Missionaries in the Library

Sometimes when I check my e-mail in the library in the afternoon, there are a couple mormon missionaries doing the same thing.
When the computer I'm "assigned" to happens to be next to a computer a missionary is on, I'm overly tempted to log onto www.exmormon.org and see if he notices and/or says something about it. Maybe I'm overly touchy, but really, what other church pushes 19-year-olds on the general population and expects people to believe these boys? I'm much more willing to believe a college-educated minister or priest than I am someone who hasn't even completed a bachelor's degree. Maybe I'm being a little elitist regarding education, but still, I'd like to think that someone with more life experience is more trustworthy than someone barely out of high school.
I'm not offended by these guys who've decided to give up two years of their lives and who knows how much money to preach their church's party line. I feel sorry for them. One of my high school buddies broke off a relationship with a missionary who had a change of heart and left his mission early. Maybe "broke off" is an incorrect term; "became disinterested" is more accurate. Not that she's necessarily a molly mormon (she's 23 and unmarried, and content to stay that way for now), but she felt that if you start a mission, you should complete it even if you disagree with the dogma you're supposed to push. I asked her if she could stay in a foreign country and teach people things she disagreed with, and after she thought about it she said that she couldn't.
These guys should be in college enjoying their youth. If God calls you to go to foreign lands and convert souls, that can come later.

I'm Back! And Wanting to Go Elsewhere

I returned to Idaho yesterday afternoon after taking a "shortcut" - through Arco and down through Craters of the Moon National Monument. Going this was supposed to have saved me an hour. Unfortunately there was some killer road construction going on at Craters of the Moon, so I lost the hour I was supposed to have saved. On the upside, it was a more interesting trip than just taking the interstate.
Another side effect of being stuck in road construction is I had the opportunity to intensely study my map. Ketchum, Idaho is only short drive (short meaning I can take a day trip there) away. One of my favorite American authors, Ernest Hemingway, lived, died, and was buried in Ketchum. This spawns the idea that I should take the opportunity to go up there and pay homage to the man that spawned "The Sun Also Rises", "A Farewell to Arms", "The Old Man and the Sea", and other literary greats. There's an annual Hemingway Festival, which started last year, that I might go to if I'm still around in September.
Besides Ketchum, there's the Shoshone Ice Caves and other geological wonders to go see that are also just a "day trip" away.

I think I do have the wanderlust.

Missing Butte and Buying Suits

As I drove into Butte, my predominating feeling was that of comfort. I must admit, I thought I would miss Butte, and I haven't.
But I do feel comfortable in Butte. It was my home for five years, I know all (maybe not all, most of) the shortcuts, the best places to buy groceries, etc.
Learning a new town (Twin Falls, ID) isn't necessarily a bad thing; I enjoy the adventure. But sometimes I would just like to know the best place to buy contact lens fluid, or how to get from Barnes and Noble to my uncle's house in the least amount of time. It would be nice to know which grocery store in town has the best (cost for quality) produce, and what I can expect from the mall. (While it has a Macy's and a Victoria's Secret, I'm not quite as satisfied as I thought I would be)

Maybe I just have high expectations. When I walk into a Macy's, I expect to at least find one high quality suit made of linen or lightweight wool (depending on the season), a decent Ralph Lauren section, and a good shoe selection (meaning an adaquate blend of classic shoes and some funky fun ones). Butte has no Macy's, so I don't have the expectations of Butte that I would of a town that does. Most of the Macy's stores I've been to have several nice women's suits and a good Lauren Ralph Lauren section (where the nice suits are usually located). When I was suit-shopping in Twin, I couldn't find one suit that I cared for. Why is it so hard to find a cream or tan linen suit?!? I had to go to Boise to find a linen suit, and spent at least a half hour looking for a suit that wouldn't date itself in a month. (pale green and pink plaid does not fit my definition of "classic") Even in Boise it was difficult finding something that wouldn't fall apart in a year or so.

Why are women's clothes so poorly constructed, and why is it so difficult to find something as basic as a white button-down shirt, or a suit with plain lines? A lot of women tell me to shop at Maurices, but 90% of the clothes I buy there fall apart in a year or less. I don't think I'm hard on clothes, but when a button falls off the first time I wear a garment, or a seam unravels on a garment that fits, I start to wonder.
I used to shop at the Gap a lot, but I've noticed the quality on their clothes is slipping too. I've never bought a shirt, jacket, etc. from them that didn't need to have buttons resewn.
I've been impressed with Ralph Lauren brand clothes, but I can afford them only when they're on sale. Tommy Hilfiger is all right, somewhere between Ralph Lauren and the Gap.
I'm not trying to endorse any one brand, but these are just some of my observances on clothing labels.
If you can find a label with well constructed, affordable clothes made from good materials (ie, not rayon or polyester), please let me know.

Powerless

Yesterday the power was out at the house for thirteen hours. Thirteen! I was minding my own business watching the "Ensign Ro" episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation and all of a sudden, the power goes out. I read a few chapters of one of my new books, went to my cousin's softball game (lost by a point), got something to take home and eat, and went home. And the power was still out. Yuck. Eating in the dark by yourself is not fun.
So I took my contacts out and went to bed around midnight. I fell asleep quickly, which is unusual for me. Not being able to do anything without my Itty Bity Book Light kills the interest to do anything. Sometime in the middle of the night (5:30 AM to be precise - and it was starting to get light too), the hallway lights woke me up. I turned them off, set the air conditioner to 68 degrees (it climbed to 82 during the night - much too warm to sleep with covers), and went back to bed.
And I thought I could be productive at the house yesterday. Well, sort of. I did get through about four chapters in my book (around 100 pages).

Blurbs

My uncle was just diagnosed with cancer. Much sadness.

I drove up to Boise yesterday to see my old college pal, Dan. We ate at Burger King and then went shopping. We also contemplated the naughty connotations of stores such as "Wet Seal" and "ExpressMen". (Don't blame us; we went to an engineering school. We've been corrupted to have our minds in the gutter.)

I bought the 5th season of Star Trek: The Next Generation (two more to go! I told you I was a nerd!), a new suit for interviews in the summer (because grey tweed just doesn't cut it when it's 80+ degrees out) and a couple books at Barnes & Noble. The suit fits great (which is a first), although all the pockets on the jacket are fake. I loathe fake pockets. It's such a tease. "It's a pocket! It's a pocket! NO! It's a FAKE pocket!"

My mom calls me daily to check on me, because she worries about me living in their house all by myself. Which makes me wonder why she didn't worry as much when I was living in Butte, living near all sorts of weirdos.

It's starting to get really hot here during the day. Ick. But when it cools down the evenings are nice; I can take long walks and no one bothers me. I still haven't been out to see Shoshone Falls yet. That's on the list of things to do (like get the rest of F's quilt cut, unpack, etc.).

Religious "Blessings"

My uncle was in the E.R. last night; he had his gallbladder removed this morning. Anyway, when my cousin Tom and myself got him home last night (my uncle absolutely refused to stay in the hospital overnight) a mormon bishop and stake president were there with my cousin Andy's wife. The bishop and the stake president wanted (or were called in) to give my uncle a blessing. (If you're Catholic, it's kind of like the mormon version of Anointing of the Sick/Extreme Unction)
I, obviously, would have been more comfortable with a priest, but then again, I'm Catholic, not LDS. These two dudes wearing slacks, white dress shirts (several others have noticed that's the only color shirt they wear "officially"; makes for a boring wardrobe, don't you think?), and ties seemed superficially friendly to me and semi-genuinely concerned for my uncle. OK, I take that back. The bishop seemed to actually know my uncle so he was genuinely concerned. These guys got some oil out (what markings do they make with the oil if they don't make the sign of the cross?), put their hands on my uncle's head and prayed a short prayer over him.
I don't want to be rude, or sound unappreciative, but the prayer was something slightly more elaborate than "Lord, help this man have a good night's sleep and watch over him in his operation tomorrow." It didn't comfort me at all, and I'm not exactly sure it comforted the other family members in the room. As for my uncle, he didn't tell me if the blessing comforted him or not. I walked away from the experience thoroughly unsatisfied.
Don't get me wrong; I totally believe in the power of prayer and in the strange "coincidences" God orchestrates. It just would have been nice to feel more than the normal "presence of prayer" at the "blessing" than I did. I don't know about you, but when I'm at Mass, I know something happens to the host and the wine. I intuitively feel a presence when I'm praying. I know I'm sounding like a fundamentalist, hallucinatory freak, but I used to be an agnostic - almost atheist at one point in time. Even after I converted to Catholicism, I spent a time where I was purposely trying to refute/deny the power of prayer, or the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. You know what? I couldn't. Catholicism makes too much sense, and it's backed up by whatever intuitive, mystical feelings I have about it. Whatever it is, Catholicism "works" for me.
I don't think God has picked out a "right" religion. All I know is what I feel, and what I've studied theologically. Several Buddhist monks I've met radiate the same sense of peace that my favorite priests do. I've never met a mormon elder who's given me more than the creeps.
Maybe I would have felt better if the mormon elders were more eloquent, or if I felt God's presence in a stronger way.
Again, I don't want to be rude, and I don't think God has a favored religion, but there is a serious lack of potency in mormon blessings.

A Harsh Way To Go

Taiwanese Man Spends 3 Months in Internet Cafe before succumbing to fatigue, cigarette smoke, and instant noodles.

Mmmm. Instant Noodles.

Library Time Restrictions

As I'm only allotted one hour on the internet at the library, I try to make the most of my time, which usually means I'm reading and writing e-mails. (For some reason I get more e-mail now than I did when I had access to the internet, or maybe because I was always online I didn't have to deal with it all at once)
Things are going well. I had to cancel my trip to Taiwan, but I think that will be OK.
Not much else is going on. I'm concurrently reading "Under the Tuscan Sun", and "The Sex Lives of Cannibals", both travel memoirs. I recommend "The Sex Lives of Cannibals", but only if you're looking for something funny and are well-read - the author has an extensive vocabulary.
It's been very stormy the past few days, and that's OK. I like a lot of rain.
My parents got their new washer and dryer delivered yesterday, and that was a lot of fun. OK, I'm easily amused. It's a front-loading washer, and if you've never seen a home-edition of one, they're fun to watch. We'll see if they clean as well. They're also supposed to be energy and water efficient, which is super good. The clothes come out of the washer only mildly damp, as if you lightly sprayed water on them. (As opposed to dripping wet at the laundromat)
I haven't gone completely bored out of my mind yet, but I sense the impending boredom if nothing happens.
I should have internet sometime next week; hopefully I'll be able to write much more interesting blogs then.

Dinking Around in Twin Falls

My parents left this morning to go back to Utah. I'm still in shock over my abrupt move, but I guess that's OK because it gives me the chance to "figure out" Twin Falls. My parents' new house is huge! Not to mention very nice and not in town. Not only do I get to figure out how to get around Twin Falls, I also get to figure out how to remember how to get back home. But the house has A/C and it's relatively quiet. The road outside looks ripe for running.
Twin isn't all that much bigger than Butte, but there's lots more shopping and food variety here. At Fred Meyers, they have all sorts of organic foods, as well as a wide variety of "protein substitutes" for vegetarians. Not that I'm a vegetarian, but if they offer more variety for a vegetarian than Butte does, what must be in store for the average omnivore? (They even sell "freshly made" sushi rolls in the deli at Fred Meyers. Wow.) Maybe I'm just excited to enter some realm of civilization I've yet to experience. Yeah, that's it.
There's a Barnes & Noble here, as well as several quilting shops. Not to mention a nice-looking Catholic church (St. Edwards; I'm not sure if there are any more in town).

Ahh, "But is there a Victoria's Secret?" you may ask. The answer: Yes. In the mall. (where else would it be?)

The only weird thing I've found in Twin so far is that they allow people to parachute off the bridge here, and the city claims no responsibility to those who squish on the bottom of the canyon. So I guess if you're prone to suicide, you have that option open to you.

Moving Around

I'm going to be gone for a few days; I left Butte and will be without internet for at least another day.