November 26... The "Pie"liminaries.

Apparently, since I moved away to Utah State, there is a new tradition started with the Pelletier family. Today I attended PIE NIGHT.

Pie Night has a very basic function: stretch our stomachs the night before Thanksgiving. It also gives us a chance to eat that pie that we just can't seem to save room for on Thanksgiving. As you see in the photo above, there are plenty of delicious desserts to choose from.

People such as my sister Madeline love pie night. You can tell it is Pie Night by any of the following (this goes for most of our family parties as well):

People Harmonizing to Songs on the Piano

Grandpa's Jazz/Ute outfit

Ben is nowhere to be found (love you Ben!)

Will has whipped cream all over his face

Someone is playing Scrabble.

However, there is one new edition to Pie Night this year... a "Walk" around the neighborhood to work off that extra weight gained.... and let me tell you, 15 people walking around singing Christmas carols at 10:00 PM is something truly magnificent.

November 25... Aint No Thing But A Chicken Wing?

Thanks to Pete's "Early Birthday Surprises", I blew out a candle on top of a piece of honey-barbecued chicken today. If life were any less random, I couldn't tolerate it.

November 24... Marvelous Martha

I believe there are certain things a girl must cook to become a woman. Such as a casserole. And a whole roast. And homemade dinner rolls. Today I took a step towards the great title that is womanhood, (and a step towards early Thanksgiving) and I made a homemade pie all by myself. I wouldn't call myself Martha Stewart by any means, but it did have a tangible crust and a sort-of-pumpkin flavor....

Does it make me look less legitimate if I tell you that it was the "Easy Recipe" can of pumpkin?

November 23... Binary Solo! 0000001001010010101

Inbetween studying, wallowing in pain, and laughing, I learned how to count on my fingers in Binary. The thumb represents 1, index is 2, middle is 4, ring is 8, and pinky is 16. This key may help when watching the video.

Also as a sidenote: I went out to eat at a nice restraunt for lunch wearing a blanket. I didn't really think it was that strange until I walked in and was stared down in disgust by 10+ people in the waiting line. I guess just because they serve breakfast doesn't mean I can get away with pajamas at noon...?

November 22... More than just cream cheese.

I think I had sushi with eel in it today. I'm not one for exotic fish in my meal, but it was an option presented, so I took it. Not the coolest new thing of the day, but it was a very awesome night regardless.

November 21... "Finnish" your lunch.

I ate RIISIPIRAKKA today- a finnish rice cake treat. It was really warm and delicious.

I also ate a ginger candy cube, which tasted like eating a boutique store... if that would be possible.

Awesome things await those who stay in the FA building for nine hours straight...

November 20... The Old "Spin"ster.

Today I learned how to throw/spin cards through the air at high speeds.  

A flick of the wrist, and you could suddenly have a business card lodged in your jugular.  Watch out...

November 19... We Have Contact.

Frustrated without a phone and way to contact people, today I resorted to using a free public phone to make a few personal calls. Let me explain.... This little guy is located next to two public computers by the Fine Arts Building Entrance. Alone and isolated in a tiny wooden cubicle with only a small Logan phonebook as its companion, it is overlooked by many. I saw my chance today and went in, expecting complete success. Alas, I was confused and frustrated when I didn't know how to operate it. The phone lacked directions or hints. With each number I would press, it would do a different dial tone and hang up after a few seconds. After pushing buttons for over ten minutes, I left, disheartened at my utter failure. However, after pondering for a while, I remembered the "Dial 9" rule, so I rushed over....Lo and Behold! Success. Now I look like the homeless bum in the Fine Arts Building.

November 18... Un rire qui se perd sa sur la bouche

Inspired by the movie and story I saw of the great Mme. Edith Piaf, today's new thing was learning the words to La Vie En Rose... In french, of course.  My goal was to sing the words with the song, but somehow I simply can't memorize french phrases like I used to be able to.  But man alive, what a beautiful song.

November 17... Kick Your A

Every student at USU should own a game shirt.

Today I went out and bought one.

Now I can identify with the crowds around me! And shout nasty things at the basketball games like every USU boy and girl should.

November 16... The Lovely Apprentice

I became an apprentice to Pete's photography... took part of my first

Wedding Photography Photoshoot Session. Below are my favorite

pictures he took of them, although there were plenty of really good shots. Please check out his blog http://peteloganphotography.blogspot.com/.

If any of you need photoshoots for anything, he would love to do them

for you.
(Yes, I am advertising. He is that good. Ha)

Also, check out the photos of Kate and I below, which he took

this weekend... she's all dolled up for Bingham Ball!

November 15... C S-plendid.

Today I went to the

2nd Monthly SLC CouchSurfing Stammtisch!!!!

It was absolutely fantastic! We all met in a pub called Desert's Edge in Trolley Square. I was a bit unsure of how things would go at first... but suddenly I looked around and the entire table was full. It was such an eye-opener to look at all the different kinds of people at that table, and ponder what crazy circumstances brought them to the CS world. I like to think it's the common interest of traveling, gaining new experiences, and helping others acheive that same goal.
Halfway through the dinner. we all switched places and got to meet other people, and I met a lot of really awesome ones. A guy from Spain, an american girl from Norway, a couple visiting America for 3 months from Belgium, friends from High School, a man who designed his own line of outdoor shoes, a guy who backpacked alone for three months across the western U.S., a girl from Rhode Island who kite surfs (I didn't even know what that was before....), and of course, the awesome Ambassador of Logan's CS network... Anthony. It was really laid-back and awesome.

Afterwords, we took to the streets of Salt Lake to go to Boing, a house that has live shows with crappy bands and even crappier (or scary) food... it was a new thing that was definitely sketchy.

November 14... The Camera Loves You, Dahling

Good news... a flash just entered my life, via Pete! That's right, folks, today I learned how to assemble a flash and use it outside to get the right lighting. And the outcome was my first official photoshoot... Let me tell you, how great it is to feel so "In the spotlight"... Literally. Also, it is waaay too much fun to scamper around a big empty feild toting a giant umbrella :)

Yeah... he said "Googley Eyes".

November 13... Bottled Up

Ever since The Rescuers came out, I have wanted to do this new thing. Today, Pete and I wrote a message in a bottle, which I will hopefully float out to First or Second Dam soon. Not necessarily a cry for help from a kidnapping or anything, but more of a word vomit... some life lessons I've learned, randomness, backwards writing, you know how it goes. Hopefully whoever gets the message will be uplifted, inspired, creeped out, or confused. Either way, I'm just getting the message out there :)

November 12... Lost In Translation...?

...Or the carmel-y delicious-ness of foreign candy. Thanks to my roommate Hailey, today's new thing was trying a candy her boss gave her from France. CARAMBAR. ...and to be honest, it didn't really taste as exotic as I'd have liked it to. In the future, I think I'll stick to Roman chocolate, and deliciously beautiful roman men... yes... that sounds a lot better. And just for kicks (the translation or words I can remember from french class):

What is the (somthing) for your ears (something) of the tongue?

...yeah. I suck.

November 11... "R.I.P." Phonebook.

Today I learned how to rip a phone book in half. It took me three phone books and ridiculously sore fingers before I could pull it off, but I didn't give up. That phone book is ripped... just like my biceps.

November 10... That's Funny...

Today I went to class, my piano lesson, practiced, and hung out with friends.....

...Wearing a clown nose.

November 9... Read at your own risk

It's true... sometimes new things force me to get down and dirty. Maybe not in the way we want to think about, but that's what makes life so easy to laugh about. Either that, or Sunday just always ushers in weird new things of the day.

I was forced to plunge someone else's poop in the toilet. If you actually have the desire to be seriously disgusted, you can watch the video. But just so you know, there's no recovering from this one.

And in case you were wondering how it all turned out, I was victorious :)

November 8... Star Player

I learned how to make a star (and a heart) with a rubber band... it brings me back to my younger Cat's Cradle days... I used to be the best at those. (refer to video if you want to see my skills first hand... first "hand"...hah hah hah)
I also learned how to fold a shirt another way- apparently Aero didn't teach us all the techniques we needed to know to succeed... I am positively livid.

All all this done at the USU basketball game... the only thing that could've topped off the night was to get on the Jumbotron...

WHICH REALLY HAPPENED.

November 7... It's Impossible? Let's start working.

Of all the movies I have seen so far, nothing has moved, astounded, or inspired me so much as Man On Wire. For fear of diminishing it with my insignificant words, I will just encourage you to at least view the trailer and go out on a limb- watch it for yourself. I promise you won't be disappointed. Just beware if you see it in the Logan Arts Cinema, which is where I saw it... it's a bit chilly :)

“To me it’s so simple that life should be lived on the edge of life. You have to exercise in rebellion, to refuse to taper yourself to rules, to refuse your own success, to refuse to repeat yourself to see every day, every year, every idea as a true challenge and then you are going to live your life on a tight rope.” -Philippe Petit

November 6... Just for the record

Mel has done this a few times, and it really appealed to my artistic side. I spray painted a vinyl record from the DI... Glen Hansard from The Frames, and I did it all by myself! Without training wheels, even.

November 5... Science Rules.

I sat on a chair completely made of cardboard that supported all my weight. It's amazing what people can make from regular household items! Next on the list: find furniture made from coke bottles? ;)

November 4... Politically Speaking

Barack Obama, a 47-year-old first-term senator from Illinois, shattered more than 200 years of history Tuesday night by winning election as the first African-American president in the history of the United States, according to projections by NBC News.
Obama reached the 270 electoral votes he needed for election at 11 p.m. ET, when NBC News projected that he would win California, Washington and Oregon. The Associated Press reported shortly after 11 p.m. that Obama’s opponent, Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, had called Obama to offer his congratulations.
Campaigning as a technocratic agent of change in Washington pathbreaking civil rights figure, Obama swept to victory over McCain , whose running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, was seeking to become the nation’s first female vice president.

Although my new thing of the day was not voting (I'm not registered... I know...), I wanted to at least participate. So, tonight I followed the elections on the computer. I wish I had an opinion, but I haven't done the research. I just hope that being under Obama will allow for continuous new things :)

November 3... New to the Cubed Power

I ate this cube today... a Thai dessert with coconut that resembles jello. Not my favorite, but definitely worth a risk.

November 2... Pedigree For Me

I actually sat down and watched a dog show on tv today with my sister Kate. And she knew the breed for every dog on there.

I was just trying to keep from laughing at their ridiculous haircuts.

November 1... Bridezilla

Race me to the alter!!!

Today I tried on a wedding veil, just because I've always wanted to feel like a princess. I think the absence of a poofy white dress threw the mood off a bit, though...

October 31... Amelie

"Without you, today's emotions would be the scurf of yesterday's."

"Amelie has a strange feeling of absolute harmony. It's a perfect moment. A soft light, a scent in the air, the quiet murmur of the city. A surge of love, an urge to help mankind overcomes her."

...And that is how Friday's new thing of the day settles into this blog. AMELIE. A movie that I've had on the list for years, and definitely worthy of the title for October 31st. A Happy Halloween to all!

October 30... I spy

Today was the first official meeting of the Photography Scavenger Hunt contest. Or rather, organization. It consisted of me, Pete, and Melissa, and we all got together and shared our pictures. I had made a list earlier that week with eight items, which were as follows:

Leaves
Your reflection in an unexpected place
Bright colors
An animal
An interesting shadow
Something that depicts the word "neglected"
A different perspective
An action shot.

It was a really great opportunity to expand my creative boundaries and get myself out there taking pictures again. Here are a few shots that I enjoyed taking...