Ok I wouldn't say I LOVE Youtube but it's a pretty great thing. I've watched interesting videos, inspiring videos, tutorials, but most importantly, I have watched videos that have brought me to tears of laughter.
One thing I miss about college is that seemed to be the place that I was kept most up-to-date with Youtube videos. It was like one day someone would find a fun video and the next day the entire dorm was laughing about it, talking about it and quoting it.
Well below I have posted some (but not limited to) of my favorite YouTube Videos. Enjoy!
MALK
My Push-up Bra Will Help Me Get My Man Back
Miracle Speech (This kid rocks and I send a link to this video anytime I send someone a "pep talk" email)
At my last job there was this paralegal who was so knowledgable that everyone went to her with questions, even the attorneys. I was lucky enough to be on her team but I got to see how often she was interrupted; to the point she would go days without getting work done. One day I asked her if she would like me to put a threatening "Do Not Disturb" sign on her door. She laugh but declined. Even though my offer was somewhat a joke, by the time I got back to my desk I had several funny/stupid (you decide) variations of "Do Not Disturb" running through my head. So I typed them all up and emailed them to the paralegal if she ever changed her mind and needed to use one. I have listed these "Do Not Disturbs" below, so if you are ever in need of something to this effect, feel free to use them.
Please do not disturb.
Trust me… unless you are on fire, come back later.
Beware of Rabid Dog: Do Not Enter
Sick with the Flu: Enter at your own health’s risk
I have licked the door knob… are you sure you want to open the door?
Hot Flashes Going On… it’s not pretty in here
Trying to Finish a Big DIABOLICAL Project; Pandemonium Everywhere: Come Back Later
Out to Lunch: Be Back… I'm not going to say when
You have reached (insert your name here)’s door at place of work. I am in the office today, but currently unavailable. Please leave a message and I will contact you when possible. If you would like to speak to someone immediately, please press “0” for the operator. Thank you and have a nice day.
Today I got a text from a friend saying that a friend of hers from out of state has been living in Utah for a month and is convinced that Utah does not have a single good place to eat. "WHAT?!" was my reply added with, "Is she living under a rock?!"
Immediately I stated to formulate a text FULL of great eating places for downtown Salt Lake City alone. My brother was with me and he had many places to add to the list as well and he even made the comment that he could make a great list even just for Provo (not that we're going to make anyone go to Provo who doesn't have to go there) but I agreed with the point he was trying to make.
These were our suggestions, but not limited to, for Salt Lake City:
Settabellos
260 South 200 West
This is my most favorite pizza place! Authentic italian pizza made in imported italian ovens made with real delicous cheeses. My favorite pizzas are the Margarita and the Settabello; but you really can't go wrong with any of them. Attached to Settabellos is a gelato shop owned by the cutest italian man and if he is serving the gelato it's fun to always ask him what his favorite flavors are and he gets really excited that you would ask and will give you samples of flavors he's experimenting with.
Sawadee
754 East South Temple
My favorite Thai restaurant. My favorite dishes are the stir fried plates or the yellow curry peanut chicken.
Caffe Molise
50 West 100 South I haven't actually eaten here but I have a friend at work that this is always her first suggestion to people asking for a great place to eat. I also sent my boss here once for a business lunch and he liked it so much that it became one of his regular requests for business lunches (and that had never happened before).
Gourmandise: The Bakery
250 South 300 East A quaint place for pastries at the end of a date, girls night out or a sinful dessert craving. They also serve Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner if you are needing a little more.
Faustina
454 East 300 South Modern upscale restaurant but I felt like the lunch menu was reasonably priced.
Biaggis
194 South 400 East (very southeast corner of The Gateway Mall) I love the butternut squash pasta and margarita pizza here!
Bambara
202 South Main Street This place is more upscale but I would recommend it for business lunches or a romantic dinner.
Barbacoa
280 South Main Street
I had the cheapest and MOST delicious tacos here AND I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO PAY EXTRA FOR GUACAMOLE!
RedRock
254 South 200 West This place has a great casual atmosphere and some of the best sweet potato fries I have ever had.
Red Iguana
736 West North Temple Has won awards for the best local mexican restaurant in Utah.
Bruges Wallfes and Frites
336 West 300 South (Broadway) Belgian waffles with delicious sugar pellets inside that caramelize when cooked. Great for a dessert or snack!
Pie Hole
344 South State Street Very hole-in-the wall but great thin crust Pizza and on Mondays you can get 2 slices and a drink for $5.
I recently decided to quit my job... well, scratch that. I decided to quit my job back in September, verbalized it in November and had my last day at work last week.
This is probably the most irresponsible thing I have ever done. But, to quote a friend of mine at church yesterday, "YOLO!"
I'm actually really excited about my unemployment though. I have a list of things I would love to do and to get done. Deep clean my room; keep only the things I NEED or truly love, finish my dance t-shirt quilt, finish my scrapbook through high school, read lots of books, fill photo albums from high school to present, go to the gym, take some institute classes, practice my violin lots, maybe take a spanish class and then, of course TRAVEL.
After all of that I need to decide what to actually do with my life. I quit with the plan to take a break but then to start a new chapter; the thing is I need to decide what that chapter will be: Grad School, Move Back East, Mission, Job, DC Internship, Humanitarian Trips... the world is my oyster!
I'm sure once I finish my long to- do list, and other things I want to do, that I will have some down-time... well... below my good FRIEND Joey has a great lesson on unemployment.
I have started a new blog... well... sub blog? 2nd generation blog? sister blog?... whatever, I started a new blog. Last year I blogged about all of the travels I took after I graduated from college and before I started working. It was a lot of fun sharing my experiences and adventures but I didn't love it on my blog... it felt... too much. My blog is pretty random and simple: I blog about small things that I find funny or interesting. I blog about a book I read or the 89 cent hamburger at MickeyD's I crave every 6-9 months or pick-up lines I find ridiculous/entertaining.
Again the travel posts were fun to write and I want to write about more of my travels but they just felt to be too abundant , like it was crowding the simplicity and light-heartedness of my purposefully aimless blog. Ergo my solution: start a travel blog! A blog just to post about my travels, things I've learned, things I would or would not do again and other fun travel things I might find like neat links, etc. I would not consider myself a travel expert at all, nope. This will just be a place to write about what I did, experiences I had and any fun stories. And I will still be updating "Oh Hey There by Amy" with the usual randomness of me.
(First things first! I know this is a LONG post so I understand if you don't want to read the entire thing... no feelings hurt BUT I do ask for book recommendations at the end of the post and would love to at least get those. So if anything... jump to the end) Ok, in 2011 I posted a list of books I was going to read during the year and failed miserably on actually reading them but I wasn't going to give up. I mean, let's be honest, how many of us actually have the time to read that we actually wished we had. So I tried again for 2012 ( 2012 Reading List) and I did a bit better. I didn't write a review for each one like I intended to do, so I am writing them now and they are found below. Books I read in 2012 (Wahoo to me and a nice pat on the back!) and my reviews of them: Hunger Games Trilogy (Spoiler Alert: If you have not read the books and want to... do not read my review) I really enjoyed these books. Being a teen reading level they were a quick easy read and the chapters were short, so it wasn't as daunting to read a chapter before bed each night AND since the chapters were short I wouldn't put off reading and I would usually end up reading for a good amount of time. The story kept my interest and I usually couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. The last book had a lot of build to the ending and then it quickly ended. I would have liked at least an extra chapter or two to help with wrapping up the story. Funny story while reading these books. I hadn't finished the first book when the movie came out but all of my friends were going to go to the movie and I didn't want to miss it with them. As we were driving to the theater I was reading in the car but still didn't finish in time. I had read up to the point right before the weird attach dogs in the arena showed up... so in the story when Katnis and Peta have "won" and then it gets announced that the Capital has changed the rules again and that only one person can win, I gasped (REALLY loud) out loud and my friend leaned over and said, "I take it, you didn't get this far in the book." We had a good laugh about it. Matched This book reminded me a lot of The Giver and a controlled society but with a more girly take. I read Matched in one weekend because I was intrigued by the story. I wouldn't say I LOVED the book but it kept my attention and kept me curious. I am reading the sequel right now, Crossed, and am starting to get a little bored with it but I still want to finish the series just to see how everything works out. The Noticer I read another book by the author of this book and loved it and that is what drew me to The Noticer. This is a fictional book about a man who goes around to people who are depressed, in poverty, struggling in a marriage, have a failing business and lost the desire to have dreams in life and this man shows these people perspective and how by having perspective in life can help you better your situation. I like the other book I read by this author a little bit better, The Traveler's Gift, but I still enjoyed this one. Here a few quotes from the book that I liked: "A true friend holds you to a higher standard. A true friend brings out the best in you." "Most people spend so much time fearing the things that are never going to happen or can't be controlled that they have no energy to deal with the few things they can actually handle." "Wisdom can be gathered in your downtime. Wisdom that can change the very course of your life will come from the people you are around, the books you read, and the things you listen to or watch on radio or television." "If you want to become a person that others want to be around, you must always hold your life to the very highest standard." Mount Vernon Love Story A fictional book by Marry Higgins Clark (who knew) but based on factual things. It is a book about George and Martha Washington and their love story mixed in with historical stepping stones in George Washington's involvement in our country. It took me awhile to really get into this book but once I did I enjoyed it. Peter and the Shadow Thieves A book in a series about how Peter Pan becomes Peter Pan and his adventures. These books are written for children in elementary but I still enjoy them. This book was actually a little creepy for me because shadow thieves actually stole your shadow and when they did they stole your soul as well and... well... it really creeped me out. In the book it was like being in one of those nightmares where you are trying to run as fast as you can to get away but it only feels as if you are stuck in quicksand and can't get away AND THEN your shadow was taken. The Work and The Glory: No Unhallowed Hand I have liked all of these books. It's kind of fun to read about my church's history paralleled to a fictional family. I know these books are 100% accurate to history but it kind of helps put it into a more understandable timeline for myself. I'm not jumping to start the next book in the series but I may start listening to it on tape. Harry Potter Speaking of books on tape. I LOVE listening to Harry Potter on tape. The narrator is so talented and captivating. I used to listen to listen to all of the books on tape during the summer because they are so much fun and great background noise when working on projects or driving. In 2012 I listened to the first 2 books while driving to work whenever I needed a change from music or talk radio. It was fun making more time to read this past year and want to continue to do so. Below are the books I hope to read this year... let's see how I do. As always... you are invited to join me if you would like. First I want to read all the books I have started and have not finished:
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
Then I'm going to jump into the rest of these books: beginning to end!
Utopia by Sir Thomas More
Peter and the Secret of Rundoon by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas Twenty Years After by Alexander Dumas
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy I do also want to read a fun and light book this year... any recommendations?
One day I came home from work and my sister's three kids were sitting at our kitchen table eating dinner with my mom. Walking in while wearing my work clothes my niece asked, "Aunt Amy, where have you been?" I told her I had been at work. She then asked where I worked. I said, "I work at a law firm.." but then I paused and had a moment in my head. I thought ahead and realized her next question would be something like "what is a law firm", "what do you do there", "what is a lawyer", etc. and knowing her age and the ages of her siblings I knew it would be pretty difficult to explain those things so... back to the real life conversation. "I work at a law firm, no! I'm a Secret Agent so I can't tell you where I work."
After my nieces and nephew had finished their dinner I took them on a walk to go feed some ducks bread. As we were walking they had a lot of questions about my job as a Secret Agent; that we later established that I was specifically a professional spy. On the walk I was wearing TOMs shoes and I even convinced them that my shoe was actually a phone. We had a lot of fun talking about it and I had a lot of fun being creative and imaginative with this.
A few weeks later I was talking with my brother-in-law and he was telling me how much fun his kids were having just knowing that their Aunt was a professional spy. He loved the whole thing. He asked me, "How on earth though did you make your shoe look like a phone?" I told him that I didn't, I just told them it was a phone and they believed it. (Maybe I shouldn't be abusing their trust in me)
About a month later my sister's kids were back at our house for a few days while my sister and her husband took a trip to celebrate their anniversary. The first morning they were there I ran downstairs to grab some breakfast before heading out for work. I was wearing pin stripe power pants, a white button-up "church" shirt tucked into my pants with the sleeves rolled up to my elbows and aviators sunglasses. As soon as my oldest niece saw me she gasped and whispered to her sister, it total awe, "She IS a spy!"
