Tuesday, October 30, 2012

To - do

News! I have a job interview next week! I am super excited about it. I am also super nervous about it. It still surprises me that I am a "grown-up" and am qualified to protect people from radiation poising.  I feel like this job would help get life rolling a little more. So with the interview and being a full-time aunt, there is much to be done this week. I love productivity and so here are some of the things I will attempt to get done this week.

To Do:
Find grown-up, professional, job interview attire
Find college transcript
Read about radiation and remember more about Mass Spectrometry
Practice interview questions
Carve pumpkins
Finish halloween costume
Find external hard drive
Ask for letters of recommondations
Finalize list of graduate schools I will apply to
Vote
Write letters to missionaries and send the ones already written
Eat an ice cream cone
Hair cut
Wash car
Fix door handle on  driver side door
Enter receipts in my budget
Upload pictures
Grow a beard

Wish me luck! Happy Tuesday!


Thursday, October 25, 2012

Waking up on the wrong side of the day

This morning I feel horrible. I feel cranky, sad, tired, and have a head ache.

I can usually tell how my day will go based on my morning. Some days I wake up and feel that extra spring in my step and just know that the day will be full of good things. I can find happiness in the randomness of life and even laughter in disappointment. Sadly, there are other days, days of droopiness, discomfort, and despondency. Today is one of those days.


It is normal to have these days. I do feel like I am partly to blame for feeling this way. I have neglected a very important part of my daily routine. It still happens but is not given my full attention.

Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts. (Jer. 15:16)

For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.
 And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.
O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever. (Alma 37:44-46)

These are the promises that God has given to the diligent scripture reader.

My study of the scriptures has been more challenging lately. I feel less connected. It requires so much more energy to satisfy my hunger for communication from God. However, I know that any time I start my day off with passages like these, the day is easier.
I do believe that the words of Christ direct my life for good and can really help us overcome the daily grind or even more pressing matters.

 I will still have days of sadness and irritability, but they will be a little easier to manage with these words.

As I was writing this post, I got a phone call from my grandma. Someone wonderful just passed away. Her and her husband were driving to the temple. My family has known this family for years. She was my nursery leader. She always has a smile on her face. She always tells me how happy she is to see me. Her life has always been a life of service. I am so glad that God knows when its time and that He blesses us with such wonderful people.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Fat, low fat and the media!

This morning while I was eating my morning quesadilla pondering the complexities of life, I had the thought "How do they make food low fat?"

I think about things like this all of the time. So what do I do when I get to work? I use my awesome googling skills.

I was first thinking about scientifically how do they make food low fat, but then this appeared. Apparently there is a lot of tension with nutritionist about the use of low fat foods. Many times a low fat food is high in carbs. My example is Twizzlers.

A low fat candy! I happen to love them, even though some people say they are like plastic. But clearly they are not very nutritious. Low in fat and high in sugar.

According to my "research" (meaning some googling) many people have bought into the low fatness and instead increased their sugar intake making them fat. So many people buy low fat yogurt, sour cream, low fat oreos. Fat tastes good! So when they take it out of products they have to add something to make it taste better - sugar! Obviously this is not all foods, but many of them. This is something I want to look into just because.

My next thought was "How does the media dictate how we perceive food?"

This week its eat more carrots to improve your eye sight! Next week its eat 1 cup of oatmeal and your acne will be cured! Obviously I'm exaggerating.  But seriously, how much can we trust what we hear on TV or in a magazine? I am always a skeptic when it comes to these claims. But how much should we believe? How are we influenced by the media? I feel like we don't do a good job as consumers. We believe what is fed to us. I really wish that "the media" always told the truth AND more importantly I wish that we would look into things instead of always believing them.

This is kind of random. I am not the best writer, but these are my Friday morning thoughts.
I want to hear what y'all think of this.

With love from New Mexico,
Allison