Nearly There

So that job interview that I had yesterday that I mentioned that I would post about if something came of it?  I'm posting about it.

I took a long lunch at my temp job and drove to the office where I would be interviewing.  When I got there, I was greeted by the hiring manager (who I had already met when we had our phone interview) and she took me around the small office and introduced to the other people at that particular office (the company has two other locations).  All of this took about five minutes, after which we went to her office for the interview, if you can call it that.  She mostly informed me about the company's benefits package and asked me about my compensation expectations.  Not what I was expecting.

She asked me if I had anymore questions about the position (I didn't) and we wrapped up.  I did ask when I could expect to hear back from her regarding if I had I gotten the job or not.  She told me that she had pretty much already decided to hire me, but since this was the first time she was hiring someone directly and not using a recruiting agency, she wasn't sure how long things would take with HR.

What the actual crap?!  It can't seriously be that easy, can it?  I realize that she didn't actually extend a job offer, but she came as close as possible without actually doing it.  Anyway, she told me that she would contact me by early next week, which I interpret as no later than Wednesday.

I want to thank everyone that has been praying on my behalf so that I can find a job.  Again, I don't actually have a job yet, but at the very least, the end of my unemployment is rapidly approaching.

Better Living Through Seasoning

Remember how I shared recently that I had an incredibly vivid dream where I was eating flavorful meat?  And how it was probably brought on by my recent decision to temporarily be vegetarian?  Well, the dreams keep coming.  I don't remember all of them, but one that stands out had me sitting at a table with random people where was food being passed around and I was eagerly anticipating a platter that was heading my way that was filled with kielbasa sausages - I anticipated being teased by the other people due to the shape of the sausage, but I was determined to eat it all the same.  I awoke before the platter reached me.

After sharing this particular dream with Paige, she pointed out that all of the meat in my dreams is heavily seasoned.  This got me to thinking that maybe I don't miss meat so much as proper seasoning on my food: I've simply been opening cans of beans and vegetables and dumping them in a bowl.  To test this, I used actual seasoning that I already had on hand but for whatever reason wasn't using.  The best combination seems to be chili powder, Parmesan cheese, and salsa.  In addition to simply enjoying my dinner quite a bit more, the ridiculous dreams appear to have abated.  And, while I don't know how much weight I've lost since I don't have a scale, I've lost at least two inches to my waist based on how I wear my belt - I'd say that means it's working.

--

Also, I had a face-to-face job interview on Monday and I'll have another on Thursday.  If anything comes of them, I'll post about it.

Shorties 5

Nailed It!
I had a phone interview on Friday.  I had to move my lunch back at my temp job to accommodate the interview, but everything worked out.  The job is for a technical writing job with a local tech firm and it looks like I would be a good fit for me.  While all of that is nice, what is really exciting is that this was pretty much the opposite of the interview with PayPal.  I remember when I hung up the phone after the interview had concluded, I actually thought to myself, "Nailed it!"  I should hear back next week if they want to move forward with an in-person interview; even if they don't, I feel like I've already had success with this one.

T-Minus 5 Days
On Saturday, I had Samuel come by my apartment complex's leasing office to fill out some preliminary paperwork so that he can move in.  The lease won't change, but the office needs to have information on all tenants for liability purposes.  While he was here, Samuel mentioned his concern that he would stink up the apartment with his traditional Nigerian cooking.  I assured him that it was no problem, but he still seemed nervous.

One thing that I anticipate that is making Samuel nervous is that he is still learning the culture of the US and Maryland and since I will be his first native-born American roommate, he's trying to be careful to not offend.  I'm sure that we'll have some disagreements and that there will be an adjustment period, but I'm pretty confident that we'll be able to work past them.  Regardless of how easy the transition will be, I'll have a new roommate by this Saturday.

KO'd
Yesterday, as I was preparing to leave to pick up Samuel to take him to church, I recognized I was having an allergic reaction.  Now, this reaction was the most mild that I think I've had, but I was still concerned that if I didn't catch it right away, I would end up in the ER again.  So I took some Benedryl and started making some calls.  I called the Sunday School President and asked him to find a replacement for me (we had about 50 minutes before church started, so at least he had some warning this time).  Then I frantically called the a few members in the Elder's Quorum Presidency and asked if they knew of anyone that could pick up Samuel.  They said they would try their best.  I kept Samuel appraised of what was happening, but I knew my time being awake was limited.  Just as I was about to pass out, I looked at the time and saw that church had just started.

I woke up - about an hour after church had gotten out - to the sound of my phone ringing.  It was the Elder's Quorum Presidency's second counselor (and my home teacher) who was checking on me.  I told him that I was fine, just groggy.  He told me that there wasn't time to find Samuel a ride.  I said that it was fine since Samuel lives about 25 minutes from the meeting house and when I had first made the call, there was barely enough time for someone to pick him up and make it back in time.  When we finished our conversation, I texted Samuel and apologized again and explained why he didn't get picked up.  He accepted the explanation and said that it would work out better next week.  Since we'll be roommates next week, I heartily agreed.

Simple Pleasures

The temp job that I'm working at is insanely boring.  I simply take folders that used to be filed separately and place them in the respective main folder.  I would probably go insane from the tedium, but I'm allowed to have my earbuds in while I work, so my sanity remains ... for now.

The first week I mostly just listened to random music while working, but this week I planned ahead a bit more.  First I downloaded several podcasts to listen to.  My favorite podcasts come from Radiolab (which I very enthusiastically recommend), but I just discovered that Cracked recently started doing a weekly podcast and they're a ton of fun.  I must say, this kind of mental stimulation is wonderful.  The day goes by a lot faster because the topics are interesting and thought provoking, like how days didn't used to be 24 hours long or how our memories aren't as reliable as you might think.

The other thing that I've done is listen to albums completely through.  Even when I have a whole album on my music player, I'll just keep it set to shuffle and listen to whatever pops up.  I've done this for years - I used to feel pressure about picking the "right" song to listen to while I was working out or walking to class or something, but by keeping the music on shuffle, I wasn't picking any song and just allowing randomness take over.  But if I transferred a new album to my player, I would just get the songs as they came, never listening to the album through first, even once.  However, I've been taking time this week listening to full albums in order, just as the band or artist intended.  There really is an art to ordering the songs on an album and it's nice to take the time to appreciate it, even for albums that I've already heard before.

So I've taken a job that's challenging in how simple it is and turned it into an opportunity to expose myself to some really fun auditory art.  Do you, dear audience, have any recommendations for fun podcasts or good albums?

On Dreams and Food

I've been having trouble sleeping lately.  When I would get home from my temp job, I'd eat dinner and then promptly fall asleep in front of the TV.  By the time I would wake up enough to brush my teeth and go to bed, I wouldn't be able to fall asleep again for quite some time.  I decided that since I was falling asleep right after dinner, I should go to bed right away.  This proved to be a successful plan as I finally slept through the night on Monday.  However, I had a really bizarre dream to go with it.  It was so strange that I decided that I simply must share it with you.

I was invited to be on Conan - I got the feeling that it was because I won a contest or something, but as we know, dreams don't have to make sense.  At first I think I was just an audience member, but I got pulled up on stage.  Conan was talking with me about something (maybe video games?), but I've already forgotten what about.  He was telling me that his next guest was Michael Strahan, but in this reality he's a celebrity golfer, not a football-player-turn-TV-host.  I suggested that instead of Mr. Strahan, we should have Mr. T as the next guest.  Conan agreed, and Mr. T came out and scowled at us without saying a word.  Then, for the rest of the dream, Conan and I sate at a table and ate various foodstuffs, all while the audience looked on.  I very vividly remember the taste of the spices in the burrito and the saltiness of the bacon in the cheeseburger that I had.  Then, of course, I woke up.

I should probably mention that the last part of the dream, where we're just eating meaty food, may be because I'm effectively a vegetarian right now.  I wanted to do something drastic to lose the extra weight I've put on while not working, and cutting meat from one's diet is a quick way to drop pounds.  I can already comfortably fit into a pair of pants that I could only barely squeeze into last week.  But, as one might expect from my dream, it's really boring eating legumes and rice and corn every night.  I'd be curious to know if I've dreamed of eating meat every night since starting my cleanse or if this was a one time deal.  Either way, I think it's funny that my mind manufactured meat for me to eat when I stopped consuming it while awake.

Whiteout

I mentioned in my last post that the east coast has gotten a lot of snow in a short amount of time, so much, in fact, that it prevented me from going to work last Thursday.  However, Snomagedon would only keep me away from the one day.  Mostly.

When I went out to my car on Friday, I was expecting to have to do some work to uncover my car before I could leave.  What I wasn't expecting, was having to first clear a path to my car before I could even begin the work of removing the snow from the car itself.  The maintenance team of my apartment complex had done a good job of clearing the sidewalk, but they were still busy plowing the streets of the parking lot.  Fortunately, they had left out a snow shovel near my building's entrance.  I hadn't shoveled snow since my mission, but I figured I would be out of there in ten minutes.

Nearly thirty minutes later, I was on my way to work - a bit late, but my supervisor was very understanding.  The problem was that the snow was over a foot deep and even though I was only working to clear a small area, it was still slow going.  (I was also slowed down when one of my neighbors approached me and asked about the shovel in slightly broken English.  I only mention his poor language skills because I thought he was telling me that the shovel was his, then I thought he asked me where I was going, then I thought he was trying to arrange a carpool, but he was just asking if he could use the shovel after me.  I couldn't help but laugh at myself for completely misunderstanding his request.)  When I was on my way, my back let me know that it was not pleased.

Please do not take this post as complaining, simply informing you about a new and unusual experience I had.  All things considered, I really had it easy to only uncover the area directly blocking my vehicle.  If I was a homeowner, I would be responsible for the whole property and a sore back would be the least of my worries.

Strange Coincidence

While I was working at my temp job the other day, I received a call.  I was busy, so I let it go to voicemail.  Later, at lunch, I listened to the message and found out that it was a recruiter looking for a technical writer to fill a job vacancy.  In the message, he said that he emailed me with a description about the job, so I decided that I would wait to read the job description before I contacted him back.

Then he called me again.  Since it's unusual for a recruiter to call twice in one day, I picked up.  He was really excited and was really pushing for me to submit my resume for the position.  I was hesitant because the job is in Reston, Virginia, which according to Google maps is about an hour from my apartment, but I know that with traffic it would likely be at least 75 minutes.  I told him that I would think about it and give him a response by the end of the week, but he asked if I could email him by the end of the day.  Wow, I thought, this guy really wants me to go after this job.  I promised an answer by the end of the day.

When I got home and looked at the email, it did look like it was a pretty good fit for me.  Not perfect, but jobs that are perfect fits are rarer creatures than unicorns, so pretty good is actually kind of awesome.  Even with it looking that attractive, I was hesitant because of the commute.

Then I realized that it wasn't a job offer that I would be turning down, just the chance at an interview.  Maybe I won't get an interview, or I'll be able to interview, but won't be offered the job.  If I declined to have my resume sumbitted, I would basically turning down nothing.  So I applied, sending him a copy of my resume (even though I knew he had one) and provided the basic information that he requested in the email.  I was honestly surprised when he didn't call me the next day, but yesterday was Sno-pocalypse in the Eastern time zone, so maybe he was snowed in like the rest of us.

And the coincidence that I alluded to in this post's title?  The job would be for Unisys, the company that my dad worked at for over twenty years as a technical writer.  Pretty wild, right?

Personal Totems

The standard definition of a totem is an item of spiritual significance, although the word has sort of been adopted by the secular world to simply refer to an item that is of personal significance to a particular individual.  I've been thinking lately about the fact that, whenever I leave the house, I make sure that I have ten items with me.  While there are exceptions, like when I go for a run or have to head to the ER, if I'm not at home, I will always have these ten things on my person.

1. Belt

I bought this belt while I was serving my mission from a genuine Amish tanner.  It is the highest quality belt I have ever owned and even though I had to add two new holes to it to continue wearing it, I refuse to even entertain the notion of going belt shopping.  Not that it needs replacing, mind you.  Even after over a decade of constant use, it shows only minimal signs of wear.

2. Pendant

When Ian returned home from one of his tours of duty, he brought me back a pendant carved out of camel bone.  I was surprised since I'm not one for jewelry, but I was touched that he took the trouble to get me something personal.  Ever since then, I've worn the necklace as a way of symbolizing my family.  I think it's appropriate that when it hangs from my neck, the pendant rest near my heart.

3. Hair-tie/Bracelet

Before I moved to Maryland, I was growing my hair out.  It was Allison's idea, but I thought it might be fun and since I was just working a retail job, I figured it wouldn't hurt my job prospects.  I had just grown my hair long enough that it was starting to become unruly, so I asked Allison one day if she had an extra hair-tie.  She had one on her wrist that she gave me.  I got a haircut almost as soon as I arrived in Maryland, but I kept the hair-tie.  I now wear it like a bracelet around my right wrist as representation of my separation with Allison, as much our marital separation as our physical separation.

4. Watch

When I first entered the mission field, I bought a nice bracelet-style watch off an Elder that would soon be returning home.  It was a nice watch and I got a good deal on it.  Afterwards, it was one of only a few things stolen when my parents' home was broken into.  I went a while without a watch, not really planning on when, or even if, I would replace it.  Allison took the decision away from me when she gave me my current watch as a birthday present one year.  It's a Fossil, the same brand and style of the last one, even the same color.  It was touching that she paid such close attention to the details, but simply the gift itself was already thoughtful enough.

5. Wallet

I have owned this wallet since sometime in high school.  It's not that it's in such great condition, like with my belt - it isn't falling apart, but there is at least one seam that's completely missing along with some other areas where it's been beaten up a bit.  No, the biggest reason that I haven't replaced it is that I hate wallet shopping.  All I want is what I already have, just new.  I don't like reorganizing my various cards and identifications, so having a wallet where everything is where it's supposed to be is really convenient.

6. Cell Phone

Of course I carry a cell phone with me.  However, I have yet to change over to having a smart phone.  I know once I do, there's no turning back, but, honestly, I like having a small phone that fits next to my fat wallet.  My current phone makes calls and can send and receive texts, though I can't send pictures from it, even though I can receive them.  Huh.  Well, it works for my needs.

7. Car Keys

I really should call it my car key, singular, since there's only one key on this ring.  I have a few "shopping club" cards on there, my vial of consecrated oil, my flash drive, and the item that I use nearly as much as my car key: nail clippers (I get a lot of hang nails).

8. House Keys

This time it really is keys, plural.  I am so paranoid of locking myself out of my apartment that when ever I leave, I catch the door with my shoe until I am physically touching the keys with my hand (which now a move committed to muscle-memory).  I keep the house keys separate so that when I go running, I can cut down on extra weight by not having my other keys with me.

9. Lip Balm

When I was a child, I licked my lips so constantly, I would not only chap my lips, but also the area right above my lips, resulting in a patch of red right under my nose that would turn brown as it healed - I remember a handful of times when someone would ask me how I could have a mustache when I was so young.  The only solution to stop me was lip balm: not only would the balm taste bad, but it kept my lips moist enough that I didn't need to lick them.  Ever since I started going to public school again at age 11, I've made sure to always have lip balm with me.  I prefer a particular brand these days, but I usually pull the label off since I like the aesthetic of a plain white tube.

10. Wedding Band

The only time I take my ring off is when I go running.  I've lost enough weight since I picked it out that it rattles a bit but it still fits well enough during my regular activities that it isn't worth getting it resized, at least not yet.  While it's obvious what my wedding band represents, I'll simply say that I had a particular style in mind when  I went ring shopping with Allison in the weeks leading up to the wedding and I was pleased to find exactly what I was looking for with this ring.

So there you have it.  Many of the items listed here are practical, some are sentimental, and a few are both.  While I am not a materialistic person, these are ten items that I refuse to be without.

Better than Words

My Grandmother is a talented artist, specializing in landscapes and portrait paintings.  It is in this latter category that she has worked extensively to capture many members of her family, including both of her children and all of her many grandchildren.  Except for me.  I remember that I noticed around middle school or high school that I hadn't been included yet.  I knew that my exclusion was unintentional, but it still struck me as odd.  As time has gone on and the years have accumulated, it has become harder and harder for her do the delicate work that is required on portraits, so I assumed that I had missed my chance.

Or so I thought.  I received a surprise phone call from her a couple weeks ago, saying that while moving some things around in a storage space, a partially completed portrait was found.  She didn't have any memory of starting it, but the outline was clearly there and she was determined to finish it.  I told her that I was happy just to know that she had started it, but she told me that she wanted to complete it.  Once it was done, she told me that she had to use her off-hand to steady her hand as she worked on the portrait.  If she hadn't told me, I would never have guessed, because her talent is as strong as ever.

So, enough from me.  Here is the debut of my portrait, done in pastel:

I am eight-years-old in this portrait.

Thank you, Grandma Bonnie!  I love it.

Pointless Debate

If you aren't aware, a debate was held this week between Bill Nye, the Science Guy, and Ken Ham, the president of Answers in Genesis at the Creation Museum in Kentucky.  The debate was between which model of the universe works best: evolution or creationism.  I have not subjected myself to the actual debate, but you feel so inclined, a video of the proceedings can be found here.  Even though I have not seen the debate myself, I wanted to comment on why the entire thing was a waste of time for all parties involved.

First of all, evolution is taken as fact by its supporters when it is still a theory.  And do not be confused that I am misusing "theory" to mean "hypothesis," which is a common error.  No, I realize that gravity is still a theory, too, but no one is calling that theory into question.  My problem is that while there is certainly evidence to support evolution, it does not prove it.  Additionally, evolution is not observable since it takes, at minimum, tens of thousands of years for one species to become a different one.  And while scientists have found lots of related looking species, the conclusion that they are related is still an extrapolation of available data, though not an unreasonable one.  (Although whenever I hear someone say that evolution has been proven, all I can usually hear is hubris.)

The problem with the creationist side is two-fold.  First, it is impossible to prove there is a god.  I have faith that there is a god and that faith is supported in numerous ways, but I cannot prove anything to another person.  That's why Alma challenged the Zoramites to experiment upon the word to find out if it was true, because each individual person has to discover the truth for themselves.  The other problem is that the main "proof" of creationism is the Bible.  A lot of people on the evolution side are atheists (at least the loudest ones tend to be), so using a source to argue your point that is not recognized by the other side is completely futile.

The final problem is that neither model is correct, but both have part of the answer.  Family traits are clearly passed on from one generation to the next and there is a Supreme Creator, but there are still gaps.  One famous hole in evolution is human hearing.  We have a bone in each ear that picks up vibrations which our brains interpret as sound, but that bone is attached to no other bones; according to evolution, there would have to be a useless piece of bone hanging out in our heads for countless generations before it actually served a purpose.  The hole with creationism is that the depiction in Genesis is largely symbolic.  The universe was not created in seven 24-hour days, but rather seven periods that were interpreted as days by Moses.  You have to remember, for the Lord to explain to Moses about creation would be like explaining how an airplane flies to a toddler.

I am most certainly a man of faith, but I also recognize and appreciate the importance of science.  One thing I do not do, however, is follow either blindly.  I have seen enough in my life to remove doubt of the existence of my Father in Heaven, so it is not blind faith.  I love learning about new scientific discoveries, but I know that another new discovery around the corner could change our current understanding.  The two schools of thought are not diametrically opposed, as some seem to think.  They work best together, just as our Father intended.

Influenza Attack!

The following blog post includes depictions of flu symptoms that some may find unsettling.  Reader discretion is advised.

I was recently contacted by one the several employment agencies that I'm registered with about a temp job as a filing clerk.  I accepted the position, but there were some requirements that I need to fulfill before I started the job.  Because the job is at the University of Maryland Medical Center, I had to get a flu shot and a tuberculosis test.  I did both last Wednesday, but due to heavy traffic, I wasn't able to get back to get the TB test verified.  I went to the office on Monday, figuring that it would be better to be there and sent away then to not show up at all.  I was sent home, but I stand by my decision.

Once I was home, I noticed that I started experiencing some body-ache.  I did my best to take it easy and stay hydrated and the body-ache didn't escalate.  However, I started having bad indigestion that woke me up yesterday at around 4 am.  I figured that maybe I had eaten a bad orange or something, but regardless of the cause, I was soon battling intense diarrhea.  I assumed that was going to be it, so I went and started making breakfast.  I ate a banana and half of a grapefruit (I figured that the vitamin C would be beneficial) and started feeling even more queasy.  I was about to start eating a bowl of oatmeal, when my body decided that it didn't want any food in me and I vomited violently into the kitchen sink.

From that point on, living was torturous.  Everything hurt and I quickly became weak because I was afraid to consume anything other than water.  I grabbed some blankets and cuddled up on the couch, feeling so cold that I was often shivering.  At one point I did find the energy to email the UMMC job and let them know that I would be delayed in returning.  After that, I slept fitfully on the couch, waking up every few hours due to my phone ringing - a few of the companies I have applied to were contacting me for brief phone interviews.  I was able to conduct myself professionally every time, but it took all of my strength.

However, while I don't feel 100%, I do think the worst of it has passed.  I've even successfully eaten the oatmeal that I made, though I had to eat it very slowly.  I knew there was a chance of a reaction to the flu shot that I received, I'm just happy that it seems to have worked its way through my system in about 36 hours.

Shorties 4

Finding Happiness through Trials

Since I teach Sunday School and get the chance to bare my testimony every week, I'm often reluctant to get up during Fast and Testimony meeting.  However, I've been thinking a lot lately about my unemployment and what I need to learn from it.  I even mentioned in a conversation with someone that "suffering is pointless if we don't learn anything from it."  Because of this, my thoughts turned to Section 122 of the Doctrine and Covenants.  The relevant part is: "... if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.  The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?"  I felt compelled to share my testimony yesterday and I was even the first one on the stand once the floor was opened up.  I shared what I did above and said that trials bring experience and that while we should never seek them, we should be thankful for them and look for the lesson that our Father wants us to learn.  I praised the Lord for suffering for our sakes and closed by saying how grateful I was for the Atonement.

Uncle Jordan!

Ian and Amanda invited me to attend their Super Bowl party, which I happily attended.  When I got there, Clara and Henry came running over, happily shouting "Uncle Jordan!"  I scooped them up and shook them around a little, which got the appropriate response: giggles.  They asked what treat I had brought (brownies), but their dad quickly told them that they were going to bed and could have some tomorrow.  Even though they only saw me for a few minutes, they were super happy to see me and I them.  It feels nice to be the cool uncle (sorry, their five other uncles).

Poor Peyton

As Amanda so accurately stated to the other guests, I couldn't give half a crap about football.  No, I went simply to hang out, but I figured I might as well pick a team.  I was planning on rooting for the Sea Hawks (for no real reason), but Ian was wearing a Broncos jersey and Amanda was very vocal about cheering on Denver, so I quickly switched sides - it didn't matter to me either way, so I figured I might as well go with the crowd on it.  And then the Broncos lost hard.  Their quarterback, Peyton Manning, looked so angry during the first half (where they were losing 0-29), but by the time the final quarter started, he just looked sad.  Awww ...

New Roommate

I've mentioned on here before that I regularly give rides to Church to a member in the Ward named Samuel.  Last week, I told him if things don't work out with his current roommate (who has been kind of a jerk to him), then he was welcome to stay with me.  After thinking it over, he accepted when I saw him yesterday, though he is being kind enough to his current roommate that he gave him a month's notice of his departure.  I originally could only offer him the sofa-bed, but a family in the Ward sent out an email asking if anyone could use a mattress set that they were getting rid of.  My Elder's Quorum President claimed it for Samuel to use at my place.  While I only have a one-bedroom apartment, I think with some rope and and a few sheets, I can convert the dinning area into a pseudo-bedroom.  It'll be weird having a roommate again, but I welcome the company.