Outer Lightness

Expand blog entries with this slider:

Unread items (30)

this, that, and the other

My, but that panda is crunchy!

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 11:36am EDT

Tags: [edit]

Gosh, look at what they're making cereal out of these days! How barbaric!

Main Street Plaza

Church guilty in New Zealand

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 9:22am EDT by profxm

Tags: [edit]

Okay, it’s a slow news week. There are about 5,000 stories about the “Mormon Missionary Calendar Creater Getting Axed,” but not much else going on in Mormondom. I did catch this article, though. This is one of those “sex offender tells religious leaders who cover it up” situations. This guy was pretty sick, preying on kids, adults, and even dogs. The LDS religion there knew about it for years but did nothing for years until they finally ex’d him. It wasn’t until after he was ex’d that he preyed again and was finally caught. The judge was none-too-kind to the LDS religion, saying they were clearly in the wrong and immoral here.

I’m not really pointing this out to say that the LDS religion is responsible for his behavior. They’re not. But they are responsible for his continued behavior, in the sense that they could and should have reported him, but didn’t, and he continued to prey on people. I’m sure we’ve hashed this out here before, but I thought people might find it interesting. (definitely a slow news week)

Jer Illuminated

Looking for Drive

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 5:58am EDT by Jer

Tags: [edit]

Over the weekend I was unpacking from my recent move (my roommate is getting married and wants his house to himself, the NERVE!), digging in old boxes that have traveled with me since moving out of the house Christy and I shared.

In one particular box I found a bunch of my old artwork, going as far back as superhero drawings from when I was 7. (Wait until I scan and post these later this week when I get internet at home. It seems like my daughters haven't fallen far from the tree)

It even had some work I created a few years back when I was in one of my creative bursts. As typically happens when I run across some of my old drawings I stopped and realized, "You know, I'm actually pretty good at this. With some work I could really make something of this."

What typically follows is I file them away and get sucked back into life again.

You know how it is. You get home from work and you're burned out, you want to relax in front of the TV or level a character in WoW, or read a book. You don't want to put creativity and effort and energy into anything. It's exhausting just thinking, let alone doing.

This is where the separation happens between those who get what they want in life and those who settle with what is given them. You can be happy and comfortable working for the man, no doubt. I know people who find a groove in life doing something they may not love but it pays the bills and they can buy a home, a car, take vacations, and live happily. Hell, I was (and still may be) that guy.

But there's this nagging part of me that wants more, wants to get better, wants to create and wants people to see those creations. So far that part has lost out to the seemingly immovable mass of my past habits. Objects at rest tend to stay at rest. At times it seems insurmountable.

But I keep trying to find purchase in this massive wall keeping me from what I want. Some small habit I can form, some small niche to pry my way into the way I want to live, the person I want to be. I forget the motivational book I read the example but you have to start the flywheel spinning, do something to get it moving and then keep it going, day after day. Change habits, find your way out of the groove you've worn for yourself, remap neural pathways in your mind and get a new Pavlovian response going.

So where do I start?

a new eric

The Tear

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 10:43pm EDT by Eric

Tags: [edit]

On Saturday, I was wearing one of my favorite dress shirts and tore a hole in it.

I had propped my elbows up against a counter while talking to a coworker. I slid my elbows to the left a bit, and heard a rip. Suddenly, I could feel the counter against my left elbow. I looked down and found a nice tear in one of my best shirts. Granted, the shirt was well-worn (being one of my favorites), and the elbows were a bit thin, but seeing as how I've never had something like this happen, it was a little frustrating.

So, today, Jill and I went to Kohl's to buy some new shirts.

It was overdue, anyway. When I finished remodeling the bedroom closet, Jill noticed that I had quite a few shirts that I never wear. So it's time to clean out some of the old stuff.

Tonight, I pulled 14 old dress shirts off the closet rod. I'm going to spend an hour later in the week determining if I keep any of them. I expect most of them will end up going to good will.

In the group of shirts I pulled aside are the four shirts I bought when I got my job with my current employer. I haven't worn them in some time. On one of my favorite green shirts sits a nasty oil-based stain. It's hard to see, but it stands out, to me, too much for me to wear it. Also, a golden-colored shirt I wore way too many times - a former favorite shirt. A deep blue shirt that's been ironed so many times the edges are almost white, also one of the original four, sits among them. Lastly, a very nice light yellow shirt, which has never kept a wrinkle away, sits in the pile. These four shirts got me through a tough couple of years, until they looked too worn out to wear.

Also among the group is one of my favorite shirts, a shirt that looks black in some light, or extremely dark blue in another. It's an oxford style shirt - a rarity for me. It was THE shirt I wore whenever there was an important function I needed to attend while I worked for Utah Valley State College. I went with a black pair of khakis and a black tie. What can I say, I worked in a slightly more liberal academic environment than the competing university down the street - that combination worked at UVSC.

There are many shirts in my pile to be donated away. And like many of my clothes (including my shoes), many memories gravitate around some of the shirts.

Today, I bought six new shirts, including ties. I don't know what memories these new shirts will bring, but I look forward to seeing what happens. I'm at the point of needing a long-overdue promotion, or finally finding that spark that will start a writing career. I'm on the verge of major changes in my life. Who knows what memories these shirts will bring me in four years.

.

.

digg_url = 'http://aneweric.com/index.php/2008/07/20/the-tear?blog=1'; digg_url = digg_url.replace(/amp;/g, ''); digg_bgcolor = '#FFFFFF'; digg_skin = 'compact'; digg_title = 'The Tear'; digg_bodytext = 'On Saturday, I was wearing one of my favorite dress shirts and tore a hole in it. I had propped my elbows up against a counter while talking to a coworker. I slid my elbows to the left a bit, and heard a rip. Suddenly, I could feel the counter against my left elbow. I looked down and found a nice tear in one of my bes';
Powered by b2evolution.

CV Rick

My Week In Pictures

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 9:51pm EDT by CVRick

Tags: [edit]

Not only did I get in some canoe time this week, but I did it with Sugar and Large.

Life in the Fast Lane

Tyranny of the Treadmill

Posted: July 20th, 2008, 4:29pm EDT by Bull

Tags: [edit]

Despite lots of ideas and lots of drafts I haven't been posting much. Things have been pretty busy at work and I just got notified that my contract has been extended to the end of the year so I have at least another 6 months of 50+ hour weeks.

It's been a while since I've post about running so I'll catch you up really quickly on how that's going.

By the end of the the marathon season I was a train wreck. I was run down and tired. While I was training I thought it was just the long miles and wear and tear. But even with a break I felt like I was living in a fog. It was so bad I actually bit the bullet and went to the doctor. As much as I avoid doctors, that means I really thought something was wrong. He didn't find anything physically wrong but diagnosed me with depression and gave me a script.

That greatly improved my mood and made me feel much better, but after some experimenting I discovered that the non-sedating Zyrtec, whose listed side effects include fatigue, was sedating for me and I was much less tired when I stopped taking it.

Anyway, I didn't feel much like training through the spring so I ran occasionally and ran my normal spring races with no expectations and no significant results.

Between depression and lack of training my weight starting creeping up so a week before Memorial Day I started a new diet in Dietpower diet. Over Memorial Day I gorged at my parents 50th celebration and my weight hit 236 which is about 12 pounds more than I had weighed a year before. My goal was 205 by August.

I also decided to run the Kansas City marathon in October so I started training again three weeks ago. Running and dieting sucks. My energy levels are so low that it is tough just to move. I have to be careful standing up too quickly or I get light headed and I've already passed out once when I got out of bed too quickly first thing in the morning.

It's a constant battle, but I've gotten used to feeling hungry and tired from lack of calories and my weight is aroung 222 right now and steadily, although slowly, dropping.

The last couple of days I've eaten a bit more and today I did a 14 mile run that I was really dreading. You see last weeks run was shit. I felt crappier than crap. My legs felt like lead and it was just agony to try to move. But today, with some fuel in my system I felt freaking awesome. I churned out 14 miles at 10:00 mile pace on the treadmill and it was effortless. I dropped to 8:57 pace for the last mile and my heart rate stayed in the low 150s.

This is very encouraging because the same pace would have been much harder a year ago so I seem to be rounding in to shape well and my body really likes having less weight to lug around. It makes me really look forward to being 205 and I hope that it will translate into a speed.

Oh yeah. The treadmill. The sucky part about an October marathon is that I have to train through the Texas summer and it just isn't going to happen outside so I'm doing a lot of running on the treadmill. I'm discovering that the treadmill enforces a discipline that is difficult to attain when running on the streets. I punch in the pace and I either have to keep up or hit the wall behind me. Treadmills are normally boring, but with a good audio book I'm finding that I really like it.

Well, I'll post before and after pictures when I hit my goal. I can already see a difference and I'm looking forward to releasing the skinny person that I've been hiding in a fat-old-man suit.

Agnostic Mom

Long, Lost Agnostic Mom

Posted: July 20th, 2008, 3:23pm EDT by Noell

Tags: [edit]

I can’t ignore the fact that loyal readers like Ed and Jason reach out at random times, wondering if the blog is dead. I’d say it definitely died, but perhaps resurrection is real after all? It’s so good to hear from you guys.

Here I am, almost exactly one year after promising to pop in once in a while, which I’ve never done. How about I catch you up on what I’m doing and if any of you are hanging around you can catch me up on where your lives have headed?
My Second Full-Time Job
I have two competing full-time jobs now. I’m still a SAHM, but I also host an internet scrapbooking tutorial show. I have professional weekly videos, a weekly live show, and regular blog articles at Paperclipping.com.

This is where my AgnosticMom blogging time has gone and why I haven’t felt like I had any minutes left to write here. I still miss you guys, though. Maybe now that my blogging skills have improved I can stop in once in a while with some short posts. No promises this time, though.
I’m Now A Vegan
This was one of the best streets I’ve ever turned down. I love having an animal-friendly, cholesterol-free, whole-foods plant-based diet. Feels good.
The Great Gatsby
We rescued this sweetheart from the animal shelter. Gizmo was horrified at first but now they’re best friends. I love being a mommy to two dogs and find myself wanting to go back for a third, even though my allergist says I should never have gotten the first one.
The kids…
…are growing and we’re enjoying the wonderful little people that they are. Blake is teaching himself to animate, chose the school at which he wants to learn film and computer graphics, and has named his own production company for movies.

Trinity has become such a graceful ballerina and blows us away with her ability to beat anyone at any time in the game, Memory. She’s definitely visual.

Aiden is strengthening his natural inclination for music and will be starting full-day kindergarten next month.

All three are amazing kids.

What about you, my long-lost friends? Where has this amazing life taken you over the last year?

Easy to be Entreated

The Gospel According to Homer Simpson

Posted: July 20th, 2008, 9:52am EDT by Hüffenhardt

Tags: [edit]

I love the Simpsons! When I was a TBM, I found the show very inappropriate and sacriligious, but now I love it. Despite being crude, it tackles some serious philosophical and ethical issues with witty satire (as does South Park).

Anyway, since "losing my religion" I have espeicially enjoyed the religious humor of the Simpsons. I find this article on the Simpson's view of religion with plenty of quotes that made me laugh out loud. Here is the link. Enjoy!

"Dear God, this is Marge Simpson. If you stop this hurricane and save our family, we will be forever grateful and recommend you to all of our friends."

Or a nuclear meltdown, begun at Homer's workplace.

"Dear Lord," Marge prays, "if you spare this town from becoming a smoking hole in the ground, I'll try to be a better Christian. I don't know what I can do. Ummm . . . oh, the next time there's a canned-food drive, I'll give the poor something they actually like, instead of old lima beans and pumpkin mix."

For more religion on The Simpsons content, look here.

Oh, yeah. My wife and I always like Bart Simpson's blessing on the food: "Dear God, We paid for this food ourselves, so thanks for nothing."
Much Ado About Nothing

Posted: July 20th, 2008, 9:41am EDT by Hüffenhardt

Tags: [edit]

After leaving the Church and theism, my priorities and values have changed somewhat. I mean I still value honesty and kindness and such, but much that I used to respect is no longer important to me such as I looked negatively upon less than valiant church attendence, watching R-rated movies, and shopping on the Sabbath. I can't believe how much I fussed over things that I now believe don't matter.

Personally, I would have absolutely no problem with my young kids cussing if I lived a society where everyone is cool with it. The only reason I don't think it is a good idea for my young children to cuss is due to the negative reaction other adults would give. Some people might advise, "Screw what other people think, live your life the way you are comfortable". But, I have found that there are numerous advantages to socially fitting in, and small concessions are worth the pay off. Although I still feel that those who have a problem with cussing are raising much ado about nothing, I respect their right to value what they value.

So, what do you think people fuss over that you consider not that important? What do you think people blow out of proportion or over-emphasize? How have your priorities or values changed since leaving the church? What do people consider a sin or inappropriate that you don't think is a big deal?

It might be helpful to think about what you feel is most important. If you think it is most important to please god, then it might follow that you wouldn't want to offend him through crass humour or by working on Sunday, etc. However, if you think it is most important to enjoy life and your relationships, things like laughing at Family Guy or working on Sunday won't necessarily be all that important in the big picture.

What follows was a guy named peter_mary's response to my post and it described so well my wife's and my position about premarital sex and alcohol that I just have to include it here:
This list probably doesn't qualify as "much ado about NOTHING," but it most definately demonstrates the continental shifting of my thinking with regards to things the church REALLY pounds it's members over. The reality is though, it has made me a MUCH better parent of teenagers, I find I can enjoy their adolescence and young adulthood so much more fully because I am not worried about their eternal salvation being at risk every single day of their foolish, inexperienced young lives.

1) I am not concerned whether or not my unmarried children are sexually active in the context of a committed but unmarried relationship. I AM concerned about WHY they might be sexually active. We talked at length as they were older teens and young adults about the importance of respecting the boundaries of boyfriends and girlfriends, respecting their "good names" and not manipulating anyone for hedonistic gratification. We were clear on the reasons why sex too early is a bad idea, and why casual sex is a really bad idea (for young, stupid kids...lots of adults manage this just fine, and I have no opinion on it). So now, instead of telling them we expect them to be chaste until marriage, we tell them that we expect no grandchildren until they're married. So far, they've done a very good job of managing those boundaries on their own, and they have relieved me from worrying about them being cast into the pits of hell for committing a sin "second only to murder" in severity.

2) I am not concerned if my underaged children "try" alcohol (and they know they won't be in trouble if they tell me after the fact). I don't worry that they will be on the slippery slope to impending doom. Instead, we talk about the importance of sober living, keeping (and valuing) clarity of thought, and the various risks that people have to be willing to accept if they introduce alcohol into their lives. Furthermore, I remind them that the LAW prohibits the legal consumption of alcohol until they are 21 years old, and I expect them to be law abiding citizens. In that same vein, however, we allowed our 18 year old to try whiskey, wine and Guinness when we took him to Scotland because a) he was legal there, and b) we encouraged him to join us in participating in the cultural nuances of Scotland. He handled it brilliantly, and returned to his tee-totaling self upon his return to the land where legal drinking is 21. (None of the members of my family express any real interest in alcohol, but not for moral reasons...)

Both of those issues caused me no end of anxiety as the parent of young teenagers, and I am an infinitely better parent for having let that go of all that "ado".
How I like my alcohol

Posted: July 20th, 2008, 9:16am EDT by Hüffenhardt

Tags: [edit]

I love margaritas, strawberry daiquiris, mojitos and hurricanes. I can't stand beer, at least none that I've tried, but I am getting to the point I don't even want to try beer anymore. I think why waste money on another beer that I'll taste then throw out, when I can spend that same money on some other form of alcohol that I either know I love or am likely to love. I do like wine coolers which are actually flavored beer, but don't taste like beer.

I love wines of all sorts. I started out with the sweet wines, such as white Zinfandel, then progressed to the dry wines (not sweet). I like both white and red wines, but I'd suggest starting with a white wine if you are new to wines. I also found that I really enjoyed mead, which is a wine made from honey. One can drink mead cold, in which it is very similar a white wine in taste and viscosity. Mead is often sold with a packet of spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, etc). One can heat up mead over the stove and pour in the spices and drink it out of a mug like they did in Europe during the middle ages.
My Advice for Those Looking for Marriage Counseling

Posted: July 20th, 2008, 9:10am EDT by Hüffenhardt

Tags: [edit]

Occasionally, I hear of couples having marriage problems due to differing religious beliefs.

While working on my MA in Psychology, I specialized in couples therapy. I suggest finding a therapist who practices Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy (IBCT). Research shows that it is the most effective couples therapy out there.

You may also want to look into getting a copy of the companion self-help book Reconcilable Differences written by the developers of IBCT, Jacobson and Christiansen.
Allegations Abt Joseph Smith Encouraging Abortions for His Plural Wives

Posted: July 20th, 2008, 8:28am EDT by Hüffenhardt

Tags: [edit]

I am sure the TBM's who read this post are going to accuse me of spreading anti-Mormon rumors/lies about the beloved Prophet. This will be especially the case because most if not all of my sources are statements from those disaffected with Joseph or the Church. I acknowledge the possibility that the allegations are untrue. I don't believe either of us can declare definitively whether these allegations are false or true, but no doubt some TBM's will speak as though they KNOW that these allegations are false, which of course they can't know that.

So, why post these quotes? Because people deserve the opportunity to investigate for themselves and make up their own minds about it. The more I research things, the more I trust the word of the disaffected Mormons more than the Church Leadership.

Mrs. [Sarah Pratt].: "You hear often that Joseph had no polygamous offspring. The reason of this is very simple. Abortion was practiced on a large scale in Nauvoo. Dr. John C. Bennett, the evil genius of Joseph, brought this abomination into a scientific system. He showed to my husband and me the instruments with which he used to * operate for Joseph. ' There was a house in Nauvoo, 'right across the flat,' about a mile and a-half from the town, a kind of hospital. They sent the women there, when they showed signs of celestial consequences. Abortion was practiced regularly in this house."

Mrs. H.: "Many little bodies of new-born children floated down the Mississippi..."
May 21, 1886, I had a fresh interview with Mrs. Sarah M. Pratt, who had the kindness to give me the following testimony additional to the information given by her in our interviews in the spring of 1885. "I want you to have all my statements correct in your book," said the noble lady, "and put my name to them; I want the truth, the full truth, to be known, and bear the responsibility of it...
"Joseph Smith, the son of the prophet, and president of the re-organized Mormon church, paid me a visit, and I had a long talk with him. I saw that he was not inclined to believe the truth about his father, so I said to him: 'You pretend to have revelations from the Lord. Why don't you ask the Lord to tell you what kind of a man your father really was?' He answered: 'If my father had so many connections with women, where is the progeny?' I said to him: 'Your father had mostly intercourse with married women, and as to single ones, Dr. Bennett was always on hand, when anything happened...'
Bennett wanted me to return to him a book I had borrowed from him. It was a so-called doctor-book. I had a rapidly growing little family and wanted to inform myself about certain matters in regard to babies, etc., -- this explains my borrowing that book. While giving Bennett his book, I observed that he held something in the left sleeve of his coat. Bennett smiled and said: 'Oh, a little job for Joseph; one of his women is in trouble.' Saying this. he took the thing out of his left sleeve. It was a pretty long instrument of a kind I had never seen before. It seemed to be of steel and was crooked at one end. I heard afterwards that the operation had been performed; that the woman was very sick, and that Joseph was very much afraid that she might die, but she recovered. (Mormon Portraits I, von Wymetal, Wilhelm, SLC: Tribune Printing & Pub., 1886, page 59-62).

AFFIDAVIT OF HYRUM SMITH.

On the seventeenth day of may, 1842, having been made acquainted with some of the conduct of John C. Bennett, which was given in testimony under oath before Alderman G. W. Harris, by several females, who testified that John C. Bennett endeavored to seduce them and accomplished his designs by saying it was right; that it was one of the mysteries of God, which was to be revealed when the people was strong enough in the faith to bear such mysteries -- that it was perfectly right to have illicit intercourse with females, providing no one knew it but themselves, vehemently trying them from day to day, to yield to his passions, bringing witnesses of his own clan to testify that [there] was such revelations and such commandments, and that it was of God; also stating that he would be responsible for their sins, if their was any; and that he would give them medicine to produce abortions, providing they should become pregnant. One of these witnesses, a married woman that he attended upon in his professional capacity, whilst she was sick, stated that he made proposals to her of a similar nature; he told her that he wished her husband was dead, and that if he was dead he would marry her and clear out out with her; he also begged her permission to give him medicine to that effect; he did try to give him medicine, but he would not take it -- on interrogating her what she thought of such teaching, she replied, she was sick at the time, and had to be lifted in and out of her bed like a child. (THE WASP. --- EXTRA. Nauvoo, Illinois, Wednesday, July 27, 1842.)

"Did you ever hear of abortion being practiced in Nauvoo?"

"Yes. There was some talk about Joseph getting no issue from all the women he had intercourse with. Dr. Foster spoke to me about the fact. But I don't remember what was told about abortion. If I heard things of the kind, I didn't believe in them at that time. Joseph was very free in his talk about his women. He told me one day of a certain girl and remarked, that she had given him more pleasure than any girl he had ever enjoyed. I told him it was horrible to talk like this." (Interview with Wm. Law. March. 30, 1887; THE DAILY TRIBUNE: SALT LAKE CITY, SUNDAY MORNING, JULY 31, 1887.)
Could someone explain to me what is meant by the phrase “finding your truth”?

Posted: July 20th, 2008, 8:27am EDT by Hüffenhardt

Tags: [edit]

Maybe it is just me, but I cannot comprehend what people are talking about when they say it is important to find your own truth.

You see, for me, there is no such thing as "your truth" and "my truth", there is only the truth and it is the same for all of us no matter what we believe. Because I understand truth to mean the way things really are, and they either are some particular way or they are not.

Either Mt. Rushmore exists or it does not; it cannot exist for me and not exist for you. Now, you might not know it exists, but that doesn't change the reality - that doesn't change the truth. You might perceive it differently or call it by some other name, but it either exists for both of us or it doesn't exist for both of us. There is no my truth and your truth about it; there is only the truth, at least the way I use and understand the word truth. So, others must be using the word differently from me and I want to understand what they mean by it so that I can communicate with them.

Now, some things work for some people and not for others. For instance, praying calms some people down, but doesn't others. Meditation works for some, but not for others. But, I would never call that "their truth". It is everyone's truth that praying works for calming some people down and you might be one of them. So, the reality of the situation is that it works for you. That is the truth, not my truth or your truth.

So, for those of you who think in terms of "my truth" and "your truth", what do you mean?

Talking to God

GEM

Posted: July 20th, 2008, 11:59pm EDT by Gunner

Tags: [edit]

This is an unusually large GEM, but worth it in so many ways. Crime Dog at Postmormon.org posted a bit of thought on a 'hole' in the whole all seeing and all knowing God issue. It truly is lovely to read.
Most western religions basically believe that god is all seeing, all knowing, and infinite in his wisdom and intelligence. Mormonism might outwardly share in that belief, but many of us here at PostMo know differently. While the church teaches that god is infinite in intelligence, we find this is not the case in practice.

The god of Mormonism does not even know who we are.

At least, this is the only explanation I have for the oddity that is the LDS temple ritual. God must not know me from Adam. So to speak. Why else would I need secret handshakes and verbiage to enter heaven? Wouldn't an infinitely wise and intelligent being know exactly who I am, what I've done, and whether or not I am entitle to enter into his presence?

Hey! Crime Dog! What's up? We've been expecting you! C'mon in, my friend!

It follows then, that though I am by definition an apostate, who openly rejects the temple endowment and ordinances, who refutes the teachings of Joseph Smith and the LDS church, and who denies that any of it means anything whatsoever, can still get in to the celestial kingdom! If god doesn't know me anyway, and I know the signs and tokens from my endowment three decades ago, what is to prevent me from walking right through the gates, past the sentinels, and into the presence of god? So, what motivation do I have for enduring to the end? I can do whatever I want.
Wow! This is what I love about the internet. It gives you GEMS like this to think about.

a new eric

Dot

Posted: July 20th, 2008, 10:53pm EDT by Eric

Tags: [edit]

.
Powered by b2evolution.

this, that, and the other

Holy Psycho Anarcho-Nihilist, Batman!

Posted: July 19th, 2008, 6:05pm EDT

Tags: [edit]

We saw The Dark Knight this afternoon. We had been looking forward to viewing the film at the local IMAX, but that crummy theater closed its IMAX permanently just in the nick of time. Christopher Nolan actually filmed parts of the film with IMAX cameras, so this film must be particularly sweet on the right screen. I thought about driving to Houston, but the IMAX there is sold out for all features this weekend. Oh well.

All the hoo-haw about Heath Ledger's performance in this movie is justified. His Joker isn't just a gangster in a goofy get-up, but a cynical anarchist and a nihilist who engages in antisocial behavior because he likes to watch the chaos he creates. Ledger looks and sounds wonderfully creepy, though a funny, brainy kind of creepy. The Joker also comes close to seducing Batman out of his job, and the wanted superhero is susceptible to that kind of seduction. Their cat-and-mouse game is wonderfully played by Ledger and Christian Bale. Heath Ledger's performance might land him the Oscar he should have won for Brokeback Mountain.

Trapped by the Mormons

Mormon love and compassion–giving a new spin on “tough love”

Posted: July 19th, 2008, 12:38pm EDT by Natalie

Tags: [edit]

The Deseret News story about Chad Hardy’s excommunication has brought the arrogant Mormons out in droves. This is when the “ugly” side of Mormonism rears its ugly head. Usually in a venue that is a “gang” type of atmosphere. I thought I would share a few of these “Christian” comments with you, but I’m not sure that would be fair use, so you are going to have to go to the Des News site to read them.

For the record, there were also a few comments from Mormons that were very even-handed and fair. But they were overwhelmingly outnumbered by the angry, hating comments. (Note: After spending some more time reading the comments, I think it is actually a mix of both. The first comments were from angry Mormons who thought Chad Hardy was the Liberace Anti-Christ, but after that it became a mix.)

Most interesting thing I saw in the comments was that a great many people speculated that there was “more” to his excommunication. Why they think there needs to be more is beyond me, but they are speculating about his sexuality, among other things, because it is a “beefcake” calendar, and not a “cheesecake” calendar. This never even occurred to me. Maybe because I don’t really care. Not sure. But occur it did not.

Casting stones, Jason said:

Jason | 7:38 a.m. July 14, 2008
Looking at the picture of this dude & the fact he decided to make a Mormon missionary beefcake calendar rather than one of returned sister missionaries makes me wonder if there isn’t more to this excommunication then just the calendar. My guess is he may have some sort of “alternative” lifestyle that had more to do with his excommunication than anything else (not that there is anything wrong with that).

Regardless, I think it is safe to say the guy is using this whole thing to get PR for himself and his calendar. The last thing is concerned about is excommunication and his family.

You got that from a picture? He didn’t look that nicely dressed to me! Just saying, is all…..

this, that, and the other

Greatest legal citation since "The Case of the Man who was Shot in the Buttocks"

Posted: July 19th, 2008, 10:21am EDT

Tags: [edit]

Here, respondents are authorized to bring suit on behalf of the payphone operators, but they have no claim to the recovery. Indeed, their take is not tied to the recovery in any way. Respondents receive their compensation based on the number of payphones and telephone lines operated by their clients, see App. 198, not based on the measure of damages ultimately awarded by a court or paid by petitioners as part of a settlement. Respondents received the assignments only as a result of their willingness to assume the obligation of remitting any recovery to the assignors, the payphone operators. That is, after all, the entire point of the arrangement. The payphone operators assigned their claims to respondents “for purposes of collection,” App. to Pet. for Cert. 114a; respondents never had any share in the amount collected. The absence of any right to the substantive recovery means that respondents cannot benefit from the judgment they seek and thus lack Article III standing. “When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose.” Bob Dylan, Like A Rolling Stone, on Highway 61 Revisited (Columbia Records 1965).

Sprint Comm. Co. L.P. v. APCC Servs, Inc., 128 S. Ct. 2531, 2550 (2008) (Roberts, C.J., dissenting).

CV Rick

I've Been Blogging for a LONG, LONG Time

Posted: July 19th, 2008, 7:30am EDT by CVRick

Tags: [edit]

Bet you didn't know that I was born to do this.

a new eric

How to make a Slip Knot

Posted: July 19th, 2008, 10:49pm EDT by Eric

Tags: [edit]

[www.wikihow.com]
Powered by b2evolution.

this, that, and the other

Daily Zen, woo-hoo!

Posted: July 18th, 2008, 7:26pm EDT

Tags: [edit]

Shall I tell you what it is to know?
To say you know when you know,
And to say you do not, when you do not,
That is knowledge.

- Confucius
[nt]

Posted: July 18th, 2008, 4:00pm EDT

Tags: [edit]

Letters from a broad...

Great moments in visiting the parents (episode I)

Posted: July 18th, 2008, 7:48am EDT by C. L. Hanson

Tags: [edit]

My mom and dad have planned a really fabulous outing for all their grandkids to have fun getting to know each other and build some memories together. This morning my mom was telling the kids about all the plans:

Grandma: Then we'll have a scavenger hunt! Do you know what a scavenger hunt is?
Nico: Yes! It's when you eat dead animals.
Grandma: ????

This is when I started laughing uncontrollably in the other room, then came in to help clarify.

Apparently the kid's picked a lot of vocabulary words from his nature documentaries. ;^)

My sister has already posted pics of the outing on her blog here.

Jer Illuminated

The Dark Knight

Posted: July 18th, 2008, 5:56am EDT by Jer

Tags: [edit]

Go see it. Just do it. Believe the hype.

CV Rick

Featured Post - Ninja Writer's Story Club - A Classic

Posted: July 18th, 2008, 5:45am EDT by CVRick

Tags: [edit]

Featured Post - This will stay on top of the page for a week - scroll down for newer content. The Story Club is back and this week I'm going back to a classic, one of my favorite stories of...

Floating in the Milk

Back from the depths

Posted: July 18th, 2008, 5:04am EDT

Tags: [edit]

Just in case anyone tried to access this blog during the last few weeks - sorry. There was a big stir up in my family of origin, involving last minute plane trips to intervene because someones disbelief became public knowledge. It was really disturbing to me, and made me feel rather exposed having this blog out in the ether, where it could possibly be found by someone, depending on what they squeezed out of my sister during the recent inquisition. The whole thing was exactly what I was afraid of 8 years ago when I stopped believing, and was rather surreal to watch (from afar, through phone conversations and texting with my siblings.) Anyway, I think the dust has settled and I came across a blog post today that I couldn't resist posting, for any readers that I might still have.

It's here: [overclassblues.blogspot.com]. I don't have any insightful comments on it, but this essay spoke to a lot of things that have been bouncing around in my head lately, and I wanted to share it.

a new eric

A Night of Dreams

Posted: July 18th, 2008, 10:44pm EDT by Eric

Tags: [edit]

Last night was an interesting one.

I went to bed early. Well, early for me. I haven't been sleeping well lately, and it seems like I'm not tired until after midnight (even if I wake up before dawn). I decided to try it around 11 PM. I didn't fall asleep immediately, but after a little restlessness, I fell asleep.

And then, I woke up at 1:00. I'd been having a dream, and for some reason, I just woke up in the middle of it. It took maybe 10 minutes for me to fall asleep again.

Then, I woke up at 2:30. A different dream.

Then, I woke up again, this time at 4 AM. I realized there was a pattern - every hour and a half I was waking up during the middle of a good dream. I noted that, at this rate, I'd be awake again at 5:30.

I woke up at 5:30. For whatever reason, I felt light - meaning, like I could fly out of the bed because I was weightless. I got up, and went to the kitchen. I had a cup of yogurt, worried about the heartburn I typically get when I wake up too early. I had a little Gatorade, and then some milk. I went back to the bedroom, and realized the blanket was on the floor. I pulled it back up, and laid down. I finally felt heavy enough to stay in my bed, and fell asleep.

I woke up again, at 7 AM. Then again at 8:30. Finally, the kids woke me up not long after that and I was up and about by 9:30.

I woke up from a deep sleep every hour and a half.

I had the most interesting dreams in each of those blocks of time.

When I got up this morning, I wrote the ones I could remember down. They were perfect writing fodder. After writing them in my book for notes, I started writing.

That's right, for the first time in over a month, I was actually writing. Not just notes, not just thoughts - writing. 1,573 words kind of writing. I wrote from about 9:30 to noon. It's the most I've done, save the few decent blog posts I've managed to hammer out, in a long time.

The kids even distracted me a little, and I kept going. It wasn't until Jill came to me and mentioned that it was noon that I realized I'd planned on getting my car registered today and stopped.

At some point during the day, I remarked to Jill how much writing I'd been able to do. As I mentioned it, I realized that I'd actually been up all night, writing away - at least, in my head for the majority of the time.

I'm still beside myself.

.

.

digg_url = 'http://aneweric.com/index.php/2008/07/17/a-night-of-dreams?blog=1'; digg_url = digg_url.replace(/amp;/g, ''); digg_bgcolor = '#FFFFFF'; digg_skin = 'compact'; digg_title = 'A Night of Dreams'; digg_bodytext = 'Last night was an interesting one. I went to bed early. Well, early for me. I haven\'t been sleeping well lately, and it seems like I\'m not tired until after midnight (even if I wake up before dawn). I decided to try it around 11 PM. I didn\'t fall asleep immediately, but after a little restlessness, I fell asleep. ';
Powered by b2evolution.

Talking to God

My point

Posted: July 17th, 2008, 10:59am EDT by Gunner

Tags: [edit]

My view of religion is the it is a stepping stone that is firm and solid to others, and shaky to many. A stepping stone to a transitory point in life that all have and yet many forget.

I have heard many people tell of the good the church (LDS) has done in their lives, and I have not one bit of disbelief. I also believe that Catholics, Protestants, and Wiccans have the same right and authority to say the exact thing. Religion is one way to the 'point'. Others who do not embrace religion are not cut off from transitory points in their life's. Their world view can be as enlightened and beautiful as others, and maybe more so.

The first time a mother/father holds their child. That feeling and inner light that makes them want to be the best parent in the world is one such point. When a person stands upon the hill side and views the glory of nature as the clouds sweep by and the trees russle in the wind. This feeling of the grandeur of it all is another point.

Maybe that transitory point is painful. Can it be when a person looks down upon the needle in their arm and they know that they cannot go further, and they want to go back and have a good life. Is it while looking at the closed coffin of your relative returned home early from the war and the realization that life is fleeting and you should live it to make it better.

Religion for the LDS church gives much credence to the burning bussum, and I am sure that it is as important to them as the tight chest of the man who feels the greatness of nature, or the fragility of their child.

Each one of these points and scores of others are experienced by all of us, some more and some less.

Religion for the most part is constricting in my view. When a person has a point like this they are forced mentally to define it through a filter of doctrine. That feeling from nature or your child is "the spirit" talking to you. When a person takes that step the enlightened moment is still their but the message that you might have gained from it is warped, and sometimes lost.

I do not have bad feelings towards people of faith as each of us needs to view the world in a way that gives you comfort and security. Sadly in my view many time religion starts to limit you in the experiences and 'lessons' you could get from them.

Instead of coming to the conclusion that you want to become the best dad you can, you get the message that you have to be the best 'patriarch' you can, with all of the required meetings and time in study away from your child. Instead of looking at the world and feeling small and wanting to protect it, you come to the religious conclusion that you must be a good 'steward' of the land.

Lessons and points gained, but mistranslated through a filter.

I first mentioned a steady and shaky rock. Some people can stand upon the religious rock and gain much from it. They can truly become better people, and I find in myself a hint of envy. Others such as myself found the rock shaky and impossible to stand on. I could not become 'more' the longer I struggled to stay upon it. I cannot say that I lost moments or points in my life due to standing upon it, but I found that life had become less joyful the more I tried. Religious people would attribute this to the adversary, while I attribute this to me.

Some people are not made to stand upon the rock.

Does that mean I find it not true? No. Just not for me.

Every day since I have been off the rock I have become more and more at peace with life. I have gotten over the anger at myself and others for feeling like it was the only good place to be. I even find a bit of happiness watching others find a steady perch to rest upon. Me. I'm happy off of it, and walking around looking at other places and finding such a wide lovely world to enjoy.

Peace out.

CV Rick

Growing Up Mormon - The Reality Sisters - Part Two

Posted: July 17th, 2008, 8:25am EDT by CVRick

Tags: [edit]

“Rick, what are you doing here?” I stood alone in the entry, melting snow dripping from my parka and boots. Bishop Payne after shaking my hand left to find Christine. It looked like she found me first. “I'm supposed to...

this, that, and the other

Death in the Family

Posted: July 17th, 2008, 7:26am EDT

Tags: [edit]

My mother died early yesterday. I've been estranged from the family for quite some time, but I will be attending the funeral tomorrow. It might be a bit more difficult than most funerals; we'll see.

ETA: I'm in shock. The funeral was very nice, and not at all confrontational.

Outer Lightness

Feeds

Unread items (30)

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 11:36am EDT

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 9:22am EDT by profxm

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 5:58am EDT by Jer

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 10:43pm EDT by Eric

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 9:51pm EDT by CVRick

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 20th, 2008, 4:29pm EDT by Bull

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 20th, 2008, 3:23pm EDT by Noell

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 20th, 2008, 9:52am EDT by Hüffenhardt

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 20th, 2008, 9:41am EDT by Hüffenhardt

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 20th, 2008, 9:16am EDT by Hüffenhardt

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 20th, 2008, 9:10am EDT by Hüffenhardt

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 20th, 2008, 8:28am EDT by Hüffenhardt

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 20th, 2008, 8:27am EDT by Hüffenhardt

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 20th, 2008, 11:59pm EDT by Gunner

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 20th, 2008, 10:53pm EDT by Eric

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 19th, 2008, 6:05pm EDT

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 19th, 2008, 12:38pm EDT by Natalie

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 19th, 2008, 10:21am EDT

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 19th, 2008, 7:30am EDT by CVRick

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 19th, 2008, 10:49pm EDT by Eric

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 18th, 2008, 7:26pm EDT

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 18th, 2008, 4:00pm EDT

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 18th, 2008, 7:48am EDT by C. L. Hanson

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 18th, 2008, 5:56am EDT by Jer

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 18th, 2008, 5:45am EDT by CVRick

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 18th, 2008, 5:04am EDT

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 18th, 2008, 10:44pm EDT by Eric

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 17th, 2008, 10:59am EDT by Gunner

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 17th, 2008, 8:25am EDT by CVRick

Tags: [edit]

Posted: July 17th, 2008, 7:26am EDT

Tags: [edit]