Every now and then someone at work gets this great idea to have everyone "voluntarily" pitch in some of their moulah and get someone a gift - usually for the department manager, for Christmas, or their birthday, or manager appreciation day... this also happens whenever someone gets injured or has knee surgery or their basement got flooded, etc., etc.
I am not brave/mean enough to turn them down and say, "I'm so sorry your dog ran away, but not sorry enough to give you five bucks!" So, I always give five/ten bucks or so, whatever I have. For the most recent gift, I didn't have any cash on me, and today I got this email: "Just wondering if you brought the $$ for so-and-so's gift?"
I am sorry to say, but I feel this is somewhat of a problem, although well-intentioned. I feel it is innapropriate to be constantly asking for money to get people gifts - really, it is great to be a caring friend (doesn't society tell us we, as women, are supposed to be caring friends after all?) but there needs to be a limit on the asking-for-money. If someone loses a family member that is one thing, but every little thing is quite another. Perhaps I'm just a scrooge. I am open to any input/suggestions. (It's pretty hard to talk to the manager about it since many of the gifts we "pitch-in" for are for her.)
Monday, December 24, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
A new memory
Finished up the last of the Christmas shopping tonight. While I was at the mall I saw an old friend from high school. I'd always thought he was so funny and even cute, we had fun together. I said his name to get his attention and he stopped to say hi but then acted like he didn't want to talk. I was waiting for him to introduce me to his two friends, but nope. It was awkward and kind of rude. So I said a quick, "it was nice to see you," and walked away. I don't expect there will be another encounter with him, which is a teeny bit sad since it forever changed my memory of him. Oh well.
Anyway, it's great to be done with the shopping. This weekend Geoff and I are house/dog sitting for the rents, and guess who's coming by? Reggie! (His new family is going out of town for Christmas). So I get to play with my baby again, AND have cable for a weekend, yesssssss.
I love my husband more than anything. He is my sweetheart.
Anyway, it's great to be done with the shopping. This weekend Geoff and I are house/dog sitting for the rents, and guess who's coming by? Reggie! (His new family is going out of town for Christmas). So I get to play with my baby again, AND have cable for a weekend, yesssssss.
I love my husband more than anything. He is my sweetheart.
Cali's Christmas Commandments
My own cheesy list of rules for the holidays:
1. Thou shalt not begin Christmas shopping before the three days prior to Christmas.
2. Thou shalt never actually bake the neighbors/coworkers/visiting-teaching-sister's treats, rather buy them at the store and claim you made them. (Don't forget to remove the wrapping.)
3. Thou shalt forget about the Christmas music and play Alanis Morissette in your car instead.
4. Thou shalt (not) cuss at the crazy people who cut you off on the road in their mad dash for gifts.
5. Thou shalt always pick the shortest-looking line and wait there the longest.
6. Thou shalt buy something cute for yourself while shopping for gifts.
7. Thou shalt not forget to call thy grandma and wish her Merry Christmas.
8. Thou shalt ENJOY the holiday goodies.
9. Thou shalt resolve to live at the gym the following week.
10. Thou shalt always applaud the carolers.
11. Thou shalt appreciate and enjoy your family and HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!
1. Thou shalt not begin Christmas shopping before the three days prior to Christmas.
2. Thou shalt never actually bake the neighbors/coworkers/visiting-teaching-sister's treats, rather buy them at the store and claim you made them. (Don't forget to remove the wrapping.)
3. Thou shalt forget about the Christmas music and play Alanis Morissette in your car instead.
4. Thou shalt (not) cuss at the crazy people who cut you off on the road in their mad dash for gifts.
5. Thou shalt always pick the shortest-looking line and wait there the longest.
6. Thou shalt buy something cute for yourself while shopping for gifts.
7. Thou shalt not forget to call thy grandma and wish her Merry Christmas.
8. Thou shalt ENJOY the holiday goodies.
9. Thou shalt resolve to live at the gym the following week.
10. Thou shalt always applaud the carolers.
11. Thou shalt appreciate and enjoy your family and HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Man's Search for Meaning, Victor E. Frankl.
I just read a book called "Man's Search for Meaning," by Dr. Victor E. Frankl. He was a prisoner of Nazi Germany's concentration camps for three years during WWII. He is a psychoanalyist, and the book is about the psychological process and experience of prisoners of the concentration camps. I find it so fascinating that he was able to draw meaning out of senseless suffering. The book is so full of insights that are worth the time to read. I have to share a few that stood out to me most.
[Author's note: I just finished writing this post and it is incredibly long... not for someone with a short attention span. However, if you get all the way through it, there are some awesome awesome quotes in there.]
This is toward the beginning of the book, where he is telling about his first arrival at Auschwitz, after being stripped of his family, posessions, clothes, and finally hair, and herded into the showers: "While we were waiting for the shower, our nakedness was brought home to us: we really had nothing now except our bare bodies - even minus hair; all we possessed, literally, was our naked existence." Throughout his experience, he learns that the one absolute he could have complete control over, was his attitude. He also made it through by finding something to have hope in. "Seen from this point of view, the mental reactions of the inmates of concentration camp must seem more to us than the mere expression of certain physical and sociological conditions. Even though conditions such as lack of sleep, insufficient food and various mental distresses may suggest that the inmates were bound to react in certain ways, in the final analysis it becomes clear that the sort of person the prisoner became was the result of an inner decision, and not the result of camp influences alone. Fundamentally, therefore, any man can, even under such circumstances, decide what shall become of him - mentally and spiritually."
He also talks about how when new prisoners arrived at camp: "On entering camp a change took place in the minds of the men. With the end of uncertainty there came the uncertainty of the end. It was impossible to foresee whether or when, if at all, this form of existence would end... The prisoner who lost faith in the future - his future - was doomed. With his loss of belief in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold; he let himself decline and became subject to mental and physical decay. Usually this happened quite suddenly, in the form of a crisis, the symptoms of which were familiar to the experienced camp inmate. We all feared this moment - not for ourselves, which would have been pointless, but for our friends. Usually it began with the prisoner refusing one morning to get dressed and wash or go out on the parade grounds. No entreaties, no blows, no threats had any effect. He just lay there, hardly moving. If this crisis was brought about by an illness, he refused to be taken to the sick-bay or do anything to help himself. He simply gave up. There he remained, lying in his own excreta, and nothing bothered him anymore."
It is such a sad picture, and the following exerpts tell what he did to fight that hopelessness in himself.
"Any attempt at fighting the camp's psychopathological influence on the prisoner... had to aim at giving him inner strength by pointing out to him a future goal to which he could look forward."
(I love this...) "The latin word finis has two meanings: the end or the finish, and a goal to reach. A man who could not see the end of his "provisional existence" was not able to aim at an ultimate goal in life. Therefore the whole structure of his inner life changed; signs of decay set in which we know from other areas of life.
One of the prisoners, who on his arrival marched with a long column of new inmates from the station to the camp, told me later that he had felt as though he were marching at his own funeral. His life had seemed to him absolutely without future. He regarded it as over and done, as if he had already died.
A man who let himself decline because he could not see any future goal found himself occupied with retrospective thoughts... But in robbing the present of its reality there lay a certain danger. It became easy to overlook the opportunities to make something positive of camp life, opportunities which really did exist... everything in a way became pointless. Such people forgot that often it is just such an exceptionally difficult external situation which gives man the opportunity to grow spiritually beyond himself. Instead of taking the camp's difficulties as a test of their inner strength, they did not take their life seriously and despised it as something of no consequence... Life for such people became meaningless."
Here he is saying how necessary it was to have a goal, something to look forward to, a reason to live. Thank God Himself that I can read these words from the comfort of my own home and not have to learn them by experience - because they are also applicable to my life. We talk so much about setting goals in our Monday meetings, but for a different reason. This one seems to mean so much more.
Also - something interesting for my Dad. We were talking the other day about the power of the mind, here's a story Dr. Frankl tells that demonstrates it.
"I once had a dramatic demonstration of the close link between the loss of faith in the future and this dangerous giving up. My senior block warden, a fairly well-known composer and librettist, confided in me one day: 'I would like to tell you something, Doctor. I have had a strange dream. A voice told me that I could wish for something, that I should only say what I wanted to know, and all my questions would be answered. What do you think I asked? That I would like to know when the war would be over for me. You know what I mean, Doctor - for me! I wanted to know when we, when our camp, would be liberated and our sufferings come to an end.'
'And when did you have this dream?' I asked.
'In February, 1945,' he answered. It was then the beginning of March.
'What did your dream voice answer?'
Furtively he whispered to me, 'March thirtieth.'
When he told me about his dream, he was still full of hope and convinced that the voice of his dream would be right. But as the promised day drew nearer, the war news which reached our camp made it appear very unlikely that we would be free on the promised date. On March twenty-ninth, he (my senior warden) suddenly became ill and ran a high temperature. On March thirtieth, the day his prophecy had told him that the war and suffering would be over for him, he became delirious and lost consciousness. on March thirty-first, he was dead. To all outward appearances, he had died of typhus.
Those who know how close the connection is between the state of mind of a man - his courage and hope, or lack of them - and the state of immunity of his body will understand that the sudden loss of hope and courage can have a deadly effect. The ultimate cause of my friend's death was that the expected liberation did not come and he was severely disappointed. This suddenly lowered his body's resistance against the latent typhus infection. His faith in the future and his will to live had become paralyzed and his body fell victim to illness - and thus the voice of his dream was right after all."
Okay, I realize how long this post is. But there are just two more exerpts I want to post because I thought they were profound.
About suffering:
"An active life serves the purpose of giving man the opportunity to realize values in creative work, while a passive life of enjoyment affords him the opportunity to obtain fulfillment in experiencing beauty, art, or nature. But there is also purpose in that life which is almost barren of both creation and enjoyment and which admits of but one possibility of high moral behavior: namely, in man's attitude to his existence, an existence restricted by external forces. A creative life and a life of enjoyment are banned to him. But not only creativeness and enjoyment are meaningful. If there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete... The way in which a man takes up his cross and all the suffering it entails, gives him ample opportunity - even under the most difficult circumstances - to add a deeper meaning to his life... It is this spiritual freedom - which cannot be taken away - that makes life meaningful and purposeful."
I changed around the last few sentences of that quote to condense it together a little bit.
And to finish up this long post on a positive note, here's a beautiful one about love:
"A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth - that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love. I understand how a man who has nothing left in the world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved. In a position of utter desolation, when man cannot express himself in positive action, when his only achievement may consist in enduring his sufferings in the right way - an honorable way - in such a position man can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved, achieve fulfillment. For the first time in my life I was able to understand the meaning of the words, "The angels are lost in perpetual contemplation of an infinite glory."
I love the part, which he claims is truth, that the salvation of man is through love and in love. He is obviously not a mormon, but he comes closer to nailing down the basic fundamentals of our doctrine in that one sentence than in all the rest of the book.
Well, I know it seems as if you no longer have to read the book because I just posted it for you. But, there are hundreds of amazing things in it. I highly recommend it. The first half of the book tells mostly of experiences of the concentration camps, then he gets into analyzing it, then the last portion of the book is about Logotherapy, a form of psychotherapy that he invented. Even if you just read the first half of the book, it is well worth it.
[Author's note: I just finished writing this post and it is incredibly long... not for someone with a short attention span. However, if you get all the way through it, there are some awesome awesome quotes in there.]
This is toward the beginning of the book, where he is telling about his first arrival at Auschwitz, after being stripped of his family, posessions, clothes, and finally hair, and herded into the showers: "While we were waiting for the shower, our nakedness was brought home to us: we really had nothing now except our bare bodies - even minus hair; all we possessed, literally, was our naked existence." Throughout his experience, he learns that the one absolute he could have complete control over, was his attitude. He also made it through by finding something to have hope in. "Seen from this point of view, the mental reactions of the inmates of concentration camp must seem more to us than the mere expression of certain physical and sociological conditions. Even though conditions such as lack of sleep, insufficient food and various mental distresses may suggest that the inmates were bound to react in certain ways, in the final analysis it becomes clear that the sort of person the prisoner became was the result of an inner decision, and not the result of camp influences alone. Fundamentally, therefore, any man can, even under such circumstances, decide what shall become of him - mentally and spiritually."
He also talks about how when new prisoners arrived at camp: "On entering camp a change took place in the minds of the men. With the end of uncertainty there came the uncertainty of the end. It was impossible to foresee whether or when, if at all, this form of existence would end... The prisoner who lost faith in the future - his future - was doomed. With his loss of belief in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold; he let himself decline and became subject to mental and physical decay. Usually this happened quite suddenly, in the form of a crisis, the symptoms of which were familiar to the experienced camp inmate. We all feared this moment - not for ourselves, which would have been pointless, but for our friends. Usually it began with the prisoner refusing one morning to get dressed and wash or go out on the parade grounds. No entreaties, no blows, no threats had any effect. He just lay there, hardly moving. If this crisis was brought about by an illness, he refused to be taken to the sick-bay or do anything to help himself. He simply gave up. There he remained, lying in his own excreta, and nothing bothered him anymore."
It is such a sad picture, and the following exerpts tell what he did to fight that hopelessness in himself.
"Any attempt at fighting the camp's psychopathological influence on the prisoner... had to aim at giving him inner strength by pointing out to him a future goal to which he could look forward."
(I love this...) "The latin word finis has two meanings: the end or the finish, and a goal to reach. A man who could not see the end of his "provisional existence" was not able to aim at an ultimate goal in life. Therefore the whole structure of his inner life changed; signs of decay set in which we know from other areas of life.
One of the prisoners, who on his arrival marched with a long column of new inmates from the station to the camp, told me later that he had felt as though he were marching at his own funeral. His life had seemed to him absolutely without future. He regarded it as over and done, as if he had already died.
A man who let himself decline because he could not see any future goal found himself occupied with retrospective thoughts... But in robbing the present of its reality there lay a certain danger. It became easy to overlook the opportunities to make something positive of camp life, opportunities which really did exist... everything in a way became pointless. Such people forgot that often it is just such an exceptionally difficult external situation which gives man the opportunity to grow spiritually beyond himself. Instead of taking the camp's difficulties as a test of their inner strength, they did not take their life seriously and despised it as something of no consequence... Life for such people became meaningless."
Here he is saying how necessary it was to have a goal, something to look forward to, a reason to live. Thank God Himself that I can read these words from the comfort of my own home and not have to learn them by experience - because they are also applicable to my life. We talk so much about setting goals in our Monday meetings, but for a different reason. This one seems to mean so much more.
Also - something interesting for my Dad. We were talking the other day about the power of the mind, here's a story Dr. Frankl tells that demonstrates it.
"I once had a dramatic demonstration of the close link between the loss of faith in the future and this dangerous giving up. My senior block warden, a fairly well-known composer and librettist, confided in me one day: 'I would like to tell you something, Doctor. I have had a strange dream. A voice told me that I could wish for something, that I should only say what I wanted to know, and all my questions would be answered. What do you think I asked? That I would like to know when the war would be over for me. You know what I mean, Doctor - for me! I wanted to know when we, when our camp, would be liberated and our sufferings come to an end.'
'And when did you have this dream?' I asked.
'In February, 1945,' he answered. It was then the beginning of March.
'What did your dream voice answer?'
Furtively he whispered to me, 'March thirtieth.'
When he told me about his dream, he was still full of hope and convinced that the voice of his dream would be right. But as the promised day drew nearer, the war news which reached our camp made it appear very unlikely that we would be free on the promised date. On March twenty-ninth, he (my senior warden) suddenly became ill and ran a high temperature. On March thirtieth, the day his prophecy had told him that the war and suffering would be over for him, he became delirious and lost consciousness. on March thirty-first, he was dead. To all outward appearances, he had died of typhus.
Those who know how close the connection is between the state of mind of a man - his courage and hope, or lack of them - and the state of immunity of his body will understand that the sudden loss of hope and courage can have a deadly effect. The ultimate cause of my friend's death was that the expected liberation did not come and he was severely disappointed. This suddenly lowered his body's resistance against the latent typhus infection. His faith in the future and his will to live had become paralyzed and his body fell victim to illness - and thus the voice of his dream was right after all."
Okay, I realize how long this post is. But there are just two more exerpts I want to post because I thought they were profound.
About suffering:
"An active life serves the purpose of giving man the opportunity to realize values in creative work, while a passive life of enjoyment affords him the opportunity to obtain fulfillment in experiencing beauty, art, or nature. But there is also purpose in that life which is almost barren of both creation and enjoyment and which admits of but one possibility of high moral behavior: namely, in man's attitude to his existence, an existence restricted by external forces. A creative life and a life of enjoyment are banned to him. But not only creativeness and enjoyment are meaningful. If there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete... The way in which a man takes up his cross and all the suffering it entails, gives him ample opportunity - even under the most difficult circumstances - to add a deeper meaning to his life... It is this spiritual freedom - which cannot be taken away - that makes life meaningful and purposeful."
I changed around the last few sentences of that quote to condense it together a little bit.
And to finish up this long post on a positive note, here's a beautiful one about love:
"A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth - that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love. I understand how a man who has nothing left in the world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved. In a position of utter desolation, when man cannot express himself in positive action, when his only achievement may consist in enduring his sufferings in the right way - an honorable way - in such a position man can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved, achieve fulfillment. For the first time in my life I was able to understand the meaning of the words, "The angels are lost in perpetual contemplation of an infinite glory."
I love the part, which he claims is truth, that the salvation of man is through love and in love. He is obviously not a mormon, but he comes closer to nailing down the basic fundamentals of our doctrine in that one sentence than in all the rest of the book.
Well, I know it seems as if you no longer have to read the book because I just posted it for you. But, there are hundreds of amazing things in it. I highly recommend it. The first half of the book tells mostly of experiences of the concentration camps, then he gets into analyzing it, then the last portion of the book is about Logotherapy, a form of psychotherapy that he invented. Even if you just read the first half of the book, it is well worth it.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Simply Brilliant (will explain later)
Well this morning there was a verrry BRILLIANT and motivating work meeting, then a jet to a doctors visit, in which she rammed something up there so far I thought it was going to get lost. LOVE being a girl people, and can't wait to be pregnant. Also, had a chat with the "other friend" today after work, boy was it fun. I'm off to da gym den to mom & dad's to pick up my recompense for a simply INSPIRATIONAL day.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
So Unsexy
Here's a song I just heard yesterday. I loved it because she singing about how she know's she's okay, but sometimes she just feels blah, even so. The words don't look happy, but the song is actually very upbeat which makes it fun to listen to. I guess if Alanis Morissette feels that way sometimes then I'm normal. (Please no jokes... kidding). I just love this album (under rug swept). The lyrics are so totally honest.
I can feel so unsexy for someone so beautiful
So unloved for someone so fine
I can feel so boring for someone so interesting
So ignorant for someone of sound mind
Anyway, had a nice weekend. Friday night I got bored while Geoff was working, so I went down to Mom & Dad's to hang out. Mom & I decided to go see Grandma at the hospital. She's been there over two weeks, recovering from a kidney infection. While we were there, Uncle David came in. He blew up one of those latex gloves like a balloon, then wrote "Donald" on it and drew a face. We taped it to the foot of her bed. She just laughed. She looked really good - actually mom said that's the first time she's seen her laugh since she went in, so she's starting to feel more like herself again. We talked about how Donald is so good to her. She said she was happy to have him then got on the subject of grandpa. She said, "oh, I loved your dad," then got a little teary-eyed. "We had a good life, we had fun," she said. She will be out by Christmas, which we're glad for.
Thursday, Kenna & I got together and "borrowed" each other's music, and ordered pizza, yummmm. (Guilty confession: we probably spent an hour watching backstreet boys music videos on youtube). It was a lot of fun though and I wish we'd get together more often. She is going on a cruise very shortly here, then after they get back it's brain surgery!! I'm really glad they found a surgeon. She will be okay. :)
Today, Geoff and I SLEPT IN!!! Then we made a life-saving trip to the grocery store. We made a futile attempt at Christmas shopping. (We're just going to do it separately during the week - hopefully it will be less crowded). We came home and took a nap on the couch then went to the BYU basketball game. They kicked trash. I enjoyed it a lot - it was really fun to get out and spend the night with hubby, and not have to worry about what homework needs to be done. A co-worker gave us her tickets since she is home recovering from a knee operation. She utterly refused to allow me to pay her for the tickets, so I bought her a yummy pumpkin roll from the store- she loves pumpkin anything. We'll take it to her house tomorrow evening after we know they'll be home from church.
So I got thinking this weekend, and realized how utterly perfect Geoff and I are for each other. Our little personality quirks just fit each other, like a puzzle - for example: I have this dumb habit of being a know-it-all, and though I have been working on it for a long time, it still comes out sometimes. Anytime I pipe in and give Geoff the "correct version" of what he's trying to tell me, he doesn't get defensive or try to argue with me. I don't know if he holds his tongue or he just doesn't notice, but can you imagine if he was a has-to-be-right-all-the-time kind of person, we would always be fighting. We almost never fight. (that's just one example.) I have to attribute some of that to his maturity too though. He knows what's important and what's not, he takes care of me, and a host of other things, and everything he does is so damn cute. I'm quite sure if I looked for a lifetime I would never find someone so perfect for me like he is. I am truly blessed to have him.
I used the word utterly twice in this post. I guess three times. Also, it's two in the morning so that is the reason if I'm not making sense.
I can feel so unsexy for someone so beautiful
So unloved for someone so fine
I can feel so boring for someone so interesting
So ignorant for someone of sound mind
Anyway, had a nice weekend. Friday night I got bored while Geoff was working, so I went down to Mom & Dad's to hang out. Mom & I decided to go see Grandma at the hospital. She's been there over two weeks, recovering from a kidney infection. While we were there, Uncle David came in. He blew up one of those latex gloves like a balloon, then wrote "Donald" on it and drew a face. We taped it to the foot of her bed. She just laughed. She looked really good - actually mom said that's the first time she's seen her laugh since she went in, so she's starting to feel more like herself again. We talked about how Donald is so good to her. She said she was happy to have him then got on the subject of grandpa. She said, "oh, I loved your dad," then got a little teary-eyed. "We had a good life, we had fun," she said. She will be out by Christmas, which we're glad for.
Thursday, Kenna & I got together and "borrowed" each other's music, and ordered pizza, yummmm. (Guilty confession: we probably spent an hour watching backstreet boys music videos on youtube). It was a lot of fun though and I wish we'd get together more often. She is going on a cruise very shortly here, then after they get back it's brain surgery!! I'm really glad they found a surgeon. She will be okay. :)
Today, Geoff and I SLEPT IN!!! Then we made a life-saving trip to the grocery store. We made a futile attempt at Christmas shopping. (We're just going to do it separately during the week - hopefully it will be less crowded). We came home and took a nap on the couch then went to the BYU basketball game. They kicked trash. I enjoyed it a lot - it was really fun to get out and spend the night with hubby, and not have to worry about what homework needs to be done. A co-worker gave us her tickets since she is home recovering from a knee operation. She utterly refused to allow me to pay her for the tickets, so I bought her a yummy pumpkin roll from the store- she loves pumpkin anything. We'll take it to her house tomorrow evening after we know they'll be home from church.
So I got thinking this weekend, and realized how utterly perfect Geoff and I are for each other. Our little personality quirks just fit each other, like a puzzle - for example: I have this dumb habit of being a know-it-all, and though I have been working on it for a long time, it still comes out sometimes. Anytime I pipe in and give Geoff the "correct version" of what he's trying to tell me, he doesn't get defensive or try to argue with me. I don't know if he holds his tongue or he just doesn't notice, but can you imagine if he was a has-to-be-right-all-the-time kind of person, we would always be fighting. We almost never fight. (that's just one example.) I have to attribute some of that to his maturity too though. He knows what's important and what's not, he takes care of me, and a host of other things, and everything he does is so damn cute. I'm quite sure if I looked for a lifetime I would never find someone so perfect for me like he is. I am truly blessed to have him.
I used the word utterly twice in this post. I guess three times. Also, it's two in the morning so that is the reason if I'm not making sense.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Whatevs...
So... it has come to my attention that the recent but persistent work drama is actually revolving... in a makeshift way... around me. I have recently become 'friends' with a co-worker who is 'best friends' with my other friend, who is displaying signs of intense jealousy, and the other friend is afraid the friend is talking about her behind her back, so in turn the friend is talking about the other friend behind HER back. *sigh* Whatever dude. I just hope that as long as I keep my mouth shut about other people, I'll be able to remain neutral - because I like them both and I don't want to get caught up in the middle. I have kept my nose clean for a year and a half so far, I'm not about to start playing that game just because I work with a bunch of drama-queens. *sigh* Why can't everybody just be men? The world would be so much less complicated. I'm aware they are possibly talking about ME behind my back, but I am pretty apathetic. I just do whatever I feel like doing, man.
Hubby has found a way to fill his extra time this Christmas break - West Wing, Lost, movies with intense gore-factor, etc. I have already been shopping, to the gym, and taken the Man out to lunch. There is a mountain of dirty laundry that nearly reaches the ceiling, but I am happy if that's the only thing hanging over my head.
Hubby has found a way to fill his extra time this Christmas break - West Wing, Lost, movies with intense gore-factor, etc. I have already been shopping, to the gym, and taken the Man out to lunch. There is a mountain of dirty laundry that nearly reaches the ceiling, but I am happy if that's the only thing hanging over my head.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Man in the Arena
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
"Citizenship in a Republic,"
Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910
This is kind of what our Monday-meeting training sessions are about...
"Citizenship in a Republic,"
Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910
This is kind of what our Monday-meeting training sessions are about...
Monday, December 10, 2007
Today was Day 1 of our workout thing. (Tiff & I are going to the gym 6 days a week until January, since I don't have class). We went to the cardio cinema at A.F. The A.F. gym is HUGE.
Got about a tenth of the way into studying for my last final and totally crashed until Geoff got home. I'll be studying my butt off tomorrow, but tonight it felt good to sleep. Going to bed now.
Got about a tenth of the way into studying for my last final and totally crashed until Geoff got home. I'll be studying my butt off tomorrow, but tonight it felt good to sleep. Going to bed now.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Future Stripper
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This is my little sis about, 20 years ago. Luckily we were able to convince her that stripping is not her life goal.
My family came over for dinner tonight and brought some old pics... here are a few more.
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This is me, with my favorite bear, Caggie. Don't know where I got the name.
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This one's not so old.
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My sisters are babes, that's all I have to say.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Christmas party - hotels & swag
Last night was my work party at the Grand America, it was awesome. Our ballroom had a HUGE chandelier in it - bigger than any I've ever seen. I'd say the inside of that hotel could be compared to a temple - maybe only a little bit less fancy, maybe. Anyway, we had a nice dinner, we sat at a table with Cas & Tiff & their husbands/dates. After dinner there was a performance by Johnny Biscuit. He started with a standup routine that was, well, it was funny, but maybe we are a hard crowd to please - I hoped he wasn't dying up there cuz people weren't really laughing much. However, the second part of his performance he brought a band on stage and dressed up and did clips from a bunch of famous songs. One, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, about halfway through the clip he plugged in an electric Ukelele and started jamming out with this little tiny thing, it was pretty funny.
Then, they presented the owners with gifts from the company (we had all pitched in), and then they gave us each a humongous swag bag. I'm going to name everything that was in it just for kicks & giggles, I really can't believe they are so good to us. A big fleece robe, 3 sets of squishy socks, 2 sets of pajama bottoms, a Rembrandt teeth-whitening set, a $100 gift card to Nordstrom, a Taste of Home all-desert cookbook, a picture frame, a workout ball w/workout DVDs, a Kenneth Cole watch (pricetag read $85!), a make-up brush set, make-up remover pads, 2 huge bottles of shampoo & conditioner, a loofah, nail polish & nail polish remover, bottle of Victoria's Secret Love Spell, toothpaste, ricola cough drops, A Christmas Story DVD, disposable camera, then in the side pocket there was a bunch of stuff like deoderant, chapstick, face lotion, etc. It all came in a huge Under Armour duffle bag, which pricetag read $80. (Yeah, they left the pricetags on, but I guess I would too if I were them). It was so heavy Geoff had to carry it to the car. But anyway, that on top of the Christmas bonuses & gift cards they already gave us.
Considering that the most I ever got from any other employer was a Christmas ham, this was pretty dang awesome. (The bags for the guys had different things in them). I guess they know how to keep their employees.
Natalie did my hair for the night, which was cool of her. It was fun to get all dressed up and have a night out.
Then, they presented the owners with gifts from the company (we had all pitched in), and then they gave us each a humongous swag bag. I'm going to name everything that was in it just for kicks & giggles, I really can't believe they are so good to us. A big fleece robe, 3 sets of squishy socks, 2 sets of pajama bottoms, a Rembrandt teeth-whitening set, a $100 gift card to Nordstrom, a Taste of Home all-desert cookbook, a picture frame, a workout ball w/workout DVDs, a Kenneth Cole watch (pricetag read $85!), a make-up brush set, make-up remover pads, 2 huge bottles of shampoo & conditioner, a loofah, nail polish & nail polish remover, bottle of Victoria's Secret Love Spell, toothpaste, ricola cough drops, A Christmas Story DVD, disposable camera, then in the side pocket there was a bunch of stuff like deoderant, chapstick, face lotion, etc. It all came in a huge Under Armour duffle bag, which pricetag read $80. (Yeah, they left the pricetags on, but I guess I would too if I were them). It was so heavy Geoff had to carry it to the car. But anyway, that on top of the Christmas bonuses & gift cards they already gave us.
Considering that the most I ever got from any other employer was a Christmas ham, this was pretty dang awesome. (The bags for the guys had different things in them). I guess they know how to keep their employees.
Natalie did my hair for the night, which was cool of her. It was fun to get all dressed up and have a night out.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Symphonie Fantastique
Well finally some breathing room. 3 finals down, 1 to go. Tonight Dad treated us all to dinner at Brick Oven, then a symphony at the Covey Arts Center. Geoff had to work, so he missed the whole night, but it was still fun. I really want to go to the next one in January, because they're doing Hadyn and Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique (Fantastic Symphony). We studied a little of both of those in my music class, and I got to really like the Fantastic Symphony. Maybe I can get Geoff to come with me - I dragged him to an opera once, so anything's possible I guess. I think it's really cool to live late enough in time that all the different kinds of music have been invented and done. From the early gregorian chants all the way through time to today, we can take our pick. It's hard to imagine that there would still be other "major genres" to invent. There probably won't be, at least not in my lifetime.
So, the tree is up and there is snow. Once in awhile I have a moment that stops me, and I think to myself, "wow, is this really me, is this really my life?" I look around and see what I've been blessed with - a nice, stable life, a handsome sweet husband, a home. I guess that's what I've wanted all along - it just hit me suddenly that, hey, I've got it now. It's amazing.
That's not to say we aren't working toward anything - why go to school for nothing? It will be soooo nice to have this break though.
So, the tree is up and there is snow. Once in awhile I have a moment that stops me, and I think to myself, "wow, is this really me, is this really my life?" I look around and see what I've been blessed with - a nice, stable life, a handsome sweet husband, a home. I guess that's what I've wanted all along - it just hit me suddenly that, hey, I've got it now. It's amazing.
That's not to say we aren't working toward anything - why go to school for nothing? It will be soooo nice to have this break though.
Monday, December 3, 2007
| You Are a Green Crayon |
 Your world is colored in harmonious, peaceful, natural colors. While some may associate green with money, you are one of the least materialistic people around. Comfort is important to you. You like to feel as relaxed as possible - and you try to make others feel at ease. You're very happy with who you are, and it certainly shows! Your color wheel opposite is red. Every time you feel grounded, a red person does their best to shake you. |
Ummm I guess....?
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Some favorite song lines (or songs)
"Some days I surrender, some days I resolve. Every day I conquer, with your love."
-Collective Soul
This one has spiritual meaning. Even if it's not something I feel I attain to at this time, it's still something I hope to attain to. One thing that always amazes me is that even though I am so lazy, when I do something as simple as try, I can feel the Lord's love in my life. That He would be so quick to show his tender mercies to someone who doesn't deserve them.
------------------------------------
That I would be good even if I did not think.
That I would be good even if I got a thumbs down.
That I would be good if I got and stayed sick
That I would be good even if I gained ten pounds
That I would be fine even if I went bankrupt
That I would be good if I lost my hair and my youth
That I would be great if I was no longer queen
That I would be grand if I was not unaware
That I would be loved even if when I numb myself
That I would be good even when I am overwhelmed
That I would be loved even when I was fuming
That I would be good even if I was clingy
That I would be good even if I lost sanity
That I would be good whether with or without you
-Alanis Morriessette
This one means so much because I think it represents people from so many different walks of life - all different people with different crippling worries or concerns, yet all have the same basic, simple desire, and that's to be accepted and loved for who and what we are, no matter what.
--------------------
Oh, perilous place walk backwards toward you
Blink disbelieving eyes, chilled to the bone
Most visibly brave, no apprehended bloom
First to take this foot to virgin snow
I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
I am a wunderkind
And I live the envelope pushed far enough to believe this
I am a princess on the way to my throne
Destined to serve, destined to roam
Oh, ominous place spellbound and un-child-proofed
My least favorite shelter bear alone
Compatriots in face they’d cringe if I told you
Our best back pocket secret our bond full blown
And I am a magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
I am a wunderkind
And I am pioneer naïve enough to believe this
I am a princess on the way to my throne
Destined to seek, destined to know
Most beautiful place reborn and blown off roof
My view about face whether great will be done
And I am a magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
I am a wunderkind
I am a groundbreaker naïve enough to believe this
I am a princess on the way to my throne
And I am a magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
I am a wunderkind
I am a Joan of Arc and smart enough to believe this
I am a princess on the way to my throne
Destined to reign, destined to roam
Destined to reign, destined to roam
I just like this one because of the sort of mystical feeling it gives about believing in yourself and exploring the unknown. I myself am working toward such a thing - although I am a little scared, it is also exhilarating.
-------------------------
Is this all that you have in store?
Should you forget those dreams of something more?
Will you always believe in the year that could be
When you close your eyes you see
But you push your whole life and hope to achieve
And it's the uphill climb that makes you question your dreams
So when will you make up your mind
When things in life don't go to light
You have to try
You just turn, you turn and decide
that if it's meant to be it comes naturally
But if you want it enough, you gotta learn to be tough
Cuz the best things in life, they don't come free
You may say it's not meant to be
And if it makes you feel better, you can choose to believe
But the only one you'll deceive is the only one who can change anything
Nothing comes to someone who waits a lot
Waiting for something that won't come with time
So when will you make up your mind
When things in life to go right, you have to decide
You turn, you turn and decide
that if it's meant to be it comes naturally
But if you want it enough, you gotta learn to be tough
Cuz the best things in life... they don't come free
-Kathryn Moss
This one to me is about taking responsibility for your own life, your own decisions. It's easy to let the days pass, thinking that someday what you want will come, and before you know it the years have gone. But each day will only be like the last, until you get off your butt and go for it. I agree with it 100%, it's the stuff of life, man.
-----------------------
There's so much that you don't know about me
But let's not rush, cuz we have eternity
And for a world of pure insanity
Life makes an awful lot of sense to me
With all the things I thought I knew aside
I am speechless for the first time
And I'll turn in my search where beauty hides
When the most beautiful life entered mine
Can you feel it, it's different this time
Can you feel it, cuz I've heard this difference only mine
And I know what they mean, but it's so much more
than any different I could've dreamed
There's a calm hush in all the air
I can feel it everywhere
My heart's strength is about to fold
I never thought there existed such a soul
Can you feel it, it's different this time
Can you feel it, cuz I've heard this difference only mine
And I know what they mean
But it's so much more, so much more,
Than any difference I could've dreamed.
-Kathryn Moss
------------------------------
I will be the answer
At the end of the line
I will be there for you
While you take the time
In the burning of uncertainty
I will be your solid ground
I will hold the balance
If you can't look down
If it takes my whole life
I won't break, I won't bend
It will all be worth it
Worth it in the end
Cause I can only tell you what I know
That I need you in my life
When the stars have all gone out
You'll still be burning so bright
Cast me gently
Into morning
For the night has been unkind
Take me to a
Place so holy
That I can wash this from my mind
The memory of choosing not to fight
If it takes my whole life
I won't break, I won't bend
It will all be worth it
Worth it in the end
'Cause I can only tell you what I know
That I need you in my life
When the stars have all burned out
You'll still be burning so bright
Cast me gently
Into morning
For the night has been unkind
-Sarah McLachlan
-Collective Soul
This one has spiritual meaning. Even if it's not something I feel I attain to at this time, it's still something I hope to attain to. One thing that always amazes me is that even though I am so lazy, when I do something as simple as try, I can feel the Lord's love in my life. That He would be so quick to show his tender mercies to someone who doesn't deserve them.
------------------------------------
That I would be good even if I did not think.
That I would be good even if I got a thumbs down.
That I would be good if I got and stayed sick
That I would be good even if I gained ten pounds
That I would be fine even if I went bankrupt
That I would be good if I lost my hair and my youth
That I would be great if I was no longer queen
That I would be grand if I was not unaware
That I would be loved even if when I numb myself
That I would be good even when I am overwhelmed
That I would be loved even when I was fuming
That I would be good even if I was clingy
That I would be good even if I lost sanity
That I would be good whether with or without you
-Alanis Morriessette
This one means so much because I think it represents people from so many different walks of life - all different people with different crippling worries or concerns, yet all have the same basic, simple desire, and that's to be accepted and loved for who and what we are, no matter what.
--------------------
Oh, perilous place walk backwards toward you
Blink disbelieving eyes, chilled to the bone
Most visibly brave, no apprehended bloom
First to take this foot to virgin snow
I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
I am a wunderkind
And I live the envelope pushed far enough to believe this
I am a princess on the way to my throne
Destined to serve, destined to roam
Oh, ominous place spellbound and un-child-proofed
My least favorite shelter bear alone
Compatriots in face they’d cringe if I told you
Our best back pocket secret our bond full blown
And I am a magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
I am a wunderkind
And I am pioneer naïve enough to believe this
I am a princess on the way to my throne
Destined to seek, destined to know
Most beautiful place reborn and blown off roof
My view about face whether great will be done
And I am a magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
I am a wunderkind
I am a groundbreaker naïve enough to believe this
I am a princess on the way to my throne
And I am a magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
I am a wunderkind
I am a Joan of Arc and smart enough to believe this
I am a princess on the way to my throne
Destined to reign, destined to roam
Destined to reign, destined to roam
I just like this one because of the sort of mystical feeling it gives about believing in yourself and exploring the unknown. I myself am working toward such a thing - although I am a little scared, it is also exhilarating.
-------------------------
Is this all that you have in store?
Should you forget those dreams of something more?
Will you always believe in the year that could be
When you close your eyes you see
But you push your whole life and hope to achieve
And it's the uphill climb that makes you question your dreams
So when will you make up your mind
When things in life don't go to light
You have to try
You just turn, you turn and decide
that if it's meant to be it comes naturally
But if you want it enough, you gotta learn to be tough
Cuz the best things in life, they don't come free
You may say it's not meant to be
And if it makes you feel better, you can choose to believe
But the only one you'll deceive is the only one who can change anything
Nothing comes to someone who waits a lot
Waiting for something that won't come with time
So when will you make up your mind
When things in life to go right, you have to decide
You turn, you turn and decide
that if it's meant to be it comes naturally
But if you want it enough, you gotta learn to be tough
Cuz the best things in life... they don't come free
-Kathryn Moss
This one to me is about taking responsibility for your own life, your own decisions. It's easy to let the days pass, thinking that someday what you want will come, and before you know it the years have gone. But each day will only be like the last, until you get off your butt and go for it. I agree with it 100%, it's the stuff of life, man.
-----------------------
There's so much that you don't know about me
But let's not rush, cuz we have eternity
And for a world of pure insanity
Life makes an awful lot of sense to me
With all the things I thought I knew aside
I am speechless for the first time
And I'll turn in my search where beauty hides
When the most beautiful life entered mine
Can you feel it, it's different this time
Can you feel it, cuz I've heard this difference only mine
And I know what they mean, but it's so much more
than any different I could've dreamed
There's a calm hush in all the air
I can feel it everywhere
My heart's strength is about to fold
I never thought there existed such a soul
Can you feel it, it's different this time
Can you feel it, cuz I've heard this difference only mine
And I know what they mean
But it's so much more, so much more,
Than any difference I could've dreamed.
-Kathryn Moss
------------------------------
I will be the answer
At the end of the line
I will be there for you
While you take the time
In the burning of uncertainty
I will be your solid ground
I will hold the balance
If you can't look down
If it takes my whole life
I won't break, I won't bend
It will all be worth it
Worth it in the end
Cause I can only tell you what I know
That I need you in my life
When the stars have all gone out
You'll still be burning so bright
Cast me gently
Into morning
For the night has been unkind
Take me to a
Place so holy
That I can wash this from my mind
The memory of choosing not to fight
If it takes my whole life
I won't break, I won't bend
It will all be worth it
Worth it in the end
'Cause I can only tell you what I know
That I need you in my life
When the stars have all burned out
You'll still be burning so bright
Cast me gently
Into morning
For the night has been unkind
-Sarah McLachlan
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Shmurfy
I feel I've been neglecting my blog a little bit. But that's because, in your predictable college-student-procrastination fashion, I have much to do. I am taking a brief break here though, to tell you that I have bought me a real-life little black dress. It's for the work Christmas Party. My sis came over and helped me decide on a few things tonight, and now I just need to buy nylons, very high black heels, jewelry and a hair-clip and maybe a hand-clutch to go with it. I'm very excited. (Sis also helped me clean our house, which for some bizarre reason, she enjoys doing. Of course it is very much appreciated.) There is much I wish to write, even things of an other-worldly nature, but it will have to wait until there's more time. I hope ya'll have a great week!
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Vacation
Well Park City turned out really great, for the most part. Our room was beautiful - two big beds with soft, thick, beautiful comforters and tons of pillows. We had a computer desk, a TV set, mini-fridge, and the bathroom was so cute, too. Next time we get a hotel, I say we do the Marriott. Right after we checked in we went over to Tanger to shop around a little bit. Geoff actually said he likes to go shopping with me, "it's fun," he said. (It was cute.) It was so crowded because it was the day after Thanksgiving, even though it was evening at that time, we could hardly find a place to park. I got a pair of shorts for the swimming pool and Geoff got some tennis shoes for the gym. We also split a Mrs. Field's cookie and went in to see the pet adoption center. Wow there were some gorgeous cats there. We talk a little about getting a cat now and then - a short-hair - but the only setback we really have is my allergies, although they don't seem to be as bad as they once were. I have my yearly dr's appt. next month, so I'm going to ask her what she thinks about the allergies. We miss having pets, as soon as we can have another dog we will. This brings to mind a joke Geoff told me the other day - "what does a dyslexic agnostic insomniac do?" I said, "he lies awake at night wondering if there's a dog." He was surprised I knew the answer. Anyway, when we got home from the outlet mall, we went down to the hotel gym, which had a couple treadmills, a couple ellipticals, and a weight-center thingy. We worked out for about 30 minutes, then went back to the room and changed into swimsuits and checked out the pool. First we went into the sauna. I didn't like the sauna much, the minute Geoff opened the door to go in, I was hit in the face with a wave of steam. It didn't change much once we got in, I draped my towel over my head and tried to breathe. Then we jumped in the pool for a few minutes, then the jacuzzi. Once we tired of that, we went back to the room and showered and went to dinner. Yes, we were those people who go on vacation and eat at the hotel restaurant (c.g.g.chef) - I didn't really feel like going out, and the restaurant had a soup and salad bar, which we thought would be appropriate since we had just worked out. The restaurant was fairly nice except for the pounding that was going on overhead. We think we were below some kind of ballroom, which had to have been hosting a swing-dancing competition.
By the time we got back to the room, I was pooped. It felt so good to just lay there and watch TV (and cuddle!) :) I got up only once, to use the ATM and buy a couple of sodas from down the hall. We watched a couple hours of the To Catch a Predator marathon then went to sleep around 11 or so, I think. We put out the leaflet for room-service breakfast, which came promptly on time the next morning. (and was very good!) We checked out, and had had plans to walk mainstreet and see the museums, but at the time it didn't sound very appealing I guess (we couldn't make a decision about what to do), so we just came home.
I was glad we came home though because turns out, it was grandma's birthday, and she had invited everyone down for chili and to watch the BYU-Utah game. So then we did that, and enjoyed it. I told everyone we'd been to Park City, and Aunt and Uncle said "hey! If you ever want to go to Park City again tell us and go use our condo, it's just sitting there." It was nice of them to offer. They have been nothing but generous to us ever, but I just hate to feel - or to have them feel - like we're taking advantage of them. Anyway, then today was a normal lazy Sunday, but it felt good. Geoff taught the lesson again in Priesthood, and it sounded like it went well. He seems to be a talented teacher, a skill I admire him for. I will never have that talent, so I'm glad at least somebody in the family does. :) I love spending time with him, it's so nice to have somebody to spend not just lazy Sundays with, but the whole of life. I did manage to get some homework done this weekend, and we watched The Ultimate Gift - a Christian movie starring Abigail Breslin (the little girl from Little Miss Sunshine), it was really good. And it had a song on it that I loved the first time I heard it on the radio probably over a year ago - Breathe Me by Sia Furler. It's not exactly an uplifting song, but I just love the piano-echo thing, and the percussion.
*Sigh*. It was such a great weekend and I enjoyed it so much that I just hate to start a new week. I'm sad it's over. But it was good. It's time for bed now.
By the time we got back to the room, I was pooped. It felt so good to just lay there and watch TV (and cuddle!) :) I got up only once, to use the ATM and buy a couple of sodas from down the hall. We watched a couple hours of the To Catch a Predator marathon then went to sleep around 11 or so, I think. We put out the leaflet for room-service breakfast, which came promptly on time the next morning. (and was very good!) We checked out, and had had plans to walk mainstreet and see the museums, but at the time it didn't sound very appealing I guess (we couldn't make a decision about what to do), so we just came home.
I was glad we came home though because turns out, it was grandma's birthday, and she had invited everyone down for chili and to watch the BYU-Utah game. So then we did that, and enjoyed it. I told everyone we'd been to Park City, and Aunt and Uncle said "hey! If you ever want to go to Park City again tell us and go use our condo, it's just sitting there." It was nice of them to offer. They have been nothing but generous to us ever, but I just hate to feel - or to have them feel - like we're taking advantage of them. Anyway, then today was a normal lazy Sunday, but it felt good. Geoff taught the lesson again in Priesthood, and it sounded like it went well. He seems to be a talented teacher, a skill I admire him for. I will never have that talent, so I'm glad at least somebody in the family does. :) I love spending time with him, it's so nice to have somebody to spend not just lazy Sundays with, but the whole of life. I did manage to get some homework done this weekend, and we watched The Ultimate Gift - a Christian movie starring Abigail Breslin (the little girl from Little Miss Sunshine), it was really good. And it had a song on it that I loved the first time I heard it on the radio probably over a year ago - Breathe Me by Sia Furler. It's not exactly an uplifting song, but I just love the piano-echo thing, and the percussion.
*Sigh*. It was such a great weekend and I enjoyed it so much that I just hate to start a new week. I'm sad it's over. But it was good. It's time for bed now.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Judge Judy
Today hubby got an autographed 8x12 of Judge Judy in the mail... of all random things?? I about died laughing when i saw it on the table, he's so funny. He collected lots of autographs when he was a kid, but I don't think he's actually sent away for one since then. Court TV seems to be the latest craze at our house - when I come home for lunch we sit and watch Judge Alex together. (It's the time between classes and work for him). It's so fun to laugh at the people on it - yeah - that sounds like a really fun way that people with lives pass the time huh? :) I just found out she has her own star on hollywood blvd or whatever it is. It's scary when she smiles.It feels so nice to be starting the weekend and it's only Wednesday. Niiiccccceeeee.
I feel a little bit like this right now. Oh yeah? Whatever dude. Kiss it.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Holy... war?
So tomorrow at work is the eve of the holy war. It's mostly for the enjoyment of management, but everyone is encouraged to participate. There is an on-going fued between the BYU fans and the UofU fans - everytime there's a new person there, they have to stand up in staff meeting, introduce themselves, and confess whether they bleed red or blue. In mine I said, "Um.... green?" Not that school fanaticism is a bad thing, I just don't understand it is all. School is merely a means to an end... a necessary evil. Fun but time consuming and expensive.
Had a quiz for economics tonight. I got an 83. :( I was bummed because I actually studied - and on all the other quizzes I got 90's. Except for that last test I didn't study for at all. I guess it's one thing to do poorly because you didn't make an effort, but to do poorly when you actually made an effort is a bit of a helpless feeling. It would really help to be able to go back over the test afterward, maybe with the class, and work through the problems in question so we could see why we got it wrong, but tests taken at the testing center don't work that way.
I'm so excited for this weekend. Thanksgiving din-din wit da fam, then Park City for a night! It's supposed to be really cold though, but that will be fun. It's cold here, now. You know I actually drove home from work in dark fog today. It's a sad day when you no longer need sunglasses outside after 5:00. BUT I do love Sarah McLachlan, so that makes it all better.
My friend from high school (one of the very few I have been somewhat in touch with) has found out she has a pituitary tumor. She has to have a neurosurgeon remove it. I just can't believe it, it's so crazy! We always think this kind of thing happens to other people. From what she says to me, they don't seem to be worried about her immediate safety, but it does need to come out pronto. I hope she is able to find a good surgeon and soon. I'll be praying for her.
Had a quiz for economics tonight. I got an 83. :( I was bummed because I actually studied - and on all the other quizzes I got 90's. Except for that last test I didn't study for at all. I guess it's one thing to do poorly because you didn't make an effort, but to do poorly when you actually made an effort is a bit of a helpless feeling. It would really help to be able to go back over the test afterward, maybe with the class, and work through the problems in question so we could see why we got it wrong, but tests taken at the testing center don't work that way.
I'm so excited for this weekend. Thanksgiving din-din wit da fam, then Park City for a night! It's supposed to be really cold though, but that will be fun. It's cold here, now. You know I actually drove home from work in dark fog today. It's a sad day when you no longer need sunglasses outside after 5:00. BUT I do love Sarah McLachlan, so that makes it all better.
My friend from high school (one of the very few I have been somewhat in touch with) has found out she has a pituitary tumor. She has to have a neurosurgeon remove it. I just can't believe it, it's so crazy! We always think this kind of thing happens to other people. From what she says to me, they don't seem to be worried about her immediate safety, but it does need to come out pronto. I hope she is able to find a good surgeon and soon. I'll be praying for her.
Am I a brat or what...
While standing in line at WalMart, I felt someone sneeze on me from behind. Disgusting. I turned around to see a girl with rather poor hygeine, or maybe she was just sick, standing way too close to me. Every time I tried to move up to control her violation of my personal space, she just inched closer. Hello, boundaries?? We are going on our last hoo-rah this weekend for a long time and I don't want to be sick with a cold. I washed my hands as soon as I got home. I'm a jerk. A highly annoyed jerk.
On the cool side of things, our boss gave us a Christmas bonus this year - plus a gift card for Thanksgiving groceries. They are so awesome. Last year, for our Christmas party we played Deal or No Deal at the Grand America hotel (they really went all out for it - it was really cool), with the chance to win from 5 cents to 1,000 dollars, and that was meant to be our Christmas bonus. The highest anyone got was 300, and I think they felt kind of bad when some of the people went home with only 5 cents. So this year they did it differently. We are still having our Christmas party at the Grand America this year, but this time they hired entertainment (a comedian). They are so awesome, they treat us so well.
Speaking of work - it was sooo busy today. I admit it could be worse, but still we ran like headless chickens, came early, skipped lunch, and stayed late, and will be doing so tomorrow and the next day. It's for the Thanksgiving break - if we want it off, we have to smoosh everything into three days, but it's so worth it.
Dad offered us tickets to the Jazz game against the Lakers on the 30th, great seats, only eight rows up. Had to turn them down because Geoff has work, and it's the last night of class for me that night and I better not miss it. :( Oh well, it was very nice of Dad to offer them to us. Someday we'll be able to just do stuff in the evenings. :)
On the cool side of things, our boss gave us a Christmas bonus this year - plus a gift card for Thanksgiving groceries. They are so awesome. Last year, for our Christmas party we played Deal or No Deal at the Grand America hotel (they really went all out for it - it was really cool), with the chance to win from 5 cents to 1,000 dollars, and that was meant to be our Christmas bonus. The highest anyone got was 300, and I think they felt kind of bad when some of the people went home with only 5 cents. So this year they did it differently. We are still having our Christmas party at the Grand America this year, but this time they hired entertainment (a comedian). They are so awesome, they treat us so well.
Speaking of work - it was sooo busy today. I admit it could be worse, but still we ran like headless chickens, came early, skipped lunch, and stayed late, and will be doing so tomorrow and the next day. It's for the Thanksgiving break - if we want it off, we have to smoosh everything into three days, but it's so worth it.
Dad offered us tickets to the Jazz game against the Lakers on the 30th, great seats, only eight rows up. Had to turn them down because Geoff has work, and it's the last night of class for me that night and I better not miss it. :( Oh well, it was very nice of Dad to offer them to us. Someday we'll be able to just do stuff in the evenings. :)
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