Confessions of a Less Than Dangerous Mind

The Whatty What?

2009-06-17T23:24:00.000-07:00

I was in my store today and I overheard someone say to their friend “I don’t thinking you are doing that right”. I have heard that before, but it got me thinking about people I know in my life. When I heard this statement, I was holding a book called Zen Inspirations…and I could only think of one thing, the Angry Buddhist.

There is this acquaintance I have, who I have known for several years. At times, we have been friendly, other times, not so much. This person makes much of the fact that they are a practicing Buddhist, which I find admirable. As a religion and a lifestyle, there is much about Buddhism which I find commendable. The emphasis on striving for peace in one’s surroundings and learning control and self-mastery are wonderful pursuits. However, my associate, well, I don’t think they are doing it right. I am not sure I have met a person who is more consistently ticked off and mad at the world and on occasion, rude and self-serving.

Now a disclaimer is in order here… I am by no means attempting to disparage this person because they are not perfect. I am not perfect. I fail consistently in my efforts to keep up with my spiritual beliefs. I am a wandering soul like most who strives to live up to a standard, just knowing that perfection cannot be totally achieved.

I think this leads to something I have been thinking about for awhile and that is this…be what you are. There was the famous rant from former NFL coach Dennis Green a few years ago…

They are who we thought they were…am I who I think I am. I would like to think of myself as a caring person, concerned with the welfare of my family and those around me. I think I am good at my job, good at being a father, a husband, a son, a brother…but am I really? This must be the question we should be consistently asking ourselves. It can be expressed in many ways…to thine own self be true being maybe the most famous…In my own core beliefs, I have a lot of thoughts about this which I wrote about on my other blog…read it if you like (it can be a little preachy)

So I guess the thought is all this is this…whatever you are, be a good one and live up to what you are striving for. If you are a Buddhist, try and not be an angry one. If you are a Mormon, try and live up to that, etc. Too much time in our live is lost in saying we are one thing and then not being that thing.

Bouncy Bounce

2009-06-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things is Daddy-Daughter day, where it is just me and Cooper. Mommy works that day so I take the day off so we don't have to pay for day care. We are trying to find new things to do. There is a new place we have found down the street call Jumping Jacks. It is a warehouse full of blow up bounce houses. We got Coop a summer pass and now have taken her a couple of times This is a genius idea...she plays hard and gets worn out and I get the chance to read when I am not checking on her.

Coop is such a bright and playful girl, she makes friends so easily when in situations like these. When we went this week, there was only a couple of other kids there, but within a few minutes she had made friends with a little girl. They played and chased and ran around. Every time Cooper turned a corner, she would yell out "Cooper"... When we left, she ran over and told Cooper goodbye about 4 or 5 times. When we got to the car, I asked Coop what her friend's name was and she replied, "I don't know...

Yes, I Know

2009-06-01T23:24:00.000-07:00

It has been a very long time since I have posted anything. After my Mom passed away, I kind of list the initiative to write, but I have lately gotten the inspiration to write again on some level. I will try and keep two blogs going, one for personal and family stuff here and another for more spiritual and philosophical ramblings...here's to hoping I can keep it up this time...

I will always miss you, Mom

2008-02-21T20:07:00.000-08:00

Marilyn Lee Pratt Jaques was born on February 27, 1943, in Hermiston, Oregon. She was born to Nina Mern Mitchell and Eugene Franklin Pratt, joining her older sister, Jeanie. She lived in Utah and Oregon in her younger years, eventually settling in Nyssa, Oregon. She was on the honor roll all four years of high school. She was chosen to represent the state of Oregon on a trip for high school students where they traveled across Canada and to New York and Washington, D.C. She graduated from Nyssa High School in 1961 and attended one semester at the University of Oregon on scholarship. She married Clark Whitney Jaques on July 29, 1961, in Nyssa. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple on December 17, 1963.

Clark went into the Army in December of 1961 and Marilyn joined him in June of 1962 in Black River, New York. They were then transferred to Fort Dix, New Jersey, where David was born in 1963 and Clain in 1964. David's birth cost $3.50 and Clain's was $5.25. The family moved to Roseville, California, in January of 1965, later moving to San Gabriel, California, in August of 1965, during the height of the Watts Riots. During their time in California, Marilyn worked for U.S. Forest Service. Andrea was born in 1969 in San Gabriel. The family then moved to Flagstaff Clark came in April of 1970, where Matt was then born in 1971. to Page in March of 1975 to open the Village Inn, with the rest of the family following in August of that year. She first worked at Page Elementary as a teacher's aide before becoming the children’s librarian for the city library for 23 years. She loved children, reading, and especially reading to children during story hour. By the time she retired in December of 2005, she was reading to the children of those she had read to many years before. After retiring from the library, she was a volunteer with the high school reading program for one semester, where she went in and read to the students two to three times a week, working with Angela Schoppmann. She loved good music, especially old-time gospel hymns and was a huge fan of Vince Gill. She had the chance to see him twice in the past year. She said that she could die happy now because of that fact. She was a huge Sand Devil sports fan and continued to support their programs even after all of her children had graduated from school. She learned to love sports and Clark learned to read.

She passed away on February 17, 2008, from complications of hepatitis C, after having beaten breast cancer and gallbladder disease.

She was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her husband, Clark; her four children: David Olsen, William Clain (Michele), Andrea Lynn, and Matthew Madison (Camille); and also by her six beloved grandchildren; Charlie, Chandler, Kristin, Madison, Michael, and Cooper

The role of a husband

2008-01-08T13:26:00.000-08:00

In following up on yesterday's thoughts, I was reading in 1 Nephi 5 this morning and I saw another great example from Lehi, this time in the role of husband. After the lengthy absence of her sons, Sariah, a faithful woman herself, began to murmur and express doubts in what their family had done. This is understandable...she has left her home and know thinks she may have lost her sons as well and she lashes out at the closest person to her, her husband.

But rather than get upset or lash back, Lehi shares his testimony with his wife and expresses his sincere belief in the choices they have made. "And after this manner of language did my father, Lehi, comfort my mother, Sariah, concerning us, while we journeyed in the wilderness up to the land of Jerusalem, to obtain the record of the Jews."(1 Nephi 5:6)

As priesthood holders and heads of families, sometimes it is our role to bear witness and share our testimonies with those in our families, whether it be spouses or children. The power of our words can be a source of comfort in times of struggle.

However, we must make sure the lives we are leading are worthy to make those testimonies. In Romans 2, verses 21-23, we are admonished to make sure that when we teach or share our beliefs, that we are living it as well.

"21 Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?" (Romans 2:21-23)

Make sure you are living it and then make sure you are sharing it, especially with those you love.

New Year, New Goals

2008-01-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

I have not written much as of late. I have been so busy between finishing the last term at school and work (retail+Christmas=much aggravation) and some other trials that I simply have not had time to write.

I have made several new goals for this year...to read the Book of Mormon twice through, to do my home teaching every month, to attend the temple every month, to finish my MLIS with a certain GPA and, of course, to find a job in my chosen field of study. I have also decided to read the scriptures more often and maybe a little more closely than I have in the past. I have been trying to take notes in a more productive fashion, hoping to help me retain more of what I have studied.

In reading about Elder Ballard's urging members to use new media, such as blogs, to help spread to gospel, I am going to use this forum as a way of sharing thoughts I have while I study the scriptures. I have committed myself to reading 2 chapters in the Book of Mormon and 1 chapter in the New Testament every day. When I get the chance, I will share some of my thoughts on my reading here. Comments, thoughts and discussions are always welcome...

In chapter 2 of 1 Nephi, the Lord tells Lehi. "Blessed art thou Lehi, because of the things which thou hast done; and because thou hast been faithful and declared unto this people the things which I commanded thee, behold, they seek to take away thy life." Sometimes in life, it is hard to understand why persecution comes even when you are doing exactly as the Lord wants. Lehi followed the Lord's instructions and yet is told that because he did it, people will try and harm him. I think of the early saints in this dispensation and the persecution they faced, knowing that it would come and yet, they still were faithful. There may be no more impressive quality in a person that knowing that the hard times are coming and yet still facing up to it and doing what they believe in and not taking the easy or safer way out.

Later in the same chapter, Lehi and his famaily have left Jerusalem and have been in the wilderness for three days. They finally stop and pitch their tents. What is the first thing that Lehi does? "And it came to pass that he built an altar of stones, and made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks unto the Lord our God." He gave thanks, even the midst of trials. When life's hardships fall upon us and we get a little respite, is the first thing we do to kneel down and offer thanks?

Rightfully so, Nephi is the focus of much of the early part of the Book of Mormon, but as a father now, I love reading about Lehi and his great example of being a parent and being faithul and showing a great example to his children. It, of course, doesn't mean they always listened to him, but he lived it and meant it. Am I that kind of example to my daughter? Does she see that when times are tough, Daddy still says his prayers and give thanks for all his blessings? Does she see Daddy as someone who honestly belives and lives the things he professes? I hope so, but maybe this is the time to make sure I am that kind of parent like Lehi.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Children of all ages...

2007-10-02T11:13:00.000-07:00

I am almost a little embarrassed to admit, but I am in my 30's and went to the circus for the first time last Saturday...and all I can say is "What took me so long?"

I was out with Cooper on Wednesday last week after my physical therapy appointment. We decided to go to my bookstore downtown and run some errands. For those who don't know, my store is at the Gateway mall, which is next to the EnergyDeltaSolutionsLHMPalace Center. Cooper and I saw all these people lined up along the street and realized the Circus was starting that day and the Elephant Walk was about to happen...it was awesome!!! Cooper loved seeing the elephants and it became obvious, we needed to get tickets to see the circus.

So we got online, bought three tickets for the Saturday morning show and, I have to say, I was blown away. Now granted, this wasn't the local traveling freaksow circus, with a one-eyed elephant and clowns that look more like homeless people....it was the real thing, Ringling Brothers and Barum and Bailey's...it was THE circus...

We went to the Preshow and got down on the floor and saw the warm up stuff...like the painting elephant Asia...and the clowns and the trampoline guys and the acrobats...and it was great. Then the show started and it was as entertaining an even as I have been to...even the poodles doing backflips were great. We saw tigers (although one was not happy and kept taking swipes at the trainer), a live band, singing, Bello the clown, firework, overpriced souviners, trapeze artists, people shot out of cannons and most especially, the elephants. What incredible animals they are.

As a parent of a little girl, it is hard to imagine activities that Mom, Dad and Cooper all go to and all get that level of entertainment at the same time...and now we know...next year, we are saving for the front row seats...

So It's Time

2007-09-27T12:52:00.000-07:00

First of all, it as been brought to my attention that my blog is "cheesy"...hmmm... well I will attempt to lay off the cheese this time...I won't say there won't be more cheese to come, but we'll see...

The time has finally come and I am going back to work this Sunday. It has been 6 week since my surgery and I am really ready to get back to some sense of normal routine. Mentally speaking, I was ready about 3 week ago, but physically, I just have not been. In reality, I could probably use another week or two to feel comfortable, but I just need to get back. It has been encouraging to get emails and notes from co-workers, asking when I was coming back and that they missed having me there...I

I have been going to physical therapy for a couple of weeks now and it as really helped a lot. I still have some pain and some tightness in my right foot, but I have been able to walk and get around. You can see in the picture that scars are there and the foot is still kind of puffy and swollen, but I guess I will have to live with that for a while. Maybe my happiest achievement was being able to wear two shoes...since this whole thing started about 4 months ago, I had been in a walking boot, or a modified splint, and crutches and a knee roller....when I was told I could wear my shoe on that foot again, I was like "Great!! Where are all my shoes for the right foot?" Seriously, I had to go digging to find them...one was in the car, another buried in the back of the closet. My wife bought me a pair of new hush puppy loafers when this started and now, I finally get to wear it...

Letter to Cooper 9-17-2007

2007-09-17T16:40:00.000-07:00

Cooper,

I have been working on school assignments for a big chunk of the day while you have been playing. When I took a break, we played with the playdoh and read a few books (You have been partial to the Pretty Princess book…we also read Ruby’s Beauty Shop and Where are my Shoes?). As we read the books and as I went back to work on my school work, I was struck by how important education is to all of us and I want you to understand that it as well.

You still have a couple of years before you start school, but as you get older, it is so crucial that you understand how important is to learn and challenge your mind. You are a remarkably bright and perceptive girl. You surprise Mommy and I with how well you understand and comprehend things at your age. Take that natural ability you have and make sure you continue to learn all your life.

Now that does not necessarily mean you have to go to college and get a masters or a doctorate, unless you want to…(and then you can support your parents when they are old…), but it means you need to try and further yourself as best you can. Do your best in school. Take every advantage of educational opportunities. One of the best decisions I have made was to go back to school and work on a master’s degree.

King Benjamin (you will hear Daddy talk a lot about him) “caused that they should be taught in all the language of his fathers, that thereby they might become men of understanding” (Mosiah 1:2) It was important that his children were educated, not only to spiritual things, but as to temporal learning as well. “Seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.”(Doctrine and Covenants 88:118)

Remember, you are a wonderful bright and smart girl and you can do anything and learn anything that you want. You are my special princess and I love you very much.

Daddy

Here's to Frankenfoot

2007-09-07T12:27:00.001-07:00

First of let me say that is you don't want to read the posts under "spiritual rantings", I understand and won't be offended...just me getting my feelings out.

So it has been three weeks since the surgery. I am feeling OK. I am still having pain and a lot of swelling. The doctor thinks could be some kind of nerve damage/impingement going on, so I will be doing some physical therapy to try and work out the problems. As you can see by the picture, this has been kind of a messy deal...

My parents were just in town last week. It was really good to see them. We got to show off the new house and stuff to them, including our new mini-van. Yep, a mini-van. I feel so middle class now. Mini-van , a mortgage, upcoming student loan payments....I am finally going to be able to get rid of my old corisica, but that is a subject for a whole other blog...I miss seeing my parents more. I know that the amount of time I have to spend with them, especially Mom is getting shorter all the time. I wonder if the know how much they mean to me, how much they have taught me. I can only hope that I am half the parent to my daughter that they have been to me and my siblings...

I am quite frankly getting bored at staying home. I am really ready to get back to work, but I know physically I can't do it yet. I have to have some patience and make sure I don't press too hard, cause heaven knows I don't want to injure myself any further. This foot stuff stinks...

And this is life eternal

2007-09-07T12:16:00.000-07:00

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3)

Everything for which we have placed on this earth is summed in that one verse. We are here to gain eternal life and live with our Heavenly Father and this means knowing God the Father and His Son.

What does that mean? To know God? Does it mean seeing Him face to face like Moses or Joseph Smith.? That is a blessing that pretty much none of us will have the chance to experience in this lifetime. So there must be something more to it than that, something for which we can strive in this earthly existence.

The Prophet Joseph taught “the first principle of the Gospel is to know for a certainty the character of God”. In this life, we must learn all we can about the nature of God the Father, only learning and coming to know Him can we return to live with Him in the next life.

In this search for knowledge, James Talmage tells us of three ways to search for the evidence of the nature and existence of God.

First is through history and tradition. Traditions are passed down through the ages and can be evidence of the knowledge we seek. The scriptures serve as this history for us. Adam had direct knowledge of God and passed it on and it was written down. It went to Seth, Jared, Enoch, and eventually down to us in the form of the Bible. Along the way, others who had this first hand knowledge, like Moses, added their testimonies and strengthened the previous accounts.

However, those that are not guided by the Spirit add to these traditions with stories to fill in the gaps. Thus, we see such traditions as Allah, Buddha, Zeus, Osiris, Ahura Mazda, Odin, etc. Even in the Book of Mormon, those who had fallen from the true knowledge believed in the Great Spirit. So while history and tradition can be a start, it is not the final source for our quest for knowledge of God.

Next, Talmage says the subsequent step is that of human reason. Since we already have a historical basis to believe in God, our observations can confirm the reality of God and His power. In ancient times, the prevailing sin was not that of atheism, but rather of polytheism. (Thou shalt have no other gods before me”). Human nature leads man to want to believe in some form of higher power and the world around us testifies to this power.

In the Book of Mormon, Alma was contending with a proclaimed atheist named Korihor. Alma testified that “all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator.” (Alma 30:44) Even Korihor, in the end, admitted there was a God.

So history tells us there is a God. Nature and reason tell us there is a God. Unfortunately, that is where most seekers of truth are left. However, those within the restored gospel have another method of discovery, revelation. Talmage tell us that “all human knowledge of the attributes of the Godhead has been revealed from the heavens. Divine revelation is the source of all we know. In ancient times, this revelation was seen in prophets such as Moses, Samuel, David, John the Revelator, etc. In modern times, it has been restored to us through living prophets of God.

What do we know from this modern revelation?
God the Father is a glorified being as is his Son, Jesus Christ
He has a body of flesh and bones
He gave us laws so that we might progress
He is an actual personal being, not some ethereal presence
He is a loving parent who wants us to succeed and gain all of His blessings, to be “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:17)

However, even though we have been given this knowledge, we must continue to seek for Him. How? Modern revelation has clarified this for us. “This is eternal lives—to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law” (Doctrine and Covenants 132:24) We must receive His law, obey His commandments and be deserving of the blessings He wants to give us.

Furthermore, we also know how we can seek the Lord in this life. “VERILY, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am;” (Doctrine and Covenants Section 93:1) This spells out what I call the 4 “eths”: forsaketh (willing to give our wants for Him), cometh (making the effort to seek Him), obeyeth (submitting our will to His) and keepeth (will to endure through hardships).

When Moses saw God, he said he saw Him not with his natural eyes, but with his spiritual eyes. (Moses 1:11) We must seek God using our spiritual eyes. President Kimball referred to seeing with spiritual eyes as being protected in the Spirit of the Lord. Moses could not have seen the Lord with the protection of the Spirit. So as we seek knowledge of God, we must us the Holy Spirit as a guide to know what is correct.

This quest is of utmost importance to us. We are warned “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee” (Hosea 4:6)

I know and believe in the power and reality of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ and will continually seek to know them through the power of scripture and modern revelation.

To Cooper, 8-21-07

2007-08-21T22:49:00.000-07:00

I spent the day with my daughter, Cooper, today. Actually, since I am pretty much immobile and stuck in a chair all day, we spent the day watch cartoons (Superman and Justice League, bless that girl…makes a comic book nerd of a dad proud) and then she went to dance class in the afternoon. As much as I love spending time watch her proclaim herself as “Superman-Hawkgirl” and jump off couches, I felt like I needed to tell her more. I love my daughter as much as anything in this world and I have so much rattling around that I want to tell her…but she is only 3 and I am not sure a series of chats about life would really sink in. So I am going to write these things down and maybe eventually she will read these things and now how I feel…

8-21-07

Cooper,

In this life, as you get older, things will not always seem to make sense. You are three as of today and the biggest problem you have is not getting to put on your tap shoes when you want to. However, it goes a little tougher all the time and I, but am sure you have noticed that. So what can you do…why does it happen this way…?

There will be days that you may question why things seem so hard. Your mom and I have seen our fair shire of these hard times as have a lot of members of your family, we have always managed to find a way and so will you. Remember this…it may seem like it would be easier if the Lord gave us the answers in advance, if we were relieved of the “burden” of the veil so we could remember where we came from and why we are here. It certainly would make a lot of our decisions a lot easier. However, it is absolutely necessary for us to live with the gift of the veil.

I say gift for this reason. We could find no true happiness without the ability to choose. Our Heavenly Father sent us here to learn and grow and that could not fully happen if we had all the answers. The gospel can be called a lot of things, the Gospel of Peace, the Gospel of Love, etc., but from your Grandma and Grandpa Jaques, I learned that it is the gospel of work and choice. They taught me (and hopefully, your Mom and I are teaching you) these two important truths: Your successes and failures in life are based on whether or not you make correct choices and that you must work for your rewards in this life.

You must be willing to choose and live with those choices. Pres. Kimball wrote that you can make any choice you want in this life, free to choose to so anything. That is the gift of agency that Heavenly Father blessed us with. What we are not are not free to escape the consequences of your choices, or as it has been described, free to choose liberty or captivity. Whatever choices you make in life, please be thoughtful and always strive to make them the right one.

You also must remember that you must work. I had an economics teacher in college who always said the first rule of economics and life was TANSTAFL…There are no such things as free lunches. Whatever you get in this lifetime and the next is based upon what you do (and correspondingly, the choices you make). You have put forth the effort to get what you want in life and there is no way around that.

Learn what is right and wrong, ask questions and think for yourself, but remember that you must rely upon God. “Look unto me with every thought: Doubt not, fear not” (DC 6:36). You are my special girl and I love you very much,

Daddy

Recovery time

2007-08-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

Well I have been home for a couple of days after the surgery and all things considered, I feel OK. It took about a day for the real post operative pain to kick in, but thanks to wonderful prescriptions, the pain has been kept to a minimum. I was in surgery for about 90 minutes, but spent several hours in recovery. Apparently I have sleep apnea and I stopped breathing on the operating table a few times and when I was in recovery, they were have a hard time keeping my oxygen levels up. However, things are OK now and I am just in that a awful sit-on-your-butt and wait to get to get better phase, which will be anywhere from 3-6 weeks.

I have not been able to see the scars yet. I was placed in a boot and I can't remove it until Dr. Royall says so. The boot is enormous and looks like something I would have picked up a KISS yard sale. But I can tell from the pain I am feeling, it is best to keep the boot on for now for protection.

I have been trying to read some, watch some DVDs, sleep a lot and check up in things on the computer. I am supposed to have finished my annual reviews for the two leads that I supervise at work. On the plus side, Rachel and Christina are as a good of employees as I could have asked for. They are excellent and writing the actual reviews should be easy enough because they are going to be pretty positive. However, trying to write them under the influence of Percocet...maybe not a good idea. I was writing Christina's review yesterday and looked it this morning...let's just say I am starting from stratch today.

Since I decided to start writing a blog, I have been trying looking for grand inspiration as to something uniquely profound to say and write and quite frankly, I am at a complete loss for pround and wise at the moment, maybe it is the surgery, maybe it is the meds, I am not really sure. Hopefully as the pain subsides and my head clears up, I will have something meaningful to say, but until then I have just a few words to say...Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

It's Cutting Time

2007-08-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I go in for surgery tomorrow to fix all the stuff that is wrong in my foot and I have to admit, I am getting a little nervous about the whole thing. I have had 4 other surgeries (5 if you count the getting knocked out for my wisdom teeth) and I guess I have felt like this each time. I had three operations on my ears when I was younger (tubes, adnoidectomy, second set of tubes, tympanoplasty and cochlear implants) and I have my left foot operated on three years ago.

I am guessing that I will not be knocked out since I will have to be on my stomach. I hate that part....last time, I was sedated but I could still feel with the first incision was made. The surgery will take about an hour and then I will be off from work for about 4-6 weeks. Fortunately, Barnes and Noble has great short term disability benefits.

So what do I have to look forward to over the next month or so? I start new classes on the 23rd...I am taking Cataloging and Classification and also Medical Librarianship, so I will have school work to occupy me...I have a collection of books to read (more of the Legacy of the Force series, I really want to read The Oydessy again) along with some DVDs (Buffy fest!!) and a whole lot of sitting in my chair...

So wish me luck...Hopefully all goes well and I can start walking in shoes again in about 6 weeks

Reaching the half-way point

2007-08-07T11:58:00.000-07:00

So today is the last day of my Administration and Management class, which would mark the half way mark of my master's degree at the University of Alabama. It has been a really interesting experience. It has been nine years since I completed my bachleor's degree at the U. and I have to say I felt completely unprepared for the expereience. The program has been really great however. I have learned a ton and am excited bout having classmates from all over the country. Since my program is online, I have classmates from Oregon, Wyoming, Alabama, Ohio, New York, Alabama, Georgia and lots of other places. With the software we use, we are able to get into conference rooms and speak live to each other.

I just finished my final paper for my management class. Now I have a couple of weeks off before I start the fall semester. I am taking Cataloging and Classification as well as Medical Librarianship. I have completed all the required classes and now am on to the electives. I will having my surgery in the interim and will start class a week afterwards. Not so much looking forward to that, but not much in the way of choices available to me. What I have not decided yet is exactly what kind of librarian I want to be. I know I am not real keen on the whole public library thing. If I wanted to do that, I would just stay at Barnes and Noble. My Mom was a public librarian for 23 years and I know that is not what I want to do.

And because Andrea wanted to know...

Your Score: 10 1/4", Yew, Veela

You scored 68 wisdom, 16 bravery, 10 emotional, and 16 martyrdom!

A yew wand signifies a wizard of great wisdom and intellect and is very useful in transfigurations. The veela hair as a wand core means that you are slightly unpredictable but very powerful.

Link: The Harry Potter Wand Test written by sputnik845 on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

So how does this thing go?

2007-08-01T21:38:00.000-07:00

So I have decided to start writing a blog...hmm...how exactly does one start to blog. My friend Andrea has one of these and I like hers so I figured I would give it a try. Now I find myself sitting here, not knowing exactly how to get started... I was joking with Andrea at work about a book we used to have called "No one cares what you had for lunch...100 ideas for your blog"...Am I really at that big of a loss to know what to right about?

So what is going on in my small world? Foot Pain!! I am going to have surgery in a couple of weeks to fix my right foot. I have a 2 different tendons that need repair (a mushy peroneus and a torn achilles) and a bone fragment that needs removing...gee, ain't I lucky? It is hard to get around work on my knee roller and I feel like I have to sit down every 15 minutes, but it nice to get out and at least try to do some work

It is late and I need to get to sleep...maybe I will write some more tomorrow...BTW, lunch was chicken noodle soup and a Mountain Dew