Leslie Nielsen...

...died yesterday.

Not extremely surprising, as he was 84, but it was still a sad notice. On the entertainment websites, he is fondly remembered for the Naked Gun movies and his starring role in the Police Squad TV series. Heck, he's even canonized for Forbidden Planet, filmed long before he started doing comedy.

My favorite Leslie Nielsen role? As a general on MASH, in the episode titled "Ringbanger." His character keeps leading troops into hopeless situations and causing many injuries and deaths. So Hawkeye and Trapper manage to convince him that he is insane. Very funny episode.

I know he had a long career with many roles, but that's my favorite. Make of it what you will.

Heh.

Kanab...

...is still there.

I went to my parents' house yesterday with Chelsea. I figured since I'm meeting her entire family today, I should start introducing her to mine. It's only fair, right?

It went fairly okay and I survived. That's about all I'll say about the visit itself. I'm still processing, and the rest may stay internal. That's just how I roll sometimes.

While in Kanab, my parents were willing to give me some books. I know, I really needed more, right? I already have a rough time every time I move just with what I have. However, my dad was born in 1933, and he's been acquiring books for quite some time.

Several of the books hadn't been moved in a very, very long time. The dust was thick as any I've seen in a long time.

So what books did I bring home? Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Amy Vanderbilt's Etiquette: The Guide to Gracious Living. I know. Hilarious, right?
2. The Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe
3. Poems of Byron, Keats and Shelley, Selected and Edited by Elliott Coleman
4. Favorite Poems of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
5. The Lost World of Quintana Roo by Michel Peissel
6. The Deaths of the Bravos by John Myers Myers
7. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
8. Heidi by Johanna Spyri
9. Robin Hood penned and pictures by Louis Rhead
10. Hans Brinker by Mary Mapes Dodge
11. Grimm's Fairy Tales
12. Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare
13. King Arthur and His Knights compiled by Sir James Knowles
14. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
15. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
16. Hans Anderson's Fairy Tales
17. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
18. A book containing The Sound and the Fury and As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

Now I have much to read. They've been added to my stack of books waiting to be read.

Joy!

It's interesting...

...at least to me.

I've been dating Chelsea for a couple weeks. Our relationship is progressing at what would normally be an alarming rate. However, things feel so natural with her that I can't help wanting to push it even faster. I've managed to resist that urge thus far. How long can I hold out? I don't know.

I try very hard not to be a typical Utah native. See, it's a stereotypical part of Mormon culture for a couple to date a couple weeks, then get engaged. I've always looked at that with a fair amount of pessimism. Dating someone for a couple weeks doesn't give a person insight into the potential partner's personality.

Now, however, I find myself wanting to take the leap. No worries, I'm not going to make any major life decisions any time within the next week or two.

It all feels right at the moment. It feels fantastic, to tell you the truth. I'm a hopeless romantic, but luckily I have this practical side that keeps me from making too many mistakes. It sure is fun to imagine being that impulsive though. I only have a couple weeks left in the semester and I just want to say "stuff it" and just abandon my classes to the wolves just to focus on her. It's all I can do to keep going and work on my assignments. I want to spend all my time with her.

It's a new and exciting feeling.

Top Five...

...country songs. At the moment. My tastes can be slightly fickle and subject to change. I could probably write a new list next week and have a couple different songs. Anyway, here you go:

1. Not Ready to Make Nice by the Dixie Chicks. This was the song they wrote in response to the nasty reaction after lead singer Natalie Maines told a crowd that the chicks were ashamed President Bush came from Texas. The group received death threats and were told to "shut up and sing." So much for free speech, I guess. Anyway, this song basically says that they are ready to forgive but they can't forget. They're going to keep being who they are. It's a nice anthem. Really inspiring.
2. Already Home by Ha-Ash featuring Brandi Carlile. Great song about regret. This trio of voices sings about how, after breaking up and going out on their own, they each realize that when they were with their ex they were already home, that they didn't really need to move on. They had everything they wanted. It's a very poignant song.
3. Highwayman by The Highwaymen. Talk about a country super-group. Willie Nelson. Johnny Cash. Waylong Jennings. Kris Kristofferson. Each member sings a verse about a different character that has died but still lingers in spirit form. Considering each story is about 30 seconds long, I'm surprised at how much I connect to each character. It's a great song.
4. Need You Now by Lady Antebellum. I love duets. In any genre. So a country group that writes most of their songs as duets? Yeah, I'm there. This song is all about the loneliness felt when separated from the person who has a claim on your heart. "It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now." Great sense of longing. I love singing along with this one.
5. Stuck Like Glue by Sugarland. So amazingly catchy. I can't get the thing out of my head. It's a rather unique song, as the country is infused with reggae. Not your usual combination, but it really works here. Plus, the music video is hilarious. Jennifer Nettles, the female lead singer, is incredibly tall, about 6'6" in heels. She also has the best crazy/angry eyes I've ever seen. When she gives the guy in the video a nasty look, I quake in my socks. Fun, bouncy, and a little crazy. What's not to like?

And there you go. A pretty good selection if I say so myself. I'll probably do another list fairly soon featuring another genre. Maybe even a specific artist. I'm thinking songs from musicals, Bon Jovi songs, Billy Joel songs, that sort of thing. Should be fun.

I hope.

Don't Get Excited...

...especially you, Mom.

I went on a date this week. I had a wonderful time. And now I'm scared shitless.

See, here's the deal. I find the girl I went out with very attractive. She has tons of qualities that I look for. She's pretty amazing. Met her in my Creative Non-Fiction class. We had set the date for Wednesday night. On Tuesday, she said a bunch of her friends were going to a movie and did I want to go? Not to the ones her friends wanted, but we went to Despicable Me (great movie by the way). So I'm sitting there in the theater, in the dark, and I want to hold her hand.

Me.

The guy who moves at a near glacial pace when going out with someone. I like to think things through, be sure of what I'm feeling, what I want. So holding hands is a pretty significant first step. I didn't, but the fact I wanted to was very telling for me.

We had a fun first date: Dinner with good conversation. A reading by our professor at the local book store. Mini-blizzards at Dairy Queen afterward with more good conversation. I took her home and she invited me in. I met her roommates. They were nice. One went to high school with my niece. My date put her hand on my knee. I was surprised but comfortable with it. We conversed for a while. I almost pushed her off the chair, but restrained myself. Then I got ready to leave. I thought about going for a kiss.

Me!

Gah! What is going on? I think about her and my heart starts stuttering, making me nervous and jittery. I get around her and I want to be impulsive.

A week ago, I was thinking about requesting that my church remove my name from their records. Not because I was upset or anything, I just don't enjoy it and don't want to deal with it anymore. I think I'll give it another try. Not because she would want me to, because I think she'd rather I do things I want to do. However, I want to do it, because she deserves someone who's willing to meet her at least halfway. Who knows? Maybe me and the church won't work out, but I think she'll be okay with what I decide. We haven't discussed it yet, but I've been thinking about it. She's a returned missionary. So am I. I just returned a little more.

I think I'm crushing. Hard. And it's fun, exciting, nervewracking, distracting, exhilirating, terrifying and just plain great.

Elections...

I voted today. It's the first time in a long time I've cared enough to do the research and actually vote. I put it off a little too long, so I don't know that I was as informed as I should have been, but I made an effort. Next time I'll do better.

More on this later.