My employer has a list of corporate values it wishes to instill. One of them is consistency, but consistency is only a virtue if you are not a screw-up. By and large, I do consider it a virtue...at least when it comes to food. When I go to Mickey D's, I can be assured of predictable food and a dynamite beverage (courtesy of their superior water filtration system).
The main problem with consistency is that it often becomes the new norm. If somebody is given 'exceptional' service every time they may see it for what it is, but typically view it as progressively mundane. That is until they go somewhere else. Let me go back to the Mickey D's example. Next time you are eating fast-food inside, try the water first. If I only ate at Mickey D's and no where else, then I wouldn't feel that way.
It's the same way with Pharmacy business I suppose. I don't offer exceptional service to every customer because most of them don't need it. There are a few that do need it on occasion. Some folks are scared, ignorant (not to be confused with rude), miserable, in pain etc. I will expend extra effort on these folks because they need it. Far too often it is the other way around. People will 'go the extra mile' on the low-hanging fruit and ignore the 5% who need it most. That way they can say that 95% of our customers rate our service as excellent...but it is a lie. Just like saying I fired my pistol at someone and it missed their ear by three inches. The implication is that they weren't shot, when in reality I plugged them between their eyes.
One of the tenets of Taoism is to be frugal. It is not for the purpose of being miserly, but to be generous when somebody needs your generosity. I have been both the giver and the receiver of such generosities. Lately, more on the receiving end. So what is better, the frequent giver of small gifts or the infrequent (or unexpected) giver of large ones? Before you answer ask yourself if consistency is a virtue.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Thursday, June 6, 2013
John Muir would have driven a Jeep
Sierra Club members and Jeep enthusiasts can both bristle at the title. But it's true.
I've had my Jeep just four days and it has forced me to do a lot introspection. Obviously my back-country capabilities took a massive leap forward. The question then becomes, "what am I do to with my Jeep". Before answering that question, I should mention that my Jeep has a name now. My car's name was "Great Protector". But it has gone to that endless highway in the sky. The name of my new pony is "Grusche"
The name I have given her is a particularly apt moniker. She will carry me and protect me like her namesake in "Die Kaukasiche Kreidekreiz". I also think Bretolt Brecht would have driven a Jeep. Hell, everyone should!
So the answer to the question "what am I to do with Grusche" is not something I can answer directly nor quickly. Perhaps I can sum up my plans, as well as my belief that Muir would have driven a Jeep, by discussing Mount Moriah.
Mount Moriah is the middle mountain range that forms the western edge of the Snake Valley. It is a 12,000 footer and is only peak. Many times I have viewed it afar with wonder. To date, I have driven close to it (within 5 miles) only twice. That changes now. You need to go on 30 miles of dirt road just to get to the turn off towards the mountain. My car could take me no further. Grusche can get me to the mountain. She can also carry me part of the way up.When the existing road ends, Grusche shall go no further. I will then dismount, load my gear onto my back, and reverently proceed on foot.
Wilderness should not be penetrated by machine. It should only be had by physical exertion. I also have a personal code of conduct when in wilderness also. It's almost bushidoesque.
Mount Moriah is rarely climbed due to it's remoteness, difficult access, and a 6000 foot vertical climb that rivals Grand Teton in total elevation gain. It's like climbing Timpanogos...from the front! I may not make it to the top, but just entering the wilderness of Mt. Moriah will be a lifelong dream.
And when I get done, I'm going to grab my brother Vance and go to the mountains to the north...the Deep Creeks. Back in the late 80's we went up the only Granite Creek Canyon. It is the only one with a trail that goes all the way up. We parked at about 5800 feet up. We'll see what Grusche can do.
I've had my Jeep just four days and it has forced me to do a lot introspection. Obviously my back-country capabilities took a massive leap forward. The question then becomes, "what am I do to with my Jeep". Before answering that question, I should mention that my Jeep has a name now. My car's name was "Great Protector". But it has gone to that endless highway in the sky. The name of my new pony is "Grusche"
The name I have given her is a particularly apt moniker. She will carry me and protect me like her namesake in "Die Kaukasiche Kreidekreiz". I also think Bretolt Brecht would have driven a Jeep. Hell, everyone should!
So the answer to the question "what am I to do with Grusche" is not something I can answer directly nor quickly. Perhaps I can sum up my plans, as well as my belief that Muir would have driven a Jeep, by discussing Mount Moriah.
Mount Moriah is the middle mountain range that forms the western edge of the Snake Valley. It is a 12,000 footer and is only peak. Many times I have viewed it afar with wonder. To date, I have driven close to it (within 5 miles) only twice. That changes now. You need to go on 30 miles of dirt road just to get to the turn off towards the mountain. My car could take me no further. Grusche can get me to the mountain. She can also carry me part of the way up.When the existing road ends, Grusche shall go no further. I will then dismount, load my gear onto my back, and reverently proceed on foot.
Wilderness should not be penetrated by machine. It should only be had by physical exertion. I also have a personal code of conduct when in wilderness also. It's almost bushidoesque.
Mount Moriah is rarely climbed due to it's remoteness, difficult access, and a 6000 foot vertical climb that rivals Grand Teton in total elevation gain. It's like climbing Timpanogos...from the front! I may not make it to the top, but just entering the wilderness of Mt. Moriah will be a lifelong dream.
And when I get done, I'm going to grab my brother Vance and go to the mountains to the north...the Deep Creeks. Back in the late 80's we went up the only Granite Creek Canyon. It is the only one with a trail that goes all the way up. We parked at about 5800 feet up. We'll see what Grusche can do.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Functionality and IRS shenanigans
I got a new Jeep...at least it's new to me. I already took it someplace where my car could never have gone. It will also take me to places where I have already been, but should have left my car home. I have always valued functionality over style. As I get older, I am getting more pronounced in this view. So is my wife. She went out to get seat covers today. Some might say, "the seats are leather, why do you want to cover them?". Many of the places I go, I tend to get dirty, smelly, and damp. Seat covers can be cleaned where leather is much more difficult. Anyway, when she was buying the seat covers she was asked what color she wanted. Her answer? "It doesn't matter". There is a console between the front seats with a little lid on top that covers a storage compartment. I told her to forget about replacing the lid because it hold my water jug perfectly.
My Jeep is not going to win any prizes for acceleration, nor will I be taking it above 70 mph. So if you see an old green Jeep ahead of you, and it's driving too slow for your taste, you'd better think twice about flipping it off while you pass. It might be me.
I also figured out how to make the radio work. I happened upon Sean, or is it Shaun, or maybe it's Shawn, who cares....that Hannitty guy on the radio. Let me tell you something that I hate about talk radio. It tends to be extreme voices on both sides. While the conservatives tend to have me yelling back at the radio, the liberals make me fall asleep at the wheel. This Hannitty guy REALLY hates Obama. It's all he talks about. I've never heard him once agree with something the president has said or done. Obame could say that puppies are cute and the sun is going to rise in the east tomorrow and Hannitty would disagree. What was his latest bitch? The IRS giving a bunch of crap to 'Tea Party' groups and the notion that Obama is behind it all.
Did the IRS target these groups. Yes. Was it a right thing to do? I'm going to give a qualified 'yes' as an answer. I think anybody, regardless of political bent, who is going for tax-exempt status should face a challenge. The question that was advanced being, is Obama behind it all. While it is certainly possible, it is hardly the first time this has happened. What let say what I think happened by using allegory. Some of the people I work with, and a few patients also, say I have a knack for using simple examples to understand more complex issues.
Let's assume that there was a group of people that wanted to abolish pharmacists and pharmacies (and the proverbial 'Big Pharma" that the tin-foul hat wearers rail against) because we are all just a bunch of crooks who take money from people and do nothing that helps. If one of these bozos shows up at my Pharmacy, I will still get them their medications, at the proper price, at the same speed as everyone else, and I'll make sure to tell them what they need to know. In short...I will still do my job. I will not be friendly, or terribly empathetic however. It's not because my boss, or his boss, or his boss ordered me to do it. It's because they think I am a stupid crook that should be put out of business. I'd bet a week's that if these 'tea-party' groups would ratchet back the anti-IRS rhetoric that things will smooth over for them. Just because the IRS agents are government employees doesn't mean they are Obama toadies. The military being a classic example. It's a safe bet that a majority of people in the Armed Services voted for Romney, but they still do their job. For that I am grateful.
My Jeep is not going to win any prizes for acceleration, nor will I be taking it above 70 mph. So if you see an old green Jeep ahead of you, and it's driving too slow for your taste, you'd better think twice about flipping it off while you pass. It might be me.
I also figured out how to make the radio work. I happened upon Sean, or is it Shaun, or maybe it's Shawn, who cares....that Hannitty guy on the radio. Let me tell you something that I hate about talk radio. It tends to be extreme voices on both sides. While the conservatives tend to have me yelling back at the radio, the liberals make me fall asleep at the wheel. This Hannitty guy REALLY hates Obama. It's all he talks about. I've never heard him once agree with something the president has said or done. Obame could say that puppies are cute and the sun is going to rise in the east tomorrow and Hannitty would disagree. What was his latest bitch? The IRS giving a bunch of crap to 'Tea Party' groups and the notion that Obama is behind it all.
Did the IRS target these groups. Yes. Was it a right thing to do? I'm going to give a qualified 'yes' as an answer. I think anybody, regardless of political bent, who is going for tax-exempt status should face a challenge. The question that was advanced being, is Obama behind it all. While it is certainly possible, it is hardly the first time this has happened. What let say what I think happened by using allegory. Some of the people I work with, and a few patients also, say I have a knack for using simple examples to understand more complex issues.
Let's assume that there was a group of people that wanted to abolish pharmacists and pharmacies (and the proverbial 'Big Pharma" that the tin-foul hat wearers rail against) because we are all just a bunch of crooks who take money from people and do nothing that helps. If one of these bozos shows up at my Pharmacy, I will still get them their medications, at the proper price, at the same speed as everyone else, and I'll make sure to tell them what they need to know. In short...I will still do my job. I will not be friendly, or terribly empathetic however. It's not because my boss, or his boss, or his boss ordered me to do it. It's because they think I am a stupid crook that should be put out of business. I'd bet a week's that if these 'tea-party' groups would ratchet back the anti-IRS rhetoric that things will smooth over for them. Just because the IRS agents are government employees doesn't mean they are Obama toadies. The military being a classic example. It's a safe bet that a majority of people in the Armed Services voted for Romney, but they still do their job. For that I am grateful.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Sea urchins and the Boy Scouts of America
Have you ever wondered who ate the first sea urchin? I doubt it was a Boy Scout. If it were...he would have to be Chinese. As near as I know the only part of the creature that is edible is the roe. I've eaten it but only once. Were I in a survival situation, I suppose I could eat more. It is not a flavor I enjoy. I am also perplexed by people that enjoy sea urchin roe. They obviously see something that is simply not there.
The BSA has been in the news a lot lately with their new policy about 'allowing' gay scouts. There has been a lot of commentary and speculation, especially among those of the predominant local religion. I refrain from saying the LDS church. They have made their position on the matter clear. Unfortunately, some of those wacky 'Mormons' are spouting off. I am going to wade into the fray, but I will deal with the gay component last.
First I want to reiterate an opinion that I have held for a long time. Scouting, as it is currently constituted is a waste of time. My father-in-law Brent was no doubt turning in his grave as I type that last sentence. Allow me to explain. The noble platitudes and goals that are associated with scouting are all well and good. There is something wrong with the Boy Scout oath, law, creed,...ah hell I forgot...about being trustworthy, loyal, etc. Many of the people that are appalled by gays being allowed are point to the phrase 'morally straight' so I suppose that is still in there somewhere. I suppose I should look up the list next time, but I suspect there is nothing in the list that is a bad thing to be.
But at it's heart, scouting was formed to make better soldiers. Specifically better British soldiers. I watched an episode of 'Downton Abbey' and would have to concur that the quality of the British fighting man left much to be desired during WWI. Wait a minute, my wife just told me that the boy scouts were founded in 1908. Uhhh, forgot what I just said. Clearly the British officer in that episode was not 'prepared' when he was having sex with Ethel 'cuz she got knocked up. I guess neither one of them was morally straight either.
Scouting is all about making better soldiers. That is not exactly all-inclusive now is it. Soldiers do all sorts of unsavory stuff like wearing the same clothes for days or weeks on end, or crapping in holes and burying it...or not. They also do it all outdoors. Did I mention that they kill people too? Anyway, I would like to see a return to the original purposes of scouting. The emphasis being on academic achievement, physical development, terrain appreciation, survival techniques, infiltration and exfiltration etc. And of course they must also be a 'gentlemen' when they are not in the field. Which means not discussing the sheep they butchered and ate, atomic sit-ups, and the hole that they took a crap in, when women are around. Of course, all of this is fair game around the fellas. Most guys adore, or at the very least appreciate, this type of behavior. And that includes gays. Don't believe me? There's a honey badger video you should watch!
Skills need to be learned, but need to be measured by in the field results. Take cooking for example. What would be better? A shiny belt loop or not having to eat cold, inedible slop on the last 50 miler? What is more useful? A patch on a cloth sash (wait a minute...don't the GIRL scouts do the same thing?) recognizing my citizenship or learning how to maintain team cohesion on the aforementioned 50 miler? Team cohesion is what it is all about after all. Can it be maintained with gay members? The answer is of course maybe...but it has nothing to do with their being gay. Let me suggest a little exercise. Take any statement you see that opposes gays being allowed into scouting. Substitute the word 'nigger' 'spic' 'chink' jew-boy' or any other derogatory or patently offensive term and read it again.
Let me try it out. Lemme see? "If scouting is going to start allowing niggers to participate, then I will pull out my kids and longer support them financially".
Wow that was good! Let me try another. "It's one thing to allowing spics to participate in a classroom setting with lots of adult around, but I don't want some spic alone with my son in a tent because he might ... well I can only imagine what might happen".
One more, one more, "I can only imagine what might happen when they let chinks become scouts. When everybody is eating cold stew with under-cooked potatoes, they might take a hatchet and break open a sea urchin...".
Dear me, them homos have already won!
So when (not if, but when) we get the first gay scout, there will be some kid that will be bullied by his parents into refusing to associate with a homosexual. Who then has to go? Think about this carefully. Who is more disturbing to team cohesion, the person who is different or the person who refuses to deal with it?
When I have been out in the sticks for a few days and been hiking around, I tend to get a little ripe. When I am sweaty, smelly, bug-headed, dirty, and feel as if my butt-crack looks like a baboons ass, I am in no mood for lovin'. It wouldn't matter if Salma Hayek wandered into the camp stark naked and pleading, "Take me now". Now, if she were clutching a fresh tray on chicken enchiladas I'd at least let her hang around while I ate and laughed at the other fellas desperately searching for some warm water, soap, and toothpaste.
The BSA has been in the news a lot lately with their new policy about 'allowing' gay scouts. There has been a lot of commentary and speculation, especially among those of the predominant local religion. I refrain from saying the LDS church. They have made their position on the matter clear. Unfortunately, some of those wacky 'Mormons' are spouting off. I am going to wade into the fray, but I will deal with the gay component last.
First I want to reiterate an opinion that I have held for a long time. Scouting, as it is currently constituted is a waste of time. My father-in-law Brent was no doubt turning in his grave as I type that last sentence. Allow me to explain. The noble platitudes and goals that are associated with scouting are all well and good. There is something wrong with the Boy Scout oath, law, creed,...ah hell I forgot...about being trustworthy, loyal, etc. Many of the people that are appalled by gays being allowed are point to the phrase 'morally straight' so I suppose that is still in there somewhere. I suppose I should look up the list next time, but I suspect there is nothing in the list that is a bad thing to be.
But at it's heart, scouting was formed to make better soldiers. Specifically better British soldiers. I watched an episode of 'Downton Abbey' and would have to concur that the quality of the British fighting man left much to be desired during WWI. Wait a minute, my wife just told me that the boy scouts were founded in 1908. Uhhh, forgot what I just said. Clearly the British officer in that episode was not 'prepared' when he was having sex with Ethel 'cuz she got knocked up. I guess neither one of them was morally straight either.
Scouting is all about making better soldiers. That is not exactly all-inclusive now is it. Soldiers do all sorts of unsavory stuff like wearing the same clothes for days or weeks on end, or crapping in holes and burying it...or not. They also do it all outdoors. Did I mention that they kill people too? Anyway, I would like to see a return to the original purposes of scouting. The emphasis being on academic achievement, physical development, terrain appreciation, survival techniques, infiltration and exfiltration etc. And of course they must also be a 'gentlemen' when they are not in the field. Which means not discussing the sheep they butchered and ate, atomic sit-ups, and the hole that they took a crap in, when women are around. Of course, all of this is fair game around the fellas. Most guys adore, or at the very least appreciate, this type of behavior. And that includes gays. Don't believe me? There's a honey badger video you should watch!
Skills need to be learned, but need to be measured by in the field results. Take cooking for example. What would be better? A shiny belt loop or not having to eat cold, inedible slop on the last 50 miler? What is more useful? A patch on a cloth sash (wait a minute...don't the GIRL scouts do the same thing?) recognizing my citizenship or learning how to maintain team cohesion on the aforementioned 50 miler? Team cohesion is what it is all about after all. Can it be maintained with gay members? The answer is of course maybe...but it has nothing to do with their being gay. Let me suggest a little exercise. Take any statement you see that opposes gays being allowed into scouting. Substitute the word 'nigger' 'spic' 'chink' jew-boy' or any other derogatory or patently offensive term and read it again.
Let me try it out. Lemme see? "If scouting is going to start allowing niggers to participate, then I will pull out my kids and longer support them financially".
Wow that was good! Let me try another. "It's one thing to allowing spics to participate in a classroom setting with lots of adult around, but I don't want some spic alone with my son in a tent because he might ... well I can only imagine what might happen".
One more, one more, "I can only imagine what might happen when they let chinks become scouts. When everybody is eating cold stew with under-cooked potatoes, they might take a hatchet and break open a sea urchin...".
Dear me, them homos have already won!
So when (not if, but when) we get the first gay scout, there will be some kid that will be bullied by his parents into refusing to associate with a homosexual. Who then has to go? Think about this carefully. Who is more disturbing to team cohesion, the person who is different or the person who refuses to deal with it?
When I have been out in the sticks for a few days and been hiking around, I tend to get a little ripe. When I am sweaty, smelly, bug-headed, dirty, and feel as if my butt-crack looks like a baboons ass, I am in no mood for lovin'. It wouldn't matter if Salma Hayek wandered into the camp stark naked and pleading, "Take me now". Now, if she were clutching a fresh tray on chicken enchiladas I'd at least let her hang around while I ate and laughed at the other fellas desperately searching for some warm water, soap, and toothpaste.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Singers
Turandot is coming to the Utah Opera company. It's not my favorite opera, but it has a famous aria called, "Porquoi me reveiller"...or something like that. It sounds so French that it probably needs liberating. I do like opera myself, though the cost is difficult to justify. I much prefer the type of opera called 'singspiel'. I'm not going to get into the finer points of singspiel beyond saying I hate opera (or musicals) where they sing EVERYTHING.
I went and saw Les Miserables around Christmas. I read the book when I was young and it changed my life. My daughter read it also. I am very proud of her Anyway, the movie sucked We had "Wolverine", "Gladiator", and that chick from 'Mean Girls' with fetal alcohol syndrome. They sang everything....and sang....and sang....and damn, isn't that "Catwoman" turning tricks?
Arggghh....back on topic. I love opera. The combination of acting, live orchestral music, and voice can be sublime. The same thing can happen with a good musical, which is just opera with easier songs to sing.
I took my wife and daughter to see "The Magic Flute" a few months back. The overture and one aria are the most known elements of it. It is one of my favorites because of the themes it covers. True love (even for the goofier people like myself), loyalty, selflessness, and redemption. It also helped that the 'Queen of the Night' in the production was smokin' hot!
My favorite opera might come as a surprise to many except my wife. It is "Three-penny Opera". (My favorite play is also by Bertolt Brecht). The opening song (not the overture, but opening song) is known to all. See it, and there will be many songs that you will sing afterwards.
What precipitated today's rant was a list I read earlier today. It was the top ten male vocalists. This particular list had David Archuleta on it. Yup, 'Gaspy' is apparently one of the ten best male vocalists alive. Of course, all this proves is that anybody can put a top ten list on the internet.
Now what makes a great vocalist? A number of things actually. Quality, range, timbre, uniqueness, and our personal bias towards certain musical genres. I am going to forgo a list, rather I am going to tell you who the best male vocalist I have ever heard and likely ever will. Luciano Pavarotti. He was bombastic, egotistical, repulsively obese (that means anybody fatter than me), and Italian. Nonetheless, when he opened his mouth....perfection.
.
I went and saw Les Miserables around Christmas. I read the book when I was young and it changed my life. My daughter read it also. I am very proud of her Anyway, the movie sucked We had "Wolverine", "Gladiator", and that chick from 'Mean Girls' with fetal alcohol syndrome. They sang everything....and sang....and sang....and damn, isn't that "Catwoman" turning tricks?
Arggghh....back on topic. I love opera. The combination of acting, live orchestral music, and voice can be sublime. The same thing can happen with a good musical, which is just opera with easier songs to sing.
I took my wife and daughter to see "The Magic Flute" a few months back. The overture and one aria are the most known elements of it. It is one of my favorites because of the themes it covers. True love (even for the goofier people like myself), loyalty, selflessness, and redemption. It also helped that the 'Queen of the Night' in the production was smokin' hot!
My favorite opera might come as a surprise to many except my wife. It is "Three-penny Opera". (My favorite play is also by Bertolt Brecht). The opening song (not the overture, but opening song) is known to all. See it, and there will be many songs that you will sing afterwards.
What precipitated today's rant was a list I read earlier today. It was the top ten male vocalists. This particular list had David Archuleta on it. Yup, 'Gaspy' is apparently one of the ten best male vocalists alive. Of course, all this proves is that anybody can put a top ten list on the internet.
Now what makes a great vocalist? A number of things actually. Quality, range, timbre, uniqueness, and our personal bias towards certain musical genres. I am going to forgo a list, rather I am going to tell you who the best male vocalist I have ever heard and likely ever will. Luciano Pavarotti. He was bombastic, egotistical, repulsively obese (that means anybody fatter than me), and Italian. Nonetheless, when he opened his mouth....perfection.
.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Gun Control
This is always an inflammatory topic, and it has taken the forefront of the national debate (I refuse to say dialog since that would imply a sense of rationality and civilty) given the evil acts against the students and staff of Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut.
I spent much of the day trying to sort it out. I will not rehash the arguments of the pro and anti-gun positions. There is already an enormous amount of shouting back and forth between the two sides....... and that's just the arguing inside my own head. The harsh reality is that both sides are correct. Both sides are also wrong.
First of all, I own guns. Some I bought in my own name, others I purchased from others. Some are merely keepsakes and mementos. Others are kept around for killing. Yes folks, killing. That is what guns are for. Target shooting, hunting, and the like are recreation for many. Even the most shrill of the anti-gun movement would get a kick out of emptying a clip through an AK-47. SO they are fun, but the purpose of guns remains killing.
Let me give you a run-down on my 'recreational' weapons. I've a 30-06, a 30-30, a 10/22, and a 12 ga. shotgun. The first two are designed to hunt large game, especially deer. The 30-06 also has a decent scope on board. Combine that with some 'accelerator' ammo that I may or may not still have and you have a weapon system that is untraceable. I permanently gave up hunting years ago. I keep the 30-30 because it is fun to shoot. Why then do I keep the 30-06? The 10/22 is waiting for any family member that expresses any interest in taking it. Technically none of these guns are mine. The 30-06 was my father's. The 30-30 came from my brother George.....I think. I didn't buy it. The 10/22 was a gift from either my mom or dad, so who knows who owns that one. That leaves the shotgun. I had a buddy of mine get that for me almost 30 years back. He was about 18 at the time and working for ZCMI. They stopped selling guns, so he bought a bunch of them at a smoking deal.
I also have guns that are not for recreation. That means they are expressly for killing folks. I used to have an 'assault rifle'. I returned it to its previous owner. I have a .40 SW and the aforementioned shotgun for defensive purposes. Assault weapons are, by their nature for offensive use. I can't rule out using deadly force, but if I do I won't need to take out a dozen people, just one or two tops. The shotgun is much safer to use in home defense because it lacks penetration. Pistols, especially in the dark and against moving targets, require me to be close enough that I am practically touching the bad guys with it.
I like having guns. They are a comfort to me. There have been times I have drawn them in defense. Fortunately both situations defused without me having to shoot. I have since abandoned guns and now use a staff to defend myself in the back-country. Twice this year I was rushed by dogs with their fangs bared. The last guy didn't even apologize for his dog. I told him I was just going to kick his dog, the staff was for him. I'm thinking of getting a spear tip at the Chinese store in the mall. It will look cool!
Finally I want to make a simple point. The police cannot protect you, at least not immediately. Self-defense is not only a right but something everyone should commit themselves to learn how to do.
That's the gun nut in me. While I have mellowed somewhat over the years, I am still, deep down, a nasty person under certain circumstances.
What about the anti-gun side of me? I am reminded of a story I heard about my nephew. When he was young he wanted to go 'bunny-camping' with his Dad. He thought the purpose was to find rabbits so he could pet them. I laughed at the time, but I have since come to realize that he was right. I have bunnies that I pet every day. While I do not speak out against hunting, I find the practice personally abhorrent now. In fact, the only reason I didn't bludgeon those dogs I mentioned earlier, was because I don't want to have to someday explain to my nephew why I was mean to a dog. Though I suspect he'd give me a pass on the owners.
Guns don't always impart safety. Don't believe me? Then why don't they allow me to pack heat on a plane? Or a courtroom? Let's assume that I am carrying a pistol and trouble breaks out. Even if I don't fire a single round, what happens when the cops show up? They don't know who is the bad guy and who isn't. I might get shot! That kind of defeats the whole damn purpose doesn't it. Besides, pistols often miss and sometimes hit innocents. I do sometimes carry a knife. My lifetime batting average on getting the proper target with it is 1.000. If I am defending my home, then there can be little doubt who the bad guy is. He's the dead guy on the floor. Outside of the home, I feel that firearms simply cannot be justified. My wife still believes otherwise, which means nobody better screw around with me, at least when she's nearby.
People point to Switzerland and correctly assert that every house with a man between 20 and 50 has an assault weapon in it. It's true. Every man (not women incidentally, the Swiss were actually the last European nation that allowed women suffrage) between 20 and 50 has to be in the militia. And guess where they keep their firearm? Locked up at home. The Swiss don't have young thugs gunning each other down in the street. They don't have anybody shooting up schools or shopping malls. Obviously guns aren't the problem. Right?
Partially. The Swiss culture and population are a bit more homogeneous than our own. Like Americans they glorify money, but not violence. There is another crucial difference between us and the Swiss. Every single freaking gun is where it should be, with whom it should be, and stored how it should be. Let me break that down.
Where it should be:
Either in the home or on duty. They don't hunt a lot in Switzerland.
With whom it should be:
In Switzerland know who has what and everything is accounted for. Damn those Swiss are orderly and efficient.
We do criminal background checks on gun sold by dealers. Yet no such standard exists for private saless. I could go outside right now and sell my pistol to some asshole pissing on my mailbox, who is strung out on meth, and has been without his anti-schizophrenia medications for two months. How any rational person can defend this defies reason. All gun ownership must be tracked and background checks must be done. Plain and simple.
Gun ownership is a privilege, not a right. If you have a car it has to be registered, and inspected. You have to have a license to operate it. To keep your license, periodically you have to demonstrate you still know what the hell you are doing. And when you violate the law you lose your license and , often, the car. The same standards should be applied to guns. Like cars, there will still be some that make it into bad guys hands. But we can significantly reduce the amount of guns held by the bad guys. And yes, the law-abiding among us can still get weapons after we established that we don't piss on my mailbox or have a criminal record, restraining order, etc.
How it should be:
In a safe or with a gun lock. That will keep little kids from finding daddy's gun and blowing their brains out with it. But wait! What if I have to 'get at it fast'? Keep the damn thing unloaded. Still not quick enough for you? Load it at night when you are sleeping and unload it and lock it up when you wake up the next day. It's the same reason I don't keep my car gassed up and running in my driveway.
I tend to get confused at night. If I reached for my gun every time something startled me, then my dog Fly would have died a thousand deaths when she bulldozes the bedroom door open. I would have shot all my kids at least once, when they've sought help for ailments in the middle of the night. Even my wife would have been capped multiple times after she has awakened me at night (usually on my birthday or when I have done something especially thoughtful or romantic earlier in the day).
Finally there is my conflicting emotions. I mentioned earlier that having guns around makes me feel safe. It doesn't make me safe, but I do feel safe. And that has value. I am also a Taoist, and as such I simultaneously value and despise weapons of any sort. People often ask, "what would Jesus do". I doubt he'd own a gun. Were he threatened, I suppose he could start throwing lightning bolts or unleash angels with fiery swords. I dunno. Also being a Mormon, the closest thing to Jesus, is what would Thomas S. Monson have me do. Call me crazy, but I'll bet that old boy doesn't have a gun either. If he gets up in conference and instructs LDS faithful to rid themselves of weapons then I will do it. I won't sell them, I'll melt them down. If I had sufficient faith I would have already done it since, according to Lao Tzu, Heaven protects the merciful.
I spent much of the day trying to sort it out. I will not rehash the arguments of the pro and anti-gun positions. There is already an enormous amount of shouting back and forth between the two sides....... and that's just the arguing inside my own head. The harsh reality is that both sides are correct. Both sides are also wrong.
First of all, I own guns. Some I bought in my own name, others I purchased from others. Some are merely keepsakes and mementos. Others are kept around for killing. Yes folks, killing. That is what guns are for. Target shooting, hunting, and the like are recreation for many. Even the most shrill of the anti-gun movement would get a kick out of emptying a clip through an AK-47. SO they are fun, but the purpose of guns remains killing.
Let me give you a run-down on my 'recreational' weapons. I've a 30-06, a 30-30, a 10/22, and a 12 ga. shotgun. The first two are designed to hunt large game, especially deer. The 30-06 also has a decent scope on board. Combine that with some 'accelerator' ammo that I may or may not still have and you have a weapon system that is untraceable. I permanently gave up hunting years ago. I keep the 30-30 because it is fun to shoot. Why then do I keep the 30-06? The 10/22 is waiting for any family member that expresses any interest in taking it. Technically none of these guns are mine. The 30-06 was my father's. The 30-30 came from my brother George.....I think. I didn't buy it. The 10/22 was a gift from either my mom or dad, so who knows who owns that one. That leaves the shotgun. I had a buddy of mine get that for me almost 30 years back. He was about 18 at the time and working for ZCMI. They stopped selling guns, so he bought a bunch of them at a smoking deal.
I also have guns that are not for recreation. That means they are expressly for killing folks. I used to have an 'assault rifle'. I returned it to its previous owner. I have a .40 SW and the aforementioned shotgun for defensive purposes. Assault weapons are, by their nature for offensive use. I can't rule out using deadly force, but if I do I won't need to take out a dozen people, just one or two tops. The shotgun is much safer to use in home defense because it lacks penetration. Pistols, especially in the dark and against moving targets, require me to be close enough that I am practically touching the bad guys with it.
I like having guns. They are a comfort to me. There have been times I have drawn them in defense. Fortunately both situations defused without me having to shoot. I have since abandoned guns and now use a staff to defend myself in the back-country. Twice this year I was rushed by dogs with their fangs bared. The last guy didn't even apologize for his dog. I told him I was just going to kick his dog, the staff was for him. I'm thinking of getting a spear tip at the Chinese store in the mall. It will look cool!
Finally I want to make a simple point. The police cannot protect you, at least not immediately. Self-defense is not only a right but something everyone should commit themselves to learn how to do.
That's the gun nut in me. While I have mellowed somewhat over the years, I am still, deep down, a nasty person under certain circumstances.
What about the anti-gun side of me? I am reminded of a story I heard about my nephew. When he was young he wanted to go 'bunny-camping' with his Dad. He thought the purpose was to find rabbits so he could pet them. I laughed at the time, but I have since come to realize that he was right. I have bunnies that I pet every day. While I do not speak out against hunting, I find the practice personally abhorrent now. In fact, the only reason I didn't bludgeon those dogs I mentioned earlier, was because I don't want to have to someday explain to my nephew why I was mean to a dog. Though I suspect he'd give me a pass on the owners.
Guns don't always impart safety. Don't believe me? Then why don't they allow me to pack heat on a plane? Or a courtroom? Let's assume that I am carrying a pistol and trouble breaks out. Even if I don't fire a single round, what happens when the cops show up? They don't know who is the bad guy and who isn't. I might get shot! That kind of defeats the whole damn purpose doesn't it. Besides, pistols often miss and sometimes hit innocents. I do sometimes carry a knife. My lifetime batting average on getting the proper target with it is 1.000. If I am defending my home, then there can be little doubt who the bad guy is. He's the dead guy on the floor. Outside of the home, I feel that firearms simply cannot be justified. My wife still believes otherwise, which means nobody better screw around with me, at least when she's nearby.
People point to Switzerland and correctly assert that every house with a man between 20 and 50 has an assault weapon in it. It's true. Every man (not women incidentally, the Swiss were actually the last European nation that allowed women suffrage) between 20 and 50 has to be in the militia. And guess where they keep their firearm? Locked up at home. The Swiss don't have young thugs gunning each other down in the street. They don't have anybody shooting up schools or shopping malls. Obviously guns aren't the problem. Right?
Partially. The Swiss culture and population are a bit more homogeneous than our own. Like Americans they glorify money, but not violence. There is another crucial difference between us and the Swiss. Every single freaking gun is where it should be, with whom it should be, and stored how it should be. Let me break that down.
Where it should be:
Either in the home or on duty. They don't hunt a lot in Switzerland.
With whom it should be:
In Switzerland know who has what and everything is accounted for. Damn those Swiss are orderly and efficient.
We do criminal background checks on gun sold by dealers. Yet no such standard exists for private saless. I could go outside right now and sell my pistol to some asshole pissing on my mailbox, who is strung out on meth, and has been without his anti-schizophrenia medications for two months. How any rational person can defend this defies reason. All gun ownership must be tracked and background checks must be done. Plain and simple.
Gun ownership is a privilege, not a right. If you have a car it has to be registered, and inspected. You have to have a license to operate it. To keep your license, periodically you have to demonstrate you still know what the hell you are doing. And when you violate the law you lose your license and , often, the car. The same standards should be applied to guns. Like cars, there will still be some that make it into bad guys hands. But we can significantly reduce the amount of guns held by the bad guys. And yes, the law-abiding among us can still get weapons after we established that we don't piss on my mailbox or have a criminal record, restraining order, etc.
How it should be:
In a safe or with a gun lock. That will keep little kids from finding daddy's gun and blowing their brains out with it. But wait! What if I have to 'get at it fast'? Keep the damn thing unloaded. Still not quick enough for you? Load it at night when you are sleeping and unload it and lock it up when you wake up the next day. It's the same reason I don't keep my car gassed up and running in my driveway.
I tend to get confused at night. If I reached for my gun every time something startled me, then my dog Fly would have died a thousand deaths when she bulldozes the bedroom door open. I would have shot all my kids at least once, when they've sought help for ailments in the middle of the night. Even my wife would have been capped multiple times after she has awakened me at night (usually on my birthday or when I have done something especially thoughtful or romantic earlier in the day).
Finally there is my conflicting emotions. I mentioned earlier that having guns around makes me feel safe. It doesn't make me safe, but I do feel safe. And that has value. I am also a Taoist, and as such I simultaneously value and despise weapons of any sort. People often ask, "what would Jesus do". I doubt he'd own a gun. Were he threatened, I suppose he could start throwing lightning bolts or unleash angels with fiery swords. I dunno. Also being a Mormon, the closest thing to Jesus, is what would Thomas S. Monson have me do. Call me crazy, but I'll bet that old boy doesn't have a gun either. If he gets up in conference and instructs LDS faithful to rid themselves of weapons then I will do it. I won't sell them, I'll melt them down. If I had sufficient faith I would have already done it since, according to Lao Tzu, Heaven protects the merciful.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
what is wrong with me......and everyone else.
I am a slothful man. There is a difference between lazy and slothful. I am typically lazy. As I type this I am sitting in my filthy La-z-Boy recliner wearing nothing but some nylon running shorts. This particular pair of shorts is one that I found at Diamond Fork Hot Springs about five years back. Somebody had left them hanging at the Kokopelli pools. I noticed they were my size so I threw them in my backpack, took them home, and washed them. Five years later I am wearing an atricle of clothing that I found abandoned in the mountains. I am wearing the sticky remnants of some Pho' broth that spilled on me. I've been up an hour already and have not bathed. That is sloth.
I have also not blogged for about 10 months. That would be clear evidence of calculated indifference. Anyone that knows me realizes that my indifference is not calculated. By definition, calculated indifference would in fact necessitate desire.
One of my favorite books is 'Eat the Rich' by P.J. O'Rourke. While it was written about 20 years ago, it holds up well. The central theme about the book is why do some countries suck and others don't. In it he gives a simple overview of what makes markets, how currency is derived, and examines various economic systems. He visits countries, travels around and talks to regular folks.....and their finance ministers.
Uncle Peej (as I'm fond of calling him) is also a gifted writer that manages to pen statements that are astute and wildly funny. He has written other books that would serve as excellent companions to 'Eat the Rich'. Among these are 'All the Trouble in the World', 'Give War a Chance', and his most famous 'Parliament of Whores'. I feel that 'Eat the Rich' is his magnum opus.
All that stuff that our parents were yelling at us about during high school and college is right. All of the things they told us to do are the same things that nations need to do. Perhaps it is time we need to revisit these virtues. The following list is blatantly lifted from Uncle Peej's book.
1) Hard Work
2) Education
3) Responsibility
4) Property rights
5) Rule of Law
6) Democratic Government
there is only one item that I would add to the list and that is:
7) Being part of something bigger than yourself.
For many that is manifested in adhering to a faith. For others it is an adherence to a particular ethos. Merely existing within such a system doesn't impart wealth. That is reserved for those that truly believe that they are an integrated piece of a larger and greater whole.
Note that culture is not listed. People equate culture with fine arts. Having the Utah Symphony visit equatorial Africa won't lift them out of poverty. Yet clearly there are some cultures where poverty doesn't exist. It is the values espoused by the culture that impart prosperity.
As a child my father taught me some very racist notions. He told me that all races and cultures bring various things to the table and are to be studied and appreciated. There was one that is superior......the Japanese. Think about Japan then read the above list. Now picture a place, a people, a country, or any place that poverty exists. Read the list......it should be pretty obvious what their problem is!
When was the last time you saw a poor person of Japanese ancestry either here of in Japan? How about a Swede? Have you ever seen a prosperous Somali or Bolivian. Even the ones that are either pirating ships or trafficking Coke are perpetually back on their ass the moment the cash flow halts for more than a week.
Russia is a well-educated nation. In Russia, chess is a spectator sport for hells sake! It exports food. It is swimming in oil and gas, rare minerals, diamonds, and any other natural resource you can think of. Why does Russia suck? Look at the list.
China, Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, India, and Iran are all the location of ancient and sustained civilizations and cultures. China and India are the only two that are getting better. The others suck and are getting suckier. Look at the list.
Cultures that derive their character from the above list thrive no matter where they exist. The reason that the Swedes and the Japanese are not poor is because they refuse to live anywhere that doesn't adhere to the list.
So back to my unkempt (and progressively smellier) self that is flopped in a recliner that even the filthiest person on earth would hesitate to sit in. How do I stack up personally on this list?
Hard Work
I work hard.......in a sense, and only at work. My wife can attest that nothing short of the prospect of sexual favors will exact any housework out of me. What I do in the Pharmacy is often fast-paced, requires constant focus, and involves being on one's feet for hours on end. Still it's not a particularly demanding job from a physical sense. I worked a number of jobs that involved getting dirty, being in temperature extremes, and lifting and moving large amounts of heavy shit. These jobs suck. The people that do them are not without dignity or worth. These jobs are quite necessary. Nonetheless these jobs suck. The reason I went to Pharmacy School is to get a job that was clean, indoors, and didn't involve heavy lifting. I had just such a job when I delivered pizza, but being a Pharmacist pays a bit better.
Education
I got through Pharmacy School, and half way through an MBA. The lion's share of my 'education' has been feeding my hobbies. I like to war-game and spend time in the wilderness. If I can either in a natural hot spring, it's even better.
Responsibility
You know what? I should probably cut my losses short by stopping right now. Suffice it to say that the list is correct. We need to adhere to it on a personal level. When this is done, we can do it within our family. When this is done, we can do it within our community. When this is done we can do it within our State. When this is done then we can do it within our country. When this is done, then (and only then) the world will change.
Right now the only changing I am going to do is stand up, shower, and put on some clean clothing in which I can appear in public.
I have also not blogged for about 10 months. That would be clear evidence of calculated indifference. Anyone that knows me realizes that my indifference is not calculated. By definition, calculated indifference would in fact necessitate desire.
One of my favorite books is 'Eat the Rich' by P.J. O'Rourke. While it was written about 20 years ago, it holds up well. The central theme about the book is why do some countries suck and others don't. In it he gives a simple overview of what makes markets, how currency is derived, and examines various economic systems. He visits countries, travels around and talks to regular folks.....and their finance ministers.
Uncle Peej (as I'm fond of calling him) is also a gifted writer that manages to pen statements that are astute and wildly funny. He has written other books that would serve as excellent companions to 'Eat the Rich'. Among these are 'All the Trouble in the World', 'Give War a Chance', and his most famous 'Parliament of Whores'. I feel that 'Eat the Rich' is his magnum opus.
All that stuff that our parents were yelling at us about during high school and college is right. All of the things they told us to do are the same things that nations need to do. Perhaps it is time we need to revisit these virtues. The following list is blatantly lifted from Uncle Peej's book.
1) Hard Work
2) Education
3) Responsibility
4) Property rights
5) Rule of Law
6) Democratic Government
there is only one item that I would add to the list and that is:
7) Being part of something bigger than yourself.
For many that is manifested in adhering to a faith. For others it is an adherence to a particular ethos. Merely existing within such a system doesn't impart wealth. That is reserved for those that truly believe that they are an integrated piece of a larger and greater whole.
Note that culture is not listed. People equate culture with fine arts. Having the Utah Symphony visit equatorial Africa won't lift them out of poverty. Yet clearly there are some cultures where poverty doesn't exist. It is the values espoused by the culture that impart prosperity.
As a child my father taught me some very racist notions. He told me that all races and cultures bring various things to the table and are to be studied and appreciated. There was one that is superior......the Japanese. Think about Japan then read the above list. Now picture a place, a people, a country, or any place that poverty exists. Read the list......it should be pretty obvious what their problem is!
When was the last time you saw a poor person of Japanese ancestry either here of in Japan? How about a Swede? Have you ever seen a prosperous Somali or Bolivian. Even the ones that are either pirating ships or trafficking Coke are perpetually back on their ass the moment the cash flow halts for more than a week.
Russia is a well-educated nation. In Russia, chess is a spectator sport for hells sake! It exports food. It is swimming in oil and gas, rare minerals, diamonds, and any other natural resource you can think of. Why does Russia suck? Look at the list.
China, Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, India, and Iran are all the location of ancient and sustained civilizations and cultures. China and India are the only two that are getting better. The others suck and are getting suckier. Look at the list.
Cultures that derive their character from the above list thrive no matter where they exist. The reason that the Swedes and the Japanese are not poor is because they refuse to live anywhere that doesn't adhere to the list.
So back to my unkempt (and progressively smellier) self that is flopped in a recliner that even the filthiest person on earth would hesitate to sit in. How do I stack up personally on this list?
Hard Work
I work hard.......in a sense, and only at work. My wife can attest that nothing short of the prospect of sexual favors will exact any housework out of me. What I do in the Pharmacy is often fast-paced, requires constant focus, and involves being on one's feet for hours on end. Still it's not a particularly demanding job from a physical sense. I worked a number of jobs that involved getting dirty, being in temperature extremes, and lifting and moving large amounts of heavy shit. These jobs suck. The people that do them are not without dignity or worth. These jobs are quite necessary. Nonetheless these jobs suck. The reason I went to Pharmacy School is to get a job that was clean, indoors, and didn't involve heavy lifting. I had just such a job when I delivered pizza, but being a Pharmacist pays a bit better.
Education
I got through Pharmacy School, and half way through an MBA. The lion's share of my 'education' has been feeding my hobbies. I like to war-game and spend time in the wilderness. If I can either in a natural hot spring, it's even better.
Responsibility
You know what? I should probably cut my losses short by stopping right now. Suffice it to say that the list is correct. We need to adhere to it on a personal level. When this is done, we can do it within our family. When this is done, we can do it within our community. When this is done we can do it within our State. When this is done then we can do it within our country. When this is done, then (and only then) the world will change.
Right now the only changing I am going to do is stand up, shower, and put on some clean clothing in which I can appear in public.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Favorite movies
The Academy Awards will be on in a few hours. Everyone is prognosticating, keeping score, and making lists. I've no intention of watching it, unless of course my wife says something to the effect, "Honey you need to hurry in hear and see what (Salma, Penelope, Sofia etc.) is wearing.....I can't believe she isn't getting arrested for wearing something like that in public"
I have often thought about what my favorite movies are. I'll kick out a few titles and let it drop after a few minutes. Coming up with a straight up 'top ten' is impossible for me. The question was how to break it down. Certainly I could have done it by director. Certainly many of the great directors are repesented on my list. Instead I have opted to break it down by movie genre. I much prefer movies that defy easy classification as will become evident when I give reasons for why a particular movie is my favorite. Notable among the absences is fantasy and sword/sorcery type stuff. It's never been my cup of chowder.
The genre breakdown according to me is:
1) Romance
2) Dystopian future
3) War
4) Crime drama
5) Musical
6) Comedy
7)Action
8) Suspense
9) "Kid" movies
10) Western
Of course 'porn' could be an 11th category. They actually used to make movie versions of this stuff......when I was much, much younger. I'll just say it and be done with it. No explanations. 'Insatiable' with Marilyn Chambers. Based on the strength of that movie alone, I voted for her as vice-president in 2004.
I will take these in reverse order.
Western: 'Silverado'.
Memorable characters with unique motivations. It is well scripted especially in how the stories begin to intertwine and eventually collide.
Runner-up: 'Mister Majestyk'. Cliche' ridden, but the truck chase and unsuing final shootout still makes me smile.
"Kid" movies: 'Babe'
This talking pig forever ingrained in me that kindness and unconditional love can transform the lives of people......and animals.
Runner-up: Toy Story III. Admit it, you got misty eyed-when they were all headed for the incinerator. The miracle is Pixar bringing 'life' to the characters.
Suspense: No Country for Old Men.
At the heart of every good suspense movie is a bad guy. Anton Chiggurh was a really, really bad dude. Truly ruthless.
Runner-up: The Usual Suspects. A genuine 'surpise' ending. Well scripted (but needlessly heavy on the profanity) and another delicious bad guy in the form of Kayser Soza
Action: Aliens
Space critters, valiant Marines, and Sigourney Weaver alternating between nurturing and kicking ass.........wearing a wife-beater!
Runner-up: Kung Fu Hustle. It combines elements of romance, redemption, and loyalty, which I enjoy in movies. It combines camp and drama with a dash of Taoism stirred in.
Comedy: There's Something about Mary.
Several instances of comedy gold in this one. The entire cast got in on the laughs, not just one or two people. It was raunchy and sweet.
Runner-up: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
All the same reasons listed above, plus Glenn Headly actually spun me into her web. Sweet, just not too raunchy.
Musical: Little Shop of Horrors
OK....it's Broadway. Ellen Greene absolutely owned the role of Audrey. It alternated humor with horror pretty well also.
Runner-up: Rocky Horror Picture Show. A play brought to the screen. It has to be seen live of course.
Crime Drama: Godfather 1 and 2
It was one book, therefore I consider it one epic movie in two parts. It is a master class in movie making. Amost as quoatble as the Big Lebowski.......almost.
Runner-up: Lock, Stock, and two smoking barrels. Yup, Guy Ritchie was making movies before 'Sherlock Holmes'. It's all about characters and intertwining story lines.
War: Full Metal Jacket
I saw this one the day after I got back from OCS. The first half of the movie seemed like a comedy to me. Mainly because it was happening to some other guy. While I've not experienced combat, I am told that it was true to life. There's no overt 'broader message' just guys trying to survive and make sense of absurdity.
Runner-up: Platoon. Again it's all about characters. How much was I moved by this movie? One of my sons is named 'Elias' after Willem Dafoe's character.
Dystopian Future: The Matrix. Easily one of the most influential movies ever. The special effects were the things that were copied. The original idea, good script, and characters is what made this movie great.
Runner-up: AI. That's two Kubrick movies if you're counting and not the two that are considered his greatest. The question of what is living and what is not is an easier one to answer. What makes an enduring soul is difficult to answer. On an emotional lever I have never been moved so much and for so long as this one.
Romance: I am going to do the Runner-up first, the English Patient. I enjoy separate stories that are woven together. It is from a time and place that I have studied extensively, but this movie brought it to life. Well written, well acted, had the guts to have a bitter ending.
My favorite? Same era as the above, just the other end of the continent. Specifically Morocco. It is a movie of sacrifice, heartbreak, weariness, intrigue, and betrayal. Redemption, through taking a stand and doing what is best for others, is a theme that I've always had an affinity for. In sacrificing ourselves, we can change the tide. We also reclaim eternal our soul. That is why Casablanca will likely be my favorite movie forever.
I have often thought about what my favorite movies are. I'll kick out a few titles and let it drop after a few minutes. Coming up with a straight up 'top ten' is impossible for me. The question was how to break it down. Certainly I could have done it by director. Certainly many of the great directors are repesented on my list. Instead I have opted to break it down by movie genre. I much prefer movies that defy easy classification as will become evident when I give reasons for why a particular movie is my favorite. Notable among the absences is fantasy and sword/sorcery type stuff. It's never been my cup of chowder.
The genre breakdown according to me is:
1) Romance
2) Dystopian future
3) War
4) Crime drama
5) Musical
6) Comedy
7)Action
8) Suspense
9) "Kid" movies
10) Western
Of course 'porn' could be an 11th category. They actually used to make movie versions of this stuff......when I was much, much younger. I'll just say it and be done with it. No explanations. 'Insatiable' with Marilyn Chambers. Based on the strength of that movie alone, I voted for her as vice-president in 2004.
I will take these in reverse order.
Western: 'Silverado'.
Memorable characters with unique motivations. It is well scripted especially in how the stories begin to intertwine and eventually collide.
Runner-up: 'Mister Majestyk'. Cliche' ridden, but the truck chase and unsuing final shootout still makes me smile.
"Kid" movies: 'Babe'
This talking pig forever ingrained in me that kindness and unconditional love can transform the lives of people......and animals.
Runner-up: Toy Story III. Admit it, you got misty eyed-when they were all headed for the incinerator. The miracle is Pixar bringing 'life' to the characters.
Suspense: No Country for Old Men.
At the heart of every good suspense movie is a bad guy. Anton Chiggurh was a really, really bad dude. Truly ruthless.
Runner-up: The Usual Suspects. A genuine 'surpise' ending. Well scripted (but needlessly heavy on the profanity) and another delicious bad guy in the form of Kayser Soza
Action: Aliens
Space critters, valiant Marines, and Sigourney Weaver alternating between nurturing and kicking ass.........wearing a wife-beater!
Runner-up: Kung Fu Hustle. It combines elements of romance, redemption, and loyalty, which I enjoy in movies. It combines camp and drama with a dash of Taoism stirred in.
Comedy: There's Something about Mary.
Several instances of comedy gold in this one. The entire cast got in on the laughs, not just one or two people. It was raunchy and sweet.
Runner-up: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
All the same reasons listed above, plus Glenn Headly actually spun me into her web. Sweet, just not too raunchy.
Musical: Little Shop of Horrors
OK....it's Broadway. Ellen Greene absolutely owned the role of Audrey. It alternated humor with horror pretty well also.
Runner-up: Rocky Horror Picture Show. A play brought to the screen. It has to be seen live of course.
Crime Drama: Godfather 1 and 2
It was one book, therefore I consider it one epic movie in two parts. It is a master class in movie making. Amost as quoatble as the Big Lebowski.......almost.
Runner-up: Lock, Stock, and two smoking barrels. Yup, Guy Ritchie was making movies before 'Sherlock Holmes'. It's all about characters and intertwining story lines.
War: Full Metal Jacket
I saw this one the day after I got back from OCS. The first half of the movie seemed like a comedy to me. Mainly because it was happening to some other guy. While I've not experienced combat, I am told that it was true to life. There's no overt 'broader message' just guys trying to survive and make sense of absurdity.
Runner-up: Platoon. Again it's all about characters. How much was I moved by this movie? One of my sons is named 'Elias' after Willem Dafoe's character.
Dystopian Future: The Matrix. Easily one of the most influential movies ever. The special effects were the things that were copied. The original idea, good script, and characters is what made this movie great.
Runner-up: AI. That's two Kubrick movies if you're counting and not the two that are considered his greatest. The question of what is living and what is not is an easier one to answer. What makes an enduring soul is difficult to answer. On an emotional lever I have never been moved so much and for so long as this one.
Romance: I am going to do the Runner-up first, the English Patient. I enjoy separate stories that are woven together. It is from a time and place that I have studied extensively, but this movie brought it to life. Well written, well acted, had the guts to have a bitter ending.
My favorite? Same era as the above, just the other end of the continent. Specifically Morocco. It is a movie of sacrifice, heartbreak, weariness, intrigue, and betrayal. Redemption, through taking a stand and doing what is best for others, is a theme that I've always had an affinity for. In sacrificing ourselves, we can change the tide. We also reclaim eternal our soul. That is why Casablanca will likely be my favorite movie forever.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
alchemy
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.
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.
Monday, December 12, 2011
rumors, the pursuit of perfection, and errata
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.
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.
Monday, September 19, 2011
talking like a pirate , "Taco Nation", and machisimo
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.
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.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
I resolve to post more often.
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").
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").
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
President Huntsman
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'.
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'.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
"Perfect" things, Rocky Horror, and high school graduation
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!
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!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
frustration at the 'in window' and Noah's Ark
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Kokopelli's dojo
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.
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.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Untitled
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.
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.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Strong flavors and Carl the groundskeeper
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.
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.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Breasts, Emimem, and flip-flopping
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.
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.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Influential books, Hesse and baby blessings
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.
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.
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