Spirit Animals

I found out recently where the concept of "spirit animals" came from.  It's the combination of a person's Greek astrological sign and their Chinese astrological sign.  For those of you playing at home, that means that it's an overly-complicated exercise that's ultimately meaningless.  That said, I did think it would be fun to look up what animals are associated with my family members.  And while there are personality traits associated with each animal, I'm ignoring that and just presenting the creatures.

Dad:

Not going lie, that's pretty cool.  I'm not sure how a bull and a tiger equals a wolf, but still it's still cool.

Mom:

That's a little weird.  I can see where the ram comes in, but how do you go from horse to hammerhead shark?

Margot:

I can actually see how they came to an Emperor Tamarin by combining a crab and monkey.

Ian:

So virgin plus rooster equals corgi?

Allison:

Now this one is really dumb.  Aquarius is the "water bearer" and by combining that with a rat you get a meerkat?  This one totally should be an otter.

Paige:

There's no denying that a panther is completely awesome, but this is the combination of a water bearer and a rabbit?  At least panthers live in places with water.

Isaac:

The animal is listed as "whale," so I went with a picture of a humpback.  The dragon aspect I see, but I don't see how this relates to Sagittarius, the archer.

Me:

Really?  Not only is my animal extinct, but the name dodo is likely derived from slang that meant "stupid."  Pigs are smart and sheep are stubborn, so how did I get saddled with this?  Good thing it's all nonsense.

Well, that was a look at a fad that has been gaining in popularity lately because people love to believe in something beyond themselves even if its something that has been debunked long ago ("No, this is new!  We combined two things that are fake into one thing that's totally real!").  I hope you had fun.

Epiphany

In Elder's Quorum on Sunday, we had a lesson based on Elder Robert D. Hale's talk from last conference.  At one point in the talk, Elder Hale points out that Cain and his descendants "loved Satan more than God" and thus chose to disobey his commandments.  When we read this, I had a "liken the scriptures" moment when I realized how this applies to us.

Before I get to that, I do want to say that when I first remember reading that passage on my mission (I read it before, I'm sure, but it was on my mission when it stuck) that I realized how corrupt and wicked Cain and his children were.  They weren't simply prideful and wicked, like the Nephites during their times of unrighteousness, but they were in open rebellion to everything that God stands for.  They were true sons and daughters of perdition.

But Cain actually knew God and Satan, or had at least met them.  We aren't faced with a choice as tangible as Cain's.  For us, it may be the temptation to watch TV instead of read our scriptures, to go for a run instead of doing our home teaching, or hanging out with friends instead of attending church.  While we may be faithful otherwise, in those moments, we "love [blank] more than God."  We may not be choosing Satan over our Father in Heaven, but we are choosing something else and, therefore, saying that it is more important than obedience.

This may not be anything new to the rest of you, but it was a big revelation to me.  I know that we all struggle with certain things and that no one is perfectly obedient all of the time, but that's where the atonement comes in.  As we work to root the disobedience out of our souls, the Savior will make up the difference.

I am happy to have wonderful insights like this from the spirit, just as I'm glad to have a place where I can share said insight.

Joke's on You!

As promised, here's the story on the prank I played on Ian.

Bryan was taking the pictures of us and was trying to get all of us to stand closer together so that we'd all be in the shot.  After a couple of tries, it was decided to move so that we'd have a better background than the parking lot.

Also, it would help if all of us were looking in the same direction.

When we moved, it was taking a little bit to get everything right.  Since I'm the tallest, I was in the back (like always).  Anyway, Ian was standing right in front of me, so slowly started wrapping my arms around his shoulders in a hug.  He flipped out.

I think part of his reaction was from pure surprise and part of it was being a bit creeped-out.  As you can see from the pictures, everybody - even Ian - had a good laugh.  This is the perfect kind of practical joke: it's completely innocuous and can even be appreciated by the "victim."  It was fun for everyone and while I'm not sure why I thought of it, I'm glad I went through and did it.

Partial Family Reunion

As I mentioned on Monday, I got together with three of my four siblings this past weekend for a small get-together.  It was lots of fun to get to see everybody, especially my nieces and nephews (who really wore me out).  Rather than write a wall of text, I decided to have a post that's heavy on the pictures.

Phoebe liked to go up to people, touch their cheek, and say "boop!"

Sophie: the calmest of all babies.

If you look close, you can see that someone will be getting a visit from the Tooth Fairy very soon.

 The swings were very popular.

Henry later fell out the swing and landed hard on the ground. He just laughed and announced, "I found the ground!" 

"I learned this in my dance class!"

Peter challenged everyone to a swinging contests, even me.

Getting everyone to look in the same direction together while smiling was a bit of a challenge.

I'm not sure why we look slightly annoyed here. I thought it was kind of funny.

Amanda held Sophie while the "grown-up siblings" assembled for a photo.

Ian, you're a weirdo for not smiling in pictures.

Proof that Ian still smiles!

That last one happened right after I played a joke on Ian.  I'll tell you about it in my next post.

I hope that you enjoyed this presentation of pictures of our little event.  I don't get much of a chance to post too many pictures here, but I had fun using them to tell the story.  We'll have to do this again soon.

Paying the Costs of Being the "Fun Uncle"

I'm not quite ready to post about the mini family reunion from last weekend, so for now, let's talk about my recovery from it.

We met at a park halfway between our general locations.  All of my nieces and nephews seemed to like having a chance to run around and play with their cousins.  One of the ways that I interacted with the kids was to give nearly all of them got a ride on my shoulders.  I did some running around and jumping with children of various sizes on my shoulders, with more than one screaming in my ear with excitement.  It was fun, but I was wearing out after a while.

That night, I was tired.  I came home to Samuel getting a lesson in computer programming from one of our home teachers - which was genuinely surprising - and I went straight to bed.  I got a full-night sleep, easily falling asleep after a tiring day.

The next day, I was exhausted.  As in, I wasn't sure if I could teach my Sunday School lesson that day, that's how tired I was.  I decided that an exhausted-but-prepared teacher was better than an energetic-but-unprepared one and struggled through my lesson (I lost my train of thought multiple times and even broke out into a laughing fit after I made a mistake), as well as the rest of church.

After my lesson, I sent Margot and Ian a text explaining my predicament as a way to applaud their efforts as parents.  The both appreciated the sentiment in their own way.

I know that what happened on Saturday was only a small glimpse at parenthood, but it was one full of fatigue.  Good job, sis and bro.

Played Like a Fiddle

Last week, Ian and I were making plans to meet up so that we could visit with our sisters, Margot and Paige (don't worry, I'll post about that later on).  As we were corresponding through email, I asked Ian if I should bring a lunch, or just eat ahead of time. This was his response:

just eat a head of time.

Seeing the typo, I shot back with this:

Time comes in clusters called "heads" and they're edible? Where does one procure a head of time and what is the proper manner in which to prepare it for consumption?

I made it clear that this was meant as harmless teasing and closed the email.  After we met up, he referenced my joke about time coming in "heads."  I told him that I meant no harm in it, just that I couldn't resist pointing out his typo.  This is when Ian revealed that it was an intentional typo that he included to entice me to correct it.  It was bait and I swallowed it.

Here I was thinking that I was playing a joke on my brother when in reality, he was playing a joke on me.  Well played, sir.  Well played.

Sometimes the English Language Makes Me Sad

Is it necessary to include memes as official parts of the English language?  I mean, I know that the language changes and evolves, but do we really need "mansplain" as a word?

For those that aren't aware, the Oxford English Dictionary (the closest thing our language has to a presiding body) recently published new words that will now be included in their official dictionary.  Some words or phrases make perfect sense, like "Deep Web" and "octocoptor" since they describe actual things and are not simply a form of slang.  I'll even go for "tech-savvy" and "douchebag" since those words have each existed for well over a decade, so even if they're just slang words, they're slang words that everyone knows.

But "YOLO?"  That acronym didn't exist until three years ago, even if the phrase its abbreviating has been around for much longer.  And "cray" and "adorbs" are just really dumb abbreviations and portmanteaus like "listicle" and the aforementioned "mansplain" are, well, portmanteaus, so they shouldn't be official words.

Some of these words ("YOLO" in particular) seem like the OED is jumping the gun a bit.  Do you remember the Spice Girls' big hit "Wannabe" from the 90s?  It had a word in the chorus "zigazig-ha" that was utter nonsense.  Well, the Spice Girls were such a phenomenon that "zigazig-ha" was added to the OED.  I haven't heard anyone say that word.  Ever.  Now, the OED is a British publication and the Spice Girls were a British musical group, so maybe that word lasted longer in England, but I can't imagine it's still in use today.  It seemed like a dumb inclusion back then just like some of the new words now.

And before anyone brings it up, yes, I know that dictionaries act as a kind of historical document of language - I really enjoy looking up archaic meanings to common words - but, again, some of these words just seem like old, out of touch lexicographers are trying to prove that they're still cool and hip and are over-compensating.  Or maybe with the internet, English is evolving faster than I'm comfortable with and I'm just an old man that refuses that get with the times.

Now get off my lawn!

Mystery Solved!

I know what sent me to the Emergency Room four separate times last year!  I'm allergic to NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) - just as I suspected!

On Sunday night, I felt like I was experiencing a low-grade fever, in the form of some minor body ache located in my neck.  Since my allergist had assured me that I was not allergic to NSAIDs, I took a normal dose.  Within about forty minutes or so, my first hive appeared.  Aha!  The standard reaction I experienced that sent me to the ER four separate times - this time with a clear cause!  I immediately took some Benedryl and waited for it to kick in.

After about fifteen minutes, my symptoms were slowly worsening.  I called my parents to explain what was happening and get some advice.  They asked a lot of questions, but in the end, we decided that the Benedryl hadn't kicked in yet and that I should be patient.  We said a prayer together and said goodnight.

I called them back twenty minutes later, expressing concern over a new symptom: swollen armpits.  Now if you'll recall from my previous experiences, my hands and/or tongue would swell up slightly, but never my armpits.  My dad looked up what that could be online and suggested that it may have to do with my lymph nodes.  I told them that I thought that I may have had a low-grade fever earlier that evening (prompting me to take naproxen sodium, my NSAID of choice), so maybe I had some sort of infection that my immune system couldn't take care of at the moment.  We decided that the best course of action for the time being would be to take some more Benedryl and try to get some sleep.  I was out of the drug, so I had to got to the only store still open that I knew would have it: Wal-Mart.  I bought liquid Children's Benedryl so that it could enter my system even faster.  Less then ten minutes after taking it, my redness was going down.  I soon passed out, relieved.

The next morning, my armpits were no longer swollen, but they were very sore (as was my neck and groin, locations of other lymph node clusters).  I called out of work and went to an urgent care center.  I was checked out pretty thoroughly, but the doctor didn't prescribe anything.  He ordered some blood work and sent me on my way.  I'll find out the results next week.  I ended up staying home from work again yesterday, but the soreness finally went away in the afternoon, so I'll be back in the office today.

As for my negative NSAID test from before, I'm not sure what happened.  The best I can guess is that the steroids I received at the ER were still in my system, keeping me from reacting.  Maybe there's some other variable that I'm not seeing, but as far as I'm concerned, I am allergic to naproxen sodium, ibuprofen, and aspirin.  That means that acetaminophen is my only over-the-counter pain-reliever option.

As frustrating as all of this is, I'm happy to finally have a firm answer.  I can finally say that the Case of the Unknown Allergen is closed.

Linger Longer

Yesterday after church, the Ward hosted a "Linger Longer," a small get-together designed to help the members socialize and get to know each other better.  To help prepare, we were asked to bring either a plate of finger foods or a dessert.  As you may have guessed, there were more sweets than anything else.  I was a bit nervous that bringing brownies would be too boring, but by the time I made it to the food tables, all of my brownies were gone, so clearly I made the right decision.

While I was lingering, I had one sister come up to me and thank me for the work that I had done to help her with her resume a few weeks ago.  I told her that thanks were not necessary, but I was still happy that my efforts were appreciated.  Soon after we ended our conversation, another sister in the ward approached me and asked if I would help her daughter with her resume.  Of course, I said that I would help and she enthusiastically thanked me, promising to email me the document soon.

My only complaint about the event is that while I was standing in line for food, the kid behind me (I'd guess around nine or ten years old) stood way too close and kept bumping into me.  As someone who gets anxious when people violate my personal space, I was more than a little uncomfortable.  However, since this was one of those situations that just can't be helped, I just ignored it.

Overall, it was fun to get a chance to see the other members of the ward in a more casual setting.

Asking the Right Questions

Samuel has been working part-time as a dishwasher ever since he got his work visa.  He is qualified for better work, but he hasn't had any luck find something else within walking distance, so he's still a dishwasher.  Since starting work there, he's complained about how the managers haven't paid him all of his wages yet.  I told him that he would need to review his pay stub before he complained to anyone, to make sure that he had a claim to make, but I encouraged him to confront the managers to make sure that he gets paid everything he's earned.

As it turns out, Samuel didn't understand how earning an hourly wage works.  He's explained to me that in his homeland, everyone is paid a salary.  When you start work, they tell you how much you'll make each week and cut you a check for that amount.  I thought I had explained the basics to him (and how for a labor-intensive job like washing dishes, earning a wage is actually better than a salary), but I apparently was still making some assumptions about what he knew.  The idea that he wouldn't get paid for his thirty minute break was brand new to him and one of the reasons that he kept complaining that "they don't pay me!"  The bigger issue, however, was that he didn't understand the delay between a pay period ending and actually being paid.  Once I saw that missing piece it was easy to explain that every business needs time to process the hours worked and take out the right amount of taxes.  He saw that hours were missing from his paycheck and couldn't understand why he was being told that they would carry over to the next check.  He simply saw it as an excuse to not pay him.

Living with someone from a foreign country has been an interesting exercise in communication.  I can't use idioms and I try to cut down on using slang (though, like a true Californian, I never stop saying "dude").  On top of that, I just learned that when I think I've explained something thoroughly, I may have left out some vital piece of information.  Even so, I have it easy: Samuel has an even tougher time recognizing when he misunderstands a situation, so I do my best to help out where I can.

Good Timing

Most of the time when I bake something, it's for a specific person or event; however, every now and again I spend some time in the kitchen just because I feel like it.  On Monday, I decided that I wanted to try out a recipe that I had Frankenstein'd together because it sounded like fun.  I was thinking of summer flavors and decided that I wanted to try my hand at what I'm calling "S'more Pie" - graham cracker crust, chocolate custard filling, and toasted marshmallow topping.  When I was finished, I thought it looked pretty good, but it was too late for me to sample so I put it in the fridge for the next day.

The next day, I got an email in the morning from my Elder's Quorum President, Mark, about a surprise move that evening.  We were already planning on meeting up for an unrelated manner, so the move simply pushed our meeting back a bit.  I checked my email on my lunch and found another email from him saying that since it was his and his wife's 30th wedding anniversary, he wasn't sure if we would still be meeting after all.  I wrote back and told him that we would meet later and that he should spend the evening with his wife; I would simply swing by for a document that I needed for the project that we're working on.

That's when inspiration struck: When I stop by to pick up the document, I should give them the S'more pie.  So, after a brief stop at home, I went by Mark's place for the pick up and surprised them with the pie.  And surprised they were!  Considering that I didn't know that it was their anniversary, I'd say that the timing couldn't have been better.  Mark told me that the combination of the pie and me accepting the assignment to help with the move so that he could stay with his wife were probably the best anniversary gifts he had received this year.

Inspiration can sometimes be so subtle that we don't realize that it's inspiration until later on.  In this case, I made a pie for a couple of people that I care quite a bit for, even though I didn't know it while I was making it.  I think that's pretty amazing.

Serve 'Til You Drop

On Saturday, the Elders Quorum was assigned to help move a family that was moving out of the ward.  While Samuel and I arrived a little late, we arrived with most of the moving truck still empty.  After bringing out some larger pieces of furniture, I stayed behind to help with what I call "truck tetris," or arranging all of the boxes and furniture in the truck to be as tightly packed as possible.  It paid off, because a couple of hours later, everything was on the truck with only what seemed like millimeters to spare.  The family was very grateful for the help and thanked us for our service.

Afterwards, Samuel and I stopped for some lunch before heading to Baltimore.  He had asked if I would take him to an international market that specializes in Nigerian groceries and I was happy to assist.  We drove to the store, which was farther away than I anticipated (that'll be important later), and he was able to complete his shopping.

Before heading home, he asked me if we could make one more stop since to we were already in Baltimore.  I was very tired from the move that morning, but I agreed to drive him so that he could pay his phone bill.  We drove even farther and arrived at a mall.  Apparently, Samuel has a friend that runs a cellphone kiosk and he has been paying him to cover his phone bill.  However, when we got to the kiosk, we were told that Samuel's friend was on vacation.  Samuel looked at me apologetically and said that he hasn't been able to get in touch with his friend and was worried that his phone would be disconnected.  Since there was nothing we could do, I suggested that we leave.  Back in the car, rather than express my frustration with situation (or Samuel), I suggested that since he now has a checking account that he should simply mail his friend a check every month.  Clearly this was a new idea to him, but he immediately liked it.

Once home, I practically fell into bed.  No, we hadn't been out for the whole day, but I was exhausted from the move that morning and from driving Samuel around Baltimore to run his errands that afternoon.  After a well-earned nap, I took Samuel to the learning center that I sometimes tutor at for him to do some cleaning (it's a once-a-week job for him, but it's a good addition to his job as a dishwasher).

I slept very well that night having served nearly the whole day.

Calling for Samuel

We had a visitor in our home Wednesday night as a member of the Bishopbric arrived and asked to speak to Samuel.  I headed for my room to give them some privacy, but I was invited to stay.  As we all sat in the living room, Brother Wood extended a new calling to Samuel, which he accepted.  He will be the new Class President for the Gospel Essentials class.  Brother Wood asked me to explain what that would entail, I think because I'm a Sunday School teacher and I interact with our Class President on a regular basis.  Samuel was very excited at the idea of having responsibilities at church.

After Brother Wood left, I told Samuel that having a calling has kept me going to Church when I might have otherwise not gone.  When I was unemployed and depressed, I know that if I didn't have a calling to fulfill, I would have stayed at home multiple times.  He agreed that having a calling would be good.

I believe that this is Samuel's first calling in the Church.  He was baptized while he was living Mexico, but his Spanish is shaky, so I doubt that he had a calling there.  Regardless if this is his first calling or not, it's great to see him grow in the gospel and readily accept his calling with pride.