Landed in Lafayette

We arrived at our new home in Lafayette, IN, on Wednesday. In less than 48 hours, we have managed to to the following:

• Get our city utilities switched over
• Fix a closet door
• Purchase a reel lawn mower
• Mow our back and front lawns with previously mentioned reel mower
• Consider returning previously mentioned reel mower (we'll give it one more shot now that our grass isn't out of control)
• Purchase a shovel, hose and sprinkler
• Plant numerous perennials that made the journey from Idaho/Utah and water them in hopes of bringing them back to full life
• Install a programmable thermostat
• Get my Purdue ID
• Figure out the City Bus routes and take the bus to and from Purdue
• Lose my cell phone on the bus
• Retrieve my phone that was thankfully turned in to City Bus
• Get garbage and recycling set up 

You'll notice that a couple of things not on this list are "unpacking" and "unboxing." Our good friends at ABF/UPack were estimated to arrive today, but apparently are "running behind," which means that a vast majority of our stuff will not arrive until Monday, which is also when I start school. Thankfully, a member of the local church congregation has already come to our rescue in providing an air mattress for us until our bed gets here.

Life in Lafayette has been good to us so far.

P.S. Another item that has yet to happen is getting home internet service set up. So until that happens, blogging and other internet activities will be rare to non-existent.

Box Elder Bugs

These bugs are pretty much my arch-nemesis. They are all over around our fourplex. I kill about 50 a day, and I think I am still losing the battle.

Everywhere I look online, it just tells me that box elder bugs aren't anything to worry about - they won't mate indoors, they won't bite, they don't carry diseases, etc. Basically they are supposedly harmless. But I don't believe it; I think it's all a conspiracy, so I am continuing the fight.

A couple of years ago, the bugs were all over in the Business building at USU. One of my classmates decided to jump up and smash one on the wall with his feet. He successfully got the bug, but lost his balance in the process and ended up with stitches in his head after a run-in with a table on his way to the ground. Not fun for him - but at least we got to postpone the Labor Relations test we were supposed to have that day.

So my only rule for fighting box elder bugs is to keep both feet on the ground.

The Best Pitch of the Year . . . (and maybe of all time!)

(I actually like this version better, but I can't get it to embed.)

Fantasy Football - WEPCO League, version 6.0!

For the sixth year in row (which is weird since Deidra and I have yet to celebrate our 5th anniversary), the WEPCO free fantasy football league is back on Yahoo! Sports. Click on the image below to join in:

You will need to create a profile, if you don't have one already. Once you do, here is the league information:

League ID#: 146846
Password: roxor

15 Years!?!

Last weekend was my 15 year high school class reunion (go DHS class of '95!).

It was a low-key, potluck dinner and I think I counted about 20 class members (along with spouses and kids) in attendance. That may not seem like many, but it's not a bad percentage when there's only 69 people in my graduating class.

The evening started out a little rigid and formal, as we all went around and took turns telling about where we live, what we do, our families, etc. But it was good to hear about everyone and learn what everyone has been up to.

Once everyone got their dinner and sat down, the conversation was a lot of fun. Hearing stories about classmates' children and spouses, remembering memories from our school days (from elementary through high school) and learning about other classmates who weren't there was really enjoyable. It was like old times again, and I remembered how much I really enjoyed school in Declo and the classmates that I graduated with.

It was a little bit strange being the only one there without kids. And when someone mentioned "Hey, do you realize that we've been graduated long enough to have started over at Kindergarten and graduated all over again?", I had a dose of reality as to how old I really am. But, for the most part, it was a great time and made me feel like a young buck again.

I certainly looking forward to July 11, 2015. 20 year class reunion, here we come!

Some Thoughts on Debt

I came across this article the other day about when you should and shouldn't get into debt. I applaud the fact that it called out our own government as acting in a way that the normal person shouldn't:

"The federal government is a good example of what ordinary folks should not do -- pile debt upon debt forever, taking out new loans to pay off old ones."

Next, the article discusses the potential need to incur debt in a true emergency:

"In a real emergency, you can justify almost anything. A legitimate emergency is a serious illness, or a car problem that will keep you from getting to work, a leaky roof that will ruin your home.

The need for a vacation is not an emergency. Basically, an emergency is something that will seriously undermine your life for years, not something that will put a little damper on your lifestyle."

The author of the article then goes on to give this wise counsel:

"The best policy: borrow only for a home and an education, two purposes with benefits outweighing the costs. If necessary, borrow to get basic, essential transportation, not to get luxuries like leather seats and navigation systems."

All-in-all, I thought it was a pretty good article, and it reminded me of similar counsel that those of us Mormons have gotten from our church leaders for years.

From Bishop J. Richard Clark (serving at the time as a member of the Presiding Bishopric) in 1980:

"Debt is always a burden, but some debt is necessary. Sound business debt, home mortgages, and other forms of 'secured' debt are unavoidable for most of us. However, extravagant use of credit, which comes from yielding to our emotions rather than reason, creates burden . . . Our guide for credit management should be: borrow only what we must, at the lowest rate available, for the shortest time possible."

From Elder Robert D. Hales (of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) in 2009:

"[S]ome debt incurred for education, a modest home, or a basic automobile may be necessary to provide for a family. Unfortunately however, additional debt is incurred when we cannot control our wants and addictive impulses."

In 1987, President Ezra Taft Benson (as Prophet and President of the Church), prophesied of a deep recession, similar to what we are in now, and then offered his counsel:

"Many people do not believe that serious recession will ever come again. Feeling secure in their expectations of continuing employment and a steady flow of wages and salaries, they obligate their future income without thought of what they would do if they should lose their jobs or if their incomes were stopped for some other reason. But the best authorities have repeatedly said that we are not yet smart enough to control our economy without downward adjustments. Sooner or later these adjustments will come . . . 

"In the long run, it is easier to live within our income and resist borrowing from future reserves except in cases of necessity—never for luxuries . . . If you must incur debt to meet the reasonable necessities of life—such as buying an automobile, a house, or furniture—then I implore you, as you value your solvency and happiness, buy within your means and use credit wisely. Resist the temptation to plunge into property far more pretentious or spacious than you really need."

I am grateful for these principles that have been taught to me throughout my life. I may not have adhered to this counsel as much as I should have at times (particularly as a bachelor), but Deidra and I are much happier in life because we try to stay close to this counsel in our marriage.

As the initial article suggested, our own government is a horrible example when it comes to managing finances and staying (or getting) out of debt, and he goes on to explain it further:

"The federal government shows what happens when common-sense rules are broken -- trillions of dollars of debt. Digging out will cause pain for many of us, if not most, through higher taxes or reduced benefits on things like Social Security and Medicare.

Economic recovery can help, as it brings in more tax revenue. But when the federal government uses rosy growth projections to argue its debt will come down, most people laugh. But then many of us turn around and do the same thing, assuming pay raises and investment gains will somehow produce money to pay off our ever-growing debts."

I know it is getting close to July 4th, Independence Day here in the United States, and we should all be paying tribute to this great nation we live in. But I can't help but think that our country is paying the price for bad financial decisions made years ago. And, as a nation, I don't know that we are learning the lessons that we should.

Why I Don't Watch Soccer

(besides the fact that we don't have cable)

There have been twelve games so far in the World Cup. In those games:

• Nine teams have gone the entire game without scoring a goal.
• Twelve teams only scored one goal the entire game.
• Only three teams scored more than one goal.
• Almost half the games (five) have finished in a tie. (Really? A tie? Who finishes games with a tie? That's why overtime was invented!)

I guess I basically like winners and losers and lots of points scored. Therefore, I've never really gotten into soccer.

Soccer fans and purists, feel free to make your case.

Halloween in June

I had to do a training last week at a doctor's office about thirty minutes away from my office. The office had borrowed some equipment from us (for an x-ray training) that I was supposed to bring back to the office with me.

That equipment included a full-size plastic skeleton.

I decided it was no fun to just put the skeleton in the trunk or laying down in the back seat, so I instead let him ride in style:

It was fun to watch the reactions that people gave to me throughout my drive home.

And once I got back to my office and realized that my boss was not in that day, I decided that it was imperative to give him a little surprise for when he came into his office the next morning:

Needless to say, it freaked him out a bit when he opened his office door.

Fighting Gravity

I would pay money to go see this . . .

Though, admittedly, I'm not an avid America's Got Talent watcher, Fighting Gravity would be my pick to take it all this season.

Look Alikes

I was just watching a little bit of PiNT this evening, when Frank Nicotero showed a couple of clips from the TLC show Toddlers & Tiaras.

Is it just me, or does this bratty little beauty queen . . .

look an awful lot like Spanky from the Little Rascals movie (on the left) when he dressed in a ballet costume?

Farewell, Kid

I grew up an Atlanta Braves fan, but Ken Griffey Jr. became my favorite baseball player 22 years ago when he stepped on the field as a rookie. I started collecting his baseball cards and I have, by far, more Ken Griffey Jr. cards than any other player.

He started and ended his career in Seattle, while also playing in his home town (Cincinnati) and Chicago in between.  He was always known as "the Kid," possibly because his father (Ken Griffey Sr.) was also a big name baseball player. There has never been the slightest accusation of him being involved in steroids, even though the bulk of his career was during the "Steriod Era." Yet he is still fifth on the all-time home run list.

I saw him play in Seattle; I saw him play against the Orioles in Baltimore; As a missionary, I even stood outside his house outside Cincinnati (which I thought was even cooler than seeing Larry Bird's house in French Lick, IN).

His image is such a big part of my childhood - collecting baseball cards, watching baseball, his posters on the wall, etc. - and I am glad I have been able to continue to cheer him on and support him, instead of losing faith in him like some other player (McGuire, Sosa, Clemens, Canseco, etc.).

Ken Griffey Jr. has recently called it quits with baseball. He will be sorely missed, but a 22-year career is pretty impressive.

U.S. Representative Hartwell?

Dear Deidra,

Well, now that you're 25, you can officially run for the U.S. House of Representatives! Congratulations! Maybe we should start raising money for your campaign.

AND you can rent a car with extra fees!

Thanks for letting me share your last six birthdays - even though it blows your mind that we've known each other that long.

In other words, the immortal words of Gus-Gus say it all . . .

(Oh, and I love you!)

Bizarre HR

For those of you who are interested, I have started a new blog:

http://bizarrehr.blogspot.com

I will still be blogging personal stories and such on this blog.

The new blog will be focus on human resources, particularly the parts of HR that I find interesting, strage, etc. Even though it is HR focused, hopefully it will appeal to people outside of the HR profession as well.

So, take a look and feel free to comment!

Sour Grapes

If you followed the PhD program selection, you know that the University of Alabama was one of the four place to which I was accepted. But I turned them down within a day or so of receiving the initial acceptance news over the phone - which meant that I turned them down before they ever officially sent the acceptance offer letter.

Well, the other day (more than a month and a half after I made my decision), I received a letter from Alabama. When I opened it up, it was a generic form letter telling me that I was not selected from their "large pool of highly qualified candidates" to be admitted in their program.

My guess is that, since they had never sent an acceptance letter to me, my application was tossed in on the reject pile once I had turned them down. But it still made me a little offended. I guess it's the whole "You can't fire me, I already quit!" or "You can't break up with me, because I'm breaking up with you!" feeling.

I'm the one who turned you down, Alabama! If you need to send a rejection letter to feel better about yourself, you may have some insecurity issues you need to work out.

Fringe Benefits

The week's not over, yet it has been a particularly fruitful week when it comes to perks at work.

So far I've received:

• 3 free lunches
• 12 original Fat Boys
• 6 Cookies n' Cream Fat Boys
• 12 Casco Nut Sundaes
• 2 jars of candy
• A necklace
• A Honeyville Farms gift basket including:
• Biscuit mix
• Buttermilk pancake mix
• Fudge brownie mix
• Cornbread mix
• Strawberry kiwi smoothie mix
• Cherry flavored honey 
• And a good number of Coke Rewards points from bottle caps I scrounged after large trainings serving Coke beverages

I may not get paid in gum, but this is a pretty good second.

The Mystery of the Car Keys - Solved!

Congratulations to Whit, who successfully harnessed her inner Sherlock Holmes to solve the mystery of the car keys - though it took me a while to figure it out.

I took each comment as they came in:
Under the car? Nope.
In your shoes? Checked my running shoes that I wore to the gym . . . nothing.
In the laundry? Rummaged through what was in the dirty clothes hamper . . . nada.
Wrapped up in smelly workout clothes? The clothes were indeed smelly, but no keys to be found.
Down a vent? Luckily, we don't have vents that open into the abyss, but I checked our radiator heating vent to no avail.
Under the couch? I moved both of our couches and our recliner, and while I found a couple of toys hidden by our nephews - alas, no phone.
Washing machine and dryer? No luck.
In bed? No dice.

After numerous fruitless and frustrating searches, the keys fell into my lap this morning - almost literally. As I dressed for the day, I grabbed by brown dress shoes from my door hanging shoe organizer. As I dropped them to the ground to put them on, I heard a metallic jingle. And - viola! - the keys had reappeared!

As Whit had surmised, they were in my shoe, but not the shoes where I had thought they might be found.

So, Whit, be ready to enjoy your reward . . . as soon as I figure out what that reward will be! Do you like Almond Joy?

Oh, Car Keys, Where Art Thou?

When I was about eighteen, I was in a musical in Oakley, ID, about thirty minutes from where I lived in Declo. I drove that stretch of road almost every day for a good month or two during rehearsals, using whatever car wasn't being used by my parents or older brother.

One day, when driving my dad's 1970 Mustang (which has since been sold, unfortunately), I somehow lost the key to the car. It was a single key and it must have slipped out of my pocket. Despite my prayers, pleading and efforts, my friends and I looked unsuccessfully all over to find it. We ended up leaving the car there that day and having a locksmith come out and fashion a new key.

A couple of summers ago, Deidra and I moved to Washington DC for summer internships. Shortly before we did, I lost my car/house/work keys. Try as I might, I could not find them anywhere. I ended up using our spare car key until we moved to DC and left our car here. At some point during the summer, the people subletting our apartment in Logan found my keys and returned them to me upon our return to Utah. Where and how they found the keys, I don't know.

Now it's happened again. 

If there are any sleuths out there looking to solve the case, here is the scenario:

Monday evening, upon arriving home from work and the gym, I remember locking our car because my work laptop and projector were in there. That was the last time I remember seeing the keys. I have looked in the pants, jacket, and workout clothes I was wearing. I have looked in couch cushions, under couches, in my gym bag, and even in the refrigerator (the first thing I remember doing upon arriving home is getting a Powerade from the fridge).

So, any ideas? There will be a reward to anyone that can successfully guess where they are.

When Video Games Attack

Those of you who remember old-school video games might enjoy this . . .

Parisian Paradise - Part XV: Final Thoughts

Almost three months after wrapping up our trip to Paris, I am finally ready to conclude my 15-part serial blog about it. But not before a few final thoughts:

1. The food in France was good, but very heavy and buttery, particularly since we were not there during a season of much in the way of produce. So a variety of buttery bread, meats and cheeses made up most of our diet.
2. There is definitely a trade-off between going to Paris in the middle of winter - very few tourists and a very inexpensive vacation package also means bitter cold, a lesser variety of food (see above) and fewer tourist attractions open. But, if I had it to do over, I think I would still do it again the same way. I think the pros definitely outweigh the cons.
3. The crepes were delicious - just ask Brian. I think he ate at least one at almost every meal. My favorite was my final crepe - Nutella, banana and whipped cream from a street vendor. A-MA-ZING!
4. Even with our Museum Pass setbacks (visiting Versailles before the pass was purchased, the Notre Dame tower being closed, the Picasso museum being closed, and Sainte Chapelle opening too late for us to visit on our final day), we still easily got our money's worth with the purchase of our Museum Pass. I highly encourage it because buying it gets you in to most of the tourist attractions you want to visit, and it might make you more active during your trip (like it did for us) to ensure you cover your cost, which makes you discover places you might not have otherwise.

And, finally, one of the ideas that Deidra and I had before the trip was to compile our own souvenir by spelling out PARIS by finding letters throughout the artwork and architecture there. And, by jove, I think we did a pretty darn good job!

So, there you have it. I promise I'm done posting about Paris now. I hope you've enjoyed the show.

Boiler Up!*

We have officially made our decision. I will be starting the Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management (OBHR) PhD program at Purdue University starting in mid-August! So start making plans a) to help us move, and/or b) to come visit.

* Purdue's mascot is the Boilermakers, and "Boiler Up!" is a phrase shouted in their fight song. That's about all I know about it at this point, but I look forward to learning more.