White Screen or White Paper?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My stories are going to be on paper. :)

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

After the University

You know what's annoying about movies?

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

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

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

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

Monster's University.

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

Who knows.
Really, who knows?

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

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

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

I Prefer The Gravel

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

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

...If only we had the time.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I love win win situations. ^^

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

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

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

-S.N.D

Out In The Dark

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

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

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

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

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

-S.N.D

Scrub A Dub Dub

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

and now I'm back. :)

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Sarnic Dirchi 

Game On!

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

War.

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

And I've used it.
More than once.

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

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

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

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

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

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

And the war continued.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

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

April 1997 General Conference Saturday Afternoon

Ted E. Davis -The Church Audit Committee Report

F. Michael Watson -Statistical Report 1996

• Total Membership: 9,694,549

Dallin H. Oaks -"Bishop, Help!"

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

Henry B. Eyring -Finding Safety in Counsel

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

Monte J. Brough -A Holy Calling

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

Sheldon F. Child -AS Good As Our Bond

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

Dennis E. Simmons -His Peace

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

Jerald L. Taylor -Gratitude

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

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

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

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

-Sarnic Dirchi 

The Dream

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

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

-S.N.D