Politically motivated shootings

What's up with these recent shootings?
First, this. A man enters a liberal-oriented church and starts shooting. He kills two people and injures others. He is arrested and tells investigators that he believes that liberals should die.
This second example is more recent, and the shooter was killed by police. I don't have a ton of information about it, and I'm not even sure what prompted the shooting, although I think there's a good chance that it's similar to what motivated the psycho in the first example. This time, the shooter entered the Arkansas Democratic Headquarters and shot and killed the state party chairman.
What prompts people to do things like this? Make no mistake, these terrorists were raised in the US. The first one killed for political reasons; the second one may have.
Is it cultural-based? Are they just plain crazy? Or is it a mix of the two?

Dr. Horrible

For some reason, I've had the following lyrics in my head all day:
"With my freezeray I will stop the world."
If you don't already know it, don't miss it while it's free. It's a very funny anti-super-hero movie, and it's a musical, and...(Firefly fans pay special attention)
http://www.hulu.com/watch/28343/dr-horribles-sing-along-blog
Warning: I'd give it a PG-13 for a couple of sexual references.

Finally a concert I'm excited about

--and it's on a Sunday.
Doh.
I spent the last year in Idaho Falls, and while a classical concert there was nice, and I patiently sat through a Jim Brickman concert (the things we do for love), no acts came through that got me at all excited.
Now, in a bigger city, that changes.
Heart and Journey, two awesome classic rock bands, are coming, together, to Cincinnati.
But they're coming on the wrong day of the week.
Oh well. I'll wait patiently for another good show. I think Savatage is dead, but Dream Theater...I'm looking at you now. You'll stop by, right? And if I sat through Jim Brickman, my wife should be able to put up with Dream Theater, right?
Maybe not.
Maybe I'll just go alone.
I'm crossing my fingers...

Smart Music

Word is that Queen's guitarist just earned a PhD in...astronomy.
Listening to their music, I always knew these guys were smart--they play progressive rock, after all. They have also been extremely successful (We Will Rock You, We Are the Champions, Bohemian Rhapsody, etc. etc.)
But I never knew one of them was so scientifically inclined.
This link describes his technical PhD thesis in just a little more detail.

Americans and their refusal to sacrifice

Jimmy Carter is generally regarded as a lousy president. He only served one term, and his presidency involved rampant inflation and difficult foreign relation problems.
But in some respects he was quite wise. Consider Carter's statement after the oil shortages:
"Beginning at this moment, this nation will never use more foreign oil than we did in 1977 -- never. From now on, every new addition to our demand for energy will be met from our own production and our own conservation. The generation-long growth in our dependence on foreign oil will be stopped dead in its tracks right now."
He realized that such a promise would cost money--but unlike the money given to Saudi Arabia (homeland of the majority of the 9/11 terrorists) for oil, this money would go to Americans.
He supported pouring money into alternative energy sources and building extensive public transportation systems. He even put up solar panels on the White House.
Carter's plans were realistic. He wanted US car-makers to reach a fuel-efficiency of 48 mpg by 1995, and he wanted the US to get 20% of its energy from solar power by 2000. We had plenty of time to get there. Decades.
But Americans don't like to sacrifice. They didn't want to conserve energy. They didn't want to spend money on research and public transportation.
In 1980 Reagan moved in, ripped the solar panels off of the White House, and did away with Carter's far-sighted energy plans.
Now, ironically, Republicans are blaming Democrats for the high gas prices. Americans still (largely) refuse to conserve energy. We're still reluctant to sacrifice. And we're paying the heavy price for failing to make the right decision 30 years ago.

The Big Question

April and I attended our new ward for the first time Sunday.
First impressions? Small, diverse (well, more diverse than any ward I've ever attended), and friendly.
There are two other law students in the ward, and we talked a bit in the hall before (and during part of) EQ. One of them graduates in a year, and his wife insists on moving back to Utah to be closer to family (meaning her mother). Since Utah has a small population and two good law schools, and since no one there has ever heard of the law school here, that means he'll have to take a significant pay cut to move back. The company he's working for this summer has offered him his dream job after he graduates, but it looks like he'll be refusing it and moving to Utah.
So, for those of us with family ties in a particular state...
How willing are you to raise a family far away from your extended family? I'm talking long term here, not just 3 or 4 years.
If you have a spouse, do they agree with you?

Elder Robert S. Wood, April 2006 Conference

Whether they be false friends or unrighteous teachers, artists or entertainers, commentators or letter writers to local newspapers, seekers of power or wealth, beware of those who stir us up to such anger that calm reflection and charitable feelings are suppressed.
Have we who have taken upon us the name of Christ slipped unknowingly into patterns of slander, evil speaking, and bitter stereotyping? Have personal or partisan or business or religious differences been translated into a kind of demonizing of those of different views? Do we pause to understand the seemingly different positions of others and seek, where possible, common ground?
We need to raise the level of private and public discourse. We should avoid caricaturing the positions of others, constructing "straw men," if you will, and casting unwarranted aspersions on their motivations and character. We need, as the Lord counseled, to uphold honest, wise, and good men and women wherever they are found and to recognize that there are "among all sects, parties, and denominations" those who are "kept from the truth [of the gospel] because they know not where to find it." Would we hide that light because we have entered into the culture of slander, of stereotyping, of giving and seeking offense?
It is far too easy sometimes to fall into a spirit of mockery and cynicism in dealing with those of contrary views. We demoralize or demean so as to bring others or their ideas in contempt.
Closely related to mockery is a spirit of cynicism. Cynics are disposed to find and to catch at fault. Implicitly or explicitly, they display a sneering disbelief in sincerity and rectitude. Isaiah spoke of those who "watch for iniquity" and "make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought." In this regard, the Lord has counseled in latter days that we "cease to find fault one with another" and "above all things, clothe [ourselves] with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace."
President George Albert Smith observed, "There is nothing in the world more deleterious or harmful to the human family than hatred, prejudice, suspicion, and the attitude that some people have toward their fellows, of unkindness." In matters of politics, he warned, "Whenever your politics cause you to speak unkindly of your brethren, know this, that you are upon dangerous ground." Speaking of the great mission of the latter-day kingdom, he counseled: "This is not a militant church to which we belong. This is a church that holds out peace to the world. It is not our duty to go into the world and find fault with others, neither to criticize men because they do not understand. But it is our privilege, in kindness and love, to go among them and divide with them the truth that the Lord has revealed in this latter day."
Political differences never justify hatred or ill will.

Moving Days

Our move from Idaho Falls to Cincinnati is complete
We spent a week packing (and since I was playing house-husband, most of the packing was done by me).
We rented the 24-foot truck and car trailer last Wednesday. April's dad and I loaded it up (helped a bit by a kind neighbor who saw us out there moving). The mother-in-law and wife cleaned up the place and did a little bit of last-minute packing. April and I drove down to Provo, dropped the truck off at my cousin's place and drove back up to my parent's.
We spent the next day resting and going through stuff I'd left at my parents. We were also able to visit quite a bit with family and three evening visitors.
The next morning we visited the Barbarian, his wife, and their two ferocious dogs before driving east. Wyoming's boring. The western half of Nebraska is also boring. We spent the night in Lincoln after a full day's drive.
Saturday we drove to Nauvoo. We stayed in the nearby Keokuk, and visited the ALDI there. ALDI is a German grocery store--and the only difference with this one was it sold predominantly American food. All the other details (store layout, inserting money to borrow a shopping cart, buying sturdy bags to put groceries in) were precisely the same. My excitement at finding it amused April greatly.
We walked around Nauvoo. It was so humid that my glasses fogged up every time I got out of the car.
A pamphlet with site hours on it told us that Carthage jail was open until 9:00 pm. We arrived there just past 7:00 to find the tour guides/missionaries leaving for the pageant. Apparently it closes at 7:00. We walked around the outside but didn't get a chance to go in.
We'll have to make a trip back there in the future.
The next morning we attended sacrament meeting in Nauvoo and then traveled on. Not far from Nauvoo a tire went flat. I changed out of my church clothes (fortunately it was a deserted country road) and put on a donut. Somehow, it's the first tire I've ever changed. A local stopped by and gave us directions to the nearest town, where we stopped by a Farm King to get the tire replaced. The donut wasn't doing so well--it had a large bulge on it--and a few minutes after they took it off, it exploded.
Two tires in a single day.
We continued on to the Indianapolis area, where we stayed with my cousin's in-laws. The next morning we drove two hours down to Bloomington, and helped my cousin and her husband unload their portion of the truck. We then took the truck another three hours to Cincinnati, where we unloaded it with the help of another cousin and her husband.
Our new place feels big. It's older, but classy and full of character. I'll post some pictures once we get everything unpacked.
I've decided that moving is way too much work. The next time we move will be the last.

The Good and the Bad

I realize I've been writing a lot of posts lately. Part of it is procrastination from packing, part of it is...well, lots is going on.
There was recently a post on Millennial Star about how evil and satanic WALL-E is.
If Millennial Star were a fringe blog, I wouldn't be concerned. But it's a fairly mainstream LDS blog.
Included in the blog are these wonderful tidbits. "It is unfortunate that companies such as Disney and Pixar are beginning to propogate (sic) agendas of a maleficent nature. Here is yet another example of something good being pushed to an extreme. The Adversary apparently finds it best to start them believing in such perversion while they’re still young."
Yes, that quote was about WALL-E.
Here's another juicy one.
"I believe WALL-E is another card in the deck of fear-mongering tactics employed by our common Enemy to get power, money, control, oppress mankind with false “prophets,” and reign with blood and horror prior to the return of the Savior."
Needless to say, people like this aren't helping the LDS image. Fortunately, rational people started storming the comments section of this blog until, 36 hours after it was first posted, the writer became frustrated enough to shut down the comments section. So that, at least, gives me hope.
On a brighter note, April bought me a year's subscription to the German Liahona for Christmas. They usually have a page where they list all the missionaries that have been called on missions for that month. So far, I've been a bit disappointed...I haven't recognized anyone.
Today was different.
I spent almost a year in the Wetzlar ward--I served in two areas within it. Not only that, but I was an outspoken, senior missionary there. I returned for a visit three years ago. Many of the adults and all of the teenagers remembered me, and were actually excited to see me.
So I'm excited that this month's Liahona features three of these teenagers. Two of them were younger (12-14) when I was there, and the third was older (16). The 16-year-old is one of the coolest people I've ever met (although she wasn't there when I last visited, and I haven't seen her for over seven years). She's now serving in Washington DC North. The other two are serving in Hamburg (Germany) and the Czech Republic. Very cool.

Rock music and the gospel

There's a post at www.bycommonconsent.com that I found quite interesting.
The sister missionary in our MTC district (who ended up going to the same mission as I did) was also of the opinion that rock music was of the devil. Interestingly enough, she was also the most troubled missionary I ever met. I have a great respect for my MTC missionary companion, the only other missionary from that MTC district who went to our mission. Why? I never once heard anyone tell horror stories about this particular sister in the MTC--and believe me, there were stories to tell. In other words, he had great gossip to share, and he kept his mouth shut.
I did hear some about how she was in the mission, and it was bad (although not as bad as the MTC stuff...)
Anyway, my point is...rock music (even some hard rock or metal) can be good, and even uplifting and inspiring, and those who deny this (besides sometimes having deep psychological problems) may be a contributing factor at driving people away from the church.
I consider myself lucky to have good role-models inside the church who still love rock music (thanks Dad).

USPS Mistake

Late last week I went to the postal service website and filled out a form to have our mail forwarded. I listed the starting date of 7/17/08 (the day after we move).
That was Friday.
Saturday, we received no mail. Not a big deal...it happens sometimes.
Monday, no mail. A bit strange...two straight days...but oh well.
Tuesday, still no mail. Quite suspicious.
Wednesday I emailed them about it. Still no mail.
Thursday I got a reply back, asking for more info. Still no mail.
Friday I got a message that someone from the local post office would call me.
Saturday (today) I got a phone call...and we finally got mail (an important package that I'm not sure they would've forwarded). Turns out that the mail carrier had failed to note the date of our move.
We're not too happy about not getting any mail for an entire week, but what can you do.
So, as a warning...if you have your mail forwarded, you might want to fill out the form just before you move (and not a week and a half before).

Movies

April and I have seen a few movies lately, and are looking forward to seeing a few more.
Iron Man was good. Not incredible, but still good enough that I'd eventually like to own the DVD. Grade: B+
Horton Hears a Who was very good (surprisingly). Go and see it. Grade: A-
Indiana Jones was decent. I can't categorize it as the worst Indiana Jones movie, but I certainly can't call it the best. It's fun, but there were numerous logical gaps that sometimes made it difficult for me to suspend my disbelief. Grade: B-
Any other recommendations?
I'm looking forward to seeing Hellboy II, Hancock, Get Smart, The Incredible Hulk, WALL-E, and Kung Fu Panda. The trailers for the two cartoons look dorky...but they've got good reviews (and I remember the trailer for Horton Hears a Who being equally dumb). What is it with cartoons getting dorky trailers?
In any case, it looks like Hellboy II is getting a lot of positive attention from the critics. Kind of an artsy comic book movie. I remember watching the first Hellboy in the theater with friends...great times. Now I need to convince April to watch the first one with me, and then convince her she needs to see Hellboy II in the theater...
What movies are you looking forward to? What would you recommend this summer?

What makes a ward good?

I've done a lot of thinking lately about what separates a good ward from a not-so-good ward.
I realize that the person asking the question has a lot to do with it.
But I'm also convinced that some wards are just better than others.
In about a week we'll move to Cincinnati, and I'll have attended three wards in just 15 months. I'm looking forward to the new ward, and have high hopes, but I have two questions.
What can I do to have a positive experience in a ward?
And what makes a ward good (outside of what I can do)?

I should have invested

Around five years ago, I bought a CD. The Edge by Eternity X. The album quickly made it into my all-time favorites and is still one of my top five.
The CD is so obscure that the only place you can hope to buy it is on the internet. The going price there (five years ago) was a steep $18. I found a deal on a slightly-used one...$14.
Recently, the band, who was supposed to release a new album recently, has disappeared off the radar. But in trying to find them, I discovered that The Edge is going for $45 on Amazon. Now, Amazon sellers sometimes over-price things, so I checked ebay. One used CD for sale...and it sold for $40 (plus shipping and handling).
Five years ago, when I knew that this album was incredible, and that there were limited copies being made, I should have bought numerous copies. I could've made some nice cash.
Why don't I sell the one copy I have?
Because it's incredible music. Because it's worth $40 (or more) to me. And you know that we're in economic hard times when Starbucks shuts down numerous stores and people stop buying SUVs and monster trucks.
But they're still spending big bucks for this CD.
Hopefully, next time, I'll know to invest.
Oh--and if a bunch of just-graduated kids from BHS love this album, I swear I have no clue how they found out about it...

Obama myths

Before I start...I wrote this over a year ago. Guess I've been following the elections for a while...

April and I visited an aunt and uncle of mine this past weekend. Very nice people. Retired, older, extremely active travelers. I think they spend more time outside of the US than they do inside.
They had two other visitors--family friends of theirs. The husband is in the army. They've been married for two years but he's spent half of that out at war.
I always worry about talking about politics in public (writing about it is for some reason easier), especially when I don't know someone's political leanings, or I know them and I don't agree.
But the subject came up (started by my uncle). Basically, both he and my aunt stated how if Obama gets elected, the US is going to go downhill.
And then my aunt stated the oft-repeated myth about Obama not putting his hand over his heart for the Pledge of Allegiance.
So I finally said something. "That's not true. It's a myth. Go to www.snopes.com."
Then the army man spoke up.
"I'm voting for Obama."
Not surprising, seeing that the campaigns that have gotten the most donor money from people in the military are Ron Paul and Obama (both were against the war from the beginning). And Ron Paul has dropped out.
"He'll end the war in Iraq," he continued. He felt that we were doing as much damage as we were good by remaining there.
Needless to say, my aunt and uncle were surprised.
At least they didn't call him "Barack Hussein Obama" or even "B. Hussein Obama" as some fear-mongering types do. They didn't say that they thought he was a "closet Muslim." They didn't mention his "terrorist fist-jab" with his wife (knocking knuckles together as a form of greeting). So I'm thinking that they're not avid talk/hate radio listeners, and they don't watch too much Fox News.
We steered the conversation away from politics, and the rest of the evening went great...but I was reminded of why I stay away from talking about politics in public.
Unfortunately, it's obvious that I need to talk about it...if only to dispel the ugly myths that keep coming up.

Idiot insurance company

So about three weeks ago we got rid of our old, beat-up Dodge Dynasty '89. April's parents took it for $300.
I called the State Farm Insurance to ask them to remove that car from our insurance plan.
Yesterday I got a bill...yes, that's right, a bill. For removing the car from our plan. $19.37. Apparently, a multi-car discount was removed.
Now, you might ask, wouldn't you save money by removing a car from the plan?
That's what I thought. So I called the insurance company, and they told me that they were sending me a check for about $24.
Now, just a five dollar savings is pretty lame.
But what's even lamer is that they bill me when they owe me money.
So not only do they waste paper and postage by mailing me a check and a bill, but they lose the respect of their customers.
Idiot insurance company.

Satire

There's a pretty funny satirical blog that just came out...http://seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com/.
Realize, as this is satire, some of it may be offensive to those who are being made fun of.
And since I'm going to law school, and April just gave herself a pedicure (her first since we've been married), I guess those being made fun of include us.
Thanks to Eric Snider for the tip.
Enjoy!

Cincinnati, here we come

April was just offered a nice job in Cincinnati (actually, in Norwood, a city within Cincinnati). Practically no Sundays, and no graveyard shifts! And she'll be making more too! We also snagged ourselves an apartment in Norwood...our top choice. It's the main floor of a house (other renters live upstairs). It's very nice--hardwood floors, a great kitchen, two bedrooms, a dining room, a living room, a decent yard. $705/month is a bit pricier than what we're paying now, but it's worth the extra cost.
The crappy part is we're paying rent for the whole of July...and we won't even be there for the first three weeks.
Oh well. We're still pretty excited about it. And soon there will be one more "I've lived there" spot to fill in on the facebook map--for a total of six.

Racism in Utah and Idaho

A company in West Jordan has been selling Obama Monkey Dolls...
Ouch. Not a good thing for Utah's reputation.
I'm not sure if it was racism or stupidity (or, most likely, a mix of both). The company has apologized (kind of), and they've discontinued the doll, but still...
It reminded me of an incident while I was teaching...
I told my students to write a half-page opinion on evolution, and one student wrote that white people were created directly by God, but everyone else evolved...
(The assignment did not address human evolution, but most students focused on that aspect of it anyway).
I was certain that racism was rare in Utah, or at least confined towards Latinos. But based on many of the comments on the Deseret News forum (there's an article about the doll), I'm afraid that's not the case.

Planes, interviews, apartments, and Cincinnati

So this past week we spent in Cincinnati.
It's a nice city, really. Like most (all?) big cities, there are areas where you don't want to be alone at night. But there are also a lot of great places--a trendy part of town, a more family-oriented part of town, several wealthy parts of town.
We flew into Chicago (leaving SLC at 7:30) and then Louisville, Kentucky--less than two hours from Cincinnati (Cincinnati, for some reason, is expensive to fly into). Due to delays in Cincinnati (due mainly to weather), we didn't arrive in Louisville until late. We quickly picked up our luggage (I don't think I've ever quickly picked up luggage at SLC airport) and a rental car (and my experience working at Thrifty Car Rental made it very easy to say no to everything they wanted to sell me in addition to the rental). We didn't arrive at our hotel until around 10 pm...but the drive there was strangely peaceful--lots of trees, lots of green.
We looked at about a dozen apartments/shared houses/houses, and ended up picking three we like...we hope we can get our top choice. Due to intense research beforehand, all of the places we looked were in decent neighborhoods, but some were better than others. Our top choice is a shared house (other renters live upstairs) with a nice kitchen (decent kitchens seem to be rare in Cincinnati) and on a quiet, well-cared for street. Every front lawn on that street is carefully mowed...except for the one we want to rent. Definitely a nice neighborhood.
April interviewed for two jobs there. We'll see this week if she gets some offers.
I visited the law school. Apparently they like BYU students (or Mormons). Each class has two or three (and the class size is only 120). They actually had a 2nd-year student who earned his undergrad at BYU show me around. It's becoming more and more apparent that UC law school really takes care of its students--much more so than the Utah law schools.
The first year of law school is supposed to be brutal and demanding, so I asked my guide how many hours a week he'd spent on law school his first year.
Just forty. He did admit that he should have spent a little more time studying, but it sounds like he did just fine treating it like a full-time job. I expect to spend a little more time on it, but it doesn't sound too bad (compare that to BYU, which has a reputation for competitiveness and long hours).
The people in Cincinnati are laid-back and friendly. We're excited for the move.
We returned to Kentucky (the South is much more foreign than Ohio to me). We spent the evening with Brent, Katie, and company, ate an excellent meal with them, played Ticket to Ride (Europe), and chatted. Definitely the highlight of the trip.
I set our alarm for 5:10...and woke up at 5:30. I'd forgotten to adjust the volume on the alarm...
We left the apartment only a few minutes behind schedule, but then got stuck going the wrong way on the freeway...with no exit for several miles. That ate up almost 30 minutes. We arrived at the airport 25 minutes before our plane took off, and they refused to take our checked luggage or let us board without it.
We finally did get home...about seven hours late.
It was good to share the adventure with my wife (tomorrow is our one-year anniversary). She is a very patient woman.
Thanks also to the Wenerstroms (for feeding us and letting us crash at their place) and for both sets of parents (for picking up mail and watering plants, and for giving us rides to and from the airport).

Visiting Salt Lake and Cincinnati

We're visiting SJ this weekend; we'll be at my parent's place Sunday evening. We'll also be there Saturday June 14th. If you want to stop by and say hi...
Actually, the main reason we're going there is because Idaho Falls doesn't have a real airport (translation: it does have an airport...kind of like Provo has an airport...a fairly useless airport). It's April's first time on a plane. We'll be visiting our new home, April will be interviewing for jobs, we'll be visiting the law school and looking at apartments. We'll also be stopping by Brent and Katie's place (it's cheaper to drive into their city and drive the 1.5 hours to Cincinnati than it is to fly straight to Cincinnati, even with gas at $4/gallon). It'll be fun.
Anyway, we hope to see some of you soon.

Pictures from my last day

One of the best things about my teaching job was the other teachers in the science department. Some very cool people.
The first picture is of the three teachers that were new this year in the science department--a full half of the full-time teachers.
The second is myself and the department head--I don't think I've ever met a more passionate teacher.

School's Out

It's official. Teachers are more excited than the students when school gets out.
Think about it...how much work did you actually do in high school? (If you were like me, not much). How much did your teachers have to do?
Yesterday I turned in my keys and my parking pass. I am now a free man. It was sad to realize that I wouldn't ever see most of the students and the other science teachers again, but it was very nice telling a problem student who's failing the class and asking if he can bring stuff in tomorrow to raise his grade, "I'm not going to be here. You'll just have to take the class again next year."
In a week we travel to SLC to get on a plane to Cincinnati...we'll visit there for a week, visit the school, find an apartment. April already has one job interview set up.
We move there in mid-July.
In other news, my laptop came in a week ago. Very nice, very quick computer. It starts up about 10 times faster than my desktop.

Politicians

So I'm not usually a big fan of politicians. They tend to be more concerned with themselves than with the long-term success of the people they're supposed to serve. And I find that many of them do stupid things...(like the gas tax break that Clinton and McCain want to give the American people this summer--really stupid pandering to the public, instead of real long-term solutions).
So I'd like to write about a politician that I actually have respect for.
Governor Huntsman is not very outspoken. I've heard him speak once, and although it was a good speech, it was clear that his strength is not public speaking. He seemed very humble.
I also watched a debate between him and Matheson as both ran for governor. I was impressed by how civil the two were to one another.
He dropped out of high school to play keyboards in a band. More recently he played keyboards at a Styx concert and attended a Dream Theater concert (a progressive metal band that has a grand total of one hit single...) Clearly, by embracing artsy, intellectual rock and metal, he is not pandering to the people of Utah. He's an individual, with his own (not to mention incredible) taste in music.
He realizes that education is important, and has actually made that one of his biggest goals.
He knows how to make deals...when he first came into office, construction on Legacy Highway had stopped. An environmental group was suing because the highway would disrupt and destroy important wetlands, and the state of Utah was losing a lot of money because they refused to negotiate with the environmental group. Governor Huntsman very quickly took control of the situation, worked out a deal that (almost) everyone could live with, and building resumed.
He threatened to veto a bill that would've directly affected me as a science teacher...a bill that would've corrupted science education in Utah. He's smart enough to realize that the scientists and science educators should determine what's taught in Utah schools...and not a bunch of backwards state legislators and special interest groups.
I don't necessarily agree with every decision he makes, but I'm glad Huntsman's governor.

Coincidences

Aren't coincidences strange?
My parents happen to be friends with Caron's (my dad and her mom served in the same mission).
I guess that one's a little more likely, seeing that everyone involved is LDS, but this next one...
Unless something drastic happens and the University of Utah decides that they need me at their school (which is very unlikely) it looks like I'm heading to the University of Cincinnati. Even of U of U accepts me, I still might decide to attend UC.
A cousin I'm close to in Provo is heading to Indiana, less than two hours from UC, so her husband can go to grad school (which is nice, because it means we'll probably be able to share a moving truck and cut our costs in half, saving some serious dough).
Brent, of course, is less than two hours away in Kentucky, doing grad school.
Even more amazing, a cousin I grew up with (we're the same age) is also moving to Cincinnati. Her husband is starting a grad program at the exact same university the exact same year I am.
All of this is, of course, totally unplanned. I had no clue this cousin was going to UC until after I had made my plans.
Now, if it was U of U or BYU or something else not on the other side of the country, it wouldn't have been much of a coincidence, but this...
This I'm still trying to get over.
By the way, if anyone who read this is thinking of grad school in the Midwest...now's the time.

Laptop bought

So I bought a laptop today from dell.com.
They were having a two-day deal--a free upgraded video card on their Vostros. The exact model I wanted, but $75 cheaper due to the free upgrade.
I also decided to splurge and go for a much faster processor...I upgraded from 1.4 GHz to 2.0 GHz ($175 is a lot of money, and I'm not sure if I made the right decision, but I'll cross my fingers and hope I did). And of course this brand new laptop includes XP instead of Vista (I talked to half-a-dozen people, and Brent was the only one who didn't have issues with Vista, so I feel I made a good choice there).
It's a bit on the larger size (15 in. screen, etc.) but then again, so am I.
It'll be a couple of weeks before it arrives, but I'm already very much excited.
Cost: under $700 (before taxes).

Stalking Santa and my German professor

So there's a very funny movie out...filmed mainly in Provo...called Stalking Santa. I realize it's May, but stay with me.
It's a mockumentary involving William Shatner (yes, that's right). It also stars (well, okay, it features) my German professor!
It does a great job of making fun of pseudoscience everywhere. You might also recognize some familiar faces from other "Mormon" movies.
By the way, it's not meant as a Mormon movie. There are no lame Mormon jokes (or funny ones, for that matter). The only way you know it's a Mormon movie is that it features Mormon actors and (clearly) is filmed in Provo.
Lots of laughs...definitely worth a look.

My new laptop

So I haven't ordered it yet, but here's the what I'm planning on ordering from Dell:
Vostro 1500 (with some upgrades)
PROCESSOR: Intel Core 2 Duo T5470 (1.6GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
OPERATING SYSTEM: Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition
LCD PANEL: 15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA LCD Display with TrueLife
MEMORY 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 2 DIMM
VIDEO CARD 128MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8400M GS
HARD DRIVE 120GB 5400RPM Hard Drive
WI-FI WIRELESS CARD Dell Wireless 1395 802.11g Wi-Fi Internal Card

I specifically sought out laptops that still have XP on them (I know Brent says it's nothing to be scared of, but he's also getting a doctorate in CS). It's marketed as a small business laptop, but there's not much difference between it and the one they market to consumers (Inspiron 1520). It's a little bit cheaper because it doesn't come with extras like Webcam (I figure I can buy a cheap one if I need it) or software that I wouldn't use anyway.
Once I start school, I can upgrade to XP Professional for very cheap (although I think that would wipe out everything I put on it before I start school).
I can also purchase the software I need very cheaply.

The two splurges (and I'm still not sure if I need them) are with the GHz (1.4 to 1.6, and it costs a whopping $75) and graphics card (Intel Integrated 3100 to Nvidia 8400, and also $75).
To those who know, are the splurge worth it?
Total cost (with splurges):$669.00

A funny phone call and a funny picture

First the picture:

(Thanks to Respectful Insolence for providing the picture)

Then the phone call:
Last night someone called asking for me. I didn't understand everything the lady was saying, but it sounded like a short opinion poll, so I stayed on the line.
And although it was dressed as an opinion poll, it was really pretty much straight propaganda. A two-minute recording told me why I need to fear for my life because my right to owning a gun would be taken away due to a possible Supreme Court decision...
Now, I'm not anti-gun. I went shooting every once in a while as a kid, and I don't have a problem with guns as long as they're locked up safely. But I do have a problem with the NRA, who, it turned out, were the ones calling me; I think it's stupid that if you want to run for president as a Republican you need their support (remember Romney?) and I think they usually go way overboard. Notice also that Hillary is now pandering for the support of the NRA crowd.
I also have big issues with fear-mongering.
So, after the recording, when the lady asked me if the government should have the right to take away our guns, I told her, "At certain times and in certain places." She thanked me for my time and immediately hung up.

Laptop

As I am attending law school this fall, I need a laptop. Problem is...what type?
Here are the requirements:
Type/Brand
Major Vendors (e.g., Dell, Toshiba, Lenovo )
The College of Law is primarily a PC environment, but most newer Apple laptops running Mac OS X 10.4 or better will work with the UC Law network, networked resources, and exam software.
Hard Drive
80 GB
Memory
1 GB XP / 2GB Vista
Processor
Intel Core 2.Duo 1.66 GHz
Optical Drive
DVD/CD-RW
Video RAM
256MB for Vista Aero interfaces; less for XP
Monitor
14.1 Inch
Operating System
Windows XP Professional or Vista Business or Ultimate
Wireless Network Card
802.11b/g (integrated or external) with 128 bit encryption.

I've heard some ugly things about Vista...
Anyway, if any of you have recommendations on what I should go for, that would be very much appreciated. Cost and reliability are the biggest factors.

Cincinnati it is (I think)

So April and I were leaning towards Cincinnati (over Portland)...and then we found out that if April finds full-time work before classes start I can get in-state tuition my first year...and then they offered me a bit of a scholarship on top of that. So Cincinnati wins out.
We're looking at homes already. And I've talked more with the bishop of the Norwood ward (which we'll probably be moving into) this past week than I've talked with my bishop here in Idaho Falls this last (almost) year.
Apparently there are at least two other LDS law students at the law school...which is actually surprising, considering the fact that there aren't many members in Cincinnati, and the law school is quite small (they admit around 120 each year).
Our grand plans could change...but the chances of that happening are getting smaller and smaller. There's still a (slight) chance that a university that has waitlisted me will change their mind and accept me...but if they want me, they'd better move quickly. We'll be buying a house in June or July, and once we've done that, we're committed.
Personally, I like the idea of moving away from the in-laws, doing our own thing, and joining a ward that has a weekly attendance of 100 to 120. I enjoy small wards much more.

Email forward

So about two weeks ago, my principal forwarded this email to all the teachers at our school. Feel free to skim it if you'd like...


Subject: Fw: FW: WARNING !!!

Please read this 'very carefully'..then send it out to all
the people online that you know.

Something like this is nothing to be taken casually this is something you DO want to pay attention to. If a person with the screen-name of ROOSTER goes by his name JOE WINWARD contacts you, do not reply. DO NOT talk to this person; do not answer any of his instant messages or e-mail . He has the ability to track your home address. Whoever this person may be, he is a suspect for murder in the death of (3) women (so far) contacted through the Internet. He is a suspect in a shooting and is known
for raping and beating young women. He is located in the IDAHO area. Please send this to all the women on your buddy list and ask them to pass this on, as well. This screen-name was seen on Yahoo and AOL so far. This is not a joke!
Please send this to men too...just in case! Send to everyone you know! Ladies,
this s serious!
IF WE CAN PASS ON JOKES, SURELY WE CAN PASS ON A WARNING
THAT MAY SAVE A FRIENDS LIFE.
Thank You.
TIM LITTLE
Cassia County Sheriff and
Investagion
Phone: (208)878-2251


Let me ask you, my friends...what's your first reaction to this?
Yep. A hoax. Plain as day. To prove that it was a hoax, I went to a popular hoax website and typed in "Rooster".
I sent an email back to the principal (after editing it to make sure that it didn't imply that he was stupid to not realize it was a hoax).
I've gotten numerous other emails like this from other people in the district. It's amazing how gullible some people are.
In any case, I want to thank you, my friends, for being smart enough to recognize a hoax...and for not mass-forwarding things like this.
To his credit, the principal immediately forwarded my email to everyone else, and then came sheepishly up to my room to (kind of) apologize.
What are some of the things that tipped you off to it being a hoax? Was it the fact that they couldn't even spell "investigation" correctly? Or was it something else?

Inkheart

My sister has been telling me for a long time that I need to read Inkheart. It was originally written in German (although you wouldn't know it from reading the English translation) and for a while I tried to find a German copy. I gave up on that and read it in English. Maybe on my next trip to Europe I can get it in the original language...
Fantastic book. Technically a children's book. It's much better than Fablehaven. The best juvenile fantasy I've read in a long time...it might even be better than Harry Potter.
Highly recommended. I'll be reading the sequel, Inkspell, on the way up to Moscow on Thursday. I'm getting out of two days of teaching by chaperoning nineteen physics students to an engineering fair, and I should have plenty of time to read.

Deciding between Cincinnati and Lewis and Clark

So I've heard back from six schools so far. Two have me on waitlists (which means there's a small chance I maybe might get in) and four have accepted me.
UNLV and Villanova (in Pennsylvania) are the lesser of the four.
So the two I have to choose between (at least at this point in time) are Cincinnati and Lewis and Clark (in Portland).
Here's the comparison:
Location
Lewis and Clark is in a very beautiful green state with good weather...except for the rain. It's much closer to our families.
Ohio has less rain, but it is very humid in the summer and it's not nearly as green. It's quite far from our families, but a cousin's husband will be attending the exact same university (surprise!). He's getting his master's in music. Another cousin (close to me) will live two hours away in Indianapolis, and of course Brent and co. live two hours away in Kentucky.
Safety
Both universities are located in large cities that have the potential to be a bit dangerous. Cincinnati has seen riots in recent years. Portland is known for its large number of strip clubs. Lewis and Clark is away from the center of Portland, but the University of Cincinnati is in the heart of the city.
Tuition Cost
Cincinnati wins this one hands down. Even with a scholarship from Lewis and Clark, it'll be about $24,000 a year. Cincinnati will be $18,000 as long as April can find a full-time job in Ohio before I start school, so we can get in-state tuition for the first year. There's a bit of demand for Medical Technologists, so I don't think she'll have much of a problem there. So we're talking a difference of $18,000 for the three years.
Cost of Living
Cincinnati wins out here too. Much more affordable than Portland. We might even consider buying a house in Cincinnati...
School Ranking
Cincinnati ranks #52, Lewis and Clark #73. Cincinnati graduates make considerably more than Lewis and Clark graduates, but I'm not sure how much of this is due to the fact that many lawyers from Lewis and Clark practice environmental law, which doesn't tend to pay as much as other types of law.
Emphasis
Lewis and Clark is ranked the best school in the nation for environmental law. However, many lawyers advise that law students go to the best law school they can, without paying attention to what a law school specializes in. More importantly, I'm not certain that I want to practice environmental law. Cincinnati offers a grand total of four environmental law courses.
So, you see our dilemma. Lots of factors to consider (and if you can think of more, please let me know). Deposits are due May 2nd, but I'm considering paying deposits to both places to postpone making a decision.

Law School Updates

So, last night we got a call from Lewis and Clark in Portland. They've accepted me. They're a good school (although they're not as highly ranked as University of Utah or Cincinnati). Tuition is comparable to Cincinnati (they're a private school, but they're offering me a bit of a scholarship), and the location (Oregon) is one of our top picks. Plus they're one of the best (if not the best) school for environmental law.
So there is a good chance I'll be heading that way (and we won't be too far from the Woods).
I have to make a $300 non-refundable deposit by May 2nd, but we won't decide 100% until June...we'll wait to see what other offers come our way, and see if the U of U takes me off the waitlist.
In a way, I'd rather go to Portland. It's a lot more expensive than Utah, and it's further from our families, but I think Oregon would be a great place to live and raise a family.

Wolves in Idaho

Very funny first paragraph in a news article in Idaho Falls today:
"It's only been a week since their delisting and already wolves are running amuck and causing all sorts of problems, especially in Ashton."
That's right. As soon as wolves were taken off the endangered list, they decided "oh, we're no longer protected by the law, and if we bug people or livestock they can shoot us on sight, so let's run rampant and terrorize farmers in eastern Idaho." Wolves have been in eastern Idaho for a while. There's no reason for them to change their behavior because they've been delisted. Stupid Idaho Falls reporters.

So it's fact that Idaho Falls reporters are dumb. The rest of this post is partly my opinion, and partly fact.

If wolves were dangerous, this might be more of an issue. But wolves are the least dangerous big predator (I know of one fatality in the last fifty years, and there have been many more fatalities from bears, mountain lions, rattlesnakes, domestic dogs, etc.) Wolves tend to be very wary of humans (much more so than bears). They tend to avoid humans at all costs. If a wolf even annoys you, or your livestock, or your pets, you have full legal authority to go out and kill it.
For some reason people have an irrational fear of wolves. Bears? No problem. A strange dog? We'll pet it. A wolf? Like Little Red Riding Hood? Like Mr. Huff and Puff? (Have you seen "Enchanted" by the way? That's right. Little Red Riding Hood was the bad guy.) A wolf? Run and hide or he'll eat you up!
On a brighter note, a loud, obnoxious scary dog that threatened my wife on our honeymoon was apparently killed by a wolf. The only sad thing is that the wolf can now be shot on sight.

Las Vegas

New acceptance email. The email made it sound like I'd already been informed of being accepted...so I emailed back to ask about it. Turns out they emailed me the info on Tuesday (and, this being Idaho Falls, mail usually takes a week to get here). UNLV isn't as highly ranked, but it's cheaper, closer to our families, and offering me a scholarship...
We'll see. If it was just my decision, I'd pick Cincinnati over UNLV, but...
In any case, we still have several schools to hear back from, and hopefully a few others will accept me.

Law School Update

My first acceptance letter today! Well, my first acceptance letter for 2008...(well, okay, it's an email...the letter will be here soon).
It's in Cincinnati...a good school.
Since I'm still waiting for a number of other schools to get back to me, my decision is a ways off. But...it's official! I am going to law school!

Google Reader

I just started using this google feature, and it's awesome.
There are a lot of websites out there that I check regularly...and some of them only get updated every week or so. Instead of checking back every now and then (or continually) all I do is put the all these website on google reader, and when I go to google reader it tells me what websites have been updated, and lets me read the content right there.
The only negative aspect is that if I want to leave a comment, I have to leave google reader and go to the actual website to do so.
In any case, a really cool feature.
Thanks, Aaron J., for telling me about it.
The rest of you should check it out (and if you don't have a google/gmail account yet, consider switching over).

Another Law School Update

Another waitlist...from Wake Forest in North Carolina. A private school, highly ranked (42, which is higher than BYU).

Law School Update

I just got accepted to Lewis and Clark Law School, a private law school in Portland.
For 2009, that is.
As far as 2008 goes, they're filled up, but I'm on the wait list.
Guess that's the problem with applying late.
Anyway, I'll keep the blog updated as other schools get back to me.

Eifelheim-Highly Recommended

I just (two minutes ago) finished Michael Flynn's Eifelheim ('ei' is pronounced like the vowel in 'ice'). I highly recommend it.
It's not an easy read--it's written at an adult level, and, unless you understand German, Latin, Middle-age history, and physics, there are bound to be things that don't make sense. That's okay. I've decided a good book is a lot like a good president--smarter than me. Meanwhile, just by reading, I become smarter.
Eifelheim is German for "home of the elves". The main storyline occurs in the middle-ages (think plague time). But it's not fantasy.
And the elves aren't elves...they're aliens.
The story had a bit of an emotional impact on me (and books rarely do that, so for that reason alone I'll recommend it).
It also examines how the language of religion and the language of science interact. The aliens don't comprehend religion, and the people don't understand science (although one in particular tries). Remember, during this time period people still thought that the earth was the center of the universe. They explained just about everything with "God did it". That explanation explains nothing (although it may be true). Some people still use it today. Fortunately, however, we now (like these scientific aliens) know what causes disease and malnutrition.
Anyway, a great book. Go and read it. Meanwhile, I'll go back and read some more stuff by Michael Flynn, and hope that it's as good as this.

Why kids in Finland are smarter

Compare and contrast education in Finland and the US.
US: Emphasis put on sports. Administration is made up mainly of used-to-be-coaches, and coaches are given special privileges (such as hiring priority, teaching the honors classes and better job security).
Finland: Sports are not a focus of the public schools.
US: Teachers are paid a fairly low amount of money.
Finland: Teachers are paid a fairly low amount of money.
US: There are plenty of history, English, and elementary education teachers, but there are shortages of special education, math, and science teachers.
Finland: Competition for all teaching positions is fierce. No problem with shortages.
US: Teachers are respected by some, but many students have no respect for them.
Finland: Teaching is seen as a noble profession, and many more students aspire to become teachers themselves.
US: Some parents instill love of reading into their children. Many parents don't see education as that important.
Finland: Almost all parents read to their children. Public libraries are everywhere (including inside of malls) and reading is a very popular past-time. Students know how important education is.
US: All children are put through the same classes from age 5 to age 18. Many drop out early.
Finland: Students don't start school until they're 7. At age 15 or 16, they attend either a vocational school or a university-prep school, depending on their skills or interests. Very few drop out (although they can do so legally at age 15 or 16).
US: Most students will do whatever they can to get out of schoolwork.
Finland: Students place high value on being intelligent and educated.
US: Teachers don't tend to be the smartest college graduates (according to test scores).
Finland: Teachers tend to be as smart as law school students or med school students, despite the pay (according to test scores).
US: Teachers can get a Master's degree if they want.
Finland: Teachers are expected (but not required) to get a Master's.
US: Discipline is the biggest issue for teachers. Disrespect, talking, cell phone use, etc. causes big problems.
Finland: Children are well-behaved in class (and they're interested in learning).
US: Let's face it. American kids don't compete well in language, math, science, etc.
Finland: Probably the best education system in the world, and the kids score highest or second highest on international tests.

It seems that the biggest issues are:
1. Teenagers are put into a program that makes sense for them (vocational or college-bound), and, more importantly:
2. Students have a respect for teachers and for education, which translates into less discipline problems, which means more people want to teach, which translates into smarter, better teachers (because of heavy competition).

Evidence against Empire

I posted recently about some reading I've done, including Orson Scott Card's Empire. Imagine my surprise when I read this article this morning.
Basically, the main idea of the article is this: each time a democrat becomes president after eight years of a republican president, some far-right people go crazy and start committing terrorist acts.
Interestingly enough, when the change is from democrat to republican, far-left people don't commit acts of terror.
Interesting correlation and some good evidence for what I thought was common sense: republicans fight with guns, democrats fight with words (but Orson Scott Card obviously disagrees).

Salt Lake for Easter

April and I are planning on coming to Salt Lake for Easter.
I get the Friday before off (although Thursday night I have to stay extra late at work for Parent-Teacher conferences, and since I'm in the middle of the big evolution unit in all five of my biology classes, that should be fun...)
So we'll drive down Friday morning.
The week after Easter, I have off.
Unfortunately, April works graveyards that week, starting Sunday night.
We're pretty sure she'll be able to get Sunday night off (she filled in for someone else this last Saturday night, and so he owes her a night's work). So we'll probably be able to stay in Salt Lake until Monday.
Our plans? Spend time with friends and family, celebrate Easter and my birthday, visit a law school or two (although my chances of being accepted to either Utah school are fairly low--they're both excellent schools that place a very high emphasis on the first undergraduate GPA, which is my weakness).
Speaking of law schools, I should be hearing back within two or three weeks from some of them.
My LSAT is fairly good, and it's been a while since I graduated from BYU, so that should help. I also have experience in medicine and education, and a strong second GPA (3.75 at UVSC, and that includes a bunch of difficult science classes). So hopefully I'll have a couple of decent options (I've applied to at least ten schools so far).
Anyway, we're hoping to meet up with some of you. Let us know if you'll be around, and we'll stop by to say hi.

Good reads

I haven't had a lot of time to read recently, but here's a list of what I have read:
Orson Scott Card: "Empire", "A War of Gifts", and a short fantasy story (that's supposedly being followed up by a new novel and maybe even a new series). The short story was very good (I'm excited to read more from this world), as was the short novel "A War of Gifts". "Empire" would've been good, except I never bought into a big part of the plot. I don't want to spoil the book for those planning to read it, so if you're planning to read it, skip the next paragraph.
Card basically sets up a war between extreme left-wingers and the US government. My problem...if liberals were to attack the US, it wouldn't be with guns, tanks, etc. Those are right-wing tools. So the whole scenario is screwy, with liberals guiding around amazing killing machines and killing every cop they can find. Sorry, but when liberals attack, it's with words, not with guns. And yes, the pen is mightier than the sword.
April and I have also been reading the Fablehaven books. They're fun. April loves them.
My favorite new books are by Cinda Williams Chima. I read her series out of order...I read "The Wizard Heir" before "The Warrior Heir". Not a big problem. The main characters are high-school kids, and "Wizard" reminded me early on of Harry Potter...except the school is evil and the kid's very tech-savvy. Highly recommended.
So go read the Ender's Game short novel, and definitely check out Cinda Williams Chima.

Flood

Besides being the name of a cool Jars of Clay song (I'm not into Christian rock unless it features Neal Morse of Spock's Beard, but I do like "Flood"), Flood is what happened to us a week ago, Saturday night.
I'd found a copy of the movie "The Forgotten" for $3 (I don't recommend it--it sounds kind of cool but it's not). We were watching it. April was keeping a load of laundry going.
And then we heard a knock on the door. We left the second bedroom (where we keep the TV) and found our living room and kitchen were flooded. The neighbors below us were at the door...water was leaking in through their lights. The hose behind the washing machine had come out, and water was everywhere.
This was 9:00 p.m. We spent the next four hours soaking up water with a machine from Albertson's. April's mom helped us out a bit, leaving at about 11:00. At 1:00 a.m. we were too tired to work, and we weren't getting much water out of the carpet anyway.
The landlord came and looked at the damage the next morning. We were up and working; I was trying to suck more water up from the carpet (it was coming, but slowly), and April was making sure things were dry. We decided to skip our 9:00 a.m. church to clean up, and we needed every bit of that time. The landlord rented a high-power fan from Home Depot, and I started drying out the carpet.
Meanwhile, all of our furniture in the living room, including a large desk, a bookshelf, and two heavy couches, needed to be moved. The couches are too big to move anywhere but to the kitchen (they don't maneuver easily into the other rooms).
Once the carpet was dry, I focused the fan on the pads below the carpet. Some of the wood underneath that was badly warped. This Saturday morning (almost a week after the flood), the landlord and I cut out the worst wood and replaced it. If all goes as planned, the carpet guy should be here Monday to put the carpet and the pads back down, and we'll be able to reclaim our living room.

LSAT score

So I got my LSAT score yesterday.
161, or in the 84th percentile.
On the practice exams, I got everywhere from 158 to 168, with 164 (90th percentile) as an average. In fact, I got a 164 two or three times on the practice exams.
I was nervous taking the real test, though, and I couldn't think straight. So I'm happy that I got in the 160s. I was fearing a score in the 150's.
It's funny that on such a big test, three questions can bump you from a 90th percentile to a 84th percentile.
Anyway, I'm still happy I didn't bomb it.
The schools I have the best chance of getting into are in Oregon and Washington, so it looks like I might be heading back to the west coast.
Wish me luck as law schools decide whether to accept me or not...

Tag

Looks like I'm the last one to post on this tag...guess I lose.
I'm not sure how this works, but here goes:
Five things I was doing ten years ago:
1. Finally asking girls out to dances (instead of being set up for disaster dates by well-meaning friends).
2. GURPS.
3. AP Environmental Science (awesome class, taught by a South African LDS bishop).
4. Enjoying my high ACT score (my standardized test scores haven't been nearly as high since).
5. Going to the BYU Sci/Fi and Fantasy Symposium with Voorhies and the gang (and it became tradition).

Five things to do tomorrow:
1. Get a haircut.
2. Finish a couple of law school applications (Wake Forest and Seattle University).
3. Cook enough enchiladas to last us through next week.
4. Go to my mother-in-laws to celebrate her birthday.
5. Figure out what we want in a starter home.

Four favorite CDs:
1. Savatage--Dead Winter Dead.
2. Savatage--Handful of Rain.
3. Eternity X--The Edge.
4. Dream Theater--Images and Words.
Yes, I know that the only way any of you have ever heard of these is through me...
They're still incredible.

Best book I've read recently:
The Wizard Heir, by Cinda Williams Chima. Like Harry Potter, except the kid's tech-savvy and the school is EVIL.

New book that's on top of to-read list:
Biography of Henry Eyring (the scientist-father of President Eyring), written by President Eyring's son (Henry Eyring's grandson). I have and love the book written by Henry Eyring himself, "Reflections of a Scientist".

Where we'll be in six months:
1. Salt Lake?
2. Provo?
3. Seattle?
4. Somewhere in Oregon?
5. Boulder Colorado?
6. Las Vegas?
7. New Mexico?
8. North Carolina?
9. Somewhere else?

Biggest pet peeves:
1. Downstairs neighbors who smoke in non-smoking apartments.
2. Teenagers with no respect for authority.
3. Teenagers who are so convinced that they are stupid that they become stupid.
4. Spoiled teenagers.
5. Stupid teenagers (did I already say that?)


Who I'm voting for in November:
1. McCain (maybe).
2. Obama (maybe).

What I'm thankful for:
1. April.
2. An income.
3. Good music.
4. That Romney's out (it's great he's LDS, but he pandered way too much to the religious right and took way too harsh a stand on illegal immigrants).
5. That Obama and McCain are still in (and that Huckabee doesn't stand a chance).

Five people to tag:
As I said, I'm the last one, so I lose.
But as far as people who seriously need to get blogs (or write more in them if they have them):
1. Ben (and family)
2. Dan
3. Kristi
4. Jay (thanks for the recent post, by the way)
5. Kirk (and family)

Golden Compass and Hairspray

April and I rented Hairspray this past week. Definitely recommended (watch it with a date). Ya, ya, I know it's a musical. Go see it anyway.
Despite various comments made here, April still wanted to see The Golden Compass. So last night, to celebrate her birthday, we went to the cheap theaters (they're three blocks from our apartment) to watch it. By the way, I'm not totally cheap. We also went out to eat, and we're going to a Jim Brickman concert in a couple of days (she's really excited about the concert).
The last few years there have been a few awesome fantasy movies. LOTR comes to mind. Compass is not awesome, but it's good. April (surprisingly) liked it even more than I did. It is a bit of a dark movie. And I want to analyze it a bit for those who've heard various things about it.
People say that the movie is anti-God. The dominating religion in the film, the Magisterium, is certainly the bad guy, and the free-thinking intellects are the good guys. However, members of the Magisterium also state one of their main objectives: they want to take away everyone's free will. Sound familiar? Sounds just like Satan's plan. I think, if Satan could, he'd prefer the Magisterium's system to the current, more chaotic system he now enjoys. Make no mistake--the Magisterium is evil to the core. By the way, they also kidnap children.
Meanwhile, the protagonist is given a Golden Compass. There are others out there, but the Magisterium has control over them and refuses to let others use them. The compass shows the truth. Liahona, anyone? The Magisterium wants total control over the truth, and goes all out to find the girl and her compass.
Of course, I'm also reminded of the Catholic church of Galileo's day. They insisted on being the only source of truth. "Take back what you said about the sun being the center of the universe or we'll kill you," they told Galileo. So he took it back (fingers crossed). Good thing we've come a long way since then, or we'd still blame sickness on evil spirits (instead of viruses and bacteria). We never would've made it to the moon. And...well, you get the idea. The Dark Ages were dark for a reason. Good thing the Catholic church has reformed.
The movie does attack authority, or at least the kind of authority that insists on being followed without too much thinking.
The movie's a bit dark, and so some might be bothered by that aspect. No doubt the rumors about how evil the movie is will also make it difficult for some to watch. It makes a statement against an authority that expects blind obedience, and so those who follow blindly or expect others to follow them blindly will not like it.
My recommendation? If you like fantasy, go see it. You might not agree with everything in the movie, but the only church the movie attacks is the one that strips men and women of their free will.
And no, despite what you may have heard, the movie is certainly not anti-God.

President Hinckley's Last Words

I'm not sure what the prophet's last words were. As tired and worn as he was, he still spoke during the Christmas broadcast, and his words there could be regarded by some as his last words, at least to the church in general.
Less than two weeks ago, however, church leaders met with Utah lawmakers to discuss the church's concerns. I'm not sure who these leaders were or how many of the concerns came directly from the prophet, but they're certainly interesting.
Health care, drugs (meth), and alcohol were some of the concerns.
Another was illegal immigration.
I have been unable to find direct quotes from the church or church leaders, except the official word from a church spokesman: "We communicated our policy ... The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has taken no position regarding currently proposed immigration legislation." So they didn't address any specific current legislation.
Here is what church leaders did say, according to lawmakers.
LDS Church officials "used the word 'call,' they made a call for humanity in immigration" debates and legislation, Litvack (the House Minority Whip) said. "We should not demonize" illegal immigrants. "In some cases, the debate has become so ugly, I heard, so hateful and dehumanizing. Let's bring back the element of humanity."
"I interpreted what was said as this: 'Take a step back, be calm, and above all remember that we are dealing with human beings here,"' said Litvack.
Dave Clark, the House Majority Leader, reported that church leaders said that "we all need to approach this subject with compassion."
If this was said according to President Hinckley's instructions, it's a fitting last message from the prophet.

Wedding pictures

For those of you who missed seeing us all dressed up for our wedding (umm...that would be just about everybody except for the Barbarian and Caron), I've finally gotten around to posting pictures at the blogspot of April and Tim (AprilandTim).
I don't want to post the URL here, but I'm sure you can find it :)
Oh, and no hard feelings. I do realize that a couple of you were in India, another in Asia, another couple on the east coast, etc. etc. So you're excused.

Right out of the Twilight Zone

I awoke this morning, read the news online, and got ready for work.
I snuck a peek outside (like I usually do), hoping that it had snowed a foot or so during the night, and my long weekend could be extended to four days instead of three. No such luck. I kissed April goodbye and stepped out into the frigid Idaho Falls air.
My wet hair froze almost instantaneously, and my usually cooperative car was a bit sluggish. I drove to work (about a 12-minute drive), and pulled into the teacher's parking lot. Only one other car in the lot, which is odd...normally, this close to 8:00, there are more. I dig around for the watch I keep in my car, hoping to confirm the time, only to find that the battery's dead.
I walk quickly to my back-door entrance that leads straight to my classroom. The clock on the wall reads 7:49, which means all teachers should be in the building within the next 11 minutes.
Something's definitely wrong. Daylight-savings time change? No...
While my computer boots up, I go look around. No one is around. No one. A bit freaky, to say the least.
Confused, I wander back to my computer and look up Idaho Falls news.
Yep. Every school in the area is shut down.
Apparently they cancel school when the school buses can't start because it's -18 F.

BYU Bookstore is in denial

I cut and pasted this paragraph from the BYU Bookstore website this morning:

Sticker shock
Textbooks are free for most students until they reach college. If their book buying experience is limited to paying $9.95 for a paperback, having to buy three or four $40 or $50 texts is a shock. After paying a substantial tuition bill, families are often unprepared for an additional $200 to $400 textbook expense each term.

$40 or $50 a book? Maybe if you're an English major (but then you're probably buying dozens of books, not just three or four). I seem to recall that most of my books were at least $80 a piece (often considerably more), and that I bought them used!
The $200 to $400 is also a joke (try $400 to $600), as is the "families are often unprepared" bit (my family certainly didn't pay for my books--I did).

Just thought that those of us who are thinking we miss BYU would be grateful that we no longer have to deal with some of their logic. Fond memories are grand, but the good old days aren't always as good as we remember them.

By the way, I don't think BYU's buying the following items back, but if any of you know anyone taking basic chemistry at BYU, we have some CDs they might appreciate (chem tutor, chem tutor II, and virtual chem lab).

Life as an outsider in Idaho Falls

One of the first things I noticed here in Idaho Falls is that they don't believe in right turn lanes. Well--unless you're turning into Walmart or the technical college (both nearby...and both places I avoid). I mean, you have two lanes going each way, you intersect with another two lanes going each way, and there is no right turn lane. If you haven't experienced such madness, it's really a pain. Over one half of the cars in the right lane want to turn. But one car that wants to go straight holds everyone else up on a red light. And when traffic's flowing, most of the people in the right lane are slowing down to take the turn. Traffic in many places is actually quite busy, and right turn lanes would alleviate much of the problem.
Four-way stop signs is another issue. When cars are backed up twenty or more at a four-way stop, you know it's time to get a better intersection. Fortunately, that's only a problem when we're heading out towards the in-laws during rush hour. Elsewhere, they've recognized the intelligence of traffic lights.
And then there's the half-mile stretch where two lanes turn into one. After a half-mile they turn back into two. It's called bottle-necking, and it's just plain stupid.
K-Dog, when he came and visited, mentioned the right turn lane thing (which is by far the worst road problem). Sweet validation. As I was giving him directions (while he was driving) he told me, "We just passed a high school". It was actually the technical college.
Oh, and next to right turn lanes, my biggest pet peeve has been the fact that you can't buy cheese fondue. We've looked all over for it. It just doesn't exist. Until yesterday.
Smith's had some. And even though we had one in the fridge from Pirate O's (in Draper), I bought another one. I'm all for financially supporting good taste, especially when it's been lacking in the past.

2007 movies

Looking back at last year, I'm a bit surprised by how many movies I watched.
Here's a list of ones I saw that came out last year.
Dan in Real Life--a good movie. A bit of a chick flick though (April liked it a lot more than I did).
The Bourne Ultimatum--great movie. I also saw the second movie in the trilogy this year (for the first time). Jason Bourne is very real...and the action's great too.
Bridge To Terabithia--this one is very underrated. A great movie with lousy advertisements and poor box office showing. If you haven't seen it, now's the time. It's a great children's story, with lots of depth. April really liked it too.
Pirates of the Caribbean 3--fun, but overrated.
Spiderman 3--not as good as the first two, but still a good movie.
Ratatouille--I was excited about this movie when I first saw the previews, months before it came out. Besides being one of the best cartoons ever, the scenes of Paris were fantastic. It's the real Paris. Trust me. I've been there. It may seem like a small detail, since most people have never been to Paris, and most who have just saw the Eiffel Tower and stopped by the Louvre for a quick visit, but the shots of the river and the river bank were so real that they actually brought back memories. Fantastic movie.
Harry Potter--good. I like the movies, but I don't get as excited about them as a lot of other people.
I am Legend--I was really excited about seeing this. Will Smith's a good actor, and he usually stars in good films. The movie was different than I expected--darker, more intense, and definitely not a standard action flick. Good, and I'll recommend it to the guys. The girls probably won't be interested.
Live Free or Die Hard--I like Bruce Willis, and have always wondered about the Die Hard movies. This one's the first PG-13 one. Fun, yes. Am I going to recommend it? No. I understand now the "Die Hard" part--Bruce Willis can't die. Lots of unrealistic action and a plot with lots of problems.
Stardust--The best movie of the year. A bit of British humor in a fantastic fantasy. If you haven't seen this, you need to. It's got action, romance, comedy...and it does it all well.
Enchanted--April and I saw this last night. It's fun. More of a chick flick (April enjoyed it quite a bit more than I did).

The following is a list of movies that came out that I still need to see:
Golden Compass--ya, I know it got horrible reviews. But it has some good actors, it's fantasy, and religious right hates it almost as much as they hate Harry Potter. So I definitely need to go see it.
Hairspray--I'm not sure about this one. Everyone says it's good, and April really wants to see it. Even Eric Snider gave it a good review. We'll see.
Lars and the Real Girl--it's supposed to be very good (and, somehow, clean).
An edited version of No Country for Old Men--This one has gotten fantastic reviews from the critics. It's done by the Cohen brothers (think O Brother Where Art Thou?, Raising Arizona, and, of course, Hudsucker Proxy) and it's supposedly their best work. Unfortunately, it's rated R.

My overall top picks (in order):
Stardust
Ratatouille
Bridge to Teribithia
The Bourne Ultimatum

Any recommendations? Comments?

Law School

Lately I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I want to do with my life.
I'm married to a beautiful woman. So that decision is finally made, and I'm definitely happy with it.
But as far as a career goes...
For some reason, the idea of going to law school has recently snuck into my head. So I've been looking into it, reading several books about it, applied to half a dozen law schools (or, am in the process of applying), and I'm studying for the LSAT.
Turns out that BYU is ranked the most competitive law school. That's right...it's more competitive than Yale or Harvard. And turns out that there are two other schools that are ranked more conservative (see Princeton Review for the rankings).
All the schools I'm applying to are first tier (U of U and BYU both easily fit into that category, but University of Idaho doesn't).
Anyway, I'm hoping something happens here. Teaching's fine, but the money's crappy (and I'd like April to have the option of not working, which right now is not an option) and I'd rather work with people one-on-one. And I really want to do something that requires more thinking.
And with BYU's ranking for competitiveness and conservativeness, I'm not sure I'd attend even if they accepted me...
But a few other schools, including the (gasp) U of U, are looking real nice.

Romney's faith speech

Anyone else read this?
I thought parts of it were good.
Unfortunately, I was very much disappointed with some of his remarks. I'm not sure if he believes some of what he said; it is obvious that he directed the speech to the religious right.
It's too bad that he had to make a speech like that.
I will not be part of the religious right. I will not consider myself part of a group that claims that I am not a Christian. I will not try to mix my politics with my religion, although my religion influences my morals, and my morals help determine how I vote. And I am not happy that Romney used the occasion to blast the other group that the right-wingers hate--those who choose to be secular.
As McCain (my favorite Republican candidate) notes, many great patriotic Americans are secular. So what? Since when is a Judeo-Christian religion necessary for a country to be free?
Romney also blasts Europe, even though more of Europe enjoys freedom than ever before. Religion did not free Eastern Europe from the USSR. Religion did not give them their freedom.
Europe has issues too. Most Americans will not vote for a president that does not go to church. Most Europeans will not for one that does. Meanwhile, they overlook more important things, such as if the president will show respect to all groups whether they believe or not.
So while Romney may have won over a large number of the religious right, he lost the votes of those who are more tolerant, including this religious Mormon.

Alternative to (most) health Insurance

For those of us in the work force, how much are we paying for health insurance? Currently, I pay $486.95 a month, plus $62.05 for dental insurance.
Ridiculous? I'll say. Especially when that covers only me. April's not included. And health care insurance costs are skyrocketing (by 16% a year). We have an emergency on our hands.
So, what to do? I propose an alternative. I know this is long, but stay with me.
How it will work:
Instead of paying insurance, everyone in the US will be required to put a certain percentage (say, 10%) of the money they earn into a savings account (one that makes enough interest to make up for inflation). Each family has a savings account pool for this purpose. The money can only be removed for health-related costs.
The goal would be to get, over time, a certain amount of money into this pool. For each family member under, say, 30, there would need to be a minimum of, say, $5,000 in the account. So April and I would need to put, over time, $10,000 into it. If we have a baby, that amount goes to $15,000. People 30-40 would need $7500 in it, 40-50 $10,000 in it, and so forth.
Once the savings account is filled (so April and I have $10,000 in it), 10% of our income can go instead into some sort of mutual fund (or, if we want, it can continue going into the savings account). It needs to be an approved fund, but April and I decide on how high-risk it is. We can move this money around all we want, and we can put it into our savings account if we wish, but it can only be used for health-care reasons. It's a back-up for the savings account.
If we turn 30, or acquire a new addition to our family, more money is funneled into the savings account until it's at the new minimum. So if I turn 30 and we have a baby, the new minimum would be $17,500 (5000+5000+7500). That seems like a lot...but it's only 10% of our income. Compare that to what we pay for insurance. Meanwhile, the money that's already in the mutual fund stays there if we want it to, but the 10% of what we make goes into the savings account until it's at the new minimum. The only way that money leaves the mutual fund is if we decide to put it into our savings account, or if we need it for a health expense.
Parents are legally responsible for using the money to help their children until their children are no longer dependents. When children become independent (legally), they take $5000 from the family savings account and put it into their new account. Obviously, the family savings account now has lower requirements (by exactly $5000). If the mother and father consent, and there's money to spare in the mutual fund, the child can also take up to $20,000, but not exceeding 20% of the parent's funds, of the mutual fund.
All this, of course, is tax-free. The money can only be spent on health-related expenses, and only on expenses that would be covered by a good health insurance. It will not cover alternative (ie-non-scientific) medicine. It will also not cover your nose-job, etc.
Once both parents die, the money left in their accounts is not given to their posterity. Instead, it is put into a fund that assists the poor and helps them set up their own accounts.
This will not do away with the need for insurance. Depending on how much money you have in savings and in the mutual fund, you may still need to carry a low-cost insurance plan that will help cover serious, expensive diseases.
Benefits of this alternative to insurance:
1. Healthy lifestyles are encouraged. Unhealthy people have higher health care costs...and with this plan, they pay for those costs themselves. Overall health in the United States improves.
2. Health care costs decrease. I asked April a few weeks ago how much she thought a simple blood test costs. She's run the test many times at the hospital, so I figured she'd have an idea. The actual average cost of that blood test is more than ten times the amount she thought it would be (over $200 instead of $20). If we pay for almost all of our health care costs ourselves, approved health care providers will be forced to become more competitive, and we as consumers will want to be more selective about which care we choose. The result? Less expensive services.
Problems:
The biggest problem here is how we'd transition from our current system to this one.
Oh, and the fact that insurance companies yield a lot of power, and we'd need politicians who don't worship the god of money, and could say no to money coming in from the insurance companies.
If you have any input or recommendations, please comment.
Really, though, I'm tired of paying ridiculous amounts for health insurance, when I never see the benefits and never get the money.

Insurance bill for a Malcolm Reynolds

So April got an insurance bill from Deseret Mutual (BYU insurance).
On the back is an example bill that explains what everything means.
Generally, one would expect it to be addressed to "John Doe" or something like that.
Not this one.
I read the name on it several times in disbelief. Then I read the rest:
MALCOLM REYNOLDS
SERENITY ESTATES
123 FIREFLY AVE
Then, under patient:
KAYLEE FRYE
and under provider (you guessed it):
SIMON TAM
April and I laughed for quite a while about that. And if you haven't had the pleasure of meeting Malcolm Reynolds and the rest of Serenity's crew, I highly recommend you do.

American Flag in the chapel

So in church today, right up front and center, hung an enormous American flag. For Veteran's Day, I assume. They also hung it up for our first day in the new ward (for July 4th).
In a church that doesn't allow any pictures in the chapel, I find an American flag a bit disturbing. April agrees that it's a bit "iffy". Any comments? Thoughts? Ever seen this done before?

Another one bites the dust

Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, I'm gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust

Congratulations to the Barbarian.

Addictive game-Slay

Anyone remember this one? Great strategy game...highly addictive. What are the best computer games out there? My favorite all-time is Baldur's Gate II. Bioware is coming out with a game called Dragon Age that looks very promising...but it might be a while until that comes out.

Awesome Eggplant

Ever eaten eggplant? It's one of the coolest foods out there. Cooked eggplant is a bit like cooked mushroom, with a meaty texture. And if the grocery store prices scare you, they're easy to grow.
April and I snagged some eggplant from the parents (my mom grows it but she doesn't cook much with it). And we found and modified a recipe:

Eggplant Parmigiana:
Mix:
2 eggs
2 T. water

2 eggplants (peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices)
Dip the eggplants into the mix, then into
1/2 cup flour

Cook in frying pan with oil until golden brown.

Layer on the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.
Pour 2 cups meatless spaghetti sauce on it.
Cover with cheese (you can use mozzarella and Parmesan; we used Swiss).
The recipe calls for two cups of shredded cheese, but I just sliced the cheese and put what I felt was a good amount on top.

Bake uncovered at 400 F for 12 minutes or so.

One of my favorite recipes ever. And by posting it here, I don't have to feel bad about not responding to the chain emails asking for recipes.

A new baseball coach

The best part of my work is my new co-workers. The science department at the high school is awesome. Three of us are brand new, three have been there for a while, and one was just hired to teach three classes (meaning all of the rest of us had our classes rearranged so she could have classes to teach). Last year, a capable teacher was, according to our department head, abused and then let go by the administration.
A few of us are eating lunch together. The chemistry/physics teacher, who recently quit a high-paying yet boring job to become a teacher, spoke up.
"I've just been asked to help coach the baseball team. They heard that I watched baseball on the weekends, and they gave me the job."
The department head, a very dedicated educator and a bit of a cynic when it comes to how education is done here, responded,
"Congratulations! Now you're indispensable!"

Racism in Reverse?

A week ago, my students had a standardized test during my classes; they went down to a computer lab to complete the tests, and then returned to my class when they were finished. With 90 minute classes, this means I can still have a bit of instruction, even with the test. I imagine a lot of the kids took advantage of the break between the test and my class to disappear for a few minutes; in one of my classes, two girls did so quite blatantly. Thirty minutes after the last student to finish the test returned to my classroom (and told me she was the last one out of the computer lab), a certain girl wandered back into class. Five minutes later, in came her best friend.
I performed the same test on both of them; I asked them how long ago they finished the test (they both claimed five minutes, and they both claimed that they'd used the restroom on the way back). I, in return for their sluffing and their lies, simply marked them as a 'sluff' for the class period. And how they complained.
Most of my minority girls are great people; quiet, good-natured, pleasant...
One of these girls is white, the other is from Mexico. "You hate me 'cause I'm brown," she said. Now, accusing someone of racism who isn't racist, someone who believes that the best (only good?) thing Bush has tried to pull off is his so-called amnesty policies, some one who has seen racism in Europe and then realized that it's rampant here too...is what she said...is that racism? The next thing she said was rather telling. "I can't have a sluff! I'm on parole!"

Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year

Where are people going to be for the holidays?
We'll probably be in South Jordan a couple of times.
We need to get the gang together.

I want to teach in Europe

I don't think I'm really happy, at least long-term, without some kind of big goal in mind. Something to look forward to and strive towards. The past few years I've been able to cross off some of those goals. Graduate. 10 weeks in Europe. Graduate. Convince April to marry me. Find a teaching job.
Now that those goals are accomplished, I realized I'm out, and so I'm searching for a new big goal. Being an assistant principal doesn't appeal to me right now. Becoming certified to teach all science (not just biology) and English...those are good goals, but they're not big, and they're more to make me marketable than anything else.
So I've been looking at moving to Europe. A place where (unless it's a US school) children want to learn. A place that's big on good public transportation, good food, good culture. A place that's green. A place where the LDS religion is something that makes us different, not the same.
My options right now:
Work for DODDS (schools run by the US government for military brats). US kids, and the jobs can be difficult to obtain, but they provide free housing, and an American influence would make April feel more at home.
Get a TESOL or similar credential and teach English as a second language in a European school. This can also be a difficult job to get in Western Europe, and I'd rather teach biology or English as a first language, but Europeans generally want to learn (as opposed to Americans...please compare high school graduation rates for proof).
Teaching for an international school. Europe has a lot of international schools where the primary language is English. Kids from all over, who have parents working in a foreign country, go to these schools. This would probably be my first pick; I still need to do more research.
Teaching a subject in the English language in a public or private school. Apparently, the Netherlands is big on this...they have classes taught in English, and the students practice English and learn another subject at the same time.
My biggest problem right now is that I don't know how difficult it is to get jobs in any of these areas. My only connection is a retired librarian who used to work for DODDS in Italy (thanks, Kirk). I don't know anyone else who's taught in Europe. So I'll be doing some more research.
Anyone who doesn't understand this obsession has never been to Europe. It'll be an adventure when it happens. We'll have to see how long I can convince April to stay. If anyone has any potential leads, let me know.

Robert Jordan is dead

We knew he was sick. As his "Wheel of Time" series kept growing, some started worrying if he'd ever finish it.
It's a sad day for many of us.
I read the first few books; I've always said I'd wait to read more until he finished the series. Guess that day will never come.

My first traffic ticket

So Friday, heading home from work, I pulled out of the parking lot driveway a little quick. A little too quick. I could see the road for a good half mile in both directions, it was clear, and I peeled out (if 10 mph can be called peeling) and turned right to head home.
Guess I didn't really stop for the stop sign.
Price? Anyone want to guess?
$75.
That's right. $75 for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign when the coast was clear and I was turning right from a glorified driveway.
So guess how much respect I have for Idaho Falls cops now? None. The cop tried to tell me the seriousness of my crime, but from the insecure way he said it, I got the feeling that he realized the ticket amount was way too much. And I no longer find the cops here trustworthy, intelligent, or, most of all, fair.
I guess I've made a lot of stupid mistakes driving, some of which would've deserved that hefty of a fine. This was not one of them. Had I been charged $25, I would've been fine with it. But if cops want respect, they need to be fair. And $75, for that, is not fair.
For now, I'll consider it the price for all the dumb mistakes I've made in the past. Including the time I pulled a right onto Bangerter in icy conditions and was this close from plowing into traffic coming the opposite direction (good thing all the lanes going my direction were clear). Or the time I pulled out of 10th West onto 106th...and seriously cut off another driver (some of you may remember that...) It's just too bad I get fined for something this lame.

Happy checks and Sunbeams

April and I got a visit from three men last week. That's right. The entire bishopric stopped by; they called us to teach the 8-year old primary kids. Team teachers. Lots of fun. So why the headline about Sunbeams?
Sunday night, a member of the primary presidency stopped by. "Actually, things have changed, and you'll be teaching the Sunbeams." So we'll be in charge of keeping eight or so (14 on the roll) Sunbeams occupied for hours at a time.
Reminds me of a long time ago when I was incorrectly called to be the datebox co-chair; I was incredibly relieved when I immediately got a call about the mistake. This time, though, I get the scarier position.
Also, update on the refund check. The company actually sent us a check returning 100% of what we'd paid, when the cancellation agreement stated that we'd only get part of it back. Pretty sweet deal! And my mom always said complaining never accomplishes anything...

Edited movies

So, contrary to common belief, Clean Flicks is not out of business. How do I know this? There's one just a few blocks from our apartment. So we went over there, got a free membership, and got "Children of Men". The Masked Mallard had shown me the preview, and it was definitely a movie I wanted to see. Darker and more intense than I expected, but it also included bright rays of hope. And they played King Crimson! The first progressive rock band, the pioneers of the genre, entirely ignored by American radio, and they played a fairly long segment of "In the Court of the Crimson King". Awesome.
Later I watched "Terminator" (number one) and "The Manchurian Candidate." Both good movies. I had mono and April had her internship (so I was home alone, bored).
If you're ever in Idaho Falls, come stop by...and make a stop by Clean Flicks. Some good stuff.