Day 7: Clean

clean

1. Free from dirt, stain, or impurities; unsoiled.

2. Free from foreign matter or pollution; unadulterated. Not infected.

3. Producing relatively little pollution. Producing relatively little radioactive fallout or contamination.

4. Having no imperfections or blemishes; regular or even.

5. Not ornate or intricate; spare. Sharply defined; clear-cut.

6. Free from clumsiness; deft; adroit.

7. Devoid of restrictions or encumbrances.

8. Thorough; complete.

9. Having few alterations or corrections; legible.

10. Blank.

11. Morally pure; virtuous. Having no marks of discredit or offense.

12. Fit for all readers, listeners, or audiences; not ribald or obscene.

13. Honest or fair.

14. Slang Not carrying concealed weapons or drugs. Innocent of a suspected crime.

15. Informal Free from narcotics addiction. Showing no evidence of using banned or performance-enhancing substances.

So they, meaning my landlords, had the carpets in my apartment shampooed yesterday and it smelt wonderfully clean. This new clean feeling brought up the fact that my apartment was sadly under-decorated so my room-mate, Jessica, and I went and picked up a few things to make it look homier. Here is the finished product:

Day 6: Delightful

de·light·ful

Greatly pleasing.

I had a surprising "delightful" run today. My new year's resolution this year was to start exercising more. To help me do this, I bought myself a new pair of running shoes for Christmas. Since then, I have gone running about 3 times.....all not really successful tries and really just made me want to never look at my new running shoes again. But this week has been all about trying new things so when I woke up I said I would try again. I tried a new way of running where I run for two blocks then walk for two blocks. It was actually delightful and I can't wait to try it again!

Day 5: Envious

en·vi·ous

1. Feeling, expressing, or characterized by envy.

2. Eager to emulate; emulous.

For those of you that don't know, one of my favorite past-times in life is going swinging. I don't really know why it started but when I was like 13 or 14 I would grab my walkman (yeah, that's right walkman) and go to the park behind my house and disappear into a world of music and day-dreams. Now, ten years later, I still do the same thing though there have been some changes: luckily I now have an iPod so I don't have to drag my cassette tape collection anymore and Provo has more people in it. The later change has created something of a difficulty lately. Now that it is getting warmer, people are starting to come to the park more often making getting a daily swing a difficult. It has also stirred some very negative emotions up in me. Every time, I turn the corner to see the park that is two blocks away from my apartment, I dread the sight of seeing people on the two swings at the park (two swings is NOT enough for any park). When I see the swings filled, I always stop in my tracks and am filled with an overwhelming feeling of jealousy and envy. The worst is when it's a couple who think it's romantic to sit in the swing staring into each other's eyes. THEY AREN'T EVEN SWINGING! ... so I usually end up creepily sitting at the picnic table behind the swing and wait. Don't judge me.

Day 4: Terrible

te-ri-ble

1. Causing great fear or

alarm; dreadful.

2. Extremely formidable.

3. Extreme in extent or

degree; intense.

4. a. Unpleasant;

disagreeable.

b. Very bad.

I was a little worried when I pulled this word out of my jar today that it was foreshadowing my choir's performance tonight. Luckily, that was not the case and the Voices of Thunder did FANTASTIC!

So I began to think about something terrible in my life right now, which, happily, was difficult to do because things are actually going pretty well. Then I got to my classroom this morning and saw these "joyous" things waiting for me.

They look so harmless don't they? With their bright colors and sparkles. But it's all a lie because when put into the hands of my students they are actually an instrument of torture - pun intended. I teach music at an elementary school and this week I have started teaching my 5th and 6th graders to play the recorder. I went into this already disliking recorders and that feeling has grown into an almost monstrous hatred within a few day. Maybe going into this with that opinion hasn't helped but thus it is. I am trying to be positive about teaching the recorders and maybe it will get better. But I can't help but feeling like there should be some terrifying music booming when I have to utter the words, "OK class, pull out your recorders" and then the nice, brightly-colored woodwinds change into the monstrosities they really are. THIS!

Day 3: Puzzled

puz‧zled

confused and unable to understand something.

So I got my new glasses today in the mail. Two things I find puzzling about these: One, they were free! It is some promotion this company is doing right now. Check it out here, you just have to pay for shipping. How does that even work? Two, fashion is such a fickle thing. One day giant glasses are only for nerds and the next they are considered a "must-have." Oh well, I still LOVE it.

Day 2: Fierce

fierce

1. Having a savage and violent nature; ferocious.

2. Extremely severe or violent; terrible.

3. Extremely intense or ardent.

4. Strenuously active or resolute.

5. Informal Very difficult or unpleasant.

6. Savage or threatening in appearance.

Thistles by Ted Hughes

Against the rubber tongues of cows and the hoeing hands of men
Thistles spike the summer air
And crackle open under a blue-black pressure.

Every one a revengeful burst
Of resurrection, a grasphed fistful
Of splintered weapons and Icelandic frost thrust up

From the underground stain of a decayed Viking.
They are like pale hair and the gutturals of dialects.
Every one manages a plume of blood.

Then they grow grey like men.
Mown down, it is a feud. Their sons appear
Stiff with weapons, fighting back over the same ground

Day 1: High-pitch

high-pitched

1. High in pitch, as a voice or musical tone.

2. Steeply sloped, as a roof.

3. Marked by or indicating intense emotion

This last week I have been playing my guitar quite a lot. It's just such a great escape from my daily stresses and relax into my calm strumming rhythms. I have really fallen for an Elvis Presley song Can't Help Falling in Love covered by Ingrid Michaelson. Check it out!