Linnea's Pastwatch

Fun With Hair

2012-01-08T16:59:00.000-08:00

I may have gotten sick of my split ends and I may have allowed Joel to snip off a healthy chunk of it at work and I may have played with the chopped hair afterward. But I admit nothing.

Megan and I didn't plan it, but sometimes great minds think alike.

Grrr

2011-11-14T20:02:00.000-08:00

So you know when you come up with the perfect Christmas present for someone only to realize that it's too late to have it ready by Christmas? I'm really frustrated. Most especially since it would have been so perfect! So what do you do in such cases? Tell them that they have to wait another month until they get their present? Get them something else and hold onto it until their birthday? I so very seldom get great ideas and I am very much annoyed!

Halloween!

2011-10-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

Halloween has become a holiday on which one of my personalities gets highlighted. Last year I was Abby from NCIS. This year (at least for the institute choir party) I was a Greek goddess. What does that say about me? Why don't you tell me...

**Missing from the above picture is the circlet I wore on my head made of grape vines and eucalyptus leaves**

Addictive Behaviors

2011-08-21T18:31:00.001-07:00

I've known for quite some time that I have an addictive personality, so it should come as no surprise to me that I put everything aside in order to read, watch a favorite television show, or eat for hours. I'm constantly trying to combat this tendency to do only one thing every night when I get home by convincing myself to do a crossword, sudoku, or work jumbles as those are at least exercising my mind. I've even taken to walking every night after it cools down. However, none of these distractions have become addicting for me, most likely because they are not detrimental to my health. So on Friday after work I bought a puzzle from a second-hand store as yet another attempt to avoid watching too many movies or TV shows.

Guess who finished a 996 piece puzzle today? Yep - aside from going to the farmers market, seeing a play, and attending church, I have spent my weekend doing a puzzle until my fingers are numb (mostly due to the frigid temperature in my apartment) and my back and bum ache. Who would have thought someone would need an intervention from doing puzzles? I fear that there are no real benefits, mental or otherwise, from this new addiction, making it just as bad as my other ones. If only I were addicted to cleaning, or cooking, or running... Anyone know a good hypnotist?

New Beginnings

2011-04-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

Last week it was announced that the singles wards in Salt Lake would be reorganized and today we found out that only 25 people in our current ward fall inside the new ward boundaries. The aim behind the reorg is that more-active wards (like mine which has over 80%) are to be split and shared between less-active wards so that in order to fill callings, members will be forced to find more members to participate actively in church. Or something to that effect. I'm a fan of shaking it up, so I'm excited for the meeting next Tuesday when we'll find out what ward/stake/building we're all in.

Saturday I got to go to the Haymond's talent show - which I should receive accolades for as I taught Creed the song he sang. Awesome.

In other good news, my car has yet to die despite my transmission fluid being black sludge with metal filings, although I did drive a pretty sweet Mazda 6 in Chicago and I wouldn't cry if I had to own one. Joel says it fits me.

I've started working out on a daily basis in hopes that when the weather finally cooperates, I'll be able to hike without killing myself. With all of these people saying how great being "in shape" is, I figured it was worth a try.

The Urge to Pontificate

2011-01-09T16:16:00.000-08:00

I love living life in a student ward - it's like life starts over for everyone every four months. It's kind of rejuvenating seeing all of these people constantly experience the cycle of the student. The first week of school, everyone is pretty excited until the realization that there is so much work to be done in such a short period of time and then everyone hits the trough of despair. Pretty soon afterward, students hit their stride and have everything under control and can enjoy life while still acing their classes. Two weeks before finals, there is a heaviness in the air - everyone is hitting their stress threshold and are just hanging on until the blessed release of being done. Finals come and go, and after spending a couple of weeks doing little to nothing, the cycle starts again with the following semester.

It's reassuring to me to be surrounded by the familiar cycle even though I haven't been a student for almost two years because it seems like whenever I move into another phase of my life the past phases become nothing more than dreams - things that happened to another person a long time ago. Living in a student ward gives me the feeling of living in the past and the present, which I'm enjoying greatly since up until now, I've mostly been living for the future. This discourse is at an end.

Wig Fetish

2010-11-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

So I discovered something about myself that I always suspected, but never quite knew: I love wigs. I really wish that I had a room full of human-hair wigs so I could change my head like Mombi from Return to Oz whenever the inclination hits.

Everyone thinks that she was so creepy, but she just liked to change things up every now and then.

Phooey.

2010-08-09T16:59:00.001-07:00

Today when I came home from work I was craving the meal Hyrum had made for me when he stayed with me a couple of weeks ago, and I figured it wouldn't be that hard to recreate. But although it looked to me like he was just throwing in whatever spices he found, my efforts fell way below the mark. Even the part that I had originally done turned out sub-par. I didn't just want the meal - I wanted that meal. I am sorely disappointed.

Miss Independence

2010-08-08T21:22:00.000-07:00

This week was full of activity, but I really wish my weekend were longer. Monday and Tuesday I went to Holly's right after work to help watch the children while she slowly packed up her house, bit by bit, and moved it to the new one. I can't say that I was much help, especially since I put Elle to sleep twice before her bedtime (a huge no-no), but Holly seemed grateful enough for the company.

Wednesday was payroll and I barely even helped. I've long since stopped offering my help where it will cause more anxiety than anything else.

Thursday I took off of work in preparation for leaving to the Uintas. I wanted to ensure that I didn't forget anything or leave anything undone and I was glad to have the leisure time before I left to meet up with the ward in the early evening. It rained that night (I had my rain fly on, so no worries) and the next morning, upon finding everyone gone to some unknown hike, I left to conquer bald mountain, as one of my coworkers had advised me to do (he's an avid hiker). It was two miles to the top and it was almost pure rock the entire way up. The altitude was nothing to sneeze at, I am told, and my ears started to hurt about halfway up. I kept going and was feeling just fine by the time I reached the summit. The view from the top was breathtaking as you could see the many lakes and mountains surrounding the valley. Of course I had forgotten my camera back at camp. The people back at camp fishing and huddled around the campfire told me that they could see me at the top, but I'm not sure I believe them as there was a largish group on my heels that they more likely saw. The clouds had really started to gather and before I could make it down again the rain started falling.

Almost as soon as I made it back to camp it started hailing pretty heavily and it was raining and hailing off and on until sundown. Thus I didn't make it on any more hikes, but I did go with a friend of mine as he attempted to catch some fish in the lake. Listening to stories around the campfire was interesting and I went to bed pretty tired.

I didn't sleep much that night and it rained pretty fiercely again, so as soon as I could force myself out of my sleeping bag I gathered up all of my wet and muddy gear and headed home. After drying out my stuff on the lawn and putting it all away again, I took a lovely shower and slept for several hours. I think most of my weariness came from vitamin D poisoning.

Today during sacrament meeting I was thinking back to my hike and how the thought came to me that when Moses climbed Mt. Sinai it must have taken some serious physical effort to get himself up there. Somehow I always thought of that story starting once he was already up there and seeing the burning bush, but he had to have hiked pretty far to get up that mountain. I don't know why or if that is significant - any thoughts?

After church I went to choir practice where we sang a beautiful arrangement of I can't remember which hymn at the moment, only to find out afterwards that a friend of mine arranged it! I am amazed at people's talents. Sorry I neglected to take any pictures when I had ample opportunity. You can do an image search for Moosehorn Lake and Bald Mountain to see some of what I saw, if you so desire.

Everything is the same... until something changes

2010-06-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

I found this little guy on my bedroom ceiling a couple of days ago and I can't bear to kill him and am nervous about him getting back in if I let him go, so he's still sitting in a tupperware on my kitchen table. He's pretty, isn't he?

I can just hear my boss in the back of my head laughing and telling me "I told you so!" For about a month now I have done little else besides watch movies and tv shows, day in and day out. Netflix and Hulu have made the fact that I don't have a television receiver irrelevant. Chuck is my daily obsession, and it is rare that a day goes by without me watching at least a part of an episode. I've told my boss about this and she has told me repeatedly not to worry, and that my life wouldn't go on this way indefinitely and that I should enjoy it while it lasts. I haven't watched an episode for two days in a row now, which I guess proves her right.

Yesterday after work I went out to my car in the pouring rain, fully expecting that my car wouldn't start as it had made very odd noises the last two times I had started it. My suspicions proved to be inspired as it failed to start even when hooked up with jumper cables to my coworker's car. Luckily, I had mentioned the possibility of being stranded to my boss and coworker before letting them leave, so I got a ride home from my boss.

After squishing my way inside my apartment (as aforementioned, it was a soggy day) I called my sister Holly to announce my news, and she immediately offered to lend me her "spare" car, which her husband would have taken to work if providence hadn't allowed there not to be enough gas for him to get to work and back. I had been waiting until the last second to do my laundry down the street, and since it wouldn't be very prudent to carry dry clothes home in the rain, Holly came right over with her two children to take me back with her to her house in order to use her laundering facilities and have me take her "spare" car back with me so I can get to church on Sunday.

I'm putting off getting the car towed until Monday since I figure it may be cheaper if done during regular business hours. Ben wants me to tow it to his house so he can try fixing it before I give away my life's savings to a fix-it place. I really haven't even been given a chance to be worried about it, and it seems silly that it even interrupted my Chuck schedule, but there it is.

Keeping Up Appearances

2010-05-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

I am the luckiest girl - just when I thought I have no friends I have a birthday and get the best additions for my apartment. The three highlights I have to admit were a clock, throw pillows, and a poster of Zachary Levi (inside joke). With these exciting new features I have been inspired to get better lighting and to exploit all of the wall space by hanging everything I've got.

Material things aside I've made an exciting discovery lately - I can speak Romanian! I was fairly sure that I had lost it for good when I attempted to speak to a couple people in the aforementioned language and failed embarrassingly. But a few weeks ago an ex-comp of mine started weekly Romanian scripture study with me. I was skeptical on the first try, especially when I tried to read and I didn't even recognize simple words. But the next week I realized that I had slightly improved. And since then I'm remembering all sorts of words I haven't even thought about in years. I feel amazingly blessed to remember the language and to have someone willing to keep me practicing.

Chiar daca nu voi avea o sansa sa merg inapoi la Romania, este o limba frumoasa si ma simt speciala sa cunosc o limba necunoscut de majoritatea lumii. Si stiu ca nu scriu nici vorbesc perfect pe romaneste, dar incerc si asta conteaza.

I don't deserve all of the wonderful things in my life, but I sure do enjoy them.

Impulse buys!

2010-05-08T19:57:00.001-07:00

Today was such a great day. I made a list of everything I wanted to do today and actually started on it last night to ensure that I would succeed. I came close-ish. I went to the downtown library today for the first time. I have passed that building so very many times but I had never seen it until today. I recognized the buildings on either side of it, but I have never laid my eyes on the building itself. Odd. One thing that is a little weird and hard to get used to in Salt Lake is the fact that anywhere you go you have to park in a garage that starts charging after a half hour. Is there any way to validate parking in the library?

Then I went to Walmart because I'm a huge fan of one-stop shopping. I went in with a list and a determination to not stray from the list. I came out with a futon - not on the list. I have been wanting some sort of couch in my apartment since day one but I hadn't made it a priority since there is only one occupant to my apartment. And I would be considerate of guests, but I've had guests exactly twice in my three months living here. But when I was walking past the furniture and saw the sign saying $115 for a futon I couldn't resist. The price tag on a good sofa runs at least $500 I am told, and as anyone who has ever met me knows, I'm no big spender.

So I tugged it off of the shelf (only 85 pounds!), made sure that it was long enough to lounge on (I think it's 78"), and looked as helpless as possible until someone offered to help me out. Then I went home and spent three and a half hours putting it together. If I wasn't too slow to understand simple instructions it would've taken a lot less time. I hadn't realized how much my little apartment was missing! I still haven't hung my pictures, but I have started on the other little things that make this house a little more like home. Next stop: torchiere for the front room and a bookcase. I'm starting to feel like a grown up!

How can I stand so much happiness?

2010-03-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know I've been in all sorts of turmoil for the past few weeks as I applied to a Human Resources Assistant position having only worked at ProBar for a month and some. I knew it would be lame to leave them after so short a period of time, but since the opportunity was literally thrust upon me, I had to go for it.

A million thanks to Arnold Parrott who not only told me to apply for the position, but I am sure actually gave me the edge over the woman that I won out over. Once the selection was down to two they called him for a reference and he told them that I was amazing and that if I ever had any questions I could call him as an HR expert, having been in the field for a long while.

I definitely couldn't have gotten the position on my own merits because I showed up 20 minutes late to the second interview. What?!! That's right - 20 minutes late. I actually took the wrong freeway and ended up getting off a few miles out of the way... Luckily I have been seriously blessed by many prayers offered in my behalf and I am now officially on my way to having a career in HR.

I don't know how or why things have just been working out for me lately, but I'm really happy and I honestly don't know how my life could be any better at this point. I'm really sad about leaving ProBar as they have been a godsend in the way of keeping me in Utah and being such a fun place to work, but they have been really understanding and if they end up needing an HR professional in a few years, maybe I'll just have to head on back.

Yesterday I finally bought a bed (I've been sleeping on Holly's twin air mattress) and got to chat with Joy for the first time in a few months, and it's a beautiful sun-shiny day outside and I've got nothing but good feelings about life and everything in it. I know blogs are much more entertaining when everything is going wrong, but I'm not sorry to disappoint in this case. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Wow. I'm surprised I survived.

2010-02-25T19:10:00.000-08:00

So... I live in Utah now. Sugarhouse. In a little basement apartment. By myself. I've got a new job. I've got a new ward. I've got a date tonight. Life has changed so very much over the past couple of months that I'm still reeling. I love experiencing new things and finding myself in new situations, but I sure enjoy the down time I have to read Jane Austen novels with the space heater blasting while I snuggle under the covers in my bed. Most of my present happiness is due in large part to Holly who has taken control of my life in finding me a job, an apartment, a ward, etc. Plus, she still lets me come over to hang out when I want to play. So yeah. It's kind of weird not really belonging to the university here - especially when I sit in the institute building to steal their internet and everyone surrounding me is talking of tests and classes... Weird. The funniest part is that everyone around here seems to be around my age or older, which is really different from BYU. I'm rambling and I have nothing interesting to say. I apologize.

Long story long...

2009-12-06T10:28:00.000-08:00

Since I opted out of having a job, I have been spending the majority of my time trying to keep myself busy. The temp agency I signed up with rarely sends work my way (have you heard that Modesto has the second highest unemployment rate in the country?) so I'm also working for Macy's during the holidays, but apparently only when they are ridiculously busy, so I find myself with a lot of spare time. This means that I can devote my time to becoming my mother's personal shopper, periodically making dinner and cleaning the house, and mostly just reading book after book. My favorite books lately have been Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. Don't read them yet - the last one of the trilogy has not come out and it might just drive you insane.

But I'm definitely not sorry about my decisions in the work department and find myself surprisingly calm about my future although prospects are not exactly looking good. The last couple of days I've felt an undeniable pull towards Utah and unless something changes drastically, my plan is to 'visit' the valley for a few weeks, trying to get as many interviews as possible and hopefully landing something permanent before moving there officially. Thus far I've only told a few members of the family who happened to be talking to me while I hammered out the details in my mind - I'm not telling members of the branch yet because I'm preparing for the possibility of trying to save face should my plans fail to go forward, as they are wont to do.

Also, my hair is ridiculously short once again. I realize this isn't interesting news without a picture, but there is a story. I went to the Beauty College on 15th Street with Hyrum because I was bored of my hair on Friday. My cut was done a half hour before Hyrum's, which should tell you of the quality of the cut. It was a multi-layered mullet of ugliness. After getting home, Hyrum offered to style it to see if that was the problem. Not so. So I went into the bathroom determined to at least cut off the mullet bottom, but I couldn't see well enough or angle my hands correctly to make it look good. That is where Hyrum stepped in. I taught him how to use the comb and his fingers while cutting, how to layer, and how to blend and he did a marvelous job. I'm sure he was annoyed at me at first from correcting his form, but by the end he was working like a master. He did such a good job that several of the ladies the next morning at the Ninth Ward Christmas Breakfast upon learning who had cut my hair asked for him to do theirs. If only society hadn't brain-washed us about gender roles, Hyrum could have found a new career.

I'm so lucky

2009-10-16T22:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I quit my job. That's right, after working there for a mere two months, I have quit my seemingly non-obtrusive executive secretary job. Let's just say it wasn't a good fit. And the ironic thing is that President Hawkins, after I had left the office for the house to quit, told Eric how lucky he was as an employer to have me working for him. What did I do to deserve such a great friend?

What I will miss most are my two favorite co-workers in all of California - Kelly and Eileen. Those are the ones that have kept me sane and happy for the past couple of months, in spite of everything else going on. They welcomed me in and treated me like a friend from day one and I am really glad that I got to know them. Kelly is such a great teacher - encouraging and positive - she's going to be a great mom someday. And on my last day when I was really upset and wanted nothing more than to just sit there and feel sorry for myself, Eileen gave me a big hug and asked me (knowing that I am LDS) if praying would make me feel better. Then she proceeded to say a little prayer in my behalf. I feel so lucky to have been blessed with such friends.

Fear of Heights?

2009-09-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend I left work early and we headed south a few hours to a fire tower in Sequoia National Park (I think it was called the "Needles" fire tower). We spent Friday night in Porterville which looks a bit like a drug dealer's haven and spent Saturday hiking about five miles up and down dust and rock to and from a pretty sweet fire tower. However, I have yet another occupation to cross off of the list of possibilities: fire tower watchman. These people have to be in their little towers which are perched pretty precariously very high in the air every day from 9am-6pm which means that they either have to hike in and out every day - which would invariably include at least an hour of driving on the twisty roads to get to the nearest town, or they have to stay in their little huts all week long. How on earth do these people amuse themselves?!!

We were lucky to have chosen the day we did as the lady who lives up there was leaving that day - apparently budget cuts have mandated that there be no more fire watchmen even though fire hazard is "very high" according to Smokey the bear. While we were hiking up a helicopter came and went carrying off her "honey pot", which is not at all what it sounds like. We were very glad not to be blown off of the mountain when the copter took off.

The best news of the weekend is perhaps that I've gone to bed pretty early comparatively which should make getting up on Monday less painful than usual. Have I mentioned that I am definitely not a morning person?

If not for friends...

2009-09-13T19:40:00.000-07:00

Here's that update all of you fans have been anxiously awaiting. I have a job!!! It's not the job of my dreams, nor is it in the field that I hope to go into, but it pays the bills and allows me to slowly pay off my education debt in order to further my education with a master's degree. I have come to realize that I will never get far in the field of HR without a master's degree and thus it has become a permanent part of my plans. I hope at some point prior to reentering the academic world to gain some practical HR experience, but one can't have everything.

I work at depobook, a court reporting agency owned by members, as... well, I guess an executive secretary. I do everything from answering phones, scheduling depositions, scheduling court reporters for those depos, taking orders for products, assembling & packing products to creating invoices to charge attorneys and pay reporters. Forgive me if that leaves me uncertain as to what my job title should rightfully be.

Life is good as I am surrounded by good people who keep me going and keep me spontaneous. Long live YSA!

Beautiful Horizons

2009-08-10T07:50:00.000-07:00

For the last month and some I've completely given up the job search in favor of spending time on the following: helping Joy out with her move from Layton, Utah to Germany; going to a family reunion with all of my siblings, nieces, and nephews; and going to the California YSA Conference in Fresno. All were worthwhile activities and I'm really glad to have participated in them, but now I've got to get back to my regularly scheduled activities, i.e. spending most of my time on a daily basis applying for every HR job anyone has ever heard of. I'm excited because whereas in the past I've had to keep to local jobs since I had so much stuff going on this summer, now I can extend my search to the entire United States as I have no moral objection to living anywhere I don't have to learn a new language to live. Maybe that preference will change in the future, but for now that's the way it is. Woo hoo!

LINNEA SLADE PASSES HUMAN RESOURCE CERTIFICATION INSTITUTE EXAM

2009-06-27T11:14:00.000-07:00

Modesto, CA, June 24, 2009 -- Linnea Slade recently passed the Human Resource Certification Institute's Professional in Human Resources (PHR) exam.

Linnea is an April 2009 graduate of Brigham Young University, with a major in Business Management.

HRCI is the credentialing body for human resource professionals and is affiliated with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the world's largest organization dedicated exclusively to the human resource profession. The Institute's purpose is to promote the establishment of professional standards and to recognize professionals who meet those standards.

There are two examination levels -- the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) with an operational/technical focus, and the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) with more of a strategic/ policy focus. Passing the certification exam shows that an individual has mastered the human resource body of knowledge. Both exams have experience requirements.

Students may take the PHR exam up to 12 months before their graduation date, and recent graduates may take the exam no later than one year after their graduation date. Students and recent graduates then have five years from the date of passing the exam to accumulate the exempt-level experience requirements.

I'm just lucky, I guess

2009-06-15T14:19:00.000-07:00

You stop writing on your blog for a few weeks and everyone gets all antsy. WELL! Although I haven't actually been on any big projects since the pressure-washing since apparently the paint still hasn't come in since we asked friends of the family to order it over a week ago. It leaves me struggling to find a sufficient occupation for my boundless energy, but then I am forced to remember that I have a certification exam next week. Aaaaaaa! So I haven't exactly read all of the material in my study books yet, but that's no cause for concern, right?

This weekend I was privileged enough to go to Utah for my ex-roomie's wedding and it was great except that I was cursing myself the entire time for not having the foresight to have spaced out the flights there and back a little more, but how was I to know that I would still be an out-of-work loser? So I got to spend two days in lovely rainy green Utah before squishing myself between the noisiest plane-riders in the world for my trip back to sunny Califonia.

Upon arrival I was pleased to find that my brother had taken my advice to ask out a certain girl in the ward. She is 23, which makes her the oldest girl he has ever asked on a date, and the fact that I told him to date her has predisposed me to like her. Hyrum did his best to include me on their Saturday-night date (what brother does that?) and she was forced to conclude that we are "close". I'm not sure if that's quite the word for it...

But seriously, folks. Keep this on the DL until the man himself decides to publish abroad any news he might have. I don't want to get a rep for spreading rumors... especially when they've only had one date.

This is the life

2009-05-09T10:42:00.000-07:00

Can't say I'm not enjoying living the life of leisure living at my parents' house and sponging off of their wealth. I figure I'll return the favor once I actually start making money and they realize that their retirement isn't worth half of what they put into it. That's what you call irony. Or reciprocity. One of the two.

I am very happy to be in California where my soul soars free with the big blue skies and the only responsibilities I have from day to day are general yard work, cleaning, and making various desserts. I tell you, if I could do this for the rest of my life... well, I'd probably be fat, so it's a good thing that I'll be getting a job soon. Yesterday I applied online to three temp agencies and on Monday I'll be visiting them and convincing them to give me work to do. But helping out around the home is so much more satisfying, don't you think?

It's sad how the older I get, the less interesting my life gets. On my mission, so much would happen in a week that I'd have to flip through my planner in order to remember the important events for my weekly emails. At school, there was remarkably less to write about, but I thought about myself all of the time, thus making it possible to crank out a blog for my loyal followers. But now I find that the things I do are only really interesting to me and would sound completely asinine if I were to share them. But I don't want anyone complaining that they don't know what is going on in my life, and thus you see that I have made an effort to update all of you on the exciting events in Modesto.

Last night I saw the new Star Trek movie and I'm hooked. It's the kind that as soon as you leave the theater you want to turn right around and watch it again. Then again, I really am a closet trekky and thus would probably feel the same way about any of the episodes of the original star trek or the next generation.

As for my love life, which all of you seem to think is your business, it is barely a week since I've met anyone near my age, so calm yourselves down. As many of you know, Hyrum has already chosen a mate for me, but said future mate hasn't realized it yet and is pursuing someone else, so I'll have to be patient. Maybe this post is long enough to discourage any of you from wanting to read my blog ever again and I will be truly free to rant as I wish without regard as to who might be reading. Maybe.

Done for now

2009-04-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

Although my week is by no means over, especially since I have to pack up all of my stuff and clean the apartment to be out by Thursday at noon, I finished my last final last night, and I have reason to suppose that I have passed all of my classes. True, I may not have done much more than pass, but I am satisfied. I studied for all of my finals, and I feel confident that had I been given more time to study, I wouldn't have done any better. The girls and I saw 17 Again last night, which we thoroughly enjoyed, and Kristin discovered that she's going to have to marry a total geek. There is a character that is a total geek, but also richer than sin and has things like those uber-expensive light sabers, and speeder-shaped bed, and a whole bunch of stuff from LOTR that Kristin lusted after. That will likely be the last time we hang out together before Anna gets married in June as I am leaving this week for California. *sniff*

Here is a link to watch a news story done on a friend of mine from Moldova. http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/health/doctor_jo/Scoliosis_surgery_032609

Fear of commitment

2009-03-27T11:57:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad I live in a world accustomed to my type of fear of commitment. I have a prepaid phone, a graduation escape clause for my housing contract, and now, I have the PHR. I thought that when I scheduled my exam I would have to tie myself down to a testing center, or at least a state. After I scheduled for the end of June in San Jose, I went back and pretended that I had to reschedule. Guess what? I can totally reschedule for another state if I so desire! Although in all likelihood I'll be in California in June, I am never one to tie myself down to probabilities. The what if factor will likely keep me with a prepaid phone (or at least a month-to-month contract) for the next several years, and I'm glad that most everything else in my life has agreed to support me in my ultimate fear of commitment.

Consulting

2009-03-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention that I figured out the real reason why I never want to do consulting - it's because I have absolutely no knack for that kind of thing. I can't just walk into an institution and tell right away what is wrong with it and what it needs in order to work well. I don't have the confidence I would need in order to tell companies what to do in order to be successful, and actually believe that what I say will in some way be helpful. I've tried being the person who swoops in and gives the great idea that saves the day, but it is invariably not as impressive nor as feasible as I originally thought. Thus, not only do I not want to be a consultant, but I could never be a successful consultant because I would never be worth the fees I would charge.

weekend in vegas

2009-03-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

The three of us (my roommates and I) were utterly bored of Provo and of the cold days and even colder nights, so we headed to Las Vegas this weekend for an adventure on the strip. We got more than we bargained for because we happened to be walking around with a 6'1" blond bombshell who got catcalls everywhere she went. Glad I went. Glad I'm back. Wish I could have taken the weather back with me. The picture is of the Las Vegas temple. I know it's an odd perspective, but I like it.

I've been musing lately on why it is that I have this innate need to know what is going on in the lives of people that I haven't been in contact with lately, and I've come up with a theory. Don't worry, it's completely cheesy-sounding. So - whenever you love someone, you leave part of yourself with them. This means, that no matter how many years you go without contact with an old friend, you will invariably end up wanting to see them and talk to them again. I find myself doing that with people from the mission, old friends from high school, and sometimes random people that I met once on the street. It's like I want to check up on that piece of me that I've left with them and make sure that they're using it well or something. I dunno. The end.

The crystal ball is clearing...

2009-03-12T21:58:00.000-07:00

Very recently I made a real-life decision (not without consulting my mommy first, of course) about my professional future. Tuesday morning I decided to take the HRCI - an exam that, if passed, will make me a bona fide Professional in Human Resources. I know it sounds lame since no one outside the field has ever heard of it, but it is a legit national certifcation test that I had not planned on taking until Tuesday morning.

I tend to make important decisions very quickly. For instance, I was not planning on going on a mission until suddenly I was and I had to rush to get all of everything done to hit my target. I decided on Tuesday, and the application is due Friday. I finished all of it except the documentation that I'm a student (HUGE discount), so come May or June, I'll be taking the exam.

I bought all of the necessary materials (again, HUGE student discount) and I've got to hope that I don't have a job by graduation or I might not have the time to study. I might not even be within a hundred miles of a testing center! So although I had kinda been hoping that life would work out all peachy keen with a great job before graduation, I really don't mind if that doesn't pan out. Because I have a plan!

It's really funny how I go along in life, jjust having kind of a que sera sera attitude and then all of a sudden I'm kicked in the pants by sudden excitement for some random thing and away I go. Some of you will be shocked and amazed to hear that I have a date on Saturday. Don't get too excited, though - one of my home teachers set it up for me and a friend of his to see the men's chorus performance. Still, it's something that doesn't happen every day, and I thrive on non-monotonous events.

I've been reading a bunch of Orson Scott Card's stuff - especially his short stories - and I gotta say, that dude is seriously talented while simultaneously being seriously messed up. I'm enjoying myself immensely, of course, but his writing is really addictive and I've got a midterm I've got to take this weekend, so he isn't doing me any favors...

It's a pretty good day

2009-03-02T14:55:00.001-08:00

This morning I vowed to get up early because I have so many projects and tests coming due and I've been fairly lazy about getting things done. One thing that I succeeded at this morning was that the second I woke up, I read my scriptures. I've decided to read in the D&C at night and in the BOM in the morning so I get twice as far, even though I haven't read in the morning since the mission.

I was feeling good that I was fulfilling my goals until I heard the doorbell ring, followed by a sharp banging on the door. One thought ran through my head: carpet cleaners. The management had warned us last week via email that they would be coming, but I had completely forgotten. I let them in, and thankfully they needed a few minutes to set up. I rushed through every room, throwing everyone's things on the beds and into the kitchen. After that I jumped in the shower and got ready for school and headed out the door, leaving the cleaners to finish the job.

The good news was that I got to campus in time to try and contact some of the professors recommended to me for help with a consulting project. And then I had time to read and prepare for my classes. I'm sitting in my last class listening to the teacher talk about empowerment and I'm thinking to myself: it's been a good day. I love it when I have no opportunity to waste time.

Is the government really the devil?

2009-02-25T08:52:00.000-08:00

Pretty much since the beginning of time, I've been bombarded with the conservative standpoint that the government isn't doing us any favors and the less involved they are with my life, the better. I suddenly have a problem with that. Since the U.S. is in a recession and jobs are very hard to find, especially for someone with my lack of experience, I find myself asking everyone I know to help me find a job for after graduation. This has resulted in many failed attempts at impressing local HR companies, which is no surprise to me. Arnold Parrott, a previous BYU HR professor who now lives in Virginia has been the most steadfast when it comes to finding me a future, economically speaking. I have talked to him a few times via phone, and through email on numerous occasions. I spoke with him most recently this morning, at which time he informed me that in this recession, my best (and probably only) hope for starting my career in HR will be in government. He has a few contacts in D.C. and as soon as my resume is up to par, he'll be working to find me a position over there.

Can you imagine me working for the government? I know my family can't, as it will be the equivalent of going to Berkeley for my education, which I was informed would result in my being cast out of the family. I guess it's a good thing that I've always been somewhat less conservative than my family since I may need to "slip-slide to the middle" (SNL reference) of issues in the future. I'm not really sure what a government job would entail. With any luck, I'll get a chance to find out. Right now I'm just giddy thinking about living in a strange place where I have no acquaintances, let alone friends or family. Somewhat daunting, but after stagnating in Provo, I'm willing to try anything. I was just telling my roommate the other day that I wouldn't mind moving a lot for the first several years of my career since I love seeing new places. New places, here I come!

New Bloggist

2009-02-09T15:20:00.000-08:00

I'm the first to admit that I don't have anything worth starting a blog over, but hope springs eternal, right? And the first step to eternal denial is action. Or something.

When I first heard about the recession, I wasn't too worried because hey - they've never affected me in the past, so why should they now? My only problem is that despite my searching for a month or so for both a part-time job to support myself on now, as well as something full-time to look forward to after graduation in April, I've got nothing. Luckily, I've recently made peace with the idea of living off of my parents for the rest of my life.

So why do I still show up to classes on a day-to-day basis? I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment... or I have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. I have learned one important lesson from my classes this semester: I never want to be a consultant. Why? Because I don't believe in them. I think they're like witch doctors - you pay them a bunch of money and they wave their magic manicured hand over a company and all of a sudden nothing has changed, but everyone feels better about it.

If you've gotten the idea that I might be a cynic - you're probably right. But I like "realist" better.