ACCORDING TO ZAC

Traffic crawls Cell Phone Calls Talk radio screams at me through my tinted window I see a little girl, rust red minivan She's got chocolate on her face Got little hands, and she waves at me, yeah she smiles at me. Well hello world How you been? Good to see you my old friend Sometimes I feel, Cold as steel Broken like I'm never gonna heal I see a light, a little hope in a little girl, well hello world Everyday I drive by a little white church, its got these little white crosses like angels in the yard Maybe I should stop on in, say a prayer Maybe talk to God like he is there Oh I know he's there, yeah I know he's there Well hello world How you been? Good to see you my old friend, Sometimes I feel as cold as steel And broken like I'm never gonna heal I see a light, a little grace, little faith unfurl. Well hello world Sometimes I forget what living's for, And I hear my life through my front door, and I'll be there, o...

You just have to do the best you can with what you've got. That's all there is to it.

This one time, I blogged about a Costco adventure I'd write about later. This time , to be exact. One disgruntled blog reader commented and complained that I probably wouldn't actually blog it, since I said I'd blog about my adventure in a busted elevator on campus. Well... it's true that I never got around to blogging the elevator experience... It would just take freaking forever to type up, okay! But this is short, and something that I found hilarious. Without further ado, the Costco story: Here I go, cruising into Costco on Friday afternoon. This is the fourth time in two weeks there. That is entirely too many times to go to Costco during the holiday season. But, I was going to look for something specific you can only get at Costco (cheap movie tickets, FYI). Also, I had plans for lunch. I love Costco pizza (which I never ended up getting, the line was too long). Anyway, as I'm walking in, I hear a mom say this to her child: They're handicapped. It mean...

I had another funny experience at Costco today. I'll blog it soon, after I settle in to my post-finals routine.

I was going through my calendar today ( tangent: I really love the way Google does calendars. It's easy, clean looking, will email you reminders, etc. Since my school email is operated by Google, I imported my personal Gmail calendar into my school calendar, and now always have everything I need in one convenient place. I love it.). I can't help but completely love how empty January seems. I have been so crazy busy this semester, I can't believe it. Even next week has less crap to take care of, and most of it is painless. I'm so ready for a break. Just one more final! Let's observe the progression of craziness beginning in October: :: :: :: I know January will fill up once school starts and stuff, but for now I will just look forward to having a clean slate. :) And yes, all of this blogging is in an effort to avoid studying.

I was at Costco today and heard this: Middle aged woman to husband: I don't need you by my side at all times! Middle aged man to wife: I know! And I wasn't even eavesdropping since they said it above normal talking volume. I feel like that's how I'm going to be when I'm crotchety and middle aged. I kind of look forward to that point. Haha. This is also a quick note to everyone in the Costco parking lot today. It would have been really hard for you to have: driven slower stolen a better spot walked in the middle of the road, blocking traffic and generally piss me off more than you did. But I picked up our Christmas cards (that I designed -- they're awesome), and was seriously surprised that the people inside didn't piss me off as much as normal! Overall, it was a nice Costco trip, which is generally kind of rare. I was even kind of happy when I left the store. Weird! Hahaha.

Arizona is still trying (and doing a poor job) at creating the delusion of changing seasons. Tomorrow offers a new hope, since it's only supposed to be 59!

Let it be known that this sissy white boy can shoot . That's right.

Matthew 8 : 24-27 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him , and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him! The gospel brings peace unto our lives like Christ brought peace unto the sea. He calms the raging waters that knock you back and forth. Just as you think you're going to fall beneath the waves, he'll be there. Trust in the Lord no matter your circumstances. In times of trial I think of this song lyric: "and then I see the light, and he's walking on water, and he's only an arm's reach away." We have a constant support system if we look in the right direction. As we do what's right, God w...

I found this here , and it was kind of cracking me up. Editor 1: “I’ll have a jacuzzi suite in hell, you can join me.” Editor 2: “I think most of the staff will be there. It can be a reunion!” Editor 1: “Um, I think most journalists are going to be there.”

Arizona thought it would take it's turn at fall. The leaves are changing and falling all over the place. But, the joke is on Arizona, since it's December . Oh well. I like changing leaves as much now as I would have liked them two months ago.   ::

Today I got stuck in an elevator. More to come on that later, because it was kind of cool. :)

Yeah, it's Christmas time. Well, it's doesn't really seem like it, since it's a million degrees out, but it is. I'm so excited! This post is mostly about how awesome our house is at Christmas time, but let me tell you, it is quite the process. Our mantle is the coolest part of our Christmas decor, but don't touch it. Ever. The ornaments are just chillin' there, completely unsecured. Someone knocks an ornament or two off the mantle every year, so taking these photos was particularly precarious (but totally worth it). :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: Also, we have the best looking house on the block. I love wrapping the big mesquite tree in the front. It makes me happy. :: :: ::

It's now 4 a.m. and I'm still not done. I've got some serious issues here. There's nothing more I'd rather do right now than sleep. If only...

It's 3 a.m., I'm still working on a paper, and I think I've gone insane. School can shove it.

This season should be one of excitement and celebration. I mean, it's December after all. I ain't no Scrooge. Instead, I'll just have a minor breakdown over my homework that I'm not getting done. [I'm not actually making this face right this moment because I took this picture on the beach in Mexico, and, let's face it, what could be more care free than a beach? But , that's kind of the face that I make when I think about all of that crap I have to take care of in the next two weeks. Awesome. ]

Today was a really great day. It was Thanksgiving, yes, but even for a Thanksgiving, it was particularly excellent. The food was delicious, the company was wonderful, and I have been happy all day long. Here is a quick list of all of the things that I am grateful for. The earth. This planet is so filled with wondrous things for us to enjoy. People really take for granted the amazing things there are to see and do. My appreciation for nature has come with age, but even many people who have grown up do not appreciate the earth and the magnificent things it has to offer. There aren't enough words to describe how truly awesome the earth is. I will love it forever. This country. This nation is not perfect. However, beyond our imperfections, we have some fantastic opportunities here in America. To have the opportunity to say what you want, practice any religion you please, and have a real say in the function of our government is a blessing. I know this country is a wonderful place to...

Today, we prepare. Tomorrow, we eat .

Reasons why today has been fantastic: Payday. I've been living like a pauper (not really) for like, a week! I fit into small jeans since I started going to the gym. I didn't wear 34 inch waist jeans in August. I do now. I didn't have a single assignment due today. I got a very hearty lunch for $1.50. I love the Institute. I'm going to see Harry Potter tonight, and I'm kind of having a hard time containing my excitement. Oh, and I got second place in a contest. See post below. Yeah, today has been a good day.

Get this -- I got an email last week saying that I had been nominated for the Finley Newswriting Competition. The email told me that I was nominated by my Reporting the News (JOUR 205) professor, and that the nominees were chosen as the most promising of the early newswriting students. The email also told me that, if I were to participate, all of the competitors were going to listen to Peter Smith, of UA's Planetary Science department give a press conference. There would be a question and answer session to follow for our clarification. After the questions, we had an hour to write a news story about the press conference and whatever Smith had talked about. At first, I didn't really plan on participating. In fact, my professor, Nancy (who we all love), called all of her nominees (there were 4 or 5 from my class and 4 or 5 from the other 3 JOUR 205 sections). Nancy informed us that she chose us because we had the highest grades, and thus the best shot at this of the bunch. I...

I think I am officially a college student. I ate a pizza-pocket. For breakfast. You gotta do what you gotta do, right? Right.

International Relations is a truly awful class that I don't really even need for my major. The one good thing that comes from studying for the exam I have tomorrow is that I indulge in all types of yummy, fattening food and don't feel bad about it because I'm too consumed thinking about my dumb test. At least I'll be well fed tomorrow... even if I won't have much sleep. Oh, college.

Tonight we went and saw Hereafter .  [ This one , in case you were wondering.] Eric moaned and Austin tried to nap. I found it positively engaging and thought-provoking. The entire time I couldn't help but think of how blessed I am. Life totally sucks sometimes. Seriously. Granted, what stresses me out, like school, church obligations, etc., are relatively small in comparison to some of the things other people deal with. At the end of the day though, I know why I'm here, what I need to do, and where I'm going, and I have a wonderful support system of family and friends that keep me above water when I don't feel like I can swim any longer. The people in the movie struggle with deaths of certain loved ones and what lies in the hereafter. Death is hard. You don't need to tell me that. I think that as a 20 year old, I'm reasonably well acquainted with it, especially losing my uncle that we were all close with.  But having the knowledge and understanding of God...

I find it slightly remarkable how quickly your day can be turned around. It's not like today was a truly awful day. On the contrary, things were going alright. I was just stressing myself out like crazy over this news story I have due tomorrow. Granted, I still haven't written it, which is the main thing, but at 1:45 in the afternoon, you only have one of your four required sources, and you nail down the remaining three, things get a whole lot cheerier. One of which was a fantastically forward nutritionist who loved to chit chat, which made my job as an interviewer really easy (thank the heavens). You're saying, "1:45? That's awfully early in the day to be stressing out about it." Normally I would agree, however, when your sources are real people, you can't just Wikipedia it at midnight. I don't think most people like to be called and bothered at midnight (I know I don't), so you kind of have to plan accordingly, which gets a little tricky if th...

It was super therapeutic to pick up my camera yesterday and to walk away happy. Hank and I drove up Mt. Lemmon on Friday afternoon hoping to get some super cool pictures of the valley, but I was really bummed with how all of my photos turned out. I mean, part of it is my camera. I'm at the point that I'm ready to start learning how to use manual settings to make all of my photos turn out as best as I can, but since I don't have the cash for a new DSLR, those hopes are dashed (for now). We had a fun trip up the mountain. We laughed and sang and marveled at earth's awesomeness, but I just didn't love any of the photos that I took. However , Arizona amazes me. In the middle of a desert is a beautiful forest on a mountain. And it was freaking cold up there. I am coming to really love this place more and more. I hated Arizona as a kid. Sometimes I don't really care for it. Overall, though, it really is a neat place. Anyway, Kendle is doing a painting for me, and...