To Err is Human . . .

Every once in a while I will see this message on facebook:

Wondering what in the world got removed so quickly for whatever reason.  I know it happened quite frequently in 2020 when those who would share false information which facebook (along with other social media from what I understand) repeatedly removed - which is a good thing. Facebook allows millions of people to use their platform and those who work for the facebook company are allowed to monitor that which they work for but sometimes I feel that perhaps contents are taken down in error?  And yet it somehow leads me to believe my privacy settings really are not.

I did not get the above message on my own wall but would imagine that is what others saw as the contents were deleted with a message that Ralph Waldo Emmerson was not the correct source.  Or it wasn’t RWE or something to that content.  Too bad I didn’t think of screenshotting that before deleting.  Hopefully I’ll never have another opportunity to do so.

I LOVE doing cryptograms puzzles.  For the most part I have loved the inspirational quotes and have decided to share them on facebook (as I rarely ever post anything on my personal page) and have been doing so since December 8.  I was booted after posting something that I saw as a RWE quote.  IT IS LITERALLY THE FIRST QUOTE GIVEN when looking up Ralph Waldo Emmerson.  Several sites credit him for saying this quote!  

(I did not find under Brainy Quotes however) I would like to ask facebook (whichever employee took down the quote) “How do we/you KNOW that RWE did not say that?”  “If you are such an authority on RWE perhaps you could provide a name of who actually said?”

I did find one quote simply titled Emmerson. 

Perhaps that is what snowballed everybody just assuming it was Ralph Waldo.  Perhaps it could have been Fred or George or maybe Emmerson is the first name.  Emmerson Johnson.  Emmerson Mahoney.  How do we know?

There is a rumor going around that Marie Antoninette had said, "Let them eat cake"

 My husband said that isn’t true.  How do we know what she said or didn’t say?  We weren’t there.  Was it documented?  Was it referenced?  Was the idea borrowed from another?  Because that’s how we’re supposed to think.  Borrowing ideas and referencing sources.  And what if the sources are wrong?

Human error happens.  It’s why AI was invented. Artificial Intelligence NEVER gets it wrong.  Alexa is ALWAYS right.

We were playing a game the other day 

(vintage collection probably as all the rides about questions are about the past and not the present) in which the card asked the question “Which of the three fairies wear green: Flora, Fauna or Merryweather.  The card gave credit to Flora which is not accurate as Flora wears pink and Fauna wears green. 

Nothing resolved.  Just venting.  Wondering.

Unbelievable – Let’s Talk Numbers

           Would you believe that I finally joined the world of touch screen phone?  I changed my plan – or rather my carrier who does not support flip phones.  I went with them on a whim.  It will save us almost 10 dollars a month – which isn’t huge.  But if I can save 5 dollars here and 10 dollars there, it adds up.  Before you know I have save us 45 dollars not to mention the subscriptions to various things which adds up as well and before you know it I have removed over 100 dollars of unnecessary luxury spending. 

           So I now have a touch screen but have learned that the automatic machines at the other end of the line don’t recognize my pushing numbers.  Oh, that is so not cool.  I am already annoyed with automatic machines as it is.  So impersonal.  How many jobs have been replaced by machines?  A company does not have to pay wages to a machine. 

`I like when the machine appears to be as frustrated as I am and connects me to customer service.  But this machine did not give me customer service.  It said that I would have to try again.  I can’t yell at the machine.  Well, I can, but it doesn’t have voice recognition.  That is why I’m punching numbers.  My touch screen gives me exactly two seconds to tap on something or the screen disappears.  AHHHHHHHH

A Week Without Internet - well not quite . . .

         I’ve heard it said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions – meaning if a person doesn’t act upon the thoughts he or she has the purpose is unfulfilled.  For three to four weeks the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint Western Region representatives have been asked to call those that they preside over for ministering assignments call those that they minister to in order to learn how long it would take for everyone in the area to be contacted.  We were given a heads up that we would be making calls on Saturday for a mock earthquake drill which would go into effect that morning.  All of the calls were to be made within a two hour frame beginning at 8:00.

My plan was to offer a fervent prayer before I started calling each of my sisters as I have not had much success at finding many who will answer the phone – especially on a Saturday morning.  No time is a good time and there is no way an earthquake can be scheduled so that everyone could be notified by email.  Chances are high that we will be without internet during an earthquake, possibly without electrical power or cell phone reception.  Ward members would have to be contacted another way.

On Thursday I remembered the mock earthquake would be taking place for Saturday morning.  I hadn’t set a reminder.  I hadn’t checked my email on Friday.  It did appear that the RS pres had tried contacting my phone on Friday night but I was unable to return her call.  I had forgotten about the mock drill. 

On Saturday morning Jenna had turned on a “scary” movie to add to her “31 days of Halloween” that she has attempted each year.  Roland had started out watching with us but seemed to have disappeared for a while. When he finally returned had said he had gotten hold of five of his families.  Earthquake drill!!!!  Oh, no!  I scolded myself for not having remembered and started calling those sisters I have saved to my phone – without having said a prayer before I started.  Of course not a whole lot of sisters had answered their phones.  I left messages with most of them – though I predicted it would be in vain. 

I had told Jenna that I would drive her and another young woman to the dollar store so that they could pick out items for the upcoming activities scheduled for tomorrow and the following week.  As I was headed in that direction anyway I decided to check on two sisters that I hadn’t gotten a hold of.  I pulled into one sister’s driveway sat there while talking on the phone with three different sisters.  By the time I got to the young woman’s house I had received two more phone calls indicating that we were out of time.  What??? It was barely 9:30.  But apparently they had changed the time from 8:00 to an earlier time.  I must say I was quite flustered before 10:00.

Roland has a yard project going that should have been finished but is still in the works.  I don’t know if I was out there with him when he accidently cut the cable.  So on Saturday we were without cable which was not big deal for Jenna and me personally – but losing the internet was a big deal.  Roland would need it for work Monday and Jenna would need it for school.  Jenna asked if she could just stay at the church after seminary in order to do her schooling.  Richard thought he could join her by bringing his work to the church if it came to that.  The earliest the cable company can come is on Thursday.  I currently really don’t need the internet – though I learned there are times in which I can/will miss out by not having it.

  On Sunday Roland was able to get a temporary fix for reception until the cable company can get here.  I was going to remain offline until a more permanent fix.  Only I was asked to post something to the Relief Society page.  I had messages and checked them but not my notifications.  I remained offline yesterday and today Jenna asked for assistance with a question on migrating ancestors and needed to make a connection to find a story that isn’t much of a story after all.  I decided I would go ahead and post to my blog instead of waiting the six days as planned. More to come.

A Week Without Posts

          I think I have mentioned both Roland and Jenna have had some nasty colds, but I seemed fine until Saturday - the 10th.  I had gone to the church as the presidency were holding interviews for those who are visiting teachers.  I could feel a sore throat coming on.  Even when I agreed to teach Relief Society only eight days later.

          I went to church on Sunday, the 11th.  I did not stay for choir because I didn't want to strain my throat.  Last week I did a lot of napping (cough medicine knocks me out) and preparing for both primary and RS lessons.  I also participated in a class discussion on a topic that I didn't fully understand.  I took the assessment (midterm) and apparently turned in my discussion notes instead of the assignment.  Brilliant.

          My lesson for the Relief Society went rather well.  I wish I could say the same for my primary class. We reviewed the last couple of weeks and I started my lesson by introducing the class to Lot.  Carly interrupted me several times with non-gospel related "concerns".  She had brought snacks for everyone and wondered if she could pass them out.  While I commended her for her desire to share with the class, I also pointed out how inappropriate I thought it was for her to continue interrupting my lesson and reminded her that it was actually a short lesson but I would have to get through it before she was allowed to pass out snacks.  

          I also continued to remind the class that perhaps one day we will meet with Danny's class to play a game and wouldn't that be awesome if our class was able to provide more correct answers than hers.  That seems to work better on the class as a whole than the snacks or the ribbons.  The passport has been working out well for us - though I have not used it with any of my "Abraham" lessons.

          Tina was trying hard to hang onto my every word.  I really appreciated that and told her mom so when she greeted me after I had given the lesson in Relief Society.

          Yesterday was definitely not my best day.  It felt as though I was agitated about every little thing.  First off there was the topic discussion for my class:

これが会計を理解する方法です。 私は間違ったキャリアを間違いなく選んだ。 私の夫は私が仕事を取れると思っています - Я просто не понимаю. Все это так чуждо мне. В любом случае, перевод может быть неточным. У меня есть последователи из России, которые могут прочитать эту часть. Приношу свои извинения за любые нарушения вашего языка. Это не намеренно. Я просто пытаюсь продемонстрировать, насколько иностранный учет (особенно предмет акций и облигаций) мне кажется대해 이해하고 있을지 모르지만 나는 그렇지 않습니다. 일본어, 포르투갈어, 아랍어, 회계. . . 내 얼굴에 벙어리 표현을 참조하십시오

題ありません。ムーディーズ・インベスターズ・サービスとスタンダード・アンド・プアーズ・コーポレーションは、公的債務問題の格付けを提供している。قد يكون لديك فهم لكل من هذه الشخصيات ، لكني لا أفعل. اليابانية ، البرتغالية ، العربية ، المحاسبة. . . انظر التعبير الغبي على  私はバイナリコードを読むことができなければ問題になるでしょう - 私はできません01010010 01100101 01100001 01101100 01101100 01111001 00111111 00100000 00100000

This may not be an accurate translation.  Doesn't matter.  I can neither read nor understand what it says.  That is how I see accounting.  I just don't understand so many terms.  I am constantly looking up words in the dictionary or accounting glossary and then looking up more words to understand the dang definitions.  Awwhhhh!!!

          I received a  notice in the mail describing a problem I have already addressed several times.  Obviously it hasn't been resolved.  More hair pulling.  Can't communicate with a machine.  Doesn't understand me.  I don't know WHY it asks for my account number.  Whenever I finally get a human, I have to provide my account number again.

          First time the machine says it will allow me through, it claims there is a 15 second wait.  It was longer than 15 seconds before I was cut off.  I call again.  After going through all the rigmarole and hair-pulling for the second time, the machine says I have a minute wait and cuts me off again.  What the hey?  Come on!!!  I storm up an email - which I decide to send to my husband before sending it to customer support - for I know that I'm angry, and although I do wish to express my annoyance, I don't want to be so unkind that they don't want to return my call just to be hung up again.  He tries.  The wait is 7 minutes.

          Meanwhile, I need to call the mortgage company to let them know that we have been contacted by our insurance agency to let us know that mortgage and insurance haven't seemed to make a connection.  Oh, great.  Another problem that may get me fired up.

          "We're sorry.  We are experiencing high volume call.  You will be on hold for 20 minutes."  What????  At least the last company that usually doesn't hang up on me does usually give me the option of calling me back.  And they actually do.  I go to their website on their suggestion.  I fill out their form and write a message.  There is no send button!  I have filled out their form and cannot send it.  What kind of a scam is this.  Now I am livid!!!

          I knew I needed to calm down.  I knew that I wasn't in the correct frame of mind to post a blog.  I still have to figure out my discussion topic.  I still have to call the mortgage company.  It's a wonder I'm not bald. 

          Stay tuned for "St. Patrick's Grunge Pledges" and "By Divine Design - Relief Society"

Thoughts About Yesterday

I think Roland woke me up

to ask me something
I don't remember what
I guess he didn't wake me
but I did get out of bed

I dragged myself into the
living room.  I don't even
know what time it was
Jenna asked me if I would
make her lunch.
I made a sandwich and
cut some potatoes and
the remaining ham and
put them in the crock pot with
2 cans of milk and a 
can of corn.

I went out to the shed
for bubble wrap and boxes
and started wrapping ornaments
to mail to the boys.
I had planned on sending letters and
the "legend of the candy cane" thought.

first package: Tony's family.  Large box. Extra
items.  First I put in bubble wrap for padding
boxes of cookie decorating kits
hats, ornaments.  Seal box.  Whoops.  Forgot
the letter. 
Go to computer.  Type and print letters.
Put Tony's in an envelope.  Tape it to
the box.

Next:  I open box of hats for Randy's family
wrap ornaments.  Take off tags.  Whoops. Hadn't
done that on Tony's either. 
Pack ornaments and hats
oh, and reindeer antlers for Devin. 
Packing is a bit tight.  I think I broke off
Santa's pom pom.
Reopen package for Tony's family.
Remove tags from the hats.  Reseal package.

Package for Biff.  Where are the socks I had?
Come on!  I had three sacks of ornaments.
One of the ornaments is missing.  I was frustrated
about it yesterday.  Stopped packing to look. 
Missing sock ornament is hanging in Jenna's room.
Did she even ask me about it?
Frustration!

Realize the mitten ornaments for Randy's family
are still on the table.  Break the seal on
that package.  Reseal.  Need a box for five
ornaments to send to Kayla and Bill.  Made
a special one for BJ.  It is a caterpillar.
All the boxes are too big.  I need a smaller box.
I could trade this for the one I packed for
Randy's family.  I break the seal again.

I realize that I have jumped from past to present
and back again.  My eyes are heavy.  I don't
think I had enough sleep.  Did not get much
accomplished yesterday as far as school goes.
I did get the packages sent off.  I started this
post after I finished this week's assignment
for one of my classes.  I turned it in last night.

Today I have to work on the assignment for
my other class.  I also have to respond to
two discussions and do my daily check points.
I did not start any of this last night as my mind
is ready to enter slumber land.  I will appreciate
it if it will just shut off a while and allow me to
get a good amount of needed sleep.
Starting a test now.

We've Been Down This Road Before

If x  times 3 = 3x and you subtract 12 = y over 3x squared, what are y and x?  We will never know.  Apparently it doesn't matter. Order of operation matters. Order of operations is a way of thinking logically - so says the mathematician.  Do you know how boring you sound?  Only math nerds understand the numbers game and the results of getting there - though most of the problems are never completely finished - they are written down as far as they can go.  So an acceptable answer could look like this: 4x+3q+8-7n=y^12  What????? 

If we don't ever know what q or y or the rest of the letters are - what's the point???  Roland says it's to learn logic.  I don't learn logic!  I am too dang frustrated to be logical.  I want to scream, swear, pull out my hair, and hurt whoever it is that came up with x(3-6)+[6*(n-q)4]-12x in the first place. Give me a break!  I was not put on this planet to answer mixed up number/letter riddles.  This is NOT my lot in life.  On top of that I'm I have to have dictionary just to translate words such as "Polynomial" and "Monomial" Is this a math class or an English class?  Make up your mind.  Or maybe "algebra" means "a combination of letters and numbers that will either a) have a person so confused that they may end up hating all forms or math or b) you will be able to relate to this subject better than people and math will therefore become your best friend"

I don't know how many students are in my math class.  I'm guessing thirty.  It appears that there are a couple of math nerds, but overall, the majority of us despise math, don't speak math, get lost in math, are confused by math, are taking the course because it's required and pray that we may pass the course just to get it over with, hate math, just don't get it, don't really care.  Guess which group I fall into?

Recently my instructor posted the following:  One of the big topics for this week was simplifying a problem using the correct order of operations.  Why is this so important?  Take the following problem for example: 

2(8=7) - 3 x 4 + 2

Let's say two students are working together to simplify this problem.  Student A chooses to work the problem in the following manner:

2(8 + 7) – 3 x 4 + 2 

2(15) – 3 x 4 + 2  Parenthesis first

30 – 12 + 2  Multiplying in order from left to right second

20  Adding and subtracting in order from left to right last

Student A got a final answer of 20

Now let's say Student B chooses to work the problem in the following manner:

 2(8 + 7) – 3 x 4 + 2 

2(15) – 3 x 4 + 2  Parenthesis first

30 – 3 x 4 + 2  Multiply starting at the left

27 x 4 + 2  Continue from left to right with subtraction next

108 + 2  Continue from left to right with multiplication next

110  Addition last

Student B got a final answer of 110.

Which student is correct? 

This would be my answer:

          Student A would be the correct answer because he/she is using the correct order of operations (PEMDAS) but I understand how Student B would come up with his/her answer - IT FEELS LOGICAL to do it that way.

          Simplified?  In math?  Unless we are doing basic addition or subtraction, for me personally, the word "simple" can be associated with anything math related.  It's an oxymoron.

I think algebra is an oxymoron.

Recognizing Effort

                My appreciation for art is so-so.  There are certain paintings that appeal to me for various reasons - and perhaps on a subconscious level, it is the lighting and balance and whatever other techniques are used by the artist.  Usually, it is the subject of the painting.  That is what I am focused on, not the colors, tones, hues or layers for example.  All the detail that is put into a professional painting seems overwhelming to me and actually seems to detract from the beauty that I had seen there initially.

            In college, I once took an art appreciation class - just to force myself to understand and hopefully appreciate it more.  It backfired. I was so put out by the symbolic gestures and the history, it's a wonder I didn't drop the class.  I would struggle with these foreign concepts and tried to apply them to whatever piece of work we were doing.  I tried really hard.  Or so I believed.  My work and effort were below average and therefore so were my grades . . . . until one assignment that we did in crayon.

            The subject was a milk can.  Our instructor said to pick out all the colors that were reflecting off the milk can and underneath the surface and this and that and lighting, shades and hues and . . .  my poor confused brain.  I really didn't understand what he was talking about.  As I wasn't doing particularly well in that class anyway, I decided to "fake" it.  I got out my box of crayons and started scribbling a variety of colors over what would become my milk can.  I scribbled one area with a white crayon and one with a black crayon to that when I went over the entire milk can with my grey crayon, some of it would appear lighter and some would be darkened. 

            I was in the midst of covering all the scribbles with my gray crayon when the teacher came around and complimented me on my good work.  Was he for real?  Did he really believe that I had really seen the blue, orange and green scribbles in the can?  I wasn't even trying.  I hated creating "art" and I just didn't even care anymore.  That was the day I stopped trying to better myself in that particular class.  My grade point average had gone up after that.  It felt like a slap in the face, really. It didn't seem appropriate that I would receive the message: "you'll do a whole lot better if you don't try"  That's not right!

            I did not post last week as I had devoted so much of my time to my payroll final - which by the way, I never did finish. I did try.  Boy, did I try.  I burned out more hours on this one assignment than I had any other in my entire lifetime - or so it seemed. My final grade for the class came as a surprise. I was pretty certain that my instructor would not be going through each and every single answer of each and every single student.  Apparently, I did enough that he did know I had at least tried (on the final, excel would not accept the wrong answer - so it was either come up with the correct answer or leave it blank)

            I am more satisfied with my grade and my accomplishments that I earn.  I'm not an accountant yet.  I don't like numbers.  I don't like business.  But I do enjoy learning.  I'm grateful for the opportunities I have been given that I may accomplish even more.  Perhaps one day I'll actually develop a love for my "career".  Right now I'm just tolerating it.

            I've finished payroll and am now taking two more accounting classes.  I think they will be easier than payroll.  I don't know if my instructors will be as easy as my last instructor.  I suppose I'll have a better understanding later this week.

Pray Before Each Task

Roland gave our middle son, Tony, the nickname “Donald Duck”.  Too often Tony flies off the handle about situations he can’t control or doesn’t understand.  I told him that he needs to pray more often.  That didn’t seem to go over too well.

Prayer has been a part of my life forever.  I always had example of prayer.  My sibs and I were taught to pray.  We said individual prayers.  We said family prayers.  We prayed over the food.  We’d start family home evenings with prayer and end with prayer.  We said morning prayers.  We said prayers before we went to bed.  Before and while on vacation.  It was just something conditioned in me.  I don’t know that I ever questioned it.  Perhaps I didn’t always understand it, but I do now and have for such a long time that it’s hard to remember if/when I questioned prayer.

Oh, perhaps there were times I prayed for something specific and felt my prayers weren’t answered – at least not the way I had wanted.  So perhaps there was a time when I had the response: “I have prayed and it hasn’t done any good.”  I no longer think that.  I pray.  Sometimes it seems as though I’m doing it in vain – but that is when I need to question my part with prayer, and not the Lord’s as He is Always there and Always listening. 

Often times Roland has expressed frustration with whatever project he may be doing on the computer.  My response has always been to ask if he had prayed before starting his task.

I know that not all things run smooth or according to plan all the time.  There is the faith testing and God’s own will that often doesn’t correspond with what we think may be our own.

A specific example involves two different families from the ward where I had grown up.  Two grandmas, each with a grandchild who had a heart condition. 

From my recollection, both children were scheduled to have surgery within weeks of one another.  One baby lived and the other died.  Right now I honestly can’t remember which one.  Both families prayed diligently.  Various family members held a fast.  All of their prayers were answered – though not all experienced the same results – the results which they all wanted for the grandchild to live. 

So what makes one family different from the other?  Why would God answer the same heartfelt prayers so differently?  Why were the results not the same?  I don’t have the answer.  I just know, for me personally, that prayer adds a comfort that I had at least expressed myself.  And the more that I pray, the closer I come so that I do understand.

I realized that was one vast difference between the family Roland grew up in verses my own.  They don’t pray about anything.  They don’t even say grace over the food. It’s just so foreign to me that they don’t consider prayer – for anything.  How different their lives would be if they would kneel as a family and thank Him and ask Him for blessings.

Why would I not pray to thank my maker for all that I have?  Why would I not pray to ask for assistance from a higher being?  Why would I not pray for a miracle that can’t be mastered by humankind? Miracles can and do happen.  But we need to ask.

I thank my mom and dad for their fine example to include God in our lives and to pray before each task or major decision.