Desultory Thoughts

My wife made a brief appearance on the news this evening.  KSL’s Courtney Orton interviewed her to get her take on the budget cuts that Tooele County School District is implementing. She did a great job, especially considering that our son was attempting his own appearance on the news.  He poked his head into a shot or two until she took him up to his room and told him to cut it out.   Most parents of a five-year-old boy would be able to relate.

One comment Heather made during the interview that didn’t go live was about her trust in the board members that we elected to make decisions on our behalf.  I would like to echo that sentiment and thank the Tooele County School Board and Administration for making some really tough decisions about the future of our children.  I have no doubt that they deliberated hard and long and thought about the impact that their judgment would have on our children.   I hope that despite tough times, public school funding will continue as more difficult decisions are made in the 2009 Legislative session.

While it may be prudent to tighten the proverbial belt in uncertain times, it would be irresponsible if we didn’t continue to make education a priority.  It’s the same type of decision that we all make in our own families when the budget is tight.   A responsible family doesn’t spend a lot of money on vacations if they’re not going to have enough money to pay their bills.  If that still doesn’t cut it, a responsible family cancels their cable TV and they figure out other ways they can save money, even when it means  a little discomfort on the part of the parents.  The very last person to suffer (if at all) is the child.

Parents sacrifice a lot to make sure their children are happy, and it shouldn’t be too much different when it comes to our schools.  We all want the best for our children and  Tooele County School District is making the same types of decisions that fall right in line with the decisions a  responsible family would be making.  Of course, with tough decisions comes some tough criticism.  As long as it is constructive and not hostile, I’m sure the Board would love to hear from you.  They meet again on February 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the District Office.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com
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Today was a wonderful day that I was able to enjoy with my family, as one should (if at all possible) on Christmas day. I’m very grateful for the reason for the season (Jesus Christ) and I also love all the fun traditions that go along with it. I’m not a big fan of the buy-a-gift-for-someone-in-October-or-November-and-don’t-give-it-to-them-until-the-end-of-December tradition. I figure I might as well get some use out of it from October to December! It just loses value (and causes me heartache) all wrapped up under the tree or shoved in a secret hiding spot in the closet for three months. I’m fine with surprises, but that entails actually being surprised! What is the surprise in knowing there is a present for you sitting under the tree? I suppose I’m surprised when I first discover it there…ok, great! Now it’s time to open it!  Yet, I’m not allowed to open it, “Not until Christmas!” my wife tells me. She has learned to keep it an actual surprise until Christmas morning, or she just lets me have my way and get myself stuff for Christmas (and my Birthday since I was born in December) starting several months beforehand. Which is what I did this year when I purchased a membership to Gold’s Gym (the new one in Tooele opens the first day of 2009), a new wedding ring (since I injured my ring finger in a mountain biking accident and my knuckle is permanently bigger as a result), and genetic testing and personal DNA analysis from 23andMe.com.  Heather also surprised (yes, I really didn’t know I was getting it, nor did I expect it which constitues and honest-to-goodness surprise!) me with an R/C helicopter so I’d have something to open on Christmas.

Of all my gifts I’ve enjoyed pouring through my DNA data since I got the results back on December 19th. It’s been absolutely fascinating, if not for the health and traits data then for the ancestry information that it has opened my eyes to. For anyone else that has been tested, you might find it interesting to know that my Paternal Haplogroup is R1b1c10 (also known as R-U152 or S28) and my Maternal Haplogroup is H3. I found out that I’m 100% European (more specifically from Northern Europe) and of all the groups of people from around the world I’m genetically most similar to the Irish.   And the great thing about 23andMe is that they’re constantly updating my information as DNA research uncovers more and more information.  So this will be a gift that keeps on giving!

My children enjoyed Christmas and we were able to hold them off until 7:45 a.m.  We went to the movies this afternoon (one of our Christmas day traditions) and saw Bedtime Stories.  I love to hear Griff laugh and this show got a few good laughs out of him.  I thought it was decent since I was there with my kids.  It’s amazing how seeing your kids get enjoyment out of something makes it all that much more enjoyable for you.

I hope you all enjoyed the time you were able to spend with your families!  I sure enjoyed a relaxing day with my very own family!

I think my family is pretty cool – of course I’m biased. Heather gave a wonderful talk in church today on Easter Sunday. She’s a spiritual woman and I’m very proud of her. My kids sang with the primary and they both did so well, especially my mischievous Griff. Last week when they were practicing for the performance he was just clowning it up and making everyone laugh. Luckily today he just sang nice and loud like you would expect a cute 4-year-old to do. His favorite song is “I Am a Child of God” and he sang especially well during that song.

I also have a cousin (Kerstin Tenney) that recently made it into the Orchestra at Temple Square. She plays the violin. They recently performed with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the rededication of the Utah State Capitol building and Kerstin is featured at the 4:10 mark and the 7:00 mark. It was written by Kurt Bestor, a composer I’ve loved ever since the “Innovators” release.

I just want to warn anyone thinking about attending the new “more-than-just-lasers” U2 show at the Clark Planetarium that it sucked. Even the great music of U2 couldn’t save it, it just sucked. I wish I could say it was cool, but I nearly walked out. The only reason I didn’t was because of the danger of being zapped by one of the lasers. They tout the show as such:

The latest CGI technology? Really? Maybe I’ve been spoiled by HD content (which I don’t even enjoy in my own home) so I expect to see everything in vivid detail, but that’s what I expect when a show is touted as “using the latest in CGI and laser technology”. I’m really interested to know what part of that show involved anything that can be considered the “latest”. Judge for yourself. The graphics looks like something out of Doom, only these graphics were faded in color – the opposite of vivid. Maybe the lack of vivid color and clear details in graphics had something to do with the fact that we were viewing the dome through thick, latest-in-technology smoke that made it possible for us to view the latest-in-technology lasers. Then there was the “Star Operator” that kept begging for approval. “Do you like it? Come on!!! I gotta hear you! If you like it, let me hear you!” He just wouldn’t shut up and he even threatened not to show us the last song if we didn’t scream and cheer for more. By the way, the entire show only lasted 40 minutes! We were in line for 15 minutes (which resulted in us getting front row seats – not a good thing in a dome config) and then we sat there waiting for the show to start for 15 minutes.

Maybe I was only so disappointed because it’s how my wife and I chose to celebrate our 11 years of marriage. I would rather have seen U23D for a third time, which brings me to the second part of my opinion. U23D is awesome! If you’ve always wanted to go to a U2 concert but couldn’t get tickets in time or refused to pay $100 per ticket, this is your chance to get front row seats! I don’t know how much longer it will be in theaters, but I hope to make it at least one more time. My biggest desire would be to go with a theater full of die-hard U2 fans. I can’t help but to clap and cheer after each song because that’s what I’ve done at the three U2 concerts I’ve attended, and never did I have as good a seat at any of them as I did at this one. The only problem with that is some people come for the movie experience instead of the concert experience. They have a drink and popcorn and they watch it as if it were a movie, but it’s really not! That’s why it would be nice to attend with a bunch of fans that are there for the concert experience.

If you’re plan on seeing something U2 in the next little bit, see U23D and avoid the Planetarium at all costs!

My wife, Heather, took the plunge today and started her very own blog, which now makes us officially a blog family. I’ve been blogging in some form or another since 2001 and I’ve found it interesting to watch as it gets more and more popular. There must be something theraputic about sharing your thoughts with others. Heather has vowed to share her positive thoughts since she admittedly shares many of her negative thoughts with her private journal. As you can guess, I’m thrilled to hear it!

Check her out at heatherslack.com!