Scratch that . . .

I took a test tonight. I did really really well, and I felt good about it. When I got there, they were all out of copies of the test, so I waited around for a while. I tried studying, but I ended up checking out a couple of tests. Finally, I started and took my test up in the break room upstairs. I came out unscathed about 2 and a half hours later.
I sent a celebratory text to a friend of mine at 10:05 - knowing that by then, we'd both be done with the test. He called me back, asking if I just got back from the TC. I said yes, and then he told me some sad news.
He was accused of cheating on that test at the Testing Center.
Yeah, bad news indeed. Here's what he told me what happened. He was getting his test, and he asked if they had any extra scratch paper. "Yeah, there's some in the bin." So he goes to the bin, grabs a sheet and makes an immediate outline for the essays on our test. Two hours later after he's taken the multiple choice portion and made good progress on his essay, the proctor notices that his scratch paper has the wrong stamp. She pulls him out, and they talk to the supervisor. Because of the way we deal with scratch paper at the TC, it seems that the only logical conclusion would be that he brought it in from elsewhere with notes already written on it.
So, he called me explaining this to me, wondering what he could do to remedy the situation. The only thing I know to do is talk to the teacher. Now, I don't know how much of a stickler Dr. Johnson is, or how he would even react to this situation. My friend asked me to come with him when he talks to the teacher, but really I can only say one thing. I can explain the process of stamping and putting out scratch paper.
Here's what I can't do:
-I can't convince fellow employees or even our teacher that this friend did not cheat. As much as I believe it to be true, because of my loyalties to my job, logically it would make sense that he brought in the paper. But because of my loyalties to him as a friend, I know he would never do that sort of thing.
-I can't retell the story. I wasn't there. He might not be telling me the truth. And even if I was on that shift, I don't know if I wouldn't have been able to change the situation.
Is it possible to believe him and trust the integrity of the Testing Center at the same time? Yeah, this puts me in a weird situation. Advice, anyone?

Random Rambling #5

53. I'm pretty sure I get stress headaches. They come at the end of a really long day when I've tried to pack it full with things to do on my to-do list. They seem to be compounded when things out of my control don't work out. Like compressed files on the computer or a slow internet connection. I think I clench my teeth, too.
54. The other day I made frogeye salad for my dinner group. Too bad there wasn't a warning on the recipe that told me to use the biggest bowl possible to mix it all in. Being my smart self, I used my biggest mixing bowl . .. but it was STILL overflowing! And it called for an entire bag of small marshmallows. I'm serving it tonight, so the whole process of making it better be worth it.
55. I have three flavors of ice cream in my freezer.
56. I watched Spencer the weatherman on the news today.
57. I also watched part of The View talkshow where they interviewed a family with 18 children. Yup. All natural births, and all under the age of 21 (with two sets of twins), and all names start with the letter J. That. is. ridiculous! It makes Mom's combined 6 years of pregnancy look like nothing. I almost feel bad for all the kids because in order to stay out of debt, they have to buy second-hand things; they even make their own laundry soap to save money. Wow. If their public appearances are anything like the Blake family, then I can only imagine what sort of spectacle they put on! And the hosts asked the parents, "Is this the last one, or are there more?" "I'm all for more, if the Lord says so," responds the mom. Yeah, she must be super righteous or something because I'm pretty sure she and her husband are trying to single-handedly fulfill the commandment to "multiply and replenish the earth."
58. My email account is loading something, so I'm taking this time to relieve stress. I need to stop thinking about everything that I have to do in the next few months because I could quite possibly die on the spot.
59. I just spent a good chunk of the last hour trying to download the supplemental music files from my music history class. They were compressed files sent through some website, which basically means that it's incredibly difficult to download them on my personal computer, either through email or my jump drive. So, I pretty much give up on that account, which means that it's one more thing to add on my list "Go to library and listen to pieces enough to be able to recognize them on my test next week."
60. UUUUGGHH!
61. There. I relieved some more stress, although I don't know how much it helped. My headache is still here. And I still have one more class, preparing dinner for my dinner group, and a paper that I need to work on. Oh, such is life.
62. Craziness never ends. But this post does.
63. Hey, I got the files to work!! Now, on to the next item of business . . .literally, an item of busy-ness. Tune in later for a post when my head isn't pounding. Perhaps the next post will be more profound, funny, or logical.
64. Most likely, it won't be. =)

Sister Chronicles, Part 2

In my ward, our Relief Society changes every semester. Last semester I had the opportunity to serve as the Secretary in my RS, and I came to know the sisters so much better than I would have otherwise. Not only did I know what apartments they lived in or where they were from or what their calling was, or other secretarial info, but I got to know them as actual sisters, it seemed. I was especially touched by many many comments they would make in our RS meetings; through those comments I learned to love them better and understand perhaps just a bit more about each one of them. Remember those things that we'd do in Young Womens where you make a list of all the good qualities about everyone else? Well, we did something like that, except this time, we spoke them out loud. On the last Sunday that we all met together, we sat in a giant circle so we could all see each other, and we went around taking time to focus on each person. It was amazing what I learned about each sister by what other sisters had observed of her. What an inredible and Spirit-filled meeting that was! Our president had tape recorded the whole meeting without our prior knowledge, and later that day, we as a presidency typed up all that was said about each person and put it on a nice card as a Christmas gift.

I love Relief Society.

Ward Choir

I love my calling as the music chair. As part of that, I'm the ward choir director. I'm really excited to be able to use my skills, and not to sound prideful, but I think I'm probably the best qualified person in the ward to lead the choir.
But I am so nervous! Why?! I feel like I have to plan everything in advance . ..which pieces we're doing, how I'm going to warm up the choir, when we're singing in Sacrament Meeting, who will be my accompanist, who's going to come, how well they sing, blah, blah, blah. I'm sure the choir will be great (given it is a ward choir), but I feel like I have such big shoes to fill. Because I know so much about music, and after watching Sis. Weidmann do an excellent job as a ward choir director, I feel like I have a responsibility to be the absolute best I can be because that's what I envision. Yeah, I can be better than previous ward choir directors in this ward, but I want the people to have fun and enjoy it, too. Angst. I've spent the last hour or so trying to choose some pieces and make lists of ideas to use with the choir, and I'm still a little anxious about it. What if they don't like me? What if I go over the top? I tend to to that with things, you know. (Take school for instance . ..).
Will you just reassure me that it will be okay?!? Why am I so nervous about this?!

Devin doesn't have a dog.

Spencer's comment from my latest post reminded me of this awkward moment in high school.
I was in PALS, this mentor program at our high school. Every year, we had a kidnap where we kidnapped the new people in the program and took them out to breakfast. I gave my friend Devin rides to our schools and stuff, so I had agreed to pick him up that morning so we could go pick up our people together. I normally picked him up from school, so he had to tell me his address.
Well, when I'm driving in the dark at 5 in the morning, my night vision isn't very good. What I thought was Claremont Street turned out to be Canemont Street. So . .. I knocked on the door of the appropriately numbered house and waited. And waited. I heard a dog bark. Devin didn't have a dog. Then I heard a deep man's voice tell the dog to shut up. Devin doesn't have a deep man voice. This man opened the door. He was white. Devin was hispanic. Great. So . ..what did I do? Basically, after stupidly asking if Devin lived here, I apologized profusely and left the poor man to get back to his sleep.
Maybe I should resign from offering rides to any of my friends of the male variety from now on. It never turns out very good, it seems.

I decided this semester should be full of awkward posts.

Like this one.

I drive my friend Evan to school because he's still recovering from a broken leg he's had since around Thanksgiving. Last semester, we had our first class together every day, so I'd pick him up every day. This semester, I only take him on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but he's out of his special boot, so pretty soon I may not be giving him rides at all anymore. I used to climb the stairs to his apartment so I could help him down the stairs in his crutches. He doesn't need help going down the stairs anymore, but I still go up to his door and knock instead of just calling him.
So, last Tuesday, I climbed the stairs to his door and knocked at the appointed hour of 7:10 in the morning. I had noticed from the parking lot that the light to his living/kitchen area was on. I was a little puzzled because every other time I would pick him up the light would be off because he gets ready in the dark (after all, it is so ridiculously early). Oh, well . ..I thought nothing of the light.
Until I knocked at the door . .. and waited . . .and waited. Then he comes to the door in his bathrobe, apparently so roughly awakened by my knock. So, I come inside and wait on his couch while he goes back to change and get ready super fast. As if that wasn't awkward enough, his new roommate (whom I hadn't yet met) had been asleep on the couch. My knock also woke him, and I'm sure he was pleasantly surprised, if not utterly confused to find a girl in his apartment at such an ungodly hour. "Who are you?" he asks. I explain simply who I am and why I'm there. Noticing it was still dark outside, he asked what time it was. I told him, and he agreed that it was way to early to give any sort of attention to anything academic. He looks around, then he kindly informs me of the obvious. "Uh . .. I think I fell asleep on the couch last night." Hence the reason the light was on, thought I. "Yeah, it looks like it." Luckily I was saved from continuing the painfully awkward situation by the presence of Evan, dressed and ready to go (despite not having showered, of course). We left, and I'm sure his roommate went promptly back to sleep on the couch.
With the light still on.

Just Keep Swimming . .. .

Have you ever tried on a new swimsuit and you just feel awkward doing it? 'Cause you gotta keep your underwear on, right? And, besides that, that's probably the most naked you've gotten in a dressing room before, and you're probably still wearing socks when you try it on, right? Maybe you're imagining your body in that swimsuit, and that makes you feel awkward.
Okay, combine all those factors, and add in a few. Like, maybe you're buying a swimsuit in the middle of the winter when it's snowing outside. Or the fact that you haven't bought a new swimsuit in who knows how long, so you have no idea how the sizing works.
Okay, now add a boy waiting for you in the Sporting Goods store as you're trying on said swimsuit.
Yeah. Water Aerobics better be worth all this! =)