The Sublime Roundabout

Why do men make more than women for performing the same work? Assuming the same qualifications and the same performance standards, men consistently and across almost the whole spectrum of occupations make more than women. I have no logical reason why this should be the case. I really have no illogical reason either, other than persistent, latent sexism. The pope recently said that this disparity amounted to a "scandal" and that Christians should "decisively support equal pay for equal work." Seems like a no-brainer, doesn't it? And yet... Here's a link to the Reuters article about it: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/29/us-pope-women-salaries-idUSKBN0NK1J520150429 I wish more political, religious, and other community and business leaders would take such a stance. While equal pay is just one aspect of the problems related to sexism, it is clear that it is one area that could easily be fixed, and one that would have an immediate benefit to the wh...

A couple of articles this morning caught my eye: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32509301 and http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32478937 I've written about the US and its military spending before. It's a difficult subject for me, and a complex one to consider - the US spends more on the military than the next top several nations combined. COMBINED. And for what? We spend so much money on a military industry that would win two and a half major conflicts. And we want to project power in order to secure our diplomatic goals. There are also benefits of such government spending, including training for soldiers that they may be able to transition over to civilian sector jobs, providing ancillary and support positions near military bases (Utah gains great benefit economically from having Hill AFB, which I believe is the largest single employer in the state), and it bolsters innovation and industry, which provides jobs for people as well. Last time I checked, the US spe...

You know, I kind of like this... http://memolition.com/2015/04/28/amazing-rainbow-pastel-hair-trend-among-women/

I've been through a number of earthquakes. The most recent was this one: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/california-earthquakes-100-aftershocks-rattle-us-state--and-bring-disneyland-to-a-standstill-9224259.html We happened to be in Disneyland at the time, waiting for the fireworks to start. Alas, the show was cancelled (my kids still think it's funny that the PA announcement said that the show "Dreams Really Do Come True" has been cancelled). We were in a safe place, and California is really on the forefront of earthquake resistance. So, dramatic and memorable, but not really scary. A couple of weeks before that, we felt this one where we were in Oregon: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/10/earthquake-eureka-california/6248381/ This one was far enough away that we just felt a slight shaking, like someone was gently rocking the house from out side - not dissimilar to the rocking sensation on a train going around a corner. The ...

Half of my daughter's bed is covered with books, so she has to clear them off before she goes to bed.  I'm a successful parent. And awfully proud. 

Sometimes At unexpected moments When I close my eyes I can still see your smile The way you used to turn to me Suddenly And grin I could tell you were a little uncomfortable By my adoring, worshipful gaze Yet, I'd never seen anything Quite as beautiful Sometimes At unexpected moments I can still taste your kiss The taste and smell Of your sweet lips Overpowers me And while I smile I also want to weep Sometimes At unexpected moments I can feel your body next to mine Your warmth and gentle weight Your soft, soft skin My fingers tingle with the memory Of tracing over your body Making me feel alive and aflame Sometimes At unexpected moments I can hear your voice echo in my mind Like the sweet sound of angels' wings Like the echo of something grand Launching 10,000 ships Or listening to you speak of Strings and sealing wax Or whether pigs have wings Sometimes At unexpected moments My heart aches As though there were something missing Somet...

In honor of earth day, which is today in case you didn't know... :) I read this article this morning: https://www.yahoo.com/autos/s/2015-chevrolet-spark-ev-price-cut-25-995-170000219.html With gas prices being relatively low, buying a more expensive electric car isn't for everyone. Which is why they make the lease terms seem so attractive. The question is, would you buy/lease an electric vehicle? There are a number of things about an all-electric vehicle which are appealing. Efficiency is of course the top of the list. With an equivalent estimated gas mileage of 120 miles per gallon, you just can't argue that it's not hugely efficient. I know, there are a number of positive and negative aspects of charging one's car with on-grid electric power supplies (renewable energy systems are much more environmentally appealing). But still... an equivalent gas powered vehicle (the same Chevy Spark but with a 1.2 (!) liter petrol engine) gets an estimated combined gas m...

This morning's blog post prompt comes to you from the BBC article linked here: http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20150420-why-small-is-the-new-big-thing This is not a new phenomenon. The tiny house movement (although small) (pun intended) has been around for many years. The idea of paring away the excess in one's life is appealing to many folks and for the obvious reasons - smaller digs means a smaller rent/house payment, and less clutter in one's life may lead to less stress overall. People are discovering that the accumulation of stuff and the required space to stash it in is not necessarily desirable. I think this is a good thing. So how small is too small? I had dinner a couple of times on my mission with a family of five (!) that did their living in a space that was no bigger than my office. Eating, sleeping, homework, watching TV... all within about 100 to 150 square feet. They did have a little lean-to which is where they did the cooking and washing and other ...

I came across this article today: http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150420-why-do-women-have-periods I found it very interesting. I particularly appreciated the tone - perhaps others are more knowledgeable about such things than me, but I liked the simple explanation to begin with followed by the scientific exploration of how menstrual cycles affect different animals and groups of people. I think my favorite thought was this: "There are women who are sometimes afraid of not having a period," says Clancy. "I think understanding the origins of how our body works helps us realize that the boundaries of normal are much wider than we might think. Rather than pathologising every little tweak and every little difference we have, maybe we should leave it alone a lot more." It's helpful for men and women to be able to discuss these things. For too long, as the article points out, menstruation was viewed as a dirty, unspeakable thing. It was uncouth to talk about i...

Sometimes I'm surprised that anyone can put up with me. I am a terribly needy person. I identify very much with Ms. Hepburn's comment above, and I wonder that anyone can stand it long enough to see it for what it is. Plants wither and die without the sun. All plants do. But some are better able to tolerate shade than others. People are the same way. I'm one that needs full sunlight. I crave the light and warmth that feeds my mind and soul and heart... By that, I don't mean that I'm an attention-seeker. I'm perfectly content to spend time by myself, to be alone with my own thoughts and things. And I don't seek the glory or adulation of the world. What I want is the secret, gentle soul caresses that come from someone who truly loves and sees me for who I am - who I really am. I want the sweet glances full of meaning and warmth and regard. The kind word spoken at the right moment can fill my soul with such unspeakable joy... I would rather have one friend...

I think two of the most damning words in our world are, "be realistic." No. I will not be realistic. I will dream and aspire and grow. I will continually push to expand what I can do and what will be. And if you don't like it, get out of my way. You may be run over if you don't. There is nothing I can't accomplish. I am only limited by my own dreams and desires. Do not place your artificial limits or perceptions of reality on me. I categorically reject them. The world is not a static place of what is and what therefore always must be. It is a glorious place of possibility and potential. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's not real or possible. Some of the most real things in the world are things you can't quantify. So, again, I say - if you don't like it, get out of my way. I learned a long time ago to adopt the attitude of, "the very difficult I accomplish right away; the impossible takes a little longer." ...

The low clouds scud across the sky Dark, fat, heavy Speaking of rain Water lifted directly from the warm sea Just over the horizon And the rain does come Huge, warm drops of water Pouring down in great glassfuls of liquid Drenching, soaking Filling ditches and streams And then Just when it seems the floods Will overtake the whole world From ninety-six million miles away The great golden sun Shines through the clouds Filling the world with Sparkling diamonds Scintillating on every surface Bringing light and beauty and life This is what you have done for me. This is what you have done for me.

So Mrs. Clinton made it official - she's thrown her hat in the 2016 ring. And you know what? I think it's AWESOME. Let's look at her credentials (stolen shamelessly from wikipedia): Graduated from Wellesley College - BA in Political Science. Yale Law School - JD. Worked as an attorney in Massachusetts and Arkansas. Has been involved in politics since the Carter Administration. Senator from New York. Secretary of State. I could include her time as FLOTUS and of Arkansas, but I think I'd rather disassociate her work from Bill's. Not because he is a negative, but because I would rather focus on her own work/accomplishments. Lest we forget, here's some other presidents who have been Secretary of State - Thomas Jefferson James Madison James Monroe John Quincy Adams Martin Van Buren James Buchanan The following are Senators who went on to be president - James Monroe John Quincy Adams Andrew Jackson Martin Van Buren William Henry Harr...

I wonder why it is That some ideas and feelings Can only be expressed in verse? When I wish to exult In great praises to my God Why does my heart sing so That I must sing aloud? And when I consider The deep azure sky Which reflects the very face Of the Infinite With feather white clouds Sailing along like great sea rollers And the deep mystery Of the forests of ponderosa The grey craggy heights reaching up To the heavens themselves Like an earth-bound angel Striving to become like the very sky Why does my language become thus? Perhaps, even greater mystery Lies where I least expect When I ponder on your lasting grace Your beauty and radiance I stand dumbstruck before you Eyes full of wonder and worship Heart full of light - warm, golden, bright Why does my heart sing so? Surely there is some mystery here The one of the divine In the universe surrounding me The other the divine In the universe within you And all I am able to say Is I love you. I love y...

“Armageddon is even more compelling when it’s a battle of the spirit.” James A. Michener - “Chesapeake.”

I saw this this morning: It's lovely. I found myself weeping. Of course, that shouldn't come as any kind of surprise... We are so terribly brutal to women in our society. There are some things going on in my life that have caused me to think about this, and it just makes me feel absolutely gutted to think about. Why should anyone, but any woman in particular, struggle with self-image issues? Why? Not smart enough. Not pretty enough. Not kind, good, or loving enough. Face is too round. Face isn't round enough. Hair too long. No, too short. Eyes the wrong color. Or shape. Or whatever. Not funny enough. Not tall enough. Not fast, strong, or clever enough. Not feminine enough. Too girly. Too fat. Too skinny. Legs too long. Legs not long enough. Too heavy-chested. Not big enough breasted. Breasts too saggy. Lips too small. Teeth too big. Wrong smell. Too much smell. Wrong clothes. Right clothes - wrong body. Wrong hair color. Hair style. Sloppy, di...

I'm a snorer. I'm not sure if that is a word... I snore like no other. It's an art form. I tell the scouts on campouts that it's my bear-defense mechanism. I ask - did you get eaten by a bear last night? No? You're welcome. Due to a series of events, and after much advice, I decided to get it checked out. I went to an ENT who recommended having a sleep study. This was an interesting experience - and, while I don't recommend trying to sleep while glued to a bunch of wires, it was very helpful. It seems I have obstructive sleep apnea. The ENT indicated that that might be the case due to some unusual mouth/throat configuration. It turns out that anything over 25 obstructive events per hour is cause for concern. I had over 140 per hour for the three hours I was being observed. The sleep tech dude came in and said - let's get you on a CPAP machine. After that, none. So I now have this lovely "nose hose" that helps my breathing when I am asle...

So this (past) weekend was General Conference. It was good, although I was attending the Utah Planning Conference in St. George, so I was wending my way home for the Saturday sessions. I'll have to catch up on them when they come out on video. There were some noteworthy talks. It's interesting to me to see a bit of a split in the talks that are given. Some are super conservative (we'll never change! Don't even think about it!), while others seem to be more conciliatory (the word of God was liberal unto all). As LDS folks, we often find ourselves with the horns of the dilemma being that some of our core values and beliefs are very conservative, while the most important value is actually fairly progressive - that we should love one another. Why this is progressive, and why it seems to conflict with more conservative-type values, I'll never know. I've thought a lot about it and have come to no real, substantive conclusions. Someone very close to me came out as ...

I like to read. A lot. I read voraciously, yet delicately. I read like a hungry food critic eats - he knows he's supposed to be evaluating the meal, but at the same time, eating is about satisfying a primal urge, sustaining life. It's more than just about the flavor or texture or ingredients - it's about the very fabric of life itself. This is what reading is. When I read, I do so for pleasure - it's true. Because it is a genuine pleasure to read and enjoy the very act of reading. To call my reading an "escape" or a method of avoiding the world is disingenuous and incomplete. When I read, I am still aware of the world. I'm just cognizant of it on a different plane. I form a specific image of the written world, playing it out in my mind in a way that is not dissimilar from watching it on the screen. At times, I am the principal actor. But mostly I'm just a bystander. Sometimes, on some very intimate occasions, I get to inhabit the very thoughts of t...