Well, another day another fist full of dollars, right? It hasn't been any easier on a body that still hasn't been able to find more than a few hours of sleep. Sunday night was a late night, Monday was a late night and last night was a fairly late night (considering I get up at 3:30). So, for three consecutive days I have opted to take my shower when I get home from work in the afternoon so that I could get an additional half hour of recovery sleep. My coworkers don't seem to mind. But, it is still my determination to go to work clean tomorrow.
I don't know that there is a whole lot of news...Lisa has already posted regarding getting pulled over...which was frustrating and scary. I'm not certain why police find it necessary to sit there in their squad car forever when you're sitting there with your engine idling. I was really glad that the officer was lenient. But, the written warning that he handed me wasn't really even that detailed. What was he doing in his car for the lengthy time he had me sweating in mine?
At any rate...I don't think there is too much more to say. So long for now.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Coasting through life
Dave wants me to write but I don't want to because I don't have anything to say really. He told me to write about this...
Yesterday on the way home from the library, Dave got pulled over for going 8 over the speed limit down hill. He got off with a written warning, thank goodness. We were both irritated me mostly because he was going down hill, what do you expect a car to do when you are going down hill? it wasn't like he was flooring it to go that fast he was just coasting. In order to not speed down that hill, based on the speed limit and the height and slope of the hill, one would have to ride their breaks all the way down. Which as I've seen no one does, but they have decided that this must change and have started putting police there. At least there was no harm done, no ticket. I did notice that today on the way to the library Dave did the speed limit exactly, not even 5 over.
Yesterday on the way home from the library, Dave got pulled over for going 8 over the speed limit down hill. He got off with a written warning, thank goodness. We were both irritated me mostly because he was going down hill, what do you expect a car to do when you are going down hill? it wasn't like he was flooring it to go that fast he was just coasting. In order to not speed down that hill, based on the speed limit and the height and slope of the hill, one would have to ride their breaks all the way down. Which as I've seen no one does, but they have decided that this must change and have started putting police there. At least there was no harm done, no ticket. I did notice that today on the way to the library Dave did the speed limit exactly, not even 5 over.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Daylight Savings, how I loathe thee
So...anyone else that is yawning and rubbing their sore eyes from a lost precious hour of sleep knows the reason for the hostility towards daylight savings. Of course, it didn't help much that this past week I worked in master control and didn't have to get up until 6...add to that getting up at 3 (2, if you ask my body). But...I have not allowed myself to nap at all today, with the exception of crashing on the bed while I waited for Lisa to get ready so we could come here to the library. But, that was really more of a doze than a nap. Certainly not enough to prevent me from slipping off the face of consciousness when I hit the hay tonight.
Our weekend was fabulous! On Saturday, we did our usual laundry and housekeeping. After this, we reviewed our benefits packages for NBC and for Target and I filled out the paperwork for mine. When I finished looking through the 1040 booklet trying to determine the maximum amount that we could get from Uncle Sam, I filled in everything I needed to for our federal return. It looks like we should get a pretty decent check. Hallelujah! The economic stimulus that will be sent a little later will be a Godsend, too. People can say what they want about Bush, but...I've gotten a grant during his presidency and I'll get another handsome check before he's done, too. I'm not going to gripe.
Where was I? Oh yes, the weekend. Saturday evening, Lisa and I went to the ward talent show. What a blast! I got to MC, so I was right in my element. I was able to play my guitar intermittently when people were setting up for their talent. Some of the kids did talents like karaoke, dancing...which was really more like running and flailing around on stage, and singing songs about the 50 Nifty United States and Down by the Bay. But, even though some of the talents were simple and just plain nutty, everyone applauded and cheered. Now...everyone knows what a cantankerous and ornery person I am about people who are disingenuous in action or word and that I frequently tend to doubt people's sincerity, especially after being in Utah where even the most miserable performance gets a standing ovation. But, when everyone was so enthusiastically clapping for each performer, no matter how facile the performance, there was a divine genuineness to it. Certainly everyone recognized that in terms of expecting perhaps a Broadway performance, a Pavarottian rendition of Down by the Bay, or Freddie Mercury and Queen playing Rainbow Connection, the performances (obviously including my own) weren't spectacular. But, with utmost sincerity they encouraged and applauded the performers for their courage to perform in front of a body of people, however familiar. It wasn't the over-enthusiastic standing ovation that made me wish to defiantly fold my arms and refuse to clap, rather it was a loving support that made each act feel better than it really was, for both performer and audience.
In the way of movie reviews, Lisa and I watched My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding. What a hilarious and touching movie that was! I told Lisa that this movie was a point of discussion in my film program at BYU. Frequently the topic of "Mormon cinema" was addressed. Teachers would ask us what we thought Mormon cinema should or could be. They felt this question was especially pertinent since we were prospective LDS filmmakers and it applied particularly because of the fact that our religion (ideally) is inextricably connected with who we are and would have to find a place within our craft. This was also viewed in light of the fact that films like Single's Ward and The R.M. are definitely about Mormon culture and even touch somewhat in the realm of belief. But, they aren't films that are explicitly LDS that are accessible to people who are not. There are all sorts of decidedly LDS nuances that are palatable and humorous to us because we understand them. So, the market has been attenuated. Instead, our teachers encouraged us to express what it means to be Mormon in a way that is accessible to a broader human experience. It would have to be specific, of course, because that is what makes a film great and enjoyable: specificity. If you are too universal, the film will feel preachy and few will like it. Big, Fat, Greek Wedding did this beautifully. Greek Orthodoxy was a major figure in this movie. But, it was very approachable. It didn't make references to things that I couldn't understand. It didn't make me feel stupid by trying to "teach" me about Greek Orthodoxy. Rather it opened itself up and allowed me to see at least a part of what a Greek family is like and think of it whatever I chose. It was a really neat film. As an aside, Alonzo said that the family was spot on Greek. Almost exactly like his family.
Well...I have carried on and on and on. There will be more news tomorrow, I'm sure. Lisa and I are doing well, we are happy and healthy (no flu yet...YAY!). We hope to hear from everyone. Lots of love. Happy sleep recovery.
Our weekend was fabulous! On Saturday, we did our usual laundry and housekeeping. After this, we reviewed our benefits packages for NBC and for Target and I filled out the paperwork for mine. When I finished looking through the 1040 booklet trying to determine the maximum amount that we could get from Uncle Sam, I filled in everything I needed to for our federal return. It looks like we should get a pretty decent check. Hallelujah! The economic stimulus that will be sent a little later will be a Godsend, too. People can say what they want about Bush, but...I've gotten a grant during his presidency and I'll get another handsome check before he's done, too. I'm not going to gripe.
Where was I? Oh yes, the weekend. Saturday evening, Lisa and I went to the ward talent show. What a blast! I got to MC, so I was right in my element. I was able to play my guitar intermittently when people were setting up for their talent. Some of the kids did talents like karaoke, dancing...which was really more like running and flailing around on stage, and singing songs about the 50 Nifty United States and Down by the Bay. But, even though some of the talents were simple and just plain nutty, everyone applauded and cheered. Now...everyone knows what a cantankerous and ornery person I am about people who are disingenuous in action or word and that I frequently tend to doubt people's sincerity, especially after being in Utah where even the most miserable performance gets a standing ovation. But, when everyone was so enthusiastically clapping for each performer, no matter how facile the performance, there was a divine genuineness to it. Certainly everyone recognized that in terms of expecting perhaps a Broadway performance, a Pavarottian rendition of Down by the Bay, or Freddie Mercury and Queen playing Rainbow Connection, the performances (obviously including my own) weren't spectacular. But, with utmost sincerity they encouraged and applauded the performers for their courage to perform in front of a body of people, however familiar. It wasn't the over-enthusiastic standing ovation that made me wish to defiantly fold my arms and refuse to clap, rather it was a loving support that made each act feel better than it really was, for both performer and audience.
In the way of movie reviews, Lisa and I watched My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding. What a hilarious and touching movie that was! I told Lisa that this movie was a point of discussion in my film program at BYU. Frequently the topic of "Mormon cinema" was addressed. Teachers would ask us what we thought Mormon cinema should or could be. They felt this question was especially pertinent since we were prospective LDS filmmakers and it applied particularly because of the fact that our religion (ideally) is inextricably connected with who we are and would have to find a place within our craft. This was also viewed in light of the fact that films like Single's Ward and The R.M. are definitely about Mormon culture and even touch somewhat in the realm of belief. But, they aren't films that are explicitly LDS that are accessible to people who are not. There are all sorts of decidedly LDS nuances that are palatable and humorous to us because we understand them. So, the market has been attenuated. Instead, our teachers encouraged us to express what it means to be Mormon in a way that is accessible to a broader human experience. It would have to be specific, of course, because that is what makes a film great and enjoyable: specificity. If you are too universal, the film will feel preachy and few will like it. Big, Fat, Greek Wedding did this beautifully. Greek Orthodoxy was a major figure in this movie. But, it was very approachable. It didn't make references to things that I couldn't understand. It didn't make me feel stupid by trying to "teach" me about Greek Orthodoxy. Rather it opened itself up and allowed me to see at least a part of what a Greek family is like and think of it whatever I chose. It was a really neat film. As an aside, Alonzo said that the family was spot on Greek. Almost exactly like his family.
Well...I have carried on and on and on. There will be more news tomorrow, I'm sure. Lisa and I are doing well, we are happy and healthy (no flu yet...YAY!). We hope to hear from everyone. Lots of love. Happy sleep recovery.
Friday, March 7, 2008
The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work
We can all thank Richard Bach for that quote. He was an American novelist.
Well, it is the end of the week and thank goodness for it! Working in master control has been fun...but, I cannot say that my childhood dream of watching TV all day and getting paid for it has been as glamorous in its fulfillment as I once thought it would be. Oh well, at the very least I got experience and will have an accompanying paycheck to verify said experience.
Well, tending the kids last night was really fun. There was one other brother in the nursery with me, so at least I didn't have to try to monitor things on my own. Not that it would have been a whole lot of trouble. We only had three boys nearly the whole time. Michael, Matthew and Chris. All of them brothers. Michael and Matthew were the older two and Chris (whom Matthew and Michael called "Chupe") was probably little more than 1. Cute kids! Matthew and Michael were pretty much 100% horseplay. They wrestled and danced (if one could call what they did dancing). They were ever so eager to laugh. Chupe was hilarious for an altogether different reason. We had one of those storybooks that has the buttons down the side that play sounds to accompany the story. Well, it was The Lion King and one of the buttons was a very tribal sounding clip of music. Chupe did this funny little dance where he would tuck his arms close to his body, pucker his face and wiggle like a worm. Brother Valentine (my assisting sitter) and I both just cracked up. I tried to get Chupe to perform his interpretive movements again for my phone camcorder, but could not conjure up the same dance. Just as a funny little aside, we almost had one little girl to look after. Sister Javner, one of the sisters in our ward, came in with her little daughter (I'm guessing about Chupe's age). Upon seeing Matthew and Michael roughhousing, she commented that she was glad that she has a girl. But, what I found funny was that while Matt and Mike were roughhousing, they never really got angry at each other and were quite fine being away from their mother, as was Chupe who just sort of watched his brothers horse around and did whatever else he wanted to do. But, when Sister Javner would even get up to walk to the door, her little girl would fly into hysterics. Ultimately, Sister Javner ended up taking her daughter with. Not to be a chauvinist or anything, but...I don't know that I would have traded two rowdy boys for a screaming girl on a bet.
In other news...I've got quite a few little projects to work on this weekend. For one, Lisa and I will be filing our taxes. Because of my dad, I've had my own free personal accountant to do my taxes. So, I've never really taken the time to learn how to file. This year I'm doing it (almost) on my own. Ideally, Dad still won't bill me for his time...but, I'm certain that I will spend a reasonable amount of time on the phone asking questions.
Another little lovable notch on the docket will be figuring out and filling out benefit forms for both myself and Lisa. Mine were supposed to be turned in on Monday, but I was given an extension so that we could find out what sort of benefits Lisa would have available to her at Target. Since she started training yesterday, we will be able to figure that out as early as tomorrow. It will be nice to have everything covered and a little more settled.
Finally, amidst taxes, occupational paperwork and the inevitable weekend cleaning and laundry, I will be writing a talk. Apparently, quite a number of people bailed on the bishopric and skipped town so that they wouldn't have to speak in sacrament meeting. I will be speaking about family history. It will be interesting. There aren't a whole ton of scriptures that doctrinally dig into the principle of family history aside from everyone's favorite "begat" chapters. But, I think that with the extra liberty of giving a talk rather than just a testimony, I can be a little more anecdotal and share stories about Grandpa and stuff like that.
Well, tonight I will be on my own and will be able to get a start on some of, if not all of those things. Lisa is working her first official shift at Target and I will be left to my own devices for the evening. I'm certain that I will be a lost little puppy dog when I go to pick her up.
At any rate...the life of Nigh continues to roll along. And remember, if the ladies don't find you handsome, at least they can find you handy!
Well, it is the end of the week and thank goodness for it! Working in master control has been fun...but, I cannot say that my childhood dream of watching TV all day and getting paid for it has been as glamorous in its fulfillment as I once thought it would be. Oh well, at the very least I got experience and will have an accompanying paycheck to verify said experience.
Well, tending the kids last night was really fun. There was one other brother in the nursery with me, so at least I didn't have to try to monitor things on my own. Not that it would have been a whole lot of trouble. We only had three boys nearly the whole time. Michael, Matthew and Chris. All of them brothers. Michael and Matthew were the older two and Chris (whom Matthew and Michael called "Chupe") was probably little more than 1. Cute kids! Matthew and Michael were pretty much 100% horseplay. They wrestled and danced (if one could call what they did dancing). They were ever so eager to laugh. Chupe was hilarious for an altogether different reason. We had one of those storybooks that has the buttons down the side that play sounds to accompany the story. Well, it was The Lion King and one of the buttons was a very tribal sounding clip of music. Chupe did this funny little dance where he would tuck his arms close to his body, pucker his face and wiggle like a worm. Brother Valentine (my assisting sitter) and I both just cracked up. I tried to get Chupe to perform his interpretive movements again for my phone camcorder, but could not conjure up the same dance. Just as a funny little aside, we almost had one little girl to look after. Sister Javner, one of the sisters in our ward, came in with her little daughter (I'm guessing about Chupe's age). Upon seeing Matthew and Michael roughhousing, she commented that she was glad that she has a girl. But, what I found funny was that while Matt and Mike were roughhousing, they never really got angry at each other and were quite fine being away from their mother, as was Chupe who just sort of watched his brothers horse around and did whatever else he wanted to do. But, when Sister Javner would even get up to walk to the door, her little girl would fly into hysterics. Ultimately, Sister Javner ended up taking her daughter with. Not to be a chauvinist or anything, but...I don't know that I would have traded two rowdy boys for a screaming girl on a bet.
In other news...I've got quite a few little projects to work on this weekend. For one, Lisa and I will be filing our taxes. Because of my dad, I've had my own free personal accountant to do my taxes. So, I've never really taken the time to learn how to file. This year I'm doing it (almost) on my own. Ideally, Dad still won't bill me for his time...but, I'm certain that I will spend a reasonable amount of time on the phone asking questions.
Another little lovable notch on the docket will be figuring out and filling out benefit forms for both myself and Lisa. Mine were supposed to be turned in on Monday, but I was given an extension so that we could find out what sort of benefits Lisa would have available to her at Target. Since she started training yesterday, we will be able to figure that out as early as tomorrow. It will be nice to have everything covered and a little more settled.
Finally, amidst taxes, occupational paperwork and the inevitable weekend cleaning and laundry, I will be writing a talk. Apparently, quite a number of people bailed on the bishopric and skipped town so that they wouldn't have to speak in sacrament meeting. I will be speaking about family history. It will be interesting. There aren't a whole ton of scriptures that doctrinally dig into the principle of family history aside from everyone's favorite "begat" chapters. But, I think that with the extra liberty of giving a talk rather than just a testimony, I can be a little more anecdotal and share stories about Grandpa and stuff like that.
Well, tonight I will be on my own and will be able to get a start on some of, if not all of those things. Lisa is working her first official shift at Target and I will be left to my own devices for the evening. I'm certain that I will be a lost little puppy dog when I go to pick her up.
At any rate...the life of Nigh continues to roll along. And remember, if the ladies don't find you handsome, at least they can find you handy!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
If music be the food of love, play on
All continues to go splendidly in the life of Nigh.
Yesterday, whilst in the library going about our daily routine of checking our e-mail, Facebook and other internetly necessities, when my phone rang. It was a 715 number which meant it was either someone from church or someone from work, because there aren't any other people that would call me that have a 715 area code. That is, of course, unless someone was really slow in assuming that I had committed voter fraud...which was also in the distantly doubtful category. So, sure enough it was one of my coworkers, Andrew, asking if I could come in to do audio for the Sunrise, Today and Noon shows since he had to do two weeks worth of his show, Technology Spot. Seeing as I really wanted to be able to get to the plasma center and still get Lisa to her training meeting on time, I did not hesitate in benevolently accepting this responsibility.
After gathering some lovely weekend reading material (AKA 1040s, their accompanying instruction booklet, and another couple of necessary tax forms) we hurried back home to throw together a meal for the Elders who were coming over at 5:30. Well, as was mentioned in Lisa's blog yesterday, we were preparing to feed four mouths aside from our own. So, I pulled out the table leaves and spread a table for six. The Elders arrived shy a pair, which was fine by me, especially since thanks to the unexpectedly lower attendance I was able to have some meaty spaghetti for my lunch today. Leftovers, yum! We had a lovely visit and the Elders and I promptly excused ourselves to run to the chapel for meetings we were all going to be late for.
What meeting you ask? Well, I can't imagine that I need to narrow it down too much. It was a weekday evening around 7ish. Yes, you guessed it. I was recently called as the Young Men's Secretary. For those not familiar...it is basically like the YMCA as it was in its early years. We have all of the young men from our congregation get together during the week for fun, games and (if we're all lucky) some spiritual enlightenment and nourishment as well. My presence was primarily for a meeting with my "boss". We discussed a few items that will be coming up in the not too distant future as well as some possible activities in the future. I cut out after we had dispensed with the opening exercises for the young men/young women. I went home and went pretty much straight to bed.
Thankfully, today I have not been too terribly tired. I was unable to punch out for a break because we were under the impression that the Brett Favre press conference was due to start at 11. We did get word that it was postponed until 11:30...but, I still hadn't punched out in case he showed up early. It was a rather tough thing to watch. I got a little choked up when Brett started crying. It is really weird, but he feels like more than just the star of the state professional football team. He feels a lot more like a neighbor. Much closer than most athletes are in a given community. As the conference cut all the way through what would have been our noon news show, it started to be painful for a different reason. Yes, Brett, we're all going to miss you, but...all I've had to fill my belly since 3 this morning was a bowl of Marshmallow Matey's and a couple of granola bars. By the time the whole shindig was finished, Brett's retirement had been announced halfway into Days of Our Lives. Not a major loss of air time, if you ask me.
After rushing home and grabbing some dinner, we ran over to the plasma center. Just in case I wasn't feeling tired enough...I had a needle pulling blood in and out of me for about an hour. On top of that, after I drop Lisa off at her Target training meeting, I will be honoring my commitment to watch kids in the nursery while the ladies of the ward celebrate the anniversary of the Relief Society. Somebody we know is going to sleep like a rock tonight, give me an Advil and I'll tell you who.
Long story short...today is a long story. It has been really busy and tiring...and I wouldn't change a thing! I like when it's busy. I like having lots to do. Although I shouldn't type that too loud. Someone might think that with this blog, I have discretionary time to fill.
That's how life is on the Nigh side of things. TTFN. Ta ta for now!
Yesterday, whilst in the library going about our daily routine of checking our e-mail, Facebook and other internetly necessities, when my phone rang. It was a 715 number which meant it was either someone from church or someone from work, because there aren't any other people that would call me that have a 715 area code. That is, of course, unless someone was really slow in assuming that I had committed voter fraud...which was also in the distantly doubtful category. So, sure enough it was one of my coworkers, Andrew, asking if I could come in to do audio for the Sunrise, Today and Noon shows since he had to do two weeks worth of his show, Technology Spot. Seeing as I really wanted to be able to get to the plasma center and still get Lisa to her training meeting on time, I did not hesitate in benevolently accepting this responsibility.
After gathering some lovely weekend reading material (AKA 1040s, their accompanying instruction booklet, and another couple of necessary tax forms) we hurried back home to throw together a meal for the Elders who were coming over at 5:30. Well, as was mentioned in Lisa's blog yesterday, we were preparing to feed four mouths aside from our own. So, I pulled out the table leaves and spread a table for six. The Elders arrived shy a pair, which was fine by me, especially since thanks to the unexpectedly lower attendance I was able to have some meaty spaghetti for my lunch today. Leftovers, yum! We had a lovely visit and the Elders and I promptly excused ourselves to run to the chapel for meetings we were all going to be late for.
What meeting you ask? Well, I can't imagine that I need to narrow it down too much. It was a weekday evening around 7ish. Yes, you guessed it. I was recently called as the Young Men's Secretary. For those not familiar...it is basically like the YMCA as it was in its early years. We have all of the young men from our congregation get together during the week for fun, games and (if we're all lucky) some spiritual enlightenment and nourishment as well. My presence was primarily for a meeting with my "boss". We discussed a few items that will be coming up in the not too distant future as well as some possible activities in the future. I cut out after we had dispensed with the opening exercises for the young men/young women. I went home and went pretty much straight to bed.
Thankfully, today I have not been too terribly tired. I was unable to punch out for a break because we were under the impression that the Brett Favre press conference was due to start at 11. We did get word that it was postponed until 11:30...but, I still hadn't punched out in case he showed up early. It was a rather tough thing to watch. I got a little choked up when Brett started crying. It is really weird, but he feels like more than just the star of the state professional football team. He feels a lot more like a neighbor. Much closer than most athletes are in a given community. As the conference cut all the way through what would have been our noon news show, it started to be painful for a different reason. Yes, Brett, we're all going to miss you, but...all I've had to fill my belly since 3 this morning was a bowl of Marshmallow Matey's and a couple of granola bars. By the time the whole shindig was finished, Brett's retirement had been announced halfway into Days of Our Lives. Not a major loss of air time, if you ask me.
After rushing home and grabbing some dinner, we ran over to the plasma center. Just in case I wasn't feeling tired enough...I had a needle pulling blood in and out of me for about an hour. On top of that, after I drop Lisa off at her Target training meeting, I will be honoring my commitment to watch kids in the nursery while the ladies of the ward celebrate the anniversary of the Relief Society. Somebody we know is going to sleep like a rock tonight, give me an Advil and I'll tell you who.
Long story short...today is a long story. It has been really busy and tiring...and I wouldn't change a thing! I like when it's busy. I like having lots to do. Although I shouldn't type that too loud. Someone might think that with this blog, I have discretionary time to fill.
That's how life is on the Nigh side of things. TTFN. Ta ta for now!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Everyone has a first
I was thinking a blog might be a great way for Dave and I to keep everyone a little more informed on whats going on in our lives. Or maybe I'm just wasting time on the internet, who knows.
Nothing terribly exciting is going on. I got a job at Target and I have training tomorrow. I'll probably have more to say on that tomorrow.
Dave is working on getting everything together for our taxes. He's been working Master control this week, which as he puts it is getting paid to watch TV all day. He puts the commercial in. He got a few moments in the spotlight yesterday as he had to go in front of the camera and mic a guest that was on the news.
We are having the elders over for dinner tonight and we found out this morning that we are actually having 4 elders for dinner tonight not just 2. I'm not really sure why. I was planning on making Spaghetti so it's not big of a deal. Dave told them they couldn't eat too much.
We are getting all settled into our apartment. The only thing that is out of place is our TV stand made out of large rubbermaid tubs.
Time to go we have to get home and start dinner for 6.
Nothing terribly exciting is going on. I got a job at Target and I have training tomorrow. I'll probably have more to say on that tomorrow.
Dave is working on getting everything together for our taxes. He's been working Master control this week, which as he puts it is getting paid to watch TV all day. He puts the commercial in. He got a few moments in the spotlight yesterday as he had to go in front of the camera and mic a guest that was on the news.
We are having the elders over for dinner tonight and we found out this morning that we are actually having 4 elders for dinner tonight not just 2. I'm not really sure why. I was planning on making Spaghetti so it's not big of a deal. Dave told them they couldn't eat too much.
We are getting all settled into our apartment. The only thing that is out of place is our TV stand made out of large rubbermaid tubs.
Time to go we have to get home and start dinner for 6.
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