The Sublime Roundabout

So, here's a question: what exactly is beautiful? While I think there are some basic things that people universally accept as beautiful, it is still nonetheless a very subjective thing. People have tried to quantify beauty, turning aesthetics into a science, formulaic, rote, and precise. Others have tried to simplify beauty, paring it down to its essence, and identifying specific and precise elements that must be there (or not) in order to make something beautiful. And still others assert that beauty can be found in meaning - that is, that things and places and experiences that are meaningful and important acquire beauty. Thus, a place that is meaningful is beautiful, while places that are plain or boring are not. This last one is interesting to me, because it implies a sort of evolution of beauty over time - a place or object can become more beautiful as an individual or collective experience is had. Further, it speaks to the idea that beauty is subjective - it is the person...

There is perhaps nothing on earth more terrible than to see your child suffer. Nothing. One might be led to think that one would rather take that suffering upon one's self, rather than see the child suffer. And surely, if such a thing were possible, it would happen all the time. Alas, it cannot be the case! Alas! So, how does one act in the times when one's child is suffering? You want to be strong for your child, showing a faithful and stalwart appearance, even though you may be dying a little inside. Easier said than done. How can you appear strong when you feel like your whole world is coming down, like a set after a play is disassembled and pushed into a corner, forlorn, broken, and forgotten? There is some solace in the thought that people learn compassion through the things they endure. But that solace really only is beneficial after some time has elapsed. Until then, it rings hollow and is unsatisfying. Why do children have to suffer? Maybe this is a part of ...

So, people can marry each other, regardless of gender. It is truly a great day for all Americans!

So I wonder why anyone (other than someone seeking reelection in a heavily republican district) would even want to talk about why Obamacare isn't good. It is good. It is the law of the land. It helps people get insurance. It's been very beneficial to millions of people who now have access to health care coverage that they otherwise wouldn't have. I know that Social Security was once viewed in the same light - just another government program that seeks to give benefits to people. Now, of course, Social Security is a mainstay of our Federal spending, benefiting millions and millions, and is something no one would ever think of touching. So, bark on, dogs. The caravan plods on. And to the suggestion that this is just one step in the way of getting "free" health care - you're right. It is. And maybe it's time - it's time to stop making people worry about getting sick because they can't afford it. It's time to realize that people wait for trea...

Alright - if you haven't guessed by now, I'm a bit of a geek. I know, big surprise. So, when I read this kind of thing, I'm totally excited. Hoverbikes?!? For real?!? I totally want one. And, lest you think that this will never enter the civilian market, I submit the following: The venerable Willys Jeep The current Jeep Wrangler The HMMVW The Hummer Now, these are undoubtedly cool, if somewhat impractical (I do love a Jeep, though). So, a civilian hoverbike may be closer than we think... :) Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi - Speeder Bike Chase Scene with Score from Space Monkey on Vimeo . PS - is it just me, or does Luke always sound super whiny and silly in these scenes?

In summer...I miss you more than any other season my heart has lost all thought of rhyme or reason without you it's like winter in my heart In summer...the memory of things we did together is stronger than the trials we had to weather without you, I feel winter in my heart it's the end of life daydream like plucking all the petals from the roses like burying all the secrets love discloses like stopping songs of birds before they start In summer...when once again feel that old desire as you return to set my soul on fire Please darling, take the winter from my heart I feel you always near me in every song the morning breeze composes in all the tender wonder of the roses each time the setting sun shines on the sea in summer... and when you sleep beneath your snowy cover I'll keep you in my heart just like a lover and wait until you come again to me

I read/watched this: http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20150611-the-joys-of-the-manual-transmission Now, I'm a bit (just a bit) of a car guy. I like cars, and I love driving. I like cars that look good, and I love cars that drive well. And by well what I mean is, engaging. I want a car that feels connected both to me and to the road. I want a car that feels like an extension of my own body and reacts to inputs from my hands, feet, and brain. And I want a car that does it all with out me really having to try hard. I'm not just talking about acceleration - although that's important. I want to be able to step on the gas and have it GO. I hate mushy, unresponsive throttles, or transmissions that hunt around for the right gear. Which is why I prefer a stick shift. I get to tell the car what gear. I can shift when I like - if I like. Because ultimately, driving is all about the sensation of control - I go where I like, when I like, as quickly as I like. Having a stick shift/cl...

So a week and a half ago I was driving my wife's Subaru out to the Porterville pioneer cemetery. It's a beautiful place, sacred and lovely. Sadly, on the road out there there was a fairly significant dip in the road, and I didn't see it. Further, there was a large rock on the uphill side of the dip, which I also did not see. The oil pan hit the rock and immediately began to leak (huge hole). Sigh. So I get the thing home and crawl underneath it. Right near the oil drain plug there was a hole that looked like someone had driven a 16d nail into the pan. I needed a new one. The local auto parts store didn't have one, so they had to order one in. It came in on Friday. Remember, we'd wanted to head out on Saturday morning, early, to be in Amarillo Saturday night... So I get started working on the thing at about 2 PM Friday. It's quite a process, made worse by the fact that the oil pan sits just above a structural cross beam, and there are four bolts that are ne...

Him (kneeling on the floor puking his toenails up): { dry heaves } Her: Hey, at least this is a good part of your diet! ~ Fin ~

Just read this and thought I'd pass it along. I have nothing to add, except that I think it's awesome and worth a look: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mette-ivie-harrison/do-mormons-believe-in-mag_b_7535504.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592

One of my favorite architects if Frank Lloyd Wright. It's a fairly common condition for students of American architecture - the man is not only a legendary figure, his work stood the test of time (literally and figuratively) and has gone on to form many of the trends we still live with to this day. It is the timelessness of his innovation that speaks to me, and while I find his work often to be brooding and cluttered, I appreciate very much the revolution he helped inform/foment in the way we view living spaces. It's important to understand the historical context of his design work. He was born in 1867 but didn't really start his work until he was in his thirties. He was influenced in his early years by many sources - he worked with some of Chicago's great and prosperous architects, especially with Louis Sullivan, who designed structures that were intentionally organic in both design and form. He experienced a kind of revulsion from the Victorian designs of the time, ...

Hello! Today I came across this article: https://homes.yahoo.com/blogs/spaces/the-15-fastest-shrinking-cities-in-the-u-s-202450108.html I was interested to see that Provo was ranked at number 2 on the list. I also find it interesting that the Census consistently overestimates Provo's population. What does this mean? Well, cities typically leverage their current budget projections based on traditional growth patterns. If you've seen an additional 1,000 people each year for the past 20 years (give or take), it's reasonable to assume that trend will continue. The governing body then makes long-term commitments based on what the anticipated budget revenues will be, and often makes wrong decisions that lead to insolvency. This is a difficult position to find one's self in, and it's worse for a community that's supposed to supply police and fire protection, clean water and good roads, etc. So if your population is in decline, it's not a sign of good co...

Thirteen years ago You came into this world And into my life I didn't know the difference  You would mean to me I didn't realize that I could  Care for another person The way I care for you How could I? How could I? And now I do know You are my sunshine My joy and my song Your smile lights up the dark And your laugh makes me live You are so very beautiful So loving and sweet and kind I can't wait to see what The next thirteen years of  Your life brings You are my daughter and my friend And my girl And I love you more every day Happy birthday sweet baby

This is one of my favorite poems. It shows just how ridiculous it all is - ridiculously wonderful, and ridiculously frustrating, too. Here's a link: http://ncf.idallen.com/english.html The BBC wrote about spelling in English here: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150605-your-language-is-sinful Which is a very clever article. Personally, I'm very grateful for the spell-check function in most word processing programs, and even on this web page. Because you know what? It's difficult... It really is. There are no spelling tests in Korean. People hear the words exactly as they're written, so it would be pointless to do so. However, for foreign speakers of Korean, there are there are a few sounds that are difficult to differentiate - 어 and 오, for example. The first one is a kind of "uh", and is usually written in Latin letters as "eo". It is found in the name of the capital of South Korea Seoul (서울). Note that "Seoul" in Korean is two...

This might get a little rambly... Fair warning... :) I'm an eternal optimist. Anyone who knows me at all knows this - I am looking forward to a bright future for the world in general, and for each of us individually. I am hopeful and confident that things will ultimately work out for the best and for the benefit of us all. I really, really do believe this. That doesn't mean that I'm not realistic about what's going on now. There are a couple of things in the way of geopolitics that are bothering me at the mo. The first is the so-called Islamic State. I really try hard not to buy in to the hype surrounding these folks. I'm also pretty sure that they don't represent a long-term concern for the nation states in the middle east. But short-term, yeah - I'm concerned. But what I'm concerned about is not the rapid growth of areas controlled by these folks. Although their progress appears dramatic on a map, most of the ground they "occupy" is des...

This article caught my attention this morning: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150602-crossrail-the-monster-tunnelling-under-london-streets I'm fascinated by the phenomenon of hidden places, of secret and forbidden places, and the guts of a city or community or even building. When I was at BYU (lo, these many years ago!) I used to hang out in the HFAC. Down in the bowels of the building was an ice cream sandwich machine. I first came to know about it when I was at a concert with my cousin Jeremy who knew of it's location. I'm not sure how it came to be there, or how it experienced enough traffic to continue its existence, but there it was. I wonder if it's still there... Dang. Now I want an ice cream sandwich.

So I've been looking at some of my past posts. Sometimes I'm very interesting, and other times not as much. People reading this blog may be surprised by how random everything is. It's truly a reflection of me... Sometimes interesting, sometimes not... almost always very random... I used to spend a lot of time on Facebook. I liked it because it was interactive, and people were able to discuss what was being said. I have a viewpoint that is unique and I liked sharing what I thought. In the past couple of years, though, since I've been off Facebook, I haven't had that luxury. So I feel a strong need to express myself. Back in the day, this would probably have been done in a journal or something. But I like the multi-media format that the internet provides, where I can include pictures, songs, videos, and links to other websites. I also find that people don't often want to hear/discuss what I am thinking about. Writing a blog is a useful outlet, where I can off-...

OK, not really. :) This morning, I read this: http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150602-how-will-the-universe-end I find the science behind this kind of exploration fascinating. Although, in order to be proved correct, one must exist at the end of the Universe to experience one of the posited phenomena, which would be impossible. So, there's no way to know - in the same way that there's no way to know what happened at the beginning. It's all just very interesting speculation. One of the aspects of these theories that interests me is the idea of "dark matter" and/or "dark energy." The very definition of the stuff implies our inability to perceive or measure it, or interact with it in any way. But here's my question - if dark matter exists in the quantities they're saying it does, how is it that any other type of matter exists and can be perceived? Wouldn't the dark matter get in the way? Or perhaps it's bending the perceivable...

you ask me how I write what I do combining words and phrases in clever ways giving flashes of insights into my thoughts well, I will tell you it's very easy I sit at my computer and I open a vein and what comes out is not my blood but a bit of my soul like a beam of light and sometimes it makes sense and is poetic and sometimes it is just prose and oftener it is just raw and flickering like a guttering candle still trying to send forth light

I dreamt again of you last night Like something from my youth When I was all aflame with passion Burning like the sun I saw your face, your hair, your body And I was overcome with desire Consuming my flesh Filling my heart with joy and want And when we touched It was the perfect melding Of two souls, two hearts, two minds, two bodies Until there was no more me, no more you Only we And when I awoke, the morning sunlight in my eyes I was filled with gratitude and love Because of what you gave me Because of what you give me It may have been a dream But I will never wake up