Can't sleep

Current mood: thoughtful

I can't sleep so I thought I'd post something here for those that actually care. I do plan on at least two somewhat lengthy posts coming up, one political and one about some recent changes in my home ward (congregation). For those that didn't hear, my home ward (Rootstown) is going to be part of the new Youngstown Ohio Stake, beginning February 17. I'll explain it all later for those that need it. Basically, a stake is a group of wards (congregations) and for the last 32 years Rootstown has been part of the Akron Ohio Stake. It'll definitely be further to go to Youngstown than to Tallmadge, but I honestly think now it will end up being good for our ward. I wish I could be there to be a part of this. For a Latter-day Saint, the formation of a new stake is a big deal! More to come...

Comments

Nari; February 13, 2007

I look forward to the political one

Jon is...blonde?!? (and done with the semester!!)

Current mood: excited

For those of you who didn't see my bulletin the other day, yes, I did bleach my hair and so now I'm bright blonde. I did it, well, because I could and I've wanted to do something like that for some time now. I'll have you know it took three days to get this bright since my hair is so dark to begin with. At least I know how to do it now!! Hope you like it!! =). Also, I'm just about done with the semester...two more finals to take today and then I'm FREE at last!! I'm so excited to be done and going home in two days. Just one more semester of classes left here!!!!!!

Comments

Kristi; December 18, 2006
Wow! That's really something to behold!

My recital is OVER!!

Current mood: ecstatic

This is my "note" from Facebook that I wrote pretty much right after my recital this past Saturday, Dec. 2. The concert right after went very well!

Well, it has come and gone...my recital that is. Right now I'm in a small break between my recital and our second concert of the day, which starts at 7:30. We already had a concert at 2 this afternoon and my recital started at 4:30. Oh yeah, we had a concert last night too at 7:30, so once this next concert is done, I'm going to need a break from singing! My recital went pretty well. Was it perfect? Hardly, but that's more me being highly critical of myself than anything. "The Glee Club" went REALLY well and people seemed to like it and I also did "The Buckeye Battle Cry" to end my recital and that went well too, especially when I spelled O-H-I-O at the end. My only disappointment was the attendance. I had my posters all over campus and I sent out e-mails to probably 50 people, all of whom either live in or near Rexburg. Not only did I hardly get any response to the e-mails, but of all those I e-mailed, I don't think any of them came. Those few (and MUCH appreciated) that came were people I have classes with for the most part. Of course I'm thrilled that they came, but I would've liked to have seen more people especially since I printed 100 programs. I really expected a much larger crowd. There were probably around 30 people there if that. If it weren't for my sister being there, no one from my family would've been there at all. Not that I expected any family from Ohio to come, but it would've been nice if some of my Utah family could've made the three-hour trip here. After all, I've made the trip down there countless times. Oh well...now to other things like FINALS!

The pictures below are 1) Me, Br. Dresen, & Zoe doing the "poster pose" after the recital; 2) Elissa, Zoe, Me, and LaRenzo after the recital. We were all an Aural Skills study group in Aural Skills 2 and then we were a mentor group in Aural Skills 3. We named ourselves the "Solfegers" 3) The "cast" of my recital with our "Glee Club" outfits on (Men's Choir blazers). 4) Andrew, Ray, and Me in our Collegiate Singers outfits after the end of the final concert that night.

Comments

LDS Drama Queen (Becky); December 8, 2006
I'm glad it went well. I would have been there had it not been across the country. I'll watch the video though when you bring it home. :) I like your pictures!!

See you soon!!

Love ya.

Nari; December 13, 2006
Great pics!!

GO BUCKEYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Current mood: excited

I just wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS to the Ohio State Buckeyes on their 42-39 win over Michigan today in Columbus! It wasn't pretty, but a win's a win! BIG TEN CHAMPIONS and off to the National Championship game in Glendale, AZ!!! GO BUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comments

Nari; November 18, 2006

Ok, goooooo buckeyes!!!!!!

Ha ha I was only kidding about the Michigan thing; I was just doing it to be difficult!! :)

Dorese; November 21, 2006

BOO!!!!!!!!!

Bye Kipp

Current mood: sad

I think this ended up being one of the last pictures I ever took of Kipp, back in July. The thought never crossed my mind it might be the last one.

I know I already miss you and it's hard to believe you won't be there when I get home in December. Seeing you when I came home was always something I looked forward to. I mean, I always knew this day would come, but I still always hoped it never would. I just wish I could've been home when it happened. Now it's here and I have to deal with it 2,000 miles away, plus I'll have to deal with it again when I come home in December and get used to you not being there. I know I'll eventually see you again, but I don't know if I can wait that long. You were more than just a dog to me, you were a member of the family and a friend. You always seemed to know when we weren't feeling well and you always tried to help us feel better. It was always nice to come home and realize someone did miss us and was glad we were back. It will be awhile before things seem "normal" again at home.

Bye doggie.

Kipp...October 20, 1992- November 8, 2006

Comments

Nari; November 10, 2006

Jon, I so know how it feels to lose a beloved pet. We had to part with a beautiful yellow lab that kind of looks like Kipp. I'm so sorry about this. :(

Non pet-owners seem to think that a do is "just a dog" where in reality they become a member of the family.

Kipp is at the rainbow bridge now.

Here is your virtual hug (((Jon)))

Election Day...don't forget to STUDY!

Current mood: determined

I posted this on my Facebook page too, so if you already read it, that's just too bad!

Hopefully everyone remembers that this coming Tuesday, November 7th, is Election Day. Of course you all should remember to vote, but even more, make sure that you study out all the issues and candidates on the ballot so that you can make a well-informed and educated decision. Too often people just vote on little or no information or by superficial things and then get upset when something or someone they voted for doesn't work out like they were "promised." Most issues and candidates have websites both for and against them, so make sure you study up! An uninformed voter can be more dangerous to democracy than a non-voter!

Comments

Nari; November 5, 2006
Great message. I totally agree. I was going over the different issues with my sister so she knows what she's voting for and why.

Kudos to you, Jon!

Jon goes political

Current mood: aggravated

Finally I'm posting my first political blog because mainly I'm tired of being silent. I'm pretty opinionated in politics and I think a lot of flase ideas are being circulated about all sorts of things. This first blog will be about some statewide issues in Ohio that I will be voting on via absentee ballots and why I'm voting the way I am.

ISSUE 2: Minimum Wage- "A Constitutional Amendment that would increase Ohio's minimum wage to $6.85/hr and would reduce employee privacy."

NO: First, I don't think raising the minimum wage is a good idea, not because I'm some rich miser, but because raising the minimum wage has ripple affects on the economy. The ones who end up getting hurt the most are the ones who need the most help financially. Most people think of huge corporations that can probably manage quite well by paying their low-end workers a little more. Unfortunately, the vast majority of businesses are small businesses and most cannot afford to pay employees any more. Let's say Jim and Sue work at a locally owned convenience store for $6 an hour, hardly much of a salary. The minimum wage is raised to $6.85 or 7.15. Chances are the owner himself is barely making it, so he must raise prices to help pay for the increased salaries of Jim and Sue. SO first, while both Jim and Sue have more "disposable income," prices have gone up so the increase is basically cancelled. If the increase in prices doesn't help the owner, then one of them will be let go so that the business can stay in the black. So say Sue remains while Jim gets the pink slip. Sue got a raise, but now she has twice as much work to do and prices are higher, while Jim now has no income at all. Oh yeah, this is coming from someone who barely made above minimum wage this summer. I'm hardly some rich person here. The above scenario is very much on the minds of small business owners and most of them aren't rich either- their business is their livelihood and they themselves don't make much. How is putting minimum wage workers out of work, putting small businesses in the red, and raising prices helping "the little guy?" I'm also voting NO because this is a constitutional amendment and there are better ways to take care of this issue, plus the privacy issue and the paperwork issue just make this a poor ballot issue.

ISSUE 3: Learn & Earn (gambling)- "This issue is a Constitutional Amendment that would provide scholarships to Ohio students funded through expanded legalized gambling."

NO: I am opposed to gambling at any level (including the lottery) and this is a ploy to support gambling. I have moral issues against gambling, but also gambling brings a lot of baggage with it including crime, loss of productivity and money, and addiction which can lead to breaking up of families and other not-so-good stuff. There are other ways to help Ohio students for college too. A good start is to lower the cost of education in Ohio so more families can afford it which needs to start at the university level with greater financial responsibility.

ISSUE 4: "Smoke Less Ohio"- "A Constitutional Amendment that would restricts smoking, while allowing exceptions for bars and certain other businesses."

NO: I am voting NO on this because it is a ploy to continue the status quo of smoking in Ohio and does nothing to protect the health of non-smokers. Further, the main supporters of this bill are tavern owners and the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company itself. Hmmmm. Don't even start about "smokers rights." No one has the "right" to pollute the air I breathe. If the EPA can tell a big company to stop putting harmful chemicals into the air, why can't the state of Ohio tell citizens and businesses the same thing? It's already been proven that second-hand smoke is dangerous to everyone and it's also been proven that separate smoking rooms in buildings don't eliminate the problem of second-hand smoke. After spending a big chunk of my summer breathing in second-hand smoke at Geauga Lake, I have no patience for smokers. Just because you have an addiction doesn't mean I should have to share your consequences. Banning smoking in places like bars, bowling alleys, restaurants, etc. is a good idea not only for patrons, but also for workers, many of who can't just go get another job. Why should they have to breathe second-hand smoke all day to earn a living?

ISSUE 5: SmokeFreeOhio: "A voter initiated statute that would enacts a statewide smoke-free workplaces act that would apply to all public places, and would supersede bans already in place in Ohio cities."

YES: This is a no-brainer. See above. There is no reason that smoking needs to be a part of any business. Further, this is a voter initiated statute and can be altered as needed while issue 4 is a constitutional amendment that would trump issue 5 if both were passed and it would trump exisitng smoking bans in several Ohio cities.

Ballot descriptions from:

Friends of Ohio Hospitals - 2006 Elections

Comments

LDS Drama Queen (Becky); October 5, 2006

I pretty much agree with everything you said. Good for you for speaking up.

Dorese; October 5, 2006

Kudos to you for speaking up! And when you hear people complain about the minimum wage, just remind them that the national minimum wage (and that of the state of Idaho) is only $5.15. And hey, we're surviving... Anyway, I appreciate your sentiments. Thanks for sharing!

Mrs. Lundmark (Kelly); October 5, 2006
Boo yah! Jon Ridinger, you are my hero. Thank you so much for saying what needs to be said about these issues, especially the smoking one! I already joined the Facebook group for SmokeFreeOhio and definitely plan to vote NO on Issue 4 and YES on Issue 5, and I really appreciate your putting out some information on other important issues on the ballot. Rock on!

Nari; October 5, 2006
My vote is no no on the smoking ban. Not that I want to protect a smokers 'right' but because I don't feel like the government should be telling a private business that they can't do something perfectly legal on their private property.

Now...if they want to make tobacco illegal, then that's a different story.