Wow

Wow. That is really all I can say about today. BYU campus was both a rarity and an oddity.

First, I walked out of my class at noon when I heard cheers and shouts coming from the middle of the quad (see the two x's on the map in the center? The quad is the white x surrounded by grass in the middle of the map). I looked over and saw a wedding. No joke. In the middle of BYU campus. I don't know if it was the wedding or reception or just a joke. but the bride was wearing a dress, a veil, and even had a bouquet, and all the men were wearing tuxes. They had a photographer and someone with a high-tech video camera, and they even took jumping pictures--after cutting the cake. It was seriously the oddest thing I have seen here in a very long time. (Unfortunately I was too chicken to ask someone what they were doing--I will keep you posted in case the story comes out in the DU.)


(Sorry about the pictures--I had to take them with my phone and then take a picture of my phone screen.)

And then, I was walking towards the Wilk, and Brigham Square (just south-east of the quad) was filled with empty desks. 30, I think. There was a portable whiteboard in front that said "In low-income communities, only 1 in 10 students will graduate from college," and a graduation hat was on 3 of the seats.




Wow. Talk about effective marketing. It was for Teach for America, who has lately been rather aggressive with their recruiting strategies. (I even get text messages from them.)

And then it was "what was the last song you listened to" day at Taco Bell. Any surprise that I had actually just listened to Amazing Grace?

Wow. When I walked into the library and all but the emergency lights were off because they were fixing the system, I didn't even think it was weird after what I had just seen.

Favorite Movie at Taco Bell

So when you get your food from Taco Bell, they always ask for your name so they can call it when your food is ready. Well, most of the time, anyway. I think the employees get bored sometimes, because one time they asked what name and I said "Breanne." And the woman behind the counter said, "We're going to call you 'bright Breanne.'"

I was ok with that. It must have been alliteration Tuesday.

And then today. I went to Taco Bell, and there, posted to the cash register, was a sign that said "It is favorite movie day!"

So after I ordered my food, instead of asking for my name they asked for my favorite movie.

Of course, I said Amazing Grace.

But the girl in front of me said "Eclipse." And so when our food was ready, they started calling. "ECLIPSE!!" "AMAZING GRACE!"

And I just thought, I am glad I didn't chose a movie that I would be embarrassed to have everyone in the Cougareat hear as I slunk up to get my food...

Definitely an oddity.

Police Beat

I think police beat is often very, very odd. Just thought I'd share a few gems. (Please notice these are all within a month!)

Feb. 24: Police received a call about a possible fight in progress in lot 16. Upon arrival, five individuals were separated. One was uncooperative. The two parties were arguing over which party deserved the parking stall. One party claimed his wife was sick and pregnant, but the other party wouldn’t give in. Police found another parking stall for the party.

Feb. 14: A concerned mother called because her 13-year-old daughter was threatening her with a stick. Officers responded and mediated the situation.

Feb. 2: A couple called saying they wanted to get rid of a human skull they had kept for years. The skull had been passed down through three family generations, and the couple’s son kept it in his room until he recently moved out. Lieutenant Arnold Lemmon said the skull was probably excavated back in the 1960s in Arizona. Police took the skull and turn it over to the state archeological department. Lemmon said the couple did the right thing to call police because throwing away a human skull is a felony.

These are from February 2010.

grass neighbors

the other day i walked past a couple sitting on the grass, enjoying the sunshine, and calling out to people they seemed to know. however, none of the people were answering back! the first girl was on her ipod, so i rationalized that she just had not heard them. but then they called to another guy, and i heard laughter, and i figured out what was going on.

they were calling out random names to see if people would turn and look at them/say hi to them!

i would have been more embarassed for them, but i am somewhat ashamed to admit that i have done the same thing (i did it at cross-country races all the time...).

this might be labelled as rare, but today i was walking past a group of people and one of the guys called out "hi!" i looked and gave him a slight smile, just in case i was supposed to know him, but as i walked away once again i heard laughter and realized what they were doing.

this oddity has perhaps been brought on by the stress of finals week and/or the crazy frigid weather that has kept people in the library for far too many weeks of the semester.

the DU: a daily oddity

the daily universe is byu's newspaper. while often the front page articles are lame and the macey's ads get thrown every which way on tuesdays, my favorite part of the du (and in my opinion, its justification for funding) are the letters to the editors. below are a few of my favorites:

"campus deer problem"
"i am a deer" (in response to the campus deer problem)
"flying saurkraut"
"where's the joy?" (one of my all time favorites)
which was preceeded (!) by another, "unhappy happy valley."
and which was responded to by about a hundred letters, including "stop the fake smiles"
an editor's justification for not smiling at everyone
and an editor's response to these incredibly funny letters in 2005.

and, of course, we have police beat.

2006 compilation of the best: i have do admit these are not all the "best," but there are some pretty funny ones (the bike rack is my favorite).
and quite possibly my favorite police beat entry about a roommate's butter knife being stolen (theft: march 26).

since the du is definitely not a rarity, i would have to call these parts of the du an oddity.

definitely.

duck crossing!

the other day, i had to slow my bike down as i was riding down the ramp south of campus.

for ducks.

now, ducks are neither a rarity nor an oddity on campus, but i have never seen them on the bike ramp south of campus.

until this week.

so i would definitely have to call this a rarity. i think the ducks are getting restless (they are just like students!) from the long winter and so are venturing off to see other areas of campus besides their half-frozen duck pond. i have seen ducks in odd places around campus almost every day this week.

good thing, too, because i was starting to miss the deer...

ladders

i have noticed a strange phenomenon around campus--a single ladder, never occupied, that has been travelling around the outside of several buildings on campus. i first noticed this by the library, where it was unassumedly leaning up against the outside of the atrium, right next to the entrance. i next spotted said ladder against the hfac, again unoccupied and again just nonchalantly leaning up against the side of the building. this, i believe, is more odd than rare.