April 2-6, 2015

Please note: It has become burdensome to maintain this blog weekly, and you may have noticed that the quality of the posts has deteriorated. I am no longer committing myself to post weekly. I will probably still post from time to time, but it will not be as consistently as it has been. I get few readers on this blog anyway.

It's time to remember the days surrounding last Easter.


Thursday, April 2. I was dismayed to find that my brand-new laptop had bugs that had been on our home computer. Apparently I had downloaded some internet extensions that included adware. I tried to delete the programs, but every time I tried to delete it, it would try to install it again. Of course I also hated McAfee. (Seriously, why does that exist?) That night, I drove up to Tunnel Springs Park to go running. I went on a little trail that goes down in front of the hills, where I'd never been before. I passed some little flags and some kinds of wood structures. I felt like I was in a really random place, but there was a sign that said not to get off the trail because it was a blasting area. I had to cross a few ravines, but since I'm terrified of falling, I didn't care to cross over one and turned around, even though it wasn't really scary or dangerous. It definitely wasn't a good trail for running. I continued on that trail to places parallel to the main trail, and as I passed some tiny groves I thought it would be a nice place in the fall. (Everything's better in the fall.) I came up a trail that had been put in place when they were doing renovations in 2011. I passed a lady who seemed concerned about my lack of warm clothing, but running makes me warm. I went up a little trail that led into a small ravine, but soon the trail disappeared. I went up a hill with no trail, and there were ridges that were obviously man made, which perplexed me. I found what looked like a trail going down the other side of the hill, but it looked very steep, so I came down the side of the hill, careful not to step on the cactuses. Then I went home and watched The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town while eating bunny-shaped Sour Patch Kids. I journalized as follows:
"It was good to be down working in the library again, but I did get a little distracted with new features (and bugs) on my computer.
"Mom and Dad got home from their trip right after I got home. I went running on unofficial Bonneville Shoreline trails. I got a little uncomfortable in places, so I turned around. I followed a trail up a ravine, and then I climbed up a hill without a trail. I had to come down slowly. I was puzzled at man-made ridges on the hills.
"Then I came home and cut a pineapple and watched The Easter Bunny Is Comin'  to Town. Now my stomach doesn't feel very good.

Friday, April 3. Since my journal tells me that Journal History of the Church wasn't working online, that might have been the day I emailed the reference people asking when it would be back up, since it was essential to the project I was working on at the time. I decided to go to a mission reunion that night, since it was better than spending Friday night at home. I didn't want to go home beforehand, so I went to Smith's Marketplace downtown to look for an Easter decoration, and I was in no hurry, since the reunion didn't start until later. I got a box of carrot cake Clif Bars, and I went upstairs to their seasonal section and got a decorative egg tree. I also looked at their selection of Easter DVDs. Then I went back downstairs to their Easter candy aisle, and I got a carrot cake egg-shaped candy. While I was standing in the aisle, a little girl was talking to her dad about my egg tree, and I felt like a jerk for not saying anything, but she wasn't talking to me. I might have bought something for the reunion, I can't remember. Then I drove out to President Clark's house in Draper. I think I was the second person to arrive. President thought I knew the other guy there, but I didn't, although he had served in one of my areas after I had left. I told President Clark about how I worked for the new Assistant Church Historian, and he said he had read about his new calling. I think I ate some seasonal sugar cookies someone had brought, along with chips and things. I looked at the Clarks' books with all the missionaries. Elder Proctor was there and said he wasn't in the books. I said I thought I saw a picture of him, but when I showed him and his new wife, they said it wasn't him. His wife said her brother had gone on a mission but wasn't active anymore. I heard that my old companion Elder Wilson was coming, so I stuck around until he came. I talked with Colby Johnson, who said he didn't know where he was going to move once he finished at UVUl he said his mom wanted him to move home but he didn't know if he wanted to. I talked with the former Sister Van Noy, and later the Wilsons came. They brought their adorable daughter and let me hold her for a bit, but she didn't care for that. He showed her my Easter bunny tie, and he said he liked my "teal" shirt. He said they had moved to Provo, and I was sad that I had missed them there, but they didn't move there until I had left. We exchanged phone numbers in case we were ever in each other's territory. One of President's neighbors came over and he was telling him about my job and said "super smart." I remember him saying that twice, and one time I thought he was saying it about me, and another time I thought he was saying it about my boss, so one time I replied "I try my best," and the other time I said, "He is really smart." I felt silly if he was saying my boss was smart and he thought I was talking about me. Then I went home and wrote at my journal.
"Today I was a little distracted at work, but I don't know why. Journal History of the Church wasn't working. I researched various plants, Amasa Lyman in California, and the Great Salt Lake.
"After work I went to the downtown Smith's Marketplace, where I got an Easter egg tree (which is already broken) and some carrot cake Clif Bars.
"Then I drove to Draper for a mission reunion at the Clarks'. It was good to see them. I also saw Elders McKell, Critchfield, Johnson (Colby), and Proctor, and Sister Van Noy (Smith). I waited so that I could see Elder Wilson; it was good to see him again."

Saturday, April 4. Susanne came over and gave me some malted milk eggs and an egg decorative plate for watching their dog that week, and I didn't think I could finish all the candy before Easter was over, since we were having other candy as well. We received baskets with candy that my mom had bought from Winegar's, and their selection hadn't been good. We got the last two chocolate bunnies (Reese's) and spice jelly beans. I liked the spice ones and determined all the flavors: white peppermint, pink wintergreen, green spearmint, red cinnamon, orange orange spice, black licorice, and purple clove. Susanne said she didn't like the spice jelly beans. We dyed eggs while I turned on Here Comes Peter Cottontail: The Movie. I had five eggs to color.

We also had an Easter egg hunt. My dad and I went downstairs for the afternoon conference session, while my mom stayed upstairs, but she came down later. After that session, I knew I didn't have much time before the priesthood session, so I changed my clothes and ran up to the Wild Rose Loop. I was delighted to see that the "Restroom Closed" sign was taken down at the park, which meant they had turned the water on again, so I could get a drink from the drinking fountain. I was surprised, because it was supposed to be closed until April 15. I might have run past people going to view the session at the stake center. Then I went home and quickly showered before watching the priesthood session.

"Conference was really good today. Everyone was a little astonished when people opposed the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. Elder Ballard talked about needing to get married, but another speaker (I can't remember who) talked about those who aren't married for various reasons. Between the first and second sessions, we found eggs, colored eggs, and watched Here Comes Peter Cottontail: The Movie. I made an Easter design, a multi-colored design, a shamrock design, a star design, and a snowflake design.
"Before the priesthood session, I ran the Wild Rose and Chukar Loops in their entirety. It was warm and sunny, but fortunately the park's drinking fountain was on again.
"I've been eating lots of candy, since my time is almost up. Nan got me some Easter gifts for watching Buddy."

Sunday, April 5. My mom was grating carrots while watching conference in the morning to make carrot cake for dessert. That afternoon, our relatives came over for Easter dinner, and my grandparents brought a ham. I was wearing my black "Hanging with my Peeps" shirt, and my cousin Peter told me he was disappointed that my holiday outfit was something that other people would wear, and he told me I was a hipster, which was definitely not true. My mom announced we were having carrot cake, and Peter began laughing, because he knew why we were having it. My mom had decorated it with jelly beans and bunny marshmallows, and the young kid Brennon wanted marshmallows by themselves. I made a Facebook status: "Whenever I read in Isaiah about "wizards that peep and mutter," I think of something like this."



I was surprised I wasn't getting more positive feedback, so my cousin April said she'd "like" it for me. After everyone had eaten cake, there were only two pieces left, and I was surprised that Allie wanted one, since people were still there and there most definitely was not enough. After everyone had left, there was only one piece, and I had it, but felt bad because I would have saved it for my sister, but my mom said she would have eaten it if I hadn't, so I didn't feel as bad. I did, however, feel sick from eating two pieces of cake and lots of candy. But it was the last time I would eat candy until May 22 (when I ate some red, white, and blue Twizzlers).
"I ate lots of candy and carrot cake today.
"After conference, G'ma and G'pa, Peter, Gildersleeves, and April came for Easter dinner. Renee forgot her e-cigs, and I don't feel bad for that. I wrote on my blog tonight. We found three extra candy-filled eggs that we didn't find yesterday. A decent Easter."

Monday, April 6.  This might have been the day I took my personal Geologic History of Utah book to work for research and annotation, because I was dealing with a document where the First Presidency of the 1850s said they heard volcanic eruptions in the mountains, and I knew that was impossible.
"Today I talked with Reid and continued researching. I even wrote a note about geology, because I know the early Utah settlers didn't hear a volcano.
"I didn't know about FHE tonight, so I went running. It took me eighteen minutes to get from the trailhead to the radio towers, so it probably isn't too much further to Ensign Peak, which I need to try again." 

March 14-19, 2015

Time to remember last year's St. Patrick's Day!

Saturday, March 14. It was Pi Day, so I tried to look at my watch when it was 9:26 and 53 seconds, but I knew my watch was a little fast. Then I went running, first on the Wild Rose Trail, then on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. At Tunnel Springs Park, there are two dirt paths--one is a road leading to a parking area, and the other is simply a trail. Well, some truck was parked on the trail, not on the dirt road, and I was very annoyed with them. They might have been associated with a group of scouts climbing the hill, although that might have been a different day. There were also people in wedding attire on the trail, taking wedding pictures, and I thought that was a strange location. That afternoon I went shopping with my parents. We went to Barnes and Noble, where my dad got some clearance National Geographic books about national parks and state parks. Then we went out to Walmart. I went and picked out a corned beef and a cabbage, and some onions and potatoes as well. I also picked up some Lucky Charms treat bars, which I had looked all over for but couldn't find. On our way home we picked up Allie and went to Subway for dinner. Then we took our sandwiches downstairs to watch my St. Patrick's Day show for the day, the "If the Shoe Pinches" episode of Bewitched. When it was over Allie wanted to watch another episode, so we did. Then we went to Devan Gubler's wedding reception. We were standing in line behind Bishop and Sister Eyring, and they turned around and said hi to me and met my parents. Sister Eyring asked Allie how old she was. Then we went and sat on a table. I had a sugar cookie with green frosting, although it was more of a teal color, and then I had another and put some pineapple on it, which I thought was a strange topping. Allie pointed out that Jacob Gubler was sporting a man-bun, which my mom said she hated. Peter Moosman talked to us, and introduced himself to Allie, and my mom said she already knew him because she was a Facebook stalker, which somewhat offended her. I wrote in my journal:
"This morning I went running on the Wild Rose. Someone had parked on the wrong trail leading to the Bonneville Trail, and some people were having their wedding pictures taken there! 
"We went to Barnes and Noble, Walmart, and Subway, and I came home and started cooking corned beef and cabbage. We watched two Bewitched episodes and went to Devan Gubler's reception. Then I did some indexing and Hulu.

Sunday, March 15. In the morning, I had my laptop on a table in the living room, and Allie was looking for something on the table, so she put it on the arm of the rocking chair, and then she accidentally knocked it off and seemed a little embarrassed. The charging cord was broken--it kind of worked, but I obviously needed a new one, so I looked to order a new one. The reviews weren't the most positive for the one I was getting, but it was much cheaper than getting a name-brand charger. I put corned beef and its associated vegetables in the slow cooker. I went to church in my shamrock tie, and Boyd Tschaggeny commented on it, saying he would have to eat corned beef and cabbage that week. I told him I had some cooking at home, and he said, "In a Crockpot? That's the best." When I got home from church, we ate dinner, and my parents liked it more than I did. I wrote in my journal:
"Today Allie knocked over my laptop, ruining the charging cord, so I had to order a new one. To get free shipping, I also ordered Get Smart. I finished preparing corned beef and cabbage for dinner, and we ate after church. I was able to get all my blogs done.


Monday, March 16. I was a bit overwhelmed by the enormous amount of frosting on my Kneaders cupcake. I was working in the public portion of the library, and I had to keep adjusting my computer charger to make sure it would charge. That night I drove out to FHE in the Foxboro neighborhood, and I think I parked at a nearby church and walked over. Seth Wood was the first one there, and indeed most of the people who came were from our ward, even though there were supposed to be people from four wards. The bishopric counselor from the Legacy Ward was watching a basketball game, and he and Seth laughed at a commercial of a man in his underwear. Then the counselor showed us The Lamb of God, which I had seen many times, and before the lesson he said that some classical art depicted Christ as emaciated, but he was probably stronger since he was a carpenter. I didn't think it was the best planned activity. Then I went home and did indexing and was listening to my music, and I specifically remember a Taylor Swift song playing. I remember feeling weird that it was as late as it was, because daylight savings time had just happened. I went downstairs to watch Bewitched. I wrote in my journal:
"Today I did a lot on the Andrew Jenson autobiography and the Willie and Martin companies. For lunch I went to Kneaders and got Irish stew and a cupcake with a huge mint glob on top. I mostly worked down in the library. 
"I went to FHE, which was at the same place it was on January 19. The Legacy Ward counselor just showed The Lamb of God. Then I came home and indexed while Nan was here, and while Mom was doing taxes with Jackie, I watched "The Leprechaun" episode of Bewitched.

Tuesday, March 17. I wanted to get up and dressed early so that Allie and Mom could see what I was wearing--green glasses, green pants, white shirt, orange belt, green socks. At work, my boss called me up to his office to give me a "prize," and he was impressed with my outfit, saying I looked like a leprechaun. He asked if I was a holiday guy, and I said I was, and he said some people were and some people weren't. He gave me a copy of the book The Map Thief, which was the department book. His assistant Jo Lyn said green was her favorite color. When I got home, all the corned beef and cabbage was gone, so I decided to make green rice and have Hawaiian haystacks. My dad seemed to think it was unhealthy, but my mom was happy for it when she got home. I changed my clothes into a t-shirt and green shoes and green belt, and I went to institute. As I was putting chairs away, the teacher (who might have been a substitute) commented on my shoes. Then we went into the cultural hall for refreshments, where there were shamrock cookies and a green drink, which apparently had Sprite in it. I talked with Shannon Kelly, and then I went home. When Mom came home from something, we watched The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold. She agreed that it was suitable for St. Patrick's Day, and I think she said it was "pretty cute." I said I didn't like the story but thought the animation was charming, and she wouldn't go that far. I wrote in my journal:
"I was able to say goodbye to Mom and Allie before they left for school. I wore green pants, green shamrock socks, my Snoopy shamrock tie, green glasses, a white shirt, and an orange belt. Reid called me up to his office to give me a "prize," and he said I looked like a leprechaun and asked if I was a holiday guy. He gave me a copy of The Map Thief, the department book. I told him how I finished going over the Jenson autobiography.
"Since I got home early, I made Hawaiian haystacks with green rice. Then I went to institute in a green belt, green shoes, and Snoopy "Erin Go Beagle" shirt. I didn't get as many comments as I'd hoped. They had green Sprite and shamrock cookies. Then I came home and watched The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold with Mom.

Wednesday, March 18. In the morning I needed to fill out insurance stuff for my new contingent position, and I was on the slow home computer while I also had my laptop open. I was listening to my Easter music on my laptop, and I discovered that my laptop charger wouldn't charge at all anymore. I journalized as follows:
"I wasn't overly productive at work today--in the morning I looked at insurance stuff at home, I went to a Lunch and Learn about library services, and my laptop charger quit working altogether. Amazon tells me it won't arrive for a week.
"Tonight I ran further on the Bonneville Trail, but my stomach was a little off. After lifting weights, I took down St. Patrick's Day stuff and put up a few Easter things.

Thursday, March 19. I was reading the last chapter of Parley P. Pratt: The Apostle Paul of Mormonism at work. I went to tutoring, and the kid named Zion (Sione) was very chatty. I thought it was funny that a sixth-grader was giving me life advice. On the way home from tutoring, Camille asked me what I learned about at work, so I told them about the circumstances leading to the murder of Parley P. Pratt, and Camille was surprised he was a polygamist. I wrote in my journal:
"My laptop wouldn't charge, so I worked from my cubicle all day, including reading about the death of Parley P. Pratt. Then tonight I went to tutoring. I helped a middle schooler with grammar, and another one, Siane (sp?) talked my ear off as a distraction from doing his work. He told me not to do online dating and that I should stay at home to help my parents.