The first in a possible series of stories written to keep me from doing what I really should be doing

I have two writing assignments due Friday. One is simply a message for the front page of our ward newsletter. Unfortunately, it is the Mother's Day message, and I've written that for the past two years, and I'm tired of it. The other writing assignment is a fifteen-minute skit about a Native American guy in pioneer times who kidnapped a white family's baby, cut off its arms, and threw it in the river. Um. Depressing and gross. Can anyone blame me for avoiding?

I haven't had much of anything to say for the last little while, and that's kept me quiet on the blog front. Now that something else is pressing on me, like Cicada and so many others facing finals, I may become effusive here.

Daltonboy's Yard Sale Printer--an Update

The $30 printer sold for $675 on ebay. That's right, six hundred and seventy-five American dollars. Daltonboy was very excited. This meant that he could buy the photography equipment he's been wanting, and contribute to my savings for a new laptop. Then he started to feel guilty. Racked with guilt. I couldn't figure out why, because if the guy had wanted to sell the printer on ebay, he could have done that. And there's nothing wrong with buying something you know to be of value and profiting by it. Finally db confessed that when he went back to buy the printer (from a guy who lives in our stake and recognized db as a high councilman), he told the guy that "I just miss my old printer," thereby billing himself as one who really wanted to use the printer for himself. I think I've told him about a thousand times since then that he was under no obligation to tell the guy what he was using it for. I'm going to stop now. Last time I said it, he sounded a little fed up.

So anyway, the boy was feeling guilty. First of all, he lied, and we have to renew our temple recommends this week (one of the questions on the interview to determine whether or not one is worthy to patronize the temple is: are you honest?) and for some reason he didn't want to have to lie to get it. Secondly, the family was moving out of their tiny apartment into another, tinier apartment across town, because it cost less money. So they probably could have used an extra 600 bucks. So he went back to the guy, apologized, admitted he was a big liar, and offered to split the money with him. He got off easy. The people were very nice, and said that if he really felt he had to, they'd take 100 bucks. Good for daltonboy. Now he still gets all his photo equipment and he can go to the temple with a clear conscience. Unfortunately, most of my portion of the cut is now going to the neighbors, and I get no laptop this week. But I did find five brand-new pairs of socks, still with those little plastic tag things through them, for five cents each. Go me!