Jasper

This is our new kitty. Our son is playing with him. Enjoy.

Just Checking

I just wanted to pop in and see if my blog was still here. I haven't had much to say this week (so unlike me, I know) so I haven't. I may blog tomorrow about our new kitten. I haven't met him yet, so...

To all my friends that read my blog and seem to actually have a life outside of work, have a great weekend!

Sundry Items

So I've realized (well, not for the first time) that I'm sometimes a jerk. I don't often wake up and decide, "I'm going to be a jerk today, just for fun." I think part of it is hereditary. The men in my family deal with rough tempers. I think I've figured out earlier how to keep it in much better control than my forbears, but it's still something I deal with. So Em, I'm sorry I suck.

Last night, right before going to bed, I checked my email. I've got my blog set up to email me when someone comments. Also, if I comment on someone else's blog, I can get it to email follow-up comments to me. So when my email came up, I had three Alison comments, two on my blog and one on Rhia's. I thought, "wo0-hoo! Alison's back!"

Speaking of recurring dreams, Rhia has now made two appearances in my sleeping hours, and both times she really didn't like me. Bad omens?

I really love Charles de Lint books. While they're somtimes a little hard to get through, they're about the only books I've read where I genuinely want to be nicer to people after reading them.

I hate it when I'm trying to give an extra effort at work to help and people just end up questioning my motives. Yesterday I was trying to help a coworker with her registrations and she went off on me. When I explained that if we could keep up with the registrations maybe the nurses et al would ease up on us both coworkers went off saying it won't do any good. Well you know, I can at least try. Then I can say I'm trying to make things better. Also, last night and today, I went around our work area and did some extra cleaning. Instead of getting a "hey, good job" or "thanks" I was asked when my next review is. It's October, by the way. I'm just trying to be nice. Kind of backfires sometimes. But I shouldn't give up.

We started pulling the wallpaper off the walls in our bedroom. It's the last room we need to paint, and boy, those walls need some work. I swear, the people who lived there before us did not take care of that house. But it's nice to see that we're getting closer.

Recurring Dreams

Okay, first off, I was a bit harsh with Emily on the last blog, so I'm sorry about that. She's taken care of the mean hubby.

And on to my topic. Through my life I've had several recurring dreams. Some have gone away, some come back to visit sometimes. I wondered if anyone else has had similar ones, or have some of their own to share.

• People talk about naked dreams. You show up at school, or another public place, naked. I don't think I've ever had one of those. I used to get barefoot dreams. I'd be at school with no shoes on, and I'd freak out. Looking back, I think it stemmed from keeping my shoes on most the time. I'd come home from school and keep the shoes. I wouldn't walk around barefoot a lot. I'd even sleep with my socks on. I've gotten past that. I wear sandals and I go to bed sockless. Unless it's cold, then I keep the socks, but I often change them so they aren't too grungy.
• One that used to really freak me out was one I had all the time. I would be lying in the road and a car would be coming towards me. I'd try to get up and crawl from the road, but I would never have the energy to do it. Of course you always wake up at the last minute, but freaky!
• Another one would put me in this white room and the walls would be closing in. This one was unique because my younger sister, Stacie, would be there with me. The mental picture that I have with this one is her standing behind me as the wall comes towards us. Again, I always wake up before getting crushed. Another unique part of this dream was it was the first one I stopped by "finishing it". When I was awake, I'd visualize me holding this gun (I was young okay) and I'd fire it at the door, making it go back. Fire enough times and we'd be okay. It's kind of cool I figured that one out at such a young age.
• One I still get is the one where you have to use the restroom and can't find one. These can be longer dreams. I'll search and search for a restroom to use and never find one, or if I did, it would be to gross to use. On rare occasions I find one, but as much as I go, the pressure doesn't relieve. Which is a good thing, because this dreams I really need to go to the restroom, and I suppose if I did feel relieved, I would have to change the sheets.

So anyway, that's what I've got for now. You?

Stupid Sayings

My wife and I have now fought twice over a saying she's used around me. The saying is: "Six of one, half a dozen of another". I can't remember what context she used it in, but she was meaning to say "it's the same thing". Apparently she thinks she's used this saying a lot since we've been together. Um...she had only used it once and I told her she should just say "it's the same thing" because I know what that means. No one I have ever met has used her saying, and it's longer than saying "it's the same thing". Now, if we lived somewhere that people used this phrase, that would be fine. But again, I've never heard it.

It got me to thinking of stupid things people say that don't mean much, or that are kind of stupid to hear. I worked with a girl from Michigan who noticed a phrase people would use in Missouri that really bugged her. It was "I tell you what". It seems that this little phrase has gained in popularity because I even use it, though I try to pronounce the "I'll" so it's actually good grammar. The way the phrase is used is someone will be trying to make a point and they'll say "I tell you what" then they'll go on to tell you. I had a southern companion on the mission who'd say it. He said that where he was from you didn't even have to tell you what point they were trying to tell you. One person would say "I tell you what", another would say "What?" and the first would say "I just done told you". In that case it seems you just have to know what he was wanting to tell you, like "Government, I tell you what." Then I guess you just have to already know they're opinions on government.

Another saying that I hate is "Git 'er done". This one has started gaining prominence in local advertisements. It came to fame from Larry the Cable Guy, who is an oversized six year old who thinks potty humor is funny. I'm not even sure what the saying means, but a few local businesses have started using the phrase. One, a car salesman, tells you to come in, and we'll get 'er done. Who are we getting done, Mr Car Salesman? And shouldn't we leave her alone? I just want a car, let's leave the ladies out of it.

And this brings me to our beloved state's motto: The Show-Me State. If you've ever been stuck behind a car from Missouri you've seen our motto pasted across the lisense plate. What the crap does it mean, you ask? I guess Missourians used to be known for the fact that they were very skeptical. You'd have to prove something to them before they'd believe it. Thus the saying means, you have to show them for them to believe you. Now, in a stunning move to prove the intelligence level of our state, I guess there was a ballot (that I missed) to decide on the new license plate for our state. The winner was chosen and they started printing the new plates. But here's the kicker, "Show-Me" is supposed to have a hyphen. The winner on the ballot didn't have one because someone screwed up. No one caught the mistake, so now the plate will read "Show Me State" and they're blaming the voters for voting for the mistake. Good job guys, way to make us look intelligent.

So anyway, anyone out on the blogosphere have stupid sayings you hear? Let me know, I'm sure I've missed some.

Marketing genius

After bad experiences at Jiffy Lube and Valvoline I went to Wal-mart
for my oil change. While walking the store waiting for the oil change
I ran across these vintage rapped candy bars. Sorry, I'm a sucker for
vintage. I wouldn't have bought a candy bar today, let alone four.
They just looked so cool. The end.

Job vs Career: The Deathmatch!

This is my job. Not a career. If this was my career, I'd have to step in front of a bus. (my favorite quote from The Office)

Anyway. My branch president when I was still in the Single's Branch used to ask "what do you want to be when you grow up". It took getting that question several times before I understood what he was talking about. A job is what you do to pay the bills. A career is what you do the rest of your life to support your family and maybe even find a little fulfilment. See, what I do now pays well. In fact, if I started teaching at a public school tomorrow, I'd have to take a severe pay cut. There is an insurance plan (though starting July 1, it will really suck) and a 401K. So, this could be a career. But not for me. I know enough about myself that I couldn't do this job forever. In fact, I'll be lucky if I make it the next two years. It's a job that is pretty easy (for me, anyway) but doesn't receive any kind of respect. Anyone on the medical side of things (doctors, nurses, care assistants, etc) have nothing but contempt for the people in admissions. They think we're terrible, lazy, stupid people; until they need us to do something they can't. It doesn't matter how hard you work or how much you help out or how nice you are, you will never get respect from most people.

So, eventually I'll move on.

A couple of years ago my wife and I were talking about career options and going back to school, and we decided to send her back first. Going from a Patient Care Tech (think nurse assistant) to a full RN would double her salary. And she could do it in two years or less. For me, I would have to go to school for four years, and, if I became a teacher, get paid substantially less money. I'm glad we made that decision for quite a few reasons. We will get out of debt much faster than we would have, and with entering a traveling nurse program, she would make double the starting nurse salary AND our housing would be covered the whole time. So, lots of money to save towards a future house.

My plans are to do online classes during the two years of traveling so I'd be ready to enter a elementary education program at whatever university we end up near.

That all sounds good, but right now, I'm so freaking bored. I go to work for five days, get two off, go back, and on and on. It's boring the snot out of me, and I know it's not going to get better anytime soon. I feel like I'm stagnating in many ways.

So, this is my tentative game plan, feel free to comment or make suggestions:

• One of the things I have been interested in is learning to draw, paint, sketch, whatever. I figured the cheapest and easiest way to get a start on that and figure out if I like art is to try to learn to draw. Next month is my birthday and I asked my parents for a gift card to Half-Priced Books (aka Half-Priced HEAVEN!) and will pick up a book to teach me to draw.
• I also wanted to see if I could learn the guitar. I played the trombone throughout school, and really enjoyed the experience, but the trombone is just not one of those things you can sit at home and do alone. You need a band, and I'm just not into that. The guitar you can do alone, and I think it would be fun. So I might see if my mom still has her old guitar she hasn't touched in years and get one of those guitar playing for dummies things and take a crack at it.
• I need to start writing again. I feel now that I don't know enough to spend my time writing novels, so I want to work on short stories again.
• I really need to do my home teaching.
• At church I'm a membership clerk, but with my work schedule I haven't really done much with it this year. The guy that does most the work has taken ill lately so I've been asked to step it up a little. So I'll work on that.

That's it right now. Comments below :)

Sometimes I'm Such a Girl

Not that being a girl is a bad thing.

So, I've never owned a pair of sandals before. Years ago, when I was just a little kid, I had worn a pair of thongs (back when you could still call them that) when I'd go to my grandparents. I've never owned a pair of my own or worn them on a regular basis.

On our vacation to Omaha I decided I might like to have a pair, so I got a nice pair of Hush Puppy sandals at DSW and wore them. They rubbed a bit, but were never really uncomfortable. I noticed after vacation that I had a red mark on the top of my right foot. Yesterday we took a walk around our neighborhood, a stroll that's about a mile and a half. They're so nice when it's hot out. Well, they wore again, but never to the point of pain. After I got home I noticed I had rubbed right through the skin. Ick. I didn't have to go out again, so I didn't worry about it. Today I went to go cut down a little tree that keeps trying to grow out of the side of the house and just threw on the sandals. Well, leather rubbing against a hole in your skin isn't pleasant. So, I put on the dreaded sandal band-aid! I know you women know what I'm talking about. I see the sandal band-aid on many a woman's foot, but until now I hadn't really thought about it. I can now not just sympathize with our sandal-wearing women folk, I can now empathize. Sandals, though so very nice to wear in the summer, have their price.

The Host, by Stephenie Meyer

I finished this novel at about four in the morning, and I HAD to stay up to finish it. I pretty much guessed the ending with 100 or so pages left, but you know that little doubt that maybe it will go different, that the author is leading you one way just to snatch you back? Yeah, I had to go to the ending. And did I cry.

No.

But I wanted to.

This book was a good scifi novel. I know that people have a hard time getting into the genre if they're not already a fan, but this is good because it's about people and their relations and emotions first, set in a world that forces them to deal with these emotions. Confusing? Well, I don't want to give too much away to the maybe one person who reads my blog that hasn't finished yet.

Okay, let me give you the break down. I think I liked The Host more than the Twilight Novels. I liked the story, its climax, and resolution better. It was fun and interesting. Not to say I dislike the Twilight books, I really like them. This, to me, was just better.

A few things I've noticed about Stephenie Meyer:

• She loves exploring the dual natures of women, and yes, women have dual natures. She does this by having two guys in love with the same woman, guys that are very different from each other, forcing the main woman to have to decide which side of their personality to trust.
• She loves Arizona and the Pacific Northwest.
• She rambles. All four books had significant boring sections that could have been cut entirely, or at least shortened to keep the dialog moving. I'm not saying all the emotional stuff bores me, I just think she could work on speeding up the narrative at points. She has enough interesting stuff that she could cut some of the introspection.

Okay, that's it. Loved the novel. Looking forward to Breaking Dawn.

Honeysuckle

On the way home last night (about 12:30 in the morning) I decided to ride with the windows down. After the thunderstorms, Kansas City had a distinctly honeysuckle scent. It wasn't even dimmed by the Bayer chemical plant I passed on the way home.

Good times.

The beginning of the end

I had my semi-annual haircut today (seriously, I let it get too long)
and was given some fun news. While the stylist was trimming my
seriously bushy sideburns she mentioned I had some greys. Wha? I
looked down at the cut hair on the plastic sheet and, among its dark
comrades were a few fallen greys.

Shudder.

Lesser men would have ordered the entire grey-infested region shaved
off, but not me. Those men, er hairs, have earned their place. And
sure, more will follow, but I will wear them with pride. Maybe I'm
finally growing up.

*shakes magic eight ball*

Not likely.

Sleep Apnea Saga

I had my first appointment with my sleep specialist doctor person since getting my CPAP, and this is what I learned:

1. I stop breathing 25 per hour without the CPAP. The doctor said anything above 20 is bad and basically results in cutting your life expectancy by one half. So it's good I'm starting on the CPAP. I'd rather live past 40 years old, thank you very much.

2. I need to lose 50 pounds, which was basically my goal anyway, but this puts an exclamation point on it.

3. A surgery to aid the sleep apnea would be very painful and only work in 1 out of 4 people, so I might as well just keep the CPAP for now.

4. Weight loss could make the sleep apnea better, but probably not. Genetics and hereditary has gifted me with a certain size of body with another size of internal stuff (tonsils, etc) that don't match.

5. Skinny people have sleep apnea too.

6. Every once in a while, though not enough to freak out about, my brain forgets to tell me to breath.

7. My oxygen level in the blood stream was lower than it was supposed to be, but the lung tests they did today showed I'm not bad enough off to really worry about.

So basically, I just need to get used to the CPAP, lose some weight, and things should go well. My doctor has a "if it's not broke, don't fix it" mentality, which works for me. I don't want unnecessary treatments or procedures if I can cope with what I've got. I know the first doctor I saw was interested in surgical options, but why go through a painful procedure if I'm just going to have to keep the CPAP anyway?

I also learned that my behavior with the CPAP (taking it off during the night) is completely normal and I just need to get used to having it on. The doctor said I could use a mild sleeping aid if I thought I needed it, to get to sleep, but I declined for now. Even though it's not habit forming, I'd rather let my body try to adapt first. And I don't have trouble falling asleep with the CPAP, my problem is keeping it on, which, again, is normal for someone getting started.

I need to reeducate myself in the literary realm

There's all these books that people read growing up and they go and reflect on them. Such the Roald Dahl books, the CS Lewis stories, and so on and so forth. When I was young, I read Fear Street, by RL Stine. He was probably my favorite author at the time. I'm not saying I regret that, I just think I missed a lot of other things. I read James and the Giant Peach in elementary school, as well as Charlotte's Web, and some Mark Twain, but I think I missed a lot of the childhood classics.

And children's books haven't worn old on me. In fact, I'm reading one right now. Something I learned as a missionary is that yound kids are a lot smarter and retain a lot more information than us older people give them credit for. Sure, they're immature and bratty, but that's okay. They haven't developed a maturity, but they are smart. And someone who writes children's novels, if they are to be successful, can't be condescending. Sure, they may keep the plot development a little more simple, and stay away from sex and language, but they can still tell a wildly entertaining story, and often make a good point as they do it.

So, I'd like to catch up on all the authors I missed as a child, like Roald Dahl, and Beverly Cleary, because I can. I don't have to pull the macho trip that so many guys do and say that they're kid books or girl books. I can read these and decide if I like them, regardless of what my peers think. And that's the great thing about being out of school. You no longer have to worry about being cool or being made fun of anymore. Sure, people may still do it, but I just don't care.

I read this line in a Charles de Lint book where a father is explaining to his high school son that things will get better. The son asks when, and the father replies "the day after". The confused son asks, "the day after what?". "The day after graduation," his father replies. I remember starting community college a few months after graduating high school, and though some of the faces were the same, it was a completely different element. People didn't care about cliques and what was cool. They were there for the education. They were (more or less) serious now.

So, tagent aside, I want to read the kids books I missed to see what I was missing.