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.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
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:
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.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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.
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.
Friday, August 15, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, August 11, 2008
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?
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?
Sunday, August 10, 2008
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.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
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.
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.
Friday, August 01, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Thoughts on Satire
I'm a little bit behind the eight ball on this post. My TNY comes almost a full week behind the current newstand issue. No doubt, you have heard the media and the campaigns salivating angrily over the cover dated July 21st, 2008. I will not belabor that here.
I did, however, want to say something about the INSIDE of the July 21st issue (no, it was not just a cover, there were actually stories in the magazine), as well as a point about satire in general.
For the past couple of years, TNY has rotated several articles on both Barack Obama (including when he was in the state legislature) and Hilary Clinton. There was even a highly complimentary piece on John McCain a year or two ago. In the July 21st issue, in fact, there was a mini editorial type piece talking about the idea of "flip-flopping" and how mainstream media snatches on any phrase uttered by a candidate that looks like a policy change. TNY took a more rational view of such statements (emphasizing Mr. Obama) and placed them in a larger context of other statments made by the candidate and his history. In addition, there was a longer article on Mr. Obama (again, favorable) talking about the "art" of politics. As much as we would like our politicians to all shoot straight from the hip, such behavior would put us in one diplomatic mess after another. (If this sounds familiar, our current President prides himself on his Wild West approach to politics.)
I think that honesty is probably hard to define when you are a politician. What I mean is that the best politicians have to be willing to change their minds when circumstances change. Many of our laws have nothing to do with moral issues (definition of marriage, life, etc.), but have more to do with policy issues. And it is possible that two very different policies might yield similar--equally desireable or undesireable--outcomes. It is ridiculous to elect politicians whose ideas about every single thing are totally intractable: how could legislation ever be passed? Oh, wait, that is the current situation.
As for satire, well, this is what TNY does best. (There is a regular feature called Shouts and Murmurs, for example, that is just so snarky. Check out this gem.) A lot of their cover art takes two opposing images with a clever title and sheds clarity. The title of the controversial cover was The Politics of Fear indicating that some of the more outlandish claims against he candidate and his wife have nothing to do with who they really are, but fear over what they might be. And, like many fears, these stereotypes have no foundation in reality. The July 27th cover was tongue in cheek too, though it was just plain funny. The picture is great alone, but the title defines it best: A Summer Escape.
This one appeared less than two months after 9/11/01. This picture speaks volumes about what Mid Easterners in America must have been feeling, and are still feeling.
The following cover appeared on Mother's Day eight years ago and ignited a firestorm of its own, though it was mostly a "family" fight, kept to the confines of the regular readership. I think the frustration was that most female readers identify themselves with the woman on the left. But the juxtaposition puts the buxom, blonde bohemian mother in a much prettier light than the angular, pale working woman. I love it.
I did, however, want to say something about the INSIDE of the July 21st issue (no, it was not just a cover, there were actually stories in the magazine), as well as a point about satire in general.
For the past couple of years, TNY has rotated several articles on both Barack Obama (including when he was in the state legislature) and Hilary Clinton. There was even a highly complimentary piece on John McCain a year or two ago. In the July 21st issue, in fact, there was a mini editorial type piece talking about the idea of "flip-flopping" and how mainstream media snatches on any phrase uttered by a candidate that looks like a policy change. TNY took a more rational view of such statements (emphasizing Mr. Obama) and placed them in a larger context of other statments made by the candidate and his history. In addition, there was a longer article on Mr. Obama (again, favorable) talking about the "art" of politics. As much as we would like our politicians to all shoot straight from the hip, such behavior would put us in one diplomatic mess after another. (If this sounds familiar, our current President prides himself on his Wild West approach to politics.)
I think that honesty is probably hard to define when you are a politician. What I mean is that the best politicians have to be willing to change their minds when circumstances change. Many of our laws have nothing to do with moral issues (definition of marriage, life, etc.), but have more to do with policy issues. And it is possible that two very different policies might yield similar--equally desireable or undesireable--outcomes. It is ridiculous to elect politicians whose ideas about every single thing are totally intractable: how could legislation ever be passed? Oh, wait, that is the current situation.
As for satire, well, this is what TNY does best. (There is a regular feature called Shouts and Murmurs, for example, that is just so snarky. Check out this gem.) A lot of their cover art takes two opposing images with a clever title and sheds clarity. The title of the controversial cover was The Politics of Fear indicating that some of the more outlandish claims against he candidate and his wife have nothing to do with who they really are, but fear over what they might be. And, like many fears, these stereotypes have no foundation in reality. The July 27th cover was tongue in cheek too, though it was just plain funny. The picture is great alone, but the title defines it best: A Summer Escape.
This one appeared less than two months after 9/11/01. This picture speaks volumes about what Mid Easterners in America must have been feeling, and are still feeling.
The following cover appeared on Mother's Day eight years ago and ignited a firestorm of its own, though it was mostly a "family" fight, kept to the confines of the regular readership. I think the frustration was that most female readers identify themselves with the woman on the left. But the juxtaposition puts the buxom, blonde bohemian mother in a much prettier light than the angular, pale working woman. I love it.
This last one, however, from 1998 is probably my all time favorite; it came out 10 years ago this week. If I ever got to do a girl's nursery, I would order a print of this cover and decorate in these very colors. How simple and perfect, but again taking two opposing images to shake up our perceptions. All of these last three are from Carter Goodrich. Each of his covers is like a gift.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Batting 0 for 2
This e-mail came from Cedar Fort today. The worst part about it? I've felt strongly compelled for months to get this manuscript looked at. I had my current and very best re-write ready in late April and hung on to it for three weeks before submitting it, trying to find time to get to the post office. Would it have made a difference? I'll never know. I'm just trying to find a lesson to learn in all of this that doesn't involve giving up my dearest ambitions.
"Thank you for submitting your work, Abish: The Story of A Convert. After careful consideration, we have decided not to publish your manuscript at this time. Please be aware that we offer to publish less than ten percent of the manuscripts we review. It just so happened that we received another manuscript about the story of Abish the same week that we received yours; both were extremely well written. Unfortunately we had to choose one over the other knowing it wouldn't be profitable to publish two novels about the same person. Although we did not offer to publish your manuscript, we strongly encourage you in your endeavors to get it published. "
Meh.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
The Perfect Day
The pictures are finally downloaded, so here is the long-awaited post about my month of luscious, lazy leisure. (That phrase acutally sounds better if read with a British accent.)
On July 3rd, we drove to my parents' home in Utah, all in one day. It is a long trip, but we left at 3 am to arrive by dinner time and the kids did remarkably well. July 4th was the usual melee of parading, pyromanism, sweating and barbecuing. You know, the usual. I'll spare you my July 4th patriotism tribute/diatribe this year.
The next day we left for five wonderful days in Bear Lake. Plantboy has 8 siblings and every other year they do a family reunion. They take turns planning so that it is always some place different. It was our year to be in charge, and it has actually been a year in the planning to put it all together. (Read: stressful). We chose Bear Lake as a central-ish location rather than bringing everyone to us. All seemed to enjoy themselves and each day was fun and unique. I think it was a little bit harder to really enjoy myself because of the whole being in charge thing; the first day or two was especially stress-inducing.
My big kids were mostly very well-behaved, though the baby was a little bit harder. I think he was so sick of meeting new people and sleeping in a different bed nearly every night for a week that he was kind of a bearcat. Still, getting together with Plantboy's family (whom I really love), and doing all of our fun activities was wonderful. Here are a few pictures of some of the good times.
On July 3rd, we drove to my parents' home in Utah, all in one day. It is a long trip, but we left at 3 am to arrive by dinner time and the kids did remarkably well. July 4th was the usual melee of parading, pyromanism, sweating and barbecuing. You know, the usual. I'll spare you my July 4th patriotism tribute/diatribe this year.
The next day we left for five wonderful days in Bear Lake. Plantboy has 8 siblings and every other year they do a family reunion. They take turns planning so that it is always some place different. It was our year to be in charge, and it has actually been a year in the planning to put it all together. (Read: stressful). We chose Bear Lake as a central-ish location rather than bringing everyone to us. All seemed to enjoy themselves and each day was fun and unique. I think it was a little bit harder to really enjoy myself because of the whole being in charge thing; the first day or two was especially stress-inducing.
My big kids were mostly very well-behaved, though the baby was a little bit harder. I think he was so sick of meeting new people and sleeping in a different bed nearly every night for a week that he was kind of a bearcat. Still, getting together with Plantboy's family (whom I really love), and doing all of our fun activities was wonderful. Here are a few pictures of some of the good times.
I'm so careful about Patchy's ultra-pale skin that he was the only one who ended up sunburn free. Even the baby got a red spot on one cheek.
I guess if your mother is a science teacher then you have to look at fossils to call it a vacation.
Everyone is smiling in this picture because it is BEFORE we hauled the two little ones down and then up 440 stairs in Minnetonka Cave. (That means we hit each stair twice for a total of nearly 900.)
This is a cute picture at the beach because it is all boys. The truth is that on Plantboy's side of the family, as of three days after the end of the reunion, there are 15 grandsons and 15 granddaughters. Every kid in this bunch got at least a little bit sunburned despite much diligent re-application of the Factor 150.
And how can you say you have been to Garden City without the stop at LaBeau's? I pounded two orders of French fries so fast at this place it is almost embarrassing. Almost. I didn't drink the fry sauce.
Sunset at the back of the cabin. Each family told a pioneer story and then we roasted smore's. My kids are in the gray and blue, half-turned in the center. It was a little lengthy but very cool. Uncle Sterling, of course, told the story of our great-great uncle Bob Squarepants. Hm . . . . not exactly what we had in mind when we requested a pioneer story.One night, while we were all sitting around, we got to talking about what would be your perfect day, and would that include kids or not? I have been thinking about that a lot. Could there be ONE just perfect day? (I mean, the term perfect is absolute, right?) Would it really be a perfect day if you attempted to plan it that way? Or would it just happen on its own. Maybe a perfect day would include the kids, or my husband, or both . . . or maybe just myself. I had perfect days in each of May, June and July of 1996. There was a perfect day on my mission. Oddly enough, all we did was tract, but there was a feeling of testimony so down deep in my bones that there has been no room for doubt since. Every time something seems to not add up, I think of that day. Plantboy and I had a perfect night stargazing in Logan Canyon while we were dating. The day my #2 was born was quite perfect. There could have been other perfect days, but I think I am too much consumed with worry and planning.
But I digress.
After Bear Lake, Plantboy had to return home for work. He flew; we stayed for a few extra days. During that second week I was much-consumed with caring for my little brood, but there was time for some great things too. I mentioned before my fabulous visit with Nem and Desmama: two women who would live in my ideal neighborhood. I was having a good hair day that day. I helped my mom watch my sister's kids overnight and it was fun to see the five little boy cousins interact. My dad said it was no better than herding cats to get them to do what you wanted, but it was fun. My sister and I scrapbooked until one o'clock in the morning one night, laughing our heads off over old episodes of "The Office." I was able to see my mother teach a Relief Society lesson. There was another family barbecue, everyone is living within an hour of my parents now except for us, and a trip to Pine View dam. The waterskiing was not quite as sublime as my morning at Bear Lake, but it was still so much fun. On our last full day we rode the Front Runner, just to give the kids a train ride. Here are pictures of my husbandless week:
We actually took five kids on the Front Runner, but Patchy didn't want to get in the picture because he was really freaking out before we rode it. He calmed down once we got going. 
Cousins. L-boy is actually more like Patchy's age but Scallywag's size.
Of course we had to get a picture in front of the breakdown train.
There is no such thing as fun if L-boy is doing sports. He takes this very seriously. Love the helmet.
Captain Tootypants wonders when he'll be big enough to play.
I love this picture because it coincides almost exactly with this post from last year. It is fun to see the kids on the same set of rocks to note how they've grown: and that we've added one.
I'm not sure if this is called leading off the base or the potty dance.My mom came back with me to help with the driving. On our return trip we divided the driving into two phases, which made it a little easier on the driving, but the hotel room was a bit confining and crazy. On day two of our driving we discoverd a fantastic outlet mall just over an hour from my house. Mom couldn't believe I'd never been there, but I reminded her that except to see movies, I'd only been to the mall close to my house once in the past year--the last time she visited. On day three, Plantboy took half the day off and mom babysat so we could have a day time date. Oh, and we ate these carrots for Sunday dinner. Aren't they beautiful?
But day four.
Oh, day four. The PERFECT day.
Our only plan was to rent a mini-van and head to Haceta Head Lighthouse. We only had a vague idea of how to get there and a memory of a visit from six years ago.
I think that the beach below the lighthouse is officially going to rank on my list of the five most awesome places I've been*. It was impossible not to feel absolute joy as we lay on the beach watching the kids play and having a great time. My mother and I laughed until we were giggling like school girls. During low-tide we found pools of anenomes and rocks covered with mussels. During high tide, the waves crashed their freezing blasts up to my knees reminding me why I love the ocean so much. The view from the lighthouse was charming and a stray sea lion came to sun herself on the rocks below us. I was enchanted by the purple and yellow flowers clinging to the roofs of moss covered caves created by the tides. I have no adequate words for how perfect this spot is. Just. Seventy. Minutes. From. Home.
We found a delightful ice cream shop on the way home which features a flavor called "A Taste of Oregon" which has blackberries and hazelnuts. My kids were great; the baby slept coming and going and I really have a love for the minivan. When we got home, everyone was exhausted so we watched this favorite movie from my childhood that my kids have only recently discovered. Dinner was simple and delicious--my favorite chicken salad on warm pita bread with fried red potatoes from Plantboy's garden.
The kids went to bed early. Plantboy and I did too. . . .
A perfect day.
Mother returned home on Monday. (Insert sigh here) It has taken me a few days to adjust to normal life, but I had a teacher once who said that the memories and anticipation of summer vacation were better than the actual event. I think there is something to that. I have a golden memory that will shine for a long, long time.
* The other four are in no particular order: Glacier National Park (Montana) in July, Delicate Arch (Moab, Utah) in February under a full moon, Three Sisters National Park (Katoomba, NSW, AUS) either lightly dusted with snow in August or under a full canopy of ferns in December--its a toss up, Snow Basin (Ogden, Utah) on a perfect, sunny, late winter day off work.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Trust Is No Joke
When I was in the 9th grade my family visited my great-aunt who lived on an orange grove in Southern California. She bought all of her meds in Mexico and took us across the border one afternoon. I bought a hempy-looking pullover hoodie thing that said "Hard Rock Cafe Mexico" on the back. If you were in junior high or high school in the early 90's, you, no-doubt, can picture exactly the hideous garment I'm describing. I loved it. These jacket shirts were the height of cool that year in my small northern Utah hamlet.
It was stolen from our church during a combined young men/young women activity less than two weeks after I got home from California.
In the grand scheme of things, it was a very little thing. But for a long time afterward, I had a hard time trusting the kids in my ward, and I still have serious suspicions about who did it. To this day, I think twice before I hang something in the foyer at the church.
Our society functions simply because most of the people, most of the time, keep most of the rules. Especially the big rules. And whether it is because of conscious moral decisions made on a daily basis, or because they care too much about social norms to break with conventions, most people can be trusted. If not, you wouldn't dare leave your house. (Not convinced? Think of violent inner cities or war-torn countries.)
But now and then, things happen that shatter our innocence and plunge society into chaos:
* A girl is kidnapped from her home and held hostage for months by a homeless, crazy man her parents had tried to help.
* A father imprisons his daughter in a basement for two decades to cover-up his incenstuous relationship and the children he has fathered with her.
*A woman is tortured in her home before fleeing from her random attacker, whom she had never seen before that day.
*Two teenagers snap and mow down fellow-students in a place of learning.
*Nineteen "devout" men wrecked four planes, destroyed two buildings and took 3,000 lives after years of careful planning.
For those who have been victims of crimes, particularly violent crimes, abuse, or who have been betrayed, perhaps the worst part of the damage is not the act itself, but the years it can take to rebuild your faith in the goodness that constantly wars with the evil in man's nature. I don't know how awful it would be to look into the eyes of those around me and wonder, "Will this friend betray me?" "Will this man rape me too?" "Who in this room might be capable of opening fire on the crowd?" And even if you have not been a victim of something entirely life-shattering, I bet every one of you has thought at some point, "Will he break my heart too?"
These thoughts on trust have been in my head for weeks now, but have really come to the surface in the last day or so. Plantboy and I saw "The Dark Knight" on opening day. (No, it was not entirely my husband's idea, and, yes, I'm a geek, get over it.) Whereas Iron Man Tony Stark is funny and playful and happy to admit to being a hero--treating his vigilantism as a phase--Batman Bruce Wayne is dark and serious and tragic and secretive--treating his alter-ego as something that can only be excised from his soul when another comes the mantle can be passed to.
This post is not, strictly, a film review. There are many out there that are better writers than I am; you can read their reviews if you are interested. Nor will there be any spoilers here: if you like this kind of film you'll see it, and if you don't, then the plot details will be entirely uninteresting to you. My next paragraphs will be more about how this film affected me, and what I took from it.
Heath Ledger. He is everywhere in this film, and does every bit as good a job of stealing the show from Christian Bale as Jack Nicholson did from Michael Keaton in 1991. Though, I might argue, that Ledger's upstaging required greater skill than did Nicholson's. Bale is so much better as Batman than Keaton it is almost laughable. While Nicholson's Joker forces us to suspend belief and makes us laugh with his over-the-top antics, Ledger's Joker is frightening on a scale seldom seen at the movies. When I laughed at Joker's jokes in the film, I did so nervously, almost looking over my shoulder to see if he was watching.
His psychosis is so complete that he doesn't even look at cars he guns down in the street. He never has the same counterpart thugs in two scenes: there is no such thing as a right-hand man if you trust nobody and care for nothing. Even the mob bosses he obstensibly works for look like good family men who will draw lines somewhere. This film is a tragic exploration of good and evil, light and dark, crime-fighters and criminals. Ultimately the revelation is that both sides exist in all of us: it is our choices that define which way we go.
The story here is rich with juxtaposition--Joker v. Batman, Batman v. Two-face, Harvey Dent v. Bruce Wayne, Harvey Dent v. Comissioner Gordon--the writing and directing is just subtle enough to not feel beat over the head with it, and just obvious enough so that you don't miss it in the middle of the mayhem. And mayhem it is. I left the theatre quite unsettled, wondering about the effect that a single person, completely uninterested in society's rules, could have on all of us.
The only performance I didn't really like was Maggie Gyllenhall. Why does every role she play seem so sexual? It is in her sultry, half-open eyes, her swishy walk and her ill-fitting bra. I actually really preferred Katie Holmes in this role--earnest, naive, adorable. I think I would have been much more moved by an unexpected plot twist had it been Holmes in the role. For me, Gyllenhall is just like Rene Zellweger and her brother: highly overrated. Maybe that is just me? I am also sad that Joker will be the defining role of Ledger's short career. I think of him in Knight's Tale--boyishly good-looking, funny, quick-to-smile--this fiendish character will instead be the last thing we know of him.
Anyway, if you are looking for a time at the movies that entertains, makes you think and keeps your eyes riveted, don't miss it. If you are looking for a light-hearted laugh . . . . Mama Mia might be a better weekend choice.
Oh, and don't forget to lock your doors.
It was stolen from our church during a combined young men/young women activity less than two weeks after I got home from California.
In the grand scheme of things, it was a very little thing. But for a long time afterward, I had a hard time trusting the kids in my ward, and I still have serious suspicions about who did it. To this day, I think twice before I hang something in the foyer at the church.
Our society functions simply because most of the people, most of the time, keep most of the rules. Especially the big rules. And whether it is because of conscious moral decisions made on a daily basis, or because they care too much about social norms to break with conventions, most people can be trusted. If not, you wouldn't dare leave your house. (Not convinced? Think of violent inner cities or war-torn countries.)
But now and then, things happen that shatter our innocence and plunge society into chaos:
* A girl is kidnapped from her home and held hostage for months by a homeless, crazy man her parents had tried to help.
* A father imprisons his daughter in a basement for two decades to cover-up his incenstuous relationship and the children he has fathered with her.
*A woman is tortured in her home before fleeing from her random attacker, whom she had never seen before that day.
*Two teenagers snap and mow down fellow-students in a place of learning.
*Nineteen "devout" men wrecked four planes, destroyed two buildings and took 3,000 lives after years of careful planning.
For those who have been victims of crimes, particularly violent crimes, abuse, or who have been betrayed, perhaps the worst part of the damage is not the act itself, but the years it can take to rebuild your faith in the goodness that constantly wars with the evil in man's nature. I don't know how awful it would be to look into the eyes of those around me and wonder, "Will this friend betray me?" "Will this man rape me too?" "Who in this room might be capable of opening fire on the crowd?" And even if you have not been a victim of something entirely life-shattering, I bet every one of you has thought at some point, "Will he break my heart too?"
These thoughts on trust have been in my head for weeks now, but have really come to the surface in the last day or so. Plantboy and I saw "The Dark Knight" on opening day. (No, it was not entirely my husband's idea, and, yes, I'm a geek, get over it.) Whereas Iron Man Tony Stark is funny and playful and happy to admit to being a hero--treating his vigilantism as a phase--Batman Bruce Wayne is dark and serious and tragic and secretive--treating his alter-ego as something that can only be excised from his soul when another comes the mantle can be passed to.
This post is not, strictly, a film review. There are many out there that are better writers than I am; you can read their reviews if you are interested. Nor will there be any spoilers here: if you like this kind of film you'll see it, and if you don't, then the plot details will be entirely uninteresting to you. My next paragraphs will be more about how this film affected me, and what I took from it.
Heath Ledger. He is everywhere in this film, and does every bit as good a job of stealing the show from Christian Bale as Jack Nicholson did from Michael Keaton in 1991. Though, I might argue, that Ledger's upstaging required greater skill than did Nicholson's. Bale is so much better as Batman than Keaton it is almost laughable. While Nicholson's Joker forces us to suspend belief and makes us laugh with his over-the-top antics, Ledger's Joker is frightening on a scale seldom seen at the movies. When I laughed at Joker's jokes in the film, I did so nervously, almost looking over my shoulder to see if he was watching.
His psychosis is so complete that he doesn't even look at cars he guns down in the street. He never has the same counterpart thugs in two scenes: there is no such thing as a right-hand man if you trust nobody and care for nothing. Even the mob bosses he obstensibly works for look like good family men who will draw lines somewhere. This film is a tragic exploration of good and evil, light and dark, crime-fighters and criminals. Ultimately the revelation is that both sides exist in all of us: it is our choices that define which way we go.
The story here is rich with juxtaposition--Joker v. Batman, Batman v. Two-face, Harvey Dent v. Bruce Wayne, Harvey Dent v. Comissioner Gordon--the writing and directing is just subtle enough to not feel beat over the head with it, and just obvious enough so that you don't miss it in the middle of the mayhem. And mayhem it is. I left the theatre quite unsettled, wondering about the effect that a single person, completely uninterested in society's rules, could have on all of us.
The only performance I didn't really like was Maggie Gyllenhall. Why does every role she play seem so sexual? It is in her sultry, half-open eyes, her swishy walk and her ill-fitting bra. I actually really preferred Katie Holmes in this role--earnest, naive, adorable. I think I would have been much more moved by an unexpected plot twist had it been Holmes in the role. For me, Gyllenhall is just like Rene Zellweger and her brother: highly overrated. Maybe that is just me? I am also sad that Joker will be the defining role of Ledger's short career. I think of him in Knight's Tale--boyishly good-looking, funny, quick-to-smile--this fiendish character will instead be the last thing we know of him.
Anyway, if you are looking for a time at the movies that entertains, makes you think and keeps your eyes riveted, don't miss it. If you are looking for a light-hearted laugh . . . . Mama Mia might be a better weekend choice.
Oh, and don't forget to lock your doors.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
200 Things (From Doreen's Blog)
1. Touched an iceberg (a glacier?)
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby’s diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins (though I was invited to do so on my mission)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said “I love you” and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a professional sports game
17. Been to the top of the Sears Tower
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath (this one, unfortunately, is closely related to an incidence of #26)
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving (this was scheduled for my 25th b-day, but we moved to Houston instead. Now with kids. . . . this will have to wait)
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone snorkling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don’t
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Sung on a CD
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone (Does laser-tag count?)
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone (not a physcial fight)
67. Bounced a check
68. Read and understood your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did (Martin Luther is somewhere far down the line on our family tree)
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Seen the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
99. Had to see someone you love in hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway play on Broadway
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book (hope springs eternal)
128. Pieced a quilt (no, but I've hand quilted and tied them)
129. Lived in an historic place (define historic?)
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one (does miniature golf count?)
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class (and didn't pay for it!)
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous (From the person in #148)
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz (both)
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books (half a dozen! More like half of all that were ever written!)
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to sew
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog (DUH...)
190. Had chicken pox
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime (caught a counterfeit bill)
200. Received a professional massage
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby’s diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins (though I was invited to do so on my mission)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said “I love you” and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a professional sports game
17. Been to the top of the Sears Tower
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath (this one, unfortunately, is closely related to an incidence of #26)
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving (this was scheduled for my 25th b-day, but we moved to Houston instead. Now with kids. . . . this will have to wait)
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone snorkling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don’t
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Sung on a CD
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone (Does laser-tag count?)
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone (not a physcial fight)
67. Bounced a check
68. Read and understood your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did (Martin Luther is somewhere far down the line on our family tree)
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Seen the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
99. Had to see someone you love in hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway play on Broadway
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book (hope springs eternal)
128. Pieced a quilt (no, but I've hand quilted and tied them)
129. Lived in an historic place (define historic?)
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one (does miniature golf count?)
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class (and didn't pay for it!)
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous (From the person in #148)
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz (both)
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books (half a dozen! More like half of all that were ever written!)
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to sew
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog (DUH...)
190. Had chicken pox
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime (caught a counterfeit bill)
200. Received a professional massage
Monday, July 14, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Real Friends, Not Just Bloggy Friends
I spent a happy two hours with Desmama and Nemesis tonight at Desmama's lovely home. We spoke about pending weddings, mortgages, husbands, sex, kids, new babies and families. We ate a delicious key lime pie that Desmama got from Suburban Hippie's blog. (I did not say we ate a piece of key lime pie. We literally ate the pie. Desdad did help.) We talked until well past sunset on Desmama's back porch looking out over the fabulous pastoral scene the Desfam picked for their house-anyone-would-love-to-grow-old in. I can see them doing just that.
As we spoke about such life-changing events as weddings, babies and moves, I realized that as stressful and difficult as certain things are, there is also a lot of joy along with those things. As much as I would love to have a year of my adult life that does not involve at least one MAJOR life decision, I also realize that I would not change hardly anything even if I had the ability to. Our experiences form who we are, and for all the trials and difficult decisions pending, I really do like myself exactly the way I am.
And though the next year will undoubtedly bring more difficult choices: two days ago I slalomed skiied for the first time in three years and it was as though I'd never been away; tonight I sat face to face with two women I absolutely adore; Plantboy and I are still crazy-in-love after nine years; I spent the afternoon conversing with my mother; my kids were both adorable and adoring today; the stars shone so brightly over Bear Lake that ideas for stories are eating at the corners of my brain again.
I think today I was able to live in the joy of the moment.
As we spoke about such life-changing events as weddings, babies and moves, I realized that as stressful and difficult as certain things are, there is also a lot of joy along with those things. As much as I would love to have a year of my adult life that does not involve at least one MAJOR life decision, I also realize that I would not change hardly anything even if I had the ability to. Our experiences form who we are, and for all the trials and difficult decisions pending, I really do like myself exactly the way I am.
And though the next year will undoubtedly bring more difficult choices: two days ago I slalomed skiied for the first time in three years and it was as though I'd never been away; tonight I sat face to face with two women I absolutely adore; Plantboy and I are still crazy-in-love after nine years; I spent the afternoon conversing with my mother; my kids were both adorable and adoring today; the stars shone so brightly over Bear Lake that ideas for stories are eating at the corners of my brain again.
I think today I was able to live in the joy of the moment.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
A Family Reunion One Year in the Making
I know that it has been a good vacation so far if my latest batch of laundry smells like water, sand, sunscreen, and campfire smoke. There is also a healthy dose of musty, damp cave smell, sweat and fish. Even unpleasant smells are nice when the right memories are attached.
Pictures next week.
Pictures next week.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Trashy?
Christie made an interesting comment on my last post about how some of the people in her RS reading group found Austenland a little bit trashy. It was interesting to me because I had a very similar conversation with a friend this morning.
As an aspriring novelist who is first and foremost and LDS person, sex is a very tricky issue. If you are not going to treat it at all, then you are stuck writing novels that are only of the LDS variety, or ones that are completely devoid of romance (which is hard to do because we learn a lot about ourselves as we fall in love and work through relationships). Whether we like to admit it or not, sex and romantic love are pretty closely connected in our society. Even in LDS circles, there are plenty of young men surrounded by wonderful friend-girls who they are not attracted to and will never marry for that reason.
Shannon Hale's novel, Austenland, makes no pretenses of being for anyone other than adults. The protagonist is in her mid-thirties, single, un-religious and living in New York. This is not a novel aimed (necessarily) at an LDS audience, and certainly not aimed at teenage girls. Implying that a woman living such a lifestyle is automatically trashy because she is just following the rules of the culture she lives in is jumping the gun a bit, I think.
In fact, Hale works very hard to let the reader draw their own conclusions. Other than a little descriptive making-out, she avoids the sex question entirely, by merely implying there are times this main character was okay with it and times that she wasn't. No descriptions, no titilating details, no smokin' hot love scenes. . . .
Now, the Twilight saga (the word used on Amazon) on the other hand . . . (I promise, I'm not getting holier than thou here. I've read them all and probably will read the next as well. I'm just trying to make a point.) Stephanie Meyer has kind of painted herself into a corner. These books are obsessesed with descriptions of physical attraction (and physcial attractiveness) and she is never shy to put her characters into very close and compromising situations. After all, any Bishop worth his salt will tell you that merely not having sex is really not enough, and having your boyfriend sleep in your room every night is definitely over-stepping the bounds of what is and is not appropriate. When it comes time for Edward and Bella to finally just get past the tension, marriage or not, she will have to alienate a certain portion of her readers. Her younger and/or more conservative fans (read: LDS) will mostly be disappointed if she includes the gory details, feeling like she sold-out. Still, they will probably comfort themselves with the fact that "at least they are married." On the other hand, her older, non-LDS readers will be disapointed if she allows the great consummation to take place behind closed doors. "What!?! 1500 pages of passion burning the pages up and she leaves out the undressing of Edward!!!!???????!!!!!!!" It is almost like the whole abstience thing in the Meyer books is just a way of obsessing about sex.
It is an interesting question, but I have to admit I found Austenland, for all of its implied sexuality, much less trashy than Eclipse, with its relentless sensuality. As LDS authors (and actors) become more and more mainstream, it will sometimes be hard to make choices about what is really appropriate. And make no mistake, LDS authors will have to bear closer scrutiny than their less religious peers. There is no getting away from it: our culture affects everything we do, even when we are trying to operate outside our culture; and those outside our culture watch us very carefully.
In an unrelated news item, did you guys know this is called the "Dead Star." That's what Patchy Pirate says. Of course, Scallywag tells me that Patchy is still a padawan learner, and not yet a full Jedi.
As an aspriring novelist who is first and foremost and LDS person, sex is a very tricky issue. If you are not going to treat it at all, then you are stuck writing novels that are only of the LDS variety, or ones that are completely devoid of romance (which is hard to do because we learn a lot about ourselves as we fall in love and work through relationships). Whether we like to admit it or not, sex and romantic love are pretty closely connected in our society. Even in LDS circles, there are plenty of young men surrounded by wonderful friend-girls who they are not attracted to and will never marry for that reason.
Shannon Hale's novel, Austenland, makes no pretenses of being for anyone other than adults. The protagonist is in her mid-thirties, single, un-religious and living in New York. This is not a novel aimed (necessarily) at an LDS audience, and certainly not aimed at teenage girls. Implying that a woman living such a lifestyle is automatically trashy because she is just following the rules of the culture she lives in is jumping the gun a bit, I think.
In fact, Hale works very hard to let the reader draw their own conclusions. Other than a little descriptive making-out, she avoids the sex question entirely, by merely implying there are times this main character was okay with it and times that she wasn't. No descriptions, no titilating details, no smokin' hot love scenes. . . .
Now, the Twilight saga (the word used on Amazon) on the other hand . . . (I promise, I'm not getting holier than thou here. I've read them all and probably will read the next as well. I'm just trying to make a point.) Stephanie Meyer has kind of painted herself into a corner. These books are obsessesed with descriptions of physical attraction (and physcial attractiveness) and she is never shy to put her characters into very close and compromising situations. After all, any Bishop worth his salt will tell you that merely not having sex is really not enough, and having your boyfriend sleep in your room every night is definitely over-stepping the bounds of what is and is not appropriate. When it comes time for Edward and Bella to finally just get past the tension, marriage or not, she will have to alienate a certain portion of her readers. Her younger and/or more conservative fans (read: LDS) will mostly be disappointed if she includes the gory details, feeling like she sold-out. Still, they will probably comfort themselves with the fact that "at least they are married." On the other hand, her older, non-LDS readers will be disapointed if she allows the great consummation to take place behind closed doors. "What!?! 1500 pages of passion burning the pages up and she leaves out the undressing of Edward!!!!???????!!!!!!!" It is almost like the whole abstience thing in the Meyer books is just a way of obsessing about sex.
It is an interesting question, but I have to admit I found Austenland, for all of its implied sexuality, much less trashy than Eclipse, with its relentless sensuality. As LDS authors (and actors) become more and more mainstream, it will sometimes be hard to make choices about what is really appropriate. And make no mistake, LDS authors will have to bear closer scrutiny than their less religious peers. There is no getting away from it: our culture affects everything we do, even when we are trying to operate outside our culture; and those outside our culture watch us very carefully.
In an unrelated news item, did you guys know this is called the "Dead Star." That's what Patchy Pirate says. Of course, Scallywag tells me that Patchy is still a padawan learner, and not yet a full Jedi.
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