Gratitude

I remember last general conference when it was announced that our upcoming conference would be like no other.  Many had speculated change in doctrine.  I don’t know of anyone who would have guessed that most of us would be in quarantine due to a pandemic. 

My brother, Corey, is an introvert and has been enjoying his time at home – possibly too much if there is such thing.  I think our parents must have taught us to always make the best of a situation and to look for gratitude.  Because we have.

Recently Corey shared what I consider an epistle.  This he shared on facebook, and I am sharing many of his thoughts on this blog post as it mirrors a lot of my own gratitude as we experience this weirdness.

Although we know that not everybody has these things, we are both grateful for electricity, running water, for the ability to communicate electronically and by phone.  We are grateful for the time that we have to focus on unfinished projects, meditation, and the opportunity to feast upon the words of Christ.

We are grateful for concern that others have exhibited toward one another during these difficult time.  And though there are some who may find social media jokes and poking fun at something so serious, we are grateful having the ability to laugh and use this as a defense mechanism.

We are both grateful for the opportunity this has given humanity to recognize that we are all in this together.  I am grateful that as Roland has always worked from home (at least since we’ve been in Oregon) that he is still employed.

Corey also mentioned how grateful he is to be in quarantine with Joh and how blessed they are to have quality time between them as their lives often seem to become complicated and will sometimes pull them in different directions.

I also enjoy being in quarantine with optimistic people.  I know not everybody has someone or else they might have more than they feel they can handle for months at a time.  For example, I know the families next door and across the street already had more people than what their houses were designed to accommodate. That many people in that small of a space can get overwhelming quickly.

There is so much to be grateful for.  Corey used this quote from Maya Angelou:  “Every Storm runs out of rain.” 

May we all endure this in a positive way and remember we haven’t been forgotten; we are all in this together.   

How Great the Art of Being Able to Laugh Despite the Pain of Observation

            On March 22 of this year Corey posted to his blog for the first time in two years.  Apparently it had been due to a request made when I mentioned how much I had missed reading his posts.  But that is his most recent - nothing more.  So last night he called me to relate his "Walmart" experience - although he really was not at Walmart.  It just felt like he was.  I laughed at his misfortunes.  It was nice to go to bed with a smile on my face.  But Corey does have a knack with relating experiences and telling stories and even making announcements with an entertaining flair.  So the following is a second-hand account of the things that he related to me.

            First off he had to renew something - he must have mentioned it at least three times, but I failed to understand exactly what it was that he was renewing, but whatever it is, it needs to be renewed annually.  He has the option of driving a far distance to the location of whatever it is or he can do it thorough the local Albertsons.  Albertsons is a grocery store that had several locations throughout the Salt Lake area, but to the best of my knowledge had all gone out of business;  I was not aware that they were in other locations outside of Utah, but evidently there is one near to his house.

            So he drove to the Albertson's and as he was passing the McDonald's anyway, decided he would get a shake or frappe or something that he likes.  He got in line for the drive through but learned that the line was not moving as he was blocking traffic of any other idiotic drivers who were trying to leave or enter the McDonald's parking lot.  NOTHING McDonald's has to offer is worth my time, but evidently Corey had a hankering for a particular product.

           

            Realizing that the line wasn't moving and blocking traffic had become an issue, he decided he would just go into the McDonald's.  I imagine he drove into the lot and parked his car as Corey just does not seem like the type to abandon his car at the drive through - even if the line wasn't moving.  I don't know how busy it was on the inside, but Corey assured me that the employees had managed to get every single order wrong - including his as he had ordered (and probalby paid for) a large but received a small.  And while the customers ahead and behind him opted for their orders to be corrected, he settled for his puny sized beverage thinking it really wasn't worth the extra time to get it corrected (I don't think it would have been worth any amount of time)

            He finally is able to put the McDonald's fiasco behind him and move onto Albertson's where normally he has to wait for the renewal, but did not as night crowd isn't as exhausting as daylight.  It would have been perfect if he could have just left it at that.  But no.  He is a good guy who has decided he will pick up a mega hand sanitizer to take to his work and waits in yet another line.  The customer ahead of him is standing in line with her kitten who she is holding like one would hold a human baby.  Corey does love cats, but does not take them out in public - certainly not to the grocery store to wait in line.  I think he must have felt like he was in the twilight zone.

            The lady with the cat had a credit card or store card or something that required a phone number.  Only the phone number isn't working.  She's aware that it isn't working and would like to use her membership number, but the clerk says she doesn't know how to do that.  She hasn't been trained for entering membership numbers, only phone numbers.  She calls the manager over to assist.  Fine.  The thing takes her membership number and it was easy and the clerk had learned how to do membership in the event that she will need it again.  But for the purchase of how many ever items the cat-lady has, her card has been declined.  And so she asks the cashier to take off the chips, take off this, remove that, until she is down to 1.80 which is the amount that she uses to put on the card.

           

            For the entire time she is in line, she ever so often turns to Corey (who is standing behind her) and apologizes for the inconvenience. When he finally got up to the register, he was praised by the cashier for his patience.  She didn't hear his inner thoughts asking, "What the hell?" All he wanted to do was purchase the sanitizer and leave.  By the time Corey finally returned home (after what should have been 30-40 minutes max - but was more than twice the length) he felt he had had an experience that he needed to show.  As Joh was still at work and Corey was off from work (another plus in his favor) he called me as it was a blogworthy post that he said he's not going to take the time to blog.

            Before there was interference between our phones and somehow we were cut off from one another, ironically we had been talking about the insecurities or "bugs" with electronic systems and illegal hacking or whatever possesses the electronics to "think" or seemingly change on their own.  Allow me to use his security system as an example.  For no apparent reason, it started reporting which doors/windows had been left open in French.  It had always been set for English.  Corey was both disturbed and amused as he has taken French and understood the reportings but couldn't explain why they were being broadcast in French.

           

            He called the security company and was told that he'd been the second to report that the reports were given in French.  It may or may have not been an epidemic - weird. We discussed how each of us refer to the echo dot as "she" and how often "she" spouts information for no apparent reason or seems to take on a human personality at times.  Joh tells Corey he needs to be nicer to Alexa.  It's funny, but it also feels like it could be a danger.  I thought about how Steven Hawkings had advised against AI (one of many references found here)

            Earlier that day Roland received email on an unpaid Chase bankcard.  We don't have a chase bankcard.  I got a scam phone call from "Microsoft" supposedly.  As if my phone is even connected to Microsoft.  I've also had calls about other unknown credit cards.  All machines.  All scare tactics.  Reminds me of Orson Wells War of the Worlds.  There's going to be panic eventually.  Some of us will be able to shake it off - unfortunately we may not be able to control those who are panicking around us - those who may go to desperate measures without complete understanding.  That's how most people vote, I think.  Not everything has to be black and white.  Look for what's beneath the surface.

I DO NOT Accept the Challenge . . . at least Right Now

                The RS president sent an e-mail to the sisters to remind us of some challenges given to us in Conference yesterday. I am not prepared to accept the challenge of the 10 day fast from social media.  I am taking courses online.  Sometimes YouTube videos are required - though not always.  Sometimes I will search for tutorials on my own.  Giving up facebook will not be tough as it's been somewhat pathetic or disappointing overall lately anyhow.  I need to use my email for updates regarding my classes and to view confirmation on assignments that I accept for work.  Yes.  I got a job.  I have subbed as a teacher's aide for three different schools now and have at least two more for this week.

                I remember when Jenna took the challenge.  For the most part, it was not a big deal.  Steering away from YouTube was her biggest challenge as she enjoys cartooning videos and singing with videos.  She did this at a time when the internet was not a requirement for one of her classes.  I suppose I could do a partial fast.  There are some talks from conference and news article updates that I will want to review.  If I talk to Alexa, does that count as social media?  I am constantly asking about the temperature. 

                When I am on vacation, I am on vacation - or at least would like to be.  If I were to go on one right now, I'd still have to take the laptop in order to fulfill my school requirements. I don't have a touchscreen that I am glued to.  I update my blog post occasionally but not regularly.  I may be able to do a fast once my classes end, but not right now.  People still come before technology.  I know that I am rationalizing, but aside from school, I really don't get into it that much.  And I have NEVER nor will be surgically implanted to my cell phone.  It's not a big deal.

Magic Hands

        I remember someone posting this cartoon to facebook. 

I laughed as I read it as I relate, both to having been the child and now the mother.  But it isn't just a relationship with mothers and children when this sort of magic happens.  It happens among husbands and wives as well - at least in our family.

        I remember many times mom would used to say to dad, "There is something wrong with the car"  and so he would take the problematic car to work and of course it would ride smoothly for him and give absolutely no indication of ever having any kind of behavior problem.  It seemed that way with all appliances - and it wasn't because my dad was mechanical minded.  I think electronics and mechanics just have a way of playing pranks on the female mind.

        Take my computer for instance - the pop-ups, the constant threats,

of course my computer is well behaved whenever Roland sits down to it.  After a month (or more) of not being able to pull up Yahoo on my PC, it appears just fine for him.  I didn't even need to give him the latest password that I had changed it too.  What????

        I am so not motivated to do any class work right now.  Frustrated that my husband and dad seem to have magic hands - unbeknownst to them.  I want magic hands!!!

Technology at the Doctors

                This wasn't even one of the posts I had considered writing yesterday - and so I still have those thoughts to put together.

            When we first moved to Myrtle Creek, we had looked into a health clinic.  Certainly we wouldn't have to go all the way to Roseburg if a check-up was needed.  In order to establish credibility, the staff expected a full physical in several visits.  Okay, my co-pay is not that outrageous, but when I am going to the doctor four to six times in one month to create a doctor/patient relationship, that is ridiculous.  I can't afford that!  I've been blessed with pretty good health.  I go to the doctors perhaps once a year.  I don't need to go every blessed week.   Needless to say, I did not ever complete what had been expected.
           Because I had gone an entire year without visitation, I couldn't even get in last year.  What the heck?  Why had I bothered going through such turmoil to begin with if it wasn't going to fulfill my needs.  I only needed a Z-pack.  I can't believe I was able to get in this year, but once again, I just did not wish to go all the way to Roseburg.
            I was interested in the electronic gadget which has replaced the clipboard and paperwork.  It's kind of cool.

Payments can also be made from this same devise

            It was only this morning that I noticed the large microphone - a communication device to talk to another party on the other side of the screen - I'm guessing someone near Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg. 

So that's the reason for all the visits - I feel like I have single-handedly paid for at least one of the devices that are used.

Where My Discussion Post Ends and My Blog Post Begins

          When I was in my twelvth mod, I had two classes.  I would try to attend the live lecture of each class.  I think I had attended all four lectures in my algebra class - perhaps only three.  Fortunately there was no problem with the hook-up system (the school uses a program called Zoom) but the instructor in my management class would always have a problem with the system cutting out or recording only audio or video, but not both.  It generally happened whenever she played a video in addition to her lecture.  I told her to stop showing videos and just send us the links.  I don't know if it would have made any difference.

          Last mod I also had two classes - two accounting classes.  I still don't understand the language, but I actually did well in both classes.  That is amazing considering what torture it was trying to get into a live lecture or (in most cases) listen to the recording . . . as it wasn't just one or two instructors having issues with Zoom;  the entire school was affected.  That is what Roland had told me anyway.  Not only is he a full time student at the same online school as I am, but is employed with them as well.

          This mod I am taking only one class (hooray) again in accounting (boo) and I don't know if Zoom has been fixed or not.  Thus far it does not look promising.  No one in the class appears to have been contacted by our instructor - usually he or she will introduce self or remind us of upcoming lecture or something.  There was supposed to be a live lecture yesterday, which starts at the same time as the children's summer reading program. I had already made a commitment to summer reading.  In addition, it seems I have been recruited to be the story lady - for the last two weeks anyway. 

          Yesterday the library (or the one in charge of the program rather) decided to celebrate SpongeBob's birthday and shared some trivia while children were coloring.  I shared Allison Jackson's "There was an old lady who swallowed a pie" - only I changed the wording a little bit and used SpongeBob as the character instead of an old lady, asking the children between each item of food, "do you think he'll die?"  they would always answer "No"  and they were right.

          I like Allison Jackson's version better than the original "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly"  because (with the exception of one item) her story deals with real food and no one dies.

          Neither Jenna nor I are avid SpongeBob fans - in fact we'd be okay with knowing that he had croaked.  But the idea of a sponge and some of Allison Jackson's rhymes gave me an opportunity to educate rather than just read or tell.

          So back to my accounting - I was hoping to watch the lecture before posting my discussion to perhaps get a better idea of what is expected.  As of now, I don't even know if my instructor tried to give the lecture or if he has started working for the university this week or is on sabbatical or what.  His discussion post was created on Saturday before the class had even started.

          Our topic is on importance of accurately accounting for costs in Job Order Cost Accounting.  Also, discuss the consequences of errors in this area. From what I understand, overhead charges and cost of labor that must be paid by the company is figured in the cost that a consumer must pay.

          The video example that had been given is building a burger and breaking down the cost of said burger.  There is the obvious cost for the meat, the bun and other ingredients, but the breakdown also includes the employee's wage.  Just suppose he was getting paid 10.00 an hour and it takes 3 minutes for him (or her) to build each burger.  That is 3 minutes to every 60 or 5% of 10.00.  and a predetermined overhead cost.

          The cost of electricity (for instance) is not figured into each burger, per se.  Utilities, indirect labor [that would be the supervisor making certain the employees are working, or the time spent cleaning (or idling) after all the customers have been served], indirect materials [someone has to pay for the cost of that grill] and property taxes or rent) are all part of that predetermined rate.  All of those costs are all added up together for the year and then more math is deducted and combined and made into a percentage that is also added to the cost of the burger.

          One of my class mates used auto labor as an example which I was actually able to understand a little more and have been trying to come up with my own examples using my false lawn care service from my former management class, or the cost of labor that we have seen (and will expect to see more) for the demolition and restoration of our floor, walls and spaces in between.  Thus far we've had to dole out checks for the plumber, the electrician and the pest control.  All with overhead costs - though we don't understand why on the electrician.

          Roland had asked for a card and wondered if he would be able to make a deal with trading services for a future project.  Wiring in the front room to put in a ceiling fan for new cards and marketing.  This area really needs to be educated in marketing. They either don't believe about it or know about it or care.  The font on the business cards was very hard to read.  Roland thought the shape of the font looked like an anchor.  I thought it looked like an open mouth - like perhaps a dentist would use.  I don't know what the overhead would be.  There is no sign on the truck.  I don't know how their pricing breaks down.  I suspect they can charge what they want as there doesn't seem to be any competition.

          I personally am not impressed with big vans and trucks bearing fancy names - especially now that I know it is part of my cost and I don't wish to support brand names when they have so many employees that the company has lost sight of them as well as the consumers.  Let me give a "for instance" which I wasn't planning to call by name, but because of my dissatisfaction, I want to warn others about why I stopped using the services of a certain company.

          Whipple Plumbing and Heating is a chain in Utah (Salt Lake/Ogden areas) which I believe has gotten too big for its breeches.  I don't know how many employees it staffs nor do I understand why we tried their services several times.  We ALWAYS had to call them to return to finish or correct a job and then ended up calling someone else to permanently fix it.

          I think they were called three times while we lived in Kearns and twice in West Valley.  For the poor plumbing issues (one project, never resolved by Whipple) we had three different guys, none which corrected the mistake of the other, we finally called an elderly man that Roland had been in contact through some clients of his. 

          Elwin Shipley arrived in his unmarked truck and fixed the problem.  He was awesome!  He fixed problems one time.  If you were to contact him again, it would be for a different problem.  Unlike Whipple, who got it right only one time (which will be my next paragraph), Elwin didn't charge an arm and a leg.  He didn't need to.  He didn't have the extra overhead cost.  I wasn't paying for the logo on his truck.  (Whipple had definitely figured a LOT of overhead expenses - had I continued to use them, I would have probably ended up paying for an entire fleet of trucks)

          Whipple had a promotion on toilets and as ours had to be replaced, we gave them another try (first one in WV).  The plumber who came out was very friendly toward Jenna and the dog and just a down to earth wholesome guy - or so it appeared.  He said that when I called, I could ask for a specific plumber.  That was our exception.  That was the only thing that we didn't have to have work redone on.

          Because I had liked the plumber, when another situation we had required plumbing services, I called Whipple with another opportunity and the name of the plumber who seemed to have the attitude "I've got you in my snare now, I don't have to be nice to you."

          Perhaps he was just having a bad day - perhaps there had been a recent death in the family or someone in his flipped him off on his way to work . . .  who knows.  The point is he just rubbed me the wrong way.  That was the last time we used Whipple.

          My discussion post was about Gil's heating and air conditioning - a business that relies on word of mouth.  I just thought of another.  Remarkable Rooter also gets the job done.  WITHOUT THE OVERHEAD!  Why pay more?  Really?  Because the competition has a brand name and drive a fancy van?  My consumer attitude may get me into trouble with my classes . . . although they haven't so far.  Did I mention that I LOVE living in a small town with an ignorance to marketing?  Well, I do.