Money and Sam's Club

I liked this article on money. I don't really have a comment on it, other than I thought he made a lot of good points.

And I realized the other day that I love the idea of Sam's Club and Costco: buy in bulk to save money. But once I go inside, I find myself totally overwhelmed and unable to make wise, or any, decisions. $8 for a big bag of pasta! What a deal! But wait--is that really cheaper than buying 8 little bags at my local grocery store? I know that under a dollar is a pretty good deal for the bags I get there, but I don't know how many ounces are in those bags, so how will I know if this is more or less than that?!!! So there's that anxiety plus the fact that I can't ever find anything in there. I tried to find peanut butter the other day--no luck. Granted, I didn't walk up and down EVERY aisle, but when was the last time you had to walk up and down every aisle at your local grocery store to find Peanut Butter! Just look for the bread and/or the sign at the end of the aisle that undoubtedly says "Peanut Butter" on it!

Maybe I just need to give it a fighting chance. Spend more time getting to know each aisle. Open my heart to the possibility of loving.

Or not.

Objective vs. Subjective

First of all, I feel badly writing a post so soon after Royce wrote his, since he posts so little. So everyone be sure to read and comment on Royce's post!

That being said, I had an experience this morning at work that left a sour taste in my mouth. And the only way I can think to get rid of it is to blog.

Without actually revealing the details of my encounter (I have to be careful since it's work-related), I want to pose some questions to all of you to gather your thoughts on what I believe to be the root of this and other similar situations.

The Question--Which is better: objective or subjective behavior? Here are some definitions to get your thoughts flowing:

objective = not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts.

subjective = the opposite of that (I didn't like any of the definitions I found)

I would maybe add to the definition that in subjective behavior, personal circumstance (including emotional states and motives) are taken into account, while they are not in objective behavior.

What I want to know is, what is the role of objective and subjective behavior/discipline/judgments in our homes, schools, governments, churches, social circles, etc.? Do some of these institutions call for objective actions while the others call for subjective? Or do they all require a mix? Is one or the other more "fair"? Do you find yourself dealing with situations more objectively or subjectively? Can you think of specific situations?

Please don't feel like you have to answer all of those--if you have an opinion on one that would be plenty.

I know this seems so random, but the topic is weighing heavily on my mind right now. I will share my opinions and thoughts on the subject later, but I want to give you the opportunity to comment without my opinion influencing your comments in any way (and I definitely have an opinion, but I'm always open to new and well-thought-out arguments).

And please do comment!! I think that as vague as this topic is, there are some really interesting discussions lurking within it.

Nutcrackers, Marie Callendar, and Christmas

So Heather has been complaining lately that I never post anything anymore...which is true, but that's also because I don't have pictures on my computer anymore. Heather's camera attaches to her laptop so all the pictures are on her computer hence the reason you haven't seen pictures or posts of things that I'd have blogged about by now (yeah right).

Anyway, so I've gotten into the Christmas spirit lately and as a part of that have finally written my annual Christmas letter. Which caused a little contention in our household because Heather doesn't want people to think she's been writing these things for the past 10 years and no one she knows has gotten them (well she hasn't). Anyway, so I finally wrote my Christmas letter and will hopefully post it on this blog once we've sent out our Christmas cards. I also mentioned in that Christmas letter that I will be writing a more detailed version of it on this blog (as in more pictures I guess). So I guess you'll be hearing more of my rambling in later posts as well.

Anyway, lately Heather has been playing in the Nutcracker at the Covey (go see it) and has left me home all alone on Thursday-Saturday nights.


So I've been having Marie over to do some cooking for me.

That's right Marie Callendar has been my lifesaver. If you haven't tried one of these "TV" dinners before, oh man you are missing out because they are pretty good. These are pretty much what I lived on as a single. I'm very grateful I don't have to do that anymore, but I still do enjoy them from time to time. I think I even had a turkey one during Thanksgiving during my mission.

Anyway, there pretty good, but if you live in the Provo area and want to have me over for dinner this Thurs.-Saturday I won't mind. Of course Heather doesn't have to leave now until 6:45ish so she may still be able to cook for me, but I am sure she wouldn't mind not cooking for me.

A motto to live by

Fix it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do, or
Do without.

Such is the motto that the pioneers lived by. Now I don't wish to make any claims that I come close to living by this adage. But as I set my alarm on my Palm Pilot last night, this saying came to mind and I realized that at least technologically I am living this principle.

This is what my Palm i705 looks like.


It's definitely no Blackberry.

It's black and white (more like black and a greenish/gray), it has an address book, calendar, memo pad, to-do list, a back-light, and some other excellent and useful features. I use it to schedule appointments, keep track of acquaintances (no worries if my cell phone gets lost!), make grocery lists, keep track of my finances, etc. etc. It also has some internet capabilities, though I would never pay for the services. It does not have Word capabilities, wireless phone, or any other nifty gadgets, all of which I cannot think of because I have no need for them.

I've had this baby for . . . 6 or 7 years now? And it's showing the signs of it. The screen is scratched, the paint is chipped everywhere, the front and back have spread apart by a millimeter or so, and often you have to tap the stylus about 1/4 inch below or above the item you are trying to select. But, with all luck it should last me another 6 or 7 years. And I really don't think I'll see a need for any other features than it offers me. So while I may not patch my threadbare clothing, I feel like at least in this respect I'm doing my part to "waste not, want not."

The 7:45 bus is always late . . .

Well, technically it could be on time. And today was a closer call than I liked. I don't like standing in the cold, so I leave my apartment at the last possible minute. Sometimes I run to the bus stop, partially because it creates more body heat. Today I ran because as the light turned yellow, I saw the bus zip through the intersection. What?! Lucky for me, there were two people waiting at the bus stop. Otherwise the bus would have soared right on by. As it was, I was able to run across the street and get on, meanwhile dropping my phone, turning back to pick it up, and trying to retrieve my bus pass from my wallet. Whew! (And this, of course, would be the morning where I actually know people who are on the bus. Do you think they were watching?)

Cute clothes . . . anyone?

I don't know if any of you have this problem: it seems that whenever I have the desire and the means (in this instance, gift cards) to buy clothes, I can't find any that I like. I can spend hours browsing and trying things on and still leave with nothing. I just don't like what's in the stores right now--they're boxy, shapeless, and too trendy for me (I like things that I would look ok wearing 10 years down the road). Anyway, so just as I was leaving the store, I walked by the maternity section; I had heard of friends having luck with maternity clothes . . . (and lets just clarify here that I am not pregnant--this is not an announcement). So I started looking around; there were a lot of cute clothes! I avoided the belly-expandable pants, but I found a lot of cute shirts to try on. I came home with two shirts (though I'm still debating about a third one that I liked). And honestly, I don't think you can tell they're maternity clothes at all. One of them is so fitted I'm not sure I could wear it if I was pregnant. I think that they appealed to me because they're all long, they flatter the figure, and they're in bright colors.

Well, there you have it. Now when I see you I know you're going to look twice to see if it's a maternity shirt I'm wearing. Well, the chances may be good if I get another shopping bug.

Don't you love it

when I haven't posted on my blog for a month and then I post a million entries in one day? Yeah, sorry about that. I may even get around to uploading pictures one of these days too. But I wouldn't get your hopes up too high yet!