"You and me, we have that wordsmith thing in common" Name that show...

So right now I have this crazy obsession with Jason Mraz. Who is Jason Mraz? Well, probably the best kept secret in the world, says I. I discovered Jason Mraz totally by accident about six or seven years ago when his one and only hit “Remedy” came out. I remember listening to it and thinking, “Holy crap, this guy sings fast.” Not a common reaction. Sings fast. What’s that? Well, my friends, give me your ears.

Jason Mraz’s style is epitomized in his single that came out a couple of years ago, “Word Play”:

I’ve been all around the world
I’ve been a new sensation
but it doesn’t really matter in this ge-generation
the sophomore slump is an uphill battle
and someone they said they knew my scene
cause you need a new song like a new religion
music for the television I can’t do the long division
someone do the math Cause the record label
Put me on the shelf up in the freezer
Got to find another way
To live the life of leisure
So I drop my top, mix and a mingle
Is everybody ready for the single…

Okay, so first glance, not that ground breaking. But listen to the song. Go Ahead. Try to sing along. I dare you. The thing I like most about the Mr. A-Z is that he is a master wordsmith. What do I mean by a wordsmith? Simply that his talent with words is quite breathtaking. Look at the above passage: alliteration, internal rhyme, end rhyme, slant rhyme, and tongue twisters—all before the chorus. Amazing.

Let’s talk about alliteration a little. First of all, the definition of alliteration is the repetition of sounds. (I used alliteration in the first sentence of this paragraph. Tricky.) Alliteration is a very important literary device because literature is all about sounds. I know that doesn’t seem right, since most of us view reading as a solitary, relatively quiet experience. But think about this: what is your head doing when you are reading? It’s making quite the racket. You’ve got words and sounds of words, you’ve got images, and you’ve got imagined sounds and accents bouncing around in there. It’s a party! Good writers aren’t so much about writing, good writers are about sound. I’ve heard it said that the reason why the F. Scott Fitzgerald was so great was because he had a wonderful ear. I haven’t heard anyone say, “He was such a great writer—you should have seen the way he held that pencil!”

One aspect of great writing is called “Voice”—the ability to hear the author as you read her writings. I hate to toot my own horn but…well, I’m not good at a lot of things, but voice is my speciality. Anyway, let’s back to my good friend, Jason Mraz. Look at his use of alliteration: “sophomore slump,” “someone said they knew my scene,” “live the life of leisure,” “mix and a mingle,” and I could go on. But I won’t. Here’s why alliteration is great: because humans love repetition. WE LOVE IT. Don’t believe me? What do you do every morning? I bet you do the same thing every morning. What songs do you listen to? I bet all of them have a snappy melody that repeats itself. What is your favorite food? I bet you eat it over and over again. Yep. We love repetition, and the poet (or songwriter) who can masterfully incorporate repetition of sound is…well, they’re good. Why else is alliteration great? It makes things sound pretty. Lines glide, roll, revel and swirl around your tongue before launching and tickling your ears.

Now, rhyme. Big deal, right? I mean, everyone knows how to rhyme (Not true. Joe doesn’t. I used to think he was just jerking my chain, but the more I got to know him, I understand why he can’t totally identify rhyme: he can’t carry a tune, and he can’t find the beat. Rhyme is all about the ear). Yeah. But internal rhymes like this? I don’t know many people who do it. What’s internal rhyme? Easy. It’s words that rhyme with each other within the same line of verse, rather than just at the end. Why is it cool? Again, easy. Listen to it. It flows, baby. “New song like a new religion, music for the television, I can’t do the long division.” Say it. Try breaking it up to sound choppy. You can’t, can you. Very, very cool indeed.

And what about end rhyme? Well, that’s a rhyme at the end of a line. This is not a big deal—right, Dr. Seuss? I think the genius of that rhyme is obvious in the above passage. And slant rhyme? This is my favorite type of rhyme (yes, I do have a favorite type of rhyme. I know. But Joe collects rocks) because it takes a lot of ingenuity and creativity to accomplish it. Slant rhyme is where words don’t really rhyme in real life, but the ear thinks it does. For example: Religion and television. Not exact, is it. But the sounds are close enough that the ear doesn’t notice. Didn’t think you could trick your own ear, did ya (this is FABULOUS STUFF)!

And on top of all that, try to sing along! You really have to listen and pay attention to sing his songs. They are catchy, clever, and some of them are quite beautiful. I am currently addicted to his second album, Mr. A-Z, and a third was just released called We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things. I don’t have that one yet, but you can bet that as soon as I have a little extra pocket money, I will be making my way to FYE to enjoy more literary wonder. (If you’re interested, a few of my Mraz faves are “You and I Both,” “Did you Get My Message,” “Mr. Curiosity,” “Forecast,” “Clockwatching,” and “Please Don’t Tell Her.” A-MAAAA-zing!)

What's Up? I'm Really Going to Tell You

What's up? How are you? Standard questions, right? It's what we ask people when we haven't seen them for a while, or even if we have seen them, and we're just starting a conversation. But we don't really expect an answer when we ask, do we? Let's be honest. We really don't care. When I ask parents and Parent/Teacher Conference how they are, I don't really want to know about their divorce or their struggles with their youngest. I don't care. I want them to say fine, so I can go on and shatter that illusion.

That's why it would have been odd of for me to tell a friend from an old single's ward whom I ran into yesterday that I started my period ( I didn't do it, in case that wasn't clear). Picture it:
"Hey, Sarah, I haven't seen your for a while."
"Me neither! What's going on with you?"
"Oh, I just moved to Draper. What's up with you?"
"Oh I just started my period and I am really excited."
Weird.
First of all, this response fits into the category of TMI (too much information). Second, who's excited for her period? Not normal people. But I have this urge to tell everyone that I am currently surfing the crimson. Why?

Because what's really up, and how I am really doing is a very long story, which very few people know. Most people know that Joe and I have been trying for about two years to have a baby. We have been hellaciously unsuccessful. Statistics show that about 40% of infertility is female related, 40% is male related, and 20% is both. Guess who's in the 20%? (Our exact diagnosis is, quite frankly, no one's business). I believe we have received the worst news that someone in our situation could imagine hearing; however, there is a small glimmer of hope in our quest to become pregnant, and Joe and I feel that this is the road that we should take, and we are pretty confident it will work. It just depends on my having a period regularly. And currently, I am holding strong at a 36 day cycle (which seems long to most people, but extremely short when you're used to a 66 day cycle). So, now you can see why the intense cramps that had me in the fetal position during my prep hour was good news, and you can understand why on Sunday, when the Relief Society president asked if anyone had anything to share, I had to sit on my hands so I wouldn't blurt out, "I'm having intense cramps and bleeding like a slaughtered pig! YES!" (I am imagining saying "Yes" with an enclosed fist and an elbow at a right angle jabbing into my side in a very After-School-Special way). So in a couple of weeks, we will officially try again. Keep your fingers crossed, and if anyone thinks of it, prayers would be great.

What else is going on? I have gained ten pounds and I can't wear any of the summer clothes I bought last year. Not as exciting as starting my period, by the way. And my brother is getting married in ten weeks. The marriage is great news--we are really excited for that part. It's just the photography aspect I am not looking forward to. Yarley is pregnant, so she will have an excuse to look bloated. I don't. So what's up? I am dieting and exercising in the futal attempt to lose AT LEAST ten pounds before July. I know that sounds easy. One pound a week, right? Wrong. And this goes back to the baby thing. My body has a problem with losing weight. The effort to lose ten pounds for me is about the same amount of effort it takes my mom to lose twenty-five pounds. No quite fair. But I'll try my best. Maybe by July I will be pregnant and can blame my rotund new look on (what would be) the pea-sized organism floating around like a sea monkey. One can only hope!

So here's to losing weight, and here's to celebrating the disgusting feeling that is my period!

I'll Be Back--In a Totally Non-Terminator Way

I know, I know, I know. I haven't blogged in a very long time. There are several reasons for this:

1. I am not overly positive about my job right now. Sixteen year olds are currently (barely) above Lucifer on my hate list. We're talking millimeters. And I don't want to be a downer.
2. Don't really have a lot to say. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not one of those who can just sit down and tell about my life. I have to have something to say. Because everyday just isn't that interesting.
3. Time. I don't have much between my job, and my television watching, I am swamped.

That's about it. But I promise, I will post when I get back from Spring Break (it's this whole week) and I am forced to think again. Right now, I am enjoying my thoughtless, stressless days.

Who's my Office Character?

Which Office Character Are You?
	You are Ryan. You are extremely smart and perceptive, and it irritates you to no end when inferior people try to tell you what to do. Sometimes, though, your critical eye makes you come off as aloof and bitter to others, and it may take awhile for people to get to know you.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Some people might not view this (above) as good news. But for me, it explains a lot. I have had many people tell me that they were intimidated by me until they got to know me. For the record, I am really nice, I am always willing to own up to my mistakes, and I have a fun/sophisticated/potty sense of humor. And, I've had a lot of people tell me I am smart. I'm not, really. I'm just a really good faker. So if you see me in church, and you're a little uneasy about me, well, just say hi. I'm really nice. My husband likes me, anyway.

The Hell With Love

Most of you know that I am a teacher. I have the eye-opening privilege to teach at Lehi High School. My favorite class of all time is Creative Writing. I have the opportunity to get to read poems and stories created by these teenagers, and most of these pieces are prompted by their life experiences. Recently, in honor of Valentine's Day, my students wrote break up poems. I tried to get them to write love poems, but they were very resistant. The class combined all of their poems (and in some cases, stories) and we are creating a book based on another collection with poems called The Hell With Love. What follows is the introduction I wrote to their book of poetry. I am quite proud of them, and excited to share their accomplishment:

I have heard various people assert that teenagers can’t fall in love. I proclaim right here and now that this is a falsehood. Teenagers fall in and out of love more than the women on Sex in the City. Falling in love as a teenager is just as traumatizing, if not more so, than falling in love as an adult.
Literature is full of teenagers who do drastic things because they were in love: seventeen year old Abigail in The Crucible tries to murder the wife of her former lover; fourteen and sixteen year old Juliet and Romeo commit suicide because they can’t be together, and the students fully identify with these characters. My own brother lost 20 pounds in the course of one month because he couldn’t do anything but write bad love songs on his guitar after his girlfriend broke up with him. Ten years later, I am still extremely bitter over the way a boy treated me in high school; I still cry about the hurt he caused, and I can’t think about it without wanting to mortally wound him.

That’s not all, though: throughout the course of my short career in education, I have seen teens fall in love, fall out of love, and be devastated and even traumatized by the experience. I have read hate poems, love poems, and breakup poems. I have seen massive amounts of mascara trail down a crying cheek. I have seen teenagers not graduate, drop out, become depressed, and lose massive amounts of weight. One girl brought a gun to school because her boyfriend, who got her pregnant, broke up with her. I have seen an A student not care about anything because his girlfriend broke up with him. Several students are on medication for depression brought on by a broken heart. All because of love. Because I live in Utah, many people have those fancy vinyl letters that say, “All Because Two People Fell in Love” framing families with scores of children. My students could slap those words on the wall, but instead of loving pictures of families, there would be scraps of hate poetry, pictures of dances, love sonnets, battered hearts, dried roses, prescriptions of Prozac, and heaps of tissues.

Teenagers can fall in love. And they fall out of love quite often. And because they are so young, it hurts ten times worse than anything they have ever felt before. Music, more often than not, becomes the balm to their tortured souls. They listen to black music about hate, love, and hurt. They listen to sappy ballads because it makes them cry when they really want to do nothing else. Then, they write poetry. Sonnets, ballads, free verse, and anything else they can fathom.

When I am hurting and sad, I head to Barnes and Noble. I have always felt that Barnes and Noble can solve all my problems, if not the problems of the world. On one of these fateful trips, when I was tired of crying and my heart hurt from aching, I stumbled across a collection of poems titled The Hell with Love. Because of my emotional state, I snatched the book up and bought it without looking at the contents. I got the book home, and found that the book was a collection of poems with the purpose of mending a broken heart. The book asserts that there are eight stages of nursing a broken heart: Rage, Sadness, Self-Hatred, False Hope, Resolve, Relapse, Real Hope, and Moving On. I flipped through the pages, and the first poem I ran across was called “Somewhere A Seed.” I read it and smiled. I already felt better. This book would indeed help my poor broken heart to mend:

“Somewhere A Seed”
Michael Fried

Somewhere a seed falls to the ground
That will become a tree
That will be felled
From which thin shafts will be extracted
To be made into arrows
To be fitted with warheads
One of which, some day when you least expect it,
While the winter sun is shining
On a river of ice
And you feel farthest from self-pity,
Will pierce your shit-filled heart.

This year, for Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be fun to write love poetry. I was met with intense resistance. The students only conceded the love poetry day after a promise to spend more time on hate poetry and poems to mend a broken heart. When I saw the enthusiasm for an outlet of the rage and hurt they felt, I immediately thought of my The Hell with Love book.
When I approached the subject, there was an intense discussion about broken hearts and broken dreams. The result is this book. My students each contributed two poems to our version of The Hell with Love, and after reading their pieces, I am amazed by their heartfelt expressions. I was sad when I read poems that could only come from experiences, poems of rage, of hurt, and of sadness. I laughed when I read “Medicine” by Eythan Barney, and I was proud when I read “You are Not My Sun” by Mae Goss. I wasn’t surprised when most of the class cheated and wrote a Rage poem, even if it wasn’t their assignment. I felt for Morgan when I read “Roadkill,” and saw the very vivid picture she chose. I wanted to scream, “YES!” when I read Michelle May’s first line of her poem “__________,”. Overall, I don’t think I have ever been more pleased with any group of students.

This book is a collection of condensed emotion, genuine teenage fear, pain, rage, and hope. I think it is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read.

Here are a few of the poems and pieces that I liked especially:

In A Big Cardboard Box
Jeni Allred

Junk.
The picture on my dresser.
The one with your arms around me.
You looked like you wished I was another girl in that picture.
Junk.
That stuffed animal you got me.
It feels as rough as splintering wood.
But I forced my eyes to shine when you gave me that frozen wolf.
Junk.
You rusty-held-together-with-duct-tape truck.
You saw me walking home in the cold, but you drove right by.
It’s hard to tell if you ever think of me
While you’re honking your horn and waving.
Junk.
Your sister asked me for my number so you could call me.
Why don’ t you ask me yourself because I still see you around?
Tell you what, love of mine, I’m not going to put in any effort.
Nothing but
Junk.

Fault
Jessica Scott

It’s all your fault.
You’re stupid,
Annoying,
Dumb fault.

If you weren’t so fat
He wouldn’t have left.
If you would have come last Thursday
He wouldn’t have left.

It’s your fault he’s gone
And it’s your fault
He found her
It’s your fault—
Unrealistic
Unworthy
Fault.

Sincerely,
Myself

Over You
Stephanie Schmidt

When I think about you now you’re just a memory.
Nothing more than a mistake in my life
Nothing more than a stupid boy who broke my heart.
Lesson learned.

Medicine
Eythan Barney

After months of research I’ve found the cure. The strain of heartache you infected me with was unique, resistant to generic medicines, unaffected by over-the-counter treatments. I suffered. You make me suffer. But I’ve found the cure. She’s gorgeous.

I Like Getting Caught in the Rain, Too!

So when we were praying for moisture, maybe we should have been more specific. Not that I am not grateful for the snow, I'm just not that enthusiastic about it. No one who took four hours last night trying to get home would be enthusiastic. Yes, that's right. Four (4) hours. The first three hours I travelled a total of 3 miles. I got on the freeway at the Lehi High entrance (since I work there) around 5:00, and reached the second Lehi exit (by the brick plant) around 8:00. At that point, I should have gotten off the freeway and gone to my parents' house to spend the night, but I figured I was already in it for three hours, I might as well go the whole way. Besides, I missed my sweetheart.

The good thing about this episode is that it introduced to me to my new favorite cheesy song: "Escape (the Pina Colada Song)." It's a crack up! Before I begin explaining why this is my new favorite song, I feel I need to let everyone know how this came to be.

The other day, I was making a CD to be used during my Sophomore English class (we were talking about the different emotions that cause people to do things they do by looking at songs), and since most of the songs were on other CDs, I had to bring my carrier upstairs, and alas, I have yet to take it back down to the car.

Around Christmas, Joe gave me a CD that I have been wanting for a while: "Let Your Love Flow", a collection of exceptionally cheesy and sentimental songs compiled by Target (I think it's still there. It has great hits like "Let Your Love Flow," and "When I Need You." It's very Delilah-on-Kosy-esque). This is the CD that so happened to be in the player at that time. Since the radio was playing lots of commercials and heavy music, and my CD case was still safe and warm in my house, I listened to "Let Your Love Flow" through around three to four times.

The funny part was that Joe called me once an hour to find out where I was (to make fun of me...not to check if I was okay), and everytime he called, the Pina Colada song was on. So I would sing it to him. A couple of times, he put me on speaker phone so his boss could hear my version of Pina Coloda, which sounded something like this: "If you like pina colada, and getting caught in the rain, blah whe er lady er.....midnight....eh flres..." (I didn't know the words, but that has never stopped me before, and it never will.)

Now, I am sure most of you know what song I am talking about, but you are not aware of the lyrics. Let me tell you, this story/song is GENIUS!

"I was tired of my lady

we'd been together too long

like a worn out recording

of our favorite song

So while she lay there sleeping

I read the paper in bed

and in the personal columns,

there was this letter that said..."

Now, let's talk about this before I move on. I LOVE that the singer says, "I was tired of my lady." I think it's really hilarious for some reason. I mean who comes right out and says, "I was tired of my lady?" Who says "lady"? And who reads the paper in bed? It makes your hands black. Obviously, this singer is a man amongst men. I also like how he refers to his significant other as a "worn out recording". Such romance! I've got news to you, pal. She doesn't want you, either.

"If you like Pina Colada

and getting caught in the rain.

If you're not into yoga

If you have half a brain

if you like making love at midnight

at the dunes on the Cape

I'm the love that you'd looked for

Write to me and escape..."

So picture this: this guy, not entirely satisfied with his relationship sees this personal add while his significant other is sleeping. He reads it, and thinks, hey, this isn't weird at all! This person likes to drink, stay out late with a cape, wants someone who has only half a brain, and is willing to meet someone who would answer a personal add! There is no way this person (who just wants someone who doesn't like yoga) is not mentally competent! Great idea! (Funny side note: It was about two hours until I figured out that the lyric was "if you like making love at midnight in the dunes on the Cape." The first few times I seranaded Joe on the phone I sang, "if you like making love at midnight with the dude on the cake." Way off, Sampsonite. But, it makes sense if you think about it metaphorically). The picture in my head last night was too classic. Like this would ever be a good idea!

"I didn't think about my lady

I know that sounds kind of mean

but me and my old lady

have fallen into the same old dull routine

so I wrote to the paper

took out a personal add

and though I'm nobody's poet

I thought it wasn't half bad

Yes, I like pina coladas

and getting caught in the rain

I'm not much into health food

I am into champagne

I've got to meet you by tomoorow noon

and cut through all this red tape

at a bar called O'Mally's

where we'll plan our escape..."

Okay. First off, I think it's hilarious that he says, "though I'm nobody's poet, I thought it wasn't half bad." Yeah. He copied her! He's a regular Lord Byron. And then, what about the part in her ad that said "if you have half a brain." What is he admitting about his intelligence level by answering with his 'orginial' response? Hmmmmm.

"So I waitied with high hopes

and she walked in the place

I knew her smile in an instant

I knew the curve of her face.

It was my own lovly lady (sure, now she's lovely, not old)

And she said, 'oh, it's you..."

I don't know about you, but if I were so desperate to get away from this guy that I was willing to run away with someone with only half a brain that answered a personal, only to find that the idiot was the answer to my ad, first of all, I would be very upset that he had been reading the personals behind my back, and even answered a personal behind my back. Most of all, I would be really put out. I probably would say, "Oh. it's you," too. The funny thing is, he doesn't realize that this probably isn't the best reaction he could have had.

"Then we laughed for a moment

and I said, I never knew

That you like pina coladas

and getting caught in the rain

and feel of the ocean

and the taste of champagne

if you like making love at midnight

in the dunes on the Cape (or with the dude on the cake, whatever...)

you're the lady I've looked for

come with me and Escape..."

Hold the phone, folks! Wasn't he going to cheat on her? Wasn't she going to cheat on him? But they both like pina coladas. So the world is right, and they will for sure never fall back into being like "a worn out recroding." All because of a pina colada. Those crazy kids! So I think this song is hilarious in a really twisted sort of way. It gave me great joy last night for about four hours, anyway.

And it gave Joe joy when I sang it to him.

The first four or five times, anyway.

Not so much the last three.

He didn't really appreciate me texting him the lyrics, either.

I'm It...Again

So, Stephanie Butterfied tagged me, and I really don't mind, since being tagged in this game doesn't have anything to do with running. I'll try to make this quick:

10 Years Ago
Ten years ago I was a sophomore at Lehi High school, in the second half of my school year. It was the first blissful months of my first heavy-duty crush (that lasted about 7 years), the crush that turned to love, and the love that left me heartbroken and insecure through most of high school. You know that song, "The Dance" by Garth Brooks? You know that part that says "and I'm glad I didn't know/ The way it all would end/ The way it all would go./ And if I ever had the chance/ I could've missed the pain/ But I'd have to miss the dance." So, it basically means that all that pain was worth it because you had that one moment? Not true--if fact, a bucket full of lies. If I had known then what I know now, I would have run screaming in the opposite direction completely, gotten out of my seminary class (where I frequently flirted with the so-said-crush), and enjoyed dating and kissing lots of different boys. I really regret the time and effort that was put into that idiot. But it's all over now, and I have eternity with a wonderful person that loves me completely and has single-handidly squashed the insecurity and the self doubt that had continually built up over the last seven years--and he did it all in the first two weeks we met.

Snacks I Enjoy
So I love snack foods. Mostly potato chips and dip, but that just isn't possible anymore--Weight Watchers would kill me. So lately I have been snacking on Mango--when they are cut into strips, they look like french fries and are sweet, so it makes me feel like I'm not missing anything (I love french fries, too). I eat A LOT of 94% fat free popcorn. I also have been getting into the 100 calorie packs, specifically the Cheeto Astroids. I also LOVE LOVE LOVE rice krispie treats--I always make room for those in a diet.

Five Things On My To Do List Today
1. Grade the "Black Cat" packets
2. Go to the gym
3. Mail Joe's love letters...
4. Pick up the house
5. Begin reading The Great Gatsby (for the 19th time) and revamping the unit

Things I Would Do If I Were Instantly Made a Billionare
1. Buy Joe's shop for him and let him run it.
2. Go to New York City and find Stacy and Clinton from "What Not to Wear" and make them go shopping with me.
3. Pay off the condo and buy another nice house (somewhere pretty--like Montana, or Washington, or Oregon) with several acres (for Joe), the Garage-mahal in the back (also for Joe), a wrap-around porch (for me), and a maid.
4. Buy Nat and Joseph a really nice house, with money for Elise's college fund
5. Pay off Yarley and Tim's house and truck. Give money for Taylor's and new baby's college fund.
6. Help Rory with college and invest in his new business.
7. Get my dad started in a post-retirement business he wants to do (like flipping houses)
8. Give money to Joe's sister for Alexias's and Hunter's college fund.
9. Pay off Joe's sister's house.
10. Buy a condo next door to Disneyland for Becky.
12. Buy a Honda Pilot (brand new!) for both Kristin and me.
13. Help fund Mitt's Romney's next run for president
14. Open a used book store
15. Buy infertility doctors to work with me only.

Three of My Bad Habits
1. Swearing--I really try to work on this. I am getting better.
2. Procrastination--I rarely do things unless I HAVE to. I work best with deadlines
3. (This is gross) clipping my toenails and letting the clippings fly.

Five Places I have Lived (plus one)
1. American Fork, Utah (I am told. I don't remember)
2. Orem, Utah (eight years)
3. Highland, Utah (two years)
4. Lehi, Utah (fifteen years)
5. Cedar City, Utah (three months)
6. Bluffdale Utah (currently, three years)

Jobs I have Had
1. Papa Murphy's Pizza Artist
2. Bread slicer at Mountain Mill Bread
3. Hostess at Thanksgiving Point
4. Checker at Kohler's Grocery Store
5. Teacher at Lehi High School (still there)
6. Helper at Awbree's flower shop (for a couple of weeks one summer)

Things People Don't Know About Me
1. I am very insecure--currently on the mend, thanks to my sweetheart
2. I don't like to meet new people. I like them to meet me.
3. I have a hard time beginning a conversation. I can do my end, but I never initiate.
4. I hate the telephone. I don't even know where my cell is right now, or if it is even charged. And I don't care.
5. I hate the summer. It's way too hot.
6. I am afraid of dogs--big dogs that bark loud, and little dogs that yap and jump on you. I don't mind medium-sized dogs as long as they are quiet and the don't jump on me.
7. I am very ticklish
8. I read the whole Twilight series, but I don't think it's the best book in the world. It's kind of ehh.
9. My favorite movies are Say Anything, Stranger than Fiction, Where the Heart Is, and His Girl Friday

I Tag
No one. I don't mind playing, but I don't like initiating.