So I sort of forgot I had this blog. Now is a pretty good time for me to get serious about blogging though cause I'm about to become a mama!
I am due June 12 but we are hoping and hoping our little girl makes an appearance tomorrow! Of course all the negative people out there will say "She'll come when she comes. There's nothing you can do to speed it up" but we prefer to be positive.
We're staying positive about a lot of things. Pregnancy is not easy for a number of reasons. I'm uncomfortable, of course, even though I've been blessed to not have any real morning sickness, but what I really can't stand is all the people who have something to say. So allow me to vent about that for a moment...
Fat jokes. When I was first beginning to really show it was a challenge for me. I've always been tiny and now I was gaining all this crazy weight and I didn't like it. So of course that's when all the old men I run into decide it's ok to start making fat jokes. Seriously, these are men with children of their own. Did their wive's pregnancies teach them nothing?!
Two comments I really hate:
"I've never seen you eat this much!" I've always been a good eater. Just because I've never looked like it before does not mean it hasn't happened. I am not eating twice as much just because I'm pregnant. This is a normal amount of food for me. My self esteem is suffering, I really don't need you pointing out my food habits for everyone to see.
"Looks like you've been eating too much!" Again, I'm not eating any more than I usually do. I know this is just your "cute" way of saying "You're putting on some weight" but this comment is just not necessary.
Then there are all the women who have to laugh in your face when you say you're thinking about a natural birth. I will say, I haven't made up my mind either way, but if you're just going to laugh at my thoughts, why even bring this up in conversation?
Them: Good luck. You're NOT going to try to do it without drugs, right?
Me: I don't know. I'm thinking about it.
Them: Ha! Yeah right! As soon as you get in there you'll be screaming for the epidural!
I don't think you know my body as well as I do. I'll make the decision when it's right for me. People like this make me want to have a natural birth just so I can shove it in their face later. Women do it all the time. Why can't I?
Then there are the safety experts. They chime in on everything from crib placement to breastfeeding to cleaning products. As if I don't have enough to worry about. You really think it's a bad idea to hang a framed picture in the nursery? As if the nursery is the only place my baby will ever be. If a frame isn't safe in the nursery, why is it ok in any other room? Should I just remove any decor from my house and add padding to any and every corner of everything? Oooo but I have to be careful with that too. I wouldn't want to use the wrong kind of rubber or plastic and poison my baby. I also need to repaint my entire house to make sure the paint is safe for the baby. And while we're at it I should probably move all my furniture 8 inches away from the wall so that the baby can't stand on anything to reach anything on the shelves. I don't have time for this.
And of course, the "Your life is gonna change forever" people. These people seem to believe once you have a child, your life is over. You will be stuck at home for the next 18 years with no sleep and no happiness. Your baby will probably be a real pain, full of hormones and drama. They will hate you. Deal with it.
Seriously? If all kids ever do is screw up your life and hate you, why do you keep having them? Pretty sure I'm gonna love my baby and they'll love me back. Maybe that's too optimistic. We'll see.
Finally there are the "You need to practice" people. These people are just trying to get you to take care of their screaming/tantrum-throwing/smelly diaper kid for a little bit. Not gonna happen. We'll deal with that part of raising kids when we get there. Stop trying to convince me that kids are cranky and smelly all the time and this is something I need to acclimate myself to.
I'm not expecting everything to be perfect right from the beginning but I do plan to be a happy and active parent. I plan on having active and happy kids and a beautiful birth too. Can you just be happy for me and leave it at that? Ok thanks!
I've had lots of people who ARE super supportive and positive and wonderful to hear from. They are the ones I've returned to for more answers because I feel like their answers are realistic and not pessimistic. Thank you to those people!
Monday, June 4, 2012
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Personal thoughts
I am an incredibly fortunate person and I'm not exactly sure why yet but I definitely like it. I am kind of a cynic. I don't always have a lot of faith in myself and if i'm not incredibly talented at something I'm not gonna do it. I'm going to compare myself to every person I see doing something better, knock myself down and give up before I even really begin. This is probably why I never wanted to learn the piano. Katie was awesome -- I can't compete! It's probably why I didn't want to dance. That was Michelle's thing and she was great! It's definitely why I gave up on photography. However, this semi failure lead me to some pretty incredible people who may have no idea how much they changed my life. I realize my life is still just beginning and -- being me -- I don't want to get ahead of myself but I figure posting my honest thoughts about these people on a blog that no one ever reads couldn't hurt. So here it goes!
I quit photography. For a couple reasons. Mainly I realized it was going to be expensive to get really going with. I loved being in a black room and using all the chemicals but that was something you did in a class room -- no one does that in real life anymore. I also sucked. The teacher made it pretty clear. Never a compliment for my photos only things I could improve. It drove me nuts! Then I had to sit and watch everyone else who had amazing photos get not as many critiques and... I was done. So I quit my technical school and went back to regular high school.
Now I was kinda screwed. I wanted to do photography at a lower level without so much competition but I couldn't get in to that class in the public school. So I joined newspaper, kind of on a whim. I figured I could snap some photos and I'd always loved writing.
I ended up really liking it. It was easy. I talked to people, I wrote it down, I turned it in. No big deal. I wouldn't say I had a passion for it just yet but I thought it was ok. This is where my first life changer comes in. Ms. LeBaron was kinda crazy. I never knew what she thought of my work because all she did was mark it up and hand it back until I got it right. Sometimes she would get a little annoyed (working with teenagers all day will do this to you) and she'd take it out on some unsuspecting student. On the other hand she loved to have fun and it was clear she wanted to be a cool teacher. Her rules int he classroom were lax but her rules about writing were rigid. But -- her class was easy for me.
One day she announced to the class the annual trip to the high school journalism convention. This year it would be in Philadelphia. It would cost something ridiculous but it was a week long trip to Philadelphia to see all the sites, take journalism work shops and compete nationally for recognition. My family has always been poor so I was not even considering it.
I was completely shocked a few weeks later when Ms. LeBaron pulled me aside and offered to take me at no charge. She told me I worked hard and she could see it and she felt like I deserved the trip. I was speechless, I couldn't believe it, and in the end I went!
It was a mostly fun trip, just seeing all the sites. The convention seemed like an excuse. In the end I won an award for excellence in the category of News writing in a competition against hundreds of other kids. That was basically 2nd place and it was at a national competition. It was just the little push I needed to realize maybe I could do this.
Ms. LeBaron continued to support me. The next year she took me to the convention again at no cost and again I won a prize (a lesser one but it was a larger convention so I didn't feel too bad). She made me the Senior editor of our high school newspaper, just below the editor-in-chief, even though I'd only had one full semester of experience. I don't know why but she believed in me. She believed in my talent and she supported it, in very secretive ways. She didn't show any public favor towards me but I always knew she was on my team.
When I made it to ASU I was a little scared. Suddenly I was in a top journalism school with hundreds of other kids who had way more experience than me. I took my two dinky little high school journalism awards and hid behind them.
My next amazing person took a little longer to find. He was another teacher. He didn't seem to notice me at all but he also seemed like a nervous teacher so I didn't take it personally. His part in my life was I'm sure nothing major to him but it had a huge impact on me.
He announced in class one day a class being offered at ASU that was sort of like an internship. You get hired at the Republic to be on the breaking news team and for two shifts a week you literally cover breaking news for all of Arizona.
I knew it was the experience I needed and I felt ready, so I told Abe I was interested in the position. He never really said anything about it but during my interview, I was told I'd been recommended and so I was at the top of the list. When I was hired I gave all the credit to Abe. We never talked about it but like I said earlier -- I needed that push. I needed to know someone had faith in me for me to have faith in myself.
This class/internship was awesome. I had great experiences, I covered huge stories and I met Aric. Aric is just a great teacher. Not that he was ever standing in front of us teaching us anything but he knows the business and he knows how life can go and he always has time for his students. He never did anything like recommend me for a competitive internship or take me on an amazing trip -- he just talked. He talked all the time. Not just to me but to all of his students. He cared what was going on in our lives and what our plans were for the future. Even now I feel comfortable calling him up and asking him for advice on anything. He was just awesome.
Aric gave me great advice. When my internship was coming to an end and I was considering the future he told me the Ahwatukee paper would be great for me. How did he know? DUH! He'd talked to me! He knew what I wanted. What a perfect match it was.
I was so excited to get an internship there. It was my first real job I'd gotten all on my own. Aric didn't know anyone there personally -- he'd just told me to apply. And I did and they liked me so ^^^ goes my confidence.
My internship was good. I always wanted more to do but I loved the community and the community loved their little paper. I felt comfortable with the people in the news room. It was just fun, easy going and at the same time it was work and it was professional and I was accomplishing something. Kelly was the next amazing person I ran in to.
Kelly was the editor in Ahwatukee. I'd just come from the Republic where Aric sat down with us all the time to check up on us and see how things were going. Kelly didn't have time for this. I spent the entire semester wondering how she felt about me. While I was unsure about her, I'd gotten a great response from the community. So many people were so grateful for my articles. So I left feeling confident and went on to my next internship.
I'm still in disbelief that Kelly called me back and offered me a job. I've started the job and I'm still working to fit everything in but I just can't get over how fortunate I am. Holy cow have I been lucky. I've had so many people who just want to support me. Of course these are just my professional relationships -- I haven't even mentioned my mom and my immediate family who are ALWAYS amazing.
I'm just super, super, super blessed. The end.
I quit photography. For a couple reasons. Mainly I realized it was going to be expensive to get really going with. I loved being in a black room and using all the chemicals but that was something you did in a class room -- no one does that in real life anymore. I also sucked. The teacher made it pretty clear. Never a compliment for my photos only things I could improve. It drove me nuts! Then I had to sit and watch everyone else who had amazing photos get not as many critiques and... I was done. So I quit my technical school and went back to regular high school.
Now I was kinda screwed. I wanted to do photography at a lower level without so much competition but I couldn't get in to that class in the public school. So I joined newspaper, kind of on a whim. I figured I could snap some photos and I'd always loved writing.
I ended up really liking it. It was easy. I talked to people, I wrote it down, I turned it in. No big deal. I wouldn't say I had a passion for it just yet but I thought it was ok. This is where my first life changer comes in. Ms. LeBaron was kinda crazy. I never knew what she thought of my work because all she did was mark it up and hand it back until I got it right. Sometimes she would get a little annoyed (working with teenagers all day will do this to you) and she'd take it out on some unsuspecting student. On the other hand she loved to have fun and it was clear she wanted to be a cool teacher. Her rules int he classroom were lax but her rules about writing were rigid. But -- her class was easy for me.
One day she announced to the class the annual trip to the high school journalism convention. This year it would be in Philadelphia. It would cost something ridiculous but it was a week long trip to Philadelphia to see all the sites, take journalism work shops and compete nationally for recognition. My family has always been poor so I was not even considering it.
I was completely shocked a few weeks later when Ms. LeBaron pulled me aside and offered to take me at no charge. She told me I worked hard and she could see it and she felt like I deserved the trip. I was speechless, I couldn't believe it, and in the end I went!
It was a mostly fun trip, just seeing all the sites. The convention seemed like an excuse. In the end I won an award for excellence in the category of News writing in a competition against hundreds of other kids. That was basically 2nd place and it was at a national competition. It was just the little push I needed to realize maybe I could do this.
Ms. LeBaron continued to support me. The next year she took me to the convention again at no cost and again I won a prize (a lesser one but it was a larger convention so I didn't feel too bad). She made me the Senior editor of our high school newspaper, just below the editor-in-chief, even though I'd only had one full semester of experience. I don't know why but she believed in me. She believed in my talent and she supported it, in very secretive ways. She didn't show any public favor towards me but I always knew she was on my team.
When I made it to ASU I was a little scared. Suddenly I was in a top journalism school with hundreds of other kids who had way more experience than me. I took my two dinky little high school journalism awards and hid behind them.
My next amazing person took a little longer to find. He was another teacher. He didn't seem to notice me at all but he also seemed like a nervous teacher so I didn't take it personally. His part in my life was I'm sure nothing major to him but it had a huge impact on me.
He announced in class one day a class being offered at ASU that was sort of like an internship. You get hired at the Republic to be on the breaking news team and for two shifts a week you literally cover breaking news for all of Arizona.
I knew it was the experience I needed and I felt ready, so I told Abe I was interested in the position. He never really said anything about it but during my interview, I was told I'd been recommended and so I was at the top of the list. When I was hired I gave all the credit to Abe. We never talked about it but like I said earlier -- I needed that push. I needed to know someone had faith in me for me to have faith in myself.
This class/internship was awesome. I had great experiences, I covered huge stories and I met Aric. Aric is just a great teacher. Not that he was ever standing in front of us teaching us anything but he knows the business and he knows how life can go and he always has time for his students. He never did anything like recommend me for a competitive internship or take me on an amazing trip -- he just talked. He talked all the time. Not just to me but to all of his students. He cared what was going on in our lives and what our plans were for the future. Even now I feel comfortable calling him up and asking him for advice on anything. He was just awesome.
Aric gave me great advice. When my internship was coming to an end and I was considering the future he told me the Ahwatukee paper would be great for me. How did he know? DUH! He'd talked to me! He knew what I wanted. What a perfect match it was.
I was so excited to get an internship there. It was my first real job I'd gotten all on my own. Aric didn't know anyone there personally -- he'd just told me to apply. And I did and they liked me so ^^^ goes my confidence.
My internship was good. I always wanted more to do but I loved the community and the community loved their little paper. I felt comfortable with the people in the news room. It was just fun, easy going and at the same time it was work and it was professional and I was accomplishing something. Kelly was the next amazing person I ran in to.
Kelly was the editor in Ahwatukee. I'd just come from the Republic where Aric sat down with us all the time to check up on us and see how things were going. Kelly didn't have time for this. I spent the entire semester wondering how she felt about me. While I was unsure about her, I'd gotten a great response from the community. So many people were so grateful for my articles. So I left feeling confident and went on to my next internship.
I'm still in disbelief that Kelly called me back and offered me a job. I've started the job and I'm still working to fit everything in but I just can't get over how fortunate I am. Holy cow have I been lucky. I've had so many people who just want to support me. Of course these are just my professional relationships -- I haven't even mentioned my mom and my immediate family who are ALWAYS amazing.
I'm just super, super, super blessed. The end.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
I'm kinda awesome
So... I'm pretty awesome. That's really all I have to say.
I admit -- it might not be all me. My Heavenly Father's watchin out for me too. My husband and I have been dying paying for our freaking apartment! We bought a house, couldn't get out of our lease, and have ended up paying for part of the lease as well as our mortgage for the past few months. All of this while I completed an unpaid internship and was bringing in about 400-500 dollars a month. We lived off Brendon and cried at the end of the month -- every month. And then sulkily asked his mom for the help we needed. She always helped, and we always felt terrible and immature because we couldn't pay our bills.
I prayed so hard! I couldn't take it anymore! There was so much I felt like I was missing out on because I just couldn't afford it.
Our prayers were answered in many ways:
1. My amazing best friend moved here and offered to pay the full price of the apartment for January -- even though they only lived there for part of the month. That helped us pay our mortgage for February.
2. A manager at a different store found a new job and Brendon took over his spot. This may or may not mean a pay raise but it does mean he gets benefits and bonuses and he's definitely more excited about his job.
3. The last one is kind of tricky. First of all I got a paid internship -- which was awesome. That extra money really helped our bills and we were feeling comfortable for once... and then it got better.
4. I was offered a job. A real job. A full time, benefits included, reporting job at a local paper. The pay isn't awesome but the job is actually perfect for me. And most importantly, it's something I can count on for a while as long as I work impossibly hard -- which I love to do!
But I'm awesome because it's my hard work during my unpaid internship that got me the job offer. The editor said I really impressed her. So... go me! And go Brendon because his new position is awesome too and I know he worked hard to achieve it. And thank you Heavenly Father for answering our prayers!
I admit -- it might not be all me. My Heavenly Father's watchin out for me too. My husband and I have been dying paying for our freaking apartment! We bought a house, couldn't get out of our lease, and have ended up paying for part of the lease as well as our mortgage for the past few months. All of this while I completed an unpaid internship and was bringing in about 400-500 dollars a month. We lived off Brendon and cried at the end of the month -- every month. And then sulkily asked his mom for the help we needed. She always helped, and we always felt terrible and immature because we couldn't pay our bills.
I prayed so hard! I couldn't take it anymore! There was so much I felt like I was missing out on because I just couldn't afford it.
Our prayers were answered in many ways:
1. My amazing best friend moved here and offered to pay the full price of the apartment for January -- even though they only lived there for part of the month. That helped us pay our mortgage for February.
2. A manager at a different store found a new job and Brendon took over his spot. This may or may not mean a pay raise but it does mean he gets benefits and bonuses and he's definitely more excited about his job.
3. The last one is kind of tricky. First of all I got a paid internship -- which was awesome. That extra money really helped our bills and we were feeling comfortable for once... and then it got better.
4. I was offered a job. A real job. A full time, benefits included, reporting job at a local paper. The pay isn't awesome but the job is actually perfect for me. And most importantly, it's something I can count on for a while as long as I work impossibly hard -- which I love to do!
But I'm awesome because it's my hard work during my unpaid internship that got me the job offer. The editor said I really impressed her. So... go me! And go Brendon because his new position is awesome too and I know he worked hard to achieve it. And thank you Heavenly Father for answering our prayers!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Babies
I need to have a baby for social reasons.
I have not regretted getting married young. It gave us so much more time! Almost everyone gave us the advice to wait to have kids. So far, we have, and it was great advice. We have been married for almost two years and we’ve been able to go on some fun vacations and pretty much do whatever we want. But we’ve never found that great couple that we can hang out with.
Now we just bought a house. We’re excited about the house. It's small and fits us just perfectly but a new house means a new neighborhood with new neighbors and a new ward at church. New couples.
We love our ward. When we moved in we were excited to see we were not the only young couple there. We took note of two or three couples with no kids that we could get to know.
But now I’m looking around. All the couples we were hoping to get to know… are pregnant.
This is why I was glad I got married young. None of my friends were married yet so there was no pressure to have kids right away. We could still hang out with them and just have fun. Now they’re all getting married and we were so excited! However, it seems no one else is following our example and waiting to have kids. They’re all pregnant.
For a while none of my siblings had kids either. I grew up with a few good cousins and I want my kids to have lots of cousins their age too because I love spending time with my family – I want my kids to enjoy that time too. Guess who got kids? BOTH of my sisters!
Another reason I want a kid is because I have a hard time getting to know people. I’m pretty awkward. But kids are an excellent talking point! I have so many cute stories about my nieces but any mother listening to me talking about a kid I’m not personally raising is just gonna think I’m a weirdo. You need your own kid in order to talk about kids.
So I’m baby crazy! I am DYING to have a child. I feel ready to be a mom. But honestly, we’re not ready. Yes we have a house but we also have very low pay and a few more years of school ahead of us and absolutely no time.
Of course the main problem is school and the only way for us to get through school is with time. I’ve got a year left, Brendon has at least two years left. At the moment I am working 36 hours and taking 16 credit hours at school. I get home around 7 p.m. on a good night (10:30 p.m. on some nights). Brendon leaves the house around 5:45 a.m.. I leave at 7 or 8. Our dog hates us.
Anyways those are my excuses.
So here’s my reasons for wanting a baby:
1. I would like to have a conversation starter
2. I want to fit in with my friends
3. I want to make new friends
4. I’m crazy jealous of everyone else who has a kid because they’re so gosh darn cute
5. I want my kids to grow up with other kids their age
6. I want to be a mom
Reasons against having a baby:
1. Gotta finish school
2. Gotta get Brendon through school
3. Gotta find a job that gives me reasonable hours and time off for my pregnancy.
So I definitely have more reasons for wanting a baby… that’s enough right?
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Things I'm thankful for...
I realize I'm a little late but I feel like to be a good blogger I must recognize the holidays. So, Thanksgiving just came and passed and I would like to post a few things I'm thankful for.
First, I am thankful that facebook gives you the option to not announce to everyone your scores when you play a game. I'm not even real proud of the fact that I play games on facebook but I do play Bejewled Blitz when I'm bored and 90% of the time I get a score I'm not proud of. Facebook is always proud of me. "You got a 25k medal!" Your friend on the side who scored 433,000 probably gets 25,000 in her sleep but good job, let's tell everyone! But then they offer you the option of control "Or... I guess you can cancel this and pretend it never happened..." Thank you facebook :)
I'm also thankful for email and text messages. I know people say they're ruining the way people communicate, but I'm pretty sure they're helpin me out. I'm awkward to talk to. At least with texting and emailing I have time to go back and edit what I'm saying. Text messages have also helped my family communicate much better. Mass texts = amazing.
While I may be awkward to talk to at least I am fortunate enough to not be rude or completely obnoxious. I would much rather be quiet or "shy" than annoying. I may have less friends because of this but they are much better listeners :)
I'm also grateful this season for my puppy. He may bite me all the freakin time but every once in a while he sits back and actually looks cute.
Who could be mad at that? Only a puppy hater, which I am not.
I'm grateful for study guides. Without them I have to rely completely on notes... which sucks...
Of course I am grateful for my family and friends. They make me feel loved all the time. I would like to share a story told to me by my sister.
My adorable niece Victoria is two but she's pretty behind when it comes to talking and most social stuff. She doesn't speak in full sentences but she does understand a ton and she's getting pretty good at copying. Whenever my sister kneels with her to say nightly prayers Victoria will either pretend to repeat what my sister says or she'll just say her own prayer out loud. On Thanksgiving night my sister put her to bed after we had spent the day with her. We'd been with the entire family but when Victoria said her own prayer she decided rather than repeating she was going to make up her own words. The only names she mentioned in her prayer were "Ahhy and Bwendn"--which is me and my husband. If I've got that little girl prayin for me I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be ok :)
First, I am thankful that facebook gives you the option to not announce to everyone your scores when you play a game. I'm not even real proud of the fact that I play games on facebook but I do play Bejewled Blitz when I'm bored and 90% of the time I get a score I'm not proud of. Facebook is always proud of me. "You got a 25k medal!" Your friend on the side who scored 433,000 probably gets 25,000 in her sleep but good job, let's tell everyone! But then they offer you the option of control "Or... I guess you can cancel this and pretend it never happened..." Thank you facebook :)
I'm also thankful for email and text messages. I know people say they're ruining the way people communicate, but I'm pretty sure they're helpin me out. I'm awkward to talk to. At least with texting and emailing I have time to go back and edit what I'm saying. Text messages have also helped my family communicate much better. Mass texts = amazing.
While I may be awkward to talk to at least I am fortunate enough to not be rude or completely obnoxious. I would much rather be quiet or "shy" than annoying. I may have less friends because of this but they are much better listeners :)
I'm also grateful this season for my puppy. He may bite me all the freakin time but every once in a while he sits back and actually looks cute.
I'm grateful for study guides. Without them I have to rely completely on notes... which sucks...
Of course I am grateful for my family and friends. They make me feel loved all the time. I would like to share a story told to me by my sister.
My adorable niece Victoria is two but she's pretty behind when it comes to talking and most social stuff. She doesn't speak in full sentences but she does understand a ton and she's getting pretty good at copying. Whenever my sister kneels with her to say nightly prayers Victoria will either pretend to repeat what my sister says or she'll just say her own prayer out loud. On Thanksgiving night my sister put her to bed after we had spent the day with her. We'd been with the entire family but when Victoria said her own prayer she decided rather than repeating she was going to make up her own words. The only names she mentioned in her prayer were "Ahhy and Bwendn"--which is me and my husband. If I've got that little girl prayin for me I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be ok :)
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Oh be wise, what can I say more?
It drives me crazy when people don't do the simple little things. I'm almost positive they're the same people who complain later when it backfires. There's so many tiny rules that are so EASY to follow and yet, so many people just ignore them.
Like on the light rail. Arizona got a new light rail a few years back. It's convenient for ASU students because it runs right through campus and all the way to downtown Phoenix. They've also provided free parking at a few stops so ASU students can save a bundle on parking. They still expect students to pay for their ride but they've made this process simple too. They provide a "U-pass" to students for $80 a year. All students have to do is tap their little card (literally tap, not slide, not shove in any hole just tap against the outside, it really doesn't even need to touch just hover over) on an orange square at the ticket booth and then their ride is paid for. I assume they want students to do this so they can track the success of the light rail. They want to be able to keep track of who is using it, how often, what stops, all that good stuff so they can consider whether or not they may make it bigger in the future. It's so important for Arizona to track this information that they require that students tap their card before boarding or they could receive a fine of up to $500.
It's very easy for anyone to hop on the light rail without tapping their card and most of the time you can ride care free and never have to show your card to anyone but every once in a while those security guards get on at a random stop and ask to see your card. They have a little scanner to see if you tapped your card and if you didn't... you got some 'splainin to do.
So why risk it? It takes two seconds to tap your card. You already paid for the card so it's not like it costs you anything but those precious two seconds to tap it. You're probably going to wait an average of five minutes until the next train arrives anyways so why not tap your freaking card?!
Another pet peeve of mine is dealing with cross walks. I don't understand J-walking in the first place. Especially if you're going to run into a crosswalk sometime anyways but you just decide "Oh, no cars are coming I'm gonna cross NOW!" But that's just a little pet peeve. My bigger pet peeve is j-walking when you ARE STANDING AT A CROSSWALK! How would someone do this, you ask?
It happens all the time in downtown Phoenix. People walk up to a light that they know rarely changes so instead of pressing the button and waiting for it to change, they look both ways and then run across the street as fast as they can. Why not press the button? It's such a small simple thing! You're going to stand there for five minutes looking for a chance to run across anyways, why not press the button in the mean time and maybe it'll stop the cars for you! No, no, no let's just run across and hope no cop gives us a ticket for j-walking. It does happen! So do the smart thing!
These are only a few examples but I feel like the simple things are over looked in many areas of life.
I'm LDS and the next stuff I say may come off offensive but I don't mean it to be. I just want to stress the simple stuff.
Recently President Boyd K. Packer gave a talk about homosexuality. I know members of my own religion who are struggling with it who took offense when President Packer did not mention getting outside help during his talk. Instead he focused on the religious aspect of overcoming homosexuality. He mentioned prayer, scripture study and the power of priesthood. He mentioned the simple things. People were highly offended but I wonder... when was the last time you really prayed? How often do you read your scriptures? Do you do them both together? How often do you thank the Lord for everything you do have? I don't mean to offend but I honestly believe it's the simple, consistent little things that make a difference and then therapy has a better chance of working!
I believe simple things also apply to marriages and keeping a clean house. I'm no expert on either of these things but I've experienced a little bit of it.
When my husband does simple little things like giving me a kiss hello or telling me I look pretty, it goes a long way. When I rinse off my dish and put it in the dishwasher right away, it makes it so much easier to get the dishes clean and put away later.
So why not do it? Why put off these things any longer? Yes I am comparing taking two seconds to tap your card to thanking the Lord for all you have or saying a prayer. I am comparing pressing the button at a cross walk to reading your scriptures or complimenting your spouse. I realize sometimes there are outside forces that complicate these things. Sometimes there is no button at the cross walk but I still believe the simple act of waiting for the light to change is safer than trying to cross alone!
Like on the light rail. Arizona got a new light rail a few years back. It's convenient for ASU students because it runs right through campus and all the way to downtown Phoenix. They've also provided free parking at a few stops so ASU students can save a bundle on parking. They still expect students to pay for their ride but they've made this process simple too. They provide a "U-pass" to students for $80 a year. All students have to do is tap their little card (literally tap, not slide, not shove in any hole just tap against the outside, it really doesn't even need to touch just hover over) on an orange square at the ticket booth and then their ride is paid for. I assume they want students to do this so they can track the success of the light rail. They want to be able to keep track of who is using it, how often, what stops, all that good stuff so they can consider whether or not they may make it bigger in the future. It's so important for Arizona to track this information that they require that students tap their card before boarding or they could receive a fine of up to $500.
It's very easy for anyone to hop on the light rail without tapping their card and most of the time you can ride care free and never have to show your card to anyone but every once in a while those security guards get on at a random stop and ask to see your card. They have a little scanner to see if you tapped your card and if you didn't... you got some 'splainin to do.
So why risk it? It takes two seconds to tap your card. You already paid for the card so it's not like it costs you anything but those precious two seconds to tap it. You're probably going to wait an average of five minutes until the next train arrives anyways so why not tap your freaking card?!
Another pet peeve of mine is dealing with cross walks. I don't understand J-walking in the first place. Especially if you're going to run into a crosswalk sometime anyways but you just decide "Oh, no cars are coming I'm gonna cross NOW!" But that's just a little pet peeve. My bigger pet peeve is j-walking when you ARE STANDING AT A CROSSWALK! How would someone do this, you ask?
It happens all the time in downtown Phoenix. People walk up to a light that they know rarely changes so instead of pressing the button and waiting for it to change, they look both ways and then run across the street as fast as they can. Why not press the button? It's such a small simple thing! You're going to stand there for five minutes looking for a chance to run across anyways, why not press the button in the mean time and maybe it'll stop the cars for you! No, no, no let's just run across and hope no cop gives us a ticket for j-walking. It does happen! So do the smart thing!
These are only a few examples but I feel like the simple things are over looked in many areas of life.
I'm LDS and the next stuff I say may come off offensive but I don't mean it to be. I just want to stress the simple stuff.
Recently President Boyd K. Packer gave a talk about homosexuality. I know members of my own religion who are struggling with it who took offense when President Packer did not mention getting outside help during his talk. Instead he focused on the religious aspect of overcoming homosexuality. He mentioned prayer, scripture study and the power of priesthood. He mentioned the simple things. People were highly offended but I wonder... when was the last time you really prayed? How often do you read your scriptures? Do you do them both together? How often do you thank the Lord for everything you do have? I don't mean to offend but I honestly believe it's the simple, consistent little things that make a difference and then therapy has a better chance of working!
I believe simple things also apply to marriages and keeping a clean house. I'm no expert on either of these things but I've experienced a little bit of it.
When my husband does simple little things like giving me a kiss hello or telling me I look pretty, it goes a long way. When I rinse off my dish and put it in the dishwasher right away, it makes it so much easier to get the dishes clean and put away later.
So why not do it? Why put off these things any longer? Yes I am comparing taking two seconds to tap your card to thanking the Lord for all you have or saying a prayer. I am comparing pressing the button at a cross walk to reading your scriptures or complimenting your spouse. I realize sometimes there are outside forces that complicate these things. Sometimes there is no button at the cross walk but I still believe the simple act of waiting for the light to change is safer than trying to cross alone!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
I'm not really an angry person...
I'm reading over my very few posts and considering sharing this blog with my family but before I do I just want everyone to be aware I'm really not an angry person! I really could care less if you don't know the difference between manatees and dugongs, what you do at sporting events or if you are not the best teacher.
But -- I really started this blog just to write. I happen to enjoy writing in a sarcastic and angry way.
Family: if you are hoping to read this blog and get updates about my life... I can't guarantee that'll happen. This is a venting place. I just want to enjoy it :)
I do enjoy talking about my every day life to no one in particular though so who knows, it may have the occasional journal entry but let's not hold our breath for it... Love you!
But -- I really started this blog just to write. I happen to enjoy writing in a sarcastic and angry way.
Family: if you are hoping to read this blog and get updates about my life... I can't guarantee that'll happen. This is a venting place. I just want to enjoy it :)
I do enjoy talking about my every day life to no one in particular though so who knows, it may have the occasional journal entry but let's not hold our breath for it... Love you!
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