I've been thinking a lot about my post from a little while back, about how I used to be a jerk. In particular, I've thought about the process that's led me to a better person; in other words, the lessons that I've learned. Reflecting on this has led me to one important lesson: the importance of accepting people without agreeing with their choices.
When Allison and I first got married, we were both active in the church. Unfortunately, Allison's testimony wasn't strong enough to withstand our move to Oklahoma and she stopped attending within a few weeks of our arrival to the state. This was difficult for me, since my faith is such a big part of who I am. There were several times that I sat down with Allison to convince her that she needed to go back to church, but she fought back, giving reasons why she didn't believe anymore. Eventually, all of this came to a head when she told me that she would never go back to church and I needed to decide if I was willing to stay married to her if that was the case. I realized that even though things were very different from what I had expected, she was my wife and that I needed stand by her, even if that meant that we no longer shared the same religious beliefs. Obviously, other problems arose and we got separated. While I wish this wasn't the case, I can't change what's happened. But even though Allison and I disagree on certain parts of the other's lifestyle, I still accept her as an individual.
This lesson was very difficult for me to learn, but once I understood it, it really hit home. It hurt to see Allison leave the church, but all I could do was either cut her from my life or accept that she had changed and still love her anyway. I chose the latter.
This lesson reminds me of how our Heavenly Father must look upon each of us: He allows no sin, but He still loves each of his children. When we sin, He is disappointed in us and will urge us to do better, but He leaves the decision up to us; we simply have to face the consequences of our actions. I'm glad that I now see that showing warmth and kindness to someone does not necessarily mean that I condone their actions, simply that I respect their agency.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Friday, December 27, 2013
Christmas, 2013
I spent Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and part of Boxing Day down with the Larsens. They were very kind to put me up for two nights and I really appreciate being able to share in their Christmas festivities.
The thing that stands out the most to me is how ridiculously excited Clara and Henry were leading up to Christmas. There were multiple times that either one of them just started shaking with anticipation. That kind of child-like enthusiasm was really neat to see.
On the Eve, I arrived (to excited shouts of "Uncle Jordan!") with fresh baked cinnamon rolls- the recipe I used can be found here. From there, due to me arriving in the early afternoon, the kids were put down for a nap and I hung out with the grown ups. After kids were up, we all went to Christmas Mass, which the kids referred to as "Christmas Church" (I went as a way of showing support for Amanda). When we got home, Ian read to the kids out of Luke 2 as they acted out the story with their plastic nativity. Soon after that, we watched The Muppet Christmas Carol while we ate dinner (which was antipasto and spicy meatballs - which is awesome - in recognition of Amanda's Italian heritage). Once the movie was over, the kids got to open up one present each: they got new pajamas that they changed into and then went to bed. With the kids in bed, Santa "visited."
On Christmas, things started at sunrise, because you can only keep children waiting so long. Again, their excitement was so palpable that it seemed like every present was their favorite thing ever. While there was one reminder about needing to be appreciative, overall things went very smoothly. I also surprised everyone with a crocheted scarf (I can't afford much right now, but I can afford a few skeins of yarn and several hours of my time), which everyone immediately tried on. Isaac and Felicia also sent me a package that I opened there: it was a very nice memory foam pillow with a fleece pillow case, which was awfully kind of them. After presents, things wound down a bit. Later on, after dinner, Ian and I went to see a movie, which I'll post about later. For now I'll just say that it was fun.
On Boxing Day (which is not celebrated in the US but should be), I left shortly after breakfast. I did stay long enough to help the kids play a new video game; I didn't jump in at all, I just helped get things set up for each level as their hand-eye coordination is still developing.
A lot of stuff got crammed into just a few days, but it was enjoyable and I'm happy that I got to spend Christmas with family.
The thing that stands out the most to me is how ridiculously excited Clara and Henry were leading up to Christmas. There were multiple times that either one of them just started shaking with anticipation. That kind of child-like enthusiasm was really neat to see.
On the Eve, I arrived (to excited shouts of "Uncle Jordan!") with fresh baked cinnamon rolls- the recipe I used can be found here. From there, due to me arriving in the early afternoon, the kids were put down for a nap and I hung out with the grown ups. After kids were up, we all went to Christmas Mass, which the kids referred to as "Christmas Church" (I went as a way of showing support for Amanda). When we got home, Ian read to the kids out of Luke 2 as they acted out the story with their plastic nativity. Soon after that, we watched The Muppet Christmas Carol while we ate dinner (which was antipasto and spicy meatballs - which is awesome - in recognition of Amanda's Italian heritage). Once the movie was over, the kids got to open up one present each: they got new pajamas that they changed into and then went to bed. With the kids in bed, Santa "visited."
On Christmas, things started at sunrise, because you can only keep children waiting so long. Again, their excitement was so palpable that it seemed like every present was their favorite thing ever. While there was one reminder about needing to be appreciative, overall things went very smoothly. I also surprised everyone with a crocheted scarf (I can't afford much right now, but I can afford a few skeins of yarn and several hours of my time), which everyone immediately tried on. Isaac and Felicia also sent me a package that I opened there: it was a very nice memory foam pillow with a fleece pillow case, which was awfully kind of them. After presents, things wound down a bit. Later on, after dinner, Ian and I went to see a movie, which I'll post about later. For now I'll just say that it was fun.
On Boxing Day (which is not celebrated in the US but should be), I left shortly after breakfast. I did stay long enough to help the kids play a new video game; I didn't jump in at all, I just helped get things set up for each level as their hand-eye coordination is still developing.
A lot of stuff got crammed into just a few days, but it was enjoyable and I'm happy that I got to spend Christmas with family.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Why Christmas is Important
This last Sunday, I led a discussion in Sunday School about how weird a holiday Christmas is: it started out as a pagan holiday with major connections to fertility rites, Santa is an amalgam of Saint Nicolas and Odin, and anything that is in connection to Christianity is an add on. In spite of all of this, Christmas is still an important holiday. My big question was: Why? The following discussion was a delightful mix of members sharing their beliefs and their traditions and how this is the one time of year that we get to share with the rest of the world that we are Christians without getting too much flack.
It was a great discussion (I don't want to call it a lesson since it wouldn't have worked if I was the only one that talked) and I think what made it work was how much everyone felt invested in what we were talking about by sharing personal stories.
I've not always had the best relationship with Christmas, especially as a teen and young adult since there was so much work associated with the season, either with choir or retail work. However, I see that the season is important, whether we celebrate it by having a visit from Santa or by baking cookies for our neighbors. The holiday is about families and togetherness and worshiping the Savior and it's one of the few times that we get to do with the rest of the world.
It was a great discussion (I don't want to call it a lesson since it wouldn't have worked if I was the only one that talked) and I think what made it work was how much everyone felt invested in what we were talking about by sharing personal stories.
I've not always had the best relationship with Christmas, especially as a teen and young adult since there was so much work associated with the season, either with choir or retail work. However, I see that the season is important, whether we celebrate it by having a visit from Santa or by baking cookies for our neighbors. The holiday is about families and togetherness and worshiping the Savior and it's one of the few times that we get to do with the rest of the world.
Monday, December 23, 2013
Mr. Green Christmas
As we know, there are only a handful of holiday songs that have been adopted as classics, and they keep being played every single year. There are literally hundreds of Christmas songs, but only rarely do new ones get adopted. We do have some lovely carols like "Silent Night" and "Angels We Have Heard on High," but there are also songs (of varying quality) that celebrate the winter season like "Jingle Bells" and "Winter Wonderland." Unfortunately, this latter category only describes winter in one way: snowy. That never applied to me as a kid, so it made it harder for me to relate to the songs. Then I stumbled across this song from an old stop-motion Rankin/Bass Christmas special that I don't remember seeing, The Year Without Santa Claus.
Like most songs meant to appeal to children, the melody is very simplistic and the lyrics have little variety, but it's the only seasonal song that I know of that offers an alternative to a frosty Christmas. I particularly like it because both Christmases are shown as being equal, just different. It can be cold and white or warm and green and still be Christmas. It's nice to get some recognition that the temperature doesn't make it Christmas, but rather our celebrations.
Like most songs meant to appeal to children, the melody is very simplistic and the lyrics have little variety, but it's the only seasonal song that I know of that offers an alternative to a frosty Christmas. I particularly like it because both Christmases are shown as being equal, just different. It can be cold and white or warm and green and still be Christmas. It's nice to get some recognition that the temperature doesn't make it Christmas, but rather our celebrations.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Choose Your Side
When I was growing up, I was taught that caffeine was against the Word of Wisdom and that I needed to abstain from it. However, while I was serving my mission I studied Section 89 much closer and learned that caffeine is not a part of the "don't" side of the Word of Wisdom. We are told to avoid "hot drinks," which we've been told by our Priesthood leaders means coffee and tea. Yes, coffee and tea both have caffeine in them, but so does chocolate and I know a lot of faithful members that indulge in that dark treat. If someone wants to stay away from caffeine, even as a way to follow the commandments, that's up to them to decide. Sort of like what someone constitutes as swearing: I occasionally say "crap" but I'm sure that others would find that that crosses the line. (Incidentally, the reason I think coffee and tea are forbidden is to help build faith. There are plenty of people who stay away from alcohol and tobacco for non-religious reasons, but coffee and tea are so ubiquitous that by abstaining, we stand out. It makes our behavior that much more obvious and urges us to not be ashamed of our beliefs.)
Anyway, the reason I bring this up is that my introduction to cola was later in life than most. While I was in high school, I sampled several things that I thought weren't allowed, all of them with caffeine (I never had tobacco, alcohol, or coffee, but I did have iced tea a few times - not sure how that one slipped through). Since my high school was sponsored by Pepsi, that's often what I had. Then I served my mission was in northern Ohio, which has a Pepsi bottling plant in Mansfield - a lot of locals felt like they were supporting the local economy by buying Pepsi. By the time I returned home, I was a Pepsi fan. Ian discovered the same thing that I had while on his mission - that caffeine is not against the Word of Wisdom - but since he served in Georgia, he came back a fan of Coke (Coca-Cola is headquartered in Atlanta). To further cement his loyalty, during his military deployments, Coke was one of the few American products that he could easily get a hold of, giving him a small taste of home. He once told me in all seriousness that, to him, Coke tastes like America. We tease each other about the other's cola preferences, but the jesting is all in good fun.
I bring all of this up because I want to discuss some of the differences I've noticed between Coke drinkers and Pepsi drinkers. First, I should mention the differences in flavor of the actual products. Pepsi is slightly sweeter than Coke and I taste more orange oil in Pepsi verses more lemon oil in Coke. Coke has bit more spice (I suspect that cinnamon is present) while Pepsi seems to have a stronger vanilla flavor. Pepsi is also supposed to have less carbonation, which I don't care much for anyway. Also, Coke still uses actual coca leaf extract in their formula and is the only US company that is allowed to import the plant. Since I don't know what coca tastes like, I have no idea how it affects the flavor.
Now, on to the drinkers. Coke drinkers are pretty picky. While I was working at IHOP, we started out serving Coke, but near the end of my run at the restaurant, all of the fountain drinks were switched out for Pepsi products. During the Coke-time (which sounds like a drug-fueled binge), when someone asked for a Pepsi, they would generally accept a Coke when offered one in it's place. Once we had Pepsi, however, I saw a lot of people go with water rather than taint their tongues with something other than Coke. I think has a lot to do with the fact that Coke is much more likely to be on tap, so people get used to it being available. I prefer Pepsi, but I also recognize that most places serve Coke; if I want a cola, compromise is usually required. Coke-drinkers aren't used to having to compromise, so in the rare instances that it comes up, they're more likely to refuse.
Another oddity is the so-called Pepsi paradox. In blind taste-tests, Pepsi is the consistent winner, yet Coke is still the top-selling drink worldwide. While Ian and I can tell the difference between them, we're exceptions to the rule. Most people don't notice the subtle differences in flavor between the two products, they just choose a brand based on advertising. I've even read reports about Coke-drinkers who choose Pepsi in the Pepsi Challenge, but refuse to change their habits because they feel such strong loyalty. Maybe Pepsi-drinkers are the hipsters of cola aficionados ("Coke's too mainstream, man")?
Ultimately, the two drinks really aren't that different. Yes, I still prefer Pepsi, but I also prefer Mars to Hershey's (I have for years, independent of any other connection to the company), yet I recognize that there are even fewer differences between the two chocolate recipes. Whatever our preferred soda company, we usually pick a side and stick by it, even if the reasons for our choices are generally pretty flimsy.
Anyway, the reason I bring this up is that my introduction to cola was later in life than most. While I was in high school, I sampled several things that I thought weren't allowed, all of them with caffeine (I never had tobacco, alcohol, or coffee, but I did have iced tea a few times - not sure how that one slipped through). Since my high school was sponsored by Pepsi, that's often what I had. Then I served my mission was in northern Ohio, which has a Pepsi bottling plant in Mansfield - a lot of locals felt like they were supporting the local economy by buying Pepsi. By the time I returned home, I was a Pepsi fan. Ian discovered the same thing that I had while on his mission - that caffeine is not against the Word of Wisdom - but since he served in Georgia, he came back a fan of Coke (Coca-Cola is headquartered in Atlanta). To further cement his loyalty, during his military deployments, Coke was one of the few American products that he could easily get a hold of, giving him a small taste of home. He once told me in all seriousness that, to him, Coke tastes like America. We tease each other about the other's cola preferences, but the jesting is all in good fun.
I bring all of this up because I want to discuss some of the differences I've noticed between Coke drinkers and Pepsi drinkers. First, I should mention the differences in flavor of the actual products. Pepsi is slightly sweeter than Coke and I taste more orange oil in Pepsi verses more lemon oil in Coke. Coke has bit more spice (I suspect that cinnamon is present) while Pepsi seems to have a stronger vanilla flavor. Pepsi is also supposed to have less carbonation, which I don't care much for anyway. Also, Coke still uses actual coca leaf extract in their formula and is the only US company that is allowed to import the plant. Since I don't know what coca tastes like, I have no idea how it affects the flavor.
Now, on to the drinkers. Coke drinkers are pretty picky. While I was working at IHOP, we started out serving Coke, but near the end of my run at the restaurant, all of the fountain drinks were switched out for Pepsi products. During the Coke-time (which sounds like a drug-fueled binge), when someone asked for a Pepsi, they would generally accept a Coke when offered one in it's place. Once we had Pepsi, however, I saw a lot of people go with water rather than taint their tongues with something other than Coke. I think has a lot to do with the fact that Coke is much more likely to be on tap, so people get used to it being available. I prefer Pepsi, but I also recognize that most places serve Coke; if I want a cola, compromise is usually required. Coke-drinkers aren't used to having to compromise, so in the rare instances that it comes up, they're more likely to refuse.
Another oddity is the so-called Pepsi paradox. In blind taste-tests, Pepsi is the consistent winner, yet Coke is still the top-selling drink worldwide. While Ian and I can tell the difference between them, we're exceptions to the rule. Most people don't notice the subtle differences in flavor between the two products, they just choose a brand based on advertising. I've even read reports about Coke-drinkers who choose Pepsi in the Pepsi Challenge, but refuse to change their habits because they feel such strong loyalty. Maybe Pepsi-drinkers are the hipsters of cola aficionados ("Coke's too mainstream, man")?
Ultimately, the two drinks really aren't that different. Yes, I still prefer Pepsi, but I also prefer Mars to Hershey's (I have for years, independent of any other connection to the company), yet I recognize that there are even fewer differences between the two chocolate recipes. Whatever our preferred soda company, we usually pick a side and stick by it, even if the reasons for our choices are generally pretty flimsy.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Is It Worth Your Time?
As I was waiting in line at the grocery store this week, I eyed the candy bars, as I often do. I didn't buy anything, but the thought occurred to me that if we earn money based on how much we work, then the goods that we buy are paid with the hours of our lives. It's kind of like the concept for the terrible, terrible movie In Time, but less literal.
Anyway, the average price of a single serving package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in 2011 was $1.14 (it's harder to find historical candy prices than you might think). Using income data from the same year (which is much easier to get a hold of), I did some basic calculations and figured out the following statistics: for someone with just a high school diploma, a package of Reese's costs just shy of five minutes of their life; for someone with a bachelor's degree, it costs slightly more than three minutes; and for a person with a master's degree, it costs about two and a half minutes. At the very bottom, someone making minimum wage would pay nearly 9 minutes for the same treat.
While I know that I'm not the first person to think of money as a representation of time worked, it was kind of a fun to see how it breaks down. I do wonder if this knowledge would have affected my candy purchases when I was a teenager, though I highly doubt it.
Anyway, the average price of a single serving package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in 2011 was $1.14 (it's harder to find historical candy prices than you might think). Using income data from the same year (which is much easier to get a hold of), I did some basic calculations and figured out the following statistics: for someone with just a high school diploma, a package of Reese's costs just shy of five minutes of their life; for someone with a bachelor's degree, it costs slightly more than three minutes; and for a person with a master's degree, it costs about two and a half minutes. At the very bottom, someone making minimum wage would pay nearly 9 minutes for the same treat.
While I know that I'm not the first person to think of money as a representation of time worked, it was kind of a fun to see how it breaks down. I do wonder if this knowledge would have affected my candy purchases when I was a teenager, though I highly doubt it.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Progress
I had another allergic reaction very early on Sunday morning. This one, however, didn't send me to the ER. It's not great news, but I'll take what I can get.
I had a weird day on Saturday. I slept a lot, but I also had a pretty bad headache (that I was trying to sleep off). Anyway, I dinner around 1:30 AM, with the plan to still get some more sleep before going to church. Right after I ate, I could feel the reaction happening. Because this is the fifth reaction I've had, I noticed it very quickly, so I was able to react much faster than I have before. Since I have no insurance, I was especially apprehensive about going to the ER (not that it was cheap when I had benefits). I called my folks and asked what they thought I should do. My mom immediately suggested that I take an anti-histamine. I took two Benadryl (the highest recommended doesage) and stayed on the phone, mostly just going over what had happened. After about twenty minutes, I was starting to feel really drowsy, but my reaction had stopped getting worse; in previous experiences, by about ten minutes into it, my back would be completely covered in welts, while this time I spotted only two or three. I think this was a mild reaction to begin with, but the quick administration of the proper medication also did what it was supposed to.
Now, because the Benadryl made me so drowsy, I didn't get up in time for church. While that's bad enough on it's own, I was supposed to be the ride for a brother in the ward. Having needed a ride so recently myself, I felt absolutely awful about leaving him hanging like that. My Elder's Quorum president promised to patch things up for me, since it wasn't really my fault. Even if it wasn't my fault, I still regret not being able to fulfill my responsibility.
However, all things considered, the fact that I had an allergic reaction that didn't require a hospital visit is still a sign that things are progressing in the right direction.
I had a weird day on Saturday. I slept a lot, but I also had a pretty bad headache (that I was trying to sleep off). Anyway, I dinner around 1:30 AM, with the plan to still get some more sleep before going to church. Right after I ate, I could feel the reaction happening. Because this is the fifth reaction I've had, I noticed it very quickly, so I was able to react much faster than I have before. Since I have no insurance, I was especially apprehensive about going to the ER (not that it was cheap when I had benefits). I called my folks and asked what they thought I should do. My mom immediately suggested that I take an anti-histamine. I took two Benadryl (the highest recommended doesage) and stayed on the phone, mostly just going over what had happened. After about twenty minutes, I was starting to feel really drowsy, but my reaction had stopped getting worse; in previous experiences, by about ten minutes into it, my back would be completely covered in welts, while this time I spotted only two or three. I think this was a mild reaction to begin with, but the quick administration of the proper medication also did what it was supposed to.
Now, because the Benadryl made me so drowsy, I didn't get up in time for church. While that's bad enough on it's own, I was supposed to be the ride for a brother in the ward. Having needed a ride so recently myself, I felt absolutely awful about leaving him hanging like that. My Elder's Quorum president promised to patch things up for me, since it wasn't really my fault. Even if it wasn't my fault, I still regret not being able to fulfill my responsibility.
However, all things considered, the fact that I had an allergic reaction that didn't require a hospital visit is still a sign that things are progressing in the right direction.
Friday, December 13, 2013
Good Gravy
I don't think it should come as a surprise that I enjoy cooking. Nor should it be surprising that after several years of working at, I've developed a talent for it. It doesn't hurt that I've had some training in actual restaurants, but the skills in the kitchen I have are mine because I enjoy spending time there.
Having said that, one ability alluded me: making gravy. I have attempted to make gravy, chicken or beef, multiple times, but it always ended up a weird, gross mess (except for one time that I had Grandma on the phone, giving me directions the entire time). My problem always occurred when I would add the flour to act as the thickening agent: instead of thickening all parts equally, it would always clump up.
Last night, I made yet another attempt at gravy-making. After finishing a beef roast, I collected the liquid from the pan, heated it in a saucepan, and added an equal amount of white flour. Once again, it clumped up. While I can't say I was terribly surprised, I was still disappointed. I did not, however, give up. I poured the liquid through a strainer and recollected it. This time, I started with about a tablespoon of butter in the saucepan and added roughly the same amount of flour. I quickly whisked these ingredients together with a fork and created a smooth consistency. Basically, I made a roux. I added the strained beef drippings to it and let it all heat up for a few seconds, watching the texture and thickness. Lo and behold, I had made gravy! Not only that, it was quite good!
Gravy making is a very basic cooking skill, but, for whatever reason, one that has eluded me. After so much trial and error, it feels very cathartic to finally succeed and make some tasty gravy.
Having said that, one ability alluded me: making gravy. I have attempted to make gravy, chicken or beef, multiple times, but it always ended up a weird, gross mess (except for one time that I had Grandma on the phone, giving me directions the entire time). My problem always occurred when I would add the flour to act as the thickening agent: instead of thickening all parts equally, it would always clump up.
Last night, I made yet another attempt at gravy-making. After finishing a beef roast, I collected the liquid from the pan, heated it in a saucepan, and added an equal amount of white flour. Once again, it clumped up. While I can't say I was terribly surprised, I was still disappointed. I did not, however, give up. I poured the liquid through a strainer and recollected it. This time, I started with about a tablespoon of butter in the saucepan and added roughly the same amount of flour. I quickly whisked these ingredients together with a fork and created a smooth consistency. Basically, I made a roux. I added the strained beef drippings to it and let it all heat up for a few seconds, watching the texture and thickness. Lo and behold, I had made gravy! Not only that, it was quite good!
Gravy making is a very basic cooking skill, but, for whatever reason, one that has eluded me. After so much trial and error, it feels very cathartic to finally succeed and make some tasty gravy.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Statistics
Google does a good job of tracking everything and that includes this blog. I recently looked in the "Stats" section of the creator menu and found out some interesting things that I want to share.
Last week, I had 83 "pageviews" from people in the US. I've also had eight views from Vietnam, seven from Russia, and one apiece from Germany and the Netherlands.
The most common operating system used to view my blog is Windows (72%) and the most common browser is Firefox (34%).
The site that redirects to my blog most often is Vampirestat.com. I've never heard of them and have no idea why they send users my way.
The most popular post of last week, based on pageviews, is the one where I shared that I'm temporarily out of work (11 views). The most popular post of all time is R-JAM (42 views).
Surprised by anything you saw?
Last week, I had 83 "pageviews" from people in the US. I've also had eight views from Vietnam, seven from Russia, and one apiece from Germany and the Netherlands.
The most common operating system used to view my blog is Windows (72%) and the most common browser is Firefox (34%).
The site that redirects to my blog most often is Vampirestat.com. I've never heard of them and have no idea why they send users my way.
The most popular post of last week, based on pageviews, is the one where I shared that I'm temporarily out of work (11 views). The most popular post of all time is R-JAM (42 views).
Surprised by anything you saw?
Monday, December 9, 2013
Me, Circa 2009
When I was in my first semester at OSU, I took one of my favorite classes: Advanced Composition. Among our assorted assignments was one where we had to email everyone in the class regularly with a writing sample that was at least 100 words long. I never deleted any of the emails I sent or received and I spent some time recently going over what I wrote about four years ago and I wanted to discuss the ways in which I'm now a different person.
I complained. A lot. I didn't like Stillwater, I didn't like the younger people I was going to school with, I didn't like the cultural differences of Oklahoma, I didn't like how much I worked (now I can't get enough work), etc. It's really a shame and I hope that I don't come off as that negative now.
I had more frequent spelling errors in my writing. I'm not perfect and I still make mistakes, but I feel like I catch more of them these days.
I was funnier. Maybe I was more relaxed, but made a lot more jokes. Not all of them were funny, but I tried more often than I do now. That makes me a bit sad.
I must not have been afraid of offending anyone, because I was crass. I pointed out the racism I had observed since moving to Oklahoma (and most of the kids in the class were native Oklahomans) and I teased people that liked the Twilight books (at least four girls in my class admitted that they enjoyed them). While those aren't terrible, I was shocked at how brazen I was.
I liked to give unsolicited advice. Do I still do that? I hope not, or at least that I don't do it often. I think I assumed that since I was older that I could help the "poor kids" I was in class with (I was really full of myself).
I wrote a lot about how much I loved Allison. I know we were newlyweds, but it was still sweet to see the strong affection that I shared multiple times (I even said that one of my favorite moments was our first dance at our wedding, something that hasn't changed). I still love Allison, but I've rarely written about it since our separation; maybe I should change that.
In one of the emails, I found an early draft of my shoe story and it really did get better by having one of my classmates review it. It's a reminder that I should write more stories and that I should make revisions to them, too.
All in all, I really don't think I'd like me from four years ago if I met him today. I've had a lot of "real world experience," as Dad calls it, during that time and it's really had a powerful impact on me in how I see the world and interact with people. But I've also had some professional writing experience and that seems to have made my creative writing style drier and less witty, which I don't like. Still, I'll take being a better, more positive person over being funny.
I complained. A lot. I didn't like Stillwater, I didn't like the younger people I was going to school with, I didn't like the cultural differences of Oklahoma, I didn't like how much I worked (now I can't get enough work), etc. It's really a shame and I hope that I don't come off as that negative now.
I had more frequent spelling errors in my writing. I'm not perfect and I still make mistakes, but I feel like I catch more of them these days.
I was funnier. Maybe I was more relaxed, but made a lot more jokes. Not all of them were funny, but I tried more often than I do now. That makes me a bit sad.
I must not have been afraid of offending anyone, because I was crass. I pointed out the racism I had observed since moving to Oklahoma (and most of the kids in the class were native Oklahomans) and I teased people that liked the Twilight books (at least four girls in my class admitted that they enjoyed them). While those aren't terrible, I was shocked at how brazen I was.
I liked to give unsolicited advice. Do I still do that? I hope not, or at least that I don't do it often. I think I assumed that since I was older that I could help the "poor kids" I was in class with (I was really full of myself).
I wrote a lot about how much I loved Allison. I know we were newlyweds, but it was still sweet to see the strong affection that I shared multiple times (I even said that one of my favorite moments was our first dance at our wedding, something that hasn't changed). I still love Allison, but I've rarely written about it since our separation; maybe I should change that.
In one of the emails, I found an early draft of my shoe story and it really did get better by having one of my classmates review it. It's a reminder that I should write more stories and that I should make revisions to them, too.
All in all, I really don't think I'd like me from four years ago if I met him today. I've had a lot of "real world experience," as Dad calls it, during that time and it's really had a powerful impact on me in how I see the world and interact with people. But I've also had some professional writing experience and that seems to have made my creative writing style drier and less witty, which I don't like. Still, I'll take being a better, more positive person over being funny.
Friday, December 6, 2013
This Again?
I have good news and bad news. The good news is that it should only last one to two months. The bad news is that I'm unemployed again. That may not have been the best way to present that news.
But, yeah, I was downsized. The accounting department is requiring all "non-essential" employees to be cut so that they can have a lower end-of-the-year bottom line (my last day is today). It's hard to argue that a contract employee is essential, even when the head of my department (a vice president no less) fought to have me stay on. However, once the budget opens up again in January, they want me to come back on. I talked to the department head, Jana, yesterday morning and she was gushing when describing the work that I've put forth and how happy she is with what I've accomplished so far. That was really uplifting.
Part of her high opinion of me may have to do with some recent work that I've done with interviewing different team leaders to see if we can create a better system for creating proposals. I've never done anything like this before, but I looked up what I could about creating surveys and put together a broad range of questions. Holly, the manager that I worked with on it, had nothing but positive things to say about my participation.
Unfortunately, this still means that I'm out of work for a month or two, during one of the worst time to be looking for work. I'm putting in applications into temp agencies so that I can be ready to go when my position appears again, but I'm also going to that old standby: retail. Obviously, I'd rather be in an office than an Old Navy, but I can probably get in pretty quick for seasonal work and that's better than nothing.
I was really hurt when I found out that I lost my job, but now I'm looking at it more like a furlough, and that's not so bad.
But, yeah, I was downsized. The accounting department is requiring all "non-essential" employees to be cut so that they can have a lower end-of-the-year bottom line (my last day is today). It's hard to argue that a contract employee is essential, even when the head of my department (a vice president no less) fought to have me stay on. However, once the budget opens up again in January, they want me to come back on. I talked to the department head, Jana, yesterday morning and she was gushing when describing the work that I've put forth and how happy she is with what I've accomplished so far. That was really uplifting.
Part of her high opinion of me may have to do with some recent work that I've done with interviewing different team leaders to see if we can create a better system for creating proposals. I've never done anything like this before, but I looked up what I could about creating surveys and put together a broad range of questions. Holly, the manager that I worked with on it, had nothing but positive things to say about my participation.
Unfortunately, this still means that I'm out of work for a month or two, during one of the worst time to be looking for work. I'm putting in applications into temp agencies so that I can be ready to go when my position appears again, but I'm also going to that old standby: retail. Obviously, I'd rather be in an office than an Old Navy, but I can probably get in pretty quick for seasonal work and that's better than nothing.
I was really hurt when I found out that I lost my job, but now I'm looking at it more like a furlough, and that's not so bad.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Morality as a Constant
I recently encountered two different pieces of media that argued, very briefly, that morality is a social construct. The first was a in a book that I've been reading on my lunch breaks at work, the terribly named Deathworld 2, and the second was a stupid video defending the existence of "pink toys." These were each released nearly fifty years apart, yet they still take the time to argue the same thing.
In Deathworld 2, the main character, Jason, has been arrested by an overly righteous policeman and is being taken back to the planet he robbed to face his crimes (Jason cheated while at a casino in the first Deathworld). In order to distract his captor, Jason challenges his beliefs by saying that morality is set by the society that creates it. This of course angers the cop enough for Jason to make his next move.
In the video, the creator, Movie Bob, addresses the concern that apparently many people have about the perceived sexism of boy- or girl-themed toys. You know, action figures for boys and dolls for girls. According to Movie Bob, these toys aren't the problem, rather society is. And then in an off-hand comment, says that morality changes depending on which society you belong to and that things for kids in the future will be better as more people recognize that.
I also recently read about the conversion of the king of Lamanites and how his people would rather die than to ever pick up another weapon of war. These people had created their own moral code that said that a ruler could kill his servants if he was displeased with them, but it was a false code. True morality comes from God and is unchangeable. Just as the Anti-Nephi-Lehies changed their lives to align with the Gospel, we too are required to live according to the commandments.
Even though many aspects of society change as time moves forward, morality was given to us by our Creator, and since we didn't create it, we have no right to alter it.
In Deathworld 2, the main character, Jason, has been arrested by an overly righteous policeman and is being taken back to the planet he robbed to face his crimes (Jason cheated while at a casino in the first Deathworld). In order to distract his captor, Jason challenges his beliefs by saying that morality is set by the society that creates it. This of course angers the cop enough for Jason to make his next move.
In the video, the creator, Movie Bob, addresses the concern that apparently many people have about the perceived sexism of boy- or girl-themed toys. You know, action figures for boys and dolls for girls. According to Movie Bob, these toys aren't the problem, rather society is. And then in an off-hand comment, says that morality changes depending on which society you belong to and that things for kids in the future will be better as more people recognize that.
I also recently read about the conversion of the king of Lamanites and how his people would rather die than to ever pick up another weapon of war. These people had created their own moral code that said that a ruler could kill his servants if he was displeased with them, but it was a false code. True morality comes from God and is unchangeable. Just as the Anti-Nephi-Lehies changed their lives to align with the Gospel, we too are required to live according to the commandments.
Even though many aspects of society change as time moves forward, morality was given to us by our Creator, and since we didn't create it, we have no right to alter it.
Monday, December 2, 2013
MRI
I had a magnetic resonance imaging scan of my brain done on Friday. I won't get to know what happened until I see the neurologists again, but I can tell you about the experience.
First off, I cheated and drove myself. It took me days to get my insurance worked out and it still expired at the end of November, so I was lucky to get the appointment that I did and I wasn't about to abandon it because I didn't have a ride. Plus, I've been on my anti-seizure medication since Wednesday evening, so my risk has steadily declined since then.
After I arrived and filled out some forms, I was called back. I knew I was going to be instructed to remove all metal (I left my watch at home) and since I was wearing jeans with copper brackets, I had to remove them. I assumed that I would be given a dressing gown, but to my surprise, I was handed a set of scrubs. That meant that I still got to wear pants! I was also given a pair of earplugs to wear.
Once the examination room was free and had been wiped down, I was brought in to where the MRI machine was. I laid down on the table (metal with a vinyl pad) and my head was strapped down to keep me from moving. Once I was secure, the table rose up and slid back into the tube that is the MRI machine. I was inserted up to my shoulders; that was fine, but if I had gone up to my waist or farther it would have been a bit nerve-wracking since the space is so small. While I was in the tube, I heard a lot of loud noises (even with the earplugs) that kept changing. After about twenty minutes, I was pulled out and injected with radioactive dye, then sent back in for another twelve minutes. After that I was sent home.
While my experience was fine, I can certainly see why some people find MRI scans to be stressful. Now I just need to find out what they saw with the giant magnet.
First off, I cheated and drove myself. It took me days to get my insurance worked out and it still expired at the end of November, so I was lucky to get the appointment that I did and I wasn't about to abandon it because I didn't have a ride. Plus, I've been on my anti-seizure medication since Wednesday evening, so my risk has steadily declined since then.
After I arrived and filled out some forms, I was called back. I knew I was going to be instructed to remove all metal (I left my watch at home) and since I was wearing jeans with copper brackets, I had to remove them. I assumed that I would be given a dressing gown, but to my surprise, I was handed a set of scrubs. That meant that I still got to wear pants! I was also given a pair of earplugs to wear.
Once the examination room was free and had been wiped down, I was brought in to where the MRI machine was. I laid down on the table (metal with a vinyl pad) and my head was strapped down to keep me from moving. Once I was secure, the table rose up and slid back into the tube that is the MRI machine. I was inserted up to my shoulders; that was fine, but if I had gone up to my waist or farther it would have been a bit nerve-wracking since the space is so small. While I was in the tube, I heard a lot of loud noises (even with the earplugs) that kept changing. After about twenty minutes, I was pulled out and injected with radioactive dye, then sent back in for another twelve minutes. After that I was sent home.
While my experience was fine, I can certainly see why some people find MRI scans to be stressful. Now I just need to find out what they saw with the giant magnet.
Friday, November 29, 2013
A Lone Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving was spent with a family from the Ward, the Simciks. I have been over to their house several times to help the head of the household, Mark, winterize their pool, so I know the family well. That made joining them for dinner an easy decision.
They also put me to work. Since their oven isn't working, they roasted their turkey in a charcoal grill outside. I helped prep the briquettes and helped to add more every 45 minutes to keep the heat up (the bird turned out very well, but I think that has a lot to do with it being brined ahead of time). Also, the Simciks follow a mathematical formula when preparing for Thanksgiving dinner: n+1=π. In this case, n equals the number of guests expected for dinner and π equals the number of pies baked. Yes, they had one more pie than people at the table (while I enjoyed the pumpkin, apple and mince pies, my favorite was the chocolate pecan).
Also, this was the first time that I ever made Jordan's Jell-O Salad (you'd think since it bares by name that I would have attempted it at least once). I was really pleased to have on my plate and everyone else said that they also enjoyed it.
All in all, even though I didn't spend the day with my family, it was an enjoyable Thanksgiving.
They also put me to work. Since their oven isn't working, they roasted their turkey in a charcoal grill outside. I helped prep the briquettes and helped to add more every 45 minutes to keep the heat up (the bird turned out very well, but I think that has a lot to do with it being brined ahead of time). Also, the Simciks follow a mathematical formula when preparing for Thanksgiving dinner: n+1=π. In this case, n equals the number of guests expected for dinner and π equals the number of pies baked. Yes, they had one more pie than people at the table (while I enjoyed the pumpkin, apple and mince pies, my favorite was the chocolate pecan).
Also, this was the first time that I ever made Jordan's Jell-O Salad (you'd think since it bares by name that I would have attempted it at least once). I was really pleased to have on my plate and everyone else said that they also enjoyed it.
All in all, even though I didn't spend the day with my family, it was an enjoyable Thanksgiving.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Learning from Tragedy
I have a confession to make: I don't know why I had a seizure. I don't mean from a medical standpoint, I mean from a philosophical one. Let me explain.
I have had a lot of unexpected things happen to me this year. I moved to Maryland, got and lost a good job, started another job, went to the ER four times, and so on. I've had a lot of ups and downs. But things were really starting to look up in a strong way. I had just started a great job, I had a good exercise routine in place, and I was active in my ward as both a Sunday School teacher and a home teacher. I really felt like my life was on a track that would lead to success and happiness.
Then I spent forty minutes writhing around while blacked out at work. Since then, I've barely exercised, I've not fulfilled my callings very well, and I've worked about half of the hours that I should. And when I go over all of what's happened in my mind, one question comes pops up: why? Why did I have a seizure right when everything was looking better? Why, when all I had to do was not mess anything up, was control taken from me by having my brain shut down? I believe there is a lesson for me to learn here, but I don't know what it is.
In some ways, this whole thing reminds me of a plaque that was hanging from the wall in the room of my high school friend, Ben. "Think life's hard now? [Screw] up."
With Thanksgiving this week, I have even more time off, so hopefully I'll figure this whole thing out and understand why I had a seizure and what I'm supposed to learn from it.
I have had a lot of unexpected things happen to me this year. I moved to Maryland, got and lost a good job, started another job, went to the ER four times, and so on. I've had a lot of ups and downs. But things were really starting to look up in a strong way. I had just started a great job, I had a good exercise routine in place, and I was active in my ward as both a Sunday School teacher and a home teacher. I really felt like my life was on a track that would lead to success and happiness.
Then I spent forty minutes writhing around while blacked out at work. Since then, I've barely exercised, I've not fulfilled my callings very well, and I've worked about half of the hours that I should. And when I go over all of what's happened in my mind, one question comes pops up: why? Why did I have a seizure right when everything was looking better? Why, when all I had to do was not mess anything up, was control taken from me by having my brain shut down? I believe there is a lesson for me to learn here, but I don't know what it is.
In some ways, this whole thing reminds me of a plaque that was hanging from the wall in the room of my high school friend, Ben. "Think life's hard now? [Screw] up."
With Thanksgiving this week, I have even more time off, so hopefully I'll figure this whole thing out and understand why I had a seizure and what I'm supposed to learn from it.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Help from Every Direction
On Friday, I made it back to work. What was different this time was that I didn't drive. Luckily, I was able to get a ride from a member from the Ward that works nearby. Sort of. The building I work in is right on the edge of a small harbor that is a part of the larger Chesapeake Bay. The building that Patrick, my carpool mate, works in is also right on that same harbor, but on the other side; it's amazing how you can be so close yet so far away sometimes. However, the City of Baltimore provides a free "water taxi" service with one route that picks me up really close to Patrick's work and drops me off really close to my work. I have to leave a lot earlier to accommodate Patrick's commute and I have to plan around the water taxi, but considering that I'm not allowed to drive, things could be much more inconvenient.
In addition to work, I had to arrange a ride to Church yesterday. Luckily, the Church's website has an option where you can see the location of every member's home within the ward boundaries. So on Saturday night, I looked to see who lived in such a place so that I would be on their way to Church. With minimal effort, I was able to get a ride to Church.
With all of this in mind, I met with the Bishop on Saturday for tithing settlement. While I was there he asked if the Ward could do anything else for me, since I'm still recovering from my seizure. I actually laughed when he asked because I don't think anyone could do any more. There has been so much help offered to me since my seizure that I am at a loss for what else could be done.
Considering how stressful things are, it's really amazing that I have so many wonderful people in my family and in my ward that are extending help my way.
In addition to work, I had to arrange a ride to Church yesterday. Luckily, the Church's website has an option where you can see the location of every member's home within the ward boundaries. So on Saturday night, I looked to see who lived in such a place so that I would be on their way to Church. With minimal effort, I was able to get a ride to Church.
With all of this in mind, I met with the Bishop on Saturday for tithing settlement. While I was there he asked if the Ward could do anything else for me, since I'm still recovering from my seizure. I actually laughed when he asked because I don't think anyone could do any more. There has been so much help offered to me since my seizure that I am at a loss for what else could be done.
Considering how stressful things are, it's really amazing that I have so many wonderful people in my family and in my ward that are extending help my way.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Barrage of Tests
I'm returning to work today. I spent that last two days away so that I could more easily have some health tests taken, but I've taken as many as I can manage for now. I'm really looking forward to going back to work and try to get some normalcy back in my life. Since I can't drive, I was able to arrange a carpool with a member from Church.
On Wednesday I had some blood drawn for some blood tests. Since I'm not supposed to be driving I walked to testing center; it's just down the road and only took about twenty minutes.
Yesterday, I had an EEG done. It's an easy test for the most part (click on the link for a description from the last time I had an EEG). Ian was kind enough to drive me to this office, since it was much farther away.
I was supposed to have a third test done, an MRI, but that had be rescheduled for next week because I had a problem with my insurance; it's all worked out, but there's a delay before I can use it again. After that's done, I'll meet with the neurologist again and we'll talk about what he thinks caused my seizure and how likely it is to happen again.
For now, I'm just happy to go back to work.
On Wednesday I had some blood drawn for some blood tests. Since I'm not supposed to be driving I walked to testing center; it's just down the road and only took about twenty minutes.
Yesterday, I had an EEG done. It's an easy test for the most part (click on the link for a description from the last time I had an EEG). Ian was kind enough to drive me to this office, since it was much farther away.
I was supposed to have a third test done, an MRI, but that had be rescheduled for next week because I had a problem with my insurance; it's all worked out, but there's a delay before I can use it again. After that's done, I'll meet with the neurologist again and we'll talk about what he thinks caused my seizure and how likely it is to happen again.
For now, I'm just happy to go back to work.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
An Amazing Outpouring of Kindness
I found out yesterday that I have a truly amazing family. Let me explain.
I had my first appointment with the neurologist yesterday. He basically confirmed that I had a seizure and has ordered a lot of tests (bloodwork, EEG, MRI, sleep-study, etc.). On top of that, he told me that I've been breaking the law by driving my car since my seizure. Apparently in Maryland, whenever someone has a seizure, they have to refrain from driving for at least three months (the time can be shortened if the doctor starts me on a prescription).
I brought up the upcoming tests and that my lack of driving may affect my commute to my supervisor at work and suggested that telecommuting might alleviate some problems. In response to this, I was given the rest of the week off. Since I'm a contract employee, I'm pretty sure that means I won't be paid. The marketing management team is really at a loss for what to do with me right now (it really freaked a lot of people out when I had my seizure), so I don't know what that means for my security with company.
Add to all of this the fact that my body still hasn't recovered enough for me to start exercising again, meaning my anxiety is slowing getting more sway over me.
So, imagine my surprise when I drove up to my apartment and saw that Ian and Amanda are waiting outside with a brand new mattress set! I was so touched, I actually cried a little bit. Ian let me know that this was a gift from them, as well as pretty much everyone else in the family (and it was Amanda's idea)! So, thank you so very much! I really needed some good news in my life. With the stress of not knowing what's happening with work or my brain, this was a well-timed, well-thought out gift.
I really enjoyed sleeping on it last night and I look forward to sleeping on it in the future, but the best part is knowing that my family is so wonderful.
I had my first appointment with the neurologist yesterday. He basically confirmed that I had a seizure and has ordered a lot of tests (bloodwork, EEG, MRI, sleep-study, etc.). On top of that, he told me that I've been breaking the law by driving my car since my seizure. Apparently in Maryland, whenever someone has a seizure, they have to refrain from driving for at least three months (the time can be shortened if the doctor starts me on a prescription).
I brought up the upcoming tests and that my lack of driving may affect my commute to my supervisor at work and suggested that telecommuting might alleviate some problems. In response to this, I was given the rest of the week off. Since I'm a contract employee, I'm pretty sure that means I won't be paid. The marketing management team is really at a loss for what to do with me right now (it really freaked a lot of people out when I had my seizure), so I don't know what that means for my security with company.
Add to all of this the fact that my body still hasn't recovered enough for me to start exercising again, meaning my anxiety is slowing getting more sway over me.
So, imagine my surprise when I drove up to my apartment and saw that Ian and Amanda are waiting outside with a brand new mattress set! I was so touched, I actually cried a little bit. Ian let me know that this was a gift from them, as well as pretty much everyone else in the family (and it was Amanda's idea)! So, thank you so very much! I really needed some good news in my life. With the stress of not knowing what's happening with work or my brain, this was a well-timed, well-thought out gift.
I really enjoyed sleeping on it last night and I look forward to sleeping on it in the future, but the best part is knowing that my family is so wonderful.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Slowly Improving
I ended up working a half-day on Friday. Well, I was in the office for about four hours, but I spent nearly half of that asking question and finding out more of the story. From what I've
pieced together, my cubicle neighbor, Mary Beth, heard me make a long,
drawn-out yawning noise. She looked over at me and I was slumped over
my desk. She tried to get my attention, but I was unresponsive. She
got the other people in the department involved and it was discovered
that I had turned pale, my eyes were rolled back, I was foaming at the
mouth, and I was shaking a little.
When it was clear that something was wrong, the ambulance was called. It took about twenty minutes for the emergency workers to arrive. During the interim, I made several attempts to stand up, but my coworkers kept pushing me to sit back down, eventually getting me to lay on the ground. I also halfheartedly threw a punch and the department head at one point. When the paramedics arrived, they thought that my state was due to low blood-sugar, so their focus was on making me consume sugary food (they took my blood-sugar and it was 80 and according to Margot and my hypoglycemic supervisor, Holly, that's low, but not seizure-inducing low). In addition to the candy, I drank an entire can of Coke. Around this time, even though I was still unresponsive, I tied my shoe.
I slowly started waking up, like coming out of a drug-induced sleep, like for surgery. I remember the paramedics and my coworkers were gathered around me. Other than the strange fog my head was going through, my shoulders felt really sore. When I started making eye-contact, one of the paramedics asked me my name and if I knew where I was. When I answered, I was given more food to eat (a string cheese and a granola bar) and the emergency workers packed up and left. From the time that Mary Beth first noticed me slumped over to the time that the paramedic left was about forty to forty-five minutes.
It was decided that I should go home, so I was given a ride while an HR rep drove behind in my car.
For the next two day, I could barely move. Even now my shoulders are still really sore. I saw my doctor on Friday, the soonest I could get in. My doc was surprised that the paramedics didn't take me to the ER, but it sounds like they were fixated on the blood-sugar thing, so they probably didn't think it was a seizure. According to the doc, it sounds like epilepsy, but he wants me to see a neurologist to be sure. The appointment's made, but it's a couple of weeks out. Hopefully there will be a cancellation and I'll get bumped up.
When it was clear that something was wrong, the ambulance was called. It took about twenty minutes for the emergency workers to arrive. During the interim, I made several attempts to stand up, but my coworkers kept pushing me to sit back down, eventually getting me to lay on the ground. I also halfheartedly threw a punch and the department head at one point. When the paramedics arrived, they thought that my state was due to low blood-sugar, so their focus was on making me consume sugary food (they took my blood-sugar and it was 80 and according to Margot and my hypoglycemic supervisor, Holly, that's low, but not seizure-inducing low). In addition to the candy, I drank an entire can of Coke. Around this time, even though I was still unresponsive, I tied my shoe.
I slowly started waking up, like coming out of a drug-induced sleep, like for surgery. I remember the paramedics and my coworkers were gathered around me. Other than the strange fog my head was going through, my shoulders felt really sore. When I started making eye-contact, one of the paramedics asked me my name and if I knew where I was. When I answered, I was given more food to eat (a string cheese and a granola bar) and the emergency workers packed up and left. From the time that Mary Beth first noticed me slumped over to the time that the paramedic left was about forty to forty-five minutes.
It was decided that I should go home, so I was given a ride while an HR rep drove behind in my car.
For the next two day, I could barely move. Even now my shoulders are still really sore. I saw my doctor on Friday, the soonest I could get in. My doc was surprised that the paramedics didn't take me to the ER, but it sounds like they were fixated on the blood-sugar thing, so they probably didn't think it was a seizure. According to the doc, it sounds like epilepsy, but he wants me to see a neurologist to be sure. The appointment's made, but it's a couple of weeks out. Hopefully there will be a cancellation and I'll get bumped up.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Well-being Update
I haven't been back to work, but that mostly has to do with the fact that I need a doctor's note in order to return and my doctor doesn't spend all of his time at one office, so I've had to wait until he gets back in tomorrow. I probably would have skipped Wednesday, but returned today if it weren't for needing the note.
I suppose the question on everyone's mind is am I okay? Yes, I'm okay, but I feel like I went ten rounds with Tyson. Apparently when I had my seizure, I tensed up my shoulders and thighs beyond what would be considered tight. This morning, I could barely move; I still can't lift my arms above my head without screaming.
Even so, it's healing. In all honesty, I'm lucky that I didn't bite down on my tongue while the whole thing went down and possibly bite through it. Yeah, it's hard to think of myself as lucky when I can barely move without pain, but really I got out of this easy.
On a super-positive side, it appears that I am in no danger of losing my job. Apparently everybody is just concerned that I feel better. And due to my position as a contract employee, my work right now is a bonus for them, not expected. That means the project I was helping on will continue on without me, just a little slower. While I would, of course, like to be irreplaceable, it's also important that my absence not cause too many problems.
Things are going okay for my first (and hopefully, last) seizure.
I suppose the question on everyone's mind is am I okay? Yes, I'm okay, but I feel like I went ten rounds with Tyson. Apparently when I had my seizure, I tensed up my shoulders and thighs beyond what would be considered tight. This morning, I could barely move; I still can't lift my arms above my head without screaming.
Even so, it's healing. In all honesty, I'm lucky that I didn't bite down on my tongue while the whole thing went down and possibly bite through it. Yeah, it's hard to think of myself as lucky when I can barely move without pain, but really I got out of this easy.
On a super-positive side, it appears that I am in no danger of losing my job. Apparently everybody is just concerned that I feel better. And due to my position as a contract employee, my work right now is a bonus for them, not expected. That means the project I was helping on will continue on without me, just a little slower. While I would, of course, like to be irreplaceable, it's also important that my absence not cause too many problems.
Things are going okay for my first (and hopefully, last) seizure.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Severe Seizure
Yesterday at work I had a severe seizure.
I was working on creating several bios for an upcoming job application for Prometric, when I suddenly had a seizure. I remember feeling it coming and feeling week, then suddenly I can barely talk and the entire department is gathered around me. Apparently, I passed out for about 40 minutes. During that time, I tried to stand several times and kept being sat down by my co-workers. An ambulance was called and they nearly took me to the emergency room, but I came to and started responding. It still took me 10 or 15 minutes to be able to talk, but it was clear that I was recovering. I was fed a string cheese and a granola bar to help raise my blood sugar, which helped somewhat.
When I finally was alert enough to be able to communicate, I realized that I was no longer sitting in my chair. Ian was called, since he is my emergency contact, as well as Margot and Dad. Eventually I recovered enough to be able to talk freely and I was sent home. In order to keep me safe, I was given a ride while one of my coworkers followed with my car.
I'm probably going to stay home tomorrow in order to recover. Luckily, my supervisors are really understanding. One of my bosses is hypoglycemic and suggested that my blood-sugar may have dropped and caused my seizure. Regardless, it's time that I see a specialist to try to get to the bottom of this.
(By the way, I'm feeling fine now. I'm really tired and my shoulders are super sore, but otherwise I seem to have recovered.)
I was working on creating several bios for an upcoming job application for Prometric, when I suddenly had a seizure. I remember feeling it coming and feeling week, then suddenly I can barely talk and the entire department is gathered around me. Apparently, I passed out for about 40 minutes. During that time, I tried to stand several times and kept being sat down by my co-workers. An ambulance was called and they nearly took me to the emergency room, but I came to and started responding. It still took me 10 or 15 minutes to be able to talk, but it was clear that I was recovering. I was fed a string cheese and a granola bar to help raise my blood sugar, which helped somewhat.
When I finally was alert enough to be able to communicate, I realized that I was no longer sitting in my chair. Ian was called, since he is my emergency contact, as well as Margot and Dad. Eventually I recovered enough to be able to talk freely and I was sent home. In order to keep me safe, I was given a ride while one of my coworkers followed with my car.
I'm probably going to stay home tomorrow in order to recover. Luckily, my supervisors are really understanding. One of my bosses is hypoglycemic and suggested that my blood-sugar may have dropped and caused my seizure. Regardless, it's time that I see a specialist to try to get to the bottom of this.
(By the way, I'm feeling fine now. I'm really tired and my shoulders are super sore, but otherwise I seem to have recovered.)
Monday, November 11, 2013
Unexpected Connection
On Saturday evening, my ward hosted a dinner as a way for people to get to know each other better. I was mistaken about when the event started and got there about 25 minutes late. As I was walking amongst the tables, looking for a free chair, I was called over and invited to sit down. The family that invited me over, the Engels, I had met before when they invited me over to their house for dinner about a month ago, so it was nice to not only see a familiar face but to be asked to join them. We chatted for a while about work and movies (Dave is a total cinephile) and running (Allison runs marathons), but then an activity started.
There were a few cards taped under the chairs and we were instructed to ask them to each other. One question instructed us to find out who had the most surprising hobby or skill. I volunteered that it was probably me since I crochet and the rest of the table agreed. Later on, the bishop got up and ask for us to share some of our answers. Sister Engle pointed out that I had a surprising skill and I announced to the room that I crochet (if I was going to be embarrassed by it I wouldn't have brought it up).
When the evening was over and I was helping to put away the tables and chairs, a brother approached me to ask more about my crocheting. I can't remember his name, but I had chatted with him before during Elder's quorum, so I kind of knew him. Anyway, I told him that I learned how to crochet while I was on my mission from one of my companions and that I do some stuff here or there, but pretty much stick to rectangular shapes like scarves and afghans. He asked me if I ever tried to make a hat and I said that I had, but I got confused or something because I didn't work out. He then proceeded to tell about how he had crocheted a few dozen beanies.
I'm pretty sure that he told me he crocheted too at the beginning of our conversation, but I must have missed it (it was pretty noisy). He also learned from one of his companions, which is a thing I guess. He offered his help if I ever want to try making a hat again and we chatted about different stitches we'd tried and what we thought of them. It was really cool to meet another guy that shares my unusual skill.
There were a few cards taped under the chairs and we were instructed to ask them to each other. One question instructed us to find out who had the most surprising hobby or skill. I volunteered that it was probably me since I crochet and the rest of the table agreed. Later on, the bishop got up and ask for us to share some of our answers. Sister Engle pointed out that I had a surprising skill and I announced to the room that I crochet (if I was going to be embarrassed by it I wouldn't have brought it up).
When the evening was over and I was helping to put away the tables and chairs, a brother approached me to ask more about my crocheting. I can't remember his name, but I had chatted with him before during Elder's quorum, so I kind of knew him. Anyway, I told him that I learned how to crochet while I was on my mission from one of my companions and that I do some stuff here or there, but pretty much stick to rectangular shapes like scarves and afghans. He asked me if I ever tried to make a hat and I said that I had, but I got confused or something because I didn't work out. He then proceeded to tell about how he had crocheted a few dozen beanies.
I'm pretty sure that he told me he crocheted too at the beginning of our conversation, but I must have missed it (it was pretty noisy). He also learned from one of his companions, which is a thing I guess. He offered his help if I ever want to try making a hat again and we chatted about different stitches we'd tried and what we thought of them. It was really cool to meet another guy that shares my unusual skill.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
75 Years of Superman
When I was in high school, I started reading and collecting comic books. While there were lots of different characters and teams that I liked, my favorite was always Superman. Superman is the reason that superheroes exist, being the first one. He first appeared in 1938, which means the character has existed for 75 years.
Even though I haven't collected comics for several years, I still like the character. Yeah, he's ridiculously powerful, but that's not what makes him special. The reason I liked Superman best is because he fights bad guys and saves bystanders simply because he's a good guy. While so many comic book characters have tragic back-stories (Batman, Wolverine, Spider-Man, the Flash, the list goes on and on), Superman is the one hero that doesn't look weird with a smile on his face. He sees the world for what it could be and tries to inspire others to live up to that ideal.
Here's to you, Superman!
Friday, November 8, 2013
Super Siblings
When I was a child, well before I started reading comic books, I created a set of super powers for myself and each of my brothers and sisters, based on their personalities or interests. I only recently remembered it, so I thought I would share.
First off, every superhero needs an origin story and the one I came up with is appropriately comic booky, which means it's really convoluted and more than a little dumb (keep in mind, I think I was eleven or twelve when I came up with this). Far in the future, mankind has become incredibly advanced and everyone would be considered a genius by today's standards. In this future, a pair of criminal types steal a huge vat of some mutagenic chemical and a time machine in order to cause mayhem. They go back in time to before recorded history and dump the chemical in the ocean. In their haste to try to cause damage, they forgot to factor in the ocean's diluting effect on the chemical. It takes thousands of years for any mutations to manifest and they first show up in the Larsen children.
Margot's powers were all mind based, because I thought of her as "the smart one" in the group (while I will never say that she is not smart, she is the oldest and that may have affected my thoughts on this one). I remember for sure that she had telepathy, but I think I also gave her telekinesis.
Ian was really involved in stagecraft during this time, especially sound design, so I gave him the ability to control soundwaves. I imagined to myself that he could fly and push things around (and destroy things) with the invisible force of sound.
Speaking of invisible, Paige had two powers: invisibility and holographic projection. Because even then I recognized that Paige used a lot of non-verbal communication, I gave her powers that were completely centered what she wants other people to see (or not see).
Isaac was a big, furry, green animal-man who could tumble around and do back-flips, climb walls, and do other acrobatic stuff. I guess I considered Isaac to be hyperactive and a bit hard to keep contained.
I left myself for last because I was very selfish. Based on the powers I've listed, Margot would be the leader, Ian would be the "powerhouse," Paige would be the stealth expert, and Isaac would be the "wildcard" of the group. Well, forget all that because I make Superman's powers look conservative.
The only power I originally gave myself was super-healing, like Wolverine, but cranked up to eleven. Like, if my arm was cut off, it would regrow in seconds. I remember that part of that power was that you could harvest my organs and not only would they regrow, but the removed organs would adapt to their new host, eliminating the need for anti-rejection drugs. I'm not sure what this said about me, maybe that I could do more with less (it's the only superpower in the group that has no offensive use, other than Paige's powers) or maybe that I was there to help my family if they got hurt ("You were shot in the heart! Here, take mine!"), but I really don't know.
I later added electricity powers, mostly because I thought they were awesome. I justified it by saying that at some point a villain tried to electrocute me and the only way to survive was to harness control over all electricity (because that makes sense). And because that wasn't enough, I somehow added metal powers, too. I could turn into metal, but also control nearby metal object as well. Through this combination of powers, I could fly, had super strength and super speed, could teleport, could "sense" every living thing by tapping into the Earth's electromagnetic field, and I could turn to metal and melt into a liquid. That's really cool, but totally not fair compared to what everyone else got. Plus, what did is say about me? Nothing, other than I couldn't pick just one power.
Thinking about how I created superhero personae for my siblings, I thought it might be fun to do it again, but adjusted for modern times.
Margot is motherhood personified. Telekinesis stays, but telepathy is replaced with tele-empathy. That way she always knows what her kids are feeling (if she doesn't already) and be able to work on homework while "thinking" about cooking dinner and have it happen.
Ian seems to pick up a new hobby or skill on a weekly basis, so he can produce copies of himself (up to five at a time) for a limited period of time. Need more time to edit a new video project while also installing a new light switch while also spending time with the family? Copy yourself a couple of times.
Paige's powers still fit, but let's take away invisibility and replace it with bibliomancy (which is technically a magic term, but I like it better than "bibliopathy"), a power I just made up. She can simply touch a book and have consumed its contents; as a result, the book crumbles to dust.
Isaac's power is pure enthusiasm. I'm not sure what it would do or how it would work, but Isaac is the most enthusiastic person I know. Maybe he turns into a being of energy (enthusiasm often translates to energetic people) with the associated powers: flight and energy projection.
For me, I grow an outer shell of stone. At this point in my life, I've had some hard times, but I've been stubborn and stood my ground and forced the situation to my favor. Basically it means I get invulnerability and super strength.
This was kind of weird writing down all these memories from when I was a kid, but it's fun to try to translate personalities into superpowers. What do you think? Did I get them spot-on or did I completely miss the target completely?
First off, every superhero needs an origin story and the one I came up with is appropriately comic booky, which means it's really convoluted and more than a little dumb (keep in mind, I think I was eleven or twelve when I came up with this). Far in the future, mankind has become incredibly advanced and everyone would be considered a genius by today's standards. In this future, a pair of criminal types steal a huge vat of some mutagenic chemical and a time machine in order to cause mayhem. They go back in time to before recorded history and dump the chemical in the ocean. In their haste to try to cause damage, they forgot to factor in the ocean's diluting effect on the chemical. It takes thousands of years for any mutations to manifest and they first show up in the Larsen children.
Margot's powers were all mind based, because I thought of her as "the smart one" in the group (while I will never say that she is not smart, she is the oldest and that may have affected my thoughts on this one). I remember for sure that she had telepathy, but I think I also gave her telekinesis.
Ian was really involved in stagecraft during this time, especially sound design, so I gave him the ability to control soundwaves. I imagined to myself that he could fly and push things around (and destroy things) with the invisible force of sound.
Speaking of invisible, Paige had two powers: invisibility and holographic projection. Because even then I recognized that Paige used a lot of non-verbal communication, I gave her powers that were completely centered what she wants other people to see (or not see).
Isaac was a big, furry, green animal-man who could tumble around and do back-flips, climb walls, and do other acrobatic stuff. I guess I considered Isaac to be hyperactive and a bit hard to keep contained.
I left myself for last because I was very selfish. Based on the powers I've listed, Margot would be the leader, Ian would be the "powerhouse," Paige would be the stealth expert, and Isaac would be the "wildcard" of the group. Well, forget all that because I make Superman's powers look conservative.
The only power I originally gave myself was super-healing, like Wolverine, but cranked up to eleven. Like, if my arm was cut off, it would regrow in seconds. I remember that part of that power was that you could harvest my organs and not only would they regrow, but the removed organs would adapt to their new host, eliminating the need for anti-rejection drugs. I'm not sure what this said about me, maybe that I could do more with less (it's the only superpower in the group that has no offensive use, other than Paige's powers) or maybe that I was there to help my family if they got hurt ("You were shot in the heart! Here, take mine!"), but I really don't know.
I later added electricity powers, mostly because I thought they were awesome. I justified it by saying that at some point a villain tried to electrocute me and the only way to survive was to harness control over all electricity (because that makes sense). And because that wasn't enough, I somehow added metal powers, too. I could turn into metal, but also control nearby metal object as well. Through this combination of powers, I could fly, had super strength and super speed, could teleport, could "sense" every living thing by tapping into the Earth's electromagnetic field, and I could turn to metal and melt into a liquid. That's really cool, but totally not fair compared to what everyone else got. Plus, what did is say about me? Nothing, other than I couldn't pick just one power.
Thinking about how I created superhero personae for my siblings, I thought it might be fun to do it again, but adjusted for modern times.
Margot is motherhood personified. Telekinesis stays, but telepathy is replaced with tele-empathy. That way she always knows what her kids are feeling (if she doesn't already) and be able to work on homework while "thinking" about cooking dinner and have it happen.
Ian seems to pick up a new hobby or skill on a weekly basis, so he can produce copies of himself (up to five at a time) for a limited period of time. Need more time to edit a new video project while also installing a new light switch while also spending time with the family? Copy yourself a couple of times.
Paige's powers still fit, but let's take away invisibility and replace it with bibliomancy (which is technically a magic term, but I like it better than "bibliopathy"), a power I just made up. She can simply touch a book and have consumed its contents; as a result, the book crumbles to dust.
Isaac's power is pure enthusiasm. I'm not sure what it would do or how it would work, but Isaac is the most enthusiastic person I know. Maybe he turns into a being of energy (enthusiasm often translates to energetic people) with the associated powers: flight and energy projection.
For me, I grow an outer shell of stone. At this point in my life, I've had some hard times, but I've been stubborn and stood my ground and forced the situation to my favor. Basically it means I get invulnerability and super strength.
This was kind of weird writing down all these memories from when I was a kid, but it's fun to try to translate personalities into superpowers. What do you think? Did I get them spot-on or did I completely miss the target completely?
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Check-up
Yesterday, I saw my allergist for a regular check-up. He checked all the normal stuff (ears, nose, throat, blood pressure, temperature, etc.) and asked how I was feeling. I told him that I feel fine, but I occasionally have a slight nose-bleed. I wasn't concerned with it because it was one of the possible side-effects of my medication, but was otherwise harmless. He agreed that it was probably harmless, but recommended that I cut back to using it just once a day, rather than twice.
Why does any of this matter? Because, after this visit, I won't be seeing him again for a year. I like the doctor just fine, but I like even more that I've made such progress. I've been to the emergency room four times this year (including this year, I've been to the ER a total of six times), but now I've made enough progress that I won't need another check-up for twelve months. That's pretty awesome.
Why does any of this matter? Because, after this visit, I won't be seeing him again for a year. I like the doctor just fine, but I like even more that I've made such progress. I've been to the emergency room four times this year (including this year, I've been to the ER a total of six times), but now I've made enough progress that I won't need another check-up for twelve months. That's pretty awesome.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Pumpkin Day
On Friday, my department had a "Pumpkin Day" where everyone brought in a different pumpkin flavored food dish. Based on what other people had signed up for, I decided to make pumpkin pretzels (I would add a link to the recipe that I used, but I can't seem to find it now).
For those who haven't made pretzels before, they are pretty labor intensive. Once the dough is mixed up, it has to be kneaded, and allowed to rise, all before it can be broken down, rolled out, and shaped; then it still has to be boiled in a baking soda "bath" for a couple of minutes and finally baked. There are a lot of steps to take before you have pretzels.
Anyway, I took all ten (along with some maple buttercream frosting) to the office for the festivities. However, I brought six home (and I ate one!). It wasn't because the pretzels weren't any good, but rather there was simply too much to eat. There were pumpkin bagels (with pumpkin cream cheese), pumpkin muffins, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin cake, pumpkin potatoes, pumpkin chili (my favorite), pumpkin curry (Indian-style), pumpkin risotto, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin cornbread, pumpkin butter, and even pumpkin pie. We all ate ourselves silly (I didn't eat dinner when I got home). With that in mind, the fact that we ate as many of my pretzels as we did, is actually quite impressive.
I later gave the leftovers to Ian, who shared them with a few of his coworkers. They apparently liked them quite a bit, but there were more positive comments about the frosting. The frosting has a more distinct flavor, so that may be why.
Overall, it was a fun experience, though I'll probably go with something easier next time.
For those who haven't made pretzels before, they are pretty labor intensive. Once the dough is mixed up, it has to be kneaded, and allowed to rise, all before it can be broken down, rolled out, and shaped; then it still has to be boiled in a baking soda "bath" for a couple of minutes and finally baked. There are a lot of steps to take before you have pretzels.
Anyway, I took all ten (along with some maple buttercream frosting) to the office for the festivities. However, I brought six home (and I ate one!). It wasn't because the pretzels weren't any good, but rather there was simply too much to eat. There were pumpkin bagels (with pumpkin cream cheese), pumpkin muffins, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin cake, pumpkin potatoes, pumpkin chili (my favorite), pumpkin curry (Indian-style), pumpkin risotto, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin cornbread, pumpkin butter, and even pumpkin pie. We all ate ourselves silly (I didn't eat dinner when I got home). With that in mind, the fact that we ate as many of my pretzels as we did, is actually quite impressive.
I later gave the leftovers to Ian, who shared them with a few of his coworkers. They apparently liked them quite a bit, but there were more positive comments about the frosting. The frosting has a more distinct flavor, so that may be why.
Overall, it was a fun experience, though I'll probably go with something easier next time.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Climbing the Corporate [Stairs]
The office building I work in has about 16 floor. Not enough to count as a skyscraper, but certainly enough to be the tallest building in the area. One cool thing is that it has high-speed elevators that rush you to your floor very quickly. If you take the elevator.
Since Wednesday of last week, I've taken the stairs up to the thirteenth floor where I work. It takes me about 4 1/2 minutes to make the trip and I'm always breathing heavily by the time I arrive, but I'm not sweating; it's an easy way to get some extra physical activity in my day.
While I was unemployed, I ate pretty poorly and I stopped exercising for a couple of weeks. My pants don't fit quite as well as they did before I lost my job, but I'm not being caused physical pain by them (which did happen at one point, many years ago). With the new job came a new desire to be healthy.
In addition to eating better, running a few evenings a week, and doing calisthenics in the morning, I've been walking up the stairs every morning. It's a simple thing that helps me feel better. Hopefully, I'll be back to my pre-unemployment level of fitness very soon.
Since Wednesday of last week, I've taken the stairs up to the thirteenth floor where I work. It takes me about 4 1/2 minutes to make the trip and I'm always breathing heavily by the time I arrive, but I'm not sweating; it's an easy way to get some extra physical activity in my day.
While I was unemployed, I ate pretty poorly and I stopped exercising for a couple of weeks. My pants don't fit quite as well as they did before I lost my job, but I'm not being caused physical pain by them (which did happen at one point, many years ago). With the new job came a new desire to be healthy.
In addition to eating better, running a few evenings a week, and doing calisthenics in the morning, I've been walking up the stairs every morning. It's a simple thing that helps me feel better. Hopefully, I'll be back to my pre-unemployment level of fitness very soon.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
New Job
I've been putting it off, but I guess it's time to tell you about my new job.
I have never worked for a company larger than Prometric. The company has about a dozen offices and over 10,000 testing centers worldwide (though, each testing center works more like a franchise). The employees number in the thousands. Whoa.
The job itself is pretty straightforward. I have copy-edited, proof-read (think copy-editing, but more in-depth), and reformatted a few documents since I started. That is pretty much what I signed up for since I'm a "Junior" technical writer, so I'm happy that the job lives up to the title. If I have any complaints, it's that there hasn't been that much work for me so far. I hate looking for stuff to work on; I'd much rather know where to go to get more to do. I'm still only in my second week, so a slow start is understandable.
The best part of the job is the my new boss, Brooke, communicates to me in a way that I easily understand. My last boss, Laura, basically spoke to me in a different language: I spoke English and she spoke Engineering (which I was still learning). As things stand right now, I have understood all of my assignments well and I've received positive feedback about what I've produced. I don't think I would have noticed or appreciated the good-communication part of the job if the last job I had hadn't failed so hard in that area. I notice; I appreciate.
As a nice bonus, all of the people are in my department are very friendly and seem like they genuinely like each other.
I know it's really too soon to say, but I really like this job.
I have never worked for a company larger than Prometric. The company has about a dozen offices and over 10,000 testing centers worldwide (though, each testing center works more like a franchise). The employees number in the thousands. Whoa.
The job itself is pretty straightforward. I have copy-edited, proof-read (think copy-editing, but more in-depth), and reformatted a few documents since I started. That is pretty much what I signed up for since I'm a "Junior" technical writer, so I'm happy that the job lives up to the title. If I have any complaints, it's that there hasn't been that much work for me so far. I hate looking for stuff to work on; I'd much rather know where to go to get more to do. I'm still only in my second week, so a slow start is understandable.
The best part of the job is the my new boss, Brooke, communicates to me in a way that I easily understand. My last boss, Laura, basically spoke to me in a different language: I spoke English and she spoke Engineering (which I was still learning). As things stand right now, I have understood all of my assignments well and I've received positive feedback about what I've produced. I don't think I would have noticed or appreciated the good-communication part of the job if the last job I had hadn't failed so hard in that area. I notice; I appreciate.
As a nice bonus, all of the people are in my department are very friendly and seem like they genuinely like each other.
I know it's really too soon to say, but I really like this job.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Show and Tell
On Friday, the Elders Quorum hosted a Show and Tell as a way for us to get to know each other better. They also had a waffle bar (good thing it wasn't pancakes ...).
Not everyone shared, but several brothers did. Among them, one man talked about his love of HAM radio, another shared a collection of his pop art, and another passed around different products that he designed through various jobs (mostly sports equipment). I considered different things that I could share that I enjoy: I could bring a crochet hook, my current set of egg beaters, or maybe my running shoes to talk about. Instead, decided on something that in many ways is the most personal of all: my writing.
I don't do a lot of creative writing, certainly not as much as I should, but what I do write, I am proud of. The various short stories that I've finished are unique and have a part of me in them (as corny as that sounds). I enjoy writing and I really like the short story format.
I brought the classic standby to share, "Shoes: a Secret Life." Not everyone got a chance to read it, but several of those that did, commented that they really enjoyed it and thought that I had a knack for writing. And while I generally don't write for anyone other than me, it's still nice to hear that something you create has an impact.
All in all, it was a good evening.
Not everyone shared, but several brothers did. Among them, one man talked about his love of HAM radio, another shared a collection of his pop art, and another passed around different products that he designed through various jobs (mostly sports equipment). I considered different things that I could share that I enjoy: I could bring a crochet hook, my current set of egg beaters, or maybe my running shoes to talk about. Instead, decided on something that in many ways is the most personal of all: my writing.
I don't do a lot of creative writing, certainly not as much as I should, but what I do write, I am proud of. The various short stories that I've finished are unique and have a part of me in them (as corny as that sounds). I enjoy writing and I really like the short story format.
I brought the classic standby to share, "Shoes: a Secret Life." Not everyone got a chance to read it, but several of those that did, commented that they really enjoyed it and thought that I had a knack for writing. And while I generally don't write for anyone other than me, it's still nice to hear that something you create has an impact.
All in all, it was a good evening.
Friday, October 25, 2013
The Land Down Under
My commute to and from my new work has gotten much, much easier recently.
I should start by saying that when I first went to the office building where I work for the interview and the actual first day on the job, I relied on the GPS unit that my folks graciously gave me. Unfortunately, it sent me through downtown Baltimore, which is a terrible place to be if you're in a car. The whole trip would take just over an hour, which is not a good way to spend your day.
Determined to find a better solution, I turned to my good friend, the internet. According to Google maps, if I took a toll road, I could skip the stop-and-go of downtown. So I wrote down the directions, made sure I had cash, and set off for work. It turns out that the toll is for a tunnel that goes under Baltimore Harbor, which is kind of cool. What's really cool is that taking the route that includes the tunnel drops my commute down to just over thirty minutes. What's uncool is the price of the toll: $4 each way (or $40 a week). Luckily, I overheard some co-workers talking about discount plans that, once signed up, will cut the cost by about two-thirds. That's a lot more reasonable.
Even without the discount, taking the tunnel saves about an hour of my day that would otherwise be spent sitting in traffic. Getting that time back is worth the price of admission.
(On an unrelated note, the building I work in is right on the waterfront and I can see the harbor from a window near my cubicle. And, because Maryland has such a curly coastline, the water is actually to west. I could almost forget that I wasn't looking at the Pacific.)
I should start by saying that when I first went to the office building where I work for the interview and the actual first day on the job, I relied on the GPS unit that my folks graciously gave me. Unfortunately, it sent me through downtown Baltimore, which is a terrible place to be if you're in a car. The whole trip would take just over an hour, which is not a good way to spend your day.
Determined to find a better solution, I turned to my good friend, the internet. According to Google maps, if I took a toll road, I could skip the stop-and-go of downtown. So I wrote down the directions, made sure I had cash, and set off for work. It turns out that the toll is for a tunnel that goes under Baltimore Harbor, which is kind of cool. What's really cool is that taking the route that includes the tunnel drops my commute down to just over thirty minutes. What's uncool is the price of the toll: $4 each way (or $40 a week). Luckily, I overheard some co-workers talking about discount plans that, once signed up, will cut the cost by about two-thirds. That's a lot more reasonable.
Even without the discount, taking the tunnel saves about an hour of my day that would otherwise be spent sitting in traffic. Getting that time back is worth the price of admission.
(On an unrelated note, the building I work in is right on the waterfront and I can see the harbor from a window near my cubicle. And, because Maryland has such a curly coastline, the water is actually to west. I could almost forget that I wasn't looking at the Pacific.)
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Cold Run
Last night I went for my usual evening run, but it was very different.
For one, it was already twilight when I started, which meant that it was dark by the time I finished. This made my run a lot more dangerous than usual, not because of the cars because I'm certain they could see me okay due to the light-colored clothing I was wearing (although I should probably invest in a reflective vest or some other article of clothing to be on the safe side), but rather the danger came from not being able to see properly. I kept thinking I was going to trip on some unseen thing, which made me nervous and made the run a little less enjoyable.
The other thing that was new was that I was running in the cold. When I first started running outside in Oklahoma, it was spring, so I didn't have to worry about bundling up. Then I moved back to So Cal where winters don't exist (which I like just fine), so I didn't have to worry about bundling up. Now, Maryland doesn't experience the same temperature fluctuations that Oklahoma does, but it still gets all four seasons (a shame, I know). Anyway, I had to wear a long sleeve shirt and a hat (bandana, but same principle) so that I wouldn't catch cold; I still wore shorts. The weirdest thing was how little I sweated. After a run, my shirt is usually soaked through; this time, there were only a couple of patches of wetness. Running in the crisp, cool air kept my body temperature down so sweating as means of thermoregulation was almost completely unnecessary.
The weather may be changing, but my desire to keep running is not.
For one, it was already twilight when I started, which meant that it was dark by the time I finished. This made my run a lot more dangerous than usual, not because of the cars because I'm certain they could see me okay due to the light-colored clothing I was wearing (although I should probably invest in a reflective vest or some other article of clothing to be on the safe side), but rather the danger came from not being able to see properly. I kept thinking I was going to trip on some unseen thing, which made me nervous and made the run a little less enjoyable.
The other thing that was new was that I was running in the cold. When I first started running outside in Oklahoma, it was spring, so I didn't have to worry about bundling up. Then I moved back to So Cal where winters don't exist (which I like just fine), so I didn't have to worry about bundling up. Now, Maryland doesn't experience the same temperature fluctuations that Oklahoma does, but it still gets all four seasons (a shame, I know). Anyway, I had to wear a long sleeve shirt and a hat (bandana, but same principle) so that I wouldn't catch cold; I still wore shorts. The weirdest thing was how little I sweated. After a run, my shirt is usually soaked through; this time, there were only a couple of patches of wetness. Running in the crisp, cool air kept my body temperature down so sweating as means of thermoregulation was almost completely unnecessary.
The weather may be changing, but my desire to keep running is not.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Employed
That's right people, I am now officially an employee for Prometric, a company that provides testing services for things like business certifications or even academic exams. My title will be Jr. Technical Writer, which just makes me feel really happy inside. Not only will I be working again, but I'll be doing what I've wanted to do for at least the last five years (specifically technical writing; I've wanted to be a writer for at least the fifteen years) and I'll have a snazzy job title to match.
Now, the job isn't perfect. It's on the far side of Baltimore, which means that I'll actually have a pretty hefty commute to contend with (though, the building I'll be working in is right by a harbor, so the view from the parking lot is nice). Also, it's only a contract position. The way it stands right now, it's a contract that lasts six months to a year, with the possibility of it becoming a permanent position. Because it's a contract position, I'll be working for an employment agency rather than directly for Prometric. That means no benefits package. Hopefully, I've made all of my ER trips for the next good, long while.
Even with all of the failings this job has, it's still pretty awesome. I am totally looking forward to being employed again as being alive is expensive and I'll need income to continue doing it. Also, and this is pretty big, my main job will be writing in a professional capacity. Even if the job only last for six months, that's six more months that I can put down on my resume.
I want to once again thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers on my behalf. I've had a lot of phone calls with people checking up on me to see how I've been doing. Starting Monday, I'll be able to say that things are "just fine." Just the way I like them.
Now, the job isn't perfect. It's on the far side of Baltimore, which means that I'll actually have a pretty hefty commute to contend with (though, the building I'll be working in is right by a harbor, so the view from the parking lot is nice). Also, it's only a contract position. The way it stands right now, it's a contract that lasts six months to a year, with the possibility of it becoming a permanent position. Because it's a contract position, I'll be working for an employment agency rather than directly for Prometric. That means no benefits package. Hopefully, I've made all of my ER trips for the next good, long while.
Even with all of the failings this job has, it's still pretty awesome. I am totally looking forward to being employed again as being alive is expensive and I'll need income to continue doing it. Also, and this is pretty big, my main job will be writing in a professional capacity. Even if the job only last for six months, that's six more months that I can put down on my resume.
I want to once again thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers on my behalf. I've had a lot of phone calls with people checking up on me to see how I've been doing. Starting Monday, I'll be able to say that things are "just fine." Just the way I like them.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Shop Talk
Yesterday I was making some adjustments to my resume for another job and thought that it would be good to have another person take a look at it, so I emailed it to Dad requesting his assistance. He kindly obliged. We ended up talking on the phone to go over his suggested changes and his help was really, well, helpful.
After the editing was done, we talked a little about where the satisfaction in technical writing comes from. We've had conversations like this before, but the previous ones had all taken place while I was in still in school. This was the first time where I was a professional writer with experience in the real world, limited though it may be. And it was a lot of fun. We talked about how, as a technical writer, people look at you like you're crazy when you tell them what you do for a living; how you, better than most, really appreciate a well-written document; and how great it feels to take a poorly-written document and fix it so that, as Dad put it, "you take something awful and turn it into something awesome."
At one point, I had the thought, "Yeah, he gets it" and before I could say that thought, he did. It was really nice to share our thoughts and opinions and enthusiasm on technical writing with each other, partly because there are still so few technical writers that I encounter, and partly because it's always nice to make connections with your dad.
After the editing was done, we talked a little about where the satisfaction in technical writing comes from. We've had conversations like this before, but the previous ones had all taken place while I was in still in school. This was the first time where I was a professional writer with experience in the real world, limited though it may be. And it was a lot of fun. We talked about how, as a technical writer, people look at you like you're crazy when you tell them what you do for a living; how you, better than most, really appreciate a well-written document; and how great it feels to take a poorly-written document and fix it so that, as Dad put it, "you take something awful and turn it into something awesome."
At one point, I had the thought, "Yeah, he gets it" and before I could say that thought, he did. It was really nice to share our thoughts and opinions and enthusiasm on technical writing with each other, partly because there are still so few technical writers that I encounter, and partly because it's always nice to make connections with your dad.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Answering the Call
Yesterday at Church, a calling was extended to me. I had let the Bishop know quite some time ago that I was ready for a calling and that I thought the added responsibility would be good for me in getting to know more people in the ward, and he had promised me that he and his counselors had something in mind for me but it was taking time to get everything line up, so it was nice to finally get a calling.
I am the new Gospel Doctrine teacher, A through M (there are two GD classes, separated by last name; I get the first half). I have subbed twice already and gotten some positive feedback, so getting this calling isn't out of nowhere, but I still was surprised.
For this class, while I'll of course teach from the manual, I plan on focusing on the scriptures as a way to spark participation. Of the two classes I've taught so far, the second one went better and I used the scriptures to get comments out of the class members, so I plan on using that as the model.
One weird thing for me is that I have the most experience teaching Sunday School to tweens, so I've been the oldest one in the classroom. Now, I have a mix of people who are younger than to me to people old enough to be my grandparents. It's a bit intimidating, but I'm sure that as long as I stay humble and focus on the material, I'll get out of this calling what I'm supposed to.
I am the new Gospel Doctrine teacher, A through M (there are two GD classes, separated by last name; I get the first half). I have subbed twice already and gotten some positive feedback, so getting this calling isn't out of nowhere, but I still was surprised.
For this class, while I'll of course teach from the manual, I plan on focusing on the scriptures as a way to spark participation. Of the two classes I've taught so far, the second one went better and I used the scriptures to get comments out of the class members, so I plan on using that as the model.
One weird thing for me is that I have the most experience teaching Sunday School to tweens, so I've been the oldest one in the classroom. Now, I have a mix of people who are younger than to me to people old enough to be my grandparents. It's a bit intimidating, but I'm sure that as long as I stay humble and focus on the material, I'll get out of this calling what I'm supposed to.
Friday, October 11, 2013
How Do We Live?
I was reading my scriptures the other day and a verse stood out to me, as they sometimes do. This verse was simple, but it came across to me as being very profound.
We know that the Nephites were industrious because they supported themselves with farming and herding livestock (5:11). They also found hard work to be a good quality because Nephi denounces the Lamanites by calling them "idle" (5:24). We also know that there were battles between the Nephites and the Lamanites (5:34), so it's fair to assume that at least some people on both sides were killed.
All of this stands out as being hard. Physical labor is hard work, which is one of many reasons why I earned my degree: so I can avoid it. Plus, the closest I've gotten to being in a real fight was being in a shoving match in eighth grade (it was with a kid twice my size who would have destroyed me if it had turned more serious than just pushing). Having to defend my life and the lives of my family sounds really hard. If life was so hard, what made the Nephites so happy?
In addition to the hard life already described, they built a temple (5:16), had the scriptures with them (5:12), and observed the law of Moses (5:10), so we know that they were devout—plus, with Nephi as their leader, it'd be hard not to be devout: even Laman and Lemuel temporarily changed their ways when Nephi spoke up.
Life was hard for them, but they were happy because they had the Lord with them. And because of that, we know that they helped each other and they worked to make sure that there were no poor or needy among them.
Life is different today in that there are new challenges and dangers, but life is still hard. Instead of waring with our brethren (which still happens), we have to deal with unemployment, marital separation, and severe allergic reactions (although, a fly-infested home may still have been a challenge they faced). Life is hard, but happiness is a choice. I hope that we can all choose to live after the manner of happiness.
And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness. (2 Nephi 5:27)This is Nephi's description of how his people lived after removing themselves from the Lamanites. The Nephites were happy, but what does that mean? And why did this stand out to me?
We know that the Nephites were industrious because they supported themselves with farming and herding livestock (5:11). They also found hard work to be a good quality because Nephi denounces the Lamanites by calling them "idle" (5:24). We also know that there were battles between the Nephites and the Lamanites (5:34), so it's fair to assume that at least some people on both sides were killed.
All of this stands out as being hard. Physical labor is hard work, which is one of many reasons why I earned my degree: so I can avoid it. Plus, the closest I've gotten to being in a real fight was being in a shoving match in eighth grade (it was with a kid twice my size who would have destroyed me if it had turned more serious than just pushing). Having to defend my life and the lives of my family sounds really hard. If life was so hard, what made the Nephites so happy?
In addition to the hard life already described, they built a temple (5:16), had the scriptures with them (5:12), and observed the law of Moses (5:10), so we know that they were devout—plus, with Nephi as their leader, it'd be hard not to be devout: even Laman and Lemuel temporarily changed their ways when Nephi spoke up.
Life was hard for them, but they were happy because they had the Lord with them. And because of that, we know that they helped each other and they worked to make sure that there were no poor or needy among them.
Life is different today in that there are new challenges and dangers, but life is still hard. Instead of waring with our brethren (which still happens), we have to deal with unemployment, marital separation, and severe allergic reactions (although, a fly-infested home may still have been a challenge they faced). Life is hard, but happiness is a choice. I hope that we can all choose to live after the manner of happiness.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Shoo Flies UPDATED
When I woke up yesterday, I got up and started to put together my breakfast. As I was moving about in the kitchen, I noticed several houseflies zooming about. My usual reaction to houseflies is to ignore them since they're hard kill and their adult lifespan is so short. However, I could see that there were about five or six flies moving through the air, so I grabbed my sandals and started working to smash them. I counted how many I was eliminating, but lost count after I hit eleven. It seemed like every time I turned around, more flies were appearing. I decided to finish making and eating breakfast, then I would turn my complete attention to killing the flies.
Having consumed my meal, walked back into the living room and saw that the lamp next to my bed (since I sleep on sofa-bed) was covered in at least another two dozen flies. Did your skin just crawl reading that? I almost lost my breakfast when I saw the state of things. I decided to grab the vacuum and suck them up. It a took a while, but finally sucked them all up. I then went back to clean the dishes from breakfast and found two more flies. I killed them, but in the process found another three, which I also killed. As things stand, I know of at least one fly that's still alive, because I can hear it buzzing, and I suspect that there's at least a few more on top of that.
Flies are super-gross on their own, but they also attract spiders and other predators that I really, really don't want in my home. I keep my apartment clean and rarely open the windows, so this was really surprising. I plan on talking to my landlord tomorrow about this because having over three dozen flies in my apartment is absolutely unacceptable.
UPDATE:
It turns out, one of my windows was installed incorrectly. One of the maintenance guys came down and took a look at everything and fixed the problem. He said that with our severe weather fluctuations lately, the flies were seeking warmth and since I had a window that wasn't installed correctly, they were able to squeeze in. Since I don't have anything decomposing for them to eat, they were hanging out at the nearest light source.
I am happy to say that with the window fixed and using both a flyswatter and the vacuum, I am currently fly-free. All told, I killed about six or seven dozen flies. Although, there is a particularly acidic smell in the air, so I'm guessing that there's a lot of fly feces in my apartment now. Good thing I was planning on giving the place a deep cleaning anyway.
And since the question was asked, these were not small fruit flies, but their larger classmates, houseflies.
Having consumed my meal, walked back into the living room and saw that the lamp next to my bed (since I sleep on sofa-bed) was covered in at least another two dozen flies. Did your skin just crawl reading that? I almost lost my breakfast when I saw the state of things. I decided to grab the vacuum and suck them up. It a took a while, but finally sucked them all up. I then went back to clean the dishes from breakfast and found two more flies. I killed them, but in the process found another three, which I also killed. As things stand, I know of at least one fly that's still alive, because I can hear it buzzing, and I suspect that there's at least a few more on top of that.
Flies are super-gross on their own, but they also attract spiders and other predators that I really, really don't want in my home. I keep my apartment clean and rarely open the windows, so this was really surprising. I plan on talking to my landlord tomorrow about this because having over three dozen flies in my apartment is absolutely unacceptable.
UPDATE:
It turns out, one of my windows was installed incorrectly. One of the maintenance guys came down and took a look at everything and fixed the problem. He said that with our severe weather fluctuations lately, the flies were seeking warmth and since I had a window that wasn't installed correctly, they were able to squeeze in. Since I don't have anything decomposing for them to eat, they were hanging out at the nearest light source.
I am happy to say that with the window fixed and using both a flyswatter and the vacuum, I am currently fly-free. All told, I killed about six or seven dozen flies. Although, there is a particularly acidic smell in the air, so I'm guessing that there's a lot of fly feces in my apartment now. Good thing I was planning on giving the place a deep cleaning anyway.
And since the question was asked, these were not small fruit flies, but their larger classmates, houseflies.
Monday, October 7, 2013
General Conference, October 2013
I recently gave a lesson in Sunday School on the Martin and Willie handcart companies from church history. The big take away for me was that we must always work hard to help our fellowman, not just spiritually, but physically as well. That's why the Savior emphasized helping the needy: it's what all good Christians do.
I related this experience because this was where my mind was while watching General Conference. The major theme to me was helping our fellowman, whether through missionary work, visiting and home teaching, or empathizing with those who are going through bouts of depression. It came up over and over again, although it shouldn't be surprising because it's such a basic theme in the gospel.
Additionally, one talk that stood out to me was Elder Bednar's talk on tithing. He specifically talked about how people who are unemployed and looking for work need to pay tithing. He might as well have been talking to me. I just got my second-to-last paycheck this week, but with Conference, I didn't pay tithing yet. Well, I'm not going to wait until Sunday: I'm going to mail it off tomorrow to fulfill my duty and reap the blessings. I think when an apostle gives a talk that directly applies to your life in a very specific way, you better take heed.
What stood out to you?
I related this experience because this was where my mind was while watching General Conference. The major theme to me was helping our fellowman, whether through missionary work, visiting and home teaching, or empathizing with those who are going through bouts of depression. It came up over and over again, although it shouldn't be surprising because it's such a basic theme in the gospel.
Additionally, one talk that stood out to me was Elder Bednar's talk on tithing. He specifically talked about how people who are unemployed and looking for work need to pay tithing. He might as well have been talking to me. I just got my second-to-last paycheck this week, but with Conference, I didn't pay tithing yet. Well, I'm not going to wait until Sunday: I'm going to mail it off tomorrow to fulfill my duty and reap the blessings. I think when an apostle gives a talk that directly applies to your life in a very specific way, you better take heed.
What stood out to you?
Friday, October 4, 2013
Making New Friends
This week has seen several people in the ward pouring out hospitality in my direction.
On Monday, I was invited to dinner and Family Home Evening to a member of the Elder's Quorum presidency. As a friendly gesture, I brought a couple dozen cookies over. It was nice to interact with people under such casual circumstances.
On Wednesday, my home teacher came over. He checked on my job search and said he would help out where he could, and ended the visit by inviting me over to his home for dinner next week.
Finally, the Elder's Quorum President called me and asked for my help with some yard work on Saturday before the first session of conference. I agreed and he said that that time would give him a chance to get to know me better and that he would do what he could to help me with my employment situation.
I really appreciate the hands of friendship that are being extended right now: I could certainly use them.
On Monday, I was invited to dinner and Family Home Evening to a member of the Elder's Quorum presidency. As a friendly gesture, I brought a couple dozen cookies over. It was nice to interact with people under such casual circumstances.
On Wednesday, my home teacher came over. He checked on my job search and said he would help out where he could, and ended the visit by inviting me over to his home for dinner next week.
Finally, the Elder's Quorum President called me and asked for my help with some yard work on Saturday before the first session of conference. I agreed and he said that that time would give him a chance to get to know me better and that he would do what he could to help me with my employment situation.
I really appreciate the hands of friendship that are being extended right now: I could certainly use them.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Women in Fiction
I was talking to Margot the other day about a movie that she had recommended to me, the most recent adaptation of The Great Gatsby. While we both enjoyed the film, she did mention that she really detested the character of Daisy, to the point of saying that she was one of her most disliked characters in all of fiction. While I didn't ask her directly where the ire towards Daisy came from, I suspect that most of it has to do with Daisy's materialism and choosing to marry a rich man rather than wait for her poor true love.
This got me thinking about other women in fiction and how they're depicted. How often is the major decision that they have to make about their man (like Allie in The Notebook)? Pretty much every Disney Princess is rescued from tragedy by her prince (Snow White, Aurora, Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Rapunzel, even Tiana were all saved by their respective prince). I think filmmakers are more guilty of this than book authors, as I can think of several novels that have strong female characters that are interested in more than simply finding a husband, but how many movies show women as only being concerned with either their man or lack of man? Far, far too many.
Another problem is that even in movies with strong female characters, they either don't interact with other women, or only talk to other women about a man. There is a test that was created by cartoonist Alison Bechdel to see if a movie is sexist towards women. For a movie to pass the so-called "Bechdel Test," it must contain the following:
It shouldn't be that difficult, but so many movies fail this test. The original Star Wars fails despite having a very strong female lead in Princess Leia simply because she's never onscreen with another woman. That is not to say that the Bechdel Test is completely definitive and any movie that fails it is sexist, but it is a good place to start.
What is my point in all of this? Women are people, too. I realize that that is nothing astounding, but too many filmmakers seem to think of women's interests beginning and ending with men. Even though we are experiencing a huge boom in superhero movies, Warner Bros. and DC seem to think that the third biggest name in the genre is "tricky" to bring to theaters. Why, because Wonder Woman is a female warrior that doesn't need a man in her life to feel fulfilled? I'm not saying that woman can't be loving wives or mothers, but if that's all they are, we as the audience are being cheated of a fully rounded character. Remember, fiction is a reflection of reality, so these (at the very least) partial depictions of women mean that people still think this way. And that needs to change.
[And after all of that, I swear that I don't consider myself a feminist.]
This got me thinking about other women in fiction and how they're depicted. How often is the major decision that they have to make about their man (like Allie in The Notebook)? Pretty much every Disney Princess is rescued from tragedy by her prince (Snow White, Aurora, Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Rapunzel, even Tiana were all saved by their respective prince). I think filmmakers are more guilty of this than book authors, as I can think of several novels that have strong female characters that are interested in more than simply finding a husband, but how many movies show women as only being concerned with either their man or lack of man? Far, far too many.
Another problem is that even in movies with strong female characters, they either don't interact with other women, or only talk to other women about a man. There is a test that was created by cartoonist Alison Bechdel to see if a movie is sexist towards women. For a movie to pass the so-called "Bechdel Test," it must contain the following:
1) It has to have at least two women in it,
2) who talk to each other
3) about something besides a man.
It shouldn't be that difficult, but so many movies fail this test. The original Star Wars fails despite having a very strong female lead in Princess Leia simply because she's never onscreen with another woman. That is not to say that the Bechdel Test is completely definitive and any movie that fails it is sexist, but it is a good place to start.
What is my point in all of this? Women are people, too. I realize that that is nothing astounding, but too many filmmakers seem to think of women's interests beginning and ending with men. Even though we are experiencing a huge boom in superhero movies, Warner Bros. and DC seem to think that the third biggest name in the genre is "tricky" to bring to theaters. Why, because Wonder Woman is a female warrior that doesn't need a man in her life to feel fulfilled? I'm not saying that woman can't be loving wives or mothers, but if that's all they are, we as the audience are being cheated of a fully rounded character. Remember, fiction is a reflection of reality, so these (at the very least) partial depictions of women mean that people still think this way. And that needs to change.
[And after all of that, I swear that I don't consider myself a feminist.]
Monday, September 30, 2013
Protection From Protectors
As I was signing on to Blogger to write this post, I was blocked by my web filter. This is particularly weird because I've had the web filter in place for a while now and it has never blocked me from signing onto my blog ever before. Not only that, once I had signed on to unblock the site, I had to unblock it again a couple times more before I could start typing.
I recognize that there are probably (almost certainly) blogs out there with content that I want to avoid. Having the filter be aware of that is helpful and the reason I have it. Not having it recognize the same site that I just gave permission to seems like an error on the program's part. Even so, I suppose that I would rather it be overly protective than fail to do its job at all.
In an odd way, this reminds me of Edward Snowden. He made a big move, at least in his mind, to protect Americans' privacy, doing what he thought was necessary for the greater good. The difference of course is that in leaking classified information, Snowden put a lot of people's lives at risk, while my web filter simply annoyed me for several minutes. He made a moral decision and then fled the consequences; if he really believed in what he did, he would stand trial and make his case.
Just as with my web filter, I think that most people would rather be safe and slightly annoyed than to be put in danger. Yes, freedoms our important and whenever our freedoms are threatened we the people should work hard to stop it from happening. That doesn't mean we should put other people's lives at risk or run from the consequences of our actions.
I recognize that there are probably (almost certainly) blogs out there with content that I want to avoid. Having the filter be aware of that is helpful and the reason I have it. Not having it recognize the same site that I just gave permission to seems like an error on the program's part. Even so, I suppose that I would rather it be overly protective than fail to do its job at all.
In an odd way, this reminds me of Edward Snowden. He made a big move, at least in his mind, to protect Americans' privacy, doing what he thought was necessary for the greater good. The difference of course is that in leaking classified information, Snowden put a lot of people's lives at risk, while my web filter simply annoyed me for several minutes. He made a moral decision and then fled the consequences; if he really believed in what he did, he would stand trial and make his case.
Just as with my web filter, I think that most people would rather be safe and slightly annoyed than to be put in danger. Yes, freedoms our important and whenever our freedoms are threatened we the people should work hard to stop it from happening. That doesn't mean we should put other people's lives at risk or run from the consequences of our actions.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Shorties 3
As a refresher, here are parts one and two.
The March of Progress
In preparation for some of my upcoming interviews, I bought a new flash drive so I could more easily print files at local business that provide that service. The last flash drive I had was the size of a small pack of gum and had a storage capacity of 256 MB (which I never even came close to filling up). This new one is the size of my thumb from the tip to the first knuckle and holds 8 GB. I'm also pretty sure that that this new one is cheaper than the last one, too.
Just a Little Off the Top
To further prepare for interviews, I got a haircut this week. I went to a nearby barber that I think mostly caters to older men (based on both the customers and the employees), but I figured that a basic business haircut wouldn't be too hard. While I would have preferred it a bit shorter, it looks fine. One weird thing, though: he cleaned up my right sideburn, but completely shaved off left one. I guess he forgot halfway through?
Everybody's Doing It
I went running yesterday, as per usual, and I was pleased to see at least half a dozen people running on the same route. It was nice to see that other people in my neighborhood enjoy one of the same activities that I regularly enjoy.
Handcrafted
Being that I am working to save money where possible, I made chicken soup on Wednesday. I had already saved the bones of three whole chickens in the freezer so I could make stock whenever, which I did on Tuesday. To the stock I added sauteed onions, garlic, and celery, chopped carrots, chicken, and parsley, and finally egg noodles. I'm not even a big fan of soup, but homemade soups (regardless of the chef) seem to hit the spot for me.
Busy Weekend
On Saturday, I'm attending the temple in the morning to help officiate in baptisms. We're meeting at the Temple at 7 am, so it's really early for a Saturday, but it'll be worth it. On top of that, the Ward is having a dinner for the sisters before the Relief Society broadcast that evening and I'll be a server for the event. Giving up most of my Saturday might normally be a sacrifice, but right now I would simply be selfish if I didn't make myself available.
The March of Progress
In preparation for some of my upcoming interviews, I bought a new flash drive so I could more easily print files at local business that provide that service. The last flash drive I had was the size of a small pack of gum and had a storage capacity of 256 MB (which I never even came close to filling up). This new one is the size of my thumb from the tip to the first knuckle and holds 8 GB. I'm also pretty sure that that this new one is cheaper than the last one, too.
Just a Little Off the Top
To further prepare for interviews, I got a haircut this week. I went to a nearby barber that I think mostly caters to older men (based on both the customers and the employees), but I figured that a basic business haircut wouldn't be too hard. While I would have preferred it a bit shorter, it looks fine. One weird thing, though: he cleaned up my right sideburn, but completely shaved off left one. I guess he forgot halfway through?
Everybody's Doing It
I went running yesterday, as per usual, and I was pleased to see at least half a dozen people running on the same route. It was nice to see that other people in my neighborhood enjoy one of the same activities that I regularly enjoy.
Handcrafted
Being that I am working to save money where possible, I made chicken soup on Wednesday. I had already saved the bones of three whole chickens in the freezer so I could make stock whenever, which I did on Tuesday. To the stock I added sauteed onions, garlic, and celery, chopped carrots, chicken, and parsley, and finally egg noodles. I'm not even a big fan of soup, but homemade soups (regardless of the chef) seem to hit the spot for me.
Busy Weekend
On Saturday, I'm attending the temple in the morning to help officiate in baptisms. We're meeting at the Temple at 7 am, so it's really early for a Saturday, but it'll be worth it. On top of that, the Ward is having a dinner for the sisters before the Relief Society broadcast that evening and I'll be a server for the event. Giving up most of my Saturday might normally be a sacrifice, but right now I would simply be selfish if I didn't make myself available.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Fresh Spring
Thank you to everyone that has been offering prayers on my behalf. Being unemployed is never easy, even in the best of circumstances.
I had my first interview yesterday. Without going into too much detail, the job is for an actual technical writing position at a construction company that also does some design work. They seem understanding of my situation and that losing my job was not due to anything in my control. I feel that I answered the questions well and with the right amount of exuberance to sell myself properly. My limited experience has also been taken into account.
Now, this was simply an interview, not a job offer, so nothing may come of it, but job offers only come from job interviews, so at least I'm on the right track.
I also have another interview this Friday. Again, this would be for another technical writing position, but this one at an HVAC manual publisher. Having options would not be a bad thing.
On top of that, a third recruiter called me, but I was getting ready for the interview and didn't hear my phone that was in the other room. When I called her back, I just got her voicemail; I'm sure we'll be able to connect today sometime.
I am very grateful to my Heavenly Father who is absolutely helping me out in my time of need. I have had quite a dry spell with regards to my job search, but it seems that I may have found a spring with which to renew myself.
I had my first interview yesterday. Without going into too much detail, the job is for an actual technical writing position at a construction company that also does some design work. They seem understanding of my situation and that losing my job was not due to anything in my control. I feel that I answered the questions well and with the right amount of exuberance to sell myself properly. My limited experience has also been taken into account.
Now, this was simply an interview, not a job offer, so nothing may come of it, but job offers only come from job interviews, so at least I'm on the right track.
I also have another interview this Friday. Again, this would be for another technical writing position, but this one at an HVAC manual publisher. Having options would not be a bad thing.
On top of that, a third recruiter called me, but I was getting ready for the interview and didn't hear my phone that was in the other room. When I called her back, I just got her voicemail; I'm sure we'll be able to connect today sometime.
I am very grateful to my Heavenly Father who is absolutely helping me out in my time of need. I have had quite a dry spell with regards to my job search, but it seems that I may have found a spring with which to renew myself.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Music (Techncial Writer)
Here's a fun song (with a terrible video) that may not be completely accurate for me, but still hits pretty close.
Friday, September 20, 2013
Making Everything Last
Because of my current state of unemployment, my Bishop suggested that I use the Bishop's Storehouse for some groceries to make my money last a bit longer. Since I'm no fool, I took him up on the offer.
Now, for those readers that have never used the Bishop's Storehouse, they offer basic food and toiletry items for members in need. The things that they offer, especially the food, is good quality stuff. However, you better know how to cook because only a few things are ready to eat, like cereal and peanut butter. Fortunately, I know how to cook.
Case in point, last night I had my first dinner in quite some time that didn't involve chicken (I'm not complaining that I've been having a lot of chicken, but it is nice to add some variety). I slow-cooked a beef roast over a bed of sliced potatoes and onions. In the freezer, for use later on, I have a ham roast and turkey roast (the church likes to provide roasts, apparently).
Prior to utilizing the Bishop's Storehouse, I was doing what I could to cut costs by shopping at particular places and buying as much as I could in advance. There have been a couple of times when money was tight, but I didn't need to go shopping again because I had stocked up.
I hope this period of unemployment is short-lived, but for now it's nice to know that I'm making what have last as long as possible.
Now, for those readers that have never used the Bishop's Storehouse, they offer basic food and toiletry items for members in need. The things that they offer, especially the food, is good quality stuff. However, you better know how to cook because only a few things are ready to eat, like cereal and peanut butter. Fortunately, I know how to cook.
Case in point, last night I had my first dinner in quite some time that didn't involve chicken (I'm not complaining that I've been having a lot of chicken, but it is nice to add some variety). I slow-cooked a beef roast over a bed of sliced potatoes and onions. In the freezer, for use later on, I have a ham roast and turkey roast (the church likes to provide roasts, apparently).
Prior to utilizing the Bishop's Storehouse, I was doing what I could to cut costs by shopping at particular places and buying as much as I could in advance. There have been a couple of times when money was tight, but I didn't need to go shopping again because I had stocked up.
I hope this period of unemployment is short-lived, but for now it's nice to know that I'm making what have last as long as possible.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Peace ... through Vegetarianism?
I recently wrote about a bumper stick that I've seen quite a bit. Today, I want to write about a bumper sticker that I've only seen once. I wish I could remember the exact wording of the sticker, or at least find a copy of it online, but I only remember the gist of it. It was something along the lines of "I'm doing my part for world peace by being a vegetarian." When I read that, I laughed out loud.
I'm no stranger to people with left-wing agendas (or right-wing ones, for that matter) proudly stating their outrageous claims via bumper stickers, but this one was still pretty outlandish. From my understanding, the owner of the vehicle was claiming that meat-eaters are more violent than vegetarians because violence to animals leads to violence to humans. Just like people argue that violent music, violent movies, and violent video games lead to violent behavior, even though a connection between them has never been proven. I am not advocating partaking in violent media, but one does not automatically lead to the other.
That's also forgetting that one of the most evil people in history, the one person that everyone can get behind as being a bad dude, was a confirmed vegetarian. Yes, I'm talking about Adolf Hitler. A man who committed countless atrocities against his fellow human beings stopped eating animals for the final years of his life.
My point to all of this is that extremism tends to lead to bizarre arguments. If someone wants to be a vegetarian, fine, good for them, but don't claim that not eating a hamburger makes you superior to me. I see animals as resources to be used wisely. I usually only eat meat once a day and, when compared to the average American, I eat a high amount of whole grains and fresh produce. I also believe that animals should be cared for in humane conditions and killed in a fast, painless way. I choose to eat food that is good for me, not because it puts me on some moral high-ground.
ADDENDUM:
While preparing for this post, I looked online for the bumper sticker that I saw and, even though I couldn't find the one I was looking for, I found one that was also silly. It compared eating livestock to eating pets. I think that's silly because I would totally eat cat meat if given the opportunity. Why is it that eating a cow is okay, but eating a horse is not? I've heard, as an argument against eating them, that pigs are about as smart as dogs, but why can't we eat dogs? Squirrels and groundhogs can be pretty cute, but I've eaten them. And deer are beautiful, majestic creatures that can be quite tasty. This isn't a "Modest Proposal" type satire, I'm honestly curious. Leave a comment with your thoughts.
I'm no stranger to people with left-wing agendas (or right-wing ones, for that matter) proudly stating their outrageous claims via bumper stickers, but this one was still pretty outlandish. From my understanding, the owner of the vehicle was claiming that meat-eaters are more violent than vegetarians because violence to animals leads to violence to humans. Just like people argue that violent music, violent movies, and violent video games lead to violent behavior, even though a connection between them has never been proven. I am not advocating partaking in violent media, but one does not automatically lead to the other.
That's also forgetting that one of the most evil people in history, the one person that everyone can get behind as being a bad dude, was a confirmed vegetarian. Yes, I'm talking about Adolf Hitler. A man who committed countless atrocities against his fellow human beings stopped eating animals for the final years of his life.
My point to all of this is that extremism tends to lead to bizarre arguments. If someone wants to be a vegetarian, fine, good for them, but don't claim that not eating a hamburger makes you superior to me. I see animals as resources to be used wisely. I usually only eat meat once a day and, when compared to the average American, I eat a high amount of whole grains and fresh produce. I also believe that animals should be cared for in humane conditions and killed in a fast, painless way. I choose to eat food that is good for me, not because it puts me on some moral high-ground.
ADDENDUM:
While preparing for this post, I looked online for the bumper sticker that I saw and, even though I couldn't find the one I was looking for, I found one that was also silly. It compared eating livestock to eating pets. I think that's silly because I would totally eat cat meat if given the opportunity. Why is it that eating a cow is okay, but eating a horse is not? I've heard, as an argument against eating them, that pigs are about as smart as dogs, but why can't we eat dogs? Squirrels and groundhogs can be pretty cute, but I've eaten them. And deer are beautiful, majestic creatures that can be quite tasty. This isn't a "Modest Proposal" type satire, I'm honestly curious. Leave a comment with your thoughts.
Monday, September 16, 2013
I Need Something With Some Room to Breathe
I'm pretty sure that everyone one knows by now, but I'll post this as a means of making it more official: I lost my job. It's not as bad as it seems.
First, this has been an incredibly stressful job for me. I would go as far as saying that this was the most stressful job I've had up to this point in my life. A lot of that comes from the fact that I didn't get enough direction from my manager, so when I would submit an assignment for her approval, I had no idea if it was what she was looking for. I thought back to college and how when I would turn in an assignment, especially towards the middle of a semester, I had a pretty good idea of what kind of grade I would receive. Sure, there were surprises, but after I had a feel for my professor, I could usually know what grade would be on the page when I got it back. Not with my manager. After four months, so much of what I was doing was still guesswork.
And that leads to the second reason I was let go, which is that they realized that they need someone with an engineering background. They thought that they wanted a technical writer (the job was advertised as "Technical Proposal Writer"), but they had just created the position so it turns out that they thought wrong. It's not really their fault or mine, but it still sucks.
Because the owner felt bad for hiring me and letting me go so fast, they gave me a bonus to help make it easier for me as I look for a job. In addition to the next paycheck that I have coming anyway, they're giving me three-weeks pay as well as continuing my health insurance until the end of November (and I was instructed that if I haven't found a job by then to let them know and they'll work something out for me to stay covered). It's still a lousy situations, but they're being generous with the severance package.
I've contacted my Ward's employment specialist and I've gotten in touch with the manager of the temp agency I worked at before RJM to try to get something right away. I've also already posted my resume on several job boards and I'll continue to add to others as the days go by.
I don't want to make it seem like everything's fine because this is a dangerous situation to be in, but I have faith that this is what needs to happen. The Lord directed me to move to Maryland so that I could find work and I don't think that it was supposed to be for just a few months. I have a lot of work to do to find a new job, but I feel strongly that there is a job out there for me. Maybe a better one, but at the very least a job that can be considered permanent.
First, this has been an incredibly stressful job for me. I would go as far as saying that this was the most stressful job I've had up to this point in my life. A lot of that comes from the fact that I didn't get enough direction from my manager, so when I would submit an assignment for her approval, I had no idea if it was what she was looking for. I thought back to college and how when I would turn in an assignment, especially towards the middle of a semester, I had a pretty good idea of what kind of grade I would receive. Sure, there were surprises, but after I had a feel for my professor, I could usually know what grade would be on the page when I got it back. Not with my manager. After four months, so much of what I was doing was still guesswork.
And that leads to the second reason I was let go, which is that they realized that they need someone with an engineering background. They thought that they wanted a technical writer (the job was advertised as "Technical Proposal Writer"), but they had just created the position so it turns out that they thought wrong. It's not really their fault or mine, but it still sucks.
Because the owner felt bad for hiring me and letting me go so fast, they gave me a bonus to help make it easier for me as I look for a job. In addition to the next paycheck that I have coming anyway, they're giving me three-weeks pay as well as continuing my health insurance until the end of November (and I was instructed that if I haven't found a job by then to let them know and they'll work something out for me to stay covered). It's still a lousy situations, but they're being generous with the severance package.
I've contacted my Ward's employment specialist and I've gotten in touch with the manager of the temp agency I worked at before RJM to try to get something right away. I've also already posted my resume on several job boards and I'll continue to add to others as the days go by.
I don't want to make it seem like everything's fine because this is a dangerous situation to be in, but I have faith that this is what needs to happen. The Lord directed me to move to Maryland so that I could find work and I don't think that it was supposed to be for just a few months. I have a lot of work to do to find a new job, but I feel strongly that there is a job out there for me. Maybe a better one, but at the very least a job that can be considered permanent.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Coexist
You've probably seen the above image before, usually as a bumper sticker on the back of a car. Isn't it a nice message? We can all live together in peace.
I hate it.
I want to be clear, I do not use the word hate lightly. I may dislike a lot of things, but I hate very little. I hate this image and the message associated with it. The message isn't "We can move past our differences and live together," rather it's "If you think about it, we're really all the same" or at the very least "So many problems arise from different ideas; let's stop fighting over who has the best god." Obviously, I feel strongly about my beliefs because I actually decided for myself what I believe rather than just going along with what other people were doing. I earned my faith.
I mostly blame two things for the prominence this image has gotten: ignorance and social pressure. Ignorance because people see that image and don't bother thinking about it past the most superficial message on the surface and social pressure because people see the bumper sticker and a) think it looks "neat" and b) don't want to look like a douchebag. I emphasize "look" because who cares what kind of person you actually are, as long as look like a caring person?
This all seems like a new way of saying the message that was at the heart of John Lennon's "Imagine," only more succinct for our shorter attention spans. As you might have guessed, "Imagine" is a song that I really despise. It has a beautiful melody that's simple, yet haunting. Again, if you only half-listen, it has nice message of "stop fighting." But if you pay even the smallest amount of attention you'll hear that the true message is "we fight because of our differences, so if we got rid of the things that make us different, we won't fight anymore" (which is one of the main philosophies of the Amish). That's rubbish. We accept each others differences and choose to not fight.
In the end, it's probably best not to adopt world views based on bumper stickers or songs.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Generation Y
My generation has two labels that are often used interchangeably: Generation Y and the Millennial Generation. For reasons I don't fully understand, I don't mind Generation Y and I despise the term Millennial.
The term Generation Y originated as the logical follow up to Generation X. This makes sense to me. Plus, I like the potential for "Generation Why?" as a play on words. Millennial sounds much more like it was created as a marketing tool. "Millennial" sounds "hip" and "cool" and kids will "dig" that "noise." [Vomits.] Sorry, that just doesn't open quote jive close quote with me.
Maybe part of the reason I don't like Millennial is because I'm at the beginning of my generation. Depending on who you ask, Generation Y begins around 1982 (though possibly as early as 1979 or as late as 1983) and ends around 2000, though it's hard for me to think that a thirteen-year-old and I are in the same generation. The term Generation Y appeared first, back in 1993, and I was exposed to it first. The term Millennial appeared in, you guessed it, 2000. I feel that the older term fits better, but it seems to have fallen out of favor. Being an older member of Generation Y, I think I may be set in my ways. Millennial sounds too new. I'm in my thirties and I don't think too many new things apply to me. Personally, I feel that the generation should be split and Generation Y covers the first half (including me) and the Millennial Generation covers the second half.
Either way, we're not the best group of people. Based on my readings, Generation Y-ers or Millennials tend to be more narcissistic than previous generations. We tend to be more tolerant and accepting of others. We tend not to have strong philosophical views or to be very religious. Entitlement is a major issue with my compatriots as is procrastination. We tend to delay both getting married or starting careers when compared to past generations. We also tend to put a very high value on entertainment. Anxiety in some form is more prevalent than with previous generations.
Ultimately, I think I like Generation Y better because I adopted the term when I heard it and I feel that Millennial was thrust upon me. And, as is common among my generation, I don't like being forced into anything.
The term Generation Y originated as the logical follow up to Generation X. This makes sense to me. Plus, I like the potential for "Generation Why?" as a play on words. Millennial sounds much more like it was created as a marketing tool. "Millennial" sounds "hip" and "cool" and kids will "dig" that "noise." [Vomits.] Sorry, that just doesn't open quote jive close quote with me.
Maybe part of the reason I don't like Millennial is because I'm at the beginning of my generation. Depending on who you ask, Generation Y begins around 1982 (though possibly as early as 1979 or as late as 1983) and ends around 2000, though it's hard for me to think that a thirteen-year-old and I are in the same generation. The term Generation Y appeared first, back in 1993, and I was exposed to it first. The term Millennial appeared in, you guessed it, 2000. I feel that the older term fits better, but it seems to have fallen out of favor. Being an older member of Generation Y, I think I may be set in my ways. Millennial sounds too new. I'm in my thirties and I don't think too many new things apply to me. Personally, I feel that the generation should be split and Generation Y covers the first half (including me) and the Millennial Generation covers the second half.
Either way, we're not the best group of people. Based on my readings, Generation Y-ers or Millennials tend to be more narcissistic than previous generations. We tend to be more tolerant and accepting of others. We tend not to have strong philosophical views or to be very religious. Entitlement is a major issue with my compatriots as is procrastination. We tend to delay both getting married or starting careers when compared to past generations. We also tend to put a very high value on entertainment. Anxiety in some form is more prevalent than with previous generations.
Ultimately, I think I like Generation Y better because I adopted the term when I heard it and I feel that Millennial was thrust upon me. And, as is common among my generation, I don't like being forced into anything.
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