I'm officially crazy

Ever since I was a little, vulnerable preteen in junior high, I've always despised running. Especially running outside where people can actually see me. So, throughout my life I've always managed to avoid running as my regular exercise routine (sports, aerobics, etc.). Until now...

Even though I've shuddered at the thought of running for fun, I've always admired the "unexperienced" runners who have concurred a half marathon. I've had a few friends who've gone through the 10 week training and finished the entire 13.1 miles. That's a huge accomplishment! So for a few years now, it's been my secret goal to run in a half marathon sometime during my lifetime.

This goal became a reality when a good friend of mine told me of his plans to run in the Little Grand Canyon Half Marathon on September 13, 2008. I told him my secret and he immediately started convincing me to join him. At first I was a little hesitant because, hello, it's 13.1 miles! I've never ran a 5K in my life, let alone a half marathon. But after much persuasion and a few days of actually running on my own (outside, no less), I made the decision. And last week I spent the $48.97 and made it official! Yay! :) I start my 10-week training in about 2 weeks and I'm half excited, half terrified. So if you're not busy that Saturday morning in Price, Utah during the beautiful month of September, I would really appreciate some fans screaming on the side lines.

CMS World

So, in case anyone has ever wondered what I actually do for my job on campus, here's an explanation for your enjoyment. CMS stands for Classroom Multimedia Support and it's a division of OIT here at BYU (...hehe, lots of abbreviations). Now, that might sound really technical and fancy, but in all honesty it isn't.My main duty as an employee is to deliver and pick up equipment that professors have ordered for their lectures (i.e. computer projectors, TVs, etc.) So, if you can walk and push a cart at the same time, then you pretty much have that one covered. But during the rest of my 4 hour shift, I'm on-call for any technical difficulties professors might come across during class. This might sound a little intimidating but just remember, there needs to be an actual "technical difficulty" for there to be a problem. With my 2 years of experience at good 'ole CMS, I've only gotten emergency calls 10% the time. And within that 10%, 99% of the calls are due to lack of technological smarts on the customer end. (I mean, honestly, don't these professors have PhD s?)

But amid my frustration with having to fix yet another problem my 6 year old cousin could figure out, I get the amazing gratification of helping someone. Granted, I don't look like your average tech-savvy geek (especially when I'm wearing huge earrings and a blingin' ring ;)), but after I press a few keys and their laptop magically begins working again, they thank me profusely and I walk out a more respected lady. It's a great feeling. But alas, that feeling only comes during 10% of my work days. Every other day I'm watching youTube videos and chatting to anyone who's online. All in a day's work!

My First Experience

After attending BYU for 5 years now, I'm finally taking Spring term for the very first time and it's not quite what I expected. First of all, I had to miss the first 2 weeks of class because of Singers Tour to Southern California and 2 weeks for Spring term is like a whole month for Fall. I was a little paranoid at first about missing so much class and not being able to handle the load when I got back, but honestly, I don't think I missed that much (except a few boring 2 hour lectures). I've been in class for 2 1/2 weeks and I feel just as prepared as everyone else. So my classes aren't necessarily hard, but now that we're past the halfway mark, they're starting to pick up a lot of speed. I realized this morning that in the next 3 weeks I'll have to write 3 regular papers, 1 research paper, 2 extremely detailed veterinary case reports, and prepare a 15-minute presentation on South African music. In the back of my mind I've always imagined Spring/Summer terms as laid back, simplified versions of the regular semester classes. Not true. I really can't believe how much is required of me in so little time. Let's just say I'm "livin' on a prayer". :)

This one's for all you lovers out there...

Well... you don't necessarily have to be in love, but if you are bored beyond description and have an inkling to read about my oh-so-exciting life, then this one is definitely for you! So stay tuned for some amazing upcoming posts and please, try to control your excitement.