here's the deal

So, this happens at the end of every single semester... it's so annoying. I'm falling apart.

At the beginning of every semester, I am always just so fresh and on top of my game. I am getting up early, exercising, eating right, reading my scriptures, working hard in school and at work- basically achieving all my potential awesomeness...

Then somewhere along the line, I get tired. About around the last half of the semester, I stop waking up on time (if at all), I cease working out, and scripture reading falls completely off the schedule.

This girl in my class yesterday asked me if I was ok, I looked tired, something was weird with my eyes...? I was fine. I had no make-up on. (In her defense, I have really blond eyebrows and eyelashes, so when I don't put mascara on them, I look sickly).

The good thing is, my grades are consistent. I will sacrifice everything else, but my school work always gets done. I'm starting to wonder if I have my priorities all out of whack? I mean, obviously school is important, but the rest of my life is in complete disarray!...

Anyways, I'm being candid about it all b/c, I mean, what can I do? Anybody who knows me, knows that I'm just going to make lists of goals, and start the whole thing over again, as soon as finals are over.

In fact, I went to the gym tonight!
I walked on the treadmill, up hill for 10 minutes. Ran for 5 minutes. Did 10 sit-ups. Did 10 bicep curls, and called it a night... I didn't want to over exert myself.

ANYWAYS.

So here's the deal. I have 3 final exams and a presentation next week. I'm probably going to allow my muscles to continue to decompose between now and next Friday. THEN, it's time to get serious. I'm going to the beach for a week in June. I can't help that peeps will have to bear witness to my gleaming white flesh; But I can help my flabby gleaming white flesh.

In addition to working my hot bod, here is a compilation of my other goals:


* Think positively, I'm going to evolve into a the-glass-is-half-full girl.

* Call home more often

* Attend all my church meetings, even when I don't want to

* Read my scriptures

* Venture away from my comfort foods and cook something new

I really love making lists. Just creating a list already makes me feel so accomplished.

Well. That about does it for today.

oh the agony

This is where I am...studying for finals....bleh

This is where I wish I were! Happy, happy, joy, joy

my lil monkey

This Christmas break, I ran into my friend, Camille, with whom I grew up dancing. She told me that when her sister started having babies they were just so cute; Camille knew that when she began having children of her own, she would have to be prepared to tell them, "Don't worry honey, Heavenly Father looks at how beautiful we are on the inside!"
I laugh every time I think about this b/c she is so dang cute herself... She's incapable of having unattractive offspring. In fact, she was telling me this story as I was complimenting her perfect little newborn. She went on to say that since having her own she has changed her tune.

It's going to be some time, I'm sure, before I start popping out miniature versions of myself. Until then, this is my nephew. (Yes, my little brother's son.) He is a perfect little human with an uncanny resemblance to his daddy. I love him so much.
I hope that when I have kids they look half as cute as this squeezable little peanut!

Little Women

Every now and again, when I get a moment, I like to take inventory of my life. It usually ends with my exclaim, "What am I doing!? Everything is all wrong!!"
The natural way we humans check our general status in life is by comparing ourselves to our contemporaries. I have girlfriends my age getting ready to have their 3rd child...
Yeah.
By that standard, I'm failing miserably.
You know how you grow up and your mom tells you you're unique and special? Well, it's true. I'm totally "special". I don't know a single soul who goes about life using the same quirky methods I do.
On rare occasion, this does worry me, and therefore cause me to call my mom and then worry her.
However, I do find solace knowing that my getting-ready-to-have-their-third-child contemporaries are worrying that they're messing up their kids for life b/c they accidentally forgot to do some perfect mom thing.
I don't think I'm wrong in saying that we all worry about sucking at life.
I don't know how you make yourself feel better about it, but let me offer what ALWAYS makes me feel better.
It's not ice-cream (I'm lactose-intolerant), and nope, it's not chocolate (I'm more of a vanilla girl myself).
Little Women. My all time favorite movie.
I'm Jo in this movie. Josephine March is a free spirited, unconventional girl. She's "hopelessly flawed", as am I, and we really "get" each other. She gives up marrying Laurie (every time I'm like "NO!!! Don't let him get away! Your bratty little sister is going to steal him!), and she goes to the big city to pursue her dreams. She worries that she's untalented and that she'll never fit in anywhere. But it's not true! We all love Jo! And her dreams do come true! And... In the end she marries the adorable foreign dude.
Do you see how I'm Jo? I'm totally Jo. And just like that, I'm happy. Works every time.

dreams

Does anybody know how to interpret dreams?
For two nights in a row I have dreamt about hamburgers. HAMBURGERS!...?
I'm a pseudo-vegetarian (avap: as vegetarian as possible). Given choices I nearly always choose the veggie option, and even more rarely do I eat hamburgers. In the last six months I've probably had 2.
Last night, I had a dream that my roommate, my branch president's wife and I were hanging out and they started making hamburgers and talking about who they were going to serve them to, and they were leaving me out, and they began ignoring me...and I was like... "I want a hamburger! Why aren't they inviting me!?" Totally stupid right?!
Then, the night before last, I dreamt that I was hanging out with another friend and I was preparing a hamburger for myself to eat. I was being very meticulous and after I had made it just right, decided I wanted a different bun b/c the one I had was too hard...
So, does this mean I'm craving some meat in my life?

Tulipomania

Among biology majors, there arises two types of people; plant people and animal people. There are those who really hate plants and abhor taking the required plant requirements; and then there are those weirdos that are obsessed with plants and end up dedicating their lives to them.
Although I would like to claim being both, I could very well be the latter.
In the summer time, when I was a kid, as a form of punishment, my mother would make me weed the garden. I guess, since she was the daughter of a farmer, being made to go work in a garden WAS punishment. I laugh every time I think of this, b/c I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
At least once a day, I fantasize about when I no longer live in the city and have a garden of my own. I think about how I'm going to ward off beetles, and how I'll encourage pollinators. I wonder about all the delicious vegetables I'm going to plant and how I'll use them to feed my family and neighbors. I daydream about the lovely flowers (spring tulips in particular) that will serve as decor and also encourage certain vegetable growth. Pretty soon, I'm thinking, well, if I'm going to have a garden I might as well have some chickens too. (I don't know where this connection comes from...) and with chickens must also come at least one cow to milk. I should probably also have some goats, so I can have different kinds of milk and cheese, since my palate needs variety. I'm definitely going to need a boat, b/c I'm going to live next to water so I can fish. Then I think... this is really going to teach my kids discipline, and how to be self sufficient...
I know, I live a rich fantasy life. I want to be a dentist/botanist/gardener/milk-maid/fishing mom who speaks 3-4 languages.



These are two books that I'm reading for a class that I love... I recommend them for those of you who are interested in how plants shape our world economically and otherwise.

Over the years...

I've lived in Richmond for nearly 5 years now, and I go home 1-2 times a year. Every time I go home I run into at least one person who does not recognize me and I have to be like "It's ME Jessica! You know...Your NEICE..." (True story, that actually happened at my lil bro's wedding) And then when they realize I am who I claim to be, they're like "You've changed so much!"...
Really?...weird.
I walk away thinking to myself... I haven't really gained or lost weight... my face is still my face... what's the deal with people? I rarely forget people or names...especially family members. haha...
I have a good friend who likes to tell me that the reason why I have curly hair is b/c of my personality, not the other way around. In other words, what I am on the inside shapes my outside. I like that... which sort of leads me to wonder, have my insides changes so much over the years that I've essentially changed physically? I think that could be a legitimate argument. As I am still quirky, silly Jessica, I would venture to say that I am indeed very much a different person than I was 5 years ago, even one year ago. I like to think that I'm constantly evolving and getting better with age... I've always said that I can't wait to be 80. I'm going to be such a freaking cool old lady.

Here's a series of picks of me over the years. You can judge for yourself if I've really changed that much.


Dixie and Me New Years 2003-04 SLC


Atop Alhambre in Granada Spain, 2004


Morocco Africa 2004


Charleston South Carolina 2005


Idaho Summer 2005


Spring 2006


December 2006


Winter 2007


Spring 2008

cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudel....

One of my most favorite, favorite things is visiting the aquarium. I love fish and whales, and sharks... They're so fascinating; such magical, mysterious creatures. I wish I were a fish. Or a mermaid...(If I haven't already convinced you that I'm nerdy...) I even have dreams sometimes that I am swimming and breathing underwater, and I wake up so happy! haha... OK, yes, I'm just about as dorky as they come.
Check out this video of this octopus, it's rad.
The first part where the octopus is dominating the shark was shot in the Seattle aquarium!

straight for a day

I got a hair cut a month ago, first one in a few years... My stylist asked me if I ever straightened my curly hair, and I told her no... I'm too lazy for all that, and besides, it cannot be done. My hair is toooo curly, it won't stay straight. She took my challenge and spent over an hour making my hair look like this! Amazing!


I thought it should be documented. I don't normally look this put together. I normally look like my picture in my first post, jeans and a pony tail!

running.

You can't tell at all from this picture, but I hate running. Every time I put my running shoes on...I'm like...I can't wait until I'm finished running and can eat and fall asleep...
I run b/c I'm too lazy to lift weights, and too poor to windsurf.
No, I'm kidding... I run b/c it's challenging and there is always room for improvement. Those endorphines are nice too.
The above is a picture of me right before my first race two weekends ago, the Monument 10K, here in Richmond.

And...this is me after the race, soaked from the Spring rain, it was awesome! There were 30,000 runners this year and the energy and emotion of the race was high.
My goal for next year is to improve my time by 15 minutes.

What I do.

Besides being a hard-core estudiante, there are some things I do for fun; like sleep. Unlike many students, I am highly skilled at finding the time to sleep, and I happen to get lots of it. (Sorry new mothers, you sacrificed something good for something better, so don't be hating on my ability to sleep a lot).
The only drawback to using my spare time for sleeping is that it leaves little time for much else. However, I do also eat! Similar to any random girl, I do appreciate nice shoes, makeup, and movies etc., but I spend my money on food...
A year ago, my friend and I started going to all the sushi restaurants in Richmond, one by one, and pretending to be food critics. (We don't tell the restaurants, we just do it). We set up a rating system and we've critiqued probably 8+ sushi places. In addition to that, we've critiqued probably more than 40 other places.
In the past year we have found some real Richmond gems, and I will blog about them. I will also blog about which places are horrible. So, if you are ever in Richmond you'll know where to entertain your palate!

Explanation of the rating system: This is not like school where a 5 out of 10, or a 50% is failing. A score of five is average and good. Below five = below average; above five = above average. My friend and I compromise and agree on scores.

Edo Squid


411 N Harrison Street
Richmond VA 23220
804-864-5488

Food 8/10
Location 5/10
Atmosphere 3/10
Service 4/10
Price 5/10
Vegetarian friendly 5/10
Overall experience 6/10

Edo Squid is conveniently located a block from campus. It is Italian by Italians...and I have seen legit Italians eating there. That should tell you something. Their pasta is perfection. All their sauces are fresh and homemade. Their soups are seasonal and never disappointing, their fish are succulent and melt in your mouth. I would eat here every day if I could! Their soups are 3+ dollars and their fish is 20-30+. Everything else in the middle. Very reasonable for such quality.

My favorite eats:
gaspacho
Salmon
plain old spaghetti
mozzarella with roasted red peppers

I wish I had a bike.

Hi. Hello.
Here I am...
Yes, I'm a late bloomer.
All my friends have blogs, so I want to be cool and have a blog too.

I'd like to say "thanks" to all you guys and (mostly) gals who blog pretty regularly. You don't know it, but I'm watching you. (ha) I'm totally a blog stalker. I know that's what blogs are for...for people to read... but I admit to feeling creepy about it. I don't read blogs that talk about politics and pop culture etc. I read friends of friend's blogs who write about their toddler learning to walk, or how their pregnancy is going, etc. It's weird, yes? Anyways, it's what I like to read about. I'm unmarried, and childless, so am therefore forced to live vicariously.

Enough about you.
You're here to read about me.

Just today, I handed in my first of many pieces (for lack of a better word) to my dental school application. I have letters of recommendation rolling in as well, and so things are progress. um yikes.
Dental school has been the goal for the past 4 years, and if all goes well, I'll be starting in a little over a year (July 2009).
If all does NOT go well... this is what I'm thinking;

-Run away to Mexico (or another Latin American country, since now you all know where to find me), and hide from the people who will be collecting my financial aid debts... become some sort of organic farmer and marry a Latino...

-Become a trophy wife. I could learn to cook.

-Move back to Idaho and go to grad school.

-Not move back to Idaho and go to grad school.

P.S. this is NOT me being negative. This is me being practical and having back up plans.


This is where I live. Right in the middle of those tall buildings. I'm within walking/running distance to this pretty lil spot called Belle Isle.


The only way to get to Belle Isle is by a suspension foot bridge. It was once a civil war prison camp for soldiers of the North.
Belle Isle is one of my fave places in Richmond, so you'll probably see more pics. I like to go running here. If I had a bike I'd likely bike here, and if I had a dog, I would definitely bring him here. All I have is my white legs, so, often during the summer I come lay out on the boulders along side the local teenagers and make my feeble attempts at a tan.


Look at how glassy the water is! This is where the rock climbing wall is. It's pretty sweet, b/c if your bilay partner sucks, and you fall just right, you can land in the water...