Oh hi

I guess that it's time for my quarterly update of the blog... Ok, so obviously it was never my intention to have 2+ months between posts, but somehow it worked out that way. I kind of feel like I have fallen off the face of the blogging earth--which I have, really--so I decided that it's time. Also, Nicole has made more than one threat to my personal well-being if I don't, and considering that she is actually in this state so the threat is not merely idle, I also feel compelled to update out of a concern for my safety. Although, let's be honest, I could totally take her, or at least run away.

As it turns out, July is an insane month for us, or me, really, because of all the church-related stuff that is going on. I went to girls camp Wednesday through Saturday last week, so that was a hoot. Then we have a temple trip this Saturday that will take a few hours. We have a big activity next week that I have to come up with some good camp awards for, and then we have youth conference the last weekend of July. Add to that the fact that by the end of the month I will have run 2 10ks, given a talk and a lesson (on the same day, even), enjoyed two rodeos, and spent two full Saturdays in the promised land (Fool Creek, obviously), and it's a pretty busy month. Oh, and I have to work on all of the days that I'm not off camping with the youth of our ward. Good times, really. I figured that, during the four days and three nights that I was at girls camp, I got approximately 15 hours of sleep, which is less than the amount of sleep that I typically get in two nights, let alone three. But it was fun because I got to bond with the girls, almost get eaten by a bear, and try to run at 10,000 feet altitude. Good stuff. The lame part is that I only took 3 or so pictures the whole time we were up there, even though the scenery was amazing and the girls were funny. Another instance of me being lame, clearly.

In other news, for some reason it seems like most of the idiots don't come to court during the summer months. I, for one, appreciate this seasonal reprieve from the ridiculousness, but then I don't have good stories for the two readers who actually still read my blog after fantastically long periods of non-posting. Although I will say that I had a great telephone conversation with a guy the other day who has no idea how the court system works. And if you're thinking right now, "Well, I don't really have any idea how the court system works, so you would probably think that I'm an idiot too," you are wrong--I wouldn't. Let me just give you a quick synopsis so that you can feel good about your expanse of knowledge about the legal system compared to this man's confusion. He had requested an audio recording of a hearing that he was present at, which is not uncommon for people to do. However, this particular recording had been inadvertently destroyed by a clerk (woops). I called to tell him that unfortunately, the audio recording was not available, so the court would send him a refund check for the $10 that he paid for it. So then he launches into a mini-lecture to me about how he needs the recording so that he can know what went on at the hearing. And keep in mind that I just said that he was at the hearing. I went ahead and pointed that out to him and told him that being there is notice of what happens at the hearing, including the date for the next hearing. He informed me that he didn't come prepared to take notes at the hearing, so that's why he needed the audio recording. So I again (graciously) apologized that it was not available and told him that he could get a copy of the clerk's minute entry instead. Then--and this is the part that showcases his ignorance--he told me, "Well, if you people would just quit suing me, then I wouldn't have any of these problems." Right, because the judge and I are the ones suing him when his wife has filed for a divorce and people are suing him for his business stuff. So again, I pointed out that "we people" were not suing him. Then he told me that if the courts didn't exist, then none of this would have happened. I tried to handle it professionally, but I wanted to say, "Yes, and then you would be living in Tajikstan or somewhere where there is no court system, you moron!" Luckily, I did not say anything of this nature to him, even though he clearly was a moron and deserved someone to explain that to him. Maybe that's why his wife is divorcing him. I don't know. Civics 101, maybe?