What can you do in 7,670 days? To answer that, you might have to think of what you were doing 7,670 days ago. Let me tell you what I was doing. It was the summer between my Junior and Senior year of high school. I was finishing my sweet 16 year and quickly approaching my 17th birthday at the end of summer. On June 16, 1990, I finished working my shift at K-Mart and came home to get some supper. It was probably close to 9:30pm and my sisters were downstairs watching the Little Mermaid. My mom was house-sitting for a friend and my dad had taken her there for the night. All was calm.
Family Prayer
The seven year old youngest sister, JT, said the family prayer the night before her oldest sister, NR, went to youth conference. The older sister, who was 15, was looking forward to asserting her independence from her family. Though not old enough to date, she would have plenty of opportunity to “scope out” the boys. And she wouldn’t have her parents there watching her flirt.
The Blame Game
I had the opportunity to re-read 1 Nephi 17 this past week. What a great chapter! We have a dichotomy of two very different philosophies of life. Nephi, the younger brother, acknowledges God’s hand in everything and is thankful and even rejoices in the hardships his family experienced. His older brother, Laman, who experienced the same hardships, plays the blame game. He summarizes their hardships with this statement, “We might have been happy.” If only this and if only that. We can’t always choose what life will throw at us, but we can choose our response.
It Ain’t Old Age, It’s Just Me
My eyes are keeping my life interesting. One thing I inherited from my father is a love of crossword puzzles. When I have a moment, I work the newspaper’s daily crossword. Tonight, I had a moment. The puzzle was fairly easy and I moved quickly until I got to 30 across. I needed a five letter word for “Tilted women.” Tilted women? I’ve heard of jilted women but not tilted. An image of a row of women with their right legs much shorter than their left legs causing them to lean to the right popped into my head. That would make a woman tilted alright but what’s a five letter word for it? I skipped it and moved on.
I’ll Go If You Go
We took our church youth group rappelling Tuesday night. The young men were in charge of the activity and I was glad. It had been a bad day and I really just wanted to go home and pout. But I couldn’t. I had to switch gears and put on my happy face and be excited for the girls. Most were thrilled for the chance at the physical recreation except for one who asked me on the previous Sunday if she had to rappel. “No,” I reassured her, “we won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do.”
Bubba Taz Graduates!
Bubba Taz graduated from high school today. Don’t worry, my niece’s birth name isn’t actually Bubba. She acquired her nickname from her dad when she was about two. Her attitude has always been bigger than her stature; she looks like the antithesis of a typical Bubba. Taz was given to her by her grandma who thought she had the energy of the Tasmanian Devil. For 15 years, she has proudly answered to the name Bubba Taz.
2011 Season Finale Chat
Let’s talk season finales. Warning: this is huge spoiler alert for those who haven’t had time to watch your Tivo’d shows or for those who watch a whole season at once via Netflix.
Chuck (NBC, Mondays). I’m always a little disappointed that this show keeps being renewed because I feel compelled to watch it. The premise would have made an okay two hour movie. But it has now been picked up for a fifth season. The spy plot lines are fun and Zach Levi’s overacting balances Yvonne Strahovski’s underacting. But the forced random plot lines involving the Buy More and especially any storylines with creepers Lester and Jeff just make me cringe. This season’s twist at the end was just plain irritating. I don’t like the fact that Chuck is sans the Intercept and Morgan now has it. I’m not sure if I’ll stick around for another season.
Castle (ABC, Mondays). I came late to this series and I have the first season queued. For weeks I read reviews building excitement for the season finale. It was promised to be a “three-hankie” episode and someone was going to die. I guessed and gossiped about which cast member was expendable with fellow Castle watchers. The week before the final episode, a dead giveaway (sorry, couldn’t help the pun) pointed to the Captain. The night of the finale, I popped popcorn and sat in my chair ready to be entertained. The episode was okay and I didn’t need one single tissue. Castle’s admission to Beckett that he loved her wasn’t that big of a surprise. And so what if Beckett got shot? I’m betting she’s going to live otherwise the series would be ending or Stana Katic is pulling a CharlieSheen, which I really doubt. The only true cliffhanger is, will she remember he said it? My prediction: she will remember but she will lie about it. No cliffhanger to ponder over summer break.
Big Bang Theory (CBS, Thursdays). I watch this show to laugh. It helps that I relate to the social awkwardness of the characters (unfortunately, not to the genius side). It just plugs along having fun not really taking itself too seriously. I’m happy that Jim Parsons won his awards for best actor because I don’t think he’s going to be able to play anything else after this. He has sunk so deep into Sheldon he is not going to be able to get out. So, good for him for winning his awards and getting his money now. This had the biggest twist in the season finales but, like Chuck, the twist bothered me.
Bones (Fox, Thursdays). Ah, Bones. It has kind of flat-lined a little bit this last season. It’s the nature of the beast when the premise is built around sexual tension. If the tension is relieved too soon, it becomes Moonlit and yet, there is a danger in losing interest when stringing it out too long. It’s a delicate situation. Speaking of delicate situations, Emily Deschanel’s pregnancy has forced a plot line that could be the demise of the show. If handled properly, the show could thrive a couple more seasons (a la Friends after Ross and Rachel had a baby). But no plot twists or cliffhangers here either. This show set the bar high during the third season finale. It’s kind of hard to outdo itself when series regular, Zach, was an accomplice to a serial killer. As for this year, it was the episode before the finale that invoked real emotion. I’ll admit I got a little teary when Mr. Nigel Murray was killed off. After all, he was my favorite intern. Why couldn’t it be the doom and gloom guy? He’s doing pretty good in the movies, why not get rid of him?
The Mentalist (CBS, Thursdays). Okay, I’m not an avid follower of this show. Patrick Jane is a bit much for me to handle on a regular basis. But I know enough of the premise that I know the main antagonist is the evil Red John. I watched the last hour of the finale because it promised Jane would come face to face with Red John. I yelled at the TV set for Cho and Rigsby to wait before barging in to the hotel room and stopping the assassin because even I could tell she was in the wrong room. But they didn’t listen to me. I watched a handful of episodes this season and I knew from day one Van Pelt’s fiancé was a bad guy. As for the finale, I doubt Jane killed Red John. The whole impetus for the show is Jane’s quest to get revenge on the man who killed his wife and child. So no, I don’t think Bradley Whitford was the real Red John. My prediction for next season is a drawn out trial for Jane and we’ll find out Red John is still alive around next year’s season finale.
The Office (NBC, Thursdays). I actually don’t watch The Office on Thursdays anymore (as you can see, my plate is full this night). When I do watch it, I usually catch it on Hulu. Bravo to Steve Carell for jumping from a stale ship. The Office hasn’t delivered for quite a while and Michael Scott’s shtick was getting annoying. We have to tune in next September to see who is replacing Carell as boss. It’s the closest thing to a cliffhanger in all my shows. The trouble is, I don’t really care.
In the end, there were a couple of plot twists but no Who-Shot-JR-cliffhangers this year. All of the finales finished and left nothing to think about during summer. What will I do with my time?
Lessons Learned
I’m not really a very serious person. While organizing my blog I noticed my serious blogs are outweighing my silly blogs. This isn’t a true representation of me. Despite the fact I have a seemingly permanent scowl on my face (which is more of a confused look than one of disdain) I love to laugh. In order to fix the situation, I pledge that the next few blogs will be nothing but sheer silliness. If they are too silly for you to join me, I understand.
First up, lessons I’ve learned this week. I’ve confirmed that I like my hair parted on the left, not the right. Hair is a sensitive subject with me as I’ve never really had a good hair day in my 30-some-odd years. Since high school graduation, I’ve had to keep it short because it grows in so thick I get severe headaches when styling it (just thinking of my French Braid phase makes my right eye twitch). Let me add, I am very, very tired of short hair. About a year ago, I started going to a new hairdresser. She insists that I part my hair on the right side. E
very month for the past year I’ve shown up at her cutting station with my hair parted on the left. And after every cut, I leave with it parted on the right. So, this week I started thinking maybe she knows something I don’t. After all, she is a professional. A bold move for me, I decided to try and change my rutted ways and I parted my hair on the right. Since my hair is so short I had some spikey parts that I couldn’t get to curl on top of my head. The result? My hairstyle channeled the ‘do of one Ace Ventura. Needless to say, I am parting my hair on the left again.
The second thing I learned this week involved my daily Yogurt. I haven’t decided if I like the Yoplait Whipped Yogurt or not. The texture is akin to eating Cool Whip. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a nice helping of wh
ipped topping on a piece of pie. And when I was a kid, I loved to eat Cool Whip right off the spoon. But that was when I was a kid weighing less than 100 pounds. Whenever I eat whipped yogurt, my mind struggles to accept the fact that I’m eating something very similar to something I decided I shouldn’t be eating. On the side of the container is a suggestion to “Try it frozen.” I figured that might help me relax and enjoy it. So I tried it frozen yesterday. Not sure how to describe the experience but my tongue did not appreciate so many aspects of it. I will not be trying it again.
Finally, because everything comes in threes, I learned that I can sleep sitting up. At, let’s say, a desk, facing a computer screen. Not going to go into any detail on this one.
Those were the lessons I’ve learned this week. I should feel a little smarter than when I started the week except for all the things I used to know and forgot. So actually, I guess I broke even in the lesson department. And truth be told, I learned the last one awhile ago. I just needed something to round off my list.
My Nemesis
I have a nemesis. In the grand scheme of things, does it matter that I was equally offended in the process of events? My carnal nature says, “Yes, it matters. Take care of you.” My divine nature answers back, “No, it doesn’t matter. Take care of God’s children.” The amazing human body can heal itself from bumps, cuts, bruises, and scrapes. But an injured pride isn’t always so resilient. A soul that has indulged in bitterness makes the road to healing even more distant and painful.
Things Happen
This is my recollection of events that changed my family’s life.
It was in the fall of 2007 and my mom had been sick for months. Though, every time she was questioned about it, she always had a self-diagnosis ready. My dad had torn his rotator-cuff and needed surgery in Laramie, 200 miles to the east. I had just started a new job and wasn’t comfortable enough requesting time off which meant mom had to take him. I knew she wasn’t physically well but she insisted on being his driver. I prayed the whole time they were gone that they would have a safe trip.
