There is a teacher at school who has a class right before my noon class every Tuesdays and Thursdays and is madly in love with my teacher, as evidenced by his extremely obvious super uber helpfulness with things she doesn't need any help with.
For example, he'll talk in an extremely helpful and really way too friendly voice as if he was talking to a grandmother who donated a kidney to his baby kitten or something. Today he wore church socks with his sneakers and shorts.
Anyway, it raises the question of if I was that blindingly obvious when I was single. I'd like to think I wasn't, but seeing it from the outside is so different.
Plus, I never wore church socks with sneakers and shorts.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
A word from the editor...
OK I'm not sold on the new layout and kind of hate it. I like that it's a little bit lighter and easier to read than the former layout but I don't think it expresses the blog's personality very well. And what a grassy dock has to do with a robot-particularly an evil one-I'll never know.
So don't get too used to it as one day in the near to distant future I'll find enough time to toy with the layout again and/or add some original artwork to the mix. I'm sure it will be awesome, if not imaginary since I can't even conceive of having enough time for such an endeavor anywhere in 2009. But still, nice to dream.
So don't get too used to it as one day in the near to distant future I'll find enough time to toy with the layout again and/or add some original artwork to the mix. I'm sure it will be awesome, if not imaginary since I can't even conceive of having enough time for such an endeavor anywhere in 2009. But still, nice to dream.
Churchyousness
In GD today they talked about apostasy and highlighted some examples of the issues that led people to leave, among which were things as minor as a dispute over a pitcher of cream and a lack of seating at the Kirtland temple.
That led into a tangent about people who left the church because they read anti-LDS literature or saw anti-LDS films. I've never had the slightest desire to read or see anything of the sort, though I know some people who did and who subsequently left the church because they got very caught up in what they saw as 'inconsistencies.'
In pretty much everything else in life I strive to see 'both sides.' But this is a segment of my life that I couldn't remotely care what the other side has to say. No, the members of the church aren't perfect. That's no big surprise. But it's more that I feel few people who leave the church or who aren't members of the church could have anything too interesting to say about the church.
I think of it like this: would you read a book about what it's like to be a woman if it were written by a man? Or say it was by someone who left the church-it would be like reading a book about what it's like to be a man by someone who used to be a man and who got surgery to be a woman.
If that person is no longer a man, it's because they personally had serious issues with being a man, and that is going to seriously jaundice their views about having been a man. I had a friend in high school who really dug into anti-LDS literature and had a copy of an early church newspaper in which one person was told in a blessing that they would bring the gospel to 'the people who lived on the moon.' That such a blessing was apparently given was offered as proof positive against the truthfulness of the entire restored Gospel.
I repeat forever: the church is perfect, but the people aren't. If the assumption in the world at the time was that people lived on the moon, then the fact that someone would express inspiration about touching many lives with missionary work in language that referenced the moon dudes, then good for him. And for all we know, the spirit world has a suburb on the moon-who are we to say 1800s dude didn't serve there?
The point is, if you'd rather lose your way by getting hung up on pointless and meaningless blips that you'd rather react to with outrage rather than faith, then fine. It's like leaving Disneyland and vowing never to return because a lightbulb was out on one of the windows in the miniature Tower of London on the Peter Pan ride.
That led into a tangent about people who left the church because they read anti-LDS literature or saw anti-LDS films. I've never had the slightest desire to read or see anything of the sort, though I know some people who did and who subsequently left the church because they got very caught up in what they saw as 'inconsistencies.'
In pretty much everything else in life I strive to see 'both sides.' But this is a segment of my life that I couldn't remotely care what the other side has to say. No, the members of the church aren't perfect. That's no big surprise. But it's more that I feel few people who leave the church or who aren't members of the church could have anything too interesting to say about the church.
I think of it like this: would you read a book about what it's like to be a woman if it were written by a man? Or say it was by someone who left the church-it would be like reading a book about what it's like to be a man by someone who used to be a man and who got surgery to be a woman.
If that person is no longer a man, it's because they personally had serious issues with being a man, and that is going to seriously jaundice their views about having been a man. I had a friend in high school who really dug into anti-LDS literature and had a copy of an early church newspaper in which one person was told in a blessing that they would bring the gospel to 'the people who lived on the moon.' That such a blessing was apparently given was offered as proof positive against the truthfulness of the entire restored Gospel.
I repeat forever: the church is perfect, but the people aren't. If the assumption in the world at the time was that people lived on the moon, then the fact that someone would express inspiration about touching many lives with missionary work in language that referenced the moon dudes, then good for him. And for all we know, the spirit world has a suburb on the moon-who are we to say 1800s dude didn't serve there?
The point is, if you'd rather lose your way by getting hung up on pointless and meaningless blips that you'd rather react to with outrage rather than faith, then fine. It's like leaving Disneyland and vowing never to return because a lightbulb was out on one of the windows in the miniature Tower of London on the Peter Pan ride.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
The Passing Parade
With me not having to work today, we decided to do some driving around and found ourselves at the 'Mt. Olivet' (stupid name but pleasant place) cemetery up by the U. I mistakenly thought important people were buried there but we found out they were all up at the Salt Lake City cemetery which is in the avs.
We headed over there via a really winding route that took us past several gorgeous homes that were inhabited by a broad assortment of cultural types ranging from lesbians to somewhat older lesbians. Anyway, we finally landed at the (other) SLCC and set off looking for noteable church leaders.
Along the way we saw a great many Romneys, Eccles, and even a 'Noble.' Beautiful headstones; very diverse. The first person we recognized was Wilford Woodruff, but it turns out we had the wrong one and that Wilford Woodruff was apparently as popular a name in the 1800s as 'Logan' is today.
We found Orson Pratt nearby, and surmised he was related in some way to Parley P Pratt. We were frustrated to not have any kind of map and there was apparently no building anywhere that looked like it was handing them out, so we were on our own. Consequently we were there probably 2 hours or so.
We found George Albert Smith, and that was cool. We looked in vain for Joseph Fielding Smith, who was apparently nearby thanks to a very unhelpful map on Google. Eventually we made our way to the west side, parked, and got out.
We found David O. McKay, whose gravestone is absolutely enormous. I know the stone is determined by his family and is meant as a tribute to him but I don't think he would have preferred something big enough to keep East and West Germany separated. But very close by to his was President & Sister Hinckley's grave.
I will have to post the picture tomorrow of Jan and Mads by the marker but it was a very special experience. Sacred ground-everything was extremely peaceful and quiet there. It's under a very large tree and it looks out at the entire valley. The stone is also pretty large but I think extremely warranted given the legacy he left and the degree to which he was and is beloved.
We also noticed how the grass in front of his marker is almost completely worn down-this is a popular spot, I think. A marker on the back of the stone reads that the stone was made from extra stone from the quarry where they made the SLC Temple and the conference center (which I still think should be named the Hinckley Center, but maybe he asked that it not be?).
We tried in vain thereafter to find Spencer W. Kimball and couldn't, and also struck out on Howard W. Hunter, Ezra Taft Benson, and Neal A. Maxwell, even though we had a picture of NAM's gravestone and thought we could make out the angle and discern its location. Afterwards when we got home and could look things up proper it became apparent that the cemetery continued across the street to the North and that most everyone we were looking for was up there. We'll have to head back again soon.
Spending that much time amongst the non-living definitely has the effect of making one contemplate their own mortality. It also leads to some great jokes and puns, particularly one I made when we turned down a street that was a dead end. Still, the experience made me extremely grateful for a knowledge of things as they really are. Life would be pretty bleak and without purpose otherwise. It's still astounding to me how many people can be led to miss something as blindingly obvious as the sun at noonday. People are trading eternity for about 5 seconds of being considered intelligent by people who are just as insecure as they are. Why the desperation and fear behind the need for reinforcement of such beliefs is not apparent to everyone is a mystery.
We headed over there via a really winding route that took us past several gorgeous homes that were inhabited by a broad assortment of cultural types ranging from lesbians to somewhat older lesbians. Anyway, we finally landed at the (other) SLCC and set off looking for noteable church leaders.
Along the way we saw a great many Romneys, Eccles, and even a 'Noble.' Beautiful headstones; very diverse. The first person we recognized was Wilford Woodruff, but it turns out we had the wrong one and that Wilford Woodruff was apparently as popular a name in the 1800s as 'Logan' is today.
We found Orson Pratt nearby, and surmised he was related in some way to Parley P Pratt. We were frustrated to not have any kind of map and there was apparently no building anywhere that looked like it was handing them out, so we were on our own. Consequently we were there probably 2 hours or so.
We found George Albert Smith, and that was cool. We looked in vain for Joseph Fielding Smith, who was apparently nearby thanks to a very unhelpful map on Google. Eventually we made our way to the west side, parked, and got out.
We found David O. McKay, whose gravestone is absolutely enormous. I know the stone is determined by his family and is meant as a tribute to him but I don't think he would have preferred something big enough to keep East and West Germany separated. But very close by to his was President & Sister Hinckley's grave.
I will have to post the picture tomorrow of Jan and Mads by the marker but it was a very special experience. Sacred ground-everything was extremely peaceful and quiet there. It's under a very large tree and it looks out at the entire valley. The stone is also pretty large but I think extremely warranted given the legacy he left and the degree to which he was and is beloved.
We also noticed how the grass in front of his marker is almost completely worn down-this is a popular spot, I think. A marker on the back of the stone reads that the stone was made from extra stone from the quarry where they made the SLC Temple and the conference center (which I still think should be named the Hinckley Center, but maybe he asked that it not be?).
We tried in vain thereafter to find Spencer W. Kimball and couldn't, and also struck out on Howard W. Hunter, Ezra Taft Benson, and Neal A. Maxwell, even though we had a picture of NAM's gravestone and thought we could make out the angle and discern its location. Afterwards when we got home and could look things up proper it became apparent that the cemetery continued across the street to the North and that most everyone we were looking for was up there. We'll have to head back again soon.
Spending that much time amongst the non-living definitely has the effect of making one contemplate their own mortality. It also leads to some great jokes and puns, particularly one I made when we turned down a street that was a dead end. Still, the experience made me extremely grateful for a knowledge of things as they really are. Life would be pretty bleak and without purpose otherwise. It's still astounding to me how many people can be led to miss something as blindingly obvious as the sun at noonday. People are trading eternity for about 5 seconds of being considered intelligent by people who are just as insecure as they are. Why the desperation and fear behind the need for reinforcement of such beliefs is not apparent to everyone is a mystery.
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