Philosophy and Religious Values

        I've been quite emotional for the last couple of weeks or so.  Watching "The von Trapp Family: A Life of Music" and seeing the horrors of bullying by supporters of Hitler. Crying over different stories featured in 60 minutes.  It's almost like five years worth of PMS took over.  What's up with that?

            In my philosophy class, I was supposed to take a quiz and post my results about taking the quiz.  I just now finished the assignment of what I learned about contextualism or relativism and explaining the similarities between those and virtue ethics.  Actually, I am only supposed to pick one value and one ethic.  I am really quite confused by moral values - which, by the way, are part of my religious upbringing and NOT philosophy.

            So I start off the discussion by saying that I really don't put much value into logic quizzes or emotional evaluations.  Keep in mind that I do not appreciate being analyzed and find the results of the test confusing.  I found the explanation of values even more confusing.  If I understand the definitions it seems I would fall into the category of contextualism more than relativism.  Even during the lecture I was in agreement but have not retained what it was I thought I had agreed to. So perhaps I accept either relativism or contextualism.  

"Let you give you an example and perhaps you can help me with the analyzation.

          "My mother has always expected each of her children to tell the truth.  She was a woman with a sixth sense or eyes in the back of her head or something.  She ALWAYS knew when we were lying.  Always.  The fact that we often got punished more for lying than whatever we had done wrong made us realize it would be better to just tell the truth and not bother with trying to hide it from her.  I was taught to tell the truth.  Not everybody has learned the same values I was taught.  I get that.  I can even accept that.  This next part of the post is what I'm having issues with. 

          "About ten years ago she was diagnosed with a form of dementia (she did not have Alzheimer's) and lost touch with reality - though in her mind everything she spoke was the truth.  Her children were told to "play along" and accept her reality - because really, what was the point in making her sad or angry by correcting her on something she was just going to forget in five minutes anyway.  When she was up for an evaluation, I opened the door to two strangers.  One sat with her and asked her questions while I took the other into my mom's room to show her what medications and dosages my mom was taking for various things.

          "When the two aides left, my mom got really defensive and asked why she had been interrogated.  I lied to my mom about who they were and why they had come.  [My exact words were, "Oh, those weren't your visiting teachers?" though I knew full well that they weren't] It was easier for both of us for me to do it that way.  That doesn't make it right.  The evaluation was more necessary than my telling the truth.  Still, it bothered me as I have been taught not to lie and there I was lying to the one that had taught me not to.  Is that contextualism or relativism? Does it matter?"

            Before I was more than halfway into my thoughts, I was crying about the lie and dementia and missing my mom.  I'm crying because my arm hurts as I haven't had it in a relaxed position while trying to operate the mouse.  I cry because I'm not able to have a face to face conversation with different family members like I used to. An uplifting post this is not.  Sorry about that.  But if it's of any consolation, I am feeling better than when I initially wrote this (I think it might have been Monday?)

3 generations of '80's music

I graduated from high school in 1980- the same year that Rupert Holmes released his recording of “Him”.  I think think it must have been at college or perhaps it was at an institute dance when a live band played that Rupert Holmes song.  Many of us listened intently wondering how they would incorporate the lyrics “Over by the window is a pack of cigarettes” and laughed when they sang “a pack of Wrigley’s gum”

                I thought it an odd song to play as the theme implies that his wife is having an affair, but I still liked the song.  Many times we listen without understanding the meaning but may find it has a great rhythm or melody or what have you.  The ‘80’s seemed to spin out a wide variety of popular music that continues to be played at Chruch dances.

                I remember when Jenna was born, I was feeling out a baby book and one of the questions was what are some of the popular songs the year you are born.  I didn’t have a clue.  I asked the boys and they gave me titles such as Survivor’s: “Eye of the Tiger” or some hit from Journey. 

                “No, these songs are older than you.  Those were the songs played when I went to college” but that’s all they knew – songs of the 80’s. 

                Though Jenna and her brothers are technically all of the same generations, there are 15 plus years between her and them.  And, as she likes to remind us, she was born in a different century.   

                Last month we took her to her first dance.  The ad was featured as a “Mormon Prom”.  It was in Eugene, which I thought was a long way to go.  We spent hours looking for a dress before settling on one that fit her personality but didn’t look like your typical prom dress.  But it was a church dance with a strict dress code – or so I thought.  Turns out Eugene is a lot more lax than Salt Lake.  A LOT more.

                We went to Roseburg to pick up Manuel and took the two of them to Eugene.  Roland and I had a dinner date while the two of them stayed at the church eating food and making comments about what others were wearing and if they thought it looked appropriate for church or not. 

                We finished our dinner before the dance had ended and chose to wait in the foyer and do some crossword puzzles while we waited.  I could hear some songs from the ‘80’s and smiled knowing that Jenna was listening to the same tunes that I had listened to in College and her brothers had listened to just before and after she was born.  She will sing along with Journey, Cyndi Lauper and Cultural Club.  I am so impressed!

1980’s produced some fun music.  I’m so happy to hear that it hasn’t retired. 

More About Me - Fill in the Blanks

The first thing I'd do after winning the lottery is... stay put.  Fix up my house.  I would hire professionals to replace all the carpet with other floorings, re-shingle the roof, move the thermostat to a better location, turn the back porch into another room, cut into the hill for plant tiers.  There's no telling what amount I would win.  But if it was millions, I would continue living in this house or one similar to it.  I could put my money in the bank and contiinue paying bills without sacrificing groceries or maintaninac or some other thing because we're always struggleing.  

I'd like to annonomously donate genrous amounts to the local libraries, schools and local fire departments. I could bring family members up for a visit, rent a bigger car to fit all of us.  Maybe buy another house where they could stay.  But overall, I wouldn't be changing my lifestyale.  I would not be moving into a bigger and fancier house just because I can afford it.  I would like to live struggle free for a while. (I guess I kind of answered this in the last fill-in-the-blank post)

I can't stand when I forget to set my alarm and miss out on something because my mind doesn’t work as well as it used to.

I really need to… gain a better understanding for critical thinking and how moral values and argumentative connect.  My critical thinking class has been quite a challenge - which is good.  I just feel so overwhelmed right now.

One goal I want to accomplish in my lifetime is... spend time with my entire family at Disneyland.

 I learned how to swim when I was….when I was a youth.  I had learned to swim at Deseret Gym - which used to be where the Conference Center is now.  See here.  

Something I remember from my first job... the front page of “the Green Sheet” was an ugly shade of green.  It was later cleaned up to a totally white paper with the flag of the paper printed in a brighter more inviting green. It was a community paper that may not exist anymore.

I’d like to have the voice of... Olivia Newton-John when I sing – even Elton John’s voice would sound better than my own.

I would love to invent…air conditioned underwear.

My favorite beverage is water really.  Other than pure and natural, I love evil Mountain Dew and knock offs.

  

If I could bring a famous musician back to life, it would be... Daniel Balavoine.  I believe that's his name.  Corey had a recording of many of his songs.  I don't know French well enough to know what he is singing, but I do like the music.

If I was stranded on a deserted island and could only eat one food, it would be... Fettuccine Alfredo.  May get tired of it if it was the only thing I could eat day after day, but I'd certainly be willing to give it a try.

 

I don't know that there's any one thing in which I could devote hours and hours, not at once anyway.  I get bored doing the same thing for more than two hours at a time - even the things I enjoy like some word puzzles, organizing photos and blogging.

Critical Thinking Argument

This week my critical thinking class is focusing on arguments.  For our discussion post, we were each supposed to find an article and provide premises and a conclusion and identify whether it was valid or sound.  This week's assessment introduces us to this video.  I wished I would have watched it before participating in the discussion

This is what was posted to my discussion:

     A crime, by definition, is a harmful wrong geared toward an individual, community or society (C. Law, n.d.).  Ransomware is a malware sent to computers for the purpose of denying user(s) access to stored information by changing passwords and not releasing new password until a ransom is paid.  This has proved to be harmful to businesses and other public forums (Safety, 2018).  Ransomware is a crime.

       In the article I read, a local school district was targeted just yesterday.  There is information that cannot be released to the media at this time as the criminal act is still under investigation (Harrell, 2018).

       The article goes on to compare this same crime that took place in another state earlier this year.  The school district had been adviced to pay the ransom.  The hackers, in turn, sent the password to unlock the files.  This really irks me that it would be encouraged to pay the ransom.  I think providing a ransom will encourage the hackers to do it again.

(Premise 1) Hackers introduced a malware they would remove for a ransom.
(Premise 2) The district's computer was filled with a Ransomware malware
(Conclusion) No one from the district was able to open the emails.

The argument is valid as no one in the district was able to get into their emails.  The argument is sound as it has not been resolved.

 My own premise and conclusion:

(Premise 1) I think providing a ransom will encourage hackers to send out malware again.
(Premise 2) Ransom is paid to the criminal in order to obtain a password
(Conclusion) Therefore he may continue sending ransomware.  

The argument is valid.  There is no proof that the hacker will send out more ransomware.  It is not sound.

          I didn't provide a reason for being true or false.  I'm not the only one in the class who had "missed the boat" in posting the discussion.  I responded to one individual that seemed to have it down pat and another who seemed to be making an estimated guess.  The assignment was a lot tougher for me than the discussion was.

          For one thing, each member of the class is not only expected to write on the same exact topic but from the same article (here) as well.  We were given an example and outline and I have been doing research and writing for the last two days. After a final proof reading, I have just turned it in - though I'm still not 100% confident.  If those I asked to assist in approval find it needs to be changed, than I will resubmit it.  Tomorrow is the last day that I can turn it in. Hope that next week does not feel so rough.

Gifts Received

I don't expect gifts but they do come with Mothers' Day and my birthday - which happen to fall in the same month.  My birthday will be on Memorial Day this year. 

Jenna has already given me gifts that she made.  The first one (spoiler alert to any members in SU ward that are mothers of young women) she made in young women last week.  It is a magnet that spells out the wored MOM using her picture.  I love it!!!

  She brought the other when she returned home from school yesterday.   She had already asked me what she should make in woodshop.  I had given her a few suggestions, but not this:

  I think it is beautiful.  Both are beautiful.  My daughter is beautiful.  I love her very much.  Thank you, Jenna.

Just one more quick smile about the flowers in the background on the "Mom" magnet:

Two weeks ago, the only boy in my primary class had picked up four flowers to give to the four girls in his primary class.  I thought that was so sweet of him.

Feeling Blessed

            Not long ago, I'd been contacted by Riddle Fire Department.  We had been there a couple of months ago for an open house the RFD was putting on for fire safety and as a tribute for the family that perished in the fire the year before (see here and here).  One of the firefighters had asked if we had signed up for a smoke alarm.  I told them that we lived in Tri-City and didn't wish to take away from the residents of Riddle.  They said they were willing to come or pass the information onto TriCity.  While Jenna was in Portland, a firefighter from our neighborhood came to install two smoke alarms. 

            He told me that they had been donated by the Red Cross and asked if we slept with the doors open or closed and was relieved to learn we keep them closed.  An open door will feed the fire with the extra air.  A smashed window will feed it even more.  Jenna was excited to learn that she is allowed to knock the screen out and legally exit through her window in the event of a fire.

            The wind had blown our tarp off the roof and it no longer covered the car.  I had mentioned it to Roland, but it remained uncovered.  The sun's been blaring by the afternoon and we have turned on the air conditioner a few times, or else we'll leave the windows open and turn up the fan. 

           

            This morning I woke up to a clap of thunder sonic boom right over my head.  The lightening right on its tail.  There were no counting spaces between the thunder and lightning.  "NO,"  I thought.  It was pouring outside!  Please don't let the smoke alarms go off.  Please keep our house safe.  It was raining HARD.  The entire time we've been in Oregon, I don't remember a thunderstorm like that.  I thought for sure the waterfall would be back in our yare, but it is not.

            We have a man in our ward who works for an insurance company.  He has a device to keep tabs on exactly where the lightning is headed.  When he dropped Roland off this afternoon, he mentioned that the lightning had been directly over us.  I don't doubt it.  Feeling truly blessed that our neighborhood did not see a fire this morning. The storm lasted maybe an hour and a half.  We could hear it move away from us.  According to the news, the storm had headed north.  Weird.

Journal Entry

             I could have slept in this morning as I did not need to be up with Jenna.  She's currently in Portland with the rest of her schoolmates.  She had asked if I'd take her to the school yesterday morning.  Quite understandable.  She didn't wish to carry her "luggage" on the bus and then up the hill. I don't like to drive in school traffic and told her we would have to leave early.

            Since I had to go back through downtown anyway, I decided I would stop at the park for some needed exercise and hopefully dodge the buses.  It had been colder outside than I had predicted.  I made good timing with missing the buses - except for one returning to the bus yard - at least I would guess.  I didn't have to stop for it though.  It seemed to be going slower than the allowed speed limit, but that's okay.  I don't care much for flying down Old Pacific at 45 mph anyway.

            As I turned off the main street, I passed a couple of high schoolers on their way to the bus stop. I don't know if the high school offers overnight trips or not.  My school never did - well, not for the school as a whole. Perhaps the athletes had gone on overnighters - but they didn't happen out of saving accumulated box tops.  I can tell you that.

            I finished up my assignments for accounting and philosophy.  My philosophy assignment for this week was on the topic of tablets vs. textbooks.  My research convinced me that we should stay with textbooks.  Perhaps I can post my assignment after it's been graded?

            After I had finished all my school work, I wrote out some checks to pay bills.  I had three envelopes in my hand when I went out to the mailbox.  It was still early, but the mail had already come.  I had planned to set the bills aside and put out today, except there was a check in the mail that I thought should go into the bank right away.  Thus I went downtown again and dropped my three bills in the mailbox and went to the bank.

           

            Roland had given in to his sweet tooth and decided to bake some cookies.  He was suggested peanut butter and raisins.  Gross!  If you insist on putting raisins in cookies, best to go for "Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies".  I should have just allowed him to make the peanut butter and raisin and then I would not given in to eating any.

  

            Roland and I will need to pick up Jenna at the school at 5:00 tonight.  It is so weird not having her in the house last night.  When was in the sixth grade, her school went to Grants Pass to ride the Jet boats 

and then off to a museum in Ashland.  They stayed the night in Grants Pass.  Yesterday her school went to the Oregon Museum of Science and  Industry in Portland 

and then off to the North Clackamas Aquatic Center.  It is so awesome that she has these opportunities.  

 Today they will be going to the zoo before returning back to Myrtle Creek.

Dreams with APA References

       

          The assignment for my Philosophy class was to write my opinion on a dream job - which I already established in this post is NOT in accounting - though I may consider applying for said position with the Hallmark Corporation - though I think there would be other positions that would be of better interest.

          After reading over my assignment, I decided I hadn't completed the expected requirements and so am posting this to my blog instead.

What is a Dream Job?

            "The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive" - Albert Einstein (Doyle, 2018)

            The words "Dream" and "Job" together feel like such an oxymoron.  A job is something I would have in order to pay my bills and put food on the table.  I have had many jobs.  None have fulfilled any dreams for me. A Dream would be to give service, to share my thoughts and talents.  If I were to get paid for doing what I love, that would be an added bonus.

            I'm not saying that the dream job cannot happen.  There are many people who define "dream job" to mean a large variety of things from a handsome paycheck (Oteify, 2016) to having friends and sincerely looking forward to Mondays (Martin, 2014) I know that  no one career is going to fulfill all of my desires - which I realize does not sound at all optimistic.  We all have hurdles to jump - the first is in landing the job.

            I have been in a number of dead-end jobs to avoid the hurdle of interviewing and competing with others.  Oft times it feels like an endless game.  More people have worked at their careers than the success stories of those jobs that just seem land in their laps. Yet there have been a few success stories about being at the right place at the right time.

            Vanna White was only 25 when she applied for Wheel of Fortune.  I am certain that she had not dreamed that it would 30+ year career.  There may be girls today that would like to grow up and get paid for turning letters and wear different fashions every night.  But who was Vanna White's role model?  Who would have even dreamt up what she does?  

I really like these two quotes she gives:

            “It's not the most intellectual job in the world, but I do have to know the letters.”

            “Think about it: I get to give away someone else's money and make people happy—how's that for a job?”

            I think looking like Vanna White at age 61 would be a dream (Vanna, 2017)

            Carroll Spinney (2017) was approached by Jim Henson to work on Sesame Street - which may have just started out as a job for him but after suicidal thoughts and a broken marriage, Sesame Street eventually became his purpose in life (LaMattina, 2014).  A 45-year career he would have never thought to dream about.

            I think growing up on Sesame Street would have been a dream job.  Acting, playing, educating and getting paid for it.  I don't know how much money each made, but to me, that is not the most important part.  If I am not happy in a job, no amount of money is going to change that.  It is the least important of my priorities.

            My top priority would be location - which has nothing to do with the job itself.  But I do not wish to drive more than 20 minutes to get to my job.  I do not wish to live in the city and get stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on my way to work or the return home.  Horn honking and uptight drivers do not set well with me.  I want to be pleasant and focused when I am at work or home and not waste time in heavy traffic.

not in my part of Oregon, worse in Portland

            The final assessment for my last mod was finding a company with a well-known trademark and write an analysis on my recommendation of the company.  I think I was supposed to include comparing different years of finances.  I ended up doing my report on the Hallmark Corporation and convinced myself that it is a company that I would like to work for. 

          I wondered what kind of a grade I would receive as I did not make a financial comparison. Their company does not have finances available to the public because they do not have investors.  I would like to work for this corporation as they are a family oriented company with ethics.  That, to me, is much more important than a paycheck. 

            I do not wish to open my own franchise but would like to work at headquarters sharing my opinion.  That would be a dream job if they were located closer to the Pacific coast and not in Kansas City Missouri where it will be too hot for me 5 months of the year. But then again, if we were to move to Kansas City - and I'm not saying it will be in our future - we'd be closer to Roland's other two daughters and possibly get to know them.  But then again, moving to Kansas City will also put us closer to their mother which may be worse than any natural element causing the temperatures to rise.

APA References

Caroll Spinney. (2017). Retrieved from IMDB:         https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0818973/?ref_=nv_sr_2

Hallmark Corporation. (2018). Hallmark Deferred Compensation Plan. Retrieved from Hallmark             Corporation: http://www.empower-            retirement.com/client/Hallmark/DCP/documents/summary_highlights.pdf

LaMattina, D. (Director). (2014). I Am Big Bird [Motion Picture].

Martin, E. (2014, October 10). 5 Signs You've Found Your Dream Job. Retrieved from Business   Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/signs-youve-found-your-dream-job-2014-10

Oteify, R. (2016, December 9). What does a ‘dream job’ mean to you? Retrieved from getthat:             https://gulfnews.com/business/sectors/careers/what-does-a-dream-job-mean-to-you-           1.1942493

Vanna White. (2017, April 27). Retrieved from Biography:   https://www.biography.com/people/vanna-white-9542236

Two Classes and Strobe Lights

Scenario: You are an instructor about to present a lecture that you will need to record anyway.  It is 11:30 mountain time - the time announced to students when live lecture takes place.  You turn on your computer ready to start the meeting and there is no one there to listen to you live

question:    Do you start the lecture on time? Do you walk away from your computer and decide to return a few minutes later?  Do you wait half an hour after designated time before you start?  or would you start on time even though there isn't anybody with you at the start?

I would hope you would start on time.  five or ten minutes after the designated time, maybe, but not half an hour.  

I was late for class, I'll admit that.  Maybe 15 to 20 minutes.  There was somebody else signed on beside the instructor.  Why isn't he talking?  I am late for class.  What am I missing?  How come the sign on screen is on and I don't see a lecture.  I typed:

"Have you started the lecture yet?  I don't see anything."

My classmate answers that she is double checking the schedule because she can't see or hear anything either.  So what do we do?

I continued working on an assignment that I had started for my other class, but as time marched on, I grew concerned.  What if our instructor, who had obviously signed in to start the lecture, had had a heart attack or something?    It had been half an hour since the lecture was supposed to start.  I didn't feel like I was jumping the gun, but apparently, I was.  At 11:01 his voice came on and he announced that we would get started.  Just getting started?  What?  

I asked about the time and he said that he'd been there on time but that no one else was.  But two of us had been waiting for at least 20 minutes - though I told him half an hour because that's how long it had been from when he should have gotten started.  

Toward the end of his lecture, my screen started strobing - well, not my entire screen, just the lecture. "What is with your screen?" I asked my instructor - believing that he could see the same thing as I.  He suggested that the problem might be with zoom.  Oh, goody.  A third party device.  Who'm I suppose to address those concerns to?

I get someone at Tech support who says there is a glitch and did I try restarting my computer.  I guess I'll just use my laptop next week.  My last instructor (three mods now) made the screen so huge - almost too huge, but at least I could see it.  The class I had today was bigger than the one I had yesterday.  Back to a post-it-note size framed in black background.  Why does there have to be so much background???

I am excited about one class and will learn to adjust to the other.  I will be kept busy for the rest of this month.  I don't know how often I'll be able to post to my blog.  Weekends, maybe?