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a new eric

Frustration

Posted: December 3rd, 2008, 10:57pm EST by Eric

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Frustration is finding a house you want to watch yourself grow old in, but lack the initial funding to purchase.
Original post blogged on b2evolution.
November 31st, 2008

Posted: December 1st, 2008, 10:58am EST by Eric

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November 31st, 2006
November 31st, 2007

It's been two years since November 31st, 2006:

"This month I decided to relaunch parts of my life. Sometimes, I've done well. Other times, not so well. Other things are still in the works."

Two years ago, my marriage had come to an end. Laura moved out. I was home with the kids, depressed, and at something of a bottom. I'd had a terrible year, personally. I was lucky to get out of 2006 with my job, my sanity, and my life.

Last year, on November 31st, 2007, I remarked on how much had changed in a year, and what my priority would be through this year:

"This year has been hard, and the three of us have gotten through it together. We're not without our scars, but we're surviving and living and together. They test my patience and prove my love every day. This next year is the year I work to be a better father to them."

Despite my own inadequacies effecting self-judgement, I hope that I did well by my kids this last year. I work hard to provide a good home environment for them. Struggles make me worry that it'll never be enough.

November 31st, 2008

As you, the reader, have come this far, you're likely wondering what the hell I'm talking about with this "November 31st" crap. Well, feel free to re-read my previous two posts on this subject, then come back here for my summary.

OK, so you're back. Wait. You didn't read, did you? OK, I can wait.

OK, you're done. RIGHT?

Screw it. Never mind.

November 31st.

Two years ago I made a goal of blogging every day for a month - 30 days. I was on track to accomplish this goal, but hit a technical snag a couple days before the end of the month.

First of all, blogging every day, in my mind, was something of a miracle. My wife left me. I was alone. Work was something of a struggle, and I'm sure I might have been fired if not for the fact that my life was a total mess and some people had sympathy for me. To have blogged a week, let a lone almost 30 days, THAT MONTH, was nothing short of spectacular.

Additionally, missing that one little day was the catalyst for THIS web site. I'd still be muttering around on Blogger if not for that month (no offense to my friends still on Blogger... if it's any consolation, I suggested it to Jill when she wanted to start blogging). That technical goof - Blogger not processing my blog-via-email post - caused me to start something entirely better. It was something of a release from bondage for me. Having my own home has freed me to find success in my search for a new self.

For me, November 31st is a time to reflect on change, to acknowledge the influences on my life, celebrate my own best efforts, and look toward the future. I hope to do it every year for the rest of my life. It helps cleanse my mind, in a way, and gives me something to look forward to next year.

As for the future. I hope to continue to support and foster the well-being of my own family - even as it grows and changes. I hope to become the type of man deserving of Jill's affections and support. I hope to use this next year to accomplish so much more with my writing. I hope to look on this year, the year that I blogged every day of the year, as proof that I can do anything with my mind, my fingers, and a well-designed computer keyboard.

I will make next November 31st memorable. I will do everything within my power to make 2009 the year that the new Eric makes a real name for himself.

Thank all of you for reading.

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Original post blogged on b2evolution.
It's Like a Horse That Doesn't Horse - The "I don't kill too many bugs" Post

Posted: December 1st, 2008, 9:48pm EST by Eric

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Today, I discovered we'd taken on a new pet at the house: George. George is a fly that doesn't fly.

He crawled up onto my bare foot and scared the crap out of me (I wonder if that's what he wanted from me). I flicked it away and started looking for it. That's when Jill told me about our latest pet.

George doesn't fly. He's a fly, but he doesn't fly for some reason. He crawls around the house all day. He's been with us for a while now, and likes to randomly show up on pillows, plants, walls, and feet. He can get around just fine, apparently, he just can't fly. I've seen very young flies do that before, but unless George is a midget in some kind of super-fly species that happened to have spawned in my living room, I think there's something different about him.

I don't know what, or even how, he eats. He's been getting around this past week, so he must be eating something.

Many of you might be wondering why I haven't just stepped on the little guy. Well, that's complex.

I don't squish bugs. I don't crush spiders. I don't kill bugs very often. Sugar-craved ants crawling over the dog's food, yes. Wasps making a summer home in my roof, yes. Flies flying around looking for poop to eat and procreate on, yes. The downtrodden, the injured, the dying bug - no. I don't kill them.

I don't know why. I've always been that way. Maybe it was because of the neighborhood kid who used to pull the legs off of frogs (I hated that). Maybe it's due to some weird sense of Kharma. Whatever it is, I don't find pleasure in killing an insect or spider, and I'm not often scared or bothered by a single bug. I don't have issue with them, the bugs. I just don't want them in my house. I'll do whatever I can to get them outside long before I consider squishing it.

George, well, he's different. George isn't afraid of people, apparently, seeing as how I could chase him around with my finger and my camera. He let me take close up pictures without crawling away. He was content with hanging out with my toes, which no sane animal would do (one of our cats likes to lick them - note my previous statement about the mental health of an animal, and you might guess why the cat licks toes.

George, I'll be curious to see how long you last. But know this - the second you can support yourself, you're on your own.

.

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Original post blogged on b2evolution.

Notamormon

COV For November

Posted: November 30th, 2008, 5:10pm EST

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Hi. Welcome to COV for November.

Hope all American readers had a good Thanksgiving.

We kick off with a post from South Bay Soliloquies:

Which states: I Love Colbert" And shows why, with a video of The Colbert Report!

[south-bay-soliloquies.blogspot.com]

Next is a post from my blog which covers a case in Australia of alleged lack of action by the Mormon Church regarding a paedophile member

[notamormon.blogspot.com]
That's it for this time, these are the only entries.
Next edition of COV will be mid January. Please send your entries in by the second week January.

Letters from a broad...

Emily Postum rides the Swiss tramway!

Posted: November 30th, 2008, 1:08pm EST by C. L. Hanson

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For us non-upper-crusters, etiquette is more than just pairing the right fork with your truffle canapés and instructing the serving maid not to clatter the dishes. You may think the rules of when to serve canvasback (à la Age of Innocence), or which seasonal stationery and flower combinations are appropriate for your haiku or waka (à la Tale of Gengi) are far more complex than the rules normal people have to deal with on a daily basis. Maybe. But I'd like to see Gengi try riding the tramway in Switzerland.

This is one of the first cultural items I learned upon moving to Zürich from Bordeaux. The tramway system in Bordeaux was brand-new, so the social rules were still sort of in flux. There were cute little zoo animal posters inside illustrating how to make everyone's ride more pleasant (eg. retract your quills and backpacks, avoid loud cell-phone conversations). People were willing to make an effort, but the entry and exit procedure was still a little chaotic, like they didn't really have it down. Yet. Not like in Switzerland.

Rule #1: When the tramway (or bus or commuter train) stops, you walk up to the door and stand beside it, forming a bit of a wedge-shaped line on the platform or sidewalk whose apex is just beside the doorway.

Rule #2 important: Do not block the doorway of the tram. at all. Every single person getting off the tramway must have a clear path straight ahead in order to exit. If there's a crowd coming out and you are blocking someone's exit path (because you're hoping to get on), the exiter won't just squeeze around you (like in France), they'll just walk up to you and wait until you get the hell out of the way. And this will hold up the entire exit/entry procedure. And it will be all your fault.

Rule #3: How do you know when you've screwed up? This is the easy one. You will know. You'll get a (free!) crash course in Swiss tramway etiquette from the school of (polite, furtive) shocked and horrified facial expressions.

I've just learned, however, that #3 is one that actually varies within Switzerland. I had Switzerland's other two fabulous exmo expat ladies over for drinks and jokes, and naturally we ended up comparing notes on Swiss customs. Wry Catcher -- who lives in a smaller city than Zürich -- said that the folks in her town will actually lecture strangers for infractions that are too serious for mere dirty looks. Say, you break Rule #4: Don't even think about getting on until everyone who's getting off is off (even if they're taking a long time and there's plenty of room to go around them). Or you break Rule #5: Do not come running up to the tramway and cut in front of someone who is politely waiting (in accordance with rule #4). You'll get an earful of Switzerdeutsch. And if you try to get out of it by feigning incomprehension, your instructor will gladly (or rather, angrily) give you your lesson in English.

Those stories surprised me quite a bit because it's not like that in Zürich. My experience is somewhat limited since I've been here less than a year, but I love public transportation, so I'm in the S-Bahn (commuter train), tramway, and bus all the time, and -- from what I've seen -- I'd be very surprised to see someone chew out a stranger. Here they have more of a "politeness one-upmanship" thing going, where you silently let people know they've screwed up without ever descending to the level of being impolite yourself.

The incident that really captured Zürich-style politeness for me was one I saw a few weeks ago while I was riding the escalator up from one of the underground train platforms. The escalator has a standing lane and a walking lane, clearly indicated by the yellow shoes painted on the steps. Yet, up ahead, I saw two ladies standing abreast in flagrant violation of what I'll call Rule #6: no standing in the walking lane. This wouldn't be a problem except that some guy was coming up behind them in the walking lane and clearly wanted to continue. Rather than saying something or trying to squeeze around the offending lady, he just leaned forward -- ever so slightly in her space over her left shoulder -- in hopes she'd see him in her peripheral vision and catch a clue and get out of the way. But she never did notice. She just continued conversing with her friend as the guy repeated his subtle leaning-in hint several times as we all rode up to the top. (Personally, I was standing in the right lane, so this situation didn't concern me except for the chuckle factor.) At the top we all filed off, and Lady Wrong-Lane was none the wiser about her infraction.

(Actually this story kind of contradicts my Rule #3, but perhaps it should have an addendum: "You will know unless you're totally oblivious to social cues.")

As amusing as this restraint is, it can actually get to be a little annoying to have to constantly keep a (peripheral) eye out to make sure you aren't blocking (hence inconveniencing) someone. I kind of miss the French system where (when things get crowded) you can just say "Pardon" as you squeeze your way through. "Pardon" is a convenient all-purpose word that can mean "I'm genuinely sorry I bumped you," and can also mean "FYI -- you're in the way -- coming through," depending on the tone and context. My two expat friends assured me that this is just a Zürich thing and that there really is an equivalent word in Switzerdeutsch, but I haven't learned it because it seems like here you just don't bump people no matter how crowded the trains or the aisles of the little city shops may be.

Then, of course, there's Rule #7: Keep your kids well-behaved.

Nico is demonstrating correct tramway procedure

Some conversation is fine, but letting your kids run around, yell, scream, and generally bother people is not okay. Oh, and the parent is responsible for ensuring that the kids follow rules 1-6, and all of the other hundreds of rules. (Actually, I think I'm going to have to give up on the numbering because I don't think I'll succeed in getting a comprehensive list.)

Sometimes when my kids are being a little rowdier than they should, people turn and smile, as if to say "It's okay, kids are like that, and the tramway's not too crowded today." But it really is an indulgence that they're granting you because they can just as easily turn and give you that horrified look that says "The nerve of some people! In my day children were polite!" Parents here catch their kids immediately and give a quick but firm lecture the second the child might be bothering someone. It seems like it's as much for the benefit of the bystanders as for the kid, as if to say "Don't worry, I've got it under control." It may be my imagination, but it seems that the minorities are quicker about it than the white people, quieting the child and then looking up and around with the smile that says "See? under control" since nobody wants to be someone else's example of "what's wrong with those people".

Personally, I don't care that much if I'm giving a bad impression of Americans by scolding my rowdy little boys in American English (though occasionally I'll talk to them in French to give people a bad impression of the French for variety). But I do try to follow all of the unwritten rules as well as I can. After all, they're not just totally arbitrary rules that show off the "good breeding" of the people who are in the know. Rather, for humans (social animals that we are) everyone's ride on the train, bus, or tramway is a little simpler and more pleasant if we know what to expect from the millions of strangers we share the city with each day.

Main Street Plaza

Sunday in Outer Blogness: Bad God Edition!

Posted: November 30th, 2008, 1:51am EST by chanson

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The big news this week was when God miraculously made someone shoot someone else, but the guy who was target of the malevolent God thwarted the evil miracle by keeping his cell phone in his pocket. Whew, close one! Reported here: God shoots, rescues man.

Then we have reports of some Christians Sharing the Good News of Utter Despisement.

The Mayor of Silverton (Stu Rasmussen) is transgender, and that ticks off the deity but good. Alas, the Lord had other commitments and could not deliver His condemnation in person: instead, He who is the One True God chose to delegate the job of sharing His bellicosity to one man and three young women from Kansas who had some free time. The God of the Israelites is one mysterious dude, and His hiring practices are opaque. He is nothing if not the King of “Go Figure.”

And now for some Sunday Bible study. Now, when the subject of the Bible comes up in exmo space, I normally point out that the Bible teaches evil ethics, and it’s silly for Christians to tell Mormons they’re interpreting the Bible wrong because that argument relies on the assumptions that the Bible is consistent, makes sense, and its various mysterious verses each have a unique demonstrably right interpretation, clearly false assumptions. However, today I’ll take a break from my usual cynical attitude and highlight a discussion Christian vs. Mormon interpretation of the quote “At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage” because that’s kind of an amusing one!

a new eric

Why Am I Here?

Posted: November 30th, 2008, 10:58pm EST by Eric

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I don't make a point of pointing out my own attributes, so this is a difficult post for me, but this is what I was inspired to write about today. I can't turn back now.

Every so often - perhaps once a month or so - I hear it: "Why are you here?"

No, I'm not having a religious experience, and I'm definitely not going to do something dumb. I'm talking about work. I'm talking about why I work where I do, and why I do what I do. Those of you who have the privilege to know exactly what I do will have an advantage over those who don't, simply because you're more likely to understand the environment I work in better. For those that don't, I'm sorry, I obviously need to get to know you better.

My job is not a hard one. One might say that I could be doing so much more. OK, so a lot of people have said that to me. I think even I've said that to myself. But let me give you a better context.

I have a very good memory for things. It's always been good, but it's been getting better since I found myself 30, a single father, on the edge of losing my job, close to doing myself in, and so much more. I always tell people I didn't know much until I was 30. Really, what happened was, I discovered I had about as close to photographic memory as I can imagine.

No, it's not perfect. Jill will tell you that. Heck, anyone who's spent more than a day with me in the past 30 years can tell you that. But what I've learned how to do is to turn it on and off. In a way, it's like I found the remote control with the RECORD button, and found the special batteries that go inside it. And now I can remember things better. I always had a good memory, and now it seems to be better.

So I seem to others as some sort of walking encyclopedia. Coworkers have tested my capacity for odd subjects. But most interestingly, clients who I've worked with seem amazed by my memory and knowledge.

I often wow clients by remembering their situation from two years ago. Or their name. Or their situation. And when you interact with hundred of people each week, remembering a few here and there will wow them. They know I deal with a lot of people, and somehow remembering previous interactions tends to amaze them.

I always get questions at work. People who are part of the technical support area ask me for technical support. Management asks me to to recall policies or obscure facts pertaining to one thing or another. Coworkers come to me for questions simple and complicated. Clients who meet me for the first time ask me question after question. Clients that have worked with me before know that 99% of the time I know the answer to anything, so they come to me over and over again. Even my coworkers' clients end up falling into the mesmerization that is Eric. And after all the inquiries into my noggin, I get to hear one last question: "Why are you here?"

They seem to think I should be somewhere else. Some think I should go back to school. Some think I should be on game shows (not going to happen, I don't know THOSE kinds of things). Some think I should write (duh, that's what I've been doing / trying to do for the last 25 years of my life). Some think I should be in research of some kind. Some think I should be in charge. Some think I should be working for THEM.

They all have one thing in common: they can't fathom why I would continue to work a mundane job when I could be doing just about anything.

I've thought about it for years. I think I know the answer, but I'm not sure. See, I think this is the reason: IT'S EASY.

That's right, the barrier that keeps me from greatness is simple laziness. I like having an easy job to stress over. I like it WAY too much. So, my biggest obstacle - surprise, surprise - is me. I prevent myself from doing more.

Yeah, I already knew that. Did I mention I'm a good reader of people, too?

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Original post blogged on b2evolution.

Todd's Hammer

Dewey and Artistic Expression

Posted: November 29th, 2008, 10:03am EST by Todd

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A reader emailed to ask me about the connection of Dewey’s Art as Experience and “expression theory” for her undergraduate aesthetic class. She is especially concerned with the connection of emotion (of the artist, I think) with Dewey’s emphasis on meaning. My own work with Dewey’s philosophy focuses on his social theory and his cognitive [...]
Mumbai

Posted: November 29th, 2008, 8:42am EST by Todd

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Note: I am no expert in Indian history or politics, so this is just a casual reaction from an outside observer. I would love to hear from readers who are better informed or have deeper analyses to offer. There is a lot of really good commentary floating around the interwebs about the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, [...]

a new eric

Chocolate

Posted: November 29th, 2008, 10:57pm EST by Eric

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Tonight, I opened a bottle of chocolate milk. Somehow, it just seemed right. It just seemed good.

It also seemed weird.

I don't consume much chocolate. I don't like the flavor all that much. When people discover my distaste for chocolate, they find it odd that someone could be that way. I've run into a few people just like me. I wonder if they just don't say anything to anybody, to avoid the disbelief and ridicule. I also wonder if they just tell me that they don't like chocolate to make me feel better. Or they're mocking me. Yeah, maybe they're mocking me.

I wasn't always this way. When I was a kid, I ate chocolate at any opportunity. I was always more interested in what I call the two-flavor chocolate. Two-flavor chocolate is chocolate PLUS another flavor. My usual favorite is peanut butter. Sometimes I like orange-flavored chocolate. Sometimes I prefer mint and chocolate. But I rarely enjoy multi-flavored chocolate - Snickers bars, for instance, have many flavors in them. No, not a fan of Snickers bars.

I remember always wanting chocolate milk as a kid. I didn't like strawberry back then nearly as much as I do now.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were my favorite candy growing up (still are), though I also had an affinity for Reese's Pieces (thanks to their post-E.T. popularity). Dad would bring home a candy bar most Wednesdays, and I ate up every pinch of chocolate.

Not any more.

I don't know how I got here. Part of me has always wanted to be different, and liking chocolate was about as normal as I could imagine, so I stopped liking chocolate. But really, it seems like there's so much more than I can identify. Somehow, I'm not really into chocolate.

Except tonight. I got a big cup of chocolate milk. So I'm not so black and white when it comes to chocolate. Go figure.

.

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Original post blogged on b2evolution.

Main Street Plaza

My conspiracy theory #2

Posted: November 28th, 2008, 1:17pm EST by chanson

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You can add this to my earlier Mormon Conspiracy Theory and decide whether I should get out of the conspiracy theory business…

People keep pointing out that it was so obvious that Proposition 8 would be a P.R. fiasco that the Mormons should have predicted it. Well, I contend that the brethren did predict it, and it was exactly what they were hoping for.

The thing is this: Mormons thrive on “persecution”: the siege mentality that says “We must be doing something important if so many evil people are hell-bent on stopping us!” And they finally got some of it during the Romney campaign. Sort of.

But there’s a bit of a problem if all of your persecution comes from your fellow Religious Right theocrats. Some Mormons will be willing to blow it off as a generic “Satan fighting the Lord” situation, but others might make the obvious observation that the theocracy is the problem — and be tempted to join their fellow minorities in the “rainbows of diversity” crowd. Not the majority of faithful Mormons, mind you — but just enough “11th Article of Faith” sticklers will imagine that it’s okay to join hands with non-member/non-believer Democrats to make the rich/religious privilege Utah government folks uncomfortable.

The solution? Alienate the rainbow crowd, big time. This will attract exactly the right type of hate and persecution.

Whew, crisis averted!

a new eric

Thankful

Posted: November 28th, 2008, 10:59pm EST by Eric

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On a day like Thanksgiving, I found it prudent to take a moment to express my gratitude to many people and things.

I'm thankful for my parents. It took moving 2000 miles away to truly appreciate them. I don't know where I'd be without them, and at the same time, I know that I didn't have much of a clue about my direction in life until they weren't so readily available. They always hoped for the best for me, without forcing me to be someone I wouldn't have wanted to be. I am proud of my individualism. I am proud of my uniqueness. I don't worry much about being different, weird, or the odd-ball. They gave me the room and the path to be able to find myself. They helped when I needed it. They helped even when they didn't know I needed the help. Their mere presence influences my life. I owe so much to them.

I'm thankful to have Jill. I never truly appreciated having a companion until I met her. Even sitting on the couch I feel like the bond between two people can be one of the most amazing things. Somehow, I lucked out with her. I found a friend and companion that loves me despite my eccentricities. She is my closest friend, my best friend, and my future. Words can't express my gratitude in having found her, but don't let that fool you into thinking I won't try. I feel more for her than I've ever known possible.

I'm thankful for my children. Sometime trying, sometimes frustrating, always adored. They teach me to be a better human while showing me different ways that intelligent minds can reason and manipulate the world around them. They teach me to look for the loopholes in parenting and close them so they can stop exploiting them. They also teach me compassion, caring, patience (which, as a patient person, I never knew I needed to learn anything there), fairness, innocence, and love.

I'm thankful for my job - despite its ups and downs. There was a time where I absolutely despised my job. There were managers I couldn't stand to work with. There were policies that didn't seem to have much logic to me. My job tested my belief in what I understand to be the most basic truth of the human race: that we treat others with the same dignity, respect, and care that we wish to be treated with - known almost universally as the golden rule. At the same time, I've learned how to find a balance between the idiosyncrasies of the corporate world and what I know as the right way to treat a person. I've learned to trust authority when it's prudent rather than fostering a strong anti-authoritative mentality. I've learned to pick my battles a little more - more when needed, less when it's not. Oddly enough, my kids have taught me that, too.

I'm thankful for my friend, Christy. I don't get to see her much. I don't get to hear her voice very often. But somehow, I know when she needs to hear from me. And I know when I need to hear from her. We've both been through some of the same issues in life. We've both had entirely different lives that, somehow, meet up in the best of ways. I've had many friends that I've cherished over the years. Most have fallen away. This one, I think, will find a way of standing the test of time.

I'm thankful for Richard, my friend and the husband of my cousin. I respect him highly. He's been through a lot; gotten through parts of his life that would have delegated him to a different life. He's worked hard, clawed his way through factors in his life that would have kept him down, broken a few stereotypes, and created a family and life regardless of what was stacked up against him. I'm grateful that my cousin has such a man as a husband. I'm glad to know he's there. I'm glad he sponsors the web space for this blog. ;)

I'm thankful for this blog. Sometimes, I don't have the time or energy to spend as much time with the blog as it needs. Sometime, it uses up time and energy I need to be using elsewhere, usually at home. My blog is something of a therapy session. Or, it's been a way of expressing myself and my feelings. It's been a way to get things off my mind. It's been a way to come to terms with my own mistakes and shortcomings. It was there for me at some of the bottom recesses of my life. It will be there during the highest and best moments of it, too.

I'm thankful for people who come to read my rants, thoughts, randomness, memoirs, vague references, memories, complaints, and my past and future. Every month I see hits increasing. In February we had 26,637 hits - RSS feeds, search engine reads, random hits, regular readers, and everything in between. Last month we had 62,456. This month is currently at 60,607, and I've probably actually blogged (something substantial, in my opinion) half this month. Yes, my hits show numbers for people who never come back, or for automated system that don't give a crap about anything I'm writing about. But someone (not just my Mom) reads. If the numbers were going down each month, I probably would have given up a long time ago. Instead, people read, I write. I've written every day this year. EVERY DAY. 332 days. I even blogged on Leap Year Day. In doing so, I've been able to chronicle a large part of my life. I've been able to create something that will stand the test of time by being SOMEWHERE on the Internet. I've been able to leave my voice for my children, and for future posterity. I've been able to find some degree of imortality. While I won't be blogging every day in 2009, I will continue to write, and I will write more quality than quantity - the blog will live on,

I'm thankful to be alive. In 2006, I hit the lowest part of my life ever. I was ready to end my life. That day, it wasn't the worst day of my life - that came later. It was just another bad day in a string of a couple years worth of bad days. Call it good sense, call it a need for attention, but I cried for help that night. I got it. A friend - just a simple friend, who I haven't even talked to in the better part of a year, had the sense to have someone keep near me. I got through the moment. I sought help. I found redemption with life. I found a purpose - a cause. I started searching for myself. I've found parts. I continue to look. But if I hadn't thought my life was so bad that I needed to seek help, there was a good chance I would have gone through with my plans. I'm thankful for my life. I'm thankful that I was able to spare myself, to make the right decision. If I hadn't made that choice, I wouldn't have had all these other things to be thankful for. I wouldn't be with my kids. I wouldn't have had the opportunity to be with Jill. I wouldn't be here, right now, writing this entry into my life's journal. I'm thankful for all I have. I'm thankful for all I don't have, and the lessons I've learned from it.

I'm thankful for all this, and so much more.

I'm thankful to be looking for a new Eric. And everything that comes with it.

Thank you for reading.

Happy Thanksgiving.
Original post blogged on b2evolution.

Letters from a broad...

Well, now I know what I'm missing...

Posted: November 27th, 2008, 2:03am EST by C. L. Hanson

Tags: [edit]

Here's another Internet miracle for you skeptics out there!

Since I've moved to Europe, it's not as easy to go "home for the holidays" as it once was. And Thanksgiving somehow doesn't quite make the cut of holidays that warrant a transatlantic voyage.

But I might wonder -- as I'm preparing my kids their "lazy mom" dinner of PB&J and/or nutella on whole wheat with a fruit -- what I'm missing out on back home in Minnesota...

[Screen goes wavy as we cut to the imagination sequence, which you can experience too by clicking here!]

Yep, over on By Common Consent my brother posted a video of the Thanksgiving dinner I'm missing!! And -- as an added convenience for the busy blogger -- he sped it up to be only three minutes from table set to table cleared, and added some homey twangin' background music! It's (sorta) just like being there!!

The video is actually last year's Thanksgiving, but I'd be very surprised if this year's is any different.

(I wonder if they've set up a web cam, just in case...)

Happy Holidays!!!

Main Street Plaza

latent Mormon sexuality

Posted: November 27th, 2008, 12:36am EST by profxm

Tags: [edit]

So, I’m wading through my inbox the other day when I get an email from a friend I haven’t heard from in quite a while. He knows I’m no longer LDS and that I have a sense of humor. So, he forwards me the following email:

My co-worker, ******* (name changed to protect the innocent), comes into the office today, with that smile on his face that says, “I’ve got a really funny story for you”.

His brother, Tyler, is a “ward missionary” out in L.A. and was helping a couple missionaries in preparing for a neighborhood “meet n’ greet” where the neighborhood could come over and meet the members of the church, and get to know these “Mormons” and find out they’re not weird and not into weird things…

Ahem.

a new eric

A Blog: Reprise

Posted: November 27th, 2008, 10:02pm EST by Eric

Tags: [edit]

I owe everyone an apology.

The last couple weeks I haven't been blogging as much as I'd like. My mind has been elsewhere. Every night that I sit down in front of the computer, I'm not present enough to type out more than a few lines (if even that).

At times, I've thought that it was because of people at work. Over the last few weeks, I've had discussions with various coworkers about my blog. Well, really, they're not discussions - it's more like people telling me they've been reading my blog. Initially, I thought that it would censor my words or cause me to question blogging altogether. It hasn't, though. I don't hesitate to talk about anything - I just find myself at a loss for words (following a loss of contemplation for the world around me).

No, my issues is focus. I'm just not focused, and I haven't been focused much over the course of the year. I'm working on a few things to refocus my efforts. I need to set new goals. Real goals.

And I need to stop bogging down my mind with useless crap.

Many of the people who know me personally, or in some sort of "real life" capacity, know that I have a rather good memory. I know a lot things. I've experienced a lot of things. I speak with confidence, even when my expertise is nothing more than having read about the subject once.

Now, to get this way, you have to have a penchant for information. You need an appetite for encyclopedias, trivia, useless facts, and know more than just the 5th-grade textbook version of something. You absorb information. It soaks into your skin and crusts under your fingernails. Your hair gets crusty with facts and knowledge that no one person really needs to know. This is often the curse of a polymath - the renaissance man; the tinkerer; the DaVinci. This is, to some degree, what I deal with every conscious moment of the day. While trying to explain the function of some electrical gadget to a person, I'm thinking about the curvature of space-time, the volume of beef that people in the US eat every day, and the possible cause of some issue on the car - while listening to what's going on around me and formulating assumptions about a person's life as I'm trying to fix their problem. I don't know if I qualify as a polymath. All I know is that I can't stop my brain from working.

Well, really, that's not true. I CAN stop it. I've just gotten out of the habit of finding the peace that comes with uncluttered simplicity. I've become too involved in everything going on in my world.

No, my coworkers are the least of my worries. My biggest problem is... myself.

I vow to you, my readers, my family, my friends, and my colleagues- I will find focus. I WILL write. I will do a better job of blogging. I will make use of my knowledge and abilities.

You will see an all new Eric. One that is back on the right track instead of cluttered inside his mind, trying to find his way out.

Thank you for your patience.

.

.

digg_url = 'http://aneweric.com/index.php/2008/11/26/a-blog-reprise?blog=1'; digg_url = digg_url.replace(/amp;/g, ''); digg_bgcolor = '#FFFFFF'; digg_skin = 'compact'; digg_title = 'A Blog: Reprise'; digg_bodytext = 'I owe everyone an apology. The last couple weeks I haven\'t been blogging as much as I\'d like. My mind has been elsewhere. Every night that I sit down in front of the computer, I\'m not present enough to type out more than a few lines (if even that). At times, I\'ve thought that it was because of people at work. Over ';
Original post blogged on b2evolution.

Main Street Plaza

Harvey Milk

Posted: November 26th, 2008, 1:51pm EST by Hellmut

Tags: [edit]

Just in time for Thanksgiving, Hollywood is rolling out Harvey Milk, a tribute to the first openly elected gay man to a major office in the United States. The reviews of Harvey Milk are excellent. Sean Penn is supposed to be magnificent and the movie captures humanity of the gay experience.
People will get out of that movie and despise homophobia. Then they will look for a homophobic force and the first thing that will come to their mind will be the Mormon Church.
Almost every journalist and every opinion leader of the reality based community will see Harvey Milk and shape his or her opinions accordingly.

Thoughts by Sister Mary Lisa

Thankful

Posted: November 26th, 2008, 6:08am EST by Sister Mary Lisa

Tags: [edit]

What kind of SML would I be if I didn't write some of the things I'm currently thankful for?

~my kids
~paid days off
~high speed internet
~no snow
~good friends
~nay, GREAT friends
~closure
~chocolate covered cherries
~travel adventures
~good times
~good health
~happiness
~family
~airplanes
~gas prices going down
~my sweet dog
~blog readers who haven't disowned me yet
~trees
~800 thread count sheets
~budgets that are black and not red
~new contacts
~hugs and kisses
~kisses and hugs
~fresh air
~space to be me
~the fact I don't have to cook this Thanksgiving

Did I mention happiness?

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends. What are you thankful for?

Cr@ig In The Middle

A Conversation with a Mormon Apologist

Posted: November 26th, 2008, 3:58am EST by Cr@ig

Tags: [edit]

Buried deep in one of my post is the following joust between me and a poster who goes by the name of "The Blog"...I thought it was worthy of its own post. Enjoy.

The Blog said...
Craig, I was just wondering What foundational history and claims is the church not being honest about?
Sunday, November 16, 2008 2:36:00 PM

Cr@ig said...
Well "the blogger"...I KNOW it is hard for a true believing active member of the church to believe that a former true believing active member of the church could come to a decision that the church is NOT what it claims to be and actually leave the church, resign or just walk away.

Surly there must have been some sin, surly my faith and belief could NOT have been as deep as yours, or maybe it was that I wasn't as committed to the church or I secretly held desires to sin…because it HAD to be something, right? SOMETHING OTHER than the simple reality that the church is NOT what it claims to be.

I was a sixth generation Mormon…have held church callings from the simplest to the most responsible…I was NOT supposed to be the person to leave the church. I am/was immersed in the Utah Mormon culture. I paid my full tithes, I attended the Temple multiple times a month, I read my scriptures daily, I held family home evenings regularly…I STILL want the church to be true.

It was during my research that I encountered information that was not consistent with what I had been taught throughout my life as a 4 year seminary graduate and college institute graduate as well as being a full and active participant in the church since my birth. This is what caused me to start the questioning of my beliefs…conflicting information to the official stories.

I admit that once the questioning began…once the crack in my testimony started, once I started to ask tough questions rather than placing them on the back burner of my mind, the wheels began to fall off. But can’t real truth stand up to questions and scrutiny?

I was not shallow enough to just leave….I fought to maintain my testimony…I DID have long and multiple visits with Bishops, Stake Presidents and YES even General Authorities. I spent time with official church apologist at F.A.R.M.S. as well…I have read volumes of church sponsored explanations for church anomalies…but in the end…not one person, no bishop, SP or GA could answer my questions….in the end the pieces of the puzzle would not fit together the church could not stand up to tough scrutiny nor could it's explanations of reality fit in with what I now know to be the "Real" reality. In the end my faith could not be sustained… “For faith, as well intentioned as it may be, must be built on facts, not fiction - faith in fiction is a damnable false hope."

The church is either what it claims to be or it is not…there is no middle ground…Joseph either saw God or he did not, the Book of Mormon is either a factual history of a band of Israelites that were the forefathers of the American Indians or it is not…Joseph either translated Abrahams writings from Egyptian Hieroglyphics into the Book of Abraham or he did not. Thomas Monson either talks with God or he does not. As I’ve said before the church may be the greatest thing ever invented by man, but if it was invented…it does not deserve our involvement…for then, it is nothing more than a damnable false hope.
Monday, November 24, 2008 9:24:00 AM

The Blog said...
That wasn't really an answer to my question. What exactly isn't the church being honest about?
Were you inadvertently saying that Joseph Smith didn't see God and Jesus Christ? Were you saying that The Book of Mormon isn't written by a band of Israelites that are descendants of the Indians? Are you saying President Monson doesn't speak with God?
I don't think it's wrong to ask questions and anyone can choose to believe whatever the want to. I do know however, when I think something is wrong I stop associating myself with it. Why waste your time trying to prove something is wrong to everyone else? Why not just drop it?
What I have found is that when people leave the church they just can't stand to leave it alone. Leave it alone. Let people believe what they want to believe.
The way I see it, living the life the church encourages; abstain from drugs, alcohol, premarital sex, immodesty... etc. promotes healthy lifestyle, eat healthy, exercise, pray, read uplifting material (bible, book of mormon, other edifying books) be happy...etc. is the healthiest way to live. Do all members of the church live this way? NO. Would any person in the world be happier if they lived this way? YES.
Even if The LDS church isn't the true church of God on Earth, why try to discourage people from living a life that brings them happiness?
Monday, November 24, 2008 11:04:00 AM

The Blog said... Oh, and I wasn't making any accusations in my first question at all. I was simply wondering.
Monday, November 24, 2008 11:06:00 AM

Cr@ig said... That wasn't really an answer to my question. What exactly isn't the church being honest about?
Well “The Blog” since you’ve asked so kindly, let me try to be more specific. There are so many lies taught as truth in Mormonism…but here are just a few of the lies propagated by the Mormon Church:
*****************************
01. The Mormon Lie

God the Father has a body of flesh and bone

01. The Truth

Joseph Smith taught that God the Father was a body of
spirit, not physical, years after the supposed first vision. Why would he do this if he had in fact seen God and left the grove knowing God had a physical body of flesh and bone? See Lectures on Faith once part of the Mormon D&C now removed because it conflicted with other Mormon claims.

**************************************

02. The Mormon Lie

Joseph was an industrious hard working young man

02. The Truth

Joseph was a glass-looking, literally defrauding people out of their money by claiming to be able to find treasure by placing a rock in his hat.

************************************

03. The Mormon Lie

Joseph had actual Golden Plates in his presence that he translated into the Book of Mormon (think of the famous Mormon picture) Ummm it’s a lie…didn’t happen at all like that.

03. The Truth

Joseph buried his head in a hat on his lap with his peep stone enclosed to dictate the Book of Mormon text to his scribe...there were NO Gold Plates anywhere insight.

******************************

04. The Mormon Lie

Joseph lived the Word of Wisdom after it was revealed to him.

04. The Truth

Joseph never lived the Word of Wisdom and more than likely had an alcohol addiction. He even drank the night he was killed in the gun fight.

******************************

05. The Mormon Lie

Joseph was a virtuous, loving and faithful husband to Emma the perfect example of husbandhood and participated reluctantly in polygamy only after having his life threatened by an angel from God

05. The Truth

Joseph lied to Emma, he was involved with polygamous marriages more than 10 years before ever informing Emma. His first affair was with his own house maid 16 year old Fanny Alger.

******************************

06. The Mormon Lie

There are volumes of archeological evidence to support the historicity of the Book of Mormon.

06. The Truth

There is NO archeological evidence to support the historicity of the Book of Mormon. Nothing, nadda.

******************************

07. The Mormon Lie

Native American’s and Polynesians are descendants of an Israelite named Lehi.

07. The Truth

Native Americans descended from North-West Asia; Polynesians descended from South East Asia... not from an Israelite forefather and certainly not from each other.

****************************

08. The Mormon Lie

The “Nauvoo Expositor” was nothing but lies and a public nuisance.

08. The Truth

The “Nauvoo Expositor” was destroyed for actually exposing the truth about Joseph Smith.

******************************

09. The Mormon Lie

Brigham Young only taught Adam-God as a simple theory not as a binding a doctrine.

09. The Truth

Brigham Young DID teach the Adam-God Theory as church doctrine…those that failed to comply were threatened with excommunication for apsotacy.

******************************

10. The Mormon Lie

Joseph was a prophet of God and was not involved with the Occult

10. The Truth

Joseph died with a Jupiter Talisman (an occult symbol) in his pocket while at Carthage

******************************

11. The Mormon Lie

The Book of Abraham is an inspired translation of the papyrus written by the hand of Abraham.

11. The Truth

The Book of Abraham is a fraud. The papyrus is a common Egyptian funeral text it has nothing what-so-ever to do with Abraham.

******************************

12. The Mormon Lie

The various “First Vision” accounts are harmonious and support each other.

12. The Truth

At least four different "First Vision" stories exist either written or narrated by Joseph Smith which are in complete odds with eachother.

******************************

13. The Mormon Lie

Joseph was a moral man.

13. The Truth

One of Joseph Smith's plural wives was a 14 year old girl named Helen Mar Kimball, daughter of Heber C. Kimball and Vilate Kimball.

******************************

14. The Mormon Lie

The Mountain Meadows Massacre was unfortunate incident perpetrated by Indians and men acting on their own.

14. The Truth

Mormons, acting either under local direction or Young's direction, murdered innocent men, woman and children at the Mountain Meadows in southern Utah.

******************************

15. The Mormon Lie

The Temple Endowment was a restoration of temple ordinances lost from Solomon’s Temple of old.

15. The Truth

Joseph Smith plagiarized Masonic Temple ceremonies from the 1700’s into the LDS endowment within weeks of receiving them.

******************************

16. The Mormon Lie

The fact that we haven’t yet found evidence of these animals does not mean that they did not exist.

16. The Truth

There were no horses, sheep cattle, elephants etc in pre-Columbian America despite BoM claims.

******************************

17. The Mormon Lie

God gave Joseph’s father Lehi’s dream to prepare him for the Book of Mormon.

17. The Truth

Joseph Smith, incorporated his father’s 1813 dream into the Book of Mormon and attributed it to Lehi

******************************

18. The Mormon Lie

Joseph prophesied of the coming of the Civil War years prior to it coming

18. The Truth

Joseph articulated current events that any informed person of the day could have lifted from local news papers

************************************

19. The Mormon Lie

Joseph’s scribe, William Clayton, got it wrong in claiming that Joseph had started the translation of the fraudulent Kinderhook plates.

19. The Truth

William Clayton was good enough as a scribe when he wrote down Smith’s “1820 First Vision” claim in 1838 why not when he also detailed Joseph’s so-called first vision?

******************************
And that is just a few of the many lies.

I’ll share more thoughts when I have the time…
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 4:07:00 PM

The Blog said...
Cr@ig,

I have read through each and every one of your disputations and couldn't help but feel regret that you have placed so much weight on these points.

I have dedicated much of my life to the study of many philosophies, ideas, opinions as well as LDS doctrine coupled with anti-LDS beliefs.

I am easily able to refute each and every single one of your points. Since my time is limited, I thought it would be just as well to go over even the first one.

"01. The Mormon Lie

God the Father has a body of flesh and bone

01. The Truth

Joseph Smith taught that God the Father was a body of
spirit, not physical, years after the supposed first vision. Why would he do this if he had in fact seen God and left the grove knowing God had a physical body of flesh and bone? See Lectures on Faith once part of the Mormon D&C now removed because it conflicted with other Mormon claims."

I have read the entire Lectures on Faith and have it right here with me. Please give me a reference that says God does not have a body of flesh and bone. I am unable to locate any. Also, the Lectures on Faith was removed from the D&C not because they "conflicted with other Mormon claims" but they were "removed because they are not specific revelations to the Church and were never sustained as such" which the Doctrine and Covenants were. If they conflicted, wouldn't the Church not publish them, and even tell the Saints not to read them? I find on the contrary, "these lectures are of great value and should be studied... I consider them to be of extreme value in the study of the gospel of Jesus Christ."-President Joseph Fielding Smith

After I read your first point, it completely removed any credibility you had.

Your tone is the same as many anti-Mormons. In an effort to discredit the Church, you throw out mixed ideas that you think make a point, but in turn expose your weakness in not only study, but in sound reason.

My friend, I hope you can see through the thick cloud of your own pride and repent of your sins, that you can enjoy the light and happiness you once had, instead of trying to justify your actions in vain.

"When once that light which was in them is taken from them they become as much darkened as they were previously enlightened."

"And thus we can plainly discern, that after a people have been once enlightened by the Spirit of God, and have had great knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness, and then have fallen away into sin and transgression, they become more hardened, and thus their state becomes worse than though they had never known these things."-Alma 24:30
Wednesday, November 26, 2008 8:50:00 AM

The Blog Said: I have read through each and every one of your disputations and couldn't help but feel regret that you have placed so much weight on these points.

Cr@ig’s Response: Oh please… save your emotions , I’ve only scratched the surface…as to my points holding weight…they speak for themselves…but hey, I have an open mind…so If I am wrong in any of my conclusions…I’d love to be shown the errors of my ways….can you say the same for yourself? Is Truth more important to you than family, culture, religion, tradition and public image? Would you really dare or care to know the truth? Because until you value truth more than these other things…you will not be in a position to accept Truth.

The Blog Said: I have dedicated much of my life to the study of many philosophies, ideas, opinions as well as LDS doctrine coupled with anti-LDS beliefs.

Cr@ig’s Response: Characterizing information that brings into question Mormon claims as “ANTI” is an emotional-think-stopping-question-quelling-tool often used by cults. The Mormon Church and its apologist like to place anything that brings into question their claims…as “ANTI”. A real truth seeker would not. Neither I nor my blog are ANTI-Mormon….I am PRO-TRUTH. I have a very open mind and will gladly correct any posted thought of mine that can be proven to be in error. Why doesn’t the Mormon Church do the same…if they do in fact treasure truth above all other virtues? But instead they prop up their claims even after they have been completely debunked and shown to be false claims.

The Blog Said: I am easily able to refute each and every single one of your points. {REALLY? Be my guest} Since my time is limited, I thought it would be just as well to go over even the first one.

{Ok Bring it on}

"01. The Mormon Lie

God the Father has a body of flesh and bone

01. The Truth

Joseph Smith taught that God the Father was a body of
spirit, not physical, years after the supposed first vision. Why would he do this if he had in fact seen God and left the grove knowing God had a physical body of flesh and bone? See Lectures on Faith once part of the Mormon D&C now removed because it conflicted with other Mormon claims."

I have read the entire Lectures on Faith and have it right here with me. Please give me a reference that says God does not have a body of flesh and bone. I am unable to locate any.

Cr@ig’s Response: Please give you a reference that says that God does not have a body of flesh and bone? This is a classic Mormon Straw man argument, prove a negative. Of course there is NO reference that states emphatically that God “DOES NOT” have a body of flesh and bone and you know it. Rather we have a onetime canonized scripture/ now uncanonized, emphatically stating that “…The Father being {is} a personage of spirit, glory and power: possessing all perfection and fullness: {while} The Son, who was in the bosom of the Father, {is} a personage of tabernacle, made, or fashioned like unto man, or being in the form and likeness of man, or, rather, man was formed after his likeness, and in his image.

How much clearer does it have to be for you “Blog”? Joseph Smith is Juxtaposing the spirit comprised personage of God the Father against the flesh and bone composed Jesus Christ. Had it been Smith’s intent to teach that God had a body of flesh and bone in 1834, when he taught the Lectures on Faith, he could have easily done so…After all, you believe he knew this concept when he emerged from the grove in 1820…but the truth is that his concept of God being like man (with flesh and bone) had not evolved to the point that it eventually did in 1843, when he declaired in D&C 130.

So here’s my challenge to you…”IF” as you seem to believe, this concept of God having a body of Flesh and Bone was a commonly taught doctrine before 1843….show me “Any” reference before 1843 where “Any” Mormon Authority taught that God had a body of Flesh and Bone. Take all the time you’d like…. But it’s not there, because prior to 1843…Mormon’s believed and taught that God the Father was a personage of SPIRIT.

Blog, having dedicated {so} much of your life to the study of many philosophies, ideas, opinions as well as LDS doctrine… I’m sure that you are well aware that during the Kirtland period of church history Joseph Smith taught a traditional trinity view of the Godhead. This is well documented and further supported by the original trinity concepts {now removed} from the first editions of the Book of Mormon.

Blog Stated: Also, the Lectures on Faith was removed from the D&C not because they "conflicted with other Mormon claims" but they were "removed because they are not specific revelations to the Church and were never sustained as such" which the Doctrine and Covenants were.

Cr@ig’s Response: Hummm…The Mormon D&C is FULL of Non revelations…in fact you probably are unaware that one of the most quoted and beloved so-called Mormon canonized scriptures was NOT a revelation at all, but a mere personal letter Smith wrote to his wife Emma while incarcerated in Liberty Jail. The love letter parts were edited out and the well written "scripture quality" prose (something Smith was very good at) was added to the D&C as section 121 in 1880. It was NOT a revelation at all…but a well written love letter from a husband under duress to one of his many wives.

So the Fact that the Lectures on Faith were not so-called revelations is Not the reason they were removed…it was because by 1921when they were removed, the concept of God being a personage of "Spirit" had evolved within Mormonism and it conflicted with the then taught view of the godhead being taught by the church in 1921 when it was removed…otherwise all sections that were included in the D&C that were not-so-called-revelations would have been removed as well. But they were not.

Blog States: After I read your first point, it completely removed any credibility you had.

Cr@ig’s Response: Seriously…you need to redefine your definition of “Credibility” I find myself quite credible…since your premise and claims to my stated Mormon Lie on the godhead…has withstood your sad apologetic attempt.

Blog States: Your tone is the same as many anti-Mormons. In an effort to discredit the Church, you throw out mixed ideas that you think make a point, but in turn expose your weakness in not only study, but in sound reason.

Cr@ig’s Response: Blog your use of Mormon think stopping emotional triggers such as “Anti-Mormon” will NOT be tolerated on MY blog. As for discrediting the so-called church with my mixed ideas, weak study and lack of sound reason…I await your reply to my above mentioned Challenge. We'll see just how weak it really is. Good luck! Next time bring your best game...you're not messing with a neophyte.

Blog States: My friend,{we’re NOT friends…but I’m certainly open to meeting with you over a cup ‘O coffee someday} I hope you can see through the thick cloud of your own pride and repent of your sins, that you can enjoy the light and happiness you once had, instead of trying to justify your actions in vain.

Cr@ig’s Response: Get off your sanctimonious ramiumptum “Blog” and open your own eyes to the reality of the false claims of Mormonism… If you really do cherish truth…you will scrutinize and really examine all of Mormonisms truth claims rather than blindly accepting them because they come from your so-called prophetic leaders or some other emotional faith promoting feeling you might have experienced…for as Thomas Edison so wisely stated “…For faith, as well intentioned as it may be, must be built on facts, not fiction - faith in fiction is a damnable false hope."

And Mormonism is built on a foundation of myths, historical distortions and down-right lies...it cannot be what it claims to be.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:47:00 AM

a new eric

Fortune Cookie Speaks: November 25, 2008

Posted: November 26th, 2008, 10:53pm EST by Eric

Tags: [edit]

"Cheerful company and a merry time are ahead for you."

- Fortune Cookie

.

Funny how Thanksgiving is two days away. It's almost like the fortune cookie knew.

I have two days off - tomorrow and Thursday. I'm actually going to have a Thanksgiving this year, instead of going to Village Inn or meandering through a dinner with the former-in-laws. Not that I don't like them, mind you, it's just awkward.

This year, I have the kids all to myself, too. And even still, I have Jill to spend the holiday with.

A merry time, indeed!

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digg_url = 'http://aneweric.com/index.php/2008/11/25/fortune-cookie-speaks-november-25-2008?blog=1'; digg_url = digg_url.replace(/amp;/g, ''); digg_bgcolor = '#FFFFFF'; digg_skin = 'compact'; digg_title = 'Fortune Cookie Speaks: November 25, 2008'; digg_bodytext = '\"Cheerful company and a merry time are ahead for you.\" - Fortune Cookie . Funny how Thanksgiving is two days away. It\'s almost like the fortune cookie knew. I have two days off - tomorrow and Thursday. I\'m actually going to have a Thanksgiving this year, instead of going to Village Inn or meandering through a ';
Original post blogged on b2evolution.

this, that, and the other

Carousel of Nostalgia

Posted: November 26th, 2008, 9:57pm EST by Randy

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My kids love to view, and print, photographs whenever they are at home. We went through hundreds of pictures with T the past few days, dating all the way back to when he was a baby. His favorites this go-around were photos of him at the Alexandria, Louisiana, Zoo. A caught on to T's fascination with photographs when T began returning to St. Mary's with dozens of prints every time he came home. A now has me printing photos, and A has had me drive past his old school and a few other places he used to love but hasn't cared about more recently.

This clip expresses my kids' nostalgia for photographs and drives past the old places better than I ever could. As I've already written, I just finished the first season of this show on DVD this past week. This is one of the final moments of the season, and it was on my mind when T and I were looking at photos. The kids' nostalgia habits were also on my mind when I was watching the scene, and I almost got a little weepy.

Letters from a broad...

And now for something completely different!

Posted: November 25th, 2008, 8:32pm EST by C. L. Hanson

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My kids and I play with free astronomy software and movies at Rational Moms!!!

Notamormon

Recovery From Mormonism is now 13 years old

Posted: November 25th, 2008, 4:00pm EST

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To mark this, an interview with the founder, filmed five years ago:

a new eric

I Need More Cowbell

Posted: November 25th, 2008, 10:59pm EST by Eric

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Original post blogged on b2evolution.

Main Street Plaza

My “Signing for Something” letter

Posted: November 25th, 2008, 10:41pm EST by chanson

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Here it is.

So did I resign my church membership like I said I would?

Not quite. yet. I set out to do it, and… I just couldn’t do it.

Now, I know most people reading this will leap to the cynical interpretation that deep down I secretly still believe in God, or that I just haven’t milked this enough for blog material. But it’s not that (okay, well, maybe a little tiny bit of the latter). But, as a purely symbolic gesture, I don’t feel like doing it. I never affirmed my membership or sustained the leadership of the CoJCoL-dS as an adult, so I haven’t said anything that I should have to take back. I haven’t authorized them to list me as part of their organization — so if they’re keeping honest records, they should remove my name on their own, without my insisting on it.

Letters from a broad...

The continuing drama of my tangential Mormonness

Posted: November 24th, 2008, 2:43pm EST by C. L. Hanson

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Not for the easily bored. ;^)

Cr@ig In The Middle

The Consequences of Supporting California's Prop 8

Posted: November 24th, 2008, 1:04am EST by Cr@ig

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The Mormon Church has no one to blame but its own so-called inspired leaders.

With its support of California’s Proposition 8, the Mormon Church has thrown the largest rock into the tumultuous waters of Same Sex marriage … and appropriately is now reaping the tsunami ripples spinning off from this so-called inspired decision. How could God NOT have seen this coming?

Just like the recent Wall Street Market crash… the crash of the “Mormon Brand”, despite years and years of being propped up by its massive public relations effort, has been laid to waist. A vast majority of surveyed Americans have a negitive view of the Mormon Church.

The TSCC wanted to play with the big boys and is now reaping its reward. Evidently it learned NOTHING from the lessons of its own history. People do not like to be carpet bagged by out of state interests or have a minority impose its own personal interests on the majority. How soon TSCC forgets the political lessons of Kirtland, Missouri and Nauvoo.

I don’t claim to be a prophet in any sense of the word, but I can see where all of this is going…why couldn’t God’s so called anointed leaders?

Here are a few of my predictions:

• Unfortunately, the price of the decision will be paid by TSCC’s members through increased public alienation and marginalization. Its leadership will remain couched away in their Phallic Symbol, the COB.

• I foresee an increase in personal harm and attacks to the public face of Mormonism…its missionary force.

• Mormon conversion rates in California will nose-dive.

• All Mormon public buildings, such as churches and temples, will become targets of vandalism and public protests on a regular basis.

• Publically announced visits of Mormon GA’s to California will virtually disappear.

• Individual Mormon members in California will pay the heaviest price being subjected to individual acts of vandalism personally directed at their personal property…such as gratify to their homes and businesses.

• The children of the Mormon faithful in California will be subjected to public ridicule and taunts of bigotry while attending their public schools. Some may even have to be pulled from public schools. Declaring one’s self Mormon, will become even more embarrassing and painful.

• There will be an increase in membership resignations from California members.

• California wards, already divided over this issue, will see a decrease in membership attendance and tithing payments, creating its own ripple effect.

• Evangelical coalition members, who joined the Mormon Church in defense of Marriage, will abandon the Mormon Church (whom they view as a cult) and hang them out to dry.

• Mormon GA’s WILL be subjected to a “Cream Pie in the Face Incident”

• Either a Pro-Gay Marriage Prop will eventually pass or the California Supreme court will over turn Prop 8, but next time the Mormon Church will take a less active roll…having paid such a heavy price to its so coveted public image, tithing payments and membership numbers.

• Same Sex Marriage will eventually become Law in some form in California at some time in the future and all of the Mormon’s Churches efforts will have been for naught. If I can see this coming...why couldn't God's so-called anointed?

Isn’t it Wonderful…Isn’t it Marvelous…

I should note that I do not personally advocate vandalism, violence or bodily hard to anything or any person associated with the Mormon Church…I am merely stating the obvious consequences of the Mormon Church’s decision to interject itself into California’s Political arena.

a new eric

The Composition Book: Part Seven

Posted: November 24th, 2008, 10:45pm EST by Eric

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The Composition Book
Part Seven

Fishkill Journal
Eric P Feb. 22, 1986

Over the vacation I went to Boston to see sites. There are alot of sites about the American Revolution. We stayed at the American hotel. They have alot of pictures of the war. We had alot of fun. I hope we can go back someday.

The teacher comments read: "Good"

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I'm not sure of which hotel I'm referring to here, but I do recall some excursions into Massachusetts for some history-related family vacations. I just wish I could recall THIS vacation. I think I'll have to go back simply to retrace my steps and see if anything comes back to me. That, and it might be good to visit Boston.

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digg_url = 'http://aneweric.com/index.php/2008/11/23/the-composition-book-part-seven?blog=1'; digg_url = digg_url.replace(/amp;/g, ''); digg_bgcolor = '#FFFFFF'; digg_skin = 'compact'; digg_title = 'The Composition Book: Part Seven'; digg_bodytext = ' The Composition Book Part Seven Fishkill Journal Eric P Feb. 22, 1986 Over the vacation I went to Boston to see sites. There are alot of sites about the American Revolution. We stayed at the American hotel. They have alot of pictures of the war. We had alot of fun. I hope we can go back someday. The teacher';
Original post blogged on b2evolution.

Jer Illuminated

Early Thanksgiving

Posted: November 23rd, 2008, 2:06pm EST by Jer

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I had one of those moments on the drive home tonight after dropping off my girls with Christy. That brief glimpse of connectedness to everything.

It came at the end cap of a wonderful week celebrating my daughters birthday. Earlier this week, on the actual date of their birth, I was invited to join my in-laws in their celebration. I got to see a new nephew for the first time and catch up with my sister-in-law and her husband. I received a nice compliment from my father-in-law and chatted with him for a bit as well. The girls had such a great time; they were absolutely beaming by the end of the night and it was probably their favorite birthday so far.

On Friday I went out with Red, her nieces, and my sister to see the new teen vampire movie. (I don't want a million search hits by invoking the name) It had both its good and bad parts but it was still entertaining and it was fun to get away from the kids for a bit and sit in a darkened theater together. I spent the rest of the weekend with all my girls, reading, playing Rock Band 2, board games, and dancing to DDR-worthy pop music.

Finally tonight we held a second bi

Outer Lightness

Feeds

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Posted: December 3rd, 2008, 10:57pm EST by Eric

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