Tidbits

So here are a couple of things that I wanted to write down, before I forgot.

Tidbit #1:

Earlier today, Evie was telling me about the Lion King. Apparently it's about "Simbaa and Uncle Scarf."

:D Heehee.

Tidbit #2:

I've noticed that people here are really good drivers. They go the speed limit, they rarely honk, I've never seen anyone flip anyone else off. They use their turn signals, they're courteous, and they're always willing to let the other person go first. It's insane! I love it!

I always wanted to go the speed limit in Utah, because I felt guilty whenever we had a lesson in church about obeying the law of the land. I must have been the only one feeling guilty, however, because you pretty much NEVER see anyone going the speed limit in Utah. Every so often you get someone going under the speed limit, but most are going about 10 mph over and no one is going exactly the speed limit.

Now, in my mind, this seems ironic. We members of the LDS church take pride in living our beliefs every day of our lives. I don't mean "pride" in a bad way, at least not for most of us, but it is something we really try to do. But Utah drivers - most of them, as I said, Mormons - are terrible! They speed, they change lanes without signaling, they cut you off when merging, they run red lights... they're horrible! This is the state that has more Mormons than any other state, and the drivers there are awful. I know it's worse in places where there's more traffic, like big cities and states like New York and California, but with the traffic jams there it's no wonder. But in Utah, even when the traffic is totally clear, people are booking it like they're fleeing from the cops. You'd think that all those "obey the law of the land" lessons would have hit home with more people.

I'm not saying that the people in Oklahoma are all heathens and therefore should be the crazy, bad drivers. That's not the case. The people here are decent, honest, hard-working Christians. Oklahoma is apparently "the buckle" of the Bible belt, or so they say. I'm not shocked that they, specifically are good drivers. I just have never lived anywhere with such good drivers, and I didn't believe that they really existed. I guess I'm more prideful about my church than I should be.

Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is, it's nice to be able to drive the speed limit without getting honked at and cut off. :)

Tidbit #3:

Ben got me a gift certificate for a massage for Christmas. There's only one masseuse at the fitness center on base, and her schedule has been hectic, so I wasn't able to get the massage until today.

I'd never had one before, but I have a couple of friends whose husbands surprised them with massages as gifts. One, Laura, was just told that they were going out. Robert took her to the massage place, and waited while she got her massage. It was a great surprise, and she said she really enjoyed it. My other friend, Heather, got a massage as a gift from her husband while she was pregnant. This sounds incredible. I remember what it was like being pregnant, and I have to say, major props to PJ for doing that for Heather. I've already decided that when I'm in my third trimester (next time I'm pregnant), I'm getting one. Maybe more.

Anyway, I have friends who've gotten massaged and loved it. So I was really excited. Nervous, too, but excited.

IT WAS AMAZING!

I wish I could afford to have one regularly. The pricing isn't bad - $45 for an hour - but it's more than we can afford on a regular basis. I was so relaxed. Even after I'd gotten up, gotten dressed, got in the car, and was driving home, I was barely functional (but in a good way). Total relaxation. And it wasn't weird or anything, I was fully covered by the sheet most of the time, and she didn't go near any areas that would make me nervous. She did my shoulders and back, arms and legs, neck, face, and scalp. AMAZING.

I don't know how many of you have had a professional massage, but I highly recommend it. As Dr. Seuss so aptly put it, "If you never have, you should. These things are fun, and fun is good!"

Tidbit #4:

Tornados. What the heck are THEY all about?

I can understand earthquakes being scary. And they make sense. Plates in the earth shift, and things shake. Logical.

Hurricanes are scary, too. They're really big storms with bad winds and heavy rains. Since they generally happen around the ocean, water levels rise. Lots of damage occurs. This, too, makes sense.

Mudslides, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, floods.... all of these are scary, and all of them are scary for good reason.

Tornados don't fit.

I think part of my problem is that I've never (in my memory, anyway) lived around tornados. I did as a baby, I guess, my Dad said something about me sleeping the the bathtub, but I have no recollection of this. Now that we're in Oklahoma, and tornados are the big thing, I'm starting to get nervous about them. Tornadoes killed 8 people in this state just last week. So I'm scared.

At the same time, though, I find them to be kind of silly.

I was discussing this with my younger brother today, actually. I've been having nightmares about tornadoes lately, but when I wake up I feel a little silly. I have a hard time taking tornadoes seriously, because the very idea of them strikes me as bizarre.

As I said to Daniel, "Spinning funnels of wind? Seriously? It seems ridiculous that they have the power to kill you. Something that odd should tickle or something."

It probably doesn't help that every time I picture a tornado, the scene with the Titans from "Hercules" springs to mind. "Guys? Olympus would be that way..."

See? Ridiculous!

Murphy's Law suggests that my derogatory view of tornadoes will soon be remedied by a tornado house call. I hope Evie will be safe, sleeping in the bathtub.