Happy 3.14

It's Pi Day!

Yesterday the BYU Math Department hosted some kind of "Pi Day" event in the Wilkinson Center, even though it was technically the day before Pi Day. But I figure they don't ever hold events like that on Saturdays or Sundays, so I got double the fun for having it on two days. There were pie eating contests, which looked like it would make me sick... pie-ing teachers in the face... but I wasn't really concerned about that. There was, however, a contest to see who could recite the most digits of pi. There were prizes for being able to recite a certain amount, plus whoever was the winner would win an iPod Shuffle.

Since Sarah and I know the same amount, I wasn't planning to bother participating, but I ended up giving in and signing up. It was scary though, let me tell you - you get up in front of all the people there, recite pi into a microphone, and if you mess up anywhere the people running the whole thing would blow this airhorn. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous. And by nervous, I mean I was shaking the whole time, and my mouth went completely dry. I also said it slower than I usually do (since normally I just speed through it and it's probably harder to understand), and when I'm actually having to think about what I'm saying, I tend to mess up more easily. I got to a certain point where I stumbled, but after some crowd support, they let me continue. After that point, I was a little thrown off, and didn't make it too much farther before I slipped up. I managed to get through 184 digits, which beat the previous 1st place (which, by the way, was at the time held by someone who "guaranteed he would win").

Not too long after that, Sarah went up, and I was pretty sure she'd beat me. Which she did. At the end of it all, we left knowing 240 digits of pi. And ever so graciously, Sarah is going to split the money with me that we get from selling the Shuffle, since we both know that we both know the same amount. :) I kind of expected us to get it, but thinking about it, I'm almost surprised that there's no one else in the school that would go to that, who doesn't know more digits than that. Not that 240 is anything to sneeze at, but there's a lot of nerds out there. And whoever says that memorizing pi is pointless or a waste of time, is obviously wrong. Not only did Sarah and I earn $5 from our manager at work once for it, but now we've got free T-shirts and stuff, along with a free iPod Shuffle. Yeah.

This morning was the Rex Lee Run. One of those "Race For The Cure" type things to raise money for cancer research. This is my second year participating. I have to admit, when we were first getting started and I saw some people around me with certificate things to honor someone who has battled with cancer, I got a bit emotional. It is one year ago to this day that Nana Jake passed. Now I just want to do what I can to help the cause, for others who are struggling.

What Goes Down...

So, a few weeks ago I had an interesting experience that I'll finally post about.

I was out with some friends on a Thursday night - we went to Denny's, played a board game while we were there, and ended up staying until at least 3:30 am or so. Then, none of us were really tired, and someone needed to buy some paint for something, so we decided to walk to Lowe's, which is between an hour and an hour and a half walk. Which was an exciting idea to me - I had never walked that far before, and I love going on walks. So on our way to Lowe's, we're all walking along and I step on a spot on the sidewalk that apparently had ice covering it that I didn't see, and I completely biffed it. I don't have any idea exactly what happened between slipping and landing, but I ended up face first on the sidewalk. And honestly, for the first few seconds I was just trying to figure out where it was that I hurt myself. It was so cold, I couldn't tell at first..

Anyway, I could tell that I hit my mouth and probably my nose, so my hand went immediately to cover it. And when I took my hand away and looked at it, I was obviously bleeding. It turns out I had busted my lip (luckily not bad enough to get stitches or anything - my lip healed in a few days, but it was swollen for a couple days), and I broke one of my front teeth - about a third off the front, and a lot off the back. After going to the dentist that Saturday, he put some composite stuff on it to protect the nerve until I went in again this morning and got a temporary crown put on it while they start working on one that will match my teeth. At this point, I'm doing quite well, and just looking forward to the time that my smile looks as normal as it once did. :) (Some friends and I have a way of saying that if you slip and fall on the ice here in Utah, then "Utah has claimed you." Until this point, I could declare "Utah has not claimed me!" I guess Utah wanted to spite me, and now my declaration would be "Utah has owned me!")

This is what I looked like the Friday morning I got back. My top lip is really swollen on the front, and the bottom of one of my front teeth is missing, though there was a lot more taken off the back of the tooth when I fell.


This is what I looked like a day or two later, after seeing the dentist for the first time. With the composite stuff on it, it's less noticeable, plus my lip was starting to heal.


And this is where I'm at now. You may not be able to tell in this picture that the tooth isn't exactly like my other teeth, but it looks pretty good, all things considered.


This experience is one I certainly never want to go through again, and I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. Not only was it devastating to me to lose that chunk of my tooth and has been a big hassle, but it's also significantly slowed my walking speed when there's ice on the ground - I used to be fine walking on ice, I might occasionally slip, but I'd rarely fallen. After this, it makes me a bit anxious to walk on ice.

However, that said, there are still blessings to be found in it. Not that I think cracking a tooth is a wonderful thing, but it really opened my eyes to the love and support that I have, especially from my family (both in Texas and up here with me). I'm especially grateful to my mom, who has dealt with so much on my behalf. I really am lucky to be in such a position, and I'm so very grateful.

And then people always take things for granted, and you don't appreciate things enough until they're gone. All things considered, I really do have a lot to be grateful for. It reminds me of a poem:

Today, upon a bus, I saw a girl with golden hair.
I envied her, she seemed so gay, and wished I was as fair.
When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobbled down the aisle.
She had one leg and wore a crutch.
And as she passed... a smile.

Oh God, forgive me when I whine.
I have 2 legs, the world is mine

I stopped to buy some candy. The lad who sold it had such charm.
I talked with him, he seemed so glad.
If I were late, it'd do no harm.
And as I left, he said to me, "I thank you, you've been so kind.
It's nice to talk with folks like you. You see," he said, "I'm blind."

Oh God, forgive me when I whine.
I have 2 eyes, the world is mine.

Later while walking down the street,
I saw a child with eyes of blue.
He stood and watched the others play.
He did not know what to do.
I stopped a moment and then I said,
"Why don't you join the others, dear?"
He looked ahead without a word. And then I knew,
he couldn't hear.

Oh God, forgive me when I whine.
I have 2 ears, the world is mine.
With feet to take me where I'd go.
With eyes to see the sunset's glow.
With ears to hear what I'd know.

Oh God, forgive me when I whine.
I've been blessed indeed, the world is mine!

As A Side Note

My mom told me about a deal at Denny's tomorrow, which ended up leading me to the discovery of a cool blog that makes posts about sweet deals that happen at different places. As a poor starving college student, I'm sure I'll be able to appreciate this from time to time. You should all check it out too.

Of Pizza and Plastic

Friday night! The start of the weekend.

Tonight Sarah and I bought a large pepperoni pizza at Domino's with a Starving Student Card, so we got a good deal on it. We watched Kung Fu Panda while we ate, since she had never seen it before. What a fun movie. The only problem is, I was still so hungry after we finished the pizza...

A little while ago, I was making some Ramen soup (of course). The cupboards and stove and everything were full of dishes (none of which were mine, believe it or not), so when I finished making the Ramen, the only place I could think to put it was the spot on the stove I had just used to make the soup. When I picked up the pot and put down the cheap plastic bowl on the hot metal grate, it crossed my mind that the bowl could melt a little as it sat there while I poured in the soup. But I went ahead anyway. Then I took the pot to the sink to wash it, still leaving the bowl on the stove. I'm sure you know where this is going. When I went back to pick up my bowl, I couldn't lift it from the grate. I put on a hot mitten thing to pull the grate off while I carefully held up the bowl full of soup. As I did so, I could see the melted parts from the bottom of the bowl stretching from the bowl to the grate, like it was melted cheese. After I pulled it off completely and took off the stringy parts of the bowl, I proceeded the same as usual. I don't care about it much, since I got four of these bowls for really cheap somewhere. The whole ordeal was just very amusing to me. This is what the bowl now looks like. You can see just where it was sitting on the grate.


So now I know in the future, for when I'm dealing with dishes that might actually matter to me - if I think it might melt because I'm putting something plastic and vulnerable on a hot stove that I just barely turned off, maybe I shouldn't do it. And here I thought I had left my "stupid years". :P

Haircut

Today I went and got my hair done with Debbie. I got a few inches trimmed off, a few highlights, and some layers. We went to Dallas Roberts Academy, a hair school... or something like that, so it wasn't as expensive as going somewhere to get it done professionally. And it still turned out lovely.

You can more or less see a bit of the layers in this picture.

You can kind of see the highlights in this one... kind of.

I went in being completely unsure as to what I actually wanted to do, but I really like how it turned out! Nothing too drastic (I'm too afraid... but someday I'd like to do something crazy), but it looks good. If only I were a better picture taker and you could actually tell. :P Regardless, it was a fun experience.

Taken From Rachel

This makes a post two days in a row! I haven't done that in a while. Anyway, a little survey thingy is always interesting to do every once in a while. :) (And for anyone who cares, I did reformat this a little to satisfy my obsessive-compulsiveness. It also makes it a bit more pleasant to read.)

Name: Ashley
Eye Color: Brown
Shoe size: 8, usually
Height: Just about 5'7"
What brands are you wearing right now? Uh... I'm honestly not sure about the brands. Normally I'd be wearing Old Navy jeans, but right now I'm wearing BYU sweatpants instead.
Favorite Number: 13
Favorite Drink: Milk, followed by water
Favorite Month: December - my birthday, Christmas, the holiday spirit... what's not to like?
Favorite Breakfast: Bacon and eggs. And bacon. I also love cereal.
-----------------------------HAVE YOU EVER-----------------------------
Love/Liked someone so much it made you cry? Aside from my family, I don't think so.
Been in a police car: No.
Came close to dying: As a pedestrian in a college town... yes.
Been in a hot tub: Ahh... yeah.
Fallen asleep in school: Yes.
Broken someone's heart: I hope not.
Cried when someone died: Yes.
Fallen off your chair: I'm sure I have.
Saved e-mails: Yes. With Gmail, I keep a lot of my emails.
Ever been cheated on: No, I've never been in a position to be.
--------------------------------WHAT IS--------------------------------
Your room like: Home - Blue walls, awesome blue and brown bed, usually has a lot of stuff that's not mine. School - Messy, cold, but good enough for me.
Last thing you ate: Brownies from an instant brownie mix my mom sent me.
-------------------------------EVER HAD-------------------------------
Chicken pox: Yes. In Second grade.
Sore throat: Yes.
Stitches: Besides the ones in my mouth when I had my wisdom teeth taken out, no.
--------------------------------DO YOU--------------------------------
Believe in love at first sight? Not really.
Like picnics? Yes, depending on the situation.
Like school? Parts of it, yes. Parts of it, no.
-------------------------------QUESTIONS-------------------------------
Who was the last person you danced with? Some boy I don't remember the name of in my country dance class.
Who makes you smile? My family and friends.
----------------------------------WHO---------------------------------
Did you last yell at? I don't know, honestly. I don't yell often.
Do you wear contact lenses or glasses? Contacts. I only wear glasses when I'm on my way to bed and when I get up in the morning, before putting contacts in.
Do you like yourself? Yes. Sometimes I just makes questionable decisions, like everyone else. :P
----------------------------MORE QUESTIONS----------------------------
Favorite song? No way. Too many to choose from.
What did you do today? Had a nice day off... didn't go anywhere or do anything particularly exciting.
--------------------------------RANDOM--------------------------------
Hate someone in your family? No. Hate's a very strong word. I've been really upset at someone, but I couldn't hate them.
Good singer? I'd say I'm average.
Diamond or pearl? Diamond, though they're both pretty.
Are you oldest? No - I'm the fourth of six, in the middle with Trevin.
Indoors or outdoors? Depends. I like them both.
-----------------------------TODAY DID YOU-----------------------------
Talk to someone you like? Yes - I don't usually only talk to people I dislike.
Get sick? Not today. Though I think I still have a very slight cough from Christmas break.
Sing? A bit.
Talk to an ex? I don't have an ex.
Miss someone? Of course.
Tell someone you loved them? Of course.
----------------------------LAST PERSON WHO----------------------------
You talked to on the phone? My mom.
Drove in the car with you? I think Sarah and her cousin, when he took us grocery shopping.
Went to the movies with you? Jeffrey and Debbie - we saw Ghost Town.
-------------------------------HAVE YOU-------------------------------
Been to Mexico: No.
Been to Canada: No.
Been to Africa: No.
--------------------------------RANDOM--------------------------------
Do you have a crush on someone? Yes.
What books are you reading right now? Twilight. And I'm still in the middle of Eldest.
Best feeling in the world? I guess spending time and laughing with people I love.
Future kids' names? I really want to use Jacob for my first boy, for my last name Jacobson. And Ann for the middle name of my first girl, as it's my middle name and my mom's middle name.
Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? Yes! :)
What's under your bed? Home - food storage and some random stuff. School - probably some small things I don't realize are there.
Who do you really hate? I know it's cliché, but like I said, hate is a very strong word. I don't hate anyone.
Do you have a job? Yes, as a custodian at a cafeteria here. It's really not a bad job.
Ever liked someone you didn't have a chance with? Yeah, for one thing, I didn't really have a chance with anyone I thought was cute in elementary school. :P
Are you lonely right now? Yes and no. Always both. But I'm happy.

Welcome to 2009

I've been putting off posting a new entry for quite some time now, so I guess now is as good a time to do it as any. (Now that we're over halfway done with the month of January.) I'll try to run through the major points of what's going on in my life:

- BYU lost a very frustrating bowl game against Arizona. Very. Frustrating.
- Allen High made up for that - when I found out (while I was at BYU's bowl game that we were already losing at the time) that Allen won STATE, I was elated. The bowl game didn't really matter to me in that moment. My high school is AWESOME. I'm just super jealous of everyone who got to be there. (Cody was there with the band! Coolest thing ever. And yes Rachel, I'm looking at you. You know. Virtually.)
- Got home the night of the 21st, and slept on the couch. (Which doesn't bother me much - those couches are comfortable!)
- Woke up to realize I was 20. (And suddenly sick, as a matter of fact.) I've been anticipating being 20 for a little while now, but it's still mind-boggling when I really think about it.
- Had an awesome birthday - I got some great presents, but the best part was definitely having the whole family home.
- Had our usual Christmas Eve festivities, which include snacking on delicious foods, watching A Claymation Christmas, reading some stories we always read, and all of the kids playing Christmas tunes on our instruments together. (My horn had a crisis just beforehand, but with some help from Jeffrey, we were able to take care of it.)
- Christmas was great. Everyone gave and received some pretty cool stuff, and we all had a lot of fun together.
- I also had a lot of time to see my two nephews! Ashton is adorable, has grown so much in just a year, and was starting to walk when I was there (he's fully walking now). Knightley... well, let's just say, pictures of him don't do him justice. He's so super cute. I love them. ^_^
- We all got to spend a lot of time together before people starting leaving. It was definitely the best part of the break - being at home with my family, everyone being there at the same. Even though it meant that I slept on the couch and the floor half the time - I would sleep on the kitchen tile if it meant the whole family would be together for the holidays. I absolutely loved it all.
- I also got to spend some time with friends. It was great, though I didn't get as much time as I assumed I would allow for that kind of stuff.
- On the plane ride back, on one of my flights I sat next to the cutest little girl! Her name was Lily, she was two years old, and we played for the whole flight to Albuquerque. (Her dad seemed really nice about it all.)
- I got back to Provo on Sunday night (January 4th), and school started the next morning.
- Classes are all fine so far, and I'm hoping I can handle it all the whole semester.

I'm coming to enjoy being up at here more than I did at the start of my college years. (Not that I necessarily enjoy the actual school, homework, and test part of it.) I really appreciate the opportunity I have to be at BYU, and I love this school. I love every chance I get to be back at home, but I am grateful for the time I have here as well. I hope 2009 has a lot of opportunities, and I'll do my best to make it a great year.