Three French Hens

I started working on a christmas post a few days ago, but then i got distracted by Christmas. Christmas was awesome, and I got everything I wanted. My parents are the best. I'm hoping next christmas I'll have some spare money and actually be able to get people stuff. I feel like sort of a spoiled punk.

Life is pretty great, I'd say. This whole Macbook thing is awesome. I have to say it is every bit as good as all the mac fans made it sound, and I don't regret spending a few extra hundreds on a computer that works and makes me happy when I use it. Today I was playing with GarageBand, which is just super fun.

In other news, BYU Takeoff in T-minus 4 days. That's intense. We were talking about where we want to be a year from now. This is going to be a big year. I could be engaged in a year. It's not like it's on my goal sheet, but it's not entirely unlikely. That just blows my mind.

My goal for this year is to kick butt in college (that is to say work hard and get A's and get a scholarship so I don't have to be so pobrezinho.). I want to know what my Major is, and I'd love to know what my career will be. But either way, looking forward, I know life is going to be so completely different from what it has been for the past couple years.

As I was coming to the end of my mission, I came to the surprising realization that all that was left was real life. All my life I've had mission as a sort of buffer between me and the rest of life. That was the plan: Get through high school, get into college, go on a mission. The rest came after.

So now all that's left is the rest, and now that i'm getting a look at this 'rest,' I'm realizing how intimidating it is. There are some big choices to make. Just figuring out what I'm going to do for the rest of my life is (as you might expect) going to have a big effect. Then this whole marriage thing. That's even bigger. You can retire from your career, or you can change careers, and you can retire, but there aren't many decisions that are as long lasting or influential as marriage. Even things like getting money and finding a place to live and cooking and such suddenly seem so much more real. I'm going to have to get health insurance, and a bank account, and do my taxes.

In short, adulthood. It really creeps up on you.

Christmas Time is Here

Christmas doesn't feel quite the same this year. When I was younger, i would make an itemized list of roughly a thousand things i wanted, in order of importance. On Christmas I would never know which of those things i'd get. It was always a big surprise when i opened my Gameboy, or a Puppy, or a bowling pin and a gallon of water.

This Christmas, I already know what about all my presents are going to be, because i've already chosen and purchased them, I'm missing the mystery and anticipation. But we'll see, my parents are pretty crafty.

I guess this Christmas is sort of a weird one though, because i had a couple, rather expensive things, that I needed and wanted very badly. I guess next year i could go back to wanting lots of small things. It's not like i've matured all that much.

In related news, I bought a MacBook! I think Mac owners are so funny. It feels like I'm joining either a very exclusive society, or a support group. People are so happy, congratulating me and saying I won't regret it. Choosing a computer is not generally cause for congratulations. That said, I am super excited to have a Mac, which should arrive on tuesday, just in time to open it four days before Christmas. Just that fact that there's a box in Newark, NJ with my Macbook inside is somehow empowering. I've been debating whether or not it was worth it for several weeks now. Yesterday I was looking at it, and told my mom how much it would cost me, and she said, "great, get it." So I did. It's funny because it's not like she was saying, "great, i'll buy it for you." but apparently that afirmation was the tiny push i needed. It was sort of frightening how easy it was to spend over a thousand dolllars that i don't have, but I got a low interest loan from The Parents' Bank, and they are good creditors.

Yesterday I played a duet with Isaac in his piano recital. It was the first time I performed in a real recital setting since i graduated high school. It made me remember all the recitals and concerts and festivals I did. I really do miss piano. That's what i realized yesterday. So once again I have these vague plans of getting back into the habit of practicing and learning new pieces. Hopefully it will stick this time. I don't want to add piano to the list of things I used to do well and now do marginally ok.

~The Pianist, Consumerist, Happiest Me