Struggling

I have the day off of work today. It's one of the perks of working for a financial institution--FABULOUS holidays! Last week, I took Friday off of work as a vacation day, but this week, I need to be back in the office for Friday.

Friday is tomorrow. All day today, I've been crazy confused about what day it is. It is Thursday, but it feels like Saturday. I was thinking about church tomorrow, but NO! No church tomorrow--WORK tomorrow. To make things even worse, Somebody's Mother couldn't remember what today was either, and kept making references to things that would happen tomorrow, but they were Sunday's activities.

My apologies in advance if I show up at the wrong place tomorrow or at the wrong time. I'm struggling.

Sicky Sickerson

For the 4,206,488th time this year, I am sick. It's just a cold, I'm sure, but it's accompanied by an awesome fever.

I had the day scheduled off of work today anyway, which was convenient as I was sick all day. I managed to attend my nephew's birthday party, do some quick shopping, and ended up stopping in the office for about an hour to put out a little fire. (Not a real fire...nothing was actually aflame...) I did get to talk to my sister on the phone for a while, which was nice, but other than that, I've mostly been lying around feeling crummy.

Somebody's Mother says that I probably won't feel better tomorrow, but should feel better by Sunday. Just in time to go to work on Monday... 

Awesome. Just awesome.

Affirmation

I had a bit of extra money in my flex spend account to use up before the end of the year, so I have been making some purchases (contacts, refilling prescriptions, etc.).

Today, I still had a bit left, so I went to pick out some glasses. I took someone, who will remain unnamed, with me so that I could have an opinion. 

Me: Do these glasses make me look intelligent?

Opinion Giver: (instantly) No.

Suffice it to say, those were not the glasses I purchased...

Word to the Wise

My next several blog postings may be completely out of chronological order. I will be working through the past few months to fill in some gaps, while most likely continuing to post on current happenings. Try not to be alarmed.

If it helps, you can pretend you're watching one of those artsy films that most people never see, where the events are presented in random order and at the end you're sort of not sure what happened.

That'll probably only help Brooke, but hey, it'll help someone.  :)

Hello, World!

Long time, no see. I have many things to say, all jumbled up in my head, so we'll see if any make their way to a blog posting in the near future.

In one of my favorite Christmas movies, Muppet Christmas Carol, the narrators have to leave the story for a while during the visit of the Ghost of Christmas Future because it is too scary.

That, friends, is why I had to leave the blog for a while. Life was chaotic, and not suitable for the general reading public.

Now, however, I am in a much better mood and ready to share with the world again.

Whether the world is ready to hear what I have to say, well, only time will tell...

But I'm back.

Travel

I recently flew lots and lots of miles to see some special members of my family.

But this smile? I'd walk the whole way for this...

Stay Cool

My tight connection in Cincinnati is looking even tighter. Big deep
breaths...

I was supposed to have like 35 minutes to change planes, but now it's
looking like I'll have far fewer, if not a negative number.

Wouldn't be so serious if the flight I needed to catch in Cincinnati
wasn't the last of the day.

Traffic

--blogging from iPhone. My apologies for any typos--

Tidbit I learned today: traffic in downtown Milwaukee will always be
bad, no matter what time you arrive or what the weather is like.
Stupid tiny freeway...

I realize that I haven't kept up with the blog while I was
vacationing, but I'll fill in the middle later. Suffice it to say,
this trip was bookended by sitting in traffic in Milwaukee. Maybe
they're all headed out for some beer and cheese curd.

Georgia on my Mind

I'm sitting in the Atlanta airport, writing this quick update from my
iPhone while I wait for my plane to Wisconsin. (That's right--Atlanta
is on the way to Wisconsin from Utah. Check a map. It's complicated,
with the curvature of the earth or something...)

Although some airports are in different states from the city they are
named after, I think I'm in Georgia right now. As my plane descended,
I thought that we were flying over a forest or something. Then, I
noticed that there were houses. Apparently, there are just lots of
trees here. I'm from the desert, so I'm impressed.

The airport here is really nice. I am going to get back to my homework
now, but I'm sure I'll write another travel update soon. If not, have
a lively turkey day!

Truth in Advertising

I sometimes read the jewelry listings on Craig's List.  No, I'm not in the market for jewelry, but some of the postings are really funny.  Basically, some people like to really...express why they need to sell an engagement ring.  It brightens my day.

Today, as I was perusing, I saw an advertisement as follows:

"HALF KARATE DIAMOND RING"

Not totally sure what that is...

Whatever

A few months ago, my sister and I were discussing the price of gasoline.  She's an economist, and we're both pretty nerdy, so this was part of our conversation.  Gasoline was significantly higher here in Utah than it was where she was living.  She said that it was probably because the economy where she lived was so depressed that prices would be down.

Flash forward to today: I'm driving past the gas station by my parents' house, and I see that gas is $1.83 per gallon.  WAHOO!

Is it weird that something that would indicate economic depression would make me so happy?

Whatever.  I don't care.  Gas is cheap! 

Poem of the Day - In Loving Memory

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you wake in the morning hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die!
               -Mary Frye (1932)

Funny Shirt

This morning, as I was eating my whole wheat pancakes specially made by Somebody's Mother (I know--don't you wish you could have homemade pancakes with your mother once a week??), I was looking through a catalog on her table and saw some funny shirts.

My favorite shirt had some beakers on it and said, "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."

I laughed out loud.  It was a big ugly laugh, but fortunately, I showed it to Somebody's Mother and she thought it was hilarious, too.

One of the many benefits of having smart parents.

Poem of the Day

You don't have to understand me.  You don't even have to read the poem of the day.  For what it's worth, I didn't write it, but it reflects my thoughts.  Will there be a poem tomorrow?  No.  It's an artistic thing.  I can call it the poem of the day and not do it every day.  Have a problem with that?  You can sue me.  I hear the Supreme Court has some time left over after this Pleasant Grove v Summum case.

Spring and Fall: To a Young Child

MARGARET, are you grieving

Over Goldengrove unleaving?

Leaves, like the things of man, you

With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?

Ah! as the heart grows older

It will come to such sights colder

By and by, nor spare a sigh

Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie.

And yet you will weep and know why.

Now no matter, child, the name:

Sorrow's springs are the same.

Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed

What heart heard of, ghost guessed:

It is the blight man was born for,

It is Margaret you mourn for.

-Gerard Manley Hopkins

Time Change

I am spending the Thanksgiving holiday in Wisconsin, America's Dairyland, although it should be noted that last time I visited, I saw exactly zero cows.

My sister, her husband, and their three sweet boys moved there this year, and I'm looking forward to getting to spend time with all of them.

Tuesday, I was talking to my sister on the phone about the boys' schedules to prep myself.  Last time I visited, the boys were...helpful in waking me up when they wanted me to be awake.  I was surprised at the earliness of the hour, but they assured me that since the sun was up, I should be, too.

This time, I figured that I'd start getting up a bit earlier each day to be ready for that, especially considering the one hour time difference.

However, my sister informed me that the boys get up between 5:30 and 6:30 each morning, which is 4:30 to 5:30 here.

I just don't see that happening during these next two weeks.  It might take a bit of cheerful motivation to get me out of bed that early, so I'll probably have to wait until I have three giggly boys to stare me down in my sleep.

Public Service Announcement

I have to post regularly to several discussion boards for all of my classes this semester.

Here are a few quick tips, just for the sake of humanity:

These are not the same words:

Moral and morale

Their, they're, and there

It's and its

Employees, employee's, and employees'

Right and write

If you use a spellchecker and it says that the word you typed is not a word, trust it.  Pick a different one.  You are not William Shakespeare.  You don't get to invent your own words.

Also, my plea to everyone everywhere: take a few minutes to proofread before you post to a public forum, especially when I'm obligated to read what you wrote.

Seriously, people.  This isn't fourth grade.  Step it up.

Dear Candidates

I haven't had a chance to write since the election, so here's a quick note to all of the candidates.

To those of you for whom I voted that were not elected (and there were ever so many of you): I'm sorry.  I tried.  Thank you for running so that I had someone to vote for.  Don't give up--I won't.

To those of you for whom I did not vote, yet were elected (again, ever so many of you): here's your chance to prove me wrong.  Please try to be the people that we need.  I don't have much hope for most of you, but I could be wrong.  I'm not usually, but...  Be aware that I will hold you accountable for the things you are doing, and I will feel free to tell everyone I know if I don't feel like you're doing an acceptable job for us.

To those of you for whom I did vote and were elected (all two of you...): I loved the things you said during this campaign.  I'm looking forward to seeing you do them.  I need you to succeed, so that I know that it is possible.  I want to believe.  Don't let me down.  

Excellence in Journalism

From one of our state news affiliates, word for word:

"At the ensign elementary polling place this morning, Anne Maughan casted her ballot.  Anne turned 102 just a few days ago and she showed today up despite the snow and rain."

There are so many things wrong with this paragraph that it's hard to know just where to start the mocking.

I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt by saying that it's an election day, and they've probably got their second- or third-string reporters doing the public interest stories.

All the same, I'm glad that I don't write professionally or have any of my speech recorded.  Today, when trying to say the word "dentists," I instead said "dentistes."  Awesome.

Conflict of Interest

I'm finishing up a spot of homework as I wind down for the evening.  Tonight's project?  Typing up a report of a virtual tour of a manufacturing company earlier in the week.

Conflict of interest?  The tour was of the Jack Daniel Distillery.  Doing homework on Sunday is probably not super appropriate, and writing a paper about the nuances of making whiskey seems pretty wrong.  Should've found a tour of a DI or something... 

An Open Letter

If you are a relative of mine with children, I need you to post Halloween pictures of your children immediately, if not sooner, on your blog.  LL, Shannon, and Busca, good work.  Everyone else, get crackin'.  I know, you're busy, but I need pictures!  

If you are a relative of mine with no children but with a blog that hasn't been updated in ages, you also need to post.  (Specifically, I have two older brothers who have been slacking in the blogging department.  Make me proud.)