I wasn't procrastinating . . . I just ran out of soda

photo by brent_nashville

I don't know about you guys, but when I am sitting down to write a paper, or anything that will be longer than a page, I really love to have a soda or something else to drink.  It isn't even the caffeine, although Dr Pepper is my drink of choice.  Right now I'm taking a break from writing, but I have an open Shasta Black Cherry soda can on my desk.  It's almost to the point that after so many minutes of writing I have to get up and get a soda or stop.  Maybe I just do it to break the monotony.

I guess this is a survival technique I've learned to employ during my years at university. As the semester draws to a close I always find myself scrambling to get things done. This semester I have unit plans, TWS, and the regular papers you write in the typical literature classes. This translates into a lot of time sitting in front of my computer, typing up my work and revising and editing. So although I don't always drink Dr Pepper, a good soda or even a small snack keeps me in the chair and helps me write from 10-2-4.

Finding Time for the Little Things

I spend a lot of my after school time on the computer doing some homework assignment or sitting down with some assigned reading for the next day's class. I'm not a very fast reader and I usually take quite a bit of time to do homework, so I have to dedicate a good part of my day to doing this. Plus I get distracted way too easily and I waste time.

Unfortunately for my daughter Marie, this means that I often have to tell her that I don't have time to sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" with her for the fifth time or watch Land Before Time. I've always felt a little guilty about it and try to dedicate a portion of my time every day to playing with her or doing something she wants to do. We play dinosaur or prince and princess or we run around and play airplanes or do tea parties. It's always a lot of fun for both of us.

Today was a little different than the usual day. With term papers and unit plans coming up, I decided that today I didn't have time to play with my daughter and was just going to work on homework to get as much done as I could. Yes, I felt bad about it but I had rationalized it so I was good to go. Then, my dad calls me. He tells me about a house in Pleasant Grove that has lights coordinated to music they broadcast and that I should take Marie to see the lights. Marie is 3 and she's at that point where everything is new enough to seem so magical to her but old enough to understand it and enjoy it and remember it too. I couldn't resist. It was at this point 7:30 and I was just about to put her to bed, but I decided to get some warm clothes on her and take her to see the Christmas lights. She loved it. The first song we saw was Jingle Bells (which just happens to be her favorite) and that was followed by traditional and non-traditional Christmas songs. Every time ended she would turn to me and say, "One more Daddy?" How could I resist? I'll admit it. I'm a pushover with my daughter. I just hope it takes her many years to realize it.

The light show was fun and my daughter had a great time. We spent maybe 30 minutes watching the lights and she ended up getting to bed almost an hour late (I'm usually pretty strict with her bedtime). So, I maybe lost about 45 minutes of solid homework time, but I gained a great experience with my daughter. 45 minutes was worth it. Sometimes you have to step back and take time to enjoy the little things with those you love.

You know that helpless feeling you get sometimes?

I can't think of times I feel more helpless than when I see the people I care about suffering. Especially when it's my wife or daughter. I can think of nothing worse than seeing their pain or problems and being able to do nothing to help. I usually either feel guilty for not doing enough or frustrated that I can't do more. This happened to me this weekend. I hate it and it's probably one of the worst things about being married.

I've been married now for five years. In that time my wife has had several severe toothaches and infections, mostly resulting from bad dentistry in her youth in Venezuela, and two operations. Gall bladder and Appendix. In every one of these cases, I've had to  watch her suffer pain, sometimes unbearable, as we get matters resolved and get her in to see somebody. And there isn't much I can do.  I watch. I listen. I drive her to the doctor.

This weekend it was a toothache caused by infection. Turns out she has a filling that probably should have been a root canal and now it's gone bad. Fun for her, because now she gets the root canal, only this time done on an abscessed tooth. Needless to say it has been very painful for her. Probably not something I would recommend. But don't worry. She's on antibiotics and the dentist has drained to pus to relieve the swelling and she'll be fine--after a few days.

I always find myself asking, what do I do? When someone is in pain, and not even a few Lortabs can calm it what can you do? I hate feeling helpless and I hate not being able to fix things.  It's bad enough with my wife, but if this ever happens with my daughter I think I'll go crazy.

I Love Halloween on Mondays

This was the best Halloween I've had probably since I've been back from my mission. Growing up, Halloween was always a huge affair in my neighborhood. There were so many kids around--I know, so strange for Utah County--that the streets were almost crowded at 9:00 at night and my parent's candy bowl was always almost empty at the end of the night. Sadly for everyone, this hasn't been the case for most of the new millennium. These last few years Halloween has gotten progressively worse. Trick-or-treaters no longer come by my door, decked out in their cutest or scariest costumes demanding candy and delighting in my expertly carved Jack-o-lanterns. The only ghosts that come to mind nowadays are the old western ghost towns as I see the empty, abandoned streets on Halloween night with nothing coming down the sidewalks except for the leaves driven before the howling wind. I hate it.

So, why did I title this post "I Love Halloween on Mondays?" Well, anyone who lives in Utah or is a Mormon might be able to answer that question. The reason is also tied directly to what has made Halloween into the most pathetic community celebration of the year.

Trunk or Treat!

Trunk or treat. Even writing it gives me a foul taste in my mouth. Trunk or treat is based on an idea that lets kids who live in dangerous neighborhoods do trick-or-treating without having to go door to door and possibly exposed to harm. That's perfectly OK. The problem began when some paranoid, but I'm sure well-meaning person decided that Trunk or Treat would be a great idea for a Halloween church activity. Kids would go get their candy at the ward Halloween part dressed in their costumes walking from car to car in the parking lot, taking candy from people standing by the open trunk of their cars. Great! because these kids were in such danger on the rough streets of Happy Valley UT.

So, why do I think this ruins Halloween? Picture it if you will. Trunk or Treat on Halloween night at, let's say 5:00 p.m. Parents take their kids, take their candy and get home by 7:00 p.m. Logically, you would think, ok, now its time to start real trick-or-treating, but nay, not so. See, parents don't want to buy extra candy, and they will do anything to avoid having to actually WALK AROUND with their kids. So, they go home and turn off the lights and ignore the few kids who go out on their own. This translates into having maybe 5-8 kids come by your house on Halloween night and a big bowl of un-gifted candy.

What really bothers me about this is how it is ruining Halloween as a celebration that builds community. Consider this. I don't have actual statistics, but I would guess that where I live probably about 75% of the people are active church-going members of the same religion. So, when they are all doing this same thing that excludes the 25% of people in the community who aren't church members or who can't or just didn't want to go. They miss out completely on Halloween. Not only the kids, but the parents and grandparents who have fun seeing kids in their costumes. And don't tell me that non-members can still go to Trunk or Treat because we both know that most people don't want to go to activities done by other churches and religions. I know I wouldn't feel comfortable.

This year, however, was an exception. There were a lot of houses open for business last night, with their decorations turned on in all their orange glory. There were trick-or-treaters out by the scores wandering the streets in search of sugary bliss. It felt like Halloween to me for the first time in almost 10 years.

Why did this happen? What special circumstances contributed to the return of a community-based Halloween? Any member of the LDS faith by now knows. It was a Monday. Monday is the night for Family Home Evening. A time to spend time learning and growing and bonding as a family. No Church Activities on Monday. Thus proving my point that chruch-sponsored Trunk or Treat is ruining Halloween.

Lagoon and Red Socks(not the baseball team)

I saw someone today in the halls at school wearing red ankle socks. Being the person I am, I thought, "why would someone wear read socks?" I never wear anything but white socks, with the occasional black socks when I'm dressing in slacks. Never red. Dwelling on this as I walk down the hall, my thoughts turn back to a conversation I had with my wife this last weekend. She called me boring. Me? Mr. Whitesocks? I'm not boring, I switch it up. Sometimes I wear ankle socks, and sometimes I wear crew socks. Maybe her comment needs some context, because her commentary wasn't based on the variety in my sock drawer.

We got season passes to Lagoon this summer. It was decided that since a vacation would be impossible, we'd got to our local amusement park with friends to keep us . . .well, amused. Needles to say, when you spend $90+ on passes you want to use them. I've been to Lagoon more this summer than the rest of my life combined. And before you start thinking that I'm bragging, let me remind you of a few things. Lagoon is in Layton. That means I have to drive for about an hour to get there. Food prices in the park are outrageous. This meant, we had to pack in a lot of snacks and lunch and drinks to keep ourselves and a 2-3 year old happy. Lastly, Lagoon is about 1/8th the size of Disneyland.  How many times can you ride the Puff the Magic Dragon ride before it gets old? Granted, there are a few rides like Wicked that I love, but is it worth an hour-long drive to just to stand in long lines to ride it? Sure it is. The first 6 or 7 times maybe. After that it gets a little old.

So, when my wife decided she wanted to go to lagoon last weekend, I decided that it was time to voice my opinions. This is what brought forth the dreaded statement, classifying me as a boring person. Because I don't like Lagoon enough to go a dozen times in one season. It didn't hurt my feelings, she said it to mess with me, and we went to Lagoon and had a fun time with some friends, but I'm just happy that it was the last time this year. Next year? We'll see, hopefully we wont have the money for it.

Does this make me boring? Maybe, but I don't care. I'll still go when possible because she and my daughter like it, but I can't change the fact that I get bored of the same thing over and over. Maybe I should start wearing red socks. That'll show her.

Banned Book Week

This is banned books week. That's right Banned. Books. Week.  Isn't it great? A whole week dedicated to reading books that have been banned or challenged in schools around the country. The truth is that most books that are banned or challenged aren't horrible books. In fact, a lot of them are great, thought-provoking books, and that is why people are trying to get teenagers to read them.  Sadly, most people who fight these books have never read them, and probably never will. 

Some of you may be thinking, "Well, if they have been banned we shouldn't read them. Surely they've been banned for a reason! How can we promote the reading of immoral books?" Why don't you stop for a minute and take a look at some of the books that have been challenged or banned from schools and then tell me how immoral they all are?  This is the NCTE's list of books from the last seven years. There are some great books, with great messages being challenged, and kids are missing out. People complain about a little violence or sexuality in a book but it's nothing compared to what kids are seeing on TV, in video games, and online. And, the books--the good ones at least--carry a deeper message that can promote critical thinking and help teens stop and take a look at what is really going on.  Can we say the same about what they're watching on TV? I'll take The Giver or Of Mice and Men over South Park any day. 

I believe that it takes a lot to make a book immoral.  Reading is a privilege and a way to learn about the world around you. If you want to protect your children from the bad things in the world, teach them to think critically about what they read and to learn how to recognize when violence or sex is used to teach a moral lesson or if it is just there to titillate.  My favorite response to complaints about books is one I learned from my AP English teacher who said "The Bible is the worst out there in terms of sexuality and violence, but they read that because it teaches them a lesson. Well, so can these books."

Do parents have a right to keep their kids from reading books they find objectionable? Sure, and they should, but let them read it before they decide. Do parents or committees have the right to ban books for a community or a school? I'd say that 99% of the time they shouldn't. It's a right we have and it should be a personal decision what we will and will not read. 

So, look at the list, find a book you're interested in, and read it to support good books that have been banned in ignorance and intolerance.

Here is the list again

The irony of being an English major

I miss summer vacation already. It's not that I don't enjoy being in class or the university scene that I come back to every fall. The reason is that I miss reading.  Does this happen to you? Do you ever feel that, with so much to read in school that you never get any reading done? This is something I've been feeling for the last couple of years.  Of course, we actually have a truckload of reading, but even though I enjoy a lot of it, it isn't the same as sitting down with a book or magazine or newspaper and just reading for the simple pleasure of a story. That is what I miss.

Every summer I knock a few books off of my "to-read" list.  I get busy with summertime activities too, but I'm always more than willing to devote some time to my books as well.  Now that I'm back in school, I find it very hard to find time for personal reading.  I've got 60 or 70 pages left in The Road and a handful of half-read books that will probably sit until Christmas break simply because I usually spend my free time doing homework or with my daughter.  The problem is that during  these next few months I will add several books to my list, falling further behind. In fact, today I added a new one: My Name is Asher Lev, a story about a boy who has to deal with the conflicts of his passion for creating art and his strict, traditional religion. I just don't know when I'll get to it.

You may think it sounds funny--an English major who feels like he never reads--but I bet that most English majors you talk to will tell you the same thing.  It's the irony of being an English major.

Getting back into the swing of things

Getting back into the school mindset has been kind of hard for me this semester.  I just seem to be behind on my reading and ability to keep track of homework.  It's been kind of frustrating for me but I think I know the reason.

I've picked up a few projects this semester publishing ebooks.  In my writing class during spring semester we explored the role of technology and social media in research and the study of literature. As the final product of this exploration we collaborated on an ebook, each contributing a chapter to the final product.  We all took extra responsibilities, getting ready to launch our book out into the real world.  My responsibility was the design team. We were in charge of formatting the ebook and developing an epub and mobi versions which could be read on almost all the popular ereaders. It was a great experience and I found an interest in epublishing. Also, one cool result was that, since we put the book up on Goodreads, I now have an author's profile there instead of a normal one.

Just before the semester started, Dr. Burton contacted a few of us about potential jobs converting books into ebooks.  I needed some more money and thought it would be a great learning experience so I responded.  One of the ebook projects I'm working on is for the Neil A. Maxwell institute, converting some of the books they own the rights for to ebooks to allow them to distribute more easily online. 

It's been an interesting experience. converting something into ebook requires a lot of attention to detail for the formatting and a little knowledge of programs like InDesign and code like html.  I have learned a lot from this experience and truly I'm having fun, but it takes a lot of time. 

It's kind of fun to be able to tell people I'm publishing ebooks.  This is something I hope to continue learning about and finding out more effective ways to make the final product. 

If anyone wants to see the book we made, you can check it out here