So glad Chad didn't win.
He supports a candidate for governor - who also lost - who has, shall we say, interesting things to say about members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and then can't figure out why his own support in the Bear Lake area - home to many members of the Church - dropped from the last election.
RIP indeed.
We've seen our property taxes double since we moved to Ammon in the early 2010s. Voting yes on a larger levy for School District 93 means another increase.
I get that the schools need the money. Thing is, everybody needs the money. I know we could use it. I'd love to pay off that mortgage that much sooner. Build a shed or a shop. Repair the porch roof that's sagging. So many other things.
If we had a state legislature that was doing something to help schools instead of frittering tax money on vouchers and tax cuts and only restoring some of the cut funds after the cuts literally killed four people, maybe I'd feel differently.
That's a big if, I know. So I'll probably vote for this levy. Just like voting for legislators that actually care about education, it's part of the bargain. But I'm tired, boss.
2013, we paid $976 in property taxes. Same year, about $740 in state income taxes on income of about $75,000.
Last year, $2018. This levy vote will put that up another $150 a year. Same year, $4,200 in state income taxes on income of about $110,000.
He's going to Gilbert, Arizona.
Before he opened his call, I had three predictions:
1. New Zealand.
2. Quebec/France (somewhere French speaking)
3. Mongolia.
At the last minute, he guessed Flagstaff, Arizona. So I was way off and he was really close.
And of course as his guests are here, right before the call reveal he's out at his therapy wood chopping area:
He's out there still chopping with Josh, one of his buddies.
Yes, in his Sunday duds. Getting ready to serve like a missionary.
Anyway, it was fun to mess with them.
So here's the deal: This book is indeed a soppy romance story featuring, at the end, an English Ignatius J. Reilly who gets locked in the dungeon of an ancient castle tower until he writes the second book of his genius career and the family is set back on kilter, or at least as much on kilter as the family could be.
I liked it. It felt a little ponderous and wandering, but at least it had a plot, unlike John Crowley's "Little, Big," to which I compared the book earlier this year.
If you want eccentric rural with a lot more humor, pick Stella Gibbons' "Cold Comfort Farm," but this book had a slow charm of its own, and built nicely toward the end when I suppose we should be cheering that someone connects with someone else. And they do, in ways you expect because that's how the expectations were set up waaaaaay at the beginning.
Dodie Smith does keep the story going, however, something Crowley didn't seem bothered to do. But it could have used a lot more of Gibbons' humor.
As I sometimes to at church as and after we sing hymns in Sacrament Meeting, I looked up the history of the lyricist or composer of one of the songs we sang.
We sang for Sacrament "In Humility, Our Savior," which has long been one of my favorite hymns, and is in fact one I became most familiar with as I served a mission in France, as the hymn is one the saints there love. In fact, the three songs we sang today were very popular in France.
Anyway, this lady is Mabel Jones Gabbott, born in Malad, Idaho, as part of a colony of Welsh Mormons who settled the area. She grew to have a love of words, fed in part by Welsh traditions of singing and storytelling. More of her story here.
She spent a life with words, crafting hymns, poems, and editing many works for various church magazines. In her life is proof that one doesn't have to have widespread recognition to contribute to the greater good.
One of her most recognized works is the poem "Eve and I," which she wrote as she realized there was little told from Eve's point of view in the creation story. It's a lovely poem:
Neighbors have indeed chimed in:
Isaac, looking for things to do as he waits for the mission call, split up a ton of the wood we have left in the front yard from the pine tree, probably almost half of what's left, so the yard is looking excessively bare tonight.
No word yet. Not that I'm all that bothered; I 've got lots to do without spending time on the second job.
I guess we're lucky at BYUI, with this happening at the start of one of our semesters, not at the end of the semester as with many other schools.
I feel a little dissed, though. I got a friendly message from BYUI when I tried to open Canvas, not this neat little message from the hackers.
I guess the hackers are trying to prove a point or something? Or they're dicks and just want money. Which, I guess, is a point on its own.
It's everywhere on Facebook, and, irony of ironies, being used copiously by people fighting against AI data centers.
Of course they're *not* fighting against AI data centers. They're posting ragebait to engage the masses and push whatever useless metric they're trying to push so they can farm likes and gather followers and virality and then sell whatever they have to the highest bidder.
Of course, some feign sincerity. But the irony of using AI to fight against AI eludes them.
So my rule now: I don't engage. I take screenshots, then I block.
It's like Whac-a-Mole, though. Block one and three vie for the space you just opened on your feed.
Doesn't matter. Will keep blocking until I wear our my mouse and keyboard.
And inspiration to me to go more often.
Just waiting for the mission call now . . .
This is why we're urged to study and study and study our scriptures and consider how we should apply them in our lives.
Then when the question of "where do I draw the line on forgiveness" arises, we already know the answer and how we should respond
Nothing in this passage, or the entire section of Doctrine and Covenants 64 says it's going to be easy, but often things the Lord requires are hard to do.
This, from Matthew 18, applies as well, of course:
[Dad takes the dogs outside, because one is barking pathetically at the back door to be let out and the other one, a geriatric, has yet to produce an adequate poop for the day. So Dad is not merely sitting on the back steps doom scrolling, he decides to finish cleaning out the dead leaves and crabgrass from around the air conditioning unit.]
Emergency backup dog (the barker}: [Sniffs around for ten or so minutes, maybe takes care of business and generally struts around like she owns the back yard, as she always does.]
The geriatric, as yet undepooped dog: [Expresses deep interest in what Dad is doing and noses around in the dead leaves and crabgrass and generally makes a nuisance of herself as she and Dad go for the same pile of dead leaves handful after handful. After five minutes, she locks eyes with Dad, produces one of the stinkiest poops known to mankind about a yard from where he is working, then wanders off to leave Dad inhaling the deadly fumes as in haste he finishes up the last of the leaf-and-grass cleanup and staggers inside to get some fresher air.]
Potted this on the Facebooks this morning:
The idea, of course, is a good one, at least as long as people remember to put the plates back in the right place.
What I object to is the AI presentation of this scenario.
First of all, it's pretty odd to have a blank plate to cover a box in a wall. Sure, I've got a few in my house, but a junction like this isn't likely to be set up this way -- there should be a switch. Unless this was the result of a remodel, but even then, why not a switch if you're adding new wiring?
But on to the AI.
Look at the baseboard on the floor. Then look at the open box in the wall.
The perspective does not match. Behold:
It's clear the photo with the box was taken straight on, or near enough straight on. The lines for the box don't match the perspective line for the baseboard, which is probably a reason the plate covers the bottom of the box, which is closer to the baseboard.
Also, that hole in the wall is HUGE compared to other elements in the photo. A plate ain't gonna cover that.
I guess if you're hungry for content and engagement, AI is a good way to get people to comment on the slop, and then argue about it. Either way, it's sloppy.
In regards to this.
I'm no lawyer, but personally I don't think this'll stick. At best, the meaning of "86" is ambiguous enough they're going to have a really hard time proving any evil intent.
I'd sure like to be able to read the date on this newspaper, but it's just too blurry.
The cartoon itself is from 1943, so some wishful thinking here.
Over the weekend, my wife was winding our grandfather clock when the pendulum came out of the clock in her hands.
Being the intrepid souls that we are, we took the cowl off the top of the clock to take a gander at the innards to see what we could do to remedy the situation.
We quickly determined that a miniscule suspension spring had broken -- it lasted just shy of 50 years, pretty good for a tiny assemblage of plastic and metal.
Luckily, we had a spare spring included with the clock paperwork, so after a bit of trial and error and the use of a few pairs of tweezers, we got the new spring installed. No help to the instructions. We knew where the spring went because we could see a broken bit still in place.
Here's the envelope the spring came in. Good luck with the instructions. Note: the illustration does not match our clock.
But alas, when we connected the pendulum, we could see that the pendulum hanger and rod were now interfering with the chime bars that give grandfather clocks their charm.
I thought, "Well, I'll look online to see if I can find a video to help us out." That after a few glances at the paperwork included with the clock revealed that it was pretty hopeless to look at it for any help.
It's text-heavy. The illustrations are line drawings, a bit smudged, and upon further examination, were for clocks and equipment that didn't match our clock's innards.
Another example, on pendulum hanging. It not only doesn't match our clock, but it doesn't match the illustration on the spring envelope.
So the typical one-size-fits-all documentation we lament today was clearly alive and well in the 1970s.
Alas, an appeal to the Internet for help brings up a hodge-podge of similar material, none of it all that helpful because it doesn't quite apply to our situation.
As a technical writer, I say that stinks.
First, I guess clock repair people are guarding their secrets. It's a rare situation where you don't find some helpful video on YouTube showing you how to fix the exact problem you're facing with ancient technology, or new stuff for that matter.
Second, a lot of what I found is still in that "one size fits all" mold that we all know isn't really all that helpful when at the foundation of it all, the parts they're showing and the methods they're using don't translate to the real world.
So as I struggle with my own writing challenges, I'm given a fresh reminder that we need to be careful to write to the exact situation and not leave people frustrated and guessing and hoping the Utah "Clock Doc" hasn't made one of his semiannual runs to Idaho yet. We'll see.
President Trump and members of his cabinet were vaguely shot at yesterday.
I don't condone violence of any sort, let it be clear.
I don't condone hypocritical petulance, either.
Trump has said this wouldn't have happened if he'd had his White House ballroom.
School shootings, workplace shootings, and all the like wouldn't have happened had they had ballrooms either, per that logic.
But since Sen. Lindsey Graham sees fit to introduce legislation to let President Petulant get tax money to pay for his ballroom but nobody seems willing to lift a finger to do to much of anything to lessen the impact of school and workplace shootings, I say fie to it all.
We have a very hypocritical government. They get free health care, pensions -- and in some instances, jobs -- for life. And we pay for it all. But that kind of thing just isn't done for the masses. We have wars to fight, Trump says. So that means we can't pay for health care, or child care, or Social Security, or any of the other social safety net programs that actually show benefits outside the pocketbooks of arms contractors.
The sooner we elect someone besides this twink and his enablers, the better.
Honorable Judge B. Lynn Winmill
United States District Court
550 W. Fort Street
Boise, ID 83724
My name is Brian Davidson. I am Randy Davidson’s brother, just a few years older than him. I live in Ammon, Idaho, and just marked by 20th year working as a technical writer with the Idaho Cleanup Project, currently with the Idaho Cleanup Project. I also teach an online English course at Brigham Young University-Idaho.
I’m writing this letter to express my love and support for Randy. He was my best friend growing up. I recall many adventures on our bicycles, exploring our neighborhood, the vacant lot in the industrial park near the home where we grew up, and through our involvement with the Boy Scouts of America and the Young Mens’ program in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Though he is younger than I am, I look up to him a lot. He reminds me a lot of our Dad: Studious, quiet, intelligent, and hard-working. I never felt a sense of competition with him; we just worked through things together. When he wanted to go with his other friends, I understood and mostly held back – he’s much more outgoing and courageous than I am.
We have common interests, from reading about World War II – Dad was a civilian in the Netherlands during the war – LEGOs, books, games, and other interests. When Randy comes home, we could certainly pick up on those pursuits again, and offer each other mutual support as we grapple with the challenges that life throws our way.
Randy is a humble person who knows and owns the mistakes he’s made. He’s worked hard to combat the addiction and demons that beset him. And he, like Dad, knuckled down at his jobs, even when he was treated with derision and hostility by his co-workers and supervisors because of his record. This world can be cruel to people who’ve made mistakes like Randy has, but he never ran from them. He never hid them. He owned his past and did the best he could do to not let it control the present. Though he has longed to reconned with his children, he respects their wishes to remain distant, though it hurts.
I appreciate the closeness he grew to have with our sister Maaike when he returned home. She was better positioned to be the best help for him, but please know he has an extensive and willing help and social network when he does come home. We have a large family and though at times we’re not exactly close, we do band together particularly when a family member is suffering. We recognize the godly requirement to love all and to work to remove the beams in our eyes rather than rail against the motes in the eyes of others.
My fondest memories of Randy came when my wife and I bought a house in the early 2000s and discovered the sprinkler system it came with was nonfunctional. He had experience in working on sprinklers, so came over and worked with me to see what we could do with the system we had. We dug a few trenches, found many broken components, and discovered a few functioning sprinkler heads, but nothing in the way that would water our lawn efficiently. I remember him, a week into the project, saying something along the lines of “We can either keep digging and following the lines and fixing the problems we discover along the way, or we can start fresh with a new system.” In a way that’s how he’s led his life since his troubles arrived, recognizing that some aspects were beyond repair and opting to start again. His resilience in the face of his own demons is awe inspiring.
When I think of my family, but of Randy particularly, I’m reminded of the song by The Hollies:
The road is long
With many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where
Who knows where
But I'm strong
Strong enough to carry him
He ain't heavy, he's my brother
So on we go
His welfare is of my concern
No burden is he to bear
We'll get there
For I know
He would not encumber me
He ain't heavy, he's my brother.
Sincerely,
Brian Davidson
Started reading "I Capture the Castle" by Dodie Smith - author of "101 Dalmatians," which is why I picked this book up.
Kinda glad I started reading it before I saw the trailer for the movie based on the book, because it's a bit soppy:
Also just found out the movie has an R rating, so maybe this won't be one I finish.
This is why, if AI is to be believed:
In a few ways it reminds me of "Little, Big," by John Crowley, another book I started but didn't finish. Like that one, thusfar Castle has been nearly plotless, though at this point it has had more of a plot than Little. While the lack of a plot was a reason to bail on Little, it was the rapes that really sealed the deal. People try to tell me Crowley wrote an epic modern fantasy; I just don't see it. And Castle isn't that far behind.
But I couldn't, because the site put up an ad I had to watch and click out of it before I could read.
Irony is dead.
First of all, first person. Not my favorite point of view for a book. I’m hard-wired a bit to avoid that.
Second of all, the voice. Very scattered. Very slow to come to the point.
But I suppose, after finishing the book, that was the point.
The protagonist is, of course, young. And while versed in many things related to dragons, not really versed in writing.
So the longer I read, the more the point of view and the voice fit. Yes, at times, it was like trying to read one of my younger students’ essays, typical stream of consciousness garble that they usually are. They wear me out. Sometimes you have to read a paragraph, or a series of paragraphs, over and over again to get the gist, and even then you’re not really sure.
That’s what this book felt like, start to finish. Not necessarily how I would have done it, but clearly McKinley made a choice and she stuck with it. It certainly lent her character a unique voice.
I worried at times, however, that the voice got in the way of the story. I can be a demanding reader, and this story demanded a bit more than I actually got.
Remembering the main character’s name? Really hard to do. I got it in the last 40 or so pages.
Being able to tell but a few characters apart? Not really. That was hard, but as the POV is written from kind of an egocentric point of view, maybe that’s mission accomplished.
I’ve read a few other McKinley books and will stick with those. This one tells a good story, but the approach to it was a bit too grating for me to get into it.
Don't get me wrong: This is a good story, telling an interesting tale. McKinley is a strong writer, rich in dragon lore that's historic and contemporary and a bit of her own invention. I just had a hard time with the approach, that's all.
The Salt Lake Tribune recently published an article claiming some in the LDS Church have "Pope envy," in which they ask why our church leadership isn't speaking out against war, like Pope Leo.
In all due respect, it's clear these were not paying attention during April Conference.
So many talks about peacemakers and finding peace in Christ.
Our leaders don't have to specifically point out "this war," or "this action" is bad; that is baked ino the gospel of Christ.
This from President Oaks, said just a few weeks ago, suffices for me:
"Truly, Jesus Christ is the way to peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come. He knows and loves each of us perfectly and invites us to walk with Him, abide in Him, and follow His example of ministering to others one by one in charity and love. . . May we all demonstrate the pure love of Christ in our families, in our communities, and in all of our interactions with God’s children."
And he wasn't the only one.
This from Elder Eyring:
"The world today seems to be in commotion. There are wars and rumors of wars. The economies of whole continents seem to be faltering. Prophesied wickedness seems to be accelerating as the Savior’s return draws nearer.
"Yet despite turmoil and difficulty, faithful Latter-day Saints in hardship across the world have flooded heaven with prayers. In public and in private, they are petitioning the Lord for help, for comfort, for direction, and for personal peace for those they love."
I'm often confused by folks who criticize religion for mixing with politics, but then get upset when religion doesn't mix with politics in the way and in the time they think it should.
War is bad. It is rarely justifiable. The messages of peace that I hear again and again from church leaders affirms that to me
I applaud Pope Leo for speaking out as he did. I ask those who think our leaders should do likewise to pay attention to what they've been saying all along.
