Wed May 21 2008 23:16 You Got A Hearing Problem, Mister?: Sumana Graduates, Sources Say.

Also, George Takei is getting married! I've waited years to use that title in a weblog entry, and now seems like a good time.

(3) Tue May 20 2008 21:14 But That's Just The Palette Colors Talking: Adam P. let on that his fancy college education had taught him the true meaning of Mega Man. Specifically the part of the ending credits of Mega Man 2 where the palette turns pink to symbolize the coming of spring (skip to 44:10 in that video to see it). When I was a kid I thought that was the game's tribute to Quick Man, but no, pink means spring in Japan because of the cherry blossoms.

I asked Adam if he'd made this connection because all the other ITP people were obsessed with Mega Man like he is. Actually he'd made the connection because there are a lot of Japanese students in the ITP program and they often did cherry-blossom-related projects.

Tue May 20 2008 10:41 Fair Warning: On the inside cover page of my copy of The Warlock in Spite of Himself, which I bought in the bookstore across the street from the British Museum:

Christopher Stasheff worked in
educational television before he
became a writer of science fantasy.
He is an American.

Mon May 19 2008 21:29: Hmm, it would seem that silly software also needs proper resource design. Who knew? In the meantime, enjoy Susan McCarthy's awesome animal behavior weblog. (cf.)

Mon May 19 2008 08:34: Great parodies of the early, desperate, gotta-get-an-issue-out-every-month comic books you saw in the 50s and 60s. (They seem to have toned it down since.) I think all the webcomics I read could just do this kind of parody for a month and I'd still love it.

Wed May 21 2008 08:32 Francis Lacoste on Flickr - Photo Sharing!: Francis, looking slightly manic

Mon May 19 2008 15:42 Overcoming Bias: Zombies: The Movie: Hilarious! "All right, buddy, let's see your qualia."

Sun May 18 2008 22:23 Beeswax: 1950's Wolverine: saved for Leonard's delectation

Sun Apr 10 2005 16:47: Beautiful Soup 2.0

Sat May 13 2006 21:59 Obituary: Here is the link to Mom's obituary, printed in the Bakersfield Californian on Tuesday. The death date is wrong, it was actually May 5, 2006

Sat May 17 2008 20:38 Disney 1-2-3:
Miles driven: 1500
Pictures taken: 107
Videos taken: 1
Times Maggie rode a merry-go-round: 5 (3 horses, 1 sea otter and 1 magical underwater oyster bench)
Times Maggie threw up: 2
Days we were waiting on Main Street when Disneyland opened: 4
Wiggle shows watched: 7
Dollars under budget: $184
Kisses from Mickey: 3
Pink shirts bought for Maggie: 2
Pluto encounters: 3
Train rides: 6
Times John and I went on adult rides alone: 15 (yay for baby switch and single rider)
Hours of rain: 6
SPF Maggie managed to tan through: 50
Current price of a one-day park hopper ticket: $91
Total amount we paid for the Disney annual passes we used this trip: $125
Stuffed animals snuggled by Maggie: 27
New hidden mickeys discovered: 2
People who thought Maggie was So Darn Cute: 32
Times Maggie slept in bed with us: 4
High score on Astro Blasters: 385,000 (Susie)
Things Maggie did for the first time: Walked across a swinging bridge; rode Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin, gave Pluto a kiss, went down a slide alone, climbed up stairs upright, and told us what ride she wanted to go on.

Wed May 14 2008 13:47 Best Compliment: "She's even cuter than the baby ducks!" Waddle, waddle.

Mon May 12 2008 21:35 Maggie + Mickey = Friends: Why is it that Maggie can zonk out on my lap with pirates yelling all around, but have a hard time falling asleep in her crib with her soft blankie, stuffed monkey and two pacifiers? Sheesh.

Maggie met Mickey today. She grinned and poked his nose. We went on lots of rides, ate lots of food and had a good time. We had to wake Maggie up for the parade in the evening. Jiminy Cricket tried desperately to get her to smile, but she just stared. He even made faces (wiggled his hands on his head; he's wearing a mask, people). She finally caught on, though. It's fun to watch her face light up when she realizes why something is exciting, or what we've been standing around for.

We're in for another fun day tomorrow. We haven't even set foot in California Adventure yet, so that's on the menu.

Mon May 19 2008 13:20 Mouse in the House: Saturday we toiled in the yard in the oppressive heat of the day. We mowed the lawn, weeded the side yards, and planted our garden! That night, after Maggie went to sleep, Susie and I layed out on the backyard grass to enjoy the twilight. I thought out of the corner of my eye something moved in the garden, on the hill near the bushes and ground cover. So I went over to the whole in the ground I uncovered while trimming back the ground cover the other day, and there was a mouse, no bigger than my thumb, looking up at me quite apprehensively.

Susie is enjoying conjuring up ways to end its life. My stance is to live and let live, as long as its not in the house. And we have mice poison boxes in the house left from the previous tenants (and now I know why!) If it were a rat, I'd feel differently.

Maggie had her own mouse encounter last week. Picture here.

Sun May 11 2008 19:28 On the way home: Today we visited our old ward in Costa Mesa. Talk about a warm reception. Everyone, including the Bishop, asked if we were back for good. When we said no, they seemed disappointed. Then in sacrament meeting the bishop formally announced that we were visiting today and everyone should come and say hi. And people listened. People I had never talked to when we lived here expressed how much they missed us. Susie mentioned that it felt like we were going home, not going on vacation. Our church experience made that true.

We went to Sunday School, held in the Relief Society room. I'd never been there before, due to our lifetime Primary calling. It was a trip. The room is painted light pink. Pink. And they have these wierd valance and curtains with floral patterns from the eighties. I also had to ask for directions to Priesthood.

I think we're slowly fitting into our new ward in Draper, though I still feel inadequate working with the youth. I just have an easier time relating to children than to teenagers. But I just can't shake the feeling that the Costa Mesa II ward is home, and that we are not done with the place.

(1) Sat May 10 2008 23:14 Serta-fied: For Mother's Day I bought Susie something that will hopefully provide us both a better life: an expensive, fancy-type mattress cover. It has a pillow top to it. We tried it out last night and I slept great! It felt like I was sleeping on a cloud. Or like I was sleeping in a swank hotel room bed, which I get to do for work travel sometimes, and is also where the idea for this present came from. Susie unfortunately didn't sleep any better. Well, Happy Mother's Day anyway, sweet baboo!

(4) Mon May 05 2008 09:55 Can you hear me now?: So yesterday was fast and testimony meeting. There's this new lady in the ward, from England, rather obnoxious really, and her cell phone rings in church. She answers it, while sitting on the second row of pews, and talks on it for a good 5 minutes before putting it away. All the while, this lady is on the stand crying about something or other.

I have to wonder where some people learn their etiquette. Would it have killed her to sit in the foyer if she is expecting a call. Or, at the very least to answer it, say "hold on a minute, love" and walk into the foyer to continue her conversation? I was not raise to presume the world revolves around me. But apparently some people were. What it must be like to be living in that sort of delusion.

(1) Sun May 04 2008 22:26 Lightly Toasted: I took Friday off (speaking of the term quite liberally, considering I told my coworkers I needed a day off to rejuvenate, but they still called me all day long). Anyway, we fixed the shower, pulled weeds, planted some flowers, pulled weeds, planted some little bushes, pulled weeds, mowed the lawn, pulled weeds, turned on the sprinklers, pulled weeds, went to Ember's soccer game, yelled at the weeds, and on and on.

Saturday we went to the cemetery with Grandma June, because it was Grandpa's 97th birthday (that is, if he were still alive). My mom's car got a screw in the tire, so we waited on the grass for about 30 minutes for AAA. Then we worked more in the yard. I think I am half tanned, half sunburned now. I guess it beats the pasty white complexion one gets all winter here. Maggie got to experience the whole weekend my way, because she wouldn't leave my side. I can't help thinking Frances would be proud of my horticultural efforts. I think sometimes I feel her inspiring to keep pruning and beautifying., because I certainly don't do it for fun.

Speaking of lightly toasting, congrats to Sumana on her upcoming graduation!

(8) Wed Mar 05 2008 15:05 Many Adventures: We've enjoyed great outings the past two weekends. Last weekend we went boating up the St. Marks River into a wildlife preserve area, then up the Wakulla River. Best of all, I piloted our way into the Gulf of Mexico near where these two rivers converge in the Florida panhandle. It was my first experience driving a boat. Very exhilarating. We saw dolphins in the Gulf! And along the St. Marks we spotted many tortoises sunning themselves, but never a crocodile to smile at where I can find him.

Atticus had quite the appetite after our boating day, and very much wanted to eat supper at this great little restaurant on the water (we've eaten there twice before). We weren't up for dining out, but were impressed by his culinary interest--he said he was craving seafood. We were nearly ready to cave, and things might have turned out in his favor. . . but when we asked him what he planned to order, he said "a corndog." Not going for that one.

This past weekend we took our first trip to Orlando (five hours distance). Hoping it will help get us to the LDS Orlando Temple regularly, we dropped a HUGE chunk of cash on Disney World Florida resident annual passes. Neither Dave nor I had ever been to Disney World before (of course neither had the boys). We made our first visit to Magic Kingdom. Everything was dazzling for the boys of course. Dave and I were impressed by how well things are run and maintained. I am looking forward to visiting the Animal Kingdom. I hear the exhibits there are impressive.

(8) Wed Feb 13 2008 20:10 Monsters Under the Bed: Samuel is convinced there are monsters under his bed. He never has had this worry before, so we had an extended conversation about it to clear his mind. I assured him--promised him there was nothing but a few boxes and stuffed toys under his bed. He is not persuaded, however, because he has evidence. "Mom, I know they are there because every night they use my water to make their stew! I only drink half."

And those puddles I often wipe up from his sports bottle lying open on its side? Unrelated.

(15) Thu Jan 10 2008 15:42 They say I should buy pink: I didn't plan to find out the gender of this baby when I went for an ultrasound today. I didn't want to be disappointed about such a silly thing as gender. All the wiggles and kicks are miracle enough to pleased with the entirety of this little package. And I love my boys. I'll take boys any day. But it seems to be a girl.

I'll believe it when I see it.

(1) Thu Jan 10 2008 15:38 Secret Santa: I deleted my most recent blog entry because of inappropriate spamming in my comments section. Argh! There were four comments containing a very long string of links each. I couldn't figure out how to remove the individual comments (they were more stubborn than comments from friends, which deleted away instead), so I removed the entire entry. Maybe I should have waited for my cousin, the administrator of the crummy.com site, to take action but I was too embarrassed by the contents of the spam. It was very annoying.

In other news, Samuel has been full of funnies lately. Right before Christmas he helped me wrap some "secret Santa" presents. He really loved the toys (Polly Pockets are irresistible), and negotiated with me in attempt to keep at least one of the sets. I said no, and explained that if these gifts didn't go to the little girl I'd bought them for, she might not get any presents at all.

Samuel gasped in alarm and asked "Has she been naughty?"

(15) Tue Nov 20 2007 08:49 Expecting News: My life feels like a great run-on sentence. . . We had a chaotic summer, a big move, and right as we were getting settled, I began feeling constantly nauseous and fatigued. Number three baby Matkin is on the way, due to arrive close to Atticus' birthday (june 11th). We are thrilled, but I think I would prefer if I never in my life had to eat another meal or puke it back up.

(1) Wed May 21 2008 10:26 Exciting dreams: involving secret meetings above a kebab shop. Ideas much?

I went to Oxford yesterday to go to a seminar. What a nice town! It's so pretty! I guess I'd forgotten. It turned out to be a really helpful and interesting seminar and I met lots of nice people who are also doing FWW. All in all very refreshing. Other recent adventures include Karaoke with the nanoers and a mysterious illness that struck me on the way home from Athens and rendered me various stages of useless all week. Jenn was flat/dogsitting at a nice place in Chiswick and I went down there this weekend. We spent a good day vegging out watching movies, episodes of Gilmore Girls and Arrested Development, and old Mariah Carey music videos on Virgin Music on Demand, while I wondered whether eating brie and chevre was a good idea in my delicate condition. Probably not, but a good time all around.

(3) Fri May 09 2008 10:32 The luck of the Greeks: I know some of you have (not least myself!!) been on as many pins and needles about this funding.... we can all rest easy now.

(3) Mon May 05 2008 18:06 All in a day: My cousin Laura is here visiting, so yesterday was quite an adventure. It might not be possible to "do" London in a day but we certainly tried. We took the tube into Green Park, walked through to Buckingham Palace, over to Westminster to see houses of Parliament, up to Trafalgar Square, where we stopped in the Waterstones to settle some small point on Harry Potter, being the nerds that we are. There was some kind of Sikh festival going on at Trafalgar Square so it was really crowded, music and free food! That was a real spot of luck. We were chilling on one of the fountains eating our free lunch when I noticed a media crowd and along walks Boris Johnson!! He was walking through the crowd shaking people's hands and stuff. I didn't put out my hand to shake because I don't really like him and also I was a little bit in shock. It was pretty random. He doesn't like so goofy in real life. Anyway so that done we poked our heads into the national gallery to look at some impressionists and then crossed charing cross bridge and walked along southwark... and walked and walked. We stopped at the Tate modern to go up to the top floor to admire the view and use the toilets, and an a pizza express that had set up a gelato stand. And also at the globe, hoping to buy tickets for today but sadly there is no show! We continued to walk and walk till we got to Tower Bridge, which we then crossed, and examined the tower from the outside. From Tower we hoped on a bus which took us through the city, down fleet street and strand, through picadilly circus and oxford circus and down oxford street to marble arch. We had seats at the front of the top so had a pretty good view of all these things. Got off the bus finally and entered Hyde park to gawk at speaker's corner and sit on the grass and eat a picnic of pb&j. Then walked along the serpentine to the peter pan statue (I remembered, Aly!). Up to Lancaster gate where we got the tube to Tottenham Court Road. We walked all the way down tcr then Euston rd to King's Cross for traditional platform 9 3/4 pictures. After much confusion and ado, we met up with some friends for fish and chips in a greasy spoon. Then finally, exhausted and defeated, home. We walked miles. I must have worn poor Laura out; I know I wore myself out, but it was great fun.

It is one of the first really nice days we have had so far and it felt wonderful to be running around in a t-shirt only, light out till almost nine. Everyone was out, and in such a good mood because it's a holiday and the weather is fine. So nice to stroll along the Thames or sit in the grass at hyde park with so many other people who are in just as good of a mood. I wanted to skip (and I sometimes did) just for the joy of fine weather. One thing living here has certainly taught me is to not take it for granted.

The weather has changed just in time; I'm going tomorrow to pay a visit to my friend Aleks in Greece and "get some sun." But hopefully it will be even better there; I'm going to bring my swimming suit and hope for the best. Today I am just staying in, cleaning, grooming, packing and thinking, thinking, thinking. I am so glad it's sunny, both literally and figuratively.

It's cinco de mayo, so if you have to go on a desperate mission to save France, be prepared. Last year this time I was thinking how strange it is that the world continues to turn when it seems like, for all intents and purposes, it should have stopped. Now I am feel it more than ever, but am starting to feel it might not be such a bad thing. Please let this feeling stick!

Wed May 21 2008 00:25 update: So I've caught up a little bit on blogging pictures. I didn't want to be so far behind before the trip. I can't even begin the wedding pix yet. Maybe tomorrow...

Tue May 20 2008 22:46 playing catch up: So much to do, so little time. I am currently packing for our trip to Utah. (Sorry John and Susie that I haven't emailed you yet...maybe we can meet for lunch.) We are leaving tomorrow night and getting into town at midnight. I know. Don't ask me why we would do that to ourselves...because we're cheap. We are going to spend some QT with my dad and Jan for a couple days, and then head off to Eden, UT for a Smith family reunion. Wahoo! These are always so fun. I love it because Aaron's extended family is practically all girls, and awesome, fun girls at that. The whole extended family is actually all really great. I am so lucky to have married into such a sweet group.

So I have been packing, but I checked weather.com yesterday to see what to bring. I think one day the high is 60 degrees and the rest of the time the high is in the fifties. And it says it is going to be raining. This is good and bad news. The good news is we get to escape the debilitating heat this summer has already brought on. The bad news is that all the warm clothes for the kids have already been boxed up. So I went through the boxes in the closets tonight getting stuff together. Still so much to do...

Since Aaron is out of school we are playing a lot. We went swimming yesterday and today. We also went to Houston this weekend for Aaron's cousin Tyler's wedding to Andrea. It was a blast. Aaron's other cousin Kelly invited us to stay with them and it was really fun to have a mini reunion before the big one. The wedding activities were truly enjoyable and the kids were good sports. The drive up was not bad at all and the drive down was ok, but better than last time we went to Houston for Spring Break. Gunnar is slowly getting used to the idea of being in the car for a long time, and hopefully that will spill over into getting used to going swimming. So far he hates it and cries the whole time...it's that fear of water thing. He will even pacify himself by sucking his thumb which he never does while awake, but has oddly enough started to do it during the day lately.

Anywho, I need to post pics of Houston and Aaron and Jake's surprise birthday party we threw for them. See Erin's blog. It was great fun. I love being busy...the 'fun' busy kind. The only bad thing is I am so far behind on housework and blog reading.

Tue May 13 2008 22:39 School's out! for the summer...: Today was Aaron's last day of his 3rd year! Yeah, we made it. He did it. We only have one more left! Also, today is his birthday. He is gettin old...28! We went to Fuddruckers to celebrate with Jake and Erin, and Luke. Somewhere kid friendly. It's funny because we went there 4 yrs ago in Utah for their birthday. I think Aaron is going to play Warcraft tomorrow for the better half of the day. He deserves it.

Mon May 12 2008 13:46 Keeping busy having fun: This past week Michelle was in town visiting from College Station. I had great company having her around especially in the evenings. We played Rock Band a lot, and that girl is good! Playing the viola in HS helps. It was also her birthday and we went on a night out on the town. Lorna and I took her to the Melting Pot. I think that is my most favorite place ever. The chocolate fondue is the best, and the cheese, and the meat with gorgonzola sauce...and pretty much everything you order there.

I cannot say enough about how awesome Michelle is. She was such a huge help around the house too. She wanted to do a little shopping with me and so we went to Old Navy and Kohl's. The kids totally wore her out. She was such a trooper though and loved holding them and entertaining them even though we barely made it through two stores. i also took my mom out to lunch with Michelle for Mother's Day. We went to this new place in Helotes called Old Town Grill. It is so delicious. Afterwards, we walked down the street and walked through all their antique shops. I didn't find any diamonds in the rough, but this one place did have these old keys that were really cool except they were like 6-8 bucks a key. Forget that.

This weekend was Father-Son campout. I nudged Aaron to go on it, and he and Gunnar had a good time. He said Gunnar went down great and woke up happy. I think my little guy likes the outdoors. Lily and I had mother-daughter plans of our own. I registered her in her first race. It was a 50 yard dash, and of course I was there to run the 5k. It was called Jon's Run and it's a charity for infant and child loss. It was cool, they had balloons for people to write their babies' name on and at the end of the race, they let them all go in the sky.

The race itself was pretty miserable. I had a better mile pace time, but it was so humid I was dripping sweat just after warming up and stretching. By the end of the race I looked like I just got out of the pool. Again Michelle was selfless as ever, waking up at 6:30 with me and going downtown so that she could watch Lily while I ran. Lily's race was fun to watch. A bunch of 2,3, and 4 year olds standing around after the whistle was blown. Lily was super excited because she saw the shirt I got at my other race and when she got a shirt at this race she was very proud of herself. She also went wild with all the juice and Powerade they were giving away after the run. Cheesy Jane's was there giving away milkshakes. I passed, but Lily loved it. Every time we moved spots, she was like "I don't want to go to the car." And Michelle was an awesome photographer too. She got lots of shots of me albeit embarrassing ones.

And finally, last but not least--Mother's Day. True to form Aaron came up with the best gift yet again. When I saw on Erin's blog that they got a Nikon and I commented "our next big purchase is going to be..." little did I know Aaron had already researched and picked out that very thing. I have been wanting one forever. And now that I have it, I love it. It takes such great pics, you can't even compare them with regular digital cameras. I have been lusting after the Nikon ever since I used my brother David's when he moved here. Mother's Day was also extra special at church. After a couple years of waiting I finally got to see Lily go up on the stand and "sing" to me. She pretty much just stood there starring blankly, but it was still neat. We also went over to my mom's and had brownie sundae's/banana splits. Lots of laughs, lots of fun. Check the pic blog to see pics for this week's events.

Mon May 05 2008 12:53 Fierce times 12: I've got a little Christian Siriano at my house in the making. I laughed ashamedly when Aaron told me what Lily told him this morning while he was helping her pick out an outfit. Aaron was trying to get her to settle on some shoes and Lily said, "No, I can't wear those. They are out of style. No, those are out of style too. These are out of style and these are out of style too. I don't want to wear any of those shoes because they are all out of style."

It is probably the fault of the mother who has purchased all those shoes for her to choose from in the first place. *blush* What can I say except that I have a sickness. You know what is really embarrassing is that I was folding Gunnar's laundry and to make my life easier I was piecing together outfits and folding the shirt in the shorts so I can just grab a little envelope of clothes instead of having to dig and dig around to find something that matches. The boy literally has 3 weeks worth of outfits ready to go before I have to do laundry. Granted, someone in my ward gave me some hand-me-downs which was so awesome. It is embarrassing to air my dirty laundry like that (pun intended). Darn those Target sales and Children's Place 50% off sale.

I will say I am proud of myself for not buying the kids new Easter outfits. I am too stubborn to buy something that is not on sale. Nothing feels greater than getting Gunnar church shirts for $4.99 (reg 14.50) and sweater vest for $6.49 (reg $16.50) in addition to a 15% off coupon. Hey, at least I am good at it. So naturally I have to buy one in every color. Just kidding...kinda

(1) Mon Apr 28 2008 16:54 ready or not here I come: I'm a final away from being done with the semester. This semester change is going to be a big change for me. For the summer I'm moving back home. Haven't lived at home, or even spent more than a week there for about 6 years, but it is the financially responisble thing to do. Also with the move means new job(s). I've applied for a bunch of hospital jobs in the Salt Lake area and am just waiting to hear back from them. I'm going to miss Logan/USU. I've had some awesome times and met many incredible people. Change sucks sometimes. This quote summarizes how I feel:

"Change means movement. Movement means friction. Only in the frictionless vacuum of a nonexistent abstract world can movement or change occur without that abrasive friction of conflict." -Saul David Alinsky

It's going to be an adjustment, but it needs to happen.

(3) Fri Apr 11 2008 23:45 update: here are some of my latest adventures...

This weekend I had the opportunity to work in a facility for clinicals, in which I worked with people who were not guilty by reasons of insanity. It was an interesting and almost overwhelming experience. As part of this clinical rotation we completed a schizo voices experiment where we listened to "voices" while completing tasks. I did pretty well, but the longer I listened the flatter my affect became and the harder it was to respond appropriately. Some voices were pleasent and others were irrational. Some weren't distinct voices but just ongoing abnormal noises. I found myself thinking about what the voices were talking about, feeling guilty for things they said I did, or the way I interpreted them. In order to ignore the voices I exhibited a thought disorder of "concrete thinking" in which you state, almost just state the obvious I guess, because you don't have the time or energy to think deeply. The experience was emotionally draining, leaving me physically tired. It was a positive experience though because I can now appreciate how difficult living with voices and thought disorders can be. I can understand why some people don't get treatment, others do well with treatment, and others don't respond to treatment at all.

Mon Dec 24 2007 11:18 Christmas time is here....: ...which means that 2008 is right around the corner. Don't remember what my '07 New Years resolutions were, so I doubt I accomplished them. One was probably about improving my blogging skills. oh well.

But here is what I did do with my year:

I graduated from nursing school year 1 and passed my NClex-PN boards. I work 2 nursing jobs. I went to Las Cruses for the WAC tourney and met lots of awesome people while watching lots of awesome basketball. I turned 24 and celebrated 80's rock style. I lost a good friend to a really rare disease. I finally moved, after staging a revolution with my roommates against our managers. I passed pathophysiology. I fell down a waterfall and have several scars to prove it. I spent many days getting sunburnt at bear lake. I bought a new car. I saw a grim, subsquenting in weeks of terrible luck. and I got into weber state to finish my 2nd year of nursing.

So what does my future hold? Transferring to WSU which lets be honest I rather go to BYU and that is saying something. But I will be done withschool in 1 year and will never go back. Then I can fulfill my dreams of being an ER nurse, and travel the world with Doctors without Borders or something.

Life is good, I am grateful for the many wonderful people and experiences it brings. Thanks to all of you who are a part of it.

Happy holidays!

Love Jill

Sat Oct 06 2007 23:25 general conference: Laura's friend had extra tickets to conference so we got to go to the Sat. afternoon session. It was fantastic and besides the olympic opening ceremonies I can honestly say I've never seen so many people in one place at the same time. But story of the day was the protestors. NOt too many this year but there was a guy with a voodoo head around his neck wearing a black top hat and a black and red vampire cape, flapping his arms and saying, "I am Satan...I am satan...and these are all my followers...these missionaries are mine, and these protestors are fighting against me. I am Satan." Tried not to laugh and move along...not because of what he was saying but just because it looked funny. Best part is that if Satan is the king of lies, the great deciver, then he was technically supporting the church by saying that stuff. i love free speech.

Mon Sep 24 2007 12:50 the haunting: At work we are being haunted again. Yes, again. We have a "Character" we call Jake (I believe I have posted about him before). Normally it's kind of creepy and entertaining to be a little haunted. But as a nurse it is burning me out. At first the people going crazy were funny..."hey my head just fell off" or the "I'm dead! I'm actaully dead" said one old lady with histerical laughter. But now it's not so funny. People are mysteriously falling and ending up in places it would be impossible for them to be in. People can't tell if they are awake or asleep. Call light buttons are going off in empty rooms, and the button itself is broken in half, when moments earlier it was in one piece. It makes me tired. It makes my head spin. Maybe I'll catch a break this week, and no one will die on my watch, or fall, or think they are dead. Maybe.

(3) Thu Apr 20 2006 10:20 PST School: So I am currently attending UVSC. I have had an ok experience and am ready to move on. Next semester I will be attending Blinn at Bryan, TX. I am very excited because I will be 2 hours away from my house instead of 22 hours!!! I am going to get a degree in early childhood education and am very pleased with my degree. I am currently reading a book that is called A Man's Search for Meaning written by Viktor E. Frankl. If you haven’t read this book, i suggest that you do! It has changed my way of looking at things. Take care Shell

(1) Thu Apr 20 2006 10:20 PST School: So I am currently attending UVSC. I have had an ok experience and am ready to move on. Next semester I will be attending Blinn at Bryan, TX. I am very excited because I will be 2 hours away from my house instead of 22 hours!!! I am going to get a degree in early childhood education and am very pleased with my degree. I am currently ready a book that is called A Man's Search for Meaning written by Viktor E. Frankl. If you haven’t read this book, i suggest that you do! It has changed my way of looking at things. Take care Shell

Thu Feb 07 2008 13:10 (Susanna Chadwick) Cookie Cookie Cookie!: I was going to go to the library after Maggie's nap, but she didn't take a nap, and also it is snowing and really blowy. So, instead I made Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies. Cookies! If you have been blessed with one of mom's family recipe boxes, this is in there.

1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 cup quick cooking oatmeal
2 T unsweetened cocoa
3/4 t. baking soda
3/4 cup butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
16-ounce package chocolate chips
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped
Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl. Beat together sugars and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture until well-blended. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees. Let stand on sheets 3 minutes. Remove cookies to racks to cool.

Susie the Chef says: 16 ounces of chocolate chips is a ridiculous waste of money and chocolate chips. I put 1/4-1/3 that much. I also didn't put nuts. Even though the batter was pretty dry, I felt like the cookies had a lot of butter in them so I might use a few tablespoons less next time. Next time: yes, they were very yummy!

Thu Jan 24 2008 18:32 (Susanna Chadwick) Yummy in my Tummy: I've been trying out a lot of new crockpot recipes in an attempt to make feeding my family easier, faster, and yummier. Yesterday I put two chicken breasts and half a jar of spaghetti sauce (Ragu was only $1 at Smith's and I had a coupon - I haven't bought spaghetti sauce in years!) and let it cook on both settings for who-knows-how-long. I served it with whole wheat pasta and parmesan cheese and it was yummy. Probably the easiest meal I've ever made!

I also made an eclair cake at John's request. I made chocolate sauce from scratch because I only use it for eclair cake and I am out of money in my grocery budget this month. It was easy and super yummy. I couldn't find mom's recipe, so I 1/3-ed one I found online:

1/3 c. cocoa
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. sugar
Boil for 2-5 minutes.

PS: I uploaded some cute pictures of the bug to our picture blog - click on "Pictures" to the right. And read all my latest articles while you're at it!

Tue Dec 04 2007 22:13 (Susanna Chadwick) Taco Stack: I was a good wife and made dinner tonight. This isn't the recipe I kept the page for, but it was yummy!

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 package taco seasoning
12 corn tortillas
shredded cheese

Brown ground beef with onion in skillet; drain fat. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and taco seasoning. Place 1/4 c. meat in bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Place two tortillas side by side on meat mixture. Top each tortilla with some meat mixture and shredded cheese. Repeat until each stack contains 6 tortillas layered with meat and cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Cut each stack into quarters. I served it with sour cream and green onions.

Also, Tasha inspired me to make babyfood so I bought a butternut squash, baked it, and pureed it in the blender with a bit of water. It is delicious! Maggie liked it too. I'm not sure it was any cheaper though. I will have to try some other recipes.

Mon Oct 01 2007 23:08 (Susanna Chadwick) Apple-Cheddar Soup: I made this earlier today and it is so yummy. I think I put too many potatoes, because it was kind of chunky.

1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1 T. butter
2 med. potatoes, diced
2 c. apple cider
1 t. fresh thyme
1/2 t. salt
dash cayenne pepper
1 med apple, peeled, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. milk
2 T. flour
4 oz (1 cup) shredded cheese
fresh apple slices

Cook onion in butter. Stir in potatoes, cider and seasonings. Boil. Simmer covered 15 minutes. Add apple. Simmer 5 minutes until potatoes are tender. combine milk and flour - stir into soup. Cook and stir until bubbly. Whisk in cheese until melted. Top serving dishes with apple slices and fresh ground pepper.

Fri Aug 03 2007 12:10 (Susanna Chadwick) Fondue for Two: Last night John and I celebrated our anniversary at The Melting Pot. Maggie got babysat by a couple in the ward with two little boys and had the best time.

We enjoyed our yummy fondue meal, but it was very expensive and now that we've done it I don't think we'll go back. We especially enjoyed the dessert fondue. The waiter told us how to make the cookie and/or graham cracker crumb covered marshmallows (just dip the marshmallows in water), so now we can just do that at home. We were thinking what a fun FHE activity that would be to do with young kids.

(1) Fri Aug 05 2005 08:40 (Pete) The Eagle Has Landed: We made it. I'm writing this now via some neighbor's wireless.

(13) Tue Aug 02 2005 23:06 (Sumana) The Right To Bear Fardels: During a recent summit The Poor Man made some nonsensical remark denying that there's any humor in C.S. Lewis or Shakespeare. One of those half-drunk "contrarian = sophisticated" bits of bollocks.

In refutation, I've found my favorite (so far) joke in the Bard: Act III, Scene 2 of Hamlet, the bit about Guildenstern, Hamlet, and the pipe. Gertrude has sent Tweedlecrantz and Guildendee to check on why Hamlet Jr. is acting so crazay. Our goth protagonist asks Guildenstern to try playing a recorder.

GUILDENSTERN
I know no touch of it, my lord.

HAMLET
It is as easy as lying. Govern these ventages with your fingers and thumbs, give it breath with your mouth, and it will discourse most eloquent music. Look you, these are the stops.

GUILDENSTERN
But these cannot I command to any utt'rance of harmony. I have not the skill.

HAMLET
Why, look you now, how unworthy a thing you make of me! You would play upon me; you would seem to know my stops; you would pluck out the heart of my mystery; you would sound me from my lowest note to the top of my compass; and there is much music, excellent voice, in this little organ, yet cannot you make it speak. 'Sblood, do you think I am easier to be play'd upon than a pipe? Call me what instrument you will, though you can fret me, you cannot play upon me.

In the four-hour Kenneth Branagh version this little rant is especially breathtaking.

Mon Aug 01 2005 12:37 (Riana) Geeks, Fire, and Dangerous Things: Seth and I were at Defcon in Las Vegas this weekend. Seth got our friend Praveen to bring Seth's giant Fresnel lens to the con when Praveen drove out on Saturday. The Fresnel lens is roughly 1 meter in diameter. On Sunday afternoon, as the con was winding down, we took the lens (wrapped in a black sheet for safety) out to a quiet back lot behind the convention hotel and, though the sky was overcast with a thin cloud layer so that we could not focus direct sunlight through the lens, we set some stuff on fire. Seth brought four pairs of welding goggles and two pairs of sunglasses for the group, plus safety gloves for whoever held the lens. It was about 102 degrees out, scorching hot even with the clouds, but before the heat drove me back indoors, I watched Seth and David Weekly burn a brown spot into the side of an aluminum can; turn a piece of wood to charcoal; set aflame and burn through a handful of dry grass; and light an onlooker's cigarette (placed on the ground, not in his mouth!). They also tried unsuccessfully to melt a penny and a quarter. I guess it's not as easy as I thought to burn through your money in Las Vegas.

(1) Sat Jul 30 2005 14:35 (Sumana) She's an ENIAC: From phone conversations today I gather that Leonard and Frances are visiting the American Computer Museum. In contrast, I'll be enjoying Will Franken's comedy shows tonight, whose most computer-related joke is probably his absurdist "voice command for file cabinet" bit. You can get a hint of that style in his "Show!" clip.

Note to local comics I saw in the back room of a pizza place last night: it is possible to do good spam and Match.com jokes. Please try harder.

Sat Jul 30 2005 06:15 (Pete) Mr. Joad's Wild Ride: Today Annalisa and I start our drive out west. On our first trip out, we lost a mirror in the middle of Nebraska at 80 mph, ran over a tumbleweed in Colorado, got our truck towed in LA because it was in 7th Heaven's shot, and almost rented Charles Manson's quaint Topanga getaway... here's hoping for a less exciting trip. Here's also hoping that I will be able to post while I'm on the road. California, here we come!