Adobe Illustrator Practice.

Turn of the Seasons.

Fall has the synonym autumn. Why don't the other seasons have synonyms? Or do they, and I just don't know what they are? I tried to look them up in the thesaurus but didn't find anything. I did find it interesting, however, what the dictionary said about all four season as they pertain to different stages of life.

Spring is the first stage and freshest period.

Summer is the period of finest development, perfection, or beauty previous to any decline.

Fall (or autumn) is a time of full maturity, especially the late stages of full maturity or, sometimes, the early stages of decline.

Winter is the last or final period of life; a period of decline, decay, inertia, dreariness, or adversity. Kind of depressing sounding, isn't it?

Now, I am certainly passed the spring of my life. I am well beyond fresh. However, I don't think I could say that I have gotten to my finest development or perfection or beauty. Does that mean I am in the fall stage of life, or have I jumped completely to winter? I am quite healthy physically, so I don't think I would consider myself in any kind of decay. However, dreariness and adversity fit aptly. Can one go back to other seasons, or does one have to follow the natural order of nature? Hmmm..

The reason I bring this up is because for our annual company kick-off meeting, we went up to Snowbird and got to play around. There was something about being in the mountains with crisper atmosphere that signified to me that fall was here. Although the days have been still warm, the mornings and evenings have definitely gotten cooler. I am excited because fall is my favorite season. Anyway, we had a meeting in the morning, then had lunch, and then had the rest of the day to play around. We went on the tram to the very top of the mountain, and it was so nice. Here are some pictures of the view.





We also got to go down the Alpine slide. I guess like any business a ski resort would have to offer something during the off season. I don't know how to put a video on this, but here is a link to one instead. And this is the result of going too fast around a curve. Oops.


It's a lot worse than it looks. It's really deep.

Hearing First Hand Accounts of Yourself.

One day during my freshman year of college, I was in the community bathroom just finishing my shower, when I heard a coworker and another girl talking. It didn't take me long to realize that they were talking about me. They didn't know I was there and spoke freely thinking that I would never know. It was interesting to learn their perspective of the situation and what they thought of me. I think they were jealous.

Well, a similar but much more comical situation happened to my roommate. So, get this. My fun, personable, 18-year-old, cosmetologist roommate set me up with a guy who came in to get his hair cut. We went out to dinner about a month ago to...Dairy Queen. Now it would be one thing to meet there for ice cream, but for dinner it is a different story. I intended to post about it, but I never got around to it. So we joke around about it and like to get other people's reactions. Well, it so happened that yesterday she set up my other roommate with another of her clients and gave him a polite recommendation to not take her to Dairy Queen. She kept joking about it as she gave the next client a hair cut, exclaiming bewilderedly, "Who would take a girl to Dairy Queen on a first date!?"

So, the guy gives her a good tip and as he leaves, says, "I don't like to do big things on first dates." It took her a little while and some help from her boss to realize that he was the guy who took me to DQ! She was humiliated. When she got home she told me the story and we had a good laugh. Then, about 10 minutes later, I got a text from the guy. He wrote that he hoped that I didn't think he was a jerk for taking me to DQ and that he is not cheap. The thing is, money doesn't mean much to me. It's the effort. What are the chances?! All in all, I think things smoothed over enough. The hard part is that I will most likely be seeing him at church on Sunday.

So, guys, if you are going to take a girl to DQ, just tell her that you are going for ice cream, and you won't have any problems.

Amusement Parks Bring Out the Weirdos.

Every year my company takes us to Lagoon, a local amusement park, for our summer party. I look forward to it every year because it is free and I get half the day off, paid. I probably would never go otherwise. It's smaller, the rides are short and the lines are long, but it is sufficient. I enjoy the rush of the rides. But I think I would be plenty entertained there not going on the rides and just watching the people. I like to watch people; and there, there are all sorts. I am sure they think I am creepy and that I am judging them, but if they think that then they're judging me and we would be even. Well, as I was waiting in line for my favorite ride, Colossus—one with a lot of drops and loops—I happened to look down at a rather masculine foot with polished toe nails. I'm still wondering what the logic is. I thought I would share.


Some times, the farther away the better. But just in case you wanted a close-up.

Three Days of Wakeboarding and Still Not Sick of It.

My New "Office" Space.

I don't want to call it an office because it certainly is no office. This is my new view.



I have been trying to think of some pros to this new arrangement, and after some time I've come up with a couple.

1) I feel like I am in a more stereotypical office space.

2) I've met a few new people.

Oh, and 3) I am closer to the break room. Although, that might not turn out to be such a good thing.

That's all I've been able to come up with so far. And I am not optimistic about finding some others.

Utah Summer Games Triathlon.

This was another first for me. I have never done a swimming race before. That was pretty exciting. It was also the first time that I really did an open water swim. Unfortunately, the race overall was not as fulfilling as I had hoped it would be. I don't know if that was because I did a relay and can't say that I did the whole thing, or if, after doing a half marathon, it just wasn't as grueling. It was fun to be in that atmosphere again. I am certainly going to do a full one at some point. I am hoping that the next TriUtah Woman of Steel is somewhere close because that is one I really want to do. I have wanted to do it for two years now, but I keep missing the registration. I need to get a bicycle so I can start training.

St. George was really nice though. The weather was beautiful. I was worried that the water was going to be too cold. It was at first, but after I got going it was quite nice. It was a little hot for running though.

Not that I am extremely proud of my time, but here is a link to the results .

Working for a "New" Company.

The rumors finally came to fruition. I had heard that FranklinCovey was thinking about selling part of the company. Apparently, they had been thinking about it for many years. Well, today they called us all into a surprise meeting and announced that they just signed the papers that sold my half of the company to an investment firm, Peterson Partners. So, after the closing date (sometime in June or July) I will be working for FranklinCovey Products, LLC.

From what people say, this change will offer more opportunities to do things that before weren't "related" to our business. I think that as long as I have my job and get paid as much, I am ok with whatever. Hopefully it is true because I would like to branch into some other things.

There is one drawback, however. Because this new company is a private company and FranklinCovey remains a public company, we have to be physically completely separate. This means, I have to move. Right now I have a nice office with a window. Now, I have to move to a cubicle with no hope of seeing daylight. No more naps under the desk, no more closing the door for personal phone calls. It will be an adjustment, but I've had to deal with that before. I've gone from cubicle, to door, to door and window. I've come full circle.

This is my current office. (It's kind of messy because I just moved from my door only office.) I will have to post again after I move to the cube.

13.1

Up until, oh, about a month or so ago, I never would have thought that I would be a distance runner. I guess I still don't really think of myself as a runner. Running to me implies a lot of speed; I am more of a jogger. But today I "ran" my first race. I remember doing the Turkey Trot with my dad when I was much younger. I think it was only a mile, maybe two at the most. It was all I could do at the time, and I think I did it just once. But at that time, I really didn't understand the whole concept of it. So, I consider this SLC half marathon my first race. And it was probably my best run ever. I would describe it as an out of body experience of sorts. I almost couldn't believe that I was doing it. I had passed races before or seen them on TV but never though of actually being in one. It was surreal.

I left my house at about 5:30, thinking that would be plenty of time to get to the start by 7:00. I parked my car right by the celebration area and took the Trax up to the starting line. There were so many people. I didn't realize that so many people did these races. Once I got there, I put my timing chip on (I could have done that before I left, but I was afraid I would lose it.) and got in line for the bag drop. That took forever, but what was worse was the line for the port-a-potties. There had to have be close to 30 or more lined up along the parking lot. But there were so many people. I got in line at a quarter to 7:00, and it took me nearly a half hour before I could go. Fortunately, with these timing chips, I didn't necessarily have to start right away to know my personal time. So, I ended up starting about 12 minutes after the countdown.

It was probably a good thing that I started later and went to the bathroom before I started. First, I wasn't under as much pressure to run as fast as the others since by the time I started there weren't too many people behind me. And second, I found that through out the whole race there were people waiting in line at the port-a-potties that were located at the water stations. Their final time probably wasn't as accurate that way.

So, I started off telling myself that it would be just like another long training run. I think that got me though a lot of it. I knew I could do it because I had done it before. The first mile was a little difficult. It was early in the morning and my body was just warming up. The second mile was fine, too, but three through six just flew by. Before I knew it, I was already coming up on mile 8. At mile 11, though, I hit my wall. It was kind of a funny feeling. It was so sudden. My heart was doing just fine and so were my lungs, but my legs just refused to moved like they were before. Up until Liberty Park, I ran the whole way. I stopped at the water stations, but I picked it up right after. But after Liberty Park I had to do some walking. I was so surprised that I had made it as far as I did without stopping. I certainly didn't make it that far in any of my training runs. But I knew my limits.

As proud of myself as I was, it was kind of disheartening when the full marathon winners passed me up just before the finish line. I averaged about a 10 minute mile, which means that to run a full marathon in the same amount of time as I ran a half would make their average around 5 minutes. That's crazy. I don't know how they do it. The advantage was that the people were cheering extra loud as I ran down the last stretch.

You can click here for a list of the results.

The after party was just ok. Nothing special. I did get a short massage. That probably helped me to get on with the rest of my day. They had water, bananas, and creamies, but I just wasn't hungry enough to really make the most of it.

All in all, though, it was a good experience. I am glad I did it, and I do plan to do another one some time.

My Running Enthusiast.

I have a good friend/co-worker that I really like. I'll call her Elaine. We are in the same kind of position in life, have similar experiences, struggle with similar things. It was she who started my thinking about running. When she first joined the team almost a year ago, she made mention of doing some races. At the time she was getting ready for the Summer Games triathlon. So, when I heard about the Canyonlands Half Marathon in Moab, Utah, I was so excited and got her and my sister to register with me. Because it is so popular, they base entrance on lottery. We didn't get it. I was so disappointed. I was just about to give up the whole idea of a half marathon when she continued to be excited about running. It was good encouragement and motivation for me. So, I decided to do the SLC half marathon instead.

Throughout the whole training, she has given me advice and encouragement. She said that the races are so much fun and that I'd really like it. All the talk made me think that she had done a few of her own. I recently found out that she hadn't done any other races besides the triathlon. She was selected to run the St. George marathon but at the last minute decided she wasn't ready enough. The whole time I was thinking that it was no big deal to her.

But this morning she came into my office and gave me one last boost of support. She gave me a card and two marathon bars. The front of the card said, "Do one thing every day that scares you. (Eleanor Roosevelt)." On the inside she wrote, "Just in case the taquitos are a bust! Good luck!" (When I got my race newsletter, I read that they were providing hot dogs and taquitos as post race refreshments. I wasn't too thrilled about those options and expressed my disappointment to her, which generated the comment.) I was very touched by her thoughtful gesture. I knew she was excited for me, perhaps even more exited than I was. I owe her a lot.

Compromising Integrity for a Water Bottle, That Or a Lack of Common Sense.

It had been ages since I had run outside. Every since I got my gym membership I have been running on the treadmill. However, ever since I decided to do the SLC half marathon, I made a concerted effort to start running outside. I decided that I really liked it. Time goes by much faster, and it just feels good to be outside. Another benefit is that the sweat evaporates more, and I am not left dripping like I just got out of the pool.

Also, it is quite convenient for me that I work across the street from a decent running trail. There is a path that goes around Decker Lake. One of the reasons I liked running at the gym was that the general public wouldn't see me. But I found that this little track was secluded enough that I felt comfortable with it. Granted, it does goes right past the I-215, but those people are driving so fast and wouldn't recognize me anyway.

Well, yesterday I went on my mid-week run around the lake. I have done maybe 8 or so runs there so far. And well, this is the first time that anyone has taken my water bottle. I certainly wouldn't leave anything valuable out there, but for some one to take a water bottle is quite low. Was he that thirsty that he would deprive a runner of her replenishment? I say, if you are going to steal something, make it worth it.

In disbelief that someone would compromise his integrity for some tap water, I thought of some other possibilities. But none of them dignified the water-taker. Maybe someone thought it was litter and disposed of it for me. Then I realized that only an idiot would think that. The bottle was nearly full and probably still cold. And with people running on the trail, one could only assume that the person had use for it and was coming back for it. Or maybe someone was just so thirsty that he couldn't wait to get his own water. Then I thought that someone who put himself in that situation would have taken the water and left the bottle. But there was no bottle to be found. My only other explanation would be the drunk boys that were fishing didn't have the functioning power to think otherwise.

Whatever the case was, someone wasn't thinking or doesn't have high enough principles to act honorably. Sure, I finished my run without dehydration. It wasn't a big deal. Obviously the person needed it more than I did. I am just ashamed that there are people like that out there.

My Sport.

I have decided to make running my sport. I never really considered it a sport before. I just used it as a means to stay healthy. But after thinking about it some, I realized that it really is a sport. There is a lot that goes into it. I guess I figured that sports were automatically team oriented and more competitive. Yes, running is quite the event when it comes to track and field, and especially during the Olympic season, but it doesn't get as much acclaim as say basketball, or football, or baseball, or even tennis. I mean, how many marathons are televised from start to finish? That would be quite boring if you ask me. Now, I suppose, if people consider golf and bowling sports, then certainly running should be one too.

Looking back, I wish I had played sports more. Maybe I shouldn't say more and just put the period after sports, because I didn't really play any at all. School work and music were the emphasis of my youth. It is unfortunate because there are valuable skills in playing sports. Sure, you can play music well into your retirement years, whereas sports skills may not be as useful, but developing a habit of physical activity is something that will be a benefit later on. Sports is a social opportunity as well. A friend's 70 year old mother plays on a family soccer team. That is a good thing to do as a family—you get exercise, interaction, unity, bonding, etc.

Well, because I never really learned to play team sports, I thought I might as well do an individual one. I can play team sports, and I enjoy them quite a bit, but I do not feel like I can play them well enough to play with people who do know how to play. I will admit for everyone who is too afraid to admit it that playing sports with someone who doesn't really know how to play isn't much fun. It slows the game down and increases the chance of losing. And no one wants to lose. It's even the case when people play "just for fun."

After talking to an experienced running friend, I decided I would get serious about this. I started by buying some shoes. It was recommended by this friend, as well as a couple of other people, that I have my gait analyzed. About five months back, I was due to get some new running shoes. I tried several different brands but never found one I actually liked. Some of them even gave me pain from my ankle to my knee to my hamstring. I finally decided on some Asics, which I had never used before. They were the best of what I tried. But with my increased running in preparation for the SLC half marathon, I started getting pain again. And I was due again to get new shoes. So, I went to Runner's Advantage. I believe it is now the Salt Lake Running Company.

The guy put me in some neutral shoes to do the analysis. I ran for about 30 seconds on a treadmill while a camera recorded my feet. The guy then played it back in slow motion and showed me what was happening. There is a term called pronation which means "to turn (the sole of the foot) outward so that the inner edge of the foot bears the weight when standing" (from dictionary.com). Ideally you want to be neutral. Underpronation is when the weight is borne on the outer edge of the foot and overpronation is when the weight is borne too much on the inner edge. Neutral, then, would be evenly distributed or flat. I overpronate quite badly. He recommended some stability shoes. But the ones I had before were actually appropriate for my gait. With that, he said that I should try some arch support insoles. After testing out a few different brands of shoes and different insoles, I decided to get a pair of Brooks. I went back on the treadmill and he recorded me again. This time, with the new shoes, my feet were aligned properly. There was a night and day difference. I wish I could have kept a recording to show the difference. I was amazed. Apparently my arch is just really weak. Oh, and it was confirmed that I am supposed to get shoes a full size bigger than my regular shoes. I was in disbelief when I first learned that.

With the new shoes, I was pumped for my first run. Unfortunately it was the day my mom came into town, so I didn't have a chance to really test them out like I wanted. I went on the treadmill and struggled to keep up my normal pace. Midweek runs are always much harder for me. I did have a few concerns, though. My feet moved around too much. I was worried that they were indeed too big for me. But, I thought I would give them some more time. Saturday came around and I was determined to have a good run. I laced up the shoes a little tighter this time and set out. It was a good run, and there was no pain...and no blisters.

Last week I was in SLC so I decided to run around Decker Lake. The week before that I ran into Farmington. This time I mapped out a 5.3 mile square (to run twice) just around Centerville. I went down Main Street and saw so many other runners. And let me tell you, they were all so friendly. Some would wave from across the street, and with those on the same side, we would exchange morning salutations. I realized that there are quite a few runners. I felt a sense of unity, but without competition. There were several runners who passed me, but that was ok; I was running for myself. I didn't have to worry about letting anyone else down. I felt really good after I was done and was excited to make this a consistent thing.

Chocolate Orange Marble Chiffon Cake (COMCC).

I must have been browsing the internet one day looking at recipes, and I came across this one. You can find it here. I guess when I find a recipe that goes over well, I put it in my repertoire, and I keep making it. It think this was maybe the fifth time I've made this one. I can remember for the life of me the first time I made it or why. And it certainly has gotten easier to make since the first time.

My mom is in town for her annual Collegium Esculapian conference, and she brought with her a suitcase of oranges. It was also her birthday last week, so I thought it would be a good cake to make. And, I told my roommate that I would make it again some time because there wasn't any left over when I made it my sister's birthday.

Now, the last time I made this cake, my roommate asked why it was called chiffon cake. Here is the run down on different cakes and tortes.

Chiffon cake is a very light cake made with vegetable oil, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and flavorings. Unlike butter, the traditional fat used in cake making, it is difficult to beat air into oil, so chiffon cakes, like angel cakes and other foam cakes, achieve a fluffy texture by beating egg whites until stiff, and folding them into the cake batter before baking. The high oil and egg content creates a very moist cake, and as oil is liquid even at cooler temperatures, chiffon cakes do not tend to harden or dry out as traditional butter cakes might. This makes them much better-suited than many cakes to filling or frosting with ingredients that need to be refrigerated or frozen, such as pastry cream or ice cream. Chiffon cakes also tend to be lower in saturated fat than butter cakes, making them potentially more healthy than their butter-heavy counterparts. The lack of butter, however, means that chiffon cakes lack much of the rich flavor of butter cakes, and they are hence typically served accompanied with flavorful sauces or other accompaniments, such as chocolate or fruit fillings.

Angel Food Cake is similar to the chiffon cake but contains no oil, butter, or other fatty ingredient.

A basic sponge cake is made by beating the eggs with sugar until they are light and creamy, then carefully sieving and folding in the flour (depending on the recipe, the flour may be mixed with a small amount of baking powder, though some recipes use only the air incorporated into the egg mixture, relying on the denaturing of the egg proteins and the thermal expansion of the air to provide leavening). Sometimes, the yolks are beaten with the sugar first while the whites are beaten separately to a meringue-like foam, to be gently folded in later. The mixture is then poured into the chosen cake tin and baked. As can be seen, both methods take great care to incorporate air in the beating, whisking and sieving stages. This makes a very light product, but it is easy to lose the air by removing the cake before it has finished in the oven.
     Before the mixture has cooled, after cooking, it is still flexible. This allows the creation of rolled cakes such as the Swiss roll, or the Bûche de Noël. This basic recipe is also used for many treats and puddings, such as madeleines, ladyfingers and trifles, as well as some versions of strawberry shortcake. In addition, the sponge cake technique is used in angel food cake (where only egg whites are used) and some recipes for Belgian waffles (where the egg whites are separated from the yolk and folded into the batter at the end of preparation).

Butter cake is a cake in which one of the main ingredients is butter. These cakes are considered one of the quintessential cakes in American baking. They find their origins in the English pound cake, which traditionally used equal parts of butter, flour, sugar, and eggs to produce a heavy, rich cake. The invention of baking powder and other chemical leavening agents during the 19th century substantially increased the flexibility of this traditional pound cake by introducing the possibility of creating lighter, fluffier cakes using these traditional combinations of ingredients, and it is this transformation that brought about the modern butter cake.
     Butter cakes are traditionally made using a creaming method, in which the butter and sugar are first beaten until fluffy to incorporate air into the butter. Eggs are then added gradually, creating an emulsion, followed by alternating portions of wet and dry ingredients. Butter cakes are often considered to be unsurpassed in their richness and moistness when stored at room temperature, but they tend to stiffen, dry out, and lose flavor when refrigerated, making them unsuitable for filling or frosting in advance with ingredients that must be refrigerated, such as cream cheese frosting and pastry cream.

Tortes contain very few ingredients; unsalted butter, chocolate, eggs, and sugar. There is a large proportion of eggs that provide the leavening. It is a type of European-style cake that contains little or no flour, although sometimes containing ground nuts or breadcrumbs.

April Fool's Day.

I didn't have time to come up with a prank or hoax; I've been way too busy for that sort of stuff. But I thought I would reference some past jokes. (Many are repeats.)
Top 100 April Fool's Day hoaxes
Top 10 April Fool's Day hoaxes
Wikipedia: April Fool's Day

Oscar's First Bath and Murphy's Law.

It has been 11 months since I have had my current car. (His name is Oscar.) In that time I have never had it cleaned. I have had every intention of doing so, but every time I would go to the car wash the line was too long for me to wait. Finally, I decided that I would do it. I passed by the car wash and there was no line at all. I was afraid that it was closed. But it wasn't. So, I finally got the car cleaned. I was amazed at the difference it made. After such a bad winter, the salt and hard water certainly had built up. I could barely see anything in the side mirrors. After the wash and a little wiping, I've never seen better. There was so much more clarity and color. I liked it. I enjoyed my clean windows for a whopping total of one full day. In just over 24 hours, we got some more snow and rain. I should have figured that would happen.

Murphy's law is the idea that whatever can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way. I always understood Murphy's Law to be unfortunate irony, but in a lighter more inconvenient way. Either way, it held true in this case. The worst possible time is certainly right after I got the car washed. Although, I think the worst possible way would have been a major, totaling accident or something.

Makings of a High Councilman.

Everyone makes jokes about High Councilman's talks in church. Typically they are snoozers, rather slow, boring, and definitely long. (Some of course, do not fit this profile.) Now, if it is a High Councilman speaking, I can understand that he may feel the need to take a lot of the time. I would think that he has the position and right to do so. However, when there is someone of higher authority, I would make the talk as short as possible to allow plenty of time for the higher official to give all the information he intended.

On Easter Sunday, there were two talks assigned. Actually, I shouldn't say assigned, so I'll say planned. It was the Bishop and this somewhat-self-righteous punk 25 year old kid whom I had misfortune of going out with. I'll call him Kevin (following the code previously established). To begin with, this guy went to the bishop and ASKED to give a talk. First of all, who does that? And secondly, who does he think he is to think that he was so qualified to give a talk? My personal idea is that a bishopric member should assign talks based on the Spirit, and of course on availability and frequency. Now this guy is a good guy; I don't doubt his worthiness at all. But I thought it was quite presumptuous of him to ask.

With that as a base, add to it that with the 50 minutes of total talking time, he took up over 40 of them! The Bishop had only like 8 or so minutes to give his remarks. Fortunately during that time, I felt inspired and learned some good things, but I also wanted to know what else he wanted to say. I think there was a lot more that I could have gained from him. On the opposite side, this kid was terribly boring, went around in circles without a definite point, talked himself up, and didn't really talk a whole lot about anything to do with an appropriate Easter topic. I was disappointed to say the least. He has mastered and gone beyond, in a negative way, the stereotypical High Councilman's talk. All I can say is that when there is someone with more authority than you, give him the majority of the time. It's the humble thing to do.

My New Profession: Drug Dealer.

http://singingcicada.blogspot.com/2008/03/should-i-be-concerned.html
(I am that coworker.)

The total for both packages was $4.17. All I can say is that if it's that cheap, it can't be drugs....Or is it??

Unity for St. Patrick's Day.

I think it is funny how, even as adults, we still play along with stupid things like wearing green on St. Patrick's day. I wondered how many people would bother selecting an green outfit, avoiding the dreaded Patrick pinch. When I got to work everyone was wearing green. There were all sorts of shades and combinations. I was impressed with some of them. But most of all, there was a funny sense of unity. It was kind of an odd feeling, like we were Communists, or part of an elite Irish clan, or something like that. I wanted to get everyone together to take a picture, but I thought that was pushing it. It is just that this sort of thing would only happen on a day like this.

Ulcers Aren't Just for Stomachs.

I will admit that I don't change my contacts as often as I should. I used to even use the same solution for three or four days before I would change it. About a year ago, I made the commitment to change it every day. And I have been very good in honoring that commitment. I still need to work on changing the contacts though. When I first started wearing contacts, I was told that I should change them every two weeks. I thought that was nonsense. They certainly last much longer than that. I was recently told by an opthamologist that it can really be a month. Well, I usually keep mine for about two months, sometimes longer. I change them as soon as they start to get uncomfortable and dry.

Well, this pair started to get old so I change them. The new ones were doing just fine until Saturday when I went running. I came into the house and thought that someone had burn something because the room was all cloudy. I didn't smell anything though. Then i thought that the temperature difference made my contacts foggy like what happens with glasses. That wasn't it either. I thought maybe it was the contact, but it seemed to go away so I didn't worry about it. That evening my right eye just seemed a little different than the other, but nothing too unusual. By Sunday, I carried some generic eye drops with me because my eye just didn't seem quite right. It was a little more sensitive to light, and it felt like it was swollen. It looked just fine though. It had gotten cloudy again, too. When I got home from church I changed contacts, thinking that maybe I had gotten some lotion on the one. It was then that I realized that it wasn't my contact that was cloudy, it was my eye. I took my contact out only to find that it hurt worse without the contact on. I tried to take a nap to see if the pain would subside, but it just kept getting worse and worse.

I like to think that I tolerate pain pretty well. I can carry on with most pain or sickness as if I were perfectly healthy. But this was unbearable. It was pure torture. Finally I called my mom to ask her advice. She said that if I was in that much pain that I should go to the emergency room. In disbelief that anyone there could do anything, she suggested I call my opthamologist. I got a hold of the on call doctor and he immediately called in a prescription to the closest pharmacy for some eye drops. He thought that maybe I had an ulcer on my cornea. For the first time in my life, I broke the Sabbath. I thought that it was the only way that it would get better. I value my eyesight more than any other sense, so I thought it was necessary.

Well, the drops didn't make an immediate difference. The pain continued to get worse. But thinking that eventually would get better, I went up to a friend's house to have dinner and play games. I probably shouldn't have gone. It ended up being quite a hassle. The good thing was that I was with two Priesthood holders, and they gave me a blessing. The bad thing was that I couldn't see well enough to drive home. Thank goodness for willing friends. My friend drove me home in my car and then rode back with his roommate.

After a good night's sleep, I woke up 99% better. The pain went from extreme suffering to mild discomfort. I made my way to the opthamologist, and he said that my eye was inflamed and my blood vessels were prominent, but that I didn't have a ulcer.

Now, I thought that ulcers were specifically for stomachs, but I was wrong. By definition an ulcer is a "sore on the skin or a mucous membrane, accompanied by the disintegration of tissue, the formation of pus, etc." It didn't get to the pussy stage, but I think my cornea tissue was quite effected.


So, it was quite a learning experience. I know better about contact lens wear and what to do if it happens again. Boy, how I appreciate my sight!

Mission Accomplished.

I have completed my first sewing project. Creating an entry about it may lead you to believe that it is some great thing that I made or some big accomplishment. It really isn't. I got a sewing machine a year and a half ago for Christmas and had yet to use it. The fact that I even set it up is a big accomplishment for me. I have had plans to do all sorts of things, but I haven't made time to do any of it.

I went to the Joann's last weekend because they had patterns on sale for $1.99! They must be coming out with a new catalog or something because that is an amazing deal. Normally they are $15 dollars. Most places regularly sell them for 40—50% off of that, but this was like 87% off. While I was there I got some fabric for a skirt and some chiffon material for a sash. I figured I had better start small, so I made the sash. Nothing grand, but I started! And now I am more motivated and confident in my sewing skills that I will be starting the skirt very soon.

Daylight Saving Time Adjustment.

To start, it is daylight saving time, singular, not daylight savings time.

It is amazing to me how the body adapts and adjusts to things. There is a natural system that it seems to prefer. However, man (not necessarily a male, but mankind in general, although I would probably not be too far off specifying it as a male) likes to think that he can control time and mess biology up. This happens every year twice a year.

The first morning was fairly normal. I woke up tired, but nothing that would indicate something other than going to sleep an hour later than I normally would. But, boy, Monday morning was hard. My body got used to waking up at a certain time, and it liked that time. I didn't really have any problems waking up. I would hear my alarm, snooze a couple of times (as I normally would) and then get up feeling fine and ready to go. The past two days, however, have been nothing but a struggle. I snooze for a whole hour because my body is saying that it is still an hour earlier than normal. It has set my whole day back.

I understand the concept of daylight saving time, but is it really necessary? It is supposed to save energy, but does an hour make that much of a difference? I read that in some states, it increases electricity consumption (which is why Arizona does not make the change). While I would much rather forgo the switch, I have to say that the new date definitely makes the transition less extreme.

Dating Tip for Men.

You would think that working for a planning company that I would be more cognizant of activities and plans that I have scheduled. Sometimes I get proud and think that I can remember everything in my head. And every once in a while I am humbled when I make stupid decisions that prove that I can't remember everything.

I accepted an invitation to go to a play on the same night as the Relief Society birthday celebration. I look forward to the birthday party every year. As soon as I realized my mistake, I went to this guy to try to rearrange something. I was met with great indifference. Did I not express my desire to go to Relief Society enough? Did he not understand the significance of the event? He showed no sympathy for my predicament and no willingness to accommodate. It wasn't that I was rejecting him (although, after this I will), so I don't know why he reacted with such unfeeling. He was just dense and inflexible. Seeing that I was not going to get anywhere, I made it very clear to him that the ONLY reason that I was still going to go was to honor my commitment. Even then, I don't think he understood.

This is this the kind of reaction I would give if I were in his shoes. I would say, "Oh, I hate when I forget about a prior commitment. Don't worry about it. Go to the activity, and we can do something another time. I'll find someone else to go, so don't worry! It's fine." Even if I felt disappointed, I would much rather the other person be happy to do what he wanted. So, be it known that if you want to earn points, let her do the other thing, because if you show no interest in her preference, you will certainly lose points.

Easter Dress Shopping.

I remember when I was much younger my mom would buy me a new dress for Easter. I think many people have this tradition. I am not sure how it started. I guess it makes sense that Easter represents a new beginning and so new clothes would correspond. Anyway, as the Easter holiday is approaching, the thought of buying a new dress crossed my mind. I thought about going to Ross or TJMaxx to see if they had anything worth while and cheap. I never really made time for it and the idea got pushed back in my mind. Well, I went out shopping with my sister, and after some time and on the way back to her apartment, we decided to stop by Costco.

I didn't really have any intentions of buying anything, but it is a rare occasion that I go to Costco and not buy anything, so I don't know what I was thinking. It so happened that they were having a dress event. Every once in a while Costco will host some event show featuring things like art or jewelry. This time it was dresses. The brand was Mikarose. I had never heard of it before. I think it is somewhat of a specialty brand, which may be why. They emphasize modest yet fashionable dresses, so I think they are worth supporting and publicizing. They sell stuff in bridal shops from what I understand. I think they were trying to get rid of last years inventory because when I looked it up online the collection they were selling was for 2007. Now there are some styles that are more trendy and don't last as long, but if it is a classic piece, then I really don't care if it is "last year." And, the prices were decent, thanks to Costco.

My sister and I got this same dress:

Häagen-Dazs's Secret Ingredient.

The philosophy of Häagen-Dazs is "to find the purest and finest ingredients in the world and craft them into the best ice cream." So what is it that makes people praise Häagen-Dazs? It's the fat. Their ice cream has a very high fat content. You might think that it would make for a richer ice cream, which it would, but, it's not cream fat, it's vegetable oil.

This is the list of ingredients: cream, skim milk, sugar, egg yolks, natural vanilla, and vegetable oil. They figured that the cream and the egg yolks wasn't enough fat, so they added some more. Fat, fat, and more fat. Sixty-five percent of the calories is from fat. Whoa!

Today was our semi-annual unlimited ice cream day at work. They stock a small freezer of all kinds of ice cream bars. They have ice cream sandwiches, cookie sandwiches, crunch ice cream bars, and fruit popsicles. But the first thing to go is always the Häagen-Dazs ice cream bars. I think people think that the name automatically denotes quality ice cream. Sure, maybe it has the reputation for that, but I would submit to you to think otherwise.

From Wikipedia (and because of Wikipedia's unquestionable accuracy, I will not pretend to claim authority on this) I learned that the name Häagen-Dazs is not Scandinavian as people think it is. It is just "two made-up words meant to look Scandinavian to American eyes. In fact, the letter combinations "äa" and "zs" are impossible in all Scandinavian languages." It is ironic that although Häagen-Dazs operates in 54 countries around the world, none of the company's 700 stores is in any Scandinavian country. They don't want to be caught for using a phony name. What I think it most hilarious is that the name, as it is pronounced in English, is very close to the Persian (Iranian) term for "garbage can." And that is exactly where I try to put any excess, removable fat. Unfortunately, it is kind of hard to take the fat out of the ice cream.

While I am on the topic, I once tried the Wal-mart brand of fat-free, sugar-free vanilla ice cream. It's nasty. Don't even bother. If you are going to put it in a shake or make something else with it, it would work just fine. But the flavor is awful and doesn't even come close to a regular vanilla flavor. (I put in some pumpkin puree and some spices and it turned out great.) On the other hand, I often buy Kroger ice cream. It is relatively cheap when it is on sale. I never buy their regular version. The light kind tastes just fine. I've tried four or five different flavors and they all taste as good as the regular kind.

Is There a Line for Gentlemanliness?

On Tuesday evenings I take a step aerobic class to give variety to my work out. The other night a new couple came to the class. As typical, we all wait outside the door while the yoga class leaves. This man held open the door, let his wife pass, and then motioned for me to pass. I though, how polite, and went though. What I wasn't expecting, though, was that he lead me though with his hand on my back. I wasn't quite sure what to think of it. I do know that it wasn't meant in any romantic way toward me, but I still wondered why. These are my two conclusions. It's a habit and he forgot that his wife already went in before me, or it is something he does for everyone no matter who. Either way, it is a very gentlemanly thing for him to do. But I ask the question, is there a line for this sort of behavior?

I enthusiastically applaud his courtesy toward his wife and think she must sure appreciate his attentiveness, but do you think his gesture was appropriate for a complete stranger? I, of course, like it when a date or any guy for that matter shows that courtesy toward me, but considering that he is married to someone else kind of make it awkward.

I favor the conclusion that it was just a habit and didn't think anything of it at the time. To which I would hope that other guys treat their wives with such respect and so frequently that it is a completely natural thing for them to do.

How to Predict the Future.

A neighbor once gave my family a little lesson on how we could predict the future. His theory was that the more information you have regarding a particular thing the better you could predict what will happen. You may be thinking, well duh. Yes, his theory is nothing more than common sense, but unfortunately, there seems to be a lack of that in the world.

A certain incident happened over the weekend that followed this pattern. I found out Friday night that my dad might have had a heart attack. I was not surprised. That is not to say that I didn't care or that I wasn't worried. I was. But I wasn't surprised. And this is why. Two years or so ago (more or less, I lose track of time) my uncle had a stroke and after some tests found out that he needed some major heart surgery. Originally the doctors had planned on quintuple bypass surgery but ended up combining two by passes, making it 'just' quadruple bypass. Then about a year ago, my other uncle (brothers) was having some dizzy spells. His son took him to the hospital, and the doctors treated him immediately and put in a pace maker. My grandfather (my dad's dad) also had heart problems. Fact 1: Heart problems run in the family.

About two months ago, my dad was doing his regular exercises in the park and put his legs over his head. He felt some chest pain that never really went away. He thought it was just a pulled muscle. (Yeah...his heart muscle.) He didn't tell anyone this until after all this came about. Fact 2: He has chest pain.

One night when we were all in St. George, we got on the subject of my uncle's heart beat. Supposedly the mechanical pump made a different noise than a normal heart would. My cousin listened to it but couldn't really tell a difference, so he listened to my dad's heart to compare. He said that my dad's heart was beating twice as fast. My aunt then decided to bring out the blood pressure taker and we all took a turn. The machine did in fact indicate that my dad's heart rate was twice as fast as it should have been. I was 150. No one really knew what to think of it. I thought it might be the stress that he was feeling at the time. Fact 3: He has an abnormal heart beat.

Given those fact, you would think that my dad would have been a little more concerned. According to my neighbor's theory, we could assume ('predict') that he would have a heart attack. Because of the information we had, anything serious was prevented/ Because as fortune had it, my uncle went down to Arizona for a doctor's appointment just two days after we were there. At the appointment, he happened to mention my dad's heart rate. The doctor told him to tell my dad to get to the hospital right away. My dad did, and his heart problems were verified. They put in a balloon pump to give his heart a rest and to regulate it. They also did an angioplasty and put in a stent (something he would have to have done three more times, for each artery).

A cardiogram revealed that my dad did not have a heart attack, but that the vessels had narrowed. I can only imagine that he would have had major heart failure had he not taken care of it when he had. His heart was beating twice as fast for so long that it was just exhausted. After a while, I am sure it would have overworked itself to the point of stopping.

I know there was some divine intervention. Had the topic not come up, it probably would never have been a concern. God works through ordinary means sometimes.

Fascination of the Abomination.

On my way to work this morning, I was stuck for 20 minutes behind a non-existent accident. I can't trust radio reports of traffic. It always seems that I happen to be in the exact location of a reported accident, but there is never anything there. Sometimes there is traffic, sometimes there isn't. There isn't any consistency for me to do anything about these reports when I hear them. Well, this morning there was a notice on one of those over head light boards that said that there was a crash on the I-215 at 200 North. Due to my lack of trust in the accuracy of traffic notices, I disregarded it and took my normal route to work, on the I-215. At about 1700 North, I was going 15 mph. I was going between 5-10 mph for about 20 minutes. I thought, well, at least I know that once I get to 200 North, it will clear up. I was patient and accepted my punishment for not heading the warning.

Eventually, I got to 200 North, fully expecting to see an accident. If I had waited 20 minutes to get two miles, there had better been something worthy of the hold-up. There was nothing there. No smashed cars. No police or emergency vehicles. No tow-trucks. Nothing. So, why were people going so slowly? Sure, the accident could have been cleared by the time I got there. The only evidence of any accident was tire tracks in the snow on the left shoulder. But still, if there was nothing there, I ask again, why were people going so slowly?

A literature teacher once explained it to me. It is what Joseph Conrad in his book Heart of Darkness called "fascination of the abomination." We've all experienced it. There are a couple of cars on the side of the road, and maybe a police car, but there is no blockage of the lanes, the cars are not impeding the flow of traffic, yet there is still slowing. Why? Because people are fascinated with the misfortune of others. They think that if they slow down enough they will be able to know exactly what happened, how the victims are doing, and whose fault it was. Of course no one can figure that out by just looking. So why bother to slow down? Drive on! I'm sure the people involved don't want people staring at them; they don't want the extra attention. I guess it is just human instinct. Some people are just more fascinated than others.

So, my only two explanations for the delay this morning was that either there was indeed an accident and people slowed down to see it or there was no accident but the sign made people curious so they slowed down anyway hoping to see something. Heaven forbid they should miss it. Whichever the case, there is still no excuse for the back-up. People: Mind your own business and move on!

Plant Murderers!

I don't have pets. I think they are a little too hard to take care of for someone who is never home. So, I have lots of plants. A few of them I grew from clippings from other plants, but most of them I got...from the trash bin! Yes, I admit it, I've been dumpster diving. But what should be more shocking to you is that my work is full of plant murderers! Most of my plants I have gotten from the garbage. This is my most recent acquisition:


Now, is that any way to treat this plant? Sure, it is a little viny and malnurished, but it is a perfectly good plant. It will do nicely once I put it in some good soil. There is no reason for it to have been thrown away. If people could be held accountable for plant murder like they do people or even animals, there would be a lot of people paying hefty fines and doing community service. We have the ASPCA, why isn't there an ASPCP? Do plants not feel pain, do they not have a spirit? Sure they do. So why are people less caring and more dismissive of them? I don't understand.

Life Styles of the Rich and Famous.

Ok, maybe not famous, but certainly rich.

My sister and I went down to St. George for the extended weekend. They have the Parade of Homes down there about this time. I think they have it at this time to coordinate with the Presidents' Day holiday. I wouldn't have gone down just for that, but because we were having an unofficial mini family reunion, I thought it would be a good opportunity to see the family. My dad and his two brothers are really into looking at homes and learning what new architectural wonders and designs they have come up with. So, my dad drove up from Arizona, and my uncle, cousin, sister, and I came down from the north. My other uncle and aunt live in Hurricane, just 15 or so miles away, so it was a good meeting point. We had a good time visiting with each other.

As for the homes, some were small and simple, but there were those that were just over the top: bowling lanes and arcades games in a basement, lovers' hideaway, glass walls/windows, etc. Some of these things you would just have to see to believe. Unfortunately, I did not document them photographically as well as I wish I would have. Here are some pictures though.










This was the second Parade of Homes showcases that I have been to. The first one was in Park City over a year ago. I noticed certain trends as time has gone by. The first time I went, I was amazed that almost every house had a movie theater room. Now, it is so common that every house had one and I was not surprised by them. What I picked up most on this year, was all the seating. I'm not talking about seating in the theater room either. Almost every bedroom had a sitting area. Anywhere there was a little open space in the house, there were chairs. My question is, who has time to just sit around?!? Almost all the houses were designed for idleness, sitting and relaxing. I am hardly home enough to enjoy that luxury. Either these people must be well enough off to have retired early and just enjoy doing nothing, or it's all for looks. I would think that to be able to afford these homes, the owners must be working like crazy. Or maybe, I just don't understand the life styles of the rich.

Another Commercial Holiday

Not that I want to complain and wine
But I’m not a fan of Saint Valentine.
I ‘m not sure who he was or how the tradition began,
So I make it through the best that I can.
It’s fine for couples or those who admire,
But for me, I feel like an ox in the mire.

If I decide to go out with no man in tow
I feel like people question why I’ve no beau.
I recognize my faults and don’t want to pass blame,
But maybe Cupid just has really poor aim.
Even the one time I did have a date,
It wasn’t much fun and now this day more I hate.

Still for those who have someone else
It’s not always easy to have whistles and bells.
It‘s a sensitive day when expectations aren’t met
Or when waiting for plans that will never be set.
Sometimes things are just awkward at best
And you end up disliking this day like the rest.

But companies love it because of the hype.
They make so much profit, money pours down their pipe.
The stores are stalked with chocolates galore
Even with no Valentine, I get fat all the more.
Restaurants benefit from the couples that dine.
Don’t forget chalk-textured hearts with “Be Mine.”

I never know what to do on this day
I’d really like to just go out and play.
But being surrounded by all the romantic cliché
And red and pink decorations of paper-maché,
Makes me want fight with my might
Against the lovebird conformists’ delight.

Maybe that’s what I don’t like about this day:
Commercialism has limited it to a certain way.
A lot could be done on this day of love.
People could live beyond and above.
But people ought to show love no matter the day
Not just when there’s pressure to act a certain way.

I look forward to the day when these feelings may change,
And a pleasant evening I could arrange.
Yet I wonder, even though a man come my way
If my non-conformism would still bear sway.
So instead of worrying about it one way or another,
I’ll just live the day better than any other.

Flowers for Valentine's Day.

I live in the greatest ward. Every year since I have lived in my house, which has been three Februarys now, my dear bishop and his wife have brought me flowers for Valentine's Day. They give flowers to all the single sisters in the neighborhood who may not have a memorable day otherwise. It is such a thoughtful gesture. Men, take note.

Jack of All Trades, Master of None.

There are a lot of things that I can do. But I really don't do anything extremely well. I can sew, cook, garden, play the piano, sing, design, paint. It's enough to get by, but nothing to show off or be proud of. But, in honor of my recent accomplishment, I thought I would share some other repairs that I was able to do without professional help.

Over the summer, the end of June to be exact, my air conditioner broke. I had gone on a week long river trip, and when I came back the house was suffocatingly hot. It was so late and I was so tired that I didn't even think about trying to figure out what was wrong. I just went to bed. The next day I considered some things and experimented a bit and found that if I manually started the fan moving then it would kick on and it would be fine, until the temperature gauge told it to turn off. Then I would have to go out and start it up again. Fortunately, we all worked during the day and could get by in the evenings. But it was still uncomfortably hot.
      I don't know why I was at my uncle's house one day, but I explained the problem and he and my cousin said that it sounded like it was the capacitor. So, I did some research online to know what a capacitor even looked like. After some tinkering, I found the capacitor, and it seemed plenty easy to replace. I called a close heating repair store and asked for a capacitor. They said they had one and I got it. But, it wasn't the right one, and I couldn't return it, and they charged a ton for it! I guess that is part of the educational experience cost. (I have learned from this and the PRV that you really do have to take the old part in so that they know what you are talking about.) Well, with the help of my friend's dad's connection, I got another one for really cheap. I replaced it and it worked like a charm....And then I had to touch it. Take note: Capacitors carry a lot of electricity and really shock you when touched. My uncle warned me about touching it. I had mental lapse and obviously wasn't thinking when I grabbed it. Fortunately, I didn't die, which could have very easily been the case.
      Well, because I touched it, the air conditioner stopped working again. I thought that maybe I ruined the new capacitor. I talked to my friend, and he talked to his dad, and his dad said that it was probably just the fuse. With a little aluminum foil to bypass it, we found that it was just the fuse which could easily be replaced. The next day I went to Home Depot, got the new fuse, and everything was back to normal again. Yay for easy fixes and good friends.

About the same time (I can't remember which came first actually) my bathroom faucet started leaking. I noticed it was wet underneath when I had to get something. It had been leaking for quite a while, I would assume, because the ceiling below was swollen with water. I ought to start paying more attention to things. It was a good faucet. It was the pull out kind. They are quite common in kitchens, but I had never seen a bathroom with one. At first I thought it was just one of the hoses because the cold side didn't leak, but after trying a few things I realized that it was the actual faucet. I tried to unscrew the hoses, but they didn't budge. I felt pretty stupid when I found out later that they were soldered on there. Without being able to get the hoses off, I tried to take the whole faucet off. I couldn't get the bolt undone. It wasn't that I wasn't strong enough; I just couldn't get the wrench around it at a good enough angle to be effective. (Because it was such an unusual bathroom faucet, they crammed all three connections into the center hole.) For that, I was grateful for help. My boyfriend at the time (just friend now, the same one mentioned in the previous account) took it off for me.
      With that taken care of, putting the new one on was a sinch. It was the easiest thing in the world. You just place it in there, tighten the bolts, and screw on the hoses. I'm glad I didn't have to pay anyone to do that. Considering the plumber's rate, it would have been outrageous. Also, it seems to be good a good skill to have. I would imagine that people replace faucets a lot more than they do pressure reducing valves.

Another thing that I have accomplished was fixing a leaking toilet. Now this I made a lot more difficult than it needed to be. All I ended up doing to fix it was replace the flapper. My brother messed me up when he told me that I needed to replace the gasket. Looking back, it was just as well that I replaced that too because it was kind of deteriorated. This fix is not something to brag about considering the simplicity of it. What I am proud of, though, is that I was able to take that whole toilet apart and put it back together and still have it work.
      The drama in this story (because there always has to be something to make it more problematic than it ought to be) is that I went through three different flappers until I found one that actually fit. I can thank Lowe's for that. Actually Lowe's is the store that came through for me in all my repairs. They had the the PRV, a cheaper faucet, and the right toilet flapper. What a good store. I've heard that they cater more to women. I don't know if that is true, but I sure appreciate that they carry what I need.

Plumbers' Salary Equivalent to Surgeons'.

Plumbers must be some of the most overpaid professionals. Doctors are so expensive because of the cost of education and the fact that your life is in their hands. When I got to work Monday, I called some plumbers. After explaining the problem, they all gave me estimates of $300! I found two different companies that offered free estimates. (All the others charge $50 just to tell me what I already knew.) I made appointments with these two companies, just to know if $300 was really the going rate. I was afraid that maybe I didn't explain the problem well enough and they thought it was a much bigger job than it really was. So, they both came. (And because of delayed schedules and traffic, they came at the same time. Ha, that was awkward.)

One gave me an estimate of $382 and the other was $350. Absurd! I told one of them that I could not possibly justify paying that much for something so easily fixed. I could have taken a plumber, with the part, no more than 5 minutes. Literally. One plumber was very helpful and told me that I could easily do it myself and actually encouraged me to do so. I told him that I was afraid that if I tried any harder to get the nut off that I might bend or break the pipes. He assured me that I could yank pull as much as I wanted and I would hurt the pipes, and if I did, then I wouldn't really be any worse off than I already was. So, I thanked him and he left. Then I called some plumber supply stores and they all closed or would have been closed by the time I got there. So, I kind of gave up for the night since I couldn't get another part until the morning anyway.

Shortly after, my roommate got home, and I told her the events of the day. She encouraged me to try now to get the part off, just to see if I could and so it would be that much easier in the morning. I took her advice. I twisted that thing as hard as I could. And the valve moved!...But not the nut, which is what I was going for. So, to get the valve lined back up again, I twisted in the opposite direction, and surprise, surprise, I got the nut loose. I had been twisting it in the wrong direction the whole time! You always hear, "Righty tighty, lefty loosey," but when you are screwing it upside down, it would in fact be the opposite. (Now, to credit my roommate, she mentioned that she heard This Old House that sometime it is backward. I did listen to her and tried in both directions, but that was back when I was afraid I'd break the pipes.) So, I got it off...pretty easily too! But I still didn't have the replacement, so I decided I'd go to FHE, and get the new part first thing in the morning.

At FHE, I happened to mention my plumbing chronicle to a guy. After telling him that Home Depot did not carry the part, he asked if I had tried Lowe's. I hadn't. Right away I made a phone call to the local Lowe's. And they had it. Why hadn't I thought of Lowe's before?! It's not like it was located very far away. So, I went right over. By this time it was 8:30 and they closed at 9:00. They had two different ones. The employee suggested one, and I went with it. I didn't even think to check the pressure range. So, by the time I got home, I realized that it was the wrong one. And it was too late to go back. Could this have been drawn out any longer?

Again, stuck without immediate recourse, I decided to wake up extra early and get it done before work. I slept in an hour (6:45), immediately called Lowe's to make sure the other one had the right range, and left. I set to work as soon as I got home. My roommate asked if I could have it done in 15 minutes so she could shower. I told her that I sure hoped so. I didn't time myself, but I would say that it probably took even less than 15 minutes. And most of that time was waiting for the water to drain. I turned the main back on and it worked! I'll admit, it was a lot of effort for a little fix, but it saved me so much money and I got experience in the process.

So, the actual time it took (once I all the parts and such) was 10 minutes. Screw off, screw on. That easy. So, if you calculate that, taking off the price of the part ($100, which, he told me, they mark up 20% (yeah, right, more like 50%), those plumbers make $1,500 an hour!
           $250/10 minutes x 6 = $1,500/hour
That is ludicrous! Or to use my friends word, asinine!

What would have cost me $350 (without education or sense of accomplishment), actually cost me
   $10 for the wrench (which I actually bought before but thought I would
         never use, so I returned it)
   $39 for the new pressure reducing valve
   $.97 for Teflon tape
   ^_____
   $54.19 including tax.

So, all in all, I save $300 and got plumbing experience and a feeling of fulfillment.

And to illustrate the simplicity of this whole process, here are pictured step by step instructions:

The Joys of Home Ownership.

Whenever you hear this phrase, you can be assured that it is said sarcastically. The only time that owning a house is a joy is when you sell it and make a nice profit. Things go wrong all the time. I have found that if nothing has gone wrong or broken in a few months, something will shortly. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I weren't so cheap. I would just pay someone to come fix it right away. But no, I have to do research to save myself anything I can. It seems like I can't even get a hold of neighbors when I need help. Show me a man who takes on responsibility and he will own a house. Boo to anyone who lives at home until he gets married so that daddy and mommy can take care of everything for him. I dated a guy in his late twenties who was still living at home. He didn't even do his own car insurance. He's not going to know what hits him when all of a sudden he has to take of things by himself. Oh wait, he'll probably just call his dad and ask him to come over. I can't imagine him living outside of the same city.

Having a house, far away from any family, has certainly taught me some valuable lessons in independence and responsibility. Having roommates doesn't help either. You can't expect them to live as uncivilized as you would be willing to.

The recent saga that initiated this subject began when my roommate called me at work Friday morning to ask if I noticed anything wrong with the water pressure. Apparently it was non-existent. I had showered at the gym so I didn't know there was anything wrong. Then I remembered that the toilet did take an extra long time to fill up. My research began. First I called the city public works just to make sure that it wasn't a city wide thing. They didn't know of anything. I explained my problem to the receptionist and she said that it could be one of at least two things. One, the freeze plate could have broken, which is something the city would have come to take care of, which I was desperately hope was the case. Or, two, it was the pressure reducing valve. The receptionist said that she would send someone out to check the freeze plate. Well, we had had so much snow the day before that all the city workers were assigned to snow plows.

Finally after not hearing from anyone in six hours, I called her back. Another receptionist answered and took my number and said that she pass on the my information. A few minutes later a guy from the city called to get some more information about the problem. I explained the problem, and he said that it was the pressure reducing valve and that I would need to get a plumber. The first receptionist that I talked to said that she had to have her PRV replaced and that her husband did it himself without any problems. That gave me hope that it really wasn't that hard to fix. I had planned to go to Provo to visit my sister and brother and friends, but with the news, I decided I had just better go home.

When I got home, I realized that there was still significant water. I tried faucets everywhere and still got water. The biggest difference was in her bathroom. I knew that it needed to be fixed, but with as much running water as there was, I didn't worry as much as I had earlier in the day. I called Home Depot. They say, "You can do it, we can help," so I talked to a plumber there. I explained the problem and the part I needed and he said that if I brought the old one in that they could match it. Well, I didn't want to take the old one off without having a replacement, just in case I couldn't get it back on or something. So, I went in to look at what they had. The parts looked similar enough. While I was there, I bought a pipe wrench because the one I had wasn't big enough and had hoped to be able to take it in in the morning. (They were almost closed) By that time, there was nothing more I could do, so I decided I would just put it out of my mind by watching a movie.

My ward was doing a 40 day fast for missionary work, and I had signed up for that Saturday (trying to be smart and kill two birds with one stone by carrying it over to Sunday). I wanted to get it done as soon as possible before I started the fast because I wasn't thrilled about taking care of everything on an empty stomach. So, I went to Home Depot, again, first thing in the morning with more information. I still hadn't taken the old one off but not due to my reasoning above. I couldn't get the dang thing off! Evan (code name), my roommate's boyfriend even helped. Together we couldn't even get it off. But I did take a picture of it. (Aren't digital cameras so handy!) I found one employee who got another, and the three of us discussed the problem. And lo and behold, they didn't carry the part. Dang. Being Saturday, plumbers weren't working (or if they came they would charge extra). I couldn't do anything else, and I wasn't going to pay extra for a plumber. I figured that there was enough water, so I just left it. I thought Monday I could call plumbers and get an idea of what it would cost. And there I left it.

The Virtual Paper Doll.

Instead of dressing barbie dolls, the new trend is to dress and accessorize avatars, very similar to paper dolls, but on the computer. Design-her Gals (designhergals.com) has created a market where you (women only at this point, sorry guys) can pick features and outfits to create a virtual doll to look like you. Then you can print stationery and cards with your avatar on it. (To create an account and make an avatar is free, but the products aren't.) It's a great idea. However, there are some major flaws. They have four doll options: a girl aged somewhere between 9-14, an anorexic toothpick-thin woman, an hourglass-but-still-very-thin shaped woman, and an underweight pregnant woman. It seems to me that they are missing quite a few different mainstream figures (not to mention the other gender).

I remember in high school, my friends and I would classify body shape by fractions. There are typical fractions (e.g., 1/2, 3/4), whole numbers (or in fraction form 1/1, 3/3, etc.), and improper fractions (e.g., 2/1, 3/2). Someone who doesn't have much on top but is fuller on the bottom would be a regular fraction, someone who is relatively balanced would be a whole number, and someone who is well endowed on top and has no hip would be an improper fraction. Of course there could be as many varieties under those three categories as there are possible fractions. There is also the fruit method, in which there are pears, bananas, apples, mangos, etc.

It is a shame that there aren't more avatar template to represent those types. They are going right along with society expecting all the women to starve themselves in order to fit the ideal image. Did they think how it might make larger women feel not to have an avatar to represent them?

Well, the company I work for is considering a partnership with Design-her Gals. My boss encouraged all of us to check out the site and create our own just to get an idea of what they are all about. There are plenty of accessories so that you can change your style, activity, mood, etc. But this is what I thought best represented me on a typical day. (You will have to use your creativity to imagine the extra 15 pounds.)

All in all, I think it is quite a clever business. And to their credit, they work to help women (and I guess men too) with stage four breast cancer. But they could use a little more variety.

Eating in Restaurants Alone.

I am pretty cheap. Maybe frugal, thrifty, or economical, are a bit more positive sounding, but either way you have it, I'm cheap. I got a buy one get one free coupon in the mail for Costa Vida. How could I pass up a free meal? Buy one get one half off doesn't really appeal to me, but free does. I couldn't waste this coupon, and because I had no one to come with me, I decided that I would enjoy half of two entrees and save the other halves for another time. Well, I also like to enjoy fresh food. I didn't want to buy the food and risk it getting cold or soggy during the commute to my house. So, I sat in that restaurant alone, by myself. I could have eaten it in the car, but there's no enjoyment in that. I am ok with eating by myself. I've done it before. But, whenever I do, I feel like I am violating some social law that says you should always eat out with a friend.

My sister went to Costa Vida the other week and took her meal all the way home (and she walked) just because she didn't want to eat alone in the restaurant. Back east I am sure you would find that more people do eat alone. At least it is portrayed that way in many movies. I've never been east of Chicago, so I don't really know what it is really like. But I do know that it's a different lifestyle than out west. Whenever I go out to eat, I hardly see someone alone. There are usually at least two people together. And when someone does eat alone, the person usually has work to do. Or, maybe the person brings work so that he or she doesn't appear too pathetic.

Why is it that way? Why does it seem like such a faux pas to eat by yourself? Is it insecurity on the part of the lone eater, a fear that people will think that she doesn't have any friends, that she is an outcast or a loser? Is it jealousy that other people are having great conversations and he is not? It just seems like society has created a norm and you aren't following it. Conformity. Is that it? Lone eaters are nonconformists? Well, maybe I will just have to get some more coupons so I can do a little experiment, maybe take a survey or something. Whatever the case may be, my frugality overpowers any inhibition to eat alone.

The Book of Revelation and Figurativeness.

I usually take things too literally. It is easier that way; you don't have to think as much. Maybe that is why I didn't do very well in my literature classes. I just had a hard time playing the guess-what-the-author-meant game.

Thankfully for me there are others who can think figuratively and can pass that information along to me so that I don't have to come up with it myself. Ok, I should try to learn some figurative thinking skills of my own, but for now, I quite enjoy learning from others.

Isaiah is way too figurative for me. I always thought that the mention of the wolf and the lamb was literal. "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them" (Isa. 11: 6). I used to think that animals would all of a sudden become herbivores. But, plants are living things, too. So, I guess animals would just stop eating. But that is not what Isaiah is talking about. These animals represent nations, meaning that there will be peace among us.

I always liked math. I tried accounting, but it just didn't go over very well. The business part of it messed me up. But I like the logic of basic math. So, to make this figurativeness more logical, let me explain the transitive property of equality.
It states that if a = b and b = c, then a = c.


Therefore, if A, B, and C in the chart are all equal, then the statement in Isaiah does refer to nations and world peace. As great as that would be, I think we are still a ways away from that day.

Death of a Prophet.

About 8:00 Sunday night, I heard a rumor that President Gordon B. Hinckley had passed away. A few minutes later the rumor ceased to be a rumor and was verified as fact. I am not really the emotional sort (somewhat of a weakness, I've come to recognize). I don't see how getting all weepy really helps the situation. Crying doesn't bring people back. I just accept things and move on. This is not to say that I never feel emotions. I do. But I feel and demonstrate them differently than most people. My logical side keeps them under control. (There could be a whole psychoanalysis for this. I read the book Emotional Intelligence last year, and I learned that my lack of emotional expressiveness was a good indication that I was quite emotionally stupid.) I hope that in a more personal situation things would be different, but as for last night, while most people were teary-eyed and sniffing, I just sat there in a stupor. I felt a loss, but I didn't know what to do with it. Maybe part of me didn't want to accept that it was true. Part of me was contemplating the effect it would have on the church and the world. It is very interesting to me how different people react to a situation.

In place of emotional gushing and to prevent any concern that my lack of emotion is any indication of disregard, I would like to give a tribute to President Hinckley.


He has build many bridges and diminished many chasms among different religions. He said, "I say this to other people: you develop all the good you can. We have no animosity toward any other church. We do not oppose other churches. We never speak negatively of other churches. We say to people: you bring all the good that you have, and let us see if we can add to it."

President Hinckely will always be known as a temple builder. He participated many temple dedications before his calling as prophet, but just during the 13 years as prophet, the number of temples increased from 52 to 124, with 14 others announced or under construction. His vision for vicarious work and his concept of smaller and standardized temple construction has provided for many the blessings of a temple near by.

We will all remember he valiant efforts to spread word of the Church and shed good light upon it with his appearances on national television. He not only clarified misconceptions, but also supported the truths so that others who may otherwise never have had an opportunity to know of the Church, could have a better and more accurate idea of the Mormon religion. His personality was a perfect fit for such a venture as he showed enthusiastic dedication and sincerity to his calling.

What many might not know, is that along with television appearances, Pres. Hinckley was also extremely influential in the development of the Church broadcast infrastructure. He was involved with Bonneville communications and the development and spread of satellites, which allowed the broadcast of General Conference and other programs throughout the world on radio and television.

Most importantly, Pres. Hinckley will be know for he warm and welcoming personality. Sprinkled with wit and humor, he made his way into the hearts and homes of people in every country. Even those not of the Church hold him in high regard and have only wonderful things to say about him.

What a man to have lead the Church and the world in such a time when all things seem to be negative, chaotic, and dark. He certainly magnified his calling with perfect understanding of what was needed and expected.