What Did You Say?

I've suspected for a while now that I should get my hearing checked. But maybe Nathan just mumbles a lot. Neither one explains why I am so good at misunderstanding song lyrics.

For months I sang along to the song that plays at the end of a TV show Nathan and I watch every week. I said, "I want to lie shipwrecked and comatose, sipping red mango juice." After a while, Nathan pointed out that mango juice is not red. The line was Fresh mango juice. Sound similar? No.

And there was the time when my sister was visiting and I was accompanying Colin Raye. It turns out that the word road in "I think I'm on a road here in Little Rock" is actually roll. I guess that makes sense.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

What are your favorite Christmas movies? Mine are Miracle on 34th Street and A Charlie Brown Christmas.

I just found out that my mom really likes A Christmas story. Which is funny because I really don't like it. But now it makes sense that when I was growing up I saw it on TV every year.

Recipe For Gingerbread Men

1. Go to Macey's (or your local grocery store) at 7 PM on the Saturday before Christmas.
2. Explain to the friendly bakery worker that you saw a sign earlier in the week that they were selling already made gingerbread dough and are they still doing that? Feel rather dumb as she says that yes, they were selling some, but she doesn't know if there is any left. (Of course lots of people will want to buy gingerbread dough the weekend before Christmas - why didn't you think of that?) Smile gratefully when she comes back to say that yes, there is some of the gingerbread dough left.
3. Feel very pleased when the cashier shows surprise at your purchase and says "I thought we were all out."
4. Call all of your cooking-inclined friends when you get home and remember that you don't own any cookie cutters. Ask if you can borrow their gingerbread man cookie cutter.
5. Put them on your friends forever list when they say that you can come over anytime to pick it up.
6. Remember to wash cookie cutter and return to friend with plate of warm gingerbread men cookies.
P.S. Cook at 325 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Enjoy.

Hogswatch

This week a movie called Hogfather has been showing on TV. It's based off of a book written by Terry Pratchett. A short summary would be that an assassin is hired to kill Santa Clause. In a world where Santa Clause's face resembles a hog and boars pull the sleigh instead of reindeer.

I am going to share a quote. Because I think it's neat:
"All right," said Susan, "I'm not stupid. You're saying humans need ... fantasies to make life bearable.
(Death, her grandfather) "No. Humans need fantasy to be human. To be the place where the falling angel meet the rising ape."
(Susan) "Tooth fairies? Hogfathers?"
(Death) "Yes. As practice. You have to start out learning to believe the little lies."
(Susan) "So we can believe the big ones?"
(D) "Yes. Justice. Duty. Mercy. That sort of thing."
(S) "They're not the same at all!"
(D) "Really? Then take the universe and grind it down to the finest powder and sieve it through the finest sieve and then show me one atom of justice, one molecule of mercy. And yet you act, like there was some sort of rightness in the universe by which it may be judged."
(S) "Yes. But people have got to believe that or what's the point?"
(D) "My point exactly."

A Peeve

It really, truly annoys me that Utah does not plow their roads. Saturday was a very snowy day and we had to rearrange our plans because Orem roads are not safe to drive on when it snows. It stopped snowing Saturday evening and the roads were still bad when we went to church Sunday. Not the slightest indication that the roads had been iced or sanded or anything to help with traction. No wonder people have trucks.

A Christmas Party

Yesterday I had a day on the town in preparation for my first party of the season. First I had to drop Nathan off at work so that I could use the car. Then I was on my own - with a debit card. After spending way too much time in the mall, I bought a cute red dress at JC Penney and some comfortable dress shoes at Sears. (Did you know Sears has cute clothes?). A haircut at Fantastic Sam's made me feel pampered and late picking up Nathan. Oops.

The activity was planned by a bunch of guys who exaggerated and called it the Ward Christmas "Ball". (Turns out they just wanted to give people a chance to dress up and we were reassured in our Sunday meetings that Sunday dress would be okay.) Most people came in stuff a little to fancy to wear to church, but not formalwear. One couple came in a limo and wore a tux and a gown.

I was a bit leery of what was essentially a church dance, but I had a good time. It was a fun (and free) date night with dinner, a gift exchange, and dancing. Nathan and I went home the proud owners of a box of Cheerios (from the swap) and sore toes as proof that our social dance lessons from BYU are fading.

345 PLZ

We got the plates for our car today! Nathan likes to make words out the letters on license plates. Our last car was called Nelly after he saw NLY on the license plates. Our new car doesn't have a name yet, but I was the first to notice that she's a polite auto - doesn't PLZ look like please?

I'm Old At Heart

You Belong in 1951

You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

What Year Do You Belong In?

I enjoy silly personality quizzes. I found this one through a link on The Sassy Lime. Although, I do wonder how they peg the year so exactly - why not just say the 1950's?

Thank You Nathan

Nathan did me a great service this week. He programmed our VCR clock to adjust for Daylight Savings. Thanks to him, I didn't miss this week's episode of House.

Boy, have I had some bad luck taping House this season. I caught the first episode but the next week I forgot to rewind the tape. Apparently the VCR needs something to record on. The next time I was disappointed because instead of House I found 2 hours of a baseball game. Sure, this was what was supposed to be on, but I forgot that there wouldn't be a new episode for two weeks and was disappointed anyway when I got home and saw sports instead of My Show. And another time, the TV antenna was adjusted for the best viewing of ABC instead of Fox so that episode wasn't watchable.

A Peeve

It really bugs me that my favourite radio station is playing Christmas music around the clock. I really love holiday songs, but only after Thanksgiving. Cozy 106.5 started the day after Halloween. For me, the music begins to lose some of the specialness if it's around for 2 months instead of one. What happened to our month of thanks?

There Must Be A Better Way

Newspapers: Nathan goes to BYU campus 3 times a week for yoga and always brings home 2 copies of the "Daily Universe"s (so that there is a crossword puzzle for each of us to do). That's 6 papers a week. Then there's the UVSC paper that he picks up when he goes to his weekly class there. (he only brings home one because it doesn't have a crossword puzzle) And sometimes he'll stop by a building on campus that has free New York Times available. Those are big newspapers.

All of this adds up to a lot of newsprint in our home. When we lived on BYU campus recycling bins were very convenient and I used those once a week. Now recycling is not convenient and it usually piles up next to the trash can until I remember to bag it so Nathan can take it to BYU and dump it there.

I also don't throw away papers that aren't newspapers because BYU recycles that too. So I have a pile of papers next to my trash that needs to be sorted into newsprint and not newsprint so Nathan can take it with him next time he goes to BYU. Except that most of the time he's in a hurry and forgets to take it and it piles up more. Or he doesn't have time or forgets to dump it in the bin and then it's in our car until he remembers.

Maybe it is time to start throwing the paper away.

Am I Old, Responsible, or Cheap?

Yesterday, I was excited when I opened my monthly letter from the electric company. September's bill was less than $30! This is the lowest it's been since we moved in last December. Am I totally boring that this made me happy?

PS. Everything in our apartment is electric - heating, cooling, stove, etc.

Observations

1. Jello that is 2 weeks old is gross. If you try to throw it away by turning the bowl upside down over the trash can, it will not budge. If you shake the bowl, it will make slurping noises but it will not fall out. A spoon will not remove the parts in direct contact with the bowl.
2. Chopped hard boiled eggs on top of a pile of red and green Jello looks icky.
3. Taking out the trash does not always make the smell go away.
4. My husband WILL eat his Jamba Juice smoothie that has been sitting in the fridge for 5 days that he didn't like much in the first place and then be surprised that he has a stomach ache from a fruit smoothie that is nearly a week old.
5. I will promise myself to eat healthier and cut down on snacks, buy some 100-calorie Oreo packs to help with the resolution, and then have some of the ice cream cake served at work that night.

Girlfriends

The other night I told Nathan that he is my best friend - even more than my girlfriends. For me this was very meaningful, kind of saying you're still important to me even though we're disagreeing on a lot of stuff lately and I love you most. It was significant because I'm closer to several of my old college roomates than any of my family members. What does the man say? "That's good." Grrr.

I feel jipped

We almost had moderate weather. Almost. One week of 70's after 2 months of 90's. Then there was Saturday. High of 50-something and slush on the windshield. Now we are up to the 60's. (sorry for the weather report)

In the 8 years that I have lived in Utah (ugh), September and October have been mild months. Last year my flowers bloomed until mid-October. Which brings me to the reason I feel cheated. My impatiens were late bloomers (due to my un-green thumb) and I was hoping to get a few more weeks of flowers. Just long enough to see what color blossoms would come from the last plant. That's all I ask.

Visiting Teaching

I just finished my visiting teaching for September. I've always enjoyed these monthly visits. Okay, I get anxious every other month when it's my turn to share the lesson. But this time I was the one to schedule the apointments. It also helps that my partner lives just two doors down and is just a really awesome woman. We've been visiting teaching companions since I moved here last December and I'll be really sad when that changes. I hear that in regular wards people can be assigned together for years. Due to the nomadic tendencies of student life, visiting teaching companions in a student ward are lucky if they're paired up for 6 months.

Now, I know some people don't like visiting teaching or have a beef with the program. And sure the first visit or two - AKA the 'getting to know you' stage - can be awkward, but after that it's a good way to make sure you schedule time in to see friends.

Between work, school, grocery shopping, laundry, attending family events, etcetera, etcetera... how often do we take time to drop by and spend some time with our friends? If I see my mechanic every 3 months for an oil change then shouldn't I see my old college roomie at least as much? At least she doesn't tell me I'm old and broken each time we get together. Unlike my mechanic.

Nathan's No Good Week

It went downhill after his birthday. The next day he rode his bike to work. I get a call at 8:30 AM, the time he's supposed to start work. He has a flat tire and can I come pick him up? So I hurried myself there, we got the bike into the car, I dropped him off at work and the day went back to normal.

Enter Thursday. He's up all night with our friend Stomach Flu. I, a trained medical professional, listen helplessly to the bathroom sounds as there is not much that can be done at home to help with Ralphing. But I'm tired, so I sleep too. Bad wife.

Friday afternoon. Nathan tells me that he feels dehydrated. In between stomach spasms (his), we drive to the nearest IHC Urgent Care. After the usual paperwork and 3 other healthy-looking patients being called in first, we saw a doctor. Actually, I don't know who we saw. He never said his name and he may have been a physician's assistant. And actually, we saw more of the medical assistant, who came in first and took Nathan's vital signs. A fever of 103.5? Wow. The doctor (or PA) asks some questions, diagnoses gastrointestinal virus and puts Nathan on IV for an hour. We left with a prescription for an antinausea medicine. Silver Lining? We just got health insurance coverage September 1. For the first time in a year.

Saturday and Sunday. I quarantine Nathan to the living room couch and keep him supplied with a liquid diet. No church for you mister.

Monday. He puts in half a day at work. Still not feeling up to par, but the day passes uneventfully.

And finally - Tuesday. To come full circle, as he's driving to work the car gets a flat tire. Silver lining? Our spare isn't a donut. But it was flat too. He had to put air in it before going to work. And he also felt sick.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATHAN!

Today is Nathan's Birthday. I got off work so we can spend the day together - that doesn't happen much anymore (because of our work schedules). We have to do some boring stuff like laundry at the laundromat and grocery shopping. Nathan knows one of his 'gifts' is the Intro to Criminal Justice course he's taking at UVSC this semester. I can't tell you what else I'm giving him because he hasn't opened it yet. But we've had a card from his Grandma sitting on the table all week driving me nuts. I don't like waiting to open things.

Congrats to Nathan!

We just found out that Nathan passed the exam he took at the beginning of August. Now he can be paid to teach yoga instead of just volunteering for experience. Things won't change instantly though, because BYU and UVSC don't have openings for yoga instructors. So for the time being he will continue to be a TA for BYU's community classes and sub when asked to. But Yea! for passing a difficult test.

People Say Nice Things

During my recent interactions with people 2 comments stand out:

1) A boy at work got some new acne face wash from his mom and I, trying to make small talk, said "You'll have to let me know if it helps. I could use a good face wash." The sweet child answered, "Beth, you have acne? You must cover it up with make-up because I don't see anything." This was especially touching because I wasn't wearing make-up.

2) I hate shoe shopping. On Labor Day, I bit the bullet and tried on some shoes at a store in the mall called Tradehome. I explained to the salesman that I have a hard time finding shoes that fit because my feet are wide. After measuring my feet, he said, "Your feet aren't particularly wide. You just have a high instep." I didn't know what an instep was but having someone tell me that I didn't have wide feet gave me warm fuzzy feelings. In a shoe store? Unheard of. I left with a pair of Adidas Supernovas.

I'm Still Sick

The storm is long past but my body didn't get the message. I've found a very effective way to not overeat - a sore throat. Wednesday, I fasted for 24 hours with no problem, not even cookies were tempting. The bathroom counter reads like a pharmacy shelf: Chloraseptic throat lozenges, Benedryl, Nyquil, Dayquil...

Nathan has been great this week while I've been under the weather. He's a good person to have around when you are sick, very patient and understanding.

So send healthy thoughts my way while I go see if my bowl of Cheerios is mushy enough for my throat.

My Body The Barometer

A storm is coming, so says the weatherman, that will lower our daily highs from 95+ degrees to just above 80 degrees. I am very much looking forward to 'cooler' temperatures but for right now I feel like crap. My bones ache. This stuff is supposed to happen to arthritic old people, not me. I have the TV to tell me if rainclouds are coming, I don't need anything more intuitive. Thanks, but no thanks. And Advil isn't helping.

I'm Going To Whine

I'm tired of my job. I'm tired of getting home at 10:30 PM on a good day. I'm tired of seeing Nathan only on weekends. I'm tired of not being able to see my friends because I work at night and that's when they are available to meet. I'm tired of not looking at the church calendar because I can't attend the socials anyway because I have to work. I'm tired of never having 2 days off in a row. And I'm tired of being tired.

Kids Say The Funniest Things

I spent the weekend with my 4 cousins and thought I would come back with funny stories to tell. While they did make me chuckle during my stay, the cute moments don't translate easily into writing.

For instance, Allie is 4. At the end of our visit we were visiting outside by the cars. Apparently she'd had a long day and too much activity. She climbed into the backseat of her dad's car, announced 'I need some peace and quiet time', and shut the door.

Sunday morning I made pancakes for the family. Uncle was at work, aunt was recuperating from surgery in her room and cousins Allie (4) and Kyler (14) were still asleep, so I only had the middle 2 at the table. So while I was at the griddle flipping pancakes, I asked Cade (7) and Sarah (8) to get the table ready. I reminded them to get plates, then forks, then knives, then milk, then syrup... We all sat down and I asked whose turn it was to say the prayer. Sarah figured out that since it was Sunday it was her turn. We listened to an interesting child's prayer which involved what was on her mind which included people in the military since we had been talking about her Uncle Tim who is in the Air Force. And after the prayer Caden pauses to say, "you guys are like my mom and dad. But nicer."

Trip To Ikea: Part Two

Lesson: a 31.5" wide bookcase does NOT fit into a '97 Toyota Corrolla

Between the self serve area (where you pick up your furniture) and the cash registers lies the "As Is" section. Floor models and furniture with imperfections are sold here at discounted prices. Jen and I stopped for a quick look and of course I found something.

Our conversation went a little like this:
Me: Do you think a bookcase could fit into your car?
Jen: Probably, why?
Me: Well, I kind of like that one. (pointing to an already assembled bookcase. Later measurements would show it to be 31.5"wide, 41"tall, 11"deep)
Jen: Yeah, that would fit.
Me: Are you sure, because I don't have to get it...
Jen: It'll work.

I'm sure the people at the loading area of Ikea had fun watching two women try to fit it into first the trunk of her car and then the backseat. It finally did get in through the back doors. Jen isn't the type to give up and the bookcase slid right in- after we got the angle just right and pushed the front seats as far forward as they would go. Problem solved.

When we got to my place it didn't want to come back out. What goes in must come out, right? We got quite sweaty under the afternoon sun as we finangled that thing out of the car. We must have worked at it for half an hour. My friend's poor car looks a little worse for the wear after our (mis)adventure.

Thanks Jen. Let's not do that again.

Trip To Ikea

Utah's only Ikea store had it's grand opening last May and homemakers statewide were thrilled. Last Friday, I went shopping there with a friend. She wanted to get a comfy reading chair for her room and I wanted to see this Ikea wonder that everyone is talking about. First impressions? Big and blue.

This store is huge. Since I have no sense of direction, I stayed close to J so that I wouldn't get lost and never find my way out.

After lots of sitting, J decided on a POÄNG chair. She wrote down the code letters and we went to the self serve area to pick out the boxes. I wasn't too confident in a piece of furniture with 'assembly required,' but when we got back to Provo it was ready to use in under 15 minutes. I swear.

Not everything at Ikea fits my style but it's great prices for good quality stuff with lots of choices. I'd definitely go back.

Birth of an Idiom

Overheard at work:
I don't want to piss in your cereal but...

* The correct phrase may have been burst your bubble.

No Baking Allowed

My friend had a birthday this week and I wanted to make her a treat. And I did NOT want to turn on the oven because it was HOT. So I made...

PEANUT BUTTER CUP BARS
Ingredients:
1 C butter, melted
1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
2 1/2 C confectioner's sugar
1 C peanut butter
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:
Mix butter, graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and peanut butter in large bowl. Press firmly into 9"x13" pan. Melt chocolate chips and quickly spread over top of graham cracker base. Let harden, cut, then refrigerate.

The Unseen Man

My mailman bugs me. I don't think he does his job very well. Either that or the United States Postal Service is less reliable in Orem than it is in Provo.

1. He's grumpy.
2. We get mail for people who don't live here.
3. One day last week, we got our neighbor's mail and they got ours. They don't keep 'junk mail' and by the time we fixed the mistake all my flyers and catalogs were in the dumpster. I enjoy looking at these and now I couldn't because of my mailman.
4. The mail doesn't come at the same time every day. If you're going to come at 4 o'clock, then come at 4 every day and not 11 or 1 when you feel like it. I'm counting on that time so I can put a letter in the mail at 3 and have it magically disappear. One time I got mail at 5:30.
5. My outgoing mail doesn't always get taken.

P.S. The USPS is not owned or operated by the government, thus we cannot blame rising stamp costs on the President. Stupid stamps.

Do I Have Eyes In The Back Of My Head?

At a recent doctor's visit...
Dr: Have you been watching these moles on your back?
Me: Ummm, no.
Dr: I'll get you a pamphlet so you know what to look for.
(thanks. can you also get me a neck that turns 180°)

What's For Dinner?

Tonight we had a moist, yummy, meatloaf with sides of Rice-A-Roni and Pasta-Roni. Here's my recipe:

MEAT LOAF SUPREME
Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 C milk
1 egg
3/4 C seasoned bread crumbs
1 tsp dried basil
1 T dried parsley
1/8 tsp pepper
1 1/2 lb ground beef

Topping:
3 T ketchup
1 T honey
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line 9x5 inch loaf pan with foil (for easy cleanup).
2. Combine milk and egg in large bowl; add bread crumbs, basil, parsley, and pepper. Stir until well blended. Add onion, mix well. Add beef; mix just to combine ingredients.
3. Shape beef mixture in prepared loaf pan. Do not pack. For topping, combine ketchup, honey, and Worcestershire sauce in small bowl. Mix well. Spread evenly over top of meatloaf.
4. Bake until cooked through, about 1 hour.

Good Luck Nathan!

Nathan is taking a 3 hour long exam so that he can be an ACE certified Group Fitness Instructor and be paid to teach yoga. The stinkin' test costs $200 and starts at 8:00 AM in a city that is an hour's drive away from us. And of course he won't know his score for 4-6 weeks. If he doesn't pass, it isn't offered again until February. Glad I don't have to take this test.

Let's all keep our fingers crossed for Nathan!

Hormones

Background: Nathan is taking Prednisone (a corticosteroid) because of an allergic reaction to sandalwood. He put undiluted essential oils on his skin in place of cologne and the area broke out in hives. Then it spread.

Story: Last night Nathan said "I think my Progesterone pill is making me moody." I found this to be extremely funny. Because, yes, a guy on progesterone probably would experience moodiness.

In A Nutshell

NATHAN

• Work: Full-time quality assurance scientist at MBi Neutraceuticals. This is a small company in Lindon that only has 8 employees.
• School: Graduated BYU August 2006, with BS in Microbiology and minors in Chemistry and Anthropology. Just celebrated 10 year reunion with American Fork High School alumni. Training to be a yoga instructor.
• Other: Wants to learn a gaelic language. Interested in swordplay. Fan of the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.

BETH

• Work: Part-time medical assistant at Telos, RTC. See post from July 25, 2007.
• School: Class valedictorian in April 2007 when received diploma in Medical Assisting from the American Institute of Medical & Dental Technology. Studied family psychology at BYU for 3 years.
• Other: Favourite colour is purple. Hobbies include genealogy, birdwatching and coin collecting. Reads a lot of fantasy.

My Husband Can Cook

Last Sunday we had 3 couples over for a 'potluck' style dinner. (What are the origins of that word? You're lucky if guests bring a pot of food...) Nathan made a yummy chicken parmesan. I helped with the garlic bread and Country Time pink lemonade. Here's our easy recipe.

CHICKEN PARMESAN
Ingredients:
1/2 - 3/4 C bread crumbs
1/2 C Parmesan cheese
1 tsp - 1 T oregano
2 - 3 beaten eggs

Directions:
Combine dry ingredients in flat bottomed container of your choice. Put eggs in separate container. Pound meat thin (or not). Dip meat into egg mix, then into crumb mixture. Saute (fry in vegetable oil) until golden brown. Serve with heated spaghetti sauce.
* Tip - use seasoned bread crumbs

Two Thumbs Down

So we had coupons for free rentals at Hollywood Video and rented 2 DVD's last week. I was Not Satisfied with the endings to both of them.

1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Nathan wanted this one because he watched it on a plane trip once except he could only hear it and mostly not see it due to the screen closest to him not working and the next screen being behind a curtain in first class. There was no conclusion. I was annoyed. I thought, You can't do all that chasing and then not have someone stab the ugly squid's heart. And what is with the oracle anyway? Is she on drugs? Why are the mystics always black women (ex. The Matrix)?

2. Premonition: We both like Sandra Bullock. I like movies that are suspenseful but not horror (i.e. give me nightmares). I did not like this movie. She was confused, her husband died, she figured it out, and she was okay with it. I was mad and complained about it over a midnight dinner at Denny's. Before we returned it, Nathan watched some of the commentary and told me that the movie was supposed to be about fate and how we can't change fate but can come to accept. Bull. Total Bull.

BlackBerry Anyone?

Before Nathan went to work this morning, we made a quick trip to a fruit stand just down the street. There must be a dozen of them within a 2 mile radius of our home but they're always closed up by the time Nathan gets back from work.

I'd been wanting to buy blackberries all week. When I stopped by the produce section at Albertsons I couldn't find a single package that didn't have at least one moldy berry. And the price! So I didn't buy any then but we got some excellent looking ones today.

Blackberries remind me of Little House on the Prairie or Anne of Green Gables type girls getting sent out by their mothers to pick berries off the bush. Only half of them would end up in the basket and the girls would return home with their fingers and lips stained black.

I don't remember if I ate them or not when I was growing up. I do know that when I popped one into my mouth this morning I was surprised at how TART it was. I won't be eating those blackberries all by myself.

P.S. I'm going to search for blackberry recipes online. I really like Jamba Juice's blackberry smoothie. I'll probably enjoy them more with some sugar to dilute the flavor.

TELOS: Ultimate Potential

I work at Telos, a residential treatment center for adolescent boys. This is my first job since completing the medical assisting program at the American Institute of Medical and Dental Technology (now known as Ameritech College). It has been a unique opportunity, in that it involves both my interest in psychology and my recent training in the health field. I'm one of only two medical staff employed by Telos. My boss is the facility's nursing director and she handles the day shift. I work the evening shift, from 5 to 10 at night. As you might imagine, this leaves me with a good deal of responsibility and very little direct supervision. In theory this is a good thing. In practice it has been difficult.

My position was previously filled by an LPN (licensed practical nurse). For reasons unknown to me, when the last nurse left my supervisor decided to look for a medical assistant . Initially I was quite excited to get hired but as time went on there were situations where I felt out of my league. I am not sure whether this is due to my lack of experience in the field or gaps between what the position requires and the duties a medical assistant typically performs.

Telos currently has 24 'students'. An average stay is 5-8 months, so I (generally) grow to care about the boys that come and go from the treatment center. At the same time they can be obnoxious, annoying little gits that it takes all of my willpower not tell them 'oh shut up already' or 'grow up.' This is not a very therapeutic reaction, so I have held on to my patience and just vented to my coworkers and Nathan. Other times they are just dumb teenage boys who give me funny stories to tell. Like the night one of the boys swallowed his guitar pick on a dare. Or the shift when another boy accidentally superglued his fingers together - twice.

Still interested? Visit http://www.telosrtc.com/faq.html

Why A Blog?

I'm not very good at regularly sending out emails or annual newsletters. One reason I am starting a blog is to keep friends and family updated on our lives. Another reason is that two of my friends - both of whom are just ordinary people - have started one for themselves and they seem entertaining. Finally, why not?

At some point I might post photos but for now I have to figure out how to load pictures onto the computer with my new digital camera toy. Yes, I'm 26 and don't know the ins and outs of digital cameras or cell phones. So text only for now.