deformed ear

I've just begun to enjoy my new iPod Shuffle now that I have some music loaded up and recent favorities purchased. However I've noticed something odd. The left ear piece keeps falling out of my ear. Just the left one. Upon close examination of the 2 ear pieces I cannot find any flaws, they appear to be in perfect symmetry. I must therefore conclude the problem is with my left ear.

new music list

I changed up the music you will hear while on my blog just now. This list is slightly more "user friendly" then the last couple lists.

My question for you is, do you like it? Or do you get annoyed with the fact that it starts to play as soon as my blog loads? Feedback is welcome.

iPod Shuffle!!

As a few of you may have guessed, I like music. But would you have guessed that I've never owned any form of an mp3 player? No iPod's, no Zune... nothing. I know, call me old fashioned, but I like CD's.

That was up until today. I am now the proud owner of a brand new (and very pretty) iPod Shuffle! And it is all thanks to my dear friend Dr. Erin! Thanks Dr. Erin!!! :)

If you can't imagine just how excited I am, I took a picture. But wait!! Erin didn't just buy me an iPod Shuffle, she had it engraved particularly for me. Thoughtful. It makes me smile every time I see it!

For those of you who do not know Dr. Erin you are missing out. We met several years ago while riding the 540 bus in and out of Seattle while we both attended the UW. I was attending for my undergrad in Math, and she for Pharmacy (hence the Doctor part). I recognized Erin from my ward and started a conversation. Honestly, the conversation was kind of slow right up until we hit the topic of boys. That changed everything. We were instant friends and have been ever since.

Thanks again Erin for my gift! I absolutely love it!

Windy and Erin - Forks, WA

I promise there is never a dull moment when the Doctor is around!

Metallica Monday

What is it about Metallica?

Metallica Mondays started several years ago when I just needed a little Metallica to listen to. I had my favorite one of their albums with me in my car when I picked up my friend. I don't recall what we did or where we went, but whatever it was, it was on a Monday, and we listened to Metallica. Ever since then we called it Metallica Mondays whenever we needed a little Metallica in our lives.

There's something about the in-your-face, loud guitars that make me want to thrash about and dance. I don't just hear the music, I feel the music. I can't sit still. Is it ok to call Metallica "feel good" music?

It makes me feel good.

There's just something about Metallica. This weekend I found myself talking with a friend of mine about music we listened to back in high school. Turns out his favorite band was Metallica. I would have never guessed. I've always thought this particular friend of mine to be a handsome guy, but once he said that... now he's hot. ;)

Yeah, there's just something about Metallica.

Thunderstruck

I decided my blog needed a touch of music to go with it. So in honor of the title of my blog, I hope you'll enjoy a little AC/DC.

(Depending on your browser it may or may not auto start playing... scroll to the bottom to find it.)

1997

While moving a few items around in my room a picture slipped out from in between. I couldn't help but laugh! Which means I must share this with others.


This is me during my senior year in High School. There are several things that I just love about this picture.

1. Don't you just love the background? It made me feel like an episode of Star Trek.

2. My hair. For anyone who has ever wondered, "what is Windy's natural hair color?" here it is.

3. My nails. I miss those. My nails grow naturally perfect, and I kept them long most of my life. Sadly they had to go when I took up guitar 3 years ago. (But playing guitar is far worth the price I paid).

4. Yes, that is a real acorn hanging on a leather strip around my neck. I wore it a lot in HS. It was mostly for sentimental value, but I also enjoyed that no one else had anything like it. The acorn was given to me by my good friend Matt on my 16th birthday. I had a bit of a crush on him at the time, so I kept it and made a necklace out of it. I still have it today hanging in my room.

My Friday the 13th's Jason

I have odd friends. Perhaps that is the best preface I can give this story. Last weekend a friend of mine, to protect his privacy lets call him ...Weasel, called me on the phone.

Weasel: Do you have plans next weekend? It's Friday the 13th.
Me: I don't think I do, why?
Weasel: Because I think it would be really funny if you found a date with a guy named Jason on Friday the 13th!!! [insert crazed laugh].
Me: What...?
Weasel: No really. And if you do I will finance the first $50 of your date! But you must tell him the reason you are asking him out is because his name is Jason and it's Friday the 13th!

Apparently Weasel gets a kick out of stuff like this, it's his own little form of "entertainment". Well I'm not one to back down from the challenge so I set out to find myself a Jason. (For those of you who may be unaware of the connection between Friday the 13th and the name Jason please reference here).

I immediately became aware of the serious lack of Jason's in my life. Most that I know are married or else live outside of the state. This narrowed the list down quickly to 2 individuals. The first, Jason B., is a friend, but not one I am going to spend my Friday night with. So I opted for Jason T. instead. Unfortunately there was one small snag in the plan. I'd never actually talked to Jason T. before. I only knew who he was as we attend the same ward at church. This made the phone call just a little more interesting...

Me: Hi Jason, this is Windy from church... um, do you know who I am?

To my relief he did.

Luckily Jason T. has a sense of humor about the whole Jason-Friday the 13th thing and agreed to go out with me. After arranging schedules we made plans to meet up for dessert, followed by a movie.

When Friday evening rolled around I found myself slightly nervous, this felt more like a blind date since I really didn't know Jason at all. Well, to make a long story short(er) dessert was nice, it gave us a chance to talk a bit and get to know each other before heading out to the movie. We ended up seeing Taken (Liam Neeson was fabulous, overall an intense and fun movie, but just a tad bit on the gory side for me). Afterward we hung around just talking for a while. I was happy to find out that Jason is an interesting guy and fun to talk with. He's into cars, music, reading and religion. 4 of my own personal favorite topics.

When all is said and done I had a lot of fun and I'm glad to have found a new friend out of this odd story.

Ravel, Rachmaninov and Romance

Music is the one true love of my life. I particularly love music performed live. I enjoy the energy in the room, watching the performers facial expressions as they get into the performance.

Sadly I don't attend as many concerts as I would like (I blame this on Grad school taking up most of my time and most of my money).

Tonight I attended a performance called Ravel, Rachmaninov and Romance at Benaroya Hall performed by the Seattle Symphony. Each piece performed was done expertly. I was surprised to find my favorite piece was Ravel's La Valse as it really had the most flavor to it. I only say surprised because I was unfamiliar with Ravel's work before tonight. I expected to enjoy Rachmaninov's the best. The pianist, Nikolai Lugansky, was fabulous on the Piano Concerto No. 1. He was just fun to watch. At times he would hit the keys so hard his whole body would jump in his seat. The last piece performed brought in the Chorale to sing along with Faure's Requiem.

Overall it was a great concert that made me want to play more music. The night was also made even more fun by the company. My friend David, who actually likes classical music as well, came with me. It's always nice to have some there that enjoys the music the same as I do.

PF Changs Fortune Cookie

Much better than Brian's, which told him he would have problems this month. But it'll be ok because he has a good attitude.

In which Windy sees her friend Brian again

Round about 3 years ago I took a cruise to Mexico for a vacation with Andrea (aka coolest girl in America). Who would have known chance would place us at the same dinner table as 3 others I would quickly come to think of as great friends.

Here we are at Cruise Reunion #3 in Portland, OR.
Top: Windy, Brian
Bottom: Heather, Eric

I bring this up because (1) it's just a fabulous story, and (2) tonight I had the chance to see Brian again. Business brought him to Seattle for a few days. We met to have dinner at PF Changs and catch up on all that has happened in our lives. Brian is always interesting to talk with and makes me laugh. A fabulous combination for a good friend. It was great to see you again Brian! I'm looking forward to Cruise Reunion #4 this summer. :)

I couldn't resist posting this, it's my all time favorite picture with Brian and I in it.

I don't do Numbers

When I started this blog I told myself I would not post anything too "mathy" in fear that no one would come back to read here again. Tonight will just be a small taste test of what I do.

Wait--what exactly do I do?

The most common misunderstanding about me, being a Mathematician, is that I can calculate really big numbers and do complicated arithmetic in my head. Ok I am capable of doing some of that, but it really isn't a strong point nor does it have anything to do with what I do.

My mother and I have an ongoing joke that "I don't use numbers anymore, I use letters." To show you what I mean I've posted my last homework assignment that I turned in earlier today. (It can't be considered cheating as all the homework is already turned in, and I don't actually know anyone in my class anyway).

Then there is the little bit of an artist in me that looks at it and says, "it's pretty".

Emily Jo

Tonight I got to hold my newest niece for the first time.
She is so tiny!

Emily Jo was born February 1st,
weighing in at 8 pounds and 3 ounces.

There is something special about holding a new born baby. They are all so different, yet each one is so precious. I like being an Aunt.

when things go wrong

Every now and then things go wrong, this is just part of life.

The month of January could have been better. Among several other things I spent the entire month ill which eventually turned into pneumonia. In the middle of all of this I came across this passage of scripture in my daily studies:

And it came to pass that after many days the Lamanites began again to be stirred up in angler against the Nephites, and they began to come into the borders of the land round about.

Now they durst not slay them, because of the oath which their king had made unto Limhi; but they would smite them on their cheeks, and exercise authority over them; and began to put heavy burdens upon their backs, and drive them as they would a dumb ass--

Yea, all this was done that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled.

Mosiah 21: 2 - 4 (emphasis added)

I can't say that my burdens could even compare to the people of Limhi's burdens. However I think it's interesting that after saying how bad things had gotten the very next thing recorded is that 'all this was done that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled.' (Read more in Mosiah to see just how this happened).

In a small way reading this made my burdens seem lighter. I don't know why I was required to be sick for a month, but I do know that the Lord saw a bigger picture and this small thing was required of me so that His will would come to pass.

I share this in the hopes that it might help someone else feel their burdens lighten just a little with the knowledge that the Lord has His hands in all things.

Home, Sweet, Lake House

Last weekend I had the opportunity to visit Texas, very briefly. Due to work and school I could not stay away long. There were 2 specific things I wanted to accomplish while there: see my Grandmamma and visit the Lake House. There were a few fun bonuses as well, like seeing my uncle and some cousins. And a nice surprise, last minute, visit from my cousin Keith too. Here are some picture highlights from my weekend.

3 Generations: Me - Grandmamma - Mom

Just look at our pale faces and white hair, we are obviously related! My Grandmamma is the sweetest grandmother around. Really, it just doesn't get any better than this.

Me - Keith

My cousin Keith is someone I've always looked up to, he's funny and smart. Ok, I've even been known to brag a little here and there about my cousin with the PhD in Mathematics (only because I'm jealous).

This is my grandmothers house, I just love this tree. And I really like how this picture turned out too. It's all ... gnarly.

And then there is the lake house. This is my absolute favorite place in the world. It holds an almost magical quality to it, this is probably due to all the fun memories I have from there. Eating watermelon on the porch, swinging on the bench swing, learning to play Scum with my cousins, playing tons of Double Solitaire games (no one beats Aunt Ruth), playing in the water, attempting to swim across the lake (and getting in trouble for it), sad attempts at water skiing, much better attempts at tubing, driving Grandaddy's motor boat, driving the golf card around, shooting fireworks off the end of the dock on the 4th, ... Yes, my favorite place.