Ode to Chindogu

My latest read is The Big Bento Book of Unuseless Japanese Inventions by Kenji Kawakami. This book is filled with fabulous Chindogu (translated meaning 'unusual tool'). These inventions tackle everyday inconveniences by solving some of our most pressing modern annoyances. For instance, let's say you spot a cockroach in the corner but are squeemish about smashing the thing up close. Chindogu solved this problem by putting a retractable telescoping handle on a pair of slippers. Brilliant!

Check out this book and read all about the 'Walk 'n Wash', 'Temporary Ladies' Room Converter', 'Earplug Earrings', 'Portable Armrests', the 'Portable Parking Spot' and the 'Umbrella Brush' for "when washing the ceiling doesn't mean washing your hair" just to name a few. What a great book.

And so, in honor of Chindogu, I have created my own to add to the 'unuseless' foray of inventions.

Gum-Saver Hair Clip
The fashionable way to save that piece of chewing enjoyment.

And, for men, try the handsome
Gum-Saver Hat Clip



We all know the high cost of groceries nowadays can add up. In this time when every cent counts, shave pennies off your grocery bill by keeping your gum around longer. "How?" you ask? The Gum-Saver Hair Clip is the answer! Why gum up the bottom of your plate and risk losing your gum in the dishwasher? Simply place your gum on the holder while you eat, and after your meal enjoy that same old reliable stick you had before your chewing was interrupted.

It is not recommended to use the gum-saver clip outside on windy days.

"My Service"

Today I complimented Amelia on her shoes:

Me: "Amelia, your shoes are so cute!"

A: "Thank you, My Service!"

"What did you just say?"

A: "Thank you My Service."

Me: "Did you just call me your 'Service'?"

"Yeah!"

Huh.

Strangely flattering. I guess she calls it like she see it.

What to do in the event of an Earthquake

Yesterday there was a 6.0 earthquake in Wells, Nevada which caused considerable damage.
(See http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2008nsa9.php).
Thankfully there were no casualties. Although our family didn't feel it, (we are well over 100 miles away) it was felt in other areas of our neighborhood, and as far away as Idaho and California.

I lived in Japan for a few years. Japan lies on 4 tectonic plates, which is more than anywhere else in the world. (There are 7 major tectonic plates on earth.) So, you can imagine that earthquakes are no rare occurence. The first time I went I was an exchange student. I lived near Matsue in Shimane prefecture. I don't remember experiencing earthquakes then, but I was only there 6 weeks. When I returned to Japan as a missionary 5 years later, I had a much different experience.

This time I was living in Okazaki city (which is in Aichi prefecture). My missionary companion was chatting on the phone, and I was sitting by the portable heater across the room. All of a sudden, the whole building began to sway like a boat on a stormy sea. The hanging lights swung wildly banging the ceiling. It felt almost like sitting on shaking jello. No sooner had I realized what was happening than it was over. We thought it was fun and exciting, but chatting with locals the next day, we quickly learned that no one else held the same opinion.

There were dozens of earthquakes while I was there, but most were barely noticeable.

Some months after my first big earthquake, I was transfered from Okazaki to Takabata (near downtown Nagoya). Sister DiGidio and I were at the church with the Elders for district meeting. We were kneeling in prayer when another earthquake hit. This quake was much louder and rolling that the one I had experienced in Okazaki, and it lasted much longer. We were gathered around a ping pong table, which I didn't feel was exactly the strongest thing to protect us. Sister DiGidio didn't skip a beat. She just kept praying.

This quake was much stronger and had originated many, many miles away in Tottori.

So I thought it would be nice to share some earthquake safety information. I find this especially timely due to the fact that our old brick apartment is situated exactly on top of a fault along the Wasatch front.

Before a quake strikes, it is wise to have emergency kits for each member of your household. (See my blog about 72 hour kits. It was on Dec. 27, '07 along with information for how to store water). One of the most important things to have is water. The residents of Wells were left instantly without heat and water. What would you do in this situation? Remember that you are ultimately responsible for your own safety. Not the government, church groups or other organizations. So be prepared! You should also have a kit for your car including warm blankets, water and food. (There are other essential items you should have for your car, like a shovel in case you get stuck in the snow- but that's another topic).

Also, be sure and secure items in your home that may fall over during an earthquake such as televisions, computers, dressers and water heaters. I have listed some links at the end of the blog to help you get ready.

Okay, so the ground begins to shake, and you realize that you are in an earthquake. What do you do?

First of all, don't look up!! You may hear the sounds of glass breaking overhead, but injury can occur to your face and, worse, your eyes if falling glass hits you. Quickly drop to the ground and take cover under something sturdy. For example, get under a table and hold on firmly. You will be shaking around, so try and move with the quake. Stay away from windows or glass that may break (also mirrors and pictures). The exterior walls are the most dangerous, if you can't find a place to go, get to an interior wall and crouch down with your arms protecting your head.

If you're in bed when a quake strikes, stay in bed and cover yourself with a pillow.

During a quake, if you are inside, stay inside. If you're outside, stay outside. Most injuries from earthquakes are caused by falling debris. Stay away from tall, heavy furniture during a quake, hanging items, etc.

There is more information than I can list, so I will give you a fabulous link! Go to:

http://www.earthquakecountry.info/roots/step5.html

If you don't live in an earthquake-prone area, it is still a good idea to have disaster supply kits. You never know! And now, the other links I promised:


Here is a link from the Earthquake Country Alliance (from California) with some excellent information:
http://www.earthquakecountry.info/roots/seven_steps.html

Here's information to make your own car kit. It may not have everything you need, so please adjust accordingly.
http://drbenkim.com/emergency-car-kit.html

Here is some additional information for preparing for emergencies from the American Red Cross.
http://www.redcross.org/services/prepare/0,1082,0_91_,00.html

So, there you go. Let's prepare! Yay!

Letterboxing

So we picked up another new hobby: LETTERBOXING! It is so much fun.

Letterboxing is kind of like geocaching, excepting that you don't need a GPS, and rather than trading trinkets, you stamp each other's logbooks. Clues lead you to the location of the letterbox. So far, the clues we have followed have all been in interesting places with a 'theme' for the letterbox. Written up on the clues have been descriptions of the area, a short history of the topic, or a story behind the stamp. The most interesting stamps are hand carved, which makes this not only a fun activity, but a unique art form as well.

All you need is your own logbook, something to write with, an inkpad, a trial name and your own personal stamp. Sometimes you will be instructed to take along a compass, and it's wise to have water as well. You can find clues at letterboxing.org or at atlasquest.com. I think there are other sites, but that's a good start. There are letterboxes all over the United States, and around the world as well! (Especially England where this got its start.)

We got together as a family and made up a design for our stamp. Then I carved it onto an eraser with an exacto knife. (If you want more detailed information, contact me and I'll let you know how to make up your own stamp).

One of the more exciting aspects of this pasttime is that you have to be stealthy about it. Many of these letterboxes are hidden in somewhat public areas. You can't just rush in and dig it up! This is a clandestine opperation!

So we convinced Jessica to go along with us on our first trip, which was at Wheeler Farm. We didn't realize that there was so much snow there, and of the 5 boxes hidden, we only found 1. But it was so thrilling to sneak through the woods and find it, just where the clue said it was! We've been again since then, and even met a fellow letterboxer through our last trip.

So, yay! Go letterboxing!

The Home Legion!

I have been reading a thought-provoking book entitled Finding Betty Crocker, the Secret Life of America's First Lady of Food, by Susan Marks. Of course, Betty Crocker started off as a ficticious homemaker hocking Gold Medal Flour for the Washburn Crosby Company. Despite this foible, I have found it fascinating how a corporate spokesperson could improve the lives of so many women for so many decades. Enough about that, though. There was something in the book that I found fascinating. In 1944, when we were in the midst of World War II, "Betty" put together an "American Home Legion Program." It was free to join, and fellow legioneers received Betty's "Homemakers Creed."

" Homemakers Creed
Of the Home Legion

I believe
homemaking is a noble and challenging career.

I believe
homemaking is an art requiring many different skils.

I believe
homemaking requires the best of my efforts, my abilities, and my thinking.

I believe
home reflects the spirit of a homemaker.

I believe
home should be a place of peace, joy and contentment.

I believe
no task is too humble that contributes to the cleanliness, the order, the health, the well being of the household.

I believe
a homemaker must be true to the highest ideals of love, loyalty, service and religion.

I believe
home must be an influence for good in the neighborhood, the community, the country.

This is to verify that _______ is a member of the Home Legion dedicated to Good Homemaking for a Better World.

General Mills, Inc. Betty Crocker "

In an interview for Twin Cities magazine after Margaret Child Husted (the woman behind Betty Crocker) retired, she stated,

"It is very interesting to me to look back now and realize how concerned I was about the welfare of women as homemakers and their feelings of self-respect. Women needed a champion. Here were millions of them staying at home alone, doing a job with children, cooking, cleaning on minimal budgets - the whole depressing mess of it. They needed someone to remind them that they had value."

How very intriguing.

I am not of the opinion that one must be a stay at home mom to be a homemaker, nor do I believe that the role is reserved for women only. There are people of every walk of life making their homes places of refuge and love. I believe that this applies to the single working woman, the widower, the young mother, the couples and on and on. What a wonderful world it would be if we would focus our efforts on creating an uplifting home atmosphere. So, corporate though you are, I say to the Betty Crocker of yesteryear, more power to you!

You lost what?!

Back in college I had to fill a biology requirement in order to graduate, so I took the academic obvious, "Discovering Nature."

Our professor donned a khaki fishing vest and started off lectures with Far Side comics on the overhead. She is my kind of gal. We learned about bugs, pond vermin and other such interesting need-knows. Usually I sat up front, but by a stroke of pure luck, the day I sat in the back one of the specimens she had brought to show on the projector had escaped.

"Oh, dear, oh dear," she said, looking under tupperwares of slimey creatures and flipping through lecture notes nonchalantly. The front row looked around at each other, at the floor, trying to figure out what she had lost.

"Oh no! Where could it be? You, on the front row, start looking around." By this time, the front row was squirming, and some of the girls looked rather poorly.

Finally, she sighed and said, "Oh well, I've still got one left. Too bad, though, this is the smaller one." With that, she plopped a big, fat leech onto the overhead. "They're not normally hairy, this one escaped halfway down the hall before I caught up to him!"

That's one of my best college memories. And, sadly, I remember stories like this better than I remember any coursework. At least I have a degree to prove I graduated.

Farewell

Today was President Gordon B. Hinckley's funeral. President Hinckley was president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, of which I am a member. He was the prophet, and dearly loved. I shall always remember his sense of humor. How witty he was!

Near the end of his life, he was prescribed a cane by his doctor. It seems that he waved it around in greeting more than using it to walk. He just kind of carried it along.

President Hinckley was a man of great faith who truly embodied the very essence of hard work. He kept such a busy schedule even down to the very end. He cared greatly for all people everywhere. He established a perpetual education fund, enabling many who would otherwise not be able to pay for an education to be able to attend institutes of higher learning. He built temples all over the world to ensure that the Saints could attend the temple and obtain sacred ordinances. In the temple we can be married and sealed to our loved ones for not just time, but for all eternity. We believe that families are sacred, and that the bonds of love can last for eternity.

My grandmother grew up with President Hinckley. They lived close together, they were in the same ward. Gram's dad was the bishop, and President Hinckley's was the stake president. She also lived by President Hinckley's wife's home, Marjorie Pay. She said that the neighborhood would gather by her house to play night games, and that 'Gordy' would occassionally stop by to throw horse shoes. She told me a wonderful story that makes me smile whenever I think of it.

She was invited down to the Hinckley's apartment some few years back for lunch. Marjorie was giving the grand tour. She stopped at a hallway closet room and opened the doors. "Here," she said, "is Gordon's workroom." Gram described it as a small room where there would normally be a washer and dryer. There, lined up just so, were his tools all in order, and a small work table. Marjorie continued, "He likes to look at them every now and again."

He is now with his beloved Marjorie once again. After the funeral there lined the streets people waving white handkercheifs, some canes, as a farewell to him. God, be with you till we meet again, dear President Hinckley.