Word to the Wise

Idiocrity

2012-01-11T15:23:00.004-07:00

Can I just say? One of my all-time favorites is calling people out on their idiocrity? No worries, I don't do it maliciously. I'm not that mean. ;)

Let me preface the following email with some background. You see, some big-wig wants a list from my boss of all the different imaging devices available for clinical pediatric research. So of course she assigned the unwanted task to me. I have no idea how to go about this, so I decided to look up different imaging devices available at the hospital (from what I could tell), and then contact the different departments to see if these devices were available for clinical pediatric research. I'm probably going about this the wrong way, but at least it's a start.

Here is my correspondence with the cardiology department:

From: Kimberly Neff
Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2012 2:37 PM
To: Liz Dranow
Subject: Information Request...

Hi Liz Dranow!

My name is Kim Neff, and I work for Dr. Laurie Moyer-Mileur in the pediatric neonatology research department. I'm currently looking to compile a list of all the different imaging devices available for clinical pediatric research here at the U.

So my question for you is: are you aware of imaging devices available in cardiology, how many of these devices are there here at the U, where are they all located, are they all available for research use, and are there any age limitations to any of these machines?

Thank you so much for your time!

~Kim Neff
kimberly.neff@hsc.utah.edu

From: Liz Dranow
Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2012 2:49 PM
To: Renee Neuharth
Subject: FW: Information Request...

????

I’m passing this off to you, in case you didn’t get this…. [insert eye roll]

From: Renee Neuharth
Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2012 2:56 PM
To: Liz Dranow; Kimberly Neff
Subject: RE: Information Request...

I am not aware of any imaging devices available for clinical pediatric research here in Cardiology. R

Renée Neuharth, BS
Clinical Research Coordinator
UofUtah / Interventional Cardiology
(801) 587-4877 (ph)
Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

Do you think I just left it at that? Not a chance! I sure did have a good chuckle as I wrote back the following:

From: Kimberly Neff
Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2012 3:10 PM
To: Renee Neuharth; Liz Dranow
Subject: RE: Information Request...

Thank you so much for your response! Much appreciated! Sorry if I offended either of you by sending this email, that was not my intention at all. [insert confusion and apology for the eye roll here] ;)

~Kim

Bahaha! Cranky, power-deprived women in the workforce...gotta love 'em! (Ten bucks says this Liz lady is an ice-chewer) The day I get a job in the bioengineering industry and am surrounded with (and therefore almost exclusively associate with) non-hormonal men at work will be a blessed day indeed! ;D

Disclaimer: Sorry for the complete generalization of cranky women workers. I'm not completely against working with those of my own gender...they can be totally fun, don't get me wrong...I just generally prefer to work with men because they tend to have less drama. No offense women workers.

"Mormonism" is a Cult? Wha?

2011-10-12T19:46:00.005-06:00

Okay folks, time for me to step onto my soap box. I just watched a video of Chris Matthews interviewing Rev. Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church in Dallas about his stab at Mormons as being part of a cult, and his claim that Mormons are not Christians. First off, "Mormonism" is not our religion, it is a nickname. If you would refer to our proper title, being "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints", you would see in our name alone that we are a church that believes in Jesus Christ.

I think Elder M. Russell Ballard in our most recent general conference put it perfectly when he said:

"People and organizations are often given nicknames by others. A nickname may be a shortened form of a name, or it may be derived from an event or some physical or other characteristic. While nicknames do not have the same status or significance as actual names, they can be properly used.

The Lord’s Church in both ancient and modern times has had nicknames. The Saints in New Testament times were called Christians because they professed a belief in Jesus Christ. That name, first used derogatorily by their detractors, is now a name of distinction; and we are honored to be called a Christian church.

Our members have been called Mormons because we believe in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ."

So even our nickname of "Mormon" is derived from a title that contains Jesus Christ. Pastor Jeffress kept saying, "75% of Protestant pastors do not believe Mormons are Christians." Well Jeffress, let me tell you that 100% of LDS people think that's just ridiculous!

Second off, I just do not see why people think that "mormonism" is a cult?! I mean, seriously. If you listen to this Rev. Robert Jeffress guy, and his reasoning behind why he thinks that we are a cult, you will see that he has no clue what he is even talking about! Sure he can throw out names like Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, but his facts are all wrong. So Pastor Jeffress, these facts are for you:

Fact One: The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, was not "written" in the 1800s. It was translated in the 1800s. So no, that also means this book is not about "the Jesus Christ who came to North America in the 1800s." It is about people in the Americas (I say Americas because South America is included in this) from about 600 BC to about 421 AD (but then again there's always the Book of Ether included in this, which dates back to about 2500 BC).

Fact Two: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did not merely "come" in the 1800s, while you profess all the other Christian religions were started after Christ was on the earth. This church was restored back to the earth in the 1800s. The same church that Jesus Christ established when He was on the earth, has been restored in our day. Hence the name of our church. And hence the reason we have a "human leader" (as you so nicely called him) of our church (who, by the way, is not currently Joseph Smith, it is President Thomas S. Monson. Just like Peter was called to be the leader to act in Christ's name, and under Christ's direction, when Christ himself was no longer physically on the earth).

Lastly, Reverend Jeffress, who are you to tell me what I believe anyway? The fact is, I believe in Jesus Christ with all my heart! He is my Savior and Redeemer, and I am eternally indebted to Him. I know that He suffered and died for me, so that I can repent and be forgiven of my sins, have peace and true joy in this life and throughout eternity, and so that I can use this life as an opportunity to change and become better, and hopefully ultimately become the woman God sees in me. I know that He did all this because He loves me. I also know that Heavenly Father loves, and that is why He sent His son to this earth to atone for me. I dream of the day that I'll be able to return to them, and give them both THE biggest hug ever.

THAT. Is what I believe.

Look to the Past

2011-07-24T14:32:00.004-06:00

It's Pioneer Day!!!

As I was thinking about what today means to me, I started to realize just how much it really should mean to me, but how much I've taken for granted my heritage. Today I got to go to church. I seriously LOVE church! It makes me so happy, and gives me the spiritual boost that I need each week (and sometimes quite desperately). Not to mention it helps me to reevaluate my life and keep my priorities straight. And when life gets extra hard, the gospel seems to become that much more crucial and beneficial. I would not have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life right now if it weren't for the pioneers. They suffered and sacrificed so much, just so they, and their children, could have the freedom to worship God. Some might call them religious freaks, but for me I'm proud to call them Great-Great-Grandpa, Great-Great-Aunt, etc. To me they are the epitome of Faith and Courage. I hope to someday live up to their legacy, and help my family and friends as much as they've helped me. I guess that's the biggest part of what life is all about: Meaningful sacrifice for those you love.

My Prince Charming

2011-07-06T15:13:00.010-06:00

I can't believe I totally forgot to blog about this epic event in my life! Better late than never I suppose! :)

Back in February my sister, Julie, bought me my very own frog in a cup! On Valentine's Eve, I added water to the cup (aka I kissed the frog). And so the transformation began...

And voila! Just like that my very own frog became my very own Prince Charming! What a stud! Not to mention he's conveniently pocket-sized! ;D

Positive Reinforcement

2011-06-19T21:36:00.004-06:00

On Thursday I got my stats test back, and well...I didn't do so hot. This was my first test for this class, and instead of the bad score motivating me to do better, I kind of took the rest of the week off from any sort of studying. You see, good test scores are what motivate me best, not bad test scores. Of course I don't ever let a bad test score make me give up, I guess they are more an opportunity to stop and reconsider my priorities. And then of course I'll end up kicking up my efforts a notch (like I probably will starting tomorrow).

But you probably guessed it, this blog isn't about school, now is it? Nope! It's about life in general. Sometimes we have setbacks. Whether that setback literally is a bad test score in one of your classes, or one of the many other setbacks that are bound to happen in life, they can all have the same effect. They can put us in a weird funk for a period of time. Whether that period of time is a few seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or maybe even years, depends on the particular setback and our willingness to really do something about it. There's a lot that I could go into on this subject, but this is such a broad topic that we will only consider minor setbacks for the moment. Such as: not doing so hot in your stats class, or not getting the promotion at work you thought was already in the bag and now you're stuck back in the lab where people hardly ever speak to you and when they speak to each other you have no clue what they are talking about because it's in an entirely different language [cough, cough]...you know, just little setbacks like that, to give a couple hypothetical examples. ;)

Okay, okay! I admit, I've been in a weird funk for the past month or so. Looking back, I've realized a couple reasons why. A couple months ago, I started really wondering what the purpose of my life was. I understand what the general purpose of life is. I know where I came from before I was born into this world, I know generally why I'm here, and I know what will happen after this life (this subject is also a whole other blog in itself, but I'm happy to share my thoughts on this matter if you ever want to know). But what really troubled me was knowing what my specific destiny in life is. I believe we all have specific talents (those that are already developed, and those that are yet to be developed), and these talents are what lead us to our individual destinies in life. I still have no clue what my destiny is, or even what additional talents I should seek to develop to achieve this personal destiny. But in the midst of contemplating this issue, I had someone I considered to be a close friend tell me I had not been a good friend to her. Talk about a "bad test score" moment!

So, looking back, I've realized that I did what I always do in a moment like this: stop and reconsider my priorities. Unfortunately I initially decided to not make the extra effort on any of my friendships. I would make the effort to give back what was given to me, but not waste my energy throwing my pearls before swine. I also no longer wanted to be the "Initiator." (Definition of Initiator: The person who initially contacts for communication or to set up a social gathering.) You're probably thinking to yourself, "this girl has become a b...rat!" I know! But I just felt energetically drained, and it seemed like a practical solution to my problem.

Needless to say, having an outlook like this on life doesn't exactly reap joyful benefits. I've realized that in order to truly have joy, I need to give without expecting anything in return. I need to love, even with the possibility of that love being thrown back in my face. I need to stop holding back compliments and kind deeds, because I'm afraid of what others might think of me. So this is me proclaiming to and promising the world that I'm going to be me again. Only this time I'm going to kick it up a notch. A new and improved me, if you will. Not that a step up from the mud is a very novel position, but at least it's a place my shoes can get clean. This is also my formal apology for being such a crappy friend! I really am sorry for being so selfish. Now let's all go out and play! :D

Side note (my gratitude for life-changing moments in the past 8 days): Thanks Tiff for letting me dump my baggage on you last night! It really helped me sort things out. And thanks Tammy for running almost every step of our marathon with me last Saturday. I still get teary eyed when I think about it. And thanks to Julie, Anne, Steve, Tiff, Mom, Dad, and Steve's sisters for coming and cheering us on last week! Your love and encouragement is seriously what made us finish strong at the end! And thank you to the wonderful members of my singles' ward! Your examples make me want to be a better person.

Why I Run...

2011-03-06T15:57:00.002-07:00

I started training for my next marathon a few weeks ago, but I've had a hard time getting myself motivated to train this time around. While running yesterday, I started remembering all the reasons why I love running so much! So, in an effort to motivate myself again, I made up a list of reasons why I run. Here they are...

I run because I was built to.

I run because it gives me clarity of thought.

I run because it not only helps me to be healthy physically, but mentally, spiritually, and emotionally as well.

I run because I’ll never know how far or fast I can go until I go out and push myself to the limit…and then exceed that limit the next time.

I run because it gives me the chance to truly appreciate God’s creations. I love to watch the sunrise, to see and hear a flock of birds fly through the sky, to hear the sound of airplanes flying thousands of feet above, to look out and see the majesty of mountains, to smell the refreshing aroma of rain, freshly cut grass, etc., to observe the simplicity of a stream. I love to soak up the warmth of the sun, and to run through sprinklers when that sun has turned from pleasantly warm to scorchingly hot. All these enjoyments seem to be heightened when running.

I run because it’s hard. If it were easy, anybody could do it. Nobody in this world ever made anything of themselves by doing what everybody can do.

I run because it’s a sacrifice. My life worth isn’t worth living unless it’s full of sacrifice. Sacrifice for the things that truly matter.

I run because nothing in this life is free. But the price I pay when I put forth the effort to run is a small price compared to the freedom I receive/feel when I’m running. I don’t have a backpack, a purse, not even a cell phone to weigh me down…just me and my music, and miles of road to conquer.

I run to prove to myself that I can do anything that I set my mind to.

I run because life is full of things that are out of my control, but I can control how I react to whatever life throws at me. Running helps those reactions to be positive and the outcomes of these situations to be constructive.

And now, on a little lighter note…

I run because “…Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't.”—quote from Legally Blonde…but seriously, I run because it makes me happy. ☺

I run because I’m always tired anyway. Might as well be tired from doing the things I enjoy.

I run because I’m destined to always have a little chub, but that chub doesn’t bother me so much when I feel fit.

I run because I have the diet of a runner. AKA carbs are my favorite food group! (which might explain the eternally-destined chub)

And THAT my friends, is why I run! :D

A Life of Love

2010-12-25T21:31:00.012-07:00

Can I just say how much I love life? I've realized that more and more over the past few months! This past semester was definitely a semester from Hades, and I LOVED it! Maybe didn't realize it on a day to day basis (especially on the nights that I never got to go to bed), but I realize it now. I know, I know, I already wrote about my wonderful friends in my last post...but seriously, I have some absolutely amazing friends! I finally realized why. This is going to be kind of hard to explain, and you just might think I'm a little crazy, but here it goes. I have this weird ability to sense a person's goodness when I meet them. I'm not saying I can sense whether they are religious or not, or anything like that, I can just sense the goodness of their heart (I guess you could say). Some people seem to just ooze goodness. Knowing this makes me instantly at ease with them, and so naturally we become friends. And that is why I have such amazing friends! Unfortunately, I'm not always the bestest friend in return, but it doesn't mean our friendship isn't greatly appreciated.

Another reason I love life is because I have such the perfect family for me! That's not to say my family is perfect. Oh no, we each definitely have our flaws. But it's perfect FOR ME. Here are reasons why my family is just so great: We love to tease each other like crazy! Which always makes me feel right at home. Each of us all has a great sense of humor...which I absolutely love! We pretty much all think we are hilarious (although we all know that in reality I am the funniest one). We definitely aren't afraid to speak our minds (unless of course it has to do with "feelings", which definitely isn't always the best communicated thing in my family). We by far have the best dinner conversations (a dinner without talking about boobs or bowel movements is a rarity...I guess that's what you get when the majority of your family has IBS and/or are female). But best of all, we all love each other no matter our different situations! (Isn't that so stinkin' cute and cheesy? I sure think so!)

There really isn't anything to not love about life. I love the lazy days as well as the busy days, the good times as well as the bad times, the rich times as well as the poor times (oh wait, I've yet to experience the rich times! Haha! But I'm sure I'll just love it!), the happy days as well as the sad days, etc., etc. Why you ask? Because a life full of lazy days would be boring, and a life full of happy days wouldn't feel so happy after a while. Isn't it so great that it's totally normal to not always be happy? To not always feel loved? I guess what I'm saying is I love opposition. It's what ultimately makes your life a masterpiece. Have you ever seen an eye-catching masterpiece with only one solid color? We need all the different colors (aka emotions, experiences, etc.) in our lives to make our individual masterpieces truly beautiful!

It use to drive me crazy that I had no idea where I'd end up in life. Whether or not I'd ever get married and have my own family, what career I'd end up having, where I'd end up living, the timing of things, etc. But now I realize it doesn't really matter. As long as I do what I know I should be doing at the moment, then everything will work out to my advantage. One thing's for sure though, it's going to be one heck of a roller-coaster ride! And I'm going to love it! :D

The following pictures are sure to make you love life too! Merry Christmas and enjoy! :)

Me going crazy at the hospital one day

The lights went out one day, so naturally we stood on the coffee table and took pictures of us wearing head lights!

Heidi and Briana!!! Need I say more?

Me and my sisters! We are trying to pull the ugliest faces possible. Pretty sure we succeeded!

We kind of added a whole bottle of body wash to that tub...let's just say that whole thing was pure bubbles and took FOREVER to clean out! But definitely worth it!

Me and Tammy! See the resemblance?

Me and my nieces! See the resemblance? Bahahaha! That joke never gets old!

At the Neff Ranch...we're pretty hot stuff, what can we say? :)

Amy, Misty, me, and Annie! Pretty sure this is when we had just woken up...can't tell at all can ya?

Me, Shukaria, and Samia at Shukaria's Eid party!

Funnest trip to Moab EVER!!!

Lessons Learned

2010-11-27T14:23:00.005-07:00

Once again, it's been forever since I've blogged! So instead of choosing one word of wisdom that I've learned since last time, I'm going to share a smorgasbord of lessons I've learned recently...

Okay, so the picture I've chosen for this lesson is not exactly a picture I can say I'm proud of. When I'd picture myself running a marathon, I'd picture a huge smile on my face when I neared the end. Well...this is a picture of me nearing the end of my marathon...not exactly a huge smile on my face now is it? That's right, I'm ashamed to say I cried the last few miles because I was so stinkin' tired and in so much pain! So what does this have to do with a lesson I've learned? Well, I learned just how much good friends are an absolute necessity! As you can also see from the picture, my friend Anne is running beside me, cheering me on! She came and ran the last few miles with me, which was a HUGE help! And the person taking this picture? My friend Misty! With my wonderful mom standing beside her! The three of them came all the way down to St. George with me to cheer me on! I can't even tell you how much that meant to me, especially in the "long run" (haha). I seriously don't know what I would do without my friends and family!

Speaking of the necessity of friends...this semester has definitely been one of my toughest semesters yet! And yet I still find myself generally happy. Why is that you ask? Because of my bioengineering peeps! They are geniuses, and are always willing to help out someone who might be a little less-than-genius. ;) I honestly would not be able to make it through this major without them! Not to mention we always seem to make our study sessions a little more exciting than you would generally think a study session should be. :D

Next lesson learned: Don't be lazy! This week I got stuck in an elevator for about an hour and a half! Me and my lab partner (Bryce) had been working on our pulse oximeter circuit all afternoon, and finally had to go over to the lab where he works to finish it up (since the ECE lab closes at 6pm). Finally at about 8pm we decided to call it quits and finish it up the next day. We went down the hall and I started to walk towards the stairs and Bryce started to walk towards the elevator. I was tired, so I thought, "what the heck, I'll be lazy and take the elevator too." So I did, and sure enough we got stuck between the 2nd and 3rd floor. It wasn't as bad as you might think being stuck in an elevator would be (we jammed to some Christmas music, talked about the holidays, updated our status' on facebook, etc.). Although it would have saved us a lot of time if we would have just taken the stairs! :) Oh, and just to set the record straight, no we did not make out. I don't know why everyone thinks that if you get stuck in an elevator with a guy, it means you made out? Quite the opposite actually...Bryce gave me dating advice. Bahaha!

I've never really gorged myself on Thanksgiving before, but this year I definitely did! I felt so ill that night! So here is my lesson that I learned: super skinny jeans aren't a wise choice of attire on Thanksgiving! Just so you know!

Well, those are my lessons learned! I can think of more, but this thing is already becoming a novel, so I'll just end it here! Happy Thanksgiving!

Let Your Light Shine!

2010-08-08T22:58:00.002-06:00

I heard an amazing quote a few weeks ago when I saw "Akeelah and the Bee" and I decided it should be my motto in life. When I went to look it up on the internet, I came to find out that it's even better than what they quoted in the movie! (they shortened it a bit) It's so good...so I want to share it with all of you! It goes as follows:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”--Marianne Williamson

I've come to realize that humility is knowing you're amazing...because God made you that way! Pride is when you give yourself the credit. So let's all realize our amazingness and let it shine! ;)

Side Note: The pic at the beginning of this post was a picture I took in Gardner, Mass. after an ice storm. EVERYTHING was coated in ice. It was pretty much one of the coolest things I've ever seen!

Life is a River Ride

2010-07-23T00:48:00.004-06:00

Ok folks, I'm really sorry I've been no good at keeping up with this blog. This particular post is an idea that I've had for a while now, and have been meaning to share with all of you. Maybe it's a little deep (I tried sharing it with Tammy, Steve, and Julie one day and they were just like, "whoa. what?"), but I'm a little obsessed with analogies and this is just another one I've come up with to add to my list. I hope you get something out of it...but mostly I hope I'm able to explain it in a way that will make sense. And with that long and completely unnecessary introduction, I present to you my post, "Life is a River Ride" (dun, dun, dunnnn)

To start out, each of us is born with a canoe (or a kayak, or a boat, if you will...but let's be honest here, none of us ride in a yacht). We are all alone in our own canoe, but we were each given a compass and a walkie talkie (did I hear a niner in there?) to call on our river guide, both given to help lead us to our final destination. When we start out our river ride, we are tied by a rope to our parents' canoe (yes, I meant to say canoe here and not canoes. I'll explain why later on but I'm sure you can probably guess why). They teach us to use the compass, the walkie talkie, and how to steer our canoes. We think our river ride is pretty great, but maybe a little bit boring at times. We constantly try to cut the rope that we feel binds us to our parents' canoe, so we can explore the world on our own. But we stay tied to learn more from our parents. Finally the day comes when we are ready to cut the rope. We feel freedom in the air, and independence in our oars! We feel the wind in our hair, and the air smells better than it ever has before. We discover tricks and maneuvers that we weren't able to do before.

While sailing along, we realize there are people surrounding us in their own canoes. Some are alone in their canoes, some have a partner in their canoe with them, and some have children tied to the back of their canoes just like you were once. We start to compare ourselves to these other canoers, wishing that we could have a partner in our canoe with us to share the burden of steering the canoe. Or wishing we had children tied to the back of our canoes, to show them what our parents had shown us. We even find ourselves comparing our canoes (as ridiculous as that might sound), thinking that our river ride would be a whole lot easier if we had this other canoe, or even that other canoe. Sometimes we even think that our canoe is better than someone else's. Eventually we find that each canoer has their own challenges on their river ride. We realize that although some have partners to help share the burden of the oars, they have to also work together and compromise on where to steer their canoe. And those that have children, although they have the added happiness of teaching their children, they also have less freedom as to where they can go on their ride.

We sail along, sometimes surrounded by lots of canoers that we learn to call friends, and sometimes we feel so alone that there doesn't seem to be other canoers for miles and miles in front, behind, or anywhere around us for that matter. Along our river ride, we are sometimes faced with huge white water currents. We find the compass to be a little trickier to handle than we remember it being, and the walkie talkie has more static than we remember, making it hard to hear our river guide. (not to mention the roar of the river makes it nearly impossible to hear even our own thoughts) We can see where we want to go, and we fight with all our might against the currents to steer our canoe in that direction. By the time we finally make it to our destination, we are exhausted, bruised, and battered. But then sometimes the river is incredibly calm. Almost too calm. We're not sure what's ahead or where exactly we are going. And then there are times when the storm is raging, and the water constantly is slapping you in the face and it feels like you are going to drown. At these times all you can do is hold on tight and hope for the best. Just when you think you can't hold on any longer, the storms ceases and you find there is a rainbow and you are surrounded by a beautiful world.

As you might have guessed (maybe the title of this post gave it away) the river ride is our life journey. The river guide is God, and the compass is the word of God given to us to help us find our way. The only way we can communicate with God is if we are on the right channel and we listen closely (oh yeah, and our walkie has to first be turned on). The compass will only do us good if we use it constantly. Throughout our lives journey, we have certain destinations. Right now my destination is to become a doctor. I can see where I want to go, and I am fighting the tides to get there. This summer I took the opportunity to take a break from classes. This is where the calm river part comes in. I know I need to enjoy the calm river ride while it lasts, but I don't know which is worse: knowing what my destination is and fighting my way to get there, or not knowing what my destination should be for the time being and trusting my river guide to lead me there.

There's more that I could add to this analogy, but I think I'll leave the rest to myself for now and let you guys expand on it in your own ways to find out where you are on your river ride, and what you can learn from your personal canoe.

The real trick is finding true joy throughout every part of the journey.

I'm Baaaaack!

2010-05-21T19:02:00.002-06:00

You might be wondering what the picture above has anything to do with me being back. Well...I googled "I'm back" and this is one of the pictures that popped up, and I wondered the same thing...so naturally it's the picture I chose for this post. I still don't know whether to laugh or scream (cuz it's so durn scary!) every time I look at it.

Now on to the purpose of this post.

I just wanted you all to know that I am officially back in the blogging world! I know my time was short-lived before, with finals creeping up on me and then getting my laptop stolen the day after I finished my finals and all. But Mr. Mac is now back and so am I! So check back often for future posts!

One Might Want to Opt to Sit in the Back of the Classroom During Flu Season

2009-11-25T19:12:00.007-07:00

"Sit in the back of the classroom?" you are probably wondering. Yes, the back of the classroom. I will tell you why by sharing an experience I had today. Me and my friends always sit somewhere in the middle of our classroom in our physics class. There are usually four of us that sit together, but today there were only two of us (irrelevant information...I'm pretty good at that). Towards the end of class, a kid sitting at least two rows behind us let out a big ol' sneeze. Immediately after he sneezed I heard a little plop come from the general vicinity of my paper. I looked down to see a little blob of snot on my paper from the guy who had just sneezed!!! I sat there for a second just staring at that little blob of snot, eyes wide and utterly disgusted. Then I turned to Samia and said, "Look! That guy who just sneezed totally just got snot on my paper!" And then we both just started laughing so hard! It was so disgusting that it was actually really hilarious! There was still ten minutes left of class, and I spent that whole ten minutes trying so hard not to bust up laughing. I circled it with my pen and drew an arrow to the circle, with the word "nasty" on the tail-end of the arrow. :)

Do Not Leave Your Banana in the Car

2009-11-24T14:43:00.004-07:00

The title of this post along with the photo pretty much are self-explanatory. Title=my word to the wise, Photo=consequence of what happens when you do leave your banana in the car for a period of 24 hours (your banana turns a funky brown color)
True story. This happened to me today.

Time, Not Money, is the Currency of Life

2009-11-13T19:53:00.006-07:00

So I'm taking a course this semester called Careers in Biomedical Engineering. We meet once a week, and each week we have different guest speakers come and talk to us about what they are doing in this field. This class is a little bit overwhelming because basically the gist of what I get out of each class is, "There are tons of things that you can do with this major! Good luck finding what's best for you!" But every so often the speaker will say something that will stick out to me. This last speaker (I can't remember his name) mentioned that he saw a bumper sticker once that said, "Time, not money, is the currency of life." I really liked that! I'm sure I've heard that before, but this time it really struck me!

I think a lot of times (especially during these hard economic times) our financial situation consumes us. We think about all that we lack monetarily. And it's true. We all lack physical possessions. There is not a single person in this world that owns everything. Even the richest person in this world can't own everything. Okay, so you can't own every physical thing in the world. That's pretty obvious, right? So to make it fair, why don't we all just own the same amount of stuff? Well, because life isn't fair. There is always going to be someone out there who has more than you (except this is the case where the richest man in the world actually does have the advantage). Okay, now to my point: Money is distributed unequally, but every living person has been given the same amount of time every single day.

It's not how we spend our money that defines us, but how we spend our time. So spend it wisely! :)