It's the Little Things

Writing can be such an interesting process.
Especially when its with story writing. 

Because I find that oftentimes.
My mind becomes focused on little details of the story.
Details, that really, 98% of the people who read said story wouldn't even think about or notice if I got it wrong.

But then I'm like... No! I need to know EXACTLY what this detail is and what it entails and how I can make sure it works in the story and *exhales* 

I think this is where my perfectionistic tendencies come out lol. 

If I don't know enough detail about a 'throw away line' in my fic....I'll go look it up and make sure I have enough background to be confident in putting said detail in the story.

Like right now I'm working on a story involving a character that's in theatre, specifically Broadway. 

And like it was a simple thought of "Oh, this character goes outside after the play and meets with their fans and signs autographs and such." 

Simple.

But then my mind was like "Wait...do actors really do that?"

Because my experience with plays has been with the local theatres, where the cast will hang out outside the auditorium's doors to meet their fans and wave goodbye as the audience leaves for the night. 
But like I haven't seen much interaction beyond. "Oh hey! I loved you in the play! Great job!" etc. 
(Probably because I was too shy to say anything nor pay attention as I was leaving.) 

So like Broadway....would the actors come out and say hi? Do they do the same thing the local theatres do? Or is there a different process? Do they stay in costume? Do they meet outside? 

And suddenly I'm down this rabbit hole of googling random questions and asking online friends in theatre what actually happens after a play because guess what?

Yah, I want to try and be as accurate as I can with this detail that will only last like maybe two pages if I extend out the scene. 

But like...I have to know. Because if that doesn't happen in real life...then it won't be believable and I would need to change the scene a bit in order to make it believable...

And I'm suddenly realizing why it takes me so freaking long to write a single page. haha. ^^;;

Because of all these random thoughts that pop into my head.
And the sudden need to be accurate with concepts that I only have a vague knowledge about. 
Means I'm spending a lot of time double checking the little details...when I could be writing. 

^^;;
Heh.
Ah well. I don't mind it much. Because even though it's a little detail most of my readers won't really latch onto....the few that will....will hopefully appreciate it when they see it. ^^;; 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

A Nice Day

My roomies have been gardening the past couple of days.
Because finally (for them) the weather has been warm enough and nice enough that they're not as concerned that we're going to end up with a freeze lol. (or you know...more snow) 

So they went out and bought some new flowers for the year, and fresh mulch and all that....gardening stuff that they decided they needed.

And set to work.
Digging out all the debris that had gathered over the winter.
Digging holes for the new plants.
Watering.
Releasing Lady Bugs. 

And who knows what else lol. ^^;; 

I have to say that I'm rather impressed with all that they did.

The area around the house looks fantastic. 

Lol though my roomies suffered a bit from it as they ended up a little sunburned from being in the sun all day. :S

Still. 
Seems like it was worth it. ^^

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Within Hearing

It's always 'fun' (not) to discover new things that well...irritate you. 

Like you never noticed before how much something bugs you....

Until you're constantly being bombarded with that thing. 

and you realize.

It's super annoying.

With me, these 'annoyance' discoveries usually revolve around sound. 

As I can be rather sensitive to it.

And therefore I can't always handle repetitive or loud noises. 

So. 

What's this new noise that I've realized really irritates me?

It's people who use the speaker phone function to talk to the person on the other end of the line. 

I mean, I can understand how speakerphone can be very useful.

Like if there are multiple people in the room and you want everyone to hear what the person on the line is saying. I can see why you'd put it on speaker.

Or if like you're hands are full and you can't keep a phone pressed to your hear the entire conversation....I can get that too. 

But like....it still bugs me even if those situations above are happening. 

Because the staticy quality that comes with having the person on speaker gets on my nerves.

-And I hate it when I have to deal with customers on the phone at work where I can tell they're using speaker phone. *exhales* It never goes well. 

But like....I don't get it when people choose to use speakerphone when they're in public places. 

Like....do you really want the entire room to hear your conversation?

Because in public places, there usually is a lot of ambient noise already in the area. 

So you're having to speak louder to be heard, and the person is speaking louder to be heard and like....everyone within a mile could probably hear your entire conversation.....

It's enough to give me a headache most of the time.

When I'm trapped in a place where I can't find solace away from this conversation that I had no wish in hearing in the first place. 

I dunno.

It's probably a personality related thing.

Some people enjoy being loud, being noticed, being in the spotlight. 

Me?

I like the quiet. 

So when my quiet is disturbed unexpectedly....that's when I have issues. 

*shakes head* 

Ah well....Another learning experience, I suppose. 

Until you next read these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Big War

You know the most annoying thing about reading/watching a series that involves war?

It's the death.

Which, yah, it's to be expected.
It is war after all. With fighting and weapons and lots of blood and such....
People die. 

And while I often love the lead up to war.
The gathering of armies, the alliances, the strategies involved, as well as the mini battles before the 'big one.' 

I've found a strong dislike for the 'big final battle itself'

Because. People. Die. 

People that I've grown to love to care about. Characters that I want to see getting a happy ending and living a long life....

It hits hard when they die.

Especially your favorites. 

But like....I could understand if their death was meaningful.
Like "Oh, you died to save this person so they could go on and defeat the big evil" 

That I can see.
That I can understand even if I don't like it.

No what I hate.
And what happens all too often in books dealing with big wars....

Is that often I feel like the characters die pointlessly. Meaninglessly. In a completely stupid way where you can tell that the author/director was like "Oh, someone has to die here, how about *gestures randomly and points* YOU!" 

It's what got me off the Tennis Shoes series. It's what has stopped me from rereading the last book of the Wheel of Time.

Because the deaths....seemed meaningless to me. Pointless. Like....Why did 'this' character have to be soooo stupid and end up dying because of this?

Why did you have to choose this character to die because "somebody had to die. Not everyone can make it out alive." 

*shakes head* 

It's why I don't like seeing war.
Why I don't like reading about it.


*exhales*
Soo... ^^;; Needless to say.

I am a bit miffed at the recent Avengers Movie. Infinity War.

Because like....so many of my favorites....didn't make it.

Like I get it. 
It's a war.
The Big Bad needs to kill some of the major characters to have a major impact and such.

But like....I don't like it.
At all. 

Especially in how some of them died. 
Especially after the actions and measures they took to try and win and---

Gah.

I don't like it.
I hate these big war things.
Because often death is meaningless.
The characters are just gone.

*exhales*

Yah....I prefer happy endings. 

I want that over endless angst and tropes and ugh....
Give me the happy ending. 

Please. 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

A Giving Heart

In 1999 a young man named Todd collapsed from a ruptured blood vessel in his brain.
Although Todd and his family were members of the Church, their activity had been sporadic, and none had experienced the blessings of the temple.
On the last night of Todd's life, his mother, Betty, sat at his bedside stroking his hand and said, "Todd, if you really do have to go, I promise I'll see to it that your temple work gets done."
The next morning, Todd was declared brain dead.
Surgeons transplanted Todd's heart into my patient, a remarkable individual named Rod.

A few months after the transplant, Rod learned the identity of his heart donor's family and began to correspond with them.
About two years later, Todd's mother, Betty, invited Rod to be present when she went to the temple for the first time.
Rod and Betty first met in person in the celestial room of the St. George Utah Temple.

Sometime thereafter, Todd's father--Betty's husband--died.
A couple of years later, Betty invited Rod to vicariously represent her deceased son in receiving his temple ordinances.
Rod gratefully did so and the proxy work culminated in a sealing room in the St. George Utah Temple.
Betty was sealed to her deceased husband, kneeling across the altar from her grandson who served as proxy.
Then, with tears streaming down her cheeks, she beckoned for Rod to join them at the altar.
Rod knelt beside them, acting as proxy for her son, Todd, whose heart was still beating inside Rod's chest.
Rod's heart donor, Todd, was then sealed to his parents for all eternity.
Todd's mother had kept the promise she made to her dying son years before.

But the story does not end there.
Fifteen years after his heart transplant, Rod became engaged to be married and asked me to perform the sealing in the Provo Utah Temple.
On the wedding day, I met with Rod and his marvelous bride, Kim, in a room adjacent to the sealing room, where their families and closest friends were waiting.
After briefly visiting with Rod and Kim, I asked if they had any questions.

Rod said,  Yes. My donor family is here and would love to meet you."

I was caught off guard and asked, "You mean they're here? Right now?"

Rod replied, "Yes."

I stepped around the corner and called the family out of the sealing room.
Betty, her daughter, and her son-in-law joined us.
Rod greeted Betty with a hug, thanked her for coming, and then introduced me to her.
Rod said, "Betty, this is Elder Renlund. He was the doctor who took care of your son's heart for so many hears."
She crossed the room and embraced me.
And for the next several minutes, there were hugs and tears of joy all around.

After we regained our composure, we moved into the sealing room, where Rod and Kim were sealed for time and all eternity.
Rod, Kim, Betty, and I can testify that heaven was very close, that there were others with us that day who had previously passed through the veil of mortality.

-Dale G. Renlund -Family History and Temple Work: Sealing and Healing -April 2018 General Conference

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

It's Cleaning Time

I'll be the first to admit that cleaning isn't my strong point. 

Which is funny considering that like...most of my tasks at work involve cleaning things.... ^^;; 
But because I love my job, I don't always consider it cleaning there. It's just a job that I do that allows me to interact with the animals. So Yay!! :D lol.

But at home....I'm not always proactive in cleaning stuff.
Nor do I enjoy the chore.

Which is why my last apartment I absolutely loathed their cleaning checks.
Because they did them Every. Single. Month. and it got on my nerves. 

In any case. 

I'm not always the most proactive at cleaning.

My bedroom can often look like a natural disaster zone before I finally decide "enough is enough" and go on a cleaning streak. 
-Which I know, if I clean a little each day and put stuff away and such, my room would stay pretty clean in general-

But months can go by before I decide "Okay yah, I need to clean my room." 
Because I have a high threshold for 'messy' lol. 
And I don't always have the energy after work to do more...well...work. 

Today, though, was one of those productive days. ^^;;

Where I got home, and was like "Yah, okay Let's clean some stuff!"

So I spent an hour or so cleaning my room and a couple other areas in the house.

Which wow, you don't realize how different a room feels...until it's clean. 
A different energy. A different feel. 
It's nice really.

And I'm like "How come I don't keep it like this all the time?"

lol because life happens and things pile up apparently. ^^;; 

So let's see how long I can keep my room clean this time around....
And see how long it takes before I decide...yah I need to clean. ^^;;

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

A New Food Place

I'm not a meat person. 

Like...not in the vegetarian sort of way.
It's just that often the meat doesn't have a good taste to it all by itself. 
So unless there's a sauce or it's really well flavored,

I often struggle to enjoy it.
Because it's just....bland. 

So going to meat focused places....isn't usually on my radar. 

And when I do find places where the meat tastes...good....it's like a miracle. 

Needless to say, when my roomies were like "Let's go to Tuschars! It's amazing!!" 
I was a bit less than enthusiastic. 

Because it was one of those 'meat focused places.' 

Still, I'm willing to give new places a try. 
And the roomies always speak sooo positively of the place. 

*laughs* 

So I went with them.

Overall. Good experience. 
Good price. Good food. Cool atmosphere. 

The meat? Alright. 
I liked the Glazed Pork Loin the best out of the three meats we tried. (Beef and Chicken were the other two.) 

*shrugs*
But yah....I can see why my roomies like it lol. 
It's just...wasn't quite my thing. 

I'm picky like that. ^^;; 

But woot for new experiences !! :D 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

All Together Now

I like puzzles. 

Not like the...jigsaw puzzles and puzzlely games and such --which I do like those on occasion.

But like...puzzles involving figuring out solutions to a problem presented to me and such.

Which may be why I enjoy doing the bedding changes (cage cleanings) at work. Because often it involves a bit of jigsawing to get everything moving smoothly and being able to bring more animals out onto the floor and such and get everything ordered. 

Well...today I was presented with a rarer challenge.

That of putting together a hamster cage.

As on occasion, customers ask us if we would put cages together for them. 
As most of the time the bird and hamster cages come in a pieces in a box and need to be put together. 

And most of the time, the customers just buy the cage and leave to put it together at home. 

So like...I'm not that familiar with the process, myself.
Bird cages, oh yah, easy peasy so long as you can get the roof of the cage on. lol.

Hamster cages? *shrugs* 

But today, I had a customer come into the store.
Who had bought one of our hamster cages yesterday or the day before....recently. 

And had managed to break the wheel, and couldn't get the water bottle properly into its slot and so....the hamster (though she called it a gerbil, I'm assuming it's a hamster if she got it from our store as we don't carry gerbils) managed to escape multiple times during the night because it found the holes presented to it and squeezed through.

So she brought the cage back, bought a different one, and asked my manager if we would be able to put it together for her. 

To which the manager called me over and had me help her out.
Which I didn't mind doing at all as my department was dead and I'd run out of most of my 'busy work' I could do like an hour or so earlier. 

So I plopped myself onto the floor and set to work putting the cage together. 
Glancing at the instructions as necessary, I managed to get the cage together and in working order. Everything in it's place and unbroken. 

^^;; so yay lol. 

But it was actually kinda enjoyable to do. Relaxing.
Putting together the cage helped me to have my hands busy while also stimulating my brain as I figured out how to get all the pieces and gizmos to stay together and not fall apart. 

So yay. 

Lol though I'm not going to say I want to constantly be putting together cages for customers.
It was a welcome change up from the usual stuff I do to help out the people who come into our store. ^^;; 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Friends

Friendships are funny things.

Because like...you can have those friends where you talk with each other every single day and never get tired of hearing from them. 

But there are other friends....where you like...are super close to them....and then like...things happen and suddenly it's been six months since you've hung out and/or spoken to them. 

Had one of those experiences today.

There's a guy in our ward that the roomies and I made friends with like a....year ago maybe? 
Said friendship being started by my sister going up to the guy in our Sunday School class and stating "You're sitting in my spot." lol. 

And like for a couple of months we would do things together and talk every Sunday and such.....

And then it all went dead. 

Like barely talked with him in church, didn't talk to him outside of church.
It was just....odd....

Like...I think life just got crazy for all of us and things happened and such....

But today the friend came up to us in class and was like HI!!!
And suddenly it felt like no time at all had passed.
We were easily chatting having fun, he asked if it would be alright if he bought over some cake mix (which was delicious) to make cupcakes and hang out for a while with us.

And it was easily a lot of fun.

Enough fun that I'm just kinda sitting here wondering.....

Why haven't we constantly been doing things with him throughout the year?
Why has it been like 6 months or longer since we've last really done things.

*shrugs*
Who knows. 

Things happen for a reason.

But it is interesting to note which friends stick around and which ones vanish...and which ones come back....

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

All in the Hues

Have you ever done those color tests. 
Where like you try and see how many different shades of color you can see out of the color spectrum?

And like the amount of colors you can see can indicate how many cones and rods you have in your eyes?
I think it's like the more you have, the more able you are to see colors. 

And like. I've taken it for granted that when I take that test, I'm on the higher end of the spectrum.
Like I can distinguish a lot of different shades of color.

But I never....really thought about how it impacts my life.
Seeing all these different shades.

.....until I tried to convince a customer that two different colors of fish were actually two different colors and not just the one same fish. *exhales* 

So there was a woman who was looking our tanks. 

-And let me tell you now, her attitude sucked. The quiet anger in her tone, the frustration and disbelief... oh yah I did not like her after two seconds of talking to her. 

But in any case.
I asked her if I could help her find anything.

To which she was like "I came in to get some Sunburst Platys, but you still only have Marigolds." 

O.o Huh?
"No." I was quick to explain. Because geez lady you're wrong. "There's sunbursts in here. See those ones there are sunbursts, while these ones here are Marigolds." 

  This is a Sunburst. Which tend to be more orange/yellow towards the head and have a red/orange towards the back.

      This is a Marigold. Which tend to have red tails, and a greenish/yellow shimmer towards the head. 

For me the difference is obvious. 
I can easily tell the shades apart and such.

But the customer.
No.
She was like "They all the same, they don't look like my sunburst at home, these are all marigolds." 

And I'm like. "No. The brighter orange ones are Sunburst while these duller ones with the red tails are Marigolds" 

Her response: They all have red tails. 

>.> 

*throws up hands* 
Fine.
Whatever.
If you want to be obstinate and not believe me when I say that the Sunbursts are Sunbursts then you can go ahead and leave empty handed without your fish. 

>.> 

It also didn't help that she was like "Also you have no Otos (a type of catfish/algae eater) again. You haven't had them all year." 
And I was like "No, we got them in like four weeks ago because I got some then."
"NO, I called four weeks ago and you didn't have them!"
"Well, we did because I bought some then."
Her: *sarcastic* Oh congrats to you then. 


Like....gah.
I don't like her.
Like lady, not my fault that whatever week we had otos in for TWO WEEKS STRAIGHT were the TWO WEEKS you didn't call the store and realize we had otos in because we GOT THEM IN. 

I also don't like that she had the attitude of "I'm not going to believe anything at all you say because you're just lying to me." 

>.>
Like lady.
I'm telling the truth if you'd just get your ears unplugged enough to listen to me. 

*exhales*
Anyways off that soap box.

It was intriguing that she couldn't see the color difference between the Marigolds and the Sunbursts....but her daughter could and I could.

Like....was she purposely not wanting to see the difference in the fish?
Or could she actually not see the difference in the fish?
Did they actually all look the same to her?
Like....she couldn't see one was more orange and the other had a more vibrant red?

It was just....offputting.
To realize that no everyone sees every color the same way I do. 

It's weird to think about.
That we see shades of color differently. 
Some can pick out more hues while others can pick out fewer.

Crazy. Seriously. 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Another Cleanliness Issue

It started out simply enough. 
A question from one roommate to the rest of us.
Because in order for there to be any major changes made in the house there has to be agreement between all of us. 

Unsurprisingly.
One roomie said "No." in response to the question.

And upon being asked "Why?" they didn't want the change to happen when there were all these 'conditions' already in place to ensure things would be fine.

The roomie was like "Well, the house is already so dirty. I just don't want it getting dirtier." 

*eye twitch*
Excuse me?
What?

*cue the ire of the rest of us* 

Because like....if the cleanliness of the house was bugging this roomie....why didn't she say anything further?! 

Like, upon moving in, we warned the roomie that we're not always the best with keeping the kitchen clean. 
-Life gets crazy, things pile up and sit there-
But if you need the kitchen clean, or if it bothers you....let us know.

Because while the rest of us are alright with a bit of a mess, we're understanding that not everyone is that way. 
And we don't do well with passive/aggressive things.

So like....if you have a problem.
Tell. 
Us. 

We don't mind bluntness. We do mind passiveagressive comments and remarks.

But if you don't say anything?
Yah, we're going to assume that everything is fine and that you're okay with things.

Because guess what?
We're not mindreaders.
We don't know when things start to get irritating.

 So the fact that roomie, out of the blue, is like "yah this place is dirty and this is why I haven't been eating dinner at the house much because the kitchen is a mess." 

Total blindside to the rest of us. 

Because did you tell us?
Nope.
You just sat there and suffered in silence so you wouldn't 'inconvenience us.'

*exhales*

Cue flashbacks to the last roommate who did that to me.

Back when I lived in the Great and Spacious Building. I had a roomie who was very nice to me to my face. Was always cleaning things. But would always assure me that things were 'fine' when I told her to tell me if I needed to fix something....
And then she ended up sending me this text of "This place is a disaster zone and I'm actually moving out of this place early because I can't stand how it's always dirty." 
And like...it terrified me.
Because she'd been so nice before and so to get blindsided by this text basically saying "I hate you and you're the cause of all my problems and I'm leaving because of you." 

So I was like Oh no!!!

And it freaked me out for like a week or so until she officially left the apartment. Got me tense and such. Worried. Stressed. Anxious. 

So to have this roomie....bring up that conditions of the house are 'dirty.' 

Total flashback to that other roommate. 

Because like...the house isn't that messy.
Like I said earlier, the dishes build up. 
But overall...the rest of the house stays pretty clean. 

So like....what do you consider 'dirty' 
What issue have you not brought up to us?

Like.. WE TOLD YOU. If something becomes an issue. JUST TELL US. 

*exhales*

Because I really don't like living with roomies who...just wait until months later to explode on something.
Dirty? 
Why did you not say so earlier?! 

Yah....
Definitely drama I didn't need right now. 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

A Slight Delay

Recently a California family, driving through St. George, Utah, on vacation, was attracted by the unusual architecture of the St. George Temple.
They walked around the building, admiring its beauty.

Having a little time to spare, the parents entered the information center; their two young children crossed the street to sit under the shade of a tree near our meetinghouse.

A teacher, calling the children in to Primary and seeing the two young visitors, said, "Come on in to Primary."
They went in.

The parents, now finished at the information center, started looking for the children.
After searching for nearly an hour, they saw them come out of the chapel.

The father said, "We've been looking all over for you. Where have you been?"

They replied, "We've been to Primary."

"Primary! What's Primary?"

"Primary is where you learn about Jesus; and, besides, Daddy, you shouldn't be smoking!"
Their father just about swallowed his cigar.

He remarked, "Let's get on our way. We're behind schedule."

The children said, "We can't go."

"Can't go! Why not?"

"We are in a play."

"A play?" he asked.

"Yes," they replied, "and the play isn't until next week, and we have to stay all week for rehearsals."

The family stated in St. George for a week!

The children rehearsed; the parents were taught the gospel; and the whole family was baptized.

-David B. Haight -The Responsibility of Young Aaronic Priesthood Bearers -April 1981 General Conference

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

Sometimes I have to wonder what customers are thinking. 
Because sometimes...their actions make no sense whatsoever. 

*shakes head*

So.
At work we have a doorbell.
Why?
Because once upon a time we used to lock the doors until the main store opened, meaning that the grooming customers who came to drop off their pets to get groomed (as grooming opens 2 hours before the main store) would need to ring the doorbell to be let into the store.

Now, the doorbell is mainly used to let your coworkers inside the building know that you've arrived and wish to be let in. As we keep the doors locked still until the groomers show up. 

So.
I'd been in the store for not even ten minutes yet.
Just barely starting the first of my opening tasks really.
When I hear the doorbell ring once.

Not surprising as the Vet receptionist arrives pretty soon after I do.
So I'm used to hearing the doorbell pretty soon after I start working.
And like. I was the nearest to the door.
So I start heading that way. 

Which the doorbell had rang just half a second before, mind you. So like I hadn't even taken like two steps.

Before the doorbell rings again.

Again, not uncommon if we take too long to answer the door.
But it had literally been a second maybe two seconds since the first ring. 
Like it happens where the person outside isn't sure that you heard them. 
So they ring again. Hold the button down for a little longer just to ensure that we did in fact hear them.

And like there are groomers who come in who like to do particular patterns when ringing the doorbell.

So I was expecting a) it to be one of the groomers who thought maybe the doorbell hadn't worked the first time. or b) a second person had arrived and also decided to ring the doorbell. 

BUT.
The kicker to this second ring was....that it didn't stop after the normal 'two second' longer ring that people sometimes do.

NO.
This person had apparently decided that they needed to hold down the button for the doorbell and NOT. STOP.

So for like the entire 30 seconds (okay maybe it was like 15 seconds?) it took me to walk from my spot to the front door, the doorbell was buzzing in it's irritating scream for attention.

THE ENTIRE FREAKING TIME.

Which, oh yah, annoying repetitive sound? Definitely one of the quickest ways to earn my ire.
I was literally expecting it to be a coworker and be like "Seriously?!"

But no, I reach the doors. And it's a grooming customer with their little dog.

*glares*
Do you know how hard it is to be polite to a person who's just held their finger on the doorbell, buzzing it, for thirty seconds straight?

Very. Very. Hard.

I literally (Yes literally) threw my hands up in the air as I approached and unlocked the doors, a strained smile on my face as I tried as politely as I could to say "I. heard. you. the. first. time."

Like Seriously?!?!!
YOU DID NOT NEED TO RING THE DOORBELL THAT LONG
DO YOU RING ANY OTHER DOORBELLS THAT LONG ANYWHERE ELSE?!?!
No.

And the customer was like. "Oh, sorry."

Like. Lady.
Could you not hear the doorbell yourself?
Because you can.
You can hear the doorbell ringing from outside.
So therefore you can assume we can hear it Inside as well.

It's not like we have the ability to poof into existence at the entrance half a second after you ring the bell.
It's not like the door bell acts as a magical unlocking mechanism that will allow you to enter the store.

You gotta wait.

But seriously.
What was going though this customer's mind?
What in the world made them think. "Oh yes, holding down this doorbell nonstop is the best way to get their attention?"  
*shakes head*
It's the best way to get us irritated with you. That's for sure.

And to top it off. She was 25 minutes early to her appointment. 

Like. I get you want to drop your dog off early. 
But...the groomers don't show up until grooming opens. They're not here early.
So you being here early? Pointless. 
No one else in the store can help you with grooming but the groomers.
So you gotta wait anyways. *shakes head*

She didn't get that either at first.
Me: The groomers won't be here until seven.
Customer: Oh, but I have an appointment at seven. 
Me: Exactly. But the groomers won't be here until Seven. So you're going to need to wait. 

*exhales*
Yah.
It was irritating. Very irritating. One shouldn't irritate me so early in the morning. Especially with noise when I'm sensitive to sounds. 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

What I Didn't Know I Needed

Sometimes it's easy to forget just how aware Heavenly Father is of me.

Like it's a concept that floats in the back of my mind.
The knowledge that things happen for a reason.
There there's a plan in mind for me.
And that I often just need to be patient to see things come to pass and such.

But on occasion, it's great to have a stronger reminder present itself.
Have it made more obvious that yes. Heavenly Father is there for me. Christ is there for me. 

This evening I went to meet up with my bishop.
As my temple recommend was nearing it's expiration date. 
And I wanted to make sure I got it renewed sooner rather than later. 

And like most interviews it starts off with the usual small talk.
How are you doing, where do you work, etc.

And I mentioned that I had a headache--specifically a migraine. 
Because stress. *exhales* 
Which I was like "Yah, most of them are stress caused, so I'm just working out ways to, you know, stop me from getting stressed out" 
Which isn't always easy to do when you're suddenly engulfed in a tidal wave of customers needing you in six different places at once...but I digress.

So I did the interview.
Got my recommend. 

And as the Bishop was grabbing the paper from the printer....
I brought up a little thing that's been nagging me for a while.

The fact that I was called and sustained to be a member of the Service Committee in the ward months and months ago (like last year months ago) 
But due to this that and the other. Namely forgetfulness, laziness, and anti-socialness.
I hadn't yet been set apart in my calling. 

Which note to self: Next time I get a new calling. Be. More. On. Top. Of. Things.

In any case.
I asked if I would be able to be Set apart there.
-As it was just the bishop present and I wasn't sure if there would have to be two people there or not. 
But Bishop was fine doing it by himself. 

So I was like "Yay!! I'm finally going to be set apart and finally feel like I belong in my calling and I'll be able to work more efficiently in it." etc. etc. etc.

Which was what the bishop did.

But then. 
He hesitated.
And like...the atmosphere in the room had a subtle shift.
And he went on to give me a bishop blessing.

Part of which involved me and my migraines/headaches.

Like...it wasn't a "You shall never have another headache again!" sort of thing.

But he reminded me that we are never confronted with trials that we can't overcome. 
That the body and spirit are connected and as I draw closer to the Savior, the body will see improvements as well. 
And as time passes, the headaches will get less intense. They'll slowly fade away, and become less of a nuisance.
And that I'll be able to find the strength and energy to continue to work through/around said headaches when they do occur so that they won't affect me as much.
The Bishop also reminded me that Heavenly Father and the Savior are always there, not to help with just my spiritual problems, but my physical ones. And that I shouldn't ever hesitate to call upon them for aid for either case. Spiritual or Physical. 

And it was just like... Wow.
It was one of those blessings that I didn't know I needed. 
That was craving to hear.
The reminder that I don't have to face anything alone.
That even my headaches...I can call upon them for aid to get help to overcome them.

It was a tear inducing moment for sure.

And the best part...was as I left the building, My headache also left as well. 
Like it faded. 

And it's just...the most amazing feeling and the best confirmation ever. 

He's there guys.
He listens.
He helps you when you ask for it.

Just like.
Wow. 
Wow.  

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Multi-Tasking Irritation

I could already tell I wasn't going to finish my shift on a high note today.

Because there was a dull ache beginning behind my eyes.
Indicating that even though I had gotten enough sleep last night....
My body didn't believe I had (apparently walking around like crazy pokemon hunting yesterday is exhausting?)

So I knew that once I got home I would need to crash for a bit to try and rejuvenate my social battery and rest and such.

I could tell I wasn't in a good spot either.
Because a couple of ill-fated customer interactions...well didn't go so well. And that was niggling in the back of my mind.
Because I knew I could have done more to be a better help to these customers.
I just...ended up making the wrong choices in the heat of the moment.
And the knowledge I wasn't doing well was mentally stressing me out. (dear brain stop overthinking things) 

And then....
I got stuck in the middle of a rush. 
It was just me and three managers in the store.

One manager had recently gone on lunch.
A second was our main cashier.
And the third was helping out our grooming manager w/ some things as well as getting waylaid by other customers.

Which meant...that when the Cashiering manager asked for backup....

I was the only one available to help.

Which I could do because I had just sent a customer off away from adoptions to go shopping for items they needed for the cat they were adopting. 

So I had a few minutes to spare.

But in the middle of helping this rush of people.
My work phone started ringing.

I put it on silent because I was on register.
Only to have the Cashiering Manager pick it up and put the customer back on hold...turning to tell me that there was a customer who needed my help (since I was the only PetCare person totally in the store) with some questions about a Water Dragon. 

Which I was like. OH No. 

Because the only Chinese Water Dragon that had been purchased recently....
Had been purchased by a lady who's become overly paranoid (thanks to a coworker or two who made taking care of the water dragon seem much more difficult than it actually was) 
And plagued me everyday for a week like a month ago about how to care for the said creature.
Being paranoid about if it was eating, if it was being active enough, if it had enough humidity, if it was warm enough. etc. 

Which...so confused because the woman's owned other lizards before.
I'm certain she mentioned that.
So she should know that they aren't that difficult to take care of. 

But because she'd never owned a water dragon before....
Or...any tropical reptile apparently.

She became overparanoid that she was going to kill the thing. (again because my coworkers freaked her out about caring for it)

Which seriously...I almost wish she just brought the reptile back because honestly, if she's going to be so stressed out about the creature why not just bring it back and be done with the stress? 

*shakes head*
Like....if you're asking me how often to change the water, and freaking out because two crickets disappeared in the cage but you're freaking out because 'what if they're hiding in the dirt and the dragon didn't eat it' ...then maybe it's best to try a....more simple pet?

In any case.
I was hoping that this wasn't the customer on hold.

Especially because there was no easy way for me to break free from register.
Again, due to a rush. 

But like it would only be another minute before the phones started ringing again,
And again I was the only one able to help this customer on the phone because the manager over my department was currently out on lunch.

So I made the choice to answer the phone at the register.
Thinking that it wouldn't be that hard to answer a quick question and then continue helping the people standing in line. 

*exhales* 
It wouldn't have been.
If it had been a simple question from a customer on the phone.

But nope.
It was the paranoid lady on the phone.
Who had bought the Chinese Water dragon like a month ago.

Which considering the creature was still alive after a month....I would think that the paranoia would die down because...hey the lizard wasn't dead yet, therefore you're doing something right. 

*exhales*
Wrong apparently. 

So I got stuck trying to help her and customers at the register for like...fifteen minutes it felt like?
It was probably shorter than that.

But like...trying to have two conversations at once?
Horrible idea.
Doesn't work.
I can't focus on two different things at once very well even though I've had a bit of practice doing so as I did go to school to be an interpreter. So I know how to listen to one thing while saying another.

But listening to two things....yah doesn't work.

So I kept apologizing to the customers in line.
When I had to have them reenter phone numbers, and got delayed in pressing the right buttons so they could finish checking out....

Though thankfully they were all rather understanding of the situation and seemed to take it well enough.
When I was finally able to hang up the phone and again apologize about not helping them as well as I could have, the customers in line were very understanding and it made me feel a bit better about things.

Though still stressful. 
So stressful.

Especially because the lady on the phone was asking me questions I couldn't exactly answer.

First she wanted to know how old our Chinese water dragon was when we got him in.

Which. I have no idea.
I don't see the creatures when they're born nor do I know how long it takes them to get certain sizes. 

Like I've been told by coworkers that our tortoises are like 10 years old when they come in. (because they grow slow...?) but like they could be much younger? idk. 

But generally I assume most of our reptiles our 3-6 months old when they come in.
Mostly because that's the age of our birds and small pets when they come in.

So I told the woman on the phone that. He's probably 3-6 months old, but I don't know for sure.

Which I missed what she said next, because again, I was helping customers on the register as well.
I just got that she'd gotten on the internet and asked google how old the reptile was and found a site that indicated the approx. age of Water Dragons based on just body size, but also based on body size plus the length of the tail. 

Which checking google just now, it looks like the water dragons are probably closer to 6 months old if not up to a year old when they come into the store, judging by the usual size they come in as. 

In any case.
I reiterated that they're usually 3-6 months old. But we don't know for sure. 

To which the conversation segwayed into her wanting to know if we had vets look at the water dragons before they come into the store and if there were any specific shots/vaccinations that she needed to be looking to give her water dragon.

Which. O.o 
Lady...it's a reptile. 
It's not a dog or cat that can give you rabies...I don't think they ever need to have any shots. Or really be taken to the vet unless they've gotten sick.
*shakes head*

So I told her that our pets are vet certified when they come in.
But I don't know what standards the water dragons needed to meet in order to be vet certified, and I had no idea if any medications/deworming/shots had been given before hand.

-I'm leaning to not. 

But she was asking because she wanted to know when the water dragon would be old enough to need to be dewormed? Or get a deworming vaccination or something?

Because she had a friend who owned a water dragon 
-Which if she has a friend who's had one....why not ask them all these questions?-
But that water dragon ended up dying because her friend hadn't gotten it dewormed....

O.o ....nothing I'd ever heard of before....
But okay. 
Again, I was like...I have no idea. They're too young for us to do anything with here.
(like if you're concerned why not call a vet and ask?? -now that I think on it I should have just told her to call the vet we take our reptiles to and ask them) 

In any case I was like "They're not like cats or dogs, they don't have certain shots/vaccinations they need. 
Basically the only thing you should be worrying about is if they stop eating and stop being active.

To which she was like "But he just sits there!"
And I'm like it's a reptile!! THEY SIT THERE! but instead I was like "If he lifts his head and is alert when you pick him up then he's fine"

Which meant another five minute explanation from her on how the water dragon reacts when she picks it up out of the cage and such.

-Again...he's still alive. Still eating. Why are you still being paranoid?!

But she was like "He's only eating mealworms though, nothing else. Is there something wrong with him?"

*exhales*
NO.

Reptiles can be just as picky as humans.
Some prefer eating one insect over the other.
So if he's not eating crickets but is eating mealworms or visversa....He's FINE.

I mean we recommend trying to vary the diet.
But there are reptiles who refuse to vary the diet. 
Soooo as long as he's eating something.

He's fine.
So long as he's alert and perky.
He's fine.

Basically. Stop being so paranoid over the reptile! He's still alive and eating and such therefore. You're doing a great job taking care of the reptile. 

*exhales*
The entire conversation I was mentally shaking my fist at the coworker who sent this customer on such a paranoid streak.
Because sheesh.

I don't understand why she's still kept the thing if she's so worried about it. *exhales*

Thankfully I was able to end the call (after helping like four customers on the register) 

And get away from back up cashiering....

But the damage had been done basically.
I overextended my social reserves.
And drained my battery.

Which meant...yah suffering from a headache currently because I wasn't ready to be needed in twelve different directions at once. 
(It's Monday after all. it shouldn't be that busy) 

*shakes head* 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi