Loyal

I haven't had the creative juices to write lately. I've had the inclination, and even the time, but nothing has really come together. I started writing about Jimmer, but it wasn't coming out right. Maybe I'll try it again later.

But I feel like sharing a couple links that I got in my e-mail this morning:
Excerpts from former Secretary of State Condoleeza's Rice remarks at a special forum at BYU:
http://news.byu.edu/archive11-jan-condoleezzarice.aspx

You know, I've been in Lexington for a year and a half now - the only person I've even heard of that has come to the University of Kentucky was Bill Clinton, and that was only cause it was during pre-election time and he was coming to support a Democrat running for the Senate. We had people of her stature coming all the time. How cool was that? I tried to make that a priority while I was there and I'm glad that I did.

Lately I've been reminded repeatedly about how much of a privelege it was to attend BYU. Choosing to attend - and then taking advantage of it - was one of the most important choices that I've made.

Of course, Jimmer has figured prominently in those reminders:
http://photo.byu.edu/video.php?cat1=Slide%20Shows&cat2=Sports&cat3=2011&cat4=11BKB%20vs%20SDSU

Too smart for our own good

http://www.freep.com/article/20110106/NEWS09/101060531/1319/Smart-home-appliances?-For-many-consumers-theyre-genius

The article linked above talks about some of the biggest hits at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show - smart appliances. Internet-connected telephones, ovens, refrigerators, everything.

I can see a lot of benefits to this. How many times have I wanted to run the dishwasher but wanted to wait until the end of the day...and then wake up to dirty dishes? Set it up and there's no way I can forget. The laundry's loaded but you're not in a big hurry? Set it up and the washer will wait until a more energy efficient time to run the load.

However, putting aside the huge issue of who is controlling my oven, I worry about what we worry about. What will it be like when we depend on the internet for EVERYTHING?

Your milk is about to expire? You'll get a text message on your phone telling you to pick up more milk. How hard is it to figure out when your milk is about to expire?
What do you need to shop for? Your fridge will tell you, and probably at which store can you get everything for the cheapest.

I'm okay with not having to worry about mundane things like expired milk. (I'm definitely not crying over it. Ha!) Rich people have been doing it for years. I just worry about what we as humankind will do instead of worrying about expired milk: I just have a feeling it will have a lot to do with the Kardashians or something else that won't be a contribution to society. Too bad it probably won't be about serving others, conversing as a family, pursuing education, or reading the scriptures.

What do I do on my spare time now, however?

Ramble on, my wayward son

Two ramblings for today:

1. A year and a half ago Torrie and I made the decision to leave the Boeing Company and accept a job with the FDIC.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2013713745_dreamliner19.html

http://www.kirotv.com/money/26047371/detail.html

A move, derided by some at the time, appears to have been a good one. Torrie, myself, and now Clara are very happy in Lexington. The job itself is a better fit for me and it’s much more secure, especially with the continuing problems at Boeing. We own a home. We were able to see our families multiple times this year. While we miss family and friends in Seattle, we are nothing but happy with our decision.

2. I’m grateful for the lessons on saving that my parents taught me as a child.

As a fifth-grader, I found out that my family was moving to Detroit. I didn’t know much about Detroit, except that they made lots of cars there, and that they liked hockey. So I decided that I should start to like hockey.

How did I acquaint myself with hockey? Well, I knew of two ways: first, read the newspaper. I started reading all of the box scores that they had on the back page of the Omaha World-Herald. Secondly, I had to get a hockey video game. NHL ’94 for Super Nintendo looked to be a good fit. It had all the teams, it looked pretty cool. Now, how does a fifth grader buy such a game? My parents encouraged me to save up and buy it myself.

They could have bought it for me. They could have called it a Christmas gift, or an early birthday gift, or something like that. They could have decided to buy it for me to help me gain friends after we moved. They could have given it to me because all my friends had video games. But instead, they encouraged me to save up and buy it.

So that’s what I did. I did my chores, saved up my allowance, and eventually I had enough money to buy it myself. What a great day, especially after having worked so hard to obtain it. While I enjoyed playing the game and learning a whole lot about hockey, the more important lesson of making a goal, followed by working and saving towards that goal, was much more important.

I’m grateful my parents helped me learn that lesson – one that I feel is not taught enough these days. Life does not just give you what you want, you have to earn it. That lesson shapes my life today and I will pass it down to my daughter.