Tuesdays with Muerte

Sometimes, when I have my camera handy, I'll take pictures of delicious and healthy dinners I've cooked as evidence. Sometimes, I feel it necessary to prove to my parents that I'm eating well. Baked chicken with my own glaze concoction [A1 sauce, Cheepo-brand Hickory Smoke, A-secret-that-is-not-chocolate] Curried rice with steamed carrots. My mom's baked salmon recipe with a lemon pepper/olive oil/lemon juice glaze. Served with al dente carrots and scalloped potatoes.

On his official website, Jay labels himself a "NYC-based singer-songwriter and antisocial misanthropist not-so-extraordinaire" . I haven't talked with him about his history yet (I'm still waiting for his email response), but he sings about his very troubled youth. My guess is that he was severely discriminated against as a homosexual in Texas. He moved to NYC to replace all the labels and the hate with acceptance in the big city. Who wouldn't want that? Below is a music video of one of Jay's songs that I heard before knowing anything about him. I immediately loved the enchanting emotion behind it. And the folk melody is soothing to the ear. Only while listening recently did I catch the gay-themed pronoun, " he'd be here with flowers if I lived in AZ." Does it bother me? No, like Jay, when I hear a love song, I don't associate or assign love within specific genders. Even as a Conservative, Republican, Christian, heterosexual, I se...

In case you were wondering where it was, here it is: 146 West 600 South Provo, UT

Favorites? * Here are some more winners from GLENNZ. *Previous "Simple Solid" post: First one.

"If you had to say you hated someone, who would it be?" This is was a real question asked of an Education Week class I attended last year. "Just let your mind relax into it; surely someone's name or image will come to your minds." There was a point to that exercise, but I'm just going to leave it at that and dwell on the fact that of all the people I've met IN MY LIFE, the only person that I could possibly fit into the "hate" category would be a former roommate of mine. An "EX-roomie", if you will. There were times during my stint with him that I would hide in my room because I couldn't stand being in his presence; I was worried that exposure to the cloud of gloom and pessimism that surrounded him would overcome me and I would slit my own wrists. Who knew that my roommates would have such influence over me? I am Seriously, So Blessed to have had terrific roommates my entire Provo career. Some were obviously better ...

Actually, you all did it; not me. Thanks to your patronage, my blog boasts an average of 1000 visitors/month for two months in a row now. Congratulations! Now, let me know what you'd like to see more of. Since the day I went public with Tuesdays With Muerte , I have only received three bits of feedback from viewers on what they would like me to blog about: 1. Something featuring them. 2. More human interest posts (my thoughts on real stuff going on in my life). 3. Less nasty internet pictures (except for the good ones). I made the blog public because I am desperate for attention. I am trying to figure out how to connect with people. For example, I sense that some of my posts may be too long for people to read and want to respond. Also, I feel like I post too frequently for viewers to keep up. I'd love your feedback. [Did you catch the Robin Hood quote in the title?] ---------------- Listening to: Snow Patrol - Limited Edition

As co-committee chair of the Elder's Quorum Perfecting the Saints Committee, I was charged with the responsibility to motivate 15 other committee members to care for the welfare of everyone else in the quorum. The love required to complete this task comes from prayer. As we learn in Moroni 7:48, the desire to serve is derived from praying for that desire with all the energy of one's heart. So, I decided to come up with a clever way to get my guys to pray. Actually, the idea wasn't original at all; I feel like my situation applies it better than most. I dug up the tired token of "THE PRAYER ROCK". Here's the metaphor: Each of us are the brother of Jared. When we desire to answer the question of how to sail the Elders of this ward to safety, we must approach the Lord in prayer and ask him to illuminate our stone (the stone that each of the 16 of us have in our rooms that I hand-painted to appear white.) These stones remind us that although we may not...