I love the smell of flip-flops in the morning.

These arrived in the mail today. I ordered them online last week, having finally surrendered to this empirical truth: Old Navy flip-flips are the only brand in the known universe that are reliably cheap, comfy, and durable.

In other news, at some point in the last couple years I've become more allergic to mosquito saliva. I've got four quarter-sized knots throbbing away as we speak. But my will is strong.

Also, here's a poem fragment I wrote to a prompt a while ago, that's probably not going to end up anywhere.

Prompt: X-ray

High school choir grooved
middle C into my vocal chords,
made tight rope of my throat muscles,
leathered my lungs. Five lazy years later,
would an X-ray today show scar tissue
or the remission of promise?

Gradu-what?

Well, it's done. I am no longer a BYU-Idaho student (and yes, that punctuation is correct; in the past three years The Powers That Be have changed the university title adjoiner from the em dash to the en dash to the lowly hyphen).

Weird. But cool. (Being a graduate. Not the punctuation demotion.)

The commencement and convocation ceremonies were very nice, though the latter didn't end until 9:30 PM, by which time I was so tired and overstimulated that I had a very difficult time handling the sudden intersection of so many divergent aspects of my life -- my dad, stepmom, siblings, and grandmother, Rexburg itself, Brother Samuelson, Liz and Jacob, and Gary Benson -- there in the stuffy foyer of the Kirkham building in that stupid hat that kept falling off with every hug and photoshoot attempt.

Ah well. Afterward Dad bought me a huckleberry shake from Arctic Circle, which helped. Then they dropped me off and I sobbed hysterically into my pillow for twenty minutes and fell asleep all crusty-eyed. Which also helped.

I guess I'll go to England now.

:)

Still on the dog thing...

So, I've been compiling a list of dog breeds I want to own someday, arranging them into groups of three, and brainstorming names for them. Because I think this is a really good use of my time right now. Assuming an average lifespan of 12 years per dog, and assuming I won't want more than three dogs at any given time, in order to own one each of the following breeds I need to start fifteen years ago and live to be 154. Hm. Still, this was fun.

Note: A few breeds are interchangeable to me, as is indicated by slashes (/).

GROUP ONE

Leonberger: Orson or Ursa

Brittany: Bourbon


Boxer: Augustus ("Gus")

GROUP TWO

/

Weimaraner/Viszla: Nickel/Penny

Australian Kelpie: Oz

Briard: Filibuster

GROUP THREE

Australian Shepherd: Matilda

Chesapeake Bay Retriever: Charlotte

Basenji: Yosemite

GROUP FOUR

/

Standard Schnauzer/Kerry Blue Terrier: Moses

Doberman Pinscher: Turtle

Akita: Ticonderoga ("Ty")

GROUP FIVE

Schipperke: Escher

/

Borzoi/Afghan Hound: Baryshnikov

Airedale Terrier: Wallace

GROUP SIX

/

Pharoah Hound/Ibizan: Niles

Norfolk Terrier: Graham

Bernese Mountain Dog: Stella

GROUP SEVEN

Great Dane: Horatio

Shiba Inu: Kismet

Standard French Poodle: Wellington

GROUP EIGHT

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever: Chloe

English Foxhound: Hugh

Canaan Dog: Jerusha

GROUP NINE

Belgian Tervuren: Wagner

Black Russian Terrier: Trotsky

Finnish Spitz: Terwilliger

Group Ten

Newfoundland: Noah

Dachshund (miniature smooth): Shoe

Yorkshire Terrier: Pudding

Group Eleven

Border Collie: McCoy

Kuvasz: Magellan

Gordon Setter: Charlemagne

Group Twelve

Rottweiler: Grissom

Siberian Husky/Malamute: Mush

Rhodesian Ridgeback: Malcolm

Puppy Love

I discovered this (and last) year's Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is on hulu. Watching it, I was incensed anew that the Leonberger is still not yet recognized by the WKC. What is wrong with these people?

I mean, look at this. Is this not the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?!

Also, HUGE. Oh my gosh. His paw is the size of her FACE. 

They have friggin' GOLDEN EYES, okay?

And GIANT BUSHY TAILS,

which they sometimes carry curled in a highly adorable fashion.

In addition, they are brave and noble altruists, rescuing wanderers in the Swiss Alps in their spare time...

... and are 100% safe around small animals.

Basically, coolest dog ever. I so want one. Highfive.