The tiresome vocabulary of a young Mormon.

There are some words that I hear far too often on BYU's campus and in Mormon culture in general. I don't know what it is about these words that is so irresistible to young Mormons, but there must be something. Don't get me wrong, I'm not immune to using these words either. However, I do strive to avoid them like the plague.

Below I have compiled a smattering of these overworked words. If you don't believe me that these words are far too common in the average Mormon's vocabulary, then just take some time to listen to those around you. If you listen, you will hear. Pretty soon, it will be all you can hear. You'll hear it as you walk to class, as your roommate is telling you a story, or even when a fellow ward member is bearing their testimony. 

And then you may wish that you had never even listened in the first place.

So here is the list. Read it and weep. 

1.) awesomeness, craziness, coolness, studliness, and other -ness words

By using one of these words, you are proving to me just how un-awesome you really are.

2.) interpretive dance

Yes, it was funny the first 20 times. Cool, creative, entertaining, and clean. But the glory days are over, folks. Time to find a new "hilariously ridiculous" activity to be funny with.

3) dance party

I don't understand the strange obsession with this term. Why must people always be wanting to throw dance parties? Now, if they were real dance parties, then that would be a different story. But most of the time they are random, lame little gatherings that happen at the most awkward times and places and usually consist of people jumping up and down, trying to act like they are really into the music.

4.) date

This poor word. It has been beaten to a pulp amongst the young adult Mormon population.

5.) amazing

To those who are addicted to the use of this word, here is a list of words that mean the same thing:

"astonishing, astounding, surprising, stunning, staggering, shocking, startling, stupefying,      breathtaking, awe-inspiring, sensational, remarkable, spectacular, stupendous, phenomenal,  extraordinary, incredible, unbelievable, etc."

Pick one. Any one. And let's switch it up every once in a while, shall we?

6.) epic

I hate this word. If I had a dollar for every time I heard it, I would not be here. I would be in the Caribbean, drinking a tropical smoothie, and tanning on my yacht.

7.) crazy

I'm sorry, but staying up until 3 a.m having a "dance party" and eating cookie dough is not crazy. And what's that you say? You think your roommates are crazy (in a good way of course)?
Join the rest of the BYU world. 

If you really want to see crazy, spend a week at Arizona State. Biggest party school in the nation.

That, my friends, is crazy.

8.) awesome

Better than "awesomeness," but irksome nonetheless.

9.) experience

Don't get me wrong, experiences are a great thing. But when every little thing you do becomes some type of "experience" it looses its "wow" factor. 

10.) marriage

I feel like every person in this entire school talks about this at least once a day. Discussing the topic of marriage can no longer be determined as "deep subject matter"—it has become a form of small talk.

11.) blessing

"Wow, what a blessing to have such crazy roommates who fill my life with such epic awesomeness. They are amazing!"

Sound familiar? 

12.) heck

Not going to lie, I'm a big fan of this one. But I wasn't until I came to BYU...

13.) basically

Usually used at the end of a long, detailed story about your roommate's latest romantic escapade.
Listen for it. It'll come.

14.) love

"I loved this day! I love you guys. I love it. I love that. I love him. I love this ward. I love life...."

Wow, you must be so spiritual.

15.) Jimmer

The ultimate word used anytime, anywhere, for anything.

16.) the mission

Not that missions are annoying, but why must people refer to it as "the mission"? It just sounds odd. Aren't there hundreds of different missions in the world? Then what exactly is "the mission"? 

Beats me.

18.) "You wish you were this  (add generic adjective here, ex: cool, awesome, gangsta, etc.)" 

No, actually I don't. I really don't. 

17.) zombies

They're not real, nor will they ever be. Get over it and move on. The real world is waiting.

The magic of the music.

Sometimes when I am having a particularly difficult time motivating myself to sit down and power through my homework, I tell myself "Hey self, if you go and work on your homework then you can listen to Disney music on your Pandora station." And bam, I'm motivated. Works every time. Not only does it work, but I end up wanting to do more homework (shocker, I know) just so I can listen to it longer. There's something very comforting about Disney music. It makes you feel like the world is a place full of happy endings and magical adventures.
And if you happen to need a study break, just stop and stare at the wall, continuing to listen to the Disney music, and imagine the movie scene that the song is from playing out in your mind. It's basically like instant TV.
Also, if you're ever feeling sluggish, listen closely to the lyrics. Surprisingly, the lyrics to most Disney music can be genuinely motivational. For example, this one:

Wow, it just makes you want to go out and conquer the world and then sing about it. It's also pretty spiritual, which I never realized in my childhood. But truly, it is. It could probably even be a primary song.
Disney music is where it's at people, I'm tellin' ya.

Campus cacophony.

As I was walking to class today I witnessed an all too frequent occurrence. Amidst the hustle and bustle of students rushing to class, there was a group of girls standing smack in the middle of all of it. There they were, talking and laughing with one another. Or should I say shouting and whooping. Yes, I should say that because that's exactly what they were doing. 

I don't know what it is about participating in group conversations in public settings that causes people to feel this insuppressible need to laugh and shout so loudly that it echoes around the buildings and reverberates across campus, but apparently there's something because it happens all the time. 

Every time I hear this babel, I feel like I'm hearing "Quick! Look at me! I have friends! And we're laughing together because we are just so funny! Everybody should look at us being friends and notice our big, outgoing and spunky personalities! Ahahaha!"

Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but still. I feel like these abnormally loud and obnoxious conversations are getting out of hand. People, just enjoy your friends at a normal human decibel and let the rest of us pass along without feeling harassed by your ruckus.

A true gem.

People complain that running in the Smith Fieldhouse is boring, but personally, I enjoy it. I find it incredibly entertaining. Instead of staring at the sidewalk or houses or random ugly cars passing by, you can watch people. Lots and lots of people. And trust me when I say that there are some very interesting people that gather at the fieldhouse to exercise. Sure you could listen to your headphones to those same old songs, but if you get sick of that then just keep them in, but turn off the volume. That way people will assume you can't hear what they are saying and will carry on with their oh-so-fascinating conversations as you pass by or run behind them. For example, today I overheard an extensive discussion on blood type and pregnancy. Fascinating, truly.
But if you want to keep your music going, then by all means, keep it going. There is plenty to see that will keep you entirely entertained, even if you can't hear the sounds of it all. Today I was able to watch parts of an intense dodgeball game as well as determine which runners had power issues. I did the latter by letting certain runners pass me and then shortly thereafter speeding up a little bit and passing them, and then noting their reaction. One particularly power-hungry girl responded by suddenly full on sprinting a good 1/4 lap to get indisputably ahead of me. Touchy much? I would say so.
It also is very interesting to me how some people can look so cool as they run and others....well, bless their hearts.
Anyway, if all of this fascinating entertainment isn't enough for you, then you can surely find enjoyment in the many other features the fieldhouse has to offer. Which are:
1.) Drinking fountains
2.) Bathroom
3.) Clock
4.) Shelter from the brutal cold and protection from the rapists

So all in all, I think it's safe to say the fieldhouse is a winner.

The Vow

For Valentine's Day yesterday, some girls in my ward and I went and saw "The Vow".  It was great and even better than I had expected it to be.
And of course, Channing Tatum was beautiful. No surprises there.
This picture basically sums up my feelings towards him:

But seriously, I really enjoyed this movie. Believe it or not, it was actually surprisingly deep because it's about more than simply the love between two people. Although that does serve as the primary focus of the movie, as a whole it's more about life in general and how each choice and each moment gradually moves us along in life. And whether we accept it or not, these moments are what come to define us and make us the people that we are.
Essentially, each person is a living, breathing collage of moments.
Isn't that interesting to think about?
Throughout the movie, Channing, or rather "Leo", narrates on and off. At one point, he says:

"Life's all about moments of impact, and how they change our lives forever. But what if one day you could no longer remember any of them?" 

Think about that. What if the person you were was suddenly stuck in the circumstances that the person you are created? What would you think of your life? Would you agree with the decisions that your future self made?
Maybe this isn't as fascinating a subject as it seems, but to me it is. This movie gave me a new way of thinking about things. Instead of thinking of my life in terms of achievements and destinations, it has caused me to reflect on my life in terms of choices and experiences, which I think is the way life is meant to be looked at.
Anyway, all I have left to say is true love is a powerful thing people.
Fo reals.

I. Can. Not. Wait.

Today my ticket to the Ingrid Michaelson concert arrived in the mail! So excited! Now I just have to wait 2 months....

Just another day in the life of an expert polyglot. Not.

Today in my Spanish conversation lab we were talking about our weekend plans.
This is what I thought I said to the T.A:
"This weekend I'm going to see the play BYU is putting on called "The Merchant of Venice."
But, this is what she thought I said:
"This weekend I'm performing in the BYU play "The Merchant of Venice."
Clearly, my Spanish could use some work.
She smiled really big, looked really impressed and wished me good luck with my show.
Even though I realized that there was clearly some type of miscommunication going on, I just let it happen. I didn't have the brain power to think up the Spanish words to try and correct the misunderstanding and honestly, I really didn't care that much.
So, I made like a Beatle and let it be.
But now my entire conversation lab class thinks I'm an actress. Great.
Well, maybe someday I'll tell them the truth.