Lots and lots of prefacing to get to a short set of thoughts

As I sit here in Erda, UT in the home of very dear friends, sitting on a king size bed with a flatscreen TV airing The Nanny in the background, I find myself realizing that my lifestyle has changed drastically from that of my Arlington days. The biggest difference? Having the internet at home.

Now, before I go much further, let me just say that I am not practicing internet-abstinence to make some sort of political or moral statement (as many pledges of abstinence are). In fact, I am quite indignant about my non-internet-having-age. It really sucks. There is a long, sad story explaining how I came to this point sans internet, but I will not tell it here because I tend to whine when I do so. And, let's face it, whining isn't sexy.

All of this preface is to say: I wish very much that I had posted more frequently over these past few weeks, if only so my mother wouldn't feel compelled (often) to leave me voicemails asking whether I have died. I firmly, squarely and without hesitation blame the fact that I do not possess the internet chez moi.

I am of the belief that no problem should be discussed without a solution, so here goes. I have a cavalcade of thoughts rolling around in this noggin of mine, all of which I have been cataloging. Now is the time! Carpe diem! I will write posts on the following subjects and (get ready for it) schedule them so that posting becomes more frequent. (Note to my mother: do not be beguiled by my trickery; a post does not, in fact, mean that I have a pulse in this model of blogging. I would very much appreciate still receiving your calls...and maybe some homemade cookies and a crisp $50 bill.) Get yourself spiritually and mentally prepared for the astounding thoughts of Lauren House on the following topics:

• Autumnal Joy (Including a Playlist! Doesn't get better than that!)
• Yom Kippur, Collective Atonement and What LDS Folk Should Learn from the Hebrews
• Overheard at BYU, or How I Learned to Laugh Instead of Cry
• Bucket List for the Semester - 10 Things To Do by the Holidays

In the meantime, you can rest assured that as I write this, I am in the lap of internet-having luxury.

It's a dream come true.