gym rat

here's a tid bit of a day in the life of brook dorff:


sleep in.
check social media.
study.
fall asleep reading one of the 8983787923 pages of reading per week.
WORK OUT TO STAY AWAKE.
take a nap.
check social media.
study/read/study/read/study/read
get sleepy.
WORK OUT WORK OUT WORK OUT WORK OUT.
shower/get ready for some sort of social event (this is a rare thing--happens maybe once or twice a week these days...the social event, not the showering).
stay for not too long because i want to "get back into a schedule, be productive in the morning" (and also remain mysterious and fascinating so boys actually have to ask me out--ridic, right?!)
check social media.
go to sleep.
repeat.


seriously! i have like 14 days in a week, because every half of a day is like a mini day!

i mean, look how great her butt looks!

which leads me to my next problem: the gym.


can i just vent about two things really quickly?!


1. i hate people who are machine hogs!! the other day i kept going back, only to find the same lady hogging the elliptical!! i mean, heaven forbid i have to go running OUTSIDE (read: no air conditioning, and no cardio cinema). what did people do back in the day without these?! #whitegirlproblems
2. i REALLY hate when people judge how slowly i am going on the elliptical or the stationary bike. like you know how they try to take ninja peeks at you, or pretend like they're looking past you, but you really know they're totally judging you because you're going in slow motion....BECAUSE YOU'RE AT LIKE RESISTANCE OF 20 TRYING TO GET YOUR BOOTY TO LOOK GOOD AGAIN!! and they're going like 500 miles per hour, on resistance of 1 and think they're so great just zooming past you. talk to me in a month, and we'll see who's cool then!


livin' the dream, i tell ya
keep it classy, guys
xoxo

am i normal??

so, lately i've been remembering my favorite parts about growing up in a super liberal, cultural, crazy, smart area. in talking with my co-workers and friends, one of the biggest striking differences between there and utah, where i now reside, is that here, white people are a majority. okay, just kidding. really, one of the huge differences is the sex ed program that we endured and learned from in the great public school system in california.

one of the most traumatizing of those experiences (yes, more traumatizing than seeing a woman give birth, using bananas in inappropriate ways, and another story that i will tell in the future) was the wonderful musical gem called "Nightmare on Puberty Street." yes, you read that correctly. it was a musical. and it was called "Nightmare on Puberty Street." we were all forced to watch this tony-award winning (no, it didn't win a tony) musical in jr. high, and all sevies and eighth graders had to sit and watch it together. now, mind you, this was during the time where i had a crush on like 11 boys at a time and was writing them notes that said something along the lines of "do you like me? check yes or no" (apparently not much has changed). anyhoo, after this enlightening musical, i wanted nothing to do with any of the 11 boys as i was seriously terrified about what was going on in their heads (sounded like some scary stuff), and most importantly my own well-being.

topics covered during the two-day blush-fest included ones that i still feel silly and inappropriate talking about, but the most important subject and song that still resonates in my head today is one called "am i normal." this classic line ended up being a joke that we still use to this day (right, carissa??). upon googling it, i found out that even though the melody has become much more hip (it used to resemble something more like lion king--now it sounds more like a good version of eminem), the words and lyrics are still the same.

and now for a musical snack beyond any you've ever encountered: Normal (either click on this link, or on the player down below).

Ecuador!!

and now the moment i know you've all been waiting for:

a quick ecuador recapitulation.

it was, to say the least, amazing, and i am highly considering going with southern cross humanitarian to peru! everyone on the trip was so individual and beautiful in their own way. ecuador was so different than any other country i've been to. i absolutely fell in love with the natives, the weather, the little kids that we tortured with fluoride (they were absolutely ADORABLE!), the old women and men that spoke mostly quichua (wow! church was interesting to attend, and speaking with the moms telling them their kids couldn't eat or drink for 30 minutes was more difficult than i would have thought!), and the traditional clothing. everything was beautiful.

here is the summary written by our fearless leader, cameron:

Ecuador Expedition! by Cameron Smyres - Expedition Leader Arriving in Otavalo, we worked alongside Charity Anywhere and helped serve 1200 people providing medical and dental services. Many people from surrounding communities came to have teeth pulled, have their teeth treated with fluoride and have surgical removal of various skin disorders. Our group distributed donated items during dental clinics on teeth care, emphasizing the proper use of multivitamins and the basic hygiene kits we brought. We also had many donations of clothing and other basic items we were able to provide. Another facet of the initial service was to help build a home for an elderly woman in a nearby community and work in an orphanage in Quito run by the Davis Foundation which takes care of over 130 children. We scraped and painted two buildings that truly need it! While in Quito, we visited the Equator and tried our hands at balancing raw eggs on a nail. Interesting the things you can do on the center line at the middle of the world. Also, we watched the water drain different directions in buckets set on each side of the center line. When we headed out to the Galapagos we were set for a treat. On the island of Santa Cruz the group spent time enjoying the great climate and atmosphere of the Galapagos Islands. The first day was spent at Tortuga Bay hiking around to see the volcano and swim at the beach. The next day was the Tour to the Floreana where the group hiked and viewed caves and turtles. That afternoon was snorkeling with the sharks in the area where the sharks rest. The next day, on the Bay Tour the group visited the Sea Lion area and swam within feet of the playful groups of sea lions and swam into the center of large schools of fish. Our whole expedition fell in love with the beauty of Ecuador - the land and especially the people.

Video with pictures soon to come....be excited

it's official

i got my ticket to go to ecuador in july to work with these little guys:

and then take a 4 day mini cruise on a yacht to swim with these:

and check out these boobies (i just love that that's what they're called):

and then slink down to chile to see them:

i can NOT wait!

i do have a request from you, though. the organization i'm going through has a partnership with Albertson's, and for every Albertson's preferred card # (or phone number that goes with it if you don't have the preferred card number) that I turn in, I get $10 off of my trip! so, if you have one that you can send my way (it costs nothing to you, and you're donating to a good cause!!) would be very helpful. go ahead and email me your info: brookdorff {at} gmail {dot} com.

ps. cupertino made it famous again....gotta love my home town.

anyone lose a placenta?

because they've found a couple in illinois in the sewage system. i mean, you expect to find suspicious looking things in the sewage, but never a COUPLE of placentas. especially since several cultures consider the placenta to be sacred. as a matter of fact, it's usually buried for purposes such as:

• so the mother's spirit doesn't haunt the child (bolivia)--the ghost of vivi past....yikes!
• so the daughter born (if it's a daughter) can be a good clam digger (british columbia)--THAT'S why i stink at clam digging!
• to ensure health of the baby and mother (costa rica)--duh mom, that's why we're sick all the time. maybe my appendix had beef with my placenta. speaking of, would it be MY placenta, or my MOM'S placenta? i mean, she produced it, but it was attached to me....hmmm...the mysteries of life.
• to show relationship between humans and the earth (maori and navajo)--although this could be done much easier by just attending yoga at 24 hour fitness
• to promote devoutness in the child's life (turkey)--shoot i'm in big trouble

some even thought it held magical powers:

• egyptians apparently stuck the pharoh's placenta on a stick and took it to war. that's just sick and probably horribly smelly.

and some eat their placentas. now that is just gross!

(quick quiz! what am i thinking? wrong! i'm thinking about how skin is the largest organ on the body. name where that came from!)

okay, well, anyways, i just wanted to let you know if you've lost your (don't ask me if by "your" i mean the one that was attached to you when you were born, or the placenta's you've birthed) placenta, i've found it! just make sure when you go look for it, you don't let your children swim in the sewage....

dear big tobacco,

i hope you rot where you belong.

don't pay out utah's legislatures and governor, it's wrong.

don't steal the $$ that was allocated to be for tobacco prevention and control programs in utah. that's wrong.

don't try to coerce rep. bigelow into supporting HB 444 (well, you already have, but i hope it doesn't pass). it's wrong.

there are endless quotes from your companies and executives that tell us how evil and conniving you are. remember when the t. j. reynolds tobacco company executive said {and please excuse my french}

"we don't smoke that s%#t. we just sell it. we reserve the right to smoke for the young, the poor, the black, and the stupid."

now, i know that should set off some alarms for some, but it still doesn't for others (like our idiot legislatures).

leave us alone. don't buy out our legislators just because our tobacco campaign is actually working here in utah. 

you better watch your back (where the xray can see what's in your heart and lungs),

brook

_____________

now on another note for all you readers out there. please do all you can to stop them! we have one week left to stop them from passing the bill.

visit: stopthechop.com

or, you can just email blast bigelow (the idiot rep. that's sponsoring the bill) and call him at home: ronbigelow@utah.gov, 801.968.4188. pretty much the message is this one: that we NEED the tobacco prevention and control program here in utah, and that is has evidence to back that it's working. that people trying to quit, or that have had their lives ruined by tobacco deserve this right. that it is their moral obligation to use the $$ that was supposed to be used for tobacco in the tobacco department. 

let me know if you have any questions. 

dear life experiences i've missed out on,

dear south africa, new zealand, uganda, and peru,

i have been thinking a lot about you lately. i have been thinking about how we could have become really good friends; i've thought about how you could have become my newest favorite place, and how your people could have become near and dear to my heart. i've thought about how excited i was to finally meet you and to expand my horizons and vision as to what is important and what is not (although i often get a glimpse of that here in the estados too). sometimes i become overwhelmed and lament the fact that we have not met yet, and then i realize that what i did during the time i should have spent with you was so worth me not going. i mean, what if my appendix had burst while backpacking in new zealand? what if i had not met one of the people that has touched my life dearly while in south africa? what if i had come back to the u.s. this last december only to find no jobs available in public health? i know that i should be grateful, but i also know that you are where my heart longs to be in these times when i get ants in my pants. i hope that some day we will actually get to meet in person, and for now, i will try to do the best i can living up the life in draper, utah. 

affectionately,

brook

HALLELUJAH

dear brook,

congratulations. you withstood 90 days without health insurance, and no: hospital visits, shattered bones, exploding organs, or broken teeth. maybe you should go visit a doctor, and when they ask the reason for the visit, say "because i can."

enjoying insurance,

brook

something to think about...

here's an image of two boys who lost their parents to all of the conflict going on in Africa. how can these little boys have so much courage and more so, love left in their hearts? lets not ever forget to love each other, even if we've been hurt.

UPDATES....

well, so much has gone on lately, so here are the top three. the most important, if you will:

1. i'm not in jail. i forgot to update on what happened in court a couple of weeks ago. i'm just on 6 months probation, and i have to report to court whenever they ask me to. luckily, i don't have to wear one of these gorgeous anklets pictured here, but i thought i'd throw it in for fun. i had to pay  fine, and then at the end of our 6 months, we have to write a thank-you note. you better believe i'll be purchasing the most expensive one from hallmark. maybe even a singing one?

2. i'm no longer going to Peru. it was a hard decision, but the right one. which means that i will get to see my favorite provo personalities for a little longer than expected. not to mention more QT with my friends, which is always nice. i even get to see the new HP movie in english along with the new twilight movie. so i guess it wasn't too hard of a decision when i realize that i'm really blessed to stay. i just have to find a real job now. YIKES! that's a little intimidating!

3. i am an....*drum roll please*....INTRAMURAL CHAMPION (from UPPER division softball)!! yes, ladies and gentlemen. a week before i graduate, i finally win a t-shirt. it's pretty cool looking. the only thing it lacks is my name engraved on the back, and a sound button that makes the cougar noise. besides that, it's everything i've ever dreamed of.

a charmed and enchanted life

i often get overwhelmed with how wonderful my life is.  i have the opportunity to attend a prestigious college, live wherever i want to, drive a car, play the piano, learn the art of dance, listen to endless music, be warm in the winter, be cold in the summer, etc.  i did not ever ask for the opportunities that i have been granted, but am eternally grateful for everything that has happened in my life.  i can not help but be overcome with gratitude for my health, as it could be plenty worse without the help of medications, insurance, and doctors.  i sometimes feel guilty because i have a choice of over 30 shirts to wear, several pairs of jeans, shoes, purses, etc.  if i needed to, i could fly home to see my family.  i have a mother and father that love me very much and have always treated me with nothing but love.  my friends are so good to me as are my roommates. 

i know that all of these experiences are given to me, not only to make my life richer and to form me into the person that i need to be someday, but so that i can give back-- pay it forward in a sense.  i know that not everybody has the chance to go abroad and help people in developing countries, but i know that that is what i need to be doing.  it makes me so sad when i see pictures of orphans, abused children and women, people dying of HIV/AIDS, etc.  i know that i wont "cure" anything, or fix the problem, as they are only getting exponentially worse everyday.  all i hope to accomplish is to raise awareness, and to give love to those that need it the most.  

i also see such a great need local communities, and even in those that we interact with everyday.  those that are mothers are making a huge difference, and i admire them with all of my heart. what a great task that is to have responsibility over and care for God's children.  i realized the other day that mothers not only influence their children, but the sphere of people their children interact with.  i applaud mothers and fathers.  i applaud teachers.  i applaud anyone who remembers that their money is not theirs and that they should give back.  

i apologize for the recurrence of topic.  i feel like a lot of posts on my blog are about this (love, people in other countries, etc.) but it is something that i think about everyday.  even though my feelings never change towards this topic, and in an essence i am just re-stating what i have said countless times, i feel it is necessary to bring it up.  i hope you don't mind.

why my life is stellar:

my friends and i throw amazing parties:

i got to see the prophet again:

i'll be working with these kids from the end of august to december in peru:

i have awesome girl friends (spencer is pretty cool too..haha!):

our water polo team is ROCKING in intramurals:

did i mention my friends rock?

we do fun things like go the festival of colors:

even though the LADY wingmen didn't get very far, the MIGHTY wingmen are doing pretty well:

dear people in my focus groups,

dear tanners and non-tanners alike,

you are HILARIOUS and have made for many random giggles throughout the last week of my life.

no, tanning does not give you vitamin E or K.

no, tanning does not give you breast cancer.

no, skin cancer does not happen because of the over-excitement of molecules and cells.

and yes, please DO "bore" me with your abounding knowledge of what tanning does to you. i'm really interested in your theories...and maybe i could submit your knowledge to America's Funniest Home Videos?

thankfully yours,

brook

dear organs,

dear appendix:

notice the colon as this is a business letter. thank you for your time, and now i am glad you are out of my body for the following reasons: the scale reflects a lovely number, my stomach no longer feels like it's on fire, and well really you're quite useless. it was great getting to know you.

appreciatively,

brook

dear colon,

my life-long friend. i am so glad you are still here with me. i don't know what i'll ever do without you, and please don't EVER threaten to leave me again. i'll do whatever to keep you happy- just don't leave me.

forever yours,

brook

------------------------

okay, now just an update on my long blogging absence (the short version):

my appendix burst (two mondays ago now), and i had to have emergency surgery. according to the doctors it "had done some good work in my abdomen." yikes! when they did my CT scan, they also saw that my colon was in pretty bad shape (and they also knew that my history included Crohn's), so they told me that they had to take out part of my colon for sure. i was pretty bummed, but of course knew that whatever had to happen had to happen. when i came out of surgery, only the appendix had to be removed, and i was blessed in a million ways. just to name a few: i had completely unexpected visitors that honestly made my day, i still had my colon, i had one of the best surgeons in the country, i had so many flowers, chocolates, balloons, and even a rocky mountain "apple pie caramel apple", my teachers were surprisingly lenient and extremely kind about my condition, and the list goes on an on. i had to be in the hospital until the saturday after (so a whole week almost) and have gotten better and better everyday since i've been home! it's really been fabulous and you have no idea how charmed my life really is. honestly, it's experiences like these that make me think that life is so wonderful. on tuesday, which was the hardest, someone was always there with me from 10am all the way until 2am, and i couldn't believe my friends! they are awesome, and i was grateful for them as my family wasn't able to come out to be with me. all in all, i feel totally blessed (and skinnier! haha) and that's pretty much the summary of my last two weeks. woo hoo...now off to bed. sorry i had pictures but my phone just crashed, so i'll load them when i have them back.....

dear scary statistics,

dear health statistics,

I appreciate your readiness to warn us from harm and danger, but honestly sometimes it is really sad and overwhelming. here are my least favorite:

1. 1/3 of everyone that has HIV/AIDS doesn't know they have it

2. obesity raises cancer risks by as much as 55%, and obesity is rising exponentially in the US

3. the influenza vaccine (flu shot) used to prevent as many as 90% different flu types, but now can only prevent at most 40%

4. HPV (the STD linked to cervical cancer) is now causing throat cancer in men at an alarming rate

5. so much turmoil in kenya is causing more and more public health risks and deaths of innocent people

6. the burden of disease is rising every second

7. every day 6,800 become infected with HIV/AIDS

8. every day 5,700 die from AIDS

9. the percentage of those living below the poverty line in the US had risen 2% to become 12.6%

i wish sometimes that you statistics didn't exist, and that there was more we could do to heal people. i wish i could go around and tell everyone that not only is "it" going to be okay, but that there is a God that loves them. i guess all we can do is start within our own little sphere of people. i am renewing my resolution to love people around me-- whether they're grumpy, rude to me, whether they've hurt me, or even if i don't know them (cuz lets be honest: it's so easy to love those that already love us back). 

hoping the world's condition betters soon,

brook

i think i've finally decided...

lately, it seems that i've had all sorts of AIDS books, pictures, information, etc thrown at me, and i feel like that's what i want to do.  i was deciding between women's health, AIDS, nutrition, becoming an OB/GYN, and infectious disease, but AIDS is suddenly becoming a passion...

i just can't believe that these people are diagnosed with death and are expected to have a good quality of life while nobody takes care of them. it doesn't matter how they contracted the disease, they need love and care just like anyone else in the world does. and i think that's what i wanna do. above are pictures of children with HIV/AIDS, and the top most picture is an infected man with new drugs that have just come out.

also, i have two internship opportunities (one with the american cancer society, doing media advocacy, and one with the tobacco cessation program at the utah county of health). kinda exciting. kinda terrifying.

change in the world...

so i'm a public health major and i'm definitely concerned with the world's condition these days

there's just not enough love to go around!

so if you wanna help just a little...

go to this website, and all you have to do is click to save a life! (okay maybe not that dramatic, but they donate money for every time you click a button! how much easier can it get??)

The Hunger Site