Thursday, March 27, 2008

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.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

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.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

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??

Monday, March 17, 2008

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.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

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!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

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.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

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.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

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.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

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: