A Return to Civility

I got this book for Christmas.  A co-worker had mentioned it in a meeting more than a year ago, and I admit, it captured my interest.  It is basically a little guide to help us all be a little more civil in a increasingly uncivilized world.  I plan to share some of the things that I'll be working throughout the year with all of you. 

The website linked in the title also includes a daily act of civility if you want something new every day.

So... first up a personal pet peeve of mine:

If you are invited to an event that requests an RSVP, respond, and do it in the time required. If you RSVP  yes to an event, plan to show up.

Or let the organizer know as soon as possible if your plans change.  Your RSVP could trigger decisions that cost money and time.  Remember, too, that there may be someone on the waiting list who would be happy to take your place.

5 Things I'm Thankful for in Philadelphia

Because the theme of the last six months has been "Nothing Goes Right in Philadelphia" I thought I'd instead focus on the things I am thankful for here.  Maybe it'll turn everything around!  :)

1-T3!  It has been such a blessing and help to have them nearby.  To have them feed me, and listen to me complain, and to have that family connection that I miss, and to bail me out when I suddenly need a ride to northeast Philly because my car broke down, and to invite me on fun adventures!  Also, those kids are freaking adorable. 

2-My job.  I complain about it a lot, and in truth I don't really like working there, but without it I wouldn't have had the opportunity to follow my dream to live on the east coast.  And regardless of the my feelings for  this specific job, I do like the company I work for and (hopefully) they will continue to provide opportunities for me to progress in my career.

3-Location, location, location.  Being on the east coast gives me easy access to almost every place on The List.  In the 3-ish years I've committed to living here I hope to visit dozens of places, hopefully including at least 1 trip to Europe.  In fact, I've already seen several in the 6 months I've been here.

4-The climate.  I expected summer to be humid and miserable, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  In return for the occasional mugginess I get trees everywhere, the additional oxygen that comes from living at sea level, and ooh, did I mention all the trees?  I may be regretting this come our first big "shut everything down" snowstorm, but right now, It's high 50s in Philly, while SLC had a blizzard warning. 

5-After 6 months, I'm finally feeling settled.  Like this might be home.  My car is registered, my driver's license now says PA, and I'm enrolled back in school to finally finish my degree.  I feel like I'm out of the rut that trapped me in Utah, and now, all I see are opportunities. 

Obviously, I'm thankful for a lot of other things more general to life and some specific to Utah, but it seemed appropriate to focus on the biggest changes I've ever made in my life, and to say, "Hey, I finally feel pretty good about this...finally."

Thomas Jefferson

I was at Monticello recently, and I had two really fantastic guides. The house tour guide made a point at the very end of the tour that made me really think, and yes, get a little teary. She was telling us where the family cemetery was and talking about the epitaph, which he wrote himself, on his tomb. It reads:

HERE WAS BURIED

THOMAS JEFFERSON

AUTHOR OF THE

DECLARATION

OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE

OF THE

STATUTE OF VIRGINIA

FOR

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

AND FATHER OF THE

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

BORN APRIL 2, 1743 O.S.

DIED JULY 4. 1826

Of all the things this man accomplished, including being the third president of the United States, Governor of Virginia, Secretary of State, and Vice President he chose these thee things to be remembered for.  The accomplishments he was most proud of all were based on Freedom:

Freedom of the people to govern themselves,

Freedom of religion, and

Freedom of the mind through public education.

Later, at the visitor's center I was watching the movie about the Declaration of Independence, and at the end there was a montage of the world governments that have been built on the prinicples that Jefferson espoused in that document.  That all men are created equal, that we are endowed with certain unalienable rights, and during that moment I sat with tears streaming down my face, thinking how lucky we are to be Americans, and how often we take it for granted.

"I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."  --Thomas Jefferson

September 2010

September was a pretty low-key month around here...thank goodness. After all the drama of moving and car troubles and a new job and the 1,000 other things that have gone on over the last 5 months I needed a little break.

I did manage to cross another place of my list, Winterthur, make another trip out to Lancaster to visit Amish Country, and enroll back in college to finish my B.A.

Unfortunately, things are notlooking any brighter at work, and at this point I'm merely counting off the time to fulfill the time in job requirement to post out, but at least it's not worse. Although a friend recently coined a new theme of my life, "Nothing goes right in Philadelphia".

But here is hoping that I can get through the next while without any major catastrophes.

October will hopefully bring another 2-3 things off the list and starting school.

1000 Places Update

New posts will be up shortly at 1000 Places to See. Complete with pictures.

July 2010

Friday, back in Salt Lake, another dinner at Chihuahua, this time with a bunch of the family, a rental car switch, and checked in to my hotel for the remainder of my stay.

Saturday was Porkfest 2010. It was a little scaled back this year. Brendan and Mike were getting home from Scout Camp later in the day, Macklyn had practice for Stadium of Fire, and T2 had family pictures so things broke down early in the day, but there was still frosted crack (Thanks for getting up early to make it, LaNae!), and a BBQ. LaNae and I then headed over to Provo for Stadium of Fire (Fire!) to watch Mack perform and enjoy Carrie Underwood. I’m a huge fan, so I was definitely more excited by that than LaNae was. Mack did great! Even with a slight firework malfunction.

Sunday I just hung out at my folks house and again most of the family showed up to say goodbye. There were more tears, but they’ve all promised to visit and participate in an upcoming family reunion (with river rafting) so it’s all good. Early Monday, I got up, returned the rental and winged back across the country…”home”.

Crock Pot

You know that crock pot that has been moving around with me, still in its original, unopened packaging for approximately 8 years and 4 homes? I busted it out of the box and made taco seasoned chicken this week. I am now a crock pot convert. Thanks for the recipe/suggestion Nate!