The Sublime Roundabout

Here are some of my favorites, and some of my not so favorites... I'm digging this one lately: Sarah McLachlan is gorgeous and her voice is sensuous. Here's one featuring just her doing my favorite Christmas song of all time: Here's one of my least faves - you know, just for variety... And one last one to take us home: Merry Christmas, y'all!

I've learned some things in my 41 years on this earth. Chief amongst them is the value of true and faithful friends. So today, and everyday, really, I am grateful for you, dear reader. I love you with all my heart, such as it is, and hope that I give you even a small portion of what you do for me. Thank you.

(One of my favorite hard rock classics - speaking to me today) When I look into your eyes I can see a love restrained But darlin' when I hold you Don't you know I feel the same Nothin' lasts forever And we both know hearts can change And it's hard to hold a candle In the cold November rain We've been through this such a long long time Just tryin' to kill the pain, oo yeah But love is always coming and love is always going And no one's really sure who's lettin' go today Walking away If we could take the time To lay it on the line I could rest my head Just knowin' that you were mine All mine So if you want to love me Then darlin' don't refrain Or I'll just end up walkin' In the cold November rain Do you need some time on your own Do you need some time all alone Everybody needs some time On their own Don't you know you need some time all alone I know it's hard...

- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers So I had this conversation the other day about the refugee thing. I said I would be honored to welcome refugees into my home. The guy I was speaking with said I was nuts and putting my family at risk. He said that 70% of the refugees are single men, and 10% of them are terrorists. Now, I'm not sure where he's getting his facts, but it didn't take me long to discover that he was absolutely wrong in the first case (it's just a little less than half of the refugees that are male, and half of the refugees are under the age of 18). And I also believe there's no way to know the validity of the second assertion. Just no way to know that. He put it this way - let's say you had ten people lined up and you had to choose amongst them, knowing that one of them is a terrorist who has sworn to kill you and your family. How would you pick which ones you'd take in? I said that it was simple. I'd just take the first two on the left. ...

I've written before about how sometimes the predominant culture in Utah does not necessarily jive with my own political leanings. But then, sometimes it does, and I'm proud to be in Utah. Check this out: Utah would typically be among those red states, both in political terms as well as in the idea that there might be objections on religious grounds. In this case, however, the Governor was very clear : And Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, a Republican, declared his state would do its part too. "Utahns are well known for our compassion for those who are fleeing the violence in their homeland,” Herbert said in a statement. “And we will work to do all we can to ease their suffering without compromising public safety.” The thing is, it's true. This makes my heart swell, and I'm grateful to be here. Send them on! Shucks, I've got extra room in my house. Nice job, Utah, and Governor Herbert. I'm proud of you! Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,  With c...

I bought a pair of Doc Martens a few years ago, when I was working in Beaumont. On Fridays there they'd let you "dress down", which meant basically that you could wear jeans, but you had to wear non-athletic shoes. Which is a little strange to me, wearing non-athletic or sports type shoes with casual wear. I ultimately asked and got permission to wear Chucks, but I got these Doc Martens in the meantime. Turns out, they're SUPER comfortable, and they have served me well as my daily go-to shoes. Sadly, time has taken it's toll on the shoes, and while the uppers continue to be serviceable, the soles have become smooth enough to cause concern when walking on a slippery surface, and the side of my left shoe has started to come apart at the stitching. So, my first thought is that I need new shoes. But then I started to think - why is it that I feel like I need new shoes? Are the shoes bad? Sure, they leak when it's rainy, but it's not rainy very often here...

I got this from the man-child yesterday. I'm consistently impressed with the depth of his character, feeling, and understanding. It's truly an honor to be his dad. Also, this excerpt fairly well sums up my feelings about recent events in the Church: So I've obviously been made aware of the change in the Church Handbook concerning same-sex couples. I'm not going to tell any of you what to believe, or even what I believe concerning that. You already know what you believe, and you already know how you are feeling right now about it.  What I am going to tell you all is how important it is to love everyone. EVERYONE. Including, and especially those who are having a hard time. Imagine if you were in the position of criticism and arguments and back-lash. You wouldn't like it very much. As human beings, it's our job to love everyone. That was the greatest commandment Jesus Christ gave when He was on the Earth. So just love. Don't hold grudges or argue, because...

Admittedly, there are many. Among them, one of the most glaring is the following: http://www.ksl.com/?sid=37289063&nid=151&title=americas-cheap-labor-women&s_cid=queue-4 Ok, I do understand some of this. The rationale goes like this: 1. Women choose career paths that are lower-paid (teaching being the most obvious, but nursing, administrative/office workers, etc. are also very clearly where more women are employed). 2. Women are a riskier choice for tenure-track and higher-paying positions due to potential health and lifestyle choices (bearing children and raising families are traditionally the purview of women). 3. Men tend to be in a particular industry longer, allowing them to have more time in grade. 4. Women simply aren't demanding the higher wages. If women were to ask for better money, they'd get it. I'd like to look at each one of these. 1. Lower-paid career paths. This is interesting to me on two levels. First off, as the news story poin...

In his 1994 book Pale Blue Dot, published two years before his death, Sagan spelled out what the image tells us: "Consider again that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. "The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperor...

Gray is the most damning color Neither black nor white Not hot or cold Just. Gray. I look at the sky The clouds draped over the mountains Robbed of the azure brilliance And the craggy majesty I neither rejoice nor despair Just. Gray. And I know that hell is not The absolute of darkness And hell is not The the presence of pain and suffering Hell is the absence of variety and interest The lack of vibrancy and vivacity Hell is gray. Just. Gray.

People misunderstand The nature of love At least, they only focus On the more scintillating parts Of something that is much deeper More real, more nourishing Love is not a fire Nor is it the embers Love is providing warmth Love is not sex Nor is it lusty Love is providing service Love is not at first sight Nor is it blind Love is awareness and compassion Love is not fickle Nor is it transitory Love is constant, steady, and pure Love is not like sugar Nor is it sweet Love is nourishing and soul replenishing So when I say "I love you" I don't mean something that is vapid That is empty and meaningless I mean that I love you I am submitting my will to yours I am finding myself in so doing And I love you so Your soul caresses mine And my soul intertwines with yours Until there is no more me and There is no more you The two becoming a divine One

Well, he would have been, if he were alive today. How can I assert this outrageous claim? Let's consider, for a moment, why the southern states seceded from the Union. The animosity between the south and the policies largely promoted in the north centered around two major ideas - the rights of the several states to make their own policies, and property rights (read: slavery). The southern states believed that the state itself was sovereign, and that each state had the right to make laws governing their own institutions. This is seen in Article 10 of the US Constitution, wherein it very explicitly says that those powers not expressly granted to the federal government by the Constitution are reserved for the states. This was included as a check to the reach of the federal government. The intent is to give the authority and rule of the several states and their constitutions a greater role within their own boundaries. While the Constitution has been amended several times, this prov...