In Memoriam, Gordon B. Hinckley (1910-2008)

"I wish to exercise a personal privilege. Six months ago, at the close of our conference, I stated that my beloved companion of 67 years was seriously ill. She passed away two days later. It was April 6, a significant day to all of us of this Church. I wish to thank publicly the dedicated doctors and wonderful nurses who attended her during her final illness. My children and I were at her bedside as she slipped peacefully into eternity. As I held her hand and saw mortal life drain from her fingers, I confess I was overcome. Before I married her, she had been the girl of my dreams, to use the words of a song then popular. She was my dear companion for more than two-thirds of a century, my equal before the Lord, really my superior. And now in my old age, she has again become the girl of my dreams"--President Gordon B. Hinckley "The Women in Our Lives" Liahona, November 2004

Not a dream anymore. Congratulations on a life well-lived, in service of God and your fellow men. Rest peacefully. You will be missed. Thank you.

Today's List of Things That Must Go

I need to put this disclaimer out yet again, so as to avoid any possible complaints of my non-originality. It's true, I got the "Things That Must Go" idea from X96 in Salt Lake City. But I like it, and it will stay a (mostly) weekly feature. However some days, like today, I don't have a ton of things to complain about. I think I should try to write them down during the week, that will help me to be a little more bitter on Mondays.
1). Not realizing I left my keys in my office before I make it to the Metro--Not a huge deal for most people, but my situation is different. I work on the top floor of my building in Rosslyn. That's 31 floors. and then I walk the whole distance to the Metro, which works out to be about a block (not a huge deal, but a lot of little deals can add up). I enter and go to the platform, which at most stations wouldn't be anything big, but this is Rosslyn, and I swear it is the largest escalator in the world. Every morning I walk it, and I get 86-90 stairs (that's not including what I am moved, as it is an escalator after all). So I reached the bottom and double-checked to make sure I hadn't left anything, and I couldn't find my keys, and realized I would have to make the trek back. I was none-too-pleased, and this must go--at least never happen again.
2.) Balding men with long hair--I've heard it referred to as the skullet. This is wrong and must go. Mullets, for all that matters, must go too!! I have an acquaintance who seems to be growing one now. It looks kinda/really bad. It kinda reminds me of Nancy McKeon, you know, Jo from the Facts of Life in the later years, when all the ladies from the eighties had mullets.
3.) Ladies hand bags with all the letters on them--I don't care who made your bag, I see them and then my mind starts to wonder "what do those letters mean?" Then I get frustrated cause I can't figure them out. Luckily, I have a gay friend, who has helped to figure these things out. It sets my mind at ease, but then I have to feel weird sometimes cause I know what the C stands for, or what an LV combination means. Anyway, they're stupid bags, and if you paid full price, you're an idiot. If you bought a knock off, it's a better choice, but you still probably paid too much for something to hold your crap.
4.) Since I am on women’s fashion, those ugly ballet flat shoes, are ugly and they must go. I sold shoes for over a year. I look at what shoes people wear. Some of these aren't all that bad, but a lot are, and as such, they all should go.

I think that'll have to suffice for today. As a side note/follow-up to last week. I made toast yesterday, and the smell of it made me want to puke, and my personal toast has never done that to me before.

Sur La Table

I got a table at my house on Saturday. It is really nice to have one after living in my house for 4 1/2 months. Actually, before that, I didn't have a table at my apartment for the six months that I lived there, and before that, we didn't have one at my house in Fairfax for the six months that I lived there.
So, in honor of the momentous occasion, my roommate and I decided to have a couple of folks over for dinner. It was delightful. We had stir-fry and salad. For dessert, brownies a la mode, with chocolate syrup and M&Ms.
It's really nice now. We can have people over now that we have a relatively clean, decently-furnished house. It's exciting!!

This is our dinner party. From left Adam, Eric, Sarah, Melanie, my spot and Sydney.

Afterward, we played Cranium, in which Melanie and I came in a very close second to Eric and Sarah--damn you Oscar Wilde!! After that, I think what was the longest game of Scene It was barely won by Melanie and Me. Kudos to Adam and Sydney on a well-played game.

"What's next?" you may ask. The Superbowl Shindig next Sunday, of course. I hope it'll be loads of fun.

Oh and a very special shout out to Sarah's roommate, Karen, who donated the table to us. We invited her to dinner, but she didn't get the message until after she had eaten dinner with her own family. We'll just have to wait until next time.

Scam

I got my first African Bank Scam Email today. Though it flatters me that Mr. Ronnie from a reputable bank in South Africa, wishes to do business with me, I am a little skeptical. I will post it for all to read here below. It reads:

PHONE NO........27839966090
FROM: MR RONNIE
JOHANNESBURG
SOUTH AFRICA
MR RONNIE

Dear Sir/Madam, I am Mr.RONNIE, Bank Manager of a Reputable bank in Johannesburg, Gauteng Province,Republic of South Africa. I have an urgent and very confidential business proposition for you.On feb 27, 2001, a British Contractor with the South African Mining Corporation, (Name deliberately with held) made a numbered time (Fixed) Deposit for twelve calendar months, valued at US$50,000,000.00 (Ffity Million Dollars) in my branch. Upon maturity, I sent a routine notification to his forwarding address but got no reply. After a month, we sent a reminder and finally we discovered from his contract employers, the South African Mining Corporation, that the depositor died from an automobile accident. On further investigation, I found out that he died without making a WILL, and all attempts to trace his next of kin was fruitless.I therefore made further investigation and discovered that the depositor did not declare any next of kin or relations in all his official documents,US$50,000,000.00 is still sitting in my Bank and the interest is being rolled over with the principal sum at the end of each year. No one will ever come forward to claim it. According to Laws of Republic of South Africa,at the expiration of 10(Ten) years, the money will revert to the ownership of the South African Government if nobody applies to claim the fund.Consequently, my proposal is that I will like you as a foreigner to stand in as THE NEXT OF KIN to the depositor so that the fruits of this old man's labour will not get into the hands of some corrupt government officials.A bank account in any part of the world that you will provide will then facilitate the transfer of this money to you as the beneficiary/next of kin.The money will be paid into your account for us to share in the ratio of 60%for me and 35% for you and 5% for any expenses that we are going to incue.There is no risk at all and if you are interested, please reply immediately via the private email address.Upon your response, I shall then provide you with more details and relevant documents that will help you understand the transaction. Please send me your full name,age,occupation,address, confidential telephone and fax numbers for easy communication and also,Please observe utmost confidentiality, and be rest assured that this transaction would be most profitable for both of us because I shall require your assistance to invest my share in your country. Thanks and Regards.CONTACT EMAIL : MRRONNIR2007@YAHOO.COM

I'm sure that Mr. Ronnie would be happy to hear from anyone who wished to contact him, but I shan't.

Ode to My iPod

Oh, how I love thee--well, most days, that is, when your battery isn't acting up.
It's really a fantastic invention the iPod. Even if it is one of the oldest models possible. I have an iPod Mini. "A what?" you may ask. I repeat, a Mini. It is the predecessor to the Nano. It's quite a bit bulkier than the first Nano models, and even more so than the latest Nano. Like the Nano (at least one of them) it holds 4 gigs, but now about 2 1/2 years old, and is showing its age. I hate to upgrade because that would mean I would have to actually pay for an iPod. You see I got this one for free as part of the incentive program at Franklin Covey where I worked 2 1/2 years ago. I got a Nintendo Game Cube too--both are now pretty much obsolete, but I gotta say that MarioKart is still pretty fun, but I digress.
It's like an old pet too, we've been through good times and bad, it's loyal, pretty dependable, sometimes it's gotten into trouble (read, somehow lost all 1000 songs on it, luckily I had backed them up a month before). However, sometimes lately (actually for about six months) the battery just gets really weird, in that it can be charging for hours, and then I play it and it shuts off because of "low battery power." Then I have to spend about 10 minutes playing with it for it to work, and it's good to go for a few hours, provided I don't play around with it too much. It tends to work fine for when I go to the gym, and for my rides to and from work, and once I am here, I plug it into my charger and it runs like a champ.
So, returning to the pet analogy, I guess it's just ailing, and it's not yet time to put it down. But, my desire to have the latest and greatest kinda makes me want to euthanize this puppy and get an 80 gig classic iPod--that and the fact that I magically aquired a substantial amount of music files from a friend, means that I can't hold them all on my Mini. So I am torn. Thoughts?

1-20-2008 Today's Things That Must Go

We'll try to keep it kinda short. I am remarkably more chipper than when I got here today, so my list shouldn't be as bitter as it was looking to be earlier today.
1). Having to work on federal holidays--Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and I am at work. This should not be. So while the rest of the Washington DC metro area is off work today, I am in the office. Not that I have a bunch of stuff that I would be doing otherwise, but it's a great thought to be sitting at home and to get paid for it. My roommates are--one on holiday pay, one on vacation pay. The thing is, they are exceedingly stingy with holidays here, and the vacation/leave plan stinks too, so I don't have a lot saved up to take days off that the rest of the world gets off. Apparently, after two years, I get an extra week off per year (with that, it's still about five days less than most of my friends)...so, come October...I can hardly wait.
2). The smell of toast--I don't know why, but I don't like it. I love toast, but when I walk in the kitchen after someone has made toast, it makes me sick. I think it comes from the time that I lived at my grandma's with her and my spinster aunt, whom I affectionately refer to as Aunt Crazy. Those who have met her can attest--truly my dark days of college. She's a bit/ton OCD. She has the same routine every day, including her toast, and the bread she used just smelled awful. So when I walked into the kitchen at work this morning, someone had made toast, and I was none too pleased.
3). Tourists who don't get Metro etiquette--I ride METRO everyday. It's an un-pleasant enough experience as is, but having fools who, because of their ignorance, throw things off even more really gets my goat. For instance, today, after having to wait for 20 minutes at the Courthouse stop, I finally got to Rosslyn and proceeded to the escalator to ascend from the bowls of hell that is the METRO at rush hour. When I arrived there, what was there, but an un-attractive mid-western family with a wife standing next to her husband on one stair. This disrupted the flow, and about ten people, myself included, were backed up behind Tiffany (we'll call her) before someone, her mother I think, motioned for her to move over. Stunned that she would have to do something remotely considerate to those who were actually going to work on this cold holiday, Tiffany obliged. What do I do, but give an irritated look, shake my head and mutter "idiot" under my breath while passing. How else will she learn?
4). Election Season--I am tired of it. If the Democrats want to put up a woman who most of the country hates, thinking that some how, she'll win, let them do it. But they shouldn't be surprised if she comes up short in November. Keep in mind, that I'll vote for her if she's the nominee, but she's going to have a much more difficult time winning I think. As for the Republicans--let another multimillionaire, pro-business type buy his way into the Whitehouse. We've seen how well that has worked during the past seven years. We need change, and I don't know as it's going to happen, and every day I just get more and more sick of hearing about the election, and frustrated that I have no real ability to change the outcome. I just want the primaries over and then we can have some quiet until summer.
5). My school having spring break a week before my friends' schools--sad because they were planning a trip to Florida, and I was wanting to go, but alas, I have the previous week off, and will have classes the week they'll be going. Sad. This must go!!

Oh Canada

On Thursday, I went with some friends, including my favorite Canadian, Shelley, to a hockey game. The Edmonton Oilers were in town to take on the Washington Capitals. It was quite the game--very high-scoring for a hockey game. I could give you a full recap about it, but that would take a long time to write, so here's a brief synopsis. The Oilers came on strong in the first period, the Caps came back in the second. During the third period, there wasn't a whole lot of action until the final five minutes when the score was tied at 4-4 (I think). Then it got really intense. There was a five-minute, sudden-death overtime period, followed by a shootout that seemed to last forever, but finally the Caps made a shot, and that ended the game. Truly an exciting event. There was also a special salute to the Canadian troops, and they gave out free commemorative pucks--super fun!! Also, I learned a whole slew of interesting facts about Canada. Like, for instance, it's Kraft Dinner there, and not Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Oh, and I heard that there are more Mexicans in the US than there are Canadians in Canada (this may or may not be true).

Here are some photos for documentation of the game:

Some of the game-time action

Adam, Elaine, Sydney, me and Shelly

Shelley in her amazingly stylish, Canadian maple leaf toque

Shelley sneaked in some Canadian treats for us to share. This is a Mr. Big bar. It was a treat indeed.

So that's it folks. Each time I go to a hockey game, it gets more and more exciting. I am getting better at knowing the rules, and am enjoying the sport better. So, when they sing "The Good Ole' Hockey Game" I can't yet say, "it's the best game [I] can name" yet, but it's getting better.

Horoscope

I just looked at my horoscope in the express (free paper that they hand out on the Metro), not that I actually pay much attention to what my horoscope says generally. But today, I was pleasantly surprised. It reads:

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Someone has his or her eye on you, and knows just what you really need at this time. It may seem strange at first, but you'll get used to it.

I pose this question to the universe: Who are you mystery woman? If I knew this, it could make my life a lot easier, at least temporarily.

You've Heard of Tuna Melts or Patty Melts...

Good shot indeed Justin


And just for giggles...



Yep grandma, shoot him in the toodles.

Fun Facts about Me

Okay, I am bored, so why wouldn't I post something on my blog? So in an attempt to let you know a little more about myself, I shall share a few things about me. They are as follows:
1). I have never broken a bone, nor have I had stitches (knock on wood). Yep, I have had a sheltered life. There was a scary moment in my childhood when my sister dropped me while trying to give me a piggy-back ride. I landed on my face, and my mom was afraid I had broken my nose. I fell out of a tree house once, but all that resulted from that was a lot of splinters. I am scared now that one day, I will get some cosmic payback and I'll have like five trips to the emergency room in a year. Because of that, I live cautiously. So, though I like to say Danger is my middle name (actually I never say that), it really isn't--which leads me to number two
2). I hate my middle name, I always have. It is my father's middle name, which is his mother's maiden name (I may have posted this before). My cousin also shares this middle name. It's awful. It turns out, though, that when people find out my middle initial they want to know what it stands for. After they spout out about ten far more horrible names that begin with H than mine, it makes me appreciate mine even more. Rest assured, that when I have children, I will not pass this on to any of my sons. That tradition will die with me.
3). I am a Democrat. So not so surprising to most anyone who knows me. I am an unabashed, unapologetic supporter of the Democratic party, for now at least. What's more interesting about that is that I am a regular, church-attending Mormon (incase you didn't know like 99% of Mormons are republicans). So, as un-holy as many of my fellow church members may believe the Democrats are, it's actually my religious beliefs that make me lean towards the Democrats--that and a lot of life experiences, including seeing the way that our country has gone to shambles during this current administration. For an interesting read that pretty much explains why I think the way I do about politics, you can read an article that was in my college paper a couple of years back. If you read it, don't just throw up your defensive GOP armor that doesn't allow for any thought different than your own--no matter how much sense the argument may make, and just think about it.
4). Since we're talking about church (kind of)...I open my eyes up during the prayers at church and other church-affiliated activities just to see who else does. There are a few of us. And sometimes there are people who make really funny faces or do awkward things during prayers. It makes church, which can sometimes be a painfully boring experience, more enjoyable.
5). I have had odd jobs that can rival a lot of people's: Duck Killer, Airbag Maker, Shoe and Tire salesman (not together, but at the same company). Ask me about them sometime if you care to find out more.
That's that. Now, you can consider yourself part of my inner circle. I feel like we've bonded. If anyone wants to share random things about themselves on their blogs, that would be welcomed, and would make my work day go more smoothly.

Another Election, Another Post

Okay, so I am sure most people have heard the sad news from New Hampshire last night. What the hell were they thinking? In all honesty, I don't know why they would vote for Hillary (other than the fact that she's experienced, and is a good campaigner). Like I have said, I'll vote for her if she has the nomination, but I don't think it will matter. Becuase, if she gets the nomination, I would not be surprised if she loses the election that really counts in November. She makes a good case in saying that she is one who could stand up to the republican attack machine. That being said, this very machine is the one that has made her hated by 50% of the country. If that's the case and let's suppose that John McCain has the nomination, Americans will pick him far more easily than her.
We're at a point like this in our country with so much negativity and acrimony in Washington. Politicians are at a stale-mate, and nothing is getting done. What we need is someone who is going to build bridges and aliances to move our country forward. I don't see that happening with Hillary, though she may very well want the best for her country--though the synic in me couldn't help but think that Monday's tears were all too convenient, I thought I saw some sincerity there. She will not be an agent of change, despite her best wishes. If she wins, she'll have four years, in which she'll get nothing done, and then we'll have another republican in the White House.
I could say a lot more, but I won't I really hope that she won't win the nomination. Not that I really have anything against her being president. She would do a great job. She would have to, but there are so many things that are stacked against her that will keep her from having a successful presidency. That worries me. Though Obama would be risky, I have hope with the thought of him being president.

You Say Global Warming, I Say Wintertime Delight

So here's the deal. I don't think Al Gore was all that crazy. I did fall asleep while watching "An Inconvenient Truth" last February, but what I did see was pretty interesting. Nonetheless, I think something must be in the air (CO2 gasses I guess). You see, today is January 8, in the year of our Lord, 2008, I am no historian, but as I recall, January was supposed to be cold. Right? Currently, it is 9:00 a.m. and it's 52 degrees, en route to be 72 this afternoon. Something doesn't quite seem right. Don't get me wrong, I bitch (which, I don't think should be counted as a swear in a verb form) like no one's business when it's cold out--you can thank two years in Brazil for that, but now I am a little upset that I bought a beanie and an ice scraper from the book store at my college back in Utah over Christmas, and have no use for them yet.
Polar bears are drowning people!! We need to do something! Like what, I am not sure. I think I did my part to reduce my carbon foot print by not owning a car for over a year. When I bought one, I bought a Honda, I think that should count for something. That, and I complain to my roommate about leaving lights on--every little bit helps, you know. Little by little, I can change the world. OH!! and I have a compact, fluorescent light bulb--two actually. So there, I'm green.

And, on a completely unrelated note, (two actually) I got caught repeating a thing that must go yesterday--my smoker neighbors. I was in a hurry and actually thought that I may have complained about them earlier, but didn't check. I am sorry for that, but I do think it bears repeating. Also, I just got an email from the receptionist with her little quote at the bottom that read like this:
"Whenever God Closes One Door He Always Opens Another, Even Though Sometimes It Is Hell in the Hallway. God Bless the USA!"
What does that even mean? (please don't try to explain--I understand where she's going) And why is it on her WORK email? Maybe this might have to make it into the list of things that must go.

Today's Things that Must Go!!

Okay, so it is about ten on a Monday morning, and I had completely forgotten that I had my weekly airing of grievances to post. Oops!! And, oddly enough, I don't have a lot to complain about today. However, I am sure that I can find something to whine about--I always do. So here it goes:
1). Me paying more to ride on the Metro with the same lousy service. Today, the fair hikes to ride on Metro went into effect. It stinks!! My thoughts are that I would be willing to pay more if the service levels were to increas in kind. But, as it stands, today, I arrived at the Metro platform and it was already crouded, with five minutes until the next train was scheduled to show up. So by the time it got there the car was packed like on Dollar Days at the Piggly Wiggly (not that I know, just guessing). It's not comfortable, and it doesn't get me to work much more quickly than if I were to drive. So if everything goes according to plan with my moving back to my other office at work, I'll likely begin driving to work in March--here's hoping.
2). People (men) not putting the toilet seat down--growing up with three sisters and a mother, I got plenty of stern talkings to in my life about this subject. As such, I feel it is the responsible thing to do to lower the seat when finished, out of courtesy. Things just don't seem right when the seat is up. When people don't lower the seat, I think ill of them--poor manners, you know. So you can imagine my disgust with many a roommate I have had in my lifetime who has left the seat up. It doesn't bug me enough for me to say anything about it cause it's just as easy for me to put it down myself, so why bother? Actually, come to think of it, it's all-around more easy for me if no one puts the toilet seat down, so why am I complaining? Maybe what should go are people who don't leave the toilet seat up for me.
3). Smoker neighbors--It's their right to smoke if they want I guess, but boy does it bug me that my apartment smells like an ashtray cause the people below me don't want their house to smell like smoke, and as such go out to their balcony, thus exhaling puffs of smoke that waft upstairs and into our heating system. Seriously, my bag that I took home smelled like smoke when I opened it up--this must go!!
I think that's it for now. I wish I could think of more, maybe I am just too cheery today. I'll have to find a ton of stuff to complain about next week I guess.

I Heart Huckabee

Hello all. I know that I should post a 2007 year in review like I had planned and also a documentation of my trip home for Christmas, but since I am still up and just watched about the results from the Iowa Caucus, I thought I would comment on that. (From me, does this really surprise anyone?)
My guys won. Not that I support Mike Huckabee, but I am glad he won, cause it means that Mitt Romney lost. Even though Guy Smiley put on a cheery face and said some BS remarks about being happy to get silver, everyone (especially at camp Romney) should realize exactly how bad this loss is for him. He was the only one to campaign in Iowa, spending millions there. His whole strategy was based on winning big in Iowa and moving on from there. Now, he has lost by nine percentage points to a guy who was a complete nobody a few months ago. This can't be good for him going into New Hampshire next Tuesday. I don't think that it will be huge for Huckabee there, but it may make McCain a lot more appealing in the Granite State--especially with the surge he has been having there lately. Who wants to vote for a loser? In all honesty, I don't have anything against Mitt except for the R by his name. I bet he would do a decent job as president--especially when compared with the guy doing the job now--but I think that Romney is, in all actuality, the best thing that the Republicans could run in this election and the prospect of Republicans living in the White House for four more years terrifies me. And so, because he helped to beat (what looked to me to be) the best republican in the race, I, in fact, do heart Huckabee--today at least.
This brings me to my next point. Barack Obama won!! This is amazing. Since I first read his speech delivered at the Democratic Convention in 2004, I have been amazed by this man. Listening to him gives me chills. The reason is that he does inspire me to hope for something better. Our country has been under a dark cloud for the past seven years. Sen. Obama's words seem to show that there is light within the American people. He reminds us of what our country can do when we are united and work for a great cause. I love my country, and am amazed at her greatness. I am reminded of what we can be when I hear him speak, and this makes gives me goosebumps. He soundly defeated his two closest rivals, Senators John Edwards and Hillary Clinton. And that makes me feel a lot of relief--mostly that he beat Hillary. Not that I have anything against her. I am sure she would be a very thorough, thoughtful president. She would do a fine job, but so many people hate her, it makes me worry that she couldn't win in November--I don't get the animosity that people feel towards her, though; I have yet to meet a Hillary-hater who can give me a valid reason for their dislike for her other than "because" or "she's just awful"--but I digress. Anyway, my hope is that Sen. Obama's good fortune tonight can carry on through next week and next month, and we will surely see something great.
His victory speech was great. I do hope that his words of this being a defining moment for America, where we have begun something new prove true. Once I find a video of his speech I will post it here, but now, I am tired and must sleep.