The Sublime Roundabout

This afternoon/evening we've been having the Saturday portion of our stake conference. It's been generally pretty good. Here are a couple of highlights: Elder Fisher is presiding. He's actually from our stake and is a pretty good speaker.  I've been impressed so far. During the leadership session I attended this afternoon (and at which I sang!) he told the story of a woman in St George who was giving a talk about her fifth mission. She went on at length about how her mission was so wonderful and what the area was like. Then she finished up by talking about her 12 (!) children, how they were all married in the temple and that nine of them had served missions themselves. She sat down without ever having so much as mentioned Christ. Then, out of the audience, another woman got up and approached the pulpit. The tension in the room was palpable - this was highly irregular. She slammed her purse down onto the rostrum and said - if that's what the Church expects of me,...

I got over the hate. What I will never get over is the love. ... In some ways, I don't mind that she's gone again. It's just that she never really completely leaves.

A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. - Leonard Nimoy God speed, Mr. Spock. On to the final frontier. 

We took the Young Men in our ward to the Weber County Correctional Facility last night. It was a humbling, terrifying, and incredible experience, one I won't soon forget. My first thought was that it was a nicer facility than what I experienced in boot camp. The prisoners were generally treated better and the facilities themselves were better quality. We entered through the booking area. There were cells of men (they were all men at that time) who were waiting for processing. The looks of utter and abject failure, disappointment, and fear were almost palpable. They sat in their holding cells, looking straight ahead or down at their shoes. For these guys, their time in jail was just beginning, and the future looked very bleak indeed. We went next to the high-security area, holding the most violent criminals. These men (we went to the men's section first) had done all kinds of aggravated crimes, including murder, assault, and rape. They were only let out of their cells for ...

Annoura remained behind, eyes unblinking on Perrin's face. "You are ta'veren , yes, but you are still only a thread in the Pattern, as am I. In the end, even the Dragon Reborn is just a thread to be woven into the Pattern. Not even a ta'veren thread chooses how it will be woven." "Those threads are people," Perrin said wearily. "Sometimes maybe people don't want to be woven into the Pattern without any say." "And you think that makes any difference?" - Robert Jordan, Crossroads of Twilight

You stand there looking in As I bare my soul I've never been good at hiding it, anyway Maybe it's a failing of mine My soul still remembers your touch Fiery, blazing, warm, and bright And my heart yearns for it Absolutely aches I remember how it felt To look into your eyes And see the love that was there The love that was for me Which is no longer the case No longer true And I die a little bit Every time I think of your eyes Your arms around me Yet still you stand there, looking in Like a visitor to the intensive care ward Watching an accident victim Bleed out I cannot even turn my head To see if your eyes are filled with tears, too Because I'm afraid I will look And see that they're not Maybe stone angels do not weep

I just read this: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-31596580 I spent a lot of time down in the tail end of the pipe (or the end of the tail pipe, if you will) (sorry, terrible pun). The pipeline would extend directly to/through two communities where I lived/worked. And I got to know quite a bit about the petro-chemical industry. And I disagree with the Obama Administration on this one. Respectfully. The main reason is this: there are already pipelines in place. The oil is being extracted and burned already. It's done. If you want to regulate carbon emissions, please do so. I'd be all in favor of that. Do it in a meaningful way, though. Don't confuse potential environmental issues with a conveyance for getting goods to market. Look at this map: See that? The red line is one (of many) pipelines ALREADY IN PLACE. It's just a more direct route. If you go to this website:  https://www.npms.phmsa.dot.gov/PublicViewer/  you could see the extensive network of ...

This is just lovely

This is incredibly powerful and so right on. What we do to teachers in our society speaks volumes about what our values really are.

How far can you pare something down and still be able to tell what it is? If I were to say - draw me a diamond... Would you try to draw something that was sparkling and shiny? Would your sketch attempt to capture the star fire that scintillates within the depths of the stone? Would you draw each facet, showing the complex workings of the master crafters? Or would you draw a parallelogram? Would you draw a baseball diamond, simple and rectilinear? I wondered this as we drove around this past Christmas. The deer shaped objects that populate people's yards at that time of year interest me. When deer see those wire-framed objects, do they see other deer? Are their minds able to fill in the gaps in the object, making connections between their own bodies and what is being depicted? Do they even care? Artists and engineers have often sought for a simplicity and elegance in stripping away the extraneous to find the essence. The core. Is there a point where it is too abstract? Where y...

Our Primary children sing that glorious song: As I have loved you, Love one another, This new commandment: Love one another. By this shall men know Ye are my disciples, If ye have love One to another. And therein lies happiness.

Saw this earlier: This reminds me of, well, me. I'm a white man, and I have privileges associated with being a white man that others do not enjoy. I've written about this before, so I won't belabor the point. But I would disagree with one statement made in the work cited above. It states - the vast majority of Congress, the Supreme Court, and other powerful decision makers are white and male. This is true. However, I would change "vast majority" to "disproportionate majority". This changes the tenor of the sentence away from hyperbole (albeit probably true) to something that feels more accurate and rational. If the Congress (and other government) were truly representational, the numbers would correspond to the actual population. For 2013, the numbers look like this for male/female proportions: Total Population: 316,128,839 Male:                    155,651,602 - or 49.24% Female:               ...

Yep. Also, in commemoration of my 1001st post, I give you the power meter from the Bugatti Veyron, which has 1001 horsepower and shows it here:

This is my 1000th post. I've noted before some of the statistics of my blog, but this seems a noteworthy milestone. It's been quite a journey. I am not sure if anyone who started out with me when I began writing is still with me. It seems that writing a blog has fallen into disfavor, replaced with things like twitter, facebook, snapchat, and the like. But that's OK. My blog is a place for me, and if others want to read along you're welcome to do so for as long as you like. Like so many other aspects of life, people and friends come and go, each leaving their indelible traces across my life, and for which I am ever indebted. I am a better person for the interaction, no matter how light or deeply you've touched my life, even if it was but a fleeting glance in my direction. I have felt it all, and I am grateful. This blog has contained much of poetry and politics, rhyming and reasoning, science and spirituality. It has contained songs and lyrics, pictures and tra...

This is my favorite scene from my favorite movie. While the symbolism is not subtle, it is still incredibly powerful. It makes me weep, every time. What Christ has done - and continues to do - for us is nothing short of essential, life-giving. And blessed be His great Name forever for it.

“Life has its share of fears and failures. Sometimes things fall short. Sometimes people fail us, or economies or businesses or governments fail us. But one thing in time or eternity does not fail us—the pure love of Christ. . . . “Thus, the miracle of Christ’s charity both saves and changes us. His atoning love saves us from death and hell as well as from carnal, sensual, and devilish behavior. That redeeming love also transforms the soul, lifting it above fallen standards to something far more noble, far more holy. Wherefore, we must ‘cleave unto charity’—Christ’s pure love of us and our determined effort toward pure love of him and all others—for without it we are nothing, and our plan for eternal happiness is utterly wasted. Without the redeeming love of Christ in our lives, all other qualities—even virtuous qualities and exemplary good works—fall short of salvation and joy”  

“There are tremendous sources of hope beyond our own ability, learning, strength, and capacity. Among them is the gift of the Holy Ghost. Through the marvelous blessing of this member of the Godhead, we can come to ‘know the truth of all things’ [Moroni 10:5]. “Hope is the anchor of our souls. I know of no one who is not in need of hope—young or old, strong or weak, rich or poor. In the Book of Mormon we are exhorted, ‘Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.’ [Ether 12:4; italics added]. . . . “Everybody in this life has challenges and difficulties. That is part of our mortal test. The reason for some of these trials cannot be readily understood except on the basis of faith and hope because there is ofte...

Sometimes I look at these kinds of pics and can't believe it's me... :) In no particular order: I think I was around 1... 8th grade? - 13 years old Senior in HS - 16 years old   Boot Camp Graduation - August 1992 On the mish... I'm not sure why I'm wearing a BYU shirt - I must have lost a bet. :) Another Boot Camp Grad. Pic - August 1992 My grandfathers - Fredrick William Cobabe Sr (on the left) and Joseph Lucas Sellers (on the right), with my son. Check out the bowtie! My sweet daughter Elise. She was about two? This is my father's maternal grandfather - Leo Hampton Norris. This is exactly how I remember him - very old and very thin. I didn't know him very well, but I played taps at his funeral when I was in junior high. I played his trumpet for years.

I was a pretty cute kid.

"To its devotees the bow tie suggests iconoclasm of an Old World sort, a fusty adherence to a contrarian point of view. The bow tie hints at intellectualism, real or feigned, and sometimes suggests technical acumen, perhaps because it is so hard to tie. Bow ties are worn by magicians, country doctors, lawyers and professors and by people hoping to look like the above. But perhaps most of all, wearing a bow tie is a way of broadcasting an aggressive lack of concern for what other people think." —Warren St John,  The New York Times

Hand-picked especially for you...

Read this article this morning: http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20150209-travelling-solo-in-the-worlds-most-romantic-country/1 Sometimes travelling alone can be very delicious. I really enjoy road trips by myself, savoring the sound of the road and the hum of my exhaust as I barrel across desert landscapes. The most liberating aspect of travelling alone (for me) is the absolute lack of any real itinerary. One can come and go at one's own desired pace, with only very nebulous arrival times. I can listen to my own music at the volume I choose. I can eat when I want, where I want. Or not. I can stop to stretch my legs when I want. Or not. When Ammon and I went to Europe, I spent a great deal of time by myself. I walked around in a kind of gape-mouthed wonder at the absolute thrill it was just to be there. The experience was thus intensely personal and spiritual, and all mine. There were times when Ammon decided to hang with me - the American Cemetery high on the cliff overl...

This article just FASCINATES me... http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150209-the-network-that-runs-the-world I've been interested for a long time in how subsidized transportation costs - particularly those associated with moving goods to market - affects trade, cultures, and the environment. While on one hand, we have created an efficient network of moving commodities across vast distances, on the other hand we have significantly altered the shape of the world we live in. And this may not be a good thing. Consider trade. In the days of the silk road, trade took place across vast distances but also across a very long time frame. Goods were valuable because of the risks involved - bandits, spoilage, and other losses led to only a very select number of things that could be sent across the trade routes. This also led to the development of currency/cash as a way to transport wealth from one place to another. As sea routes expanded, the silk road became less important, but the types...

Once you start to speak, people will yell at you. They will interrupt you, put you down and suggest it’s personal. And the world won’t end. And the speaking will get easier and easier. And you will find you have fallen in love with your own vision, which you may never have realized you had. And you will lose some friends and lovers, and realize you don’t miss them. And new ones will find you and cherish you. And at last you’ll know with surpassing certainty that only one thing is more frightening than speaking your truth. And that is not speaking. — Audre Lorde  This reminds me of someone I care for very much. 

Happy (early) Valentine's Day!

I sat in Sunday school earlier this afternoon, looking around at the others in the class. I listened to the responses they gave about the lesson, and even the teacher's questions and discussion. And I thought- I'm really weird. Today's lesson was about the encounter of the Savior and the woman at the well. What struck me today was the overall intimacy and personal nature of the exchange. This was the first time the Savior spoke of His true identity, using beautiful symbolism as well as clear statements. He spoke of His knowledge of her life, and in very gentle yet persuasive terms invited her to repent and change her life. And it struck me that this is how the Savior deals with each of us. He knows us, including the intimate and personal details of our lives. Of my life. He knows my strugglings, my desires, my frustrations, my fears, my heartache. He knows. And He wants to heal me. He carries me in His mighty hands, pierced for me. He loves me perfectly and absolutely, an...

It's empty in the valley of your heart The sun, it rises slowly as you walk Away from all the fears And all the faults you've left behind The harvest left no food for you to eat You cannibal, you meat-eater, you see But I have seen the same I know the shame in your defeat But I will hold on hope And I won't let you choke On the noose around your neck And I'll find strength in pain And I will change my ways I'll know my name as it's called again 'Cause I have other things to fill my time You take what is yours and I'll take mine Now let me at the truth Which will refresh my broken mind So tie me to a post and block my ears I can see widows and orphans through my tears I know my call despite my faults And despite my growing fears But I will hold on hope And I won't let you choke On the noose around your neck And I'll find strength in pain And I will change my ways I'll know my...

I can feel your touch Along the surface of my soul And can feel your fingers trace The contours of my heart Imparting warmth as they go But causing rivulets of blood Gently beading up behind your touch Causing my flesh to burn Like ten thousand suns And my bones to freeze Like the deepest vacuums of space Such exquisite pain Such excruciating joy

http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-02-04/ultra-violent-death-cult-heart-isis I may have written about this before, but I'm troubled again by it today. The headlines are just filled with violence. ISIL killed their hostage, and Jordan responded by killing two ISIL folks. There's violence threatened by Boko Haram in Cameroon. Everywhere, the value of human life seems diminished. And it really bothers me. A lot. The Book of Mormon prophet, Mormon, wrote of his people and civilization become a constant scene of bloodshed. While I don't think we're quite to that point yet, I think we're well on our way. And it happens so regularly as to be numbing. ISIL posts videos of the execution. But hey, it's not that much different from the video games we let our children play. Sigh. I know that death is an essential part of the plan, and is inevitable to us all. But we've become so cavalier about it... Even the accidental deaths, like that crazy plane crash in Taiwa...

We feel unmoored if our religion fails to answer all our questions, if it does not resolve our anxious fears, if it does not tie up all loose ends. We want a script, and we find we stand before a blank canvas. We expect a road map, and we find we have only a compass… It is curious, in this regard, that so many critics attribute to religion a kind of facile wish fulfillment, imaginative fairy-tale scenarios that reduce complexity and mystery to easy answers and glib forms of consolation. As any disciple knows who has lived a life of faith thoughtfully, attuned to the rhythms of humanity’s travails, to the demands of mercy and unconditional love, and to the call to patient waiting, religion is not the coward’s way out of life’s difficulties. Terryl Givens,  The Crucible of Doubt

Enjoy! You're welcome.

I made bread last night. When I first popped them into the oven, this is how they looked: Unfortunately, when I took them out, they did not look so tasty: It looks as though the one just had had enough of his neighbor and was doing anything he could just to get away... :) I probably should have done a fourth loaf in another pan. :D Fortunately, they still tasted AWESOME, and the house smelled of lovely fresh bread all evening. 

Life's ambition occupies my time Priorities confuse the mind Happiness one step behind This inner peace I've yet to find Rivers flow into the sea Yet even the sea is not so full of me If I'm not blind why can't I see That a circle can't fit Where a square should be There's a hole in my heart That can only be filled by you And this hole in my heart Can't be filled with the things I do Hole hearted Hole hearted This heart of stone is where I hide These feet of clay kept warm inside Day by day less satisfied Not fade away before I die Rivers flow into the sea Yet even the sea is not so full of me If I'm not blind why can't I see That a circle can't fit Where a square should be There's a hole in my heart That can only be filled by you And this hole in my heart Can't be filled with the things I do There's a hole in my heart That can only be filled by you Should have known from the start I'd fall short wit...

This morning the sky is cloudy The sunlight is very dim And though I long for sunlight The outlook is quite dim The world is shrouded this morning Like a mourner draped in grey The earth is all in shadow You can hardly tell it's day And somewhere in my heart There shines a golden light Persistent, shimmering, and diamond hard That seems to defy the night So come what may, outside Inside my heart lies a star Which shines its light forever Like a sun ray in a jar It shines for you, my love It shines for you