Utter Darkness

So after 23 hours and 45 minutes of darkness, the lights came back on. It was bitter sweet. For one full day I did not have access to my e-mail but more importantly, my computer. My roommate and I had a few discussions as to how life has changed so much that we rely on computers. How if electricity was gone permanently, the 'permanent' records many of us have kept on our computers would forever be lost. Sure, that's a big IF regarding electricity, but would someone really want to take the chance?

Yes computers give us the security of passwords and some fraud protection, but they also separate us from ourselves.

No, this is not a big philosophy post, just some thoughts I had regarding the issue. Now I'm going to print those things I didn't have access to so I can utilize them if and when this happens again.

Oh . . . one more thing. So since I've been up here, Seattle and Tacoma have shut down due 1/4 inch of snow and we've had a massive windstorm that has shut off power to both cities . . . I wonder what is going to happen in January.

The End Came

Well, I made it. And what can I say other than this . . .

Frogs, Clients, and Therapists: Part 2

A while back I wrote down part of an article I read and I wanted to see a few responses. I stated that I would post what the article said the correct response would be. First, what the article said.

How would you get the frog to open its mouth and free the waters? Can you think of more than one solution? Where do these solutions come from? In North America the usual response to this story is one that implies aggression. Most people would poke, hit or shoot the frog---even mental health professionals who participated in a bullying prevention workshop. Regardless of their best intentions and a most genuine stance against aggression, most people in this culture are socialized to think of aggression as a solution, and also to act alone rather than as a community. Members of completely different cultures come up with completely different responses. For example, people from the South Pacific Islands, where this story is told, came up with a remarkable ending:

The animals and the humans caucused to find a solution. One of them finally proposed to organize a feast where everyone could try and make the frog laugh. So they each, one by one, tried their silliest grimace, their funniest dance and their most creative jumps. The frog, although obviously interested, would simply not move. Finally, a little snake, who had been rather quiet throughout this journey, started to twist and turn in all directions as if tickled by an imaginary being. The frog first hiccuped, tried to regain his composure and eventually, unable to control his giggles, laughed all the waters out of his gigantic mouth, replenishing the earth and the living beings of their oceans, brooks, and rivers.

So there's an answer. Is it the correct one?

As for today, it is my final and I've been prepping for it. The end is near.

Monday Morning Hello

Well, tomorrow I have my final final. (I love using that term.) Last week we did a huge presentation and I believe my group did well. I should find out the grade to that within the next few days. Then depending on the weather, I should be coming back to Utah around the 20th. So there's a quick update.

Aside from that everything is good. The weather is . . . well . . . rainy . . . but I wish it would snow. Ah well.

Holiday Cheer

So I was driving into my cul-de-sac and something funny struck me. Here are the four houses around us.






And here is our house.



Happy Holidays!

the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Well, last night it snowed 1/4 of an inch. So they shut down all of Seattle and Tacoma. Isn't life wonderful?

A Gaelic Holiday

Well, I'm at my parents house in the dungeon where I spent my entire month of August. Today is not as busy as I thought it would be so since I had a minute or two I figured I'd post something here. First, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Or as I like to call it, Happy Stuff Yourself So Full That You're About Ready to Vomit Then Start Over Again An Hour Later day. It is funny how celebrating the union of two cultures from a long time past has evolved to eating loads of food with family and/or friends. Some people don't even recognize the holiday while some simply pass it over waiting for Christmas. If you're Canadian, you already celebrated Thanksgiving last month while others have yet to celebrate it.

Hopefully everyone will be able to take a minute or two out of their gorging to think of how our culture came to be and who we should truly thank for surviving during colonization.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Home, Where My Thoughts Keep Thinkin'

Well, I'm getting ready to head home tomorrow. I'll be leaving around midnight since it seems I avoid all the traffic that way. I'm really excited. Yes, the drive will be long but I'll get to spend some time with my family and friends. It's exciting. And since I won't be able to post anything for a few days, I'll post a Thanksgiving Poem I received now.

May your stuffing be tasty,
May your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes and gravy have nary a lump,
May your yams be delicious,
May your pies take the prize,
May your Thanksgiving dinner
stay off of your thights.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Small Apology

Alright, pardon the post about not calling Monday through Thursdays. What I should have said is if you call on those days there is a very high chance that I will not call you back until the weekend, so please give me some time. Thanks for understanding. And if you haven't already, please go and read this blog. I'm curious as to the responses.

May Bay-Bee

One of my ex-coworkers sent me this. (Hi Debbie!) And I thought it was applicable so I figured I'd post it. It is one of those where you determine what your personality is by some trait, and it this case it is the month of your birth.

May

Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Shy towards opposite sex. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High-spirited.

A Little Reminder

For those who call on certain days, I love you, you're great, you're very important to me and I appreciate you. Please remember . . .

MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAYS I AM FULLY ENGAGED IN SCHOOL SO LEAVE ME ALONE UNLESS YOU ARE BURNING TO DEATH AND YOU NEED ME TO CALL 911!!!

Friday - Sundays are good days to call and I can actually talk. So if you call on one of the aforementioned days, you can understand why I won't call you back immediately.

Frogs, Clients and Therapists

I was reading this evening, and I really wanted to post this before I went to bed. It seemed, quite eye opening for me. I'll post the first part today and the rest later.

One sunny morning, a big frog decided to swallow all the water of the earth. It sat there proud, full. It looked like a mountain of water, blue and green, its skin almost transparent under the tension. It could not move; it was too heavy. So it just sat there staring at all the animals and humans gathered in front of it. "What are we going to do?!" cried all the living beings, "we will all die if it does not give back the rivers, brooks, and oceans." They prayed and begged the frog for three days to let go of the waters. But the frog would not move. The children were crying, the elderly suffering, and the desert sand could be seen creeping closer to the horizon. Something had to be done.

What would you do to attempt to get the frog to open its mouth and free the waters?

To My Nephew

Hey Javis . . .



Happy Birthday

Scooter!

Sorry I can't be there.

Heepee Birfdee

Hey Mom. So yesterday you celebrated your . . . well, I'd better not . . . your 39th birthday. I hope you had a good one. Sorry I couldn't be there.

Short, Quite Short

Well . . . two bits of news.

1) I got a 50/50 on my midterm
2) I've got fleas (not a joke)

First Weekly Update

Alright, I'm going to try and post at least once a week for updates so they don't pile up. Well, this past week has been busy for a few reasons. In class we were assigned a semester project to study a group and do a massive presentation on it at the end of the year. I've been working in the area trying to gather the information and finding applicable video clips which I will end up editing together anyway, so it has been fun.

Also I got back two papers (one from each class) graded. It was our first papers that were due for each class so there is always anticipation, curiosity if you're doing what the professor expects, and if you will do well at all. On one paper I got 28/30 and the other 50/50. Both teachers said they were impressed by my writing style, so that was a nice compliment. So now I'm less weary, but I'm preparing for a midterm tomorrow.

We were given eight questions to thoroughly study and tomorrow we will be given four questions from that list to answer. We can take in one sheet of notes/references. It is a challenge because many of the question overlap and if the professor chooses two questions that are similar, you don't want to use the same references. Also, one of my professors is a huge feminist (which tells me one of the questions she will choose) and so it is interesting in working with that.

One the plus side, I had an interesting experience with my other professor named Charlie. In class he separated us into groups. Single, Single and Dating, Cohabiting, Married without Children, and Married with Children. We each had to discuss our wants out of life. I insisted I was happy being single and I wasn't looking for anything further right now. Throughout the class he kept poking me stating, "If I told you that married couples have sex 37 times a month, I can guarantee you'd want to get married." My response, "No, not so much." He kept going and going with various comments (completely joking of course) and at the pinnacle of everybody laughing at both me and him, I flipped him off. The laughter increased, but he got my point. Fortunately he is of the nature to understand that I was just playing on him so it (hopefully) won't affect my future grade.

Also I've watched a few therapy sessions these past few weeks. Very interesting. Not necessarily because of the therapeutic tactics used, but because I got to see people practicing what I want to do. It was fun seeing the families, how they interact with each other, and how the therapist responds to them. I've got a lot of fun experiences ahead of me.

Aside from that, Pope Chewie III would not leave me alone a few nights ago so I had a hard time sleeping. Poor little dog. Also, I got my final free song from iTunes today. It's Excuses (Acoustic) by Alanis Morissette. It's a good one, you should look up the lyrics.

Un Día Fantastico

Howdy folks. Today has been a glorious day. I woke up at 8:00ish (and listened to the radio for about 45 minutes) and contemplated what I wanted to do for the day. So as opposed to laying in bed until 10:00, I decided to shower and go to work early today. Have I mentioned that I love setting my own hours? So I went to work and worked on creating another database for tracking clients. It was uneventful, but I got to meet and associate with some of the second year graduate students. In the mean time I also had to look up an article for my supervisor. I found the link to search for articles useful, so I sent it home. Then, apparently the second years were meeting early to watch a therapy session given by one of our professors. Now this is unheard of. A professor actually leading a session? So they snuck behind a one-way mirror to view the professionalism and insight of our professor. And . . . since I was there I got to sneak in as well. It was interesting seeing him practice what he has been teaching us. Admittedly, I know little to nothing of the theories or practice, but at least I got to see him in action. And he pinned the problem on the head and the entire family was in tears. Wow. I can't wait to make people cry.

So I come home and play around on the computer for a while, call and harass a few people in Salt Lake, then I start looking for articles that will help with a paper next week. Remember me mentioning that link I sent home? Well, apparently since I connected from one of the University computers it shows that I have complete and full access to every article on the system. If I were to 'attempt' to log on from my home computer, I wouldn't have access to any of them. Hurrah! So I found 7+ articles, and a book that I will check out tomorrow.

Later my roommate comes home and I grab the mail key. I go out and lo and behold what is in the mailbox? A movie I ordered. Brigham City. I found it for a good price and have been wanting it for years so I'll watch it tonight after my studies. I also got my 2 X-file DVD's from Netflix and . . . something from Wells Fargo (my new bank) that offered me three free downloads from iTunes for taking a 'credit card counseling test.'

So I took the test, passed and got the three free downloads to get some songs I've loved for so long and now I can legally obtain them. I love it! Today has been simply fantastic. So if you listen carefully you may be able to hear one of the songs I got.



Also, here's a few more pictures for ya.

This creature lives in a tree touching my back fence. Here he is acting like a lawn gnome.



Once again trying to blend in with the scenery.



Also in driving back to Utah a few weeks ago, I saw Herbie for sale. (It really was white, not yellow. I was trying to be inconspicuous in taking the photo from my car.)



And this struck me as funny. I was walking to class and I saw these sprinklers running for hours in this field. By this point, isn't it a lost cause?

Talk Like A Pirate

Well, things have settled down. My 300+ pages of reading for this week are complete, I'm feeling better about my aunt, and I now have a weekend off. So Tuesday was international 'Talk Like a Pirate Day' and I found this video if you need a lesson or two. It takes up a lot of space, so I'll be removing it after my next post. Maybe next time I'll have a real update.

Here is the 'Talk Like A Pirate' instructional film.

A Look Into My Soul

Well, apparently as I was making my last post my Aunt passed away. She was too young. The sibling just barely older than my father. I know the circumstances were not common and I also know that life does go on after this one. It is just sad. In a sense, it was something that I feared. Other than grandparents, nobody close to me has died. I was quite content knowing that I had all of my aunts and uncles. Since my father was the youngest, to me that means that since none of his siblings had died that he would be living for a long time. I hope that this continues to be the case. Unfortunately death reminds us of our own mortality. I am not worried about mine, but the thought of my parents comes to mind. Being the youngest, there is a chance I will see everybody go before me. I hope that's not true either.

Some Bad News

I just received an e-mail from my father telling me that my Aunt is going to die. I didn't expect this, not in the least. She's not old enough. My grandma died within the past year and she was 80+. My aunt isn't even close to that. Sometime before last Christmas she had an auto accident which she never truly recovered from. No physical injuries, but her mind was effected. This in combination that my family is more susceptible to Alzheimers didn't help. I'm honestly not sure what to say. I guess I could go down for the funeral.

I just didn't expect for anyone in my family to die so soon. She was doing well, or so I thought. I guess I never have expected her to die because she is so kind, polite, and loving. I have never seen her speak a mean word to anyone. Because of this I have seen her children and they are such wonderful, happy people.

She has influenced and affected many people in her lifetime. She will be missed.

La Vida Despacita

No pictures this time, although there are many I could include. This is just an update regarding my schedule. Pretty much, if you call me from Monday through Thursday, I may not answer. This past week I have been completely focused on school, reading the hundreds of pages of papers, and been starting the fellowship up here. So because of this focus, I have not had time to call or talk to anybody. If however you call me on Friday through Sunday, it would be a great time to talk.

Aside from that I am getting to know some people in my classes and more importantly I'm learning some of the theories. It is quite a challenge and unfortunately I'm having to learn to speak up. We had a session where we went around asking circular questions to each other. I felt like everybody was grilling me for five minutes, but it will be useful. Basically a circular question is just asking somebody else how they believe another person (say their parent, sibling or spouse) would respond to their action. For example: How have your parents expressed their encouragement toward you since you left for graduate school? (Now, I'm not actually asking the question, just giving an example.) The reason it is a circular question is because it is making me think about how they are responding to me and if it is encouragement in the way I need/interpret it. Well, if you're not lost yet, congrats.

So tonight after school some of us went out to dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant and I had Gnocchi and a lavender dry soda. Interesting, but quite wonderful. Aside from finding a part time job, everything is great up here. Until next time . . .

Mi Casa Nueva

Alright, here's the update. Not necessarily as requested, but nonetheless, here it is. So I decided to take a trailer . . .
. . . up to Washington because it would be less expensive. It was less expensive, but took much longer to travel. That's okay because I ate lots of sugar in the process. So we (my parents and I) traveled safely and arrived in Washington to meet my roommate. He has an amazingly beautiful house . . .

. . . and a kind little dog . . .



. . . named after Pope Chewie III. In this beautiful house with the happy little dog I have my happy little bathroom . . .

. . . with a tub . . .



. . . so deep that I can actually take a bath in it. I haven't had one of those since before I was 12. Of course that has nothing to do with the fact that I shot up a few feet in a few years.

And of course here is my room . . . (don't mind the mess, I'm still getting organized).

So today I had baked potatoes, chili, and cheese for dinner on the countertop with a glass of milk, while staring out the back door into the yard. The screen door had been open for nearly 1 1/2 hours and after Pope Chewie III knew that I wasn't going to beat him to death for stepping outside, he did so and played for a while. He was jumping around the grass, chasing a few bugs, and having a jolly old time. In seeing him do this, he reminded me of myself. I am very careful and cautious. When I know there is nothing to be concerned about, then I go full speed ahead and have a blast. Although personally, I'm not afraid that I'm going to be beaten anymore. At least, not since I moved out of my parents house. (For those of you that can't hear the sarcasm, that last part was oozing with it.)

Estoy Aqui

Well, this is just a quick post to say that I arrived safely. The place I'm at is awesome, so I will be posting some pictures within the next few days. I do however need food and to get acclimated, so this is what will take awhile.

Good Riddance

To those of you who are receiving this (and some who are not), today is my last day at IHC. Thanks to those of you who have become good friends. I have had a lot of fun here and will miss you all. If you haven't heard, I will be going to Pacific Lutheran University in Washington next week. So if you want to contact me you can e-mail me at:

throckjr@plu.edu

Also, I have a blog set up at http://www.turbollama.blogspot.com/ which will be similar to an online journal. It may not contain anything too exciting, but it will have random tidbits and updates about my life if you're interested. Thanks for everything.

John

I Moved

And you all know where I moved to. So the hardest part of the move is done. To reward myself I got myself a new computer.






Also I realized after filling the Tuff Shed . . .



. . . with my stuff, I unintentionally left it like this . . .



At least I have a place to sit down when I need it. Anyway, just wanted to share.

el Día de Independencia

Happy Fourth of July to everyone. I know I said I wasn't going to use this until I leave the state, but here's a few pics of swimming with Cris, Kajia and Javis. They were too cute to keep to myself.





Cris took a few more of the firework extravaganza, but I am waiting for her to send them to me. Also, one thing I'm going to miss is being able to see multiple firework shows from my front porch.

Oh . . . and here's another picture I got from Cris today. I played with it for a bit because the color didn't look quite right and I ended up with this by accident.

Hi-Diddely-Ho Neighbor!

Hello everyone. This will be my new form of communicating over the next few months/years. You know I'm horrible at writing people individually and I'm sorry for that. So in the mean time I'll keep the wonderful events of my life on here and hopefully all of you will remain somewhat updated. If you read it, great. If not, that's okay too. It's here if you want to use it and it should save me some time. There's not much to know yet since I have yet to move out of state so until then . . . adieu.