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Saturday,August 10,2002 And then there were none In all the class' work was average with a couple of notable exceptions. One group worked on fostering animals, a cause that I am somewhat familiar with since I edit an news letter for CAWS. They produced several pieces that would work well to getting more people to foster animals. Under my guise as CAWS Newsletter editor (via my private e-mail, of course) I offered to use their works. Another exceptional group was working towards encouraging Hispanics to take advantage of educational opportunities. I'm also very impressed that students are starting to use web sites as integral parts of their course work. The quality of the sites is problematic, but at least they are trying. I had forgotten that grading at home can be somewhat more comfortable than in the office. I made a commitment to myself a few years back that I would do all my work in the office, since I thought it was sucking up too much of my life. It is nice to be at home spinning my wax on the LP and wandering outside when I need to get some air (smoke-filled as it may be). It does one give one pause to reconsider one's work habits. Friday,August 09,2002 You'll make the College Look Silly OK, I was pissed today. Someone at the College decided that marketing now controls all content on the web server, and that they were going to update everything without telling anyone. So after I finished reading the first set of portfolios I was going to read today (I have one set more), I go to the web to look something up and bammo--no more Online Writing Center. Thinking it was just a glitch, I started in on the second batch of portfolios. After about an hour I checked in again and, you guessed it, no site. At this point I started to panic, mostly because I am going on vacation for 10 or so days and do't need the headache of no site for online students to visit to get ready for next semester. I decided to write to the web master at this point toget the skinny. He wrote back that he was no longer in charge of the main web site, and I would have to talk to marketing to get our stuff cleared. To say I came unglued at that point is an understatement. You don't work 8 years on something to have some tweaker in Friday casual wipe it out because they want to SELL SELL SELL. I think it was the most pissed I have been since my house was flooded. At least this time I had someone to go after. I got on the horn with the Division Chair. After five minutes of me making sailors blush, Paul said he would work on it. You see stuff at the College does not usually happen with any great speed. If something is taken away it might take years to recover. You can see the reason for my panic. Thinking that talking to Paul wasn't enough, I also wrote him and CC'd the Christ out of it to the Deans. In the mean time I also talked to Tif and she wrote a more scathing note and CC'd everyone I did but also included the President of the College. "I'm pissed," she said as she clicked send. After some gut churning on how the hell the semester was going to work without all our online stuff, and a dump of the whole kit and kaboodle to the Linux server I administer, my phone rang. "I hear you have a problem over there, mmkay," he said in the best unintentional Office Space imitation I have ever heard. For a moment I thought I was going to take his face off over the phone, but I gulped and explained. I guess the pressure from Paul or the e-mails worked because he said "Mmkay--we'll work on it," he said and I could hear the urgency in his voice. The calls and the e- mail seem to have payed off. Suffice it to say the site was restored and I was priveledged with one of the few non-marketing accounts on the server. To top that off we received some prominent links on the main site. Thursday,August 08,2002 You'll make the Charch look silly! Rose 8/8/2002 6:37 PM You have written an interesting events tonight Rose 8/8/2002 6:38 PM Let's see 1. you were baptised? What does that mean? What happens prior to and after baptism? Rose 8/8/2002 6:39 PM 2. So you consider yourself a member of the church? Rose 8/8/2002 6:40 PM This looks to be a bigger part of your life than you have ever mentioned before Rose 8/8/2002 6:42 PM I have more to ask. clint 8/8/2002 8:56 PM As the piece says several times, no I do not consider my self a member of the Church. clint 8/8/2002 8:57 PM That's answer to 2. As to number 1, when one is 8 years old one is taken to that ward (said with an extra long A like wahhhhhhrd) dressed up in white and dunked. I was dunked 8 times. Guess it still didn't take Rose 8/8/2002 8:57 PM Let's see Rose 8/8/2002 8:57 PM Even though I do not belong to the religion, I still was a part of the group and perhaps still am--just not in the believing sense. Rose 8/8/2002 8:58 PM eight times? Rose 8/8/2002 8:58 PM why that many? clint 8/8/2002 8:58 PM well as, if one is Catholic one still remains a part of the group Rose 8/8/2002 8:58 PM so because I've been baptisted I'm still a baptist? clint 8/8/2002 8:59 PM I don't like to use the term "culture" because that is used fast-and-loose these days, and is use eggregiously by Mormons. One needs to differentiate between Culture and religion, but it is difficult. Rose 8/8/2002 8:59 PM I'm watching Brigham City right now Rose 8/8/2002 8:59 PM very interesting clint 8/8/2002 9:00 PM No I put no stock in the baptism aspect. Even if I were never baptised I would still consider myself somehow connected to it due to family history etc. Rose 8/8/2002 9:00 PM yes, that I can see clint 8/8/2002 9:01 PM much like you might consider yourself a part of the Baptist culture. Ok I will use that term. clint 8/8/2002 9:03 PM I was dunked 8 times because my toes kept coming out. See I knew my feet were smart. Rose 8/8/2002 9:03 PM hee Rose 8/8/2002 9:03 PM why do some of the mormons fold their arms during prayer? Rose 8/8/2002 9:04 PM in the movie the FBI agent goes to sunday school Rose 8/8/2002 9:05 PM they read scripture from the bible and quoted jesus Rose 8/8/2002 9:05 PM then when they started to read from the BOM it cut away clint 8/8/2002 9:06 PM That's what Mormons do clint 8/8/2002 9:06 PM They read from the BOM and cut away clint 8/8/2002 9:06 PM hee hee clint 8/8/2002 9:08 PM Anyway of course Mormons quote scripture etc. I need to see that movie now to see how much of a fake it is. Were there kids screaming in the church and people asleep? Rose 8/8/2002 9:09 PM no, the babies were very well behaved, eating crackers Rose 8/8/2002 9:09 PM it's almost like proganda Rose 8/8/2002 9:09 PM you know what I mean clint 8/8/2002 9:10 PM Last time I was in a Mormon church for some sister-in-law thing it was basically a bunch of mumbling people, kids screaming, people asleep, and harried parents. Rose 8/8/2002 9:10 PM filmed in Mapleton and Springville, it's very pretty clint 8/8/2002 9:10 PM OK. I think I have my Brewvies line up then: God's Army, Orgazmo, Brigham City, Plan 10 from Outerspace Rose 8/8/2002 9:11 PM he did god's army too Rose 8/8/2002 9:11 PM he being Richard Dutcher clint 8/8/2002 9:12 PM Bet you can't guess where his stash of pron and whiskey is? clint 8/8/2002 9:12 PM hee hee hee Rose 8/8/2002 9:12 PM hmm in the basement? clint 8/8/2002 9:12 PM Man that guy makes me just want to make movies to give a more realistic image of it all clint 8/8/2002 9:13 PM Garage, silly. No Mormon Mom would set foot in the garrage other than to get her car. Rose 8/8/2002 9:13 PM he's very calm and buddhist like clint 8/8/2002 9:13 PM hee clint 8/8/2002 9:13 PM actually it is in a shed out back Rose 8/8/2002 9:13 PM detached garage clint 8/8/2002 9:14 PM the place where no one goes. Kind of like T.A. Wells who had his diary and whiskey bottles out in the neighbor's shed in 1932. Rose 8/8/2002 9:14 PM around here we call it the Morgan building clint 8/8/2002 9:14 PM He wrote about his dates. The funniest one was "Picked up Lulu. We had a fight early, but later...gosh it was nice!!!" clint 8/8/2002 9:15 PM Anyway Mormons fold their arm because of REVERANCE. Rose 8/8/2002 9:15 PM it's strange clint 8/8/2002 9:16 PM I told you about Glen and his kids, didn't I? Rose 8/8/2002 9:16 PM no Rose 8/8/2002 9:16 PM what about them? Rose 8/8/2002 9:16 PM who's Glen? clint 8/8/2002 9:16 PM Well...when they were raucous all they had to say was "is that being reverent" and immediately the kids folded their arms and bowed their heads. Rose 8/8/2002 9:16 PM oh yes Rose 8/8/2002 9:17 PM I remember Rose 8/8/2002 9:18 PM weird now I know who the murderer is clint 8/8/2002 9:18 PM WILFORD BRIMLEY clint 8/8/2002 9:18 PM is it? Rose 8/8/2002 9:19 PM he got shot in the head Rose 8/8/2002 9:19 PM haven't you seen the movie? clint 8/8/2002 9:19 PM of course not Rose 8/8/2002 9:19 PM then i won't give it away Rose 8/8/2002 9:20 PM so you recommend a movie you haven't seen? clint 8/8/2002 9:20 PM Don't worry, I'm never going to see it unless my Brewvies lineup comes true. Rose 8/8/2002 9:20 PM you need to see it clint 8/8/2002 9:20 PM No, I don't. Rose 8/8/2002 9:21 PM it's part of your heritage clint 8/8/2002 9:21 PM Fuck that clint 8/8/2002 9:22 PM It's a bad mystery movie with Mormon tinges. Wooptie smack. Rose 8/8/2002 9:22 PM MORMON TINGES? clint 8/8/2002 9:22 PM You need to get Plan 10 to really understand Mormons Rose 8/8/2002 9:22 PM TINGES? Rose 8/8/2002 9:22 PM it's a fucking advertisement for LDS clint 8/8/2002 9:22 PM OK with Mormon saturation. Hey I live in that. It all just seems a tinge to me now. clint 8/8/2002 9:23 PM A real laugh fest is the Brigham Young movie produced in the 40s Rose 8/8/2002 9:23 PM i saw that on immd Rose 8/8/2002 9:23 PM imdb clint 8/8/2002 9:23 PM It has God's spokesman saying things like "I don't know if what we are doing is right." clint 8/8/2002 9:24 PM And Vincent Price is Joseph Smith. It is a classic. Rose 8/8/2002 9:24 PM hell even the FBI agent from NYC is considering converting clint 8/8/2002 9:25 PM RIGHT ON. SCORE ONE FOR KOLOB! Rose 8/8/2002 9:25 PM there's this one part where she asks whether he really believe in angels and prophets Rose 8/8/2002 9:25 PM he calls her naive clint 8/8/2002 9:26 PM Bet they don't mention Kolob. Rose 8/8/2002 9:26 PM nope clint 8/8/2002 9:26 PM HIE YE TO KOLOB! Nevertheless there are moments that just make me shake my head in wonder. One of those is the continual shenanigans over at the Salt Lake Tribune, and the continual denials by the Church that they ever wanted to buy the paper or that they were trying to keep the paper from the hands of the family who owned it for a century. Granted there is a lot that stinks in both camps, but doesn't anybody in the Chruch Headquarters remember what got Joseph Smith sent to the jail where he killed by a mob? Another of those jaw dropping moments comes from a new "conservative" publication in SLC: the Utah Weekly. Why anyone thinks Utah needs another conservative publication, I have no idea. The News is the Church's mouthpiece (although it doesn't take tough Rush Limbaugh stands on issues) and the Trib is(was) basically a mouthpiece for Republicans (although decidedly non-Mormon Republicans). Recently the UW attacked University of Utah President Bernie Machen because he was challenging the state's concealed weapons law that allowed students to pack heat to class. Thinking of all those close calls in his business classes, Machen is opting to keep guns out of the University. The editors of the UW attacked him saying that he "is using state dollars to sue the state so he can keep enforcing his own policies at the point of a gun. It's not exactly the law, or even the long arm of the law, that Machen dislikes, it's laws he didn't personally make that bother him." Later the editor was asked why they didn't level similar criticism of BYU's President (who also does not want guns on God's Campus) the editor said that he didn't want to complicate his argument and that "since I'm a member of the Church I wouldn't want ot write anything causing controversy for the church." I'm amending my Dad's favorite statement. "Fucking hypocrites." Tuesday,August 06,2002 Anxiety Why, when changing pants do I think it is going to save time not to remove my shoes first? Adrianne's birthday party tonight. Hmm. It is funny how I have kept in touch with Mary's family. I've never done that with other old girlfriends. They all love me. I think her Grandma still gives Mary guff about breaking up with me. Oh pyatt. |
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© 2002 Clinton R. Gardner Last update: August 8, 2002 8:53 PM
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Well I managed to get it all done. The grading of these portfolios was made easier by the fact that I had read their final group work and already responded to it. Aside from three students who inexplicably did not include their self analysis in their individual portfolios, the responding went on without a hitch. The self analysis is the single most important piece in the portfolio and I cannot properly assess performance without it. Why would three such good student writers not include it? 
My Dad had a favorite term for most everyone who was involved in the LDS Church. "God damn hypocrites," he would say and scowl. Since he was brought up in the Church and grew to dislike it intensely (and no, he didn't have a deathbed conversion other than he tried once again to look at the Book of Mormon with no success) it would be difficult to proclaim him a bigot. I've had that conversation with people before who claim that I am or some other so-called ex-Mormon is engaging in Mormon bashing. (Note: the Church likes to claim lots and lots of people as members including those, such as myself, who had very limited involvement in the Church--I went a few times as a kid, was baptized, and that's about it.) While I certainly do not consider myself as a member of the Church, I believe that I, like my father, being from a family that has been influenced by the religion and has been, I feel, seriously effected by it, I have a right to be critical. When I was younger I was a lot more angry and thinking back on what I said, I think it does verge on being bigoted, but I maintain that it is impossible for a member of a group to be bigoted towards that same group. (Even though I do not belong to the religion, I still was a part of the group and perhaps still am--just not in the believing sense.) In any case there has been much hullabaloo lately about the Church being attacked again (there is a long history of persecution complex in the LDS Church--one, based on the history of the Church can be justified by the treatment of its members throughout history). What the zealots who proclaim persecution do not understand, however, is that most of the attack is coming from one-time-members, or current Jack Mormons who dislike what the Church does. Such zealots prefer being attacked from the outside, of course, since it is easier to deal with than with the members who have fallen away. In any case, as you can see it is a touchy issue and I have pretty much given up a lot of my anger and frustration at the Church and have taken an "each to his own" attitude. My few moments in the Chruch, in other words, do not justify a continual rage. In other words I guess I grew up.
