One of those nights...

You know when you have those nights when you're a little haunted by the ghost of the past? Yes, I'm having one now. Perhaps it's because I just watched I Am Legend with Elise and Jeff (including the ultra-stupid alternate ending, which made me so glad they went with the theatrical one) and it has me in an eerie mood. Anyway, I relearned that when you're in a weird funk like that, the best thing to do is to eliminate the elements that might cause you to feel like that, and, if possible and necessary, do what it takes to replace them.

I also felt particularly sensitive to the Spirit tonight. Hurrah for the Holy Ghost. What WOULD we do without Him? I'm just tired. A nice Sabbath Day would do me good.

In other news, I volunteered at the MTC today (for the elders learning Hmong to have people to teach in mock appointments). I remember how annoying it was when we went to teach and there weren't enough volunteers. It was such a trip to be back there, on the other side of the mission. This time of year two years ago I was getting ready (and ever so anxious) to head to Wisconsin. Ever ironic as it sounds, the elders never looked younger.

AI Follow Through

Hurrah, as I hoped, Jason is outta there. Now I don't have to follow through with my threat not to watch anymore if he stuck around. Not like it would be so devastating if I had to follow through. I still think it's against the rules to have two Davids in the top 2, so hopefully one of them won't make it through. Plus, two boys in the top 2 is sort of... Season 2. And we all know how THAT turned out.

Strange, it almost seemed like Jason expected it, and he didn't seem terribly devastated.

Jane Turpin!

Here she is!!! Baby and mommy.

Hurrah, now I shall post officially that Janey is in town. Mom is certainly on the east coast by now (Good Morning, Baltimore!), and probably holding her newest granddaughter in her capable arms. I am so glad to know Cami and Jane are both doing so well after so much stress about labor and delivery. That makes my nephews:nieces ratio 4:5! Janey tipped the scale toward the girls! Hurrah. I can't wait to meet the baby when she comes to visit in a few weeks for the wedding.

Also, I really hope Mom did all right with her very dramatic flight...

What in hell?....

Yes, the title of this post is very literally meant. Check out this link (you can go to a linked page to hear the actual audio if you're interested).

Enough said! Weird, random, creepy, questionable. It just caught my attention, so posted it gets.

The Good, the Bad, and...

The good: My older sister has just moments ago delivered her first daughter! (Two boys prior.) She was only 7 pounds! A smaller child, compared to her other two, and a relatively short delivery! I am so glad the baby came at last, Cami was having such a hard time with waiting for labor and worries about timing and making sure everything happened that needed to. Castor oil seems to have done the trick!

The bad: American Idol is ridiculous. If Jason Castro is not voted out this week, I'm not watching the finale, and I'm actually detached enough this season to follow through. I'm one of the rare few that don't actually gush over Archuleta every week. He's good, of course, but he's way too young, and tries to sing love songs like he actually knows what love is! Ah, who does? Anyway, I'm actually rooting for the rocker this time around. I've never hoped they win before, but maybe he will make up for Bo and Chris (I refuse to refer to him by his last name only) and rock will rule this season. But honestly, I felt like I was watching the clown act at a circus while Jason was singing (and holding, not playing, but holding his guitar, not to mention when he forgot the words).


And the ugly? I guess there isn't any right now. Except that I showed my BYU senior project "Noggin" to Mom and Dad just now, and as ever, I think the Bellyface characters are just hideous. The 2D intro is just beautiful, though!

Zoo Siab Lub Tsib Hli Ntuj tim Tsib!

Yes, just like the title of this post said, Happy Cinco de Mayo! (Slightly belated though it may be.) I hope everyone else had as much fun celebrating a completely non-American holiday as I did! I spent the evening watching the unintentionally semi-related masterpiece West Side Story with Mom, Dad, Jared, and Amber & Co., and then came home for a sadly pinata-less party (I know you tried, Lacie!) and played Family Feud and watched Ocean's Thirteen with kith and kin. It was a glorious celebration, though I know few if any who even know the real point as to why our southern neighbors celebrate the fifth of May. No matter, welcome to America! Next up, Independence Day!!!

Silent Drive Home...

Hello. We had a lovely weekend in Moab. I spent much of it with an "unsightly growth" in my ear (as Elise would call it), my iPod earbud, providing a subtle soundtrack to my life, especially useful as we walked around and as I spent time by myself, resting or reading. The iPod itself spent most of its time in my pocket, the whole apparatus hardly perceptible by anyone else. We had a great time, watching Todd and Mike golf in the two-day tournament, watching the girls swim in the pool (enough to turn their hair green!), watching good movies, visiting with Grandma and Grandpa, overall relaxing.

The only sorrow is thus: Today, after a nice visit to the Moab 4th Ward for church services and a short walk to see some petroglyphs and some big, red rocks, I went to watch the little girls at the pool. There I was, sitting on the edge of the pool with my feet on the first step, cooling my tootsies, when I stood up to let some newcomer kiddies get in. The one time, of course, that my iPod is in my lap and not in my pocket is the time I stand up over open water... It fell and pulled free of its earbud cord with a sickening splash, falling into water not even a foot deep. The good: I grabbed it immediately, seriously not even two seconds in the water. Some water dripped out of it, and it seems any water that had entered the earbud jack (which seems to have been the only entrance to its innards) exited. It was covered in its leather case (which is actually quite all-covering when closed, and which wasn't even completely wet, when examining the velvety inside lining). The bad: It was 'on' when dropped, and then, when tried, continued to play after being retrieved, but only for about ten more seconds, when the screen went blank and hasn't returned. I also tried to turn it on several times since then, but have decided on the advice of many to wait several days for it to dry completely before trying to turn it on. This seems to be a common problem, and I have much reason to hope (mostly because of this website--luckily mine didn't fall into a toilet). This stupid little thing is too important to me (mostly because of sentimental, but also financial and entertainment reasons), and while there are many variables like and unlike stories I've read online, I'm still hoping that in a few days, my little toy will be as good as new. I've barely had it for seven months.

NOOOOO!

Anyway, other than that, great trip! Nice weekend, and looking forward to this week.

P.S. One more plus--the thing was also wrapped in a protective plastic covering, so that prevented a lot of water from penetrating certain places. Really, I'm only worried about the earbud jack.

P.P.S. No, I did not drop my iPod again into the water to take the above picture. That photo is courtesy of a google image search for "iPod in water".

UPDATE! The iPod is now sitting propped in front of a desk fan, hopefully having a nice drying. Almost two days since the plunge, we'll see what happens in a few more.