Tuesdays with Muerte

Bryan vs. Collegiate Innertube Waterpolo Bryan's Lessons Learned This week, I played in my first Collegiate Intramural Innertube Waterpolo game.  Before I forget my initial impressions, I will quickly jot down the five most-important lessons I learned throughout the evening (and the morning after). Innertube Waterpolo is not for the weak of abs. While I didn't move my legs the entire match, my arms were constantly aflail.  The morning after, my arms surprisingly felt fine—the pain was isolated in my abs.  Look out Pilates & Zumba! I should have entitled this post, "How I Got a 6-Pack in Less Than 1 Hour." I also assumed my jaw would be sore.  During the first half, I paddled up to defend the opposing team's most-talented attacker.  I must have been really quiet because just as our innertubes were about to collide, he swung his massive elbow around and connected with my face, knocking me, and my tube, back 10-15 feet.  Attempting to draw att...

Image source: Brent's Website This post lists all 31 LDS scripture references for the phrase, "come unto Christ" and some of its derivations.  I've bolded the phrase within each verse, and then marked the associated blessing(s) or promise(s) in red text. "Come Unto Christ" Jacob 1:7 Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ , and partake of the goodness of God , that they might enter into his rest , lest by any means he should swear in his wrath they should not enter in, as in the provocation in the days of temptation while the children of Israel were in the wilderness. Omni 1:26 And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ , who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption . Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the ...

Tonight, I taught a group of BYU technologists how to use Photoshop to "touch up" images.  If I had tonight to do over again, here are five things I would have done very differently: I would have done a full run-through beforehand with real people. I would have called before arriving to confirm that someone would have been there to receive me. I would have taught my three main ideas up front, lightning fast (instead of staggering them haphazardly throughout the presentation). Photoshop is for COMBINING and ADJUSTING, not for CREATING. Use backwards design when planning out your final product. Don't be destructive. I would have dumbed it WAY down. Avoid sharing "my favorite tricks." If it's more than a three-click process, it's too much to retain. Show no more than two things per sitting. Then give them hands on practice, with coaching. I would have emailed them a list of resources and tutorials to view in preparation. Live an...

Bhutanese with English subtitles, 2013, 80 minutes, color, France/Finland,  World Documentary About the Film In 1999, King Jigme Wangchuck approved the use of television and Internet throughout the largely undeveloped nation of Bhutan, assuring the masses that rapid development was synonymous with the “gross national happiness” of his country, a term he himself coined. Director Thomas Balmès’s film  Happiness  begins at the end of this process as Laya, the  last remaining village tucked away within the Himalayan kingdom, becomes enmeshed in roads, electricity, and cable television. Through the eyes of an eight-year-old monk impatient with prayer and eager to acquire a TV set, we witness the seeds of this seismic shift sprouting during a three-day journey from the outskirts of Laya to the thriving capital of Thimphu. It is here the young boy discovers cars, toilets, colorful club lights, and countless other elements of modern life for the first time. "Bal...

This is the second installment (Part 2 of 3) of my  Becoming a Godly Teacher  series.  It is a cognitive reflection on what it means to "teach one another" based on the scripture  D&C 88:77-79 .  What does it mean to teach one another?  And what happens when teaching one another is done diligently  (over time)?  This post will also revisit some lingering questions from the previous installment on ( D&C 88:122-123 ).  E.g. Can more than one teacher be "appointed" at a time? Is there a difference between the role of a gospel teacher and a secular teacher? Note: A major assumption I'm making is that gospel learning and secular learning are both aided by the grace of God.  In fact, I believe that all knowledge is of God and pertinent to His kingdom.  Through the grace of Christ, we can know the truth of essentially all things, when it is expedient for us to understand them. (v.79)  E.g. What is taught in Biology 101...

Summary This is a recording of an hour-long fireside. It features two married couples, both whom have recently "graduated" from the Slate Canyon YSA ward (with honors). In panel discussion style, they respond to dating- and marriage-related questions posed to them by their former peers. Questions were asked and answered in 4 sets of 3-4 questions over the course of the hour. Panelists Maizy and Tyler Cloutier Shelly and Marty Cluff Moderator Bishop Van Orman Participants Slate Canyon YSA Ward, Provo YSA Stake ≈100 ward members in attendance Recording Information Recorded on Sunday, 2014-01-19 at the "Blue Roof Chapel"  by Bryan Tanner using the VoiceRecorderHD app on an iPhone5. Additional Information While the audio recording of the dating panel is good, the real value of this post is the additional 5-page document , compiled by Bishop Van Orman, summarizing responses from a FAQ dating questionnaire he sent out to 20, former ward...

I have always wondered why Missouri is called the Show Me state. After a tiny bit of digging, I unearthed a marvelous story behind Missouri's mysterious sobriquet. Note: The slogan is not official, but is common throughout the state and is used on Missouri license plates. The most widely known legend attributes the phrase to Missouri's U.S. Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver, who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1897 to 1903. While a member of the U.S. House Committee on Naval Affairs, Vandiver attended an 1899 naval banquet in Philadelphia. In a speech there, he declared, I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me. Regardless of whether Congressman Vandiver coined the phrase, it is certain that his speech helped to popularize the saying. The use of Vandiver's phrase, "show me," during his sti...