DJ by night; Pioneer by day.

Last weekend was Youth Conference in our stake. On Friday was the stake dance and Saturday was an 8 mile Pioneer Handcart Trek.

I rarely go to the Youth Stake Dances (I should because I am in the stake young women's presidency, but I seriously don't like dances, so I always find an excuse not to go. Tehe!) but this time I was trapped and I had to go. The usual DJs (a husband and wife team) had to go to their daughter's graduation in Mesa, so they asked the 1st Councelor in the YW presidency and her husband to DJ that night. About a week before the dance, her husband found out he needed to go on a TDY trip for his work, so they asked me to help out. I've never DJed before. I was really nervous, but it was a new experience, and I am all for new experiences, so I said yes.

I arrived at the stake center early so I could help set up the machine and try to play around with it so I could understand how it works. However, there was a short in the DJ machine and it just would not turn on. We struggled with it for about forty five minutes, and finally one of the young women in the 6th branch started pushing buttons randomly, which we tried already, be she also was banging on the machine as she pushed the buttons. Something knocked the short back into place and viola! It started working. Big sigh of relief. It was already fifteen minutes into the dance and finally we had music. One of the past DJs came at that time and gave us a very short tutorial on the machine and then away we went.

We started with a few songs that were recommended to us by the real DJs, then the youth started filling up the Request List, so for the rest of the night we had our song selection. My DJ partner planned the order of songs...how many slow songs to fast songs, when to play the big group songs (YMCA, Chicken Dance, Electric Slide, etc). I got to work the machine. I love technology and this one was especially easy. There were two sides for different CDs. Once one song was ending, all you had to do was push play on the new song and then slide a thing (you like my technical word?) to the other side so the current song would fade out and fade into the new song. Done! Piece of cake. The only worry was to not get distracted when the song was ending so I could switch songs at the right time. And to be sure to set up the the next song on the right track on the right CD. Once I was distracted while I put in a CD handed to me by my DJ partner. I forgot to forward to the correct track number, so when I played the next song, it was on the first track. We were supposed to play a slow song, but it was a fast one. Whoops! Luckily noboby knew and we just played the correct song next. Haha! The other set back was we tried to play the Bunny Hop because it was recommended, but once it started, the dance floor cleared fast. People even ran up to the stage yelling..."CHANGE THE SONG!" It was funny. For the most part, the music was good, the dance was successful, and the time went super douper fast! I actually LIKED going to that dance. I guess I have to be busy...or have a job of some sort...to enjoy a dance. :o)

The dance ended early so the youth could go home and get a good night of sleep because the next morning we had to meet at 6am to start our Pioneer Trek.

To be continued...
(and with pictures of me in a pioneer costume complete with bloomers).

An Update

So...you probably noticed I haven't posted anything about my progress with doing the Triathlon this year. That's because I didn't do it. I really, REALLY wanted to, but my body would not cooperate. I hurt my lower back about two months ago, and I haven't been able to fully recover. And every time I tried to do anything to train, my back would go out again. Such a Catch 22. I need to exercise to be healthy, but then when I exercise, I hurt myself and make it so I can't exercise.

I have not fully recovered yet, but I am working on it. The Triathlon came and went (it was two weeks ago), but I am bound and determined to do it next year. I have a whole year to train for it now, which takes the pressure off a bit.

I've been trying to find ways to exercise that do no hurt my back. At work, I sit at my desk all day (which doesn't help my back in the least), so my co-worker and I decided to take a couple of breaks during the day and do some stair climbing. I work in this really large building that has 74 stairs from the first floor to the roof level. Twice a day, my co-worker and I climb up and down those stairs twice in a row. That's 148 stairs in one session. This last Friday we did three times in a row instead of twice (222 stairs). Wow! Was that a workout! Actually, on Friday (because I work on the first floor but the computer lab is on the third floor, I have a lot of opportunities to go up and down two of the three flights of stairs)...anyway, as I was saying, on Friday I had to go to the computer lab twice during the day. So if I count all the stairs I climbed on Friday, it was 466. A pretty impressive number, if I do say so myself. I want to work up to over 1000 stairs during the day.

Ultimately I want to do the Bisbee Stair Climb (1000 stairs in old Bisbee, walking next to and around 100 year old houses). I could probably do it this year, but unfortunately I will be out of town (or maybe that's fortunately, since I'll be in the Happiest Place on Earth, Disneyland, followed by the Scariest Place on Earth, Knott's Scary Farm (I love Fright Nights!)). My sister and I have made a promise to each other that we will do the Bisbee Stair Climb next year. That will be a lot of fun to do it with her!!

Oh, and also the youth in the Stake are going on a Pioneer Handcart Trek for Youth Conference this year. I get to go along and take pictures. That's 8 miles of hiking, which should be really fun. I've been walking a lot to get ready for that trek.

So that is my update. I am not trying to get out of anything. I just have a bum back that I need to take care of before I can do something as strenuous as a Triathlon.

Taking Matters in My Own Hand

I have this cupboard that has been really bugging me for a long time. It is where I store my pots and pans. Almost every time I get a pan from the back of the cupboard, I cut my hand on the sharp edges of the shelf above. These are not the best made cupboards in the world, but they suffice.

I finally got tired of having to either 1) take everything out of the cupboard to get to my pans in the back, or 2) cut my hand up if I try to go over and around the pots in the front, so I took matters into my own hands...haha...who else would do it otherwise?

I installed a drawer so I could get to everything easier. I found the perfect drawer at Lowes.

Here is what I did:

STEP 1: Put the frame in the best position.

STEP 2: Marked the holes to drill.

STEP 3: Drilled the holes.

STEP 4: Installed the screws to the frame.

STEP 5: Put the drawer on the track.

STEP 6: Pushed the drawer in a verify everything fits.

STEP 7: Put away the pots and pans.

STEP 7: Pulled the drawer out and push it back in repeatedly, marveling at a job well done, and knowing this drawer will single-handedly save my hands from getting cut up again from these sharp shelves.

Surprises after Hard Work

Yesterday I spent most of the day doing yard work. (I have the sunburn to prove it...I forgot to put sunscreen on. Not good in the hot Arizona weather.)

One of the things I had to do was prune my big tree, because it was getting a little too shaggy looking. I wanted to be able to walk underneath it again. So I got out my Alligator saw (I love that power tool!) and went to work. I might have gone a little too crazy in some places, but the tree grows so fast, it should fill in the few bare spots in no time.

After pruning, I started painting the cuts with that pruning tar. Since I was carefully searching for all the different cuts I made, I was able to see things I didn't see before. I discovered something that made me smile.


Can you see it? Here is a closer image:

I have my very own bird's nest in my tree. Pigeons are not my favorite bird, but it was fun to discover the nest. Isn't that good luck or something?

I also discovered something that is a little disturbing. I have NO IDEA what this is:

Any ideas? The only things I can think of is the beginning of a beehive, or a weird looking cocoon, or my tree is growing a brain, or .... I am out of ideas.

Care to take a guess?

My first Avitar

I created my first Avitar. I think it is pretty cool. It kind of looks like me. :o)

True-isms

Everyone needs a laugh, especially if you've had a week like mine! Here are some True-isms that had me rolling today at work. Enjoy!

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Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent someone from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

Bad decisions make good stories.

Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...

Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimate d that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fat bastard before dinner.

What's in a name...

I've been asked "Why Erin's Sing Along Blog" if there isn't any songs to sing along with? Valid question. The inspiration for the title of my blog comes from a movie by Joss Whedon. Joss Whedon is the genius behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse...all my favorites shows. He is absolutely brilliant!!

But I digress.

Last year when the Hollywood Writer's strike was going on, Joss didn't want to sit around and do nothing, so he and his brothers wrote and produced a short movie musical for the Internet called Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. It stars Dougy Houser himself, Neil Patrick Harris. This movie is fun, whitty, and hilarious! And the songs are very catchy. I have the sound track on my IPOD.

If you want to check it out, go to http://drhorrible.com/mushortio.html. It's free on HULU.