When Risks Pay Off

Have you ever done anything where you thought you were going to get kicked out of a place?

I would have said I haven't.
But I have.
>.>
<.<

You know how you go to plays/performances/movies and they're like "Please turn off your cell phones." or "Please don't record this." ?

Yah....well to be technical...they didn't say to not record.... ^^;; heh.

You see a couple of weeks ago I went to a BYU Vocal Point Performance.

I would have gone anyway.
But this blog I follow....
You may remember since I've mentioned it before -Totally Missing the Point.
Well...the author's wanted to come,
but they couldn't as plane tickets were too expensive.
So they asked those who read their blog to see what they could do.
And I really wanted to help.

Sooo I bought a ticket.
As well as my Itouch.

And as the show started....hit record on a few songs.
Then posted them on Youtube.

Oh man...do you know how nerve wracking that was?
A ton.

I totally felt like the guys could see me sitting there recording their performances.
Keith in particular. I felt like he looked at me a couple of times.
And I just wanted to say. "Hey! I'm just doing this for T&C okay. :( Don't be angry. :( "
Heh...not that my videos are that great.
Y_Y;;; Having never done it before, I didn't know where to sit...
So I ended up having a person sitting in front of me, that was a bit taller....and so most of the view was cut off of the performances.
Which lead to the titles "Totally Missing the Show."
Because...I couldn't lift my hands higher to get a clearer view of the performance.
For one...that would be obvious to the people on stage -if they could see me.
And for two...it would be obvious to the people behind me...and the ushers if there were any would come and kick me out I'm positive. ;) lol.
So I kept my recorder at a lower position...and hence...the bad views.
I bet the people behind me wondered what was up anyway because I kept moving from left arm chair to right arm chair trying to get a clearer view.

Yah...I think I need to invest in a camcorder or something that can zoom....meh....nah.

In any case.
I posted the vids online, and let T&C know that I had gotten some video, and also gave them a bit of a run down on what happened at the concert as well.

Which lead to them doing this post.
-With my permission to quote me-
http://totallymissingthepoint.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/november-covey-concerts-round-up-or-the-one-where-the-all-star-blog-helpers-came-through-in-a-big-way/

HA!
It made the whole risk of being kicked out of the show worth it. ^^
I love to help out.
And I'm glad I was able to.
Though the other people's videos are way better then mine.
I'm glad I was able to input some commentary as well....
heh...I think I just sound like an excited fangirl.
Because...well I am. Vocal Point is really the only group I've gotten into, wanting all their CDs and such. The only other group I got into was back when N*Sync was popular lol.
While the others are a bit more analytical.
Oh well.  ^^;;
I loved the concert.
And maybe if there is a next time, and I have a better seat...
I'll be able to do a better...idk outline of their performances so that it's a bit more helpful.
Or maybe just write it in an entertaining way.
Yah...
I like this second option.
Write it in an entertaining fashion.
Like Geordi did.

In any case.
The concert was awesome!
My new favorite song of theirs is their version of "Call Me Maybe"

This first video shows the beginning of the song.

 

 

While this version comes in a little after the start, but shows what happens after they finish the song.

 



If you don't want to watch both...I suggest you watch the second one as it has clearer quality and I just love watching the guys reaction to the girl chasing Ben-Jon around the stage! :) lol.

Awesome vids both of them. ^^
Oh...and note...neither vid is one I took.
>.>
If you want an example of my quality of video. (Not that great) you can look at this one I took -same song.

:)
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

Black Friday.
The doors were opening.
I was getting the animals ready.
and this guy came up to me wanting to get our Parrot.
So I grabbed the bird, and put him in a wire cage, that was form fitting, and then into another box...kinda triangle shaped.
I felt...that something wasn't right with doing this to the bird...but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
Then. me and my husband were trying to move something on a trolley something for the baby we were going to have soon...that wouldn't fit us and it in the elevator. so we managed to get it in and out of the elevator.
Then he told me to "wait here." in the elevator so he could finish doing something.
And the elevator..suddenly reminded me of the inside of a washing machine.
I sat down to wait...but...hours passed. Like 9 hours.
And I was trapped in the elevator, that slowly got hotter and hotter.
I couldn't get out!
but suddenly the doors opened and this other guy stood in the doorway.
He was rather cute. And kinda gave off the 'doctor vibe' even though he was about my age.
He said that we should hurry and get out.
I told him I would...but I had all these stuffed animals with me in the elevator that needed to come out as well.
So one at a time I tossed them over to him...
as the elevator opened up into a wide open area...that was kinda black with green grid stripes on it.
And it went down like six stories and went up like six stories.
I tossed my stuffed animals to the platform.
And got heart broken when a few fell through the grid lines and I needed to figure out how to get to them,
but I was taking too long apparently tossing the stuffed animals -lucky, a bear...some other favorites of mine.
As the boy suddenly said rather tensely. 'I have to go.'
He couldn't stay any longer, and he suddenly disappeared.
Reappearing on another floor...kinda like a cross between a mall and a hospital.
He was on the ground floor, by a railing overlooking a fountain.
he was kinda greenish in color.
Like a zombie...
but more like a ghost.
and he walked away out of my sight.
I looked at other floors...
and saw other ghosts walking around.
As darkness had fallen...
I guess it was like a curse was on them...the people at the store/mall/hospital became ghosts at night. Wandering around aimlessly.
And it turns out that the guy who helped me...
Was one of the...'terrors' of the hospital.
The 'devil' I suppose. You didn't want to cross him as he became rather evil...hence why he left me suddenly.
But...I wasn't totally safe in the elevator either.
As the stuffed animals....various looking dinosaurs, devils, evil teddy bears from Toy Story 3, and a doll that was cute...before dark...all had these demonized faces with sharp pointy teeth and they were going to attack me and I had no where to go.
But suddenly the lights went out.
And when they came back on, the Toy Story 3 teddy bear had been destroyed.
And I was told that the guy who helped me...had actually helped me again.
Which was unheard off since he didn't help anyone in his ghost form, so for him to still help me out was amazing.

Then the unholy tones of daylight pulled me away....
and I became myself again. :)

-S.N.D

To Write A Missionary

Spiritual strength frequently comes through selfless service.
Some years ago, I visited the California Mission, where I interviewed a young missionary from Georgia.
I recall saying to him, "Do you send a letter home to your parents every week?"

He replied, "Yes, Brother Monson."

Then I asked, "Do you enjoy receiving letters from home?"

He didn't answer.
At length, I inquired, "When was the last time you had a letter from home?"

With a quavering voice, he responded, "I've never had a letter from home. Father's just a deacon, and Mother's not a member of the Church. They pleaded with me not to come. They said that if I left on a mission they would not be writing me. What shall I do?"

I offered a silent prayer to my Heavenly Father: "What shall I tell this young servant of Thine, who has sacrificed everything to serve Thee?"
And the inspiration came.
I said, "Elder, you send a letter home to your mother and father every week of your mission. Tell them what you are doing. Tell them how much you love them, and then bear your testimony to them."

He asked, "Will they then write to me/"

I responded, "Then they will write to you."

We parted, and I went on my way.
Months later I was attending a stake conference in Southern California when a young man came up to me and said, "Brother Monson, do you remember me? I'm the young missionary who had not received a letter from my mother or my father during my first nine months in the mission field. I'm the one to whom you said, 'Send a letter home every week, Elder, and your parents will write to you.'"
Then he asked, "Do you remember that promise, Elder Monson?"

I remembered.
I inquired, "Have you heard from your parents?"

He reached into his pocket and took out a sheaf of letters with an elastic band around them, took a letter from the top of the stack and said, "Have I heard from my parents! Listen to this letter from my mother: 'Son, we so much enjoy your letters. We're proud of you, our missionary. Guess what? Dad has been ordained a priest. He's preparing to baptize me. I'm meeting with the missionaries; and one year from now we want to come to California as you complete your mission, for we, with you, would like to become a forever family by entering the temple of the Lord.'"

I replied, "When one has faith as you have demonstarted, our Heavenly Father hears such prayers and answers in His own way."

Clean hands, a pure heart, and a willing mind had touched heaven.
A blessing, heaven-sent had answered the fervent prayer of a missionary's humble heart.

Thomas S. Monson -That We May Touch Heaven -October 1990 General Conference

You know...I always have the intention to write a letter to my missionary friends.
But then....I never know what to write.
Do they want to know about my life? I halfway feel like I'm just doing a journal entry.
Do they want to know what's happening elsewhere? What movies have come out? What has happened in Hollywood things like that? I suppose if it dealt with things they were interested in I could mention it...but I halfway think that they just want to focus on missionary things....
which lends the problem of...
What do I write?
My solution?
To not write.
Instead.
Draw!
I drew a couple of comics to a missionary and I hear that they're really entertaining to show to the other missionaries.
So.
I will draw!
....now what to draw...... ;) lol

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

A band of pirates got shipwrecked on a sandy island, and they were surviving, getting along, until they heard that one guy on the crew knew where the lost treasure was. Then they turned on each other desperate to find it, going into the bowels of the ship to find it. But the band after the treasure went too far, and they killed a young boy in the process. Beheading him. I and a couple others discovered his body. He looked like a puppet...so not like a real dead person. Because he actually wasn't a real boy, but if something had happened, he would have been able to survive as a real boy....

Then the unholy tones of daylight pulled me away....
and I became myself again. :)

-S.N.D

Shopping Heart Break

My shopping day started out a bit unusually, as I stopped at the McDonald's in the store to grab some french fries. As I've been craving them for the past couple of days. So I grabbed a small bag before proceeding with my usual food shopping.

My only thoughts as I went down the aisles: Don't spend too much!

You see, I haven't been shopping in three weeks.
So I needed food.
And food costs money.
So I was hoping to get enough food to satisfy without spending too much of the money lol. :)

It was all going pretty well.
Getting fun snack foods and such,
but not going totally crazy and buying everything in sight that I would eat.

Then.
I got to THAT aisle.
I didn't see it at first.
As the frozen fish stuff and chicken nuggets and that sort of thing were on the left side.
So I looked on that side.
After all. I knew what I wanted on the otherside.
After debating for a bit over whether or not to get popcorn shrimp this time around.
-I didn't.
I turned to go for my bread.
Home Pride Wheat.
The Yellow Bag.
Easy to find.
But.
I couldn't find it!
No Yellow ANYWHERE!
I looked up and down the shelves.
Noticing how empty they all looked.
And it slowly dawned on me.
A creeping feeling of dread washed over me.
It couldn't be.
No.
It wasn't possible.
But it was happening.
Home Pride Wheat...
wasn't on the shelf.
They could just be out...
but they're never out.
But.
What if.....Home Pride is a Hostess Brand?
With a sick feeling in my stomach -it made it difficult to finish shopping...luckily I just needed to grab fruit and cheese bread. (They still have that! Whew.)
I grabbed a different brand...I have no idea what...it looked like good bread though.
Not the best...Home Pride is the best...
but good enough.
And went home.
As I needed to know.
And sadly...
I discovered.
HOME PRIDE IS A HOSTESS BRAND!!!!
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*gasp for breath*OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This.

Has been the bread I've eaten since childhood!
Must.
Have.
It.
Back!

I really hope that it does come back.
As I know other companies are looking to buy up aspects of Hostess.
Please oh please oh please
Bring back Home Pride!
It's HOME PRIDE!
Pride in the Home!
The best bread of my liking!

>.<
They should know not to get between me and my bread.
I LOVE my bread.
lol as my family knows, I will eat bread before I will eat cookies when given the choice.

So,
for now...it's probably best to not bring up this topic again.
As someone has gotten between me and my bread.
And that's never a good thing.
RAWWR!!!

;)

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Congratulatory Head Bang

I need to stop moving without thinking.
Because those movements where the body just moves while the brain isn't thinking about moving but of other things...is what gets me hurt. Either emotionally or physically.

Or at least, I should learn to never place anything in my lap that is potentially breakable if I'm in a car. Because then I forget it's there. And just move to get out of the car, which means my lap becomes vertical and the breakable object falls.
I've done that at least twice.
Both with heart wrenching consequences. An awesome obsidian knife, and of course my Itouch.
(I'm still getting twinges of regret over the Itouch...it's getting better though. I'm calming down about it. ;) )

But today...I'm focusing more on the physical pain.
As once again, I stood up too quickly.
And ended up hitting my head on those cat cage doors once again.
OW
OW
OW!!!

WHY?!?!
I think I literally saw double with how quickly I stood up and how hard I hit my head against the cat cage. I literally fell back down onto my hands and knees, unsure if I could stand back up.

And again, it was when my mind wasn't focused on what my body was doing.
It was the last cat cage.
I needed to get some clean bowls and litter boxes.
Then I would be done.
I focused on what I needed to get.
And not my surroundings.
As before when I was doing the other cages, I totally would look up to see where the door was before I stood up.
But since I was almost done...I forgot to look up.
Hence....
the nice bump on my head.
I guess it didn't help that I opened two cages at once.
As I basically forgot the top cage was still open, cus I usually only open one cage at a time.
but since both of them were empty I saw no harm in it.

Oh there was harm!
Note to self....Don't do that!
Oh wait...
I will.
The next time I move automatically without my brain thinking about my actions lol.

Or I guess I could look at this in a better light. ;)
Haha.
As the store could have been giving me a congratulatory pat on the head.
(It needs to learn to pat softer.)
Because one of my managers pulled me aside as I was leaving work.
And informed me.
That I'm Associate of the Month! :D
Woot!
lol.
At least for 3 more days.
Apparently I've been Associate of the Month all of November.
Who knew. haha. :)

The store did.
It knew they were going to tell me today. :)
Soo I got a nice bump on the head lol. :)
And what do I get?
A picture on the wall -Which just makes me think of Monsters Inc, oddly enough.
And a free lunch! :D

Woot!
^^
Zupas here I come! :D haha. ;)

Until you next see these words
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

I dreamt...that I journeyed somewhere and somebody asked me...what my problems were..or goals or something. So I told them about work, and maybe wanting to get my certification, or publish a book and I just wasn't quite sure what direction to take or if I should be doing something more....but I don't remember if I got an answer...I just remember that I ended up having a rattlesnake on me, and I was very paranoid that it would bite me. Enough so that I was very grateful not to have to work with the snakes this morning as I was sure I'd get bitten by them if I did. :)

-S.N.D

April 1992 General Conference Sunday Morning

Thomas S. Monson - An Attitude of Gratitude

• Like the leprosy of yesteryear are the plague of today. They linger; they debilitate; they destroy. They are to be found everywhere. Their pervasiveness knows no boundaries. We know them as selfishness, greed, indulgence, cruelty, and crime, to identify but a few. Surfeited with their poison, we tend to criticize, to complain, to blame, and, slowly but surely, to abandon the positives and adopt the negatives of life.
• A popular refrain from the 1940s captured the thought: Accentuate the positive; Eliminate the negative. Latch on to the affirmative; Don't mess with Mr. In-between.
• We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts and attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues.
• "God could not be everywhere, and so He gave us mothers."
• Father, like Mother, is ever willing to sacrifice his own comfort for that of his children.
• The teacher not only shapes the expectations and ambitions of pupils; the teacher also influences their attitudes toward their future and themselves. If the teacher loves the students and has high expectations of them, their self-confidence will grow, their capabilities will develop, and their future will be assured. A citation to such a teacher could well read: "She created in her room an atmosphere where warmth and acceptance weave their magic spell; where growth and learning, the soaring of the imagination, an the spirit of the young are assured."
• "The past is behind; learn from it."
• The future is ahead and we are to prepare for it.
• "You can do it."
• He taught truth, He inspired effort. He prompted love.
• She never raised her voice. Somehow rudeness and boisterousness were incompatible with the beauty of her lessons. She taught us that the present is here and that we must live in it.
• This simple act of kindness welded us together as one. We learned through our own experience that indeed it is more blessed to give than to receive.
• Let us ever have an attitude of gratitude for our teachers.
• Our most cherished friend is our partner in marriage.
• True friends put up with our idiosyncrasies. They have a profound influence in our lives.
• "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

Howard W. Hunter -A More Excellent Way

• "If we would secure and cultivate the love of others, we must love others, even our enemies was well as friends. ... Christians should cease wrangling and contending with each other, and cultivate the principle of union and friendship in their midst."
• When all else fails, charity--Christ's love--will not fail. It is the greatest of all divine attributes.
• All were recipients of his love. All were "privileged the one like unto the other, and none [were] forbidden."
• "Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world.
• "In the gift of his Son hat God prepared a more excellent way."
• Those who are filled with the love of Christ do not seek to force others to do better; they inspire others to do better, indeed inspire them to the pursuit of God.

Robert D. Hales -Gratitude for the Goodness of God

• Mormon teaches us that there will always be suffering and sorrow in sin, but to repent only because we feel bad or because we have suffered or because we are sorrowful does not show that we understand the goodness of God.
• Might it be well for us to remember to give thanks to our Heavenly Father prior to asking for his help in solving our problems?
• Through expression of prayerful gratitude and thanksgiving, we show our dependence upon a higher source of wisdom and knowledge--God the Father and his Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
• "Oh, Robert, don't ever forget or take for granted the privilege it is to know and to serve with Apostles of the Lord."
• My greatest asset was my dear wife.
• Ingratitude is the attitude of being unaware or not recognizing when someone has assisted us or helped us or, even worse, when we know we have been helped and have not given thanks privately or publicly.

Boyd K. Packer -Our Moral Environment

• :For the Spirit of the Lord will not always strive with man. And when the Spirit ceaseth to strive with man then cometh speedy destruction."
• God grant that we will come to our senses and protect our moral environment from this mist of darkness which deepens day by day. The fate of all humanity hangs precariously in the balance.
• In the battle of life, the adversary takes enormous numbers of prisoners, and many who know of no way to escape and are pressed into his service. Every soul confined to a concentration camp of sin and guilt has a key to the gate. The adversary cannot hold them if they know how to use it. The key is labeled Repentance. The twin principles of repentance and forgiveness exceed in strength the awesome power of the adversary.
• Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold.
• Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God.
• The scriptures speak in general terms, leaving us free to apply the principles of the gospel to meet the infinite variety of life. But when they say "thou shall not," we had better pay attention.
• Regardless of how lofty and moral the "pro-choice" argument sounds, it is badly flawed. With the same logic one could argue that all traffic signs and barriers which keep the careless from danger should be pulled down on the theory that each individual must be free to choose how close to the edge he will go.
• Interesting how one virtue, when given exaggerated or fanatical emphasis, can be used to batter down another, with freedom, a virtue, invoked to protect vice. Those determined to transgress see any regulation of their life-style as interfering with their agency and seek to have their actions condoned by making them legal.
• The deliberate pollution of the fountain of life now clouds our moral environment. The gift of mortal life and the capacity to kindle others lives is a supernal blessing. Its worth is incalculable!

Gordon B. Hinckley -"A Chosen Generation"

• I have great confidence in our young people as a whole. I regard you as the finest generation in the history of the Church. I compliment you, and I have in my heart a great feeling of love and respect and appreciation for you.
• If we deny the one sure source of moral truth, then from whence will it come?
• Notwithstanding all of the problems that we have, this, I believe, is the greatest age in the history of the world.
• Truly, my dear young friends, you are a chosen generation. I hope you will never forget it. I hope you will never take it for granted. i hope there will grow in your hearts an overpowering sense of gratitude to God, who has made it possible for you to come upon the earth in this marvelous season of the world's history.
• Of course you are peculiar. If the world continues its present trend, and if you walk in obedience to the doctrines and principles of this church, you may become even more peculiar in the eyes of others.
• And so I invite you, every one of you within the sound of my voice, to think for a moment upon why you are here under the divine plan of your Father in Heaven and of your tremendous potential to do good during the life that He has given you.

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Happy 777th Post!! ^^;;

An Awesome Idea!....That I Can't Make Mine. :(

So.
I'm a Writer.
Right?
Right.
Well...working on being a writer, most of my stories are still in my head I suppose.
But.
I love coming up with new story ideas.
And I can take inspiration from most anywhere.

Plus. Generally I don't get jealous of other people's ideas.
Mostly because either a) I think that it's a superb idea, but I have nothing to add to it. I.E. Warm Bodies.
or b) I can take elements of what I like and weave a new story from it, that will hopefully not be too obvious of a connection to the area I got the idea from.

Yet.
Right now I'm totally jealous.
Of,
Rise of the Guardians.
I totally love Jack Frost's plot line!
His story is like exactly the type of stories I love to read.
And...I want to make it mine.
I want to do a 'Guardian's story" but focused more on Jack's plotline.
Only....I can't think of anything really to do.
Y_Y
lol I basically just want to write down what happens to Jack word for word, scene for scene and then add in bits and pieces.
lol I suppose that would be a fanfic.
But...I don't want to do that.
I want to make it my own, use a different 'lesser known' holiday or legendary figure.
Only....
Jack Frost was like the perfect person to pick.
He's usually the bad guy, in this movie he's the good guy.
Nothing else I really think of works.
.....Yet.
:)
 lol I suppose if I work at it hard enough and long enough I can come up with something unique.
But mostly...I just really admire what has been done.
And I wanted to turn around and watch the movie again as soon as I left the theatre.
Because it is a SUPER COOL MOVIE!!
But also as part of a writer's perspective, I just want to see it to get ideas. To appreciate another person's genius,
and hopefully come up with my own unique story idea from it. :)

I loved watching Guardians,
and like I said before, I especially liked Jack's plotline.
Super Cool!
You should all go see it!

And to get you into the mood to see it:
Here is my favorite trailer from the movie. :D

He is awesome! :D lol

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

What A Week

This just isn't my week.
Every day something has happened.
A mini trial in my life I suppose.

I didn't think much of it on Monday...as nothing really happened on Monday.
I mean...I had to miss my institute classes due to a long work shift....
But that's happened before...so again, I didn't think much of it.

And as you know...Tuesday...I somehow overslept, by three hours, making me super late for work.

Wednesday, I ended up breaking a key at work.

Thursday after it was talked about by my parents...I ended up falling down my grandparents stairs. I used to fall down stairs alot when I was younger. Not as common nowadays...but I did fall down them on Turkey day.

Then yesterday..Friday, after picking up my Cous from the Airport...I totally spaced that my Itouch was in my lap.
And finally...my dreams/nightmares came true.
Y_Y I cracked the screen.
And there's no waking up to having it normal and whole again.
I'm still devastated by this...I've had it for almost a year...I was proud at keeping it uncracked.
Yah....this is going to depress me for a while...

But today...to cap off the beginning of the week with a emotional deprivement.
.....
So I've been waiting since Tuesday to go see Rise of the Guardians.
But I refrained.
As I had plans with two of my best friends since like Elementary School.
To go see it as one final hurrah before they both go on missions in the next couple of weeks.
And that we would see it...all for the first time. Together.

You can guess what happened.
They ended up seeing it before me, for a variety of reasons.

Yet....I feel really hurt.
I guess it's just disappointment.
I had this wonderful fantasy of us seeing the movie all for the first time together, then talking about it excitedly afterwards and blah blah blah....
but at the end of the movie they admitted....they'd already seen it.
It was a blow to my...self esteem I guess.
And I suddenly felt like an outsider.
They'd already seen the movie.
They'd already seen the movie.
They'd already seen the movie.
It totally shut me down.
It wasn't new to them what they'd seen.
So I didn't feel like I could gush over how awesome it was as much as I could.
It dampened my enthusiasm...
and has left a bit of a sour note.

It feels like the year and a half separation has already happened.
No longer connected.
Adieu
Adieu
Parting brings such sorrow.

I hate it when expectations don't turn out the way I thought...particularly when they take a downward spiral....

But...as a week of Thanksgiving....my problems have also brought to light what I can be thankful for.

Monday -That I worked an eight hour shift and nobody died.
Tuesday- That my managers are really kind and thoughtful, worrying more about me then me being late for work.
Wednesday- That the broken key didn't get stuck in any of the locks.
Thursday- That I didn't fall up the stairs or catch my toenail on the stairs as that is SUPER painful. And that I was able to drive up and visit my family and eat nummy food.
Friday -That my Itouch still works and that only the bottom left corner cracked and the main screen only has one crack running through the bottom corner so I can still use the screen and such. Also, I got to spend some quality time with my Cous as well and we didn't die when one of the lanes suddenly ended and neither car on either side of me would let me in, but I slowed down and they went speeding off and we stayed safe. :D
And today Saturday- That we invited a third friend along, who actually hadn't seen the movie. So two had seen it and two hadn't. That we were able to all see the movie together. That we weren't late to the movie. That there were seats available at the time we wanted to see it at. And that my parents chose to chip in and fill up the car for me...as I have driven up and down the valley three times this week...which depleted one tank of gas. They're awesome for that! ^^

Yep. Lot's to be thankful for.
I just need to focus on the good and not the sad...as it doesn't help sadness to get sadder. :)

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

LaKai and I were driving about and we happened to get tickets to the Saturday night performance of Vocal Point. I was super excited as I could help out some other people and get video of this performance. Only I was having problems with video taping...as I kept setting my Itouch down.
And also...LaKai...was hating the performance. ()_() She thought it was super lame and couldn't see why anyone would pay $4 for this! I reminded her that the tickets are usually $12 and she wasn't impressed with that either. She couldn't believe anyone would pay to see the show and demanded we leave. So we drove off...but...we ended up turning back as I convinced her I wanted to see the rest of the performance. I was frustrated however, because since we left we couldn't get the same parking spot we had before and soo...

the unholy tones of daylight pulled me away....
and I became myself again. :)

-S.N.D 

Black Friday

It's a good thing Reth kept me busy this morning.
Otherwise I would have been anxiously staring at the door.
Trying to see if the mobs were forming yet outside out door.
In any case.
I did keep glancing at my watch every 5 minutes it seemed like.
Watching the minutes tick closer to 7am.
Tick
Tock
Tick
Tock.
Near opening time I glanced at the doors and saw a group of people waiting inbetween the double doors.
-You know the area where the carts go.
Yah.
There were a group of people mingling there.
lol.
Apparently somebody -one of the managers- took pity on the people waiting outside in the cold, and let them into the first entrance, locking the second set of doors so they couldn't get in.
7 am arrived.
The doors opened.
and....
about 15 people walked in the door and promptly disappeared.
lol
No screaming mobs.
No tearing limb from limb.
Overall....
It was a pretty normal day at Starsmet for my part of the department.
We just opened two hours earlier....which made the day seem forever long. lol.

That doesn't mean there wasn't chaos elsewhere in the store.
I didn't see any.
I just saw the people making their way to the cash registers with their various purchases.
The one that sticks out is a lady who had like 30 cases of canned cat food, plus a shopping cart full of other things.
That one sticks out because she spent like a good half hour at the register...I have no idea why...price checking maybe? But it seemed to take forever.
Other things like Reptile Tanks and Cat scratching posts also made their way out the door.
But...
It was all pretty orderly.
I didn't see/hear any body get upset over anything.
No fights broke out over different items.
I actually quite enjoyed myself helping customers to find the various things they needed.
And I'm super glad that PetCare wasn't super busy.
We had a few people buying fish, a couple of hamsters, and a turtle while I was at work.
But overall, no major crisis happened.
For which I'm glad.
I'm glad it wasn't like ToysRUs or Walmart or other stores where I'm sure people lined up for hours waiting and waiting and then ran like crazy.
Here at Starsmet...It was pretty nice.
And pretty normal. ^^

Haha...but I can't relax yet.
Christmas is coming,
and I've been told the people get crazier the closer to Christmas it gets.
Guess we'll see.

Yay for no Crazy Black Friday! :D

There is one super super nice thing about why I love working at Starsmet.
They didn't play Christmas music until after Thanksgiving. ^^
And today the day after thanksgiving....
I only heard a Christmas song like every third song. ^^
Woot!
No Christmas overload too early!!
^^

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Photographs

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!
It's been a bit of an odd day for me...since due to work on the morrow, I'm not spending the weekend with my family....which I've done since I've been born. It's so weird. But I'm grateful that I was able to drive up anyway to spend a few hours with my family. I'm thankful that I have a vehicle that allows me to drive like a two day's journey by wagon in under an hour as it allowed me to take the journey and back without too much hassle...but with an aching heart as...it's weird to not be with family all day, Thanksgiving day. :)

Still...keeping with tradition. Here is a conference talk that I think goes along with the idea of gratitude. :)

Brother Edwin Q. Cannon, Jr., was a missionary to Germany in 1938, where he loved the people and served faithfully.
At the conclusion of his mission, he returned home to Salt Lake City.
He married and commenced his own business.

Forty years passed by. One day Brother Cannon came to my office and said he had been pruning his missionary slides.
Among those slides he had kept since his mission were several which he could not specifically identify.
Every time he had planned to discard those few slides, he had been impressed to keep them, although he was at a loss as to why.
They were photographs taken by brother Cannon during his mission when he served in Stettin, Germany, and were of a family--a mother, a father, a small girl, a small boy.
Brother Cannon knew their surname was Berndt but could remember nothing more about them.
He indicated that he undrstood there was a Berndt who was a Regional Representative in Germany, and he thought, although the possibility was remote, that this Berndt might have some connection with the Berndts who had lived in Stettin and who were depicted in the photographs.
Before disposing of the slides, he thought he would check with me.

I told Brother Cannon I was leaving shortly for Berlin, where I anticipated that I would see Dieter Berndt, the Regional Representative, and that I would show the slides to him to see if there were any relationship and if he wanted them.
There was a possibility I would also see Brother Berndt's sister, who was married to Dietmar matern, a stake president in Hamburg.

The Lord didn't even let me get to Berlin before His purposes were accomplished.
I was in Zurich, Switzerland, boarding the flight to Berlin, when who should also board the plane but Dieter Berndt.
he sat next to me, and I told him I had some old slides of people named Berndt from Stettin.
I handed them to him and asked if he could identify those shown in the photographs.
As he looked at him carefully he began to weep.
He said, "Our family lived in Stettin during the war. My father was killed when an Allied bomb struck the plant where he worked. Not long afterward, the Russians invaded Poland and the area of Stettin. My mother took my sister and me and fled from the advancing enemy. Everything had to be left behind, including any photographs we had. Brother Monson, I am the little boy pictured in these slides, and my sister is the little girl. The man and the woman are our dear parents. Until today, I have had no photographs of our childhood in Stettin or of my father."

Wiping away my own tears, I told Brother Berndt the slides were his.
He placed them carefully and lovingly in his briefcase.

Thomas S. Monson -To Learn, To Do, To Be -April 1992 General Conference

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Snapping Point

Hmm....
I wonder if the craziness of the upcoming Black Friday sale is putting the store under stress.
I mean.
It's basically the one day of the year. (Do they have sales after Christmas? idr...but I guess Christmas eve can be crazy too.)
That many many many crazy people wake up extra early to go get the items they want on sale.
Shelves will be emptied.
Fights will break out.
And the next day...it probably will be a ghost town again.
But...the wait up to Black Friday would probably seem like the wait up to Christmas Day for kids.
Yet there probably is a bit more...idk...fear at the Black Friday event.
You never know what will happen.
Frankly...I have no idea. I've never worked a Black Friday sale.
O.O I hope I don't get trampled. lol.
Actually...I hope that none of the mammals/reptiles/birds/fish get hurt. :S
I can just picture some of the tanks smashing or something. heh.

In any case.
Stress.
I'm wondering if the store is stressing out.
Because today...
at least I got to work on time lol. My alarms went off. :) Yay :)

But I didn't get out of the store home free.
You see at the end of my shift.
I went to go make sure that everything was opened. You know..lights on and such.
And when I went to put away a broom...
I couldn't open the door.
Why?
Well...
The key was missing.
At least.
Half of it was.
O.o
Yah.
Crazy right?
One of the keys broke!
The key I've been using since I started my job and it randomly snaps off in the keyhole to the birds.
*shakes head*
So weird!
I know I'm in a hurry, but I wasn't in that much of a hurry that I would break a key.

Like I said...
I wonder if the store is under stress for Black Friday.
So little things are going to 'break.'
;)
lol Well, at least Starsmet gets a well deserved rest tomorrow as it's not open for Thanksgiving.
Hopefully it can calm it's nerves then,
And the opening to Black Friday will go off....without anyone getting trampled. lol

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Double Alarm, 7:45am

"It was probably the most restful night you had."
"Yah!"
"Until you woke up."
"Yes."

BBRRRRRIIIINNNNNNGGGGG
BBRRRRRRIIIINNNNNGGGGG

My phone woke me up this morning.
Which isn't unusual.
It wakes me up most mornings as it's my alarm clock.
What is unusual is that it wasn't my alarm that woke me up.
No.
It was the musical tones of me being called that woke me up.

I rolled over, saw the time.
Shot to my feet and grabbed the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey, is Sarnic there?"
"Yah, I'm here, I'm so sorry I'll be at work soon!"
"Okay. We just wanted to make sure you're okay."
"Yah...fine, I just woke up. See you soon."

Then, in super speed, I dressed in my uniform, grabbed my licence and keys and drove like crazy to work.

What had happened?
I have no idea actually.
I was supposed to be at work at 5am.
And the clock told me it was 7:45am when I looked at it.
I'd over slept my alarm by 3 hours!
:S
I am so confused.
As I set two alarms last night to go off.
And when I checked my phone they all seemed to be in working order.

But, apparently I didn't hear them go off.
Trying to think back to that morning...I might have heard one alarm go off, but then I guess I rolled over and fell back into a deep sleep.
I don't know.
Maybe the alarms just didn't go off.
That's happened to me before, with either my first or second alarm.
But never both.

In any case.
I ran into Kikay as I opened my door.
Apparently her alarm hadn't gone off either.
O.o
She had class at 8am and it was 7:45.
So both of our alarms didn't go off.
O.O
Weirder!

In any case I got to work
And as soon as the Cinres opened the door I was apologizing.
"I'm so sorry! I don't know what happened, I don't think my alarm went off. I'm so sorry!"
Luckily.
He wasn't mad at me. "No, No, you're fine. We were just worried that something had happened to you because I looked over at Petcare and realized that it was all dark...and we knew that you're always on time, so to not see you there, we got worried."

Another manager, Rasa, told me.
"I would have called you a couple of hours earlier....but I thought you were already here, because you're always already here working."

Heh.
I'm thankful that I've established a reputation of being on time and already working. ^^;;
As I think it helped make the managers more lenient about me being super late.
I mean...I was supposed to finish my shift at 9:30 and I didn't get there until 8.
But Cinres told me to "Go ahead and just work your shift, so you can get you're hours in. You'll get off at 12:30"
Aww! (said happily)
I get to work!
-I halfway starved as I didn't get breakfast but a coworker of mine had an extra banana so I was good. ^^
What wasn't good was that I had just thrown off our whole working plan.
As I was supposed to do Small Pets bedding today,
And reptile bedding tomorrow because we're closed Thanksgiving and that's when Reptile bedding should have been done.
Now...I didn't have time to do Small Pets today since the store opened in an hour, so Small Pet bedding changes has been moved to tomorrow, and Reptile bedding to Saturday.
....As doing anything besides the bare basics on Friday is out of the question since it is Black Friday and we're opening two hours earlier.

In any case.
I was able with the help of Reath to get all of Petcare open.
And it's probably a good thing I stayed longer, as we also got a shipment of fish in today -instead of Friday due to Thanksgiving.
So there was a little extra to do.
In any case.
Everything got done.
So we're all good. ^^

It's strange though...for mine and Kikay's alarm to not go off.
I wondered if we ended up in some Cosmic Bubble or something.
I think...for me at least.
My body just crashed.
I mean I felt awesome when I woke up -besides that sick feeling of being late- I was totally fully awake, not sleepy at all...because I got 9 hours of sleep instead of my usual six.
But I think it crashed because I'd been working 5am shifts like the last two weeks, and only getting about six hours of sleep, and then yesterday I had an 8 hour shift for the first time in forever...so my body just needed the extra three hours to recuperate.

But Kikay brought up an interesting point.
Where she wondered if that brief whirlwind moment together would be our last conversation as I rushed out the door because I was going to get into an accident because I was late....
but then thought...that since both of our alarms didn't go off,
and we woke up at the exact same time. -her she just woke up, me by phone call-
That maybe we Avoided something bad happening to the both of us this morning.
Maybe there was some bad guy outside the apartment that would have got us both had we been on time and so we were both saved by the simple fact that the Lord made it so our alarms didn't go off.

I don't know the full reasoning for the weird occurrence this morning.
But I'm grateful that Kikay and I both got through the day safely,
and that my managers were kind and understanding and that they were just worried for my safety because I'm never late for work.

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

Funnily enough....I was dreaming I was at work, working the craziness that was Black Friday......

-S.N.D

April 1992 General Conference Priesthood Session

Neal A. Maxwell -"My Servant Joseph"

• Yes, Joseph received remarkable manifestations, along with constant vexations. True, for instance, there were periodic arrivals of heavenly messengers, but these were punctuated by the periodic arrivals of earthly mobs.
• While Joseph was befriended by heavenly notables, he was also betrayed by some of his earthly friends.
• Latter-day Saints are therefore unsurprised but instead are enriched whenever discoveries are made which show how the Lord grants "unto all nations" to teach a portion of "his word."
• When we are "inclined to be stiff and refractory, ... the Spirit of the Lord is held at a distance from  us" because we are too busy gratifying our own wills, and thus we"interpose a barrier" between us and God.
• President Young said that those who knew Joseph could tell when 'the Spirit of revelation was upon him, ... for at such times there was a peculiar clearness and transparency in his face."
• The Prophet's life was thus one of high achievement amid deep disappointment. Brethren, how will we endure our own peaks and valleys? will we so submit individually, or will we be "stiff and refractory"?

Carlos E. Asay -Be Men!

• It seems that everyone at some time or another is invited by peers to smoke, drink, steal, or engage in other immoral acts, all under the pretense of manhood. And when someone refuses to participate, he is often ridiculed and called names like pansy, mamma's boy, idiot, chicken, sissy, and religious fanatic. Such names are used by peers who equate manliness with the ability to drink liquor, blow tobacco smoke out of all the facial cavities, sow one's wild oats like some animal on the street, and break moral laws without a twinge of conscience.
• Those who use cunning tactics to peddle their wares disregard the souls of young people and love only their money.
• They would have us believe that brute force, or crude behavior, uncontrolled temper, foul language, and dirty appearance make a man, when in reality these characteristics are animalistc at best and the opposite of manhood at worst.
• We who bear the priesthood, must be on guard we must not be influenced by barbarian voices in our quest to become men.
• It is, therefore, our responsibility to climb ever upward and to wear God-given crowns honorably.
• No one becomes in truth a man until he reverences the Father of spirits and allows inner powers to control his thoughts, words, and actions.
• "Arise from the dust, ... and be men."
• "Be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things."
• There is a lie--a vicious lie--circulating among the Latter-day Saints and taking its toll among the young. And it is that a "balanced man" is one who deliberately guards against becoming too righteous. This lie would have you believe that it is possible to live successfully and happily as a "double-minded man" with one foot in Babylon and one foot in Zion.
• It is only when he raises himself, and concerns himself with the immortal spirit within him, that he becomes in [very] truth a man.
• Can a man be too righteous? Too Christlike? Impossible! Can the so-called "balanced man" walk successfully the beam between good and evil? No. Each step is shaky, and eventually he will teeter and fall and break himself against the commandments of God.
• Fleshliness never was manliness, and it never will be.
• A real man is one who allows the Spirit to direct the course and to call the cadence in his life.
• Love one another. Love all mankind. Strive for peace and all will be well. Truth will endure. Time is on the side of truth.
• "SILENCE, ye fiends of the infernal pit. In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still; I will not live another minute and bear such language. Cease such talk, or you or I die THIS INSTANT!" -Joseph Smith
• Be men! Be men of Christ! Be men of God!

Vaughn J. Featherstone -A Prisoner of Love

• A strong, principled, and committed generation, which did great things but had the wisdom not to talk about them much.
• I think we will not be tested in the way the pioneers were tested.
• "When you come to a crossroads ... take it."
• After examining a woman's husband, the doctor said, "I don't like the looks of your husband." "Neither do I," said the woman, "but he is good to the children." Some of us may look a little old, but if we get all dressed up we don't look half bad.
• "After we have done all we could do for the cause of truth, and withstood the evil that men have brought upon us, ... it is still our duty to stand. We cannot give up; we must not lie down.
• Have we been "steeled"

L. Aldin Porter -"A Disciple of Jesus Christ"

• "Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind."
• "However, all these considerations did not deter me from the path of duty; the moment I understood the will of my Heavenly Father, I felt a determination to go at all hazards.
• Truly effective missionaries have many talents, varied and beautiful, but one quality they all seem to have is the ability to stick with their commitments--that is, the power to do what they agree to do.
• If you do not strive diligently for the assistance of the Spirit, you will find your missionary work extremely difficult and your results very disappointing.

Thomas S. Monson -To Learn, To Do, To Be

• When the priesthood of this church work together as one in meeting these vexing conditions, near miracles take place.
• A kind Heavenly Father will help us in our quest.
• First: Learn what we should learn!
• Second: Do what we should do!
• Third: Be what we should be!
• Learn what we should learn. Do what we should do. Be what we should be.

Gordon B. Hinckley -"Believe His Prophets"

• "Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's."
• "Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you ... : fear not, nor be dismayed."
• Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
• The law of tithing. If all the world would observe this simple principle, which came as a revelation from God, the needs of the poor over the earth would be met without taxing the people for welfare purposes.
• We must love people into doing what's right.
• No success in life can compensate for failure in the home. Those who followed his counsel have been blessed. Those who scorned it have paid a tragic price.
• The greatest work any of us would ever do would be within the walls of our own homes.
• "Be sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit. Be slow to censure and quick to encourage."
• I am not calling for flashy, temporary differences in our performance levels, but a quiet resolve ... to do a better job, to lengthen our stride."
• There are many little things that test our willingness to accept the word of the prophets.
• I have worked with seven Presidents of this Church. I have recognized that all have been human. But I have never been concerned over this. They may have had some weaknesses. But this has never troubled me. I know that the God of heaven has used mortal men throughout history to accomplish His divine purposes. They were the very best available to Him, and they were wonderful.
• If we have a prophet, we have everything.

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

To My Grandmothers of Various Greats

Okay!
So I'm writing this post on Monday instead of Sunday because I was soooo tired Sunday, and Monday..well I do highlights of conference -which you will see as Monday's post once I'm done writing this.
In any case.
FHE was S. U. P. E. R.
COOL!

I mean...I thought it was going to start out lame...
because it was FHE..and they said to bring our laptops.

FHE. Church. Laptops.
Yah...I figured we were doing something with family history.
boooorrrriiinnnngggg.
Especially if it's indexing.
I would think that was tedious.
....Though I shouldn't be calling it boring.. Y_Y;; Heh. I haven't really gotten into it yet.
Mostly...because I totally don't understand the different family history sites...or something glitches...in any case I've just met with frustration.
So I wasn't looking forward to FHE.
I even considered ditching...
but since I've missed like the last four or five...alot of FHE's I figured I'd go be social.
Plus my roommate LaKai said that they weren't indexing.
(she went over first.)
Sooo I grabbed my laptop and went over.

We did do a family related thing.
But one that's like super cool.

It's a site that will show you a 'fan' of your family history, from both sides of the family back six generations and if you click on the sixth generation name then it will take you to a different website that shows you further generations into the past.

The place is called
Family Fan.

You can google it. Family Fan Chart is the name.
Or click on this link that will take you there. :)
https://createfan.com/ 

You then click on the Log In button.

...I think there might be a page that asks if you're LDS or not...and will tell you which Log In to use.
But if you are LDS you use your username and password that you would use for LDS.org.
In any case,
once you get yourself logged in.
You can then click on 'create'
And you will get a link asking you if you want to open/save a document.
You can click on Open.
And walla!
A page in adobe will open up with a fan of your maternal and paternal sides and what family history has been done for them.

It's not totally accurate...as I'm not quite sure what 'family tree' sight it pulls from...but depending on the sight some of the family history may not have been put into that particular website, so it will show up blank on the fan.

That's what happened for my Grandpa Dirchi's side. I know his family history has been done....but it shows up blank on the fan...at least for me, maybe it won't for other family members. I've heard that it can be a little glitchy.

In any case.
I found this to be
SUPER COOL!!
I mean I know where my ancestors come from.....but I never knew names before.
And there are lots of interesting names!
And if you click on the name, then it will (if it's working right) open up a page that tells you where they were born, died, baptized..etc.
It's amazing!

But the most amazing part...is my grandmothers.
You see, my mom told me that I was named after four great grandmother's
Three are greats. and one is a great great.
Well....
Looking at the fan.
I discovered that there are 16 grandmothers with differing number of greats in my family!
Ten on my mom's side.
Six on my dad's side...or at least my dad's mom's side as my dad's dad's side is blank.
So there's a possibility I'm named after more grandmother's there as well.

It's just super cool!
We have a familial name! My name!
So. AWESOME!

^^
I hope you take the time to check it out. :)

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

I guess I was kinda obsessing over the Warm Bodies movie/book as I dreamt about what happens after the events of the book and how they're putting the world back together and such.

-S.N.D