Jen made an interesting observation to me today: "Since when did the porn industry take over Halloween?" I was surprised at the truth in the remark. For several years now, the Halloween industry has grown larger and larger, making it the second biggest holiday after Christmas. At the same time, Halloween costumes for women have become "sexier" and "sexier". It's gotten to the point that Halloween stores are almost like porn shops with how much skin you see. What was once a holiday for kids to get dressed up and get candy has become a porn holiday. One of Jen's favorite movies, "Mean Girls", even says that Halloween is the one day you're allowed to dress like a slut and no one will think otherwise.
This makes me sick. I wish it wasn't this way. We should do everything we can to take the day back from the porn industry. We need to respect our bodies and not make exceptions for one day of the year. We need to teach our kids what costumes are acceptable and what are not. We need to encourage others to chose more modest costumes. I think we can do it if we get enough people involved.
On another note, we're getting dressed up as a family this year for Halloween. Jen will be Little Red Riding Hood, I'm going to be the Wood'sman who saves her, and Rudy will be the Big Bad Wolf Dressed as Grandma.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Super Jen
My wife is amazing. I think she has super powers.
- Yesterday, she went to class for about nine hours straight.
- After a long day, she then came home and walked Rudy, even though she was already exhausted.
- She stayed up late with me when I wasn't feeling well.
- Rudy woke us up in the middle of the night to go play outside. She told me to rest and she would take him outside.
- I had a class rescheduled for this morning at 7:30 am, which meant I had to leave by 5:30 am. She woke up at 5:00 this morning to help me get out the door, and even made me lunch.
- She has successfully been able to get some of the wildest, most at-risk kids at Dickson Middle School in Provo to behave themselves and participate while student teaching there.
I have the coolest wife ever! I love her!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Radical Gay Agenda
This is news clip from a recent gay-rights march on Washington D.C. It has a compelling theory about the real motivation for the homosexual equal rights movement:
No matter your opinion about marriage rights for homosexuals, this is pretty funny. What do you think about the subject?
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Queer and Loathing in D.C. - Radical Gay Agenda | ||||
| ||||
No matter your opinion about marriage rights for homosexuals, this is pretty funny. What do you think about the subject?
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Apartment Search
Jen and I are searching for a new apartment in Salt Lake City to move to in December. This is not because we don't love where we're at, but because we want to move closer to the U of U so I won't have a four hour commute everyday anymore. Jen loves me!
In our apartment search, Jen's come across a lot of funny rating and reviews on ApartmentRatings.com. Here are a few:
"The pictures looked nice, but the apartment smelled like urine."
"It seemed nice at first, until my neighbor got shot and killed."
"Yeah he got shot outside my door, but seriously, that could have happened anywhere."
"Close to world class ski resorts!" - In Midvale.
"I got locked in the racquetball area and then made me pay $50 to borrow the equipment."
"I do not like this place. I have been here three months and just found out I have to put the gas bill in my name....They don't even do repairs within 24 hours!"
"Ghetto. Ghetto. Ghetto."
"My neighbor kept beating his wife, and I notified the security patrol about it, who told me 'It's not our problem, call the police.'"
"I'm a single female, living alone, and I feel safe because security is always patrolling." Posted about the same complex with several violent reviews. I suspect that one was written by a rapist.
"This place is auto-theft paradise!"
"I lived in this place for quite some time and had nothing but problems here for the last couple of years. The first problem was due to the pigeons that live in the area. These pigeons roost, nest and raise their young on the balconies of the complex. I literally had ten pounds of pigeon waste on my balcony at one point, and the management would do nothing about it until I contacted the health department."
"RUN!!! no matter what they offer you!!"
"[N]ever live ANYWHERE near apartment 602[,] unless you like high school kids who don[']t ever go to school, don[']t work and run a drug selling operation out of there apartment. [I]f you like random people coming by at all times of the day and night, then they would be your ideal neighbors. So request to live near apartment 602."
"If you value your life, property, sanity, hearing, and safety, please do not even think of this place as an option. Go to a homeless shelter if you are that desperate, it would be better than here."
"We thought it would be romantic for our first apartment as newly weds to face the duck pond. But then the ducks kept us up all night quacking." - Jen is actually really interested in that apartment becausethey have gas stoves, washer/dryers, and fireplaces. Rudy is really interested in the ducks.
In our apartment search, Jen's come across a lot of funny rating and reviews on ApartmentRatings.com. Here are a few:
"The pictures looked nice, but the apartment smelled like urine."
"It seemed nice at first, until my neighbor got shot and killed."
"Yeah he got shot outside my door, but seriously, that could have happened anywhere."
"Close to world class ski resorts!" - In Midvale.
"I got locked in the racquetball area and then made me pay $50 to borrow the equipment."
"I do not like this place. I have been here three months and just found out I have to put the gas bill in my name....They don't even do repairs within 24 hours!"
"Ghetto. Ghetto. Ghetto."
"My neighbor kept beating his wife, and I notified the security patrol about it, who told me 'It's not our problem, call the police.'"
"I'm a single female, living alone, and I feel safe because security is always patrolling." Posted about the same complex with several violent reviews. I suspect that one was written by a rapist.
"This place is auto-theft paradise!"
"I lived in this place for quite some time and had nothing but problems here for the last couple of years. The first problem was due to the pigeons that live in the area. These pigeons roost, nest and raise their young on the balconies of the complex. I literally had ten pounds of pigeon waste on my balcony at one point, and the management would do nothing about it until I contacted the health department."
"RUN!!! no matter what they offer you!!"
"[N]ever live ANYWHERE near apartment 602[,] unless you like high school kids who don[']t ever go to school, don[']t work and run a drug selling operation out of there apartment. [I]f you like random people coming by at all times of the day and night, then they would be your ideal neighbors. So request to live near apartment 602."
"If you value your life, property, sanity, hearing, and safety, please do not even think of this place as an option. Go to a homeless shelter if you are that desperate, it would be better than here."
"We thought it would be romantic for our first apartment as newly weds to face the duck pond. But then the ducks kept us up all night quacking." - Jen is actually really interested in that apartment becausethey have gas stoves, washer/dryers, and fireplaces. Rudy is really interested in the ducks.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Jeers in the Inlander! - Zombies
As written before, Jen and I love Spokane's "The Inlander." After a few months of withdrawals, we finally subscribed to it to be delivered to our home each week for more Spokanite fun! I'll probably write more excerpts from the magazine in the future from the "I Saw You" section.
In addition to hilarious poetry and desperate people, the I Saw You section also has a Cheers and Jeers section for extremely bitter and angry can write in about who ticked them off this week. The past few weeks there has been a back-and-forth debate between jaywalkers (if some people slow down for us, it's ok to cross) and road raging drivers (cross at crosswalks, or don't cross at all!), but this week there was a true gem in the Jeers section:
That poor guy. His date's brain was eaten by a zombie!
In addition to hilarious poetry and desperate people, the I Saw You section also has a Cheers and Jeers section for extremely bitter and angry can write in about who ticked them off this week. The past few weeks there has been a back-and-forth debate between jaywalkers (if some people slow down for us, it's ok to cross) and road raging drivers (cross at crosswalks, or don't cross at all!), but this week there was a true gem in the Jeers section:
Zombie
Jeers! Jeers ten-fold to the zombie who ate my date's brain saturday night! Do you know how hard I've been looking for a beautiful, intelligent, single woman?!? When I first saw you rise from your grave, did I run and have a mob come hunt you down? NO! I throw you a bone, and you eat my date. Jeers!!! Are there any beautiful and intelligent women left? Where are you? Back to the dating scene...ugh. I have zombie repellent ready for the next date, so back off.
That poor guy. His date's brain was eaten by a zombie!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Doggie Bumper Cars
My dog Rudy got in a fender bender the other day. Rudy loves wrestling and rough-housing with people and other dogs, and one of his favorite wrestling buddies is a neighbor dog named Tala. Tala is also a husky, and a little bit larger than Rudy, but they love to bash into each other for hours.
The other day Rudy was out playing in the field in our backyard with Tala when Tala's owners called to Rudy. Rudy started charging full speed down the hill toward them. Tala, seeing Rudy running down the hill, thought it would be fun if he ran full speed into him. There was a loud thud and both dogs were dazed and limping for a few moments afterward. Tala's owners were horrified, thinking they had seriously hurt each other. But because both dogs are made from bricks and concrete, they were fine. They ran into each other a few more times at full speed thinking it was so much fun. The dogs are hilarious.
Rudy now has a scar on the lower right part of his nose where his fur and skin were ripped away where Tala hit him. He'll probably have it for a month or so until his fur can grow back.
Just another reason why we don't let Rudy drive. He'd ram other cars thinking it be fun!
The other day Rudy was out playing in the field in our backyard with Tala when Tala's owners called to Rudy. Rudy started charging full speed down the hill toward them. Tala, seeing Rudy running down the hill, thought it would be fun if he ran full speed into him. There was a loud thud and both dogs were dazed and limping for a few moments afterward. Tala's owners were horrified, thinking they had seriously hurt each other. But because both dogs are made from bricks and concrete, they were fine. They ran into each other a few more times at full speed thinking it was so much fun. The dogs are hilarious.
Rudy now has a scar on the lower right part of his nose where his fur and skin were ripped away where Tala hit him. He'll probably have it for a month or so until his fur can grow back.
Just another reason why we don't let Rudy drive. He'd ram other cars thinking it be fun!
Rudy driving? Not anytime soon with his driving record.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Alaka'i and Bert Kanahele
A few days ago I got a message on Facebook from Alaka'i Kanahele that blew me away. I met Alaka'i (who went by the English name Donna) the first day of my mission in Kekaha, Kaua'i in Hawai'i. She and her boyfriend, Bert, were both from Ni'ihau, a small island some 17 miles away across the ocean where everyone speaks only Hawaiian. It is one of the last few places on the planet where Hawaiian is spoken on a daily basis.
I became good friends with Alaka'i and Bert. They had given birth to a baby named Maylynn who had just turned one right before I came on island. This was also about the same time when they began meeting with the missionaries. My companions and I could always find them lounging around underneath a big mango tree in their backyard because it was the coolest spot in their yard. They would sit there for hours, eating and making precious Ni'ihau shell leis while we taught them the gospel. Alaka'i and Bert accepted everything they were taught, but they had a hard time actually living it.
In order for them to repent, they needed to get married and Bert needed to stop drinking. Because they were living together and not married, they were breaking the law of chastity. The law of chastity strengthens families and gives greater joy and happiness to married couples when obeyed. But those who break this commandment are denied all of the blessings that God can give families. Similarly, drinking alcohol violates the word of wisdom, which keeps individuals from receiving all of the physical benefits and strength that God can give individuals.
I think I taught Alaka'i and Bert the lesson about temples, families, law of chastity and word of wisdom about six times during my stay in Kekaha. Some of those lessons were soooo spiritual, we would all be reduced to tears. The biggest obstacle was simply getting them married. I did a lot of planning for their wedding, including figuring out a way to make invitations, using the chapel for the wedding and reception, and even figuring out a way to get their family over from Ni’ihau for the wedding for little or no cost. But Bert was stubborn and was hesitant to go through with it, so these preparations were for naught.
But because of their great faith, their reluctance to get married did not deny them from other blessing. Since Alaka'i and Bert were merely second-cousins, it was no surprise when they discovered little Maylynn had a genetic disorder. She had some sort of bubble in her spine that doctors feared might eventually paralyze her. They would take frequent visits to Honolulu to see specialist doctors to see what treatment options were available to them. The doctors ultimately decided in order to save the girl, they needed to operate and remove that bubble.
Alaka'i was really worried for her daughter. At the time, my companion and I felt impressed to teach her about fasting. Looking back, I find this unusual that instead of being directed to give her a blessing, we instead taught her about fasting and faith. After our lesson, Alaka'i fasted for her daughter by going without food or drink for two meals. This in and of itself was an amazing feat considering eating food is what Ni’ihauans do best!
When the family visited the doctor in Honolulu again, they could no longer find the bubble in Maylynn’s spine. It had simply vanished, and it never came back afterwards. To this day, I marvel at the amazing blessing this young Ni’ihauan mother received for fasting and putting her faith in the Lord.
My companions and I read a lot from The Book of Mormon with them and they taught us a lot of Ni’ihauan words. They would often feed us poi, smoked meat and other Hawaiian foods, which I would ‘grind’ very quickly. Because they saw how much we loved them, their food and culture, my companion and I were practically adopted into Alaka'i and Bert’s Ohana. They gave both of me a Ni’ihauan name "Wiwi Kalawi", which translates roughly to mean ‘Skinny Cow.’
Not long after our being adopted into their ohana, we couldn’t ride our bikes anywhere without people throwing shakkas and yelling, “Hey! Wiwi Kalawi!” I had no idea who half of those people were, but they certainly knew who we were. It was like being a celebrity! To this day, the Ni’ihauans still remember a missionary named Wiwi Kalawi who learned Hawaiian.
When I left Kaua'i to go to another area, I had a lot of hope that Alaka'i and Bert would soon get married and baptized. Every month I would check the roster of people who had been baptized in the previous month searching for them, but their names were never there. A year went by, and I began to lose hope when I was about to go home. I stayed in contact with them after I went home, and was able to visit them on a few occassions. They started calling Maylynn "Wiwi Kalawi" because they didn't want her to forget the missionary who came to teach them the gospel. Alaka'i would often write me about miraculous dreams or visions she had, but never word about wedding preparations.
Which is what made Alaka'is message this week so surprising. She had recently gotten married and wanted to share some pictures with me of the exciting day. I stared dumbfounded at the computer screen, not believing what I was seeing. Alaka'i and Bert, after seven years of working with me, had finally gotten married! I couldn't believe it! The family is happier than ever now, and their faith in God had increased because of their obedience to the law of chastity.
Tears came to my eyes to think of the many years I had spent pleading and teaching them to obey the law of chastity. I find it strangely ironic that their marriage would come not long after mine. Jen and I ourselves have seen the positive influence of marriage on our dog, Rudy. Since getting married, Rudy is far more calm and obedient than he ever was before. This reminded me of other couples I worked with on my mission whose children were more obedient once their parents got married to each other. True, Jen and I were not breaking the law of chastity before marriage, but we have still received many wonderful blessings from obeying the law of chastity.
The law of chastity is one of the greatest blessings God can give a couple who love each other. It brings me so much joy to see Alaka'i and Bert finally able to get married and repent. It is a miracle!
Wiwi Kalawi, Bert Kanahele, and Alaka'i Kahale sitting under the mango tree.
I became good friends with Alaka'i and Bert. They had given birth to a baby named Maylynn who had just turned one right before I came on island. This was also about the same time when they began meeting with the missionaries. My companions and I could always find them lounging around underneath a big mango tree in their backyard because it was the coolest spot in their yard. They would sit there for hours, eating and making precious Ni'ihau shell leis while we taught them the gospel. Alaka'i and Bert accepted everything they were taught, but they had a hard time actually living it.
In order for them to repent, they needed to get married and Bert needed to stop drinking. Because they were living together and not married, they were breaking the law of chastity. The law of chastity strengthens families and gives greater joy and happiness to married couples when obeyed. But those who break this commandment are denied all of the blessings that God can give families. Similarly, drinking alcohol violates the word of wisdom, which keeps individuals from receiving all of the physical benefits and strength that God can give individuals.
I think I taught Alaka'i and Bert the lesson about temples, families, law of chastity and word of wisdom about six times during my stay in Kekaha. Some of those lessons were soooo spiritual, we would all be reduced to tears. The biggest obstacle was simply getting them married. I did a lot of planning for their wedding, including figuring out a way to make invitations, using the chapel for the wedding and reception, and even figuring out a way to get their family over from Ni’ihau for the wedding for little or no cost. But Bert was stubborn and was hesitant to go through with it, so these preparations were for naught.
But because of their great faith, their reluctance to get married did not deny them from other blessing. Since Alaka'i and Bert were merely second-cousins, it was no surprise when they discovered little Maylynn had a genetic disorder. She had some sort of bubble in her spine that doctors feared might eventually paralyze her. They would take frequent visits to Honolulu to see specialist doctors to see what treatment options were available to them. The doctors ultimately decided in order to save the girl, they needed to operate and remove that bubble.
Alaka'i was really worried for her daughter. At the time, my companion and I felt impressed to teach her about fasting. Looking back, I find this unusual that instead of being directed to give her a blessing, we instead taught her about fasting and faith. After our lesson, Alaka'i fasted for her daughter by going without food or drink for two meals. This in and of itself was an amazing feat considering eating food is what Ni’ihauans do best!
When the family visited the doctor in Honolulu again, they could no longer find the bubble in Maylynn’s spine. It had simply vanished, and it never came back afterwards. To this day, I marvel at the amazing blessing this young Ni’ihauan mother received for fasting and putting her faith in the Lord.
My companions and I read a lot from The Book of Mormon with them and they taught us a lot of Ni’ihauan words. They would often feed us poi, smoked meat and other Hawaiian foods, which I would ‘grind’ very quickly. Because they saw how much we loved them, their food and culture, my companion and I were practically adopted into Alaka'i and Bert’s Ohana. They gave both of me a Ni’ihauan name "Wiwi Kalawi", which translates roughly to mean ‘Skinny Cow.’
Not long after our being adopted into their ohana, we couldn’t ride our bikes anywhere without people throwing shakkas and yelling, “Hey! Wiwi Kalawi!” I had no idea who half of those people were, but they certainly knew who we were. It was like being a celebrity! To this day, the Ni’ihauans still remember a missionary named Wiwi Kalawi who learned Hawaiian.
When I left Kaua'i to go to another area, I had a lot of hope that Alaka'i and Bert would soon get married and baptized. Every month I would check the roster of people who had been baptized in the previous month searching for them, but their names were never there. A year went by, and I began to lose hope when I was about to go home. I stayed in contact with them after I went home, and was able to visit them on a few occassions. They started calling Maylynn "Wiwi Kalawi" because they didn't want her to forget the missionary who came to teach them the gospel. Alaka'i would often write me about miraculous dreams or visions she had, but never word about wedding preparations.
Which is what made Alaka'is message this week so surprising. She had recently gotten married and wanted to share some pictures with me of the exciting day. I stared dumbfounded at the computer screen, not believing what I was seeing. Alaka'i and Bert, after seven years of working with me, had finally gotten married! I couldn't believe it! The family is happier than ever now, and their faith in God had increased because of their obedience to the law of chastity.
Alaka'i and Bert Kanahele on their wedding day with their daughter, Maylynn.
Tears came to my eyes to think of the many years I had spent pleading and teaching them to obey the law of chastity. I find it strangely ironic that their marriage would come not long after mine. Jen and I ourselves have seen the positive influence of marriage on our dog, Rudy. Since getting married, Rudy is far more calm and obedient than he ever was before. This reminded me of other couples I worked with on my mission whose children were more obedient once their parents got married to each other. True, Jen and I were not breaking the law of chastity before marriage, but we have still received many wonderful blessings from obeying the law of chastity.
Alaka'i and Bert Kanahele's wedding day. Note Alaka'i's gorgeous and expensive homemade Ni'ihau shell leis.
The law of chastity is one of the greatest blessings God can give a couple who love each other. It brings me so much joy to see Alaka'i and Bert finally able to get married and repent. It is a miracle!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
New Laptop - Almost
Not long after I started law school, the monitor on my laptop, Dakine, started displaying images incorrectly. Whites at first became yellow, then eventually blue. I think this may have been caused by carrying heavy law books in the same backpack as my computer. It became really annoying during finals last spring and I was worried I would fail my tests because I would be annoyed at the flickering colors. I kept telling myself that I would get it fixed last summer, but keep putting it off until school began again.
Well, I finally called in to the company where I got my computer and had them fix my LCD screen for free under my warranty. It took a month, but I finally got it back. It's like I have a new computer! Now when I look at pictures I know what they're really supposed to be like! It doesn't even have any dog slobber on it! It's amazing. Now I just have to figure out how to fix a few other quirks with Dakine and it really will be new again...
Well, I finally called in to the company where I got my computer and had them fix my LCD screen for free under my warranty. It took a month, but I finally got it back. It's like I have a new computer! Now when I look at pictures I know what they're really supposed to be like! It doesn't even have any dog slobber on it! It's amazing. Now I just have to figure out how to fix a few other quirks with Dakine and it really will be new again...
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
When Daddy Comes Home
Around 3:00 AM last weekend, after having been up for 22 hours with no sleep, I made up this silly parody of "When Daddy Comes Home". I thought it was soo funny that I made Jen record me right away. I call it "Rudy's When Daddy Comes Home". Rudy always misses me because I'm always gone all day long, everyday. I'm sure this is what he thinks when I come home from a long day at school because he's always really excited to see me.
What do you think?
Every day when daddy gets home, glad as you know what!
Wag my tail and jump for joy and sniff him in the butt.
Wrestle him to the ground, bite him hard like this!
Snap at his face, and give him what? A great big LICK!
What do you think?
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The Fixer
As previously reported, I am a big Pearl Jam fan. On their most recent album, Backspacer, one of my favorite new songs is called The Fixer:
I really like this song because I want to be a Fixer. When things are wrong, I want to help make them right again. I think this is one reason why I love being in law school because I'm learning skills about how to really be able to help people with serious problems.
In the past few days, I've been amazed at the frequency at how often I'm asked for legal advice from those I come in contact with. Their problems are varied, and some are more serious than others, but through them all is a pattern in which someone has been taken advantage of by another. I love being able to give them advice to protect these people from others seeking power over them. I feel satisfaction with my studies when I'm automatically able to turn around and apply them to fixing problems around me.
On another note, the new Backspacer album is awesome. There are a number of really great songs with wonderful lyrics. Songs like "Just Breathe" make me cry tears of joy and want to hold Jen. During the SLC Pearl Jam concert a few weeks ago, a man proposed to his wife on stage, and then the lead singer, Eddie Vedder, performed this for them. "By the power invested in me...I'm gonna play you a song." Jen and I held each other and it was a beautiful, romantic moment. Here's a fan video of the event:
When somethings dark
Lemme shed a little light on it
When somethings cold
Lemme put a little fire on it
If somethings old
I wanna put a little shine on it
When somethings gone
I wanna fight to get it back again.
When somethings broke
I wanna put a little fixing on it
If somethings bored
I wanna put a little exciting on it
When somethings low
I wanna put a little high on it
When somethings lost
I wanna fight to get it back again
When signals cross
I wanna put a little straight on it
If there’s no love
I’m gonna try to love again
I’ll say your prayers
I’ll take your side
I’ll find us a way to make light
I’ll dig your grave
We’ll dance & sing.
Who knows, could be our last lifetime!
I really like this song because I want to be a Fixer. When things are wrong, I want to help make them right again. I think this is one reason why I love being in law school because I'm learning skills about how to really be able to help people with serious problems.
In the past few days, I've been amazed at the frequency at how often I'm asked for legal advice from those I come in contact with. Their problems are varied, and some are more serious than others, but through them all is a pattern in which someone has been taken advantage of by another. I love being able to give them advice to protect these people from others seeking power over them. I feel satisfaction with my studies when I'm automatically able to turn around and apply them to fixing problems around me.
On another note, the new Backspacer album is awesome. There are a number of really great songs with wonderful lyrics. Songs like "Just Breathe" make me cry tears of joy and want to hold Jen. During the SLC Pearl Jam concert a few weeks ago, a man proposed to his wife on stage, and then the lead singer, Eddie Vedder, performed this for them. "By the power invested in me...I'm gonna play you a song." Jen and I held each other and it was a beautiful, romantic moment. Here's a fan video of the event:
Monday, October 12, 2009
Rocket Island
For my International Law class, I'm required to write a 20 page paper on an international law topic of my choosing. I've been interested in doing something about the United States of America's relationship with the Marshall Islands. Here's an interesting video on the topic that I found on YouTube about this very topic.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Wolf Cub
The other day Jen discovered while researching name onomastics (origins of names) that the name of our dog Rudy means "Wolf". It is the diminuitive or shortened form of the name Rudolf, which was old English for "famous wolf." It makes sense. Wolves howl (Roo) and bark (wulf). Roo-wulf = Rudolf.
Rudy watching for deer in our backyard.When Jen first found our dog and asked him his name, he told her his name was "Rooooo!" Really, he was trying to tell her his name was Wolf!
Jen and RudyRudy is so smart.
Rudy's SmileMonday, October 5, 2009
General Conference Oct. 2009
Once again, I participated in translating for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint's General Conference. In years past, this was always a really exciting experience wherein I would often be called on to save conference at the last minute. Having not translated for Conference since last year, I was feeling a little rusty and I don't think I did the best job.
What made things nice/frustrating this time was the talks were translated in the Marshall Islands and then sent to us. Normally the process would work wherein they would just send us the English text of the talk and then I would translate it myself. This would often be really stressful in finding time to translate. With law school this year, it was nice not having to worry about translating the talks myself, but it was frustrating waiting for the talks to come. One didn't come at all, so I ended up translating it myself late Friday night. It would have been nice to have gotten a heads up that it wasn't coming.
The other bad thing about not translating the talks myself was I didn't prepare as carefully as normal. Usually I would practice the talks over and over again until I could perform them really clearly and with enthusiasm. This time I found myself struggling to keep up with the speakers because I didn't have the text memorized like before. Especially difficult was translating for Elder Tad Callister during the Saturday Afternoon session who spoke at a rate of 179 words per minute. He basically gave a 14 minute talk in 9 minutes. I could barely breathe when he finished. I was talking so fast that I was gasping for air.
I also interpreted for Elder Whitney Clayton and the closing prayer during the Saturday morning session. You can listen to the Marshallese audio archives can be found here.
What did make this session different was I spent some time with Batrick Boaz, the older brother of Bryan Boaz, the missionary who taught me Marshallese. He recently formally organized a Marshallese group called Utah Marshallese Association, or UMA for short (Uma means kiss in Marshallese). Batrick was elected president of the new non-profit organization, and I offered to help him draft the organization's charter and by laws. UMA's goals are to help improve Marshallese access to economic, educational, health and other resources in the State of Utah. Their approach is based on the welfare program of the LDS church, but is involved in helping Marshallese of several different churches. This group will be a big blessing to Marshallese in Utah, and I was grateful in helping to give Batrick suggestions on the organization and structure from using my legal and church experience.
Over all, it was great seeing my Utah Marshallese friends again. Being around Rick and Margaret Nang and Steve Lutz again is always a blast and makes me happy.
What made things nice/frustrating this time was the talks were translated in the Marshall Islands and then sent to us. Normally the process would work wherein they would just send us the English text of the talk and then I would translate it myself. This would often be really stressful in finding time to translate. With law school this year, it was nice not having to worry about translating the talks myself, but it was frustrating waiting for the talks to come. One didn't come at all, so I ended up translating it myself late Friday night. It would have been nice to have gotten a heads up that it wasn't coming.
The other bad thing about not translating the talks myself was I didn't prepare as carefully as normal. Usually I would practice the talks over and over again until I could perform them really clearly and with enthusiasm. This time I found myself struggling to keep up with the speakers because I didn't have the text memorized like before. Especially difficult was translating for Elder Tad Callister during the Saturday Afternoon session who spoke at a rate of 179 words per minute. He basically gave a 14 minute talk in 9 minutes. I could barely breathe when he finished. I was talking so fast that I was gasping for air.
I also interpreted for Elder Whitney Clayton and the closing prayer during the Saturday morning session. You can listen to the Marshallese audio archives can be found here.
What did make this session different was I spent some time with Batrick Boaz, the older brother of Bryan Boaz, the missionary who taught me Marshallese. He recently formally organized a Marshallese group called Utah Marshallese Association, or UMA for short (Uma means kiss in Marshallese). Batrick was elected president of the new non-profit organization, and I offered to help him draft the organization's charter and by laws. UMA's goals are to help improve Marshallese access to economic, educational, health and other resources in the State of Utah. Their approach is based on the welfare program of the LDS church, but is involved in helping Marshallese of several different churches. This group will be a big blessing to Marshallese in Utah, and I was grateful in helping to give Batrick suggestions on the organization and structure from using my legal and church experience.
Over all, it was great seeing my Utah Marshallese friends again. Being around Rick and Margaret Nang and Steve Lutz again is always a blast and makes me happy.
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