Brak Liker

As a nod to my immaturity, I like Brak.  Anyone else?

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=brak&search_type=&aq=f

High Notes!

I had a hankering for Minnie Riperton's "Lovin' You" tonight.  I especially like the high note at 0:56.  There's a couple more later in the song, too, if you can make it all the way to 3:20.  I have to admit that I liked the song better before I watched the video.  What's that sprig in her hair, anyway?

Relief Pitcher?

Tara was called at Relief Society President in our ward a few days ago.  Today she was sustained and then set apart.  I'm excited for her.  I know that she will grow in ways not otherwise possible as she's stretched and nourished by the demands of the many different sisters with whom she'll necessarily interact.  In addition to the words "Charity Never Faileth" -- included in the Relief Society logo at left -- are the words recently uttered by the General Relief Society Presidency of the Church, "faith, family, relief".  Go forth with faith, strengthen your family, serve others, Tara.  I support you.  I'll do my part to pick up the slack and be a more-equal partner at home.

Friendly Genius

Einstein said,

"The most important decision we ever make is whether we believe we live in a friendly universe or a hostile universe.”

I've been working really hard since New Years Day on giving people the benefit of the doubt, trying to see things from their perspective, and thinking the best about them.  I'm still working on it.  The hardest part for me is when I'm in traffic.  The fact that this thought by the smart guy struck me makes me think I'm starting to catch on.  What do you think?

Habitually Trying

I read the following article with interest (read the entire article at http://www.freestylemind.com/30-habits-that-will-change-your-life).  I'll go through each one and GREEN the ones that I'm currently doing.  Maybe you can compare your score with mine and comment.

Health habits

1. Exercise 30 minutes every day. Except Sunday
2. Eat breakfast every day. Oatmeal rocks!
3. Sleep 8 hours. 
4. Avoid snacking on junk food between meals. 
5. Eat five portions of fruits and vegetables every day. 
6. Eat fish. 
7. Drink one glass of water when you wake up. 
8. Avoid soda. 
9. Keep your body clean. Since I exercise at lunch I usually shower twice/day.  I can't hardly imagine not showering right after breakfast before I head out for the day, either.
10. If you smoke, stop it. Thankful I never started.
11. If you drink, stop it. Thankful I never started.
12. Take the stairs. I even take them 2 at a time and sprint them most of the time!

Productivity habits

1. Use an inbox system. I like keeping track of all the ideas and things that comes to mind. 
2. Prioritize.
3. Plan, but not too much.
4. Wake up early. Between 6 and 6:30, except closer to 7 on the weekends.
5. Check your email only twice per day. 
6. Eliminate unimportant tasks.
7. Clean off your desk and room.
8. Automate.
9. Set strict deadlines.
10. Take one day off per week.

Personal Development habits

1. Read 1 book per week. I don't stick to 1/week but I do try to read every day.  My favorite times are on the exercise machine during lunch break and right before I fall asleep at night.
2. Solve puzzles. I especially love Crosswords.
3. Think positively.
4. Make fast decisions.
5. Wait before buying.
6. Meditate 30 minutes per day. 

Career habits

1. Start a blog. You're reading it!
2. Build a portfolio.

Did you get more or less green than me?

Temporary Lusciousness

“For those few days the hills are bright with cherry-blossom. Longer, and we should not prize them so.” – Yamabe no Akahito / 山部赤人


My personal "cherry blossoms" happen to be Fruity Pebbles.  I dream that I could eat them for every meal.  In reality I know that I'll enjoy them more if I only eat them occasionally.  Please keep reminding me and hold me back if/when I start to gorge on Fred and Barney's savory stonelets!

Line Tweener

In my driving recently I've been making an extra effort to stay between the lines.  My ol' pal used to tell me to "keep 'er between the buoys".  It's good advice for drivers and boaters alike.  Further, I think it can be extrapolated to other areas of life.  Civil laws and religious commandments are "lines" or "buoys".  By doing our best to keep a balance of neither too close nor too far away from said lines or buoys we can live a nice life of moderation.

I don't know how you can factor the road kill into this analogy.  But I'd like to hear you try.  Sound off in the comments.

By the way, if you live near a Ben & Jerry's or a Starbucks click the links to get free food on 3/23/10.  I live near neither so I can only enjoy vicariously through you.  Let me know how it/they taste(s).

Plausible Progress

I was set apart today as Elders Quorum Secretary.  In the blessing the President said that I'd have monetary, physical, and spiritual blessings.  I'm excited about that!  Now I just have to live up to my potential; neither more nor less:

3 Ne. 18: 13

  13 But whoso among you shall do ^amore or less than these are not built upon my rock, but are built upon a sandy foundation; and when the rain descends, and the floods come, and the winds blow, and beat upon them, they shall ^bfall, and the ^cgates of hell are ready open to receive them.

Bleeping Maverik!

I don't know about your town but the gas pumps at the Maverik in Rexburg emit a shrill beep when I swipe my card.  I've never had a hearing aid but it sounds like I do have one at that moment and I want to reach for my ear and turn it down!  Do you have bleeping problems, too?

LibrAnger Danger

While I was sitting in the library today my phone rang.  I answered it and it was the library.  They told me that I book that I'd returned was damaged and that I would have to pay for it.  I was a bit angry.  I could only imagine that it had been damaged in the book drop.  When I plead my case the librarian on duty said, "How about if I split the $22.95 with you?"  I said, "How about if I never come back?"  In fact she only charged me $11.  I was still angry.  I apologized to her later.  I'm also going to write a note to her to further atone for my tone, my tossing of the money on the desk, etc.  Beware of LibrAnger!  It got me today.  It can get you, too!

Bike Tired

http://www.mapmyfitness.com/view_route?r=644126910431334522

...of course I was riding, not running.  I marvel that there are people on this earth that can run faster than I can ride a bike!

Just, Verdant...

Lately I've been listening to NPR in the mornings as I get ready for the day.  I've been struck by one advertisement that always mentions that their goal is, "...a more just, verdant, and peaceful world...".  That sounds nice.  I often remark to Tara that I'm only interested in truth, justice, and the American way.

In contrast, I just finished a George Carlin book.  Don't get me wrong.  I thoroughly enjoy some of his stuff, especially "meat cake".  While some of his insights are clever and thought-provoking, though, he strikes me as generally pessimistic and down.  I imagine he'd mock those looking for justice, verdancy, and peace as loonies or flower children or something.

Be good.  Do well.  Have fun.

Natural Consequences

I still feel kind of bad about the time I saw The Samples live at The Mangy Moose in Teton Village (I was the designated driver) and yelled incessantly for them to play this song until the lead singer glared at me.  They finally played the song.  I think the lead singer still hates me.  If you read this, lead singer, please forgive me.
  Let me make it up to you somehow.

Supposebly Nucular

I heard someone today use the word "supposebly".  It grated on me, as do many others.  I have a whole list of what I call "mispronouncers".

• counsole
• expecially
• farmiliar
• foryer
• jaguire
• nucular
• pronunciate
• reoccurring
• realator
• supposebly

I know I should possibly just learn to live with it.  Perhaps I'm the one who can make a difference, though!  Join with me!  Add to the list!

Holy H20!

Tonight as we were reading in Numbers as a family I was somehow reminded of an object lesson that I learned in Seminary in high school.  I think the point of the day's lesson was that the Pharisees and Saducees had some odd rituals.  Anyway, one of the teachers had a jar of water that he was shaking and shaking.  Finally one of the other teachers asked him what he was doing.  He replied that he was making holy water.  When asked how he was going to make holy water just by shaking it his reply was, "I'm going to shake the hell out of it!".  I've remembered that for over half my life.  My kids weren't too impressed.  At least Tara smiled.  I hope someone out there appreciates the humor.  If anyone else sees holy water as something different please let me know so that I can appropriately apologize to you.

Hello, Mudder

Fittingly, on this first full day since we sprang forward, there was much sun and rejoicing.  The snow on our yard is relinquishing its Winter hold and the mud is starting to grow.  Soon it will be time to don galoshes and traipse around digging and planting something besides the weeds that are already sprouting.  Luckily I have Tara around; who thoroughly enjoys the gardening life.  I'm making an extra effort to do more to help out there.  It'll be good for me, right?

Daily Dressings

When I was dressing in the temple the other night I realized that I change clothes multiple times daily.  I'm thankful that I have clothes.  But sometimes I wonder if my predecessors had it easier when they only had one thing to wear.  It probably stunk, though.

 

Humor is the good natured side of a truth. -- Mark Twain

Chinese Photography?

When Tara and I walked through The Crossroads today on our way to exercise she got excited about how good the Chinese Food smelled.  So after exercise I took her back to get some.  We shared one meal and didn't even finish.  I drank my whole smoothie, too.  We both agreed that it didn't taste as good as it had smelled earlier.  It was kind of a fun mini-date, if nothing else, though; plus we got fortune cookies!

I just got back from a digital photography class.  I had taken one a few weeks ago at the college.  This one was at the high school but sponsored by Eastern Idaho Technical College.  We actually got to take a few pictures to practice the composition rules we were learning.  Hopefully that will make a few more concepts sink in.

Rodential Reader?

Well, I don't know how to rotate the image that I sent from my mobile phone directly to Blogger.com yet.  If you hold your head sideways you'll see that this is 2 tables of assorted rodents; one of the joys of supporting the Biology Department (among others) on a college campus.


I surprised myself tonight by reading probably over 50 pages and finishing the Lorenzo Snow book I was reading while I gave Emily time on the computer (then Erik, then Jacob after they got home from mutual).  Maybe I should pry myself away from the computer more often.  All in favor?

Temple & Love

This is where I've been parking lately for work.  I hope not to take the the temple for granted; but I know I probably already do at times.

Here's a thought that was sent to me as a subscriber to "The Secret" newsletter today:

"The more love we feel the greater our power. The more selfless love we feel, the more unfathomable our power."

I needed to jot it down because I haven't fully internalized it, yet.  I do feel it's true, though.

Sunday Stuff

This is what I look at nearly the first thing every morning.  It's the view from my bathroom window.  It's kind of like my morning weather report.  I can usually tell by whether there's frost or snow or rain on the shingles what type of coat to wear and whether I need to send the boys out to shovel the driveway.  This morning I even caught a partial moon and a jet trail.

Just as sacrament meeting was about to start this morning our Elders Quorum President came up to me and asked me if I'd accompany him to Teton House to help with the sacrament up there.  I willingly obliged.  It's an assisted living center.  I was surprised that only a few people showed up for the meeting.  It was a nice experience, regardless.  Since today was Fast Sunday there were no assigned speakers; only those who wished could speak up one at a time and share their convictions of the Gospel.  In a couple of weeks it's our ward's Elders Quorum's turn to help out here for Sacrament Meeting again.  This time there will be regularly-scheduled speakers; myself and another Elder.  I was looking through the Ensign this afternoon to find a good article to share some thoughts on.  Erik, Jacob, and I may even sing a little trio.  It's a small audience so it shouldn't be too daunting.

I was remembering while singing today at church that there used to be a few hymnals in the 1st/5th Ward chapel that had little notes in them saying "turn to page xx".  Then when you'd get there it would say "turn to yy", etc.  It was always fun for a kid of my age to get one of those and be entertained for a few minutes.  I'm not sure why I thought of that today.  But I'm not sure I ever shared it.  So, there's one more piece of my past that makes me what I am today.



One thing that stuck with me today that was spoken by President Johnson, a visiting member of our Stake Presidency, was, "Some people spend so much time being good Mormons that they forget to be good Christians".  Take it for what it's worth to you.  I find a lot of wisdom in it.

Tonight we went out to Seth Anderson's place in St. Anthony for dinner.  Shawn was visiting, too.  We had a good time reminiscing and catching up on common friends and acquaintances.

qTest

I've been wanting to post more often than nightly because I sit and have a hard time thinking of what's gone on during the day. Tonight I was poking around in the settings at Blogger.com and remembered that I can post from my phone just by taking a picture and sending it to tonyderricott.post@blogger.com. This is my first test. Now my monitor is documented for the ages! Prepare for future shots from my daily road.

-from Tony Derricott's mobile phone

Buns & Meat

This afternoon we went for a bike ride. Emily's neighbor friend got her excited about the possibility of riding to school. It's about a 2-mile ride. We had to stop a couple of times along the way. Before we even got there she'd changed her mind. To make it a little more memorable we forged on toward Valley Wide -- even crossing the bridge out on 12th West -- to get a treat. When all was said and done we'd gone over 6 miles in a couple of hours. Emily says her bottom hurts. I bet it does.

Tonight we watched "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs". It was pretty clever and had us all giggling a few times; some of us more often and at different times than others.

Really Royal?

I spent almost all day at work today -- in between phone calls -- digging through my lines on new.familysearch.org. Since Tara and I are teaching the Family History course in our ward I decided we needed to try to do the same assignments our students have been assigned; find a name to do temple work for. Well, I found 3 so far. However dubious their authenticity -- a King and Queen of Israel and another King of Persia -- I fulfilled my assignment. The kids are impressed that they're from royal bloodline, too!

Thursday Things

Alena and her daughter, Kellen, came down to the surplus sale today to get a computer. They called as they were arriving to have me go over and help them pick one out.

I worked a bit more on the computer tonight, updating programs and copying over some files that I'd had stored on my work computer. I tried to get Tara's phone connecting but no go. I guess we're going to have to get a different high-speed connection. At least my phone will connect even though that only helps after I get home at night.

Kent said Konnor got pushed at school today and it disrupted him somehow. They took him to the hospital for tests on his heart. Apparently everything turned out OK.

Taylor and Jordan apparently got jobs at the same lodge in Alaska that Scott worked at last Summer. They seem to be pretty excited.

750 Minus

Last night I actually took the 750-word challenge. I'll have to figure out how to link it here at some point. It's hard to type that many words! I imagine I'll have about 100 here tonight.

Tara and I just got back from classes. I'm teaching Excel 2 and she's taking Gardening. I stumbled a couple of times in class when people had questions I couldn't answer. I need to prepare more.

We got a new (to us) computer today. So far I can only figure out how to connect to the Internet using my phone, not Tara's. It is MUCH faster than the one's we've been using, though. I'm pretty excited to get back to scanning slides and other projects.

How many words is that? Did anyone count?

Post 100

I tried to do the 750 Words tonight. The site would not load. I guess it's likely a victim of its popularity since being mentioned on "Lifehacker". Perhaps I'll try again tomorrow. At any rate, tonight is my 100th post since starting this blog years ago. By some measures 100 posts in many years is a turtle's pace. By others, though, it's a mighty accomplishment.

Today was a pretty slow day at work. I had quite a bit of time to continue studying for the MCDST in addition to putting together my class materials for Excel 201 which starts Wednesday. I'm also planning on heading to SLC to do some Apple Training as soon as the UofU schedules it. I think it should happen in May or June. I want to have the MCDST test taken by then. In addition to the next 4 Wednesdays teaching Excel 201 I'll also be taking another Digital Photography course on 3 upcoming Thursdays. I can't remember if that starts this week or next. I also have to put together plans for teaching next semester amid planning to go to Hawaii. We're kind of pensive on our Hawaii plans because the condo exchange pickings are scant as of yet. We'd hoped to go 6/7-17. I think we'll just plan no classed in June and hope that a block of a week at the condo either preceded or followed by 3 days at Bryan & Linda's evidences itself. Then we hope that matches up favorably with flight costs, too. Less worry, more fun; enjoy the ride, right? Help me remember to enjoy the ride.

750 Words Clears Your Mind, Gets Ideas Flowing - Writing - Lifehacker

750 Words Clears Your Mind, Gets Ideas Flowing - Writing - Lifehacker

I might be taking the 750-word challenge and taking my daily diary private. Perhaps I'll include a summary here.