Powers?

Vending Machine Powers

With great power, comes great responsibility.

Simply put. I have vending machine powers. Now, I'm not talking about when you just happen to find an extra item or two in the bottom when you retrieve your purchase. That can happen to anybody.

No, I'm talking about vending machines giving me extra items ON command! (Okay, so not really on command. It's not like I can talk to vending machines or anything...)
They can READ my mind!

Here's the story. There I was one day all by my lonesome in the great "Commons" of Weber High School a few years ago when I notice a drink vending machine off in the corner. It's green. And glows. Eerie enough, right?

Well, I decided that a long day tech rehearsal calls for A&W Cream Soda. So, dollar in hand, I make my way over to a close proximity (cool word, eh?) of the vending machine. I look on the left hand side and see nothing but Pepsi and Mountain Dew buttons. That's not going to work. Looking to the bottom-right I see Fresca and Strawberry Lemonade buttons. Both very nice items, but again, not what I'm looking for. Looking up to the upper-right hand buttons I see A&W Root Beer and... CREAM SODA! Bingo! I stick my dollar in the slot and it accepts on the first try. I go to depress the button - or is it press?

(Wordnet-Princeton defines depress as "to press down" among other things. So, you depress the button. Or do you? Wordnet-Princeton defines press as "to exert pressure, or force, to or upon" So, you depress something by pressing it. When you see de-press, sometimes you think to UNDO the action of pressing. Which isn't the case at all. So, is there really a difference? I think the main difference comes with people's different connotations of the word depress. Depress seems to be used more often when dealing with peoples emotions while press seems to be used with to regards to physical matters. So, I guess, all-in-all, depress or press could be used interchangeably in this story.)

Back to the story. I go to depress/press the Cream Soda button when I notice that the light was out! Oh no! Does this mean that the vending machine is out of the soda I so desperately need? Well, I chance it and press/depress the button anyway and lo and behold out pops the Cream Soda! Then I walk away. Pleased with my purchase.

As I'm walking away, I hear a *clunk*. (Hmm, that sounds like something ELSE dropped down the chute on the machine... No, it couldn't be.) Oh yes. It did be. I turn back around and see ANOTHER Cream Soda in the depository! What luck! Without any pangs of guilt, I go back and retrieve the second Cream Soda. ("I'll drink this one next week sometime" I think to myself.)

That was the first hint to my vending machine powers.

The second experience with my powers came just a few weeks ago at Weber State University in the Student Success Center.

There I was all by my lonesome when I felt a hankering for Doritos come over me. Glancing to my right, I see an old, decrepit vending machine. I decide to try my luck and I again insert my dollar into the slot. I look to the top rack of the machine and see Doritos. Wait! Two of them are stuck in the same slot! What luck! I select A-3 and expect them both to fall out. Nope. A THIRD one gets stuck! I stick another dollar in and select A-3. And what happens then? They all three come out! Yes! 3 for 2 dollars. Good deal! I grab my purchases out of the bottom and prepare to walk away.

That was when I decide to glance back at the machine and where the LED would normally say, "Thank you! Have a nice day!" It says, "$1.00" Wha-? I decide to try my luck/power out and I select another item. Out come the cookies and the LED says, "Thank you! Have a nice day! ... ... ... $1.00" No way! This machine gives me the item and then still thinks it the dollar is still there! I select another item, Nutri-Grain bar, out pops the bar and once again the LED reads, "Thank you! Have a nice day! ... ... .. $1.00." I select something else and again the same thing happens. (About this time I start to feel a little guilty. But I justify myself by thinking that a different, disobedient machine ate my 5 dollar bill and gave me nothing in return. Obviously, that machine had powers of its own.) I select one more item to satisfy my greed and I pull the plug on the machine and push it back in. The LED then read, "Hello! Please select an item." Perfect. The machine has lost its memory and will serve no other master.

I coolly walk away, now fully aware of my powers.

However! With great power comes great responsibility. I must never use my powers for evil. I must never exceed the money-eaten/item received balance I so carefully maintain.

So, there it is. Vending machine powers. Love it.

Mission Papers Update

My mission papers are ALMOST in!!!

I started them back on the 19th of July and finished most of the paperwork that evening. The dental stuff was taken care of that week and the physical was completed the following week! I just had my missionary worthiness/Melchizedek priesthood interview with my bishop tonight and I should be getting a call from the Stake President for an interview with him within this week. After that interview, my papers will be turned in! :)

I should get my call within two weeks from that interview. I'm so excited! ("And I just can't hide it")

So, yep. That's my current status with my mission papers.

I can't wait!

Catching Up.

When I first started this blog, I promised myself I would be fairly regular in updating it. My plan was to update it every few days. As you can see, that hasn't happened. And there are plenty of things I could have blogged about, you know? There was my brother's wedding, the weekend in Provo with my Grandma who only has a few weeks left, mission papers, the flaming bag adventure, family members joining the Army, my new-found vending machine powers and so on. I plan to blog about these events, but then the time just slips away and I forget about them until a few weeks later. Then I can't remember most of what happened anyway so I just forget about it. But I should try to be more regular in updating.

Here's what I'll do. I'll try to make a new post about past events every few days, that way I don't have one or two really long blogs, but several short-medium length blogs (Of course, most of my blogs turn out to be extra long).


Scott's Wedding!

Yes, Scott (my oldest brother) is now married! I won't bore you with long descriptions of the day, but I'll just say that it was a wonderful ceremony and reception. Scott and Karli were so nervous (of course), but they were both excited and happy for the wedding. I'm so proud of Scott for marrying as great a girl as Karli. She has made him so happy! I wish them a long and happy marriage!

They were married on July 11th, hence the Slurpees in the picture.



Yup. That's my brother. :)



Tower of Groomsmen