2014: A Year in Review

*Cue obligatory New Year's Post*

I think this year has been the busiest of my life so far. I got to meet interesting people and do fun and exciting things. I also spent an unusual amount of time alone. 2014 was a year of re-evaluation and thorough self-discovery. And I came out very different than I entered. Better, I hope, but definitely different.

Let's talk highlights:

Starting the Film Program 
Getting into the film program at BYU probably had the biggest impact on my life this year. I started my first semester in the program last January and I must say that it has provided some of the best experiences of my life. I've been able to participate in so many amazing projects (On a High Arid Plain, Beyond, Chile Fields and more) and work with some of the best people I've ever met. I can now say with pure confidence that I know what I want to do with my life.

 

A Summer of Books 
I spent good amount of time this summer with my nose in a book. I'm so glad I did. I missed spending hours upon hours reading and I was lucky enough to have time this summer between semesters and films projects to do just that. I got out of my comfort zone and discovered new favorites (Life of Pi) and also let my inner reader out. Safe to say that she's not going anywhere anytime soon.

Cousin Road Trip 2014 
My cousin Bryce and I created a new tradition this year that I hope will continue indefinitely. We kept it simple this year and hit Bryce Canyon and Zion's National Park, where we survived Angel's Landing (the most terrifying hike I've ever done in my life). We also ate a LOT of licorice.

   

Homecomings Galore 

Several of my favorite humans got back from their LDS missions this year and it was the best. I'm so impressed with the people they've become and grateful for the examples they are to me. Plus I'm just happy to have their faces in my life again. 

 

(Sorry Tay, I couldn't find one with both of us). 

All in all 2014 was a pretty great year. And I have a feeling that 2015 is going to be even better.  

Love, Brontë

Wednesday Confessions

Nothing like starting a post with an awkward selfie (I still hate that word). It's mostly just to illustrate my embarrassingly unintentional hipster outfit today.  Don't worry, there's an explanation.

- I woke up late this morning and didn't have time to wash my hair. Hence the hat. Also my eyes were hurting too much to put contacts in so.... Glasses. Apparently I looked different enough for 4 people to comment on it.
-I finished season 6 of Parks & Rec and now I don't know what to do with my life.
-I cried several times during Interstellar, and it was mostly because I just really love outer space.
-I was recently introduced to the concept of man buns and my life will never be the same. I LOVE them.

I mean really, where has this been all my life?! 

Happy Wednesday!

Love, Brontë

Things I Should Have Blogged About But Didn't

There has been a sad lack of blogging in my life this semester. It's not that I haven't had things to write about, it's just that every time I sat down to start blogging a thousand distractions happened and the next thing I knew, I was going on my 5th episode of Parks & Rec. 

Basically, this is an obligatory catch up post with a sort-of promise to do better. So, in no particular order.......

Things I Should Have Blogged About But Didn't: 

- I moved! Okay, so it was only across the street from where I used to live, but it's still a life change. I decided that I'm going to move every school year for the rest of my college career. I love starting fresh, new apartment, new roommates, new ward new streets to explore, you get the idea. Plus, if I end up hating where I am I know it won't be forever. Also my new apartment has pink carpet. I dare you to beat that.

- School started. I should have written a first day of school post but in all honesty, I forgot until it was way to late for a start-of-the-school-year blog post (i.e. the middle of October). But in case you were wondering, school started and it's great.

- I went to a free Neon Trees concert. It was amazing. It would have made for a great look-how-cool-my-life-is blog post, but alas, I dropped the ball. However, please enjoy these pictures I thieved from Kristen's Facebook.

Why yes, we were in fact close enough to get this picture. 

Taking the best friends thing to a whole new level.

- The Walking Dead is now back on TV. I may still write a post about this.

- I was the Production Designer for a capstone film. That sentence is actually probably why none of the above was blogged about. There definitely will be a blog post on that in the near future.

- People in my family had birthdays. In a perfect world I would do a post for all my family members on their birthday. But since it's not a perfect world, that didn't happen. Maybe next year?

- I now own 4 pairs of black leggings. If that's not worthy of a blog post, I don't know what is.

- I discovered that Free Bagel Friday happens at the corner store next to my apartment. This is a game changer, and probably the greatest discovery I've ever made, apart from Netflix, leggings and Slab Pizza.

- Taylor Swift continues to rock my socks. I just want to be best friends with her. And Emma Stone. Remember when T-Swift Tuesday was a thing? It's making a comeback people.

Anyway, I'm going to make a kind of promise to be better at blogging. Or at least I'll try.

Happy Friday!

Love, Brontë

Wednesday Confessions

Well it looks like it's confession time again.

-When I'm home alone I turn "All I Do Is Win" all the way up and dance like a maniac.
-Sodalicious retweeted me the other day and I was way more excited than I should have been.
-I'm taking a storyboarding class and we're supposed to fill one page in our sketch book each day, but I am SO BAD at drawing and a perfectionist so it's a daily struggle. My sketch book is full of attempted figure drawings that really just look like sausage people.
-School is kicking my butt right now. I was excited to be busy again, but now that it happened, all I want to do is watch Parks & Rec all day every day. The grass is always greener I guess.
-I have been bringing a bag of goldfish crackers with me wherever I go this week. Because I'm five.
-I am seriously considering getting rid of all my pants and just wearing leggings for the rest of my life.
-I spent a really long time working on a playlist of music I love, and I still just listen to the same 4 songs on repeat.
-I never did finish The Sun Also Rises. Instead I read Mindy Kaling's biography. #notsorry
-I've gotten a grand total of 9 hours of sleep this week, so Dr Pepper has been a big part of my life. Also I skipped the gym this morning. So much for a healthy lifestyle.

Happy Wednesday!

Love, Brontë

P.S. Shout out to Erin who also sometimes does Wednesday Confessions.

Summer Reading List Wrap Up

If you didn't know, I LOVE to read. I spent a significant portion of my time from 2nd to 9th grade with my nose in a book. Unfortunately, part of growing up is that you seem to have less and less time for your favorite activities (ask me how long it's been since I put on my softball glove). Since I couldn't afford to travel this summer, I decided to do the next best thing. This resulted in the creation of an outrageously long list of books to read and several trips to the library. Out of the 42+ books on my list I only managed to read 11.5 (pitiful, I know) but it still turned out to be exactly what I needed. Here are my summer adventures:

1. Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel

I originally got this book because Life of Pi was checked out, and it was by the same author so I thought I'd give it a shot, and I'm glad I did. It's a pretty quick read, and is a beautiful story with a clever allegory woven in.

Favorite Quote: "Art is rooted in joy." 

2. Z (a novel of Zelda Fitzgerald) by Therese Anne Fowler

I've always loved F. Scott Fitzgerald's writing and I was always fascinated by his reportedly crazy wife Zelda. This novel is highly fictionalized, but it was so interesting and offered a hypothetical window into their life and marriage. Lovely writing and a fascinating story. 

Favorite Quote: "We have never been what we seemed." 

3. Bossypants by Tina Fey

I was in Barnes & Noble when I picked this up, read the first two pages and knew that it would be worth the $9 I paid for it. And it was. Tina Fey is delightful, and everything about this book is on point. My one wish is that she would have written more about Mean Girls.

Favorite Quote: "Do your thing and don't care if they like it."

4. Paper Towns by John Green

This is another home run for John Green. He's so good at writing raw characters with real flaws, which makes them all the more interesting. This book also has a bit of a mystery element to it, which I loved.

Favorite Quote: "Forever is composed of nows." 

5. Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

This was such a fascinating look at a high school break up. It's basically the girl's analysis of the relationship from start to finish, and she pinpoints all the little things that lead to their ultimate breakup. Definitely worth a read.

Favorite Quote: "I gave you an adventure, Ed, right in front of you but you never saw it until I showed you, and that's why we broke up." 

6. The Life of Pi by Yann Martel

This was my favorite book I read this summer. Yann Martell is a masterful writer and I fell in love with this story. It's a journey that is heartbreaking but also powerful and inspiring. Please, PLEASE read this. And then let's talk about it.

Favorite Quote: "To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation."

7. On the Road by Jack Kerouac

This was my least favorite book I read all summer. I disliked pretty much all of the characters and didn't really care what happened to them. I only finished it out of sheer stubbornness. However, I did appreciate the writing, which was very good. This is one that you'd have to read and decide for yourself.  

Favorite Quote: "The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous Roman Candles...."


8. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

This was a really interesting insight into depression, and it was definitely very eye opening for someone who hasn't struggled with it firsthand. It's funny and sad in all the right places, and has a very hopeful conclusion. Also worth a read. 

Favorite Quote: "Some of the most profound truths about us are things that we stop saying in the middle."




9. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

This one was actually a re-read, I read it a few years ago, but I couldn't remember much so I decided to read it again. I'm so glad I did. Whatever your concept of Heaven is, this book is incredible. It is poignant and moving from start to finish and reminds all of us that even the most seemingly insignificant people have an important impact on our lives.

 Favorite Quote: "All endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time."  

10. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

I'd been wanting to read this book for a long time, and it was not at all what I expected. Holden Caulfield's perspective on life and the world is so different from my own, that seeing it through his eyes was a completely new experience. I went through so many thoughts and emotions while I was reading and I couldn't stop thinking about it after I finished.

Favorite Quote: "If a girl looks swell when she meets you, who gives a damn if she's late? Nobody."

11. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

This was definitely not what I expected when I picked it up. For the first 3/4 of the book it's seemingly normal and then in the last quarter or so it has this bizarre twist that I did not enjoy. Overall it was quirky and funny, and if you like books about twins and supernatural happenings, this is for you. 

Favorite Quote: "Is it sad to fancy David Tennant when you're dead?"






11.5  The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

So I'm about halfway through this right now. So far so good. The opening chapter is especially interesting. Will update this post when I finish it. 

Favorite Quote So Far: "Always. I am always in love."








Love, Brontë

How to Write an Obituary: A PSA

I read a lot of obituaries for my job, and there are a few things that I'd like to address. Obituaries are a great way to memorialize a loved one who has passed on. I'm not really saying that there's a right or a wrong way to write one, but for someone who spends A LOT of time reading them, I have a few thoughts.*

First and most importantly, please, please, PLEASE include the date of birth and the date of death in the obituary. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to read an obituary with out these vital dates in them. And in my own personal opinion, what's the point of even writing an obituary if you aren't going to tell us when they died?

It is always lovely for people in my profession (don't you love how pretentious that sounds?) when an obituary writer includes all of the children's names, their spouses (if applicable) and their current city of residence. I do realize that some newspapers charge you by the word, so if you need to make it a bit shorter feel free to leave off the current city. But please keep the complete names in there. Please.

This may surprise you, but an obituary is not the place to take passive-aggressive (or plain outright) jabs at your sister, your step-mother, your brother or your aunt. Or any other family member for that matter. Especially not the person who is deceased. As highly entertaining as it is for the reader to have a peek into your family turmoil, you'd be much better off airing your dirty laundry elsewhere. (Perhaps a reality TV show?)

If possible, avoid having the deceased person write their own obituary. (Before they pass away, obviously). I get that it's unique (except that lots of people do it, so not really) and there may be some things that they want included in there, but when I'm reading an obituary written by the deceased person it feels like I'm reading a stranger's diary, and it's just a bit uncomfortable. Plus these obituaries rarely include death dates (see above).

You may be wondering how to make an obituary interesting, as well as a worthy tribute to the deceased. There are several possible ways to go about this. My personal favorite is the inclusion of a unique or interesting story or fact about the person, or something you loved about them. Notice that I said unique or interesting, not bizarre or ultra-personal. Somethings are best not shared with the public. A good rule of thumb is to only include things you would feel comfortable posting on Facebook. Wait, I take that back. Just don't say anything that you feel the deceased person wouldn't want shared with the world.

Other Tips:
Include a picture if you can. Preferably one that the deceased person would feel good about. Pictures are a nice touch, and they get the reader to be a bit more invested.
Marriage dates are always nice. Not quite as vital as birth or death dates, but still nice to know.
Finally an obituary is not about you. It's about the person who passed away, and it's your job to honor them in the best way you can.

And now I present to you my Favorite Obituary of All Time:

 Practically perfect in every way.

Love, Brontë

*This is (as always) my opinion. Not intended to be offensive in the slightest. 

Wednesday Confessions

It's been a while since I last blogged, so here are some confessions for your Wednesday:

-I am currently OBSESSED with The Walking Dead. I know I've mentioned this before, but recently the obsession has reached new heights. I got Kristen started on watching it and then we finished season 4 together. Now in addition to waiting for season 5 to get here, I've been watching hours of behind-the-scenes footage, listening to the soundtrack obsessively, reading tons and tons of articles about it, and I've even looked to see if there are any crew openings. I have a problem.
-I've been sick for the past week and a half which means I've basically given myself a free pass to do absolutely nothing. My days consist of going to work, coming home, making toast, putting on pajamas, and watching The Office for 5 hours straight. No regrets.
-I've been looking forward to this week for a long time, because not only does Taylor get back from her mission TODAY, but Lauren comes back from London Friday night, and Maddie comes back from Florida on Sunday. I can't even express how excited I am that I get to see three of my favorite long lost girls this week!
-I have recently become addicted to travel blogs. My wanderlust has been majorly kicking in this summer and since I'm way too poor to travel anywhere, I've had to content myself with living vicariously through strangers.

Anyway, I hope you are all having wonderful summer adventures!

Happy Wednesday!

Love, Brontë