The Sublime Roundabout

So, we learned yesterday that hot dogs, along with other cured and processed meats, are bad for you. As in, CANCER bad for you. Like, cigarettes and alcohol. Which I think may be a smidgen of hyperbole, honestly. I don't know anyone who goes through several packs of hot dogs a day. In light of the bad press - which, let's be honest, no one picks up a hot dog thinking it's really going to be good for them - I wanted to reminisce about some of my favorite hot dog moments. It may seem trite, and if it is, I don't care. It's my blog, and I'll be trite if I want. My first hot dog - that I can remember - was in a Wienerschnitzel in California. I must have been, oh, I don't know, maybe five or six. For some reason, I remember it had an airplane inside... So it may not have been a Wienerschnitzel, although they've largely been closed so there's no way to know for sure. It wasn't a real airplane, just one of those super gimmicky cartoon-like fast f...

Each season melds into the next Spring into summer And summer into fall It's hard to recognize When each phase ends And when another begins I've been watching the leaves fall The branches becoming bare Like a dowager taking off her fancy Green frock of summer And putting on her white winter coat Wrapped around her bony arms Shivering in the frosty air But for now the world seems gray And it's holding its figurative breath In anticipation of The first fall of snow

You know how I forget to attach documents to emails. You have recently updated to recognize that when I say "attached" in the body of my email, I really do want to attach something, so you prompt me to do so before I send it and look like an idiot. This is the greatest thing ever. With all my love, Me.

http://www.sltrib.com/home/3082891-155/mormon-apostle-oaks-kentucky-clerk-wrong Check it. Some of my favorite quotes: "Believers should ... acknowledge the validity of constitutional laws. Even where they have challenged laws or practices on constitutional grounds, once those laws or practices have been sustained by the highest available authority believers should acknowledge their validity and submit to them." ... For his part, Oaks called for a balancing of rights. Instead of a so-called "wall of separation between church and state," for instance, he proposed "a curtain that defines boundaries but is not a barrier to the passage of light and love and mutual support from one side to another." ... (This one is for you, anymouse, if you're still reading...) "First, parties with different views on the relationship between church and state should advocate and act with civility," Oaks said. "We all lose when an atmosphere of a...

These images are astonishing. And depressing. Why is this the case, when women are 50% of our population? I just don't get it.

In politics, this should be the norm, rather than the very refreshing exception...

So, I'm interested in the idea that there's a difference between "culture" and "religion". For the purposes of this interest, and to help delineate my thoughts, I'm defining "culture" as a set of societal beliefs, practices, and/or norms that a group of people evolve over time that helps to provide identity and shared experience, while "religion" I will define as faith-based beliefs. practices, and/or norms that are informed by a canon of scripture or other prophetic/inspired teachings. Religious practices and beliefs may also change over time, but tend to be more true to a basic set of core values, such as an authority figure/deity, while cultural practices are more organic and vernacular. Both are important, and many times they're related, but one should not be mistaken for another. For example, if one were to view a cultural practice in Utah - that of bringing cheesy baked potato casserole to a funeral (they're even calle...

I really like football. Well, really only college football. But I had several different windows open watching the progress of different games around the country... I generally root for the underdog team in any case, but I'm watching my Utes win and win and win, and it's a lot of fun. One of the main reasons I prefer college ball is that it's less polished and more real - the players, for the most part, know they're not going to be playing on Sundays, so they are just out there to do their best and have fun. For those of you who don't follow such things, Utah is ranked #4 in the country this week (although they still have some difficult schedule ahead, and that may change...). It's the highest ranking they've ever had in the regular season, which can be both good and bad - good, because they get lots of attention, and they're really playing very well; bad, because every other team feels like they can test their mettle against a team that's ranked so...

I think these are fun:

This weekend was a busy one. Thursday and Friday we had out Planning Conference in Lehi. It was pretty good. Most things that they present there are a review for me, but it's nice to have that review. And of course there are new things presented as well, and it's always a good chance to hear what other folks are doing. The problem was the drive down - it took forever! Well, an hour and 15... which felt like forever! I'm not used to the lengthy commute any more. It was fun to see people I'd known while I was in Utah before and catch up with some of them and what they're doing. Saturday and Sunday was General Conference. I am always so happy to hear from our Church leaders and receive additional light and knowledge and Spirit. This past weekend was particularly memorable because of the three new Apostles that were called. It's always a bit dramatic to see who will get called, and I really loved hearing their testimonies Sunday AM. I also really appreciated Elder...