Hazards of the Mall

I have spent more time in malls lately than I usually do doing some essential shopping with a close friend who is preparing for a wedding and I thought I would point out some mall oddities.

Malls should be a standard layout. The University Mall in Provo is HUGE and I had never been before. Instead of a standard T or H shape this mall is some kind of shape I don't even know what I would have to get an aerial view to figure it out. I was on my own for a while and got confused to where I was, partly because there was a Pretzelmaker at every turn. I only figured out where I was by looking at the employees.

Kiosks in the mall. Sigh. I don't mind the ones where the people sit at their little booths and wait for a patron to browse before they pounce and tell you about their product. However, there are the few that pray on the lone shopper. This time it was the exotic facial and hand lotion kiosk that got me. As I was walking past a woman stepped in front of me and started her spiel and I immediately told her no. As I started to walk past she tried to goad me into conversation by claiming that I wouldn't talk to her because of her accent. I didn't justify myself, knowing that she just wanted me to stop long enough to engage her in conversation. On the other side of the mall I ran into an identical kiosk run this time by attractive foreign men. This time I caved. This good looking stranger with an accent was a charmer! I let him do his pitch while he caressed my hands and promoted the benefits of what essentially is exotic sugar. Then of course I felt guilty and told him I had no money, I also promised to walk back this way before his shift is over and maybe bring some money. Did I go back? Of course not, in fact my final destination would have taken me past him again so instead I left the mall and walked all the way on the outside of this monstrosity to my destination simply to avoid him. Sad right?

I have an inherently guilty conscience whether it is deserved or not. I was helping a friend shop for wedding bands for her betrothed and of course we visited more than one jewelry store. At the mall we went to there are 5 jewelers all within view of each other. We traversed from place to place where each pampered us with free water, jewelry cleaning and various promises of the best value. My problem came when we would go from one to another within full view of the salespeople who were just vying for our business. My guilt came from visiting the competitor and knowing that the other salespeople could see me doing it. Luckily my friend is not so guilt ridden, and merely dragged me behind her with a roll of the eyes.

Letter to the Principal

Dear Mr. C,

Welcome to our school. I hope you enjoy it here. Can you make it so that we get seconds at lunch?


Your friend,

Andrew

P.S. I like food.

New Music Discoveries

I have been on a girl music kick and found some new music artists that I have become a fan of because of my new roommate. Check them out!

Barlowgirl
Charlotte Martin
Emiliana Torrini
Britt Nicole
Natalie Grant
Kari Jobe
Laura Marling
Jaymay
Anuhea
Kate Earl
Hope Partlow

and Regina Spektor's new album!

The Pros and Cons of My Summer Job

The Pros

• Coooking everyday was fun!
• Planning a new menu every week let me be creative
• Trying new recipes on unsuspecting victims was wickedly entertaining.
• Sneaking vegetables into things that you wouldn't think amused me greatly.
• People asking for seconds or thirds. The best compliment ever!
• Being offered jobs in other kitchens, also an excellent compliment.
• Having a giant kitchen and industrial appliances makes for much easier cooking.
  

The Cons

• Getting up early is not my favorite. 5 a.m. is not a time I am accustomed to seeing
• Cooking for large amounts of people means that you will NEVER EVER satisfy everyone.
• Picky eaters. Ugh, I had enough issues catering to people with special diets. Gluten free, no red food dye, dairy allergies and etc. But when you want me to make you a grilled cheese sandwich for EVERY meal simply because you only eat apples, cheese and peanut butter? Annoying!
• People using my kitchen and not picking up after themselves. Every Monday I ended up spending at least half of my morning cleaning up messes left from people who used the kitchen over the weekend.
• Adults who refused to read. Several times I would buy something for a specific recipe and then leave clear instructions on said food product asking for it to be left alone. I would even put the date and meal that I intended to use it for, only to find that someone used it anyway.
• My culinary adventures did not always pan out. Don't get me wrong the food was always edible, but it sucks to put something out for people to eat that you know could be better.
  

Any Chance to Brag....

Got to see my cute niece and nephew last month and decided to put up some of the pics from their visit. I hope it's not another 18 months before I get to see them!

Health Care Problem Solved!

Have I mentioned lately how much I love The Daily Show with Jon Stewart?

Hillcrest High School Class of 1999!

Life is complicated. We start thinking we know where we will end up but often find ourselves surprised by the twist and turns of the path before us. I have been pondering this lately with the impending arrival of my 10 year high school reunion next month. My first thoughts were, "10 years? Seriously? Where did the time go?" There are regrets especially when I realized that I have not kept in contact with a single person from that time of my life. Initially my reason for not keeping in contact was that I have ended up such a completely different person than I was, but guess what, so has everybody else! (In theory of course, 10 years should have something to show for itself right?) I don't think I truly knew who I was as a person until well into my twenties. Here are some realizations that I will need to remember next month.

Yes, the majority of the people I will be hoping to see are married and have children. I am not married and have no children. However, I am satisfied with my life right now. Do I want to be single for the rest of my life? No. But I value the experiences and lessons I have learned from this time of my life. Everything that I have learned in the last 10 years have made me, in my opinion, a better person. Those lessons and experiences would probably not have been the same had I been married.

I do not have a glamorous job. Some of the people from my graduating class are well known TV personalities, staffers for Presidents, engineers for Cirque du Soleil, musicians and lawyers. I don't have a job like that. But I do have the great opportunity of teaching children with special needs. It took me a while to find my niche, but from all the things that I have done, I have come to the realization that I enjoy and succeed the most when I have a job that allows me to help others.

My accomplishments over the last 10 years may not impress most, but here are some things I can be proud of:

• I have an awesome music collection. My Cd's are housed in 5 different cases of over 200+ and are separated into categories for easier navigation. I also have a spreadsheet that allows you to search by artist, genre, or year.
• I have become a pretty decent cook. I may not cook for many other than myself most of the time, but through one of my jobs I have become innovative and can not only make my own chocolate dessert syrup but also a pretty darn good meatloaf.
• I know a lot of seemingly useless and random facts, mostly about life from the 1930's, 40's and 50's. This comes from working with Alzheimer's and dementia patients for 4 years.
• I made a difference in finding a cure for Multiple Sclerosis. Not necessarily a measurable one, but for 15+ years I volunteered at their main Utah fundraiser and spent 4 of those years on their fund raising board, the last two as the Rest Stop Chair.
• I have written music. Mostly religious in nature, I am finally letting some people see it.

So. for my 10 year reunion I say, bring it on! Sure some of the old insecurities will arise, but I will just have to remember this list. Hillcrest High School class of 1999 classmates, see you in a little less than a month!