Most of my Internet browsing these days is based on house stuff. Cabinets, doors, windows, all of that. It's interesting to us right now, but it probably makes for boring reads for most people.
So here is some stuff I've read that doesn't have to do with home design. Most of it was today because I don't remember what I read further back, but oh well.
First, last night Kevin and I were talking about voices. I feel like a lot of people with big personalities also have big voices -- usually pleasant, melodic voices that really carry. So I looked up why some voices carry more than others and got a fun little lesson about vocal cords.
https://www.livescience.com/22191-loudmouth-voices-carry.html
Next, in honor of Veteran's Day, here are a few articles I read about World War I.
http://www.keepapitchinin.org/2008/07/31/jens-leslie-stevenson-called-to-serve/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_II,_German_Emperor
So let's talk for just a minute about Kaiser Wilhelm. I know that people have a habit of comparing politicians to Hitler (especially Bush, Obama, and Trump), but I have to say . . . Kaiser Wilhelm definitely reminds me a lot of our current head of state. Hoo boy. Wonder what Wilhelm's Twitter feed would have looked like.
This next link takes you to an image of a lovely letter written to Major Brent Taylor's family. I am so grateful he was a light while he was in Afghanistan:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/maj-brent-taylor-s-family-gets-letter-afghan-military-colleague-n931911
I was especially touched by how he helped his colleagues value their wives and children more. I have really been thinking a lot about a slight variation of the 2nd Article of Faith: "We believe that women will be punished for their own sins, and not for Eve's transgression." For so much of the history of the world, women have been treated as inferior and some people look to Genesis to justify it. But we know that that is a wicked, false tradition. I still see the cultural baggage from it here and there (sometimes in places I think it least belongs), but overall I am grateful to be in a society that sees women as equals. (I also think the lack of drinking culture helps a lot with that.)
As for books that I've read . . . as always, I'm more likely to reread than read, so there haven't been a ton. But here are a few.
Warbreaker -- I was thinking the other day that I don't have all that much nerd cred, engineering degree aside. I mean, the last Marvel movie I really saw was Avengers in 2012, and I just saw that because everyone said you should go see a movie before you have a baby. So I think I'm going to try and catch up on all the Brandon Sanderson books because I've already got a good headstart. I think all I'm missing now is . . . each of his 1000+ page books. Sigh.
Anyway, back to Warbreaker. It was fun. It was clever. I guessed a lot of the plot.
A Gentleman in Moscow -- I'm only about 100 pages in, but so far I'm enjoying it. It's not a page-turner (except that I turn pages ahead to see if I'm right about my guesses), but it's still lovely. I read Warbreaker about as fast as I can eat a bowl of popcorn, but this is much denser. I'll do my best to finish it.
Educated -- Read most of it (skipped a lot of the beginning because I didn't want to read about neglect and physical abuse). I liked it when she got to BYU and started learning about things like going to the doctor. I had some quibbles with it, but when I tried to write them down they came out wrong. So you can ask me in person if you care!
And last but not least . . . This xkcd really made me laugh. https://xkcd.com/2065/
Showing posts with label articles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label articles. Show all posts
Monday, November 12, 2018
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Articles November-December
I'm late sharing these articles, but that's okay because I forgot to record a lot of what I read! So it's probably not representative anyway.
I'm also feeling like this might be the last time I gather lots of articles like this. It was fun for 2016 but I'm feeling like it's time for a change on the blog. So, enjoy! (It's not an epic finish, I'm warning you.)
Stories
I at first labeled this section "faith-promoting," but I feel like that phrase has lost some of its meaning in overuse. But these are stories that offer faith and hope amidst tragedy.
Finding Annie Schmidt -- It is always so inspiring to me to know of people so willing to listen to God. Even when doing something as difficult as this.
Mountain View Credits Higher Power in Saving Lives -- Back in November, a boy stabbed several classmates in the Mountain View locker room. This story hit close to home because I know one of the boys who was in the locker room, so I am glad for the protection that came from angels.
On Losing Our Daugher -- You might make it through this without crying, but likely not. Still worth a read.
Thoughts on Two Baptisms -- This is a sweet story that exemplifies turning the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers.
Michael McLean Opens Up About His 9-Year Faith Crisis -- This was a great read, and it resonated a lot with things I have felt at times, especially on and off over the past few years. Like him, I have really grappled with the thought,
and these feelings have been just as baffling as unsettling. Why on earth would I wonder these things with so many examples of God's goodness staring me in the face all the time? But it can happen, and the key is to hold on and press forward.
Food
On a lighter note, if you, like me, have been on the hunt for the holy grail called the perfect pizza crust and still not found it, this pepperoni pizza roll recipe is a good way to get your pizza fix. And it's fairly fast.
Other books . . . while at my parents house, I suddenly found myself finishing David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism. And since then I've been reading Planted by Patrick Q. Mason and The Vision of All by Joseph M. Spencer and A Reason for Faith by Joseph M. Spencer. But it's late so I will maybe talk about all of these another time. It might even be a cohesive post. But probably not. Haha!
And then instead of reading Bands of Mourning while there (my parents own it) I read a chapter of Arcanum Unbounded (which we own) which was not very strategic since I couldn't find Bands of Mourning at the library last time I looked.
and . . . I think I need to branch out of LDS non-fiction and Brandon Sanderson.
This post is long enough, so I will end with one final article.
The Onion -- Once again, the Onion is not very funny, because it is scarily accurate. This sums up every single playgroup I have ever attended everywhere I have lived. And several baby showers, for that matter.
Although, since I'm obviously wandering around with so much random stuff in my head, it's probably safer to just smile and nod!
I'm also feeling like this might be the last time I gather lots of articles like this. It was fun for 2016 but I'm feeling like it's time for a change on the blog. So, enjoy! (It's not an epic finish, I'm warning you.)
Stories
I at first labeled this section "faith-promoting," but I feel like that phrase has lost some of its meaning in overuse. But these are stories that offer faith and hope amidst tragedy.
Finding Annie Schmidt -- It is always so inspiring to me to know of people so willing to listen to God. Even when doing something as difficult as this.
Mountain View Credits Higher Power in Saving Lives -- Back in November, a boy stabbed several classmates in the Mountain View locker room. This story hit close to home because I know one of the boys who was in the locker room, so I am glad for the protection that came from angels.
On Losing Our Daugher -- You might make it through this without crying, but likely not. Still worth a read.
Thoughts on Two Baptisms -- This is a sweet story that exemplifies turning the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers.
Michael McLean Opens Up About His 9-Year Faith Crisis -- This was a great read, and it resonated a lot with things I have felt at times, especially on and off over the past few years. Like him, I have really grappled with the thought,
What was I going to say? ‘Hey, all of you who bought my records, just kidding! You are alone. Quit holding on—the light’s not coming.’”
and these feelings have been just as baffling as unsettling. Why on earth would I wonder these things with so many examples of God's goodness staring me in the face all the time? But it can happen, and the key is to hold on and press forward.
Food
On a lighter note, if you, like me, have been on the hunt for the holy grail called the perfect pizza crust and still not found it, this pepperoni pizza roll recipe is a good way to get your pizza fix. And it's fairly fast.
Politics
Okay, there is plenty to say about politics and foreign affairs (oh, Putin, you trouble me), and goodness knows I have read my share of it all. But I forgot to save most of the links. Suffice it to say I think we are headed into an interesting time where we can look at Eastern Europe as a pretty good model for some things. (Actually, if you read President Monson's biography, there's bunches about Eastern Germany which gave me perspective on how the Church might behave during a Trump administration. I don't buy the Trump=Hitler perspective, but I still don't like having a lying, bullying narcissist as commander in chief [pro tip: the more attention you give his Twitter the more power you give him], and I can understand the Church wanting to stay on his good side . . . sigh.)
Anyway, here's the main article that sums up how I feel about political articles these days -- No More Cheap Outrage. I don't think I am particularly guilty of sharing anything incendiary. But, I think I could do better at reading less news. I know that reading more news from a variety of sources makes me more nuanced and compassionate. (Equally important for me developing nuance and compassion is spending time listening in rural Utah, to be honest.) But it is also time I am not reading books. And books last longer than this petition or that editorial or this mild controversy. And at the end of the day, with all the news I read, I still don't know what to think! I don't understand policy all that well. I don't know how to fix things in this country or that.
Sigh. And writing this is convincing me I should keep reading it and staying informed. But maybe if I can predict that a controversy has a half-life of less than two weeks, then I'm not reading about it. Because there's still that Hamilton biography to read.
Books
Lucky for me, I do get to read books sometimes! Joseph loves chapter books these days, and as of yesterday we've finished the first two Little House books.
I still think Caddie Woodlawn is more entertaining than the Little House books if you are looking for 1860s-70s adventures in Wisconsin, but something about this read-through with Joseph has had me totally fascinated. The most interesting character to me has been Caroline Ingalls. In the books, she's portrayed as less fun than Pa, since more of her role is to remind Laura to behave and less to play the fiddle, but she's often laughing and smiling along with them.
And I just sit there in awe at how stoic and happy she is through it all. How did she put up with leaving all her family in Wisconsin and moving to Kansas just because Pa wanted to? How did she manage to feed them all every day without a grocery store nearby? How did she keep things going when she was pregnant? There are subtle things I wonder too looking at the family tree. Why was she married so long before Mary was born? Why was there a gap between Laura and Carrie? Did she ever really get over the loss of her baby Frederick?
And then I wonder about how equal her marriage with Charles was, or really any marriage back then. Laura records nothing but tenderness and good humor between the two of them. But then it also seemed like they moved whenever Pa wanted to. I can think of several authors -- Laura Ingalls Wilder, Louisa May Alcott, and Maud Hart Lovelace -- who wrote at least somewhat autobiographically, and all their parents seemed to have happy marriages. So were they the norm? Or was it just that female writers who wrote children's books came from homes with gentle fathers?
I also wonder why there were no tornadoes while they lived in Kansas.
Okay, there is plenty to say about politics and foreign affairs (oh, Putin, you trouble me), and goodness knows I have read my share of it all. But I forgot to save most of the links. Suffice it to say I think we are headed into an interesting time where we can look at Eastern Europe as a pretty good model for some things. (Actually, if you read President Monson's biography, there's bunches about Eastern Germany which gave me perspective on how the Church might behave during a Trump administration. I don't buy the Trump=Hitler perspective, but I still don't like having a lying, bullying narcissist as commander in chief [pro tip: the more attention you give his Twitter the more power you give him], and I can understand the Church wanting to stay on his good side . . . sigh.)
Anyway, here's the main article that sums up how I feel about political articles these days -- No More Cheap Outrage. I don't think I am particularly guilty of sharing anything incendiary. But, I think I could do better at reading less news. I know that reading more news from a variety of sources makes me more nuanced and compassionate. (Equally important for me developing nuance and compassion is spending time listening in rural Utah, to be honest.) But it is also time I am not reading books. And books last longer than this petition or that editorial or this mild controversy. And at the end of the day, with all the news I read, I still don't know what to think! I don't understand policy all that well. I don't know how to fix things in this country or that.
Sigh. And writing this is convincing me I should keep reading it and staying informed. But maybe if I can predict that a controversy has a half-life of less than two weeks, then I'm not reading about it. Because there's still that Hamilton biography to read.
Books
Lucky for me, I do get to read books sometimes! Joseph loves chapter books these days, and as of yesterday we've finished the first two Little House books.
I still think Caddie Woodlawn is more entertaining than the Little House books if you are looking for 1860s-70s adventures in Wisconsin, but something about this read-through with Joseph has had me totally fascinated. The most interesting character to me has been Caroline Ingalls. In the books, she's portrayed as less fun than Pa, since more of her role is to remind Laura to behave and less to play the fiddle, but she's often laughing and smiling along with them.
And I just sit there in awe at how stoic and happy she is through it all. How did she put up with leaving all her family in Wisconsin and moving to Kansas just because Pa wanted to? How did she manage to feed them all every day without a grocery store nearby? How did she keep things going when she was pregnant? There are subtle things I wonder too looking at the family tree. Why was she married so long before Mary was born? Why was there a gap between Laura and Carrie? Did she ever really get over the loss of her baby Frederick?
And then I wonder about how equal her marriage with Charles was, or really any marriage back then. Laura records nothing but tenderness and good humor between the two of them. But then it also seemed like they moved whenever Pa wanted to. I can think of several authors -- Laura Ingalls Wilder, Louisa May Alcott, and Maud Hart Lovelace -- who wrote at least somewhat autobiographically, and all their parents seemed to have happy marriages. So were they the norm? Or was it just that female writers who wrote children's books came from homes with gentle fathers?
I also wonder why there were no tornadoes while they lived in Kansas.
(Also I confess I skimmed some parts of Little House on the Prairie with Joseph. Sometimes I looked things up and discovered they were probably not true stories, such as several tribes of Indians wanting to kill the settlers, so I figured there was no reason to introduce that stereotype.)
Anyway, these books definitely have helped me try to not be so wimpy about our cold apartment and feeling isolated sometimes. And, when I was sick of our long flight to Utah, I just thought of Caroline spending weeks going from Wisconsin to Kansas instead of hours, so that helped. If she could be happy through all this, maybe I could too!
Anyway, these books definitely have helped me try to not be so wimpy about our cold apartment and feeling isolated sometimes. And, when I was sick of our long flight to Utah, I just thought of Caroline spending weeks going from Wisconsin to Kansas instead of hours, so that helped. If she could be happy through all this, maybe I could too!
Other books . . . while at my parents house, I suddenly found myself finishing David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism. And since then I've been reading Planted by Patrick Q. Mason and The Vision of All by Joseph M. Spencer and A Reason for Faith by Joseph M. Spencer. But it's late so I will maybe talk about all of these another time. It might even be a cohesive post. But probably not. Haha!
And then instead of reading Bands of Mourning while there (my parents own it) I read a chapter of Arcanum Unbounded (which we own) which was not very strategic since I couldn't find Bands of Mourning at the library last time I looked.
and . . . I think I need to branch out of LDS non-fiction and Brandon Sanderson.
This post is long enough, so I will end with one final article.
The Onion -- Once again, the Onion is not very funny, because it is scarily accurate. This sums up every single playgroup I have ever attended everywhere I have lived. And several baby showers, for that matter.
Although, since I'm obviously wandering around with so much random stuff in my head, it's probably safer to just smile and nod!
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Articles September-October
Crazy times this month! I feel like the world I was used to has gone upside-down, at least politically. Utah has become a unexpected battleground where people dear to me get phone calls from people worried that their souls are at stake if they don't vote for Trump. Strange alliances are made and familiar ones have been severed.
Meanwhile in Connecticut, I happened to talk to librarians who bemoan the state of affairs and wish they could just write someone in (cue mention of Evan McMullin). Definitely wasn't expecting that in one of the bluest states in the nation!
I think I'll just get the political stuff out of the way first.
Political
First off . . . here is my confession.
I read the Scott Adams blog. Have for about a year now. He's the kind of rational atheist man that believes that humans are just moist robots (that is, no free will) who never evolved enough to really come to terms with reality. Thus, we can be easily hypnotized and persuaded, and that's what this election is all about. (He's gone back and forth between endorsing Clinton and Trump but I think he wants Trump to win so his predictions will be right.)
Sometimes some of those arguments about humans not having free will are intellectually seductive, but I've come up with lots of rebuttals.
-People really do have free will. The reason we don't seem to see it much is because we are pretty good at handing our agency over to Satan. In The Peacegiver by James Ferrell he describes people as just walking like zombies wherever Satan wants because he's got them subtly wrapped up in flaxen cords. So yeah, people can be easily manipulated, but that's because of sin, not because of their innate nature.
-He attributes most feelings to our brain convincing ourselves of whatever rather than actual spiritual truth. That's frightening, isn't it -- that every time you "felt good" about something it wasn't the Spirit as much as it was just some deep recesses of your brain using confirmation bias or whatever. (And, honestly, when people get way into things like the "Shemitah" apocalyptic stuff last September or convincing themselves that God really approves of Trump's antics, it does make me shift uncomfortably in my seat, wondering how much inspiration is real inspiration from God).
But the great thing about revelation is that it rarely involves just yourself. You can trick yourself into thinking most anything -- but can you trick Sidney Rigdon into seeing the visions of glory with you? You can randomly start thinking about loved ones who passed away, but if other family members think about them the exact same time with the exact same imagery, how is that just self-hypnosis? If you spend all day thinking about someone you rarely think about and feeling really sad and then find out at the end of the day they just had yet another miscarriage, what explanation is there but the Holy Ghost?
No matter how hard it is for someone to believe in God because of a world that gets messed up by evil people and good-intentioned people who trick themselves into evil actions . . . there is still so much evidence for a loving God who cares about us and has us bump into each other so we can see His face more clearly.
Okay, that didn't end up all that political, but I feel like it's important to remember that God is at the helm . . . because it might not feel like He is as things get worse and worse. (at least polio is getting eradicated lots of places. They always bring that up when people say things are getting worse.)
Speaking of God being at the helm, this is a good video.
Faith Trumps Fear
Was a Trump Server Communicating with Russia To be fair, sometimes I think my server is communicating with Russia. I mean, sometimes I have blog stats there (before my friends moved to Moldova, even), and something's been pinging my block for the past 5 months giving me 1000 new views every day.
But I don't think Donald Trump keeps a blog. Let's be serious -- he is proud that he doesn't read books. Why would he read blog posts longer than 140 characters?
At any rate, when people like to remind me that there is a 50% chance he appoints conservative judges (based on Reagan's, Bush's, and Bush's track record), I think . . . isn't that just what Trump is so great at? Making people gamble? And goodness sakes . . . if this article is true then he sure puts the Russian in Russian Roulette.
Utah is 2016's Strangest Swing State -- Regardless of what happens on election night, I will feel so much love for my home state if it doesn't go to Trump.
The Religious Right -- A Eulogy -- I definitely know some evangelicals who are just going to do a protest vote this year, and I think that's great. Generally, it looks like church-going evangelicals have been more likely to reject Trump from the beginning. But there are many different kinds of evangelicals in the country, and perhaps the ones who have made it into politics have drawn near to God with their mouths but have removed their hearts far from Him (see Isaiah 29:13). Hence this eulogy.
The Section Dedicated to J. D. Vance
Can I tell you another confession?
I've read a book by Charles Murray.
I didn't realize that was a bad thing until some friends started sharing the "are you in a bubble" quiz that he made. Their friends commented with all these articles quoting him saying some rather white supremacist things (the ties to eugenics bother me). It was kind of like, "oh. oops." The book I read (Coming Apart) didn't have any of that, but I understand a bit better why, for example, students at Yale complained about him coming. I mean, really, Yale students complain about everything. But I honestly do find him more problematic than I used to.
EDIT 3/27: I think this response by Murray is fair.
However, I am still grateful that I read his book because it opened my eyes to divisions in classes that I had never seen before. I suddenly cared about things that I hadn't before, and I was able to make my own conclusions. So, yay for free speech after all.
Where was I going with this? Well, there's a new guy in town saying similar stuff (without the objectionable parts, as far as I've seen). His name is J. D. Vance and he recently graduated from Yale Law. And I have no idea what the J. and the D. stand for. Maybe someone in the ward knows.
Anyway, he has a lot of interesting articles about the evangelicals who don't really go to church and who just have a rough life all around. All of them are worth a read!
http://national.deseretnews.com/article/22819/god-plays-an-important-role-in-hillbilly-country-but-not-in-the-way-youd-expect.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/07/25/how-the-white-working-class-lost-its-patriotism/?utm_term=.420b3eb342d4
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/439431/race-relations-getting-worse-america-why
And, that last article even has its own SNL skit! (mild language.)
Social
Faculty Gender Inbalance at BYU -- Okay, the comments are where the real value of the article is.
I had a big long blog post I wrote about this the day I read it, but it's just been sitting in drafts (ending with the phrase "But above all" and I don't know remember I was going with that haha). Here's a snippet:
But speaking of sexism, it sure has been getting lots of attention lately! That tape about Donald Trump unleashed all sorts of accusations. It's just like the mice hiding in our walls -- the more you look the more you find. ugh ugh ugh.
Bringing "locker room" into the light -- This has lots of wonderful suggestions about how to raise good children.
What Shouldn't Be Normal -- my wonderful cousin wrote about sexual harassment, including some of her experiences on her mission. It is mind boggling that so many women around the world deal with harassment and assault every day.
And, while we're on the topic . . . I am glad that the concept of consent is becoming more important, especially on college campuses, but I think there are still some situations where consent on its own is insufficient, where perhaps it's strange to even use the word.
Let me give an example. Here is a true story: there was an aspiring young actress back in the day who had the chance to land a major role in one of Hollywood's biggest films. All she had to do, according to those in the know, was sleep with the producer.
"I don't do that," she said.
"100 girls would feel lucky to have that opportunity," was the reply.
"Well I'm not one of them," is what she said in essence, and so she left Hollywood forever.
Let's think for a minute about those 100 girls. Suppose they did have and take the opportunity to sleep with the producer. Was there consent?
I don't think so. Sure, they said yes, and they might have enjoyed it, since there can be something very attractive about someone powerful paying attention to you. But that's the problem -- there was a power imbalance in the relationship. There was still the threat of losing one's job if she didn't do that. There was still coercion. Therefore, I really don't think there was consent, for if there are strings attached then it isn't a proper choice.
I guess what I'm saying is that, yes, if you have college kids getting drunk, absolutely they need to understand consent. But chastity and fidelity are ultimately the only concepts that will keep everyone safe.
And speaking of college . . .
My Halloween Email Led to a Campus Firestorm -- Good old Yale again. I have read several articles about this, including a recent one from the university president where he talked about the wonderful things that came from last year's controversy.
While he had some good points . . . I still side with Erika Christakis on this. This went far beyond a healthy dialogue. "Nearly a thousand students, faculty and deans called for my and my husband’s immediate removal from our jobs and campus home. Some demanded not only apologies for any unintended racial insensitivity (which we gladly offered) but also a complete disavowal of my ideas (which we did not) — as well as advance warning of my appearances in the dining hall so that students accusing me of fostering violence wouldn’t be disturbed by the sight of me."
I hate to say it, but situations like this are why so many people are fans of Trump. Sure, he's a bully who can't handle criticism, but at least he's a different kind of bully than the ones we're used to making every conservative keep their head down at work. A breath of fresh air, so to speak. (Manure air.)
The Power in Not Knowing -- this was a really interesting article in the BYU Magazine that I think was ultimately about humility.
Mother Teresa is Saint of the Doubters
I was struck by this quote:
Elder Holland on Refugees -- His full speech isn't too long, and it is so worth a listen.
And lots of great conference talks and Ensign articles. And you should just go through the Mormon Newsroom news page -- I confess there's lots I have only seen news about, not perused myself (such as the new Mormon and Gay website, or the commemoration of the 175th anniversary of the dedication of Israel), but I will soon.
Books/Movies
The Other Side of Heaven 15 Years Later -- this was a fun read.
Berenstain Bears and the Parallel Universe -- I always wondered about those strange people who called them the BerenSTANE bears instead of BerenSTEEN. Clearly they were just living in an alternate universe. The right one. I guess. I'm still not sure.
Pete the Cat -- In case you're wondering why some of the books say "Eric Litwin" and others do not, here is the story of the author and illustrator.
On Drive and Contentment in Hamilton -- another nice article from James Goldberg. I think I identify most with Aaron Burr (minus when he acts like a villain) but I definitely feel the struggle to make "something that will outlive me" while at the same time just being present and loving the people closest to me the way I should.
And speaking of Hamilton . . .
I know, I know, the kid playing Hamilton is like 13. But Hamilton really was just 19 when this song was set, and Lin Manuel Miranda is in his 30s, so technically it makes more sense to cast him. You know you want to watch it. And the Schuyler Sisters one, too.
As for what I've been reading . . . I read Paco by Nathan Thatcher, and that was fun and fascinating. I reread a bit of Enchantment by Orson Scott Card until my dad borrowed it. Reread Yearning for the Living God which is always amazing. (Someday I will live in a place where I can borrow LDS books from the library. Until then our 4 or so LDS books will get lots of traction.) Read Letters of a Woman Homesteader for book club and it was delightful. Just read I am Malala and it was inspiring. I have been trying so so so hard to get a copy of Hamilton but the links were weird on the library website (seriously Michigan friends, you have no idea how good you have it with AADL), and now I have this book about the House of Morgan. I'm about 4 paragraphs through the prologue and haven't found any material yet to write a smash musical about, but there are more than 700 pages of material that might have potential. If I finish it. Which I probably won't.
(side note -- doesn't look like I read much about parenting or science lately. Maybe I did and just forgot. I guess this sort of fits both categories.)
Meanwhile in Connecticut, I happened to talk to librarians who bemoan the state of affairs and wish they could just write someone in (cue mention of Evan McMullin). Definitely wasn't expecting that in one of the bluest states in the nation!
I think I'll just get the political stuff out of the way first.
Political
First off . . . here is my confession.
I read the Scott Adams blog. Have for about a year now. He's the kind of rational atheist man that believes that humans are just moist robots (that is, no free will) who never evolved enough to really come to terms with reality. Thus, we can be easily hypnotized and persuaded, and that's what this election is all about. (He's gone back and forth between endorsing Clinton and Trump but I think he wants Trump to win so his predictions will be right.)
Sometimes some of those arguments about humans not having free will are intellectually seductive, but I've come up with lots of rebuttals.
-People really do have free will. The reason we don't seem to see it much is because we are pretty good at handing our agency over to Satan. In The Peacegiver by James Ferrell he describes people as just walking like zombies wherever Satan wants because he's got them subtly wrapped up in flaxen cords. So yeah, people can be easily manipulated, but that's because of sin, not because of their innate nature.
-He attributes most feelings to our brain convincing ourselves of whatever rather than actual spiritual truth. That's frightening, isn't it -- that every time you "felt good" about something it wasn't the Spirit as much as it was just some deep recesses of your brain using confirmation bias or whatever. (And, honestly, when people get way into things like the "Shemitah" apocalyptic stuff last September or convincing themselves that God really approves of Trump's antics, it does make me shift uncomfortably in my seat, wondering how much inspiration is real inspiration from God).
But the great thing about revelation is that it rarely involves just yourself. You can trick yourself into thinking most anything -- but can you trick Sidney Rigdon into seeing the visions of glory with you? You can randomly start thinking about loved ones who passed away, but if other family members think about them the exact same time with the exact same imagery, how is that just self-hypnosis? If you spend all day thinking about someone you rarely think about and feeling really sad and then find out at the end of the day they just had yet another miscarriage, what explanation is there but the Holy Ghost?
No matter how hard it is for someone to believe in God because of a world that gets messed up by evil people and good-intentioned people who trick themselves into evil actions . . . there is still so much evidence for a loving God who cares about us and has us bump into each other so we can see His face more clearly.
Okay, that didn't end up all that political, but I feel like it's important to remember that God is at the helm . . . because it might not feel like He is as things get worse and worse. (at least polio is getting eradicated lots of places. They always bring that up when people say things are getting worse.)
Speaking of God being at the helm, this is a good video.
Faith Trumps Fear
Was a Trump Server Communicating with Russia To be fair, sometimes I think my server is communicating with Russia. I mean, sometimes I have blog stats there (before my friends moved to Moldova, even), and something's been pinging my block for the past 5 months giving me 1000 new views every day.
But I don't think Donald Trump keeps a blog. Let's be serious -- he is proud that he doesn't read books. Why would he read blog posts longer than 140 characters?
At any rate, when people like to remind me that there is a 50% chance he appoints conservative judges (based on Reagan's, Bush's, and Bush's track record), I think . . . isn't that just what Trump is so great at? Making people gamble? And goodness sakes . . . if this article is true then he sure puts the Russian in Russian Roulette.
Utah is 2016's Strangest Swing State -- Regardless of what happens on election night, I will feel so much love for my home state if it doesn't go to Trump.
The Religious Right -- A Eulogy -- I definitely know some evangelicals who are just going to do a protest vote this year, and I think that's great. Generally, it looks like church-going evangelicals have been more likely to reject Trump from the beginning. But there are many different kinds of evangelicals in the country, and perhaps the ones who have made it into politics have drawn near to God with their mouths but have removed their hearts far from Him (see Isaiah 29:13). Hence this eulogy.
The Section Dedicated to J. D. Vance
Can I tell you another confession?
I've read a book by Charles Murray.
I didn't realize that was a bad thing until some friends started sharing the "are you in a bubble" quiz that he made. Their friends commented with all these articles quoting him saying some rather white supremacist things (the ties to eugenics bother me). It was kind of like, "oh. oops." The book I read (Coming Apart) didn't have any of that, but I understand a bit better why, for example, students at Yale complained about him coming. I mean, really, Yale students complain about everything. But I honestly do find him more problematic than I used to.
EDIT 3/27: I think this response by Murray is fair.
However, I am still grateful that I read his book because it opened my eyes to divisions in classes that I had never seen before. I suddenly cared about things that I hadn't before, and I was able to make my own conclusions. So, yay for free speech after all.
Where was I going with this? Well, there's a new guy in town saying similar stuff (without the objectionable parts, as far as I've seen). His name is J. D. Vance and he recently graduated from Yale Law. And I have no idea what the J. and the D. stand for. Maybe someone in the ward knows.
Anyway, he has a lot of interesting articles about the evangelicals who don't really go to church and who just have a rough life all around. All of them are worth a read!
http://national.deseretnews.com/article/22819/god-plays-an-important-role-in-hillbilly-country-but-not-in-the-way-youd-expect.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/07/25/how-the-white-working-class-lost-its-patriotism/?utm_term=.420b3eb342d4
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/439431/race-relations-getting-worse-america-why
And, that last article even has its own SNL skit! (mild language.)
Social
Faculty Gender Inbalance at BYU -- Okay, the comments are where the real value of the article is.
I had a big long blog post I wrote about this the day I read it, but it's just been sitting in drafts (ending with the phrase "But above all" and I don't know remember I was going with that haha). Here's a snippet:
- One of the hardest parts of being a female engineering student was feeling like I got special treatment. There would be times after arguing back points on a test where I would wonder, did I get those points back because I made a convincing case or because I smiled a lot? Did people suggest I become a professor at BYU someday because of my brilliant and innovative contributions to research or because they (really really) wanted a woman on the faculty? In retrospect, perhaps people made comments like this in hopes of giving me confidence on a historically unequal playing field. But I felt like it mostly cheapened my accomplishments, and worse, it gave others permission to assume I had achieved what I had due to my gender.
- Perhaps I'm unique in this, but any sort of brushes I had with sexism only fired me up. When I randomly decided to major in engineering and started hanging out in the Clyde Building, I was the subject of a few derogatory remarks from someone who thought I was only majoring in it for attention from the boys (and another who suggested I major in math ed instead). I responded by getting 100% on the first test. When a professor mocked my handwriting in front of the class (how could a girl have worse handwriting than the 3 other guys in the class, all of whom wrote in size 7 Courier font?), I had fire in my bones as I completed the next homework in exaggerated first-grade-teacher handwriting. When I heard awkward comments about my pregnancy, I spent the next four years making fun of those comments. (Okay. Maybe that wasn't the best response.) I absolutely think sexism is entirely inappropriate, but I could handle that a lot better than the feeling of special treatment.
- There is something to be said for "seeing yourself" in your major, especially early on. It is a lot easier to feel like you belong somewhere when you have at least a few other people the same gender/race/religion/etc. as you. I am grateful that I usually had 1-3 other girls in my classes during undergrad. But, by the time I was the only girl in every single class during my masters, I didn't care anymore. I belonged on my own merits.
But speaking of sexism, it sure has been getting lots of attention lately! That tape about Donald Trump unleashed all sorts of accusations. It's just like the mice hiding in our walls -- the more you look the more you find. ugh ugh ugh.
Bringing "locker room" into the light -- This has lots of wonderful suggestions about how to raise good children.
What Shouldn't Be Normal -- my wonderful cousin wrote about sexual harassment, including some of her experiences on her mission. It is mind boggling that so many women around the world deal with harassment and assault every day.
And, while we're on the topic . . . I am glad that the concept of consent is becoming more important, especially on college campuses, but I think there are still some situations where consent on its own is insufficient, where perhaps it's strange to even use the word.
Let me give an example. Here is a true story: there was an aspiring young actress back in the day who had the chance to land a major role in one of Hollywood's biggest films. All she had to do, according to those in the know, was sleep with the producer.
"I don't do that," she said.
"100 girls would feel lucky to have that opportunity," was the reply.
"Well I'm not one of them," is what she said in essence, and so she left Hollywood forever.
Let's think for a minute about those 100 girls. Suppose they did have and take the opportunity to sleep with the producer. Was there consent?
I don't think so. Sure, they said yes, and they might have enjoyed it, since there can be something very attractive about someone powerful paying attention to you. But that's the problem -- there was a power imbalance in the relationship. There was still the threat of losing one's job if she didn't do that. There was still coercion. Therefore, I really don't think there was consent, for if there are strings attached then it isn't a proper choice.
I guess what I'm saying is that, yes, if you have college kids getting drunk, absolutely they need to understand consent. But chastity and fidelity are ultimately the only concepts that will keep everyone safe.
And speaking of college . . .
My Halloween Email Led to a Campus Firestorm -- Good old Yale again. I have read several articles about this, including a recent one from the university president where he talked about the wonderful things that came from last year's controversy.
While he had some good points . . . I still side with Erika Christakis on this. This went far beyond a healthy dialogue. "Nearly a thousand students, faculty and deans called for my and my husband’s immediate removal from our jobs and campus home. Some demanded not only apologies for any unintended racial insensitivity (which we gladly offered) but also a complete disavowal of my ideas (which we did not) — as well as advance warning of my appearances in the dining hall so that students accusing me of fostering violence wouldn’t be disturbed by the sight of me."
I hate to say it, but situations like this are why so many people are fans of Trump. Sure, he's a bully who can't handle criticism, but at least he's a different kind of bully than the ones we're used to making every conservative keep their head down at work. A breath of fresh air, so to speak. (Manure air.)
The Power in Not Knowing -- this was a really interesting article in the BYU Magazine that I think was ultimately about humility.
Religious (again)
Mother Teresa is Saint of the Doubters
I was struck by this quote:
Other saints have done what she did – found a religious order, work with the poor, lead a life of outstanding holiness. Many, many saints have done that. None of them, however, have done that without the benefit of a rich interior prayer life, which is what she had to confront in the last 50 years of her life.So many good people say they never feel the Spirit, at least not directing their paths at all. To which I say, you are in good company!
Elder Holland on Refugees -- His full speech isn't too long, and it is so worth a listen.
Bound by Loving Ties -- Elder Holland talks about the importance of religion. He is so great.
The Hartford Temple -- It is such a beautiful temple! I'm so glad so many people got to visit it!
And lots of great conference talks and Ensign articles. And you should just go through the Mormon Newsroom news page -- I confess there's lots I have only seen news about, not perused myself (such as the new Mormon and Gay website, or the commemoration of the 175th anniversary of the dedication of Israel), but I will soon.
Books/Movies
The Other Side of Heaven 15 Years Later -- this was a fun read.
Berenstain Bears and the Parallel Universe -- I always wondered about those strange people who called them the BerenSTANE bears instead of BerenSTEEN. Clearly they were just living in an alternate universe. The right one. I guess. I'm still not sure.
Pete the Cat -- In case you're wondering why some of the books say "Eric Litwin" and others do not, here is the story of the author and illustrator.
On Drive and Contentment in Hamilton -- another nice article from James Goldberg. I think I identify most with Aaron Burr (minus when he acts like a villain) but I definitely feel the struggle to make "something that will outlive me" while at the same time just being present and loving the people closest to me the way I should.
And speaking of Hamilton . . .
I know, I know, the kid playing Hamilton is like 13. But Hamilton really was just 19 when this song was set, and Lin Manuel Miranda is in his 30s, so technically it makes more sense to cast him. You know you want to watch it. And the Schuyler Sisters one, too.
As for what I've been reading . . . I read Paco by Nathan Thatcher, and that was fun and fascinating. I reread a bit of Enchantment by Orson Scott Card until my dad borrowed it. Reread Yearning for the Living God which is always amazing. (Someday I will live in a place where I can borrow LDS books from the library. Until then our 4 or so LDS books will get lots of traction.) Read Letters of a Woman Homesteader for book club and it was delightful. Just read I am Malala and it was inspiring. I have been trying so so so hard to get a copy of Hamilton but the links were weird on the library website (seriously Michigan friends, you have no idea how good you have it with AADL), and now I have this book about the House of Morgan. I'm about 4 paragraphs through the prologue and haven't found any material yet to write a smash musical about, but there are more than 700 pages of material that might have potential. If I finish it. Which I probably won't.
(side note -- doesn't look like I read much about parenting or science lately. Maybe I did and just forgot. I guess this sort of fits both categories.)
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Articles July-August
Even with a move that took over my life the past two months, I still managed to read a lot! I don't always save what I read, but there's still plenty to peruse here.
Politics/News
MoTab on Red Square -- these are some interesting (and depressing) essays by a friend of mine about new laws in Russia prohibiting missionary work.
How the haters made Trump -- strong language warning at the beginning, but it's a really interesting article. Perhaps the most interesting part to me is
Over 30,000 Muslims in the UK marched against ISIS -- just in case you thought they all supported the Caliphate.
Welcome To America -- This was a great video about what some people have done for refugees.
Missionaries save dozens from carbon monoxide -- I love this story, and I love that I know one of the missionaries involved!
Religion
Review of "Future Mormon" -- I picked up Adam Miller's Future Mormon in June at my parents' house, and the sections I read were really interesting. Every now and then, there was something that bothered me that I couldn't quite put my finger on, and I think this article articulates my feelings well.
We Aren't God's Only People -- I liked this blog post because it seemed to catch the essence of the 13th article of faith. I think that if we truly have the gift of the Holy Ghost, we will be able to glean truth from every source.
Reflecting on the Marks of Jesus -- lots of beautiful ideas in this.
The Nature of Wisdom -- this is a lengthy quote from a man named William Arkle. I need to go back and reread it. Incidentally, ever since I read a few articles about a year ago about Wisdom in the Old Testament, I often replace with word "Wisdom" with "feminine divine" when I read to see what other insights could come from that. (Sometimes that works better than other times.)
Daughters in Christ -- I liked a lot of Fair Mormon addresses, and this one had a really good historical overview of how the priesthood/womanhood divide came to be. I feel like these are exciting times as we learn more about the priesthood and how women are involved in it.
More Effective Apologetics -- I thought this was interesting. Maybe not quite fair to past apologetics, but good points notwithstanding.
Faith-Centered Dialectics -- I really liked the idea of seeing people, rather than just lists of attributes of people. (And actually, it's discussion of dialogue like this that helps me understand the concept of safe spaces, even though I think they can be used inappropriately.)
Marriage/Family
Conception -- I really liked this article my mom sent me. It's been interesting seeing how Kevin and I have adopted different roles. I think if I had married a musician or more absent-minded engineer, I would take on certain responsibilities in our marriage. But he's taken over a lot of those responsibilites, so I've realized that my main job is to conceive ways to make things fun and beautiful. I get to be the one to plan vacations, to make decisions about preschool, to invite people over, to look for recipes. It's not hard work, but I think we notice if it doesn't happen. This article helped me feel some stewardship over these responsibilities, so I was grateful to read it.
Making a Marriage Work with a Traveling Spouse -- I don't have a traveling spouse per se, but Kevin has traveled a lot for conferences, so I've had some experience with it, and I liked her advice. I think it would also apply for anyone with a busy spouse (man, those of you with a husband in medical school, I salute you!).
Why do we judge parents for putting kids at perceived but unreal risk? -- This is why every time I remembered, I left a suggestion in the box at the library to have a drop off drive through so I didn't have to leave the car to return books (you never know who might judge you for leaving your kids in a locked car with the windows rolled down for 90 seconds). Well, and because I didn't like having to walk to return the books.
Screen time is bad -- some kids really like screens way too much. So have them play with real legos, not minecraft or touchpads. (I actually didn't care for this article too much, but it helps me remember to be careful with screen time.)
Social
Small Talk -- ugh. Guys. This is the worst part of moving (besides the actual physical moving part and trying to find a good grocery store). People have been really friendly, but I get tired of asking them the same boring questions and giving the same boring answers. If it were up to me I'd hand them a business card with the answer to all the basic questions and then just talk about Harry Potter. But I guess it's important to go through these motions.
15 tips for making friends after a move -- This move has gone pretty well, and I think a lot of that is thanks to advice like this. I'm sure there will be times where I feel so painfully lonely I can hardly bear it, but so far it's been fine.
Actually, the hardest part has been group settings of any kind. I can strike up conversation with any friendly stranger and jump into a pretty good chat, but being in a group is (and, frankly, always has been) torture. I sit there fretting while they're talking about stuff I have nothing to contribute to. Do I ask what they're talking about? Do I ask them questions about themselves? Do I just sit there? Today, the answer was follow Joseph around at the playground at his insistence. But when it comes to groups, I think there's a lot of merit to this quote from The Secret Life of Amanda K. Woods:
I think you should talk before that, for sure! But I think the key is to be where the people are, and act like you belong there. But not be overbearing about it.
Speaking of all this,
New Research on Overcoming Loneliness -- with very few exceptions, the times I've overcome loneliness have been when I've reached out (often repeatedly) rather than been reached out. And it's worth the little bit of embarrassment.
Let Your Friends Be Friends -- This struck a chord. I've wondered if I did what I needed to to make friends like this the past few years, friends that I can still count on, and them on me. I don't know if I'll ever completely depend on friends the way I do on siblings, but I'm grateful for the glimpses I've had of what that feels like.
Other
Preston residents still like Napoleon Dynamite way too much -- I recently was talking with a guy from Scotland, and as we were running out of small talk, I asked, "Are people from Scotland so proud of Harry Potter?" I was thinking about this article when I asked that, but I decided to not bring it up.
How to Get Through Chemo -- My favorite line in this is "I may not have been stronger than my symptoms that day, but I was sillier. And that, it turns out, was enough."
Books: I have not been good about finishing books this summer. I didn't even get enough for the adult Summer Reading Program (though I amassed thousands upon thousands of points from kids' books). New Seeds of Contemplation took a lot out of me, I guess, so I really only skimmed books (even All the Light We Cannot See, which I have been planning to read for 2 years). Right now, I am finally reading All Creatures Great and Small, which my aunt gave me 6 years ago at a bridal shower. I confess I never made it past the first chapter where he helped birth a calf. But after giving birth a few times and changing lots of diapers I have a stronger stomach, and I think it's a delightful book. And very British.
Recipes:
I should be better about saving recipes, but I'm not. So here's what I can remember (just from this last week, haha).
Mel's Kitchen Cafe E-Book -- I have had so much fun looking through this! If you ever have a stick of butter lying around that needs to fill the measure of its creation, I recommend her Cheesy Garlic Drop Biscuits. Best food I've ever made (Kevin agreed).
This was pretty good pasta salad. I think I like the balsamic taste better than the red wine taste, and I switched out a few vegetables here and there and added parmesan, but it's always nice to at least have a recipe on hand. Just in case the other 3 at the potluck don't suit your fancy. (As I always say, the church is only as true as its pasta salads.)
I made my first quinoa dish tonight, and it was pretty good! I don't know why I called it jaguar meat, but Joseph tried some partially due to that name.
How to pick the best watermelon -- I don't know how much longer they will be in season, but hopefully this will help one last time!
And in closing, the Onion sums up my life perfectly. As usual.
Man Looks on Helplessly as Friend Tells Him Story He's Already Heard -- I reread books way more than I read new books. I rewatch movies way more than I watch new movies. And yet there is nothing more frustrating to me than hearing the same story twice. So I had a good laugh over this.
Politics/News
MoTab on Red Square -- these are some interesting (and depressing) essays by a friend of mine about new laws in Russia prohibiting missionary work.
How the haters made Trump -- strong language warning at the beginning, but it's a really interesting article. Perhaps the most interesting part to me is
But no matter how vigilant Nunberg was, he told me, Trump would never let him forget that he’d been the one who let the most embarrassing story about him happen. Eventually, he said, he began using those opportunities to encourage his boss to finally pull the trigger on a presidential campaign.
“That story was bad,” Trump said one day while the two met at Trump Tower.
“Yeah,” Nunberg conceded, “but think about how bad McKay is gonna look when you run.”
Trump appeared to dwell on that for a moment, and then nodded. “That’s true.”
Over 30,000 Muslims in the UK marched against ISIS -- just in case you thought they all supported the Caliphate.
Welcome To America -- This was a great video about what some people have done for refugees.
Missionaries save dozens from carbon monoxide -- I love this story, and I love that I know one of the missionaries involved!
Religion
Review of "Future Mormon" -- I picked up Adam Miller's Future Mormon in June at my parents' house, and the sections I read were really interesting. Every now and then, there was something that bothered me that I couldn't quite put my finger on, and I think this article articulates my feelings well.
We Aren't God's Only People -- I liked this blog post because it seemed to catch the essence of the 13th article of faith. I think that if we truly have the gift of the Holy Ghost, we will be able to glean truth from every source.
Reflecting on the Marks of Jesus -- lots of beautiful ideas in this.
The Nature of Wisdom -- this is a lengthy quote from a man named William Arkle. I need to go back and reread it. Incidentally, ever since I read a few articles about a year ago about Wisdom in the Old Testament, I often replace with word "Wisdom" with "feminine divine" when I read to see what other insights could come from that. (Sometimes that works better than other times.)
Daughters in Christ -- I liked a lot of Fair Mormon addresses, and this one had a really good historical overview of how the priesthood/womanhood divide came to be. I feel like these are exciting times as we learn more about the priesthood and how women are involved in it.
More Effective Apologetics -- I thought this was interesting. Maybe not quite fair to past apologetics, but good points notwithstanding.
Faith-Centered Dialectics -- I really liked the idea of seeing people, rather than just lists of attributes of people. (And actually, it's discussion of dialogue like this that helps me understand the concept of safe spaces, even though I think they can be used inappropriately.)
Marriage/Family
Conception -- I really liked this article my mom sent me. It's been interesting seeing how Kevin and I have adopted different roles. I think if I had married a musician or more absent-minded engineer, I would take on certain responsibilities in our marriage. But he's taken over a lot of those responsibilites, so I've realized that my main job is to conceive ways to make things fun and beautiful. I get to be the one to plan vacations, to make decisions about preschool, to invite people over, to look for recipes. It's not hard work, but I think we notice if it doesn't happen. This article helped me feel some stewardship over these responsibilities, so I was grateful to read it.
Making a Marriage Work with a Traveling Spouse -- I don't have a traveling spouse per se, but Kevin has traveled a lot for conferences, so I've had some experience with it, and I liked her advice. I think it would also apply for anyone with a busy spouse (man, those of you with a husband in medical school, I salute you!).
Why do we judge parents for putting kids at perceived but unreal risk? -- This is why every time I remembered, I left a suggestion in the box at the library to have a drop off drive through so I didn't have to leave the car to return books (you never know who might judge you for leaving your kids in a locked car with the windows rolled down for 90 seconds). Well, and because I didn't like having to walk to return the books.
Screen time is bad -- some kids really like screens way too much. So have them play with real legos, not minecraft or touchpads. (I actually didn't care for this article too much, but it helps me remember to be careful with screen time.)
Small Talk -- ugh. Guys. This is the worst part of moving (besides the actual physical moving part and trying to find a good grocery store). People have been really friendly, but I get tired of asking them the same boring questions and giving the same boring answers. If it were up to me I'd hand them a business card with the answer to all the basic questions and then just talk about Harry Potter. But I guess it's important to go through these motions.
15 tips for making friends after a move -- This move has gone pretty well, and I think a lot of that is thanks to advice like this. I'm sure there will be times where I feel so painfully lonely I can hardly bear it, but so far it's been fine.
Actually, the hardest part has been group settings of any kind. I can strike up conversation with any friendly stranger and jump into a pretty good chat, but being in a group is (and, frankly, always has been) torture. I sit there fretting while they're talking about stuff I have nothing to contribute to. Do I ask what they're talking about? Do I ask them questions about themselves? Do I just sit there? Today, the answer was follow Joseph around at the playground at his insistence. But when it comes to groups, I think there's a lot of merit to this quote from The Secret Life of Amanda K. Woods:
Groups of people are like herds of horses, or cows. They sniff the wind. They are alert for danger. They keep out strangers. They don't know why, they just do. And they all think as one. If one of them didn't, he or she would turn into a stranger....She has to pretend she has been at your school forever. She must stand around with all the girls who stand around, and listen to the conversation but not say one word. She should just look interested and friendly—that is very important—and look like she knows about everything that is going on.She should do this for weeks. Months, maybe. Finally, one day, someone in the group will make a mistake and talk to her....Then she can answer. She should just respond to what is said. The important thing isn't what she says back. It's the way she acts. This is crucial. She shouldn't act surprised, or startled, or anything like that....After that she can say a few things....She should ask the other girls about themselves....But what she asks shouldn't be too personal....Then in about a month, she can invite the person who is the friendliest to do something with her.
I think you should talk before that, for sure! But I think the key is to be where the people are, and act like you belong there. But not be overbearing about it.
Speaking of all this,
New Research on Overcoming Loneliness -- with very few exceptions, the times I've overcome loneliness have been when I've reached out (often repeatedly) rather than been reached out. And it's worth the little bit of embarrassment.
Let Your Friends Be Friends -- This struck a chord. I've wondered if I did what I needed to to make friends like this the past few years, friends that I can still count on, and them on me. I don't know if I'll ever completely depend on friends the way I do on siblings, but I'm grateful for the glimpses I've had of what that feels like.
Other
Preston residents still like Napoleon Dynamite way too much -- I recently was talking with a guy from Scotland, and as we were running out of small talk, I asked, "Are people from Scotland so proud of Harry Potter?" I was thinking about this article when I asked that, but I decided to not bring it up.
How to Get Through Chemo -- My favorite line in this is "I may not have been stronger than my symptoms that day, but I was sillier. And that, it turns out, was enough."
Books: I have not been good about finishing books this summer. I didn't even get enough for the adult Summer Reading Program (though I amassed thousands upon thousands of points from kids' books). New Seeds of Contemplation took a lot out of me, I guess, so I really only skimmed books (even All the Light We Cannot See, which I have been planning to read for 2 years). Right now, I am finally reading All Creatures Great and Small, which my aunt gave me 6 years ago at a bridal shower. I confess I never made it past the first chapter where he helped birth a calf. But after giving birth a few times and changing lots of diapers I have a stronger stomach, and I think it's a delightful book. And very British.
Recipes:
I should be better about saving recipes, but I'm not. So here's what I can remember (just from this last week, haha).
Mel's Kitchen Cafe E-Book -- I have had so much fun looking through this! If you ever have a stick of butter lying around that needs to fill the measure of its creation, I recommend her Cheesy Garlic Drop Biscuits. Best food I've ever made (Kevin agreed).
This was pretty good pasta salad. I think I like the balsamic taste better than the red wine taste, and I switched out a few vegetables here and there and added parmesan, but it's always nice to at least have a recipe on hand. Just in case the other 3 at the potluck don't suit your fancy. (As I always say, the church is only as true as its pasta salads.)
I made my first quinoa dish tonight, and it was pretty good! I don't know why I called it jaguar meat, but Joseph tried some partially due to that name.
How to pick the best watermelon -- I don't know how much longer they will be in season, but hopefully this will help one last time!
And in closing, the Onion sums up my life perfectly. As usual.
Man Looks on Helplessly as Friend Tells Him Story He's Already Heard -- I reread books way more than I read new books. I rewatch movies way more than I watch new movies. And yet there is nothing more frustrating to me than hearing the same story twice. So I had a good laugh over this.
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Articles May-June
I meant to share these articles at the end of May, which turned into the beginning of June, then the middle, then the end . . .
And just as I started working on it, I happened to press ctrl-z which somehow inexplicably replaced my entire post with an old one. (ctrl-z claims to undo mistakes. In this case it was more like undue hardship.)
So. Here is what I remember. (It isn't everything, tragically.) Along with the articles I provide lots of my own thoughts. (I guess people usually use Facebook to share articles so they can get more of a dialogue going, but that's not really my goal right now.)
Religion
Image of the Mothering God -- this has some lovely symbolism about breastfeeding, among other thought provoking elements.
Forced Together by Mormonism -- This is a nice story about visiting teaching. I love it when people who seem different from each other become really good friends. Even if it's because of an "assigned friendship" (there are worse things).
Why did Alma talk about Melchizedek?
Sunday School Lesson on Hebrews
I've always been confused by mentions of Melchizedek both in the Book of Mormon and in the New Testament. So it's been nice finding resources to help me understand him better. (Both of these are great resources for lots of things, fyi.)
How God Messed Up My Happy Atheist Life -- This was a wonderful story about someone who let Christ in. I love this line: "No one could have in a billion years of their gripping testimony or by showing me a radiant life of good deeds or through song or even the most beautiful of books brought me to Christ. I had to be tapped on the shoulder."
Incidentally, I've had an interesting realization over the past 6 months -- I can really, honestly, truly understand where atheists come from now. I can understand how you can discount others' and your own spiritual experiences as your mind or emotions playing confirmation bias tricks on you. It feels like you are outside in the dead of winter, and someone comes and pulls your coat off of you. And you're afraid to put your coat on again because, well, what if it's just a fake coat? There's no comfort or safety in something that isn't true, lovely as it all sounds.
Like a Broken Vessel Video -- I listened to this while I was washing dishes the other night, and it was beautiful. You are not alone!
Honest, Simple, Solid, True -- I don't remember what led me to this BYU devotional from forever ago, but I liked it.
Inside the sealing room inside the temple -- There are times when people have asked me why the church has spent so much time and money making so many temples around the world. After all, other Christian denominations don't do this, so why should we? Sometimes it's a harder question to answer than others, but stories like this make it clear to me. There are people on the other side who really are waiting and excited.
Social/Political (this is where I forgot most of what I saved, so it's a bit sparse.)
The Case For Reparations -- I was a little discouraged learning about New Haven, especially the elementary schools, so I pulled this up and skimmed it again and came away discouraged again. There is a lot I love about America, but this aspect not so much. It's always been strange to me how there was so much discrimination in the north even without slavery. No simple fixes to these problems, that's for sure.
Lt. Gov Cox at Orlando Vigil -- I don't know that his words were the healing balm I wanted following the massacre of 49 people in Orlando, but they were probably the words I needed.
Scott Adams on Guns -- this is by no means a helpful article about gun violence, but I think he's onto something in his generalizations. (At least, the way he explains why Republicans like guns jives with what I've seen from my friends.)
And if you were curious, here are a few of my thoughts about guns:
1. In my mind, for whatever reason, motorcycles and guns are equivalent (probably because some people think motorcycles are fun and some think target shooting is fun, and I don't think either is fun but I can respect different hobbies). So if it's a good idea for motorcycles, it's probably a good idea for guns. (e.g. registration, being competent at using it, etc.)
2. The ultimate goal really shouldn't be more guns. Do we want to be like the Jaredites or Nephites sleeping on their swords because everyone's safer when they can defend themselves? Or do we want to instead be beating our weapons into plowshares and pruning hooks? I believe statistics that suggest that places with less gun control tend to be safer (such as, say, Idaho), but I feel like adding more guns to the world is not the loftiest goal in the world. (Unless you're a gun manufacturer, I guess.)
The War On Stupid People -- I recently taught about Korihor to my Primary class. We talked about some of his lies and what Christ would teach instead. One thing Korihor taught was that "every man prospered according to his genius." Even though that might seem perfectly fair, it leaves a lot of people vulnerable (what are mentally disabled people or even children supposed to do? Many of them don't have much genius to put to use). And this article touches on those concerns a little bit. I don't think the solutions they present are the best (too much government intervention for my liking), but I think they're worth thinking about.
Elder Christofferson on Religious Freedom -- There are times when I get frustrated with people who use freedom of speech or religious freedom as an excuse to say ugly things (for example, I'm sure some people have backed up their anti-Semitism with religious freedom on occasion), but I believe what Elder Christofferson said here. Beliefs belong in the public square. Beliefs deserve to be disagreed with, not suppressed. And though I believe that ugly speech begets violence (terrifyingly so), suppressing ugly speech begets it as well. (So . . . any solutions there? Haha.)
Parenting
4 Reasons Parents Lose Their Temper -- There were a few weeks in June where I was really having a hard time with Joseph, and kept yelling at him (usually over food). I was surprised, discouraged, and worried at myself. When I changed my mindset (i.e. repented . . . but not just of losing my temper, but of having a worst-case-scenario mindset) and tried to take better care of sleep for both of us, things got a lot better. I just read this article today, and I think the ideas in there were similar to what worked for me lately.
Picky Eater Strategies -- So these didn't work for me at all. But they are still good ideas for some kids. Maybe. (What worked for us was to cut back on snacking except for fruit, and then stop pestering Joseph at mealtimes.)
How to Homeschool Preschool -- just some good resources.
10 Insights of Remarkable Parents -- hopefully nothing new here, but good reminders!
Art and Music
Minerva Teichert's Manti Temple Murals -- there isn't as much artwork in this as I would hope, but it's really interesting. (And so fun to see pictures of her! She looks like some people I know. :D)
Textures of Mormonism -- Funny and evocative
Feuerfest -- the past few days we've listened to this over and over. So I wanted to remember that. Joseph says it sounds like Snow White to him.
Books
I may as well mention what I've been reading, too.
-I finally read most of 1984. Always applicable.
-I've seen Thomas Merton's name floating around a few times, so I decided to read his book New Seeds of Contemplation. It has been really enlightening, and I'll probably have to reread it to write down all the quotes.
-I read the first part of The First Fifty Years of Relief Society. It has all the minutes of Relief Society meetings. There were things that were kind of funny to me (like how they came up with the name "Relief Society") and it was exciting to see some Moons listed on the rolls. Still, not the easiest read.
And I've definitely gotten more pleasure out of this serialization "Abinadi" than I was expecting. It reminds me of the sort of stuff Leslie and my cousin Megan and I would have written or acted out back in the day (although a bit more thematic). I always think the world could use more Book of Mormon fan fiction.
One last thing . . . I am still trying to figure out how to stop web crawlers from taking over my blog. So thank you for your patience! (And if you're reading this via invitation, thank you for reading! I super super appreciate it!)
Here's an example of stuff I've tried to parse in my efforts to stop web crawlers from viewing the same 100 blog posts 10 times a day:
http://www.blogtips.org/web-crawlers-love-the-good-but-kill-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
Happy reading!
And just as I started working on it, I happened to press ctrl-z which somehow inexplicably replaced my entire post with an old one. (ctrl-z claims to undo mistakes. In this case it was more like undue hardship.)
So. Here is what I remember. (It isn't everything, tragically.) Along with the articles I provide lots of my own thoughts. (I guess people usually use Facebook to share articles so they can get more of a dialogue going, but that's not really my goal right now.)
Religion
Image of the Mothering God -- this has some lovely symbolism about breastfeeding, among other thought provoking elements.
Forced Together by Mormonism -- This is a nice story about visiting teaching. I love it when people who seem different from each other become really good friends. Even if it's because of an "assigned friendship" (there are worse things).
Why did Alma talk about Melchizedek?
Sunday School Lesson on Hebrews
I've always been confused by mentions of Melchizedek both in the Book of Mormon and in the New Testament. So it's been nice finding resources to help me understand him better. (Both of these are great resources for lots of things, fyi.)
My Deceased Son's Answer to What It's All About -- Melissa Dalton Bradford is a lovely writer, and you should just read the rest of everything she wrote. I really liked the emphasis on relationships, even relationships of people you just happen to meet once or twice.
In fact, I just had an experience which made me think about this. I recently flew to Utah without Kevin. I was hoping for a really helpful person to sit next to on the plane. As it turned out, the person I sat next to had just come from Europe and was exhausted, so he dozed for most of it and didn't talk to us much after the first minute. I thought to myself, "Well, here's someone I will never care about after this flight."
It was a long, turbulent flight with an overtired Matthew boy, so it took some work to stay happy. (By the end I defiantly threw the nursing cover off because I just didn't care anymore.) Right before we reached Salt Lake City, the man asked me who my dad was. I told him. "And your mom is a Rytting, right?"
Somehow, maybe in a few mentions to Joseph of "Grandma Barbara," he had guessed who I was. He had been in my grandparents' ward in Kansas and had even gone to my mom's wedding reception. And now, thirty years later, he recognized me as one of them.
What was once an unpleasant flight with a sleepy seatmate now became a joyful reunion. As we deplaned, he helped carry my bags and children and had me stick around to meet his wife who had been seated several rows behind us (who also had married someone with her maiden name, just like me).
It was humbling to realize just how much my perception changed when I realized that he was someone worth caring about. And even if there had been no family connection, he still would have been worth caring about because he too was a child of God.
Anyway. Long story short. This article resonated with me.
In fact, I just had an experience which made me think about this. I recently flew to Utah without Kevin. I was hoping for a really helpful person to sit next to on the plane. As it turned out, the person I sat next to had just come from Europe and was exhausted, so he dozed for most of it and didn't talk to us much after the first minute. I thought to myself, "Well, here's someone I will never care about after this flight."
It was a long, turbulent flight with an overtired Matthew boy, so it took some work to stay happy. (By the end I defiantly threw the nursing cover off because I just didn't care anymore.) Right before we reached Salt Lake City, the man asked me who my dad was. I told him. "And your mom is a Rytting, right?"
Somehow, maybe in a few mentions to Joseph of "Grandma Barbara," he had guessed who I was. He had been in my grandparents' ward in Kansas and had even gone to my mom's wedding reception. And now, thirty years later, he recognized me as one of them.
What was once an unpleasant flight with a sleepy seatmate now became a joyful reunion. As we deplaned, he helped carry my bags and children and had me stick around to meet his wife who had been seated several rows behind us (who also had married someone with her maiden name, just like me).
It was humbling to realize just how much my perception changed when I realized that he was someone worth caring about. And even if there had been no family connection, he still would have been worth caring about because he too was a child of God.
Anyway. Long story short. This article resonated with me.
How God Messed Up My Happy Atheist Life -- This was a wonderful story about someone who let Christ in. I love this line: "No one could have in a billion years of their gripping testimony or by showing me a radiant life of good deeds or through song or even the most beautiful of books brought me to Christ. I had to be tapped on the shoulder."
Incidentally, I've had an interesting realization over the past 6 months -- I can really, honestly, truly understand where atheists come from now. I can understand how you can discount others' and your own spiritual experiences as your mind or emotions playing confirmation bias tricks on you. It feels like you are outside in the dead of winter, and someone comes and pulls your coat off of you. And you're afraid to put your coat on again because, well, what if it's just a fake coat? There's no comfort or safety in something that isn't true, lovely as it all sounds.
As I've really come to understand that mindset, I've learned that you shouldn't believe in something just because it's comforting. Comfort is not truth. But love is truth. And if love can change the world, then it can shape the universe. And if there is Someone powerful enough to create a universe that operates on love rather than on selfishness, then that Someone would be willing to let us all know He loves us by sending His Son who lived and breathed and even died that love for us.
And when we are ready to seek Him, He is there waiting, ready to "crack us open to the divine."
Willing to Submit -- I have been interested in the word "submit" for a while, so I decided to look at this talk by Elder Neal A. Maxwell. To be honest, the word "submit" is a charged one for me because there are lots of things we really shouldn't submit to (definitely not abuse, for example). But you would think that if we believe there is an omniscient God and we knew for sure He wanted us to do something, we would do it, right? Right? Actually . . . it's still tricky, and this talk discusses that beautifully.
Like a Broken Vessel Video -- I listened to this while I was washing dishes the other night, and it was beautiful. You are not alone!
Honest, Simple, Solid, True -- I don't remember what led me to this BYU devotional from forever ago, but I liked it.
Inside the sealing room inside the temple -- There are times when people have asked me why the church has spent so much time and money making so many temples around the world. After all, other Christian denominations don't do this, so why should we? Sometimes it's a harder question to answer than others, but stories like this make it clear to me. There are people on the other side who really are waiting and excited.
Social/Political (this is where I forgot most of what I saved, so it's a bit sparse.)
The Case For Reparations -- I was a little discouraged learning about New Haven, especially the elementary schools, so I pulled this up and skimmed it again and came away discouraged again. There is a lot I love about America, but this aspect not so much. It's always been strange to me how there was so much discrimination in the north even without slavery. No simple fixes to these problems, that's for sure.
Lt. Gov Cox at Orlando Vigil -- I don't know that his words were the healing balm I wanted following the massacre of 49 people in Orlando, but they were probably the words I needed.
Scott Adams on Guns -- this is by no means a helpful article about gun violence, but I think he's onto something in his generalizations. (At least, the way he explains why Republicans like guns jives with what I've seen from my friends.)
And if you were curious, here are a few of my thoughts about guns:
1. In my mind, for whatever reason, motorcycles and guns are equivalent (probably because some people think motorcycles are fun and some think target shooting is fun, and I don't think either is fun but I can respect different hobbies). So if it's a good idea for motorcycles, it's probably a good idea for guns. (e.g. registration, being competent at using it, etc.)
2. The ultimate goal really shouldn't be more guns. Do we want to be like the Jaredites or Nephites sleeping on their swords because everyone's safer when they can defend themselves? Or do we want to instead be beating our weapons into plowshares and pruning hooks? I believe statistics that suggest that places with less gun control tend to be safer (such as, say, Idaho), but I feel like adding more guns to the world is not the loftiest goal in the world. (Unless you're a gun manufacturer, I guess.)
The War On Stupid People -- I recently taught about Korihor to my Primary class. We talked about some of his lies and what Christ would teach instead. One thing Korihor taught was that "every man prospered according to his genius." Even though that might seem perfectly fair, it leaves a lot of people vulnerable (what are mentally disabled people or even children supposed to do? Many of them don't have much genius to put to use). And this article touches on those concerns a little bit. I don't think the solutions they present are the best (too much government intervention for my liking), but I think they're worth thinking about.
Elder Christofferson on Religious Freedom -- There are times when I get frustrated with people who use freedom of speech or religious freedom as an excuse to say ugly things (for example, I'm sure some people have backed up their anti-Semitism with religious freedom on occasion), but I believe what Elder Christofferson said here. Beliefs belong in the public square. Beliefs deserve to be disagreed with, not suppressed. And though I believe that ugly speech begets violence (terrifyingly so), suppressing ugly speech begets it as well. (So . . . any solutions there? Haha.)
Parenting
4 Reasons Parents Lose Their Temper -- There were a few weeks in June where I was really having a hard time with Joseph, and kept yelling at him (usually over food). I was surprised, discouraged, and worried at myself. When I changed my mindset (i.e. repented . . . but not just of losing my temper, but of having a worst-case-scenario mindset) and tried to take better care of sleep for both of us, things got a lot better. I just read this article today, and I think the ideas in there were similar to what worked for me lately.
Picky Eater Strategies -- So these didn't work for me at all. But they are still good ideas for some kids. Maybe. (What worked for us was to cut back on snacking except for fruit, and then stop pestering Joseph at mealtimes.)
How to Homeschool Preschool -- just some good resources.
10 Insights of Remarkable Parents -- hopefully nothing new here, but good reminders!
Art and Music
Minerva Teichert's Manti Temple Murals -- there isn't as much artwork in this as I would hope, but it's really interesting. (And so fun to see pictures of her! She looks like some people I know. :D)
Textures of Mormonism -- Funny and evocative
Feuerfest -- the past few days we've listened to this over and over. So I wanted to remember that. Joseph says it sounds like Snow White to him.
Books
I may as well mention what I've been reading, too.
-I finally read most of 1984. Always applicable.
-I've seen Thomas Merton's name floating around a few times, so I decided to read his book New Seeds of Contemplation. It has been really enlightening, and I'll probably have to reread it to write down all the quotes.
-I read the first part of The First Fifty Years of Relief Society. It has all the minutes of Relief Society meetings. There were things that were kind of funny to me (like how they came up with the name "Relief Society") and it was exciting to see some Moons listed on the rolls. Still, not the easiest read.
And I've definitely gotten more pleasure out of this serialization "Abinadi" than I was expecting. It reminds me of the sort of stuff Leslie and my cousin Megan and I would have written or acted out back in the day (although a bit more thematic). I always think the world could use more Book of Mormon fan fiction.
One last thing . . . I am still trying to figure out how to stop web crawlers from taking over my blog. So thank you for your patience! (And if you're reading this via invitation, thank you for reading! I super super appreciate it!)
Here's an example of stuff I've tried to parse in my efforts to stop web crawlers from viewing the same 100 blog posts 10 times a day:
http://www.blogtips.org/web-crawlers-love-the-good-but-kill-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
Happy reading!
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Articles March-April
It's been a little while, so I'm going to share some articles again! I read a lot more over the course of a month, but this is what I remembered to save. Enjoy!
Religious/Spiritual
Burning Bush -- Margaret Blair Young talks about the death of her father and the death of my grandfather, as well as a poem he wrote. It was neat to have someone I respect write about someone I love.
Relief Society vs. Fix It Society -- I need to read and reread this. There have been so many times I have wanted to change people to be more like me or make decisions more like mine, but that's not my job. My job is to share God's love with them.
Normons Facebook post -- Normons is a blog that began to prove how normal Mormons are, but they have a lot of good stuff besides. This was a Facebook post that asked how to do more in the community when you already give so much to the church. Lots of interesting discussion in the comments.
How to pray in a way God can answer -- The blog at lds.org (I just do blog.lds.org to get there) has had a lot of nice stuff since its inception a few months ago. This article came out just as I was thinking about ways to expect less from God (not because He can't do everything, just because I wanted to work on a different sort of prayer relationship), and this had lots of good ideas.
Adjusting to Mission Life -- this is a good booklet to prepare not only missionaries but anyone who might deal with stress ever.
Avoiding Mormon Burnout by Saying No -- Good old Julie de Azevedo Hanks. It was nice to have this in my recent memory when I said no a few times. Well, I didn't quite say no, but I set forth pretty clear conditions in order for me to say yes instead of throwing my plans off just to be nice. And then I didn't resent anyone! And I was able to do the service I wanted to! (I'm not sure how this meshes with my New Year's Resolution, but I'll figure it out.)
Lifting Hands International -- If you are looking for a way to help refugees, this one is good. As impersonal as it sounds, money is probably the best thing to donate, but if you use the Amazon wish list at least you're giving useful stuff.
Political/Social
What Comes Next? -- I think this country is about to get a megalomaniac for president, and King George III has a few questions I think are worth asking anyone too eager to lead.
The One Kind of Diversity Colleges Avoid -- This article discusses how few professors are politically right of center. I think this quote from Daniel Peterson (see here and here) sums up how I feel about it:
"If a substantial number of sane and intelligent people believe something that seems to you utterly without sense, the problem probably lies with you, for not grasping what it is about that belief that a lucid and reasonable person might find plausible and satisfying.
Until you understand why people of good sense, learning, mental health, and sound intelligence find a particular worldview convincing and worthy of allegiance … you haven’t really understood it. You don’t have to accept that other worldview, but, if you’re serious about understanding it, you really have to grasp it."
There are a lot of sane and intelligent people who are conservative, and I think it is to a college's detriment to silence them, just as it is to silence liberals and moderates.
(I guess this quote also applies to the current Republican front runner and his voting base. Sigh.)
Honor Code as a Weapon -- I am really grateful that BYU has an Honor Code. I think it has helped attract students that are moral and sober.
I do think there are some problems with its implementation in its present form, and this article highlighted some examples where it was used inappropriately.
Even in cases where someone broke the Honor Code, I worry about it being used so punitively. To quote a former student ward bishop, nothing should stand between someone and the repentance process, and the Honor Code Office is doing that in some cases. I don't know if there's a perfect solution (amnesty is the least worst, but there are still potential repercussions worth noting), but I do think someone brave enough to go to a bishop should be granted some leniency (and it sounds like that's not the default).
Parenting
No Spanking, No Time-Out, No Problems -- There is a lot of great advice in here. Even Joseph's grumpier days have been better when I've used techniques in here.
Save a Choking Baby -- Since Matthew crawls and puts everything in his mouth, it's been good to review this. (Thankfully I haven't had to try it out yet.) This just uses toys so it's not scary to watch.
and while we're at it:
Some first finger foods are choking hazards -- this is one reason why the transition to solid food is so slow for our kids. It's just hard to learn how to gum things!
How to buckle a 5-point harness -- Always good reminders. (And it made me self-conscious so I checked pictures to see how I had been doing. The times when I saw noticeably loose straps were times when we had used the car seat in the stroller, not the car, so that was a relief. But still room for improvement.)
Literature
Middlemarch and Me -- I finished Middlemarch before Endapril, and it was wonderful. When I get my thoughts all figured out I'll share them. In the meantime, here's a fun article about it.
Fiction Improves Empathy -- When I took a "Do you live in a bubble" test I got an embarrassingly low score. But the hope I cling to for myself is that I like to read, so maybe I can be empathetic even if I have a ridiculously easy life. (I'm hoping Middlemarch added like 10% to my empathy levels.)
Beverly Cleary Turns 100 -- I remember realizing sometime in the last decade how old Beverly Cleary actually was. Then I felt a surge of joy when I realized she would probably make it to 100. And here she is! I love her and her books so much.
Science/Technology
Speaking of 100th birthdays, Claude Shannon's was April 30th! He's the most important person you've never heard about, so now you can learn about him.
Shannon's centennial -- Celebrants recall U of M grad's advances
Claude Shannon -- Reluctant Father of the Digital Age
The Shannon -- for if you prefer videos instead of articles.
Zika, the movie -- I guess this would go more under health than science. Or more under the category of cry and cry and cry. So many brave women.
Really important stuff
Man Brings Lunch from Home To Cut Down On Small Joys -- This sums up my entire life except the one year where I could eat at the Cannon Center for lunch.
Religious/Spiritual
Burning Bush -- Margaret Blair Young talks about the death of her father and the death of my grandfather, as well as a poem he wrote. It was neat to have someone I respect write about someone I love.
Relief Society vs. Fix It Society -- I need to read and reread this. There have been so many times I have wanted to change people to be more like me or make decisions more like mine, but that's not my job. My job is to share God's love with them.
Normons Facebook post -- Normons is a blog that began to prove how normal Mormons are, but they have a lot of good stuff besides. This was a Facebook post that asked how to do more in the community when you already give so much to the church. Lots of interesting discussion in the comments.
How to pray in a way God can answer -- The blog at lds.org (I just do blog.lds.org to get there) has had a lot of nice stuff since its inception a few months ago. This article came out just as I was thinking about ways to expect less from God (not because He can't do everything, just because I wanted to work on a different sort of prayer relationship), and this had lots of good ideas.
Adjusting to Mission Life -- this is a good booklet to prepare not only missionaries but anyone who might deal with stress ever.
Avoiding Mormon Burnout by Saying No -- Good old Julie de Azevedo Hanks. It was nice to have this in my recent memory when I said no a few times. Well, I didn't quite say no, but I set forth pretty clear conditions in order for me to say yes instead of throwing my plans off just to be nice. And then I didn't resent anyone! And I was able to do the service I wanted to! (I'm not sure how this meshes with my New Year's Resolution, but I'll figure it out.)
Lifting Hands International -- If you are looking for a way to help refugees, this one is good. As impersonal as it sounds, money is probably the best thing to donate, but if you use the Amazon wish list at least you're giving useful stuff.
Political/Social
What Comes Next? -- I think this country is about to get a megalomaniac for president, and King George III has a few questions I think are worth asking anyone too eager to lead.
The One Kind of Diversity Colleges Avoid -- This article discusses how few professors are politically right of center. I think this quote from Daniel Peterson (see here and here) sums up how I feel about it:
"If a substantial number of sane and intelligent people believe something that seems to you utterly without sense, the problem probably lies with you, for not grasping what it is about that belief that a lucid and reasonable person might find plausible and satisfying.
Until you understand why people of good sense, learning, mental health, and sound intelligence find a particular worldview convincing and worthy of allegiance … you haven’t really understood it. You don’t have to accept that other worldview, but, if you’re serious about understanding it, you really have to grasp it."
There are a lot of sane and intelligent people who are conservative, and I think it is to a college's detriment to silence them, just as it is to silence liberals and moderates.
(I guess this quote also applies to the current Republican front runner and his voting base. Sigh.)
Honor Code as a Weapon -- I am really grateful that BYU has an Honor Code. I think it has helped attract students that are moral and sober.
I do think there are some problems with its implementation in its present form, and this article highlighted some examples where it was used inappropriately.
Even in cases where someone broke the Honor Code, I worry about it being used so punitively. To quote a former student ward bishop, nothing should stand between someone and the repentance process, and the Honor Code Office is doing that in some cases. I don't know if there's a perfect solution (amnesty is the least worst, but there are still potential repercussions worth noting), but I do think someone brave enough to go to a bishop should be granted some leniency (and it sounds like that's not the default).
Parenting
No Spanking, No Time-Out, No Problems -- There is a lot of great advice in here. Even Joseph's grumpier days have been better when I've used techniques in here.
Save a Choking Baby -- Since Matthew crawls and puts everything in his mouth, it's been good to review this. (Thankfully I haven't had to try it out yet.) This just uses toys so it's not scary to watch.
and while we're at it:
Some first finger foods are choking hazards -- this is one reason why the transition to solid food is so slow for our kids. It's just hard to learn how to gum things!
How to buckle a 5-point harness -- Always good reminders. (And it made me self-conscious so I checked pictures to see how I had been doing. The times when I saw noticeably loose straps were times when we had used the car seat in the stroller, not the car, so that was a relief. But still room for improvement.)
Literature
Middlemarch and Me -- I finished Middlemarch before Endapril, and it was wonderful. When I get my thoughts all figured out I'll share them. In the meantime, here's a fun article about it.
Fiction Improves Empathy -- When I took a "Do you live in a bubble" test I got an embarrassingly low score. But the hope I cling to for myself is that I like to read, so maybe I can be empathetic even if I have a ridiculously easy life. (I'm hoping Middlemarch added like 10% to my empathy levels.)
Beverly Cleary Turns 100 -- I remember realizing sometime in the last decade how old Beverly Cleary actually was. Then I felt a surge of joy when I realized she would probably make it to 100. And here she is! I love her and her books so much.
Science/Technology
Speaking of 100th birthdays, Claude Shannon's was April 30th! He's the most important person you've never heard about, so now you can learn about him.
Shannon's centennial -- Celebrants recall U of M grad's advances
Claude Shannon -- Reluctant Father of the Digital Age
The Shannon -- for if you prefer videos instead of articles.
Zika, the movie -- I guess this would go more under health than science. Or more under the category of cry and cry and cry. So many brave women.
Really important stuff
Man Brings Lunch from Home To Cut Down On Small Joys -- This sums up my entire life except the one year where I could eat at the Cannon Center for lunch.
Monday, March 21, 2016
Articles February-March
So, I read a lot. Not as many books as I would hope, but lots of articles. Since I do that a lot, I thought it would be fun to start a thing on my blog where I share some of what I read every now and then.
(And yes, I know it's a lot of articles. I know I could have finished Middlemarch by now if I read that instead of articles. And probably even Wheel of Time.)
Religious/Spiritual
Primary: Perpetual Motion Meets Immovable Object
Just a fun little post from Middleaged Mormon Man. I think I liked it because I teach Primary now (even though my class is not rambunctious).
When God Doesn't Show Up
You might have seen this making the rounds. It's great.
God of the Depressed
This is by the recently-deceased Stephen Webb. I had just begun to recognize his name when he suddenly passed away. (Fun fact: he wrote an article once about how Christ-centered the Book of Mormon is, but he made the mistake of saying we believe Christ was born in Jerusalem, not Bethlehem. My dad emailed him correcting him. A few years later that article made the rounds again and the mistake was still there. Ah well. Still a really, really great guy, and I really appreciate the efforts he made to understand Mormon theology.)
Godbodied -- Matter of the Latter-Day Saints
Another one by Stephen Webb from a few years ago. This was pretty deep, so I skimmed a lot of it, but it gave me lots to think about.
Home/Family
Some Babies Are Just Easier Than Others
Okay, the title is obvious, but sometimes it's nice to remember that. I salute everyone who rarely gets a good night's sleep.
Love and Sparks
Some people love instantly, and some don't. Both are good, and both are real.
Grocery Shopping Mom Hacks
The twist-tie thing is real, guys.
Tidying Up With Kids
Good reminders in here.
Business and Technology
Deep Learning is Going to Teach Us All the Lesson of Our Lives
Artificial Intelligence just beat the game "Go." This is huge, and there are big implications.
Such as . . .
Manufacturing Jobs Are Never Coming Back
How could they? What are we going to have instead?
If "jobs are for machines" and "life is for people," as the Deep Learning article suggests, what does that say about Adam eating by the sweat of his brow (Genesis 3:19)? Is this an effect of the Fall that we want to overcome? I've seen WALL-E enough times to say that jobs should be for people, too. (And speaking of effects of the Fall, I just realized the first effect had to do with Eve being ruled over by her husband (see verse 16). That's given me a lot to chew on, but that's a discussion for another time.)
And speaking of Eve . . .
Art
Mormon painting of a Black Eve draws fire
(note: this is a painting with the dress standards of the Garden of Eden of course, so be aware of that before you click.) I've gone back and forth on how I feel about this. At any rate, it has been good really digging down and trying to understand where someone is coming from on why they might be offended. It's also made me wonder -- does art need to be presented from a self-reflective context? (That is, should you only paint what you yourself have experienced when it comes to race, gender, culture, etc.? I feel like the answer is no, but at the same time it is easier to caricature something you
haven't lived.)
And on the opposite end of being sensitive . . .
Politics
Most political articles just depress me nowadays (my goodness there is sure a lousy candidate running for president . . . and he has been saying awful things longer than I've been alive), but I liked this.
https://twitter.com/kylo_trump?lang=en
And I think I'll leave it at that. (In other words, I just deleted my soapbox.)
Happy reading!
(And yes, I know it's a lot of articles. I know I could have finished Middlemarch by now if I read that instead of articles. And probably even Wheel of Time.)
Religious/Spiritual
Primary: Perpetual Motion Meets Immovable Object
Just a fun little post from Middleaged Mormon Man. I think I liked it because I teach Primary now (even though my class is not rambunctious).
When God Doesn't Show Up
You might have seen this making the rounds. It's great.
This is by the recently-deceased Stephen Webb. I had just begun to recognize his name when he suddenly passed away. (Fun fact: he wrote an article once about how Christ-centered the Book of Mormon is, but he made the mistake of saying we believe Christ was born in Jerusalem, not Bethlehem. My dad emailed him correcting him. A few years later that article made the rounds again and the mistake was still there. Ah well. Still a really, really great guy, and I really appreciate the efforts he made to understand Mormon theology.)
Godbodied -- Matter of the Latter-Day Saints
Another one by Stephen Webb from a few years ago. This was pretty deep, so I skimmed a lot of it, but it gave me lots to think about.
Home/Family
Some Babies Are Just Easier Than Others
Okay, the title is obvious, but sometimes it's nice to remember that. I salute everyone who rarely gets a good night's sleep.
Love and Sparks
Some people love instantly, and some don't. Both are good, and both are real.
Grocery Shopping Mom Hacks
The twist-tie thing is real, guys.
Tidying Up With Kids
Good reminders in here.
Business and Technology
Deep Learning is Going to Teach Us All the Lesson of Our Lives
Artificial Intelligence just beat the game "Go." This is huge, and there are big implications.
Such as . . .
Manufacturing Jobs Are Never Coming Back
How could they? What are we going to have instead?
If "jobs are for machines" and "life is for people," as the Deep Learning article suggests, what does that say about Adam eating by the sweat of his brow (Genesis 3:19)? Is this an effect of the Fall that we want to overcome? I've seen WALL-E enough times to say that jobs should be for people, too. (And speaking of effects of the Fall, I just realized the first effect had to do with Eve being ruled over by her husband (see verse 16). That's given me a lot to chew on, but that's a discussion for another time.)
And speaking of Eve . . .
Art
Mormon painting of a Black Eve draws fire
(note: this is a painting with the dress standards of the Garden of Eden of course, so be aware of that before you click.) I've gone back and forth on how I feel about this. At any rate, it has been good really digging down and trying to understand where someone is coming from on why they might be offended. It's also made me wonder -- does art need to be presented from a self-reflective context? (That is, should you only paint what you yourself have experienced when it comes to race, gender, culture, etc.? I feel like the answer is no, but at the same time it is easier to caricature something you
haven't lived.)
And on the opposite end of being sensitive . . .
Politics
Most political articles just depress me nowadays (my goodness there is sure a lousy candidate running for president . . . and he has been saying awful things longer than I've been alive), but I liked this.
https://twitter.com/kylo_trump?lang=en
And I think I'll leave it at that. (In other words, I just deleted my soapbox.)
Happy reading!
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