Author: Sagacity

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Kennedy’s passing

As ironic as it may seem to some, I want to give a few of my regards to Senator Kennedy.  Many of his lines of thinking with regard to politics I did not agree with, but my experience has shown he was a man whose heart was of gold.  When a person passes, it is customary to share of an experience or two as a tribute to the goodness of a person, and to ignore the bad (of which I have had no such experience).

While growing up there were a number of individuals who made it known to me how very much they disagreed with Democrat Principles.  Senator Kennedy’s name was one that somehow usually found its way into the assault on the Democratic Party and their ideals.  Coming from a heavily Republican territory, of which I make no statements for or against, my views were somewhat colored concerning this man.

In 2003, I paid a visit to some friends in Baltimore.  He was working in Senator Kennedy’s office as an intern.  I guess Senator Hatch and Senator Kennedy’s were good friends and had this sort of ‘trade’ program where the two offices would swap an intern for the summer.  My friend, who like me, tended to find myself in middle ground claiming neither Republican nor Democrat territory, relished the opportunity.  It was with him I learned from his first-hand experience with Senator Kennedy.  It was during recess so the Senator was not in town, but I was able to meet many of his other interns and see his office.  A man’s office tends to tell quite a bit about him.  My impression then was of a man that didn’t necessary come down different than the stories I had heard while younger.  All the signed photographs of notable people on the walls seemed to smack more of arrogance than anything.  A picture of him and his brother (maybe brothers) sat on the mantle showing the classic Kennedy smiles with deceased family members well enshrined in our country.

Anyhow, those impressions were quickly dismissed when I met the man himself in 2005.  My first time meeting him was after having just walked through security in the Russell Senate Office Building I waited for an elevator.  A man with a white tuft of hair walked around the corner with his dogs.  I instantly recognized him, how can you not.  Since it was the Senator elevator that opened, I stepped back to allow him on and watched the doors start to close.  He stopped the doors and asked if I wasn’t going up.  I must have showed my reluctance since staff are to give up their elevator to Senators and let them ride alone.  He smiled and said it was okay, he didn’t mind.  I knew he genuinely meant what indicated and we spent our few seconds riding the same elevator.

Now, you can say he was being a nice guy.  But I can tell you that some of the other Senators are not quite as friendly.  My next story actually deals with Senator Kennedy and his kindness in contrast with the rudeness of two other Senators.

I was asked to give a tour to a family from Oregon.  It wasn’t my turn, but for some reason or another they has asked if I could give their tour.  Honestly, I don’t know why, I had never met them before.  The couple had two darling girls, one about 5 or 6 and the other about 8 or 9.  It was only the four of them and since it was not a usual time, I knew we would have a degree of solitude in giving them a tour of the Capitol.  I had taken my time and given a very leisurely tour of the Capitol.  However, as we were about to exit the Capitol we must have caught the flow of traffic from a vote that had just been taken.  Quite a few staff and some Senators were coming out of the elevators and heading to the tram to head back to the Senate Offices.  We were ahead of the traffic and were waiting for our tram to arrive to take us back to the Russell Senate Building.  Just like the elevator, we are to give up our seat on the tram to a Senator.  As my family was about to board the tram, I recognized Senator Kennedy heading our way and stopped boarding to let him on.  He recognized that I had left him the seat to get on.  Rather than getting on the tram, he stopped to shake the hand of both of the little girls.  He asked their names, he asked where they were from, introduced himself, and asked if they wanted to ride with them.  They agreed and Senator Kennedy helped them on the train, sitting one of them on his lap.  The family got on and I told them that I would walk (the tram was full) and meet them on the other end.  I saw the tram take off and watched the Senator beaming at these two little girls.

On a side note, as that tram took off, the other one arrived for the Russell Senate Building.  It was then I was rudely pushed out of the way so another man could pass.  The man beside me responded by saying, “Who is the prick?”  To which I saw a tall man turn back and look, and instantly recognized Senator Kerry.  I thought to myself what a contrast in the two Senators from Massachusetts.

It is about a 5 minute walk to the other end of the tunnel to where the tram stops and there I saw my family still talking with Senator Kennedy in the hallway that leads to the Russell Building.  They were kind enough to wait for me, and Senator Dodd had joined them.  Senator Kennedy said he was going to take them up to see his dogs and office.  We rode in the elevator to the 3rd floor, left Senator Dodd in the elevator, and went to see his office.  He totally treated that family as golden, let them take a couple of pictures, and we were on our way.

My impressions of Senator Kennedy were nothing but respect for a man who obviously treasured people more than prestige.  In my personal interactions with him, I have seen nothing but kindness.  Now I don’t know otherwise, but I was impressed.

We left the office and the family was obviously impressed.  The father’s comments were along the lines of what I was thinking.  “I have been misled about that man.”  Being a staunch Republican from Oregon, he had a paradigm shift.  Too bad as the elevator stopped on the 3rd floor to go up, we were just getting in when another man approached.  I recognized him as Senator Specter.  He entered the elevator and since we were on the inside, I didn’t attempt to get the family with me out of the elevator.  He was alone so I thought it would be okay.  As the doors closed, he stopped them and made it clear we were to leave.  Our little brush with Camelot quickly came to an abrupt close as we realized Kennedy’s kindness didn’t extend to other Senators.

Back on the 4th floor, I lead them to the office and we parted ways.  We were all changed individuals.  Just because I am getting long, I will just mention my profound respect for a man who still recognized the common man and was happy to mingle with them despite his busy schedule.

My only other experience with the man was again in an elevator, this time in the Capitol himself.  Just the two of us, he turned to me and asked a question.  Of course, I was caught completely off guard, and really didn’t have much of an opinion or knowledge about what he just asked me.  I told him I didn’t know enough to answer his question.  We were both getting off on the same floor and I let him lead out.  It was then he turned as if to ask me another question.  The doors closed and I found me face to face with the man.  He said he really wanted my first impressions on the subject.  As an idiot, I rattled off some answer that was not well thought about and tried to give some justification and reasoning for what I thought.  He then asked me a very penetrating question that indicated how very ignorant I was on the subject.  I made a slight comment about how he was probably more informed and I really didn’t know.  To that he patted me on the arm and walked away, but it was with a twinkle in his eye.  I don’t think he did it to show that he was more knowledgeable, but just to get another opinion on something he was thinking about.  Looking back, I made an idiot of myself.  But he didn’t make me feel that way.

I know he is much maligned for many things.  I cannot speak for his morals, his history, or his doctrine.  Ultimately, we all answer to God for that.  But I saw a man who still knew how to connect with people.  Something I saw in very few other Senators.  Since I doubt God respects Senators, I wish Edward Kennedy the best in the realm he now finds himself.  I love the man, and feign to believe the friend, I had a brief acquaintance with here in mortality.

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Cash is for Plunkers

I thought I would take a few moments to write a few thoughts about the latest ‘Cash for Clunkers’ program funding my our tax dollars.  We all know what the program is supposed to do.  Take the old gas guzzling cars off the road and put more efficient, environment-friendly cars on the road.  Additionally, it helps put some extra money into the pockets of those who take advantage of the program (rich or poor).  Even better, it provides some extra funds in the mix for the car makers who are producing these better cars.  Then, as if it cannot get any better, it is helping out the economy by getting cash and finance moving in the system.  How can we beat a program like this?

Well, lets look at the other side of the coin.  Government is classically known for being short-sighted and usually missing the secondary effects (or any real primary effects at all).  Some of which I thought I might share.

I will save the old government bashing lines for later.  I only want to look at the Cash for Clunkers program.  First, there are two pretty simple economic fundamentals that government seems to forget and is being ignored in the overall program.  Economics never, ever encourages waste!  “Wait,” you ask, “What is being wasted?”  All those cars that are being traded in under this program are not being resold, they are not going to some auction for charity, they don’t even go to the kidney foundation.  These cars are having a substance, usually a solvent, poured into the engines and the car is run until it seizes.  That means the car is destroyed, unless you want to put a new engine in it.  (I don’t know if these cars can even be parted out or sent to a junkyard.  They might just be scrapped!)

Good economics always has a good being put to its best use.  Good economics always has a commodity used, recycled, and used over and over.  These cars, some of them perfectly good cars, are being junked because they don’t meet an environmental standard.  No retrofitting, no alternative fuels, nothing.  Junked.  This is pretty much like everyone trading in their old radio for a newer one because the old one uses too much power, has a toxic chemical in its board, and has AM still available (which of course, nobody uses anymore).  But wait, there is more, we have to take the radio, crush it, and put it in the dumpster.  Do we realize how much energy went into creating that radio, do we know how much time, and all the other resources.  A car probably takes 100 times as much power, planning, and expenditures to create though.  What do we get in the end?  We have a car off the road, but what about the multiplication of energy and capital in mining, relocating, and planning the materials for a new one?  What about what those materials might have otherwise been put to use for.  (Classic scarcity and trade-offs)  In the end, we removed a few pounds of carbon from the air due to that one car, but put a few more pounds in the air to produce a new car somewhere else.  I am very willing to bet, the loss of those new resources pulled from other items, and the energy to create each new car is pretty much a wash for the old one it replaced.  Okay, for the sake of argument, there is a plus.  But what about the additional scarcity by the new products?  Oh, and we really cannot forget all the energy and capital (especially human resources) to cover the cost of that free $4,500 dollars they get for trading the car in.  Ouch, that alone probably puts us back into negative territory.

I don’t know how many cars are traded in or disposed of in a month, but I am willing to bet you there isn’t much more than the normal business routine.  Sure, we see a great swell.  But everyone looking at trading in their car for the rest of the year probably jumped the gun.  Who isn’t going to jump it for $4,500 extra dollars?  So what do we have, those who were already looking to trade in a car.  This could be either for necessity or luxury.  Some just want an updated model.  Others to update before their warranty runs out.  Others because they have no other choice, their car is on its last leg.  Here we are giving some money to the poor, the rich, and the middle-class.  Leaving aside the arguments for progressive taxes, we cover the spectrum.  But I am willing to bet most of these cars are for the middle-class and wealthier.  Why?  The poorer tend to have credit issues, especially in today’s market.  Even with the $4,500, how many of the poor do you think can afford a new car?  No, they are out looking for a used car, most of which will not qualify for the program.  Here we have a program that appears to be cleaning up the environment and offers incentives, but only to those who can afford it!  Odd twist isn’t it?

While we are talking about those poor people, of which I happen to be one.  Let’s look how this will effect me in other ways.  I prefer to pay cash for my cars.  I prefer to purchase used and not to finance.  Let’s say 100,000 cars are traded in under the Cash for Clunkers program.  Those cars, the high quality and the legitimate junk ones, are all instantly taken out of commission.  That is 100,000 cars which will no longer be circulating and will certainly not find their way back into the used car market.  A shortage creates a higher cost because of higher demand.  Sure, some of those cards would have been junked, but most of them would have gone on to auctions and other buyers.  So that Lincoln with only 50,000 miles on it, that I may have bought on the second hand market is no longer there.  In fact, NONE of them are in the second-hand market.  The cost of buying a used car will go up.  For how long, who knows.  At least a year, perhaps longer.  To some degree, it will probably never fully recover.  After all, we are taking out of commission quite a few cars.  So I better save up some more for that new used car, or keep my current clunker going for a little longer.  I can afford to maintain and fix my car.  What about those who cannot?  Well, their cars will enter a state of worsening condition and you know what, one of those cars blowing blue smoke does more environmental damage than my whole block’s gas guzzling vehicles could have hoped.  Give it a year or two, I am afraid most of our cars on the block may be blowing blue smoke in a year because we won’t be able to afford a new one or maintain it inevitably.

While the rest of the country is worrying about health-care, the politicians are trumping the success of the Cash for Clunkers.  It really isn’t a success.  Unless of course, you work for Ford, General Motors, or Toyota.  Those of us who cannot afford to trade in our car are paying for someone else to get a new car, on our tab.  Add to that shame, when we can afford a new car, or are required to get a new car, we have to pay more.  Guess I am getting taxed twice.  Oh well, I live in America, it is an honour to pay taxes.  Twice the honour to pay them in two different ways.

While I am thinking about it, I have a radio to go smash and replace.  Please send your $25 to me.  All of you!

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Construction again

Amanda has announced that we have started our next project on the house.  Even before the last one was completed.  As most already know, we had our home broken into the last day of April.  I finally replaced the double doors this past week and a half.  But before I could get the trim put up, Amanda let me know not to put it up because she was going to paint the room.  I am okay with that, just wanted to get the bathroom finished before we started another room.  She hasn’t let me know the color yet, but I started scraping the walls last night of the strange plaster leaf patters found throughout the room. We can start sanding the walls down tonight and hopefully have the patching and priming done on Friday.  Then Amanda and paint her little heart’s content on Saturday and Monday.  This room just happens to be a pain because we had to seal it from the rest of the kitchen, and the little utility closet, and now to cover the refrigerator (have you ever thought of what a strange name that is?  Frigid-cold.  Refrig?  Was it cold before?  rator makes some sense, it seems to denote a motor is involved.  Probably just some marketing name that stuck).

The replacement back patio french doors turned out to be an episode in and of itself.  When I went to Lowe’s, I told them what I wanted and made sure to emphasize I needed it in 60 inch, not the usual 72 inch.  We loaded the doors into the truck and drove home.  A good friend came over and we carried the doors around back (heavy thing!) and I had a 72 inch set of french doors.  Darn it!  We then had to reload them, take them back, go through the whole process of return, and then waiting for them to get the hyster to pull the doors we need off the second tier of shelving.  We made it back home with the much lighter doors.  However, the eave is pretty low on the back so I had to lose the molding off the outside top of the door.  It was a very, very tight fit, but we got the doors in.  It then took us the next 4 hours to get the doors level and to close right.  In the end, I had to have another friend come over that weekend and help level them out some more.  We finally came to the conclusion the door is warped.  I am hoping the door will warp back to where it needs because I most surely am not taking the entire door set back to Lowe’s for a new set to do the whole thing all over again!

I caulked the sides and just need to finish trimming the outside after we get the security people over to install the new sensor (which I broke on the old door).  If it is not one thing, it is another.

We have been getting some estimates on the tiling of the bathroom.  We have some as high as $700 and some as low as $350.  Those are both just for the labour.  I really don’t want to have to rent/buy a saw and go through the chores of the tiling business just to screw it up and start over.  I would like to watch someone do it and then I will venture in the future.  I guess I could always go do the DIY class somewhere, but school starts in a few weeks.  I don’t have time.  I don’t think the supplies will cost more than $300 for our little shower.  We will do it in the next month.

Then starts the dreaded school!  Just thinking about it makes my stomach sick.  The long, long hours of slaving over books doesn’t seem all that exciting.  I do find it very mentally stimulating and exciting learning the new things, but it wears on you after the first month.  Then it is just enduring because you realize nothing else in your life is being accomplished.  Like the at favorite book, wanting to watch a movie, or even just eating out once and a while.  Nope, you are a slave to the law library.  To such a degree that you have to wear your reading glasses by the end of the semester and you cannot seem to get the right words to come out of your mouth.  You are thinking the right word, but a different word emerges.  Hopefully not to anyone’s embarrassment.  I am taking more credits this coming semester than I ever have and I fear that after having the entire summer off.  Some people have kept the pace to some degree over the summer, but I have been completely involved in other pursuits in the evenings.  As long as everyone realizes that I am Mr. Anti-Social during school, and all will be fine.

Probably time to sign out.  I would offer some political advice, but I am so far removed from the political situation now that it was be the same as a sports enthusiast at the television.  One thing is for sure, if I personally spent like the government, I would have lost all credit and probably even thrown in jail.  Funny what government can get away with.  Hopefully all the states will finally stand up and take their position as opposition to the Federal Government.  I don’t care who the President is.  Our current man isn’t any better than the last with fiscal responsibility.  Both are cowards and weak at determining what really is the future of our nation.  It would be great if we could have a California situation with the national government.

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Thankfulness at 100

I thought I would just list some of the stuff that I am thankful for this night.  I responded to an e-mail earlier asking me about a pot pie and I realized how grateful I am for a good pot pie.  It set me to thinking about other things I am grateful.  Here is a quick list.  I want to say I can do 100, but I may do more or less.  These are objects I am grateful for, not a state of mind or generality.  No particular order!  I took all people out.

1. Amanda  2. Pot pies 3. Family  4. Shoe laces  5. Deodorant  6. Health  7. God  8. Family History  9. Friends  10. Home  11. Lasagna  12. Sleep  13. Green grass  14. Home Teaching  15. Prayer  16. Books  17. Showers  18. Blankets  19. Air  20. Life  21. Potatoes  22. Sagebrush  23. Pizza  24. Revelation  25. Pets  26. Water  27. Cars  28. Jesus Christ  29. Light  30. Learning  31. Order  32. Warmth  33. Rain  34. Love  35. Priesthood  36. Neighbors  37. Refrigerators  38. Taste  39. White  40. Stretching  41. Rings  42. Sweat  43. Smell  44. Sauerkraut  45. Mail  46. Sex  47. Spirit  48. Friday  49. Music  50. Purity  51.  Goodness  52. Ironing  53. Touch  54. Computers  55. Airplanes  56. Horses  57. Peanuts  58. Honesty  59. Contrasts  60. Joseph Smith  61. Pavlova  62. Missions  63. Sunshine  64. Bees  65. Leaves  66. Naps  67. Sacrament  68. Comfort  69. Virtue  70. Touch  71. Skin  72. Gates  73. Talking  74. Sunday  75. Eyes  76. Hair  77. Telephones  78. Pictures  79. Dirt  80. Squash (sport)  81. Sight  82. Service  83. Intelligence  84. Robins  85. Forgiveness  86. Understanding  87. Socks  88. Reading  89. Soap  90. Clothes  91. Cleanliness  92. Red  93. Humor  94. Silence  95. Holy Ghost  96. Waterskippers  97. Children  98. Trifle  99. Cuddling  100. Gratitude

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Shout from Idaho

I am writing from sunny and green Idaho.  The amazing thing is another rain-storm is pondering the roll through right now.  The reservoirs are all full and life seems to be looking pretty good here.  The locals say it has been a bit humid for the past few days, but I can handle 20 or 30% humidity with little issue.  Especially after 100+ Oklahoma with a heat index into the cent teens.  I thought I would share a couple of thoughts of our little trip.

This morning found us at the bright and beautiful Twin Falls Temple.  I will have to post some pictures later, but it was a full session.  It was a clear morning and we could not have asked for more.  We ran into my cousin on the session and it was fun to catch up with her.  We took some pictures after we got out as Dad and Jan were going in.  Amanda needed some R&R so we came back and crashed for this afternoon.  We did have lunch with Ms. Felicia Poteet and her cutest daughter, Evie.  I am glad I have friends, that I get to hang out with them, and learn from their life experiences.  Where would we be without family and friends?

The week was busy getting Derek off into the MTC (Missionary Training Center) in Provo.  All went off, pretty much without a hitch, on Wednesday.  His farewell went well, he spoke well, and the family congregated to the Hemsley home in Kaysville.  All enjoyed the food, spent some good quality time with family, and plenty of stories.  I was exhausted after the whole thing and I didn’t even have a role to play in the open house.  There must have been 50-70 people who came through the home during the open house.  We helped Derek pack, finish shopping, fulfill a few last requests, and enter the MTC.  We also had a meeting or two with friends of Amanda’s from high school to catch up on old times.  We stopped to visit Amanda’s Grandpa in Springville, Utah as well.

We drove up to Idaho yesterday but took our time doing it.  We took the old highway from Snowville up through Strevell, Bridge, City of Rocks, Oakley, and home.  Everything was so green from all the rain and it looked good.  We enjoyed the drive.  We took some pictures of the old homes in Elba, Idaho.  Someday we want to design our own home with a design that is both unique but that has some classic designs, one of which is found in the early pioneer homes.

Tonight we head off to a melodrama at the restored Wilson Theatre in Rupert.  Tomorrow morning we have the Scout Breakfast at the Rupert Square and then we will watch the parade.  Tomorrow is also Dad’s birthday.  Jan’s was last week.  We treated them to dinner last night and the show tonight.  I am certainly looking forward to the parade.  Then we drive back down to Kaysville to watch fireworks at fly out Sunday Morning.

Tuesday Derek and I went hiking up Adams Canyon near Kaysville, Fruit Heights, Layton.  We hiked it very quickly and then pretty much jogged all the way down.  I sure did hurt the next day.  I thought I was getting old but Derek felt the same way the next day so it wasn’t just me!  We also got some pictures at the waterfall which I will have to share as well.  Anyhow, no nuggets of truth in this entry.  I don’t do them as often as I used to.  Someday I will be smart and have something to offer…

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Rambling June

Today we did a deposition for several hours.  Very interesting.  This is the second one I have attended and both were so different, yet so much alike.  Somehow getting to ask nearly any question you want that relates to an individual has a strange sort of appeal.  The one today included what would be some very embarrassing questions that I wouldn’t ask some of my closest friends, but we asked them because they really were pertinent to the litigation.  This case continues to proceed closer to trial and I am getting some pretty good in-the-trenches experience.  Who would have thought the summer would turn out this good.

I found another dead bird in my yard.  Somehow they seem to be dropping dead all over the place (literally!).  I wonder if they are eating the fertilizer that was put down or if there is something else going on.  Perhaps a non-transferable form of the Avian flu?  I don’t notice any tale-tell signs of the flu with these birds.  Who knows.  Sadly, all the dead birds are robins, bluejays, and cardinals.  Four dead birds in the past week and they look like the just fell to where they laid.  Not sure.  On a lighter note, Amanda told me the other day of a patient in her chair with her toddler.  A bird landed out the window and the little boy commented something like, “Look mom, a redjay!”  I had a good laugh from that one.  How do you answer that without turning off the inquisitive nature?

We fly out for Salt Lake City on Saturday.  Another lame pit-stop in Denver.  As much as I hate flying, I think the layovers are getting to be even more deplored.  We will be a week in Utah/Idaho for Amanda’s brother’s farewell (technically Mormon-speak should be, “opportunity to speak before leaving on a mission”) and open-house (again Mormon-speak, since open houses are no longer permitted, is family get-together to wish him well on a mission).  Then on Wednesday he enters the MTC for his whopping 21 days before flying off to the heat of summer Atlanta, Georgia.  I am glad they don’t let anyone go into the MTC anymore.  It really is a mini sacrament meeting that was pretty much a farce with the constrained, canned talks in the highly charged atmosphere.  I feel sorry for the poor MTC Mission President who had to give the same talk multiple times a day every week for his whole tenure.  Honestly, I am glad the church did away with the farewell, homecoming, and MTC bits.  But as Mormons float between culture and doctrine/practice we always seem to prefer the happy, feel-good side of culture.  Anyhow, nothing really against missionaries, missions, or family bonds and connections about to be stretched and strengthened for two years just the heed we seem to feel for a tradition and culture that has no foundation in truth or doctrine that somehow becomes more important than the everlasting.  Anyhow, in telling of what we are going to do I got into an expose on something else that has nothing to do with our trip.

Then we make our trip up to Idaho, probably for a day or so.  Dad’s birthday is on the 4th of July so we would like to go up for that.  However, since we fly out Sunday morning, we will spend that evening in Utah so we cannot spend the entire 4th in Idaho.  We will probably go up the day before, go out to dinner, and I would really like to hit the Rupert Parade on Saturday before heading south.  We will see.  Hopefully Amanda will be able to come up.  She seems to be pretty set on the 4th in Kaysville.

Amanda is in the throes of another murder party.  She made me a pair of chaps already since it has a western theme.  You will have to keep your eyes on the look out for the cowboy coming out long after the last time I rode a horse.

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June 09 is here

A quick update for the week.  Cousin Dan Ellis Jonas passed away on the 30th of May.  His service in Denver was on the 5th.  His funeral and burial took place on Saturday in Smithfield, Utah.  He was the son of Ellis and Geri Jonas of Smithfield.  He had liver problems that required a transplant and when the liver didn’t come, he knew it was a matter of time.  He was only 50 years old so I took quite a few of the family by surprise really.  I hope all are doing well.

The attorney I work for decided to take Thursday and Friday off.  Meaning, I ran the office myself on those days.  It was an education to muddle through without him after only a week of really doing any of the work.  I think I did okay though.  Good thing we didn’t have anything serious!

This coming weekend I fly out to Idaho for the Andra Reunion in Lava Hot Springs.  I fly in to SLC on Friday and drive to Richmond that night for a graduation party for some high schoolers.  A good portion of Saturday will be at the Andra Reunion.  Afterward I run to Kaysville to go to the Bountiful Temple with Amanda’s brother, Derek.  I am looking forward to a busy weekend.  Then I fly out Sunday morning back for the craze here in OKC.  It will be a quickly weekend.  Sadly, my skipping the reunion last year means a number have died I didn’t get to see for quite a while.  Hopefully we have a good while before any more go.

Amanda’s birthday was yesterday.  The big 23.  I spoiled her with a 8 gig iPod.  I thought I was buying her a present that I could also reap some gain from.  However, as she uploaded her music and I looked at mine, I found out I have over 10 gig of music on my computer alone.  I guess I will have to get my own since Amanda has over 4 gig of her own.  It is all hers now.  Perhaps she will let me listen on a road trip.  I threw a little party for her on Saturday night with my law buddies.  Holt and Lindy made home made ice cream.  How is that for a party?  We played a number of games, chatted, ate Amanda’s birthday cake, and relaxed away some perfectly good hours.  Today we had dinner with the Curtis family, who also came to the birthday party.  They spoiled us with dinner including lasagna, minestrone soup, and more.  We played a game called Ticket to Ride.  It was actually quite a bit of fun and we enjoyed ourselves.  I recommend it to others.  Ticket to Ride and Axis and Allies are both two games that we will have to purchase at some point in the future.

Time to turn off and go to bed.  On the safari hunts each night killing cockroaches, I have to boast an all time high of 137 in one night.  I may have boasted of this fact in the past.  I am also happy to report the numbers have been quite a bit lesser since.  Tonight was a whopping 38.  Tonight also included a camel cricket, 4 slugs, 1 regular cricket, and 2 spiders.  The number of cockroaches seem to be falling each night.  I hope it continues.  There are less getting into the garage and getting stuck on the sticky bug traps.  May it continue.

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May Gone

Here we are wrapping up the month of May and so much has happened.  On the other side, so little is happening and I am okay with that!

Finals are completed.  There isn’t really anything more to say about that.  Now we wait for grades, they are still a few more weeks out.  I feel like I did very well in Legal Writing and Property.  Contacts I felt good about.  Criminal Law I don’t feel all that great about and Civil Procedure was 105 multiple choice and while I feel okay, you just never really know.  Well, I guess I will know soon enough.  Multiple choice seem so contrived and never fully envelope the whole picture.  Sadly, Prof. Creel’s wife was in the hospital during the final so we did not get to see him.  I hope she has recovered.

I found a summer clerkship with Absolute Legal Services here in Oklahoma City.  Jeff actually graduated in 2008.  My Elder’s Quorum President introduced us, gave me a great recommendation, and here we are.  In fact, Jeff told me that with President Haddock’s recommendation, he was willing to have me before he even met me.  I am very fortunate to have friends who are so good.  Hopefully neither stretched the truth too far!

So far it has been very interesting.  Who would have thought!  Duces Tecum’s, going to Pottawatamie Court for a docket disposition, meeting with potential clients, and even some good learning time with other attorney’s in the office.  I have my own little desk in the corner.  It is all good.  Perhaps some day I will feel like I have a grasp on everything that is happening.

I received my Constitutional Law Textbook for next year in the mail.  Ouch!  1400 pages of what looks to be some very, very heavy reading.  I guess it is better than a 1400 page product manual, oh wait, that is pretty much what it is.  The product manual for the Constitution except it includes some history of why the product was written, how to properly use it, or how to properly ignore it.

Amanda and I purchased tickets to spend June 27 – July 5 in Utah/Idaho.  Derek, Amanda’s brother has an opportunity to speak for the mission in church on the 28th.  He reports to the MTC on the 1st.  Dad’s birthday is on the 4th.  So we will spend the first half of the week in Utah and then the last half of the week it looks like I will be headed to Idaho.  I am looking forward to the trip.  I am also flying out for the Andra Reunion the weekend of the 12th of June.  I hope there is a good turn out.  I need to schedule the tickets for the Jonas Reunion the weekend of the 18th of July.  I have a cousin who has cancer and will not live to see another reunion.  Plus Ellis and Geri are not doing wonderfully, and I would like to see them again just in case.  Plus there are some of the old timers like Mary Jonas who approaches 90 but never appears to be close to stopping.  Things can change quickly at that age.

I pulled out my replica BOM and am hoping to finish it this summer.  Additionally, I would like to finish the biography of Madison and autobiography of Jefferson before starting school in the fall.  I probably should read the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers before school starts to have a good feel for the Constitution before fall starts.  I am looking forward to fall.  Hopefully my memory of undergrad is good!

Last night we found a cricket in the back yard almost 3 inches long!  I don’t know if it was really a cricket, sure looked like one.  I think I may have screamed like a little girl if it had jumped and landed on me.  Amanda was about to do so just at the sight of it.  I have taken a nightly stroll around the property at night (sounds like we live on an estate, well, legally we do!) and squash as many large bugs as possible.  My neighbor assures me that the large bugs we think are cockroaches are simply waterbugs.  They sure look a lot alike but ‘waterbugs’ are much, much larger he assures me.  Either way, any large bugs meet a timely death at the end of my 2X4 each night.  Hopefully this will keep down some of the population and they will not find their way into my home through some hole we have yet to discover.

We are still awaiting news that our burglars have been captured.  Legally, it seems they should be robbers, but I guess I misunderstand the legal meanings of the words, or Oklahoma likes to be different.

Well, I have missionary coordination within an hour so I better go and get ready.  It is so nice to get caught up on a few things and have some time to just relax and sleep in once and a while!