Uno: There’s a cool video archive hosted by UT-Austin, of Mike Wallace interviews with all sorts of famous folks in the 1950s. Salvador Dali, a KKK clansman, the Governor of Arkansas who threatened military force to prevent racial integration of the schools, and on and on. The interviews are interesting. Wallace’s 1950s social and political views are noticeable, of course, but the more shocking element is the style of the interviews. The questions are well-researched, refreshingly intelligent, apparently less infused with open political agendas than I’m used to in my lifetime. The most jarring thing was that Wallace actually gave the guests time to respond to questions. Weird.

As noted above, I was impressed by Pearl S. Buck. I had to stop counting the awesome things she said, and the very cool way she said them. There were too many.

Dos:  This weekend is General Conference. I went to Priesthood session last night (after a long struggle with laziness), and got to hear President Monson speak (the highly beloved President Hinckley died last month). His speaking style has changed. And he’s the Prophet, for sure. Good to know.

Puddy Tat at the Zoo we visited in Spokane (click for BIG Romeo)

So, stake conference was interesting. We’ve known for months that something was up with changing boundaries, or creating new wards, or something. The Stake President this morning talked all about that. Apparently, we’ll meet again as a stake for a fast & testimony Sacrament meeting on Sept. 30 (this is all very irregular, and therefore, cool) to hear about the details, which were not disclosed today.The process of reorganizing the stake, making new wards, dividing old ones, re-drawing boundary lines, etc., will require quite a number of changes in leadership. New leaders will be called, and as the Stake President put it, “These people do not want these callings, they did not ask for these callings, and in most cases they have no clue. Yet.”

He then went on to add, “…if you get a call from us in the next couple of weeks, please answer the phone.”

We had a combined lesson for Priesthood/Relief Society today. The teacher made some very specific claims about the meaning of selected verses in the second chapter of Joel (but not the troublesome verses in between). I agree with some of his assertions, and the rest are not totally beyond the realm of possibility. However, the most obvious interpretations of those verses, in my mind, do not involve the “closet” that the Bride comes out of as a symbol of the Whitmer farm, nor the “pillars of smoke” referring to the Twin Trade Towers. Continue reading →

Alex rocking out on Christmas Day.

News: Continue reading →