Quote of the Day

"Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' Vanity asks the question, 'Is it popular?' But, conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because one's conscience tells one that it is right."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Leap Day Feast

Friday's Feast One Hundred & Eighty One

Appetizer Who was the last person you hugged?
My lovely wife. I get a hug and a kiss to start and end each day. What could be better than that?

Soup Share a beauty or grooming trick or tip with us.
If you have children in 4H and they're raising and showing sheep, don't spend a lot of money on fancy shampoos for them (the sheep). Use Woolite instead!
(You didn't say it had to be a personal grooming trick....)

Salad What does the color yellow make you think of?
School buses.

Main Course If you were to make your living as a photographer, what subject would your pictures revolve around?
Ordinary people doing ordinary, everyday things. I'd take pictures of people when they thought nobody was watching. But not in a perverse, peeping-Tom sort of way. Just pictures of life as it goes by.

Dessert What was the longest book you ever read?
I believe that would be the complete, unabridged translation of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, weighing in at well over 1200 pages.
(My Thermodynamics/Quantum Mechanics textbook probaly had more pages than that, but I didn't read the whole thing.)

Meme Triple Play

Part the First:
Tuesday Tunes - Week 22

It's word association week!

I'll give you ten words and you tell us the first song/band/album that comes to mind:

Fast: "Urgent" by Foreigner
Doctor: "Doctor Doctor" by Robert Palmer
Hurt: "Everybody Hurts" by REM
New: "Symphony No. 9 in E Minor 'From the New World'" by Antonín Dvořák
Sexy: "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred
Long: "Long Long Journey" by Enya
Ball: "Crystal Ball" by Styx
Ship: "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot
Geek: "White & Nerdy" by 'Weird Al' Yankovic
Sleep: "Sleepin' With The Moon" by Amy Rigby


Part the Second:
Friday's Feast One Hundred & Eighty

Appetizer Have you ever played a practical joke on anyone? If so, what did you do and who was your victim?
Oh, I've played more practical jokes than I can remember. My favorite was probably the time I bought half a dozen copies of the newspaper on April Fools' Day, saved them for a year, and then put them into a vending machine the following April Fools' Day. Alas, I had no opportunity to see my victims' reactions, as I had an early class that morning.

Soup What do your salt and pepper shakers look like?
They're ceramic, maroon, off-white, and forest green. With chickens on them.

Salad Where is the next place you plan to visit (on vacation or business)?
Probably Colorado in June for my youngest brother's wedding. (About time, too. He's been dating this girl longer than Nancy and I have known each other!)

Main Course What kind of lotion or cream do you use to keep your hands from getting too dry?
I like Hempz lotion. Or whatever's on sale.

Dessert Make up a dessert, tell us its ingredients, and give it a name.
Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and banana slices, all mixed into plain or vanilla yogurt and served over a scoop of vanilla ice cream atop a slice of pound cake. I'd call it "Not As Healthy As It Looks".


Part the Third:
Top 5 On Friday - Week 163

In the spirit of the Oscars:

Top 5 songs from the movies

1. "Chariots of Fire" by Vangelis (from Chariots of Fire)
A great theme from a great film. The movie won Best Picture, the music won Best Original Score. What more is there to say?

2. "Uninvited" by Alanis Morissette (from City of Angels)
I've never actually seen the movie, but I liked this song enough to buy the soundtrack just for it. Haunting.

3. "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon and Garfunkel (from The Graduate)
It was the most memorable thing about that movie, as it turned out.

4. "Real Gone" by Sheryl Crow (from Cars)
Perfectly suited to the opening scenes from the movie. While the soundtrack has some other good tunes on it, it's worth the price of admission just for this one.

5. "You Know My Name" by Chris Cornell (from Casino Royale)
The best Bond song in a long time, from the best Bond movie in a long time.

Pending

And now for a quick update or two concerning last week's post, among other things.

Nancy's job interview went very, very well. She was given a form to bring home and fill out; return of this form to the company institutes a 10-year background check. But she was told that, pending approval on the background check, she's got the job.

I also have some news. I've been out of classes for a few months now due to financial difficulties and other reasons. After some investigation, I've found a source for a loan that will allow me to resume my Masters Degree studies. I filled out the loan form online last week—on Valentine's Day, in fact. The next day, I received an e-mail telling me that my loan request had been conditionally approved, subject to final verification of income and credit. So, pending the approval of documentation I'm finishing up today and tomorrow, I'm back in school on April first.

True, neither of these things is set in concrete yet. But at least we can see the cement truck turning down our street. Things are going to be okay.

Thank you all for your prayers and positive vibes. Let me know when we can return the favor.

Musical Word Association

The Music Memoirs presents Tuesday Tunes - Week 20

A special Valentine's Day word association since everyone likes them so much. As always, tell us the first song, album, artist, band that comes to mind when you see these 10 words.

Hearts: "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" by The Beatles
Flowers: "Roses for Mama" by C.W. McCall
Broken: "Broken" by Cross Canadian Ragweed
Wedding: "White Wedding/Rebel Yell Medley" by The New Morty Show
Heartbreak: "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley
Bitter: "Bitter Suite" by Marillion
Chocolate: "Sweet Georgia Brown" (Hey, chocolate is sweet...and brown...)
Candy: "Lily Was Here" by Candy Dulfer
Alcohol: "Alcohol" by Brad Paisley
Toy: "You've Got a Friend in Me" from the movie Toy Story

Request

Nancy had a job interview this afternoon. She thinks the interview went really well, but they're not actually making the hiring decisions for another 2-4 days. So she won't really know how it went until the end of the week.

Any and all hopes, prayers, and positive vibes you can send our way would really be appreciated.

Tuesday Tunes

The Music Memoirs presents Tuesday Tunes - Week 19

It's word association week. Tell us the first, song, artist, band or album that comes to mind when you see these words. And yes, they were inspired by the Super Bowl

Game: "Play the Game Tonight" by Kansas
Loss: "Since I Lost You" by Genesis
Excited: "I'm So Excited" by the Pointer Sisters
Nervous: "Transfusion" by Nervous Norvus
Win: "We Are the Champions" by Queen
Run: "Runaway" by Damn Yankees
Cheer: "Holly Jolly Christmas" by Burl Ives
Halftime: "Kick It In Second Wind" Jimmy Buffett
Shuffle: "Don't Chain My Heart"^* by Toto
Ring: "Gollum's Song" by Emiliana Torrini

^* One of the late Jeff Porcaro's best shuffle grooves. Definitely worth a listen if you're unfamiliar.

Another Election Tidbit

This is something that's been circulating around here for a while. I thought it was amusing. -M

In this year's Presidential election, you have unprecedented choices.

You can vote for a woman for President of the United States.

You can vote for an African American for President.

You can vote for a Mormon for President.

Or, you can vote for Gladys Knight and get all three!

Decisions, Decisions

Several years ago, my friend Wendy Kay gave me one of the best pieces of advice I've ever received:

I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

That's why I don't write a lot about politics here. Some people like to debate and argue as a hobby; I just don't. Why pick a fight if you don't have to? Nevertheless, it's Primary Day here in Utah (as in much of the rest of the country), so I'm writing about politics. And while I'm normally not as dedicated about the primaries as I am about the November elections, I'm making it a point to vote today. As I see it, this is basically a four person race for the Presidency at this point. (Sorry, Mike Huckabee, but you haven't really been relevant since Iowa.) Think of this post as me thinking aloud about the various candidates.

Politically, I see myself as a right-leaning moderate. I don't believe that either party—even the one of which I'm a registered member—has all of the answers. I believe that elected leaders on both ends of the political spectrum need to learn to work with each other in the best interests of the nation. That's the part I feel is most sorely lacking: the cooperation. It's all Red-State-this and Blue-State-that anymore. Whatever happened to being "One Nation"?

Whoever ends up winning the Presidential election will be inheriting a train wreck. This is not meant as just a slap at the current administration; it's about the whole Washington D.C. culture. The political system is broken, and to keep doing things they way same they've been done for the last 8 or 16 or 20 years isn't going to fix it. There has to be a change in attitude, a fundamental difference in the way our elected leaders interact with each other and with their constituents. And that involves putting the interests of the country ahead of personal or party interests.

Anyway, here's how I see the various candidates.

John McCain
There are a lot of hard-core Republicans who dislike McCain. They call him a RINO (Republican In Name Only). They say this because, they claim, he spends too much time working with Democrats and not enough time promoting he Republican agenda. To me, that's not a problem. We could use that ability to cooperate and compromise in the Oval Office, especially if the Congress continues to be controlled by the Democratic party. I could vote for McCain and feel just fine with it.

Mitt Romney
A lot of people say Romney flip-flops too much. Years ago he was in favor of abortion rights, now he's against them. He used to say he was against a return to Reagan-Bush, now he's courting conservatives. Admittedly, this could be a turn-off. But considered in context, these positions make sense to me. When you're running for Congress or Governor in a state like Massachusetts where the large majority of your intended constituents support abortion rights and oppose the policies of Reagan-Bush, you have to show that you're willing to represent the views of the people you'll be representing. That's the nature of the job. So I'm not bothered much by that. What I like about Romney is his private sector leadership experience, which I have seen right here where I live. When Romney took over the Salt Lake Olympic Committee, it was in financial disarray and mired in scandal. Under his leadership, the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympics were smooth and successful. Bottom line: Romney has proven he can get things done. And that's not a bad quality for an executive, especially the Chief Executive, to have.

Barack Obama
I don't agree with all of his political positions. But truth be told, I don't agree entirely with any of these candidates. What I like about Obama is his message: hope, optimism, and cooperation. Of the remaining candidates, Obama is the one I think is most genuinely interested in changing the way things are done in Washington. Could he really make that big a difference? I don't know. But while he wouldn't be my first choice, I think I'd be okay with seeing him try.

Hillary Clinton
I don't like her personally and I don't trust her politically. I think she's a political opportunist and nothing more; I think she has the best interests of her constituents in mind only insofar as they coincide with what's best for her career. And as an aside, electing her would ensure that the Presidency remains in the hands of the same two families for nearly a quarter of a century, and perhaps longer. That's fine for Europe, maybe, not it's so great for us. At any rate, she is the one candidate that I am certain to vote against, regardless of who her opponent may be.

Unbiased analysis? Probably not. Could I have done more research on the candidates? Undoubtedly. This is just a snapshot of what I see at the moment. Once the dust clears a little, I'll look into things in a little more depth. By the time November rolls around, I'll know exactly who I want as the next President of the United States. And I hope you all will, too. That's the only way this system works.

...Except From a Vending Machine

When I was a missionary, we had a Stake President who was descended from the Mormon pioneers. He was fond of saying, “The wagon train to Zion rolls forward. People come and people go, but the wagon train rolls on.” His words have had particular meaning for me these past few of weeks.

As I mentioned earlier, LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley passed away last Sunday evening. His funeral was held in Salt Lake City yesterday. More than 21,000 people were present for the service in the Conference Center, and many more watched the live broadcast of the funeral. President Hinckley has led the Church for 13 years. Now, the presidency will be reorganized and a new man will take the reins. That announcement comes tomorrow; the only real mystery is who will serve in the First Presidency as counselors to President Thomas S. Monson.

President Monson has served with President Hinckley for a long time. His dedication is unquestionable, his testimony of the Gospel beyond reproach. But he has a different leadership style. He won't be a carbon copy of President Hinckley—and he shouldn't be. He has his own work to do and his own strengths to help him accomplish it. People may not have the same feelings, or at least not the same depth of feeling, for President Monson as they did for President Hinckley. But that doesn't matter. It's not a popularity contest. It's about who has the experience and the inspiration to lead the Church. And that's President Monson. The wagon train rolls forward.

We've also had a change a little closer to home. On January 13th, we were told at the end of our Sacrament service that there was to be a special meeting for all stake members that evening,and that the meeting we'd just finished would be the last time we'd meet in our building. At that evening's meeting, it was revealed that two of the seven wards in our stake were being discontinued, that all five remaining wards were having their boundaries changed, and that our building (the Texas Street building) was going to be closed and eventually demolished. Our Bishopric was released, and a new one was called in its place. And while our ward wasn't losing any of its members (a fear that many of us had since the announcement that morning), we were gaining over half the membership of the old 4th ward in the realignment.

So the new Bishopric met with all the auxiliary leaders in the ward the following Thursday night. Since I've been serving as the Sunday School President for the past year or so, I was one of those in attendance. We talked a lot about the people that we'd just gained and about what we'd need to do to accommodate all of them. I'd also scouted out the new building where we were now going to be meeting, so I had some recommendations about where to hold various classes and so forth.

It's been a real challenge for the past three weeks. We have two very large Gospel Doctrine classes now, and the youth classes now have about three to four times as many people in them as we had before the combination. I've had to reorganize the teaching schedule, and we'll probably have to call at least six new teachers in the next few weeks. But so far, things have run smoothly. Our teachers have adjusted to the larger classes splendidly, and I've been getting great comments about how good the classes (and the teachers) have been. The transition, at least for my organization, has been pretty smooth. It hasn't come without some hard work and prayer, mind you, but it's been okay. The wagon train rolls on.

Change really is inevitable.^* Circumstances change, people come and people go. But I learned another lesson as a missionary. It was at the funeral of one of the ward members where I was serving. He was a great leader and teacher and well-loved and respected in the community. His funeral drew over 800 people. One of the speakers at the service made this comment: “Roger is gone now, and things will never be the same without him. But if things can't be the same, that means that they can either be worse, or they can be better.” I've never forgotten that. Some people, including me a lot of the time, fear change. Change is bad, we feel. But really, it's up to us. Change isn't inherently good or bad. It's just different. What we do with change is what makes it bad or good.

That's true in the Church as much as it is anywhere else. The wagon train rolls on. We ultimately have to decide if we stay with it, or if we go our own way.

As for me, I think things are going to be just fine.

--
^* Except, as the saying goes, from a vending machine.