Something has to change.

The jobs I’ve had since I’ve graduated have been unstimulating, uninspiring, and completely unproductive…or maybe that’s just me… They have been shockingly similar, though: alpha female supervisor, tedious work, fear of getting fired due to distraction, strong temptation to quit, disgruntled coworkers...

As a result, I’ve thought a lot about going back to school for a different degree. (It’s true, I’m facing up to the facts--archaeology just isn’t for me. Turns out I don’t like contract jobs and creepy old men and surprisingly long trips to the desert. Weird, huh?) In an attempt to pinpoint my interests, talents, and inabilities, I decided to take some “exploratory” classes this fall at the Salt Lake Community College.

The class I’m taking right now is in Engineering Drafting and Design Technology. It’s Intro. to AutoCAD, which is a computer program drafters use to create accurate plans for fabricators. I’m not going to bother explaining how I chose this subject; I would like to maintain at least some level of mystery in my life.

Here are two of the more recent homework assignments. The house plan was perfect--I’m really loving italics right now--but something happened when I converted it to .jpg. You get the idea.

It's raining posts and blogs!

Uh, when it rains it pours? And what could get you in the mood for some serious Utah bashing more than pouring dirt-rain?

I’ve never been a big fan of fall in Utah. Before you mob me with cries of “Heretic!” allow me to explain. Fall used to be my favorite season. I come from a city that sits on one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world. If I remember correctly from my middle school science class (and I think I do), trees like water. Utah is a desert. Here, fall means winter and winter means cold and dark. Here, you have to catch the colors and drive to the snow. In my hometown, the colors catch you and on average, snowfall reaches 2-3 times more than in Salt Lake City. Admittedly, Utah has it’s own beauty, so maybe it has nothing to do with whatever it is I’ve been talking about (I offer this token of peace to appease all home grown Utahns). Perhaps my displeasure with fall has to do with the fact that Halloween and Thanksgiving have never been my favorite holidays and they’re even less appealing without family. Regardless of the reason, I’ve been in a state of denial. The days have been warm but the mornings are cold and I’ve refused to wear a jacket…until today.

Well, it was something of a breakthrough, not just because I yielded to the pre-frosty air, but because after work I suddenly became excited about fall. I don’t know if it was Temple Square’s preparations for Christmas (they’re putting lights on the trees), the hint of a chill beneath the sun’s rays, the leaves blowing across the sidewalk, or the thought of successful Halloweens and Thanksgivings of the past, but I no longer weep over the loss of summer. Instead, I remember everything I love about fall: sweatshirts, hot chocolate, crunching leaves, football, school, a respite from intensely uncomfortable weather, candy, costume/dance parties, turkey bowls, did I say hot chocolate?

In fact, I even look forward to “catching” the colors in the mountains. Who’s with me?

Coincidence? You decide.

I’m feeling the pressure to update and while I have some posts in the works they still require tweaking. Therefore, I shall write about something that I really should document but lack the fortitude to scribble into my journal. Here goes.

Last week was an interesting week. In all honesty, it was a terrible week. For some reason--or actually for reasons I won’t elaborate here--I was in desperate need of validation. I wish I could claim that I am an island…and a rock. However, I need people. Perhaps it comes from an innate hatred for being wrong but I try not to assume, or even deduce logically, how people feel about me--hence the need for words of affirmation (queue theme song for The Five Love Languages). The point is, and believe me there is a point, all of the uncertainty and frustration came to an anti-climax on Thursday. I was angry and emotional and was supposed to go to the temple but wasn’t really feeling the spirit of it. I took a minute to talk to a friend and get a hold of myself and then went. I wish I could say that I had an amazing spiritual experience that answered all of my prayers and compensated for any suffering I subjected myself to…but I didn’t. Instead I felt only slightly better and perhaps even a little slighted, until I entered my car, drove out of the parking garage, and noticed a little note flapping in the wind. You guessed it; it was exactly what I needed to hear. In the last vestiges of the week, a couple other people said things I was hopelessly seeking. It's interesting that help comes only after you feel like you've exhausted all of your resources and you've almost lost all hope. Then, there can be no doubt as to whose arm you're leaning on.

The note started out, “Coincidence that you parked yourself conveniently here on a Thursday? I thinketh not!” Well, I thinketh not too.

“This is incredible, starving, insatiable. Yes, this is love for the first time.”

I never believed in love at first sight…at least, not until now. Not until it happened to me.

I stumbled into love on a sunshiny Saturday surrounded by some of my greatest friends. The day was almost over, I was tired and my body hurt...and then it happened. The moment I saw him, music filled my ears. It was as if a band was standing on queue, waiting for the man that would change my life forever. His brilliant smile captured me even from a hundred feet away. I was drawn in, and it took only a few words from his well-crafted face before I was lost completely. I heard him comment about how pretty the girls were in Salt Lake and I hoped beyond desperate hope that somehow...I was one of those girls. The words to a song echoed through my very being, “You have stolen my heart, you have stolen my heart…” I lost sight of him multiple times, but I never stopped searching for his face amidst the crowd because every time I caught a glimpse of him, my heart melted...and then...he was gone... After he disappeared it was as if the world was suddenly empty, as if there was nothing left to stay for. That night, I found it difficult to sleep because his words repeated themselves through my head...

Ah, I don’t often share feelings like this, least of all to the whole world (and we all know the whole world reads this blog) but there’s really no sense in denying it. There were over a hundred other screaming females that could testify to feeling the same thing…

So, his name is Chris…and he’s the lead singer of Dashboard Confessional.

Now, if I can just figure out a way to meet him.

Anti-semantics (copyright Stefanie Star Snow, Esq., Inc., & Co.)

I thought about changing my headline to “Bloggerismifica: A collection of posts that closely resemble essays.” You laugh because it’s true. So I thought I’d give you, my adoring fans, a break and be brief…if that’s possible.

On her blog, my friend Shelley called herself a book snob. What she didn’t tell you is that she, along with myself and one other friend, are sometimes particular about the way people use words…affectionately called “word Nazis.” Mostly I chalk it up to our extreme brilliance and our well-read-edness. (Realize that, as in everything else, although we’re particular about what other people say, we don’t expect ourselves to keep the standard. I know it’s not fair, but tell me, when has life ever been fair?) In order to educate the general public I wanted to post some words that people may be having trouble with…or really just distinctions that I think are interesting.

Further/farther:
Further: refers to degree or extent
Farther: refers to physical distance

Graveyard/cemetery:
Graveyard: usually a small burial ground near a church
Cemetery: a larger area set apart for burial on the edge of town

Among/amongst:
They are the same, although amongst is probably older and more common in Britain.

Interpret/translate:
Interpret: oral
Translate: written

Weep/cry:
Weep: shed tears
Cry: shed tears noisily

Allegory/parable:
Allegory: lengthy story using figurative language to represent an abstract idea or general truth
Parable: short comparison or story using familiar situations to illustrate a moral principle

Hieroglyph/petroglyph/pictograph:
Hieroglyph: pictorial character used in a system of writing to represent meaning or sound
Petroglyph: picture pecked or carved into rock by prehistoric peoples
Pictograph: picture painted on rock by prehistoric peoples

Patriartichal:
This word was difficult to pinpoint but I believe it derives from the Greek patria meaning lineage and articulus meaning joint or division and thus translates to a division of lineage. For example, a patriartichal society is one in which tribes and family schisms dictate the social order. Also, a patriartichal blessing is one in which you find out about the division of your lineage…ok, that’s FALSE.

FACT: the word is patriarchal.

Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.

Massecrated:
NOT a word.

So much for being brief...