Why I Don't Like Motorcycles

Gus Roman, third from right
Believed to have been taken before the races on that fateful day.

It was an actual experience only once in my life. The momentous year I turned thirty and had to try some new things, my brother happened to own a motorcycle. He didn't have it very long as I think his wife had something to say about it. After a few moments of instruction, he sent me off on the bike. I cruised around the neighborhood a little only having trouble when I turned and realized that also seemed to rev the accelerator which was on the grip of the handle bar. Going faster as I circled was not a pleasant experience. But I safely slowed and got the bike back to my brother without an accident.

Turning the Hearts and Hands

My Third Grandson - Born this Sabbath Morning

The Spirit of Elijah is to turn the hearts but there is also something about the hands.

Another Crusader for Nader (sorta)

Yes, I cast a protest vote once for Ralph Nader for President. But it was in 1996, not 2000 when it might have made a difference. So don't blame me for eight years of W and Uncle Dick. (I'll leave aside any conjecture as to what disasters we may or may not have faced under Gore/Lieberman).

Trail-Running Joy: Sun to Water

Deuel Creek, Centerville Canyon, Utah from AllTrails

Last Saturday I had a great early morning run clinching for me that I might actually make my segments in the upcoming Wasatch Back Ragnar and not let down the family team. It also came to me in a flash of morning sun over the peaks and the rushing of springtime water that I can also overcome my loss of the Albuquerque trails. I just have to replace the joy of the sun with that of water.

My Friend Went to Hawaii

And all I got was this really great bobble-head president!

An Object Lesson in the Rough

Okay, I'll tell one bishop story. No confidences are revealed and if any one is offended, it's probably one of those "reproving betimes with sharpness" situations.

The "object" of the lesson

There was this Stake youth meeting I was roped into by a Young Women's leader. She said, "Bishop, would you help me out with something in my talk? You may need to take your suit jacket off and roll up your sleeve. Is the back of your shirt ironed?" No one had ever asked me a question like that last one before. So I was already a little befuddled. We iron the backs of shirts in our house. (OK, I admit my wife does much more ironing than I do, but I have been known to wield an iron on rare occasion).

Davis County Democrats: No Longer in Hiding

We had a great time at the Convention yesterday afternoon. We filled the room at Farmington Jr. High. There were 363 delegates sent from precinct caucuses. The speakers commented that it was more than they had seen in 30 years. It was by multitudes more than two years ago when I thought a couple of dozen people could easily stage a coup and run away with the county convention sparsely seated throughout the auditorium at Layton High.

We opened yesterday with some cute, little, Girl Scouts doing the flag ceremony and we joined them in singing "America the Beautiful." A woman with a big silver cross gave a nice, Protestant invocation. The MC rambled and brought enough bad jokes of the Mormon High Councilor variety to make all us LDS Dems as uncomfortable as in any Third-Sunday Sacrament meeting.

Mommy Wars

Hilary Rosen's comment about Ann Romney was really, really stupid and wrongheaded even if the context was somewhat distorted. This is only the beginning of campaign ugliness between the President's supporters and those of Governor Romney. And there will be a lot more. This is guaranteed based on the last election and the highly entertaining Republican primary contest now winding down.

I don't intend to weigh in on the women issues even though like Stephen Colbert, "I have a mom, my mom. And I am half-mom on my mom's side." (That guy is a political-comedic genius!)

Newt's Check Bounced

Yes, Santorum is out. Ron Paul is as irrelevant as ever. And Romney is the default Republican nominee for President. What of the newt? You may well ask. According to KSL, the newt campaign bounced its check to pay the filing fee for the Utah Primary, proving once and for all that his candidacy is as big a joke as most of the other also-rans in the Republican race.

I will try to stay positive as this race goes forward with the Governor versus the President. That's going to be really hard because they won't. And now, most of the really entertaining candidates are out.

Oh, It Was Sad!

I never saw the movie. There are a few cultural icons I refuse to participate in just to keep myself uniquely independent and unspotted from the world. I've never seen a single Rocky or even a Jaws movie either.

Happy Easter!

In Easter celebration, another poem from my ancient relative who shares my surname (and family shield):

Good Friday Music

Our Gospel Doctrine teacher seemed genuinely surprised that Jacob in the Book of Mormon counseled to become "fools before God." 2 Nephi 9:42 And commented very sincerely how that was such unusual counsel. I only whispered to my wife that the Apostle Paul went on quite a bit about becoming a "Fool for Christ" in the first few chapters of I Corinthians. That's OK. We can't all be wise enough to be fools. Eventually, we will learn to admit it as we humble ourselves before the throne of all wisdom and truth.

A Profitable Company or an Organized Community?

Yes, Mitt Romney is finally the pretty-sure, just-about, inevitable nominee. You can tell because he and the President are now criticizing each other by name. Sigh. It's going to be a long seven months.

And he wouldn't be a terrible president. I'd hope for something along the lines of a H.W. Bush. (Heaven forbid the W without the H!). We know what we have with President Obama. About half of us think he's just fine or even good. About a quarter of us absolutely detest him for reasons I'm still trying to understand. The remaining quarter aren't much in favor of him either, but without all the birtherism or other suspicions that he is somehow just "not one of us."

Live-Blogging April 2012 LDS Conference - Sunday Afternoon

I had a nap. Upstairs. Grandsons are here now.

Keep clicking for my updates, but you don't have to rely on me, conference is better direct at this link.

President Uchtdorf Conducting.

(Maybe they'll have Elder Echo Hawk speak this afternoon) [Nope. Maybe next time]

Live-Blogging April 2012 LDS Conference - Sunday Morning

Of course it's snowing for April Conference.

I apologize only slightly for the following political-philosophy comment, but I find it very gratifying that Larry Echo Hawk was called to the First Quorum of the Seventy, leaving his current political position in the Obama Administration. He ran for Governor in Idaho a few years ago and got a lot of political flak for being a Mormon, Indian, Democrat - I don't know which negative was more prominent in Idaho politics. My point being, he was called to a significant position in LDS Church leadership which has to presume some level of personal worthiness and example of a good life. I don't think Democrats (or Native Americans, or even Mormons) are necessarily better or more righteous than other people. I just resent the implications from some that any of those would justify the judgment that they are less than worthy in a religious sense, or less than patriotic (or less a respecter of the Constitution) in a political sense. OK. That's off my chest. Now on to Conference.