The Abiding Pharmacist

alchemy

2012-01-26T15:31:00.000-08:00

When one hears the word 'alchemy' the first thing that comes to mind is turning lead into gold. It can be done actually. If you take thin lead sheets and bombard them with some type of nucleus in an accelerator......ask the folks at CERN. I am sure they can tell exactly how it can be done. A broader definition of alchemy is turning dross, or something undesirable, into something desirable. If turning lead into gold were easily done, then two things would occur. First, the price of lead would immediately jump at the same time that gold would plummet Eventually the two would be very close to each other and both would continue to drop in value until they begin to approach the historic prices of lead. In the end, nobody wins.

There is such a thing as modern alchemy however. It is cooking. The end products are perishable and are intended to eventually to be turned back into dross. The most striking example of my point is carmelized onions. I hate raw onions. Oooooh, I almost forgot. I used the word 'hate' in this blog which means the search engine at my employer will block my blog. Anyway, I hate raw onions.

There have been many instances in my life where I expressed my disdain for them. My family, friends, and coworkers all could swap amusing anecdotes. There are things that can be done to the lowly onion that improve it's palatablity. The first is mincing. At Mickey D's the burgers have onion on them that is bordering on pureed. I am not sure exactly why, but for me this makes the onion edible. The second is pickling. Most pickled onions are still undesirable for me but there have been a few exceptions. Namely, the Vidalia onion relish at Pirate O's. I wouldn't be able to polish off a jar of this stuff, but mixed with cheese etc. it is good. The same can be said of the pickled onions with the smoked salmon flatbread at Epic. The high holy of onion alchemy is still the carmelized onion. Combine diced sweet onions with olive oil, and a bit of soy sauce. Reduce it down for close to an hours, stirring frequently, and browning it to the point where it is flirting with charring.......Lord have mercy. There is about two ounces of it in our fridge. If I thought I could get away with it, I'd eat it all.

There are other foods than can be converted from personally inedible into something exquisite. The raw potato. The raw tomato. Zucchini. Cranber.......nah they are just nasty no matter what.

rumors, the pursuit of perfection, and errata

2011-12-12T21:58:00.000-08:00

I have always felt it best to deal with rumor and accusation head-on. People that speak ill of me are free to have their opinions. For example, the can say, "I think John is full of bullshit". That is an opinion and one that I would occasionally have to second. When someone says, "John is lying, or John is wrong", that really pisses me off........when I am telling the truth and right anyway. Words like 'lying' and 'wrong' are statements of facts. With that having been said, let me address a rumor concerning me that has been making the rounds. Specifically regarding something that I do for just a few hours once a week.

It is has been said that I wear items that are made of leather, rubber, and are laced up to keep things in place. These statements are true. I think it is worth noting that it is usually for just a few hours at a time and typically just once a week. Sometimes I will do it twice a week, sometimes I have gone two weeks at a time. The point is I do it consistently and unashamedly. Usually it is at church. It's true....I admit it......I wear nice shoes! Johnston Murphy's. My oxblood shoes are 16.5 years old. All of this is fact.

I have spoken many times about food and what I like. A hallmark of my favorite restaurants is a signature dish. One place I enjoy is Maddox. It is a destination restaurant to be certain. What is their signature dish? Turkey steak? Fried chicken? Steaks? Maybe all of them. What makes them good not intricacy of flavors, it is not complex techniques, it is not elegant presentation. What they do is make simple things perfectly. Let me illustrate my point by describing my last meal there. The water and ice are from their own well. It is clean, crisp, and in old-school glasses. The butter and rolls are next. The butter is soft, but not squishy, and easily speardable without tearing up the roll. Simple, but perfect. The rolls and corn pones are from a few simple ingredients but precisely mixed, baked, and served perfectly warm. Simple but perfect. Next is the seafood salad. It is artificialy crab meat over a bed of shredded lettuce topped with cocktail sauce. Strangely it works. It sounds vile, but it works and I eat it all every time. Yes I like the turkey steaks. They are unique but, let's face it, the emperor is wearing no clothes. The fried chicken is skinless which is fairly unique but hardly original. This makes the thighs edible, but it is otherwise......just OK. Many who would hear me say this would get angry. I would earnestly suggest they eat a turkey steak and shut up while I state the obvious. Maddox is all about steak. The tenderloin I had was large, properly aged and seared, and fell apart while I was cutting it. The dry rub and pat of butter work perfectly. It was medium rare, instead of the rare that I ordered. Otherwise simple but perfect.

Finally I am watching a debate between Huntsman and Gingrich. Gingrich is smart to be certain, well-connected....still, and understands history and the complexities. Huntsman is transcendent. I have always thought he is a politicaly thoroughbred and today people are seeing it. He will win.

One more thing, I am still kicking around running for Senate. Hatch is a moron and I doubt the Dems got anyone to consider.

talking like a pirate , "Taco Nation", and machisimo

2011-09-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

Today is my son's birthday. That meant he got to pick what he wanted for dinner and what kind of cake he wanted. More on that later.

Today is also 'Talk like a Pirate Day". I didn't. I suspect most pirates were, like most criminals, ill-educated and not terribly bright. Given my love for the Mother Tongue, I would likely be disgusted. Though I am not sure of the exact link, today is a day of celebrating the Flying Spaghetti Monster. May you all be touched by his noodly appendage.

Sometime in the last millenia salsa consumption surpassed catsup in this country. La reconquista is alive and well. I welcome it. The plight of the illegal immigrant is something I have discussed before. But La Reconquista is not about Mexico taking over. Quite the contrary in fact. The illegals come here because Mexico sucks. The U.S. rocks. What's so bad about assimilating a little Mexican culture? There is a weekly article entitled, "Ask a Mexican" that is the only reason I read a certain newspaper. He is writing a book entitled 'Taco Nation' wherein he discusses the encroachment of Mexican food into the American pallate.

Back to my kid's birthday. What did we want? We had ranchera preparada, abodobo chicken, with tortillas, and a tres leches cake. Was it Mexican night? Nope. He just got his favorites. For him the war is over. Can Spanglish be far off? Nope, we are already doing it. At least me. The cake had strawberries and fresh peaches, cream, condensed milk, and cake moistened with evaporated milk. There is only one cake that has ever been sweeter. That would be the cake I had a few years ago with a picture of Salma Hayek on it. Son number three ate the boobs before I got to them.

I have never been much of a 'competitor'. I played a little baseball as a kid. Growing up you could usually find me in a pick-up game of flag football or playing three on three. I played a little Church basketball and softball until I became disgusted with the lack of sportsmanship. In short, I like to play with the fellas and have some fun. No more. I live in a small house, I own nothing ostentatious or flashy. I don't have a boat. I don't have a sports car. I dress and act like an old guy and don't try to be one of my kids. I am a Taoist.

I do however like to be a hospitable host whenever possible. I always try to pick up the tab when I eat out with friends. When we eat out as a family we typically have a few extra 'Loertschers' with us. When it's dinnertime anybody is who is the house eats. All of this is nothing more than straight up 'quien es mas macho?'.

The Ybarras were my neighbors for the first 24 years of my life. I barely remember Senora Ybarra other than she was kind to me and bought we a sombrero that I wore everywhere as a child. I lover her for it. Her boys, Fred, Albert, and Carlos would throw neighborhood parties where everyone was invited. After all if everyone is there, nobody calls the cops! They would have the lights strung out. Music, sometimes live. Lots of wonderful food. Plenty of places to sit and socialize. FInally, a large area where I could throw a football around with their nephews Jose and Oscar. Even today, I cannot recall having attended better parties. When I was about 10 I remember leaving a party at midnight and going to my home next door. My parents promised they would be home in just a few minutes. For whatever the reason, I woke up about two hours later and the Ybarras were still going strong. I tried yelling for everybody to shut up and go to sleep. One of the neighborhood cops (who was at the party) pointed at me as he said something to my father. The old-man shrugged and then waved at me as if to say, 'you're bothering me kid'.

Fred poured me a beer when I was eight. I got through about half of it. My parents caught me nursing it. My mom seemed entirely non-plussed and promptly went back to chatting with the women. My old man asked, "Does it taste like shit?". I said it did. He explained that it wouldn't be impolite to not finish it. So I dumped it. Dad wandered off to grab some more tamales and lay down on the grass. I washed the taste out with some chile verde and Coke with real sugar and I was right as rain.

I blame the Ybarras for what I have become. I am nothing more than a middle-aged Mexican who suffers from an overdose of machisimo. What's next? Always wearing shirts that are impossibly white? A massive rose garden in the front yard? Growing my hair out in order that I can keep it impeccably combed? I'll have none of that. Still, La reconquista is over for me. I lost the battle by the mid-70's.

I resolve to post more often.

2011-08-18T22:50:00.000-07:00

I got a quick email from one of my gentle readers (and fellow Pharmacy manager who was mentioned in a previous blog becuase he wears men's underwear) informing me that my blog is blocked from view by my employer. I can come up with several good reasons for it to be blocked. 1) We aren't getting paid to waste time reading my drivel. 2) Well........the first reason alone is sufficient.

It's not so much the why that gave me pause to thing but rather the how. Apparently I used the word 'hate' somewhere in there. So I thought this might be a good time for me to discuss words. Anyone who knows me can attest that I enjoy this. I am troubled when I hear people say that two words means 'the same thing'. Naturally this is not true, otherwise we would just have one word.

So I wish to pontificate on dislike vs. hate. 'Pontificate' is a nice word. It reminds me of a Little Rascals joke I know. Naturally, Buckwheat delivers the punchline. Before I do that I wish to separate out love and hate from the mix. I do not believe these are end points for a spectrum of opinion, rather they are two different sides of the same emotionally governed coin. There is a fine line between love and hate and when the conversion occurs they are usually of the same magnitude. Think mathematics. The absolute value of negative six is six. Examples could be: The person who I have loved for a long time who betrays me is now my worst enemy. A long time adversary makes a magnaminous gesture and is now my best buddy in the world.

Like and dislike lack an emotional component. Think about the girl in college who said the she really 'liked' you. Just in case you didn't know already, that means that there was absolutely no chance she would have ever had sex with you. It's far easier to bone the ones that 'hate' you since their is a built-in emotional component that is at least present. And, if my analysis is correct, can be converted into something that makes 'make-up sex' seem like going to the prom with your sister.

Finally I am about to make my point. We have like on one end and dislike on the other. Ultimately nobody cares what we like and dislike, unless of course they love or hate them. When there is no emotional component, people don't care as much. Hence people will result to hyperbole to make their views known. I should probably go back and see where I have used the word 'hate'. I am lazy though, so I will just start a fresh list. I will naturally not list individuals. Why, because there are no individuals that I hate. There are certain groups that I hate, but mostly there are acts and attitudes that I hate. Alas, many individuals do them on occasional. So without further ado:

Uncle John's top-ten list of hated things

1) White supremacists. The thing that I find most laughable about this group is their parareligious admiration for Hitler. Let's turn back the clock to post-Weimar Germany. You are a tattooed and pierced person with a lengthy record of criminal mischief and drug-dealing. You are going to be one of the first that is 'culled' from the tribe.
The truth is I hate any group that preaches hate. I am merely reflecting back at them what they project out. Most of these kids (yes I used the word 'kids' since they are typically young and stupid) are just pissed off about some type of perceived injustice. Many of them have probably been screwed over at one point. As crime statistics overwhelmingly bear out, you were most likely screwed over by somebody of the same race. Once they figure this out, then I don't hate them any more.

2) Political extremists. This is not to say that I hate those with extreme views. Quite the contrary in fact since I have some pretty extreme ones myself. What I hate is those who vilify anyone who has a contrary position. Consider the immigration issue. There are those who think that all illegal immigrants should be deported, after all 'what part of illegal don't you understand'. Then there are those who think that they all immigrants are just here seeking a better life, should be embraced, and anybody who expresses concerns about any of them are bigoted and uncaring. I hate them both. However, from a factual standpoint the latter is slightly less full of shit I suppose. That don't mean I hate them any less.

3) Raw tomatoes

4) People that exploit suffering or fear for financial gain or to secure power. I'm not talking about morticians, or even ambulance chasing attorneys. I did however say that I would not list individuals. My old man told me, "Son, no matter how shitty things get, somebody always benefits from the status quo". These are the people that I hate.

5) Francophiles. Give it up.......English won!

6) Filet Mignon (say, isn't that a French phrase?), or any other decent cut of beef, that is 'well done'.

7) Caesar's Palace.

8) Golf.

9) Pico de Gallo.

10) Greasy, spamming, malware-spewing, robo-calling, denizens of the cyber universe. I would consider hell as a viable option if I am able to administer your daily pineapple (think "Little Nicky").

President Huntsman

2011-06-21T22:11:00.000-07:00

I'll make this brief. Back in the day when Jon Huntsman was elected as Governor, I distinctly remember commenting that this guy had the proper mix of smarts, business and governmental savvy, centrist thinking and governing style, and a smokin' hot wife. In short,l he is a political thoroughbred.

I am saying right now that he will win the Republican nomination and defeat Obama. He will also be the only Republican presidential candidate I have voted for aside from Reagan in 1984.

I will produce this in about 16 months and look like a freaking genius if he wins. If he doesn't I will be able to correctly say, 'what a shame he didn't'.

"Perfect" things, Rocky Horror, and high school graduation

2011-06-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

There are few perfect things in this world. Many beautiful things, but few that are transcendent. Beautiful things have flaws, perfection is transcendent. The only perfect things I know are firmly rooted in the religious realm. Much of the spiritual, or mystic, realm is flawed. Things that move me emotionally are frequently flawed, but they are moving nonetheless.

Whew......that was all cryptic enough. What's my point? Let me tell you some things that move me. A perfectly ripe peach, the Brandenburg concertos and Beethoven's 9th, a solitary soak at DFHS on a stormy day, warm sand underfoot, having my buddy Jay roll two straight 'ones' when attempting to take Bucharest at 2:1 odds. My transcendent moments I share only with those who are very close to me. I did have a moment after I climbed Lone Peak that involved a cold beer and a hot shower that was pretty close to transcendent though.

Towards the end of Rocky Horror, Frank 'n furter sings about the need to do wild stuff when you're young in order that you'll have memories that will last a lifetime. I've done a lot of crazy stuff in my life. Most of it recalled in a non-specific sense and a neutral judgement. Some things I regret. Most of what I regret was things I said, not actions. There are a lot of things I've done that I'm not proud of, but few that I've regretted. In fact, many of these things I still recall with fondness. I've no desire to repeat nor revisit these things, but I've no regrets.

FInally I went to son number two's high school graduation. It is indeed a microcosm of those things in high school that were good and bad. It all started a few weeks ago. There are always a number of kids that are not going to graduate. They, or typically their parents, demand that some last-minute make-up assignment be given so they can graduate. Graduating high-school is a joke. Basically all you need to do is show up and make even a half-assed attempt to do the work. Alas, many cannot even do that yet they feel entitled. We were sent out a number of rules for the graduation ceremony. NO RUNNING, NO JUMPING, NO SKIPPING, and most important of all NO HORSEPLAY! Well not exactly, but people still wear leis, do the fist and arm pumping, have their numbskull posses scream from the peanut gallery, and wear hot pink tennis shoes so they can 'be comfortable' which is just their bullshit excuse for thinking they are cool. I'm going to advise son number three to do a few things when he graduates next year. First wear some ugly ass fluorescent shoes that 'light up' when you step on them. Second I will weigh him down with leis. Third, I will scream, hoot, and holler for 30 seconds in an attempt to drown out the names of as many kids as possible. After all, they aren't important, just MY kid. At least this is the view of the assholes that ruin graduation every year by thinking they are the exception.

Some would say I am picking on 'polys'. I suppose that is a fair critique. Personally, I love the idea of leis. I think the prohibition on leis at graduation is a bad rule. Nonetheless it is a rule, so it should be obeyed. If they wish to challenge it then let me know. I will show up and fight for leis. Let me tell you what breaks my heart about the poly graduates. The girls are virtually ignored, and the boys inevitably self-identify as football players. It is a tragedy that aside from athletics and student government they rarely distinguish themselves. And this type of attitude is by no means relegated to polys, but I find it the hardest to accept. Islanders have a proud history of sacrifice for an ideal. They are a innately peaceful people, but have a strong warrior ethos infuses in them. Consider the long odds their ancestors faced in coming, yet they did it anyway. And what is the result? Ask yourself how many poly professionals or military do you know? These are the people that should be emulated, not the football punk-asses that are already forgotten.

Finally, I noticed a particluar trend in female summer fashions today. It consists of baby doll type dresses that only reach down to the mid-thigh. I suppose if there were just one or two girls wearing this ensemble (and who had toned calves and thighs) they could have really rocked it. When seemingly every other girl is wearing this, it becomes mundane and hence ugly. Being unique is the way to get noticed. Take a lesson for someone's mom who wore a form fitting tan, knee-length, skirt, with a white men's dress shirt, and some understated sandals. Mmmmmm........now if I can just talk my wife into wearing that!

frustration at the 'in window' and Noah's Ark

2011-01-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

This is a unique posting for me since it is done in the morning rather than the evening or night. I just woke from a dream which merited mentioning here. I was at a theme park entrance.....a Disneyland type thing if you will......and I was filling prescriptions for people. There was a line of perhaps 100 plus people yet they were waiting. The people I was trying to help were an seeming amalgam of every difficulty I've ever had at the 'in window' where I work.

Let me see if I recall all the details. It was a young lady that had just been recently married. As is often the case in this sitatuation I was asking her questions but she would answer by looking at her husband as if to ssay, "you want to handle this one honey?". I can certainly understand that if a newlywed couple had some stranger coming up and asking for her phone number and address it would be a huge problem. A problem that might very well be best handled by her new husband. I'm your pharmacist. There are good reasons (one of them being legal requirements) why I need to know this stuff. So grow the **** up!

The dream continued as I went through her demographics. "What is your address?". The first address made no sense being something like 60 North 1170 North. So I asked is that 1170 E or 1170 W. Then they start giving me another address, but this one without coordinates i.e. I live on 2175 11th St.. Then they get into a lively debate about what city they live in. I really enjoy this one. People who live squarely in West Valley or Magna will most frequently say the live in Salt Lake City. My personal favorite was a guy that lived on 35th South and about 56th West and stridently maintained he lived in West Jordan. There is another city between the city he lives in and West Jordan!

The dream still continued with phone numbers. Should it be her cell, or his cell since he's a trucker and on the road a lot, or their home phone. (I always love it when trucker's explain to me that they are on the road a lot. NO SHIT!! That comes as a complete surprise to me since your job is to operate trucks and transport goods on the road!).

I woke up about here. What a relief it was. I hadn't made it to her allergies or insurance. I've had lots of frustrating answers to these over the years. Maybe that will be tonight's dream.

Moving on.........Noah's Ark. Like many others, I have been fascinated by this one for years. I think my particular take is unique hence I am sharing it here. My first beef is with those who believe that everything in the bible happened literally and precisely as it is written. I do not believe for a second that the entire earth's surface was covered with water. Where did the water come from? Where did it go? Yes, yes, yes I know that God works miracles. I've seen them and experienced many. I also know that God, being the creator of the universe, uses natural means subject to rules and contraints that he created. So was there a Noah? Yes. Did he build and ark? Yes. Was their a flood that deluged where he lived? Yes, but just his area not the entire earth's surface. Did he have two or more of every species on the earth? Without answering this directly I would ask how at least two of every species could be housed in the dimensions that the bible provides us. Or perhaps it was just a sample that when released migrated out and covered the entire earth in an impossibly fast time and evolved wildly. Oops, I forgot evolution doesn't exist. It doesn't matter that it is being actively observed in species right now. It just seems to me that if someone hadn't postulated that Man descended from apes but everything else is evolved then Darwin's 'theory' would instead be referred to as what it is......FACT

What has perplexed me is the where and when of Noah. I have studied maps to come up with my answer. Not land maps though, rather ocean maps. Before discussing the four options I propose, I wish to talk about Mount Ararat. I don't believe it is the mountain in Turkey that carries the name today. We have had people all over it for years and they have uncovered zilch. Why? Because it didn't stop there. The ark probably came to rest at the BASE of some large hill which Noah called Ararat. They then piled out and went back to living with his livestock which is all he probably threw on the boat. Look, I realize that I am taking all the magic out of the story but I am not disputing nor diminishing the miraculous nature of what happened. As I mentioned earlier, I believe the story.

I digress again. Where could Noah's ark have occured. Where could a combination of sudden and prolonged rains (with maybe an earthquake to shift around a large body of water......hint.....hint) could deluge a large enough area that people cannot merely flee for high ground. We also know that the oceans were at a lower level a few thousand years back.

Option 1: The areas surrounding the Red Sea. This would put Noah squarely in "Bible Land". The population, the wood, the mountainous terrain (including a mountain called Arafat in the Sinai). Besides God did in the Egyptian army here as a favor to Moses.

Option 2: The northern Persian Gulf near in Southern Iraq. Hey why not! Abraham came out of the area. The population is there, the wood. A combination of floods coming out of the north via the river and a sudden rise in the gulf might do it. The only problem? No mountains anywhere close to the area.

Option 3: The central Med. There is a subterranean land bridge that connects Tunisia to Sicily. If the strait of Gibralter had landlocked the Med at this time, then the disparity of levels between the Atlantic and the Med would widen. The Med has a much higher evaporation rate so it would be even lower. This would open up a large swath of land between Tunisia and Sicily. Could mere rainfall flod the entire Med. No. Could a breach at Gibralter do it. YES. Perhaps this might be Atlantis?

Option 4: This is a variant of 3. The western shores of the Black Sea. There would be a second choke point for water in the Dardanelles. A combination of high rains, spring runoff, and the aforementioned breach of Gibraltar would have flooded the entire 'world' of Noah and would have done it quickly and unlike the Red Sea or Persian Gulf variants the water wouldn't have gone anywhere soon. The Crimea was probably the final resting place of the ark. There is ample archaelogic evidence for the Gibraltar breach. There are subterranean city sites along the Egytian and Greek coastline. There is also a lot of these in the Western Black Sea in the massive fan on the Danube. A large flat area from which there is no fleeing to higher ground, especially when spring floods have already bogged everything down.

Don't believe me? Check out the ocean maps.

Kokopelli's dojo

2010-12-21T13:53:00.000-08:00

Indian hieroglyphics are undoubtedly a glimpse into the history of our area. They are subject to interpretation and careful study. I had a bit of an epiphany a few years back though. While everyone seems to think that these hieroglyphic records were someone a recording done by the tribal elders, or those who maintained the oral traditions, or perhaps the local shaman, I've another theory. They were done by a bunch of Anasazi teenage boys. Yup, after a successful day of hunting/gathering the tribal elders were doubtlessly resting around the fire. While they discussed the days activities they were thinking forward to tomorrow and where they would go, what they were to eat etc. The boys were bounding with energy and saying, "Hey Dad! We're gonna go carve some pictures on those rocks!". The tribal elders no doubt dismissively waved them off and said, "Whatever kid....just don't get hurt." So what do we got? Boys (badly) carving pictures of animals and hunting and whatever else was exciting to the teen Anasazi. Perhaps someday a stone carving in a Goblin Valley cave will be studied for it's message. And what was the message? My boys think Jessica Biel has nice tits!

When I was back in high school, my math teacher was asked what his perfect job would be. His answer absoultely perplexed me at the time. It;s almost thirty years later and I am beginning to understand. He wanted to have fewer students. Just a couple, perhaps even one. He wanted to teach them math.......and English, science, history etc, In short he wanted to teach them life.

I'm not si sure that I should be teaching any of these disciplines individually. I have always thought my skill lay in integrating various things; finding connections as it were. I read 'der Glasperleinspiel' and it all came together. I want all young men to succeed. There is much effort channeled into keeping boys out of trouble. It is all very necessary. What I propose is indentifying promising young men, who lack mentoring, and are still trying to identify what they are about. My oldest son was very fortunate in this regard. He had an entire year of university before he went on his mission. His math and science took him places, I had not been. In that regard he broke free of my influence and established himself. He also took an entire year of philisophical courses which helped him define and calrify what he is. You hear so much about youngsters going off the deep end in these courses. The parents bemoan the ideas that are put into these kids heads. The harsh fact is this.......your kids didn't believe anything when they got there. They heard what their parents had to say, but they internalized nothing. The parents are the ones to blame!

Anyway.......my remaining three boys will not have the same adavntage their older brother had. The will all be leaving for their missions soon after high school. As such, I worry that they will not have established themselves and merely parrot what they have been conditioned to say. Regardless of anyone's opinion of my faith, the messengers of it need to be fervent and certain in their belief. I have mentioned the following point in previous blogs, but it bears repeating. It takes a village to raise a child, especially a young man. Hilary (one "l" folks, not two) Clinton was and will always be right about this. My kids have a young men's leader that I feel is particularly well-suited for this purpose. My oldest didn't really have much time with this guy. It is my hope that he is able to help them along.

I believe I am someone that is also very well suited for this type of thing, but not just for regular kids. Like it or not, I see a very distinctive caste system emerging. It is not one of race, or money, or politics, geography, education or any other readily definable demographic. There are simply some kids that got their shit together and the majority that don't. If I had the money, I would establish a 'dojo' for these Brahmin. Academic progress would be tracked and facilitated. The instruction offered would be to find connections and harmony in all they learn. It would be a combination of listening, reflecting, and instruction for all within. Spiritual development will also be monitored, but it would be my sincere hope that the school was comprise young men of all faiths. The same connections and harmonies can be found between religions also. Finally, martial arts would be taught. Not the loud, testosterone fueled nonsense that I see everywhere. But main thrust of all instruction is understanding the nature of conflict, how it arises and is resolved. The Tao te Ching, and Art of War will be the primary texts. The warrior caste is not the one that must rule. However, those who rule fail to understand the warrior caste. This must change.

Untitled

2010-10-18T19:06:00.001-07:00

Tonight is going to be a stream of consciousness blurb. It all started when I went to fill my gas tank. As I started fillin, I leaned against the fender to wait. I noticed that there were some receipts that had not been taken. Both were credit cards. Both were exact amounts of five and ten dollars. Not much gas at all.

The fact is things are still tight for so many people that even the idea of merely filling your tank until the next time is not possible. Many folks are still living day to day. They cannot plan for a future, hence they sure as hell ain't saving for one or even considering it.

The it dawned on me that failure to consider, much less plan, and even less DO anything is why we are failing as a nation. On all levels it is failure to do anything in a timely manner, we merely put out fires. Douglas MacArthur said that the history of failure can be summed up in two words; "Too late". I read that about 30 years ago and I've never seen anything to prove him wrong.

Our nation has a multitude of problems currently. And some of what the conservatives, at least say but not necessarily espouse, are solutions for our problems. Of course the left is right about some things also. I understand the frustration that people are feeling. Especially those who are forced to buy five bucks of gas at a time and on redit no less. We all are looking for a scapegoat, a bogeyman. If the presidential election were today I wouldn't give Obama my vote. I gave him my vote because I believed he would at least attempt to work on the changes that needed doing. Health care was botched overall. Some improvements were made, but the extra costs involved for what we got in return was not worthwhile. Just on the outside chance that the President or Secretary of HHS reads this I must add, "Enough with the Medicare B bullshit just to sell someone some strips! Are you all out of your f***ing minds?" See.....I told you folks are frustrated.

As a nation we will have to fundamentally and ultimately answer how big can the pie be and who will get what. People scream about 'rationing' or 'death panels', but someone has got to say enough. The Tea Partiers are saying it. Much of what they are bitching about is fair game too. But you don't hear about any of them saying we ain't gonna waste any more money on chain smoking, diabetic fat-asses on motorized scooters. Somebody should have told these idiots, "NO" a long time ago. The moms with four kids by three fathers should have been told "NO". The people who spurned their public education, and refuse to improve their lot in life need to be told "NO". The inner city denizens who continue to suck on the public teat for five generations need to be told "NO".

The Republicans have been the party of "NO" but aren't saying it to the right people. Every thing good that Obama tried to do was shut down by the R's. Of course, there were a lot of D's who tried to stymie Ronnie. My advice to Obama? Quit smoking. Yup, it is as simple as that. Everything else will fall into line.

So who would I vote for today if there were a presidential election? Probably me.

Who will I be voting for Senate in the next election? Me definitely. My neighbor Mike should be Governor. I assure you that Washington and State government will not only get along, but work together closely with agreement on the issues.

Strong flavors and Carl the groundskeeper

2010-10-09T19:33:00.000-07:00

I saw the movie 'Secretariat' today. Alas, it received the standard formulaic 'Disney' treatment. Not that the movie was bad. I wasn't aware of the whole drama that surrounded the human cast of characters until the movie. Honestly, I never cared. But how else are you going to make a feature length film. I just have to wonder how hard up for cash Malkovich was.

I remember watching Secretariat run. I never watched horse racing before, and haven't since. Yet I, along with the rest of the nation watched. It was breathtaking to watch. The original footage used in the movie for all of its graininess was still the most exciting thing to watch.

The whole time I am watching, I can't help but think how miscast Diane Lane was also. With her hausfrau frump in full mojo, I still found myself muttering certain Bill Murray-isms under my breath. Next time get an ugly 40 something to make the movie.

After the movie we went to MacCool's. The lamb shank will always be one of my favorite items on the menu. I like this restaurant because they don't shy away from strong flavors. OK......they do have calamari on the menu which is perhaps my least favorite appetizer. I like the taste of them, but people order it thinking it makes them cool, or edgy (look at me I'm eating squid). As such it has become a bland and ubiquitous presence on most menus. ENOUGH! But I digress.

There was a couple sitting a tablet near us. SHe was bitching about the seafood pancakes being to.......seafoody I suppose. What was the main ingredient? It was hardly a seafood, but a strong flavor nonetheless. Smoked trout. It is definitely not for all tastes, but I've loved it ever since I was a kid. I remember my old man somehow fell into the good graces of a guy in our neighborhood named Nick Dokos. Nick liked to fish. Nick caught a lot of fish. Nick smoked a lot of fish. To make a long story short, I polished off about a pound and a half of my old man's trout one morsel at a time. My mom was pissed, but the old man just laughed it off. Strange indded since my mother hates smoked fish and my dad would have gladly subsisted on a diet of it forever.I digress again.

Next time I go to MacCools, I'm gonna get me some of smoked trout pancakes. I guarantee I will either love them or hate them for the taste, but I'll always enjoy them for what they are. An unapologetically strong flavor. As for the woman, I hope that little minx is being punished as we speak........by Carl.

Breasts, Emimem, and flip-flopping

2010-08-14T22:22:00.000-07:00

Guys like breasts sort of the way a woman likes a man with money. Some women like a guy no matter how boring, humorless, old, or ugly just as long as he has lots of money. Some gals don't care if the guy has any money at all so long as he loves her, makes her laugh, spends enough time with her, and remains emotionally invested with her throughout the length of the relationship.

I have had many years to ponder all the nuances of my personal preference. If I were a woman, I would like a guy that makes just an average amount of money. Enough for us to have a comfortable and unexamained life. One that makes enough money to keep us free from want. A pointy man that is shaped like a martini glass and is braless everywhere he goes. Yup!

I heard the latest Emimem hit today while driving to pick up son number three at work. It's my understanding that in addition to the lyrics, he also does all the music. Either way, the guy has definitely got skills. There is an undeniable musicality and appeal to the song I heard. While, I pity him for the string of failed relationships he has had, what he has to say is genuine and heartfelt.

I watched the video when I got home. Rihanna has an adequate voice and more than adequate, shall I say, other features. I think that that prematurely hard-looking skank Megan Fox was in it too. At least she kept her mouth shut.

Which brings me to flip-flopping. There are certain human values and virtues that need to be adhered to at all times. That is a central tenet of my beliefs as a Taoist Mormom. In matters politic, there are no absolute nor enduring truths. Situations change, sometimes with a large amount of rapidity. During times of war, the largest virtues a leader can have is felxibility and expediency. This naturally means that opinions, beliefs, and the strategies and tactics that spring from them must constantly be reexamined, challenged, and modified as the situation presents.

Stephen Colbert roasted Bush II by saying Bush believes the same thing on Wednesday as he believed on Monday no matter happened on Tuesday. To be like this is foolish. It is also a sure sign of a diminished intelligence as well as a lack of enlightenment.

I read some 'Tea Party' diatribe a few days ago. I would love to rationally discuss and try to understand precisely what their arguments are. My main argument with the 'Tea-Party' has been and remains that what drives most of their members is hatred (or at the very least resentment), and thinly veiled racism. This doesn't mean that they don't have valid arguments. Some are even correct. I have some shared concerns, I just don't hate everyone that isn't white. Of course some of their positions are complete bullshit too.

The one thing they are correct about is the growing federal deficit. Politicians have long blathered on about it. None has done anything about it.......in either party. Of course, Clinton managed to run a surplus but since he was getting blown by Monica he was a bad man. Bush I and II really stuck it to us. Obama was handed a colossal mess that he is still sorting out, but I'm not brimming with optimism about him like I used to.

I will speak plainly and propose some simple remedies. Eventually we must stop spending money we do not have. We can't merely reduce the annual deficit. We don't need more deceptive talk about the size of the deficit vs. the GDP. We simply must stop. Then the second wave must be paying back everything we owe.

Entitlements are the biggest part of the budget and the biggest part of the entitlements is Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. The fixes are simple, but horrifyingly painful. If we don't fix the system it will fail. Trust me....that's gonna hurt worse than anything else.

The Social Security contribution ceiling need to cease (which means I will continue taking it up the wazoo throughout the year instead of getting a 7% raise in October). Benefits must be cut and retirement age increased to create of surplus of money coming in over what is being paid out. These number must be reviewed every year to maintain a set percent of money projected to come in over money to be paid out. The exsact numbers will no doubt be horrible to many. They may be tragic to a few. After all, no matter where you draw the line, somebody is always just on the other side.

The tea-partiers, or at least some, say we need to get rid of Medicare and Medicaid. I'm willing to entertain it. In fact the entire War on Poverty has been a failure. The War on drugs has been an abysmal failure. We simply cannot afford any of them.

My questions are series of 'now vs. then'.

Percent of people living in poverty?
Percent of people that are addicted to some form of drug ?
The percent of people that are employed?
Crime rates?
Literacy rates?
Savings rate?
Percent of traditional families? (No folks, I don't hate gays. They should be allowed equal protection under the law. Civil unions etc. All the stuff they want they should get. I'd much prefer that a caring, stable gay couple is raising kids than the large pool of seriously dysfunctional heterosexuals. Still the traditional family is the ideal).
Then of course examing the prevalence and influence of societal virtues such as helping your neighbor and gratefully accepting help at times. Or civility? Perhaps I should stop before sounding like a retread of the "Proclamation on the Family"

Some might point to life expectancy now vs. then. I will reject this question because the answer is well known. We are living much longer now than 'back in the day'. It is due to improved sanitation, food safety (of course some 'R's' would have you think this is "governmental meddling"), vaccines (again more nut job soccer mom 'R's' that know more than the f***ing CDC), and better access to basic and preventative health care. Wait a minute! I think my previous sentence might just be the solution. So for all those who are fighting health care reform, and for the promise it holds for abolishing the aforementioned Federal programs.......ahhhh forget it. I'm just going to hold out for a theocracy.

Influential books, Hesse and baby blessings

2010-08-01T11:28:00.001-07:00

If you ask people what the most imfluential book they have every read, probably the most common answer will be 'the Bible'. It flows off the tongue like a bird song. When you press these people about when they actually read the Bible most will eventual admit.......they haven't. Personally, I don't consider the Bible, or any other canon scripture, to be a book. It is scripture. Hence, I never anwser 'the Bible'.

Young people often quickly bring up some book that they read in high school lit, or perhaps something from the amphetamine-fueled Ayn Rand collection. I have no single book to be certain, rather a host of books. Interestingly, two of them are by Hermann Hesse. The first is Der Glasperleinspiel, the second is Demian. Yes, yes, I did read Demian for the first time in High School but it was in German so 'that's different'.

Anyway, one of the conversations in Demian revolved around Jesus being crucified and, more specifically, the thieves that hung alongside him. One of the thieves taunts Christ saying to the effect, if you are truly the Son of God then save yourself. The other thief answers, again, to the effect, this man is truly the Son of God.

We have been forever conditioned to somehow lionize the second thief. In Demian the following points were made: Both thieves had the existing pattern of belief (in crime) and were deserving of the fate they had been handed. The first thief was accepting of it. He sought no mercy, nor was he grasping at straws. He was a man of bad character, but at least he had one that was consistent! The second thief was neither a believer, let alone a disciple of Christ. he was just some punk-ass that got what was coming to him and he was grasping at straws. It is all reminiscent of a previous post topic Ronnie Lee Gardner. He was blubbering on about the 'good' he can still do if he was kept alive. The fact is Ronnie Lee Gardner would have licked the Dalai Lama's nut sack if he thought it would save him. The one thing Ronnie Lee could never do? Accept responsibility for his actions and express remorse while looking the family of his victims in the eye. I'll see you in hell Ronnie!

So, how does this rant tie into baby blessings? While it is not a 'saving ordninance' of my faith, blessing of children is an important thing nonetheless. I blessed all of my children that I was able, and it was a spiritually moving event every time. My beef is with fathers of the kids who have another family member do it, because they are not worthy to perform the ordinance themselves.

Why do they have the ordinance done? Is it because, like the theif on the cross, that at the very last minute they "believe" in the correctness of the principle? If there were but a little more time, they would become worthy to do it themselves? Nonesense! They do it because they perceive some type of benefit for themselves if they allow it. These people are worse than those who unequivocally state, "I do not believe in the (insert name) faith, therefore neither I nor my family will be part of these ordinances". At least these people believe in something and are consistent in their beliefs.

This one argument, from Demian, has greatly influenced how I view people's 'worth'. I would much rather discuss faith or other matters religious with a devout Catholic, Baptist, Muslim, Hindu, Jew, or even an atheist! These people have a belief. Ye must be either hot or cold, for if ye are but luke-warm,,,,,,,,, Does this ring a bell?

In earlier posts I mentioned the concept of absolute value. Find it and review it if you'd like. The reader's digest version is this. Devout Lutherans, if converted, make better Mormons that jack-Lutherans. Devout atheists, if converted, become devout believers in God. Agnostics? Spittle.

The five variables and Zappa calling it right

2010-07-13T20:01:00.000-07:00

I am a Taoist among other things. I say that a lot. I am also a schizophrenic pacifist. I hate violence, yet at times it must be employed. When these times occur, violence must be swift, certain, and overwhelming. By doing such the conflict is minimized in time and scope. It is merciful. Then just as quickly as the violence is meted out, the peace must be restored.

I was a student of Sun Tzu before Lao Tzu. As such, I was not fully able to grasp the full truth from the 'Art of War' for about 20 years or so. In any conflict, or any endeavor for that matter, there are five variables that need to be examined. He who has the majority of advantages will prevail. These variables are: The Way, the weather, the terrain, the leadership, and discipline.

The way is simply the Tao. One who adheres to the Tao is said to be in the way. The goal of the leadership and those being led must be the same.

The weather is simple enough to understand as is the terrain. Good weather and favorable terrain will increase your chance of being successful in your work. Whether it be a Boy Scout fifty-mile hike or a military offensive. (Naturally if I am on the defensive I will lay in wait in difficult terrain and pray for rain).

The leadership must not be overly stern. Nor can it be overly permissive. The leaders must not be easily angered, or humiliated. The leaders must be intelligent, good-intentions mean little. Leaders must be trustworthy and courageous. Finally leaders need to be humane and merciful.

Discipline must be clear, simple, and consistent. Organization and chain of command must be adhered to. Logistics and operations must be smooth.

When things go wrong, I retrospectively apply the variables to the situation and Sun Tzu is always proven right. I still need to improve my ability to examine the variables beforehand and determine outcomes more successfully. Today my four youngest children were involved in a bus fire that destroyed the bus (along with their belongings) but all escaped harm. My daughter sucked in some smoke on the way out but she says she is OK. Getting accurate info was difficult. Getting it from people I trust was nearly impossible. It was only after hearing from the wife of my neighbor Mike that I began to be calmed. She assured Shelisa that things were fine and that they (meaning her and Mike) were tracking the situation. I've blogged before about Mike. He is one of only three men in my ward, and the only one there, that I trust completely. He walks in the Way.

Enough of that.

I was listening to some old Zappa stuff (70's and 80's vintage) a few days ago. I thought I might give his later stuff (90's) a listen. He wrote a song called Jesus thinks you are a jerk. It is woefully dated due to the names and reference to things that were topical at the time but are now long-forgotten. There were a few passages that proved timeless though. I don't think Zappa was particularly religious. I also don't think he thought it a terrible bad thing however if people were religious so long as they didn't use religion as a excuse to hate. I will paraphrase a few of these passages with no apologies made to the Zappa trust (bite me Dweezil).

There's a pretty little weasel about five foot nine
Face puffed up from cryin' 'n lyin'
'Cuz here sweet little daughter's
Sucking prong part time
(In the name of the Lord)
Get a clue little shrew
Oh yeah, oh yeah Jesus thinks you're a jerk
Would he really choose Sarah Palin to do his work? Unh-unh!

The Tea party says they're the One
Oh sure they are, if Armageddon is your idea of family fun
And they got some planned for you
(But only if your name ends with an 'ez')

Perhaps it's their idea of an affirmative action plan
To give 'white trash' a special break.
Well they took those 'patriot' bucks and ran to the bank.
And every night we hear them thank
their Buddy up above for sending down his love.

Convinced they are the chosen ones
And all of them carry guns and hold them cards to the NRA
With their fingers on the triggers while they kneel and pray
If you ain't born again they want to mess you up screamin'
"Life's too precious can't you see"
(What's that hanging from a neighbor's tree?
Why it looks like a Mexican to me!)

If you don't know the truth of what I'm telling you
Then truly I have failed somehow
And Jesus will think I'm a jerk just like you.
'Cuz you've let the hatemongers make a monkey out of you.

This Arizona nonsense starts up in a few days. I will still reserve judgement however. I honestly believe that most people are decent, reasonable, and honorable. The people of Arizona have a huge problem they are trying to deal with. Unfortunately many who are leading the charge do so because they hate Mexicans......and blacks. Especially that (whispered quietly) nigger in the White house.

I make no secret of my political leanings. I vote for the man not the party. Don't tell my friends at the democratic HQ that I vote for R's almost as much as I vote for D's. I voted for Obama. While he is still preferable to McCain, I can't help but wonder if Hilary would have done better.

Rather than having the justice department file lawsuits against Arizona, Obama should be working on a comprehensive immigration policy, securing the borders, initiating discussion on a plan to lessen demand for drugs (as well as send some 'teams' south of the border to keep their skills honed by putting holes in any blow-lord they encounter), and doing it quick. You know some of that 'bully pulpit', 'push an agenda stuff' that you can do when BOTH houses are controlled by your party!

Some would argue that it is too ambitious and he's only been the President for 18 months. Well, it seems that me that Bush got pretty damn much everything he wanted at about 20 months in! And he was a dumb ass. I thought Obama was smart.

Ronnie Lee gardner and the Family Guy

2010-06-14T19:12:00.001-07:00

I watched an episode of the Family Guy a few weeks back. The premise was about the Peter, Joe, and Quagmire tracking down the source of a certain dirty joke. I have decided that I should be the source of a good joke. It is tasteless, but alas not dirty.

I had help on this one also, but she will remain uncredited as I suspect she would be embarrassed to have her name tacked on this joke.

So here it is folks. You heard it here first. I can prove it.

The Utah State Board of Pardons gave conditional approval to Ronnie Lee Gardner's request to help out 'troubled kids' through farming in Box Elder county. The catch being he will have to change his name to Ronnie Lee Compost.

In defense of buffets and Senor Juan en Oaxaca

2010-04-29T14:16:00.000-07:00

There are two stereotypes surrounding buffets, especially Golden Corral. The perception is old folks crowd these places for lunch. Alas, it is true. I went there today, and aside from the people that worked there, I was the second youngest person there.......Shelisa was the youngest. Sterotypes are often founded in reality.
The second sterotype is that buffets have lousy food, but the virtues are its being cheap and plentiful. While the offerings are Golden Corral are simple (and their Caesar salad scares the living S**T out of me), the food is tasty. The variety is on par with restaurants. The thing about buffets is they can be a dog's breakfast of styles. They don't have to be a particular ethnicity or style. Even the Chinese Gourmet does this. Perhaps 1/3 of the fare is actually Chinese.
What these buffets do is find a particular item other places serve. Something that draws people to a particular restaurant i.e. the biscuits at Red Lobster, and serves them up.
So let's examine my food today. Hush puppies. Nothing like putting some "south in your mouth". I am not aware of anyone else that makes them. Cheese pizza. It was OK, but I just wanted a small slice. Potato casserole. Restaurants call them 'au gratin'. Golden Corral's were good. The last three offerings I had from 'gourmet' sources were underbaked, bland, and too salty in that order. Dinner roll. Perfectly done, fresh and warm, yummy honey butter. Clam chowder. Good, not great. The aforementioned biscuits, not quite as good as Red Lobster but pretty good still. Asparagus. Steamed spears that we just a bit overdone. Still pretty good. Chocolate covered bananas. Better than Disneyland since they were ready to eat and not frozen solid AND I didn't have to listen to "It's a small, small world".
The best thing I have ever eaten is a fresh, perectly ripe peach. The only thing that gets close is perectly ripe pineapple. The best 'dish' I have ever eaten is a pasta dish called "Stallone's favorite" at the Spice Market in Vegas. Yup.......Buffett food!

While eating, I found myself lost in thought. What would happen if yours truly decided to emigrate to Mexico. I would probably move to the Oaxaca region. It is more mountainous like home, but more importantly it is the culinary heart of the country. I thought to myself how things would play out for me there. I speak a little Spanish, and I would obviously try to learn is as quick as possible. Still, when I see other Americans, I would likely speak in animated English to them. I doubt anybody would say to me, "We speak Spanish here......LEARN IT!!". I have always found Mexicans to be hospitable. I suspect they would be very patient with me while I learned the language, their customs and mores, and adapted to their culture. I suspect that even though I am a large and pale gringo, after a few years the people would proclaim, "he is one of us now". Of course, that is assuming I either hide or stop being a vegetarian. That is one thing I don't think they would accept.

It pains me to defend Bush, but I find myself doing it progressively more as I digest his presidency. We need a comprehensive and humane policy towards immigrants from Mexico. It's just those damn Hondurans we gotta watch out for! (Just kidding about the Hondurans). There is much talk about the new law in Arizona. As distasteful and wrong as it sounds to me, we have to admit they have a HUGE problem. The federal government has failed to do anything on a national level, so they felt compelled to act. So I will learn more as I am able. I will observe to see what happens. I will pray that it will generate action on a federal level.
The drug trade, and the money and violence that are it's companions, are the biggest problem as I see it. People coming up here to work, and send their kids to school is decidely not the problem. The drug trade remains divisive and complex. It is being tied in with the immigration issue and attempts are being made to make them the same thing. They are not.

Simplicity

2010-04-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

It's one of the things that I increasingly appreciate as I get older. As I get older, I also understand the complexities and nuance of issues. Without sounding like I am blowing my own horn, I am a pretty smart guy. In short I get it. What I 'get' is the entire Taoist imperative of understanding complexity in that which appears simple and understanding the simplicity in that which is complex.

I have read that Napoleon, in formulating grand strategy, would bring in a lowly corporal and lay out the plans he had. Were the corporal unsure of certain aspects of the plan, then things would be reorganized. Apparently French corporals were unaware of just how damn nasty the Cossacks would be during the Russian campaign......but I digress. Keeping strategic plans simple and understandable is crucial. Leave operational issues to the individual field commanders. So what am I really getting at?

Three rants today that's what.

1) Ronnie Lee Gardner. He's that fine citizen that killed a guy in '84 at a bar. Shot him in the face. In '85 while being charged with the original crime, was passed a gun and made his escapse. He shot an attorney that was getting a drink and hindering his escape. He also managed to wound a bailiff. It is now 25 years later and they are only now getting around to executing this guy. I am not an attorney. I lack the knowledge of the appeals process and all the wrangling and timetables that accompany it. Yet, I have to wonder........after all justice delayed is justice denied. If anyone is reading this, I realize that innocent people have been executed in the past. Others on death-row have been vindicated and freed. I also agree that it is better than ten guilty go unpunished than an innocent is wrongly punished. We all praise the rule of law and procedures and order. But secretly we thirst for blood. I am a vegetarian, or rather I won't anything with a face. I cannot stomach cruelty to animals. Yet I would be like Torquemada, and able to sleep like a baby were I to be in charge of Ronnie. I realize this all sounds a bit like Hitler. I despise Nazis and white supremacists. Where I dying of something terminal I would be like John Wayne in his final movie "The Shootist". I would keep it fair however. I'll use a couple of bats just to keep it fair. If I went into the compound of one of these hate groups and I were armed properly, I would stand a very good chance of killing them all and making it out alive.

2) Bank regulations that are being proposed by the Obama administration. There is all this stuff going on about Goldman Sachs benefitting from betting against sub-prime mortgages. The same sub-prime mortgages that they were pimping. Let me make it simple. If a investment practice or vehicle is too complex for me to understand then it should NOT exist. Things are only and always made complex in order to screw somebody. Don't regulate derivatives. Ban them. Make the rules simple. Make how things work simple. Reduce the sheer number and complexity of these things and do it now. Yes folks, it really is that easy! Some might say that I don't understand markets or how the international economies work. Really? And who caused this? It wasn't me.

3) Muslim (or any other) extremists. The boys that make South Park were threatened by some New York based group of Taliban wannabees. South Park is offensive to be certain. It is also funny. It has bashed my own faith in different episodes and just about every other faith too! These guys even made a movie called Captain Orgazmo about an LDS missionary. Offensive? Yes. Misinformed? Yup. Funny? Admittedly.........at times. So back to the death threats. This is something that transcends politics and gets the heart of being an American. We have free speech here. These people that enjoy it, have to take the good with the bad. You can argue, and persuade, and express disgust. You cannot threaten to kill. I didn't particularly like the last President, though I will admit he did some things right. Unfortunately he did some other things colosally wrong. When people shouted "No more Bush!" I joined in. When left wing nut-jobs talked about killing Bush I would get in their grill and explain for better or for worse he is still the C in C. I am also still under oath to defend this country from all enemies foreign and domestic.

So taking my cue from Jon Stewart, and with a 'gospel' choir to back me up. I'd like to sing out. To Ronnie Lee, Goldman Sachs, and Muslim extremists. To the tea-partiers, minutemen and everyone else that hates people because of their skin color. GO F**K YOURSELVES!!!

not enough time

2010-03-19T09:47:00.001-07:00

I had several things I wanted to rant about today, but since I have to leave for work in about 30 minutes I lack the time. I had thought about lauding the virtues of "torch music". How it is a genre that highlights true vocal skill by utilizing control and at times absolutley soaring, all the while anunciating the words. Well, enough said. Don't believe me? Listen to 'Busy being Blue' by k.d. lang from her Shadowland album.

Ahhhhh, forget it. I know exactly what I want to talk about. I hope I don't sound like TAP.

I wish to discuss PI's. Not private investigators, but the perennially indignant. Much talk is going on about reforming health care. It needs to be done. I think everyone can agree the system is broken. This is not going to be a discussion of what is going on in Congress right now, rather a deeper issue. An issue that has been generations in the making and one that is not going away until something drastic happens.

We have a permanent class of people in this country that will be forever dependent in the State (meaning federal, state, and local governments) for support. Their parents were, they are, their children are, and they're gonna be granparents themselves by 40. These people. It transcends race so let's not go there.

Anyway, the way I see 'assistance' working is not unique. Organizations like the United Way do it. In addition to evaluating your 'needs' they also look at what you are spending money on. Cable TV has to go. Cigarettes, beer? Stop! Any luxuries at all? Get rid of them. NOW......we will help you with what you need. Every month, we will reevaluate your situation. Churches do something similar except of course they want you to come to church also.

The point being is no two people need the same type or level of help. Some need very short-term assistance. Some need longer-term help. Others are lifelong.

So who are the PI's? We all know them. They exhibit obnoxious behavior and a perpetual sense of entitlement. I could spend hours recounting examples of PI behavior. Who are they? I'll make it simple. DO you remember sharing your orange with a kid at school only to find out that another kid shared his orange with them to? Well you and the other kid each have a half orange now and the PI has one. You know what? The PI is pissed because he didn't get the better halves!

Until we devise a system that destroys the ability of the PI's to exist, no health care (or welfare, or education, or criminal justice) reform will work.

Now, it's time to go to work.

Resolved

2010-03-02T16:08:00.001-08:00

I still suffer from the same affliction that I alluded to in my last entry.......from November. I think of things to write but by the time I get home my energy has flagged or I want to play something. The result nothing happens.

Today hope springs eternal. The weather was warm enough that I was able to go close to Lookout Pass today. The snowline was a bit low to go all the the up. I hiked for about 4 miles. DIdn't pick p all that much elevation though. Maybe a couple hundred feet is all. About 3/4 off the road was a fence. A well maintained one at that. I'm not sure what if anything is being kept out or in. The occasional antelope and deer won't be barred (and no I didn't see either of them playing today). I see sheep herder trailers out there a fair amount but never any sheep. The place has been cow-bombed in spots though.

Anyway, I walked the fence line for a while. After about another mile or so I came across about a half dozen wild horses. This is in itself is not so remarkable. We have a large population of them in the West Deserts. Seeing them this far east was new though.

Afterwards I found my self singing an old Arlo Guthrie tune. A staple of 'patriotic' people and events everywhere. The only trouble is we were only taught three of the final verses as kids. As adults we choose to ignore facts. Most folks only know this one tune by Arlo Guthrie. If they knew more than this then the last two verses wouldn't come as a surprise.

As I was walking
I saw a sign there
And that sign said
No Trespassing
But on the other side
It didn't say nothing
Now that sign was made for you and me.

In the squares of the city
In the shadow of a steeple
Near the relief (this term needs updating I suppose) office
I see my people
And some are grumbling
And some are wondering
If this land's still made for you and me

I wonder myself at times. I lack confidence in the organism that is government. I have long maintained that government service should be something akin to jury duty. Let me tell you about my neighbor Mike. We all probably know a guy just like him. Mike has never done anything that most folks would consider extraordinary or possessing the qualities of greatness. All he and his wife have done is raised their family according to their own terms. Every one of his kids turned out good. He watches out for others, while still minding his own business. He works hard and tirelessly. And Mike is a really smart guy. So why isn't he in elected office? You'd have to ask him to be sure. I suspect that Mike is like me though in this regard. He has no stomach for double-talk, back room dealing, or cozying up to scum-bags to get elected. He would rather do his job well and focus on his job the whole time. No worries about raising money, appealing to demographics, or re-election. Just hard work.

Trust me on this one. He would make a good public official. He would do his six-year stint (one year to learn, four years of performance, one year to train a successor) and then happily go back to doing his thing. I think elections used to be just such a thing. In some smaller communities it might still be. How to bring it back? I dunno.

it's been over 3 months

2009-11-30T15:45:00.000-08:00

perhaps I am just getting lazy. I think of something to blog about. I't s perfectly structured in my mind. By the time I get home, I'm tired or distracted or whatever. Today, I didn't do that.

There was a little snippet in the news today from Switzerland. (I refer to it as Scweiz......spelling Switzerland to some effort believe it or not). Anyway, the Swiss voted to ban the construction of minarets. So what are we supposed to make of it. It is seemingly so trivial yes? I think it is probably one of the most significant happenings in the "West" in it's relationship with the "Islamic" world.

First some background. I have read the Quran. I believe that Muhammad was a prophet, though not the final and pentultimate one that Islam presents. Islam, like other religions, is not necessarily a 'religion of peace'. Most of it's adherents are people of peace, as are most Christians, Hindu, Jews, Taoists, and even agnostics and atheists. Most people prefer peace. There are those who will take and pervert a particular faith to include violent means. Yes folks, it really is that simple.

Ok, back to the Swiss thing. Opponents trumpet the decision by the Swiss electorate as anti-Islam.....and implied in that is racist. After all, there are steeples atop churches throughout Switzerland so it must be true. They hate Muslims and ...... errrrr........well Muslims come in a variety of colors and nationalities. But the Swiss hate 'em all.

I am an American. Not a Swiss-American. Besides, I am only 1/2 Swiss. When asked what my ancestry is I answer that I am a western European mutt. But let's assume I were still back in the old country. Naturally, I would have less money, education, and be busting my ass in the fields if I still lived there. My family shield shows that Loertscher's are noble farm stock. Say what you want about my old man, but he was the first in his line that got an education and made his living with hind brain and not his back. Man I'm on one here.....new paragraph.

So if I lived in Switzerland how would I have voted? Probably the same way that I would vote here. Sure build it, just tell the mezza what's his face to text everybody when it's time for prayers and don't blast it from the loudspeaker. Some of us pray at decent hours and are asleep right now or trying to read.

Wouldn't it be interesting, if they held a referendum in Saudi about whther Christian churches can erect a steeple. First of all, there can't be a referendum. The king and the honcho iman call all the shots. You can't have a Christian church in Saudi, hence no arguments about steeples. I can't even bring in my scriptures were I to visit there. That is what the majority of Swiss were thinking when they voted.

Here is where they were wrong. The minaret now becomes a symbol that not only are we tolerant, and protecting, and all those other good adjectives. When the young return to the country of their ancestry they will be better educated, more prosperous, and realize just how f***ed up the leadership is. They will then declare themselves Swiss. Or in the case of my father and his father, they were Americans and would shoot the first damn Swiss person that screwed around with their new country. My step-grandmother was German. When my father left for Europe he was just itching to "kill some krauts"......which his stepmom mentioned she was. His response? Who knows for sure. Knowing my old man it was probably something like "better tell 'em I'm coming while there's still time to surrender!". He didn't believe in the hyphenation of loyalties.

So for the Swiss citizens of Muslim descent, I apologize. For non-citizen Muslims? Well maybe the Swiss majority got this one right.

The French have President Sarkozy saying that Muslim women should not wear the burqa since it is a symbol of women being enslaved or something like that. It's France for hell's sake. If they want to wear it let them. If they choose not to and they are persecuted by Muslims living in France then you let them know what French law is and toss their misogynistic asses in the klink. Let them remember that they are living is "Whateveristan". Besides the young Muslims who have chosen to be French will dig it.

In the meantime, President Sarkozy should spend a little more time with his oh-so-hot wife. Has anybody besides checked her out? Wow.......Jackie O ain't got nothing on her.

a good day

2009-08-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

I started my three day weekend today by immediately going to the Red Iguana today. It opened in 1985, I started eating there on cinco de Mayo '86. Son #1 and three of his buddies wnet there tonight. My wife and I kinda crashed their festivities. Strangely enough they were seated at the same table that I first ate at 23 years ago.

I don't eat at Red Iguana as much as I should. It's mainly the distance involved....and the wait. We left there tonight a bit after 8:30 on a Thursday night. It was still standing room only. Why? For me it is the moles. The poblano is a perfect combination of sweet/spicy/smoky. I no longer eat mole the traditional way, served over pork/chicken or TURKEY (Lord have mercy!!) because I don't eat meat any more. But I got a cup of poblano and dredged tortillas through it.

The problem with eating it to start my weekend? It's all downhill from here. Barring something truly spectacular.

Naturally, my thoughts at some point turn to Ramon Cardenas. The honcho until he died a few years back from an aneurysm. I spoke with him only once. He no doubt forgot our conversation. In fact he was quite annoyed with me at the time. My wife and I had ordered a paella the day before. We had reservations and our table was set for paella. After we were seated, our drink orders was taken. I asked for an appetizer. The waiter gave me a strange look and disappeared into the kitchen. Ramon Cardenas came out, carrying a large non-knife kitchen implement, and coarsely informed me that there would be nothing else served with our paella. I honestly expected I was going to be beaten to death.

Two minutes later the paella appeared. Saffron rice, peas, clams, shrimp, mussels, chicken, chorizo, lobster, peppers. A classic, perfectly balanced and prepared dish. Everything prepared separately and perfectly and combined in the final minutes before my arrival. As we were finishing Ramon sat at our table and lamented the fact that he was not able to prepare it outside over a fire......and then he left. A few weeks later we were able to share an even larger paella with frineds of ours. Sometime after that I read the obituary for Ramon Cardenas. With it the artistry of paella was snuffed out. I've not had anything like it since. Every time I go to Red Iguana I get misty eyed. A few times afterwards, I have cried tears when I am alone.

Food carries the potential for emotional responses. I have had some food epiphanies in my life. I also carry memories of people that are attached to the food. I remember Beulah and Ray and the El Charro and the tacos and salsa that are like no other. There was Miriam at the della Fontana and the Salsiccia fresca dolce. I fondly remember the parties thrown by, my childhood neighbors, the Ybarras. There was the beef teriyaki by Mr. Ryujin at the Dai Enko Tei. And of course, the paella by Ramon.

I was feeling real good before I started this entry tonight. I review the prior paragraph and think about these good things that are lost forever. I am overcome with melancholy

Absolute value and other rants

2009-08-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

I'll try to keep this brief. Quick points........not a lot of explanation

The gentle reader no doubt recall 'absolute value' from junior high algebra. It was a concept that had no mathematical application to me at that point. It's philosophical ramifications are quite strong. I cannot remember the exact quote, nor the person credited with it, but when asked what his two favorite things in life were the response was, "pleasures of the flesh and my personal relationship with God". These two points are related.

Another quote I am fond of is, "there is a fine line between love and hate". I think that might serve as a better example of absolute value. For example, a woman that I dated back in my single days. She was a nice girl. Not smart, but not dumb. OK looking (which made her a lot like me). After two dates and going to second base, things ended. I got a nasty note and that was that. Someone else, I was involved with, shall we say, more intimately. That one ended a bit more harshly. If somebody love you a lot and you burn them they will hurt you a lot. That's about it. Therefore I make a point of always being nice to loved ones

So what about pleasures of the flesh. It means unbridled debauchery to some. And there was a time, I sampled it. TO me it means enjoying the finest foods. Being pampered. Being lazy. Soaking in warm water for an hour or two. It also means physical exertion in wilderness. Trips through the west deserts. Feeling cold, hungry, tired, sore, miserable, sick. Musing about the perfect meal on a cold evening above 10,000 feet with nothing to keep you alive but you carry on your back. These same things are also what increases a sense of spirituality in some.

Look, I'm a pacifist by nature. I despise war and killing. I love peace, harmony, and working things out through collaboration and diplomatic means. I am also convinced that the only way to achieve these ends is by having things like the United States Marine Corps. And periodically turning them loose when there is good reason, a clear objective, and defined exit strategy. Without these we fail.

back to traditional values

2009-07-22T18:01:00.000-07:00

Not only am I not posting frequently enough, I feel as if I have drifted away from what this blog should be about. Namely, we bitching about things.

So without further ado:

Rant 1- I saw a billbaord today that was attempting to resurrect an old 70's jingle. It read, "Baseball, hotdogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet" and underneath in smaller print "Toyota is sumo and sushi". I suppose that was their way of making it up to date. Here's the problem as I see it.

Baseball vs. Sumo. I'm gonna burn in hell for this, but I'd rather Sumo. Both sports are steeped in tradition and ritual. Sumo takes on even a religious element with it's ties to Shinto. The difference being Sumo is still governed with authority. The overarching emphasis is still on the purity and integrity of the sport. The last professional sport game that I watched completely was the Jazz vs. Bulls final part 2 in the 90's. Sports had already become about egos and personalities long before then, but since Stockton was still playing............

If a sumo wrestler gets out of line, they are cracked hard and fast. No appeals, no lawyers, no bullshit, and everybody KNOWS what is going to happen and why. Professional sports today? They should take Manny Ramirez and his ilk and ban their nasty, steroid-plumped, asses for life. No questions, no appeals, and permanent. Honestly, who watches it anyway. Where does the money come from. Screw 'em all.

(Get back on topic now). Advantage Toyota. As for apple pie, I love it. No doubt about it. The Japanese are either incapable or unwilling to make decent pastry. God Bless America and advantage Chevy.

Hot dogs vs. sushi. C'mon now. If I were at a ballpark and had the choice of a Chicago dog or a spicy tuna roll, my choice would be......neither. I don't eat meat. If my choice were oshinko roll vs. a 'veggie dog'. Advantage Toyota.

Overall analysis? Give me some rice and kimchee. I drive Korean baby!

Rant 2- Second up, is to let all my gentle reader(s) know a "Greek" restaurant to avoid. I don't even know the name of the place. I have the credit card receipt though. These guys are just north of the Harmon's in Roy. I love Greek food. Still do. But being a vegetarian, it has severely restricted my Greek options. I can have the lettuce/cucumber/pepperoncini/olive/feta/dressing concoctions. I can devour an entire tray of spanikopita. Which gets me thinking about how much I enjoyed working with Rob Holbeck back in the day. Dear Lord, the spread his wife Tonya put on for Christmas................yeah................ummmmmm...............Ahem. Let me think here........I can also eat vegetarian dolmathes, and Moussaka without the meat. I also love hummus. So I ordered some hummus today. The chick peas weren't even cooked thoroughly. What I got was a thick, lumpy mass that didn't even resemble hummus. Perhaps, I thought to myself, it still tastes good. I heaped some onto a piece of pita and dug in. I swallowed it successfully. Ate the lemon rice that I also ordered (say, isn't this supposed to have some trace of lemon taste?) and the remaining three quarters of pita. After promptly throwing the entire mound of hummus out in front of the guy at the counter, he asked how it was. I told him it was dreadful. He paused for a moment and said, "so you liked it?" No you f**king idot! Dreadful means something else. Total tab was over 9 bucks too. Which means I got reamed as bad as my wife did in her colonoscopy last week.

The bright side being, her colonoscopy was negative. We also enjoyed a wonderful meal with our neighbors Rob and Lorraine last Saturday at Mazza. I'm still thinking about it. Lotsa of yummy stuff there, and much of it vegetarian. I'll be back again and again!

Rant 3- I saw the headline and accompanying photo in todays paper. That idiot 30 something teacher that was boning a 13 year old boy was sentenced today. She got 10 years to life! I am still flabbergasted. Before I finish this rant allow me to divert to the fother side of this coin. Namely, the seminary teacher in Utah county that was dicking a sixteen year old girl. (By the way, if anyone reading this knows Dustin Moutsos let him know that they have an opening at Lone Peak H.S.) Anyway, this yutz had been getting it on with this girl for a while now. He was pulling her out of school for field trips. My reaction to hearing this story was one of revulsion. The girl will need support and counseling and will likely have added issues with future relationships. As for the guy? Well let's just say he's got a real pretty mouth. He'll be very popular in prison.

So back to the 13 year old boy and the late 30's teacher. He'll be fine. Just have his old man sit him down and teach him about what, with whom, and when these types of relations are to occur. It's a double standard to be sure. Still don't believe me? Women ask your men the following question (and guys be honest with your answer), "Would you have screwed this teacher when you were that age?" I got a good look at the one in the paper and my answer is no. The one from Florida a few years back that was doing the baseball team? Hell yes!

Graduation day

2009-06-04T14:23:00.000-07:00

over the last few weeks, just about everyone I know has been subjected to this annual event. I had not attended a high-school graduation since my brother-in-law's back in the mid-90's

Today was son number one's high school graduation. About the only positivie thing I have at this point is that the Bingham High orchestra is really quite good........for a high school orchestra anyway. It was the only thing that I wouldn't classify as painful anyway.

My mother said and did some things today that I was quite proud of. She made a stand for dignity and decorum. The party next to us was prepped and ready to whistle, hoot, and holler. The old guy had some kind of high-pitched dog whistle that he tooted. But the real champ of this bunch was the sister of one of the graduates shouting out. "We F**king love you!" .......twice.....at the top of her lungs. Nice! You can imagine dear old mom let them know.

Anyway, it took 1 hour and 35 minutes to start calling off names. Even that took 45 minutes. The valedictory speak was not overly nauseogenic. Still, it left me drained for the day. After the sun dips a bit, I'm going back into my garden.

All my lovely plants makes me feel good.

indecison

2009-04-25T07:15:00.000-07:00

many times I've had things I've thought I should get on her and discuss Today, I've nothing structured. No long diatribe. So, I'll just provide brief snippets.

I really should be gardening right now. I've got the new greenhouse, the seeds have been started too late because of the late snow and cold weather. It's been five days and nothing has even sprouted yet. I did manage to plant about 60 canes of raspberries and an almond tree last week and that's it. Today, I cannot even roto-till because it's too wet. Maybe tomorrow. Some people think that is working on the sabbath. I think that hoeing for an hour is as much work as playing the organ at church. At any rate, I've more than doubled the size of our garden for this year. In addition to feeding the bunnies, we will be eating lots of veggies and fresh herbs.

I understand that a lot of people are planting gardens now. It is reminiscent of the victory gardens in WWII. Of course, the precise reasons are a bit different. There isn't any rationing going on now. And let's be honest.........growing a garden doesn't save you that much money. Yes the vegetables are free, but the water, seeds, materials, equipment etc aren't. I grow what I use out of self-defense it seems. I tease people about 'organic' food because I despise the word organic. It literally means that it contains carbon. So does a pack of menthols!

I grow food because it is fresh, fast, and my bunnies love it. They love dandelions too. That is why I leave them in my lawn. In fact, I take great care not to uproot them in the spring when I pick them for my bunnies.

A few years back I went vegetarian for a few months but stopped. I started again about a week back. I didn't really have a reason then, I do now. I have been reading accounts and writings of various Presidents of the Church. And while none condemn the eating of meat, they would have it only rarely. The same thing with hunting, which they abhorred. Our scriptures say that meat is to be used sparingly and only in times of need. Somehow that has all been forgotten.

Here's my view. I feel that a cetain moral authority is required to eat meat. What does that mean? If you are appalled by, our think that the slaughter of animals is a task that is 'beneath' you then you have no right to eat meat. I know that we can't all go out there and slaughter a pig. It is also best that this process is done in central locations with efficiency, hygiene, and by people that know what they are doing. In a hypothetical world, if you would be unwilling to kill a pig and do everything that goes with it then you shouldn't eat pork. I've killed a pig, a deer, a dog, squirrels, snakes, rabbits, and fish and eaten them. (Eating the dog was an afterthought). After killing the deer, I immediately felt remorse. The rabbits took longer. During the winter months, I take timothy hay and lay it out along the roads where I've hunted rabbits in the past. Hopefully showing some kindness to their offspring will compensate for my past misdeeds. Killing just for sport is wrong. If you are going to eat the animal, not merely waste it, then one can justify it. Personally I cannot kill, or harm, scentient creatures any more. So I don't eat them.

Yet, I ate some scallops a few days ago. Why? I don't think that scallops, clams, mussels etc. are scentient. They do not sense their environment. They do not have eyes, ears, taste buds. They do not move, interact. They basically strain water for food, grow, and reproduce. They are basically armored mushrooms. So why don't I eat oysters?. They are oily and gritty. Even when I ate meat, I hated them.

presidential greatness, the war on drugs, and Carl's Jr. chili dogs

2009-03-17T22:40:00.000-07:00

I was reading an editorial by Thomas Friedman today. The gist of it being that every great president has overcome a large challenge. With the economic woes we are having, he asserts that Obama will have his shot at greatness. Of course, he can also be vilified I suppose.

Being a Taoist, I have to read such things and dismiss this as foolish. Allow me paraphrase and 'modernize' a parable that I've read. A prominent, physician, a cardiothoracic surgeon at a major teaching hospital, performed a pioneering procedure that saved the life of a critically ill patient. It was a marathon effort involing a large team of medical professionals and took the better part of a day. Soon thereafter, the governor of the state he lived in heard of his exploits. A special day was declared in the legislature. The lawmakers wished to send large amounts of money to continue his work. Finally an elaborate dinner ceremony with the good doctor as the guest of honor was arranged. The doctor not only declined the dinner ceremony, but asked that it be cancelled. He did ask to appear before the lawmakers to discuss what should happen with the money.

The day arrived for him to speak to the lawmakers. He explained that he was the youngest of three brothers. All of them were doctors. He explained how his middle brother was very good at diagnosing problems in patients while the problems were still small. He had prevented many people from becoming very sick. As such, he was only known as one the better physicians in his county. His oldest brother was able to diagnose problems before they even happened (i.e. preventative medicine) and had prevented an equal number of people from ever getting sick. As such, he wasn't recognized as being any good. The younger brother explained that he was not the greatest physician, rather it was his oldest brother. That is where the money should go towards. Preventing things before they happen. Where the most benefit can be realized for the least amount of money.

So what is my point? When we ask for the greatest presidents we hear Lincoln, Washington, Roosevelt etc. Undeniably they presided over some of the darkest times in our country's history. My assertion is greatness is not necessarily found in overcoming mountains, but in stopping things and changing course while it is a molehill. The greatest President would therefore be one who presided over a calm, prosperous period devoid of strife, corruption, or international intrigue.

If Lincoln were "great" he would have been able to defuse Southern secession and put an end to slavery (as had the rest of the Western world at that time). If Lincoln were a "good" President he would have ended the war quickly to prevent the wholesale destruction of the South as well as a per capita casualty count that made all other wars this country has fought in look tame by comparison. Nope, Lincoln was a so-so President that gutted it out. I could make similar arguments against Washington and Roosevelt. The one major difference with Roosevelt being he inherited a huge damn economic mess from a Republican administration. Sound familiar? However, he should have started playing rough with the Fascists starting in '36 and '37. It's what a "great" president would have done.

I'm going to keep my comments about the war on drugs brief. Far all I know I might have discussed it earlier. Certain 'illegal' drugs need to be made legal or at least decriminalized. We as a nation need to have a rational examination about what drugs do and don't do. What is safe, what is not. What is safe to produce, distribute, etc. and what is not. What are the effects of long-term use? Casual use? Heavy use? And have it done by scientists that are armed with data. What we have is elected officials that still believe that only black jazz musicians smoke marijuana and that hippies are jumping off of cliffs, believing they can fly, after taking LSD. After they work themselves into a puritanical frenzy they go home and take some Xanax.

Ask yourself, what is more dangerous alcohol or marijuana? Before you answer, look up the LD50's on each.

People throughout history have always wanted to get high. Criminalizing it is new to the last 100 years or so. We have spent untold billions on the war on drugs. We've lost.

Finally, CJ's chili dogs. In a word........"DON"T".

Motivational Phrases

2009-03-02T08:28:00.000-08:00

So I'm eating a can of Beefaroni this morning and reading yesterday's paper. On the cover of Parade is Liza Minelli. The combination of Beefaroni and Liza Minelli should have been enough to have me going for some more of the same promethazine I took last Friday (see previous blog). But since I am a glutton for punishment, I found the article and started reading. I got one sentence in and had had enough.

It started something to the effect, "If you got one foot in yesterday and one foot in tomorrow, you aren't living for today". Nice sentiment Liza. I suppose that gives validation to those of your ilk that are impulsive and do whatever they feel like doing today with no regard for tomorrow.......or the past. But I'm going to stick with you analogy Liza. If one of my legs is in yesterday and one is in tomorrow that leaves my 'third leg' in today. That's exactly how I should think. Of course with your picture staring back at me it's pretty much impossible.

There's a whole slew of motivational phrases out there, many of them contradictory or just plain stupid. There is a company called 'Despair' that has a line of products that spoofs just such phrases. I have had calendars from them for the past three years. Check out their website at despair.com and I think you'll agree.

Ms. Minelli's little acorn of wisdom notwithstanding, the phrase I most loathe is "It's better to aim for the stars and miss, than aim for the mud and hit it". There's one thing I find wrong and even offensive about this one. Those of us who have more realistic goals bristle at the notion that they are aiming for the mud. Perhaps we could have NASA retool this phrase. You have to have sub-orbital missions, then orbital, before you attempt the moon. Why, because it is highly unlikely you will make the moon in one shot and billions will be wasted and the lives of the crew will be sacrificed. Of course, people that adhere to the always shoot for the stars philosophy probably wouldn't understand what I just wrote. So keep aiming for the starts children!

As a reference back to the previous blog. Apparently the last part of "The Wrestler" features Mickey Rourke going up against his former arch-nemesis called "The Ayotollah". In the movie he was a guy named Bob who owned a car dealership in Arizona. The reason I dredged this up again, is because there are some Hollywood types visiting Iran this week. And the Iranian government used it as an opportunity to rail against the portrayal of Iranians in movies. They didn't like the stereotypes in "the Wrestler". I suppose someone hadn't explained professional wrestling to these morons. It is a passion play FOR morons. It is about nothing but sterotypes. And this Bob guy probably wasn't named Rafsanjani.

The Iranian government also objected to Persian portrayal in the movie '300'. The Greeks were pious family men, while the Persians were oversexed degenerates. (The few Greeks and Persians I know are all relatively pious family men and women. Including one of the single pharmacists I work with that should try a little sexual debauchery before he marries). Fair enough I suppose, except this happened over 2000 years ago. It would be like me objecting to the portrayal of the Swiss in 'Gladiator'. My Aunt Babetta, if she were still alive, would correctly point out that those filthy barbarians were either Germans or Austrians. Not Swiss.

Hand held movie cameras and public health

2009-02-27T13:02:00.000-08:00

In my entire life I 've only walked out of three movies. The first was Oh God Book II. I don't really remember much about it, except it had an interminably cute ten-year old girl and George Burns wasting my time. The second was Showgirls. I don't really remember much about it either, except that one chick with the overbite and Gina Gershon were topless for much of the movie. In hindsight, I'm not so sure what made that such a bad thing. I just remember getting up and leaving. Today was my third movie.

Now before I say what this movie was, I want people to know that I actually watched most of "The Blair Witch Project" (the rest I listened too in the aisle). You see, I get nauseated fairly easy by the shaky camera techniques. It doesn't add realism......or grit.......or integrity........or anything else good. It just makes me sick to watch. Blair Witch was the first movie I recall watching with this camera use. It was also a truly dreadful movie. But my new champ is "The Wrestler".

I like movies about redemption. Characters that realize the futility, or destructiveness of the path they have followed, who realize that they must change. Of course, the protagonist had screwed things up so badly I doubt he was going to make it. Even if the cameras had been mounted on a tripod this movie would have still sucked. With still cameras, I would have been physically able to view it without having to reach for my bucket of popcorn so I could fill it with puke. I don't know whether the movie ended well, poorly, or ambiguously. By the time I got up and left, I was convinced it just wasn't going to end!

The nausea that I felt was so severe, that I came right home and took a 25 mg Promethazine. I've feeling much better now. There were two good things about that movie though and Marisa Tomei had both of them. She's like my age I think. NICE!!

On to topic number two. I got some mail today reminding me that my daughter (who will be entering 7th grade) will need her immunizations to be current. It just two nausea-fueled (thanks to the movie) tangential leaps to think about the people that get incensed about young girls being immunized with Gardisil starting at twelve or so. For those not in the know, Gardisil is a vaccine against HPV which causes a large amount of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is a huge killer of young women worldwide. The vaccine makes a huge reduction in the incidence of cervical cancer. The people that developed it should have won the Nobel Prize for medicine. At the very least, I hope they are making gobs of money. They deserve it.

Anyway, I digress. The point I wished to make was that Gardisil has to be given BEFORE a woman becomse sexually active. There are those who bristle at the idea of the implication that girls as young as my daughter are sexually active. Infact, the thought of my daughter being sexually active is repugnant to me also. However, this isn't about morality, or propriety, or anything else but public health.

Are kids aren't supposed to start drinking until they are 21. Does that mean we should withhold any discussion about the dangers of excess alcohol consumption or drunk driving until they are 20? Of course not! Even the puritanical blowhards would have to agree with me on this one. So my advice to all those with young daughters is this. Get her immunized on time. If your feeling nauseated, come by the house. I've got a few extra promethazine.

One more thing. I don't want anybody in my presence to misuse the word nauseous. People always say I feel nauseous. Some people are I suppose, but most are nauseated not nauseous. For example: If I eat an unidentified mushroom and get very sick it is because I was POISONED by a POISONOUS mushroom. If I eat a rancid 7-11 burrito it is because I became NAUSEATED by a NAUSEOUS item of food. I might also say I was nauseated after seeing that nauseaous movie. That's about it for now.

Fat Tony and the Nobel Peace Prize

2009-02-16T13:50:00.000-08:00

There is a movement afoot in our state to put limits on the interest rates charged by payday lenders. I think the entire industry is unsavory. I also think that regulations are not needed.

People fall into the trap of being stuck with these loans every payday and cannot get out. These people are fools and need protection. But will it help? I've often heard the quote, "you can't fool an honest man". You can draw your own conclusions about what type of people I think are getting trapped in these schemes.

Back in the day, Fat Tony would make you a loan for a week and you'd him back an extra 10% in two weeks. Of course, Check City won't send their goons out to break you legs when you don't pay. They have to go to court. Nobody dared rob Fat Tony, because they'd end up dead. Check City needs the glass, the safes, the security etc. and all that stuff costs money. The cost of providing this microcredit is large, hence the large interest rates.

I'd like to see these payday lenders, as they exist now, all go out of business. HOWEVER, the need for rapid microcredit is very real, very large, and ignored. Let's assume that my furnace went out today. Say that I'd need $500 bucks to fix it. I could cover it with checking. If not, I could use my credit card. Not everyone can do that though. I think credit cards are foolish. I keep one with a 500 dollar line for making online hotel reservations, car rentals, etc. that I won't use my debit card on for security purposes. I could go the bank tomorrow and fill out the paperwork. And in a few days I'd have my answer. It's only because I have a job, a home, and a decent credit score. What about everyone else.

We need to find ways for the Regular Joes to get access to small loans. One suggestion is to pretty much make these types of loans to women. Women don't squander money like men do. When they say I want to borrow 500 dollars for a used sewing machine and start-up supplies they will use it for that purpose. Another example could be $1200 for a greenhouse and some drip irrigation equipment to grow organic vegetables. This is the type of stuff that is being done routinely in some countries in an effort to ease poverty. I think it can be done here. Microindsutries are viable, expecially in agricultural products.

Down's syndrome, parents that need their children's forgiveness, and memory loss

2009-02-15T17:09:00.000-08:00

I'm going to start with the memory loss portion first.....before I forget. This morning I had wanted to rant about three different things. I went to church and came up with a fourth. But now I'm back down to two, because I forgot the other two. Either that or they weren't of any significance and should be relegated to the ravings of an overweigkt lunatic. Me.

Wait! I just remembered! In an earlier blog I mentioned that extreme political positions are to ignored. I'm still waiting for Obama to stick it to the far left. I wanted to sing the praises of our own Governor Huntsman who has come out in favor of civil unions. The far right took out a full page advertisement in the paper today. I started reading it. I got about a third the way through and went looking for some promethazine. Which helped me remember the other thing that I wanted to mention before I get to the actual topics mentioned in the title.

I am opposed to abortion, except in the case of rape, incest, or the life of the mother is in jeopardy. This is the mantra of the far right. They pretty much got it right on this issue. I am also in favor of abortion when the child will not enjoy a quality of life befitting a human. I'll get back to this later.

Naturally I support measures that reduce the numbers of abortions performed in this country. Whether it be better and more readily available prenatal care, age appropriate sex eduation in the schools, Planned Parenthood, and all the other things that the right wishes to do away with. Anybody care to venture a guess about whether there were more or less abortion during the Clinton years? Anybody want to guess what happened under W? The one thing that is most often ignored in the abortion debate is POVERTY. When people don't have jobs they are more likely to have abortions. Especially all the 'healthy white ones' that some adoptive parents clamor over. Poverty and jobs are a moral issue just like abortion. Anybody care to guess about the correlation between level of education and abortion rates? Education is a moral issue. So instead of passing more laws, placing more restrictions, let's deal with the reasons women have abortions to begin with.

I mentioned earlier that certain defects should be considered in deciding when to have an abortion. There was an op-ed piece in the Deseret News railing against the evils of a more reliable (and safer than amniocentesis) test for determining whether a fetus has Down's. Again the far right has things partially right when they say that Down's patients should not be aborted. Most should not be. Most in this country are. The test is not evil. What we as a nation are doing can be argued. Hopefully this test will lead to more reliable tests that can determine the severity of the what the child will have. Then better choices can be made, more Down's children will live and not be aborted.

Earlier I alluded to a quality of life befitting a human. Perhaps I should quickly clarify. One should be aware of one's environment. One should be able to continue to learn. One should be able to experience joy and sadness, pain and pleasure, loss and gain, and have some measure of perspective about what is right and wrong. One should have eventually have some measure of independence.

One of the tenets of my religious beliefs is not only a hereafter but familes persisting. My father died a few years back. I hope to be reunited with him someday. Yet I fear that my father will likely be angry at me for letting his life extend past the point where the previous paragraph would not define his existence. I should have liked to have done what he often told to do when I was younger, "John, if I ever get so bad that I'm not living any more you have to promise that you'll just shoot me". Sorry Dad. I am genuinely sorry I had to prolong things, but I would have gone to jail had I done what you wanted. Were it not Alzheimers, but some type of genetic conversion whereby people became progressively Down's, or spina bifida, or anencephalic there would be an outpouring of understanding for those who might want to prevent it from progressing past a certain point.

Finally, I wish to rail against a common attitude of supposedly adult children when a parent dies and the other remarries. It happened today in church. One of the speakers went on and on about her divine nature in 'forgiving' her father for remarrying after her mother passed. I take special exception to this being someone who has lost a spouse and remarried.

We don't need anyone's fortgiveness because we have done nothing wrong. I don't know the specifics of this particular couple, but I can't imagine a scenario whereby he shouldn't remarry. People have notions I suppose that one should 'grieve' for a certain period of time. And should stay single, alone, and unhappy after that. I encountered some of this when I started to piece together the lives of me and my boys. After Teresa's funeral, the boys and I drove her best friend to the burial. Her friend was living in the Bay area, for about a year previous, and had barely flown in. Imagine the sight of me getting out of the van with a blond with a spiky-haired blond, who had a loooooooong hug for me and a kiss for both boys. Some must have thought I brought a date!

Why did I remarry so soon? Not that it's anybody's business, but because my first wife had told me to. She must have had some premonition I suppose. Starting a few months before she died, she would tell me that if she died that she wanted me to remarry right away. Less than five months after it happened, I had remarried. Many were aghast. The one group that it could have been the most expected from was Teresa's family. In fact, they were the most supportive and understanding. They were all happy that the boys had a new mom (and two new brothers!). They went out of their way to make my new family their family. This act of true divine nature is one that I shall not forgive nor be able to repay.

symptoms

2009-01-28T17:47:00.000-08:00

I can no longer hold my peace. I am going to complain about certain of the patients I try to help.

Patients ask what is the "best" thing for a cold. I ask the symptoms and invariably the first thing they say is I have 'sinus'.

Let me make this very simple. 'Sinus' is a body part NOT a symptom. Are your sinuses congested, running, dry, painful, dripping blood etc.?

What would happen if I went to the Instacare for a urinary tract infection and when I am asked the problem I answer, I have "penis". Instead of leaving with seven days of Cipro and/or Pyridium I'd be laughed at (or leave with an Rx for Levitra).

Politics, scholarship, suburban angst

2009-01-26T18:41:00.000-08:00

I was asked recently if I had any political views. My answer was 'yes'.

Today my oldest son received a letter from the department of Education inviting him to apply for some Presidential this, that, or the other thing. He would get to go to Washington D.C. with about 140 other kids nationwide. They will get a medal, attend some 'functions', and get to meet the President. NO MONEY for school mind you, just the trip and the fun.

Well it turns out that he has to fill out an application. He's been filling out lots of applications lately. And assembling portfolios. He has promised that his latest portfolio will be like nothing anyone else has written. So here's my concerns: The kid has strong and mature political views. I have myself to blame I suppose. I am an economist. I analyze the world with this in mind. And warfare of course. I have studied both since I was sixteen. As I answered earlier, I have definite political views.

I told my son that he need not shrink from, nor modify his beliefs. He needs to be careful about what he says. Not for fear that it may offend, or alienate, but to make sure that what he states is clear, concise, and most importantly what he believes. I have always taught him to challenge others beliefs. I have taught him to recognize authority where it exists and to respect that which earns respect. I have failed in one key regard though. He has yet to challenge me. Not once has he said, "how can you believe that" or better yet "you're full of it old man!".

Our relationship has obviously been that of father/son. But it has at times taken on that of teacher/student. The student is always reluctant to challenge the master. He has already surpassed me on a few academic fronts. That is to be expected. His analyses and the styles he employs leave me anxious about the path he will be eventually drawn to. He wishes to study physics and mathematics. One day he wants to work at CERN. I don't see that happening for him unless he challenges me in a timely fashion. I see him clutching the Nobel Prize for economics. And maybe providing sage advice for some knucklehead President of the United States that he met back in the summer of 2009 at a conference for presidential scholars.

I fail to grasp why economics and human decency and compassion have to be politicized. Perhaps my son can make it possible. I certainly haven't. One of my views is summed up nicely from the closing lines of Brecht's 'Caucasian Chalk Circle'.

Take note of what men of old concluded:
That which there is shall to go those who are good for it.
Children to the motherly, that they prosper.
Carts to good drivers, that they might be driven well.
The valley to the waterers, that it yield fruit

Gaelic pride and our new president

2009-01-20T22:14:00.000-08:00

Before I start anything, I would ask the gentle reader to finish the whole thing before drawing conclusions or getting your ire up.

Oooooh. Ire up. Irish. That reminds me about a chick I saw at a St. Paddy's day event. She was wearing a 'wife-beater' that said "Werin no bragh" .......and she wasn't. Very nice!!

We have a new president now. One who has promised to bring people together. Like many of the other problems facing our president this one is difficult and has no quick fixes. We are very much a polarized nation (but not as much). Some people would point to this and say we haven't made progress. We have though.

Those who occupy the poles are going to be quickly disappointed with our new president. We have those who are obsessing on the 'historical' significance of a black man becoming president. It's a celebration of everything African-American. Black culture has been validated at last, validated at last, Great God almighty validated at last. My evidence? Look no further than the train-wreck of a performance that was Aretha Franklin. Back in the day that woman could SING. Today, she sounded like a tired, old, woman. So why her? I suppose for what she represented.....whatever that was. Well, I shouldn't complain. It could have been Fantasia Berino.

These folks that are so keen on his blackness are going to be very disappointed when he shows up for work tomorrow and starts working on America's problems and not 'black America's' problems. The problems of black America cannot be solved from above. They are a function of dysfunction. The same dysfunction that affects poor white, brown, and every other color of fpoor folks. Poverty, and it's trans-generational perpetuation have a cause. Obama realizes this. There remains enormous disparity in between blacks and whites. That is only part of the picture however. We have an entire spectrum of people that live in this country. Most do not complain about being victims.

The other pole is the crackers that are predicting doom. Just say it folks (preferrably in a soft Southern drawl), "I'm pissed off that a Nigger is the president". That way you could at least be honest. As for your predictive 'analysis', I'd recommend you go shovel it somewhere else. I despise the word 'nigger'. Always have. It's what they are thinking though. I would enjoy watching these people suffer. When Obama and Congress get their acts together, problems will be fixed. Then even the lot of the cracker will improve.

Those on the one pole would have voted for a lobotomized felon......as long as he were black. With the other pole, you could have the most imminently qualified man on earth be selected against solely because he was black. I don't know why anybody should listen to either side. Extremism is bullshit, EVERY SINGLE TIME!!

And now for the progress part that I promised. Obama wasn't elected because of a culmination of efforts by the black community. There political power is waning in fact, as is white America's. (How far off is a Latino president? Or an Asian? They're the ones picking up influence due to demographic changes). Obama was elected because he stood for change in how this country does business both at home and abroad. This appealed to enough of 'white' middle America that he won. Gore did it barely, but lost anyway(I voted for Nader). Kerry couldn't do it (I forgot who I voted for......but Marilyn Chambers was the vice-presidential candidate). Obama did it convincingly. The fact that Obama is black is merely incidental to some of us. That, ladies and gentlemen is the progress that we have made as a nation. Fifty years ago, everyone would have cared. We were a lot more polarized back then if you think about it. The playwright Henrik Ibsen said that the minority is always right. I am a white, middle-class American who voted for Obama. Most people like me voted McCain. I am in the minority. Therefore, I ELECTED OBAMA. People like me were the critical mass that made his ascendency possible. People like me teach our children not to hate merely because of where a person is from or what color his skin is. People like me teach our children to confront evil. People like me realize that there decent people come in all hues. So does the "trash".

I am relieved that we have a President that will speak with all parties involved. Even the 'evil' ones. I'm glad that we have someone that will restore our alliances and international credibility. I'm pleased that we have a man that will not defer resolutions or distribute blame. I pray he will tackle our problems head on. Fix the obvious ones first. Mostly, I am thrilled that we have a president that is my intellectual equal. The last Republican that could claim that was Reagan. Of course, I was only 16 at the time. Come to think of it, my 17 year old has it all over 'W'.

Fusion cuisine and exclusive subdivision nomenclature

2009-01-10T19:44:00.000-08:00

Tonight, my wife and I went out with friends of ours. We went to Takashi. It was great. But it got me thinking about the nature of 'fusion' food. Sometimes, you can combine various elements of different styles of cuisine and come up with something truly unique. Most often, you get something that is unique but nonetheless forgettable.

In one of my previous entries I spoke of the Spice Market Buffet in the Holy City. I guess why I like it and other casino buffets so much is that they do fusion how it should be. The Spice market doesn't combine Japanese and Eastern Med cuisine to make something new. The sushi is over there, the lamb and hummus is over here. They have traditional recipes from a wide variety of styles. That is what I want from a restaurant. The only place I can get it is buffets. I close my eyes and dream about a place where the menu is varied every day (something like the French Laundry but with man-sized portions.....none of that 'tasting' menu BS)

Todays menu is:

- Lobster bisque (traditional French) for the soup
- Sunomono (traditional Japanese) for the salad
- Spaghetti Bolognese (traditional Italian)
- Flan (traditional Mexican) for dessert

See what I mean? Traditional old school recipes from different styles making a meal. Not a bastardized mish-mash of the four styles combined into something uninspired.

Did I mention that I despise hip youngsters wearing black as part of the ambience? Life is a bitch when you are young, white, and affluent!

Next-

What is so wrong with long straight streets, laid out geometrically? Even better is when the streets are named according to their relative coordinate (N/S/E/W) and a street light is nearby to illuminate it. And while we're at it, let's connect all the roads.

Tonight was the latest adventure I had with the 'exclusive' subdivisions of the town I live in. On uneven terrain and canyons and the like the roads and homes would have to conform to the topography. This is to be expected. But when the terrain is flat, the roads need not twist and bend and terminate in an endless array of cul-de-sacs, From the air, it probably looks like someone's lungs. The problem is this. When I wish to move from alveoli to an adjacent alveoli I should not have to pick my way clear up to the bronchus. At one point I could SEE the back of the house and had to drive and weave another 6 blocks to get there.

The street names are long and hence difficult to read at night especially when NOT lit. One in particular I remember was Logan Canyon Road/Avenue/Way/Drive/Street/Parkway/Place or maybe it was Boulevard. Hell that's got a lot of letters. It had to be boulevard! You cannot read the damn thing until you are ten feet away. You cannot see more than a half a block down the road so you have no clue if it is a through street or not. And most are not. By the way, Logan Canyon is a 100 miles away

I've got a better idea. Rename the streets to something more accurate. Wandering Cows Street. Or Sorry, your pizza is going to be late Avenue. NO wait! I've got it. The police/fire department/ambulance all got lost on the way to your place BOULEVARD. Put it all on a street sign and turn off the F***ing lights!

An oasis of great Mexican food and musings on Mormon culture

2009-01-07T21:47:00.000-08:00

There is a place called 'El Parral' in Tremonton Utah. It is one of the very few Mexican restaurants where I truly clean my plate. The gentle reader is no doubt familiar with the obligatory shredded lettuce and chunks of tomato that litters the side of every plate of Mexican food. Nobody eats it. So why bother putting it there?

El Parral uses shredded cabbage and a bit of carrot and marinates it in salt (YUM). The chile verde is top notch. The chicken mole ain't too bad either. They're fast, friendly and affordable. I caught my oldest checking out the ass of the waitress. I suppose if I were 17 ..........well next topic.

The reason my entire family was in Tremonton today was for mother-in-law's funeral. Let me say up front that she was a kind, devoted, and decent woman. She loved all of my kids as grandchildren, not just the ones that were hers biologically. So on the outside chance that somebody from that part of the family stumbles across this blog, I must say that none of what I am about to say is specific to her on the family. It did get me thinking about some things is all.

Funeral food: As it turns out funeral potatoes and ham loaf aren't a Utah phenomena. Ask anyone that has lived in the midwest, especially Minnesota and the Dakotas. But, the startling uniformity of funeral food coupled with the metal folding chairs, and eating with a fair amount of people I don't know, prompted my visit to El Parral instead of the Tremonton 6th ward basketball court.

They call it compassionate service. I suppose it is. The people that show up and prepare the food, set up the tables/chairs etc. are doing it out of respect and perhaps love for the families involved. I'm not sure how my eating this slop fits into the grieving process though.

If they really wanted to have a meal that honored my mother-in-law they could have served the same food she served for family parties. There would be the roast beef that is something akin to the ham. Salty au-jus, thin-sliced, just pile it on a bun and eat it. But we also could have had her candied yams (YUM), her shrimp and macaroni salad (just take it easy on the green onion), and some greens besides iceberg lettuce with the Ranch dressing they sell at the local market. I despise Ranch......truly........but the stuff they sell ain't bad.

The second topic of Mormon culture I wish to mention is the blessing of children. For those who aren't familiar with this practice I'll briefly explain. According to the faith (LDS) that I belong to, there are several ordinances that are necessary. Things such as baptism would make sense to any Christian denomination. There is also 'confirmation', marriage, and a series of ordinances that occur in our temples. These are sometimes referred to as saving ordinances.

The point I wish to make is that blessing of children is NOT a saving ordinance, but it nonetheless a strong enough part of the culture that people outside the church would make the assumption that it is. There is some pragmatic parts of the whole process. The child, almost always a newborn, is given a name that they will be known by in Church records. The name is practically always the child's legal name. The child is thereby introduced to the congregation.

Stay with me know, I'm getting to my point. The second part of the blessing is the actual blessing which is supposed to be given as the 'spirit dictates'. In my life I have done three. All were over within 60 seconds. I gave all three children what I believed were meaningful, but succinct blessings. Which brings me finally to my point. The uniformity of what everyone else does.

They don't give the child a blessing. Instead they have a 'wish-list' as follows:
- strong mind and body
- example to your family
- baptized at eight
- receive the Priesthood starting at 12 (for males)
- serve a mission
- get married in the temple (hey weren't they supposed to go to college somewhere in there?)
- have your own kids

It is especially confused when you have grandfathers, uncles, brother, etc. doing the blessing. That means the father is either AWOL, a non-member, or a member that might as well not be.
I say they should mix things up a bit as follows:

- bless you not to end up a screw-up like one or both of your parents
- bless you with not getting knocked up (or doing the knocking up) early which the parents invariably did
- bless you with the infinite wisdom to listen to people that know what they are doing, unlike your parents or apparently your grandparents.
- bless you and your family with the wherewithal to get the f**k out of our basement apartment.
- bless you with a classic education with a hard science grounding and aheavy emphasis on writing.

That should about do it for me!

Remember go to the El Parral in Tremonton.

fighting totalitarianism, Obama, and the Boy Scouts

2008-12-31T08:40:00.000-08:00

So my kid went and saw 'Valkyrie' starring Tom Cruise as General Claus v. Moonbeam errr Stauffenberg. It also features 'Priscilla queen of the desert' as one of the conspirators. Wow, maybe we could some of the guys from Braveheart!

I've not seen it nor have I any intention of doing so. I got burned on 'Enemy at the Gates'. It is one of the best war epice I've ever read, but the movie...........uggh. And what is my tangential association between the two? Well, much has been made between the purported resemblance between Cruise and Stauffenberg. I have to chuckle. BUT Jude Law (who was in Enemy at the Gates), could have an uglier brother in Stauffenberg.

Anyway, the story surrounds a group of German 'patriots' that try to kill Der Fuhrer before he leads Germany to ruin. Nice sentiment, but a load of crap. By summer 1944 (when this took place) the war was already over for the Germans. The Americans were hung up on unconditional surrender, and the Brits were largely obliged to do what we did at that point. But all of that meant nothing. The Soviet juggernaut had already been in full force since the Summer of 1943. All that remained to be determined was how far west the Soviets would get. Germany was already doomed. While it is true that the Americans beat the Japanese single-handedly, we were a secondary player in Europe. The Soviets inflicted 85% of all the military casualties that the Germans experienced. (The Americans covered the gap in civilian casualties with such niceties as the firebombing of Dresden). The American campaigns in North Africa, Italy, and finally France diverted how many German divisions from the Eastern Front. None.......yup nothing. During the siege of Leningrad alone, in the battle for just one city, they lost more people than the U.S. did during the entire war both in Europe and the Pacific. It is true that we sent the Soviets equipment, food, fuel, etc.through Murmansk and we paid a high price for it in ships and crews. But we were just helping the Soviets who did the vast majority of the fighting.

What was I supposed to be writing about? Oh yeah, fighting totalitarianism. The time to shut down Hitler was back in the late 30's. But since the German army was at most complicit, and at the least inactive, during Hitler's ascendance they are somewhat responsible. They all thought Hitler was just swell through the Fall of 1941 when they were unbeaten. The writing was already on the wall in 1937 and they failed to act.

There was a Soviet Field Marshall by the name of Mikhail Tukhachevsky that tried to do something about it in 1937. His plan was to use Polish and Czech ground troops supported by Soviets tanks, paratroopers, and air (the largest air force in the world at the time). He presented his case to Stalin and was purged and executed for his trouble. Perhaps he should have brought a bomb to one of the staff meetings with Uncle Joe?

Which leads me to Obama. There is a passage in the Tao te Ching that reads: "when the people no longer fear your power, it is a sign that a greater power is coming". Obviously this nation is still divided by race and class. Bush exploited it twice to get elected. It is a common tactic of psychological warfare to create inner dissent and mistrust. I see it a little different. This battle is not one of race, nor wealth (and the 'class' that is implied). It is a battle between those who wish this country to be strong again and those that are adrift and are too stupid to realize it.

Some people refer to it as a 'moral' center. I prefer the term 'ethical', since morality is so often defined by those with extreme positions. We need to return to principles of fairness, civility, and striving for a larger goal. Our nation was united during WWII. Both black and white united for a greater cause. Even the military desegregated long before the rest of society did.

There is not racism in the Army since everyone is the same color......green. (Of course the black-green guys always ended up cleaning the latrines while the white-green guys rested for about 30 years). I believe that Obama is the right man for this country. He embodies the American ideals of effort and struggle paying off. Of course, only time will tell.

And finally scouting. I read an article today that bemoans the fact that scouting has become a club for white middle-class suburbia and their push to include mor Hispanics. To all the 'Silver Beavers' out there I'll say this slowly and easy to comprehend words. Scouting is a waste of time. At least in what it has evolved into. It has tried too hard and too long to 'reach out' to 'include' that it has become diluted down and irrelevant.

Scouting was formed to improve the quality of military conscripts. What's wrong with that? Today's soldiers don't need to know twenty different knots perhaps, but the lessons to be learned in wilderness situations abound. There lessons in dealing with the elements. They can learn how to manage fatigue and hunger. There are lessons of reliance on everyone doing their job. There are opportunities for real leadership to EMERGE and not be assigned. Merit badges, skill awards, are a waste of time. Instead of garish patches for attendance at some bulls**t Jamborall (or an equally ridiculous Eagle project) we can have a small button that shows they completed a 50 mile hike through wilderness, or a winter camp which involved more than building snow huts in the parking lot.

Our scouts did just such a thing a few summers back. They went on a fifty mile loop that crossed the spine of the Uintas twice. I was not able to go with them when they did. I did hike in about 4 miles the last day and met up with them at their final camp. I knew that they would be in pretty tough shape by then and thought the worst. I also suspected that they were going to veer of the planned route and cut cross country to the final campsite. They didn't disappoint me. They emerged about 80 meters and 30 minutes late into a meadow I knew they would end up in. Some of them thought it was a miracle I knew. Nope, just good map skills and undertanding the nature of covering territory, especially when you are tired.

They were loud enough that I was able to shift my position such that I was hiding behind a tree and was able to jump out and say 'boo'. at the prceise moment they left the forest. (Perhaps a later blog will deal with how to avoid being ambushed). I was very pleased to see their line was tight and moving and there was no dissension or bickering. I suspect some real lessons had been learned. Of course, I gave them another lesson, the need for salty-ass food when on the trail. I ported in two grocery bags filled to the brim with Chips and Doritos. Within five minutes they had all been eaten. And I only had to yell at one dumb-ass to pick up the bags.

I'm not the Angry Pharmacist

2008-12-29T19:20:00.000-08:00

Really I'm not. Everybody should read his blog though. He used the phrase "a nebulizer treatment of 00 buckshot" in his last tirade. Poetry. Pure poetry.

I have tried very hard to avoid talking about customers and pharmacy work in general because I do not wish to be compared to nor accused of imitating TAP.

I had two absolute gems that came in today. The first wanted to get a few bottles of Fleet PhosphoSoda. This was withdrawn from US markets about a week back. Some docs are still not aware as well as most of the public. We've been doing a lot of explaining of options to patients that need the stuff. And so we explained it to this guy. He went off on a two minute tirade about why he had to have this product. When he was done I repeated that it has been withdrawn from the US markets and he just looked at me and finally asked, "so that means you won't sell me any?".

I hate to say customers are dumb. Many are confused, angry, sick, elderly (at least the ones with dementia), playing stupid, or flat out lying. But this guy.......wow!

The second wanted to pick up some prescriptions. I asked her for the patient's name. Her answer? "I don't know!" I thought perhaps she thought I asked her which medication (or perhaps in one of my pre-Alzheimer moments I actually did ask which drug), so I asked again "what is the patient's name" and she answered more stridently this time, "I DON"T KNOW". She made two phone calls and was eventually able to get an accurate DOB and a last name that was close, but not correct. Since it was for prenatal vitamins, I let it go.

Whew! I'll try not to rant about work again. This was just a perfect storm of absurdity. I kept waiting for Allan Funt to come around the corner but it didn't happen.

The suckiest part of the holidays are behind us now. I keep hearing the song in my head about "it's the most wonderful time of the year". Really?

"It's the most wonderful time of the year.....all the cutthroat are biting, the campgrounds are empty, makes me want to cheer.......it's the most wonderful time of the year". It's the first week of October. I can go for a day long hike and take a leak when I want to. Nobody on the trail to disturb my solitude. I also don't have to watch some doofus with a stringer of 12 inch planters that he took on powerbait. Maybe one day I'll catch a fish while taking a leak.

"The" Christmas spirit.......and Zac Efron

2008-12-20T17:26:00.001-08:00

Well perhaps I should start with young Master Efron. I have always received particular joy from celebrities that have a good thing going (whether it be a TV show, writing a book, a singer etc.), and being consumed by their delusional importance of their 'art'. A classic example is Anthony Edwards. He is after all the real reason that people made 'Top Gun' a success. Then he was on 'ER'. He left and..............well it worked for Clooney didn't it?

Anyway.........I never watched even one episode of 'ER', but I do read the National Enquirer rather faithfully. So I follow the trajectory of human wreckage that is Hollywood and keep my pulse on pop culture. I also shake my head in amazement that Brad Pitt turned up his nose at Jennifer Aniston for a tattooed skank that Billy Bob Thornton had left for being just too damn weird. But I digress.

I listened to about 3 minutes of the 'High School Musical' soundtrack. Now I understand why Mr. Efron is so very desperate to so something new.

On to the Christmas Spirit. This time of year is filled with the teary-eyed recountings of tales about finding THE true meaning of Christmas. I actually think some of the stuff that South Park does captures the meaning for 10 year olds when Cartman sings about it being a time of Christmas trees and pies and Jesus being born and so he gets presents. Again..... I digress.

Christmas is a time of giving and caring and reaching out to our fellow man. Right? Sure I suppose. January is colder and the bills come due though. Excuse me if I am a bit of a grump, but I'm not going to put any special emphasis on the three week period that we are in. I'm going to try and be a bit more vigilant for people, and especially family and friends, for the other 51 weeks.

I like parties where people can relax, enjoy some good food, and enjoy reconnecting and each others company. I despise gift giving between those of us that have stuff. On the other hand, helping out others that ain't got stuff can be sublime.

I guess my whole rambling diatribe can be brought back on track and simply condensed as follows. There is no "THE" Christmas spirit. It is an individual striving and realization, and one that hopefully persists year round. Certainly there were miracles surrounding the birth of Christ, but they of little significance when compared to the greatest miracle he brought about. Namely his dying for all of us. Perhaps we should give a shit next Easter beyond coloring eggs and eating lousy candy. We close down the country for Christmas......Easter is just another Sunday. And people say I'm screwed up!

academia, soaking, and rumors

2008-12-05T19:27:00.000-08:00

I'm proud of all my children. I hope everyone is proud of their own, even when they have not done anything extraordianry. This week son number one was named the Sterling Scholar in mathematics at his high school. The same ward I received in the 81-82 school year at mine.

There are some differences between our respective situations. High class is about double the size of mine. He was able to take all the math that is taught in high school. I wasn't. In my high school, they cancelled calculus because only 8 people signed up for it. That was really a chicken-shit thing to do. The same thing happened with AP Chemistry when I was a Junior. I was the only person to enroll. The teacher wanted to teach it too....even with one kid. I went to an inner-city school and I was denied opportunity. Now consider the case of people that are brought up poor and non-white. Draw you own conclusions.

My son got 5's on all his AP exams, and carries a 3.9-something GPA. He interviewed well and has very defined views as he enters the adult world. One thing he didn't get? A 36 on the math section of the ACT. I'll always have that to lord over him.

I went for a soak today at DFHS. When I was on my way out, about 1/4 of a mile from the trailhead, some goofus came running towards me down a steep section of trail. I turned towards the noise and moved off the trail instinctively. This guy had a mohawk, the gauged ears, and a coat over a naked torso. But what really caught my eye was the shiny metal object in his hand. I put my staff in defensive position in case he didn't slow down. I shifted to attack stance as he stopped. I doubt this kid realized how close he got to dying today. I am also gladthat I didn't kill someone for brandishing a harmonica. Yup.....a harmonica.

Finally, it appears that some of my coworkers have been reading my blog. I'm not exactly sure how they stumbled upon it though. This is more of an anonymous confessional or perhaps a chrolog of my descent into pre-Alzheimers. Anyway, let me tell you something about Ryan Ball. I shared a hotel room with him for a couple of nights in Vegas so I KNOW what I am about to write is true. He has this 'thing' for MEN's underwear. He'll go to stores and buy it. Then he'll take it home and put it on. After that he'll put clothes on top of it and go to work or other public places. Nobody has any idea that he's wearing men's underwear. You can imagine my shock to find this out. Surely, his wife must be aware of this. Perhaps she has even purchased men's underwear for him when he is either to busy.

the homeless

2008-11-28T14:58:00.000-08:00

Today I saw a guy clutching a nice piece of cardboard that was carefully written upon with lettering that was consistently sized and spelled correctly. I gave him a dollar.

About 13 or 14 years back, I had some time to burn on the 4th of July. So I made up a sign. In smaller print on the edges of the sign I mentioned that I was NOT a Vietnam vet. I was employed currently and not looking to do any work that day. I had a home. And my health was good. In bold letters, centrally placed I put "NEED MONEY FOR BEER". I staked myself out on the Orem Center street exit of I-15 about a hundred feet from a guy that had his sign.......but really did need money for beer.

The most common thing was people would drive by without even looking at me. For hell's sake I'm holding a boldly lettered sign and waving. Feel free to draw any conclusions you wish.

The second most common response was rolling down the window and screaming things such as "Get a job you lazy bum!" I would point to the part of my sign that mentioned my employment status. It dind't seem to matter to them.

The third most common response was people dangling money outside of their windows. I would thank them naturally, but refused. I did request that they not give it to the guy downstream from me however.

Speaking of the guy downstream, he came up to me after about twenty minutes and told me to leave. I gently told him to go f**k himself and continued.

Over the course of two hours, I had tourist types take pictures with me. About three or four asked, "Aren't you my pharmacist?". And eventually the UHP did show up. The officer took my driver's license and issued a stern warning to me about how I was tresspassing (not true by the way), and didn't have the right to panhandle (also not true if I am not impeding traffic nor being aggressive) and how I was in a whole lot of trouble.

I suppose he ran my name for outstanding warrants or whatever the 'po-po' do. By the time he came back my name had changed to Mr. Loertscher. He asked if I was really a pharmacist and what I was doing. I explained how I had a few hours to burn before my mother-in-law's Fourth of July party and (since my sister-in-law was single) invited him to come. He had just started his shift and was working until after 10 pm so he declined.

And then I left.

latest DFHS

2008-11-22T09:45:00.000-08:00

I went up last Saturday with my oldest kid. Never again. The parking lot was filled beyond capacity. People were parking on the shoulder of the access road. Scouts, youth groups, and the usual assortment of loud people.

All of the pools except the lower two (which are always in good shape) were murky and overrun.

I'll be heading back again before the snow shuts me down. I'm also going only on a WEEKDAY. I can clean out the Kokopellis and soak alone and in silence.

Something that I just want to mention briefly is the passing of my nephew Johnny. Our entire clan is crushed. I shall likely think of little else other than him my next time out. I would have liked to have shared such a place with him.

Sushi groupies and a restaurant review

2008-10-22T13:09:00.000-07:00

I had always theorized that they might exist. Hell, my wife and I know our favorite sushi chefs and they know us. (Hey Manadu, the big fat guy and his wife just walked in, start making some Sunomono and I'll get the Oshinko and Hell Roll going. OK Rodel.) So it stands to reason that sushi groupies could occur naturally. To an extent I'm one, I suppose, except I've not consumed by a desire to have sex with my favorite sushi chefs. They will still get a Christmas present though.

Today I saw a sushi groupie at the Mikado in Sandy. This specimen sat down right next to me, even though there were 6 other seats open. Her friend asked with an air of resignation, "are you sure you don't want to get a table?". As soon as her ass flopped on the seat, the incessant chatter began. "Oh I heard Kevin from Mizumi works here now". "Do you know how to make the Kevin number two roll?". "What's your best roll?"

The sushi chef smiled a lot and shot back the occasional 'uh-huh'. But he answered what he thought the best roll was and mentioned that I had just eaten one and that perhaps they should ask me if it's any good. Clearly she had no interest in getting the best roll, she was just trying desperately to engage him in conversation. And he was just as desperately trying to avoid it. She was the kind of girl that I might have dated when I was 22 (starving student), but not 24 (pharmacist with no bills and plenty of time and ...... ahem ....... energy).

No fewer than four times she brought up how Mizumi does things and how Kevin (who used to work at Mizumi, but now works at Mikdao but was NOT there) was so wonderful. I wanted to scream out "Go to Mizumi, leave Kevin alone, and SHUT THE F**K UP while I'm eating!". But being old and feeble I caught the eye of the chef in one of her rare quiet monents........he rolled his eyes........message received.

The bento box lunch was good. As was the sushi. The baby octopus salad was a winner though. The Mikado is good in a pinch for lunch when I don't feel like driving all the way to Suehiro. The sushi seems to have a uniformity to it. They all taste alike.

My favorite sushi is at the Teppanyaki in West Jordan. The Sunomono is the best I've ever had. I can order oshinko and not be treated dismissively. The Hell Roll is my favorite roll ever.

Disneyland

2008-10-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

The entire family went to the mouse, Seaworld, and Magic Mountain the last few days. The kids enjoyed themselves thoroughly. For my wife and I, it was something akin to an endurance event. Long lines for a short tide. Heat and dehydration. Vile food (I ate at In and Out AND Tommy burger within a 16 hour span!) Rush hour traffic making for 3 hour one way commutes. God willing, I shall not go back to any of these until I have grandkids.

This was likely the last vacation we will take with all of us in attendance. My oldest will be in college next fall. I hope to pull off a 'weekend' in the spring though. Something like Lehman's cave then off to Mesquite.

I think it is laughable for couples to go to any of these. Cruises are popular too! Nothing like 5000 people being jammed on a boat and getting hit up for money .....errrrr.......gratuities. Why can't they just say pay 'x' amount of dollars and then you can relax. In short, 'vacations' suck. Simply going somewhere and seeing what happens has always been my thing. Next year about this time I'll be heading down to the St. George marathon. Now that would mean a very definite activity for about 8 hours starting early Saturday morning, but after that I am limited only by the beaten body's capability to move.

My idea of a perfect vacation? I've several depending on the time of year and the time that I have. But I can sum them all up in one paragraph.

Hot Springs

2008-10-07T20:19:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, it's that time of year. I enjoy natural hot springs very much. I find the geology of these places fascinating and of course warm water and quiet can be pretty good also. In this state, I have soaked in four. I'm not talking about the Homestead, Crystal Hot Springs, etc. but places in the public domain where nature still surrounds you.

Today I went to Diamond Fork Hot Springs (hereafter referred to as DFHS). I will not get into the hows and wheres of getting there. I suppose if someone wanted directions they could just Google it.......I did.

It is a 5 mile round trip and 700 or so feet elevation gain. Not exactly crushing, but a decent workout. I have been there upwards of 40 times over the last few years. I've seen just about everything. There is the drunken college kids, scouts, couples making out, and the occasional enthusiast like myself. It turns out one guy is basically responsible for building all the tubs out of cement he hauled up over the course of the years and the rocks that he had to move to make them. He died a few years back apparently, but I often wonder what it would have been like. Dedicated is one thing. Just the work of constructing the four pools would have been about 500 man hours according to my estimates and that excludes time and expense of materials and transporting them. I'm looking for just such an opportunity, but all the undeveloped springs are not up for grabs.

At any rate, I saw a bit of everything today except the scouts. The water was soothing. The path still fairly bright with autumn colors, and not to many people. I avoid weekends due to crowds obviously. As it gets colder, the waters is even more wonderful and the crowds and the rowdies will fall off. Of course, the weirdest day I ever had there was also one of the coldest. Go figure.

Wall lake

2008-09-24T20:39:00.000-07:00

Two rather disparate topics tonight. I'll start with the more familiar. I went fishing in the Uintas today. I saw a moose family. Papa moose, mama moose, and baby moose. They were clearly republicans! Otherwise it would have been two lesbian mooose raising their child to only eat meat. Naturally, I left the movie camera at home. I did get them on my cell phone, but even at just fifty feet away they looked quite distant.

My rant is a simple one. While USGS terrain maps are highly accurate for the most part, they fall down hard on hiking trails. Sometimes they show trails that haven't existed for decades (White Pine canyon). Other times the trails never existed but are at least within a one or two hundred yards of each other (Silver Lake above Tibble Fork) and sometimes they are just plain wrong. I take the USGS maps whenever I go into the back country, but I get instructions from people that have been there before..........preferably old-timers like myself.

The fishing was fair. I caught four and lost a few more on the way in. The fish were not plump like the ones at Notch Lake. I caught a Brookie with the elongated jaws (for the spawn I suppose) and he was barely 12 inhces long and skinny. He was also about the brightest Brookie I've seen in a few years. I also caught a Lake trout. Yes, I know they are not indigenous to the area. I know they are not planted in that drainage. I know they prefer deep water in big lakes. I also know what I caught. I know that tiger trout are put into some Uinta lakes. Perhaps this one didn't get crossed with a brookie and somehow snuck in. He was perhaps 10 or 11 inches and pretty lethargic.

The Sand Dunes

2008-09-13T17:38:00.000-07:00

I took my daughter to Little Sahara. A few things struck me. The obvious one being the amount of sunflowers that have taken root in the sand. The desert can be reclaimed with sufficient water after all. And of couse the inexorable shifting of the sands towards the Northeast sure didn't hurt.

We have this practice of digging trenches and watching the sand collapse. Little rivulets form and improbable structures too. These structures eerily resemble things that you would see in Canyonlands or Bryce. A little bit of sand is removed from a trench and little happens. A bit more is removed and nothing. But every so often the next 'scoop' is enough to cause great changes.....some of it cataclysmic with entire structure collapsing.

It got me thinking if geologic changes in places such as the aforementioned or Grand Canyon aren't cataclysmic every few thousand years. I also started wondering if global warming might not also make up much drier or perhaps wetter. We have seen it already in Australia. Perhaps my beloved West Desert might again be a fertile grassland. Maybe I should by a boatload of land?

Back to Notch Lake

2008-09-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

Much cooler temperatures than last week. Much cooler. There were some clouds that were swirling and threatening and a fair amount of breeze. The fishing suffered as a result. So.......if I am going to get the calm late evening and early morning fishing, I've no good hike in/out options. I will have to overnight. And backpacking in the cold is something I've done only rarely. If I am going to do it this year, it will be Meadow Lake.

I've never been to Meadow Lake. I've heard the fishing is good. It's five miles from the Crystal Lake TH (and a relatively level five miles at that). I've also been able to confirm that there is on old cabin and some old mining activity. That will have to wait for nest summer.

I didn't see the goats at all. But about 2 miles in I came across some blue grouse that were working over some grass. I got withing ten feet of one of them and just stood there for two minutes speaking to them in soft tones. I seriously wonder if I haven't got some kind of special ability with certain wild animals now. I used to hunt grouse you see. Now, I don't. Perhaps they can sense this?

Simpson Springs

2008-09-02T21:54:00.000-07:00

I went there this weekend........
It started out with my son and one of his friends. They invited me. Then another. Then a dad.....another dad.....a kid brother. So the seven of us went out. I arrived early to set up the tents and such. I got a flat tire on the way out. By the time I got the tents and the gear done, the unseasonably hot temps had about killed me. But a lot of shade and Powerade brought me back.

We did some shooting, had an OK meal (the fettucine didn't boil properly), and sat around the fire and told ghost stories. My ghost story happened to take place at Simpson Springs over 20 years ago. So I took the boys to the cave in the dark. On the way there, one of them commented on all the stars and asked what the 'strange cloud' was. I asked if he knew what the name of our galaxy was. He answered correctly and looked at me for a few seconds. It dawned on him.

I feel saddened that he had to wait until he was 17 to see the milky way. It makes me wonder what else he hasn't done. He came over today and I mentioned to him that I had gone up to the Diamond Fork Hot Springs yesterday (DFHS hereafter.....or Fifth Water). He said that sounded fun. He had never seen an actual hot spring.

I digress........did I mention that I got a SECOND flat tire on the way back from Simpson Springs. FUN!!! I got the metal detector out. I mostly found junk in four inches of dirt i.e. old bullets, horseshoe pieces etc. I found a large quartz-looking rock with a large reading about 10 inches down., with a VDI that would correspond with gold. Of course the rock was under a large amount of soil and was quite large. I ain't gonna dig it out for the size of whatever gold might be under there.

Notch Lake

2008-08-26T22:28:00.000-07:00

I had heard a while back that the fiashing was good here. I made the hike DOWN to the lake off of Bald Mountain pass. It was a gentle decline with 2.5 miles of relatively good trail and prototypical mountain terrain. Best of all, nobody else was fishing any of the lakes. I met nobody going down and just one person coming back.

There were two other lakes on the way there one was named Clegg and I forgot the other. The time of evening was still before the good fishing and I've found that the early morning fishing is usually best anyway. I fished all of them, but only caught fish at Notch Lake. Four brookies of which three were nice fish........all of them are happily still swimming since I am a catch and release guy.

While I was reeling in and unhooking my last fish, I felt as if I was being watched. I turned to my right and there were ten mountain goats staring at me. They were foraging of some kind of plant that grows on the shore and completely aware of and unfazed by my presence. I waved, said 'hello goats' etc. They just sat and watched me fish and after a few minutes started working the shoreline for more food. As I left I walked withing fifty feet of some of the goats.

I spent 5 years hiking the Wasatch looking for goats. I saw my first ones near the top of Box Elder peak and they were at a half mile distant and running. (Interestingly enough, my oldest son climbed the same peak last week with a buddy of his. They got to see a cute little baby goat). And until today, I have sited goats on only three occasions. The closest being about 200 yards.

This leaves me with just one burning question. Why can't I remember to bring the damn camera?!

When I recconected with the trail out I saw a guy about 150 feet ahead of me. Quite a coincidence since he was the only person I was going to see all day long. He was 74 years onld and had been trying to find his way to a lake that was further down the drainage. He didn't make it and according to his GPS had already walked over 10 miles that day.

He was lugging around a metal detector! I bought one last week that I am still getting good at, so I asked him what he was looking for. At his intended lake (which be nameless for now) there is an old cabin and some abandoned gold mines. Since they are all on the west side of the Mirror Lake Highway that means they ain't wilderness. I guess, I've got a backpacking trip in store for me and my metal detector.

Seafood and Electronics

2008-08-19T22:11:00.000-07:00

Red Lobster is something that everyone has heard of. And as such, it takes a lot of heat from gourmets (and mere wanabees that wish to sound cool). I like Red Lobster.....a lot

I had some kind of combo platter for about 25 bucks. I got a small lobster tail, some scallops, four shrimp, a snow crab cluster. It included some steamed broccoli and a two red potatoes.

Everything was cooked well. The potatoes, which were extraordinary, were perfectly soft after boiling and then rebaked and seasoned. Absolutely delicious and quite affordable.

I've had a GPS for a while now. I am going to take it out for a spin tomorrow along with some USGS maps. We'll see just how accurate it is in the mountains. I've always used (and will continue to use) a lensatic compass to calculate my position. But it doesn't work on moonless nights, bad weather with no visibility, in areas with magnetism, or when I have no maps and not the slightest damn clue where I am.......which is never. But hey, it COULD happen in theory.

GPS can calculate my position and plot a way back if I've kept it on.

GPS doesn't work when there is to view to the southern horizon, like in tight canyons or faces of peaks. Or if the batteries fail, or the machine is damaged....wet....etc.

I am very much old school, but I will need GPS I suspect with my new hobby, gold prospecting. I am not going to dredge up trout streams in an effort to find gold dust. Instead I am going to explore areas of the west deserts and work some areas of interest. This will doubtless be the subject of multiple future postings.

I got a new metal detector that does all sorts of cool stuff today to aid my prospecting. I'll probably search parks, beaches, etc. for some practice. I'll probably find a few bucks in change and some crappy jewelry. But practice is what I am needing.

My wife got a new video camera. This one doesn't have tape (digital or otherwise), or a DVD. It has a hard drive in the camera. It seemed like a good idea, so we got it.

Mirror lake

2008-08-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

I've fished it twice in 3 days. The first day was with son number two, the second time with son number one. Both boys caught fish and had a good time...........me too.

I've read before that Arctic Grayling inhabit the lake. I've met nobody who has so much as seen one. I shall have to investigate further. Until it cools down, I'll not be fishing the 'berry or visiting any hot springs.

Iosepa

2008-08-08T22:34:00.000-07:00

In the heart of Skull Valley lies Iosepa. It isn't my intent to discuss the history and lore that surrounds the place. Suffice it to say that any group of people that would have made a town and livelihood in this place deserves respect. You can draw your own conclusions regarding my opinions of the current residents...........ranchers and Goshutes, who with the benefit of modern technology have managed to do far, far less.

The overgrown condition of the area surrounding the cemetary is depressing. The lack of green space (trees, grass, etc.) within the cemetary itself is heartbreaking. Even though the town ceased to exist almost 90 years ago, there are still descendents, that feel a connection with this place, that are being buried there.

Water is surely available. Perhaps a sprinkling system can be constructed for grass. At the very least some drip irrigation for some trees. There is one tree within the cemetary struggling to make it.

Within a few weeks, I will be contacting some people affiliated with Iosepa. I would like to make a small suggestion, and a modest donation of course.

Silver Lake

2008-08-03T22:19:00.000-07:00

I went up there today (2.5 miles 1200 vertical feet) with three of my boys. The water was a bit cool to swim in, but I did get in above my waist. I dropped my hat in the water and put it on my head. That cooled me right down. There is some old mining activity in the area from the 1800's and some interesting quartz formations, but since it is a federal wilderness area.........outta luck.

I keep forgetting to bring a camera along. Not much to see today. We had a momma moose stomping around, but not much more than that.

disappointment

2008-07-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

My son and I went into the Naturalist Basin ...... or attempted it rather.........last Wednesday. His pack was not fitting properly and his shoulders were quite sore. Mine on the other hand was carrying like a dream. Even if I have to go it alone, I will go in this summer.

Naturalist basin

2008-07-23T22:26:00.000-07:00

As I type this, I should instead be drifting off to sleep 8 miles in the Uinta wilderness. Instead I am blogging.

Son number 3 and I went (or rather attempted) into the Naturalist Basin today. About two miles in his shoulders were hurting. It seems the pack he was using is a POS. I inspected it......shifted gear......and decided he was right. My pack on the other hand performed admirably. The backs of my hands are sunburned and my neck is a touch pink, but I would have made it.

Oh well, tomorrow I am off and it's a holiday. I think I might sleep outside. Honestly, it's probably a good thing I didn't make it. My conditioning is none to good and it would have taken everything I had. Next year no screwing around.

In fact, I will start losing weight right now. More to come...........

Vegas

2008-07-16T21:49:00.001-07:00

What hasn't been said about Sin City?

My employer, and the wholsesaler we buy from, arranged for me to get some continuing education and a certificate over the last two last few days. The certificate is nice to have (I can administer vaccines now!), and the CE credits will satisfy an entire year's worth. So to my employer and Amerisoure Bergen.....Thanks!

I drove down, but everyone else flew. I still got there first though. I wanted to go to the Spice Market buffet. It's delicious, has some very unique items, and is next door to where we were staying. Instead, we ended up at the Cheesecake Factory. Yup, the same restaurant that is in your hometown!

Not wanting to eat any cheesecake, I bought a gelato in the Forum shops before going in. It was the standard 'regular' size cup that one would pay four bucks for. It also had a wafer and a piece of dark chocolate included. My cost? Fourteen Bucks!!! And to add insult to the injury it tasted like shit. I ate half of it before throwing it away. It wasn't smooth, it had ice crystals embedded throughout. It only tasted faintly of lemon. The meal consisted of vermicelli with a little bacon, peas, and about 4 ounces of chicken. Toss on a Coke and tip. 40 bucks!

And all the while I'm thinking that I could have absolutely gorged myself at the Spice Market for less than $54 and still managed to tip the hell out of the waiter.

So it was personal now. I had absolutely no intention of gambling, but saw it as the only way to recoup my losses from Caesar's Palace. Thee spins of roulette later I was down 160 total for the evening. I guess I had it coming.

On the SE corner of the Caesar's Palace property (near the crosswalk) is a statue of a Roman 'goddess' clutching her tits. I repeatedly witnessed the precise same pose last year at the Spearmint Rhino and I'll bet the boobs were equally hard. The statue wan't trying to convince me to take it into the back room for an extra $200/hr.

I'm not swearing off gambling mind you. I'm sure I'll be ready to play again come winter time. I'm just tired of Vegas. When my boys turn 21 I'll take them down to witness the shining turd first hand. Until then, I'm avoiding it.

People say to themselves, "What should we do?" and answer, "Let's go walk the Strip". And so thousands of people were doing just that. They take pictures in front of fountains, lights, and the aforementioned 'art' They swelter in the heat and drink over-sized and watered-down cocktails. And of course all the women are dressed like they are going out clubbing, but they aren't. They are just walking the strip. And their daughters are dressed the same way too. They aren't going clubbing though since they are just 15!

God is going to visit the world with a destructive vengeance someday. And it's epicenter will be the intersection of Las Vegas Blvd. and Tropicana. All I ask Lord is that you spare the Spice Market buffet.

Ultimately, there is very little to do in Vegas. The food is spectacular at times. I went to Red Square. The appetizers and entrees were superb. The desserts.....not so good. In fact the best dessert I had the whole time was a fruit tart at the Paris that was part of the 'convention lunch' we were served. Come to think of it, the lunch yesterday was top notch. Osso bucco, poached halibut with capers in tomato puree, mixed olives, prosciutto, chicken piccata (with no capers strangely enough) and cannoli with the aforementioned fruit tarts. I left the gun of course. But the thing to remember is even at Red Square there was nothing uniquely Russian on the menu, except the Vodka. And even that was Estonian! The point being, is that nothing is genuine. Everything is fake but designed to look real. What about the Venetian some might ask. My answer? The smell! Venice stinks of salt water and shit. Vegas just smells like cigarettes. And it's all fake!

So what is there to do in Vegas? 1) Gamble 2) Drink 3) Eat to excess 4) Mill around aimlessly 5) Watch TV 6) Titty bars and prostitutes

They had an advertisement on the television that said the average guest spends 6 hours a day watching TV. I can't believe it. But that is precisely what I would have ended up doing had I stayed any longer. So I came home a day early.

I'm not against adult fun.......far from it. But it is all-encompassing there. A constant visual and noise assult on the senses. These 'vices' should be available but only with a bit of nosing around. Time was a guy would have to wander down to the gift shop to pick up a copy of 'Smut Monthly' and take it back to his room in a brown paper bag. Now we got street legal porn handed to us on the streets. Alcohol was served in bars. Now it is out of what appeared to be old popsicle wagons (that have been converted to sell booze) that line the strip. There was a billboard for a swinger's club. I had to explain to a coworker what goes on. Whatever floats their boat I suppose, but a billbaord?

And worst of all is the advertising blitz that tries to convince us that Bette Midler is still relavent, sexy, and under thirty.

wasted days

2008-07-10T21:57:00.000-07:00

The last two days have been beautiful, but I spent them piddling around the house and reviewing a study guide on immunizations. Tomorrow it's off to work for back to back 13 hour shifts.......followed by a 9 hour on Sunday. Then Monday it's off to Vegas!

11 hour days of CE await me in Sin City. I'll do my Presleyterian duty and eat big every night though. No shows, no titty-bars, just class and yucking it up with some co-workers. And I'll still be putting in 35 hours at the pharmacy this week.

The store manager called me today wanting to know why I had taken 40 hours of vacation when I had worked that week. I explained to him that I have to cash out vacation and NOT take the time off because there is nobody to cover it. I don't think he understood it though. The people in the store live in a world of 15 minute breaks and daily lunches. The last time I had a job where I got scheduled 'breaks' and a lunch on was in 1984. Maybe they should all try 13 hours straight on there feet. On about half of my shifts the only time I sit down is when I take a crap! And the only place you can eat in the pharmacy where you can't be seen by people is.......you guessed it......the bathroom. Which is where I eat half the time.

the eagle

2008-07-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

I've been on two jaunts into the great outdoors since my last post. On the first, son number three and I went into the Box Elder peak wilderness. We were turned back about 1.5 miles in. I had purchased some new boots about two months ago and had been wearing them to work. They STILL aren't broken in and I have a nice bloody blister to prove it.

Two days later I read about a guy who had been ahead of us on the trail. After climbing the peak, he confronted two bears on the way down that evening and had to spend the night 'under a tree'. I outweigh the bears by a longshot, carry a heavy oak staff, love to kick things, and dislike sleeping in dirt........draw your own conclusions.

Two days later, me and the missus went through the 'back door' of Diamond Fork canyon. It was a beautiful drive. The sun was shining, the birdies were chirping. We walked the first 1/3 mile or so of the trail that goes to the hot springs (I will be posting about this extensively in the fall). I found a spring that is about a mile above the lower trail head also (more on that in the fall also).

I'm not terribly found of rattlesnakes so I avoid the West deserts and lower elevation canyons for 6 months out of the year.

On the way down Diamond Fork, we saw an eagle eating a rattlesnake. How's that for ironic. Not to bad a pic from a cell phone!

it's been a few days

2008-06-28T23:37:00.000-07:00

The fireworks are safely deposited in my bedroom closet. The Mirror Lake highway was open but all the trails and campsites higher up were still blocked with snow. The Provo River Falls were spectacular. I will be likely going into the Naturalist Basin on July 22/23 before the holiday. Photos will be posted in abundance

tomorrow's plans

2008-06-25T19:07:00.000-07:00

Aside form a very quick visit to work to check on things, I've the entire day. It appears that illegal fireworks are in store. I'll be leaving Evanston Wyoming via the back door. That way I can avoid the Utah Highway Patrol. Heading into the 4th of July weekend, 'Johnny Law' will be out in force looking for youngsters bringing in booze, fireworks, and porn.

The Mirror Lake highway is opened, but I will be scoping out the route to Naturalist's Basin and perhaps taking a quick hike to Fehr Lake. Naturally, I'll check out fishing conditions also. Now it's time to pick some greens for my little lapines.

the mountain

2008-06-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

My oldest son wants to climb an 11,000 footer near our home. It is not one of the more noted peaks in our area, but that means it is one of the least climbed.

We lacked the time yesterday to make it to the top, so I agreed to take him most of the way up. There is a trail that goes to a ridge line that you follow up for the last mile. It is a short trail (less than 4 miles) but steep (a 4,000 ft elevation gain). We almost made it to the ridge but were turned back by snow 'chutes' that block the trail and were too dangerous to cross. If you slip on the chutes you have a 500 foot slide down a 45 degree slope of mixed boulders and snow. We prefer to remain in the land of the living.

Moose are a common sight in the drainage we were in, as are bears. Fortunately we saw neither at close range. There was plenty of tracks in the retreating snow and the mud though. Last year my youngest son and I saw two bull moose and closed within about 50 meters. That's as close as I dared.

We saw some people nearer the trailhead who had lost their dog. I assured them their dog wouldn't remain lost...... since the bears will find it. Last year a kid was killed by a bear about 5 miles from where we were. Still, I think they thought I was joking.

the guinea pig

2008-06-19T23:02:00.000-07:00

My son had a guinea pig for 7 years. It had defied all actuarial tables by living as long as it did. The vet was astounded during a recent visit.

My son would always speak softly to his piggy and take him out and play with him every day. The piggy always enjoyed treats like wheat grass and banana chips. But when my son came home today and pet his piggy......he had already died.

So very sad.

the baby birdy

2008-06-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

The kids brought home a small bird yesterday. Momma bird was nowhere to be found and a cat was seen closing in. My own cats regularly dine on a mixed menu of wild canaries and starlings. They are especially fond of the baby starlings that fall out of the eaves of my neighbors garage.

This little guy's marking looked like a baby duckling, but the beak and passerine feet clearly indicated we had something else. We started 'googling' and found out we had a baby quail on our hands.

This morning had us making a 100 mile round trip and a fifty dollar donation to send our little guy to the bird rescue. He was introduced to his new covey of fuzzy little buddies and we said our goodbyes.

Here he is!

Favorites

2008-06-17T23:52:00.001-07:00

Some of the questions asked when I was contructing my profile were for my favorite this and favorite that.

Things like family, work, and religion are central to my life. So saying I love these things is obvious. Passion is a word I use for things that I really dig for no good reason. So what am I passionate about?

I love buffets! I am a gourmand. Most of the folks I know think I'm a gourmet. Which proves that most of the folks I know haven't the slightest clue what either is.

I love wargaming! I am not talking about the nauseating litany of 'shooter' video games out there. I'm not referring to paintballing. My game has a large map of the theater of operations, hundreds of counters representing the forces of various countries, and a computer that keeps track of the books.

I love natural hot springs! What could be better than a hike and a soak? Smelling like rotten eggs that's what.

I love dwarf bunnies! We have four of them.

I love muffeleta sandwiches, paella, and L and L Hawaiian barbecue!

I love growing vegetables and fruit! I generally dislike flowers since I cannot eat them.

I love popping zits!

I love reading and listening to the news! I'm a news junkie.

Now before I nod off to sleep, I'll try to deal with some of the other favorites I mentioned being part of the profile building process.

Movies: Some I enjoy because they were simply fantastic movies. Some are guilty pleasures. But if and of these movies are on I will always stop and watch. Casablanca.....One or two, but not three.....Full Metal Jacket.....Big Trouble in Little China.....Something about Mary.....Apocalypse Now......anything with Salma Hayek in it (sound turned off).

Books: The Glass Bead Game, The Tao te Ching, Parliament of Whores, The Mother Tongue

Music: This could easily turn into a rant. People try to portray themselves as cool in their musical choices. I have a decided bent towards classical music since that is the genre that I have been able to perform. One measure of how much we like a particular artist would be the number of songs that we know by heart. I'm not talking about being able to recognize a melody, or sing the chorus, but knowing every word and nuance. By that standard my favorite musicians are Beethoven, Frank Zappa, k.d. lang, Hank Williams, David Allen Coe, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel, Chris Ledoux, and (I'm gonna to Hell when I die for this) ABBA. One could presume that I am a country music fan. But everything I know is pre-Garth Brooks who single-handedly destroyed country music. If I were emperor, Garth Brooks would be the first to thrown in the stocks. I'd leave Tim Mcgraw only because he married so very, very well.

Greetings

2008-06-17T23:36:00.000-07:00

The name of this blog came to me after watching Iron Man a few weeks back. It shouldn't be too tangential an association to figure out just how the 'abiding' portion came about. As for the pharmacist part, that's considerably easier. I'm a pharmacist.

So why should anybody bother to view the blog of a pharmacist. After all, we are people that are too boring to be actuaries. Honestly, I wouldn't read it.

I do see, and sometimes do, screwy things on a daily basis. I will share these blessed events here. Whether this is a catharsis, a confession, or narcissistic blather I will leave it to you ..... the reader.