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.