Just had to share an inspiring thought...

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?

“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

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...

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)

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.