Tuesdays with Muerte

I'm  halitophobic . I'm not so much afraid of me having bad breath.  I am afraid of other people having bad breath. Way to check for bad breath (halitosis) Scrape a spoon along your tongue, from back to front. Let the spoon dry. Smell the spoon. If it smells bad, your tongue bacteria are out of control. Problem 90% of bad breath is caused by a dirty tongue. -- The School of Dental Medicine It's not easy to kill tongue bacteria.  Tongues are like sponges that soak up bacteria. Non-Solutions Some people brush their tongues.  Silly.  Brushes are designed to clean the flat surfaces of your teeth. Tongue scrapers?  Remember the sponge analogy?  Scrapers only take off the top layer of grime. Mouthwash?  It's like trying to clean your carpet with a hose--it's only watering down the problem. Solution

Today's Gratitude List (chronological) I got to sleep in until 8am because I worked late the previous day! I had time to exercise for the first time in 3 weeks. Sunny weather.  I can't remember the last time it was over 60º. Despite heavy traffic, I miraculously drove the speed limit the entire way to work. I was 3x faster in accomplishing my work today than normal. A colleague took me out to lunch at a German Deli that I've been wanting to go to. A friend confided in me.  I received satisfaction in being trusted to listen. I found out about a hip-hop presentation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet playing this week by a local, award winning dance studio. I spoke out in a business meeting stating my intentions and plans to define my job.  I want to be less of a "gun for hire" [pooled-resource developer] and more of a "Sheriff" or "Mayor" [ID consultant] to extend the analogy. I watched an incredible video about and was inspir...

Why do many single, LDS men lack what it takes to act upon the things we know to be true?  I speak generally in respect to "truths" because each of us have individual and distinct reasons (root causes) that keep us from stepping up to our shared challenge and goal of receiving the Celestial ordinance of marriage. In a world filled with discouragement and despair, media can serve as a welcomed friend.  A retreat from the pangs of real life.  Need to kill two hours or more?  You don't drink?  No problem! Throw in a couple of movies or just turn on your favorite video game. Surrounded by a plethora of virtual distractions, the allure to escape is easy and strong. As we retreat further and further into the world of media however, we voluntarily disconnect from our own lives.  I have not seen one television show yet that incorporates a time for reflection, where the viewer is encouraged to apply righteous morals to our own lives. ( Exceptions: G.I. Joe, ...

I am in a singles ward of young adults who are all 4-year seminary graduates, returned missionaries and currently serve valiantly in their Church callings.  They know the doctrines of the Gospel.  They what will bring them happiness.  And yet--gobs of 25-31 year olds are flying holding patterns in their lives.  Why is this?  What is keeping faithful YSAs from living the things they know to be true?  Motivation!  They lack the motivation to overcome their fear of landing. "Dating has never been a big priority for me." "There is no one is in my life telling me not to [do something bad], so..." "I'm lazy.  [_____] would take effort." I will focus on marriage as soon as-- I get a solid job. I finish school. Winter is over. this boy asks me out. [fill in the blank Let's talk about a couple of things that motivate me: I feel motivated by the examples of great men and women that I look up to--both living and deceased. Captain Moroni...

I recently had the special opportunity to participate in an intimate question and answer session with Elder Scott of the 12 Apostles. He fielded questions from managers at my work on the topic of how to make decisions under the direction of the Spirit. The following are my notes and reflections from that experience. Notes: Bit on the topic of the Atonement (paraphrased)—Elder Scott said, “I think Heavenly Father’s feelings were hurt a little bit when Christ prayed, ‘why hast thou forsaken me?’  God did not forsake His Son."  (What was Elder Scott trying to say by this?  What was the Spirit teaching me?  Do we understand what how the Savior intended the use of the word, "forsake?" See the bottom of the post.)   When people are trusted, they are liberated to obey and accomplish beyond imagination.  Trust is paramount to an effective work environment--both directions, for managers and those being managed. There are two things that we can develop as ...

I love Undercover Blues!   I catch something new and interesting every time I watch it.  While listening to some oldies music, I heard the MOST-EXCELLENT Undercover Blues reference. The Story of Dr. Lotte Lenya: Michael Bublé sang a cover of Mack the Knife .  Bublé covered Sinatra who covered Bobby Darin's "definitive version," who took it from Louis Armstrong, who brought it to the U.S. from Germany in 1956 from a beautiful singer/actress named Lotte Lenya . So I looked up the song on Wikipedia and found that The Ballad of Mack the Knife was originally a medieval, German murder ballad sung in an Opera called, Die Dreigroschenoper or The Threepenny Opera.   The Opera opens with a carefree, traveling mistral (read: Jefferson Blue), who sings the gruesome tale of Macheath, comparing him (unfavorably) with a shark, and and recounting the tales of his robberies, murders, rapes, and arson in order to intimidate and frighten the audience (read: Mr. Ferd...

Click the BYUtv image to watch a movie about the early church member, and my great (x5) grandfather, John Tanner. This old Ensign article about Tanner and his descendants (that's me) is also worth reading, if nothing else for the story about Amasa Lyman basically proposing marriage with a "Do you like me? Check yes or no" note. Side note: these are the same actors and the same set (LDS Motion Picture Studio) where I helped film TC Christensen's latest film, 17 Miracles.