The Sublime Roundabout

One of the dangers we are repeatedly warned about in the scriptures is that of the pride that comes with learning. To wit: 2 Nephi 9: 27 But wo unto him that has the law given, yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is his state! 28 O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness , and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. 29 But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God. Further: 2 nd Timothy 3: 1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful , unholy, 3 Without natural affec...

Let's say your grandma recently died and left you her house. You have always wanted to live in grandma's house, so you were very excited about this. You knew that before grandma died she had a few cats. You are allergic to cats, but figure, hey, what's a few cats. But when you showed up the first day, you find that she's got 400 cats roaming around the place. There are statements from the local authorities, neighbors, and even the ASPCA has chimed in on the mess. But in grandma's will, you have to keep all of the cats or you cannot live in the house - at least, you have to let the cats live. Instead, it goes to you evil nemesis... So you start out with a plan: try to give away as many cats as you can while cleaning up the mess the cats have made. You reach out to neighbors in the hopes of developing a good relationship with them, also hoping that they'll offer suggestions or even to take some of the cats. No luck. They're nice enough, but they don't want...

So the first "system" of this hurricane season is out there. It's located generally in the area of the Bahamas and not expected to amount to much (less than a 30% chance that it will turn into anything - which conversely means that there's a greater than 70% chance that it will be nothing...). Doesn't matter, though - this is the first in a series of storms that will last for the next several months. Until November. I am not ready for this. I am physically prepared, of course. We have all our batteries ready and I have all the boards for my windows. I have water and food and everything ready for whatever comes. But psychologically, not so much. I am a little surprised at this. Southeast Texas is an incredibly and intensely beautiful place. Looking out my window right now at the blazing blue sky, seeing herons and cranes wheeling in the gentle breezes, and enjoying the emerald green that seems to permeate everywhere from the trees to the grass to the roadside weeds...

So I got home yesterday evening to find my wife shaking her head. She said that Elise had some news for me... At school kids read books and take tests based on their reading. They earn points based on the level of reading and their comprehension of the text. It also has to do with the length of the book. We bought Ammon a Hobbit video game based on the Tolkien book. It's really a cute game, and Ammon really enjoyed playing it. Elise would sit and watch him play. I did that a lot myself - I was never very good at video games but strangely enjoyed watching others play. It was kind of like a movie... Elise cheers Ammon on and gives ideas or strategies when stumped. She gets her turn to play, but is generally content to watch. Like I said, I was much the same way... So Elise gets the idea that since she is intimately familiar with the story line of the book from the video game, which is very similar in almost all respects to the book, she should take the test for points. It doesn't...

I am not sure if you know what a slider is or not. I had never heard of one until today. I always assumed it was some kind of baseball term. But then, I am a band geek, so I don't understand a lot of sports terms. The slider I am referring to is a mini hamburger. Today after our meeting in Houston we went to a place called "Little Bigs." Whether the name has anything to do with the size of the burger or not I don't know, but they were small. As was the place itself. Maybe room for 40 or so folks sitting cheek by jowl... The atmosphere was a little bit old-timey sports cafe 50s diner -ish kind of feel, but not too obnoxious and fake... It was fairly unpretentious, with lots of metallic grays and earth tones. The menu was simple - there were more drinks available than food - you can either get a beef, chicken, or mushroom slider. And fries. That's it. Typical soft drinks with an unusual lemonade (that I didn't particularly like...) that was probably made in the ...

I never understood why it was so difficult for members of the bishopric to get up and share their testimony... In my last ward, it was kind of a thing that they just didn't seem to relish. Now I think I know why. Something about knowing you're going to have to share your testimony on demand is a little daunting. Usually, back in my comfortable and peaceful pew sitting days, I was in awe of the men who spoke. They seemed to really know what to say and how to say it. I never gave much thought to the idea that they had known this was coming for months and were anticipating (dreading) it. Oh, well. It was my turn yesterday. I think part of the problem comes from an inferiority complex. In our Church, we are not professional speakers (most of us, that is - some are!) and yet we have heard incredible speakers all our lives. We hear people speak from the heart. We hear people give fiery testimony. We hear people moved to tears by the tender feelings they are sharing. We hear monologue...

One of the rare treats in my life is spending one-on-one time with my boy. He's such a good kid - so smart and happy. He makes me feel good to be around. I hope he always likes to hang out with the old man... Even if it IS at my office...

Peter Goelz knows a little something about conspiracy theorists. He was managing director of the National Transportation Safety Board in 1996 when TWA Flight 800 crashed off Long Island, killing 230 people. While the NTSB's investigation found no evidence of sabotage or terrorism, the Internet was stocked with insistent accusations. "We were right at the beginning of this Internet lunacy," Goelz said in an interview with PolitiFact. "And there were a variety of crackpot Web sites and Web commentators that generated all sorts of rumors. The principle one was that TWA in fact was shot down by an errant Navy missile in ... a live-fire exercise off the Hamptons." Nine miles off Long Island, in the middle of summer. And then a full-scale coverup by the Navy and all the sailors involved. "I am sure that we spent another $10-million, perhaps $20-million, out of a $50-million investigation, to just knock down and put to bed these kinds of rumors, these insidious ru...