Eclipse

So it was the Super Blue Moon Eclipse this morning. 

Which would have been really cool!
As I would have already been up and awake as the Eclipse reached totality, since I had to get ready for work and such at that same time. 

Only...
*exhales*
It was cloudy here. 

So when I braved the chilly air to look outside.
All I could see was a red haze where the moon should have been.
I couldn't see the moon at all, due to the clouds.

Which...well...was rather disappointing.

But not much I could do about it.
Beyond gazing wistfully at the sky thinking. "There's an eclipse happening right now." lol.

Still.
From the pictures I've seen around the interwebs...It was a pretty cool sight to behold. :)  

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Oh, Look. I'm a Writer. ^^;;

You know how there are people who just like to talk? 
Like they just talk and talk and talk and what do you know....talk some more?

Yah....pretty sure that's how I am with writing. ^^;; 
Lol. 
Probably not a surprise to anyone by now really...

I just enjoy writing. :D 
Like, it's a great way to get my thoughts down and to make things coherent (most of the time.) 
But also a good way to give advice, show experiences, teach a little bit.... 

And I just find it amusing.
Because like...here in Blogosphere....
Everyone is pretty aware of how much I write.

But over on the site where I post my fics?
Not so much. 
Like. 
....On occasion on that particular blog.
I'll have people come and ask me questions.
Like in relation to my stories, or to writing, or occasionally other things.

And I'm pretty sure they're expecting like maybe a paragraph answer.

But...like....I'm an overachiever? 
I want to make sure that I'm answering the question well and covering all the bases and such.
So like what probably could have been like a paragraph or two answer...

Turns into like maybe a four page dissertation. ^^ heh;; 

Maybe it's my inner teacher coming out...
it's definitely my 'let me help you!' person coming out lol. 

But I have to say I do like just....writing...going into details, helping the ones who ask the questions find answers they were looking for. 

^^ Definitely a highlight to my day.
lol especially when the asker responds back along the lines of "Oh, wow. I didn't expect so much! THANK YOU this helps a lot!" 
Like Whooo!! Goal accomplished! I helped the asker! :D Yay. ^^

Such a good feeling. ^^ 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

October 2017 General Conference -Priesthood Session

Dale G. Renlund -The Priesthood and the Savior's Atoning Power 

• The atoning power of Jesus Christ is essential because none of us can return to our heavenly home without help. 
• The opportunity to benefit from the Savior's atoning power is creation's most important payload. 
• God intends priesthood to be used for more than just a class on Sunday or as a service opportunity. 
• A man's priesthood commission is individually given and does not exist independent of him; priesthood is not an amorphous source of autonomous power. 
• Through the priesthood, the power of godliness is manifest in the lives of all who make and keep gospel covenants and receive the associated ordinances. 
• Covenants with God are serious and solemn. A man should prepare for, learn about, and enter such covenants with the intent to honor them.
• A covenant becomes a pledge of self. 

David F. Evans -The Truth of All Things

• While you are searching and reading and praying for the answer, why don't you do the things you know you should and not do the things you know you should not?
• For some questions, continuing faith, patience, and revelation are needed. 
• Willingness to be patient is part of our search for truth and part of the Lord's pattern of revealing truth.
• It is essential for you to have your own testimony in these difficult times, for the testimonies of others will carry you only so far. 
• A testimony needs to be kept vital and alive through continued obedience to the commandments of God and through daily prayer and scripture study. 
• Choose to "act" rather than be "acted upon" by the doubts of others.
• Patient covenant keeping increases our humility, deepens our desire to know truth, and allows the Holy Ghost to "guide [us] in wisdom's paths that [we] may be blessed, prospered, and preserved. 
• Patient covenant keeping brings the blessings of heaven into our lives.
• Without knowing everything, we can know the truth.

Richard J. Maynes -Earning the Trust of the Lord and Your Family 

• Earning the Lord's trust is a blessing that comes through great effort on our part. 
• Men who have "integrity of heart" are men to be trusted--because trust is built on integrity. 
• With each decision we make, we either merit more of God's trust or diminish His trust. 
• Trust brings peace, love, and an environment where the love can grow. 

Dieter F. Uchtdorf -Bearers of Heavenly Light

• Sometimes it helps to talk to someone who cares about our troubles. 
• Like layers of sedimentary rock, spiritual pain and grief can build over time, weighing upon our spirits until it is almost too heavy to bear.
• Just because spiritual trials are real does not mean that they are incurable. 
• The healing power of Jesus Christ is not absent in our day. 
• Whatever causes our spiritual ailments, they all have one thing in common: the absence of divine light. 
• When we are in darkness, we are more likely to lose hope because we cannot see the peace and joy that await us if we just keep pressing forward. 
• Light, on the other hand, allows us to see things as they really are. It allows us to discern between truth and error, between the vital and trivial. 
• "God is no respecter of persons." His light is available to all--great or small, rich or poor, privileged or disadvantaged. 
• For change to take place, we need to actively let the light in.
• Darkness is not an indication that there is no light. Most often, it simply means we're not in the right place to receive the light. 

Henry B. Eyring -The Lord Leads His Church

• It takes faith to believe that the Lord calls imperfect people into positions of trust. 

Until you next see these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Personality

I had an interesting encounter today;
Well...encounter isn't the word.
But exchange maybe?

Where I met up with a person who soon into the conversation brought up the personality tests. And was like "I'm an INFP!" 

And I was like. "Oh hey! Me too." 

And it was crazy, kinda how the whole like...vibe of the room shifted?
Like, there was an instant understanding of. "Oh, we're more alike than I thought, so therefore." and we just...adjusted to account for this new information. So that the conversation flowed a bit easier and everything.

And it was interesting because my sister later came into the conversation and again the person was like "Oh yah, I'm told you're an INTJ, I'm an INFP myself."

and Kikay was the one to point out later....that knowing that the person was an INFP helped her with her perspective of him.

As before when she didn't know his personality type, she thought that he was acting a little cold towards her.
But after she found out he was an INFP she realized. "Oh, you're not being cold, I know from experience (since another roomie, and I are INFPs) that INFPs tend to be a little more on the polite side when they first meet people so it's hard to see their true personalities at first because they're not yet comfortable with me." 

So, that was kinda cool.
Like knowing the personality types helped my sister understand another person better and adjust her opinion so that it was more understanding and favorable.

Like it was super cool. 
And almost I was like. "Wow it would be awesome if we all did that. Hi my name is Sarnic and I'm an INFP" 
lol though that would probably get tedious after a while.....

But in any case. It was fun to meet another INFP lol.
Apparently we're rather rare? As the person who came over stated that they hadn't met another INFP since they took the test. 
Which...huh...I feel like I know a lot of INFPs....

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Removed From The Scene

I honestly don't know why work likes to do these demonstration things. 
Like...I get that it's supposed to be a teaching exercise and such...
But really....*shakes head* I do think they're kinda pointless. 

In any case.
Today was another "Event" day. Where work wanted us to do another thingymababber.
This time involving a "Fish Tank Set Up Demo"

Which...you know would probably have been a lot cooler and interesting if you like...actually put water in the tank and such and plugged it all in and everything.
But nope.
Dry demonstration. 
-Which makes sense because like the event is three hours long. So it makes sense that you don't want to constantly be filling and emptying the tank of water, because that takes time. And I would need to repeat this demonstration multiple times. 

Still. Pretty boring event really.
Who wants to watch me place gravel in a tank, decorate it real quick, and then put in the filter and heater, all the while explaining each step, and such? 

Only like maybe 12 people total? Maybe 6? I don't know. Small number.
lol People were more interested in the drawing to win the small tank than anything else. 
So a lot of it was just me standing there looking pretty. ;) lol. 

In any case.
The fun fact about standing at a table for 3 hours.
Is that I was scheduled to be at that table.
Which meant, I couldn't really leave the event to go elsewhere in the store. 

So it was kinda interesting to kinda be like the eye of the storm.
I could see the chaos swirling around me quite easily. 
See when Cashiers were needing backup.
See when my department needed backup.

And like...I just stood there....doing the demo. 

Which, is halfway very frustrating because me at my core...I want to help. 
But was also rather nice because like...I didn't get caught up in the stress of trying to help everyone at once because suddenly there are fifty people in the store all needing help at the same time. (okay exaggeration, but it got crazy busy all at once.) 
So at least I avoided tensing myself up like crazy. ^^;; Heh. 

But I did try to help when I could. 
I wasn't supposed to have my radio on me while I was doing the demo. 
But I ended up putting the earpiece in my ear anyway so I could be aware of what was happening in the store, and let my coworkers know when there was backup needed or when customers needed help.
So like...I felt a bit like an air traffic controller really.
Helping as much as I could when I needed to be stationed where I was at. 

^^;; 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

More Coordinated Than I Thought

Did you ever have those moments where you're like "Let's try this with the other hand?!" 

Like if you're bowling, or shooting basketballs, or throwing something.

do you ever just switch hands to see if the nondominate one could do better?

Usually it can't right? Because you don't ever use that hand, so it doesn't really have the hand/eye coordination experience to be able to accurately hit the target you're aiming for.

Well...

Tonight, I was doing that skeeball thing. 

Where you roll a ball up a ramp and it goes flying up to try and get into various holes of different numbers so that you can score different sets of points.

And I played one round with my left hand (as I'm a lefty) 

And got like 11 tickets out of it. 

But after I was done, I was like. "Well, why not play again and try the opposite hand?!" 

So I did.

And surprisingly....my right hand got the better score. O.o I got 13 tickets.

Which is like...so weird.

Because it's my right hand lol. 

I don't use that hand as much as my left.

So the fact that it ended up being slightly better was just...so crazy lol. 

And either my right hand is hiding skills I didn't know I've been developing....

Or maybe the game is just set up so that it's naturally easier for right handed people to do better than left handed. lol. The ramp favors the rightys. ;) 

who knows.

Just kinda an interesting experience that my right hand did better than the left. 

Until you next read these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

A Brief Encounter

Some months ago our granddaughter joined a youth group to tour several Church history sites.
The final itinerary noted that she would be passing through the very area where here missionary brother, our grandson, was serving.
Our granddaughter had no intention of seeing her brother on his mission.
However, as the bus entered the town where her brother was serving, two missionaries could be seen walking down the street.
One of the missionaries was her brother.

Anticipation filled the bus as the youth asked the bus driver to pull over so she could greet her brother.
In less than one minute, after tears and sweet words, her brother was back on his way to fulfill his missionary duties.
We later learned that her brother had been on the street for less than five minutes, walking from an appointment to his car.

Heavenly Father can put us in situations with specific intent in mind.
He has done so in my life, and He is doing so in yours, as He did in the lives of our dear grandchildren.

-Ronald A. Rasband -By Divine Design -October 2017 General Conference

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Wrong Substrate

So I'm pretty much a peacemaker. 
I don't like there being 'problems' 
And so if there's an issue, I automatically step in to see if I can help fix it, solve it, make it better.

Because I don't like dealing with conflict. Or being near conflict.
So most of the time, I'll do what I can to make the conflict go away as quickly as possible. 

Causing conflict?
Not usually anything I want to start. 

*exhales*
Yet...I basically instigated a conflict today. Or at least continued it as a third party.

You see, 
One of my coworkers has been going a bit....rogue...in the store.
Doing things because They think it's the right thing to do. Relying on their own knowledge more than the knowledge of professionals, or the policies that work has come up with to have the animals stay healthy and happy.

Which has resulted in some difficulties with customers and such. Misunderstandings and the like.
Like it's great to have your own knowledge...but if it makes work look bad....*exhales* It's not good. 

In any case.
Today...
this particular coworker had been scheduled out of the department. Working elsewhere in the store. 

Yet in the middle of my own tasks....
I looked up and discovered my fellow opener, who should have been finishing the bedding changes....
Was instead where the other coworker should have been. 

I didn't think much of it at first. 
Like maybe my coworker needed to go on break or grab a drink of water or something. 
Though considering this coworker doesn't like going on breaks....would have been a bit out of the ordinary.
Still I was giving them the benefit of the doubt. 

Only...a while later.
I looked up.
To see my fellow opener still 'covering' for my coworker. 
Having finished my task, I went to investigate. 

And discovered that my coworker had decided to go rogue again.
I don't know if my opener asked to be switched with my coworker or my coworker asked to switch with my opener.

But the point was.
My coworker had come into my department,
And had decided that our Ball Pythons weren't getting enough humidity in their cages.
Which the snakes do best with humidity at 50%ish 
And apparently the cages were only at 10% humidity.

Normally the snakes are placed on an aspen bedding. (wood shavings) as that's the set up that the store's guidelines say to use for the snakes. 
But because that wasn't 'helping the humidity' my coworker decided to clean out the already cleaned cages. -wasting bedding- and use a dirt substrate instead. 
Why? 
Because dirt holds the moisture a lot better than wood shavings do.
I mean, we use dirt as the bedding for our tropical reptiles. 

But. Not. For. The. Snakes. 

But my coworker decided dirt would be better and so switched out the bedding to that in order to hold the moisture in better.

Which....while I get that you want to make sure the snakes are happy and such.....
isn't how you set up the cage. 

And my main concern with the dirt bedding....
is that it could confuse customers. 
If we tell them to use Aspen shavings (as is recommend in the care guides we give customers) yet they see that there's dirt in the tank....
They'd probably question why they weren't told to use dirt too. 

Really thinking it over and being 'out of the moment'
I probably should have gone to my coworker and been like. "What are you doing?" Here their reason and go "That's cool, but...that's not in our set up guide. You need to change it back to Aspen as that's what policy says that the snakes need to be on. We can get the humidity up a different way, like spraying the cage with water a couple of times a day just like we do with the tropical tanks." 

But I didn't do that. 
Mostly because I wasn't sure if my coworker would listen to me.
As I often feel like I tell them to do something and then they're like "Yah okay." and then don't do it.

And like...I could have just ignored it all. 
Let the change in bedding slide.
Wait to see if anyone else noticed the problem and mentioned it. 
Which...in all likely hood wouldn't have happened...as people are rather unobservant. 

And then next week changed the bedding back. 

Instead....
I went to the manager. 
And told them that the coworker had switched out the bedding in the snakes. 
To which the manager was like "No they couldn't have, they're in a different dept." 
And I was like "Nope, my opener switched with them." 
And the manager was like. ()_() >.> "Why would they do that?!" 
"I have no idea." 
Seriously I don't. I don't know what triggered the switch to happen. Which coworker decided to do it or what. 

So my manager was like "No, coworker needs to be in the other dept!" And so went off to go find them.
I trailed behind, indicated which changes had been made so the manager could see for themselves that the snakes weren't on the right bedding. 

And then basically went off on my coworker. (off the floor away from customers) Telling them that they needed to be in the other department, that the snakes need to be on aspen shavings, and that my coworker needed to follow our policies and guidelines and such. 
Which coworker tried to explain why they were going off the book and such.
But the manager wasn't having it. 

*winces*
Like...I really felt bad. 
I know my coworker had good intentions and was trying to look out for the snakes and such.
but there were other ways that could have been done. Ways that stayed within store policies and procedures.

*exhales* 
And maybe with the manager noticing...my coworker will lay back on trying to do things 'their way' for a while and hang low.

Who knows. 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

It's Just...Writing?

It's always interesting to have people comment about my writing. 
Because like...I never know what to say to it?
They're like "Your writing is great!" "Your writing is amazing!" "I love your writing style!" 

And I'm like....
Thank you?

Like...it's flattering really. ^^;;
And I've gotten the comments about my writing more often now that I'm posting fics online for others to read. 
But before I started fic writing.
My main writing outlet was this blog. 
And like...writing with friends online.

And so....I kinda developed my own writing style without a lot of feedback? 
I mean...I got feedback from teachers on papers I had to write and such in school...
But on my own....free time writing....yah not so much.  

So I just kinda write...how I want to write. lol. And over the years, I've developed a style, pretty pronounced in this blog. XD lol. 

Which all this basically says....is that I'm pretty close to my writing.

And I'm happy with my writing style. 
I like how I write. 

But I don't really see anything special with it. Because it's mine. It's just me. It's how I write. lol. ^^;; I've been so close to it with barely any feedback besides my own that I just see it as 'normal' not really anything 'amazing' it just "Is." 

So the fact that people love my writing?
lol. It's just surprising. 
But so gratifying.
To know that people enjoy reading what I write?
Best feeling ever.

To see a story I post skyrocketing into popularity, and all the comments are like "This is an amazing story!" "Read this now!" "GUYS THIS IS QUALITY WRITING READ IT!" 
Like.
Wow. 
^^;; 
Just wow. 

It just makes me so giddy inside. 
Because all the doubts disappear and I'm like. "Wow, yes, people like me doing this I want to do it some more!" lol. 

^^ So yah
Here's to more writing to come! :D

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

October 2017 General Conference -Saturday Afternoon

Henry B. Eyring -The Sustaining of Church Officers

Gary E. Stevenson -Spiritual Eclipse 

• A spiritual eclipse can occur when we allow minor and troublesome obstructions--those we face in our daily lives--to get so close that they block out the magnitude, brightness, and warmth of the light of Jesus Christ and His gospel. 
• Blindness is brought upon the man by himself. When we draw other things too close, placing them first, we obscure our vision of heaven. 
• Perspective is the ability to see all relevant information in a meaningful relationship. 
• Any virtue when taken to an extreme can become a vice. 
• Comparing our own seemingly average existence with others' well-edited, perfectly crafted lives as represented on social media may leave us with feelings of discouragement, envy, and even failure. 
• Success in life doesn't come down to how many likes we get or how many social media friends or followers we have. It does, however, have something to do with meaningfully connecting with others and adding light to their lives. 
• Pride is often competitive; it is a tendency to seek to obtain more and presume we are better than others. Pride often results in feelings of anger and hatred; it cause one to hold grudges or to withhold forgiveness. Pride, 
• Don't let life's distractions eclipse heaven's light. 

Stephen W. Owen -Repentance Is Always Positive

• While there may be undefeated seasons in sports, there aren't any in life. But I testify that the Savior Jesus Christ worked out a perfect Atonement and gave us the gift of repentance--our path back to a perfect brightness of hope and a winning life. 
• Repentance is always positive.
• The joy of repentance is more than the joy of living a decent life. It's the joy of forgiveness, of being clean gain, and of drawing closer to God. Once you've experienced that joy, no lesser substitute will do. 
• Repentance both puts us on the right path and keeps us on the right path. It is for those who are just beginning to believe, those who have believed all along, and those who need to begin again to believe. 
• It is not enough just to gain a testimony; you have to maintain it and strengthen it. 

Quentin L. Cook -The Eternal Everyday

• We are all equal before God. 
• Our Heavenly Father does not want His children to be discouraged or to give up on their quest for celestial glory. 
• Sometimes humility is accepting callings when we do not feel adequate. 
• Sometimes humility is serving faithfully when we feel capable of a more high-profile assignment. 
• Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayer. 
• Holding a grudge is poisonous to our souls. 

Ronald A. Rasband -By Divine Design

• None of us ever fully utilizes the people-opportunities allocated to us within our circles of friendship. 
• Our lives are like a chessboard, and the Lord moves us from one place to another--if we are responsive to spiritual promptings. 
• There is a guiding hand above all things. Often when things happen, it is not by accident. One day, when we look back at the seeming coincidences of our lives, we will realize that perhaps they weren't so coincidental after all. 
• The Lord is in the small details of our lives. 
• Sometimes we consider changes in our plans as missteps on our journey. Think of them more as first steps to being "on the Lord's errand." 
• Heavenly Father can put us in situations with specific intent in mind. 
• Not all that the Lord asks of us is a result of how strong we are, how faithful we are, or what we may know.

O. Vincent Haleck -The Heart of the Widow

• A man can live in the dark for a period, but there will come a time when he will long to come into the light.

Russell M. Nelson -The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?

• You could have given me diamonds or rubies, but nothing is more precious to me than this additional knowledge about the Lord Jesus Christ. 
• Conversion is an individual matter.
• The Book of Mormon is truly the word of God. It contains the answers to life's most compelling questions.

Until you next read these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Needing More Space

Do you ever get into those moods where you just....don't want to people?

Yah. Kinda in a really strong wave of that right now.
Where I just don't want to go and do or be anywhere. 

>.< And it always happens, this wave of  'i just want to live up in the mountains and be a hermit and not talk to anyone.' 

When suddenly everyone in the world wants to do things.
Like, I'm good with doing one social thingy every two or three weeks. 
Seriously, I don't have the social battery to do multiple meetups with visiting teachers, committees, friends, family, and whoever else decides to randomly pop out from the blue.

But guess what happens?
Exactly that. 
Suddenly everyone wants to do something.
"Hey can we meet up Monday, can we do something Tuesday, Saturday are you okay to do this? Sunday can we go visiting teaching? Thursday can we met up?" 

AAAGGGGHHHHHH
Just No.
GO away. 
Leave me alone.

I can't do it right now.
I can't be social.
Especially because I'm a strong introvert. 
Being social drains me.
It stresses me out.
Because there's very little 'reward' in it for me.

Like at least with work and being social there, I get the rewards of feeling like I'm accomplishing something. I'm helping customers, I'm there to 'rescue' them when they come searching for a solution to their problem. It's really rewarding to do that and it helps me get through the day. 

But other things? Not so much.
I feel like I'm putting myself out there...for nothing. 
Especially in like going to FHE, or to a meeting or something.
There's very little...that makes me feel....good. 
It just stresses me out. 
And at this point.
It seems like stress is coming at me from every direction in my life.
To add more to it.
Seems counterproductive.
Why stress myself out more?

*exhales* I do end up doing it on occasion. Doing these social things that stress me out. 
And what happens? 
Usually a headache. 

Still I do them, hoping for a better result.

Right now though.
I'm pretty much going to withdraw from things. 
Until I can get a handle on most of the stresses in my life.
And see how it goes from there. 

*fingers crossed*

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

An Appearance

My fish tank must have a portal in it. 
It's the only explanation.
A portal that takes my fish to different fishtanks. 
A traveling fish tank portal.
Where fish can just go visit other places.

*shakes head*
So like a month or two ago, I did a post about me finding one of my clown loaches right?
The one that I haven't seen since like...July? Maybe August? Which is now like 6 months ago. 

Like...I know my fish tank is huge, but is it really conceivable that a five inch long fish can disappear without a trace? 
*shakes head*
Apparently.
Because my clown loach did just that. 
Which is crazy because like a had a six inch long pleco that was basically always visible. 
Yet the Clown loach, which is near the same size?
No. It had vanished for 5 straight months.
Without a sign that it was still around.

Sure, I have decorations in my tank that conceivably have enough space within them that fish could hide and hang out.
Obviously, because the clown loach did it. 

So yah. One clown loach hiding and only now becoming visible.
Makes a lot of sense. 

What doesn't make sense.
Is the fact that yesterday.
When I went to feed my fish and turn on the lights. 

I fed the fish, was looking around just to checking in on the fish, making sure they're alright and of course looking for that clown loach to see if he's going to be visible again. 
-Because the clown loach does still vanish for a few days at a time. But is still more visible than he's been before.

Only.
I looked into my tank, spotted one clown loach swimming...
And then all of a sudden out of nowhere swims a SECOND CLOWN LOACH.

()_()
FOR SIX MONTHS. I thought both clown loaches had died. 
And then a month or two ago, I discovered that one was still alive.
AND YESTERDAY I FOUND OUT THE SECOND WAS STILL ALIVE.
What!?!!
()_()
LIKE WHAT?!?!

HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!?!
*shakes head*
Seriously, Not one, but TWO of my clown loaches survived?

And the fact that blows my mind.
Is that I haven't seen the second one.
Or if I have seen the second one.
I didn't realize it.

Because before that moment I'd never seen BOTH OF THEM TOGETHER!!

Like...what?!?!
How could two large fish hide in my tank for so long and not give away the fact that there were two of them?!

I honestly don't know.
I really don't know why the both decided to appear in the first place. 
Why now? Why this moment? What changed to have both these fish suddenly appear??

*shakes head*
I don't know. 

Okay...I have a theory.

For a long while I've had ten angelfish in my tank. 
But I'm now down to six....
And it was probably around the same point that I went down to six angelfish that I first saw the first clown loach.
And while I haven't lost any angelfish recently, 
Perhaps some other small changes in the tank,
Like the newer pleco randomly dying...

Has convinced the second clown loach to come out of hiding.
He's definitely not been eating as much as the other one, because he's smaller and lighter colored.
But I think with a slight change in tank dynamics, both have now felt secure enough to come out and start being more visible.

We'll see how long that lasts.
But at least the clown loaches have a buddy to hang out with. ^^;;; 

Yay for suddenly appearing fish. 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Going Back

Okay, so yesterday was a bad day. 
Which, I'm not quite surprised about.
Because yesterday had been hanging over my head for like a week. 

Why?
Because we've gotten into a situation at work...where we're extremely short handed in my department.
Okay "extreme" may be an over exaggeration.
But like...we're short handed. 

We had a couple people in my department quit last month, and for whatever reason...replacing them has been slow going....as in it hasn't happened yet. Though the managers had like a month to find at least one person to hire. 
-One person gave their two weeks notice, then at the end of their two weeks another person gave their two weeks notice which means a full month of notice that we needed to hire people.

I mean, we still could have functioned well enough....
Only it was my two main morning people that quit....and with the start of school once more....the remaining people can't really work mornings because they're at school.
Leaving me rather short-handed in the mornings.

To the point where yesterday. Thursday...there's basically no one besides me who's able to work the mornings. Everyone else is unavailable until 5pm.

That doesn't mean i was totally alone. I do have a coworker available, they're just not actively in my department...and can only stay until like 2pmish soooo 
That leaves a bit of a gap in the afternoon.

Which the solution would be just to bring me in a little later and have this other coworker work the mornings...
Only we need two people in the mornings...and we don't have morning people, because the other coworker has other duties they have to fulfill first before they can come over into my dept. 

So the solution to this problem...
Was to just have me work a longer shift. 
Instead of eight hours I would be scheduled to work 10 hours. 

Which...while I can do, and have done shifts that long before (due to coworkers calling out) 
It's not something I actively seek, because 10 hours is a long time to be at work, especially if I'm dealing with customer service for 75% of that. 
I'm exhausted by the time I get home. Braindead.

But like...there was no one else available. 
And I had enough notice in advance to mentally prepare myself for this longer shift.

Only my head had other plans. *exhales* 
I guess I've been under too much stress this week for a variety of reasons.
And it came to a head Wednesday night...where I ended up with a nuclear headache.

And like I do with most nuclear headaches....I end up going into work anyway the next morning.
Because most of the time (it used to be every time but not so much now) if I go to work on a headache, the act of opening and cleaning in my department helps to lessen the tension in my muscles.
As most of my headaches are tension caused. 
So even if I feel horrible....I still go to work because I hope that the work will relax me enough for the headache to disappear.

Yesterday was one of those days where I was hoping it would help.
And it did kinda....like going and working was helping to relax my muscles so the tension wasn't as bad. But I was still shaky, my head was still in pain, etc. But I could almost see it being tolerable...almost.

Physically, I could see me managing to make it through the 10 hour day.
Take it slow. Don't stress. Just one step at a time, and rest often.

Emotionally.
Oh, I was doomed. 
I figured I was in bad shape when a coworker is like "How are you doing?" 
And I couldn't answer...my throat closed up, I had to bite back a sob, tears sprung into my eyes and I just had to shake my head in the 'I'm not good' sort of fashion. 
If anyone looked at me, tried to talk to me....I was like instant waterworks. Of "I ca-ca-can't. it's--I -I hav-have a migraine" 

Which...not good.
I mean if I was in a job where I didn't have to actively talk to people, I probably would have found a way to ground myself, breathe, get over it and just work.

But this is customer service.
And if I can't manage to talk to my coworkers without breaking down because my emotional defenses are laid low....
It's probably not the best of ideas to try and be customer engaged. 
Because customer service....you're supposed to try and put on a cheerful attitude. People don't want to come shopping where the workers are in bad/sad moods. 

So. I found my manager, managed to convey to him through my closed off throat that I was not feeling good. 
-Though at this point it was more emotional unwellness, while the headache was still there it wasn't as bad as it had been.

And went home.
After an hour of being at work.

And the only reason why I went home...was because I did have that other coworker there. I knew they could cover the department. I'd managed to get the more time consuming tasks done. 
And told my coworker to not worry about the cage cleaning task of the day. Just to focus on opening the floor, feeding the fish, scrubbing the tanks, etc. 

The main drawback to having my coworker go lone wolf in the department?
....was the fact that they were off at like 2. 
Which meant that the last three hours of my shift...would still be uncovered. 
And it's not like we could call anyone in.
Because that was exactly the reason why I was working the ten hour shift in the first place.
Because we needed that 2-5 gap covered. 

And I wasn't quite sure how they'd manage it....like call try and call in someone? Have the manager on duty cover? *shrugs* No idea.

The main thing was....
I went home.
I crashed. 
Took like a 4 hour nap I desperately needed because I'd barely slept the night before due to the headache.
And woke up feeling better.
Emotionally I was in control again, I had a handle on things, I could pretend to be okay for customers should they ask "how are you?" 
Physically...much better than I was. But the headache still lurked. 
But at least instead of being a 12 on the 1-10 pain scale, it was now hovering more in the 4 or 5 range.
Painful, but I could ignore it and work around it. 

And so, after being awake for a little bit, and seeing that the headache wasn't getting worse.
I chose to come back into work for the last four hours of my shift. 
Because I was feeling well enough to do so.
But also because it would be less stressful on me to know I was there to cover my dept instead of wondering and stressing on how those last few hours would be covered before our evening person could come in. 
And since at that point in the day, basically all the tasks should be done, it would be just a matter of helping customers. Which I figured I had the energy to be able to do. I'd have to be cautious, not overextend myself so the headache wouldn't flare, but I figured I'd be able to do it. 

lol *shakes head* 
So I came back into work, to the intense gratitude of the manager and my coworker. 
And for them it was probably a night and day difference to them.
Leaving them basically in tears, coming back in with a smile. 

Amazing what a little sleep can do for the emotions lol. 

Though, surprisingly people were....surprised I came back?
The groomers specifically. 
As two of them had seen me in near meltdown mode earlier this morning,
And maybe saw me leave, or were told that I left.
And I guess word spread between the groomers?

Because nearly everyone I saw when I was back at work was like "What are you doing here?! I thought you went home!!" 

...I did.....
^^;; I just came back lol. 

Everyone was like "I would have just stayed home and not come back." 
*nods* 
Yah. I can see that. 
*shrugs*
But I'm not....that sort of person? 
If I'm given a responsibility I'm going to see it through. 
If I'm scheduled to work, I'm going to do my best to work the schedule I was given. 

lol they probably all think I'm crazy for coming back.
I had one person comment. "You don't get paid enough to do that."

*shrugs* 
Maybe so.
But I doubt there's any job really where people will 'pay you' enough to come back into work when you're sick/haven't been feeling well. 

It's not like I work at Starsmet for the money. *shakes head* lol. (yes it helps, but that's not why I'm there)
I work there because I love the job, I love working with the animals, I enjoy bringing smiles to people's faces. 
Plus. I'm just stubbornly responsible. I was scheduled, if I'm feeling well enough to work then by golly I am going to work! 

And since I could once more function, that's exactly what I did.
And thankfully the day was slow.
Not a ton of customers. Not a ton of interaction.
So I was able to keep my headache from rearing into nuclear zones again. Woot! 

So yah....crazy day yesterday.
But we managed to have my department covered, I managed to function, and hopefully the headache decides to stay away for a bit. 
(Unlikely to happen with this month's track record and more and more stress popping out of the ground like daisies, but here's to being optimistic!) 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Tithing and Sewing

When I was young, I worked in my father's factory during vacations. 
The first question my father always asked after I received my salary was "What are you going to do with your money?" 

I knew the answer and responded, "Pay my tithing and save for my mission." 

After working with him for about eight years and constantly answering his same question, my father figured he had taught me about paying my tithing.
What he didn't realize was that i had learned this important principle in just one weekend.
Let me tell you how I learned that principle. 

After some events related to a civil war in Central America, my father's business went bankrupt. 
He went from about 200 full-time employees to fewer than five sewing operators who worked as needed in the garage of our home.
One day during those difficult times, I heard my parents discussing whether they should pay tithing or buy food for the children. 

On Sunday, I followed my father to see what he was going to do.
After our Church meetings, I saw him take an envelop and put his tithing in it. 
That was only part of the lesson.
The question that remained for me was what we were going to eat. 

Early Monday morning, some people knocked on our door.
When I opened it, they asked for my father.
I called for him, and when he arrived, the visitors told him about an urgent sewing order they needed as quickly as possible. 
They told him that the order was so urgent that they would pay for it in advance.
That day I learned the principles of paying tithing and the blessings that follow. 

-Valeri V. Cordon -The Language of the Gospel -April 2017 General Conference

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

A Zany System

It's always interesting to see...well....trends in new places.

Like, it seems like the same old places have been around for forever.

And then suddenly.

There's this new hangout/food place that's 'all the rage' and everyone needs to go there and try it. 

Which, I've gotten a taste of it, trying out the food trucks and such with their round ups and all that.

-Though with the winter, those are definitely less common. 

But it's not often that I go try out a new food place.

Mostly because I'm a pretty picky eater.

I know what I like and I like what I know.

So the thought of going to a new place where I'm like...I have no idea what they even serve here?

Yah, kinda halfway stressful.

Because like...what if there's nothing on the menu that I like?

What if everyone else orders so quickly and I'm just left standing there....desperately trying to find something I like.

And it's like...what if I don't even like it?

I mean what if there's a chicken sandwich on the menu, but it's not the 'good kind' of chicken sandwich but the 'bad kind of chicken sandwich' and I won't know until they bring it out to me?!?! 

Agh.

Really, I still support myself when I say it would be fun if food places offered samples of their foods. 

Like "Oh I've never had this lemon shrimp before, what is it?" 

And the person is like "For a quarter you can try it." 

So you pay the quarter.

Get a bite of shrimp and go "Oh, I don't like that, good thing I didn't buy that." 

Or "I love this! Take my money!" 

They could even do a sampler platter or something.

Take seven items on the menu and you get it for $7.99 or something. 

Yah. Still a fan of that idea.

If I ever open a food place, I'm totally going to do that.

In any case,

back on topic. 

New places.

I went to a new place tonight.

Called Roll-Up Café.

Which honestly, the name connoates those old "drive up" food places.

Like the Sonic Hops or whatever. The places where you 'roll up' to the window, order your meal and then walla it's brought out to you without ever having to leave your car. 

Nah. Twas a sit down place this place.

A place that served Crepes. 

Which cool!

Only I very little experience with Crepes beyond the fact that it's mostly fruit. 

I mean my strongest memory of them was like....I think back in my first year of college.

I believe it was like the morning after my roomie and I had been kicked out of our apartment, because our lease was up....but the school year wasn't yet up....so we had to crash for a bit somewhere so we'd actually be able to make it to class and such.

It was some sort of situation like that. 

And we had crashed...I want to say it was the Bishop's place.

And his wife made us Crepes for breakfast.

That's my strongest memory of it.

Though I've probably had them elsewhere, like at a girls camp or institute retreat or something.

*shakes head*

In any case.

Crepes.

I could halfway do that! I mean, I love fruit! I could do that. 

Only...apparently they like to put weird creams and yogurts and who knows what else on these crepe thingies. 

And I'm like...can we just make it a bowl of fresh fruit and call it good?? 

lol. 

But the place served more than fruit crepes. It was like....idk...they had desert ones and if I was reading the menu right they even had more salad/sandwich based ones....ones with chicken and lettuce and things like that.

I don't know for sure because I was in the panicked mindset of "quick find something I can eat! What can I eat What can I eat?! Ah they're ordering already!?! AHHHHHH"

lol. I settled on a brownie and ice cream one,

Which was amazing and delicious and all the sweets. lol. 

So yay for picking well!! :D

But the main thing I found amusing about the place.

Was like Sodalicious (a soda shop) the Roll Up Café decided to name their creations crazy names. 

Like at sodalicious you can get the "boy scout" "What she's having" "Summer Lovin" and end up with a specific drink.

Same concept with Roll Up Café.

You can order a "Tinder" "Awkward First Date" "Oh My Darlin" "Hot Mess" 

And get a specific type of meal. 

lol 

I ordered the Tinder, if anyone is curious.

Is there a rhyme or reason to these names with the food that makes up the specific crepe?

Probably.

I have no idea. 

But it's definitely a fun and zany concept that I like that food/drink places have gotten more into having in the recent years.

As I do remember there being places to offer specific sandwiches like "Reubens" or "Bosses' Favorite"

But none of them quite had the creative naming system as these places.

Hmmm I think I would do book themed ones for my food shop. Or maybe even movie themed.
"I'll have a Titanic." "I'll have the Lord of the Rings." 

Could be fun. lol. 

Until you next see these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi