-Speaking of technology, I am genuinely sad about Steve Jobs passing away this week. I really admired him and all of the creative, life-changing work that he did. In addition to that, his personal philosophies and advice that he gave were really timeless and applicable to everyone. It's tragic that he got pancreatic cancer, which is one of the worst kinds of cancer there is. I have a soft spot in my heart for victims of cancer. Apple created a special e-mail address for sending condolences to (rememberingsteve@apple.com), and this is what I wrote in mine:
"I'm very sad that Steve Jobs has passed away. The world has lost a brilliant innovator and an inspiring leader. Thank you Steve, for bringing me the iPad and Pixar films; I enjoy both of these things very much and they enrich my life and my children's lives. You are in a better place now, restored to perfect health, and free to learn and innovate to boundless lengths!"
-One more (I promise) kind of sad thing: I'm worried about the economy and consequently, the country. I'm not usually much of a worry-wart or pessimist when it comes to these things, but, politics completely aside, I've got a bad feeling about the country's situation and where we're headed. I hope things turn around, and I think that they can, but the signs are pointing the other way. Just this week, in The Wall Street Journal, these were some of the troubling headlines:
"Market Nears Bear Territory" (bears are bad on Wall Street; bulls are good)
"How Tough Are Times? Parents Cut Back Diapers" (Less diapers are being purchased and more diaper rash cream is being bought because kids are sitting in their dirty diapers for longer amounts of time to save on diapers. How sad is that?)
"Stocks Log Worst Quarter Since '09"
"Europe Races to Stem Crisis"
"House is Gone but Debt Lives On"
The way I deal with my worries about a possible depression or continuing recession is by doing things that I have control over: spending less money and getting our food storage and other things in order. I should be doing those things anyway!
-I'm not a big fan of the store Anthropologie. I know it's super-chic right now and a lot of my friends like it, but for me personally, it's not that great. I bought a travel journal there this summer and was put onto their mailing list. So this week I got a catalog in the mail, and I thought most of the clothes were funny-looking and that they were way too expensive for not being very cute or practical. But then again, my style is not quirky and artistic. I do like some of their stuff for home, but even the catalog pictures for those were dark and spare and blah. So an Anthropologie fan, I am not. (Although I'll probably still wander into their store at the mall when I'm back East next summer, just not for clothes shopping!)
-I loved General Conference last weekend. As always, it was inspiring and uplifting and it's one of the best weekends of the year. I truly love being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It's one of my greatest blessings!
-The weather here in Iowa this week has been BEAUTIFUL. We're having an Indian Summer, with temperatures in the 70s and low 80s with no humidity, heavenly breezes, and colorful fall foliage everywhere. It's so beyond wonderful and makes me feel very lucky to be alive and in good health to enjoy it!
I hope you had a good week! Happy Friday!
