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.)

Today

Some events from the day:

• Created a Halloween garland for work.  It turned out pretty cute, amazingly enough, due in large part to huge encouragement from my very creative and artsy coworker.
• Convinced another coworker that along with the bats we were hanging about the office, we needed one of them to be Batman.  He was totally game, and created a fantastic Batman to hang from the ceiling, which cracked me up every time I saw it during the day.
• Got good news and bad news about the foster kids I work with: two are SO CLOSE to adoption with their sweet, sweet family, but the other one is headed to yet another placement.  Hopefully, this one will be a perfect fit!
• Saw three people get arrested.  It was AWESOME.  It's been a good 18 months since I've seen anyone get arrested, so it was nice.  It was a great distraction for the day.  Did much else get accomplished?  No.  But was it fantastic?  YEP!
• Made mini pumpkin cheesecakes with moderate success.  The cheesecake part is pretty stinking yummy, but I just used vanilla wafers for the crust since I was in a hurry, and they turned out a bit soggy...oh well.  It'll be my contribution to the office Halloween party, and I'll do it differently next time, if there is a next time.
• Went to the gym and worked hard.  I am already sore.  Good thing, because then tonight I had to sample the mini cheesecakes to make sure they were done and presentable for a public engagement.
• Bought too much cream for the cheesecakes, so now I have leftovers.  Anyone have any recipes that involve cream and magically erase all of its fat?
• Heard what was, perhaps, one of the funniest segments in a news story EVER on NPR this evening.  I'll try to find it online so that you can all enjoy it.

Tomorrow is Halloween, one of those holidays that just doesn't do anything for me.  However, there is going to be lunch at work, and that does a lot for me.

Beetlemania

I just saw another beetle in my room.  Truth be told, I think it's actually not a beetle, but a Box Elder Bug.  Somebody's Mother could identify it quickly, but wouldn't even be interested in collecting it because it is pervasive in the area and fairly generic.  However, "Box Elder Bug Mania" isn't as interesting as "Beetlemania," so that's what I'm going with.

Gross.  Yuck.  Apparently, it can also fly.  Now I'm hoping for some snow to kill the population off.

A friend said that the ultimate reason to get married is to have someone to kill bugs.  I told her that I thought the ultimate reason to get married was for presents, but I'm starting to rethink the bug thing...

Gross.

Just for me, if anyone sees one of these little suckers outside, go ahead and smush it for me before it finds its way into my room.

Decisions, with credit to Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both and be one traveler, long I stood and looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth.

And stood, and stood, and walked down the other path, wishing that it didn't have to be so.  And glanced back, disappointed, wishing that I could take the first.  Of course, although the first path was more traveled by, it isn't well traveled by me, so odds are that I would've ended up looping back, but all the same, wishing, wishing, wishing...

Oh, I kept the first for another day!  Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back...

Lame, Lame, Lame

I'm working on schoolwork, a bit, trying to focus (fairly unsuccessfully) on a huge amount of work that I need to finish this weekend.

On the website where I log in to many of my online classes, I can see how many people from each class are signed on.

Right now?  Pretty much just me.  Why am I the only one doing homework on Friday night?  Is that a bad sign?

Relief

I read about the development of an exciting new technology.  It really was impressive, and I'm always amazed at the things people can figure out.

Although the technology can be used for many things, one of the applications that the article listed for this technology is to simplify iPod controls.

So glad they figured that out.  My iPod is so complicated and not user-friendly.

Current Thought

I also need to be a little bit more careful about what I say on this blog.  Apparently, the LAPD and Captain Hammer are among our viewers.  They were waiting for me at the Mayor's dedication of the Superhero Memorial Bridge...Captain Hammer threw a car at my head.

End Socialization

Somebody's Mother says that Sundays need to be my day to be social, since I'm swamped in work and school all of the other days this week.

Tonight, I attended Ward Prayer, which has become the social staple.  I go, I chat for a few minutes, and then leave.  Tonight's socialization led to one of the least pleasant conversations I've had since moving into the ward.  Amazingly enough, it happened because I was trying to talk to someone I hadn't really talked to before, because they were standing alone.  Apparently, they have heard me talk with others before (never really talked to them though) and had already formed an opinion of me which they proceeded to share.  I think they thought it was funny.  I didn't, and I shortly left.

Later, someone else passed judgement and mocked me for who I had been trying to get to know earlier at ward prayer.  I'm trying to make friends here.  I don't need any external discouragement.  I find plenty of that from myself, thanks.

Fortunately, I met my new neighbors, who are really nice.  I'll take that.  And another girl in the ward said that she thought we should get together some time and said she thought we're peas in a pod, which is probably at least fairly accurate.  Not sure when I would have time to get together with her until Christmas time, but I appreciate the sentiment.

So, tonight's summary: new neighbors?  Great.  Nice girl?  Great.  Insensitive others?  Not appreciated.

I don't have time for this stuff.  Project Socialization will have to be put on hold until further notice.

That will leave more time for Project Catch Up on TV.  Or homework.  Probably a bit of both.

Sister Revisited

Today I talked to my sister for over an hour.  Our topics of conversation?

• Politics
• Religion
• Grad School
• Weight Loss
• Airline Charges
• Indoor Floor-based Defecation
• Crime and Punishment
• Hair cuts
• Babies
• Statistics
• Vacations
• Seattle
• Scriptures
• Racism
• Paris
• Union City
• Netflix

Sounds potentially heavy, but it wasn't.  It was just one of our conversations. I love my sister.