Hazy Shade of Winter

I think today worked out to being the shortest work-day I have put in up until now (barring sickness).  I worked a grand total of an hour and a half.  An hour and a half?  Why?  I'll tell you why....this person you know, who occasionally answers to the name of "Lisa", is crazy.  She will work almost 15 hour days without realizing quite how that affects her schedule for the rest of the week.  And while some people, given the option, would do that to ensure their weekend starts that much sooner, that is actually not why I do it.

While not (in my mind) technically a work-a-holic (there are many more things I would need to do in order to be classified that way), many people believe I have sunk into that classification.

I hate leaving a job unfinished, so if I can get things done on a certain day, I will!  Even if it means staying at work for 15 hours...man...that does kinda sound a bit pathetic.  But anyway, hopefully with my new job, my outlook will change a little bit since I won't be responsible for an entire department anymore, merely my own tasks (yay!).

Maybe this means I'll have more time to have a life...or do homework.  Homework will probably win, I've heard that having a life is overrated.

Finally!

When I got back from Switzerland in April, I decided that instead of just throwing all of my pictures onto Facebook and then editing them 6 months later, that I would edit them FIRST and THEN make them available for your viewing pleasure.

This has resulted in...no photos on Facebook.  Until yesterday that is, when I decided that I didn't care anymore that all my photos hadn't been edited. Though I did only post those that have been edited, I realized that most people really don't care if I only put up a fraction of my photos (I've tried to refrain from posting everything I found interesting, and you would find not-so-interesting...like a plethora of doors and stairways I may have subjected you to last time...).

So, though I do still have plenty more photos that could be edited and posted, I feel good about the fact that it only took me a month and a half to get them out there.

Today...

...slept in til 7:15...now THAT is a luxury!
...my antivirus software detected a whole lot of crap on my computer.
...called my mom to wish her a "Happy Mother's Day" and when my brother answered the phone, I had him help me figure out how to get rid of previously mentioned "crap on my computer".
...put off getting ready for the day until 11:30 or so.
...went to my new ward.  I think it will be good.  I was complemented on my clothes and shoes a lot, so that's always fun.
...had Mother's Day dinner with the Buies.
...studied for my final exam tomorrow for my Managerial Blah-de-Blah class.
...finished Harry Potter #3 and started up on #4 again.
...walked in the rain.
...talked to an interesting guy after church.
...watched little kids run around screaming.
...got grossed out by "battle wounds".
...drank some nasty punch...one sip was enough.

Pray for sun tomorrow, I want to walk to work!

H2O

The sound of rushing water!

Exhilarating and and refreshing, transports you to another place. A mountain stream in summer where the water trips and falls around the rocks, etching its way ever onward.  Or a country brook where animals drink nearby as you enjoy an afternoon walk.

Alas, my sound of rushing water emanates from my living room wall.

A little while ago, I decided I was going to hang the mirror and picture that have been sitting on the floor feeling unloved and essentially forgotten.  So, after pinpointing where I was to place the nails for the mirror, I started hammering.  The first nail went in completely fine, the second however, hit a snag.  What I had thought was a 2X4 turned out to be a water pipe.

As water streamed onto the lamp, floor, pillows, blankets and couch, the only thing I could think of to do was plug the whole.  With my finger.  I felt like Hans Brinker's Little Dutch Boy, bravely plugging the dyke.  Then the thought came to me, "Who puts a water pipe in a living room?  In an area nowhere near someplace in need of plumbing?"

After informing the apartment manager, the water was turned off long enough for us to place tape over the hole so I didn't have to continue to stand with my finger covering the hole I had made.  Meanwhile, the carpet is completely saturated...I could go swimming if I really wanted to, and since the water has since been turned back on, it will only get worse.  I am envisioning water filling the space in the wall between our apartment and that of our neighbors (who I'm sure will be delighted with the turn of events when they return home).

Not bad for a Thursday afternoon, eh?

Doin' what come Nat'rally

I've been setting my alarm to go off sometime between 6:00 and 6:30 since I moved into our new apartment.  Having a 2 minute driving commute and a 10 minute walking commute really pays off in the wee morning hours.  So yesterday I decided that I would sleep in and wake up naturally, largely because after implementing a new filing system at work, I no longer have scads of things to do in the morning, fancy that!  Anyway, back to the alarm...I went a head and disengaged it (aka I turned the dang thing off entirely) and dropped off into a blissful slumber with pleasant dreams of waking up to birds chirping and the sun streaming through my windows at a respectable hour like 8:00.

Imagine my dismay when I woke up at 6:00.

I promptly sighed, glared at the clock and turned over.

I then awoke at 6:30.

Someone's idea of a sick joke no doubt!

Thus, I went into work at my usual time.

I'm trying this again.

Please fill out this survey...

I took another final exam today for one of my classes, and passed with flying colors!  Yay me!
Anyway, that isn't really the point of this post.  Kinda...but not entirely.  But a little.  woohoo!


So after I finished the exam, I logged into my school e-mail account, and read this message from one of the Provosts asking me to click on some link and answer some questions regarding my study techniques and what resources (books, modules, mentors, etc...) had helped me most in preparation for taking my exam.

Well, I know that I shouldn't really feel bad, but I didn't do it.  I didn't fill out the survey, and I will never fill out the survey.  Why?  It's not hard, I'd just click the link and BAM! I'm there!  But I didn't feel right about filling out the survey...and here's the silly part.  The part that is ridiculous and absurd.  I don't want to fill out the survey and tell them all about my study techniques because....I never actually studied.  Not only did I not crack a book, I never even bought the book...I never even looked to see what book was required for the course!

As I sit here and think about it, I shouldn't be embarrassed by the fact that I passed a final exam without studying, but for some reason, I don't want the University to know.  I KNOW!  I'm mental.

History

So today we underwent "the change".  No, not puberty.  That happened long ago.

The change I am referring to is the change instituted for the YSA (Young Single Adult) wards and stakes in the Salt Lake area.  We were encouraged to document this "momentous" occasion in our journals.  And since I don't keep a journal (don't judge), I figured that this is about the closest I get to "journaling", so you guys get to reap the...benefits?

Whatever..anyway.  A large portion of the meeting consisted of our stake being announced (I'm in the Salt Lake Holladay YSA Stake...yes, it's a mouthful, try saying it 10 times, fast) and the wards being delineated.  Then, members of the new stake presidency and the Quorum of the Seventy spoke to us...pretty much about the same things..over and over again.  First, there was how "huge", "momentous", "historical" and "mind blowing" this change was (Okay, so "mind blowing" was my own addition, but it felt like it belonged) and how we should document it (Exhibit A).  Secondly, there was always a reference to their spouse, how they met their spouse, when they met their spouse, how lucky they were to find their spouse, and how much they love their spouse.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE spouses!  They're great, grand and wonderful!  However, it almost felt like each speaker was trying to "one up" the speaker before them.

It was slightly humorous to see people squirm in their seats when the subject of "marriage" flew from the pulpit though.  Why are we so silly about things like that?  I mean, yes, I get that we get harped on and sometimes looked down on because of our single status, but these people want us to be happy!  And I know that marriage doesn't automatically make you happy and singlehood means you're an unhappy spinster collecting cats and lace doilies, but it's an essential part of the Plan of Salvation...which is also, ironically, referred to as THE GREAT PLAN OF HAPPINESS!  Just sayin'....

On a serious note, I really enjoyed one speaker who eloquently stated that each of us has an individual "plan of salvation".  Meaning that though all of us were born, and all of us will eventually die, none of us are exactly the same. We all have different feelings, families, experiences and needs, so we can't compare ourselves to someone else.  Not that we "shouldn't", but that we "CAN'T".

Anyway, those are my thoughts on the "historical" moment I took part in today!