

Little Pockets

You ever get those moments where time just sorta stands still and you realize the small things in your life that are great and suddenly the world seems like it's made of marshmallows and pastel-colored candy?
Ok.....so maybe you don't, but whether it's my child-like imagination, or subconscious sweet tooth - I do.

I'm not saying that my life is a piece of cake (really liking the sweet tooth analogies today), I still have aches, pains, work, and difficulty to encounter, but today I just had a brief "little pocket of sunshine" moment, so I thought instead of sharing all my stress with the world, I'll share the sunshine.

First off, I had my first professional day at school, which means I got to wear my uniform and feel the excitement of looking the part that I one day will play.  I was a little sad not to be able to attend devotional today, but that's the great thing about lds.org, you can look up talks and devotionals all the time!

A short while after,  I saw a picture of a friend's new baby on facebook.  A tiny little girl, so precious and small. 
 Then I looked at my phone and saw the picture of my own little nephew that my Mom had sent me.  He's folding his arms lopsidedly and squinting his eyes in a prayer - It's adorable.  There's something special those tiny ones that just makes me smile.

So many small reminders today of the goodness that is all around us - especially in little kids. 
Never underestimate the power of those small smiles.

Streisand

Dear Barbara Streisand:

Every time I watch the ending of Funny Girl, I get chills, my heart flutters, and I feel like I'm about to burst.  Please don't think that I am accusing you of any wrong-doing;  on the contrary, I am constantly in shock and awe at your ability to suck me into loving Fanny Brice almost INSTANTLY. As soon as she comes into view in that silly red dress in the beginning of the movie and talks about her future with that gleam of hope in her eyes - I'm stuck. 

My love for her character grows as I watch her confidence catapult her into stardom.  I am charmed by her and her glorious sense of humor.  You have supplied the women of my family with endless quotes such as, "I'm a bagel on a plate full of onion rolls!", "Hello GORgeous", and my personal favorite, "you gonna shoot da shwanz?  MY Shwanz girls?  Whatta ya, dumb?".  

..and then my heart breaks with hers as she delivers this final song.  So thank you Barbara, for bringing such a powerful emotion to the life of Fanny Brice - It's truly unforgettable.

Something Beautiful :)

I'm slightly obsessed with this song lately.  It's just so catchy.

                                        

"Something Beautiful" - The Newsboys

I wanna start it over

I wanna start again

I want a new beginning

One without an end

I feel it inside

Calling out to me

It's a voice that whispers my name

It's a kiss without any shame

Something beautiful, yeah, yeah

Like a song that stirs in my head

Singing love will take us where

Something's beautiful

I've heard it in the silence

Seen it on a face

I've felt it in a long hour

Like a sweet embrace

I know this is true

It's calling out to me

It's the voice that whispers my name

It's the kiss without any shame

Something beautiful, yeah, yeah

Like a song that stirs in my head

Singing love will take us where

Something's beautiful

It's the child on her wedding day

It's the daddy that gives her away

Something beautiful, yeah, yeah

When we laugh so hard we cry

All the love between you and I

Something beautiful

sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia

sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia.  The technical term for "Brain-freeze".  This discovery was brought on by the fact that today is none other than:

Free Slurpee day at 7-Eleven

Free Slurpee day marks the convenience store chain's 84th birthday. On free Slurpee day, or "7-Eleven Day," customers get 7.11 ounces of the frozen, carbonated, sugary treat for free.

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ENJOY!