The Dentist

Today I went to the dentist for my semi-annual cleaning. Good news! No cavities. I've got a couple of areas that "we will be watching," so I just need to be sure to brush and floss extra good in those spots. I got the standard bag of swag as I left, which is good, because now I get to use a safety orange-colored toothbrush. That thing is so bright, that I could tie it to my head and go hunting without worrying about being shot. No joke. It's cool, though, because orange is one of my fifteen favorite colors.

I like my dentist. He used to live in my ward when I was growing up, so he's kind of a family friend. Also, I've known his hygienist since before my mission (like about 13 years or so), so I guess we're old friends now. That said, I learned something today while I was getting my check-up. If ever your dentist or hygienist says, "We have a new tool that we'll be using on you today," you need to be very afraid. That is dental-speak for "We've been getting complaints that our other tools are too kind. This one is specifically designed to cause the maximum pain allowable without a prescription." I was only there for a cleaning, but this new tool really felt like they were removing portions of my gums in order to expose the root and use my nerve endings as a banjo.

It's all good though. Soon I'll be able to eat solid foods again. And I really love that smooth, just-polished feeling that you get after you've been to the dentist.

The wait is over...

The wait is over (see this post). I finally have my results from my last section of the CPA Exam. I needed a 75 and I got a 68. Yeah, I'm pretty bummed about it.

So now I get to pay another $300, study a bunch of boring crap for many more hours, and try to take that section again before the end of July when my score expires from the first section I took. If I can somehow manage to pass that section before the end of next month, then I will get a letter in the mail that says, "Congratulations! You're good enough, you're smart enough, and doggonit people like you." Otherwise... well, at least it's Monday.

Jokes From the Mailman

The mailman that delivers to my office always has a joke to tell as he drops off our mail. Usually I don't get to hear them, since my office is in the back corner, far from the front door. Sometimes I get lucky, though, and I'm up front when he comes in.

Here's a couple of jokes he has told lately:

They recently completed some drug testing at the Post Office. Do you know what drug they didn't find in any of the employees? Speed.


Q: Why do single men live longer than married men?
A: Because they want to.


A blonde just got her first cell phone. A couple of days later, she was shopping at the mall and her phone rang. She answered it and it was her boyfriend calling. After a few minutes of conversation, she said, "I didn't tell you I was going to the mall. How did you know to call me here?"

Funny funny mailman.

Soggy Triathlon

Swim. Bike. Run!

So yesterday was the Salem Spring Triathlon. It was the second year that I have been to that race. Not as a participant, mind you. Heavens, no. I was a spectator both times. Kristina is the one that likes to do this kind of thing. Last year was her first year, and she enjoyed herself so much she wanted to do it again this year. I've thought about doing a triathlon myself, but then I remembered that I don't like to run and I'm not a very good swimmer. Maybe I could do just the bike part and have someone else do the other two parts. But then... it's not much of a triathlon, is it?






Here's Kristina before the race started. It was about 7:00 am, and the rain was coming down. It had been raining for about three hours at this point, and it showed no sign of letting up. Oh... and it was pretty chilly. Do you see that murky green pond in the background? That's where the swim part of the race took place.

This is Kristina with Brittany. She teaches first grade at one of the schools Kristina worked at this last year. Still raining.

Here's Kristina in the transition area. She has her official Salem Tri silver/gray swim cap and her wetsuit on in preparation for the swim. Good thing, too, because... go back up and look at the picture of the green pond. You can also see the cool road bike we rented for this race. Sadly, by this time, the race officials had cancelled the bike portion of the race. Since part of the bike course was in a canyon, they felt that it was too dangerous to have 600 people riding in the rain down a canyon. Something about wet brakes making it very difficult to stop or slow down. Too bad, because Kristina had a really cool bike that she was excited to use.

Here's Kristina's heat, getting ready for the swim to start at about 10:00 am. At this point, the rain had mostly stopped, but it was still kinda chilly, especially when the wind would blow. Oddly enough, the water felt warmer than the outside air, so racers generally didn't mind being in there... even though the water is green. Here's a fun game: look at the above picture and see if you can find Kristina. It's kind of a Where's Waldo sort of thing. Enjoy!

Here's the women 35 and under starting the swim. See Kristina in there?

Here's Kristina, swimming to the end of the 500 meters (because of the weather, they shortened the swim course from 800 meters).

Kristina is finished with the swim at this point and is running to the transition area.

Still running to the transition area.

Here she is in the transition area. On a normal Salem Spring Triathlon, she'd be getting all set to ride her bike about 12 miles. Not this day.

She's off on the run! They kept the running portion at 5k.

Here she is, coming back from the 5k, headed towards the final few feet to the finish line. See how happy she is? That's because she knows she's almost done. Okay... actually we staged this picture because when she was actually coming back from the run, I pushed the button on the camera too late, and all I got was her leg as she passed me by. This pic was taken about a half hour after she crossed the finish line. Here's the real picture as she was finishing the race:

There weren't as many people at the race this year because of the weather, and because they cancelled the bike portion. Of the approximately 600 people that signed up, only about 400 actually did the race.

Here's Kristina with her bike after the race. Look at those clouds up against the mountains. When they moved a few minutes later, they revealed snow pretty low in the hills.

They write on your arms and legs your race number and your age. You also have a race number that you pin to yourself and one that you stick to your bike. I guess they write them on your arms and legs so that if they pull you out of the pond they can identify you.

So Kristina said it was a fun race, even though they cancelled the bike part. Last year there were three of our friends from our last ward there who were also racing. This year, only one of them raced. The other two took their wives on an Alaskan cruise. They still paid their money for the race to get their shirts, though. Hmm...

This last picture is of a sign we saw as we were driving home from Salem. Salem is just south of Spanish Fork, and as we entered Spanish Fork, we saw this:

"Home of Pride And Progress!" I really thought this was funny. I know when I think of progress, Spanish Fork is the first town that comes to mind.

Trapped!

Maybe the DMV shouldn't hand out driver licenses so easily. They really should make you take a test or something...
______________________________

From KUTV 2 News, 6/2/08:

Woman Calls Orem Police To Free Her From Her Locked Car

Automatic car features are supposed to make life easier for motorists, but they may be leaving some people without the know-how to do things the old-fashioned way. That’s what happened to a driver in Utah County who became trapped inside her own car.

A woman called Orem police Friday afternoon needing help because her battery died and she was locked inside her car.

When police arrived, they found the woman sitting in the car, unable to get herself out. She couldn’t hear the officers instructions through the rolled-up windows so she motioned to them to call her on her cell phone, according to police.

Once officers were able to talk to the woman on the phone, they were able to tell her how to manually operate the slide lock mechanism on the inside door panel to open the door and free herself.

“I'm just glad she had a cell phone to call for help,” an officer said.

Thought for the day...

I found this quote yesterday, and I really like it:

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
~ Dr. Seuss

The Waiting

Do you know that Tom Petty song? The chorus goes:

The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part.


That's what I'm doing right now. I took my test last Thursday. I don't find out how I did until sometime this month.

About the test: I was allowed four and a half hours to take it and I took a little more than four hours. It was pretty grueling. The exam was computer-based and had 5 different sections: 3 multiple-choice sections of 30 questions each, and 2 simulation sections which are basically case studies where you have to do some research, write some form of communication (usually a memo) based on the topic, and do some fill-in-the-blank and pick-a-choice-from-a-drop-down-menu types of questions. I usually do best at multiple choice questions, but on this test, I really think I did better at the simulations. Some of those multiple-choice questions were pretty tough. Oh I forgot to mention that one of the sections was an "evaluation" section. That means that the people that design the exam are evaluating that section to see how test-takers do, so that they can decide if they need to make any changes before they include those sections on future exams. It also means my responses don't count for that section. They don't tell you which section is the evaluation section. It could be one of the multiple-choice sections or it could be one of the simulation sections. I just hope the evaluation section was the section I did the worst on... whichever one that was.

I have no idea how I did. I think I did pretty good on some parts, and I think I nailed some questions. But others... well, they were guesses. I just hope I passed. I need a score of 75 or better to pass.

So here I wait. I'll be checking the examiner's Web site daily this month to see how I did, but until some number magically appears in that little box on their site, I get to wait.