Rampant Bellytants

You asked for it, Abrielle, here it is!

Lately Cody and I have been watching anime...avidly. I love it. There's something about being immersed in a different culture's subculture that makes me feel like I'm actually doing something educational instead of just watching another TV show. I know that's ridiculous reasoning for watching TV, but I've learned more about Japanese culture in the past few months than I ever knew before! Hooray Japanese people! Animes I've watched include:
Fullmetal Alchemist (10/10)

Fullmetal Alchemist is a heartwarming story of two brothers who are desperate to do anything to bring back the mother they loved from the dead. A horrible accident brings them great power and disfigurement, but along their travels they learn about what truly matters. The boys' views change and with each of their realizations, the plot thickens deliciously.

Bleach (9/10)

Ichigo Kurosaki has been able to see spirits all of his life...which he found a little disturbing but it didn't affect his everyday life until a Shinigami (Soul Reaper, direct translation God of Death) named Rukia transfers some of her powers to him and makes him capable of protecting more than just himself. Ichigo uses these powers to help save his friends and fight evil spirits.

Fruits Basket a.k.a. Furuba (7/10)

Imagine a family whose members change into animals of the Chinese zodiac if a member of the opposite sex hugs them...crazy, right? Nope. Entertainment! Tohru Honda moves in with some of the cursed Sohma family and changes things for the better, forever!

Death Note (9.5/10)

Death Note is a twisty-turvy intellectual anime about Light, a model student gaining the power to kill people by writing down their names in a notebook. He decides to use this almost untraceable method of murder to "better the world" by getting rid of "undesirables". As he methodically kills off criminals, his goals and ideals are hampered by the eccentric genius detective named simply L, whose intelligence and detective skills are only rivaled by Light himself.

I even tried an episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! which I didn't care for overly much. The anime I've watched is mostly stuff packed with fighting and testosterone-filled pledges of "I will kill you!" or "I will protect you!" Basically, it's shonen, which means it's geared towards the adolescent male demographic in Japan. Fruits Basket is the one shojo (marketed towards adolescent girls) I've watched, and it's so very, very different from the shonen! So girly and cute, and everybody talks about their feelings non-stop. Shojo was a nice change, but I actually prefer the shonen!

Anyway, I'd better get going. Cody's coming home early so we can go and get zoned together...

Last week I was privileged enough to have my mum accompany me to the WC down in the UC at the Y...ha! Yeah, Cody's got me talkin' ghetto fly. Anyway, we scampered around to all sorts of different classes the first day, learning about things like conquering loneliness, loving the praise of God more than man, and learning to listen. Good times. By the end of the day we were both done. I was drowsy and grouchy and my mom fell asleep in the last class (shh, don't tell her I told you!). To avoid all the drowsy crazy grouchiness, we experimented the next day, going to a service center and crocheting around baby blankets while watching a talk piped in from the Marriott Center. The second day was so much more peaceful and calmer! We even played hooky for one of the classes and went and got some lunch. Hooky! Hooray! I also got a mint brownie out of the deal. That might have added to my satisfaction.

Next year if you female peeps want to come to the WC you can sleep at my house and eat of my food! I'll even drive you to and from. Consider this your invitation!

This post goes out to the cutest little Jane you'll ever meet! I just got to talk to her this morning, and her "hmmm?"s and "oh!"s were just as fun to hear now as they were when she first started saying them! I love this picture, it's from around 5 years ago--she was only 4?! Wow, anyway, my mom and I kept putting those silky little hearts in her pockets--that's what you can see peeking out of her overalls pocket. She would try so hard to fish them out. Also, she really liked the cucumbers that day, she just kept hugging their coolness next to her! I miss you Jane, I'll visit you soon!

Today while I was transporting myself to a zoning appointment, I was listening to Radio West on KUER. The guest today, one A. J. Jacobs, was an agnostic journalist who likes to immerse himself into worlds he wouldn't otherwise experience. His past projects have included moving to India and outsourcing all of his daily needs and posing online as his nanny in order to get her a date. Today, though, Jacobs was talking about his latest project: living more than 700 rules that the Bible dictates. I only got to hear the first 15 minutes or so of the hour long program, but I was touched that Jacobs would have been softened and enriched an agnostic journalist living in New York could be from doing things he'd never done that I've done almost every day of my life--like pray. It's amazing to me that such a simple thing as praying can make your life feel so much more enlightened.

I was grateful that I was able to hear what I did, because I felt that my day had been made a little brighter by the realization that the religious-rich environment I have been brought up in has buffered and sustained me past so many doubts and stumbling blocks others may face. I know there is a God, that He loves us, and that His Son came to Earth to save me. I know I am insignificant but that He came to save me, because He's my older brother. I know that there are distractions I let myself be caught in, but it boils down to the fact that I know I can do better and each day--week--month, I try. I'm also very grateful for the belief in Satan, as strange as that may sound. Knowing that as our other older brother he tried to enslave us before we were all born, and in his spite continues to do so, is such a powerful incentive to be like our better older brother for me.

Anyway, I don't usually do the whole "deep" thing, but I figured I mostly write this blog for my own sake...so...ha!

The cleaning lady for Cody's work decided she'd had enough cleaning up after 10 somewhat messy men, so she quit about a week and a half ago. Cody told me the hours (about 4-6 per week) and the pay, and I signed up. Sure!! Why not?! It's better than finding a 20-hour-per-week job for half the pay, right? I'd still be getting less money than if I found a part-time job, but this way I only have to work two days per week and I get to make Cody's life a little better. He likes things clean, that Cody.

Anyway, I did it first on Tuesday, which was pretty good. There's a lot of trash, and a lot of tuna fish cans in the kitchen garbage cans (hint: if you're not going to take the trash out very often, you might want to wash those little dudes out; they smell awful!) but other than those things, I think it wasn't too bad. Hooray for letting the work find me!! I know, I am lazy. My mom even found my first job for me at Hale Bakery. Don found me the Post Office. I'm glad I have Young Living to my credit, at least ;), but the truth is, the jobs I stay at the longest have been found by other people.

I'm off to clean out their fridge! Wish me luck that they didn't leave too many tuna fish cans around...

Life here in Lehi is going great...I just took a bunch of pictures (yes, April, they weren't as good as yours ;) ) and took Truffle for a nice long walk. It was nice and protected the condo carpet against a barrage of dog waste...hurrah! Which leads us to...I think Truffle's potty-trained, she has never asked to go out though. She also leaves little Wet Spots of Joy in random places if we leave her alone. Cody and I think it's separation anxiety, as she shows many symptoms of it and has definitely been through a lot in the past while that would make her worried we might ditch her somehow.


For those of you who don't know, she was given up for adoption because the family that owned her found out Truffle was pregnant and didn't want to deal with it. They gave her to a shelter, where she had the puppies and was their food buddy mom until they were old enough to be weaned. Then, Truffle was spayed and put up for adoption two days later. We adopted her two days after that and she's been anxious ever since, following me from room to room, whining if I close a door between me and her, and sleeping on my foot whenever she gets the chance. (We don't let her sleep on the bed, which she was indignant at the first couple of nights. How dare we!)

Anyway, she's a good dog. We've been working on sit, lay down, and shake, which she already pretty much did, but I think she just needs the correct command for it so she'll do it on cue. Also, she's been barking a little more than she did before...she saw our reflections in the patio window the other night and she started growling and barking at them, and if she sees your reflection in a mirror and you growl at her, you get quite the contest going of "top-dogginess". I win. I guess that shows you...something...