Plasma and Prostitution

So I'm a plasma donor. Is this wrong? I don't think so. I've been a faithful donor since mid February (with the exception of Spring Break) and I don't feel bad about it. In fact, I think it's a great way to earn money! $30 per donation is a good deal to me. It only takes two hours so that's like making fifteen bucks an hour. Plus! you can donate up to two times a week so that's sixty bucks a week added to what I make for teaching piano lessons.

However, I have been asked "Do you feel like donating plasma is a form of prostitution?" And the answer is "I most certainly do not!" Especially since the definition is, and I quote from Mirriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, "pros-ti-tu-tion: the act or practice of engaging in promiscuous sexual relations esp. for money" I am positive that I don't do anything sexual when donating plasma.

The process is quite simple: You enter door number one where you are weighed and they prick your finger to test protein levels. You then enter door number two where they take your blood pressure, temperature, and ask questions like "Have you read the AIDS bulletin that has been provided for you?" or "Are you aware you should report symptoms of West Nile Virus up to two weeks after donating?" (pretty harmless questions with the same answers every time) You then go into a big room with lots of beds where they stick you with a needle and hook you up to a machine. You squeeze a piece of plastic pipe while the machine gathers blood, centrifuges it, sends the blood back into your body, and drips the plasma into a large, plastic bottle. The gathering and centrifuging process happens at least three times in one visit. The amount of plasma you donate depends on your current weight. All of this happens while you watch movies and do homework. It's a good deal, I tell ya.

See? No sex. Therefore, plasma is not a form of prostitution.

Competition v. Aggression

The question on my mind as of late: Is there a difference between competition and aggression? In my class on Thursday, we were assigned partners and were asked to carry on a discussion prompted by a list of questions. One of them asked about anger. What makes you angry? Are you a competitive person? Do you get aggressive? What do you think you have a right to be angrey about? My partner and I discussed competition and aggression and we didn't reach a conclusion.

I consider myself to be a very competitive person, but I don't think of myself as aggressive. I won't fight others tooth and nail to win. I won't get petty or play games underhandedly just to get the advantage. I like competition, I like to win. But I don't think I'm aggressive about it.

Is aggression negative? Is competition negative? Is one more negative than the other? I tend to think of aggression in a negative light, but when you hear a parent say "He's an aggressive player" doesn't that sound like a compliment? Anyone have any light to shed on the subject?

The Rest of the House

So at the end of the long, dark hallways is a door. You open the door and you step into the area that will take you in two directions. Direction one, up the stairs and into the garage; or direction two, around the corner and into another storage area (I told you before that it would be absolutely ridiculous to want more storage space).

There is one room (the room on the left) where I store my bike and a few other things. That room has a plexi-glass window.

Weird, yah? It's gets weirder...

You can look into that plexi-glass window and view a padded room (walls, ceiling, everything)

and there is a mattress on the floor. (I think there used to be a pillow on the bed)

When Colette and I came to look at the house a few days before we actually moved in, we discovered this room. Nobody lived here last summer so we didn't have electricity when we came to look at the house. We used the light from my cell phone. When we ventured into this area of the house and saw this room, I was more than creeped out and wanted to get out of there-FAST!

After complaining to my friend, Ryan, about the room he came and took a look. There were some stickers on the door that were drum set brands and things of that nature. He assured me the room was just a recording/practice booth. Although that settled my fears a wee bit, the room is still creepy.

We gave that room a name that first night we saw it; and regardless of the real use for that room, the name has stuck. It is The Rape Room. So my house is wonderful, even with The Rape Room. It makes for a good story and a wonderful conversation starter for visitors:

"This is a cool place to live."

"Hey, thanks. We like it."

Awkward pause. Nobody knows what to say next.

"So we have this rape room..."

And now you know, the rest of the story.

From One Home to Another

One of my biggest frustrations with college life is moving from one place to another. I like to move once, settle in, and stay. That just doesn't happen in college for reasons such as rent, landlords, social atmosphere, location, etc. Through my four years of college, I have acquired a lot of stuff! Kitchen stuff, bedroom stuff, movies, text books that can't be sold, and I am a pack rat so that really doesn't help matters much. Having so much stuff is such a pain to move (just ask Dad, he rolls his eyes every time he comes to help me move). Moving is a pain; however, I would rather move in and out of five different places on the same day then go shopping for a new place to live. Calling landlords, looking at houses, trying to meet every one's expectations including my own is too much of a hassle.

I live in a house now instead of an apartment and I absolutely LOVE it! Granted, it is harder to be social which is a con for some people. It doesn't bother me. I have loved feeling a little more independent and feeling like I really have my own space. People from the apartment next door aren't just barging in to say hello and stay for hours on end. But after talking with roommates about what we want and who we want to live with, it is time to move on. It's been a good house. Let me introduce you:

This is my house

My front door is underneath the overhang. We actually live in the basement but it's a walk-out basement so it isn't dark and dreary.

The kitchen is the first room you enter when you walk in the front door. I have really enjoyed having fake hard floors. Although I must admit slippers are an absolute MUST especially when the heat isn't ever on.

The next room you enter is the family/living room complete with fireplace. We don't get to use the fireplace (which is sad) but I think it makes the room much homier; and it's been fun to have a mantle to decorate. We were actually able to hang stockings over the fireplace at Christmas time. How many college apartments have that feature?

The bathroom is around the corner from the family/living room. It's small but for three girls it is just great. None of us have any major privacy issues (we don't lock the door when we're showering so people can come in and out, we can change in front of each other, and some of us even pee in front of each other, you get the idea) so that keeps the bathroom flow rather smooth.

Across the hall from the family/living room is the bedroom that the three of us share. Cassie gets the top bunk, I get the bottom bunk, and Colette gets the third bed. We enjoy sharing a room and when you see the second bedroom you will understand why.

This big bedroom contains lots of closet space which is necessary for anyone really (I have seen boys with more clothes than myself).

Just a few steps past the bedroom is the study. Humans can't sleep in this room because there isn't a proper fire escape. But there are shelves (obviously) and a desk for my computer. It's been a great place to study. (Have you noticed how big these rooms are? We really haven't wanted at all for more storage space, it would be ridiculous to wish for such a thing!) Another perk about the study is that the walls are just sheet rock. We got permission from our landlord to write on one of the walls. When we say stupid things, (and we've all had our turn) it goes up on the quote wall.

Now imagine a long, dark hallway with tile floors.

At the end of the hallway is the blessed washer and dryer which I spoke of only yesterday.

Just to the left of the washer and dryer is the second bedroom.

We had a fourth roommate who lived there once. We lost her to marriage. The floors are cold (our landlord promised us carpet at the beginning of last fall) and there is zero circulation because it is so far away from everything else. Cassie is an English major and has a lot of reading to do on a regular basis. She turned it into her reading room because Colette and I are too distracting in the evenings. Cassie broke down and bought a space heater a while ago and used that to keep her alive while she read.

Now you have had a tour of my wonderful house. Can you see why I don't want to leave it? But all good things must come to an end. So we're shopping for a new house. If anyone knows of anything equally or more awesome than our little house now, please share!

One more thing, don't forget about that long, dark hallway. At the end of the hallway is not just the washer and dryer next to the other bedroom-there's a door. And where does that door lead to, you ask? You'll have to wait until tomorrow...

Being Cold Pays Off

So I mentioned a couple of blogs ago about my apartment and how we keep the thermostat set between 55 and 59 degrees. Well our gas bill came this month and Wohoo! only $10.69 per person! Woot woot! Woot woot! Woot woot! It would be even cheaper if we didn't have a washing machine. We even try to save money with the washing machine by combining loads of laundry.



When I moved in a discovered my own washer and dryer I thought to myself "Wow, I can do laundry on a weekly basis now instead of when I run out of underwear." Then I discovered that I just don't have time to do laundry that often and it is cheaper to run the machine less. So I still wait until I only have one or two pairs of undies left and instead of washing alone, my roommates and myself combine our dirties into three, sometimes four, huge loads.



I usually take it upon myself to do that laundry. I have discovered that of all household chores, laundry is one I actually enjoy doing. I love sorting it, transferring it to the dryer, folding it, putting it away (I don't put away my roommates clothes, but I do fold them and pile them neatly on their beds). I pretty much just love the entire process. Maybe it's because I love the smell of clean laundry. Or maybe it's because I like things clean. Maybe because the sight of an empty laundry basket is a beautiful thing. I don't know what the answer is-I just love doing laundry! It's the ironing that comes after that I absolutely hate. (So future honey be warned: I don't iron!)

Family Power and Influence

In one of my classes today we discussed power-in communities, in families, between cultures, within the nation, etc. We mostly focused on power in the family. We were asked to write down the names of the people within our immediate families and then to rank them in order from most power to least power (1 being the most). I thought it was an interesting idea. I thought I would share my list with you and then ask for yours. Keep in mind that our definition of power was: influence (influence on decision making, how things are done, planned, and carried out, etc.)

I found it interesting that a lot of the middle children in my class all felt like they had the least amount of power in their families. I guess that's Middle Child Syndrome being expressed.

To my aunts and uncles: I am curious to know how you would rank the power in your own families now (wife, kids) and in your family when you were growing up (dad, mom, sibs).

Disclaimer: These rankings don't say anything about how I feel towards my siblings. Lots of power doesn't mean lots of love and it doesn't mean no love. Little power doesn't mean more love and it doesn't mean less love. You get the point...this is just the way I see it and I am curious to know how my own family would rank us.

Dad-1

Mom-2

Justin-6

Kim-3

Jalayne-7

Clark-4

Julie-5

Spring Break Road Trip

Our trip was a rip-roaring success! We had loads of fun as we crossed five states (Utah, Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Oregon), stayed in one hotel (Missoula, Montana Motel 6) did work in four temples (Spokane, Seattle, Columbia River, and Boise), dined with four families (Jensens, Russells, Sorensens, and Folletts), visited five attractions (Radio Flyer, Hat 'n Boots, Public Market, Space Needle, and Fremont Troll), stayed with three families (Hatches, Jensens, and Folletts), rode a carousel (Spokane), took a ferry (Bainbridge Island), and took pictures in front of my old house (Moses Lake, Washington). Let me hit some of the main points in greater detail for y'all:

We dined at Scotty's on Friday night on our way to Missoula. It was only my second time eating there and I have never been extremely impressed with it but anyone in Idaho Falls will tell you how wonderful Scotty's fries are. Cassie and Colette can now both agree with that statement.

We took pictures in front of the giant Radio Flyer wagon in Spokane. Sadly enough, it was blocked off for renovations. Quite a disappointment for Cassie but we took pictures anyway. We also rode the carousel and walked around the falls while we were at Riverfront Park. After the park we had our palms read. It was quite the experience-more like a fun story. We attended the temple that evening before heading back to Justin and Ashley's house.

On the drive to Seattle, Cassie and Colette said it would be great to stop in Moses Lake and take pictures in front of my old house. What a wonderful trip down memory lane that was!

When we arrived in Seattle on Sunday evening, my Great-Aunt Marilyn planned a large dinner for everyone. Cassie and I enjoyed dinner with Skip, Marylin, Stephanie, Antony, Camdon, Calvin, Camille, Amanda, and Trevor. It was great fun. Camdon and Calvin gave us a tour of the Lego Room. We got to enjoy Nordy bars and introduce Camdon and Calvin to the glorious game of darts!


Once in Seattle, we took pictures in front of Hat 'n Boots, spent time at the Public Market (where we were asked to be part of a crowd for a movie they were working on for the UK), Cassie and I went to the top of the Space Needle, and we took fun pictures in front of the Fremont Troll (it really does exist, I promise). We finished that day with a dinner at the Russell residence. It was a good time visiting with my cousins and aunt and uncle.

On Tuesday we took a ferry to Bainbridge Island and spent the day walking around Poulsbo. We concluded the day with a trip to the Seattle Temple and dinner with Cassie's friends that used to live in Salt Lake.

My favorite thing about Seattle was eating at the Athenian Inn. For those of you who don't recognize the name of this restaurant (I didn't either) it is where Rob Reiner and Tom Hanks ate a meal while they discussed Tiramasu. It was so exciting to eat there! We all ordered fish (salmon) and chips (which were delicious).

At 7:00 Wednesday morning we hit the road and headed to Richland where we attended the temple and took more pictures. I saw my old fourth grade teacher while we were at the temple. That was a really neat experience. After a wonderful and very long drive, we arrived in Boise.

We dined with the Folletts and headed to the temple for yet another session of baptisms and pictures. We finished the night with an exciting game of Apples-to-Apples and "Dan in Real Life".

We arrived safely back in Logan on Thursday afternoon. After hours upon hours of driving we covered 2,202.9 miles, took over 300 pictures, and created inside jokes to last a lifetime. For more pictures, visit Colette's blog.

Where is Spring?

Since we're extremely cheap college students, we have decided to save money by using the heat sparingly, a.k.a: never. Our thermostat is usually set between 55 and 59 degrees. If we have layered our clothing and are shuddering beneath two fleece blankets and we're still cold, we'll turn the heat on. Right before Christmas break, we were all cold but not cold enough to turn the heat on. So we layered up in warm clothes, squished together on the love seat, covered ourselves in a blanket or two, and read for an hour or so.

There were a couple of weeks in January that were in the negatives so we decided to use the heat then. But we definitely tried to use it sparingly. Cassie couldn't handle it anymore so she broke down and bought a space heater. We didn't use the space heater sparingly though and we ended up not saving any money. We keep the space heater in the living room; so come bedtime, it's all about the layering and getting under the covers quickly. I feel like I have mastered bedtime warmth:

Here's the breakdown:

Clean, dry socks

sweatpants

Hooded sweatshirt complete with tightened hood

Once I have my warm clothes on, it is time to crawl under the many layers of blankets (I have labeled the layers for you). One thing to keep in mind, there's a little box next to my bed that just doesn't quite keep out the cold air.

Layer 1: pretty worthless-after all it is just a sheet, but what kind of bed would it be if there wasn't a sheet? Not a normal one, that's for sure.

Layer 2: a fuzzy blanket-I can use these again now that I understand that picking fuzzies ruins blankets

Layer 3: a down blanket-it's really nice, but I question its warming abilities

Layer 4: a quilt-my grandma made this one, it's got childhood written all over it and again I question its warming abilities, but it's precious to me

Layer 5: a rag quilt-I made this one and I don't question its warming abilities because it's made of flannel

Layer 6: on really cold nights I use this blanket to wrap around my stockinged feet, although the last couple of nights it has been warm enough for me to just lay it on top of everything else

There are two more blankets in the picture but those aren't for keeping warm. Those are for cuddling purposes-which is equally important to warmth in my book.

I stay warm at night. But I'm sick of these layers. I want my basketball shorts and T-shirt! The sun comes out each day, melting a little here and melting a little there. I think "Ahhh, spring is coming." And then the sun goes down and I realize it's still winter.

Spring break begins today. We're leaving for Missoula, heading to Spokane, driving to Seattle, staying in Boise, and looping back to Logan. I know, I know: you'd think we'd head somewhere warm; but no-we're going north. Hopefully we'll stay places where peoeple believe in using their heat.