Foolishness

I guess this was another week that wasn't terribly interesting, so more frivolity. 

Tuesday was April Fools' Day, which isn't one of my canonized holidays, and I'm just not that into pranks. Various food companies/bakeries/restaurants announce fake foods with weird flavors. I would love to see one of them actually make one of the weird foods. 

But! Near my office is a shop called So Cupcake, and they actually did something for April Fools' Day! They had cupcakes for various holidays, and of course that's right up my alley. So I went and got a chocolate-orange jack-o'-lantern and a lemon chick.

Back in 2012 was the first time I ever considered carrot cake as an Easter dessert, and in 2013 was the first time I ever heard other people consider it an Easter dessert (when there were Carrot Cake M&M's). But now carrot-cake-flavored things are ubiquitous! This week I had four different carrot cake cookies and a carrot cake banana bread mix.

Sugar Fix, sold at Holiday gas stations

Cutler's in Bountiful

Cutler's in Centerville, which wasn't as good as the Bountiful version

Twisted Sugar

This weekend is general conference, and general conference is everything I don't like about Church without the things I do like—it's long, it's boring, sometimes hurtful things are said, I don't get to participate, I don't see people I know, I don't get to serve. But I want to know what's going on, so I decided to watch it while doing other things.

I was happy that one of the choirs sang "Were You There?," which is my favorite of the new hymn additions. I sing in ward choir, and I asked if we could sing it for Easter. The choir director asked me to sing most of the first verse as a solo, so I will be doing that on Easter Sunday in two weeks.

Anyway, while watching conference, I finished shelling and toasting the rest of the pine nuts we got last fall. And I looked through old items and found my junior high bus pass and school Olympic pins.

I decided to throw this away, because I don't see any benefit in keeping it

And I found my vaccination record. I'm glad I have never had measles! Thanks, Mom and Dad, for being intelligent enough to get me vaccinated!

I like AI ironically—I think it's funny how much it gets wrong. After thinking about Amelia Bedelia last week, I asked Google Gemini to create various Amelia Bedelia stories. The results were hilarious, and not in the way Amelia Bedelia is supposed to be. It was like when five-year-olds try to create jokes but they don't understand how jokes work. Here is the text of the nonsensical St. Patrick's Day story: 

——

Amelia Bedelia was excited! Mrs. Rogers had given her a list of St. Patrick's Day tasks, and she was determined to do her best.

"Amelia Bedelia," Mrs. Rogers said, "we're having a St. Patrick's Day celebration, and I need you to pinch the greens."

Amelia Bedelia nodded seriously. She went to the garden and began pinching the leaves off all the green plants, carefully placing them in a basket. "Pinching the greens," she muttered, "just like Mrs. Rogers asked."

Next, Mrs. Rogers said, "Amelia Bedelia, please prepare the Irish stew."

Amelia Bedelia went to the kitchen and found a recipe for Irish stew. She carefully followed the instructions, adding potatoes, carrots, and beef. But then, she remembered the word "prepare." She found a stack of clean napkins and carefully folded them into little "stews," placing them beside the pot. "Prepared Irish stew!" she announced.

Then, Mrs. Rogers asked, "Amelia Bedelia, can you draw the shamrocks?"

Amelia Bedelia, always eager to please, went to the living room and found a large, heavy curtain. She carefully drew shamrocks all over the curtain with a green marker. "Drawn shamrocks!" she declared.

Mrs. Rogers entered the kitchen, sniffing the air. "Amelia Bedelia, the stew smells wonderful! But what are these napkins?"

Amelia Bedelia pointed to the folded napkins. "The prepared Irish stew! I prepared them, just like you asked."

Mrs. Rogers sighed. "No, dear, I meant cook the stew, not fold the napkins."

Just then, Mr. Rogers walked in, holding a basket of green decorations. "Amelia Bedelia, where are the pinched greens?"

Amelia Bedelia pointed to the basket of leaves. "In the basket, just as you said."

Mr. Rogers looked at the basket, then at the garden, which was now mostly bare of green leaves. "Well, they are certainly pinched."

Mrs. Rogers looked at the curtain hanging in the living room, covered in shamrocks. "Amelia Bedelia! Why did you draw on the curtain?"

"You said to draw the shamrocks, Mrs. Rogers!" Amelia Bedelia exclaimed. "And I did! Aren't they lovely?"

Mrs. Rogers looked at the curtain, then at Amelia Bedelia, and then back at the curtain. She couldn't help but smile. "Oh, Amelia Bedelia. You always manage to make things interesting."

Despite the chaos, the St. Patrick's Day celebration was a success. The Irish stew, once Amelia Bedelia understood the cooking instructions, was delicious. The "pinched greens" were used as decorations, and the shamrock-covered curtain became a unique and festive backdrop.

As they finished their meal, Mrs. Rogers smiled. "Amelia Bedelia, you certainly made this St. Patrick's Day one to remember."

Amelia Bedelia beamed. "Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!" she said, as she began to carefully dye the river green, using all the green food coloring she could find, because Mrs. Rogers had mentioned the Chicago River.
——

And here are some other nonsensical highlights:

——

"Amelia Bedelia," Mrs. Rogers said, "we need to set off fireworks."

Amelia Bedelia nodded seriously. She went to the kitchen and found a set of fire-engine red oven mitts. She then proceeded to put them on her hands and set all the pots and pans from the kitchen onto the lawn. "Fireworks set off!" she announced.

Then, Mrs. Rogers asked, "Amelia Bedelia, can you wave the flag?"

Amelia Bedelia, always eager to please, went to the living room and found a large, heavy flag. She then proceeded to wave it back and forth, creating a strong gust of wind that sent papers flying and curtains billowing. "Flag waved!" she announced. 

. . .

Mrs. Rogers looked at the billowing curtains. "And Amelia Bedelia, why is the living room a wind tunnel?"

"I waved the flag, just as you said!" Amelia Bedelia exclaimed. "Isn't it a lovely wave?"

. . .

Amelia Bedelia beamed. “Happy Easter, everyone!” She said as she began to carefully bonnet all the children’s heads with spare easter basket grass, because Mrs. Rogers had said "bonnet the children".

. . .

Just then, the children, dressed in their own pioneer outfits, came running in. "Look, Amelia Bedelia!" cried little Tommy Rogers. "We're going to churn butter!"

"Churn butter?" Amelia Bedelia asked, her eyes lighting up. "Like churning a page in a book?"

Before anyone could stop her, Amelia Bedelia had found a large, old book, and she was vigorously turning its pages, attempting to "churn" them. Paper flew everywhere.

——

And to close, of course, here are the AI dreams.

a man stays with an Indigenous boy in a log cabin

Camille talks to a redhead named Owen, who talks about stinkbugs

people get carrot cake in the cafeteria line

Mark looks through a microscope at organisms that have grown in his water bottle, including a tiny seahorse

the Tabernacle Choir asks Mark to sit at the front of the stage dressed as Baby New Year for their Christmas concert, and they pour popcorn on him, so he rolls down the steps

Having fun isn't hard when you've got a library card

It wasn't an overly exciting week, so I'm going to talk about frivolous things.

Perhaps the most interesting thing this week was that I got a library card, which I haven't had since I was a kid in the '90s (unless you count my BYU/U of U student cards). For my BYU contract job, I have been doing a lot of research to write footnotes about different sites and events in Asian history. I have gotten good at finding things on Google Books, Internet Archive, and JSTOR, but it can still be a struggle. I thought it might be helpful to have the library's resources (Libby, etc.). Alas, I think their online resources won't be better than what I already have. But it will be good to have anyway. I don't use the library that often, since I don't really read for fun. But I think it's great they exist! If I'm looking for a specific book, Worldcat shows me what libraries have it, but the local library usually doesn't have what I'm looking for.

I'm glad the folks at the Davis County Library, unlike MAGA and Dallin H. Oaks, don't think "diversity" is a bad word

Last fall, something reminded me of Amelia Bedelia, and I was amused by the images I remember from my sister's Amelia Bedelia books when I was a kid. So I went down to the children's section of the library to look at Amelia Bedelia books. Alas, they only had newer books that portray her as a child. I was hoping for the silly maid outfit and the bizarre, slightly horrifying images, such as iced fish. 

Thank you, Google Images!

Thanks to the warm, springlike weather, I was able to get back on the Wild Rose Trail again, because the snow melted rapidly.

Wednesday

. . . and Thursday

On Thursday and Friday, I was in our yard, and our neighbors' cat was its usual friendly self. I adore this sweet cat, even though I don't know its sex or its name. On Friday, it was swatting at me through our neighbors' fence.

Despite some problems with thread and bobbins, I finally finished my six new pillowcases. When I went to Joann at Christmastime, they had a Christmas ghost fabric, but I didn't get it because I had enough Christmas pillowcases. Now I regret it, and I can't find it again. Also, I am so disappointed the firework, hot dog, and candy fabrics have glitter on them. Do I want glitter on my pillowcases?!

I'm obsessed with the Addams Family pillowcase. There was a Munsters fabric, but it had a dumb design, even though The Munsters was a better show

And yesterday I made a special trip to Target so I could get this deviled-egg-and-salt decoration, since deviled egg decorations are rare.

And here are this week's dreams.

the female history professor shows Mark the fossil displays of alligators and mammoths on the second floor of a hotel

Ann picks up a rattlesnake in the kitchen

In Ireland, tarantula-like creatures wash up on the shore and jump on people and snap them

at the Catholic funeral, the dead woman in the casket removes trash from her pockets

Mark walks several blocks in his socks to get a cranberry cookie

Mark finds a stinging anemone in a plastic bag in the lake

the fish in a lake have labels on them

Mark changes the garbage bags at This Is the Place Heritage Park

March Miscellanea

Monday was St. Patrick's Day, and I was amazed at how much I was able to do in one day. I made corned beef and cabbage in the slow cooker; I worked both jobs from home; I edited an article for Wayfare magazine; I went on a short (less than three miles) trail run to and from Springhill Geologic Park; I got a mint shake from Arby's (after McDonald's was out of Shamrock Shakes); and watched Song of the Sea, finishing in time for the new episode of Spring Baking Championship. Phew! If only I could be so efficient every day.

(Other holidays where I have fit so much have included Halloween 2014, when I worked, ran, went grocery shopping, picked up my car, visited my grandparents, got pumpkin shakes, and watched The Munsters' Revenge. And also Thanksgiving 2017, when I ran twelve miles, went in the hot tub, and cooked, all before Thanksgiving dinner.)

Tuesday I drove in the snowy conditions to our in-office meetings. The Utah Historical Society is building a new museum, set to open in May 2026, and every month the museum team hosts a staff piñata day with trivia for different counties. If you get the trivia right, you get a swing at the piñata. This week we had Juab County, and our director said, "We should have a playlist for every county. What would be a playlist for Juab County?" And I chimed in, "The Killers made an album about the town of Nephi!" The trivia guy said, "That might be one of the questions." They let me have the first swing because I knew the album was called Pressure Machine.

I try to do cardio every day, and this week I was able to do five kinds of cardio in six days. Monday was the trail run. Tuesday and Thursday I swam with the recreational swim team. Wednesday I went hiking in the snow. 

Friday I went street running. And Saturday I went biking up to the top of the Summerwood neighborhood. As I was going up a very steep road, a woman walking her dog said, "Good for you." I do always feel accomplished when I go up there. I should bike more often, but I prefer running.

One advantage of being single and living with my parents is that I have plenty of money to spend on silly things. I bought a new bike pump that works for both presta and schrader valves. My bike currently has one of each tire, and I want to punch someone in the face whenever I have to use the presta adapter. So hopefully having a better pump will help.

I also have a large collection of holiday pillowcases I have made with different fabrics. Since Joann is going out of business, I splurged on various seasonal fabrics for pillowcases: sunflowers and bees, both of which I associate with Pioneer Day; happy gumdrops with candy canes; Addams Family silhouettes; apple pie; fireworks; and anthropomorphic hot dogs, ketchup, and mustard.

And here are this week's dreams.

Mark plays with a handheld tool with a spinning blade

Mark walks up office stairs with a shoe on one foot and a sock on the other

Mark wants to swim to the high school mistletoe donation drive, but they drain the water

Mark pulls garbage from the snow in the yard

Mark hoses down the basement, getting water in the record player

on a neighborhood walk, Mark sees a red monkey, a flamingo, and a hummingbird

Mark asks Google Gemini if there is a movie about Cawnpore (this week I was doing research about a massacre in Cawnpore, India, in 1857)

Mark goes to the vet with his three cats, Reggie, Bentley, and Sean

Mark triggers a trespassing alarm in a parking garage while holding empty boxes

Historian, Hibernian

 Last weekend, since I helped out at RootsTech for work, I hoped I would have lots of extra time on Friday. But various things caught up with me that I didn't end up having that much extra time. On Monday, I was working when I noticed I was getting an aura. For me, an aura is where I have blind spots in my vision, and then I get a migraine. I tried to power through the aura, but I couldn't even read the authors' names in the sources I was consulting online. So I had to stop working and take a nap. And then, since I napped so long, it took me a long time to fall asleep, which meant I slept late on Tuesday.

Tuesday was also a busy day because I was invited to attend a book launch for Carry On: The Latter-day Saint Young Women Organization, 1870–2024 at the Church History Library. It makes me really happy that the folks at the CHL invite me to events like this because of my current position with the Utah Historical Society. I loved working there, but I probably will not work there again, so I'm happy that I still get to visit as part of my current job. 

In December 2022, one of the authors of Carry On asked me to verify entries in an appendix about Young Women medallions and stickers. Honestly, I don't remember much about what I did, but I do remember calling up stickers and things up to my cubicle. So I contributed to this new book project very slightly.

Then on Wednesday, I helped judge at the National History Day contest. This is like a science fair but for history. Some of my colleagues at UHS are in charge of this, so they encourage us to help out on work time. I helped judge websites, which means that I and two other judges looked at the websites students created, and we ranked them according to their historical arguments, sources, and presentation. And then I helped with a second round of judging for student papers. National History Day can be fun in its own way, but I don't know if I would choose to do it if I weren't encouraged to do so.

On Friday, my ward had a party for Pi Day. Since it is green season, I made an avocado pie. It tastes more like a lime pie (lime juice and lemon juice), but the color is all natural! This was the first time I have made this pie and the first time I have made a graham cracker crust. No one told me what they thought of it after they ate it.

Yesterday I went swimming (since the weather was iffy for outdoor activities), and I swam in the deepest lane. There was a scuba class in the deep end, and it felt funny to be swimming laps when there were people directly underneath me.

It is St. Patrick's Eve, and I keep liking St. Patrick's Day more and more. It used to be my least favorite of my canonized holidays, but now I like it more than New Year's and Valentine's Day. I feel a little weird observing it, since I have no connection to Ireland, but I think of it as an American holiday. It has been celebrated in the US since at least 1762. Yesterday I went downtown for a couple of hours to see the Siamsa festival. I listened to some live music; I had heard the local bands before because I've been several times now. 

I love this time of the year to listen to Celtic music, embrace the color green, and watch Wolfwalkers, Song of the Sea, and The Secret of Kells. (My biggest gripe with the holiday is that I am firmly anti-alcohol, and I don't think I will ever be otherwise.) And I think this is one of the best food holidays. I love the availability of corned beef and cabbage, colcannon, Irish stew, Irish soda bread, Lucky Charms, and all the green flavors (mint, lime, pistachio, apple, avocado, pickle, etc.). I made both colcannon and corned beef and cabbage this week. And here are a couple other interesting food highlights this week: 

• For years I have loved the See's St. Patrick's Day Potato, which has become my all-time favorite candy. But apparently Irish potato candy is originally a Philadelphia tradition, and this year I ordered some Philadelphia potatoes from Amazon. They have a coconut flavor. I like them, but they're not as good as See's.

• Harmons has Irish toffee brownies and Irish toffee cookies. I opted for brownies, since I didn't need both brownies and cookies. They're really yummy. I like having an unusual option, but I think they made up "Irish toffee." But I like that they have the chocolate gold coins, which seem to be a (kitschy) tradition all their own.
  

And to close, here are this week's dreams.

Mark admires the Easter decorations of a family named Sandwich

a social media influencer posts a video of cats and dogs and rattlesnakes in his house

on September 18, many houses have Halloween decorations up

the fast-food restaurant remains open while it holds a funeral for a former employee

Mark sits at a different fast-food booth because the bench is too full

the cookie shop must throw away all the cookies they didn't sell on Saturday

Mark is furious that the opening hymn at church is a dumb Easter song with a swear word

the criminal catches Mark writing in the criminal's notebook

Mark takes video of the temple that was never completed in rural Utah

the cat exits the house and runs through the fence