The Waiting Game

It may just be a good thing that I have Rent due soon.
Why?
Because Black Friday totally got into my blood.

And all I wanted to do yesterday was go out and
BUY
BUY
BUY
BUY!!!!!!!!

But I had to restrain myself.
Particularly with buying my laptop.
And then with rent combined....

My account just plummeted.

To the point where I could only shop at a couple other places. (Which I did!)
Before I had to call it quits for the day. :( (boo)
Otherwise I would be in deep deep trouble when Rent came due.

And now...I really know what it feels like to be a poor college student. lol.
To have to wait for your next paycheck...for like a whole week.
To be grounded from spending money on anything else.
For a whole week.

It's a feeling I haven't felt in a while.
And it's not my favorite.

But oh, the deals of Black Friday. I'm still really excited over what I got. ^^

Mostly because I haven't seen most of it yet.
Because I did a lot of my shopping online.....
So it hasn't come in the mail yet.
Sooo I'm still really really excited!! :D

I can't wait!
I may be poor. 
But I can't wait! ^^ 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

The First Black Friday

I've heard the stories.
Really, the horror stories.
People fighting.
Yelling.
Screaming.
Running.
Trampling.

It sounds like my sort of nightmare.
I dislike crowds.
Particularly, mob like crowds.

And What is Black Friday All About?

Yah. Mob Like Crowds.

So until this point in my life...I've avoided them.
I mean, there may be great deals.
But, if my life is at risk....

I don't care if it's 98% off....if I'm at risk of being maimed....it's not worth it.

However....

I saw this Ad....At Best Buy.
For a laptop.
A touch screen laptop.
A laptop that can disconnect the screen and become a tablet....

and I was like
()_() OOOOO MUST HAVE!

Why?
Because the laptop I'm currently typing this blog post on is.....well....
Ancient
in laptop terms.
It's like 4 years old.
I got it like right after my first year of college.

Soo it's old.
The keys are wearing away,
The screen is wiggly and unsteady...

Basically, even though I don't 'need' a new laptop.
I would love a new laptop.

And this 'door buster' laptop I was looking at...was saving me like $200.
()_()
Sooo expensive laptop...for not as expensive price.

GIMME!

But.
There was a problem.
When I went to go buy it online...
It was listed as an "In Store Only"

()_() But. But. But. But!
I could picture it.
The tents.
The angry mobs.
The chaos.

And I had to take a step back....is it worth it? Worth the possible fights?
My enthusiasm dampened...
I still decided to try it.
I reeeaaaaalllllyyy want it.
I mean I'd been to Best Buy like...four times in three days to 'play' with the laptop and see if I really liked it. And I did.
I kept coming back...that had to mean something.

And the final 'tipping' point....
Was that the 'door buster' happened at 10am Today.

Ten.
Not 3am.
or midnight.
or 7 am.

Just 10am.

And I was like......
Hmmm maybe....just maybe...it won't be as crazy.
I mean, all the people have been shopping since yesterday evening.
So the crowds may be thinned out.

So with trepidation,
I commenced upon my journey.
Leaving my nice warm bed, and family, and pets.
To make the very long drive back to CollegeTown.
Why not go to a closer store?
My thinking was...well....I've been in the CollegeTown Best Buy recently.
I knew where everything was.
So if it came down to a mad dash into the store....I would know the general direction to go.

My whole drive down I made backup plans.
I felt confident I could get one,
but I was prepared for the disappointment of arriving too late.
I mean, I was only going to get to the store like...45 minutes before the doorbuster time.
I pictured tents. Lines of people. me being waaaaay in the back.

Yet...I couldn't shake my confidence.
I was going to get one.

The parking lot, upon me pulling in...was fuller then normal.
But I didn't have to park waaay out in the boondocks.
I got a rather close spot.
And I also saw that....O.o there was hardly a line.
The tents I saw outside the store like 2 days ago....had vanished.
There were maybe 8 people in line as I walked up.
EIGHT.
When I pictured at least thirty.
My confidence rose again as I took my place at the end of the line.
Unless....you know...they only had like 1 laptop...and if all the people in front of me wanted that particular laptop....it would have been a waste of time.

And....the first guy in line...told me he wanted the laptop.
*gulp* Uhoh.
Then he added. "Oh yah, I went into the store and counted them, there's like 22, we're good.
O.O Really? Truly?
And then more miracles...
People left the line.
Until I was the 4th person in line.
Dun dun dun.
And then like thirty minutes before the time.
A lady came out.
Asked what we wanted.
And everyone said...'the laptop'
But there were only 4 of us in line.
And 22 laptops.

I got the purple ticket.
()_() Purrrrrpleeee.
Which basically guaranteed that I would get the laptop! (as long as I got it within a 3 hour window)

I was totally having a 'Charlie' moment.
I had the 'golden' ticket. I just needed to get through the 'chocolate factory' and get the 'grand prize' in the end.

Yet, with that ticket in hand, it didn't seem real.
Would I have it? There had to be a trick....really....
I ended up venturing cautiously into the store. Free to wander and browse the other deals while I waited for the 'ding ding ding' hour.

It finally arrived!
And with a little tiny bit of confusion on where I was supposed to get the laptop. (I had to stand in another line to get it.)

I GOT IT!
IT WAS IN MY HAND!
I PAID FOR IT
I WAS WALKING TO THE DOOR!

(totally paranoid that it was going to be stolen from my hand)
And I got stopped by the guy 'guarding' the door.
I showed him my receipt. (I think he has to do that to everyone.)

AND THEN I WAS FREE!
Me and my laptop made it safely to my car! ^^
YES.
I had survived the Black Friday Shopping event!
Woot!

No crowds. Nice people. No fights. No injuries...
Wow.
I'm a bit weirded out by it. ^^

Hehe, but I gots it! I gots it!

Sooo excited. ^^

And you know what's random.
O.o I was standing there in line.
Mentioning that this was an 'in store only deal'
and the guy in front of me was like "no it's not, I just checked, you can get it online too."
>.>
<.<
WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN GET IT ONLINE NOW TOO!!?!?!?!

All that anxiety, the standing in lines....the braving the Black Friday....
and you tell me that it's now available online?

*glares*

^^ Heh. But I don't care.
I guess that the laptop was only available online when the doorbuster happened...or something.
In any case.
I'm just glad to know that if I'd been unable to get my laptop on location...it was online...
I only hope that I would have gone to look once more at the laptop I couldn't have and see that it was available to get online. *shudders* If I hadn't known....ooo

But that is a total 'what if'' scenario.

BECAUSE I GOTS IT!!

Now...to wait til Christmas to open it. ^^

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Grateful Teachings

I will ever be grateful for the teachings of righteous parents who instilled in us the lessons taught to us in the Word of Wisdom.
In addition to their teachings, we were taught carefully by Primary, Sunday School, and priesthood teachers.

I particularly remember a Primary teacher reading a story to us from the Improvement Era.
I had the Historical Department find it for me, and I found it was worth repeating.
The story was taken from the October 1928 Improvement Era and is about Creed Haymond, a young Mormon who applied and was accepted at the University of Pennsylvania. He was an athlete known for his speed, and because of the way he acted and participated, he was chosen to be the captain of the track team.

The annual meet of the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America was held at Harvard Stadium at the end of May 1919.
To Cambridge came the greatest college athletes--1,700 in all.
In the tryouts, Pen had qualified 17 men.
Cornell, their most feared rival that year, had qualified only 10.
The Penn team was in position to be crowned the champions.
The scores were made on the first five places--five for first, four for second, three for third, two for fourth, and one for fifth.
Naturally, the team that qualified the most men had the greatest opportunity to win the meet.

The Penn coach was in high spirits the night before the meet.
He made the rounds of his team members before he retired.
He came into Creed's room and said, "Creed, if we do our best tomorrow, we will run away with it."

The coach hesitated.
"Creed, I'm having the boys take a little sherry wine tonight.
I want you to have some, just a little of course."

"I won't do it, Coach."

"But, Creed, I'm not going to get you drunk.
I know what you 'Mormons' believe.
I'm giving you this as a tonic just to put you all on your metal."

"It won't do me any good, Coach; I can't take it."

The coach replied, "remember, Creed, you're the captain of the team and our best point winner.
Fourteen thousand students are looking to you personally to win this meet.
If you fail us we'll lose.
I ought to know what is good for you."

Creed knew that other coaches felt that a little wine was useful when men have trained muscles and nerves almost to the snapping point.
He knew also that what the coach was asking him to do was against all that he had been taught from his early childhood.
He looked his coach in the eye and said, "I won't take it."

The coach replied, "You're a funny fellow, Creed.
You won't take tea at the training table.
You have ideas of your own.
Well, I'm going to let you do as you please."

The coach then left the captain of the team in a state of extreme anxiety.
Suppose he made a poor showing tomorrow.
What could he say to his coach?
He was going up against the fastest men in the world.
Nothing less than his best would do.
His stubbornness might lose the meet for Penn.
His teammates were told what to do, and they had responded.
They believed in their coach.
What right did he have to disobey?
there was only one reason.
He had been taught all his life to obey the Word of Wisdom.

It was a critical hour in this young man's life.
With all the spiritual forces of his nature pressing n on him, he knelt down and earnestly asked the Lord to give him a testimony as to the source of this revelation that he had believed and obeyed. Then he went to his bed and slept in sound slumber.

The next morning the coach came into his room and asked, "How are you feeling, Creed?"

"Fine," the captain answered cheerfully.

"All of the other fellows are ill.
I don't know what's the matter with them," the coach said seriously.

"Maybe it's the tonic you gave them, Coach."

"Maybe so," answered the coach.

Two o'clock found 20,000 spectators in their seats waiting for the meet to begin.
As the events got under way, it was plain that something was wrong with the wonderful Penn team.
Event after event, the Penn team performed well below what was expected of them.
Some members were even too ill to participate.

The 100- and 220-yard dash were Creed's races.
The Penn team desperately needed him to win for them.
He was up against the five fasted men in American colleges.
As the men took their marks for the 100-yard dash and the pistol was shot, every man sprang forward into the air and touched the earth at a run--that is, all except one--Creed Haymond.
The runner using the second lane in the trials--the lane that Creed was running in at this particular event--had kicked a hole for his toe an inch or two behind the spot where Haymond had just chosen for his. They didn't use starting blocks in those days.
With the tremendous thrust that Creed gave, the narrow wedge of earth broke through and he came down on his knee behind the line.

He got up and tried to make up for the poor start.
At 60 yards, he was the last in the race.
Then he seemed to fly past the fifth man, then the fourth, then the third, then the second.
Close to the tape, heart bursting with strain, he swept into that climax with whirlwind swiftness and ran past the final man to victory.

Through some mistake in arrangements, the semifinals for the 220 were not completed until almost the close of the meet.
With the same bad breaks that had followed the Penn team all day, Creed Haymond had been placed in the last qualifying heat for the 220-yard dash.
Then, five minutes after winning it, he was called upon to start the final 220, the last event  of the day.
One of the other men who had run in an earlier heat rushed up to him.
"Tell the starter you demand a rest before running again.
You're entitled to it under the rules.
I've hardly caught my breath yet and I ran in the heat before yours."

Creed went panting to the starter and begged for more time.
The official said he would give him 10 minutes.
But the crowd was clamoring for the final races to begin.
Regretfully he called the men to their marks.
Under ordinary conditions Creed would not have feared this race.
He was probably the fastest man in the world at that distance, but yet he had already run three races that afternoon--one the heart-stopping 100-yard dash.

The starter ordered the breathless men to their marks, raised his pistol, and with a puff of smoke the race began.
This time the Penn captain literally shot from his marks.
Soon Creed emerged from the crowd and took the lead.
He sprinted all the way up the field, and with a burst of speed and eight yards ahead of the nearest man, he broke the tape, winning the second race--the 220-yard dash.

Penn had lost the meet, but their captain had astounded the fans with his excellent runs.

At the end of that strange day, as Creed Haymond was going to bed, there suddenly came to his memory his question of the night before regarding the divinity of the Word of Wisdom.
The procession of that peculiar series of events then passed before his mind--his teammates had taken wine and had failed; his abstinence had brought victories that even amazed himself.
The sweet simple assurance of the Spirit came to him: the Word of Wisdom is of God.

L. Tom Perry -"Run and Not Be Weary" -October 1996 General Conference

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Packing in a Hurry

So, a while back,
Actually, like the last time I visited my parent's place.
I went through a whole bunch of stuff, including clothes I had left there.
Said clothes were PJs.
And I thought I'd taken them all with me....all the ones I wanted.

But no.
Apparently, with one set of PJs, I told my Mom "Let's just keep these here in case I forget to bring a set."

Now that she reminded me, I do remember vaguely saying that.

lol I must have been clairvoyant.

Because I came home for Thanksgiving.

And what did I forget?

Yep.
My PJs.

But all was not lost!
Because mom whisked out the pair I'd left behind!

Woot!
I gots PJs. ^^

Yay for my mom being so prepared! ^^

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

To Go or Not to Go

So I've been thinking about participating in Black Friday stuff this year.

Because...you know...it seems like fun.

It's almost like Christmas...if only in the "I wonder if I'll be able to get this!" sort of way.

But seriously, there could be a sense of excitement for it.
Staying up all night, waiting in lines, waiting to get that one gift that you saw on an add that you reeeaaaaalllllyyy want because it's a good deal.
Plus all the people you could talk to...

But then I think of the dark side.
Mobs.
Screaming people.
Fights.
Back Stabbing.
Craziness in general.
Broken items.
And sleep deprivation.
Maybe even cold

And then I'm like O.o is it worth it?

Obviously it is for some,
but for me....and my dislike of crowds and shoving people and the real likely hood of me getting trampled to death....

I'm not so sure.

Plus there's also this thought.... "will there be a better deal closer to Christmas?"
Do I buy it now?
Or wait and hope it goes down lower later?
Will Cyber Monday bring a better deal?
Or no?

Maybe I should stick to online Black Friday?

Who knows.
All I know, is that I'm giving myself a headache trying to decide if I want to brave the craziness or not for a 'door buster'...that most likely won't be there when I get there....or maybe it will, you never know if people want what I want.....

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

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

I was at work cleaning out fish tanks, when I realized, I'd misplaced which tank I'd placed the speck in. You know the speck that had the whos from Whoville in Horton Hears a Who? Yah. That speck. And it had been lost! I was about to go into full blown panic attack when....

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

-S.N.D

April 1997 General Conference Sunday Morning

Thomas S. Monson -They Showed the Way

• If only all could read and all could understand! But some could read, and others could hear, and all had access to God through prayer.

Richard G. Scott -Jesus Christ, Our Redeemer

• Except for the Atonement of the Holy Redeemer, the demands of justice would prevent every soul born on earth from returning to the presence of God, to partake of His glory and exaltation, for all make mistakes for which we cannot personally appease justice.
• Part of that testing here is to have so many seemingly interesting things to do that we can forget the main purposes for being here. Satan works very hard so that the essential things won't happen.
• Be wise and don't let good things crowd out those that are essential.
• Study the things you do in your discretionary time, that time you are free to control. Do you find that it is centered in those things that are of highest priority and of greatest importance? Or do you unconsciously, consistently fill it with trivia and activities that are not of enduring value nor help you accomplish the purpose for which you came to earth?
• Don't give up what you most want in life for something you think you want now.
• You can progress much more rapidly here on earth with your mortal body in this environment of good and evil than you will as a spirit in the spirit world.  

M. Russell Ballard -"You Have Nothing to Fear from the Journey"

• (They) never set out to be heroes...yet they accomplished heroic things.
• If you will be faithful, you have nothing to fear from the journey. The Lord will take care of his saints.
• Certainly it was hard to walk across a continent to establish a new home in a dry western desert. But who can say if that was any more difficult than is the task of living faithful, righteous lives in today's confusingly sinful world, where the trail is constantly shifting and where divine markers of right and wrong are being replaced by political expediency and diminishing morality.

Gordon B. Hinckley -"True to the Faith"

• We must grasp the torch and run the race.
• There are some who still scorn. Let us live above it. There are still those who regard us as a peculiar people. Let us accept that as a compliment and go forth showing by virtue of our lives the strength and goodness of the wonderful thing in which we believe.

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

-Sarnic Dirchi 
 

Red Everywhere

Well, this evening has been a bit of an adventure.
 
There I was, minding my own business, playing a game with my sister and friends,
when my nose started bleeding.
Right there, out of the blue.
Like I don't even think I sniffed hard or anything.
So, calmly I told my sister to go grab me some tissues.
Which she did.
And it bled a bit...like ten minutes or so.
But no big deal.
 
It was definitely odd, as I hardly ever like once in a blue moon rare.

I remember getting a couple of bloody noses last year,
But having just started a new job, I thought it was from working too hard.
As I was active when I got them,
But this one...I was just sitting there playing a game.

Still, it stopped bleeding. So I wasn't worried,

Until a few hours later, when a quick stretch on the floor, started it up again.
Just as my sister and friends were leaving.
But this one was...worse.

Like...I was dripping globs of blood (I think the scab broke off.)
lots and lots of drops, and it wasn't showing any signs of stopping.

So to be on the safe side, I checked in with my roomies (they're nursing students.) and with my Dad...
and a few cold packs, pinched noses and a lot of tissues later.

It stopped again!

Woot.
Still, that was crazy weird.
Two bloody noses in one day? From like doing...nothing?

Apparently I'm not eating enough Red Meat and Vitamin C....
Go figure.

But guess what I'll be doing for the next few days.
Yep. Eating lots and lots of both. :)

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Scheduling...*sigh*

Have you ever read the poem "If the world was crazy?"

I kept thinking that today....
Why?

Because the end of the poem goes "Then I would be king if the world was crazy."

And I was at work today thinking. "If I were in charge of scheduling...I would do things a lot differently."

For one....when holidays would come along, where the store would be closed...I'd give everyone a two day thing off. Like this upcoming Thanksgiving. I would split all the workers in half. And some would get Wednesday/Thursday off. And others would get Thursday/Friday off. That way. There's a two day 'weekend' for everyone so that they can actually enjoy having family time together...
Though...I won't envy those who have to work on Black Friday :S Yikes!

But with that aside...I think that would just be cool to do. If I were in charge of scheduling.

That also goes along with the thinking of....we should have a schedule like four weeks out. A month. For real. How hard could that be? Like on the 15th of every month...you get your schedule for next month....*shrugs* Something like that. Much better then like...one or two days before the new week starts.

Yah...
A lot of this comes from coming into work this morning to get my schedule...and finding out that...it's not a fun schedule. Where I would have to be cashiering all week... O.o Which is super weird for me. It never happens...apparently it was a computer error. Soo it should be fixed by tomorrow...(which means I only get my schedule like...less then 24hours before I work...) Who knows. *shakes head8

But yah.
I guess that's the annoyance of working in a retail job... >.>

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

To The Middle!

We've all heard of it. That whole "Oldest Child, Middle Child, and Youngest child is like this:" sort of stereotype thing.
The Oldest is the most responsible.
The Youngest can get away with anything/is spoiled.
And the Middle Child....is forgotten in the chaos.

Well, I've decided that those 'stereotypes' can apply to more then siblings in the family.

Like what?

Like blogs for example.

I have three blogs.
(Yes, call me crazy. But I did it.)

My first blog. This blog. It's the responsible/dependable one. Posts appear everyday. It may be the last minute of the day, but a post will show up unless otherwise specified.

My third blog, www.kaputnous.blogspot.com is the 'get away with anything blog.' Posts can show up multiple times a day, or there could be long absences, but no one gets 'mad' about it. (okay, some readers may disagree). This blog can be wild and present with multiple posts in a day, or as silent and absent as it wants to with no posts for a while. It's just...free spirited like that.

But the second blog....has been neglected. It started out alright, but fizzled out in the end. Mostly because it was trying to be so different from it's blogging siblings, that...it did nothing.
Of course it isn't my Middle Blog's fault. As I was trying to make it a cartoon blog, and frankly...while I enjoy drawing...I struggle to draw consistently. So, my poor Middle blog has been neglected....til now.

Two nights ago I had a midnight inspiration.
So crazy and exciting that I couldn't sleep because I was tossing and turning and creating all sorts of ideas on what I could do if I revamped the blog away from the listless thing it was before.
Since I wasn't going to get to sleep anytime soon as hyped up as I was, I actually got up and revamped my middle blog. Hopefully this rise from the ashes holds strong! But I'm super excited for it, as long as I can keep the focus in sight. :) 
But I can totally see how the middle blog will turn out triumphant in the long run.
I mean, I've been looking for a spot to post writing related posts on. And my http://www.secondthoughts2secondthoughts.blogspot.com blog was just sitting there, waiting for me to remember it existed.
And so I did!

Here's to a new start with my middle blog!

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

-Sarnic Dirchi   

Standing Up For Cheer

At a time when it appeared that the Prophet needed them at home, two of the Apostles, Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, were called on foreign missions.
The following is Elder Heber C. Kimball's historic account of the pathetic setting at his departure:

"I went to the bed and shook hands with my wife, who was shaking with the ague, having two children lying sick by her side; I embraced her and my children, and bid them farewell; the only child well was little Heber Parley, and it was with difficulty he could carry a two-quart pail full of water from a spring at the bottom of a small hill to assist in quenching their thirst.
it was with difficulty we got into the wagon and started down the hill about ten rods; it appeared to me as though my very inmost parts would melt within me: leaving my family in such a condition, as it were, almost in the arms of death; it seemed to me as though I could not endure it.
I said to the teamster, 'Hold up.'
Said I to Brother Brigham, 'This is pretty tough, ain't it? Let's rise up and give them a cheer.'
We arose and winging our hats three times over our heads, we cried 'Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah for Israel!'
Vilate [Kimball] hearing the noise arose from her bed and came to the door; she had a smile on her face and she and Mary Ann young cried out to us, 'Good bye, God bless you.'
We returned the compliment and then told the driver to go ahead.
After this I felt a spirit of joy and gratitude at having the satisfaction of seeing my wife standing upon her feet, instead of leaving her in bed, knowing as I did that I should not see them again for two or more years."
This was one of four missions that these two Apostle missionaries served.

Harold G. Hillam -Sacrifice in the Service -October 1995 General Conference

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

I was at work going about my tasks and my coworkers Reci and Lia came up to me, with Reci talking about how we were going to have a movie night on Friday night. Which was super exciting! Though I'd already halfway planned to have a movie night of my own at my apartment that night, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to ditch it for the Work movie, because I didn't think anyone would be showing up to mine anyway....

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

-S.N.D

Make 'Em Mellow

If I had one power to change anything on the planet...you know what I would do?
I would make Betas less aggressive.
They would become such a mellow fish, we would be able to make them a community fish where we could have more then one in a fish tank.
Why would I do this?
Because they come in such an amazing variety of colors!
And I would love to buy a huge fish tank and put just betas in it.
Each one a different pattern, a different color.
Then I could enjoy a rainbow of flowing fish swimming around and around.

Where does this thought come from, you ask?

Well, yesterday my sister Kikay came into the store looking for a new beta friend for her tank,
as her old one, Dr. Suess, had recently died of old age.

Luckily I knew this was going to happen, and so before she showed up, I made the time to change out the beta water so that she could actually see all the different colored betas.
-The water comes in a dark blue color when we first get them into the store making it difficult to always tell what color you're getting. (blue water has stuff in it to help the fish travel well and not die.)

I have to say that I love changing the blue water into clear water with Betas.
Because it's fun for me to see what color the fish actually are.
I mean, I've worked at Starsmet long enough that I can be pretty close to guessing what color the fish is through the blue water, but this, makes it clearer.
Will a Red fish be red? Or more of a purple red?
Will a blue fish have green accents or orange?

There will always be surprises, and will always be that one fish where I'm like "Ah! I want to take you home!" -I already have a beta at home -his name is Phantasmic. He's adorable-
Like a week or so ago we had a fish come in that was Red, White, and Blue! Ah! I wanted it soo badly, I mean the 4th of July is my favorite holiday and I would love to have a little piece of that holiday year around,
but...I already had a beta.
Yesterday wasn't much different, there was this pretty beta that was Orange but had blue streaks in it. Others that Shimmered like glitter, others that were multicolored, or such a pretty dark blue....

Can you say hard to pick just one? Because it really was hard,
lol my sister was like "I'm glad you went through them first to pick out ones you thought I'd like, otherwise I'd be here all day trying to decide."

-She was on a bit of a time crunch, so I also did the beta water change to look through all the betas and set aside ones I thought she'd like. That way she could be in and out quickly without having to worry about looking through them all and deciding.

In the end it came down to three Betas.
All of them shimmered.
-She'd been talking about 'glitter' and 'sparkly' recently, and when I came across a fish that did that I was like "ooo Kikay may like that!"
Turns out I was right. lol
It still took her a while to pick between the three.
In the end she picked an awesome multicolored fish that was orange, blue and shimmered with a couple other colors.
lol my coworker called it an 'Easter Egg' fish because it looked like the fish had been dipped in different colored dyes.

Still, that is where my thought came from.
If only Betas weren't so aggressive to each other.
Then my sister would have probably taken all three home to put in her fish tank.
(okay not so her tank is more like a bowl, which only really fits one beta)
but still,
I would love to have that happen.
To have mellow community betas.
I think I would be unable to resist getting that huge tank and filling it with betas. Just so I could have my 'rainbow' of 'flowing' color.

*sighs*
Maybe in the future.
Maybe. :)

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

There was this huge playground toy/maze/jungle gym/obstacle course contraption that me and others had to go through...in the dark (maybe blindfolded) It was a crazy experience with lots of tight tunnels, drops where you're not quite sure there is actually anything below your feet, and other frightening things (for the dream state) that made it difficult to actually finish and complete...which I'm not sure I finished it because I was suddenly in my parents neighborhood, invisible, but there were people chasing me. How could they chase an invisible person? Because I still cast a shadow. So I was running around from shadow to shadow of other things like trees, to try and hide my shadow in them so they couldn't see where I was and get me. I mean, even though I was invisible, I wasn't intangible, so if they ran into me, they would run into me. The problem was that each 'shadow' place I picked ended up having light patches or was too small, meaning that my observant chasers could see where I went pretty easily, but still I tried to get away and...ended back up in the maze of a jungle gym once more attempting to get through it when....

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

-S.N.D

Excitedness

It seems like my Facebook feed only really shows one thing recently.

The "I've been giving such and such a number, so I'm going to tell you that number of things about myself." Thing.

Yah. I haven't participated yet. Mostly because I just stare at it and wonder "Who ever came up with this thing and how did it get soooo popular??"

And, because I really don't know what I would say.
And when I say I don't know what I would say....I mean, I know a lot of things about myself that people don't know, but do I know which ones I want to share on Facebook for others to see? No.
I could go serious, sad, snarky, funny, there are so many varieties I could do.

So, I don't participate.

But since it has been on my mind recently,
I thought I'd share one thing about myself here on this blog.

I can get excited for other people's excitedness just as if it were happening to myself.
To the point where I could get possibly more obsessive about the excitement then they themselves are excited for it.
But. The catch is. I only really do this if I could actually picture myself doing the event that gave the original person the excitement in the first place. 
It's like...getting excited for a future event that I too may do in the future.

A good example would be all the fun my sister Kikay is having with querying agents, entering contests, and getting responses back.
Since I enjoy writing too, I love to hear what happens on her end, and if she get's a positive response back I would be out in the streets celebrating more then she is.
Because, hey. In the future. *coughifieverfinishwritingabooktoqueryitcough* that could be me.
And I'm like "OH YAH! THIS IS AWESOME WE SHOULD OBSESS OVER IT!"

Now...to get away from obsessing and actually work on hammering my story into a readable piece of work...yes...must do that....

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

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

April 1997 General Conference Priesthood Session

David B. Haight -The Basics Have Not Changed

• With all the things that I've seen happen since I've lived on the earth, nothing has come along to change the basics.

Jack H. Goaslind -"In His Strength I Can Do All Things"

• You can succeed beyond your own strength if you learn to rely on the Spirit of the Lord.
• Ordinary men, blessed with the privilege of holding the priesthood of God, may be called upon to do extraordinary tasks and accomplish might feats through faith in that sacred power!

James E. Faust -Power of the Priesthood

• May I express my profound appreciation for your loyalty, faithfulness, and devotion. The work of God our Father goes forward as never before because of your commitment and devotion to this holy work.
• Brethren, we must never let the great powers of the holy priesthood of God lie dormant in us.
• Righteous priesthood authority is most needed within the walls of our own homes.
• I have always tried to follow their counsel, whether I agreed with it or not. I have come to know that most of the time they were in tune with the Spirit and I was not. The safe course is to sustain our priesthood leaders and let God judge their actions.
• "I have reached the conclusion in my own mind that no man, however vast and far-reaching his service may be, arrives at the full measure of his sonship and the manhood the Lord intended him to have, without the investiture of the Holy Priesthood.."

Thomas S. Monson -They Will come

• The decision to change one's life and come unto Christ is perhaps, the most important decision of mortality. Such a dramatic change is taking place daily throughout the world.
• We, as members, should be at our best.
• They need friends with testimonies. They need to know that we truly care for the one.
• My beloved brethren, let us, with faith unwavering and with love unstinting, be bridge builders to the hearts of those with whom we labor.

Gordon B. Hinckley -Convert and Young Men

• It is not an easy thing to become a member of this Church. In most cases it involves setting aide old habits, leaving old friends and associations, and stepping into a new society which is different and somewhat demanding.
• Every one of them needs three things: a friend, a responsibility, and nurturing with "the good word of God."
• "The most satisfying experience I have is to see what this gospel does for people. It gives them a new outlook on life. It gives them a perspective that they have never felt before. It raises their sights to things noble and divine. Something happens to them that is miraculous to behold. They look to Christ and come alive."
• Your friendly ways are needed. Your sense of responsibility is needed.
• You have been given a great and precious gift. You can speak truth. You must speak truth.
• Stay away from those things which will tear you down and destroy you spiritually.
• Keep thyself pure.
• "Shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness."

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

White Screen or White Paper?

There's something rather intimidating by a blank word document.
Especially if you're wanting to write down a story on that big white screen.

It's like, when you start typing, when you let that blinking line actually form words...there's no going back. Which is kinda funny, since you can always erase whatever you write in the blink of an eye. No scratches. No crossing out, no unreadable handwriting.
Writing should be easy on a word document.

Yet, it's difficult for me.
I open up that word document, and then immediately retreat to the safety of the internet.
Because I...find it difficult to fill that white space with an actual story.
Perhaps it's because I think I have a scene so clearly thought out in my mind, but then when I get down to writing it...it's not that clear at all. In fact it's a jumbled mess.
Totally frustrating.

Which is why I've switched to writing stuff down in notebooks.
It's easier. There's not this whole pressure of 'I need to get these words down exactly right!' It's just me....writing.

However,
I've come to discover that there are some stories....
Where when I think of them....
I think "this would go better if I was writing in word."

Some stories apparently think of themselves as being more 'high tech' then others.
Some prefer the Online version.
Others love the paper side.

Only those word related stories have to wait.
Why?
Because that white screen is still super intimidating to me,
and until I can counteract that intimidation...

My stories are going to be on paper. :)

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

After the University

You know what's annoying about movies?

Not finding out what happens after the 'end' of the movie.

Especially, when it comes to the side characters that were introduced.
I mean, we all know what happens to the main characters.
In most cases they live 'happily ever after.'

But what about the minor characters?
What happens to them?
Sometimes you get glimpses, during the credits.
But not always.

This whole question of 'what happens.' really boils down to one particular movie.

Monster's University.

What happens to all those monsters in college? What do they end up doing afterwards?
What happens to the guys in ROR? HSS? PNK? Do they end up staying in college, do the RORs come to Monster's Inc or however long down the road...are they somewhere completely different? Did anyone really let the RORs not forget the ending of the scare games? Or was it all brushed under the carpet?

Who knows.
Really, who knows?

Are they really only 'in the movie?'
Or do they have lives afterwards?
I really, really, really want to know.

Unfortunately, unless they do another spin off of that universe that brings the characters back....I'll probably never know. :(
Grr....perhaps this is why I took up writing.
So I could create more back stories and after stories to side characters that aren't really explained in the book. :)

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

I Prefer The Gravel

Soo, remember how I was tired like yesterday and the day before?
Well, there was a bright side to yesterday.
You see, I was looking at our schedule of scrubbing.
And was relieved to see that I wasn't meant to scrub tanks that day.

Still, I planned to work on a couple of tanks that are...in the midst of...needing a lot,
a lot a lot a lot of scrubbing. 
As these particular tanks love to grow algae like instantaneously.
But we've been attacking them with new vigor in the never ending war,
and it looks like we're nearly winning, but seriously it's tied at this point.
We just need get ahead of it instead of maintaining it and it will be won!

...If only we had the time.

In any case,
Later in my work shift, but before I went to tackle the tanks of war,
Reth was looking over the schedule of scrubbers...and was realizing...

She had assigned herself tanks, but she wasn't going to have time to do them.

I knew where her thought process was going, especially since she realized that one of my coworkers wouldn't have time to do the whole cleaning process due to coming in later in the day.

But really....I totally did not want to scrub tanks myself.
For one....I was tired.
For two, I'd scrubbed twice as many tanks the day before due to a coworker not coming in.
For three, I'd already done a lot of cleaning for hours on my apartment to pass cleaning checks.
So for sure, my hands needed a break from the scrubbing.

Then I thought back to the day before the day, where I'd had free time on my hands (it was pretty dead in the store) and decided to gravel vacuum everyone's tanks among other tank duties, and let the people coming in do the actual scrubbing.

So I suggested this to Reth.
"What if I gravel vacuum all the tanks, and then the two people coming in tonight can do the scrubbing?"

And to my delight. She totally loved that idea!
She was delighted that I'd solved the problem and for 'thinking outside of the box.'
Me I was delighted because I'd made her happy and all smiley. And...I was happy because I wouldn't have to scrub tanks this night! WOOT!
I literally skipped around for a bit after she disappeared because that was a total energy boost to my lackluster day.
I could be useful, but avoid a task I didn't want to do this particular day. ^^
Sweet! :)

I love win win situations. ^^

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

I walked into my 4th roommate's bedroom, and found all this stuff still within it. This was bad, since no one was living in this room, it had to remain totally empty of personal belongings, otherwise we could get fined. And there was a lot of stuff in this bedroom, bookshelves of books among other odds and ends. And having already had our cleaning check and realizing that the checkers had already been by, we were going to get fined. and I didn't like this idea as I'd told my roommates they had to have everything out. Then...they claimed that they did get all their stuff out. Kikay showed up and was like 'this is your stuff, remember I brought it in as I didn't want it anymore. -the book shelves will hers and filled up with her books.- and I was like 'why did you do that?! I didn't need this! I have no room for it!' but here it was without my knowledge, seriously, I didn't remember or know that this stuff was in this room. So I began gathering it up....only to straighten and be in a store sort of place where a bunch of other kids were. Apparently they'd been dropped off by their parents when they were babies...and the parents hadn't come back for them, mostly because the parents couldn't get in. But there was a rescue effort underway, we were going to find a way out! In order to help the parents come in....

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

-S.N.D

Out In The Dark

Some years ago Elder Marion D. Hanks told about a group of Boy Scouts who went cave exploring.
The narrow trail was marked with white stones and lighted in sections as they went.
After about an hour they came to a huge, high dome.
Below it lay an area called the Bottomless Pit, so called because the floor of the cave had collapsed into a deep, gaping hole.
It was hard not to jostle each other on the narrow path.
Pretty soon, one of the bigger boys accidentally pushed a smaller boy into a muddy area away from the light.
Terrified as he lost his footing, he screamed in the darkness.
The ranger heard his cry of terror and came quickly.
The boy let out another cry a the beam of the ranger's light showed that he was right on the very edge of the pit.

In this story, the boy was rescued.
But this does not always happen.
So many times young people are enticed to go to the very edge or even beyond it.
With only a precarious toehold, it is easy to be seriously injured or even die.
Life is too precious to throw away in the name of excitement, or, as Jacob said in the Book of Mormon, "looking beyond the mark."

James E. Faust -Acting for Ourselves and Not Being Acted Upon -October 1995 General Conference

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

...Involved me talking to a manager about who out of our new hires we thought we'd keep and which ones we were anxious to no longer have with us....

-S.N.D

Scrub A Dub Dub

post forthcoming due to cleaning check cleaning madness....

and now I'm back. :)

Can I tell you how crazy cleaning checks are? They're like super crazy.
Made even crazier by the fact that I had an evening shift the night before the check.
Yah. Evening shift.
As in, not home til loooong after dark.
to make it even better. The day of the cleaning check....I had a morning shift.
Yah, morning shift, as in 'gots to go to bed early to get enough sleep shift'
luckily it was a later morning shift, but not by much. And in this morning shift? More scrubbing scrubbing scrubbing. I mean...that's what I did for the evening shift.
I scrubbed tanks.
Came home. Scrubbed the apartment to shiny perfection.
And then went to work to clean cages and scrub more tanks.

Can I say 'Ow?"
Because I have, and will continue to do so.
I mean...I scrubbed like four layers of skin off of my palm from that.
Red, raw, and very angry looking.
Also making work in the morning difficult.

Yah...let's just say I'm tired. Oh so tired.
But energized!
Why?
We passed!!

Always a good feeling.
Especially when you stayed up waaaaay to late to make sure everything was nice.
I mean, you never know how 'thorough' the checkers are going to be.
Are they going to come in with a white glove?
or are they going to walk in, look around, say 'yep it's good' and walk out?
So it's always safe to hedge on the side of 'crazy white glove'
Even when it ends up being the 'look around' guy.
Phew.

I'm just glad it's all over for now.
And that I get a day off from work now to recover. :)

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

-Sarnic Dirchi 

Game On!

Some people may wonder why I have a laser pointer in my room.
Some may assume it's for the cat....if I had a cat.
Some may assume it's for my own entertainment or to use in presentations.
And while they can be right. And it is part of the reason.
There is one particular reason why I have it.

War.

I don't know what made me think of it.
A premonition maybe.
But, I got the laser pointer, because if someone shines a light at me, I want to shine a light right back at them.

And I've used it.
More than once.

At first it was a big spot light from an apartment on the level to my right and lower then me.
I would laser them back, they would shine it at me.

But yesterday night was different.
For we got a green laser visitor in our apartment.
Unwanted of course.

And I snapped into action. Grabbing my own red laser pointer I shown it right back to this new apartment's place. (same level to my left)

Of course what happened after that was all out war.
Ducking to different bedrooms. Shinning lasers at each other.

And then, the other side pulled out a second laser. A red one.

My roomies thought we were done for then,
but I was like "Relax guys, I gots this."
With a nice fancy *swish* I pulled out another laser.

And the war continued.

When the dust was settled and we were blinking the spots from our eyes.

The other side lay defeated.
(I lasered last. HA!)

I calmly blew the faint dust off of the edge of my pointers and with a twirl of my fingers proclaimed "It is done!"

And who was the opposing team that lay defeated?
None other but some of my family in the Ward FHE group.

They'll know better then to mess with my apartment again.
;) hehe, in all actuality. They had just as much fun methinks.
As they told my roomies over facbook that 'usually when we shine the laser everyone just closes their blinds."

Ha. Well, at least I gave them something different.

Of course, being the guys they are, they think they won. Totally wrong. I lasered last. This I know. It means I won. :)

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

-Random note. I apparently think there's a 'w' in lasers as every time I wrote that word I spelt it 'laswers." :)

April 1997 General Conference Saturday Afternoon

Ted E. Davis -The Church Audit Committee Report

F. Michael Watson -Statistical Report 1996

• Total Membership: 9,694,549

Dallin H. Oaks -"Bishop, Help!"

• The purpose of our Sunday consolidated meeting schedule, which was not established to give time for more Sabbath meetings but to allow increased time for families to be together and for individual gospel study and service.
• A bishop needs to be a skillful delegator, or he will be crushed under the burden of his responsibilities or frustrated at seeing so many of them unfilled.
• There is something else we should mention about bishops. They are not specialists.
• Bishops re responsible to call; they should not be required to beg or push. All of us should accept the callings we are given and serve in all diligence.
• Another way to help our busy bishops and their counselors is to be careful not to occupy their time with matters that others can handle.
• When contacting our local leaders is necessary, we should remember that they have employment responsibilities too. Don't contact them at their place of work unless there is a true emergency. Let us be careful not to put our leaders' employment in jeopardy. Members should also be careful not to expect their local leaders to give them the products of those leaders' occupations. Our leaders are called to give us Church service, not professional services or merchandise inventories.
• We should remember that our leaders are also husbands and fathers. They are bishops or counselors for a season, but they will never be released from their family responsibilities, which are for eternity. Our leaders need time to perform their family responsibilities also, and our thoughtful consideration will help.

Henry B. Eyring -Finding Safety in Counsel

• The Savior has always been the protector of those who would accept His protection.
• In our own time, we have been warned with counsel of where to find safety from sin and from sorrow. One of the keys to recognizing those warnings is that they are repeated.
• "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established."
• When a prophet speaks, those with little faith may think that they hear only a wise man giving good advice. Then if his counsel seems comfortable and reasonable, squaring with what they want to do, they take it. If it does not, they consider it either faulty advice or they see their circumstances as justifying their being an exception to the counsel.
• Another fallacy is to believe that the choice to accept or not accept the counsel of prophets is no more than deciding whether to accept good advice and gain its benefits or to stay where we are.  
• The failure to take prophetic counsel lessens our power to take inspired counsel in the future.

Monte J. Brough -A Holy Calling

• "now you must gain a testimony as to the divine nature of your own calling.. You must come to know that you also have been called of God."

Sheldon F. Child -AS Good As Our Bond

• In today's world, there are some who think nothing of breaking their word, their promises, their covenants with man and with God. What a blessing it is to deal with those whom we can trust.
• Honesty and integrity are not old-fashioned principles. They are just as viable in today's world.
• When we say we will do something, we do it.
• When we make a commitment, we honor it.
• When we are given a calling, we fulfill it.
• When we borrow something, we return it.
• When we have a financial obligation, we pay it.
• When we enter into an agreement, we keep it.
• We are all familiar with the statement "Honesty is the best policy." for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, honesty is the only policy.
• Let us live true to the trust the Lord has placed in us.

Dennis E. Simmons -His Peace

• "I will not leave you comfortless: ... I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. ... He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
• "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
• His peace is that peace, that serenity, that comfort spoken to our hearts and minds by the Comforter, the holy Ghost, as we strive to follow Him and keep His commandments.
• The Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit who generally communicates not through physical senses but by touching the heart and mind--in other words, He speaks through thoughts, impressions, ad feelings and does so softly.
• "The Spirit does not get our attention by shouting or shaking us with a heavy hand. Rather it whispers. It caresses so gently that if we are preoccupied we may not feel it at all."

Jerald L. Taylor -Gratitude

• "Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord. ... happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them."
• "In the universal battle for human souls, the adversary takes enormous numbers of prisoners. many, knowing of no way to escape, are pressed into his service. Every soul confined in a concentration camp of sin and guilt has a key to the gate. the key is labeled repentance. The adversary cannot hold them, if they know how to use it. The twin principles of repentance and forgiveness exceed in strength the awesome power of the tempter."

Jeffrey R. Holland -"Because She Is a Mother"

• We rejoice that the call to nurture is not limited to our own flesh and blood.
• Through these years, mothers go longer on less sleep and give more to others with less personal renewal for themselves than any other group I know at any other time in life.
• But whatever else you do, cherish that role that is so uniquely yours and for which heaven itself sends angels to watch over you and your little ones.
• In light of that kind of expression, it is clear that some of those Rhode Island-sized shadows come not just from diapers and carpooling but from at least a few sleepless nights spent searching the soul, seeking earnestly for the capacity to raise these children to be what God wants them to be. moved by that kind of devotion and determination, may I say to mothers collectively, in the name of the Lord,  you are magnificent. You are doing terrifically well. The very fact that you have been given such a responsibility is everlasting evidence of the trust your Father in Heaven has in you.
• You have every right to receive encouragement and to know in the end your children will call your name blessed, just like those generations of foremothers before you who hoped your same hopes and felt your same fears.
• You can't possibly do this alone, but you do have help. the Master of Heaven and Earth is there to bless you--He who resolutely goes after the lost sheep, sweeps thoroughly to find the lost coin, waits everlasting for the return of the prodigal son. Yours is the work of salvation, and therefore you will be magnified, compensated, made more than you are and better than you have ever been as you try to make honest effort, however feeble you may sometimes feel that to be.
• Rely on Him. Rely on Him heavily. Rely on Him forever. And "press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope." You are doing God's work. you are doing it wonderfully well. He is blessing you and He will bless you, even--no, especially--when your days and your nights may be the most challenging.

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

-Sarnic Dirchi 

The Dream

I was with a group in a car as we were house hunting for a new location to hold our Institute group meetings/live. And I remembered that Brother Rus was selling his house. It was a way out of the city but had a beautiful view of the mountains and a nearby park. We walked up to his huge mansion of a house -he'd built himself- and I knocked on the door. He and Bro Mon were...surprised to see the group of us there and I told him that we were here to check out the house to see if we wanted to buy it from him. It turns out his group of young adults were coming over soon so we could only stay for a bit -it ended up being rather awkward as I'm pretty sure they wanted to buy the house as well- and as we were finally leaving the home after eating a lot of the food that was set up, my sister called out that we'd pay them back, though the two Bro's seemed a bit disbelieving of that....

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

-S.N.D