My Favorite Part

Okay, I had FOUR favorite parts. Here is the first:

"For over two decades, he's (John McCain) subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy - give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is - you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. You're on your own. No health care? The market will fix it. You're on your own. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps - even if you don't have boots. You're on your own."

Then this came just before he outlined specific policies.

"Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves - protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology.

"Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work.

"That's the promise of America - the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper."

Then he brought up this point that I think is so powerful, and something I've believed in for a long time, particularly when differences of opinion cause family members or friends to worry about my salvation or my sanity.

"In the weeks ahead, I look forward to debating with John McCain. But what I will not do is suggest that the Senator takes his positions for political purposes. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism.

"The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America - they have served the United States of America."

But the end. Oh, the end. He made reference to one of the greatest speeches ever from 45 years ago yesterday. He is the living embodiment of America's promise finally being realized. His body language was like that of a preacher and he lifted that crowd in a way that one orator in a generation might have the gift to do. When it was over, Plantboy said, a bit tongue in cheek, "Where to I get baptised?" The conservative pundits will make much over the next several weeks about how he knows nothing of the middle class, forgetting where Mr. Obama came from and how his parents sacrificed so that he might know the American dream; isn't this the same dream we have for our kids? They will talk about the expense of his sweeping ideas, casually overlooking the billions spent in Iraq that have done little to secure our country. They will say that he is just another liberal who wants to tax and spend, ignoring his core belief that all men and women who are able should work, and that no government program can substitute for a father in the home. But mostly, they will say that he is "just" words. Just words? JUST words? But such words . . . .

"This country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores.

"Instead, it is that American spirit - that American promise - that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.

"That promise is our greatest inheritance. It's a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours - a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot.

"And it is that promise that forty five years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.

"The men and women who gathered there could've heard many things. They could've heard words of anger and discord. They could've been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred.

"But what the people heard instead - people of every creed and color, from every walk of life - is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one.

"'We cannot walk alone,'" the preacher cried. "'And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.'

"America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise - that American promise - and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.

Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America."

God. Bless. America.

Competition*

When I take that color personality test, I'm nearly even split down the middle between blue and red. As far as I can tell, this makes for surly people who like to be in charge of just about everything. I view myself as a person who would like to lead, but has always lacked the charisma and charm to get others to follow. This purple-ish mixture also makes me highly competitive by nature, but without much desire to be a team player.

The softening of the harsher aspects of my personality has been the on-going battle of my adult life. In high school, I wasn't just the girl who got A's, I was the girl who wanted the highest A in the class and I was ruthless about making sure you knew it. For my entire freshman year at college, I looked for opportunities to insert my GPA, my ACT score or my number of AP credits into any conversation. On the unfortunate occasion that I would meet people who were actually worse about this hyper-competitiveness, they drove me insane. One day I was talking with a neighbor who was going on and on about her copious debate trophies in my same event, and how she was on track to pretty much become queen of the world. She happened to let it drop that the only tournament she'd placed third in was one I had also attended. I saw an opening and said, "Oh, Alta-Tri? I took second at that one." What I said was the truth and I loved the expression on her face; it couldn't have been better if I had punched her.

But it taught me something very valuable: People pretty much HATE this kind of self-aggrandizement, particularly when what you are boosting yourself up about is just so irrelevant.

I was more careful after that instance about making myself seem more than I really was, choosing to focus instead on all that still needs fixing.

The next miracle was a B- in a chem class. Chemistry was pretty much the bane of my college existence. My background in the subject was weak and while I was acing biology and loved my studies there, the chem, for me, was like being dropped into the middle of a third year Latin class. Still, that hard-earned B- was the most liberating thing that ever happened to me. I looked around at all my pre-med buddies busting their chops for grades that I wasn't under the same pressure to obtain, and for the first time in five years I breathed a sigh of relief.

I walked away from that sort of competition. Oh, the red in my personality would not entirely be squelched. I found a love for racquetball, which was a very positive outlet not only for my competitiveness but also my desire to just really smash things sometimes. In areas where I could succeed I did my very best. I joined organizations in part for the fun of it, but also to lead in those organizations and pad my resume. There were times I had intense feelings of jealousy, even when it was people I loved who were on top of the world.

My brother, in his recent comment, seems to be speaking more to the OLD Science Teacher Mommy, however. The sister he grew up with--the one who was a lot more like he is. I'm pretty tough, but I don't think I'm as tough as I once was, if "tough" is equated to competitiveness. Such competitiveness has served by youngest sib very well: you don't get to an internal medicine residency at the U of U without being just about the best. My following remarks are not in any way intended to diminish the great sacrifice and hard work he has put in to be where he is.

What has really gotten me thinking is one of the great enigmas for any person striving to live a life of Christianity. My brother pointed out that we are surrounded by competition in every single aspect of life. It might even be said that competition is the defining characteristic of our society.

A nod here to one of the most difficult conference talks I have ever read for the mirror it held up to my face. President Benson in midst of speaking about pride being the source of contention, enmity and yes, competition quotes CS Lewis, "Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. . . . It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone."

Sean Covey, son of Stephen, wrote a book for teens mirroring his father's "7 Habits." This same quote appears during his discussion of Habit 4: Think Win-Win. He then talks about how in the US, we are raised from infancy with a win-lose attitude--the idea that in order to feel good about ourselves or win or succeed, somebody else must fail. The irony, of course, is that though you have to cut throats and throw people under the bus for years to get into the job that suits you perfectly, your positive performance there is largely dependent on how well you work with others, your ability to get along with co-workers and how your best efforts improve the company's image.

The conclusion about competition that is embedded in the middle of the Win-Win chapter states, "Competition is healthy when you compete against yourself, or when it challenges you to reach and stretch and become your best. Competition becomes dark when you tie your self-worth into winning or when you use it as a way to place yourself above another."

I really love this. Maybe this is why the Michael Phelps phenom is so inspiring--he didn't just beat everyone else, but in nearly every case, he beat his own personal best. He won 8 gold medals two weeks ago because he paid the price to be better every day then he was yesterday. (A brilliant swim by Mr. Lezak and hokey wall-touch I still don't see didn't hurt either.)

In education they often talk about the unspoken and usually offhand messages that are often more powerful than the content a teacher spends hours poring over. It is so easy to send mixed messages to children. We have to be careful that praise of one is not really an attempt to disparage another. We have to set our families up for unity (See President Eyring's September Presidency message), whereas Satan would them compete themselves into discord, jealousy and dissension. As my special-to-me, but averagely talented Scallywag begins full time school next week for the next, at least, 12 years, I want many things. So here is my mother's prayer as I send my strong little boy out into the big world next week:

I hope that he will find his own way independent of what any other thinks is best for him.

I hope that he will learn to have compassion for other kids.

I hope that kids will not be cruel to him or harm him physically, and that he will not act in such a manner.

I hope that he will base his worth on things of the spirit and not on material things.

I hope that he will learn valuable lessons from the setbacks he will undoubtedly have.

I hope he has a desire to continually improve himself, but that he will learn to relax and pat himself on the back from time to time too.

I hope that learning is a joy for him, and that he takes this joy into whatever he becomes.

I hope that he will know that home is more than a place to dump his backpack and get a meal, but that it is a soft place to land at the end of both the great and the difficult days.

I hope that I am strong enough to hang on and let go at the same time.

*Remarks prompted by my brother's late to the party comments from a previous post.

Public Face Private Face

Two weeks ago at our ward's playgroup I got to talking with a fantastic sister whom I'm calling Erma until she actually decides to begin a blog and come up with a more descriptive blognym. Erma has four sons, is in her mid-late thirties, owns a dog, homeschools, dabbles in a bit of writing . . . oh, and she is the oldest of 21 children.

21 children.

No twins. Same mother. Same father. Really.

The writing that she mostly does is personal essay, though she enjoys performing--doing monologues and such. Erma even had a spot on a local radio show back east a few years ago. Anyway, we were talking about a big writer's conference she attended in Portland just a few weeks ago. She and hubby left the four kidlets with her in-laws and off they went. Ostensibly together, though she admitted that she spent much of her time attending workshops as well as talking to editors and publishers; she received some very positive feedback.

All of the publishing houses were asking their writers if they had a "presence on the web." Erma and I then began talking at length about blogging. Why people do it, if the writing is really all that great, what its role is in the life of somebody who really hopes to write professionally, etc. It seems that the publishers are mainly interested in finding out if you already have an audience for whatever you are doing: a ready-made fan base willing to pony up the cash for something you've written.

It was an interesting conversation. We also talked at length about whether a person's blog persona, particularly if they are working to stay anonymous, is really true to their actual self. It is interesting how you will say things on a blog that you might not actually say in person. For example, some of you here are just casual or occasional observers, yet you might end up knowing way more than you wanted to. I said to Erma that blogging, particularly with strangers, no matter how interesting or wonderful they seem or how many commonalities exist, is a bit, well, voyeuristic. How long can we be entertained with the daily minutiae of other people's lives? When will actual conversation be re-enthroned as a way to become acquainted with people? With everyone able to publish, it seems that people have ceased to edit entirely what they say or write. The reigning attitude seems to be that if a thought occurs to you, then you should absolutely say it! Stream-of-consciousness has reached a whole new level of annoying thanks to the magic of the Internet.

And then I think of the fantastic women I have met doing this (or at least have become better acquainted with). Here is a sampling of you, who never seem to be false, and show in your every post your real thoughts and personalities:

* BelCantoMom and her never-wavering faith
* Caitlin's treatment of life-altering trials as part of every day existence and not complaining a whit about them
* Calm Rapids and her cheery way of approaching a life busier than any I've every imagined
* Christie and her oh-so-clever writing and dogged determinism to whatever attribute needs improvement
* Desmama and her succinct way of sharing exactly what is on her mind, editing herself as carefully as she edits everyone else
* Dickey whose amazing pictures share stories that she doesn't have the words for
* Doreen and her commitment to the things she feels the strongest about
* Foxy J and her quiet reflections that force a mirror in front of my face, causing me to think twice before I make my own judgments about things
* GirlyMomma for the girl-power and kid-love that is a plastered boldly into every post
* Janssen and the way she gleans meaning out of everyday experiences
* KimBlue's quiet dignity, moderate opinions, and carefully reasoned posts
* Miss Nemesis and the snarkiness that has made more than one rainy day turn out hilarious
* Slim and her commitment to her kids and their hobbies as well as her own
* Elastic Waist Band Lady and the laughs she always brings to the table and her highly unusual way of viewing normalish things
*LaJuana and her mellow demeanor about the many trials chasing her down
* Yankee Girl and her love of the best things in life (free or otherwise)

Again, just a sampling. I've learned a lot here in the last two years. (My blog turned 2 on the 15th of this month.) For every five or ten posts, I think I write ONE really good one: a post that makes me think, "Yes! This is EXACTLY what I wanted to say!" This forum has helped to moderate and refine my thinking. It has helped me to take a hard look inside when I am wrong. It has taken some of the frustration out of not publishing. This writing format is easier most days than committing to my novel writing. Mostly, I'm continually amazed at the talents and trials I learn about among those women I count as friends. I'm blessed to share a part of your success and to feel a sense of solidarity with your failures.

Thanks for being a part of my journey.

Your Whole Life In a Moment

Whereas Plantboy is out of town this week, I had to have a paper sub this morning. Rather than being really smart and actually catching up on my sleep, I have been staying up to watch the Olympics. Insane, really, because by the time they show the "prime-time" events here, I can get all of the results on-line.



I truly meant to tape (we are too primitive for DVR at this house) the gymnastics last night and catch snippets of it during the day today, but after watching this girl for one round, I couldn't take my eyes away.



I like the little power packed girls like Shawn Johnson, simply because they are so strong, but Nastia Lukein turns gymnastics from a sport into an art. Remember Svetlana? She changed gymnastics by virtue of her unique body shape and innovative moves. She pioneered a new era in the sport with her graceful lines and poetry-performances, but she was just too angular and diva-ish, and well, unattractive, for me to take seriously. But Nastia's performances were truly a thing of beauty.


There was a bit of weird scoring last night and if the Chinese girl had overtaken Nastia at the end, I would have definitely said she'd been home-cooked. The two Americans were consistently great on each rotation and definitely deserved to go one-two.


But what I've been thinking more about was this girl, and the team final from a few days ago.



These young women prep their whole lives for for few minutes' worth of competition in the Olympics. Yes, there are American awards and World Championships which are wonderful to win, but the rare Olympics, the holy grail of sporting events, is a once in a lifetime (usually) experience for a select number of elite athletes. There are plenty of young athletes who dream of becoming a household name such as Nadia Comeneci or Mary Lou Retton or Michael Phelps or Tara Lipinsky. But there are only a few, genetically gifted and intensely driven young people who will make the choice to put in the thousands of hours it takes to stand on the podium and hear their anthem played. In the US, this means tens of thousands of dollars invested in lessons, coaches and traveling to meets.


Some friends and I got to talking the other day about our kids and their gifts. The conversation went to, "If you had a child who was truly gifted, would you encourage them to pay the price to make it work?" We also talked about the concept of sending your kids away for the kind of intense training that is done in China, or even to boarding school (something I perceived as extremely romantic when I was a teenager). I think we all said that we couldn't do it. Of course, none of us in the conversation had a child that we believed to be gifted in any extraordinary way.


Poor Alicia Sacramone. For her thousands of hours of training, the picture inserted above is the easiest one to find doing a Google search under her name. Wikipedia tells about her many and varied accomplishments: she is on a short list of just 4 gymnasts who hold as many world championships medals as she does. Despite awesome performances in the early part of this decade, a disastrous tournament to qualify for Greece kept her home in 2004. She stuck with it, being one of a handful of female gymnasts who has attempted to juggle university studies with the level of training necessary to win competitions against younger gymnasts. Despite a fantastic career, and the mathematical impossibility of the US beating the Chinese even without Sacramone's falls, she will be remembered in the minds of many as the girl who lost the gold for the Americans in 2008.


Though I can pinpoint some moments where seemingly small decisions sent my life in a different direction, I cannot say that I've ever had a moment that I believed was a make or break point for everything I'd ever wanted or worked for. I hope that in the end, these amazingly talented and dedicated young women see how much more there is to look forward to in life than what they have sacrificed their childhood for. I hope that Alicia Sacramone can get to a place where she says, "I did my best. I'm grateful for the lessons learned. Even my failures can translate to a different kind of personal success, despite what others think."


To close today, I think a little bit of Dr. Suess is appropriate. "You'll be the winningest winner of all. Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV. Except when they don't. Because, sometimes, they won't. I'm afraid that sometimes you'll play lonely games too. Games you can't win, cause you'll play against you." I guess for each of us, with whatever mediocre talents we posess, have to realize that if we don't feel adequate enough without the world's adulation, we will probably never be complete even when we do recieve it. Good luck with the rest of your lives, Nastia and Alicia.

A Comment on My Last Post that Became Too Long So Now It Is a Post of its Own

That is a very ugly title, but it is the truth, so here goes.

I really didn't mean for the last post to deteriorate into a political diatribe with some ugly-ish comments. Satire, people. Satire. No, I did NOT say George Bush was pure evil, nor have I actually heard anybody say that for real, on television or otherwise. I really meant the post to be a nod to our Dear Leader and a "Go Olympics!" happy good feeling.

So, with the attitude of explaining myself and with no thought that I'll be able to keep the lid on the can of worms, here goes . . .

I think I'm to the point where "trust" when it comes to politicians is not always a very helpful designation. Even some of our "greatest" politicians have not necessarily been trustworthy. I'm not trying to say that character doesn't matter at all, and I have said all along that I believed George Bush to be a pretty nice guy, a basically moral guy, but I don't think that qualifies him to be the leader of the free world. I think President Bush has shown a shocking lack of judgment when it comes to whom HE trusts. I think that he has surrounded himself with people who have their own agendas for whatever reason. Anecdotes from really intense investigative reporting (NOT pundits on TV, Brandon) illustrate that key people in his first administration were looking for any excuse to get embroiled in Iraq. Men who preyed on American emotions after 9/11 as a means to . . . I don't know, profit? It can't really be said that they meant to secure us. If they had, wouldn't there have been a long term plan in place? But there NEVER was.

I know it is popular right now for ex-administration people to profit from selling expose pieces from their time on the inside, as is pretty typical after a president has been in office some time. It can even be argued that to do so is rather cowardly--a bit like kicking somebody when they are already down. But does anybody else find it disturbing that there are so many of these? And that what they reveal is so shocking?

The system of checks and balances was put into place to prevent any one branch of government from becoming more powerful than the others. By declaring a state of war, the current administration has circumvented a lot of laws put into place by Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court to make sure that power was not concentrated or abused. Now, if there are irregularities, it is always chalked up to war time or sensitive matters. I absolutely agree that the public cannot know everything that goes on--there is a lot of sensitive information. But I don't think doctoring EPA reports on the state of climate change with recommendations for reducing greenhouse gasses is the equivalent of a national security issue. That is all about getting elected in the mid west where they build cars and grow corn.

I think the Bush administration squandered its best opportunities--to fight a successful war in Afghanistan; to build on the worldwide sympathy the world felt for the US in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and build strong diplomatic coalitions; to improve border security and work on Bush's moderate immigration policy; to use their initial Republican majority to pass laws regarding market (partial) solutions to carbon emissions and health care; used government contracts to invest in nuclear power instead of government contracts to pump billions of dollars overseas where there is no oversight; to maintain tax levels, or at least keep some in place, to keep reducing the deficit and to fund the Afghan war; to ensure that the No Child Left Behind legislation was actually good legislation . . . In short, the vast majority of Republicans in this country in the early part of this century could have gotten behind Bush's pledged inaugural promise of "compassionate conservatism." None of the things I've said here are incompatible with Republican goals or ideals. And they would have all been very good for America.

Instead, they wanted their cake and to eat it to. Republicans slashed taxes for the wealthiest Americans, with major tax breaks to banks and oil companies to name a few, while simultaneously running our country's economy into the tank with the most expensive war ever fought. Yes, people need to take responsibility, and yes, people need to be smarter, but when the public is given the message over and over again that the government can spend as much as it wants with no consequences, then why should it be any different for the people? When people are told that to spend more money and to start more wars makes you a better patriot, how can such a government be following righteous principles regardless of their stance on marriage and abortion? When Bush said to the world "if you are not with us you are against us," he effectively said to every American: if you don't sign off on MY policy, then you are no better than a terrorist. When was this attitude ever a part of the democratic process?

I don't think people are really voting for Barack Obama (Slick's point about politicians not to be trusted is very valid), I think they are voting for anything different. John McCain's nomination proves that. So what has he done with the people's trust? He has retreated from every smart, centrist opinion he's carried over the last decade to kowtow to a group of people who are, I'm sorry to say, in the minority.

There are two issues, TWO, that largely determine how evangelical Christians vote: abortion and gay marriage. Well, heck yeah, I feel strongly about these two issues too, but I don't feel strongly enough to abandon every other thing that matters also. History is replete with examples of governments trying to legislate morality. As noble as it may be, it NEVER works. And, lets be honest, laws against abortion, amendments about defining marriage, these things will not stop people from killing the innocent. These things will not stop people from engaging in homosexual acts and fornication.

Now you can say whatever you want. And I'll try really hard to listen and learn.

The Olympics or a Political Statement or Both?

Bob Costas interviewed President Bush last night. Now, it is no secret that I think our current administration is corrupt and ridiculous. However, I have never really believed that the PURE EVIL went all the way to the top. I rather think that President Bush surrounded himself by smart people, knowing that he was missing some of the crayons in his own box, and compensating. Most presidents do this. The fact that he chose so many vile people was perhaps more error in judgment than rotten to the core-ness.

But I digress.

What I really came to say was that he was very good during the interview. The setting was relaxed and comfortable. Costas was a little heavy on the political questions, but other than a little bit of stuttering and that shocking accent, President Bush handled himself very well. He said something that I thought was very bold, and not incredibly popular, but true. He said essentially that once religion takes hold in a country, then there is no stopping people's desire for freedom. It is true that while religion has also been used to DEPRIVE people of their rights, when their is religious freedom, the opposite effect happens. America's experiment in democracy could not have happened without abolishing any compulsion to worship or not worship. I'm not sure that a president who was not a lame duck would dare to make such a statement. But then, to his credit, President Bush has never been ashamed of his faith.

On another blog, I was reading about favorite Olympic memories. Here is mine. I was nine years old that summer. We were at Bear Lake, staying at the condos at Sweetwater, but every afternoon when it was too hot, and every evening when we were bored, we turned on the summer Olympics. America was so dominant that year (because of the Soviet and company boycott), and it was fun to watch our men and women mop up in every event. The other family we were vacationing with had a daughter who was very much into gymnastics: though she was just a year or two older than me, she had already competed all over the western US. We couldn't take our eyes off the little gal with the HUGE smile. Has there ever been a better example of grace under pressure?

A Question for Any Olympics Afficionadas Out There

Is Bob Costas' hair looking REALLY dark or wig-like or both, or is it just me? This picture is how I think of him looking:

Now, go, watch the Olympics and then get back here and tell me what you think.

Energy Czar

I was green when green wasn't groovy. Okay, maybe green has always been a little bit groovy, but now green is down right mainstream. I have always been fascinated by science at some level and the little bit that we did in school regarding ecosystems, etc., was always fascinating to me. With a group of like-minded (and extremely groovy) students at my high school, we started a Save Our Earth Club. We recycled all manner of nasty cans; the Christmas tree we decorated in the commons still had its roots and was bedecked with a garland of thrown out dot matrix printer paper edging. We planted the tree in the spring.

In college, my love of things environmental intensified, particularly through my course of study and the time I spent in Logan Canyon. My first career job was teaching AP Environmental Science to a group of amazing students who made me look positively wasteful. Even when gas was $.93 at the Maverick in Layton, I bought the most fuel efficient car I could afford. I was then blessed above all measure to marry the like-minded Plantboy.

I'm not as green as I could be by any stretch of the imagination, nor even as green as I once thought to be. Just like nearly everyone else, I do things to be convenient, so disposable diapers are getting more and more to be the norm around here. I'm very good at recycling because our curbside program is so extensive here, but I'm not as good about keeping up with Plantboy's compost. In principle I'm against both fertilizers and pesticides on the lawn, but when the weeds got too out of control this week, I insisted on a weed killer (which doesn't come in the organic variety). I usually take my fuel inefficient SUV places, even when I just am hauling one kid, because changing car seats is such a pain . . . .

You get the picture.

All in all, I doubt I am much different than any well-educated and concerned person that I know when it comes to trying to minimize my impact on the planet. Lately, however, it seems difficult to get properly educated about what exactly DOES minimize one's impact on the planet. Scientific research in different quarters is sometimes in conflict and political spin on issues that should be scientific makes getting factual information almost impossible. Like many of you, for the past several months, I have spent some time pondering gas prices, food shortages, and even carbon emissions. I have heard information from lots of sources and have tried to form opinions. It can be very confusing to navigate the information (and mis-information) available.

So, recently, at our family reunion, when somebody looked at my father-in-law and asked him, "So, Dad, when the new president is elected, if he turned around and named you energy czar and you had the power to pass and implement policy what would you do?" I sat up and took note.

I have immense respect for my father-in-law. He is smart and spiritual and a great patriarch to his large family. My husband's still ways and even temperament come a lot from him I think. Because he tends to reserve opinion and judgment in conversation, when he does speak his words are usually carefully thought out and spot on. He is one of these people who is extremely smart, but is also wise in that he doesn't have to spend half his time and energy mouthing off so people know how smart he is. He graduated from BYU as a mechanical engineer in the late 1960's--the hot field in engineering at that time--with the promise of nuclear energy a big draw for many. He has, in fact, spent much of his career dealing with various aspects of nuclear energy. A concept I have been highly interested in for many years.

Paraphrasing what he said, I'll bring out the important points from the conversation:

(1) Invest heavily in building nuclear power plants. He explained that there are more than a dozen major projects in some stage of construction, though we are still a few years off from getting a single kilowatt of energy, even if the lawsuits were all blocked tomorrow. He advocates the use of breeder reactors (like they use in Europe with an excellent track record of safety and efficiency.) A breeder reactor is something like 90% efficient as opposed to coal at 60% at natural gas at about 30%. It was even suggested that the government pull funding from things like the Iraq war (which has only raised gas prices) and instead invest in these billion+ projects because few companies can put up the capital to get through the process. Like military contracts of the 80's, such investment would create a moving economy and jobs, both blue collar and professional. The magic energy bullet has already been found, but it has been co-opted by fear, which doesn't exactly fuel our homes or cars. He also pointed out that several prominent environmentalists are jumping on the nuclear bandwagon where they have always been adamantly opposed, such as the president of the Sierra Club.

(2) Require American auto manufacturers to begin mass-producing electric cars in the next five years, with the idea that by the time the nuclear power plants are up and running (providing cheap energy), most Americans would be driving electric cars on trips less than 50 miles.

(3) Allow no new homes to be built without Energy Star insulation and windows, but especially not using natural gas for anything but hot water heaters and stoves. Natural gas is just far too inefficient to run our cars or power our homes as the primary source.

(4) Require coal-fire plants to meet stringent, reachable requirements, but begin phasing these out entirely.

(5) Invest heavily in math and science education in order to create a new generation of engineers and scientists, much like Kennedy's declaration that America would put a man on the moon in a decade. The result? Millions in federal funding to bolster education. It worked. Think of how many of your parents went to college compared to how many of your grandparents didn't. This is the legacy of education being given a premium over other government spending.

(6) Find a way to balance ethanol and food production. Only use ethanol as a means to get from here to there, recognizing that it does have value as a renewable resource, but is not the most environmentally friendly option. Instead, emphasize wind and solar (cover Wyoming with windmills and southern Arizona with panels) over ethanol.

(7) Find any and all new sources of oil and drill, drill, drill to fill the gap in the interim between where we are now and where we can be 10 years from now if there is a major policy shift.

For those of you that podcast, download NPR's Science Friday dated 7/18 called "Exploring Realities of Offshore Drilling." It was so illuminating. The guest said something really profound. He said that oil companies don't make oil, they make profits, which is why most of them have quietly begun to pursue other avenues of energy production. "Easy" oil is a thing of the past. It is true that oil companies are reporting record profits, but it is also true that oil is getting harder and harder to bring to market. This problem is not going to go away. Even with a ban on off shore drilling lifted, many companies lack the will to drill thousands of feet into the places they'd be allowed to go. Europeans would call our $4/gallon oil a bargain.

Though what I've learned of both science and economics tells me that expanded offshore drilling will do very little to affect the price of oil tomorrow, and will only help slightly shore up our future supply (false hope, considering that we need a major change in thinking here), I still think that the Democratic Congress right now is wrong in not allowing this issue to come to a vote. If only because this ONE issue is affecting Barack Obama's polling numbers more than anything. The Democratic Leadership, by keeping this issue off the table, is hurting the impression that the Democrats are progressive, wanting to move forward, and willing to look at a variety of ideas. Agreeing to offshore drilling now might smooth the way into the public hearts for nuclear power plants later.

I'm still "green," and I think that there are wild places that need to be saved/protected (Alaskan wildlife refuge, the Everglades), but for most people, the morality argument for saving the environment is totally ineffective. Until it is an economic problem, changes cannot happen. $4 gasoline is a kick in the rear, but maybe this turn of events will finally teach us to be conservers instead of just consumers.

Grocery Shopping

With Suburban Hippie just back from England and Desmama in Peru, I think I better post about something really down-to-earth so I stop sitting here wishing I was somewhere else.


My sister-in-law and I once figured that you touch your groceries about five times (At my grocery store I bag my own, so add one to the tally) before they make it to your cupboard. Then you eat them all up in a few days and have to go back to the store. She was lamenting how much she hated the grocery store as we spoke. In fact, I've had similar conversations with almost every woman I know, particularly if they regularly take their children grocery shopping.


And, I admit, I've had my moments of grocery store hate as well: especially if it is 5:30 in the evening and you have to run to pick up a couple of ingredients with three kids and it is WalMart and it would have been faster to walk from home than to find a place to park in their ten acre lot and there is not an employee in the entire store who can help you.


During our first year of marriage, grocery shopping was always a pain. I never had the ingredients on hand that I needed and I always thought Plantboy bought more produce than we could eat. Though we both enjoyed cooking, the prospect of preparing something new and interesting each evening was daunting. Plantboy probably had more time to cook than I did, but I just felt so obligated to take care of all duties domestic.


Finally after about 18 months of this, and many evenings of going out to dinner just two days after grocery shopping, we worked out a system. It was less of a "light bulb" moment then a "duh- why-didn't-we-think-of-this-before" moment. Each week we make a menu. I then make my grocery list for the week from my menu and shop accordingly. For the last several months, I've mostly been shopping on Friday mornings after I do my paper route. Though I have to contend with armies of stock boys, I don't have to worry about other shoppers or my children. I'm home by seven a.m.


And. I. Love. It.


I love organizing and checking off my list and thinking of all the possibilities for that fresh food. I love watching my regular checker run all of my groceries across the scanner, estimating to within a couple of dollars how much I have spent. I love having a fridge full of yummy ingredients just waiting to be turned into something fabulous. I love the security of cupboards that won't hold anymore. I love the expression on my husband's face when I have made an incredible dinner. I love watching my kids eat everything on their plates, when they actually do. I love experimenting with new ingredients and recipes.


For me, food preparation is my favorite domestic responsibility. It is a perfect blend of creativity with structure, splurging with economy, indulgence with necessity--not unlike my whole personality.


Tonight's menu is a little bit nicer than normal: the missionaries are coming for dinner. I know that we are told over and over again how the missionaries are just happy to eat, sign up to have them and just serve whatever, it isn't meant to be a burden etc. But my experience has shown me that there is something to be said for going to a family that treats you like the most treasured company in town. It compensates for a lot of doors slammed in your face and thousands of miles away from your family. Besides, I'm not just feeding the missionaries, I'm teaching my sons that there is no greater calling.


So here it is:


Three Pepper Pasta
Broiled chicken breasts
Red, green, yellow, orange and purple peppers (okay, five pepper pasta) lightly sauteed with
Baby carrots, garden green beans and zucchini
Halved cherry tomatoes (also from the garden)
Whole wheat penne pasta
All tossed together with homemade pine-nut pesto with basil from the garden and balsamic vinegar


Caesar Salad with Newman's Own Creamy Caesar (is there any other dressing worth eating?)


French Bread with pesto or garlicky balsamic vinegar or marinara sauce for dipping. If I'm really ambitious and have time I may go for bruschetta.


Red Velvet Cake for dessert. The link is not exactly my recipe, but it is very close. Cream cheese frosting is often prescribed for this cake, but it does nothing for it. Chocolate is equally atrocious. (Nor does it work all that well with fruit, especially the raspberries with the tiny insects in them that I was served at Book Group last week, but that is another story.) I've never actually made this cake--my mother used to make it every year for my birthday and it is my favorite. The last time I had this cake (just last week), it was so mediocre that I had to call mum for the recipe and find the first excuse I could to make dessert. I think it would be fun to make it blue or purple instead of red . . . .



Anyway, the food will be fantastic, you are all, of course, invited. Especially if you do dishes. Dishes and ironing are in a two-way tie for Most Hated Domestic Task.