Per Ardua Ad Astra

Goals for 2012

2012-01-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

Learn Spanish
Continue eating better/exercising more
Improve my handwriting
Spend more time in the mountains around Logan

Books Read in 2011

2011-12-13T21:46:00.002-07:00

I finished the following 26 books in 2011:

Nonfiction:

9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson & Ernie Colón
1066 and All That by Walter Sellar & Robert Yeatman
Albion: The Origins of the English Imagination by Peter Ackroyd
Between Pulpit and Pew: The Supernatural World in Mormon History and Folklore edited by W. Paul Reeve and Michael Scott Van Wagenen
Building a Mystery: The Story of Sarah McLachlan and Lilith Fair by Judith Fitzgerald
Catholic Roots, Mormon Harvest: A Story of Conversion and 40 Comparative Doctrines by Eric Shuster
Dead Certainties (Unwarranted Speculations) by Simon Schama
Desire of the Everlasting Hills: The World Before and After Jesus by Thomas Cahill
Finding Everett Ruess: The Life and Unsolved Disappearance of a Legendary Wilderness Explorer by David Roberts
Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
In Great Haste: The Letters of Michael Collins and Kitty Kiernan by Ó’Broin, León
Life and Works of Hieronymus Bosch (World's Greatest Artists Series) by Trewin Copplestone
Light of the World: The Pope, The Church, and the Signs of the Times by Benedict XVI and Peter Seewald
Path to Freedom by Michael Collins
Richard the Lionheart by John Gillingham
Saxons, Vikings, and Celts: The Genetic Roots of Britain and Ireland by Bryan Sykes
Scribble, Scribble, Scribble: Writing on Politics, Ice Cream, Churchill, and My Mother by Simon Schama
Symbols of Catholicism by Dom Robert Le Gall
U2 & i: The Photographs 1982-2004 by Anton Corbijn
Unforgettable Fire: Past, Present and Future: The Definitive Biography of U2 by Eamon Dunphy
Wall & Piece by Banksy

Fiction:

Alchemist by Paolo Coelho
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

Duets!

2011-12-02T23:40:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been enjoying male/female duets by some of my favorite singers:

Coldplay (Chris Martin) and Rihanna, Princess of China, from the album Mylo Xyloto, 2011

Gavin Friday and Amy Odell, Land on the Moon, from the album catholic, 2011

Fran Healy and Neko Case, Sing Me to Sleep, from the album Wreckorder, 2010

Travis (Fran Healy) and KT Tunstall, Under the Moonlight, from the album The Boy with No Name, 2007

The Smashing Pumpkins (James Iha) and Nina Gordon, ...Said Sadly, from the EP Bullet with Butterfly Wings, 1996

Free Books

2011-10-19T15:05:00.001-06:00

It's that time again: I've culled my personal book collection and the following titles are yours for free if you want them. Just reply to me (email, phone, Facebook, etc.) before NOVEMBER 1.

RELIGION

Book of Bible Lists by H.L. Wilmington (1987)
Christianity Through the Centuries by Daryl Chase (1944)
Joseph Smith: The Mormon Prophet by John J. Stewart (1966)
Joseph the Prophet as He Lives in the Hearts of His People by Daryl Chase (1944)
Our Church and People by John Henry Evans (1924)
Witnesses of the Birth of Christ by Joseph Fielding McConkie (1998)

GREAT BRITAIN

Changing Views on British History edited by Elizabeth Furber (1966)
The King's England: London by Arthur Mee (1948)
Life at the Court of Queen Victoria edited by Barry Nevill (1984)
Queen and Country: The Fifty-Year Reign of Elizabeth II by William Shawcross (2002)

OTHER HISTORY

The 9/11 Commission Report (2004)
Ancient Egypt edited by David Silverman (1997)
Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love by Dava Sobel (1999)
Readings in Medieval History edited by Patrick Geary
Vinland Map and Tartar Relation by Skelton, Marston, and Painter (1965)

MISC

1000 Years of Irish Poetry edited by Kathleen Hoagland (1975)
Facts and Fallacies: Stories of the Strange and Unusual by Reader's Digest (1988)
New College Latin & English Dictionary by John Traupman (1966)
The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Romantic Period (2000)

There and Then

2011-10-02T23:53:00.006-06:00

View Larger Map
From July 12-14, 1999, I rode a Greyhound bus home to Salt Lake City from Pelham, Massachusetts, leaving a family vacation early and embarking on a solitary, life-changing experience at age 18. Amy and I had become engaged just three weeks earlier and she paid for my ticket home. After finding and re-reading my journal from my return journey (written in the form of short notes to Amy scribbled in pencil within a plain blue spiral notebook), I found many similarities between my style of writing and that in the letters of Michael Collins and his fiancé in the book I am currently reading: In Great Haste. Here is that journal, presented in all its strange, beautiful, glory, and posted with Amy's consent. It is a unique document of my experience, but also of our relationship, which has been fascinating for us to explore on the eve of our twelfth anniversary. All grammar, spelling, and capitalizations are original, reflecting the honest intensity of the moment (and my status then as a high-school dropout!)

***
DEAR Amy
I just got on the bus and I'm so scared. I'm scared more than I ever have been. I Wish you Were here, so bad! I Need you to hold me in times like this. I will never leave you for a long period of time again. What I'm really scared of is New York. I have to switch busses there and I know I'LL get lost. Oh, well Just have to face it now. I love you so much and I'm sorry for leaving you. Right now you would be saying "It's okay." But I really think it was wrong to leave you right after proposing I'm such a terrible person sometimes. I'll have to tell you about my experience in New Jersey Later. It's been a really long week. I'm going to read now, I'll write again later.

I Love You

I Just got on the bus at SpringField.[1] I'm on the right bus for New York, I Hope! 3 hours away. I better get ~~comph~~ comfortable. I fell asleep on the last bus- I hope I don't miss any stops in the future. I'm still scared of New York and I just realised I have an hour to spend there. I can't stop thinking about you and that's a good thing. I miss you so much; even more than I ever did while you were at college. I'll be home in two days to hold you and love you forever.

I LOVE YOU.

I Hope you don't find this journal thing too annoying but it gives me something to do and an insight for you into what I'm feeling I just got into Hartford[2] and just thought I'd write you again in between naps.

I LOVE YOU

We're coming into New York City now. I never got to come with my family. I'm looking at all the housing projects that surround this area and it reminds me of the towers in "Running to Stand Still."[3] I've seen pictures of them and they look a lot alike. We just finished watching a movie called "Washington Square"[4] about a girl who wants to marry a man she hasn't dated for too long and her father gets in the way (a lot like us except for the ending). It kept me awake through to NYC. We're almost at the station now. Ron and Jean[5] packed me a meal so I'll eat it during the hour away from the bus. I have lots to tell you about us when I get back.

I LOVE YOU

Guess What? New York was okay! I got there, asked some questions, then went right to the gate. My only problem was when I thought I was in the wrong line and so I got out of it and had to go to the back. (I was in the right line to begin with!) But I still got a good seat- all by myself for this overnight part of the trip. While I was with my family I read my Oasis book[6] and started Michael Collins.[7] Hopefully It'll be done when I reach home. I'm going to have the same driver on this bus all the way home. I can't wait to hug you and hold you and kiss you and love you.

I LOVE YOU

P.S.- there's a great sunset outside my window right now. Too bad you won't see it for about 3 more hours. I'm thinking about you.

I LOVE YOU

It's about 10:00 here (I'm guessing) and we just stopped at McDonald's so the driver could get some coffee. I don't want to spend lots of money yet so I got a water-in-a-bottle thing. I still have plenty of food from Ron. Probably will sleep until Cleveland.[8]

I LOVE YOU

Just came into Cleveland and I'm on the road again but I think I'm on the wrong bus. Oh well, I'll figure it out in Chicago.

I LOVE YOU

Stopped in SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, but nothing much to see. Now I'm in Chicago and 3 1/2 hours ahead of schedule so I have a long time to wait. The trip home hasn't been that bad but I can't wait to see you. This trip has made me realise how much I love you and how much I need you in my life. I want you to know that I have been faithfull from the night we started dating[9] til now and will be forever.

I LOVE YOU

Right now I'm on the bus to IOWA City, IOWA And we're gonna stop for dinner in 5 minutes. Pretty boring ride right now. Just trying to read my 3rd book "The Giver."[10] 1 more day and I'll see you. Hopefully I can sleep through a lot of it.

I LOVE YOU

You wont believe the variety of people I'm sitting by: a kid from France, 2 girls that each have a screaming baby, a hilarious black family, a teenager with a thick British accent, a kid with the biggest buck teeth I have ever seen, a teenage hippie girl, a straight-edge boy and a nun. Wow- this is so interesting to just watch them interact. We're heading to Des Moines now and I'm halfway through my Book- it finally grabbed me. It was boring throughout the beginning. I forgot to say that I met this guy in New York who looked like he was going to kick the shit out of me but then he started talking to me about when he was in Utah in 1974 or something like that and we talked for awhile. He was a really great guy. I hope he makes it to Montana okay. I can't wait to see you in your pink tank-top.

I LOVE YOU

We're traveling to Ogalala, NEB.[11] after a long night. I couldn't sleep for some reason and so I just helped take care of one of the screaming babies so it's mom could get some rest. There's something different about that child: too hateful and angry at this early age. Oh well, she's their kid, not mine. I won't be traveling across the country on bus with a very small child. Tonight I see you!

I LOVE YOU

It's about 1:00 and I called you an hour ago. It was good to hear your voice again. There's nothing much to say. I finished my 3rd book so I bought a newspaper in Cheyenne.[12] Still bored to death. I read over your letter again last night. I don't want you to be ashamed of what you believe. I know it's important to you. Anyway, we'll talk later about it. My love for you increases every day, so don't worry about the letter.

I LOVE YOU

Almost 5:00 now and I'm getting excited. 4 hours, 4 hours, 4 hours I don't know if I can make it. Okay, calm down. Nothing much has happened except I got to take care of the baby again. It was much happier this time. 4 hours, 4 hours, 4 hours, In one hour we'll be in Limon[13] or something like that. Talk to you later.

I LOVE YOU

***

[1] Springfield, Massachusetts

[2] Hartford, Connecticut

[3] 'Running to Stand Still' is a song from one of my favorite albums, U2's The Joshua Tree.

[4] 'Washington Square' is a 1997 film adaptation of the Henry James novel.
[5] 'Ron and Jean'- my uncle and his long-time partner who lived together for many years in Pelham, Massachusetts.
[6] 'Oasis book'- may have been 'Take Me There: Oasis- the Story' by Paul Mathur which I owned at some point during this time. May also have been 'Getting High: The Adventures of Oasis' by Poalo Hewitt which I think I remember checking out from the library.

[7] Unfortunately, I have no recollection of which Collins book this was. Could have been Michael Collins: The Man Who Made Ireland by Tim Pat Coogan which I had acquired sometime earlier in Amy's and my relationship.

[8] Interesting to later realize that, at this point in the journey on Interstate 80, I passed within 2 miles of Clarion, Pennsylvania- home of Clarion University where I was to earn my Master's degree 10 years later.

[9] Friday, June 19, 1998: A night to remember!

[10] 'The Giver' by Lois Lowry is a Newbery Medal-winning children's book given to me by my mother for the trip.

[11] Ogallala, Nebraska

[12] Cheyenne, Wyoming

[13] Lyman, Wyoming

Now and In Time to Come

2011-08-14T21:08:00.003-06:00

Crazy that it's been almost three months since I last posted here. I've been thinking a lot about it. It's probably a combination of a couple reasons. The things I find that I want to make others aware of but don't want to comment on, I post to Facebook. I sometimes want to spend time crafting worthwhile posts about the world around me but I find I don't have the discipline to accomplish this at the moment. I've also become much more introverted and solitary lately, not feeling like I can or should share what's on my mind. I'm not sure what the future of this blog is and while I admit that I have thought about taking it down, I will probably keep it if only as my one free spot on the web.

Here's an update of sorts. I currently love my wife, my kids, and my career more than ever before. I've read some good books lately. On July 14, I took my whole family to the Explosions in the Sky concert in SLC and we had a fun time. That's three of my top five favorite bands that we've seen in the last nine months. I try to run a 5k about every 10 days around my neighborhood. I'm getting a new boss at the library tomorrow (August 15). I wish I had more time for my hobbies (reading, drawing, watching films, writing poetry, playing guitar, learning languages, researching for my books, etc). It really weighs on me that I might not be able to accomplish all that I hope to in my life before my time is up. That's how it goes for everyone I guess.

Reference at Home

2011-05-24T07:29:00.002-06:00

Nerd alert.

I like reference books, especially those in the fields of study that fascinate me. Even when I was a kid, I enjoyed perusing my parents' World Book Encyclopedia. A couple years into our marriage, I had the opportunity to purchase a World Book set for cheap and it has been a great resource for our family. You probably know what a big supporter of Wikipedia I am.

Here's an annotated bibliography of some of our fantastic reference books that I love to pick up.

Oxford Guide to the Bible by Metzger & Coogan [Recently bought this one for cheap at the Borders store that closed in Logan. A scholarly guide with articles on almost anything you can think to ask about the Bible e.g. 'Sex in the Bible,' 'Mormons and the Bible,' etc.]
Shakespeare A to Z: The Essential Reference to His Plays, His Poems, His Life and Times, and More by Charles Boyce [Found this a few years ago on the book sale at the Merrill-Cazier Library. Used it extensively for my paper on Othello actors. Interestingly, the only section of the book which has writing in it is the article on Richard III, one of the pieces I was most interested in]
The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens by Mike Ashley [Bought this while working at the Sugarhouse Barnes and Noble (2001-2002). Convinced me there was a whole world of British history out there which I had never explored.]
The Complete Films of Laurence Olivier by Jerry Vermilye [Lists every film of my favorite actor and examines it in context. Especially great for all those films I have never seen. First checked this out from the Merrill-Cazier Library when I was a student and then later forgot about it. After seeing 'The Complete Films of Spencer Tracy' at The Book Table, I purchased this online. It came in worse condition than was promised but since it only cost me (I think) $.97, I don't care too much and will replace it someday if the opportunity arises.]
The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang by Leonard Malton & Richard W. Bann [First checked this out from the library and later bought my own copy from Sam Weller's. Examines every Little Rascals short (all 221 of them!) as well as actor bios and much more info. The reference on the subject!]
Our Sunday Visitor's Encyclopedia of Saints by Matthew, Margaret, and Stephen Bunson [Short blurbs on hundreds of Christian saints. Found at Deseret Industries for $4.00.]
On This Day in the Church: A Illustrated Almanac of the Latter-day Saints by Holzapfel, et al. [Cool book wherein one can look up a date and discover what events from LDS Church history happened then. A few years out of date, now.]
The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth: Tolkien's World from A to Z by Robert Foster [If you love the Lord of the Rings, you have to have this book! First found a mass market edition at Deseret Industries about five years ago. Gave that one to my brother (who promptly lost it) and recently bought a newer trade paper edition.]
Book of Bible Lists by H.L. Wilmington [Purchased this at my library book sale. Haven't used this so much.]
The Mormon Book of Lists by Parry & Morris [Interesting lists on Mormon topics such as '10 Uses for the Urim & Thummim as Cited in the Scriptures,' and '28 Books by Men Who Later Became General Authorities']

Irish Film Lists

2011-03-15T13:46:00.002-06:00

Over the years, I have enjoyed many films about Ireland. What makes an 'Irish' film? Well, in my mind an Irish film has to have a predominantly Irish influence in the setting, and if not there, then at least in the cast of actors, the writing, or the directing.

Irish films we have and which we'd love to share with you if you want to see them.

Leap Year (2010)
The Secret of Kells (2009)
The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006)
Omagh (2004)
Bloody Sunday (2002)
Michael Collins (1996)
The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
In the Name of the Father (1993)
The Field (1990)
Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959)
The Quiet Man (1952)
The Informer (1935)
Man of Aran (1934)

Other Irish films I have seen but we don't own:

Other Irish films I have not seen yet but want to:

Some common Irish actors:

Brendan Gleeson (in The Secret of Kells, Michael Collins, The Field, In Bruges, Six Shooter, The Butcher Boy, The Treaty, Connemara Days, At Swim-Two-Birds, Breakfast on Pluto, The General)
Gerard McSorley (in Omagh, Bloody Sunday, Michael Collins, In the Name of the Father, Angela's Ashes, The Boxer, The Butcher Boy, Connemara Days, Veronica Guerin, Dancing at Lughnasa)
Stephen Rea (in Michael Collins, Ondine, The Butcher Boy, The Crying Game, Breakfast on Pluto)
Jer O'Leary (in Angela's Ashes, In America, The Boxer, The Butcher Boy, Michael Collins, In the Name of the Father, The Field, My Left Foot)
John Lynch (in Evelyn, The Secret of Roan Inish, In the Name of the Father)
Susan Lynch (in Connemara Days, Waking Ned Divine, The Secret of Roan Inish)
Liam Neeson (in Michael Collins, Five Minutes of Heaven)
James Nesbitt (in Bloody Sunday, Five Minutes of Heaven, Waking Ned Divine)
Mick Lally (in The Secret of Roan Inish, The Secret of Kells)
Daniel Day-Lewis (in My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father)
Cilian Murphy (in The Wind that Shakes the Barley, Breakfast on Pluto, At Swim-Two-Birds)
Colin Farrel (in Ondine, In Bruges, At Swim-Two-Birds, Veronica Guerin)
Jonathan Rhys Meyers (in Michael Collins, At Swim-Two-Birds)
Emily Watson (in The Boxer, Angela's Ashes)

Some common Irish directors:

Neil Jordan (The Crying Game, Michael Collins, The Butcher Boy, Breakfast on Pluto, Ondine)
Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, The Field, In the Name of the Father, The Boxer, In America)

Fiction or Nonfiction?

2011-03-01T20:47:00.002-07:00

At my job, I am the adult nonfiction librarian. My coworker and friend, Jason, is the adult fiction librarian. One of the things I constantly enjoy doing is making the line between the two areas more clear. If I find a book that is in my section but should maybe be in his, I take it to his office and we hash it out. Sometimes an easy choice is not possible. Here's a recent example: C.S. Lewis' allegorical tales such as The Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce. They are traditionally found in the 200s (Philosophy and Religion) in nonfiction. But why? They are fictional stories.

We have some great discussions.

I had the same dilemma when deciding where to put The Laramie Project on my list of books finished in 2010. It's a play, which would most likely make it a fictional work. But it's composed of quotes from real people. Nonfiction, then?

Tonight I read the following, which initiated this post:

"There are many connections and associations between the author of The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, for example, and the writer of Great Expectations and Hard Times.... And why should it not be so? The blurring of boundaries and genres, so instinct and vital an aspect of the English imagination, also reveals a profound truth. It discloses the power of language itself. To force divisions within the English language is to work against its capacious and accommodating nature. To expect a writer to produce only novels, or histories, is equivalent to demanding from a composer that he or she write only string quartets, or only piano sonatas. Music is music; writing is writing." - Peter Ackroyd, Albion: The Origins of the English Imagination (2002)

Compelling words coming from a writer who has excelled at both fiction and nonfiction. Just look at this list of his work.

It also reminds me of the severe criticism Simon Schama received after daring to mix or at least include the two genres in a single book, his Dead Certainties: Unwarranted Speculations. Check out the reviews on Amazon. Ouch. I haven't read it yet, but plan to to.

One more recent real-life library dilemma: where to put Papa Married a Mormon by John Fitzgerald, the author of The Great Brain series (usually placed in children's fiction). Like the Great Brain books, Papa Married a Mormon is a fictionalized telling of Fitzgerald's early life, or rather, his memories plus poetic license. Most libraries have it in the 800s (Misc writings by Americans) or in the biography section. Why? The argument can be made that if it contains fiction, it goes in fiction. But the book also has real, very nonfiction pictures of his ancestors and their homestead in it.

Fiction or nonfiction?

Sarah McLachlan Live!

2011-02-22T06:48:00.002-07:00

On Valentine's Day, Amy and I saw Sarah McLachlan live at Kingsbury Hall in Salt Lake City! Neither of us really know how to express what it meant to us to be there together on that night with our favorite musician so we're just sharing a few pictures. Thanks to my parents for watching the kids.

What I can remember of the setlist:

Illusions of Bliss

Building a Mystery

Stupid

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy

Fallen

World on Fire

Answer

Forgiveness

I Will Remember You

Sweet Surrender

Adia

Loving You is Easy

Don't Give Up on Us

Path of Thorns (Terms)

Hold On

Good Enough

Possession

Angel

Ice Cream

Ladies and Gentlemen, the EELS!

2011-01-30T21:06:00.004-07:00

I just remembered that I promised to write more about the EELS. It's strange to me that I feel I have to introduce them at all because they are usually known to people who know music, but very few in my circle of family and friends have even heard of them. Shout out to Tim Hinkle and my brother-in-law BJ who actually knew what I was talking about when I mentioned the EELS. This is going to be one massive post!

According to Wikipedia,

"Eels (often typeset as eels or EELS) is an American rock band formed by singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett, better known as E. Other members rotate frequently, both in the studio and on stage."

There you have it. I should add that the EELS have a very intriguing style which moves between utter sadness and despair to all-out ridiculousness and fun. Tragicomedy at its finest. And they sometimes swear. A lot. But most times not.

My earliest memory of the EELS was seeing their music video for Last Stop: This Town on the music television channel, The Box in 1998. View it yourself below (no profanity in this song- just good, clean, gene-altering fun that even our kids enjoy).

I loved it. Who was this guy who was so damn cool that he just sat there and talked the lyrics during the song while various fruits and veggies do amazing things before his eyes? Who writes a song with a colon in the title?

The aforementioned BJ was kind enough to let me borrow/have his copy of their latest (2nd) album, Electro-Shock Blues while I was dating his sister. I liked it a lot, especially the feel of abject sadness in the first song (Elizabeth on the Bathroom Floor) which turns to resilient hope by the end (P.S. You Rock My World). It meant a lot to me that these songs were personal, that E was writing about real life. The Elizabeth of the song title was his sister who struggled with depression before killing herself. E's mother had terminal cancer and his father (the physicist Hugh Everett III) had died earlier in the '80s. E faced the very real possibility of being the only person left alive in his family, which indeed happened after his mother passed. In my family at that time, there was depression, mental illness, hospital stays, alienation and talk of suicide. So I felt like I related to E. Plus he had genius-like songwriting skills. I also greatly enjoy the album art which is a mixture of personal drawings from E and his family, and excellent illustrations from indie comic book artists. Despite all this, I had a real issue at the time with swearing so I began a love/hate relationship with EELS wherein I would sometimes want to own this CD and sometimes not, all along still feeling deeply connected to the music. P.S. You Rock My World is still my favorite EELS song, and a strong contender for my favorite song by any band. Electro-Shock Blues is considered by many to be the high point in the EELS career, only going downhill from there. I completely disagree. I was just getting started!

In 2000, I was working at the South Jordan Library when I came across EELS's 3rd album, Daisies of the Galaxy. It's hard for me to put in to words what this album means to me. It's still my favorite of all their albums. Initially, I listened to it while shelving books at the library. I was struck by its acoustic simplicity and clever and ironic lyrics. While much more upbeat than Electro-Shock Blues, this CD still has its moments of gravitas. Maybe I could say E traded darkness for deepness. Anyway, it didn't become my favorite overnight. I enjoyed its sound for a while before it snuck up on me and I began to relate, once again, to the lyrics. When E sings about a happy jaunt down the sidewalk in front of the Galaxy Theater, finding daisies breaking boundaries along the way, I felt the same. I was finally at a good place in my life for the first time in a couple years. I was married to Amy and we were committed. We had a cosy little basement apartment in an East Salt Lake neighborhood which we loved to just walk around in, discovering old houses, old sidewalks, old trees. I also remember coming home from the library one night in the dark and parking Amy's Rodeo behind the house. I turned the car off and just sat there looking at the stars and letting the song Estate Sale from this CD finish its last note. It was one of those moments that I can still recall, and not just remember, but feel. I can go there. Once again, the album art is great.

As a side note, I suppose I should address that black and white thing on the corner of the cover. Yes, this album has (along with a sprinkling of swear words throughout) a beautiful song with an offensive title. If you can get yourself past the 'shocking'-ness of it, you will find one of the most heartfelt songs of love and loss you have ever heard. It very aptly describes E's feelings after his mother and sister were gone. It's like a scream of funereal anguish transformed into a lullaby of sorrow. If you can handle it, I recommend it. If you can't bring yourself to listen to it but you still want to see what I'm gushing about, an edited version exists which, though censored, makes fun of censorship in a clever way. Click here to read how the album caused a stir in Presidential politics.

Around the time I began working at Smith Library (2001), I found the EELS' 1st album on cassette at the library's book sale. Beautiful Freak is an interesting alternative rock debut for this band. Back when it was released in 1996, EELS consisted of E, bass player Tommy, and drummer Butch. Tommy was gone by the time Electro-Shock Blues came out but Butch lasted for a few more albums. I listened to Beautiful Freak all the time in our car's tape deck. Back and forth to work everyday, on a trip to a family reunion near Bear Lake. I came to really love the songs that weren't hits like Rust to Rust and Not Ready Yet.

In 2002, EELS released Souljacker, a rocker of an album which has some real highlights for me including Friendly Ghost, Jungle Telegraph, What is This Note? and, my favorite, Woman Driving, Man Sleeping. I used to listen to it while driving to work at Barnes and Noble and driving my carpooling coworkers crazy (it was the least I could do since I was driving them home for free most days). For this album, E teamed up with John Parish after meeting on a taping of Top of the Pops. All this is explained in the very long string of album notes (so long that they begin on the back of the CD and continue inside).

The 5th album by the EELS was 2003's Shootenanny!, described by E as a hootenanny with guns. This album has so many great rockin' songs from beginning to end! Nearly every song is a classic from the opening of All In a Day's Work to great tunes such as Saturday Morning, Dirty Girl, Lone Wolf, and Restraining Order Blues. Like the other EELS albums, this one is connected in my mind to when I used to listen to it while working and driving at night stuffing ads into grocery carts around the Salt Lake Valley. Shootenanny! was hurriedly thrown together while E was working on his magnum opus to come...

After Shootenanny!, my love/hate relationship with EELS came to a head and I decided not to listen to them anymore. It was not until 2010 when I had time to read E's memoir, Things the Grandchildren Should Know, that I began to listen to them again. After the book, I had such a profound respect for E. Yeah, he's just an ordinary guy with problems and mistakes in his life, but he keeps plugging along doing what he does best and making other people (like me) happy along the way. I was re-born as an EELS fan.

Blinking Lights and Other Revelations (2005) is a double album of very personal songs. Much like Electro-Shock Blues and yet incorporating the happy pop-rock sound of later records, this album has something for everyone. It marked EELS' first CD with Vagrant Records, an indie label which signed them after EELS' long stint with DreamWorks Records. It must be getting tiring for you, dear reader, to continue to hear that there are many great songs on this CD, but it's true. Standouts for me have always been Railroad Man and the lovely I'm Going to Stop Pretending that I Didn't Break Your Heart.

After making Blinking Lights and Other Revelations, E was involved in a PBS documentary about him and his father entitled Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives. It's very good and I'd recommend it even if you don't care for EELS. Ask your local library if they have it.

In the beginning of 2009, EELS released Hombre Lobo in which E takes on the personality of a wolf-man on the hunt (a grown up version of the Dog Faced Boy from Souljacker). It's a fun record with some heavy guitar licks and memorable melodies. It's also the first part of what was later announced as an album trilogy. Favorite songs include That Look You Give That Guy, In My Dreams, Tremendous Dynamite, and Fresh Blood. Take a look at the video for In My Dreams:

Less than a year after Hombre Lobo, End Times (2010) was a wonderful and disheartening album about divorce (of course, E own marital problems being the main source of material). I downloaded this album with some free mp3 credits from my dad and, after listening to it many times at work, this is the album that first made me realize what an incredible singer-songwriter E is. I know it's weird that it took me that long to think of him that way but before I mostly cared about the superficiality of the songs. There were moments on the earlier records when I had glimpses of E's skills in song craft, but it was End Times, with it's lyrical storytelling gems of songs, that finally brought me to label him that way. Here's the video for the song, End Times (one of my favorite videos):

EELS most recent album, released later in 2010 and closing the trilogy, is Tomorrow Morning. I enjoy this CD which is amazingly upbeat and fun. I have a great memory of listening to it last fall when driving back from Provo late at night with our oldest daughter. It kept me happy through horrible traffic. Check out the video for Spectacular Girl (wouldn't want to meet her on a dark night!):

If you read my blog post a few times back now, you know that Amy took me to see the EELS live in Salt Lake City in October. We had a great time!

So after reading E's book, I began collecting all the EELS albums and was able to find some amazing deals. I got Souljacker and Shootenanny! in a group deal on Amazon. I got Electro-Shock Blues new for cheap (less than the price of a regular used CD) at Hastings and Daisies of the Galaxy and Tomorrow Morning new for cheap at Graywhale. I also found Beautiful Freak, Blinking Lights and Other Revelations, and Hombre Lobo used at Graywhale. I picked up the final record in the canon, End Times, new at the concert.

Random trivia: EELS have many songs with 'blues' in the title and several songs about birds.

So there you have it. The complete history of EELS and me.

Books Read in 2010

2010-12-31T14:39:00.004-07:00

I finished the following 22 books in 2010:

Nonfiction:

The Big Fellow: Michael Collins and the Irish Revolution by Frank O'Connor
A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity by Bill O'Reilly
Braveheart: From Hollywood to Holyrood by Lin Anderson
By the Hand of Mormon by Terryl Givens
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
Ecclesiastical History of the English People by Bede, translated by Leo Sherley-Price (So far the only book other than scripture that I've read twice)
The Future of the Past by Alexander Stille
The Gun and Irish Politics: Examining National History in Neil Jordan's Michael Collins (Reimagining Ireland) by Raita Merivirta
Hamlet's BlackBerry: A Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age by William Powers
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick
Insurrection in Dublin: An Eyewitness Account of the Easter Rising, 1916 by James Stephens
Ireland's Unfinished Revolution: An Oral History by Kenneth Griffith & Timothy O'Grady
Landscape and Memory by Simon Schama
Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman
The Rise of Benedict XVI: The Inside Story of How the Pope Was Elected and Where He Will Take the Catholic Church by John L. Allen
Spiritual Values in Shakespeare by Ernest Marshall Howse
Things the Grandchildren Should Know by Mark Oliver Everett
The Year 1000: What Life was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium by Robert Lacey & Danny Danziger
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

Fiction:

Added Upon by Nephi Anderson
A Morbid Taste for Bones (Cadfael Mysteries #1) by Ellis Peters
Ireland: A Graphic History by Morgan Llywelyn

Yes, She's Here!

2010-12-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm incredibly late and you probably already know, but our daughter was born happy and healthy on November 22! She is wonderful and we love her an awful lot! Find us on Facebook for more info.

Christian Attitudes Towards Violence

2010-10-31T13:52:00.005-06:00

I've been pondering a question for a long time and was hoping you might give me some insight. The question is:

How can any Christian condone, support, or encourage physical violence against any person, for any reason?

Please comment, either here on Blogger or on my Facebook profile. I will accept any answer, especially those that are thoughtful, respectful, and provide specific citations to scripture if needed. I don't care if you speak about your personal views or in theoretical terms, I just need your thoughts. Thanks!

EELS Live!

2010-10-09T08:15:00.016-06:00

On Wednesday night, Amy took me to see the EELS in Salt Lake as my 30th birthday present. We had a great time and enjoyed the show! Here's what I remember of the setlist along with my thoughts:

Daisies of the Galaxy [First song, on solo guitar]
I Like Birds [This normally acoustic song was played loud and fast]
Mr. E's Beautiful Blues
My Beloved Monster [Oldest Eels song played- from 1996's Beautiful Freak]
In My Younger Days
End Times [Second or third song, on solo guitar- I think I was the only person in the place that recognized it from the opening chords]
Paradise Blues
Gone Man
Dog Faced Boy
Souljacker, pt. 1 [This is not my favorite song, but for some reason it's the one song I had in my head going into the concert so it was cool to hear it live]
Jungle Telegraph [This was fantastic live! A real rocking treat!]
Prizefighter [Loud and fun]
That Look You Give That Guy [Great quieter song from 2009's Hombre Lobo]
In My Dreams [Another tender song]
Tremendous Dynamite [More loud and fun]
Fresh Blood
Spectacular Girl
What I Have to Offer [Second or third song, on solo guitar- I think I was the only person in the place that recognized it from the opening chords- from 2010's Tomorrow Morning]
Looking Up [This song has a gospel feel- hand claps and all on the album version- I tried to get the audience clapping but no one wanted to play along- another case of me being the only person in the place that recognized the song]
That's Not Her Way
I Like the Way This is Going
Summer in the City (Lovin' Spoonful cover)
"Knuckles" song

A great night out with my wonderful wife! And thanks to my parents for watching the kids while we were gone.

I'll introduce the EELS more in a later post.

(Not us in the pic on the right)

Recent Collins Miscellanea

2010-10-05T21:34:00.004-06:00

A few nights ago I had a dream involving Michael Collins, my first ever. I was working for him in intelligence and was even being chased by British Secret Service. I was almost shot in the shoulder while hiding in a dark basement. I remember being excited and thinking that I could not believe that I was in this situation!

In a related note, I found this amazing Collins documentary on YouTube a few months ago (just watch the first minute or two):

Can you believe they used one of my favorite bands (Explosion in the Sky's Catastrophe and the Cure) to introduce one of my favorite people? When that image of the actor playing Collins came into focus, it gave me goosebumps!

Free Books!

2010-09-16T21:07:00.007-06:00

Contact me before October 1 if you would like any of the following books for free!

BIOGRAPHY

Diana: Her True Story by Andrew Morton (hardback) [ex-library]
Diana, Princess of Wales by Penny Junor (hardback) [ex-library]
Elizabeth the Great by Elizabeth Jenkins (1959, hardback) [ex-library, buckram binding, subject is Elizabeth I]
Sir Thomas More by David Birt [Very thin paperback]
Sir Walter Ralegh by David Birt [Very thin paperback]

GEOGRAPHY

East Anglia by Doreen Wallace (hardback) [No dust jacket, survey of the English county]
Essex by Marcus Crouch (hardback) [Survey of the English county]

HISTORY

Annals of Imperial Rome by Tacitus (trade paperback)
Course of Irish History by T.W. Moody (trade paperback) [ex-library]
History of England by Lord Macaulay (trade paperback) [ex-library]
History of Political Thought: The Middle Ages by Walter Ullmann (mass market paperback)
Introduction to the Study of the Middle Ages by Ephraim Emerton (hardback) [1916]
Ireland and the Irish: Portrait of a Changing Society by John Ardagh (trade paperback) [ex-library]
Middle Ages by Morris Bishop (trade paperback)
Story of Britain by Roy Strong (hardback) [Dust jacket torn on spine]
Traveller's History of England by Christopher Daniell (trade paperback)
Traveller's History of Scotland by Andrew Fisher (2d ed, trade paperback) [ex-library]

LITERATURE

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg (trade paperback) [Novel]
Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway (mass market paperback)
Virgil: Bucolics & Georgics edited by T.E. Page (hardback) [Some of Vergil's greatest poetry, in Latin, some writing inside]

TEXTS USED FOR SCHOOL

Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (2nd ed, 3-ring binder) [Otherwise know as AACR2 in library-speak]
Marketing Plan Handbook by Marian Wood (3rd ed, paperback) [Instructor's Review Copy]
Social Statistics by William Fox (4th ed, paperback)
Social Statistics: Workbook by William Fox (4th ed, paperback)

REVIEW: The Future of the Past

2010-09-15T16:14:00.005-06:00

Stille takes the reader to eleven locations/cultures and explains how the past (oral/written history, monuments, etc.) is perceived, evaluated, and managed in the information age. The topics he chooses to cover are interesting and he explores them with great detail, covering several sides of every issue. Stille's journalistic writing style is great, but it can take getting used to- it sometimes feels like you are reading a book-length Time magazine article. Some of the information is now dated (book published in 2002) but that makes you actually want to know what these people/cultures are up to today. I recommend this book to anyone interested in history, anthropology, technology, or the environment.

The Future of the Past

by Alexander Stille

339 pp., Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002

Purchase here.

REVIEW: Ireland's Unfinished Revolution

2010-08-22T09:58:00.004-06:00

One day as I was strolling through the used history book section of our local entertainment store, I came across Ireland's Unfinished Revolution: An Oral History (previously titled 'Curious Journey: An Oral History of Ireland's Unfinished Revolution'). It stood out because there are not many Irish history books to be found in my town. I took a look at it and was interested. It contained the first-hand experiences of several prominent participants in Ireland's Anglo-Irish War of 1916-1921 and Civil War of 1922-1923. I went home and considered it for a few days.

By the time I returned, I had discovered that one of the authors, Kenneth Griffith, was the same man who had made the Michael Collins documentary Hang Up Your Brightest Colours which I saw a little over a year ago. I didn't really like Hang Up... but it was good to see once. When I flipped through the pages of this book again, I found that there were reminiscences of people who interacted with Collins. I was especially interested in the interviews with David Neligan, one of Collins' spies in the Castle. Now I knew I had to have it. I purchased it and began reading it right away even though I was already in two other books at the time.

If you recognize and accept the authors' bias (they believe very strongly that the British should never have been in Ireland), then you can enjoy this book for what it is: first person narratives interlaced with historical information. It's a fantastic way to write history and makes for very compelling reading. This is the best book I have read on this period of Irish history.

The oral history segments are extremely fascinating and the book is worth the price just for these. The participants (now old at the time of interview in the late 1970s) relate where they were when the Irish Republic was declared during Easter week, 1916, what they thought of the surprising 1918 election and the formation of the First Dáil, how they helped as the guerrilla war with Britain broke out, interesting insights into Collins and De Valera, and why they chose the side they did during the Civil War. Several times when reading these narratives, I was deeply moved by the speakers' honest accounts of the troubles, trials, politics and of the blood and violence of daily life during this period.

Perhaps the most devastating of these accounts was Sean Harling's story of how he decided on which side to fight at the outbreak of the Civil War:

'On the morning the shelling of the Four Courts started, me father woke me up around six o'clock and he said, "Sean, there's heavy firing in town. Listen to it." So I got up and I heard the big gun going off. I dressed meself; I put on me breeches and the leggings of me uniform and me Sam Browne belt, and I put a civilian coat on over it and went out.

'Now when a civil war breaks out, it's brother against brother, and there's no saying what way you'd go. It all depended on which crowd you got into. That was the feeling of most of the lads. They were just depressed that there was any split at all, you see. So anyway, when I went out that morning I was in the middle of the Phibsborough Road, and I went up the road instead of down. Had I gone down the road the first group I would have met would have been the Free State side, and I probably would have fought with them. Going up the road I would be going towards O'Connell Street, to the Republicans, and I would fight with them. But my mind wasn't made up as to what I would do until I found meself in the Republican group. So I took part in the Civil War as a Republican' (page 285).

When belligerents are decided by who you happen to meet in the street, you know there's an awful civil war coming, and it was indeed devastating. To read these memories takes you closer to the events than you could ever be otherwise.

I highly recommend this book. It is one-of-a-kind and now holds a treasured place on my bookshelf.

Ireland's Unfinished Revolution: An Oral History

by Kenneth Griffith & Timothy O'Grady

377 pp., Roberts Rinehart, 1999

Purchase here.

Losing!

2010-08-08T18:20:00.004-06:00

I've been thinking for a long time about how to approach this post and I think the time is right. It's frightening for me to talk about this but if I do, I know I will have to be accountable afterwards and that will be a good thing. I have not really let anyone know except a few family members and a random Mr. Mac salesman.

You all know I've needed to lose some weight for some time now. I thank most of you for not pointing it out to me because I obviously knew :) In the spring of this year, I decided this was it- the time when I would really do it. Amy and I began eating better quality foods. I hung some pictures of Churchill around the kitchen to keep me motivated ("YOU DESERVE VICTORY!" etc.). I felt a little better, but it was not enough.

Then one day I hopped on a scale and it was scary. I'm not revealing my highest weight just yet, but I will tell you that based on my BMI number, I was obese! That was a wake up call if I ever had one! I realized that while I was eating pretty healthy and getting moderate exercise, the amount of food I was eating in a day was far too much. I was basically eating four meals a day (a fourth late at night before bed), and after each I was feeling like you do after a Thanksgiving meal- stuffed and uncomfortable. It was probably around 3000-3500 calories per day. I knew that was what had to stop. So I stopped. I began the day eating a regular healthy breakfast, no lunch, a normal dinner, and nothing afterwards before bed except lots of ice water. That was back in April.

Fast forward to August... I have lost 27 pounds! I feel great! Admittedly, it is still hard sometimes in the late afternoon when I am really hungry, and sometimes I give in and eat a Hershey's Kiss or something, but most days I hold to my schedule and the results have been great. I'm losing about 1-2 lbs. per week which I think is a healthy rate- not too fast, but fast enough that I can see the results.

And the results have been fun! Dropping several pants sizes! Wearing my favorite belt that I have not been able to fit into in about 6 years! Getting my suits altered (taken in)! Feeling good physically and emotionally!

Now, I also have to admit that I have not even lost half of what I need to. I am no longer obese, but I am still overweight so I need to keep this up, probably even into the beginning of 2011. I know I can do it.

I may periodically update here, but mostly this is a private thing that will play out in our home as we continue to adjust to me not eating so much. I haven't asked Amy, but I have to think our grocery bill has gone down. The kids still sometimes ask why I'm not eating lunch. I love feeling like I have control over what I eat, which I did not feel before. So things are going good here and I have every reason to believe they will continue.

It's a Girl!

2010-07-25T16:19:00.003-06:00

We took our whole family to our 20-week ultrasound last Thursday and discovered that we are having another girl! We are all very excited and Amy and I have almost nailed down a name. Here is the latest glamour shot:

(She has her knees near her face and her ankles crossed!)

Later that night, I finally felt her move for the first time. What a great day!

All the RVW a Man Could Want

2010-07-25T16:09:00.005-06:00

I know it's late, but check out what my family gave me for Father's Day!

Vaughan Williams: The Collector's Edition from EMI!

30 discs of the most wonderful music from my all-time favorite composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams! Subsequently, I have deleted my entire Vaughan Williams/EMI Wish List on Amazon.com :)

It Was Bound to Happen

2010-06-30T13:03:00.004-06:00

Disclaimer: There was no pun intended in the making of the above blog post title.

I was searching Amazon.com one day for titles on Michael Collins and I came across this book which is essentially a bound version of the Wikipedia article on Collins. I'm conflicted about how I feel about this. My first reaction was anger that somehow the publisher had stolen from me as one of the many contributors to the Wikipedia article. Then, of course, I remembered that when I added my two cents to that and hundreds of other articles, I freely gave my information to the world. I just didn't expect some entrepreneurial capitalist to take advantage of that gift for the sake of a buck. If I decide to be vengeful, I can remember how the book will be out of date as soon as it is printed since the source article can (and will) be improved at any time in the future. Still conflicted.

WIKIPEDIA

MONEY

Bloody Sunday Inquiry

2010-06-18T22:34:00.004-06:00

If you didn't hear, this week Lord Saville submitted his report on the events of Sunday, 30 January, 1972 in Derry, Northern Ireland, known since as Bloody Sunday. On that day, British paratroopers fired upon civil rights marchers, killing 14. An inquiry was held in the immediate aftermath, but that was seen by many as biased towards the British. In 1998, then-Prime Minister Tony Blair opened a new inquiry headed by Lord Saville. That's right, it's taken 12 years.

But now we have it, it has been accepted by the Conservative government of Prime Minister David Cameron, and we'll have to see how it is viewed over time. You can watch his extraordinary speech from this week here. Among other things, he found that:

No warning had been given to any civilians before the soldiers opened fire.
None of the soldiers fired in response to attacks by petrol bombers or stone throwers.
Some of those killed or injured were clearly fleeing or going to help those injured or dying.
None of the casualties was posing a threat or doing anything that would justify their shooting.
Many of the soldiers lied about their actions.
The events of Bloody Sunday were not premeditated.

{Above quotes directly from the BBC}

In conclusion, Cameron called the actions of the paratroopers that day "unjustified and unjustifiable."

Having casually studied Bloody Sunday for a few years now, I believe the Saville report to be close to the truth, maybe as close as we can get at this point. Bloody Sunday was a horrible day and deserved a full and deep inquiry. Hopefully, this report will help in the healing process which is still very difficult for many involved in The Troubles.

To learn more about Bloody Sunday, check out the BBC's excellent coverage on their website here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/northern_ireland/10320609.stm.

I would highly recommend the 2002 film Bloody Sunday which is an amazing portrayal of the fateful day with strong performances led by James Nesbitt. I give it five stars out of five. See the trailer below.

Baby!

2010-06-13T12:20:00.002-06:00

Due December 7!

Trip!

2010-05-31T00:18:00.012-06:00

I just realized that I promised to post about our trip to St. George so here is basically the same summary I posted on Facebook. If you would like to see more pics, especially of the kids, check there.

I was given the opportunity to attend the 2010 Utah Library Association Conference so we decided to make a family vacation out of it!

We left Logan Wednesday, May 12 and returned Sunday, May 16.

During the week we visited the St. George Utah LDS Temple, ran through the fountains near the St. George Tabernacle, visited Brigham Young's winter home, had dinner with Amy's friend Heather, swam in the hotel pool twice, had lunch with Joseph's co-worker Jason and family, hiked the Red Cliffs trail to a fantastic swimming hole, hit three local bookstores in less than an hour, explored the Rosenbruch Wildlife Museum, and had a great visit on Sunday with our friends, the Owens family, in Gunnison. We had a great time!

REVIEW: In the Heart of the Sea

2010-05-25T18:02:00.004-06:00

Did you know that Melville's Moby Dick was inspired by a true story? In the Heart of the Sea recounts the harrowing experiences of the crew of the Essex, a 238-ton Nantucket whaling ship which was attacked and sunk by a lone, angry sperm whale in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in November, 1820. The survivors went on to sail thousands of miles in the open water for months in search of land or rescue as their starved companions died around them. A truly fascinating story of survival and difficult decisions. Winner of the 2000 National Book Award for non-fiction.

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

by Nathaniel Philbrick

302 pp., Viking, 2000

Purchase here.

REVIEW: Robin Hood

2010-05-17T23:06:00.011-06:00

It saddens me even to type this: I was bitterly disappointed by Ridley Scott's Robin Hood. It's true. After waiting since December, 2008 (back when it was going to be called 'Nottingham'), I finally saw the film on opening day while in St. George (more about our trip later). We made it a priority to get me a ticket while there and I paid $7.50 for the 9:10 pm showing.

As most of you know, I am a bit of a Robin Hood fanatic. Ever since my dad took me to the drive-in to see Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in 1991, my interest has never lagged. Only last month, I finally tracked down the DVD of Disney's live action Robin Hood from 1952! So I was extremely excited for this new version. It held such promise for me. I love Russell Crowe. I like Ridley Scott. I love Cate Blanchett. I just discovered Max von Sydow last year in 'The Seventh Seal' and like him now. I like William Hurt, Matthew Macfadyen, Gerard McSorely, and Robert Pugh. And most of the lead and cameo actors' performances were fine. But I have to fault Crowe and Scott for making this movie when it had such a dud of a screenplay.

What can I say? The battles were okay. The songs were stupid. The scenery was good. The costumes were sometimes good, sometimes shockingly bad (Robin in a white tank-top, i.e. wife-beater?). Mark Addy was bad. The CGI was visible in several scenes. What's with the WWII-era landing crafts?

And the storyline was just bad. There were so many characters that were introduced and then which played no real part in the action, so why include them at all? The Sheriff of Nottingham? Friar Tuck? Hell, all the Merry Men should have just been cut. They were of no consequence to anything. Even Robin ditches them without a thought after they follow him all the way home from France. When he sees them next, he says something like, 'What? You're still here?' What a jerk.

And the worst thing of all... (I think I could have accepted the faults listed above if not for this)... the movie ends like there is going to be a sequel even though Crowe swears there won't be (SPOILER ALERT: Robin finally enters Sherwood for the first time at the end of the film as the words, 'And thus the legend begins' appear on the screen). If a viewer has been prepared to watch only part one of two, that viewer will be fine with characters which are introduced but which have little development. Since Crowe told me in a YouTube video that there will be no sequel, I will take his word. And that makes this half-movie a failure in my eyes.

Three stars out of five.

During the credits, there was a really cool animation sequence which I found more entertaining than the film itself. Now that's sad.

The next day, I needed to have my faith strengthened in Robin Hood films so I purchased a new DVD of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves for... $7.50, and somewhat recouped my loss.

Borges by Accident

2010-04-16T17:46:00.005-06:00

Part of my job at the library is to buy Spanish non-fiction. I recently bought two new Penguin Classics bilingual collections of the Argentinian poet Jorge Luis Borges and I like what I have read so far. I was amazed to find that he had written several sonnets about England and the Anglo-Saxons which I would like to share here but I think they are under copyright so I will just give you the titles and if you are interested, you can go look them up. I have enjoyed Poem Written in a Copy of Beowulf, To a Saxon Poet, For the Night of December 24, 1940, in England, and To John Keats (1795 - 1821).

Old Meets New

2010-04-08T22:02:00.003-06:00

So today I saw a woman whose hijab was so tight that when she slipped her cell phone in near her ear, she could let go of it and it would just stay there and she could talk like she was wearing a Bluetooth headset! What a world we live in.

REVIEW: The Big Fellow

2010-03-21T22:18:00.007-06:00

A great biography of Collins written less than two decades after his death. O'Connor fought against Collins and the Treaty during the Irish Civil War, but became fascinated by the man later. Contains many, many interesting anecdotes which you'll enjoy if you aren't too worried about their provenance (there are very few footnotes). Neil Jordan said he read this book before writing the script to his movie and it shows. There are scenes in the book which are almost exactly performed on screen in the film. Pick up this book if you want a non-academic, fun and interesting view of Collins.

The Big Fellow: Michael Collins and the Irish Revolution

by Frank O'Connor

222 pp., Picador USA, 1998 (Originally published 1937)

Purchase here.

REVIEW: Landscape and Memory

2010-03-05T20:20:00.006-07:00

I know all I've been posting lately is book reviews. It's because I've found such a new freedom being able to read whatever I want now that I'm done with school. The following was read over the course of more than a year and finished this week:

This book is a fascinating treatise on the role nature (specifically wood, water, and rock) has played in Western culture. Art and history professor at Columbia University, Schama considered this the one book he needed to write. He expertly touches on so many examples of our environment's influence on our collective memory that the book is difficult to describe- everything from Hitler's obsession with the forests of Europe and the battles fought to get Susan B. Anthony on Mount Rushmore, to Western lust for Egyptian obelisks and dance parties held on the massive stumps of California Sequoias in the mid-nineteenth century. This work is also, with its classical layout and type font and its many excellent illustrations, one of the most beautifully designed books I've ever seen. Highly recommended.

Landscape and Memory

by Simon Schama

652 pp., Knopf, 1995

Purchase here.

[UPDATE 3/6/10] I was just watching this video of Schama at the 2009 Library of Congress Book Festival and near the end (21:50), he mentions this book and calls it his, "damn thick square fat book!" :)

REVIEW: Moral Teachings in Shakespeare?

2010-03-02T19:27:00.005-07:00

I enjoyed this little book but not because of its supposed analysis of 'spiritual values' in the eight Shakespeare plays examined. Of course, the word 'spiritual' has many different meanings and while I originally took it to mean 'religious,' the subject of this book would more aptly be called 'moral values' in Shakespeare as various moral qualities or defects are examined in the context of certain plays (jealousy:Othello, inhumanity:Merchant of Venice, indecision:Hamlet, etc.). Still, it's an interesting read looking at an angle of Shakespeare I had never thought of.

Spiritual Values in Shakespeare

by Ernest Marshall Howse

158 pp., Abingdon Press, 1955

Purchase here.

"Brilliant Teaching & Leadership" at USU!

2010-02-26T23:16:00.003-07:00

Check out this new video of my alma mater, the History Department at Utah State!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsEn513tQT4

Abridged Scriptures?

2010-02-26T23:09:00.004-07:00

Amy and I have been pleased with our Book of Mormon for Latter-day Saint Families so we decided we would get the Old Testament version but when we looked at it, whole sections were missing, replaced by summary in a sentence or two! I could not believe it... and could not bring myself to buy a book which has been edited so radically. And the worst part is that there is no indication on the outside of the book that this is the case. I wonder how many Mormons have picked this up, only to discover they were only getting part of the real deal. It's sad, really.

Anyone want a dog?

2010-02-24T13:53:00.005-07:00

So having a dog is not working out for our family.

But if you are interested in adopting an energetic, pure-bred, curious, house-trained, spayed, tri-color Beagle, please contact us before Saturday, February 27 (FREE to friends and family). After that date, she'll be heading to the Cache Humane Society where you'd have to pay $100.00 for her, which is still cheap for a pure Beagle!

Aggie (Abby) comes with everything you might need for a new dog including her AKC papers, leashes, collars, harness, food and water bowls, dog bed, brush, lawn spike and 30-foot cable, 3 toys, 3 Beagle books, and a half-bag of food.

REVIEW: Black Holes & Revelations by Muse

2010-02-20T10:34:00.008-07:00

Black Holes & Revelations by Muse

Warner Bros., 2006

Official site here, purchase and reviews here.

INTRO: I first heard of Muse when my fellow Latin classmate Courtney came to school one day super excited about a concert she was going to at Saltair. It was a band called Muse and she kept talking about how amazing they were. That was 2 1/2 years ago. Then late last year, my Last.fm radio began playing Muse because I listen to a lot of other British rock bands. Anyway, in an earlier post I explained that I heard Apocalypse, Please and was hooked. I ran out and got Absolution, then The Resistance, then H.A.A.R.P., their live album/DVD. I noticed that H.A.A.R.P.'s best songs were from Black Holes and Revelations so I went and found it.

It is now my favorite Muse album (check out the cover by the always fantastic Storm Thorgerson). Here are my thoughts as I listen to each track. Where possible, a link to Muse's YouTube page for the H.A.A.R.P. version of the song will be included at the end.

Track 1: TAKE A BOW: Begins with such a cool electronic/orchestrated riff. Lyrics seem to be directed at corrupt politicians. Full band finally comes in just after the halfway point. Wow. Powerful and damning lyrics. Read them here. "You will burn in Hell for your sins." Ending sounds very Pink Floyd, which is cool. Live video here.

Track 2: STARLIGHT: Cool drums and bass, then a great pop-piano part starts. This is possibly their most most traditional pop song. "I'll never let you go if you promise not to fade away." Just a great song almost anyone would like. Live video here.

Track 3: SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE: Wow, starts with a great beat and groove! I've heard this described by the band and others as R&B, but I've never been able to get a good sense of what that genre entails. Maybe it's different in Britain and America. Awesome falsetto by Matt Bellamy and great to also hear Chris and Dom singing on the chorus! The H.A.A.R.P. version has a large video of robots marching to this song, which is appropriate. Guitar solo is so different, it at first doesn't seem to match the song, but it grows on you. Live video here.

Track 4: MAP OF THE PROBLEMATIQUE: Great intro with guitar effects, then piano and drums, then bass. Now the lyrics are back to the paranoid/oppressive control theme of TAKE A BOW (a common thread for Muse). Crazy drum break. Ends after another of the same. Great song. Live video here.

Track 5: SOLDIER'S POEM: First acoustic song on the album. Has a fantastic, old-time feel with very serious lyrics that defy the lightness of the melody. Some great backup singing. Live video here.

Track 6: INVINCIBLE: Fantastic intro starts quiet which is nice coming out of SOLDIER'S POEM. There's also an army-like snare beat which hearkens back. In just a few seconds you can tell this song is going to build up to a epic song, although the chorus makes you think it might sidetrack into a pop track. Really kicks into gear about 2/3 through. Heavy bass and drums with a crazy guitar solo which could be 80s heavy metal if it weren't in this song. Last verse is loud and strong. In the end it's as epic as we expected. Live video here.

Track 7: ASSASSIN: Heavy intro with crazy but amazing drums. This sounds more like Absolution-era Muse. Verse sounds like Franz Ferdinand. Chorus too. Don't be put off by the intro- the song is great. Ends in a screech of guitars.

Track 8: EXO-POLITICS: Cool drums and guitar. Bass begins on second verse. This music reminds me a lot of early U2. The drums, guitar and bass are all so tight. With a title like this, it's expected that we'll hear more traditional Muse lyrics: "When our leaders tell us lies..." Ends sounding even more like U2.

Track 9: CITY OF DELUSION: Great Spanish guitar riff to open the song, then bass and drums kick in with more almost Flamenco beat. Muse are back in traditional form for the chorus. Great orchestra parts throughout. Back to the Spanish guitar and even some Flamenco trumpet which fits nicely! You don't usually find songs of this quality so late in the track listing!

Track 10: HOODOO: Solo guitar is fantastic- a mix between something Iberian and 50s American rock 'n roll. Shifts into a slow waltz. Some epic piano, then the band joins. Live video here.

Track 11: KNIGHTS OF CYDONIA: I love this song, can't wait to review it! Crazy sounds of horse hoofbeats over electronics, then epic vocal and guitar part. Short 50s guitar part, then dive right into a fantastic groove. Epic continues to come to mind. Trumpets over the intro vocal. Awesome chorus! "No one's going to take me alive, the time has come to make things right! You and I must fight for our rights, you and I must fight to survive!" So powerful! On H.A.A.R.P., it is gives you shivers to hear Wembley Stadium's 90,000 capacity sing those lines at the top of their lungs! After that, the whole band really turns it up a notch for a fantastic ending to fantastic album. Live video here.

Yes, Amy loves me.

2010-02-16T20:55:00.003-07:00

Warning: the following post involves bad behavior by adults (indicated with an *):

So we were at a ginormous box store* on Monday and were checking out when we overheard a woman talking on her cell phone. She was telling someone about a new Logan book warehouse where books were cheap (including all-the-books-you-can-fit-in-a-grocery-bag-for-$7.00 cheap!). Without a word said between us, Amy and I exchanged glances and we both knew we had to get the info about this place. We both listened in on this lady's conversation* and, lucky for us, she was trying to describe the address and location to the person on the phone. Unluckily for us, we knew none of the landmarks she was describing which were in close proximity to this place. But somehow each of us picked up on a specific piece of the directions just in time for the lady to leave. It was then our turn to check out and our checker complained about the lady on the cell phone, but, for once, we were glad this lady was using her cell in a public place!

After we checked out, we found a phone book, got an address and set out looking for this place. Turns out it really is a warehouse and it's hard to find! But we got there and you really can take a bag full of books for only $7.00. And yes, I'll share the name of this place with you so you don't have to be rude enough to listen to someone else's phone conversation. It's Jenson Book Outlet (www.jensonbooksonline.com) and there are tons of books. The only problem is that they are not in much of an order (which drives this librarian nuts). But I did manage to find some things:

Plus Amy found a bunch of kids books (about 20). And did I mention we got them all for only $7.00? Okay, I'm done. You can remove your hands from over your kids' eyes.

REVIEW: Things the Grandchildren Should Know

2010-02-08T23:56:00.005-07:00

Mark Everett, otherwise known in the music world as 'E', is an ordinary guy with problems. He's also the singer-songwriter behind the Eels, an indie rock band that continues to defy convention and accumulate fans worldwide. Since his family was first struck by tragedy when E was a teenager, he has been through a lot of heartache which he describes in this memoir in plain, straightforward prose. Unlike most celebrity lives, E's pain seems thrust upon him by fate and is not the result of rock n' roll excess. That fact alone makes his resilience and his life story a triumph.

Things the Grandchildren Should Know

by Mark Oliver Everett

256 pp., Thomas Dunne Books, 2008

Purchase here.

Emma and afterwards

2010-02-07T22:16:00.005-07:00

Amy and I just finished watching the third and final part of Emma, the newest Masterpiece Classic production. It was great! I can't say enough about the recent string of quality literature adaptations, especially Bleak House, Jane Eyre, and the Complete Jane Austen cycle (including Miss Austen Regrets).

Lucky for you, PBS is re-airing two of the Austen classics over the next two weeks. First is Northanger Abbey and then in two weeks, Persuasion. Both are fantastic and you should clear your schedules to watch them!

REVIEW: A Braveheart Fan Book

2010-01-30T14:34:00.007-07:00

Lin's book is interesting for the movie and Wallace trivia it contains despite the fact that it is poorly written for a professional novelist.

Braveheart: From Hollywood to Holyrood

by Lin Anderson

What does your library look like?

2010-01-27T14:51:00.003-07:00

One of the projects I completed my final semester of school was to create a blog about a rural library issue. I chose to look at the architecture of Cache County's libraries. I'll probably be deleting it soon but, before I did, I wanted to share it with you:

http://rurallibrarydesign.blogspot.com/

Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think.

REVIEW: The Year 1000

2010-01-23T10:51:00.003-07:00

In this interesting little volume, Lacey and Danziger take us into a medieval world which is at times both very alike and very different from our own. Using a contemporary calendar to guide the reader through the months of the year, and with doses of humor and trivia along the way, we are introduced to the daily life of royalty, churchmen and, more often, the ordinary man and woman. We learn how they worked, how they played, how they talked, and even how they ate. The Year 1000 is an accessible overview of the period and a surprisingly entertaining read.

The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium: An Englishman's World

by Robert Lacey & Danny Danziger

230 pp., Back Bay Books, 1999

Purchase here.

Are books headed for the nursing home?

2010-01-10T16:54:00.004-07:00

Check out this article from BBC News Magazine:

Page-Turning Passion
This year is being touted as the year of the electronic book, but the gadget won't change people's passion for the printed page, writes Lisa Jardine.

New Music! No, Not Really New.

2010-01-05T12:11:00.004-07:00

I got very excited yesterday when I discovered while looking through an audio/visual catalog at work that there is a new Cranberries CD which came out today. But the more I looked at it and listened to previews on Amazon.com, the more I was disappointed at what I found. And apparently I'm not the only one:

The album takes its name from the Gaelic translation of ‘clap your hands’ and is surprisingly the band’s first ever live audio release.... That it appears to have been put together without the band’s involvement or consent, packaged by someone who evidently fails at graphic design, and consists mainly of already available B-sides, doesn’t seem to have discouraged The Cranberries from supporting the release.
(From wearsthetrousers.com)

Bleh. I'm still a big fan but what the band really needs to do for a live album is release an entire concert. Maybe their MTV Unplugged (which has been bootlegged for over a decade) or an audio version of one of their live DVDs. But this package is just so sad. :(

Books Finished in 2009

2009-12-28T20:05:00.006-07:00

Death Makes a Holiday, David J. Skall
Doctrine & Covenants of the LDS Church
Enemies of Books, William Blades
Going Beyond Google: The Invisible Web in Learning and Teaching, Jane Devine
Holy Bible (KJV, LDS edition)
Leaving the Fold: Candid Conversations with Inactive Mormons, James W. Ure
On Acting, Laurence Olivier
Story of Michael Collins (Irish Heroes for Children), Isold ODeirg
[Update] Young Folks' History of the Church, Nephi Anderson
300, Frank Miller

Milestone

2009-12-17T15:49:00.002-07:00

I finished my last university assignment yesterday afternoon. I earned A's in both my classes this semester. I leave Clarion with a 3.9 GPA! Commencement on Saturday!

My Office

2009-12-09T23:33:00.006-07:00

I meant to post these pics about four months ago. Anyway, here is my old work space and then my new office in Logan Library!

A Dog!

2009-11-29T10:52:00.006-07:00

We bought a dog: a pure-bred, 2.5-year-old Beagle named [Update:] Aggie.

New cool music

2009-11-17T12:13:00.005-07:00

MUSE

Three songs have impressed me lately:

'Apocalypse Please' by Muse: I first heard this on last.fm radio and was immediately excited by it's power. I asked a former Latin classmate and Muse fan which album of their's I should try first and she suggested 'Absolution' which contains 'Apocalypse Please'. I have it now. Watch a live performance of the song here. By the way, the first single off their new album is also excellent. Watch the video here.
'Where Did All the Love Go?' by Kasabian: Just a great song by this British band which I don't know very much about yet. Listen to a full preview here.
'Magnificent' by U2: I heard this the radio the other day while cruising up to the university Graywhale store in SLC and was blown away. It's the best thing I've heard from U2 in the last 12 years! Watch the video here.

Logan Elections

2009-11-02T07:05:00.003-07:00

In Logan elections tomorrow, Tuesday, November 3, Amy and I support the following candidates:

Randy Watts for Mayor
Tony Wegener for Municipal Council
Dean Quayle for Municipal Council

Get out and vote!

That's a Lot of Yo-Yo

2009-10-26T20:12:00.003-06:00

I just saw this today on Amazon.

It's a Yo-Yo Ma box set... with 90 CDs!

Random at the Library

2009-10-21T18:38:00.005-06:00

Today I was helping an older lady at the library. She saw my Union Jack tie and as we were walking to another area of the library, she said, "I hope you'll forgive me." She then began to sing 'Rule Britannia'! I had a good laugh as she continued to apologize.

The other day Logan Library borrowed a book from the Salt Lake City Public Library through interlibrary loan. The book, 'The English Breakfast Murder' by Laura Child, had this amazing pencil drawing in it. There is most likely no way this drawing will get back into the hands of whoever drew it, but I scanned it and then sent it back with the book. The picture you see here is the one and, maybe by some miracle, it will be found here.

Validation

2009-10-14T20:54:00.005-06:00

Well, it's happened! I've finally earned the right to call myself a librarian and enter my career!

I started working in libraries as a shelver at the South Jordan Library in December, 1999. Then I was hired as a Customer Service Specialist (worked on the circulation desk) at the C.S. Smith Library in South Salt Lake in August, 2001. I later transferred to the Bingham Creek Library in June, 2003 (in the same role as before) to be closer to where we were living at the time. In September, 2004, I was hired by Nanette Alderman in another circulation position with more hours at the West Jordan Library. Ms. Alderman had been the manager who hired me at South Jordan!

I then took a break to move to Logan and attend Utah State University. I graduated in May, 2007 and began my Master's of Library Science degree in January, 2008.

In February, 2008, I felt the impression to ask if Logan Library would allow me to volunteer. I took in a resume and told them I'd be willing to do anything, even going back to shelving, just to get back in a library. I was invited by the director, Mr. Ronald Jenkins, to volunteer on the reference desk! I was so excited for the opportunity and am still grateful for that chance to prove myself! I volunteered there for three months, learning more about Logan Library, getting to know the staff, and gaining crucial reference experience. In June, 2008, I was hired as a Technical Assistant (finally working on a circulation desk again) and a month later, I was hired as an Associate Librarian!

I wrote last month about applying for the open librarian position. Since I am only weeks away from graduating with my Master's, I was able to be considered for the position. Apparently, there were 20 applicants from across the country. No, seriously... Ohio, Los Angeles, etc. Those 20 were narrowed down to 3 who were invited to interview and I was one of them!

I interviewed on Monday, October 5, for 90 minutes. The ordeal included a written as well as a standard oral interview. At one point during this, I distinctly felt words come into my mind which perfectly expressed my thoughts and which I know did not originate with me. I had many family members praying for me and I know it was inspiration. When I got home and told my family how it went, one of our children scolded me for having so little faith. "I prayed for you two times, Dad!" Thankfully, during the interview it came out that this job was what I have been dreaming about for years- not just that it's a librarian position in a library I love with a staff I get along wonderfully with- but that I've always wanted to purchase the non-fiction books! Everyone knows I'm not much of a fiction reader :)

Anyway, I'm am going to work hard to rise to the challenge of the job entrusted to me. I'm so grateful again for the opportunity. It's my dream job!

Review: Death Makes a Holiday

2009-10-14T17:45:00.006-06:00

In this short history of America's second-most popular holiday, author Skal examines several ways Halloween has influenced our culture. After first attempting to disprove some of our favorite legends about the holiday (there is apparently no evidence that Jack O'Lanterns originated in Celtic Europe, as many assume), Skal tells us of the strange way the Salem witch trials have been co-opted by enterprising New-Agers in modern Salem, Mass. He also leads us through several decades of American haunted house building and takes us into the middle of clashes over gay rights during San Francisco's Halloween street parades. Finally, he comprehensively takes us through 90 years of Halloween at the movies and, in what are perhaps his most compelling observations, Skal examines how the attacks of September 11 affected the holiday and what it all means for America. Like any good cultural history, there are also many intertwining references to other curious information which leave you wanting to know more. An informational and enjoyable read to get you in a spooky mood.

Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween

by David J. Skal

224 pp., Bloomsbury, 2002

Purchase here.

Is Capitalism Christ-like?

2009-10-11T22:13:00.002-06:00

(This is being reposted after some confusion on my part.)

America came about by many, among them were Protestants in search of freedom of religious oppression. These people came with the desire to worship the Lord with all their heart, mind, and body. Their reality was not that everyone can join their clergy and be saved, someone would need provide the shelter and the food in this new land. Through this realization part of Protestants beliefs became that God has given everyone a gift, and if you develop that gift and talent and work hard, that too glorifies and pays tribute to our Heavenly Father. Along with sacrifice and moderation, capitalism was thus born.

With this God-given talent and hard work, businesses form around a product that is made to the best of one's ability, money is earned, and then reinvested to not only glorify God, but to help our fellow man by providing him means of survival too. As consumers we were then expected to choose. Choose a company that is worthy of our business, choose a product that is made through values and hard work, and with the power of choice it drives competition to make a better product for a better price and to become a better company with values to encourage patrons. So if we do not like the big box stores, we choose not to shop there and perhaps choose to buy from our farmer's market or local ma & pa store. If we need furniture we look for things or quality, made with honest, hard-working hands; we don't settle for particle-board structures made by child labor. Through our choice, the corrupt get weeded out because we do not choose to give them our business. True capitalism lets of use the power of choice and reinforces consequences. Such things as a bail out can never happen in a capitalist nation if progression is to happen. If there is corrupt CEO's, their business must fail to teach them not only the power of honesty, but the power of the consumer. If one chooses to invest with someone dishonest or through ignorance, they too must reap the consequence of failure.

This concept is amazing to me because it hits at my personal core beliefs. I believe the greatest gift ever given to man next to the Atonement, is the power to choose. And from the beginning, in our premortal life, we chose to choose; that is how we became. We chose our Heavenly Father's plan of Happiness so that we may come to earth, receive bodies, and use the agency He has bestowed on us. But to whom much is given, much is expected. We are expected to choose the best, we are expected to choose to take care of one another, we are expected to choose to glorify our God. The most wonderful thing about choice is consequence. You can see the fruits of one's choice. Lately, many have tried to show capitalism as an evil with greedy men trying to get all they can, making the rich richer and poor poorer. Many have turned a blind eye, are ignorant to how government and economy are run , leaving it to their neighbor and now only see the corruption that capitalism brings. Unfortunately it is through our ignorance and sometimes our own greed that our country is in the state it is in. Much has been given us through capitalism: choice, potential, prosperity. With this blessing we must realize the power of choice, the importance of moderation, and the necessity of sacrifice.

So I ask of you, next time you go to the grocery store, do not pick one of convenience or by mere thrift, choose a store you would be proud to spend your hard earned money at. Next time you buy any product, whether that is bread or a flat screen TV, please endorse those who work hard and have integrity. Next time you see someone who is without, ask yourself if you are living in moderation, and please remember to sacrifice your time and/or money for our fellow man. And the next time you vote, please know who you are voting for, not only from the words they say, but from the consequences of previous choices they have made. Don't let the Box Office , the politicians, or Satan fool you into thinking capitalism is bad. Capitalism is just when we live to the principles the early Protestants laid out for us: sacrifice, moderation, glorifying our Lord, and choice. Will it be harder? Absolutely, there will have to be so much sacrificed in terms of the time we spend to investigate company's, where we choose to spend our money, a life style of getting whatever with whatever, and sacrificing to make sure we all have and are taken care of. But isn't anything worth having worth working for? Let us sacrifice our time to know about where our money is spent, let us sacrifice something we want now for something better overall, let us all work hard in what gift God has given us to glorify Him, let us live in moderation, let our voices be heard through our power of choice, let capitalism live on, for these are the things Christ will judge us on.

I believe anything that gives us the power to choose is our good and part of our Heavenly Father's plan, but we must choose to be Christ-like.

Frustrating Book Search

2009-10-07T15:22:00.011-06:00

A few days ago, I tried to find a book for a library patron and was at first unsuccessful. All she remembered about it was that it:

Was a Young Adult book
Was set during WWII
Had a German POW on an American farm
Had a girl with an abusive father

After searching subjects in our catalog for a while and coming up short, she left and said she would come back some other time. I offered to keep searching and call her with my results but she declined.

Two minutes after she left I discovered the book- "Summer of My German Soldier" by Bette Greene- by doing some searching on the web. Unfortunately, this book has no subject terms in Logan Library's catalog record so I was never going to find it that way. I hope she comes back in the near future and asks for it again- I really want to get that book in her hands!

Mouths of Babes

2009-09-27T21:00:00.005-06:00

The following is an actual exchange between myself and one of our children.

Child: "Dad, people are like leaves."

Me: "Really? How?"

Child: "Well, Michael Jackson changed from brown to white."

Anglo-Saxon Gold Hoard Found!

2009-09-24T18:33:00.005-06:00

It's happened again- a huge hoard of early medieval treasure has been found in rural England by a man with a metal detector (see BBC article here)! In fact, it's the largest ever found. I supposed it happens more than I think (see blog entry for 7/27/07), but it still excites me every time I hear about it! In my other life, I think I'd still enjoy being an historian/archaeologist. Maybe I can do some amateur work someday.

You can view a slideshow of the spectacular items by clicking here.

Pic from CNN.com

Finished Reading the Bible!

2009-09-22T20:44:00.004-06:00

That's right! I finished the New Testament today which means I am through reading the entire Bible. It sounds cliche, but reading and studying it has increased my testimony of the Gospel, of Jesus Christ, and of the Plan of Salvation so much! Plus I feel smarter just for having done it. I love that book!

September 11

2009-09-11T08:13:00.004-06:00

In memory of that terrible day, please spend a few minutes at

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/americas/2001/day_of_terror/

New Job Coming (Hopefully!)

2009-09-10T18:27:00.004-06:00

Today I applied to be a librarian. A full, real librarian.

[The successful candidate will manage] collection development for all adult non-fiction and reference collections of the library. This includes evaluating and selecting and acquiring materials in a variety of formats and making recommendations relating to the overall management of these collections and other related duties. Works on the reference desk directly with users to help them find information they need, which includes: analyzing users needs, searching for, acquiring, and providing the information in a variety of formats.
Must have a Master’s degree in Library Science or closely related area, and experience equivalent to three (3) years full-time professional library work. Knowledge of principles and practices of managing library collections. Knowledge of library cataloging systems. Knowledge of resource materials and references available to facilitate effective management of the different library collections. Knowledge of library computerized resources...
- From the position announcement

A position miraculously opened at Logan Library when Patricia, a Logan librarian of 19 years, decided to retire after her husband abruptly decided to retire. I had thought I would have to wait a couple years after earning my master's degree, especially in this economy. Maybe not!

I am so thankful for the opportunity to attend university and for a loving wife who has not only supported me, but encouraged me through it all. I've been in post-secondary schooling for more than seven years!

Interviews should be taking place by the first or second week of October. I'm in a pretty good position for this job. In a month, I should know if I'm a librarian or not!

Valkyrie & WWII

2009-09-03T18:29:00.006-06:00

And speaking of Valkyrie, Amy and I finally watched it last night. I was blown away! What a great film! I highly recommend it. If you haven't heard, it's based on the true story of the group of German resistance fighters who tried to kill Hitler by placing a bomb under his conference table. I liked it so much that we went out today and bought a used Valkyrie DVD for $1.00 at Hastings. Let us know if you would like to borrow it!

And speaking of WWII, this week is the 70th anniversary of the start of the war, with German troops rolling into Poland on September 1, 1939, and war declared on Germany by Great Britain on September 3.

Association of Walking Military Figures (AWMF)

2009-08-27T15:24:00.004-06:00

I think Tom Cruise's stance in the Valkyrie artwork is strangely reminiscent of a famous photo of Michael Collins. What do you think?

New Bayeux

2009-08-14T09:08:00.007-06:00

*** British history nerd alert! ***

I found this site the other day where you can use characters from the Bayeux Tapestry to make new scenes (and, supposedly, e-cards but I can't make that part work). Examples I made:

And while we're discussing the tapestry, check out this animated version someone put together which is quite good.

Finished with the OT!

2009-08-13T23:15:00.005-06:00

Today I arrived at a milestone: I finished reading the Old Testament! I started it about 18 months ago and got into Deuteronomy before I flaked out for a while. Then a couple months ago, I realized that I could listen to scripture mp3s at work and things really took off. Since that time, I've been listening to about 10 chapters per day!

I've wanted to read the entire Bible since I was a kid and now that I've already finished the big part, the goal actually seems attainable!

Colbert on a Library Problem

2009-08-07T16:40:00.004-06:00

Stephen Colbert takes a humorous look at an unfortunate library issue which affects many around the country. This same situation has been very contentious here in Cache Valley.

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Nailed 'Em - Library Crime

http://www.colbertnation.com/

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Meryl Streep

Weirdness at Church

2009-08-04T16:20:00.007-06:00

Lately there have been some strange things said and done in our ward which have, quite frankly, shocked me. The guilty parties are normal, sane people who should know better. Take these for example:

{Let me remind anyone reading this that what individual members of the LDS Church say is not necessarily doctrine and that what one member does is not necessarily what all of us do!}

Once during a Sunday School lesson on the Word of Wisdom, one lady raised her hand and told us all what her doctor had told her many years ago: that in the future we would see the number of homosexuals dramatically rise in proportion to the amount of preservatives in our meat! And she implied that that is what we are seeing today! I think my chin dropped to the floor! Thankfully, our instructor quickly moved on.

Another time, as a man near the front of the chapel was called into a leadership position, he stood and turned, and with a smile on his face waved a strong "I'm cool" wave to the rest of us farther back. What was he thinking? Do higher callings automatically make you more of a celebrity?

Recently we had a testimony meeting where a non-member family was visiting from England and was in the first few rows of the audience. The ward leadership were careful to adapt the meeting for non-members by explaining what a fast and testimony is to them. Then a young man stood up and bore his testimony that the Church is true and that America is the greatest nation on the earth! And then he bore his testimony that America is the greatest nation that has ever been. And then he bore his testimony that America is the greatest nation that will ever be. I'm obviously paraphrasing but he repeated the sentiment at least three times! Where was his sensitivity? His tact? And then he said he was proud that America was the only nation encouraging freedom across the world! Can you believe that? That's a complete lie, and right in front of our English visitors!

Ridiculous behavior for Latter-day Saints!

REVIEW: On Acting

2009-07-30T17:07:00.004-06:00

This final book by Sir Laurence, generally acknowledged as the greatest actor of the 20th century, is equal parts memoir and acting instruction. Written only three years before his death in 1989, it provides a unique look into the acting profession on stage and screen by one who was in the middle of it from the 1920s onward. Alongside ideas about character development and stage makeup are reminiscences about other greats: Gielgud, Richardson, Wyler, Barrymore, Welles, and many more. I highly enjoyed this book and am grateful the author chose to record both his advice and memories before leaving us to return to the warm stage lights in the sky.

On Acting by Laurence Olivier
397 pp., Simon and Schuster, 1986.
Purchase here.

Great Article: Please Read!

2009-07-23T14:09:00.001-06:00

Time Magazine: Is There Hope for the American Marriage?

Schama on Colbert, part II

2009-07-13T20:30:00.003-06:00

I just found out that Simon Shama was on the Colbert Report again last month. Yes, he's a liberal, but I love him. Take a look!

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Simon Schama

http://www.colbertnation.com/

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Jeff Goldblum

Busiest. Day. Ever.

2009-07-08T11:43:00.007-06:00

Logan Library was featured on the cover of this morning's Herald Journal. You can read the article here.

Here's a summary:

Last Monday, July 6, was the busiest day EVER at the library- 6,608 items were checked out! And June was the busiest month EVER- 90,929 items checked out (that's more than 10,000 greater than last June)!

Joseph Quoted in The Herald Journal

2009-07-05T21:34:00.004-06:00

"Whereof he speaks"

At fireworks Friday night, our former neighbors, the Nelsons, let me know that I had been quoted in the newspaper. Too bad they got my title wrong. I work for the Logan public library, not the USU library. Anyway, click the link above to read.

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30 Years!

2009-06-29T21:43:00.003-06:00

30 years ago today, my parents were married in the Salt Lake Temple.

Congratulations, Dad and Mom!

Weird Statuary

2009-06-25T18:08:00.005-06:00

I just came across this strange statue made by Royal Doulton, which is supposedly of Laurence Olivier in the role of Richard III.

It's a weird hybrid of two Shakespearean film roles- the head *kind of* looks like his Richard III (1955), but the body and especially the armor, are those of his Henry V (1944).

See:

So messed up... and they want $800.00 for it!

Richard III, by the way, has just been re-released by Criterion as part of their 'Essential Art House' series. It's much more affordable if you just want to check out the film and not the wonderful special features available on the previous edition.

Libraries in the Recession

2009-06-25T12:44:00.001-06:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Update on Life

2009-06-22T20:51:00.026-06:00

So things have been pretty busy around here lately!

My grandfather Anderson passed away in Salt Lake City on Saturday, June 13. He was 90 years and 8 months old. His viewing was on Monday and his funeral Tuesday. I was honored to be asked to speak at his funeral by my grandmother and am grateful that so many family members were able to come honor him.

Later on Tuesday, Amy's Mom took us on a tour of the new LDS Church History Library. It was amazing. It was also really neat to see a picture of my great-grandfather, my grandfather's own father, in the hallway during our tour.

On Thursday, we left for a long planned but short vacation to Hittle Bottom (outside Moab) where we were engaged 10 years previous! It was a great trip and a wonderful place to be with the ones I love.
(Many more pics on Facebook)

Sunday was Father's Day and Amy and our children gave me this wonderful Willow Tree figurine.

So we've been busy with all that, plus I'm currently in a difficult 5-week research class which is constantly weighing me down. Oh, and I redesigned this site.

Reliable Info on Movie Content

2009-05-21T20:14:00.001-06:00

For a while now I've been searching for a good website which provides detailed information about movies so that parents can make educated decisions about what their families watch. Believing that an MPAA rating should only be used a very initial guide in this process, I wanted more info up front.

A few years ago, I found 'Reasons for Movie Ratings.' This site has a fairly good database of titles which you can search. But as far as movie content, it only provides the short blip which is now standard underneath the MPAA's official rating logo on a movie.
- The Reasons for Movie Ratings entry for 'Night at the Museum':

Rating: PG
Rating Reason: Rated PG for mild action, language and brief rude humor.

You can see that is not very much to go on and I've noticed before that that little blip usually does not cover everything one might find offensive. For example, the one for Braveheart only covers the violence and does not address the sex or language. I give this service a 2/10 rating.

Next I found 'Common Sense Media.' Also has a pretty good database and their reviewers are much better, but I felt they still made some generalizations. Not quite as specific as I wanted. I also don't like that they tell you what age group a movie is appropriate for. As a parent, I just need the info and I can decide what is appropriate and what is not.
- The Common Sense Media entry for 'Night at the Museum'
I give this service a 7/10 rating.

Finally, the other day I heard a local radio personality recommend 'Kids-in-Mind.' This site is great! They provide detailed info and a rating for three areas: sex/nudity, violence/gore, and profanity. They also mention other content such as substance abuse and content themes.
- The Kids-in-Mind entry for 'Night at the Museum'
I give this service a 9/10 rating and highly recommend it as a parent and an avid film viewer!

[UPDATE: After thinking about it for a couple days, I noticed that this post seems to imply that I use these services only when investigating films for our kids, when in reality, I find them very useful for films Amy and I want to see also, since we don't watch just anything :)]

Colored Albums

2009-05-20T20:50:00.000-06:00

Have you ever noticed how many 'color' albums there are? These are albums which may or may not have official titles, but which have come to be commonly known by the predominant color of their cover. For example:

The Beatles - 'White Album'

Metallica - 'Black Album'

Sunny Day Real Estate - 'Pink Album'

...and the band with the most...

Weezer - 'Blue Album'

'Green Album'

'Red Album'

Richard Bushman on Joseph Smith

2009-05-06T17:23:00.000-06:00

On Sunday Amy and I watched The Life and Times of Joseph Smith, a filmed lecture given by historian of Colonial America and Smith biographer, Richard L. Bushman. It was excellent! I really enjoy his style of writing, speaking, and teaching. And he doesn't shy away from the 'difficult' aspects of the Prophet's life as many others have done. And he's a believer himself. You need to watch this one.

Letter to the editor

2009-05-05T17:28:00.001-06:00

I wrote a letter to the editor of Logan's Herald Journal which they published today. You can read it here (the link will probably die within a few days). It concerns the continuing debate over library service in Cache County.

Amy is graduating!

2009-04-26T02:14:00.000-06:00

On May 2nd, Amy will graduate with her bachelor's degree in sociology from Utah State University! I am so proud of her for sticking to it, even through the times when I thought we would not make it. She has worked so hard! During her college career, she:

Has raised our four children!
Had our third child the day after finals in 2004!
Supported me through my bachelor's degree!
Moved 75 miles away from home to Logan!
Has held many callings in our LDS ward including in our Relief Society presidency!
Was in the passenger seat for a car accident!
Has cooked countless pies, cheesecakes, macaroons, and brownies to bring happiness to those around her!
Has helped many others to find funding and register for college!

In the last year alone, she has:

Had our fourth child, our first by c-section!
Supported me through my master's degree!
Worked from home!
Bought a new car!
Held three callings in our LDS ward simultaneously (not including visiting teaching)!
Bought and began moving into our first home!

While at USU, Amy has earned a 3.75 GPA and will graduate cum laude! So the moral of the story is: if she can make it through college, you can too!

Congratulations, Ames! I love you!

Another movies update

2009-04-26T01:52:00.001-06:00

Well, it's been four months since I blogged about the bunch of upcoming movies I'm excited about so it's time for an update.

- The Young Victoria (Official, IMDb) has been released in Britain and still looks very good!
- Robin Hood (IMDb), formerly called Nottingham, is currently filming. See a pic of Crowe as Robin here.
- Voyage of the Dawn Treader (IMDb) - still excited about this one. Hopefully it will be better than Prince Caspian. Treader was my favorite of the books as a kid.
- King Lear starring Anthony Hopkins has been shelved. Too bad!
- Easter Sixteen (IMDb) I blogged about a couple weeks ago. I hope it's good. They begin shooting this summer so there's little to go on at the moment.
- Ondine (IMDb) I just discovered the other day. Directed by Neil Jordan (Michael Collins, The Butcher Boy), starring Colin Farrell, and music by Kjarten Sveinssen and Sigur Rós! Sounds like an Irish fairy-tale well-told like The Secret of Roan Inish!

Small site adjustments

2009-04-17T16:26:00.000-06:00

I have opened up the permissions so that anyone can post comments, even if they don't have a Blogger account.

I've also altered the "Our Faith" section to reflect the advice given to us this last General Conference from Elder L. Tom Perry regarding how to share the Restored Gospel.

Doesn't the banner pic above look like a giant alien spaceship is looming over Cache Valley? Funny. I might change it soon... we'll see.

Patronize your local library this week!

2009-04-13T20:36:00.000-06:00

This week is National Library Week! Get out and check something out because if your community has a public library, you pay for it through your taxes... so use it!

A Joyous Celebration!

2009-04-12T11:30:00.000-06:00

(The Risen Lord, by Arnold Friberg)

I love Easter and am grateful for the opportunity to renew my faith in Jesus Christ and His resurrection. Last year at this time, Amy and I were called the day before Easter and asked to speak the next day in sacrament meeting. You can read my talk here.

I watched the Passion of the Christ again on Friday. What a difficult and beautiful film. I know many members of the LDS Church dismiss this movie out-of-hand because of its rating. Regarding this, I wrote the following to a family member 18 months ago:

"The Passion of the Christ IS very violent and bloody (and realistic). The Passion, as a movie for adults, forcefully shows what a Roman beating might really do to a human body. That is the only reason for the rating.

"I found a scripture in the Book of Mormon that I had been looking for for years and the timing couldn't have been more perfect: Jacob 1:8 "Wherefore, we would to God that we could persuade all men not to rebel against God, to provoke him to anger, but that all men would believe in Christ, and view his death, and suffer his cross and bear the shame of the world." I went around Easter time and rented The Passion. My testimony was increased. The movie is very disturbing (in what He experienced to fulfill the Father's plan) and yet very beautiful. Of course, any viewer has to realize that it is Mel Gibson's vision, but I believe it was made in faith, with good intentions (to bring people to Christ). Moroni 7:13 comes to mind: "But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God." That is what The Passion of the Christ has done for me and what it is to me! I can't say that everyone needs to see it to come to the same realization as me, just that it has brought me closer to Jesus and if it can do that to others as well, I'll keep promoting it."

Tea Party Rally!

2009-04-11T11:52:00.000-06:00

Let your voice be heard!

Uphold the Constitution!

Join with fellow taxpayers who are FED UP with high taxes, reckless spending, and government arrogance.

City: Logan

Location: Historic County Courthouse (200 N. Main)

Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Time: 4-6 pm

If not us, who? If not now, when?

Current and Future Stuff

2009-04-01T21:36:00.001-06:00

A book review of mine is being featured on my library's website.
Sarah McLachlan is working on a new album!
We close on our house in less than two weeks!
I discovered a new movie coming out about the Easter Rising in Ireland, called Easter Sixteen. I hope it is good because I haven't been this excited about a forthcoming movie in a long time! (P.S. I'm assembling a list of movies that take place during Ireland's wars of 1916-1923. There aren't many, I only have five so far. If you know of any, please comment!).

Coincidence?

2009-03-26T14:19:00.000-06:00

Today at work I was listening to Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips (pretty good, by the way). In the song Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell, Wayne Coyne sings

"I was waiting on a moment / But the moment never came."

At the same time, I was reading an AP review of the new Jeremy Irons play, Impressionism. The article included a quote from the dialogue of Joan Allen's charater, Katherine.

"I am trapped in a place where I thought something was going to happen and nothing did."

I thought it was strange.

I Love Sword Fighting in Church Movies

2009-03-23T21:19:00.000-06:00

Our New Arrival!

2009-03-22T09:35:00.000-06:00

We are happy to announce the birth of our son!

Born Thursday, March 19 at 07:56 am

8.7 lbs, 20.5 in.

We are sending pictures by email so if you haven't received any and would like to, please drop us a note.

Odds and Ends

2009-03-18T21:28:00.000-06:00

Check out our visitor the other day:

* * * * *

I've been saddened by the news of Natasha Richardson's injury and death. When I heard that Liam Neeson was rushing from a movie set to be near his wife in hospital, all I could picture in my mind was the scene from Michael Collins when Liam (Michael) is being driven in the night through a war zone to find his best friend who he has heard is trapped and will probably be killed. The intense look on his face of urgent desperation is one the most moving scenes. I hope all involved will be able to recover.

Latter-day Thoughts on Liberty

2009-02-26T23:44:00.001-07:00

I must direct your attention to a fantastic blog post by my former neighbor, Scott Bosworth: Agency and the Mormon Case for Libertarianism. I couldn't agree more.

An Ode to Common Sense

2009-02-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

St. Bomb’s Day (2/14/2009)
(or how one lonely librarian was almost killed, but still decided not to do his homework)

Here I sit with mind distracted,
Supposed to work for school contracted,
But Amy in my mind replays,
And gifts will soon be on their way.

Then still I sit with books surrounding,

Watching all the snow compounding,
Blowing as the clock shows noon,
Just waiting for our trip in June.

Yes, the network admin thought
A suitcase in the hall was hot,
And wanted me to call the cops,
But inside were just films and socks.

Now everything has turned out fine,
So here I sit and think and whine,
Then a thought jumps in my head-
Get your homework done! You could be dead!

Review: PROSPEKT'S MARCH EP by Coldplay

2009-02-12T14:50:00.000-07:00

For this review I'll give you my thoughts as I listen to each track.

TRACK 1: LIFE IN TECHNICOLOR II: I was wary of this song because I like the original Life in Technicolor so much, but this is still good. Much more of a straight-forward rock song than the other which has no sung lyrics. Seems to reference Track 8. A great song to open the EP with. ****1/2

TRACK 2: POSTCARDS FROM FAR AWAY: What a beautiful instrumental piano piece! Amazing in its simplicity and yet depth. Find myself wishing it was longer every time I listen to it (it's only 48 seconds!). I believe Chris played this at the Salt Lake show, but no one knew what it was because Prospekt's March wasn't released until three days later in the US. *****

TRACK 3: GLASS OF WATER: From the quiet, slow tempo of Postcards, to an uptempo and even heavy song (during the chorus)! This is a great one. I remember following the making of Viva la Vida through the coldplay.com and this song was a strong contender for the album. I can see why it almost made it, but also why it wouldn't quite fit with the rest of the tracks on Viva. Great play between pounding guitar and piano. *****

TRACK 4: RAINY DAY: This song is strange to me. It has great production values and musicianship but it has never clicked with me. Seems like a throwaway song to me. Something they should have kept as a B-side. I love the string parts. The lyrics seem boring. ***

TRACK 5: PROSPEKT'S MARCH/POPPYFIELDS: A fantastic song which sounds like it belongs on Viva. And yet it also sounds like old Coldplay... like it could also be from Parachutes. Johnny's guitar part almost makes me cry. Subtle with incredible beauty. *****

TRACK 6: LOST+: This song was billed as "featuring Jay-Z" but all he does is rap two new verses in the middle of the song. Otherwise, it sounds like its predecessor on Vida. Now, I'm no fan of rap, nor have I ever critiqued it before, but I don't understand what the hell Jay-Z is rapping about. It all seems pointless to me- the words and the musical collaboration. Why, Coldplay, why? And why release it on this EP? Should have been another B-side. It doesn't fit with any of the other songs here or on Vida. The only thing that saves it is the fact that it is based around Lost!, an amazing song in its own right. **

TRACK 7: LOVERS IN JAPAN [OSAKA SUN MIX]: I love the original Lovers, it's one of the best on Vida. The thing about this song is that I can't hear a difference from the original. There probably is a difference, but if it's not obvious to a big fan like me, then why is it included here? [UPDATE 3/25/09: Okay, I discovered one HUGE difference: REIGN OF LOVE is missing. Maybe I'm not the critical fan I thought I was.] *****

TRACK 8: NOW MY FEET WON'T TOUCH THE GROUND: Starts out a quiet but upbeat acoustic song that also wouldn't be out of place on Coldplay's first album. The part that really gets me about this song is the slow way it builds using strange sounds and then a majestic horn section. *****

Overall, a very good album (EP) and worth buying if you like Coldplay. And, once again, I love the cover. Skip Lost+ and it's very nearly perfect. ****

Logan "Surviving and Thriving"

2009-02-06T12:11:00.000-07:00

Logan's Mayor, Randy Watts, was interviewed this morning on CNBC about how well Logan is doing as compared to the rest of the country (3.2% unemployment locally, 7.6% nationally). Check out the video at the link below.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1024028438&play=1

Glenn Beck's 'We Surround Them' Movement

2009-02-04T17:32:00.000-07:00

If you agree with at least seven of the following items, take a picture of yourself and send it to wesurroundthem@gmail.com.

Yes or no: I believe America is generally a good place.
Yes or no: I believe in God.
Yes of no: It is my responsibility to try to be better and a more honest person than I was yesterday.
Yes or no: The family is sacred. I and my spouse are the ultimate authority under God when it comes to my family.
Yes or no: If you break the law, you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
Yes or no: I have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but that is not a guarantee of equal results.
Yes or no: I work hard for what I have, and I will share it with others that I choose, when I choose, should I choose. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
Yes or no: It is not un-American for anyone to disagree with my opinion, but some opinions might be anti-American.
Yes or no: The government works for me. The government answers to me. I do not answer to the government.

To find out more, visit http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/21018/.

Films & Insults

2009-01-30T17:44:00.000-07:00

We watched the following a few months ago:

An Incovienient Truth (Three stars out of five)

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (Three stars out of five)

Needless to say, we weren't too impressed.

I just had a patron come ask about the latest book in the Saxon Series by Bernard Cornwell. While helping him discover what it was, I told him that while I don't read a lot of fiction, if I did in the future, I'd be interested in that series. He then blurted out that he's "into the vikings. I hate the English." I had to pause for just a second, but I kept my cool like a good librarian and continued to help him despite the insult. I hope I get some credit for turning the other cheek on that one!

Some assistance, please

2009-01-15T18:25:00.000-07:00

I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I can't figure out how to upload a new blog template. Can any of you assist me? Every time I try to upload one that I like, it asks if I'm okay with getting rid of all my widgets. Since I'm not okay with that, I haven't changed anything. Any advice?

While you're thinking about how to help me, here's a great video of Travis live at the 2008 Fuji Rock festival:

Thoughts

2009-01-10T15:41:00.000-07:00

I've been realizing this week how blessed I am to have a job, and not just any job, but one which is highly desired in this area. I can't tell you how many times I have heard people say, "Working at the library would be my dream job!" And it is great. I love what I do, I work with some wonderful people, and I'm proud of what the library stands for- free speech, free ideas, liberty and equality.

I'm also a big fan of the Libertarian Party. I passionately hold most of the same views as the party's platform because I strongly believe in the principle of individual agency. I have one problem, though. To join the party and become an official member, I must agree to only one thing-

...that I do not advocate the initiation of force to achieve political or social goals.
(See here).

This one is really hard for me because I understand how the founders of the party came to this idea. It obviously stems from the essence of libertarian thought- that one person should not, in any way, impede or remove the rights of others. But the issue for me is the fact that the Constitution and our country were born out of blood- the colonists initiated force to bring the United States into being- the same USA and Constitution that libertarians love so much! So are Libertarians saying that while it was necessary back then, it could never be necessary now? I disagree with that kind of reasoning.

Thomas Jefferson said:

God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion... And what country can preserve its liberties, if it's rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.
(See here).

This makes much more sense to me. All the great political movements towards liberty have required the shedding of blood.

So while I abhor personal violence in any form (like a good libertarian), I would probably support an armed movement to return this country back to its founding principles. Therefore, I cannot sign the party pledge and ever become an official member, even though I desperately wish I could.

I know some assume that we cannot return to the Constitution because it allows too much freedom. We supposedly need all the subsequent laws to reign in the Constitution. It allows people to say what they want, do what they want, believe what they want, as long as they're not harming others. But some find comfort when government controls what people say, what they believe, what they do. If one is willing to go along, the ride is easier. Is this what God wants for his children? As Amy asked one of our children the other night, "Whose plan was that?"

For my part, I'd rather see this country go down to Hell with its freedoms intact, than to have a controlled state where we are forced to be "good."

I've just had to adjust to the fact that I am party-less for the foreseeable future.