Home Sweet Home

After being away and living in Texas for close to 5 years, I was given the opportunity to return to Utah for work. I just can't express how amazing it is to live within view of these majestic mountains!

The peaceful, comforting feeling I get from being "home".  The safety and security I feel now is amazing compared to the "stranger in a strange land" feeling I've had deep in the heart of Texas.  

Not A Grammar Nazi, But....

I find it disturbing that the more technologically advanced we become, the more illiterate we become. It seems the days are gone when articles are proofread before they are published.  The computer has really made Americans lazy.  No need to pick up a dictionary if you are unsure how to spell a word, just use spell check!  And that wonderful invention called the backspace button?  The people who invented white-out aren't getting very many royalty checks any longer...  Then there are the people too lazy to even use spell check. Or speak properly. I won't even get started on that, because my main argument is the misuse of words when written.  To, Too, and Two are NOT interchangeable, and all have different meanings: "I am going to the store." "You can come too." "The two of us went to the store." The same with There, Their, and They're. NOT interchangeable! "There is a red car parked down the street." "The person who owns the red car left their engine running." "Maybe they're just dropping something off."

Now I won't call you out if you misspell or misuse a word, but I know that every English, Writing, and Language Arts teacher I had in school would have a big, fat red pencil in their hand waiting to correct you.  And remember:

Washington's Birthday

Never mind what that mattress sale ad says - there is no such thing as President's Day. It is a myth, just as untrue as George Washington chopping down the cherry tree, throwing a silver dollar across the Potomac, and wearing teeth made of wood. Yes, there is a federal holiday on February 16th this year. But it's official name is "Washington's Birthday." We're supposed to celebrate the life and legacy of the Father of Our Country, not the rest of those Mount Rushmore guys. They can get their own holiday.

Admittedly, every sale as in the United States will talk about special Presidents' Day prices. Other media routinely refer to this as Presidents' Day. It is Presidents' Day in the popular mind. It just isn't Presidents' Day in US law. Let's look at the record: Washington’s Birthday has been a federal holiday since 1885. For more than 80 years it was celebrated on Washington’s actual birthday, Feb. 22. But by the middle of the 20th century some US lawmakers began to agitate for a more generalized recognition of presidential achievement. In 1968, this desire collided with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, legislation that aimed to shuffle certain US holidays around to create three-day weekends for increased leisure and sellathon purposes. Early drafts of this law did indeed change Washington’s Birthday to Presidents’ Day. But the bill stalled in committee. The list of 2012 holidays for federal workers says nothing about "Presidents' Day". It lists “Washington’s Birthday,” with an explanation. “Though other institutions such as state and local governments and private businesses may use other names, it is our policy to always refer to holidays by the names designated in the law.”

Fifty Shades Of Immorality

When my wife first heard about Fifty Shades Of Grey, she joked that it was about my hair. Sadly, a book and movie about my hair would probably have more artistic worth!  We call it Fifty Shades Of Immorality.  There was a time, not that long ago, when the majority of people would have dismissed this smut for what it is - a total disrespect for something which should be sacred and beautiful. Pornography and perversion have become so commonplace in our lives that the sources of this material are everywhere.  Whatever happened to the days when married couples on TV slept in separate beds?  Are we not becoming a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah? Even though we are surrounded by sleazy material, we do not have to watch it.  In 2006, Gordon B. Hinckley stated: "I recently read that pornography has become a $57 billion industry worldwide. Twelve billion of this is derived in the United States by evil and "conspiring men" who seek riches at the expense of the gullible.  It is reported that it produces more revenue in the United States than the 'combined revenues off all professional, football, baseball and basketball franchises or the combined revenues of ABC, CBS, and NBC'. It robs the workplace of the time and talents of employees. '20% of men admit accessing pornography at work.  13% of women (do so)...10% of adults admit having internet sexual addiction.   One in five children ages 10-17 (has) received a sexual solicitation over the Internet... We do not have to view salacious magazines. We do not have to read books laden with smut. We do not have to watch television that is beneath wholesome standards. We do not have to rent movies that depict that which is filthy. We do not have to sit at the computer and play with pornographic material found on the Internet. Recognize pornography for what it is - a vicious brew of slime and sleaze, the partaking of which only leads to misery, degradation, and regret. Avoid it as you would a terrible disease".

Honesty & Integrity

OK, Brian Williams lied... And a lot of people are saying, "What's the big deal? Everyone lies!" But I have a problem with that.  Honesty is a character trait that is badly needed in this world.  And if our leaders aren't being honest, what kind of example does that set for everyone else? One of the funniest jokes I've heard regarding lies from the White House went like this:

Hillary Clinton died and went to heaven. As she stood in front of Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates, she saw a huge wall of clocks behind him. She asked, "What are all those clocks?" Saint Peter answered, "Those are Lie-Clocks. Everyone on Earth has a Lie-Clock. Every time you lie, the hands on your clock will move. "Oh," said Hillary, "whose clock is that?" "That's Mother Teresa's. The hands have never moved indicating that she never told a lie." "Whose clock is that?" "That's Abraham Lincoln's clock. The hands have only moved twice telling us that Abe only told 2 lies in his entire life." "Where's Bill's clock?" Hillary asked. "Bill's clock is in Jesus' office. He's using it as a ceiling fan." 

My favorite joke this week has been this, as shared with me by Duane Allen :  Brian Williams went to church this morning.  The choir sang "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?"  Brian said "Why yes, yes I was."

Alright, so Brian Williams isn't the President of the United States.  But he is still in a position that requires integrity.  Reporting the news is a great responsibility, and we need to be able to trust that those entrusted with this job are doing it with complete honesty.  Honest people love truth and justice, and show it by their words and actions, They do not lie, steal, or cheat. Let's focus on the lie.  Lying is when we intentionally deceive others, such as bearing false witness. When we speak untruths, we are lying.  When we intentionally deceive others by a gesture or look, by silence, or by only telling part of the truth, we are lying.  Whenever we lead people in any way to believe something that is not true, we are not being honest.  Brian Williams has proven he isn't an honest person, and needs to be replaced with someone who we can trust.

Bruce Transgender

I've been seeing pictures and stories about this on the covers of tabloids in the grocery store checkout for several months now, and have dismissed it as typical tabloid trash and nonsense. But now it appears that this incredibly ridiculous story is true!

How a man can go from the glory of being an Olympic champion with his picture on a Wheaties box to the reality of today, is beyond me.  I don't even want an explanation.  I just want to say it is wrong on so many levels, including the fact that he is even uglier as a woman!

Wake-up Call

We got to sleep late Thursday night.  Late, like we were still awake at 4AM Friday.... So imagine my frustration/anger/confusion/shock/surprise/disbelief when someone was pounding incessantly on the front door at 9:30 in the morning. And then, after getting out of bed and getting dressed, imagine my frustration/anger/confusion/shock/surprise/disbelief in finding out the police are at the door!

I had no idea what to think! But the apartment manager says she called them because no one had heard from us in 3 days. Seriously? I had no clue it was my job to check in with the leasing office every day to let them know how we are doing! I thought my job was just to pay the rent on time and keep the place clean!  Are people really keeping tabs on us? I can't imagine someone we have limited contact with being so concerned about our welfare! Can this be considered harassment?

XLIX

I am still in disbelief at what I saw on TV Sunday night, and no, I'm not talking about a Viagra pill falling into a car's gas tank...  I'm talking about the play call to end all play calls - the one that ended the Seattle Seahawks season in misery.  I don't even need to rehash what's been written everywhere by now - we all knew they were going to hand the ball to Marshawn Lynch, who was going to score a go ahead touchdown. Of course, that didn't happen, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Anyway, not that anyone asked for it, but here is my opinion.  The New England Patriots did not beat the Seahawks. They beat themselves. And before all of the Patriots life-long and bandwagon fans get on my case, I wasn't rooting for either team.  In my mind, to BEAT an opposing team, is along the lines of the 55-10 victory the 49ers had over the Broncos. Or their 49-26 win against the Chargers. Seattle, they beat themselves.  Kinda like The Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV.  I don't feel that the Giants beat them when Scott Norwood's field goal went wide right, the Bills lost. When the game ends on a play which potentially could have won the game for the other team, I don't feel they got beat. They simply lost. In the case of the Seahawks, they were lucky to be in a position to win. If the Green Bay Packers hadn't rolled over and played dead for 5 minutes 2 weeks before, they wouldn't even have been in the Super Bowl. And then the remarkable catch by Jermaine Kearse to give them the ball at 5 yard line with just over 1 minute left... 2 plays later, inexplicably, The Patriots had the ball, retaining their 4 point lead, and won the game.  Pro Football Hall Of Famer Deion Sanders called it one of the worst play calls in Super Bowl History.  Emmitt Smith went even further. calling it the worst call in the history of football. Deflategate? That term can now be used to describe the hearts and souls of every Seattle Seahawk fan - deflated.

Cosby

I woke up this morning, wondering what I should have for breakfast.  Then I remembered, I have chocolate cake in the fridge from my birthday!  Chocolate cake for breakfast!  Of course, that got me thinking about Bill Cosby, and how I never sat down at the computer to share my thoughts on the scandal surrounding him.  Now before I proceed any further, let me make it perfectly clear - Rape is wrong!  Any contact with a women that is not welcome is in the very least considered sexual harassment. That being said, lets take a look at The Cos...

The man is a legend.   He's been a devoted husband for over 60 years. For years, he has been a role model to millions!  Fans worldwide love him, and everything he represents.   So for many of us, hearing him being accused of rape seems unfathomable!  First one woman, then another, and another - come forward to say that he forced them to have sexual relations with him.  Is there any truth to the allegations?  That certainly isn't for me to decide.  It's not even for the courts to decide, as the statute of limitations has run out years ago for these alleged crimes. But the court of public opinion, that court is still open. And it's jury has convicted Mr. Cosby without ever hearing his side of the story! Everyone knows that in court, both the prosecution and defense get to speak. Multiple prosecution witnesses have spoken. And what has the defendant done? Pretty much nothing. He doesn't feel it even worth his time to give a response, other than "no comment." Many would say that proves his guilt. Others would say he is taking the Christlike approach by turning the other cheek. For me, I believe that in the mouth of two or three witnesses, shall the truth of all things be established - to the point that the witnesses have nothing to gain by lying. Unfortunately, in the case of Cosby, the witnesses certainly stand to gain from such a wealthy man. That brings us back to the court setting, and even though he hasn't spoke in his defense, his wife has.  She stands by her husband. Should we let what he may or may not have done affect the way we appreciate the volumes of entertainment he has given us over the years? Court of public opinion aside, in the United States of America, a person is still innocent until proven guilty.

The Grammys

Every year when the time for the Grammy awards approaches, I get a bit sentimental.  As a kid growing up, I remember hearing about the Grammy awards, but I could never understand why my Grammy never won one! She gave unconditional love and support to me for over 40 years, and there really should be an award for that!

Born on January 29, 1916, today would have been her 99th Birthday.  As long as I remember how old I am, I will know how old she would be if she was alive. Many years ago, and many times since the first time, she would proudly tell anyone who would listen, about how I was born 2 days after her 50th birthday. Happy Birthday, Grammy, you are loved and remembered always :-)