Character Enhancement

"You can tell the character of every man
when you see how he receives praise.”

~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca

I'm not real good at this one.  I tend to deflect compliments.  Got any tips?

Whiny Cheese

When I hear someone whining I often like to sarcastically ask them if they want some cheese with that "whine". Here are a few quotes that some will find motivational while others will find them cheesy:

"There are no 'new truths' and no 'secrets to success'. What we lack is the ability, desire and discipline to accept and live up to the truths we know. Instead we like to pretend that being successful is a secret others are keeping from us, or that it is really really hard so that we have lots of excuses for not achieving it."

“Few people will turn to themselves to take responsibility for their results until they have exhausted all opportunities to blame someone else."

“The real danger with whining is that whining only prolongs the problem.”

So, let there be no whine.  Remind me -- when I do whine -- to knock it off!

Teton Backside

Today we drove over the hill to see the other side of the mountain.  You see, every morning my ritual includes looking out our picture window at the Grand Teton as I'm doing my daily weigh-in on the Wii Fit.  Whether I'm looking at the front-side or the back-side of it is a relative perception.  At any rate, we ventured through Jackson Hole into Grand Teton National Park today to see some of Tara and I's old stomping grounds.  There are a few more pictures available in my online album at http://picasaweb.google.com/tonyderricott.  We also saw a grizzly bear.  See if you can spot it in the distance beyond the binocular ladies.

Corner Cutters

I find myself bothered by foot traffic that doesn't obey walking rules.  For example:

1. Walk on the sidewalk.
2. Walk on the right side of the sidewalk; especially if you're reading, texting, or otherwise not paying attention to oncoming foot traffic.
3. Walk through the right-side of the double-doors, even if you think someone else isn't coming.

What am I missing?  Am I the only one that's bothered?  Is it me or is it them?  

I either need to understand "them"; be converted to "their" ways; or take a step back, breathe, and feel peace.

Blogupational Therapy

I was thinking today about how much I enjoy blogging every night.  Many of the ideas that come into my head during the day perplex me.  When I'm able to put them down on "paper" at night they go into a different part of my brain.  Eventually they almost always become lesser problems.  It's like Blogger.com is my sounding wall.  That's not to diminish the thoughts that some of you share at times.  I'm certainly grateful for those.  I don't expect to post my cares for the world to answer for me but good friends are always welcome, too.  I'm sure a psychologist could elaborate and use fancier terms.  I know that "blogupational" isn't even a word.  If you know what it means then it doesn't matter, though.  I know what I'm talking about.  Do you?

Tie Guys

On campus there is an employee dress code:

"

BYU-Idaho Dress and Grooming Standards for Employees

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Employees occupy a position of role model for students at BYU-Idaho. As role models, a higher and more formal dress and grooming standard is expected of employees when on campus than is expected of students. Specifically:

1. Male employees are expected to wear a shirt and tie with dress slacks. Jeans are not appropriate professional attire. In areas where shirts, ties, and dress slacks are not suitable for the work environment, the department chair or director, in consultation with the vice president, will determine satisfactory attire, including the wearing of uniforms where appropriate. Extreme or immodest clothing styles are also unacceptable.

Male employees are expected to maintain a clean and well-cared-for appearance. Hairstyles should be neat, avoiding extreme styles or colors, and trimmed above the collar and the ear. Sideburns should not extend below the earlobe or onto the cheek. Men are expected to be clean shaven; beards are not acceptable. Mustaches, if worn, should be neatly trimmed and may not extend beyond or below the corners of the mouth. Earrings and other body piercing are unacceptable. Shoes should be worn in all public campus areas."

I think it's funny to walk across campus and be perceived and greeted differently by fellow tie-wearers.

I do enjoy wearing a tie, though.  I think it makes me behave better.  I also wear a white shirt on Fridays; opposite to the way most people look forward to "Casual Friday".  Tara and I go to the temple on Friday evenings.  So it's a good excuse to dress up another notch.

I also enjoy wearing a shirt with a pocket in it because it's a good place for my phone, notepad, and pencil.  I don't have a pocket protector.  I'm a new-age nerd; we don't use protectors.

Inoperable Tendencies

I found out today that my dad has inoperable cancer.  I'm already dealing with my mom's failing health due to a stroke she suffered a few months ago.  The word "inoperable" seems to strike me from both meanings:

1. Not functioning; inoperative.

As in: It is difficult for me to function with the weight of this news on my mind.

2. Unsuitable for a surgical procedure

As in: I know that no operation on either Dad or Mom is going to help.

I poked around on the Internet looking for resources that could help me learn more.  While this booklet I found was meant for teens I found a lot of the information in it helpful.  I'm posting a link to it here as much for me to refer back to as to share with others:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/When-Your-Parent-Has-Cancer-Guide-for-Teens/PDF

There are also a number of thoughts I came upon at http://homeinsteaders.org/category/death/ that inspire me.  One of my favorites at this moment is:

“Death is more universal than life;
everyone dies but not everyone lives.”

~ A. Sachs

So, I find myself thinking that -- while I know everything happens for a reason -- I need a few crutches like those mentioned above to get me through this time.