'Round the Bend

Economic Crisis- Reflections from an honest journalist,

2010-03-10T07:03:00.001-07:00

Here's a reflection of a really honest writer from the N.Y. Times, Edmund Andrews:

My Personal Credit Crisis

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/magazine/17foreclosure-t.html?_r=2&ref=magazine&pagewanted=all

Phil Kesler: Testimony of a Friend

2010-02-18T21:31:00.009-07:00

Today I read the testimony of one of a friend and former roommate at Utah State-

Phil Kesler.

He passed away the eve of February 11th after bravely battling cancer for about two years.

Phil was my roommate for 3 years, from the summer of 1996 until the summer of 1999.

He was a faithful friend to all that he knew, and faithful to his God.

I have a lot of good memories- his honesty, kindness, frankness, patience, musical talent (on Sunday mornings we all rested in the beautiful hymns he played on his piano in the living room of our townhouse).

Sometimes some of us (Phil, Mark, etc.) would stay up late in our apartment in North Logan and would just chat, enjoying a late, peaceful night sharing thoughts on the Gospel, life, dating, etc.

Heidi, a long-time neighbor and friend, married Phil several years later. They now have a beautiful daughter. What a lucky woman. They are both great examples to me.

I truly enjoyed reading Phil's testimony and am grateful Heidi shared it. I remember that he often would study his scriptures at the kitchen table, recording his thoughts in a large notebook. I think of that often.

Amen Phil!

Thanks for all you give.

Love, your brother,

Loren

p.s. Read the last several posts from Heidi here:

http://bamamoma2.blogspot.com,

especially,

NOT the Only One

Phil the Brave

More here from Phil's friends and acquaintances:

it stays with us

Another Angel

Remembering Phil - by Jill Bearden

Tribute to Phil

Voice Male web site

Drawing on other's words - updated links

Know your faith!

2009-03-15T18:48:00.005-06:00

Impressive!

Know what you believe:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/03/mormon_tv_harva.html

http://vimeo.com/2120177

Mormon Temples

2009-03-13T06:24:00.001-06:00

You may have heard a lot in the news recently about the Mormons (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) and their belief in temple worship. Like Frank Moore Cross, professor of Ancient History at Harvard, states in the following video:

"Someone who does not know much about temples, and Mormons building temples, should be directed to the Bible."

The Old and New Testament are full of descriptions of temples and their purpose. Of course, since the coming of Jesus Christ and the fulfillment of the Mosaic Law, temples serve a different, although identical, or parallel purpose: providing a sacred place where we can go to make an offering to the Lord.

The Savior asks us to come unto him and live as He does. His joy is fulfilled in our desire to seek others' welfare as we commhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifit ourselves to God's work and glory: "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." - Moses 1:39

Primary resources on temples:

The purpose of temples and see temples around the world.
More questions? See the FAQ page.

The power of Women

2009-03-05T17:12:00.000-07:00

I received an e-mail recently that had an article on the correlation between the safety/security of women and the relative peacefulness of the nations in which they live.

I quote from the BYU news release:

The researchers spent seven years building a new database that covers 260 factors regarding the treatment of women in 174 countries. Then they used that data to show a statistically significant relationship between the security of women and peacefulness of nations.

This research is available at http://womanstats.org and boasts that is has "the most comprehensive compilation of information on the status of women in the world."

Valerie Hudson is the project's lead.

I further quote from the article:

"We suggest that the root of what we call national security may actually lie in a very unusual or unexpected place, and that is the treatment of women in society," says lead author Valerie Hudson, BYU professor of political science. "We offer what we consider to be fairly strong preliminary empirical evidence based on our new database that this is a viable alternative hypothesis."
The researchers compared their findings regarding the treatment of women with commonly held explanations for peacefulness: levels of democracy, levels of wealth and identity of the civilization. The association with peace was strongest with the treatment of women.
"If you used all four variables to try to predict state peacefulness, the one that would give you the best predictions of the four would be violence against women," Hudson found.
Hudson and her co-authors acknowledge that the relationship they observed can operate in the other direction, that is, state insecurity and violence can exaggerate the insecurity of women. And they say much further research is necessary before their results can be considered authoritative.

Of course this is stating the obvious, but think about it- the nation who values and seeks the security of womanhood is the most peaceful... why would it not be so? Seek the security of women, and the family, and the security of the nation will follow.

So, when we're told to be especially nice to girls, we'd better listen...

But what about the men? What effect do they have on a nation? How about this article, entitled "Bare Branches" compiled by the same team, that is forecasting major problems for China, a nation with a culture that values male children over female. They will apparently be faced with 30 million surplus men in about 10 years...

Chinese leader Hu Jintao, reviews the troops... this will be quite a task in about 10 years...

Get out of the car!

2009-03-04T22:09:00.005-07:00

This one is self-explanatory...

How many times have you approached the wrong car in the parking lot, thinking it was yours?

Survey for Scott

2009-02-26T21:00:00.003-07:00

I have a friend that is conducting a survey for his M.B.A. at Utah State. Visit the following link if you'd like to answer his 10 questions on preferences for computer operating systems:

I am conducting a research for a class and wondering if you may be able to take a 10-question survey. Go to this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=rK9SFol2HQWufhDkq9Ie4g_3d_3d to complete the survey. Once you're done, do you think you can forward this survey's link to people that might be interested? Thanks.
--
Fei "Scott" Jiang

Utah's Economy

2009-02-02T06:30:00.001-07:00

Utah is not an island, and the economy has caught up to us a little more as we've gone into 2009, but here is a map showing what the unemployment rate was in October:

I was sent this article in November published in "The Economist" that discusses the reasons why Utah's economy hasn't suffered as much as other states' have as of late. I found it interesting:

http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12480476

It is true that Gov. Huntsman and Mayor Godfrey (Ogden) have been very aggressive in attempting to grow business here in Utah. Lots of tax breaks and incentives for the companies that have chosen to either relocate or expand in Utah recently.

"Hundreds attend Global Warming Protest"

2009-01-24T08:52:00.011-07:00

"Hundreds attend Global Warming Protest"

A co-worker sent this to me. I thought it was funny.

It causes me to reflect on caring for our earth. My thoughts on this are, global warming or not, we need to care for our earth. It is our home. It deserves the best and I feel that there is a lot we can do to improve our use and investment into renewable energy sources.

To me the idea of "energy independence" goes far beyond drilling for our own oil and independence from oil-producing nations. It means every family having a simple solar system on their homes, being able to be independent from the grid when the power goes out, thanks to a battery that can run furnaces and several florescent bulbs inside, that recharges each day when the sun comes up.

It also means that during really sunny days that the electrical meters on homes are turning backwards, generating more power than their home needs and putting it back into the power grid. That is the way things ought to work.

This same principle applies to finances, food, and so on... ever heard of a garden and food storage?

"And it came to pass that Enoch looked upon the earth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying: Wo, wo is me, the mother of men; I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children. When shall I rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face?" - Moses 7:48

What a lovely name!

2009-01-05T21:33:00.003-07:00

A friend, Scott, showed me a little website a few days ago that will help you to learn a little more about names. It is called "What a Lovely Name." I looked up my name and found out a little more about it:

Loren

Americanization of the German name Lorenz, a variant of the Latin name Laurence. Ultimately taken from the Latin word "laurus," meaning "laurels".

Alternates: Lorin

Tags: American, calm, gentle, independent

That was nice, but I took a few minutes and looked a little further:

Meaning of "Loren"
English name
In English, the name Loren means- Variant of Lorin: Variant of Laurence: From the place of laurel trees. Famous Bearer: conductor Lorin Maazel (born 1930). Other origins for the name Loren include - English, American. The name Loren is a unisex name and can be used for a boy or girl name (male or female).

English Meaning - Variant of Lorin: Variant of Laurence: From the place of laurel trees. Famous Bearer: conductor Lorin Maazel (born 1930).

Origin - English

Scouting Monument

2009-01-03T05:00:00.005-07:00

Ambitious Eagle Scout Project in Woods Cross:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705273328,00.html

Anyone wanting more information about the project can contact Ron Smith, Tommy's father, at (801) 688-2633.

The Angel "Gabe"

2008-12-30T12:19:00.005-07:00

Recent story about a young man who listened to the Spirit in order to help someone in need:

http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/56349/Boy-Scout-hero-follows-the-Spirit.html

"It's a wonderful feeling to know that you served the Lord and that you really helped save these people's lives," Gabe said. "It's a feeling like none other. It's a really tremendous feeling."

Christmas Parlor Games

2008-12-23T06:00:00.003-07:00

Here are some fun parlor games published by Carma Wadley in the Deseret News. Great for when everyone gets together!

There are writing games, a reindeer word scramble, a drawing game, and many more!

Joy to Everyone this Christmas

2008-12-22T14:33:00.003-07:00

Here's a great little slideshow created by the BYU Department of Fine Arts:

Vocal artists are Jenny Jordan Frogley and David Osmond.

This is found at http://www.joytoeveryone.com and the movie and/or soundtracks can also be downloaded at http://www.joytoeveryone.com/en/download.htm

The Family and Proposition 8

2008-12-16T00:32:00.012-07:00

Proposition 8, the proposal in California to define marriage in the state's constitution as limited to a man and a woman, has been a very hot topic as of late.

In late November I read an interesting article from the LDS Newsroom on Proposition 8. It includes pleas from individuals on both sides of the issue to maintain civility and clarity. Especially awesome are two letters written by Catholic Bishops from the Sacramento and Salt Lake Diocese, both of which are linked from the above article. I would recommend reading the article and both of the letters.

CLERGYMAN: Mahwage. Mawage is wot bwings us togevah tooday. Mahwage, that bwessed awangement, that dweam wifin a dweam ... And wuv, twu wuv, will fowow you foweva. So twesa your wuv –

PRINCE HUMPERDINCK (interrupting): Skip to the end!

CLERGYMAN: Have you the wing?

I feel that it is important for each of us to ask ourselves and study out in our own minds why we believe what we believe. The following thoughts probably began as a teenager, evolved as I served an LDS mission, attended college at Utah State, and continue as the battle rages regarding the definition of marriage and family:

After every argument is heard regarding the definition of marriage, etc., I always come back to one very simple set of ideas:

We (people) are important. You and I are more important than we can even fathom. We tend to love our freedom, or agency (most do, anyway). Many individuals have both lived and died to grant and protect freedom.
We (people) are the product of a man and a woman. Regardless of your parents' level of commitment to each other, it was a man and woman that are the source from which you and I sprang. Due to these origins, it is natural for me to promote this idea of family, for it is within this idea of family- the traditional family- that people come. This idea of family is powerful, it creates life, and generates the opportunity of "freedom" for another generation. How wonderful it is when parents are committed to one another and their children!
Any idea, lifestyle, choice, or organization that denies, limits, or minimizes the traditional family, or opportunity for children (like you and I) to be born and enjoy the opportunities of life, liberty, and happiness, must be questioned. Does it not make sense that if an individual truly loved their own freedom, their very existence, and was truly grateful for it, that they would need to acknowledge the man and woman who made this gift and opportunity possible for them? Is it not true that pursuing or supporting any idea, lifestyle, choice, or organization that limits, minimizes, or neglects the idea of children is contrary to the nature of freedom, giving, and life itself? Is it not true that if we seek a relationship that does not generate what we were given- life- that we essentially deny it to others?

On the surface it is clear why individuals view same-sex marriage as a "right." Almost any choice could fit into that category of being one's "right", although we could quickly rule out choices that infringe upon the freedoms of others (theft, violence, murder, etc.). But it is this very idea- the idea that our choice restricts the freedom of others, that is the reason that same-sex marriage is a poor choice. It does not preserve freedom, but just seeks its own, and as it is pursued- becomes the end of that very idea.

More thoughts...
It is interesting to see individuals promote same-sex marriage, civil unions, etc. They perceive that others have "rights" that they are denied. They act as if they are being overlooked, neglected, or robbed of privileges that should be available to them. The truth is that those opportunities are available to them and can be theirs if they choose. They seek to change the rules, redefine marriage for everyone, as if the definition of the marriage relationship or "gender" are now ours to define and change, regardless of how things work naturally in the real world. Hello! People are born to men and women! Not only are men and women unique and necessary to produce life, but they are also unique and complementary as they fulfill their roles as parents as they raise their children. Traditional marriage is pro-choice, pro-life and pro-freedom, is it not? Choose what you may for a relationship, but don't redefine it for others!

Lifestyles other than traditional marriage, whatever they may be, tend to be selfish in nature in that they exclude or delay a future generation from the life and liberties that we now have. Those actively pursuing or promoting "alternative" lifestyles need to understand that if their forbears had espoused- and lived- by these same ideas of rights and freedom- that they, the following generation, probably would not exist.

Love gives and does not take. It seeks the benefit of others and not self.

Why do individuals defend the traditional definition of marriage? That's easy- they are FOR people. They are FOR children. They are for the freedom of OTHERS. Others like you and I will not continue to exist without the idea of traditional marriage.

Choosing to pursue or support anything other than the traditional marriage relationship is an end in and of itself. What makes it even more significant for those that believe is the fact that marriage relationships can be eternal.

On another note...
How should "The Princess Bride" been different? Wesley, under his guise of the Black Pirate Roberts, should have swallowed his pride and simply asked Buttercup why she had not waited to marry her true love, instead of accusing her of what he perceived to be "bailing out" on her. But of course if this had happened we would have skipped out on all of the adventures that followed- falling down the hill, the fire-swamp, ROUS's, etc. :) I guess I am wont to run through fire-swamps and battle rats of unusual size instead of just getting to the point of love and marriage as well. :) I apologize if there are any typos in this post or any incomplete sentences, etc.

Financial Wisdom

2008-11-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

I have not read his book, Crash Proof, but it sounds like Mr. Peter Schiff could see what many of us could see coming. I really felt like the home prices around me here in Utah, as well as my own was a false, blown-up bubble that would pop. It was unhealthy, unsupported growth.

I can remember practicing in a combined choir with Brian Weston and Lynn (I can't remember his last name) when a guy next to me was asking what I thought of the government's deficit spending. I remember telling him something to the effect that anybody or any organization who continues to go into debt further and further will one day have to pay the consequences. I can remember being discouraged at the fact that the government was not balancing its budget. I am not a financial wizard, nor the world's greatest budget-keeper, but I know I feel better when I save my money and am able to make sound investments. Many of us in the U.S. have borrowed way too much and it is now coming back to bite us.

An address from President Gordon B. Hinckley has been a great guide to me in my life. It is entitled, To the Boys and To the Men, and was given in November of 1998. I include what is to me the most significant excerpt:

Now, brethren, I should like to talk to the older men, hoping that there will be some lesson for the younger men as well.

I wish to speak to you about temporal matters.

As a backdrop for what I wish to say, I read to you a few verses from the 41st chapter of Genesis.

Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, dreamed dreams which greatly troubled him. The wise men of his court could not give an interpretation. Joseph was then brought before him: “Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:

“And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:

“And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed. …

“And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: …

“And I saw in my dream … seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good:

“And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:

“And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: …

“And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, … God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.

“The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. …

“… What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.

“Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:

“And there shall arise after them seven years of famine;

“… And God will shortly bring it to pass” (Gen. 41:17–20, 22–26, 28–30, 32).

Now, brethren, I want to make it very clear that I am not prophesying, that I am not predicting years of famine in the future. But I am suggesting that the time has come to get our houses in order.

So many of our people are living on the very edge of their incomes. In fact, some are living on borrowings.

We have witnessed in recent weeks wide and fearsome swings in the markets of the world. The economy is a fragile thing. A stumble in the economy in Jakarta or Moscow can immediately affect the entire world. It can eventually reach down to each of us as individuals. There is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed.

This counsel has guided me in many decisions. I am thankful for a prophet who just simply wanted us to live wisely, both spiritually and financially.

And now, just for fun, here is an excerpt worth watching that my brother Andrew showed me today. Note how Mr. Schiff is almost mocked by some of the other investment advisors because of his opinion:

Sweet!

50 Greatest Experiences

2008-11-27T18:33:00.001-07:00

For the past several years I have carried around in my scriptures a sheet of paper listing the beginnings of what a either a teacher in a past Sunday meeting encouraged us to to do: Create a list of 50 of your greatest experiences so far in your life. I do not remember who it was, but have resolved over this Thanksgiving weekend to finish this list that I started, and then record them in my journal.

I express my gratitude for the individual that extended this challenge and for some of the great examples of journal-writers in my life: Wilford Woodruff, Kenyon Platt, and Annie Weber.

Abraham Lincoln's "Proclamation of Thanksgiving"

2008-11-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Let's go back to 1863 and use this proclamation from President Abraham Lincoln to reflect on our own blessings...

Proclamation of Thanksgiving

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

A PROCLAMATION.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theater of military conflict; while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battlefield; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People.

I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed,

Done at the city of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the Eighty-eighth

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

By the President:
WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State

Mitt on motorcars

2008-11-24T07:10:00.001-07:00

From my brother Andrew:

In an Opinion page editorial in today's [Tuesday's] New York Times, Mitt Romney says "Let Detroit go Bankrupt!" If this radical non-political pandering spinal fortitude behavior persists, I will quit my job and work full-time on Mitt's 2012 campaign.

Way to go Mitt!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/opinion/19romney.html?_r=1&hp

~Andrew

A teaser...

If General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye. It won’t go overnight, but its demise will be virtually guaranteed.
Without that bailout, Detroit will need to drastically restructure itself. With it, the automakers will stay the course — the suicidal course of declining market shares, insurmountable labor and retiree burdens, technology atrophy, product inferiority and never-ending job losses. Detroit needs a turnaround, not a check.

Cool toys...

2008-11-12T17:00:00.002-07:00

When I was a kid one of our favorite toys were the two Nerf Men we got for Christmas one year. We threw them all over the house. They were probably confiscated to prevent damage because I don't remember much more of them. Maybe they were so much fun we didn't do our chores. Or maybe my dad made good on his threat that he'd "cut it in half if you throw it in the house."

Anyway, I read an article on Monday in the Deseret News about toys. It highlighted a blog, The Toy Snob, kept by Nicole Bradley that reviews creative, aesthetic, classic-type toys. I took a peek and found a toy that I almost bought for my nephews last year- the Automoblox cars:
You can drive one of these for just $32 plus shipping from a great on-line game and toy store, Fat Brain Toys. They have great deals on pretty unique games and toys. The article also talked about the purpose of toys. I remember that a lot of our play as children was invented and much of it took place outside. I remember spending hours driving our Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars around a dirt hill with my brothers and friends.

These Automoblox cars come apart and even come in smaller versions ($10) and in sets of three for $26. Pretty cool.

The mini-cars:

I had better get married and have a kid so I can get some of these... for the kids, of course.

The Land of the Free!

2008-11-11T20:00:00.002-07:00

Don't blame it on the president!

Everyone needs to see this:

Let us never forget that we are free and accountable for our own actions.

If I were a reporter, this is the kind of stuff I would like to create.
Good job John Stossel!

More on Fannie May & Freddie Mac

2008-11-02T16:33:00.003-07:00

Bill reflects...

Apparently Mr. Clinton states that the primarily Democratic congress during his administration shares a lot of the blame in the Fannie May and Freddie Mac problems that began to grow during his administration. Apparently a group of Republican Senators were attempting to regulate them more, but it didn't make it too far. Thanks Bill!

Comparison of Taxes: McCain vs. Obama

2008-10-25T09:51:00.004-06:00

I did my daily check of the articles summarized on the home page at RealClearPolitics.com and found an article in the Wall Street Journal about the differences in the proposed tax plans of Barack Obama and John McCain. It is interesting to see how the two candidates "spin" their statements on taxes, especially Obama. I quote three portions:

Mr. Obama claims no "working families" earning less than $250,000 would pay more in taxes, but that's because he defines income more broadly than the taxable income line on the IRS form. If you're an individual with taxable income of $164,550, you will pay more taxes.

Now, I am fiscally nowhere near the $160K or $250K tax bracket, and it seems that right now I may benefit more from Obama's plan. More highlights:

As for Mr. McCain, the central plank of his personal income-tax proposals is to make permanent almost all of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. This would leave the top marginal rate at 35%. The one exception is the death or estate tax, which expires for one year in 2010. Mr. McCain wants a 15% death tax on estates larger than $5 million. Mr. Obama wants a 45% rate on estates larger than $3.5 million.

Mr. McCain would also increase the dependent exemption by two-thirds -- to $6,000 per dependent from $3,500.

Summary:

In sum, Mr. Obama is proposing to use the tax code to substantially redistribute income -- raising tax rates on a minority of taxpayers to finance tax credits and direct income supplements to millions of others. How much revenue his higher rates would raise depends on how much less those high-earners would work, or how much they would change their practices to shelter their income from those higher rates.

By contrast, Mr. McCain is proposing some kind of tax reduction for most Americans who pay taxes. He says he would finance those cuts by reducing the rate of growth in federal spending.

The one thing I like about both is that they're both going after the oil profits. Obama's plan is much less friendly to small businesses and for well-to-do families hoping to pass on their estates to heirs. Obama has many little perks for people like me, students, and lower-income families, thus his comments that 95% of all Americans would get a tax break or cut under his plan. In the same breath many of those same people would also be paying more taxes elsewhere. Obama also wants the wealthier portion of America to be the primary financiers of the Social Security program, using it to "redistribute wealth." McCain's is aimed more towards reducing government spending and promoting growth in the economy by taxing businesses less.

Remember to vote!

America's Most Wanted Couple: Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac

2008-10-20T20:10:00.007-06:00

Here they are- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac:

Okay- seriously, Fannie Mae is really the "Federal National Mortgage Association" and Freddie Mac is the "Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation." They are two financial institutions, not grandparents, that share great responsibility in the recent financial meltdown. Sure, many individuals were allowed to get in over their heads, and they are to blame as well, but they were merely following the example of the federal government and are living beyond their means. See the National Debt clock here. And here's a recent article on the clock. Apparently it ran out of digits because of the recent financial intervention of the government. Would it hurt to just let these organizations and businesses drown on their own? I am sure that it would hurt, but maybe it would send a strong message and help us and others make more sound investments. If the government were to be compared to a business, I would never invest in it in the fiscal sense. It needs a infusion of new blood, though- a MAJOR blood transfusion. I wish a candidate would balance the budget and create a plan to pay off the national debt.

My brother send me an e-mail about a week ago citing one of the origins of the current financial meltdown. I will quote Kimball from his e-mail:

The New York Times link below explains the hand the government had in creating the current mortgage crisis. The article was written in 1999, and occurred within Clinton's administration. This article was sent to me by my politically savvy friend, Mike Taylor.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0DE7DB153EF933A0575AC0A96F958260

Today I ran across another article today on DeseretNews.com as well that cited a Republican-sponsored bill that was never voted on in the Senate, possibly in part due to a group paid large sums of money by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to lobby against the bill. Glad to know that a lot of Republicans in the Senate could see this financial meltdown coming:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705256560,00.html

Isn't it nice to know that we can live life based on sound principles? I found it interesting that it was primarily Democrats in Congress that were primarily voting for the economic bailout proposed by President Bush and that it was a crew of Republicans that did not like the looks of the bailout package initially.

I think that a lot more time should have been spent in analyzing the problem, or that smaller bills should have been passed, incrementally, each with a specific target on what it was intended to do, not a one-size-fits-all mega-bill.

I can remember somewhere in the mid/late-1990's when I was sitting next to a guy in choir practice who was asking what I thought about the national debt. I told him that I thought it would come back to bite us one day and that the government and nation would fall on its face financially if it did not do something to pay the debt. One loses credibility with so much debt. We reap what we sow, right?

What would I do about it?
Turn Mitt Romney loose on the problem. He'd probably help for free.

Be sure to get out and VOTE!

2008-10-20T19:11:00.002-06:00

Here is a great video found at CatholicVote.com:

We do need to make sure that we are taking part. Well made, well said, and true, true, true...

Stocks on sale! Also homes.

2008-10-18T13:05:00.001-06:00

Isn't life all about perspective? And there is always more than one way to view the current economic status of our nation. If you're one that has savings, a great credit rating, and have been waiting to get into the stock market or a house, this may be your big chance!

When the prices of stocks, or homes, generally plunge like they have recently. It's like having a sign saying:

BIG SALE!
Lowest prices in 10 years!
Wahoo!

This is not intended as investment advice, but nearly as an alternative perspective in an economic downturn that anybody knew was coming. Watching house prices inflate the last few years has been ridiculous. My house's estimated value has risen over $100,000 in the last 3-4 years (that's not healthy growth, or normal). On my property tax forms the county listed it as being worth $9,000 more each year in the first 3 years and then in the last year increasing in value about $75,000. And this was at a time when home prices across the nation were dropping, and just as they started to slow and drop here in Utah.

Record vs. Rhetoric

2008-10-18T11:34:00.006-06:00

Here is a great article from RealClearPolitics.com that talks about the current candidates and their VP picks. It discusses experience, or record, as opposed to rhetoric. I thought it very insightful:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/10/record_vs_rhetoric.html

It's a good, short read.

Flip/Flop?

2008-10-16T15:51:00.003-06:00

Hmmm...

What shall we believe when a candidate speaks? Who knows what McCain will say or do next.

I wonder if it's too late to convince Colin Powell to run for office.

"One for the ages," from Terry Moran

2008-10-16T15:37:00.004-06:00

Someone e-mailed me this and I had to share it:

Saturdays

2008-10-11T17:06:00.005-06:00

Here's what's happened today, and what might be a normal Saturday for me lately...
1. Sleep in until 8 or so (normally I do like to get up a little earlier).
2. Read (currently John Groberg's, "In the Eye of the Storm")
3. Run (4 mile loop- haven't gone that far in a while).
4. Vacuum
5. Breakfast (2 bowls of cereal and about an hour later, 2 awesome breakfast burritos made by yours truly).
6. Watch the rest of the Texas Longhorns game with roommate as they beat the currently #1-ranked Oklahoma Sooners.
7. Help roommate clean up kitchen because I feel guilty that much of the mess is mine.
8. Load 1,960 lbs. of junk in the old orange flatbed dumptruck (cement chunks, old beams, wood, pipe, and other miscellany). Added a new driveway a few weeks ago and the cement guy did his "cleanout" right in front of the leftover cement. Gratefully there was not too much.
9. Visit the dump as a very light rain turns so snow (that makes 3 weeks in a row). Last week's trip was almost 3 tons and great fun in the rain. The landfill was a muddy, stinky mess and after I dumped my load I felt like I was in one of those events you might see at a truck pull. I was peeling out and flipping mud everywhere. It was pretty fun. Good thing I had "duallies" in back or I may not have made it. :)
10. Hurry and answer a few e-mails that have been sitting in my inbox.
11. Check friends' blogs. Feel guilty about not posting anything. Create this post.
12. Get a little to eat (leftovers from Saturday breakfast last week [blueberry pancakes] and today).
13. Hope to work on finishing a few small rough framing things in the basement "studio" room I am finishing.
14. Get cleaned up.
15. Go dancing with friends at the Murray Arts Center (M.A.C.). Possibly visit IKEA beforehand to check on flooring that is $0.49 a square foot (probably pretty cheap stuff).
16. Bed.

What would I change? A few things- three, in fact. Love Saturdays. Next week I have a 4-day weekend. Awesome.

Tough Love vs. Spanking - Good Argument

2008-09-23T22:45:00.004-06:00

A co-worker e-mailed this to me. I thought it hilarious, although I would not "try this at home..."

Tough Love vs. Spanking - Good Argument

Most people think it improper to spank children, so I have tried other methods to control my kids when they have one of 'those moments.'

One that I found effective is for me to just take the child for a car ride and talk.

Some say it's the vibration from the car, others say it's the time away from any distractions such as TV, Video Games, Computer, iPod, etc.

Either way, my kids usually calm down and stop misbehaving after our car ride together. Eye to eye contact helps a lot too.

I've included a photo below of one of my sessions with my son, in case you would like to use the technique. View it below.

Sincerely,
Your Friend

Ball Game, part 2 (extra innings)

2008-08-27T22:03:00.008-06:00

After a little feedback from friends and a Louisville Slugger to the head (courtesy of an anonymous comment on my 'flaky' analogy posted a few weeks ago), I thought I'd elaborate a little on the baseball/dating comparison:

1. This analogy is probably more fitting to a baseball practice or baseball tryouts. Don't take it beyond the pitcher-batter idea.

2. Consider it, women who are pursuing men that are NOT stepping up to the plate does not help them to STEP UP and be a MAN. Men need to STAND UP and put forth their best effort. They need the challenge and the chase. Each situation is different, but a healthy relationship is based on the fact that each person inspires the other to be their best- in a simple and wonderful, kind of way. I would not recommend that women date the guys that are forever languishing in the dugout. But everyone has that choice. The point of dating and life is that men learn how to step up to the plate. The dudes who NEVER step out of the dugout just get booted off the team anyway. Women- be your best and the men that can handle what you dish out will be the ones that chase you. Birds of a feather flock together , but the scriptural reference says it best.

3. Men: It may appear that some women are not pitching at all when you are doing your best to ask for a pitch. She may be pitching or winking elsewhere.

4. Women: Just because a particular fellow is not stepping up to your plate does not mean he is not doing his best to hammer a homer (connect) or get a pitch elsewhere.

5. We have a limited view of each other as we live in our little worlds. Sometimes we become generally frustrated that a certain person(s) is not doing what we want s/he to do. Thus the need to gain perspective from other sources.

6. Amen to the comment left on the post: "It's easy to lose track of the whole doggone' game when you're hanging out in the dingy dugout with the boys." That is very true.

7. Also in response to the same comment: Getting "beaned" in the head with a fastball while sitting in the dugout WOULD be a great wake-up call. It may even put a fellow in the hospital. Lighting a fire under the pine bench in the dugout might be even a better idea.

Dating and courting does really hurt now and then, believe me. The pain can inspire growth and understanding or make one retreat (both can be equally helpful). But it is only when we take the greatest risks that we can expect the greatest returns. Though I often feel like a "Little League" kid when I step up to the plate, awkward and inadequate, I must say that the dating/courting experiences that I have had are some of the most rewarding of my life.

Thanks for all of the feedback- it has given me more insight.

Olympic hmmm and hurray!

2008-08-19T23:40:00.005-06:00

I think Doug Robinson has a point... I love the Olympics, but what do they symbolize?

Has it become, or has it been, a political show?

Does it strengthen relations between countries?

Berlin Olympics, 1936
(just a few years before Hitler begins invasion of Poland, etc., beginning WW II)

Does it strengthen the illusion and the strangle-hold that some countries have on their people?

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700251931,00.html

What purpose do the Olympics serve? There has been a lot of controversy as the games in Beijing approached and began. Will worldwide attention cause the Chinese government to better address its humanitarian and environmental problems? Or will it serve as a 'cover.' Of course every country can improve its human rights record. Historically, the United States does not have the brightest human rights record either.

What do you think?

Jesse Owens, 1936
Owens wins 4 gold medals in the Berlin Olympics
(read here for an interesting little snip of history on these events at Wikipedia)

"We all have dreams. In order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline and effort."
- Jesse Owens

I love the "human" elements of the Olympics:

Athletes from around the world embracing, encouraging, and rejoicing together.
Coaches comforting an athlete in tears.
A crowd cheering for one who faltered but finished.
Seeing competing athletes congratulate and comfort one another.
Watching parents of olympians cry in the stands.
Seeing individuals pushing themselves to their limits.
Seeing a winner totally freak out when they win.
Seeing individuals heed that eternal spark inside them that always tells them that they CAN do it!

Take me out to the ball game

2008-08-14T23:42:00.010-06:00

Here's my take on the good old fashioned game of dating...

Dating is much like baseball. In dating men should step up to the plate & ask a woman for a pitch if they're interested. Women then choose whether or not they'll pitch, & what kind of pitch to give. Both she & he want to know what the other is all about. Good pitchers throw challenging pitches, not soft tosses given half the distance between the mound and home plate, and a good slugger keeps his eye on the ball and swings strong and level.

A man needs to understand & respect the fact that even if he steps up to the plate, a woman may not choose to give him a pitch. It also gets confusing if pitches are unexpectedly thrown into the dugout. A pitcher can wink from the mound & pursue her game, but throwing a pitches to those not up at the plate is not how it works. This is the old-fashioned version of baseball I was taught.

Girl's baseball team from Mill Valley, CA

If you're pitching in baseball tryouts and are not sure of what kind of pitch to throw, watch the catcher. He'll help you. If you're at bat, watch for signals from the 3rd base coach. They both work for the same Manager & Owner, who are always looking for talent to put together as part of a great team.

Men, let us stand and step up to the plate- the women I know are pretty darn good pitchers.

Play ball!

This is the short version of the analogy. Maybe I can expound at a later date on a few points.
-Loren

Free Gas!

2008-07-28T06:00:00.004-06:00

With gas prices at an all time high, I was surprised by a sign I saw while on my way home from a hike. I had stopped to pick up a few items at a shop when I spotted it:

Wow! Free gas!

What?

Free gas! About 12 miles south of my house- $0.00 per gallon!

Free?

Yes! Frrreeeeeee!

Hurray!

I couldn't believe it either and took the photo above to prove it. I'll have to go there more often!

Here is a photo of the whole storefront:

Look closely at the photo...

Yeah, it's a bike shop- Bountiful Bicycles. I recently re-invested in a bicycle and needed to get a few things. I thought that the sign on the storefront was pretty creative and funny. I used to have a road bike in high school that I rode to work quite a bit between Kaysville and Centerville, and thanks to ebay, I found a decent, used bike in Colorado to replace my aged and crippled Specialized Hard Rock (that is now 18 years old). Now I need to get a second set of rims in order to exchange quickly between mtn tires and road tires, or slicks.

Here is the new ride:

I was surprised that I won the ebay auction. I thought I'd have to increase my bid by $100 or so, but didn't have to. I also am learning to use clipless (eggbeater) pedals for the first time. They're easier than I thought they'd be, although not as easy as toeclips. So far, it's harder to get INTO the pedal than releasing it.

I figure that I'll have to bike well over 4,500 miles for this purchase to pay for itself. With the ride to work and back being a 24-mile round trip, that'll be nearly 200 trips to work. At least it will give me about an hour of cardiovascular exercise each day I ride. Also cheaper than a Toyota Prius and faster than walking!

Diesel Mechanic

2008-07-25T06:00:00.007-06:00

(written Saturday afternoon, June 20)

Today I feel more like a man. Why? I discovered the deeper meaning of a weighty, masculine word. There are a handful out there: lumber, football, etc.

Well, today it was "diesel."

No, not that one...

..not this one either...

...this one:

Main Entry: die·sel
Pronunciation: \ˈdē-zəl, -səl\
Function: noun
Etymology: Rudolf Diesel
Date: 1894

1 : diesel engine
2 : a vehicle driven by a diesel engine
3 : diesel fuel

I have been able to borrow my dad's old CASE 680 "Construction King" backhoe to do occasional work. Despite "construction" being part of its name, the yellow beast does a great job at demolition. Now, I am speaking of planned demolition, like when we tore out the old milk-house or pulled the silo over. It also does a great job of smashing things unintentionally- like when one of my brothers managed to mash the rain gutter into the side of the house. I was inside at the time and it felt like the whole house was going to come down. He is not alone- I did thump one of the post that holds up the deck a few weeks ago with the hoe (yes, it left mark).

Besides being a great help when I was in the demolition stages, it has come in handy recently to dig out the area where I am installing a retaining wall and to also bring in the retaining wall blocks. I've made a few temporary roads, haul gravel, rocks, and dirt- of course.

In the course of these events it has broken down at least three or four times. We've blown just about half of its hydraulic hoses, improved some of the electrical wiring, and most recently I had to replace the starter. Thus this blog entry.

It was my first ever "starter-ectomy" (I hadn't even done this on a car) and the old 60's backhoe didn't give it up willingly. Three bolts held it in. One was right out in front, one in back, and the last one underneath. I am embarrassed to admit that I mistakenly worked for at least 20-30 minutes trying to remove another bolt that was located just next to the REAL bolt (the third one) that I should have been removing. This impostor was so tight, and the space so small for my socket and wrench, that I could lot get any leverage. Of course it was when I finally got that darn bolt to budge and was removing it when I noticed that it played no role in holding the starter. Oh well- the fact that I got it loose made me feel good. Of course the real bolt came out lickety-split and I used a lever to heft the huge, greasy starter out. Finally! After over an hour victory was mine! I am guessing it weighed 60-70 pounds. This is a photo of me AFTER I cleaned myself up (I was black up to my elbows) and was preparing to drive to the rebuild shop in SLC.

It took them over a week to find the right parts to rebuild it, and it took me about 30 minutes to put it back in. The backhoe starts much easier now- and without starter fluid. I now have a great respect for diesel mechanics and know why they make about $40/hour. Let's just pray the backhoe lasts another month or two. I don't know how much of a man I am to handle much more than a starter.

Food Friday: Mark's Homemade Bread

2008-07-11T20:00:00.006-06:00

Yes- I know- this was actually posted on a Sunday, but I have been inspired by Bamamoma's "Food Friday" recipes and thought I'd share a few of my own (or those I've stolen). I don't know if I can commit to sharing a recipe every Friday, but we'll see. I'm starting out with a basic recipe, a little beyond cold cereal and homemade toast. I'll save them for when I have no ideas.

With this first recipe I am also putting my life in peril. I think it is a top-secret family recipe. If Mark Lambert finds out I have published this on the web, all of his family members may be after me (and if you include all of the grandkids, that's a lot!). So, if I die an unusual death in the coming months, you'll know whodunnit. Mark didn't have a precise recipe, but this is pretty close and has been modified a little by me. This one makes 4 or so loaves.

(I borrowed this photo from http://mac-aroni-n-cheese.blogspot.com/2008/01/yummy.html)

1 Quart very warm water
1/2 C sugar or honey
2-3 T yeast (depending on how fast you want it to rise)

Totally dissolve sugar or honey into the warm water and then sprinkle in yeast. Let sit to let yeast begin to kind of dissolve and react (usually 5-10 minutes, though I don't know if it really matters how long). While you're waiting, grease your bread or pizza pans with oil or butter.

1/2 C oil (canola or vegetable)
1 T salt
8-11 C flour (white or 1/2 wheat)
Butter or oil for greasing pans

Once the yeast floats up to the top of the water, add in the oil and mix in the salt until dissolved. Now mix in 5-6 cups of flour with a large, sturdy, wooden or plastic spoon. You may then let it rise at this point for 20-30 minutes (Mark did, I usually don't). I add almost all the flour (about 7-8 cups), stirring it in until the dough starts becoming a big ball, and then let it rise 30-40 minutes until double in size. The warmer your kitchen, the faster the rise.

Once double in size, I then sprinkle in the last 2-4 cups of flour to the dough as I knead it by hand until it just begins to lose its stickiness. I then work the flour in until it's tacky, but not sticky. I then pinch off enough dough and roll it underneath itself in my hands, forming it to shape the pan as I go, and also to get a nice, smooth top. Pinch the bottom of the loaf closed and drop it in the greased pan, tucking it in around the edges to get a nice fit. Let the loaves rise until the dough begins to touch the top of the pan's sides. Bake at 350 F for about 25-30 minutes until the top is a medium golden brown. Remove from oven and pans and let dry on a rack or rotate on a wood surface. Eat immediately or you can let it cool and "dry" for at least 2-3 hours. Be sure it's reasonably dry before you bag it. Keeps for about 3-4 days (maximum) outside of fridge.

This makes a great pizza crust too! Just stretch and pound it out flat on a floured surface until quite thin, and then let rise until double or tripled in size on a greased pizza pan or baking sheet. Pre-cook for about 10-12 minutes, add sauce and toppings, and then cook for another 10-15 minutes until pizza is ready. I'll often cook a few crusts for 10-12 minutes and then throw them in the freezer (in plastic) for later. It makes great breadsticks, rolls, bread bowls, etc. I also modified it into a focaccia recipe as well that maybe I can share later.

I'm going to have to make some this week. Writing about it is making me hungry.

Grrrilling!

2008-07-02T11:39:00.009-06:00

I always check the news every morning or afternoon on-line. First, I was happy to read that the U of U was able to recover the thousands of medical records kept on data tapes that had been stolen (mine included) with the help of the local police department. Second, I ran into a cool article on grilling in the Deseret News. I purchased a smoker grill last year and have used it 4-5 times to grill. I am still a novice, but I am getting better. This February and March we grilled shiskabobs. Here is a delicious photo the second time we made them:

Here is the title and link to the article in the Deseret News:

You go, grill! 10 tips for a better barbecue

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700239608,00.html

Here's a photo of another grilling event. I have to admit that I am getting a little better at it each time and enjoy using real wood charcoal and also hickory or mesquite wood chunks for flavor. The gentleman in the photo is locally renowned Chef Fei, also known as the "Grilling Master."

Happy Grilling!

Oh yeah- and I read an article recently that recommends not eating burned (carbonized) food. It apparently isn't very safe to eat. Wish I'd known that before our second grilling attempt...

Oil prices going up? No problem... just procrastinate that oil change!

2008-07-01T10:04:00.012-06:00

Here are some thoughts and recent finds on car care, or more specifically, oil changes. A while back I rambled on about gasoline prices. And due to a complaint that my posts were sometimes long, here's a two-point summary of what the rest of this post says (so you don't have to read it all):

1. Oil changes can be done at 4,000 or 5,000 miles instead of 3,000 (unless you've really been driving in rough, dirty conditions). I usually change mine at about 4,000 miles, sometimes later. Also, your oil filter also doesn't NEED to be changed at every oil change, but considering they are between $3 and $6, it is not really a big deal to change it, and most places do (make sure they do). A study found that oil change places like Jiffy Lube were not doing a lot of what they said they were. I change my own oil and just don't like the idea of having that clean oil I just put in my car running through a used filter.

2. A few eco-friendly, oil-free transportation options and some fun links. The solar car is quite interesting. I'm telling ya- we'll all be driving something like this in about 20 years.

Here are the details:
I can remember reading in the auto manual of the first car I owned (a light blue "Calvin & Hobbes-ish " Nissan Stanza Wagon- an awesome car- I could fit 4 mountain bikes upright in the back of it if I took off their front tires). The manual recommended oil changes at least every 7,500 miles. I was a little surprised. This morning I came across an article at KSL.com on oil changes- that we don't have to do it every 3,000 miles. It states that "Toyota recommends getting a change between 5,000 and 7,500 miles, or every six months, and under certain circumstances, the closer to 5,000 miles the better."

The KSL article reminded me of a study on oil brands that I read in Consumer Reports (CR) several years ago (I couldn't find it on-line). The Consumer Reports team was researching the quality of different brands of oil and testing how they protected the engines of several taxi cabs with newly-rebuilt engines. They chose to do their testing with taxis because of the sheer number of miles they put in each day, the fact that they are running most of the day, and that they are used in what is considered the most wearing type of driving- city driving (lots of stops, starts, constant accelerating/decelerating). Anyway, the rebuilt engine parts were measured before they were put back together and then after a significant period of wear, were taken out and measured again. As I remember, a different brand of oil, including synthetic oil varieties, were used on different group of cars. And each group using a specific oil type had cars that had its oil changed at either 3,000 or 6,000 miles. They hoped to determine whether it made any difference. Well, to make a long story short, they drove and drove all of the taxis for what I think was 60,000 miles. At this point they took all of the engines apart and found no measurable difference in the engine wear of all the cars and the oil types they tested. They concluded that for 60,000 miles of wear, changing your oil at 3,000 miles or 6,000 miles didn't really make a difference. The only difference in the oil brands were that some started breaking down on a molecular level earlier than others, but all still seemed to protect fine.

The only significant difference that a synthetic oil makes is that it "bonds" better to the engine parts due to its finer molecular structure. It also can increase your mileage by 1-2 miles per gallon. This works, both myself and a friend have tried it, though it does cost between $3 and $5 per quart of synthetic oil as compared to $1 or $2 a quart for regular oil.

Here are a few useful and fun links:

John's Tool Box:
A simple FAQ's page from a Consumer Reports Auto Mechanic
This is a great 1-web-page summary on basic car care. I'd recommend browsing through it. It has information on all of his recommendations on basic car maintenance. Yes Ladies, this one is for you!

On another note, the city of Seattle is seeing "greener" taxis nowdays. I understand that Vancouver, Canada has had hybrid taxis for a few years now. NYC has some hybrid Ford Escape hybrids as well.

But who needs gasoline and oil? Here you can read and view footage about a solar-powered taxi on its trip around the world...

and also a prototype of a wind-powered car:

Of course you can just ride your bike- but don't forget to put a little oil on the chain.

Family Reunion, June 2008: East Canyon Resort & Reservoir

2008-06-14T10:07:00.011-06:00

I thought I'd share a few photos from our family reunion at East Canyon Resort held in early June. We had a bit of rain but had a lot of fun in between and during. I played shuffleboard for the first time- a pretty fun game!

We had GREAT food (of course- I think I gained 5 lbs.) and we had a great time! Thanks to my Nate & Steph for planning a memorable event.

(Click on any image for a larger version.)

Burn, baby, burn!
The lure of the campfire. Toasting anything & everything.
Who needs marshmallows?

Fishin'
I did not fish. If fish tasted like chicken, then I'd be fishin'. For the most part, the taste of most fish just doesn't agree with my taste buds. Maybe it's because fish eat worms, bugs, and stuff like that. Maybe worms would taste better? :)

Fishin' with Daddy

Canoeing & Fishing

Near the state park entrance to the reservoir
(I think this may become one of my desktop backgrounds)

Some guy getting in the way of the great scenery.
Move it, dude!

The drive home
(photo by Kimball)

Revelation on the Priesthood & Black LDS History

2008-06-01T20:17:00.007-06:00

Elijah Able, ordained an elder in 1832

A few months ago I spent some time reading about the history of many African-Americans in the early Church after it was restored in 1830. It was inspired by a short interview I heard on public radio or television regarding an upcoming film produced by black members of the Church entitled, "Nobody Knows: The Untold Story of Black Mormons". At this web site promoting the film you can view a trailer and make donations to furthering the promotion of the film and production of the DVD. It was already shown in Utah and many other states and is supposed to be shown here in Utah again soon. Details on how the film has been received so far have been discussed here. In late January, The Deseret News also had an article on the release of the movie.

This June (2008) marks the 30-year anniversary of the revelation on the Priesthood given to President Spencer W. Kimball. A celebration is being held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle to celebrate the event. Tickets are available at the Church's events website. Details from that page are:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will present the Church Commemoration of the Revelation on the Priesthood on Sunday, June 8, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. in the Tabernacle on Temple Square. Elder Sheldon F. Child of the Seventy will be the speaker for this event, with several Church members also giving inspirational messages. A multicultural choir will be performing under the direction of Mack Wilberg on Sunday, June 8, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. in the Tabernacle on Temple Square.

Jane Manning James (center), early pioneer who traveled west to Utah with the early saints

The experiences of these early saints are really wonderful. They were faithful despite prejudice and ignorance. Other than the web sites linked above, you may want to visit http://www.blacklds.org . This site has great information and testimonies.

They also had more information on Elijah Abel and Jane Manning James. Read the life history of Sister James there! It is awesome. I thought it was cool that the western timeline entry at www.blackpast.org had a little bit more on Elijah in the entry for 1847:

1847—Three African Americans, Green Flake, Oscar Crosby, and Hark Lay, accompany Brigham Young who leads the first Mormon pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley. The slaves of Southern Mormons, these men are sent ahead to help prepare for Mormon settlers to follow. Today, their names are inscribed on the Brigham Young monument in downtown Salt Lake City.

In closing, I recommend that you read the front of the grave marker below from the Wikipedia entry for Jane Manning James in Salt Lake City.

Click to view larger image and to read what it says!

Sister James says it best!

Label cloud & clock

2008-05-24T22:00:00.000-06:00

Two fun blog "widgets"...

The first from Charlotte on how to make a "label cloud." Here's a link with instructions:

http://phydeaux3.blogspot.com/2006/09/code-for-beta-blogger-label-cloud.html

(It wasn't too hard to add it, but I'd recommend you back up (save) your html code as he recommends before you start tweaking things. I noticed that once I changed my layout after adding the cloud that it didn't work any more. I guess you'd have to restore the original label html and then add the label cloud html after you chose your new layout?)

The second are little nifty clocks that show you the time where you live:

http://www.clocklink.com/

(I chose a pretty simple one & I am sure that there are other types from other folks. Now you can watch the time fly as you read others' blogs or work on your own.)

Google on your telephone!

2008-05-23T21:34:00.007-06:00

Everybody may already know this, but my brother (Andrew) told me about it.

If you call this number on your cell or home phone and you can find company phone numbers or address of a business using voice commands. It is awesome!

1-800-GOOG-411
(1-800-466-4411)

I have used it 2-3 times over the past few months to find a few companies. You can even ask for a text of the address and phone number or if you have a fancy phone with internet, you can get a map of how to get there! It currently searches business listings only, not residences.

Put it in speed dial and there'll be no more driving around in circles!
Think of the gas we'll all save!

The Condiment Packet Gallery

2008-05-22T06:30:00.009-06:00

Ketchup anybody?

How about a little "Bojangles Cajun Hot Sauce?"

My brother sent this link to me. You may have a few in your fridge that you could add to the collection...

They're all here in the
"Condiment Packet Gallery"

Check it out at:

http://condiment.portablefolkband.com/packets.php

Mmmm!

I have a Fairy Blogmother!

2008-05-21T22:26:00.005-06:00

When I started this post, I thought that my idea of using the term, "fairy blogmother," was unique.

But alas, I googled it and was disappointed to find almost 7,000 hits.

RATS!

In a month of bloglessness...

My Fairy Blogmother did appear!
I did not know that I even had one
Or that she was so near...

Hovering over one starry night,
Her comment came via e-mail:
"Now Loren, dear, get on the ball!
Your blog is old and stale!"

Blogging requires posts that are fresh!
Each week maybe two or three-
Nearly a month has passed, and still it sits-
Neglected- shame on thee!

Update your blog! Post new thoughts!
Put that mouse and fingers to work!
The blogging life is not for the weak-
it's a duty that you cannot shirk.

Dear Bamamoma,
Thanks for the reminder to keep my blog current. I am also honored that you'd bother to read it between diaper changes. I can't promise that I'll do better, but maybe this exercise in commitment will be good for me... :) I have a thing or two to learn about blogging...

(Author's note: The fairy godmother pictured above in no way represents any person currently living.)

Life in Numbers

2008-05-20T23:52:00.002-06:00

This is in response to one of Heidi's recent posts and recent comment/threat that she'd no longer check my blog if I continued to neglect it. For that I am sorry. I am still breathing , thinking, and... just not blogging as much as I formerly did!

1 - Sister (Sarah)
2 - The Goal (Wife & Me)
3 - Years in my house
4 - My "official" family number (I was born the 4th of 9 children)

(in the middle of the family sandwich)

5 - States in which I have lived (UT, AZ, NM, VA, WY)
6 - Months to have ALL of my landscaping done
7 - Brothers (Spencer, Matt, Richard, Nathan, Andrew, Kimball, and Stuart)
8 - is great? Okay- here is something better- that was when I made one of the most important decisions of my life (baptism).
9 - Thousand dollars (the low estimate on the cost to finish the majority of the landscaping, fence, etc.). Trees, plants, & flower beds will add even more...
10 - Years I've worked in public education (1 year in private/business sector)

Jed the Blogger

2008-05-17T04:20:00.007-06:00

Okay- Heidi said that she may not even check my blog because I had not written for such a long time. So I sat down and created two posts this weekend. I apologize for my blog-negligence.

This post is primarily "borrowed," but I just had to share it. I think that many of my blogging friends out there are quite humorous and profound (Heidi, Charlotte, Monica, and Sarah, to name a few). But one of my favorites is JED! I love Jed's thoughts and am glad that he is willing to share them. Here are links to two hilarious, recent posts:

Crashing Through Walls

(Jed's perspective on the classic and all-too-often "I want to set you up with the perfect guy or girl" experience)

The Way the Cookie Crumbled

(A simple story of courage inspired by love)

Not only do these resonate with me, but in my opinion, Jed has in more than one case put columnists like Dave Barry to shame. Many of you write just as good, or in many cases better, than many columnists that are out there today. A few female bloggers from Utah were highlighted on TV recently and after reading 2-3 of their entries, they are not only lame, but beyond lame. Their blogs were completely worthless. I could not believe that they got so much internet traffic. So to my blogging heroes I say:

Thanks.
...and don't neglect your blog. You never know when you're going to make someone's day!

Got Gas?

2008-05-17T04:16:00.002-06:00

This spring I test-drove a Toyota Prius. It's probably the most popular of the hybrid cars and has been around since 1997. During the test drive it was amazing to see the car's battery level increase during my short 10-minute trip. Whenever the engine was running it simultaneously charged the partially-discharged battery in order to restore it to full capacity. When you stopped, the entire car became completely quiet. A few months before I had spoken with a woman who told me it took one tank of gas to drive hers to Los Angeles from Utah. Wow! The only drawback of the Prius? Those over 6 feet tall will be a little short on headroom in the back seat. I think a hybrid car is in the future for each of us. Soon the gas-only sedans will go the way of black-and-white television.

Last week at work a coworker handed me a listing of the local gas prices around town. I thought I'd share the MapQuest link she gave me. I am not sure of how current/accurate they are, but considering recent gas prices, it may be worth it to check your area:

http://gasprices.mapquest.com/

If you live in Utah, here's a link featured on KSL.com:

http://www.utahgasprices.com/Quick_Search.aspx

Because of rising gas prices I've found myself waiting to run errands until they stack up, doing them on the way home from work, walking or running to do local shopping, and also increasing my car-pooling. Trips are now often calculated in dollars, not miles. I also checked the pressure in my tires last month and found them embarrassingly low. Inflating them to around 35 psi (or just under) will get you another 1-2 miles per gallon (as was my case). It'll also make your tires wear a little longer.

Thanks to my brother, Andrew, for the e-mail containing these little political cartoons of gasoline humor. They're a gas! I look forward to owning a car that converts solar energy during long stays in the parking lot into power! I can only imagine what solar panels could do on my house. They ought to come standard on all homes.

I guess that until I start putting my money where my mouth is and actually buy a hybrid vehicle or a new bike, I'll be guzzling gas.

Hey Sarah! Happy Birthday?

2008-04-07T19:42:00.007-06:00

(I apologize for the lack of blog entries as of late. I have started an official family blog and have spent most of my free time there. This is a post I originally put there, but modified. If I am found dead in the coming days or weeks it will be because one of my brothers murdered me for posting this picture.)

Okay- the instructions were to dress like a "nerd"- and pictured below is how that was interpreted. It was Sarah's birthday and we decided to have a little fun. In my family you are lucky if someone calls because they remembered it, but Sarah's is never forgotten (though she has a short memory and doesn't see it that way). I guess you could say that she is spoiled, which is probably due to the fact that she is the youngest and our only sister. I think that she thinks she has it rough, and maybe she does, because...

If you went into a restaurant and had been invited to sit with this bunch, what would you have done?

Yes. I would have run as well.

Pictured from left to right are Homie "Hip-Hop" Brown, Bo, Rhett "Hot Rod" Andrews, Kevyn L. Baker, B.S. (aspiring astrophysics student), Dr. Stan Cipek (astrophysics professor), and the flamer, Alf Kimo.

This nerdy, rough, and groovy bunch met Sarah and Steve at the Braza Grill in Salt Lake for her dinner birthday. Thanks to Stevie for getting her there and holding on to her when she tried to run away.

Upcoming Family Events:
April 7th - "Homie" Brown will be in concert most of the day at the Delta Center (on the northeast corner by the Trax stop). Let's support him and drop some change in the can. I heard he'll be playing the new drum that he made. Also Matt's birthday.

April 13th - Kimball gets a life.

April 15th - Nathan said we could drop by for free oil changes on this day for their "tax day special." Stuart will be there to make sure he does it right. About all Nathan can change is a diaper or a channel. (I'm just kidding)

April 21st - Spencer presents his research to NASA (Kevyn will be there to assist). Also Mom's birthday.

June 13th - Rhett will be driving in the Candidagua 500 in hopes to qualify for the Daytona 500 in late June. Also Andrew's birthday.

Just had to share an inspiring thought...

2008-03-19T21:36:00.007-06:00

I came by this a while ago and just had to share it.

This blog post is dedicated to my oldest brother, Spencer, who introduced me to Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, and the starship Enterprise, who boldly went where no man had gone before.

Live long and prosper.

(Note: This post will have more meaning if you grew up in the 70's or earlier)

Help for a poor sole?

2008-03-15T13:08:00.013-06:00

“Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.”

- Doug Larson

I'll try to keep this simple:
I've had a difficult time finding a pair of shoes the past two months. In my usual stops at Famous Footwear and other local stores I have been unable to find a pair that I liked. I did find a few once, but they did not have any in my size. So this blog entry is a lame request help on the best places to buy shoes!

In a few of my conversations with my farmer-neighbor, the topic of shoes came up. He is quite the internet-shopper and buys his shoes on-line. He also buys seeds and sells his sheep occasionally on-line. He recommended B.A. Mason Shoes. I checked it out and was pretty impressed- except for the fact that once I found a few pairs that I liked, they didn't have my size! I found some of the same shoes at Shoes.com, but wanted to find what places you'd recommend. If you're guy and would be willing to divulge the location of your favorite "shoe-fishing hole," please do! I wear a 10.5 and will be sure that I don't buy the last pair. And you ladies- if you happen to have a little "Imelda Marcos" in you (1,060 pairs?)- or happen to know where the men in your life find their shoes, I'd appreciate any suggestions.

I'd appreciate your help. Now that the snow has melted I think people are staring at me for continuing to wear my moon boots everywhere I go...

What in the heck are you staring at?!
GOSH!

(Halloween 2005)

Tai Pan Trading, part 2

2008-03-08T22:06:00.009-07:00

The following is a comment my brother Andrew left on the previous post, "Tai Pan Trading Co." Read it as you would a Dr. Seuss book:

M.T. Soule said...

I LOVE TaiPan Trading Co!
Next to Wal-Mart, They have the world's largest selection of STUFF! But everything at TaiPan is non life-sustaining yet you can't get enough!
A perfect plethora of plastic pastries and fruit,
Baskets, vases, bowls, and statues –SO cute!
The endless array of faux flora and fauna will make you a bonified Martha Stewart prima donna!
Pre-assembled crafts and McMansion wall-hangings and paraphernalia. Shiny, aged, copper-patina whoknowsits and whatsits all made in China.
It comes in all colors, all shapes and all sizes.
Each glance yields more 'didn't-know-I-needed' surprises!
More and more and more and more, this endless cycle of consumer glut-decor galore!
It's just like walking into a landfill but it's all indoor!

He highly recommends visiting www.thestoryofstuff.com

I'll have to put a few photos of the planters I found at Tai Pan Trading. They are pretty nice. The only other thing that they had that I thought was cool were some really big framed prints of bold yellow and red flowers. If I didn't already have a dozen other prints I am wanting to buy, frame, and hang, I'd have been tempted more than I was.
-Loren

Tai Pan Trading Co., also known as...

2008-02-27T23:07:00.008-07:00

Today I went to visit Tai Pan Trading for the first time- a Utah store that sells a variety of home decor items. I had been warned by my brother that it was the place that had "everything you never needed," but when I texted him to ask if I should go there to find planters and pots for plants, he replied, "oh yes." So, after work today and on my way to look at planters at Lowe's (Home Improvement), I decided to make a quick visit. I had a few plants that are getting too big for their britches.

To cut a long story short (yes, you can thank your lucky stars today- this post will be shortER), I didn't get lost, but it was difficult shopping. Everything is in general 'areas' and you have to just meander through it all, hoping you're going to find another display of what you're looking for, or wondering if you're entering another area, or if you've seen everything that particular area in which you were hoping to find something.

Okay- I confess, I found a few long planters I liked- and I bought them. But I found them the second time I meandered back through the pottery area, or areas. Without the normal aisles and rows I just followed the outer wall, for fear I'd get lost and locked up inside the store when everyone went home for the night. I knew when I was getting close when I once again approached the stoneware and plastic food displays- one of which is a bowl of plastic chocolate-dipped strawberries. I thought that the strawberries were there to show off the dishes, but no, they sell those too.

In conclusion, I think that that the store needs to change it's name. What would be an appropriate name? The "Pre-D.I." For those of you who don't know what the D.I. is, it is a local thrift store, more commonly called by its initials rather than its name, the Deseret Industries. At Tai Pan you'll find the common items normally encountered at garage sales and thrift stores. So, if you want something from Tai Pan Trading, just visit a neighborhood garage sale IN A FEW YEARS and you'll find EVERYTHING they bought at Tai Pan Trading THIS WEEK- and you'll get it at a fraction of the price!

Why do we write? (re-post)

2008-02-24T20:44:00.005-07:00

Alternate title: "Loren's Excuses for Blogging")
(original post was started on Feb. 2nd, but never finished and published until now)

I've thought the last week of the topics about which I could write. As a student at Utah State University I did a research project on the value of students to engage in reflective writing for students. This is one of the reasons that I like to write- in order to reflect. Often in the act of expressing ourselves is when we begin to bring greater understanding to our own thoughts (if we are actually thinking as we express them). There is a philosophy that exists in education that is termed, "Writing to Learn." The basic premise is that the writing requires us to summarize and synthesize our understanding in our own words. It reveals what is inside each of us.

Writing also brings clarity to our thoughts- it expresses what is inside us. Many times I have begun to understand concepts not only as I think on them, but as I seek to relate my thoughts to others. One goal I have as an educator is to help children read well, think well, write well, speak well, and serve well. We attempt to sow good, with the hope that their lives will yield a veritable harvest of attitudes and skills as they set out to change their world.

My mother gave me my first journal when I was about 7 years old and I have some entries I penciled in- full of mistakes and a mix of upper and lower-case letters. The first memorable entries are about fighting with my brothers and also about some ducks my brother had just brought home. I think we write about things that have impacted us or that we're thankful- see Bamamoma's blog about keeping a gratitude journal. I think we also write about compelling topics, about things we are particularly concerned or passionate. We share things that we want others to hear- or we just write because we want to remember. Just after I had started this blog entry I read Monica's blog on writing.

In early February I made a list of topics for about which I hope to write and reflect:
1. Writing (this entry)
2. My Mother
3. My Father
4. Where does a guy buy a good pair of shoes? (a plea for good shoe-stores for men)
5. Emergency preparedness & food storage
6. Home projects (tiling, yard, fences, flowers, trees, sprinklers, grass... can you tell that I have a lot left to do?)
7. Human Dynamics
8. Good, Better, Best
9. More favorite books (two recent ones)
10. 6 Thinking Hats (a model for decision-making/perspective-taking)
11. Mark Lambert's bread recipe (and my variations on it)
12. Another topic I yet have to reveal... (I don't feel yet qualified to even mention it here)
13. Automobiles
14. "Trick or Treat" - a Halloween lesson from some kids in Clearfield, UT

Boyd K. Packer writes in his book, Teach Ye Diligently, that the reasons for us to gain knowledge and understanding are that we might both live and share it. That reminds me of an experience I had that I could also write about...

15. Second-grade pea-plant experiment on gravitropism (geotropism) and phototropism.

Primarily, I think I write to share.

16. Oh yeah- I need to respond to Bamamoma's blog entry on furnaces and fireworks. What a great post!
17. And another update on presidential candidates! If you enjoy reading about the candidates, visit RealClearPolitics.com 2-3 times a week and read all of the articles they list there. Many of them are excellent and written by leading political analysts from leading papers. It is interesting to me to discover more and more about the three leading candidates.

Parabolically Speaking

2008-02-17T18:28:00.019-07:00

"And he spake many things unto them in parables..."
-Matt. 13: 3

For a few weeks in late January and early February I was helping a high school student I knew prepare for the ACT test. He was getting ready to apply for college and was looking for a little help. During these weeks I once again re-visited all of those wonderful and once-confusing math concepts. I can remember learning about "conics" for the first time in trigonometry- one of which is the parabola. For the student I was tutoring this was his first introduction. I am sure he was thinking what I did in my first encounter, "Okay, when I am I going to use this in real life?" He had a point (I also note here that it is a a good thing that we ask this question). Asking this question just proves that Jean Piaget, French philosopher and developmental psychologist, was right with his constructivist ideas- that we always seek to connect new knowledge to what we already know, use, and understand.

Hey- maybe knowing about conics would come in handy on that future day when you're cutting a slice out of a cone-shaped chunk of cheddar cheese. You could then say, "Look! A parabola!" What is interesting is how an understanding of various concepts, theories, or historical events, can provide us with a "multi-dimensional" view into different problems and/or situations. Having that additional background knowledge allows an individual to think on more than one level, or approach the idea or problem from more than one angle. Mathematics has always amazed me. It began being tough for me in 5th grade (fractions), and continued until, like Charlotte, two high school teachers helped me to rediscover my confidence and begin to understand the math world. I cannot tell you how many little mathematical "aha's" I've had over the last 10 or so years as I've taught and tutored math. Some have been doctrinal/scientific in nature, and some are just basic math that I should have caught in elementary school. A few years ago I was taught by a first grader who solidified my theories on Euclidean/non-Euclidean geometry and the course of God. Her quick and simple answer to my deep scientific question about the universe was all it took.

Well, a little gospel math clicked in my mind today with regards to the teachings of Christ and the teaching style of our newly-ordained prophet, President Monson. Both a parabola and parable has two sides- the obvious side and another, less-obvious side. When you're driving that knife through the "conical chunk of cheddar" you're creating two new "edges"- on both the close and far sides of your knife. But first note the meaning and origin of the word, "parable..."

parable
Main Entry: par·a·ble
Pronunciation: \ˈpa-rə-bəl\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin parabola, from Greek parabolē comparison, from paraballein to compare, from para- + ballein to throw
Date: 14th century

: example; specifically : a usually short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle

My thoughts are not profound, but last Saturday I found myself really thinking deeply on the simple story that President Thomas S. Monson shared in the world-wide training broadcast (text, audio, & video available here). It was his first formal address to members of the Church as its president. He encouraged us to develop:

1. A pattern of prayer
2. A library of learning
3. A legacy of love
4. A yearning for home

At the end of his address he shared a simple story about a young man who did not know his parentage. The only distant memory he had of his childhood were some chapel bells that rang each Sunday. He went out in search of that sound that he knew that he would recognize when he heard it, and continued on, stopping in each town to listen to the bells on the Sabbath day. In the story, the man eventually recognized and found the home of his birth.

In the lesson today our instructor challenged us to become familiar with and understand the language of the prophet Joseph Smith. It was different that ours. My mind went to the story shared by President Monson. It had many different meanings- from missionary work and the Spirit, the purpose of mortality, and to my own family.

Listen to a prophet. When he shares again the story from his childhood about giving up a few beloved train cars on Christmas Day in order to brighten another's life, don't start falling asleep- listen! There is another side. He is telling your story! It will always go a little deeper if we take the time to ponder on it- and especially act on it.

I wonder if I would have dismissed the Savior as a "teller of simple tales" had I encountered him in his ministry.

"And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it."
-Mark 4: 33

President Thomas S. Monson

2008-02-17T17:14:00.013-07:00

I have come to know President Thomas S. Monson just a little better over the past few weeks. I worked with his sister for 3 years as a teacher and she told us that the childhood stories he shares are exactly what he was like as a child. She (his sister) also shares the same qualities- kind, stalwart, open, fun, etc. I have reflected a lot on all that he has taught (in word and deed) over my lifetime. This morning for the first time I watched the press conference announcing his ordination to be the new president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. View it below if you haven't already.

If there were a scripture that described the love and Christlike service of President Monson, it would be James 1:27 -

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."

Ruth Wright Faust & James E. Faust

2008-02-11T19:11:00.001-07:00

I read in the news today that Sister Ruth Faust, wife of President James E. Faust, passed away yesterday- exactly 6 months after the passing of her husband. I do not know much about her life and family, except that Pres. Faust was extremely fond of her and expressed it often. I read an article in the Deseret News that says it all. The photos are also from www.deseretnews.com. This may be my last blog post before the copyright police haul me off. I quote from it below (heavily)...

"My dad has always made it very clear how much he loves my mother and respects womanhood," daughter Lisa said in a 1995 church magazine article. "He has always treated her with a sweet tenderness."

It was his love for his wife, Ruth, and their family that held sway in his heart.

"With all my heart I want to thank Ruth Wright Faust for letting me share her life and giving me the hope that we can share eternity together," President Faust said in 1973 when he was called as an assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve. "She is more than a wife and a sweetheart because she has become part of my very being."

"The Fausts were one of the church's great love stories," said Olsen. "President Faust won her away from many suitors. When they came into the same room, the world stopped and for a few moments, it was just the two of them, as they communicated through a glance or greetings. If you were in President Faust's office and she called, he not only always took the call, but also made it clear that she was his number one priority. The heavens are richer and the world poorer with the change of residence of Ruth Wright Faust."

-Deseret News article by Leigh Dethman

What a great example they are! I am so grateful for the examples of all of those who demonstrate what marriage is meant to be- in every stage- from beginning to... well, of course it doesn't have an end... isn't that just dandy!
-Loren

Republicans are up a creek without a brain!

2008-02-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

Alternate titles for this blog entry:

Who do I vote for now?
President Hillary Clinton?
Feeling the pain with John McCain
Red or Blue?
Would your mama approve of Obama?
What does it feel like to be a Democrat?
"Mitt, Mitt, Mitt..."

Mitt Romney, in a speech this past week, chose to "suspend" his run for the presidency. It has literally caused a lot of recent thoughts to become a reality and has left me and others with a few choices. More on the choices later, but for now, here are some of my thoughts over the past few weeks... and as I finish this entry I can't help but think that Mitt may know something that we don't. Why did he pull out of the race so early? As he announced his decision publicly, the cries of, "No! No!" from some of those in attendance say it all.

While waiting in line to vote this last "Super Tuesday" I welcomed the 30 minutes of calm in what was shaping up to be a crazy week (parent-teacher conferences = working 12-hour days). I spent some time reading the walls, watching people, chatting to the woman next to me, and pondering my political choices. I stood there as one of the 3 out of 5 Utahns that are registered voters but have not declared themselves as affiliated with a party.

Yup, 60% of Utahns have not declared themselves as either Democrats or Republicans. I think of myself as a fairly intelligent and informed voter, one who chooses candidates that I feel are honest and would best represent us on different matters. Honestly, here in Utah, many Democratic candidates running for local, state, and national positions are actually quite conservative. Running as a conservative Democrat in Utah is like having to wear your sister's pink coat to school because you lost yours- and you want to arrive at your destination without freezing to death. You just put it on, run like heck, and then ditch it in the bushes outside. It can be easily retrieved it at the end of the day when everyone else is long gone. In what is largely a red (Republican) state some look down their noses at Democrats, but a whole big chunk of the state is voting for them. One of our current representatives in the U.S. Congress, Jim Matheson (D), won by a landslide. I'll bet that half of the people or more that voted for him typically vote for those on the Republican ticket. A private ballot allows for many of us to be "closet Democrats," if you will. In Utah the two-party system often allows us to pick between two conservatives. I think it's kind of funny to discover that in many cases, the Democratic candidates are actually as conservative- if not more- than their Republican opponent. Some local/state candidates think that just because they're "Republican" that we should vote for them. They also think that they are therefore not required to have a brain and assume that we do not have one either.

So there I was in line- and was reflecting on if why I wasn't registered as a "Republican." I thought I had changed it at a caucus meeting some years before. Earlier in the day I had looked up my polling location on-line and did find that I was in fact "registered as unaffiliated." I would have to fill out that little paper in front of everybody and acknowledge my political neutrality in public.

I had some other thoughts while in line. They are very similar to those expressed by Heidi in her "Bamamoma" blog. Knowing that Romney was a shoo-in here in Utah, should I vote for Obama in hopes that it might circumvent one little delegate vote going to her campaign? Hillary received 9 Utah delegates and Obama 14.

My choices now are:
1. Write in Mitt Rommey when I vote this November.

2. Vote for somebody else. What does McCain have to offer? What are Obama's positions on national security, moral issues, etc.? Mr. Obama has a lot of charisma but does he have the strength to lead a nation? I think I'd rather write in Mitt, but will that help get someone into office with whom I agree even less? I'll have to do my research. Obama seems very pro-family and seems to want Americans to put their best foot forward. Let's hope that he will gain the edge over Hillary because of his "we-can-do-it-together" attitude. That motivates people more than Hillary's "I'll solve all your problems" rhetoric.

3. Vote for McCain? Right now I can't bear the thought. Maybe he'd get smart, further unify the party, and choose Mitt as his V.P. running mate. That'd be a miracle. McCain would definitely benefit from Mitt's proven business background, sound advice, and national support. Maybe Mitt has some insider information that we don't. He has a lot of connections and support from within the party on the national level. Continuing to run the race against McCain may have further pitted the two against each other, and pulling out may be an opportunity for reconciliation- AND consequently put Mike Huckabee in the hot seat. Speculation is that McCain will choose Huckabee as his running mate, but pulling out before Huckabee may have been Mitt's way of offering the olive branch first. I know who I'd choose as my running buddy if I were McCain. Right now this is the only way that I could bring myself to vote for him.

4. Wait to see how things play out and then make an informed decision in November. It'll be interesting to see what happens on both sides. Who will McCain choose as his potential V.P.? Who will win the Democratic nomination?

I think it is important for leaders to require more from those they lead- not just promise them ease and prosperity. "Prosperity" and "wealth" is relative and cannot be measured in monetary terms. It is found by children whose families may be on the lower rungs of the social-economic ladder, but know that they are loved because their parents and their community care about them and teach them.

Tell me your thoughts! (or at least tell me where the typos are...)
-Loren

Super Tuesday!

2008-02-04T22:13:00.001-07:00

The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all -John F. Kennedy

It's here! Tuesday, February 5th, 2008, is the day on which citizens everywhere can become voters and help to determine which two candidates will represent the two major parties in the presidential election this November. Get smart by educating yourself on candidates and issues, choose a candidate, and vote! Promote your preferred candidate- even if he/she is about to get skunked!
Here are some my "primary" thoughts:
1. Ron Paul is fun to watch! He's a firecracker. He has strong ideas and he reminds me of Ross Perot. I wonder why both he and Mike Huckabee have not pulled out of the race.

2. Mike Huckabee is as stubborn as Mitt Romney! Mitt is frustrated as to why he and Ron Paul have not yet pulled out of the race. In Mitt's mind these two fellas have no chance of winning. He's probably right- and that must mean that they have other reasons for staying in the game- as a distant 3rd and 4th place, Huckabee and Paul have a lot of power. Just one of them pulling out and endorsing one of the two Republican front-runners could single-handedly decide the party's nomination.

3. I am curious as to why Barak Obama is gaining so fast in the polls. He is right behind Hillary Clinton right now. It will be a close race for the Democratic nomination! I may end up being right with my former prediction that Obama will win. I have seen 3 of his television advertisements here in Utah. They are family-oriented and very "pro-people. I like Obama's "challenges." I think that the most significant thing that a president can and should do is to inspire individuals and unite people in service. Obama has the best, and most "symbolic" campaign. (For more on the "symbolic" perspective, see one of my favorite books: Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership, by Lee G. Bolman, Terrence E. Deal)

4. I cannot yet understand why people are choosing to vote for John McCain. Ann Colter, conservative "super-nag," says she'd rather vote for Hillary than for John McCain. I don't know her very well and don't think I'd agree with too many of her ideas, but I think she has something here. So if you're a Republican voting for McCain, vote for Hillary instead so that Mitt Romney has more of a chance. It won't hurt you to be a Democrat for a day. He's a good, strong-willed fellow, but I don't think that means he should be president. I think he has no vision. He is clearly the "same old story." His only good ideas are those on campaign finance reform. Has he even stated what he'd do for us as president? I know he keeps sharing old war stories...

5. Yup- you guessed it- I think that Mitt Romney most deserves to be our president. In my mind he most deserves the 4-year opportunity to remodel the executive branch, influence legislation in his effort to solve problems, invigorate the economy, and in his own words, "change Washington." I am curious as to how he would do. I think he'd get frustrated at the fact that he won't be able to restructure or change things as fast or as much as when he was turning around businesses, but I think he has good ideas. His weaknesses are that he resides too much in the world of facts and forgets that voters are people, not business investors. He needs to connect. I think that if he'd hired the right people to help him promote the human side of things, he'd do better. Romney did very well during the Salt Lake 2002 Olympics as he created and inspired an army of volunteers. He should have taken the same approach (and people) in his bid for the presidency. He needs to make more "human" connections. (The "human" perspective is also one of the 4 "frameworks" from Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership, by Lee G. Bolman, Terrence E. Deal)

Thanks to our good old Constitution, and organization under it.... [The country] only needs that every right thinking man, shall go to the polls, and without fear or prejudice, vote as he thinks. - Abraham Lincoln

Gratitude & conversion

2008-02-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

I'd heard the name of Glenn Beck, but didn't know much about him. I still don't. I guess I am out of the loop. Apparently he is a fairly well-known talk show host who has written a book, entitled An Inconvenient Book, that is currently second on the N.Y. Times bestseller list. If you want to hear a simple and yet great story of he and his family, watch the first clip below. If you want to learn more about Glenn Beck, see this article in the Deseret News.

There is another clip my brother sent me by two of my brothers. It is Mr. Beck sharing his gratitude for the life of President Gordon B. Hinckley when he heard of his passing.

Why do we write?

2008-02-02T15:22:00.008-07:00

(Alternate title: "Loren's Excuses for Blogging")

I've thought the last week of the topics about which I could write. As a student at Utah State University I did a research project on the value of students to engage in reflective writing for students. This is one of the reasons that I like to write- in order to reflect. Often in the act of expressing ourselves is when we begin to bring greater understanding to our own thoughts (if we are actually thinking as we express them). There is a philosophy that exists in education that is termed, "Writing to Learn." The basic premise is that the writing requires us to summarize and synthesize our understanding in our own words. It reveals what is inside each of us.

Writing also brings clarity to our thoughts- it expresses what is inside us. Many times I have begun to understand concepts not only as I think on them, but as I seek to relate my thoughts to others. One goal I have as an educator is to help children read well, think well, write well, speak well, and serve well. We attempt to sow good, with the hope that their lives will yield a veritable harvest of attitudes and skills as they set out to change their world.

My mother gave me my first journal when I was about 7 years old and I have some entries I penciled in- full of mistakes and a mix of upper and lower-case letters. The first memorable entries are about fighting with my brothers and also about some ducks my brother had just brought home. I think we write about things that have impacted us or that we're thankful- see Bamamoma's blog about keeping a gratitude journal. I think we also write about compelling topics, about things we are particularly concerned or passionate. We share things that we want others to hear- or we just write because we want to remember. Just after I had started this blog entry I read Monica's blog on writing.

In early February I made a list of topics for about which I hope to write and reflect:
1. Writing (this entry)
2. My Mother
3. My Father
4. Where does a guy buy a good pair of shoes? (a plea for good shoe-stores for men)
5. Emergency preparedness & food storage
6. Home projects (tiling, yard, fences, flowers, trees, sprinklers, grass... can you tell that I have a lot left to do?)
7. Human Dynamics
8. Good, Better, Best
9. More favorite books (two recent ones)
10. 6 Thinking Hats (a model for decision-making/perspective-taking)
11. Mark Lambert's bread recipe (and my variations on it)
12. Another topic I yet have to reveal... (I don't feel yet qualified to even mention it here)
13. Automobiles
14. "Trick or Treat" - a Halloween lesson from some kids in Clearfield, UT

Boyd K. Packer writes in his book, Teach Ye Diligently, that the reasons for us to gain knowledge and understanding is that we might both live it and share (teach) it. The purpose for every good thing that goes "in" to us is meant to "come out." That reminds me of an experience I had that I could also write about...

15. Second-grade pea-plant experiment on gravitropism (geotropism) and phototropism.

Primarily, I think I write to share.

We thank thee O God for a prophet!

2008-01-27T20:48:00.000-07:00

I just learned that President Gordon B. Hinckley, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, passed away tonight at 7 pm. How grateful I am that he gave practically every day of his life in service to others. I am also grateful for the wonderful example he and his sweet wife, Marjorie Pay Hinckley, who passed away in April of 2004, have been- and always will be- to me. What I know and have learned from this generous, loving, couple will be with me forever. I know that President Hinckley was a prophet of the living God. I'll bet he is so excited to be with his wife once again. I greatly appreciate the Hinckley family- children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren- for their unselfishness demonstrated by sharing their parents with us for most or all of their lives.

"Carry on. Yes. Our theme will be to carry on the great work which has been furthered by our predecessors." - President Gordon B. Hinckley, when asked by a reporter what the theme of his administration would be as president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Thanks President Hinckley! We will.

BYU also created a slideshow to honor President Hinckley. View it here.

There's something very cheesy going on...

2008-01-22T22:26:00.000-07:00

Today I went grocery shopping. If I were an investor- AND had known how high cheese prices were headed, I'd have invested in it. I stood paralyzed in the aisle... no cheese today. I think that the dairy farmers are taking a page out the oil industry's book. The 2-lb. bulk brick of cheese (which is usually the cheapest) was between $9 and $10. That's nearly $5 a pound! 1/2-pound bricks were about $3. True, milk prices are a little higher than normal- but ice cream was about it's usual price, but the cheese... the cheese! My mind flashed back to 1990 when I could buy a pound of Colby cheese at a little butcher shop in Arizona for about $1.69. Being a creative thinker I pondered my options:

1. Buy cheese... and get ripped off. A dairy herd in Wisconsin or Cache Valley is probably strutting around in a heated barn and getting rub-downs after each milking in special cow-spa built with their new profits. The dairy herd's owner is probably on a Caribbean cruise or heli-skiing in Switzerland.
2. Don't buy cheese. :( Be creative and put something else on the sandwiches, pizza, and Mexican dishes the next two weeks.
3. Protest! Go home and blog (cry) about it.
4. Buy ice cream.
5. Compensate by buying something else from the dairy group. Hmm... I had just passed up the cottage cheese...
6. Buy ice cream. Oh- I already mentioned that...
7. Visit Macey's grocery store later in the week in Clearfield (8 miles away) to see if the economic cheese inflation-thingy has spread beyond Kaysville.
8. Instead of going cow-tipping, go cow-milking at midnight tonight and make my own cheese. Wait- too cold for that.
9. Visit Logan and go to the cheese factory in order to hoard free cheese samples.
10. Visit Wisconsin. It's probably plentiful there since the dairy farmers are all back to work due to the fact that the Green Bay Packers just lost the game that would've put them in the Superbowl... wait! That explains it! Green Bay in the playoffs = lower cheese production = higher cheese prices! I take back what I said at the beginning- whatever you do- I would no longer suggest you invest in cheese stocks right now! Let's just hope that relief from high cheese prices is on its way in the coming weeks. This may influence my vote in the upcoming election. I wonder what the presidential candidates have to say on the subject. Does anyone know what the stock exchange symbol is for "cheese" or "dairy products?"

I wished the headline for this post had been, "I smell a rat!" At least that would mean that there was cheese nearby. :)

Just for fun- something Mac

2008-01-21T11:12:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Corporation, loves to give a presentation about twice a year to "wow" us with the latest Apple products. These keynote addresses are usually over an hour and Mr. Jobs really gets wrapped up in them. Just for fun- a fellow at www.creativebits.org edited down his latest 90-minute presentation to 60 seconds- giving us just the essentials.

Check it out at this link that my brother sent me. They have a little fun at his expense- especially concerning his choice and over-use of adjectives. Maybe if he cut our all of the adjectives it would only be 60 seconds long.

I was considering the idea of finally buying an iPod- maybe in the next year or two, or wait until the iPhone's capacity gets a little bigger, the price comes WAY down, and it's available for the Verizon network. Well, this may mean that it'll be 4-5 years before I get an iPod- or never. :) Maybe when I get a car new enough to have an MP3 plug-in or iPod connector.

Okay- gotta get to work on my tile- then go start up the snowblower once the flakes stop falling. It's beautiful outside!

The Farmer in Me...

2008-01-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

A friend at work sent an e-mail to all of us bout a farmer, some puppies, and a little boy (see at the bottom of this post). When I read it I pictured the farmer standing at the fence with the little boy. I don't know what it is about farmers and farms- and maybe I am the only one that feels this way- but something inside me either IS or WANTS TO BE a farmer. Maybe it was growing up with cows and lots of other miscellaneous animals in 'Farmington' (of all places) that causes me to connect with farms and farmers. I must admit that when I "bought the farm" to build the house I am in now, that standing on the soil and looking over the old Rigby Edge-End Farm was probably what tempted me to do so. The farm feel and smell (I swore I smelled that sweet-manure-dairy smell) is what made me do it. It was my second visit to the lot- I had come with my brother, Kimball, to get his opinion. It was then that I made up my mind. I also must admit that I felt guilty demolishing and removing all that was left of the old farm (required by the city to get a building permit). I will not rest until I have written a short photo-history of the place.

We had a discussion some time ago as a family. It was started by my brother and sister-in-law, who asked if I considered myself as one who "grew up on a farm?" I'll let you decide...

I remember feeding our first five Hereford steers when I was in kindergarten and first grade. My dad had bought them to raise and sell for beef. Afterwards we had about four milk cows: Rose, Polly- who loved apples, Cocoa, and Susan. Susan, the biggest Holstein milk cow I have ever seen, gave us 10 gallons of milk each day- about 5 gallons each milking. In comparison, Rose gave my dad 5 quarts each milking (by hand). My oldest brother milked Susan using a milk machine and my brother Richard and I washed out the milk equipment.

We also raised several calves for beef. The first two were owned by my two oldest brothers- a Holstien and a Jersey. Then came Ralph (belonged to my brother & I) and Chester (my own) and two or three others that were born to some of our milk cows. In addition to the cows I estimate that over the years we had about 3 geese, several ducks and chickens, lots of cats, and a dog for a little while. If being a farmer meant selling your product- we produced milk, beef, and also sold hay from an alfalfa pasture purchased by my father in west Farmington. I think that the only purpose the eggs served was to feed the local varmints- skunks and raccoons that lived around. We even raised a litter of raccoons at one time. They were a lot of fun.

What do you think? Do these experiences in our growing-up years make our home a little farm and our family farmers? Farmers are unique- there is something pure and wonderful about them- making their living straight from the earth and nature itself. It is a great title- and I don't know that I would consider myself a farmer, but would consider myself lucky for the experience that my father gave us to work on fences, with animals, and to buck hay on to the old '66 red Dodge and then ride home on it (about 15 feet up) with Ribsy, our springer spaniel, next to us. I was on top of the world.

Thanks, Debbie, for sparking my thoughts!

This one you may of heard before I had but the lesson was a good reminder for me. - Debbie
A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the 4 pups And set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of little boy.
'Mister,' he said, 'I want to buy one of your puppies.'
'Well,' said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, 'These puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money.'
The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer.
'I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?'

'Sure,' said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle. 'Here, Dolly!' he called. Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur.
The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight.
As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse.
Slowly another little ball appeared, this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner, the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up...
'I want that one,' the little boy said, pointing to the runt. The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, 'Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would.'
With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers.
In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe.
Looking back up at the farmer, he said,
'You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands.'
With tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down and picked up the little pup.
Holding it carefully handed it to the little boy.
'How much?' asked the little boy. 'No charge,' answered the farmer, 'There's no charge for love.'
The world is full of people who need someone who understands.

Pictures courtesy of the National Archives website from the "Picturing the Century" galleries I and II. Check them out- some awesome photos. Click on the two above to see the large versions- they're even better full-size.

Mitt will make a "blunderful" president!

2008-01-15T23:34:00.000-07:00

I loved Bamamoma's comment to my last post:
What do you say about all the mis-speaks Romney has done? Admittedly, they aren't huge things but put together it seems to point to a guy who is so eager that he inflates the truth at times ("I've been a hunter all my life" or "I got that bill passed" or whatever). Do you think the American people can overlook that?

My reply- and thanks for the opportunity to comment further on my impressions...
No- we should never overlook Romney's blunders. Don't forget Romney telling us that he "saw" his father march with Martin Luther King. I think he is making it sound like he was there, but he should have said, "My father marched with Martin Luther King." He experienced it as a family member, but not in person. I am glad the press is making him own up to every word he says. He is trying to claim every good thing done by any person he ever knew existed.

Romney is a politician- through and through- and that is his greatest weakness. He is almost too much into himself at times. Politics and government are only similar to an extent and one has to be careful about making promises regarding change, etc. Although I think a president can do a lot, executive power is different in business government. One can't just streamline production, market more heavily, lay off employees, or train staff to improve things. It is like comparing a dairy farm to controlling the weather.

I think it is funny when we attribute a good or bad economy on a president's influence. It's even funnier to see a president take credit for a growing economy. They can control only one of hundreds of factors.

Romney is so cocky that if he wins the presidency he'll be served some major humble pie in his first 2-3 years of being president. I look forward to it. But as I look at it- I'd rather have Mitt Romney blundering in Washington than Hilary. And if Mitt did a good job in the first 4 years the public would re-elect him. I am impressed with the job that John Huntsman has done in Utah with putting the economy first. A strong economy has helped him to finance everything else.

I like Obama's optimism and vision- though I wish it had a little more substance and experience to back it up. I think that he does not have as much experience from which to draw. We will definitely see more of him over the next 8-16 years. I would bet that he will one day win the presidency.

McCain's "words that never should have been said" over the years are much worse- "Bomb-bomb-bomb, bomb-bomb- Iran," (and then laughing about it), etc. is scary. I think he lacks the ability to... to... lead a country. He is too one-sided and lacks in diplomacy and he is flippant at times. I think he does have some ideas on campaign reform, etc. that DO need to happen in the U.S.

Huckabee is too compassionate (he'd be a good father or Grandpa!). I think he is too soft to be a president. He is the Republican version of Jimmy Carter. I like Jimmy Carter (great autobiography by the way) and I like Huckabee too. Not too impressed with his little religion jabs at Romney.

Presidential Predictions

2008-01-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

As I've watched parts of debates there have been some thoughts that I'd like to share. These are my "Presidential Predictions" for the 2008 election from both parties.

Prediction #1:
Barack Obama will win the Democratic nomination. He is the only one who can beat any of the Republicans. Hilary Clinton only has a chance against the "lesser" Republican candidates. John Edwards would never beat any of the top 3-4 Republican candidates. Obama is the strongest choice. Hilary chose the wrong year to run. Obama has both the charisma and vision that she lacks.
Is it just me or does the press love Democrats? I can't help but notice that they (the press) are compassionate and optimistic when they speak with them. It seems to me that when members of the press are interviewing or questioning Republicans in debates that they are much more hard on them- asking tougher questions, are more pointed, etc. Democrats are babied when they are interviewed- almost as if they were lost children found in Wal-Mart waiting for their mom or dad to come and get them. Want a lollipop, Honey?

Prediction #2:
Mitt Romney will barely win the Republican nomination. We haven't heard the end of, "but he's a Mormon!" just yet. I think that is pretty interesting that some people freak out about that and also think that it gives us a little perspective on the religious prejudice that lingers in some. The press is partially responsible for continuing to bring up religion. Mitt is the only candidate in both parties that really has a complete plan- about which he can speak in detail. Sometimes Mitt is too rigid and focuses too much on issues and not people. A few other candidates are lopsided and running on only one issue. Mitt will win just as many states as the other front-running candidates and while he is at risk on coming in second place in many states, with McCain, Guiliani, and Huckabee taking turns being first by a few percentage points, he'll win the most delegates over time for the national convention. I heard that he has the most delegates already. I just read my e-mail after typing that last part and found out that Romney has earned more votes than any other candidate so far. The only way that the Republican party can beat Obama if he is the Democratic nominee is with Romney. I also don't think that McCain, Huckabee, or Giuliani would do very well against Hilary Clinton and think that the big-wigs in the Republican party already know that- as well as the press.

I look forward to learning more about the candidates as they campaign and debate. More details at Real Clear Politics. You'll also find on that web site the delegate count.

Favorite Books

2007-12-28T08:50:00.000-07:00

I've thought for some time that I needed to publish a list of my favorite books. Here goes! I will start with my current favorites and list even my favorite picture books from my childhood and those that I became familiar with as a teacher. The list of books I want to read will have to wait until I have more time. Here it is:

Favorites:
• Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp, by Jerry Stanley
• Jonathan Livingston Seagull, by Richard Bach
• The Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, by himself, of course
• The History of Joseph Smith (by his Mother), by Lucy Mack Smith
• The Peacegiver: How Christ Offers to Heal Hearts & Homes, by James L. Ferrell
• Reframing Organizations, by Bolman and Deal
• My American Journey, by Colin Powell & Joseph E. Persico
• Children of Topaz, by Michael O. Tunnell & George Chilcoat
• The Man Who Listens to Horses, by Monty Roberts
• The Read-Aloud Handbook, by Jim Trelease
• As A Man Thinketh, by James Allen
• Peter Pan, by James M. Barrie
• Positive Discipline, by Jane Nelson

Adolescent Literature:
• Because of Winn Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo
• Woodsong, by Gary Paulsen
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl
• Matilda, by Roald Dahl
• Danny the Champion of the World, by Roald Dahl
• The Giver, by Lois Lowry
• Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry
• Esperanza Rising, by Pam Muñoz Ryan
• A Year Down Yonder, by Richard Peck
• My Life in Dog Years, by Gary Paulsen
• James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl
• Brian's Winter, by Gary Paulsen

Picture Books:

• A Fly Went By, by Mike McClintock
• The Book of Giant Stories, by David L. Harrison (with great pictures by Philippe Fix)
• The Wretched Stone, by Chris Van Allsburg
• Cyrus, the Unsinkable Sea Serpent, by Bill Peet
• Cowardly Clyde, by Bill Peet
• Big, Bad, Bruce, by Bill Peet
• The Ant and the Elephant, by Bill Peet
• The Wump World, by Bill Peet
• The Spooky Tail of Prewitt Peacock, by Bill Peet
• The Flying Hockey Stick, by Jolly Roger Bradfield
• The Empty Pot, by Demi
• Hop on Pop, by Dr. Seuss
• Sneetches on the Beaches, by Dr. Seuss
• Arrow to the Sun, by Gerald McDermott
• Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak
• All the Places to Love, by Patricia Maclachlan

More later! Books in each section are roughly in order, with most favorable favorites at the top.

"Read. Read like a wolf eats." - Gary Paulsen, author

White Elephants

2007-12-01T22:31:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd share some funny things from Christmas last year, courtesy of Andrew, my brother. He's a pretty good writer, as are some of my other siblings. I'll throw in a few pictures that he and I took. To explain, we had a white elephant exchange- in part because my oldest brother, Spencer, had the funny item of temporarily stealing several old, unused items with which the family was very familiar, or in some cases, unfamiliar- and wrapping them up as gifts.

The "gifts?" Well, they started with some items from Dad's "office." A little bust of Bach, a book on how to raise boys and solve the Rubik's cube. From there it went to a giant pair of over-sized shears and Dad's old broken .22 rifle. Even better we retrieved from the back porch the "bag balm" from our dairy cow days. It was still in the same "cubby" where it had sat for years. I couldn't believe it when I looked- and there it was! Apparently the grand prize was an old trout that Nathan, Kimball, or Dad had caught and put in the freezer so many years ago that I think that it was actually freeze-dried and weighed only a fraction of what it should have weighed.

Andrew's response to Kimball's e-mail below (another brother):

Family,
I'll be their both nights... I think singing from one door to another would be sufficient for all to feel a bit of the Spirit. I'm down with white elephants (something cheap or homemade) ...and no frozen rainbow trout.

Later,
Kimball Clark

Andrew's response:
It wasn't frozen Kimball, it was a patented and time-honored method of freeze-drying.

I looked it up on the internet:

"This aging and freezing process begins in the highland ponds of Farmington, Utah in North America and can only be duplicated with years of patience and experience as the free-range, fresh water trout is hooked, gutted –or not– and wrecklessly glazed with a fine layer of Reynolds aluminum or plastic by native fisherman ensuring proper 'airination'.
The delicacy then begins the age-old 'freezage' (freez-ahhhge) process which can take well up to 20 years. During this time-honored process, the trout, bovine tounge or occasional raccoon produces a flavor that cannot be replicated in any other way.
Moved randomly from shelf several times each decade, the delicacies are enveloped, airinated and imbued by quarts of turkey juices with bits of celery, bottles of bacon greases and bags of yeast infusing and enhancing the original meat flavors with our own unique recipe that can only be replicated by sucking on an old ice tray or licking the frozen juices that accumulate over the years in the bottom of your freezer.
The prized meat delicacies are then gifted and received with jubilant squeals of delight from the benefactor and the envious eyes of covetousness of all others as gifts are exchanged with loved ones gathered during frigid holiday months."

Demolition

2007-11-11T17:19:00.000-07:00

July 8, 2003 was the big day. The silo was to come down. Cars slowed or stopped to watch when they realized what we were doing. The city said that both it and the corner building would have to be demolished and removed because they did not meet the city code. Shucks. We had a lot of ideas for the silo: Put a round roof on top and remodel it into a giant clubhouse or lighthouse, put in a staircase to access several levels inside, paint it to look like a giant peppermint stick during the Christmas season, or convert it into a giant dive tank for scuba practice. It was a local landmark and ever since tearing it down I've felt like I need to replace it with something significant, like a giant flagpole, or some other recognizable landmark. Next summer it will sport some type of flower bed, grass, and some new trees.

We started by tying a chain around a central support ring, then connecting that to a giant rope that was supposed to handle about 900 lbs. I had to tug it with the Subaru first, which I thought might be able to pull it over, but of course had to opt for Dad's old backhoe he had just purchased, which resembles a giant, yellow, steel, sand crab. After a few big tugs that only cracked the cement, Dad got brave, drove up next to it and started knocking out pieces of concrete from the west side of the base using the hoe extended from the north side. He was smart and stretched out to its full extent, knocking out few pieces at a time, and at an angle such that the silo would fall to the west- thus preserving his life. I prayed a lot that day and in the days previous. Ken Hardy, a local contractor and demolitions expert had told me a horror story of a guy who dropped a silo right on top of his front-end loader. He had lived because it had a steel reinforced cab.

We tried pulling the silo over about two times before we actually were able to make it drop. You'll not that we had to take out more than a third of the bottom before it would fall. What appeared to be an old, brittle, crumbling silo was actually very well built and supported. It fell in spiraling fashion and almost straight down on itself, not like a tree. My brother had the video camera almost ready, but we had pulled so many times before that we forgot to make sure that he had the camera ready.

We filled about two 30-cubic yard dumpsters with the debris over the next few weeks. Since then we have loaded out a total of 7 dumpsters full of concrete or debris and about 13 dump-truck loads as well. The trucks averaged about 12-13 tons each, and the largest dumpster load was 16 tons (10 tons is what it is supposed to hold). It is true that one man's garbage is another man's treasure because I spent a fortune in getting all of this junk hauled off. Thankfully, the 6-7 flatbed loads of recyclable steel and aluminum that I hauled to Bloom's Recycling in Ogden paid me between $20-$60 each time. I estimate that we hauled out over 200 tons in debris. I have about 2-3 more smaller loads that I will haul out with the flatbed dumper. Then it's on to bringing in topsoil, putting in a sprinkling system, more trees, flowers, and grass! Hurray!

On the corner... site of Rigby's Edge-End Farm

2007-11-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

In the spring of 2003 I purchased what was left of an old dairy farm at the corner of Haight Creek Drive and Main Street in Kaysville, UT. The dairy was shut down in the early 70's and apparently was in operation for about 30-40 years. It was called the Rigby Edge-End Farm because it was on the edge or end of Farmington, but was zoned in later by Kaysville. What remained on the almost half-acre property when I bought it was the old concrete silo, the remains of the milk barn (the concrete floor, rock wall, stalls, and piles of wood), and the actual little house connected to the milking area that sat on the corner. This is where the milk was pumped, stored, and sold.

I purchased the land from Helen Rigby through her son, Clyde Rigby. Clyde and his wife are the salt of the earth- true neighbors and friends. Clyde knows the history of the area very well and can tell you great stories about his childhood, family, farm, railroad, and general history of the area. It was cool to uncover all of the many treasures found in earth and below that tell of the farm and its past. Some of the old signs, receipts, and farm implements/parts I have saved. I'd like to get old photographs and compile a short photo-history of the farm's history.

Future Posts: Demolition, building, and initial improvements