Me vs. Spinning Rainbow of Death

Today was a lesson in futility. I've spent hours and hours this week staring at the computer screen, daring it to defy me (which it has. Repeatedly.) only to have my desire for productivity dashed.

Let me back up a bit. I should explain how this battle began, because it's obvious you know nothing of what has been going on this week.

It started on Monday. Monday was nice. Nothing going on, nothing really to do. My Institute class was rescheduled for the next day, and my Videography class was canceled due to an air conditioning problem (you do not want to be stuck in a Salt Lake City studio with no air conditioning in July). Monday was a nice relaxed day.

That should have been my first clue. Mondays are never nice, unless Monday knows that the rest of the week is planning a series of really mean pranks that will leave me sobbing in a fetal position come the weekend.

Tuesday started with Institute. I was ready, and it all went downhill from there. I n discovered that I would have to take all new pictures for my photography portfolio. Oh well. I like taking pictures. Pictures are fun. Driving in the city, however, is not.

Utah is filled with many nice people. Those nice people are not, necessarily, good drivers. There's a huge difference. After fighting my way through crazy, rude drivers to Park City to see my chiropractor (went very well. Only high spot in a series of lows), I had only a short visit before I had to drive back through these drivers. I made it in one piece.

Wednesday, I awoke with a nasty headache. I get cluster headaches, and most days I get them about 4:30, maybe 5:00 in the evening. Today I woke up with it. This bodes for a medicated day of angry pain poking me in the back of the eyeballs. Now, all I wanted to do was knit. Too bad. Stuff to do. As usual.

Come Videography I, I was in so much pain from my headache, sick from not eating most of the day, and annoyed by the constant ringing of my phone. I couldn't focus. I was ready to scream. Then I remembered I had to return stuff to the library. I was dutiful. No more fines.

This morning, my headache was back. I was tired, sluggish, and in a really bad mood. I had to get myself to the editing room. My group member, Walter, and I should have gotten the entire film blocked out, with the detail editing able to be finished tomorrow.

We spent five hours importing.

It wasn't like we wanted to. Macs are a pain in the tush, and I know a lot of Mac lovers! I really don't understand them! I spent most of that time battling the Spinning Rainbow of Death. Half of the film was refusing to import, the other half was terrible (thanks, group member. It's not hard to check out a tripod). I still have to use the terrible half. And they wonder why I'm such a control freak about this stuff.

But it's raining. I'm going home. I'm going to try and figure out this stupid import problem while I watch Midsomer Murders and plan the remake of the Eyelet Blouse.

The week still has a day. I think I can survive until, then, but if not, I leave all my yarn to my sister Erin. Erin, if you want more socks, I think you could make them yourself.

Pioneer Day Part II

So, I promised pics, so here's pics.

This is the ropes course. Awesomeness. I came down shaking with the adrenaline rush.

This is where Allison and some others did a Spice Girls lip sync. Very funny.



We played an awful lot of Phase 10. Very fun/infuriating game.

We went out on the lake in canoes.

We did eventually have to come back in. Good timing, too. We were all amazingly sunburned.

All in all, good weekend.

A-Camping We Shall Go!

Today, I am off for a camping overnight with Allison! Why? Why this weekend, you ask? Welcome to the Utah holiday known as Pioneer Day! Pioneer Day celebrates the founding of the state of Utah. This was approximately the day when Brigham Young looked over the ridge and said "This is the place." The pioneers stopped traveling, and settled here in Utah.

After leaving, the Saints eventually found a relatively secluded area to live in. Originally, the Saints were going to call it Deseret, a Hebrew word for beehive. However, a rather unkind senator decided that it wouldn't be called by a "Mormon Name" but rather decided that the Ute Indian word, Utah, meaning "in the tops of the mountains" would be used.

Today, it's celebrated here with parades, fireworks, carnivals, farmer's markets and a pile of other things. I'm excited. This will be the first Pioneer Day I've ever spent in Utah. It's not such a big deal anywhere else.

I'll post pics tomorrow.