My Big Brother in Egypt

My big brother Ralph has been spending the summer in Egypt. He emails semi-regular updates. Here is one I thought was interesting. Sorry Ralph. I did edit it. But just a little.

Life is starting to wind down here in Egypt. I will head off to Luxor on the night train tomorrow night, and I'll get back on Sunday morning. I had planned to not go down to Luxor and Karnak this time out here. First of all, it is blazing hot. None of the members of the branch want to go down in the summer. They tend to head down in February when it is only ninety or one hundred degrees down there, instead of up to one hundred and thirty five degrees, like it often has been this summer. Again, I was resigned to go down the next time I come to Egypt, which I feel is inevitable. But, I was invited to go down with Kaysha, and a small group of temporary people here... people who are here only for the summer, and therefore unable to go in the "moderate" winter weather. Well, the group that had decided to go had drizzled up into Kaysha, a member of the branch who is seeking a Masters degree at the American University in Cairo... and ironically enough, her boyfriend, Garth, who is not a member of the church, but for some odd reason thinks that I am hilarious. Kaysha has begged me to go. I imagine as a chaperone... but as I was contemplating the trip, I realized that we will be together for a few days... and I am sure that he will have questions about the gospel. It is physically impossible for me to avoid discussing the gospel. I don't think that I can talk about anything without it leading to the gospel directly or indirectly... So, even though I don't know Kaysha and Garth very well, I feel compelled to go. I imagine many good things coming out of it. The few times I have met Garth, I have felt that he is a good person.

A little clarification... in Egypt there are strict laws against baptizing Egyptian citizens. We are technically allowed to baptize non-Egyptians. Even Sudanese, regardless of the fact that most of them are Muslim. In fact, our branch had a baptism as recently as December. A man from Cameroon, named Simplice, was baptized. In the eighties the branch baptized hundreds of people, and was censured by the government and lost their meeting privileges for a time. So, it is not absurd to think that non-Egyptians who rub shoulders with Mormons might be able to become members of the church here. But, it is announced over the pulpit that we should not engage actively in missionary work here. However, in the case of Simplice, those who knock... it shall be given unto them.

An interesting side note and then good luck to me figuring out my original train of thought was (Oh, yeah, I am going on the night train to Luxor)... An opposition newspaper (meaning oposing President Mubarak) came out with an article against the Mormon Church. Now, first let me explain that all newspapers are censored here. First of all, they are censored by editors, who don't want their newspaper to be shut down... and then they are censored by the government. However, it is interesting to see that some newspapers are given more liberty than others... to satisfy the emotional need to rebel and denounce the government. It is as if the government knowingly throws them a bone from time to time. Some newspapers know that they are allowed to cater to a certain group. Well, this newspaper is written primarily by Coptic Christians here in Egypt (who are the largest minority in Egypt, about ten percent of the population -- or six to seven million people). I was able to dabble a bit in translating the article into English for the Public Relations senior couple assigned here to Egypt. Let me paste the article and then talk about some aspects of it. Okay? Some of you might find this intriguing, while some of you may skip the entire email if you want.
...........
I am going to skip this part. If you are really interested in the dissection and debunking of this article email me and I can send you everything he said. As a side note myself...Ralph: If you are going to cut and paste and article for me to read it needs to be in English. I can’t read Arabic. Lol!
Now back to the rest of the email.
...........
What a long, but interesting tangent, if I do say so myself. At any rate... I also was given the task of pinning down a hard copy of the article... which I have done. It was printed a little more than two weeks ago. The reason it was brought to our attention, is because there is a Brazilian member of our branch, who was asked to stop coming to church because her employers read the article and were worried about her being arrested. True to form, she has not attended church for about two weeks.

At any rate... I also wanted to write a bit about my lunches. My lunch was especially disgusting yesterday. I decided to talk about it a bit. Samir has been busy lately when I visit him. So busy in fact, that we have had sandwiches sent to us from his home to the shop. I haven't been up to his house for two weeks or so. So, I would get these sandwiches with cheese... very strong cheese... and he would tell me that it was "old cheese." I was fine with that. But, yesterday, we went up to his apartment and I helped him prepare the food. I cut the lemons (which were the size of marbles... I am baffled at how large and delicious looking US produce is compared to Egyptian produce) Any way, Samir carefully lemon juiced each piece of boiled okra and inserted a pinch of spices. He then pulled out a pot of distilled home-made yoghurt. Now... as some of you may recall, the Coptic Christians had been fasting for fifty days, so they couldn't have dairy products or meat (only fish and seafood). So, my eating cheese has been a new thing at Samir's house. Plain yoghurt disgusts me, but especially home-made yoghurt in Egyptian homes. I quickly explained that I was lactose intolerant... I can only eat a little bit of cheese, but not milk or yoghurt. I explained how I was weaned on goat milk as a boy... But, the worst part is yet to come. Samir went to the refrigerator and pulled out a plastic container. He opened the lid and a murky liquid was inside. He reached in and grabbed a white mound of something. He rinsed it off and set it on a plate. I have called people, pardon my French, phlegm wads before... in junior high. But, I had never seen a wad like this before. This, he told me, to my chagrin, was the old cheese. Apparently they make it themselves. "How old is your old cheese," I asked. Eight months old. That container of rancid liquid has had lumpy wads of cheese floating in it for eight months... longer than my daughter has been alive. Samir then told me that year and a half old cheese is even stronger.

It is a very sad day when you choose to eat okra instead of cheese. But, yesterday was one of those days. A beautiful thing about losing your appetite... you really can't eat very much at all.

Rafting again....

It is twenty after ten pm and we are just leaving Lexington, Virginia. I have a little time as I sit in the backseat, all by myself. So why not write how the trip went.

Friday was a difficult work day. Concentration was not a possibility. I just wanted to be on the river. Erin picked me up at 5 pm on the dot. We threw my gear in the back and were off to get Joy. We took a short detour to drive by the house we will be moving into at the end of Aug. (Yes you read that right. I am moving again. It was inevitable. But that is a topic for a whole blog of its own. I have a theory there.) Once Joy was in the car we were on our way to the Wild West Virginia. It is a 6 hour drive and we talked most of the way. Kenny Chesney was playing Nissan Pavilion which caused a horrible traffic jam. All the fans apparently have to take one road to get to the Nissan Pavilion. SO they filled our road. It took an extra hour to get past them. Once past we were flying. It was really nice to be on the open road. Unfortunately both Joy and I had a problem as the roads got more and more curvy. We survived. It was after midnight when we arrived and we crashed.

This morning our Rafting trip started at 9 am. I was mistaken; we rafted the Lower New River, not the Gauley. My mistake; it was still way fun. It was on the river. There were some great rapids. The water was warm. The day was nice, there was a touch of rain but that just added to the experience. Yes, I ended up in the water, but never involuntarily. I swam 2 rapids, they were little baby ones, but the current was strong and so much fun. I did the rock jump (I never miss a chance). I finally felt that I am starting to know what I am doing. I think I finally am getting the basics. There were pictures but none that I felt were worth $20 and the DVD was definitely not worth 50 bucks. So posterity will just have to believe me when I say I rafted it twice this summer. I am starting to realize these things are fun. Who knew? Who knew that these are somethings that I can do? But I can. Maybe not well, but I just need practice and a little more training. Today for the first time I got back in the boat with out help. 4 separate times. (There was a 5^th time but I needed help for that one. Lol!)

Erin mentioned that we were going to pass Buena Vista, Virginia on our way home. I called Tiana and asked if she wanted to go to dinner. It was very last minute but we met at the main campus of Southern Virginia University. It is as beautiful as everyone says. The rest of the town is pretty ghetto but the school building is beautiful. We then went to Don Tequila for dinner. It was a Mexican joint, in an old Pizza Hut Building. Funny? Yes. Good food? Yes. It was nice to see Tiana. We decided that this covers our visit for Aug. (yeah, yeah we know. It is still July. But it is close enough.) I got to meet Tiana’s co-worker, Margaret. It was fun. We now plan for her to come to visit me in the district for September. Then I am planning a trip back down here in October. Now all we have to decide is where we will go in November. That is Thanksgiving after all.

Joy needed to hit a Wal-Mart to get a few things for her coming trip to Mexico. Of course you can’t go into Wal-Mart and come out empty handed. So I got 2 pair of earrings and 3 new shirts. J

I am excited for Oct. We are coming back for Bridge Day. The New River Gorge Bridge is the second longest steel arch bridge in the world. (This year China had to go and finish theirs that is about a hundred feet longer) I was also told that this is the second highest bridge in the United States, I haven’t verified it, but it is 876 feet high. Once a year people are allowed to base jump off of it. You have to be certified, and have 50 previous jumps under your belt before you are allowed to try this one. But people can go watch. It is the only day that pedestrians are allowed on the bridge. Joy and I want to come down and watch and maybe go rock climbing or bouldering. I already know I enjoy bouldering I just need a little training and I think I will like climbing just as much. Though I am definitely have to work on my upper body strength. Lol!

Well now I am going to have to close because this is making me carsick. Not a good thing. I will end with this thought: I made a discovery. I have found something that I can do, maybe not well yet but that doesn’t detract from the enjoyment I find in it. I will enjoy it while I can.

When did it change....

There was a time when I could create a whole meal for the family and not worry about how bad it was going to be. Somehow in the last year and a half I have lost everything I had learned. Granted it was not much to begin with, but I could at least make the signature meals. I could handle, Tacos, enchiladas, chicken and rice, and even a whole meal of chicken, egg rolls, rice, and pot stickers. Now I cannot make any of it.

Tonight the elders came again. I choose an easy dish, anyone can make it. My younger brothers and sisters have successfully made it. Who knew that it could be screwed up. Apparently it can. The chicken didn't finish cooking (note to the world: putting together casseroles before you are completely awake in the morning is not the best idea) and the rice didn't either. On an ironic notethe exact same dish assembled by my roommate and cooked in the exact same oven came out perfect.

It wasn't as horrible as the enchilada debacle of March. But still wasn't as good as I want. Is the outcome of our various efforts ever as good we want them? Uh-Oh...I am starting to think. Not something I want to do at 3:20 am. Dryer is almost done.

Time

It is almost 1 am here. Both the washer and dryer are running. I have yet to pack. But I have been thinking of what I want to pack. It is only 1 night so it shouldn't be too hard.

Mall Rats is on TV. Jay and Silent Bob are beating up the Easter Bunny.

2:30.....last load is in the dryer.

"What you do not smell is Iocane powder........" It is a classic. Packing is almost done.

Too much excitement to sit still.....

So I have not had a weekend to myself for awhile. I thought it was going to be this weekend........BUT NO! I got invited to raft the Upper Gauley River this weekend. So it is back out to West Virginia to hit the Grand Canyon of the East again. This river is the one I rafted last year. I am so excited I can barely type. To tide you over till I get the rest of the New River pics blogged...Here is my favorite:

The proof .......

A couple of weeks ago my sister came for a visit. Tiana is my big sister. She is 18 months older then me (or is it 16 months? Who knows? Who really cares?) Any way, she now lives about 3 hours south of me in a college town called Buena Vista, which she shortens to BV. Now this is exciting for a couple of reasons. First, Tiana is going back to school, my long term goal is to get off my duff and follow in her footsteps. Second, this makes 2 out of 19 people (not including spouses or extended family) who live on the East Coast. I am excited to have at least one member of my family so close.
So she came to visit, she drove up after work one Friday night, arriving almost in time. ;) We then went to see Pirates 2 with Boo, Steph, Hugh, and Perry. It was fun. Unfortunately, she sat by Boo who doesn’t like talking in movies. My family is big on the running commentaries; I have had to train myself to not talk when I am at the movies with people. I really enjoyed being able to talk to my sister, even though Boo and Steph weren’t so happy. Lol! Afterwards there was a night of talking and bonding which was really nice. Saturday morning we were off early to the Eastern Market and brunch with some of her friends who have moved here. I found a fabulous hat, and some earrings. Tiana found a great necklace and Earring set.

After that we headed to the National Mall for some Touristy stuff.



We got to see the Sunstone in the American History Museum(got to see the Mormon stuff of course).
















Tiana found the love of her life, unfortunately he lived to long ago for her to date today.


















Then we moved on to walking outside. It was hot and muggy. But it was fun.
The Washington Monument weighs a ton:








































Lincoln’s Monument was just so stubborn, for some reason I couldn’t squish it!



















We got up close and personal with FDR













And his dog:















Tiana, trying to prove to the family back home just how broke she really is, stands in the bread line:
Tiana'a favorite Monument was the WWII:









My favorite Picture:

Here is why you don't let tourists take your picture. You get the Wahington Monument coming out of your head:













At the end of the walking we had to sit for a while to get the strength to walk back to the metro.













We ended the day perfectly with Appleby’s Carside To Go and Gilmore Girls. It was almost like the old days...... Tiana was on her way early the next morning so that she could make her Sacrament Meeting.
It was nice to have her come for a visit. I am looking forward to the time we can do it again.

I received my pictures from the rafting trip last weekend. I will post them another time. And then I will tell you all about the beach. Wahoo!! There was a lot of sand and fun.

1000 and counting

Well what a moment. I have had 1000 visitors to my blog. This is an odd feeling. Especially since this blog was created to vent my feelings to no one. As a matter of fact only 2 people knew it ever existed at the very beginning. So congrats to me for continuing to write here even after other people started to read it.

Today’s blog has to be devoted to the last weekend though. I have yet to blog about last weekend with my sister Tiana. I promise to do that but I have promised many that I would write of the festival and rafting. So here goes. Friday was the festival and Saturday was rafting…..

Friday afternoon I drove to a small town in West Virginia. Every year Elkins, West Virginia is host to a Summer Program devoted to American Heritage. Each week is dedicated to a type of music. They have concerts on Tuesdays and Thursday and outdoor dances every Friday. There are classes during the week to teach you various things from that heritage. Everything from singing, to dancing, to blacksmithing, to learning to play the guitar, you name it and people are brought in to teach it. The dance on Friday is a culmination of all the students have learned.

Last week was Cajun/Creole Week. Zydeco is a combination of cajun, blues and rock music that hails from Louisiana. The sound is a little faster then country. There is a different rhythm. The band includes and Accordion, a guitar, a fiddle, the drums, and I am told true Zydeco has a washboard (though there was not one at the festival on Friday)

A girl from one of the single adult wards invited those of us involved in our rafting trip to take a detour to this festival. It is in her home town. It is about a 5 hour drive from DC and we arrived about 7:30. We were welcomed like long lost children into the MacArthur home. Here we were fed and given a chance to get ready to go dancing. I, of course, dressed completely inappropriately in a t-shirt, jeans and flip flops. But no one mentioned anything to make me feel uncomfortable and I had not planned on actually dancing anyway. We also got a chance to meet Chester; Zydeco dancer extraordinaire. Chester hails from Beaumont, Texas. He travels to West Virginia for the festival every year. He is amazing to watch. So smooth, graceful and controlled. It is extremely cool. The steps to Zydeco dancing seemed simple enough when they were demonstrated, just a 4 count. Anyone should be able to do that right. Sort of a 2-step; instead of quick, quick, slow, slow; it is quick, quick, quick, quick. It should be easy right. I watched for the first couple of dances and was finally coaxed on to the floor. I proved yet again that I am a klutz. But that is okay. No one pointed or teased. I laughed and we went back to counting. After a few hours I could get the basic steps, and sometimes I was even able to do turns. I know I am pretty proud of myself too. It was so much fun. Even when I didn’t have a partner we would go to the middle of the floor and just enjoy the music. I soon learned the reasoning behind skirts on a crowded and hot dance floor. It was hot and muggy even this late at night. But no one let that slow them down. Even with everyone sweating profusely the dancing went on till midnight. Some where around my second dance I gave up on the flip flops, I went barefoot the rest of the evening. People were extremely kind. Mama MacArthur calls dances like these the great equalizer. Her favorites are Zydeco and Contra (another form of dance that I have only heard about, sort of like square dancing but different, it involves everyone on the floor dancing with each other though) She explained that you see everyone dancing with everyone. Old with Young. Rich with Poor. All Races dancing together. Gender didn’t really even matter when you needed a partner and there weren’t enough men. As long as you got to dance. The dancing was extremely pleasant.

Afterwards we all filed back to the MacArthur home and were treated to homemade Strawberry shakes. They were delicious and the discussions were lively, but by 1 am, with the realization that we would have to be up for rafting in a few hours, we started to turn in for the night. Mama and Papa MacArthur were up to see the first crowd off at 5:30 to make their 8:00 departure for rafting. The second crowd woke to the mellow tones of a dulcimer being played by Mama MacArthur. We then left by 7:00 to make our 9:30 departure time. The Macarthur’s were very good to us, they provided directions and breakfast. Mama MacArthurs was praying for us by name when we left, she didn’t want anyone hurt. She is a sweet lady.

Rafting was also fun. There are pictures. I just do not have them yet. We rafted the Lower New River. Apparently it is the second oldest river in the world, who knew? It is also called “The Grand Canyon of the East”. The rapids ranged between Class I thru Class V. With 3 sets of Class V rapids. It was not as difficult or intense as the Gauley last year, but still it was highly enjoyable. I got to swim through a couple of rapids, completely voluntary. I actually never fell out of the boat. As a matter of fact while trying to surf a specific set of rapids, me and Kyle were the only 2 that stayed in the boat with the guide. Everyone else ended up in the water. I also got a chance to go cliff jumping. Again the cliff wasn’t as high as the one that I jumped at the Gualey, but the falling sensation was the same. There is that feeling in your stomach; that tingle and jump that comes. Wahoo!!! There was also a waterfall that I got to climb up. I have decided I like bouldering much better then regular hiking. Bouldering is hiking big boulders; it is more of a scramble to get up and down. It is lots of fun. I took a camera, who knows how well the pictures turned out. But I also bought a bunch of pictures from the rafting company. They took them as we were rafting the rapids. They are fun. I will post them once I have them down loaded. By the time I got home I was exhausted. I showered, fell into bed, and slept through Sunday. I am glad I went but I think I need to pace myself. That way I don’t crash and sleep thru church anymore.

This weekend I go to camping to the Assateague Island in Maryland. I know nothing about this trip other then there is a beach and possibly wild ponies. It should be fun. I’ll let you know.

A family Con Call...

For the first time in our family history we had a conference call. Every member of my family dialed in (except Ralph in Egypt) to hear the great news. It was loud and chaotic as only the Hinkson/Gifford Clan can be. But the waiting is at an end. The letter came today......

Hugh has received his Mission Call. He will serve as a missionary in the Chile, Vina Del Mar mission for 2 years. He reports to the training center in Provo, Utah on August 30, 2006.

Hugh, Congratulations and Good Luck!
Ralph, if you read this before talking to Hugh or Julie...Oops. Sorry.


For those that are not LDS here is a link to explain a little more about missionary work and why we think it is so important:

http://www.mormon.org/learn/0,8672,1022-1,00.html

Happy Independence Day!!

Let Freedom Ring!

I hope every one got to enjoy some Fireworks.

Congrats to my big brother Kent and his wife Cynthia, the newest addition to the Hinkson Clan will arrive in December! Yeah.

Grr....

Three times in one day, I must be in a talkative mood.......

I read something today and got my feelings hurt. Now I know I am being a girl and the remark was not directed at me but still it hurt my feeling.

A friend of mine stated that most girls tend to "fan out to hunt for different prey.." once their guy friends start relationships. This saddened me as I would never want my relationships to be viewed this way. If I based all of my friendships on the possibility of matrimony I would be not only an old maid but a lonely unhappy one.

He was unhappy with the prospect that most women tend to disappear… and I happen to agree with this, especially when men get married. I want to state though that most new couples fade out of our singles scene for the first year of marriage. I do not know if this is a conscious choice or not. I call this settling into married life. There is the Honeymoon period, the period where they realize life is not a honeymoon, and then the stage where they learn to handle the rest of life (I believe this one actually never ends). Other friends are not involved in these stages. Singletons recognize this and usually prep themselves for the separation. If we are lucky, after about a year, we will be able to have some sort of friendship when the couple wakes up to the rest of the world. Unfortunately, more often than not, the separation is permanent. This is sad to us, we tuck our fond memories away to be brought out in later years when the urge “to call them like we used to” comes.

And now I will step down from my soap box. That’s All.

CONGRATULATIONS!

I forgot....

Congrats to my younger brother who is getting married in the Lubbock Texas Temple(LDS) on November 3, 2006. Good luck kid! I wish you and your Marian the librarian [or Vanessa if that is what she prefers to be called;) ] all the best.

Battle....

Have you ever seen the movie Michael? You know the one with John Travolta as Michael the Archangel. Today I had a vision of John Travolta standing in a field preparing to “battle” a bull. I had the urge to do a little “battle” myself. Unfortunately it was me against a machine. A massive copy machine that is roughly the size of about 6 twin bed mattresses stacked on top of one another.

I was given a simple assignment today that turned in to an all out war. I needed to make copies of a document. A 113 page (one-sided) document needed to become a 57 page (double sided) document. Then I needed to make 85 stapled copies of said 57 page document. How difficult can it be? The beast that lives in the mail room should have been able to do it all in one fell swoop. Right? Right!

Well it started off well…copy was changed to double sided and things were progressing. Okay, okay we hit a little snag when it only stapled every other copy but I dealt with that I brought in my own stapler to staple the copies myself. Minor skirmishes along the way but nothing that I could not overcome. The real trouble began after about 50 copies; things started to jam in the machine. No problem. I cleared the jams and started over. I have to give this battle to the machine, it ate only about 4 copies that I had to then shred. I only had just over 35 copies left. I was calm. It has only taken me 2 hours so far. After the final jam….it would not clear. I checked everything. I was only at 60 copies and my patience was wearing a little thin. The mail room was hot, the machine was loud and I was bored, I had to stand by this beast because I could not leave confidential documents unattended. The desire to kick this monster was getting stronger. Finally I shut off the machine and started it again. This seemed to work. I got a whopping 13 copies before the final battle started. All of a sudden it started mixing up my pages. The feeder was all messed up. Pages were getting bent; things were getting out of order. The first time I calmly reordered the pages and started again. The second time I made a copy of each specific page that was bent, one at a time, so that it would not get stuck in the feeder, reorder the pages and started again. But the third time the papers exploded out of the machine. Literally; everything is out of order and a mess. I wanted to lower my head and charge it just like Michael in the movie. But before I lost my temper with an inanimate object I waved the flag of truce. I am ashamed to admit that the machine won. I will finish my last 13 copies on Monday when it is a slightly less temperamental mood. Hopefully the weekend will give it time to cool off and not hate me. J

For all those that are wondering....

.....The isolated thunder showers are not supposed to start again until 10 pm, until then it will be partly cloudy with a high of 85. Soak it up while it lasts.


I have not mentioned the rain on my blog at all. Yes there has been lots of it. Yes I am still safe. I do not mention it because I am in the minority out here. I LOVE IT! This rain, which is causing the flooding of other people's basements, power outages, road closures, cancellation of flights and all of the other turmoil out here has got me excited. I have listened to it beat upon my roof and windows. I have watched the lightening while sitting on my porch. I have gone for walks in the rain, and I have even spent 5 minutes puddle jumping (unfortunately it was all by myself since no one else wanted to play with me, stuffy ol' adults!)

But for today at least the sun is shining and the humidity seems less. I know this makes quite a few of my friends happy. Actually, I am happy also. I like the sunny weather as well. Really I just love all weather. There is something about nature that gets me excited. Thunder storms, Snow, Sunny summer days, Humidity, I love all of it. It’s just another reason why I love living here.

So for today I will enjoy the sun while it lasts. But I will also enjoy the rain that is supposed to return tomorrow. ;)

Quiet

Those that come from large chaotic families might understand the need for solitude. Today was such a day. I was reminded of long ago Saturdays in my parents’ house. Every so often I would want to go where no one could find me. Just to be alone. In a house of 14 people, there was always noise and chaos and something that needed done. But there was a walk-in closet on the second floor; it housed the furnace, the wrapping supplies, some luggage, some bedding, and the clothes of whoever was using the room at the time. I would take a book or two and climb behind the clothes. The excess bedding made quite a comfortable seat and I would travel to what ever world I wanted. As teenager I lingered over the world of Anne of Green Gables, Emily of New Moon, and others. I escaped my chaotic world as I read of romances in England, the horrors of Hitler and the Holocaust, daring Mormon Pioneers, brave soldiers of the Revolutionary and Civil wars, and their even braver mothers and wives they left at home to worry and pray while they fought.

Today, I did nothing important, nothing but read. I read nothing important; nothing to “expand my mind”; just simple tales. Some I have even read before. And yet, I am a little embarrassed to say, it has been one of my favorite days.

My Favorite Moment at the Ball game.....

So there we were watching our beloved Nats get their butts kicked by the Yankees in the 5th Inning..... 9-2 . Sad I know. There was a beautiful Grand Slam by a Yankees player that was just amazing. But I digress..... Anyway back to our poor Nationals...While we were watching, sitting in an area heavily populated by Yankee fans my roommate Kate pointed out what have become my 2 favorite fans.




How Many times have you gone to a game (of any sport) and been undecided which team you like better. Who do you choose to support? How to make such a decision? Why not support Both. That is what this father and son duo did!!
I even had to borrow Gwen's camera because I found it so humorous.

As and FYI..the Nats came back in the 8th and the 9th we won 11-9. WAHOO!!

June 4th....

So life has been a bit busy as of late....so you are getting a Meme I found....here:

1. Go to www.wikipedia.org.

2. In the Search box at the bottom of the screen, type your birth month and day (but not year).

(My birthday is June 4th.)

List 3 events that happened on your birthday.

1. 780 BC - The first historic solar eclipse is recorded in China
2. 1919 - The U.S. Congress approves the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which would guarantee suffrage to women, and sends it on for ratification by the states.
3. 1989 - The Tiananmen Square protests are suppressed in Beijing and are covered live on television.

List two important birthdays.

1. 1928 - Dr. Ruth Westheimer, German-American sex therapist and author
2. 1975 - Angelina Jolie, American actress

List one interesting death.

1. 1798 - Giacomo Casanova, Italian lover and writer (b. 1725)

List one holiday or observance (if any).

1. International Innocent Child Abuse Victim Day.

Feel free to TAG yourself :)

The weekend.....

Do you ever wonder why we are so eager for the weekend, when you are just as busy if not more so on the weekend. Last night I went to see the movie Prairie Home Companion. I liked it. Kate and I thought parts of it were very funny. I must admit to being contemplative afterwards, as it is all about endings, I spent some time pondering past endings. But that is not a topic to be written about here or now.

This morning I was up bright and early (after sleeping through my alarm) to attend a Time Out for Women Conference. This is something put on by Seri Dew and Deseret Book. I understand the dislike many have for such events. I must admit to having the same sort of feelings about them myself. Especially last night when I realized I would be getting only 3 hours of sleep, or this morning as I was rushing about getting ready in 5 minutes, or even as I was dealing with some of the women at the conference( though, I refuse to believe that Mormon women are animals, as one women suggested today). But then something happened, I remembered why I volunteer for these things. I love the opportunity to be surrounded by amazing people. And the women of the LDS church are pretty darn amazing. There is something about the spirit that they carry. It was not hard to smile at chat to the ladies that were waiting in line to enter the conference center. It was even fun to answer questions and hand out free gifts. I complained repeatedly before attending this event. I believe, I even made fun of it but as I was there and even after when I was helping pack up, I could not complain. As a matter of fact, I would be glad to attend another one, it was a fun time.

Sidebar: I feel obligated to state that I am always amazed at the amount of pregnant women or women with babies under 3 months that attend these events. No wonder the world thinks we are baby making machines, at least 65% of the women gathered today fell in one of those 2 categories.

There were a couple of times when I was really in my element today. Though I must say my favorite moment was a discussion of restaurants at the end. There was a group of about 6 ladies that approached me. They were East coasters that had moved to Utah. Now that the conference was over they wanted to go to a restaurant. One knew their way around but no longer knew what restaurants were here. I of course directed them to Tyson’s (cuz that is where I know) and then came the task of finding a place that would meet the approval of all 6. It only took about 10 minutes, but was a puzzle I could sink my teeth into. The pregnant one couldn’t handle Chinese, 2 didn’t like Italian, 3 really wanted ethnic, all worried about price and were determined that they didn’t want to have to drive to far, one was apathetic about cuisine but was picky on service, and 2 described themselves as “food snobs”. After a discussion of various restaurants and service etc, I sent them on their way to The Lebanese Taverna, not my first choice, but not bad either. It was fun. There were many moments like that. Yet again why I sign up for these things, after 11 hours, I am finally home and completely exhausted. But I met some amazing people, had a lot of fun, and am at peace with myself. What other event can leave you saying that?

Now if I could just find a job where I was an executive assistant to an event planner, I would have one of the coolest jobs ever.

providing help in all aspects of your life......

Amusing moment in the life of HR:

I called our Aetna Members 800 number yesterday. It is the number that we have printed on all of our paperwork and forms. A number that we have posted to websites and our internal filebank.

So my call went like this:

Dial....

Ring.....

"To talk to people just like you in your local area, please press 1."

Confusion.....

Disconnect....

Redial....

Ring.....

"To talk and meet people just like you in your local area, please press 1."

Confusion.....

Disconnect....

Redial....

After the third try I realize this is really what is written here, I didn't miss dial, there was no mistake other then we have given out the wrong number.

Our new HR motto: "We are here to help all aspects of your work/life."

***Note: the corrections were also made. We no longer send our employees to a singles line when they need insurance assistance***

Lost or Not….

So I had a momentous occasion yesterday evening. I was walking home from the metro, this takes about 30 minutes. I love to walk especially when I a by myself, I always to listen to music via my fabulous iPod. Usually I am also either reading a book or talking on the phone. Yesterday was no exception. I had my headphones on and was just getting into my book “The Know-It-All” when I looked up to cross an entrance to a parking lot. Stopped directly in front of me was a white mini van full of people. They asked me for direction to either 95 or 495.
Now for a little background on me, I have lived here for a year and a half. Directions and I are not friends in any way shape or form. I have even gotten lost multiple times less then a mile from my office. I love to walk mostly because if I walk long enough I can find a familiar area and suddenly I am not lost any more.

To be stopped on the corner of Haycock and Westmoreland and asked for directions to a freeway I have never driven was a little daunting. But after a second or two I realized I knew how to get them there. I even remembered the street names. I gave them directions. They made me repeat it a couple of times to be sure they understood before driving away. I felt very triumphant. I gave directions, and not to some touristy place on the mall, where the directions include walk past the Washington monument and the reflecting pool. I gave real directions. The urge to do a victory dance was very strong. I am thankful that I was wearing a backpack otherwise the evening rush hour would have gotten a view of my jumping up and down like a fool. I know how to get around. Maybe not perfectly but hey I can get you to a major road!!

I GAVE DIRECTIONS!!

WAHOO!!!

The fear that I had sent them to the wrong place didn’t set in until about a block later. At that point I had to make phone calls to verify the directions I had given. Just in case you were wondering, they were good instructions.

So, a moment of silence, please, for the death of a very small part of my ignorance and then break out the flat cherry coke. It’s time to celebrate. This is finally home!!

600 years ago.....

Well I have always wondered who I would have been were I to live in the 1400's. Okay maybe not but it was an interesting test, none the less. And you all are stuck with the results.....

The Paladin You scored 10% Cardinal, 46% Monk, 58% Lady, and 54% Knight!

You are highly moral but also don't shy away from using force if your lord commands it. You are honourable to the point that you would readily sacrifice yourself for a noble cause. Your name will be the subject of tales and song for generations, however their concentration will be less on your deeds in life as on your martyrdom. You scored high as both the Knight and the Lady. You can try again to get a more precise description of the Knight or the Lady, or you can be happy that you're an individual.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 4% on Cardinal You scored higher than 43% on Monk You scored higher than 76% on Lady You scored higher than 87% on Knight

Ironically enough I would have been the same type of person, one that is a mix of everything. Good to know that regardless of the era I am still me! :)