MORMON ABSTRACTO

Herod the Fink

2009-11-03T10:25:00.005-07:00

I want to have a name for this Christmas project, and I think I have it - Herod the Fink. The inspiration comes from some of my oldest, fondest Christmas memories.

We used to go as a family up the street to Brad and LaRue's (family friends / fellow 5th ward members) for Christmas Eve. We would read the Christmas story and consume delicious holiday treats. Brad had created a miniature city of Bethlehem complete with the manger scene, sheep, shepherds, pigs, chickens, palm trees, peasants, a synagoge with hebrew scriptures, etc. It is a hand-made labor of love. There are lots of hidden gems in the scene including references to many of the Savior's parables. Brad's sense of humor was also evident in various parts, most notably in some scratched graffiti on one of the city walls which read "Herod is a Fink."

Preliminary Tracklisting

2009-11-02T13:50:00.002-07:00

01. By Night (original)
02. What Child is This?
03. The First Noel
04. Away in a Manger
05. It's Christmas Again (original)
06. Silent Night

This is far from set in stone, but as of right now these are the songs we plan to record starting on Saturday.

Now That You're Settled

2009-10-28T09:50:00.003-06:00

My parents recently moved homes after a 30 year stay at the Sandy home I grew up in. Needless to say it was a long and labor intensive process for all involved, but they ended up with a perfect house with the space they need in order to facilitate family gatherings. (There are eight of us kids, all married with children.) It has been fun to see their excitement at their new digs, and to spend time with them there.

After a couple of weeks of settling in and unpacking, there was an announcement made in my parents ward that the missionaries in the area need a home to stay in. They were told that it has been requested that the missionaries stay in a member's home. To their everlasting credit, my parents decided that their new home fit the requirements that the mission had detailed and offered their home to the missionaries.

I'm not sure what makes a rational couple invite two 19-21 year old boys into their basement just weeks after purchasing and settling into their new home. I'm left to question their sanity, but I'm also humbled by their dedication to the gospel and the church.

Movie Club - Funny Scene

2009-10-20T16:00:00.002-06:00

It doesn't matter how many times I see this scene (or movie), I still laugh out loud. What are your favorite scenes? Post yours on your blog and put a link in the comments. Ready go.

Favorite Christmas Songs

2009-10-16T11:25:00.003-06:00

It might seem a bit early, but I'm already starting to think about Christmas music. (I've started talking to a friend about maybe recording some songs for friends and family this year.) I figured I'd open it up to you guys as to what your favorite Christmas songs are. I can't make any promises, but I'm hoping that there is some overlap with what I've been thinking as well as some fresh ideas.

Everything Right Now

2009-10-09T16:36:00.003-06:00

I posted this comment on RSL's blog today. It took me a few minutes to write, so I thought I'd put it up here too.

There is a really strange attitude in American soccer fans and RSL fans especially. No matter what happens, there is something to complain about. I think it comes down to what has become a very American attitude - wanting everything right now, without paying the price.

The same people who sell out huge football stadiums all across the U.S. for meaningless pre-season friendlies of European super clubs turn their backs on their home town MLS clubs. They want to have the quality of top European teams, but don't want to do anything to support the domestic league. The English top flight was pretty average in the world for a lot of years. It has risen to the top because of their growing consistent, passionate fan bases who sell out their games, buy tons of merch, and consume lots of beer and chips. The teams have become woven into the fabric of their communities and culture. This takes time.

MLS is set up to be a very even league. Only 2 or 3 teams per year ever really separate themselves from the pack. Most of us thought RSL would be one of those teams this year, and it didn't happen. It's a bummer, but being bitter about it gets to be annoying. For the fans who sit behind me at every game, RSL has never committed a foul. Conversely, RSL is fouled every time they lose the ball. Every referee is out to get RSL. Here's my theory: soccer is a hard process. It is hard to score. It is hard to win. It is hard to perform consistently over an entire season. That is what makes it great.

I don't think that every fan should be an eternal optimist, but calling for the coach or GM's head after every loss or tie gets pretty old. I suffered with all of you through Ellinger's tenure, hoping each game that we could get lucky and score a goal and win a game every once in a while. I had a pretty good idea that we weren't going to do much with Ellinger at the helm, but I still lent my support to the team.

Through it all, I feel like I've matured a bit as a fan. I care a lot about the team, but I've learned to take it for what it ultimately is: entertainment. Home games when the team is clicking and the crowd is into it are great theater and away games are gripping reality tv.

Impromptu Photoshoot at Dusk

2009-10-06T21:34:00.004-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I was outside with Abby and Natalie. The light was so perfect and they looked so cute, I grabbed the camera and started snapping away. These were my 3 favorite.

Weekend

2009-10-05T12:05:00.002-06:00

Bueno: Driving through the gorgeous canyon to Logan.
Bueno: Playing a really fun show in Logan Friday night.
Bueno: Finally getting Mony Mony right, and the crowd dancing like crazy.
Bueno: Seeing good friends again. Seeing good friends' kids. Staying with good friends.
Bueno: Breakfast at Angies (where the locals eat) with good friends.
No es Bueno: Accidentally ordering my eggs 'sunny side up.'
No es Bueno: Natalie following suit and accidentally ordering her eggs the same way.
No es Bueno: Sunny side up sounds fun, but can be dangerous.
Bueno: conference.
No es Bueno: stomach ache.
No es Bueno: getting worse.
No es Bueno: Driving home with stomach ache.
No es Bueno: Nausea. Pulling off freeway in Kaysville. Dryheaves.
No es Bueno: Missing Priesthood session with Dad and brothers.
No es Bueno: Throwing up in front of wife, brothers, and nephew.
No es Bueno: Missing post preisthood Wii tennis tournament with Dad and brothers.
Bueno: Sunday conference, no church, chance to recover.

I'll Never Understand

2009-09-29T09:15:00.003-06:00

why some ladies feel it necessary to declare to the world their self centered or mean spirited nature via license plate holders.

Things That Make Me Feel Manly

2009-09-25T09:27:00.002-06:00

Grilling meat
Chopping wood
Fixing the vacuum cleaner
Making loud rock and roll music
Putting in a strong tackle
Bleeding from soccer wounds
P.E.C. Meeting
Praying with the family
Bearing testimony
Doing yard work
Lopping off tree limbs
Moving heavy furniture
Making two dashboard lights turn back off in one trip to the gas station
Carrying Abby on my shoulders

How about you? What makes you feel manly or womanly?

World's Cutest Rocker

2009-09-24T18:51:00.002-06:00

Some People Say

2009-09-18T11:23:00.002-06:00

Some people say electric cars are the transportation of the future.

Others say zero emissions are a falsehood because you are in essence plugging your electric car into a coal burning power plant.

I say I'm holding out for a garbage-burning, flying Delorean.

Worse Than Texting and Driving?

2009-09-10T10:05:00.000-06:00

Despite all that is said about the dangers and stupidity of texting and driving, I still see it happen on a regular basis. It's pretty disturbing, but this morning on my way to work I saw something even more stupid and dangerous. A woman in a black car passes me at approximately 75 mph. I glance over and see her shoveling a spoonful of cold cereal into her mouth!

I'll admit it, I have been known on occasion to eat food while I drive, but seriously cold cereal? I'm not sure what had control of the wheel because her left hand was holding the bowl up to her greedy face, and her right hand was busy with the spoon. She must have had a third hand, because I noticed her fiddle with the radio and then her hair as she pulled further away from me and swerved in and out of the HOV lane.

It got me thinking, has anybody seen anybody doing anything more stupid while driving? Chime in, I'm curious.

U.S.A. Rodriguez

2009-09-04T13:13:00.002-06:00

I came across these hilarious videos today and had to share. They feature U.S.A. Rodriguez, goal celebration coach and numerous MLS stars. Kids: some of these celebrations would earn you a yellow card, but some would probably be worth it.

These are my favorite 2, there are 8 total. All are worth watching.

My Life According to Billy Joel

2009-09-01T12:07:00.002-06:00

I saw this on a friend's facebook, and I thought I'd give it a try.

My Life According to Billy Joel

RULES: Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Re-post as "My Life According to (BAND NAME)"

1. Are you a male or female?
Angry Young Man

2. Describe yourself:
The Entertainer

3. How do you feel:
(I'm in a) New York State of Mind

4. Describe where you currently live:
Half a Mile Away

5. If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
Vienna

6. Your favorite form of transportation:
Close to the Borderline

7. Your best friend:
She's Always a Woman To Me, (James - second place)

8. Your favorite color is:
Sometimes a Fantasy

9. What's the weather like:
Falling of the Rain

10. Favorite time of day:
Through the Long Night

11. If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
Big Man on Mulberry Street

12. What is life to you:
A Matter of Trust

13. Your current relationship:
Uptown Girl

14. Looking for:
Big Shot

15. Wouldn't mind:
Baby Grand

16. Your fear:
Pressure

17. What is the best advice you have to give:
If I only had the words (to tell you)

18. If you could change your name, you would change it to:
Captain Jack

19. Thought for the Day:
Ain't no Crime

20. How I would like to die:
Sleeping With the Television On

21. My motto:
Say Goodbye to Hollywood

Butterflies

2009-08-31T17:05:00.002-06:00

What is it about sharing something creative with somebody that immediately instigates uneasiness until some there is some kind of reaction from the viewer/listener?

Big Gesture, Quick Fix, Stepping on Toes

2009-08-24T15:48:00.003-06:00

I'm not a political person. Not at all. I don't affiliate myself with either party, and the extremes of both sides are troubling to me. This post is not intended to be a political statement, but rather a look at what seem to be flaws in the governments attempts to "right the ship" of our economy. Particularly, I want to address the very popular Cash for Clunkers program. On the surface, it seems like a win/win type of situation. The federal government gives added incentive to consumers to trade in old vehicles and purchase new, fuel efficient vehicles. People get themselves into new cars at great discounts, the auto industry gets a boost, and America consumes less fuel as a result. Sounds great right? Most people think so.

Have you talked to an auto repair worker lately? Oh, them. The people who you begrudgingly hand money over to when your car breaks down. The program which has auto manufacturers and dealers jumping for joy is also dealing a deadly blow to auto repair shops across the country who were already hit hard by the economy. How? The Cash for Clunkers program has very strict stipulations in regard to what is to be done with the "clunker" customers trade in for the new car. Regardless of it's condition, the used car must be disabled and sold for scrap or at auction. Even if everything works perfectly, the dealership has to put the engine out of commission and take the vehicle of the road permanently.

This means that about 750,000 vehicles have been pulled out of the system and replaced by new cars. The natural progression of cars needing maintenance, minor repairs, and major repairs has been severely altered. The effect for auto repair shops will be felt for months and perhaps years.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that when the government steps in to alter the environment in the economy, it will in most instances hurt one industry as much as it helps another. So, how does government decide who is going to be the beneficiary of everyone's hard earned tax dollars? Lobbyists? Experts? Advisers?

I have an idea for the government. Let the capitalist economy function as it is supposed to. Fair competition seems to be the hallmark of a good economy. If a company gets so large that it's failure would mean a national financial collapse, it is too large. The government's job at that point would be to split the giant company into smaller competing companies. If one of these new companies makes bad decisions and goes under, so be it. They have failed, and the employees move on to a company who is still competing.

The idea of government using taxpayer money to continually bail out a company who has failed, but is "too large to fail" is absurd. Big gestures and quick fixes are what got us into this mess. Even if it means that everybody cuts back and suffers to some degree, it is better that capitalism runs it's course.

365 Days of Abby

2009-08-18T21:03:00.002-06:00

Abby turned 1 last Friday. I made this movie for her, and I'm just getting around to posting it now.

Wearing the Wrong Color

2009-08-12T09:37:00.002-06:00

I almost sent my baby girl out into the world today wearing a green dress that Natalie had set out for her. Luckily, I discovered my mistake and changed Abby into a red white and blue floral print shirt that she wore on the 4th of July. The U.S. plays Mexico today in a World Cup qualifier in Mexico City at the daunting Azteca Stadium. They need all the support they can get, and Abby was happy to oblige.

Pop Art

2009-08-04T12:10:00.003-06:00

I've had fun working on this poster. Of course, a tip of the hat goes to Mr. Andy Warhol.

Ouch

2009-08-03T09:26:00.002-06:00

After 2 years of not water skiing, Saturday's trip followed by a lot of loading and unloading equipment, followed by playing a two hour set, followed by more loading and unloading equipment, followed by a fast, has left us with a very sore Jesse on Monday morning. It was a fantastic day, so the pain is all worth it. I just seem to be getting more and more reminders that I'm closer to 30 than I would like to admit.

Looking for Insurance Insurance

2009-07-31T10:39:00.002-06:00

I think I need insurance for my health insurance. I need to pay a third party to step in and help out in case the rates for my individual policy keep climbing to exorbitant levels despite me being in perfect helth. Oh, and also for the fact that should something disastrous happen, my current provider could drop me like a bad habit because I'm not on a group plan.

When I questioned the representative why my rates keep going up despite my good health and lack of claims, she informed me that they have to compensate for "all the claims being made." Wait, I thought this was my individual insurance. If I don't get the benefits of a group plan, why do I need to be a part of the draw backs?

She went on to explain that they are a "not for profit" organization. Interesting, I think we may have found the root of the problem. Are we not in a capitalist society? Maybe if they were trying to "make a profit" their services would make sense and they would treat customers with respect.

US Soccer Tickets

2009-07-28T11:55:00.002-06:00

The U.S. will be playing El Salvador in a World Cup 2010 Qualifying match at Rio Tinto Stadium on September 5th. If you are interested in getting good seats before they go on sale to the public, comment or email me before Thursday. It is a truly amazing sports experience. The passion, speed of play, and technical ability displayed in these games is second to none.

Confronting Superficiality with Superficiality

2009-07-22T11:12:00.003-06:00

First off, I'm pleasantly surprised with the response from my first philosophy post. It spurred some very interesting discussion and insight. Who knew weeds would stir up such varied and interesting thoughts? I hope the discussion continues, and I hope to post some more ideas over the next little while.

I came across an ad the other day for a new reality series by FOX called More to Love. Apparently, it is basically "The Bachelor" with the exciting twist that everyone on the show (including the bachelor and all the contestents) is substantially overweight. The advertisement kept using the phrase "real women" as it showed generic show clips of talking heads, romantic moments, drama, etc.

It really bothered me, and it took me a minute to figure out why. I don't have anything against people who are overweight, but there was something fundamentally wrong with the message. They were attempting to confront superficiality while being completely superficial. For a show that's trying to play the "beauty lies within" card, why would the first requirement of any contestant be body type? Because someone eats too much and doesn't exercise enough, they are a more genuine and "real" person than someone who takes good care of their body? What does that say about me? I am underweight according to doctor's height and weight charts, does that mean I am an exceptionally fake person? (Don't answer.)

FOX, you got this dead wrong. The show may turn out to be a hit (it probably will), but it is clearly sending the wrong message. I wonder if the producers at FOX are really that naive to miss the huge flaws in the show's concept. I tend to think there is a target audience they are feeding with the kind of things they want to hear. Despite their pretensions, I don't think the producers really care what they are conveying as long as people watch. What do you think? Am I wrong here? Am I overly sensitive as an underweight person?

Argument for the Exsistence of God: Part 1

2009-07-14T09:17:00.005-06:00

I posted the other day about wanting to explore some philosophical/metaphysical ideas. Then, I realized that I don't have any time to research to support my writing so I thought I would take a more simplified and sometimes comical approach to the subjects. In the time since, I have come up with a pretty strong and simple argument for the existence of God.

First, I'll start with a definition of Evil. Evil describes someone or something that is morally reprehensible, completely selfish, causing harm or destruction.

To find a perfect, tangible example of evil, one must only walk out his or her front door. Somewhere nearby there exists a weed. A plant whose entire existence is self serving, destructive, and reprehensible. Anyone with any experience gardening would have a hard time arguing in behalf of any redeeming qualities of weeds.

From here it is easy. We have tangible and irrefutable evidence of the existence of evil. Evil can not exist without good, just as darkness cannot exist without light. Else what is darkness? The ultimate goal of evil things is to administer pain and misery to our existence. Good seeks
to uplift and bring joy to our existence.

Here's where the discussion kicks in. Is it enough at this point in the argument to say that God exists? We've established tangible physical evidence that evil exists, therefore can we deduce that tangible physical good must exist? Does this argument require an "earthy" example of something that is completely good in opposition to the complete evil that weeds represent, or can we argue that God is the tangible, ultimate good?