Iron wheels a'rolling

This year's Valentine's Day was much better than last year's.

On Thursday this week, I had an appointment with an eye doctor. Now that I'm a grown-up, I have to take care of my own appointments and insurance. I haven't had my eyes checked for almost three years, and I haven't seen an ophthalmologist since November 1, 2007. I thought I might need new glasses, since it's been nearly three years. My eyes have gotten a little worse, but not enough that I need new glasses.

I am really worried about our weather this year. Look at this graphic from the Deseret News:





February is halfway over, and I still haven't seen it snow once this month. The mountains look like I would expect them in April or May. When I came out of my eye appointment on Thursday, for a split second I thought, "It's a little chilly for October." Then I remembered it wasn't October, so it really wasn't chilly at all. Some people hate snow, and while I don't like traveling in it, I wish I could impress upon people how much we need it. I learned just how valuable water is after taking my groundwater class. (Incidentally, the Deseret News yesterday ran an article about the groundwater of Snake Valley, which I visited on a field trip in that class. Keep your greedy hands off of Utah, Vegas!) I like unseasonable weather, but only when it lasts a few days, not two and a half months.

Due to the unseasonable warmth and increasing daylight, on Friday night I went running on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and ran further on that trail than I've been before (I did drive to the trailhead). I ran up near a weather station, where I was able to see Ensign Peak from a distance. When I came home, I said, "I saw Ensign peak, but I didn't go to it." My sister thought I said, "I saw some puke, but I didn't get in it."

Then yesterday, Valentine's Day, my family went up to Golden Spike National Historic Site. This was quite fitting, because that was one of the topics I had been researching this week for work. The building of the Transcontinental Railroad was an essential event both in United States and Utah history. The completion of the railroad in 1869 marked the end of the pioneer period. It's only fitting that it's on Utah's state quarter. I tend to be pretty cynical about history (as a discipline, not about historical facts), but I can't help but be fascinated by how events build on each other. For example, would the railroad have had so many Irish workers if not for the Irish Potato Famine? And I could go in depth on how the 1853 railroad survey of John W. Gunnison triggered events that helped oust Brigham Young as territorial governor, but I don't feel like it right now.

Sadly, Valentine's Day is one of the most boring holidays. But that means that I'm not that sad when it's over.

Utah's past and my past

One of the things I have loved about my job recently is learning about things that happened in the pioneer days of Utah. Often, I have never heard of these things.

For example, I learned that Capitol Hill in Salt Lake was once called Arsenal Hill because there was an arsenal on it. The arsenal was burned down in 1870 (get it? an arsEnal destroyed by arsOn?), but powder magazines remained on the hill until 1876, when some teenage boys accidentally set them off. The boys were blown to pieces, and rocks and debris flew everywhere, killing a pregnant woman and a three-year-old and damaging hundreds of houses. A Civil War veteran said it was worse than some of the destruction he had seen in the war. The residents at the time thought it was an event  that would never be forgotten. But they were wrong, because everyone's forgotten it.

I was also thinking about the recent controversy of Dixie State College becoming Dixie State University. Some people think using the name Dixie with rebel mascots brings to mind slavery. But no one seemed to have a problem with the University of Utah Utes. The Ute tribe used to capture children from other tribes and sell them into slavery. That was one of the issues that fueled the Walker War of 1853, because Brigham Young and the Mormons found that practice abhorrent (and rightfully so, I might add). This doesn't mean that I think the U shouldn't have Utes, and I don't have strong feelings either way about Dixie's mascot, but I do think that if slavery is the only issue at hand, it should be applied consistently.

Back in October, I bought a CD, Saga of the Sanpitch, about Sanpete County. I got it because it had some songs by Cherie Call, my favorite singer, but I grew to like several of the other songs, both for the stories and for the music. Yesterday, the Utah Pioneer Heritage Arts was having a performance that was a preview of their Kane County CD, so I went to it. It was at the Daughters of the Utah Pioneer Museum, which is where the arsenal was once located. I had considered taking a date, but I thought it might be awkward and guessed it would only be old people. I was right. Three of the performers looked to be in their 30s or 40s, and there were two teen or preteen girls (probably there with their parents or grandparents), but other than that I don't think there was anyone under the age of 50. I have nothing against people that age, but I was a little out of place. (And for the record, I don't consider the 50s to be old, just older than me.) I liked the stories they told and sung, and I bought their Sevier County CD, The Valley of the Trails, but I haven't listened to it yet. The Sevier County CD doesn't have Cherie Call on it, but she wrote one of the Kane County songs, so I hope she'll be on that recording.

The last few days were very windy, which is very annoying when it blows over your recycling bin and blows your trash all over the neighborhood. One of the shoeboxes I had recycled ended up on another street. After I came back from the performance, I went through other people's yards, picking up newspapers and pieces of sensitive documents I had torn up. Someone evidently picked up my shoebox, but I still picked up the powdered Gatorade container that was on the next street down. But I didn't go down into the gully of our neighborhood. And I feel like a terrible person for not doing so.

On Friday my family went to see Mary Poppins at Woods Cross High School. It was a very good performance. But I had a bit of a weird experience, thinking, "I graduated from here, moved away on a mission, moved away to college, graduated from college, and here I am back at the beginning." I saw my old French teacher, Mrs. Jamison. On the last day of school she almost told me she hoped I learned French on my mission, but then she thought French would be too easy for me. She hoped to see where I went in the Davis County Clipper. But my mission was never announced in the paper, so she never found out I went English speaking. I talked to her after the play, and I told her I had taken advanced French, but I didn't tell her I went English speaking. (Why I wasn't called on a foreign-speaking mission is still one of the great mysteries of my life.) I also saw Mrs. Wagstaff, the physics teacher, but I didn't think she'd remember me.

I've thought about going in depth explaining why college is better than high school. But that would be like explaining why brownies are better than Smarties.

What an eccentric college grad does in January

January, the worst month of the year, is over! Actually, a lot of the bad things about January didn't happen this year. The smog wasn't very bad, and there wasn't much ice. I worry about our snowpack. You may know that I am waiting for a year in which I see it snow nine out of twelve months. I got eight months in 2010 and 2011, but I only saw six months last year. January is usually not a month I worry about, but come April and May, the snowstorms are like, "Well, this is a snowstorm, but just barely." Well, this January's storms were of the "barely" variety. I hope February brings indisputable snowstorms.

On Monday this week, my ward went to Orchard Lanes bowling. Out of three games, I broke 100 twice, at which point I'm always satisfied. But in one of those, the lane was broken, so it gave us extra points. But I might have still broken 100 anyway.

A few nights ago, I had an Inception-like dream. (At least, that's my understanding, because I've never seen that movie.) [Cue the wavy screen.] In one dream, I dreamed that my sister had a son while I was on my mission, and years later, I didn't remember his name, and I felt like a terrible uncle. Then I woke up from that dream, and in the next dream, I verified with my mom that my sister in fact did not have a son. My mom told me, however, that a neighbor's girlfriend was pregnant with twins. (In real life I told that person about this dream, but I don't want to embarrass him publicly, because this dream doesn't describe him at all.) This guy was the executive secretary in my ward, but then on a Saturday I got a call that I was going to be executive secretary, presumably because he was being released. I was sustained at home, even though no one was there, so I could start the next day. And then I woke up from that dream, and I was telling everyone about the dream I had just had. [Cue reverse wavy screen.] There may have been one or two more levels of dream as well.

On Thursday, I once again helped with tutoring. I feel even dumber when I have to refresh myself on sixth-grade math. But in fairness, sixth-grade math was a lot longer ago than high school math.

Then with it being an unusually warm and un-smoggy January, I was able to go running yesterday, although I only had time for a partial run. I was running past a house when I heard a small girl saying, "Daddy, do you see that boy running?" I heard the dad say "hi," but I had already passed the house, and the dad sounded more like he was saying it to appease his daughter rather than to greet me--but I feel a little like a jerk for not turning around and waving.

Then a friend and I went to the Clark Planetarium. It reminded me how much I've forgotten from the Geology of Planets class I took two years ago (for instance, I don't remember the difference between stony, iron, and stony-iron meteorites). But it is amazing to think about how enormous Jupiter is, and yet how small it is compared with the rest of the solar system, and how small that is in the galaxy, and how small that is in the universe. [Booming sound of a mind blowing.]

And after dealings with real outer space, I introduced my family to a DVD set I recently got. You might think I only watch horrible 1960s sitcoms, but you'd be wrong. Oh no, I watch other things as well. I also watch cartoons based on horrible 1960s sitcoms. Even if they were from the 80s.


Gilligan's Planet actually is pretty similar to the original Gilligan's Island, except they're stranded on another planet (and Gilligan has a pet alien, and Ginger looks different, and it's animated). They even got most of the original cast! Gilligan's Island is my favorite show, and with the episodes about Gilligan becoming a radio, the castaways getting superpowers from eating radioactive vegetables, Gilligan turning magnetic and then invisible, and a mad scientist switching their bodies around, there is nothing too ridiculous to me. Last night I also caught an episode of Lost in Space, and it was very similar to the Gilligan's Planet episode I had just watched! (Well, only a little bit similar. Skipper and Dr. Smith were both accused of not working, and they both responded that they were watching for aliens.)

Here I am a college grad, watching cartoons and struggling with sixth-grade math.

Short week

I had a lot go on this week.

On Monday, I didn't work. Thank you, Dr. King, for a day off. Oh, and for all the civil rights activism too.

On Tuesday, I was amused by this Google search. I didn't find what I was looking for that day, but on Friday I found it in a book. No thanks to Google.

On Wednesday, a guy I home taught, Donald, was moving out, so I went to their pad for a going-away party.

On Thursday, I helped out with a ward activity where we tutor high school students from a Tongan neighborhood. I helped a girl with her math. It took me a while to figure out what to do, but eventually I got it. I think it was algebra 2, and I haven't had that for ten years. However, I was pretty good at that; I was picked as one of the students of the month from the math department. My last math class was college calculus, five years ago, and I wasn't very good at it. By "wasn't very good," I mean I got a B+, which to me is almost failing. My last class involving math was groundwater, a year and a half ago. I'm not a math person, so I felt bad for the girl I was tutoring because it took me a while to get back in the math groove. But I got it eventually.

When I got back home, at about 9:00 p.m., my boss called me, because he had some sudden things he needed me to look at.

On Friday morning, I went to a meeting where Reid Neilson, my boss, became a new assistant Church historian. He had called me the night before so I could look over some press items, so I was one of the few people who knew it before it happened. The official press release has some of my fingerprints on it, as I told him that it's perfectly acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition. He deserves this new title, as he is very smart and is the nicest boss I've ever had.

Then I had game nights on both Friday and Saturday.

Hmm. My week seemed a lot more interesting when I was actually experiencing it, rather than when I was writing it. Sorry about that.

Incoherent thoughts

The other day I was thinking about the months of the year, and how they all have their pros and cons. Even January has its good things. But I couldn't really think of anything bad about October. Other months may have better pros than October, but October doesn't have any cons.

January may be full of freezing temperatures, ice, smog, and the end of a holiday season. But it does have New Year's Day for one day, and it has a day off in the form of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and it has the beginning of heart-shaped candy season. But all things considered, those aren't very good things comparatively.

My recent research for work has led me to read a lot about Amasa Lyman--who was an early Apostle, was mentioned in the Doctrine and Covenants, came west, helped settle San Bernardino, CA, was excommunicated, and became a Godbeite. What blows my mind about all this is that he is my ancestor and is buried in the same cemetery as my grandparents, which is the cemetery in which my parents will be buried. I have seen his tombstone!

I'm always learning new things. Today, we think of pioneers as those people who came across the plains between 1847 and 1869, when the transcontinental railroad was completed. But for those pioneers, they didn't all consider themselves pioneers. To them, only those who came in 1847 were pioneers, which was only a few hundred. I also learned this week that only 4 percent of all the pioneers came via handcarts.

This week I went with my grandparents to see the play The Miracle Worker. Whenever I see things like that, I want to know how much of it is true and how many dramatic liberties they took. But the overall story is true, and it is an amazing story indeed.

I guess I don't really have that much to say about the week. That's January for you!

CHL adventures

At my work at the Church History Library, I have my own cubicle. Almost all the cubicles around me are occupied by senior missionaries. And since they're just cubicles, I hear all of their quirks. One Canadian sister always says interesting things--like when she disliked a picture of herself and said, "My mouth's so wide, I look like I'm about to swallow a turkey!" One old man always answers the phone by saying "Good morning," even if it's 4:00 in the afternoon. And someone in a more distant cubicle has the loudest, most terrifying sneezes. And it's never just one or two sneezes. Once I counted nine sneezes in a row!

If I need to consult a reference book, I can request for the item to be delivered to my desk. But sometimes that can take a while, so sometimes it's easier to go down into the part of the library that is open to the public. (Most items in the library are ones people can see, but they keep them secure to minimize damage.) This week, I was doing a lot of research, so I took my laptop to work so that I could work down in the library.

In the library, there are lots of soft chairs and some computer stations where Temple Square missionaries do their emailing. There are also eight or so tables, each with four chairs, where researchers and others can do their work.

This week, twice I was astonished by some strange actions of old men. I had left my laptop on one of the tables while I was up looking for books. (That may not be the wisest, but I don't really worry about it getting stolen, because we don't get much riff-raff coming into the library. It's 85 percent missionaries and 13 percent scholars and 1 percent families.) When I came back to the table, an old man was sitting right next to my stuff at the table. They could have sat kitty corner from me at the table. Or they could have sat at a different table, since there were several empty tables. But no, out of all the places they could have sat, they picked right next to me. I wasn't so annoyed that they were next to me; I just thought it was weird they did that. And it was especially weird that two different people did the exact same thing.

With the drab post-holiday letdown upon us, I have been thinking ahead six months. This year, I plan to do a trial run of formally celebrating Pioneer Day. I often watch fireworks or parades, but I don't formally celebrate it like I do the other eight holidays. I have toyed with this idea for years, but this will be the first year I try it out. Doing all this research on the early days of Utah has given me a greater appreciation for the pioneers. But there's another, silly reason. One of the obstacles has been that outside of bonnets and covered wagons, there aren't many icons for Pioneer Day; and without icons, it's hard to decorate and have seasonal treats; and without decorations and seasonal treats, it's hard to formally celebrate. Some people have used leftover patriotic (red, white, and blue) items for the Twenty-Fourth of July. But I have always rejected this notion--after all, it's a Utah holiday, not a national holiday, and the pioneers were leaving the United States. But in all my recent studies, I have learned that the pioneers themselves, the ones who invented the holiday and the ones we honor, used American flags and such in their celebrations--long before statehood and even before official territorial status. Thus, if the pioneers themselves had patriotic images, then we should too, and thus it will make celebrating a little easier. I'm brainstorming how I will make the Twenty-Fourth distinct from, but still similar to, the Fourth of July.

I've learned that the 1849 gold-seekers were so sick of eating bacon and other things that they were craving vegetables once they got to Utah and were eager to trade things for fresh vegetables. They must have been really desperate, because I can never imagine craving vegetables.

I also learned this week that in 1850, Brigham Young weighed 182 pounds. So my goal is to follow the prophet in 1850 and get back down to 182. (A few Christmases have refused to leave my body.)

Christmas and New Year's found me home

Well, another Christmas and New Year have come and gone. (I didn't write about Christmas last week because I was doing my year in review.) It was a really nice break. I think I have the nicest boss in the world, and he was out of town, so he let me decide what I wanted to do. I decided to only work some of the days and only work partial days. It means I won't get paid as well for the last two weeks, but I'm fine with that.

On December 22, since I was only working a partial day, I went into work late, because it just so happened that my ward was having its Christmas party downtown. Thus, if I was at work, I would already be downtown and wouldn't have to go far. They had a bell choir, which was definitely better than the bagpipes my home ward did for their Christmas party back in 2009.

I worked on December 23, but I didn't work on Christmas Eve. Instead, it was a day of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger. I made wassail by putting apple juice, orange juice, a cinnamon stick, some whole cloves, and a sprinkling of nutmeg in a slow cooker. I used a horrible gingerbread recipe. It said to use half a cup of water, but it didn't say what to do with it. Well, I added the water, and it made it entirely runny. When I baked it for the designated time, it completely burned it. I then added lots and lots of flour to get the consistency right again--and then the gingerbread turned out quite nicely. But it was no thanks to that deplorable recipe! I put frosting in a bag to decorate the cookies. The first one started out decent...

...but due to problems with the bag, they got progressively uglier.

(Go ahead, laugh. I won't be offended. That's why I put them here.)

Christmas Day was a snowy day--the first really snowy day of the season, although we had had some snow in November. It was safe enough for relatives to come over. We got to Skype with my cousin Quin who is on a mission. Because I have always liked polar regions, I got some polar animal-themed gifts. I got an oven mitt and hot pad with walrus pictures on them, a walrus ice cream scoop, and a narwhal screwdriver. (I'm just happy that such a thing exists!) I also got a Nightmare before Christmas Monopoly game, in which some of the properties include the towns of Thanksgiving, Easter, St. Patrick's Day, and Valentine's Day. (They left out Fourth of July Town, but you only see that door very briefly in the movie.)

I didn't work the day after Christmas, even though I could have. Relatives came over again on December 27, and we played the Pictionary/Telephone game. It was fun, but it's funner with college-age people.

On December 28, President Eyring was visiting my ward again, and since there was extra time, he spoke to us again. He told us about his marriage, and if he was a "menace to society," it makes me feel better. (BTW, I don't know why we talk about the "menace" thing, because I don't think that was ever really said. An apocryphal story indeed.)

On December 29, it seemed snowy, and fortunately I had saved my work in Dropbox, so I was able to work from home rather than drive downtown. On December 30, the news talked about how windy it was and how that was causing a lot of accidents. The Davis County sheriff was on the news saying, "If you can stay home, do." If the sheriff tells me to stay home, I won't argue with him--although I probably could have safely left, since the wind problems were further north. While I was sitting in the living room doing my work, I was startled when an enormous group of birds began flying around the house. You remember in Mary Poppins when she shakes the snow globe and lots of birds fly around? That's what it felt like. It literally looked like a snowstorm of birds. The birds came around a second time, and I was able to get some footage on my phone.

On the last day of 2014, I went into the office for work, after stopping in at the Salt Lake Temple across the street. It was the first time I ever worked on New Year's Eve in my life. I had a rather uneventful New Year's Eve.

Then on New Year's Day, I was able to get an invigorating start to 2015 by going running on Bountiful Boulevard, the first full run I had had since before Thanksgiving.

Then January 2, I was back to a full work day. And the holidays were all over.

I guess it's good that the year starts in January, because then it can only get better. January has exceedingly cold temperatures, smog, ice, and after New Year's, no real holidays. What a horrible month.