WHITNEY IS DEAD {the things i missed and didn't}

so gretchen and i were talking after alt-j 's (lovely) concert about how when you're away everything changes, yet it doesn't. i think such pop culture developments are especially evident coming from the extreme sort of seclusion that a mormon mission requires. as i was rattling off the things that i have noticed, gretchen mentioned how she wishes she had documented the changes she experienced upon her return. this is a running list of things about which i have been taking mental notes the past four months. some of the events were mentioned to me briefly while i was gone {see the time charlotte wrote an email with the subject line WHITNEY IS DEAD--leading me to frantically scour the text to ensure she was not talking about my former roommate} while the rest are just discoveries that felt surprising and worth mentioning. it's strange how old news can feel so new. it's kind of a cool experience in an age of information overload. there is so much music for me to listen to. i don't know that i'll ever catch up. my effort to document: did i miss much?

{ images borrowed from my friends's actual instagram profiles}

cats are a thing.

so is ryan gosling.

instagram.

pinterest.

spotify.

blogging gives way to tumblr and tweeting.

city creek mall is a place.

you can take trax to the airport.

southbound I-15 becomes a passable thoroughfare.

two humans i didn't know before came into existence.

"super" as an adjective becomes super popular.

eating pho also becomes super popular..

colorado movie theater shooting.

fearfully mocking north korea becomes a trending pastime

obama gets re-elected.

amy winehouse dies

memes happen. (although i wish they would die with no possibility for re-election).

"said no one ever" becomes a catch phrase.

the "mormon moment" comes and goes and brandon flowers backs it up.

everyone acts like they liked arrested development all along.

selfies become even more shameless.

the ukulele craze peaks.

bangs are neither here nor there.

middle parts are back for women, and nothing says "i don't care, yet i do" quite so well.

just like my dad promised, men get into parting their hair again. can't say i'll miss the up-spikes.

red lip stick. all day every always.

whitney houston dies.

snoop dogg changes his name to snoop lion.

the mormon missionary age requirements change for women from 21 to 19 and 19 to 18 for men.

dub-step tromps all over popular music.

the jazz miss the playoffs again.

doc martins make a mainstream comeback.

the word "janky"

totes jelly= totally jealous.

#hashtagging things in normal conversation.

gangnam style puts k pop on the global popular music map.

the world somehow forgives jessica biel for being on "7th Heaven" and justin timberlake for being in "N'SYNC" as they become america's sweethearts.

hello kitty is sold everywhere.

jeremy "linsanity" takes the NBA by storm.

adele becomes a household name (though i'm still partial to feist...heard one of her songs from her "new" album in a GS25 convenience store in Jinhae, South Korea in Dec. 2012 and in that 2'30" i thought maybe i should come home early to buy the album).

"downton abbey" turns me (and maybe you) into the classiest snob ever. FREE BATES.

"YOLO" becomes. had to look it up on urban dictionary.

the world was supposed to end.

so glad it didn't. there are too many moments between the bullet points that i am grateful to have lived. please add your own bullet points &/or moments in between. i'd love to hear from you.