Doing a solid

After a solid tennis set today

Getting today's letter from TMFKATB was a major relief, if for nothing else because it relieved me from hour seven of the Broken Tankless Water Heater drama that enveloped our home here in the 'Stan today. More on that later...

The past week was a big one for TMFKATB and his companion. They saw a family that they have been teaching make a significant commitment through the ordinance of baptism and it was, in his words, 'awesome.' Not even a shredded white shirt (accident while helping some people move) a few hours before brought him down that day. He got creative, cutting off the sleeves but still wearing the shirt under his suit coat. His late grandfather did the same thing when he was a waiter / bartender (For reals! For those of you that knew my dad - that's a little known and basically impossible to believe tidbit - he tended bar.) at the Grand Canyon's North Rim. He and his buddies cut the sleeves off their white shirts to stay cool in the summer while wearing their required serving jackets. Genius!

Given that he is serving behind the Zion Curtain, TMFKATB and his companion were able to attend a session of the Church's General Conference this weekend. While disappointed he didn't get a seat in the skyboxes (because there are none), he enjoyed the opportunity to be there surrounded by his Spanish-speaking friends and companions. He's having some experiences that one would not have thought possible safely ensconced along the Zion Curtain. As he put it, it's all solid. He's doing a solid.

Speaking of doing a solid, it's a well-known fact that I am no handyman. I'm not. My idea of being handy around the house is the ability to write a check to the repairman who will do me the solid of fixing junk at my house. I mean I am more comfortable with Nurse Ratched than I am a ratchet set. My attempts at home repair have typically ended badly, usually involving open wounds (my own) and a furry of super-fun cursing. So when I turned on the hot water to shave before showering (yeah, that's how I roll) this morning and all I got was a whole lot of cold, I sensed things were not going to end well. No hot water emerged for my shave and there was nothing but a freezing stream of cold water making its way out of the shower head. So after a quick spit shine, it was time to figure out the problem. Given that we have a tankless water heater that literally has a mother board controlling it, this was not going to be simple. So I determined to just call a plumber / coder. Long story short, when the only plumber qualified to work on our one step away from a robot water heater said he couldn't get to us for a week, it was game on. I was going to figure this out. I am delighted to report that ten hours after the drama began, hot water was restored to the Den. I did not do it on my own. Thanks to some guy who had the misfortune of taking my call on the manufacturer's 800 number, all was once again well in the world. And here's the thing...no open wounds (tools, albeit none were power, were used) and not even a mild curse word. It was a swear word-free affair. Maybe I've turned a corner.

All I know is that I'm going to go jump in the shower now. It better be hot. If it's not, I suspect that the cursing will be a little more than mild.

How Many More?

When will we tire of this?

Another day, another mass shooting here in the United States. Ten dead, including the perpetrator, in another senseless mass shooting at yet another school.

How many more of these incidents will we tolerate?

Another shooter who fits an all too familiar refrain. Loner, entrenched in the Internet and all that lurks within its infinite, murky well, fascinated by other similar murderous acts. And yet those that know these shooters all say, "I'm shocked." "Never saw it coming."

How many more of these incidents will we tolerate?

Our elected representatives all follow the same script in the wake of this madness. They take to social media and declare their sympathy for the victims and their willingness to pray for those who have been lost. This is their 'action.' Kudos on your hollow actions. Thanks for taking the time to send a tweet. Call me crazy, but I don't see how a Tweet is an act of absolution for your collective cowardice and unwillingness to address this insanity.

How many more of these incidents will we tolerate?

I guess it's easier to fixate on what a former child star turned epic skank is not going to wear when she hosts "Saturday Night Live" tonight than how we can address this madness.
I guess it's easier to play a parlor game of "What Will The Megalomaniac Donald Say Today" than to address the mental health crisis in our country that is a key driver of these killings.
I guess it's easier to ignore the fact that our children are being taught how to survive a mass shooting from their earliest days in elementary school than it is to question why anyone should be allowed to have a full-on weapons depot in their basement.

How many more of these incidents will we tolerate?

Given our track record, there seems to be no limit. When will we tire of it? When will we do something to make it stop?

"This is a political choice that we make, to allow this to happen every few months in America." President Obama

Happy

Yeah, I don't know what's happening here. I just know that
TMFKATB is all kinds of happy

On the subject of TMFKATB's weekly letters, I know that I've beaten our sense of joy on Mondays to death. I get it. The horse isn't even worthy of the glue factory, I know, but somehow I keep sharing this sense of excitement with you. All I can say is thank you for putting up with it and for still being interested in reading about his service.

Having served a mission myself, I know that when you are composing those weekly missives, you sometimes wonder if you share everything or if you edit. For instance, thirty years ago as I served, I chose to edit some of the 'gunplay' I witnessed, or had jammed into my forehead, while I was in Miami. Somehow I don't think my mother would have reacted well. In addition to the day-to-day things you experience that you edit out, you sometimes wonder if you include some of the downs that happen. A mission is not all sunshine and roses, but I know I didn't necessarily share all the challenging times in my letters home. Not so with TMFKATB. He's been pretty darn excellent about sharing everything. When he was in Mexico and in the process of blowing out his GI system, we knew in graphic detail just what it was doing. He's been great about sharing the highs and the lows and we're grateful for that.

Today's letter was all about the highs. It was about the most joyful letter we've gotten. He and his companion are hitting on all cylinders and they are seeing the rewards of their hard work. They are seeing the impact of their service and it's brought them enormous joy. For TMFKATB, he's had some experiences over the past few days that have helped him to be a bit more bold without being obnoxious (most twenty year olds are not exactly known for their conversational finesse, so this is a great growing experience). He's seeing miracles, large and small, in people's lives. He summed it all up in this one sentence to me:

Dad, I am so happy right now!

And you wonder why I look forward to Mondays so much. I'll take a line like that and cherish it. You can't wish for more than that for anyone.

Say what you will about life behind the Zion Curtain, but
they sure do know how to make a mean sunset!

Interviews

Just a few weeks ago, CAL started her final semester (that relieved sigh you just heard came from my checking account) of her undergraduate university studies. When she graduates from BYU-I this December, she'll be jumping headlong into the all too real world of work. Her path to full-time work in her chosen career includes months of practicum and internships (to this day, I still confuse the two and the timing of both, so by all that is holy, please do not ask me the difference #fatheroftheyear). She has identified about a slew of hospitals across the country that match her interests and she spent a good part of her summer break filling out myriad applications, packing up recommendation letters, and then waiting and waiting. Welcome to the super fun world of corporate hiring, Princess!

The waiting is starting to end. CAL has heard back from a few hospitals already and all have scheduled her for interviews this upcoming week. Things are now all kinds of real for her.

We've had multiple conversations this week, talking about how and what to prepare for. These are first interviews and are going to be over the phone, given that the hospitals are in two different parts of the country. She got some great ideas on interviews for the job she is seeking from someone who is already in the role (funny how connections through friends pay off!) and she feels pretty good about what's coming up. I've offered to do some mock interviews, but we'll see if she really wants to go though that with Dad.

As she's been preparing and there's been an understandable hint of anxiety around what to expect, I couldn't help but think back to the interviews I've had over the years. At least the days of "If you were a tree, what kind of a tree would you be?" seem to have wained. "Tell me about a time when..." seems to be a staple that we can't excise and lest we forget the opportunity to talk about your three greatest strengths and weaknesses. Yeah, those are gems. One of my best interviews took place years ago in a restaurant in Pasadena, CA. Over lunch, my interviewer (he would shortly become my boss) and I started talking about the industry and it just took off. I got to share some insight and we traded more than a few stories. It never felt like an interview. Isn't that how it should be?

I hope that's how it goes for my CAL. This interview stuff is just a necessary evil. Given the chance to tell her story, she'll shine like no other candidate (I'm the dad - I'm biased and get to say things like that). She's worked so hard these last four years and she's set her sights on an amazing career. I'm eager to see what she does.