What Makes Up Me

Ok so here’s a nice blog that isn’t so filled with frustration. In fact these are some well known or little known facts about me.
When I write a lot (my stories can be very detailed). At times I'm a little clumsy (hence the picture of me spilling my soup and the many bruises I tend to display). I like to do puzzles (someday I’d like to put one on the wall). I love the sun and warm weather (born and raised in CA). Snow is not a good friend of mine, but we are civil towards one another. I prefer cross country skiing over downhill (I hurt my knee the first time). I like to go biking although I need to replace my mountain bike for a road bike. I love quoting! I can use a quote in any conversation, and act as if it’s completely normal and no one ever knows (which isn’t always a good thing). I like to moon walk at work whether people are watching or not (in heels no less). I drive a black Honda Civic (not by choice) which has two names. Sometime my thoughts and emotions compute faster than my fingers when typing (you will notice the spelling errors along the way, if you haven’t already). Reading was considered torture when I was younger but I’ve grown to love it, although I’m way behind in my reading sheriff (that’s a quote that has been tweaked to fit the situation.) Movies are a passion of mine. I have tons of them which stare at me from the bookshelf waiting for me to unwrap and watch. (Some day little dvd’s, some day)
Volleyball is my favorite sport! I love to dive! I always have a bruise somewhere (the price you pay when you get into sports). I like to donate blood. I like to go on walks (It’s a nice way to get some exercise, clear my head, call people and enjoy the outdoors). My favorite color is green. Ice cream or chocolate are always a plus. The beach is my best friend (oh how I miss it). Disneyland IS the happiest place on Earth. Pineapple Whips are a joy that all need to try. I still have my baby blanket (sadly I found out my grandma didn’t make it). The first time I went fishing I caught 4 fish (it was deep sea fishing). I like scrambled eggs (but the runny yoke is a nice change from time to time) I tend to cover my mouth when I’m laughing really hard (using a pillow to hide is preferable). I’m also known for crying when I laugh really hard (I hear it’s a gift). I like to talk in accents. (I used to have English Sundays). I love to dance but am self conscience when I haven’t done it for a while. I never had teenage heartthrobs on my walls when I was younger. In fact I once was asked why I had a picture of old guys (aka the First Presidency) over my bed. I don’t like the “what’s your favorite” type of questions (I have too many favorites). I’m a bit old fashioned (I really want an old phone from the early 1900’s that hang on the wall). I used to be in plays and musicals (I was even Peter Pan). I used to make up stories when I was little (the Napkin Tree or Tree Napkin hmmm). I once broke a window playing tennis against my garage (I think my brother was blamed until I fessed up). I love pictures (I was a photographer in Junior High and High School). Music is a way of life that I like to follow (I tend to get random songs stuck in my head for days on end). I love volunteering at cancer camp (cutest kids)! I miss the East Coast (shout out to Philly). Traveling is high on my list of things to do (Italy here I come). Lastly, I love my family, I love my friends and I love my church. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The Irks of Blogging for the First Time

So I've been told by many a people that I should blog. "Denise," they say, "I want to read your writing. I want to know what you're up to. I think your blog would be fun and creative. " "Do you rally think so?" I respond. "Ya, of course, and its really easy." "Hmmmmm. Well I'll think about."
So I thought about it. I said Denise, you like to write. You like people to know your thoughts. You like to give your opinion. You want to be a writer. What better way then blogging, getting out there and networking a bit. Who knows this could help you and motivate you to write your book. So I won myself over and decided ok, I'll blog.
Well that idea came and went with the craziness that is my life. But the other day I was suddenly inspired my good friend/roommate who started her own blog. I thought, wow she made it look so simple. There she is, she's online. She's blogging. Her thoughts are now a part of other peoples thoughts. So I decided that day that I would come home from work and start. I would become a "blogger".
Little did I know (what a simple, yet powerful and usually scary phrase) that this would become my Mount Everest of the internet/technological world. Someone like me who likes flipping the pages of a book over the scrolling of a sidebar should have known that something like this is not so simple and "easy" as it appears to be for others.
The realization that this will stick with you "ffffooorrreeevvvvveeeerrrr" (thank you Squints) is a little intimidating. Pick a name, pick a layout, don't like that lay out go to a webiste and switch it. Don't liekt hat one you just switched it to, its ok. Try another. Oh wait, its not working. Try again. Still not working. Maybe get out of everything and start all over. Nothing changed. Hmmmm maybe you still have the original copy lets copy something different just to make sure. Yep, its working. Hmmmm, well maybe I'm the exception to the rule. Lets try the FAQ page. Well that didn't help just like every other FAQ page. What made me think that would work? Hope. Well sometimes hope is overrated. So then what, well maybe the program has had its fun and done watching me suffer in agony and feel as though I'm definitely not smarter than a 5th grader. Nope, the mocking continues.
The hands go up in the air and come back down pounding the couch cushions. All the while an exasperated noise escapes as the head frustratingly hits the back of the couch barely missing the wall. Although, if it would have hit the wall it would have given more of an excuse to throw a tantrum, like the little child that you are slowly regressing to. But alas, no such luck. So what now? Maybe in all of that someone will show mercy and come help. A rescue. If I remembered moorse code I'd S.O.S. someone. Fortunatelty a kind Fairy Godroommie happened to turn her head in my direction and came over to help. There she was deleting 13 (could be more but we didn't start counting till a little later) of my failed attempts. and with a wave of her magic wand there it was the layout I had been trying to get for over an hour.
Ok I feel better now. I can do this. Whats next a picture? Are you serious. Another decision? It's liek that scene in You've Got Mail, "The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc". Now I do know how to make decision, but such things as colors, fonts, layouts, titles, pictures, are meant to take time. This is a serious matter. Well after picking one picture I, of course, decide to change it. So I pick the first picture I thought of (a very true to life picture unfortuntely, but hey it brings a smile to others). So I decide, I should crop it out. So I open this picture in another program to crop it and make it pretty. So I hit save and look i that folder I saved it to, and to my technological track record there was no change. "Nooooooooooooo. you've got to be kiding me." More grunts, more hands flaring, more frustration. It's a good thing I don't swear. So I try again, and again, and again. Finally I decide hey, I need to let other people of my woes. So I update my staus wnad with it a bribe and a plea for help. And wouldn't know it, that at that time my Fair Godroommie happened to have read it and took me up on my bribe and helped me out. Well she once again waived her magic wond and there we go. Saved as I had cropped it. (I woudl tell you how she did it but my pride has already been hurt enough. It's really embarrassing. I chalk up my stupidity to a long day.)
Ok upload picture. Oh wait how do I do that again? I need to write these things down. Ok here it is. Upload and done. Lets preview. What? The other picture is still there? I jsut want to blog. Why can't I just blog? A voice is heard from the left "Denise, you can still blog. you can continually update and fix things as you go." My fairy Godroommie is wise.
So here I am. I've been working on my unfinished blog for a few hours now. Barely have the basics, and still am not satisfied with how it works. But I have sucessfully completed my first post. I feel a though a great accomplishment has been made. Sure I didn't go biking (there was a storm that helped to prevent that) and I somehow missed dinner, and well it's almsot time for bed and still not in the shower. But I have posted. I have shared my thoughts, my opinions my struggles, my many irks about blogging and all the cra.... wonderful growing and learning expereinces its given me. Thank you blogspot for this most enjoyable memory that I will keep forever. (SIGH) I feel better.
Oh and to whomever might have actually read this whole thing, for future reference my posts may be as long or longer (I'm a writer and well if you knew my gene pool you'd understand) but they hopefully won't be so frustrated. Although, sometimes that makes for the best stories. DC Post-It out.