Pearl Jam/Ben Harper Concert - 9-28-2009

On Monday, I fulfilled a lifelong dream to go to a Pearl Jam and Ben Harper concert. Both artists are eclectic and do a great job mixing things up. Each artist always impresses me with their growth and songwriting abilities on each new album.

Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam (PJ) is one of my favorite bands. I have been a big fan for about ten years now, knowing all of their songs and I own all of their albums. Their first album "Ten" was my teenage angst album, and I would listen to it after every bad date I ever went on while living in Provo. I also felt a kinship with the band because they were in Denmark the same day I was deported from Finland to that country. That night some fans were killed when a riot broke out at their concert, and they canceled their performance. They were extremely upset at this tragedy, and dedicated their next album, "Riot Act" to their memory. Pearl Jam is well known for being good to their fans.

Ben Harper

I got into Ben Harper (Ben) a year and a half ago, and holy cow, I can't get enough of his music. His most eclectic and diverse album is Diamonds on the Inside, with everything from reggae, rock to gospel music being played. One song from that album, "With My Own Two Hands", is my theme song:

I can change the world
With my own two hands
Make a better place
With my own two hands
Make a kinder place
With my own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands
I can make peace on earth
With my own two hands
I can clean up the earth
With my own two hands
I can reach out to you
With my own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands

Im gonna make it a brighter place
Im gonna make it a safer place
Im gonna help the human race
With my own
With my own two hands

Despite my love for these musicians, both groups have proven difficult for me to go to their concerts. PJ hasn't come to Utah for 11 years, and I would always be busy/on vacation every time they would tour in neighboring states. In moving to Washington last year, I hoped I would have more luck in seeing them perform, but ended up moving a month before they were in the area. I thought my PJ concert curse would never end.

So when PJ anounced they were going on tour again this fall with Ben, I told Jen we had to do everything within our power to go. We quickly got tickets to a concert in San Diego right after they went on sale, thinking we would go on a mini vacation for my fall break next month.

That's when just under a month ago Dave Adamusko sent me a text asking me if we wanted to go to a PJ concert. That's when we found out that PJ and Ben had just announced a concert date in Salt Lake City. I went ballistic, and luckily was able to trade my San Diego tickets for SLC (as evil as the Ticketmaster-Live Nation monopoly is, they were kind enough to let me exchange tickets).

So last Monday (Yom Kippur), Jen, Dave, James Welch and I went to the E-Center for the concert. They played a Here are some photos and videos from the concert:

Soo excited. I'm wearing a shirt from the Experience Music Project from Seattle.

Ben Harper and the Relentless 7 performing "Up To You Now"

Jen and Brian rocking out during Pearl Jam!

Jen, Brian and James

Pearl Jam performing "The Fixer", my new theme song. It's a song about a guy who goes around trying to make the world a better place.


"Amongst the Wave", one of my new favorite songs.


I thought "Even Flow" was the coolest song in the world when I was 17.

Ben Harper joined them for "Red Mosquito". This song cracks me up because it's about a time when their singer Eddie was really sick.

Pearl Jam performing one of my favorite songs, "Alive".

Jen headbanging to "Yellow Ledbetter".

Marshallese Health Care in Hawai'i

The State of Hawai'i is seeking to save 15 million dollars by removing dialysis and chemotherapy treatments from their state health plans. This proposed plan is specifically targeting the Marshallese people who rely heavily on the state health care plans. As part of the Compact agreement with the U.S. and the Marshall Islands, Marshallese are guaranteed access to these services. The Compact agreement requires the federal government to provide money to states to cover resulting costs. Hawai'i claims the Marshallese are costing them 100 million dollars worth of health care costs for these treatments. They also claim the federal government is not providing them enough money to care for these people. However, if the new plan goes into effect, several hundred very sick people who have come to America seeking treatment will die within the next few months.

A law suit filed on behalf of the Marshallese was able to obtain a temporary injunction against the state to have them postpone implementing their plan until after the state legislature can review the policy. Within a few weeks the injunction may no longer be able to protect the Marshallese. For more information on this issue, check out this.

Transfer Student

Jen and I experienced a miracle this past month. As you may be aware, I was enrolled at Gonzaga University's law school in Spokane, WA last year while Jen was living in Provo, UT and attending BYU. After we became engaged, it became clear that in order to stay together this fall after school began again, one of us needed to transfer to another school. With Jen being in her last year of schooling, it would have been unreasonable for her to leave BYU at this point. This put the burden of transferring on me in order for us to stay together.

So Spring Semester I worked twice as hard to study and do well in my classes. Final grades came out and I got pretty good grades that I hoped would have me look as attractive as possible to the University of Utah or BYU. After school and our wedding were over, I worked hard on the transfer applications, especially the one for the U of U. After sending them in, I crossed my fingers while waiting for favorable responses.

Nearly a month went by without any word from either school. Nearly a month went by without any word from either school. As August came and the new school year grew closer, our anxiety continued to grow. We began making plans for me to move back to Washington at the end of August.

Near the beginning of August, Jen and I fasted that we could have a miracle happen so we could stay together this year. The next morning, I got a phone call at 8:00 AM from the U of U notifying me that I had been accepted to their school. During the phone call, I was quite calm about everything and saying, "Oh, that's wonderful news. Thank you for calling." The whole time I was on the phone, Jen was looking at me wondering what was going on. Once I got off the phone, I told her I had been accepted to the U, and she began screaming and jumping up and down in joy. It was the greatest news in the world! We were going to be staying together. It was a miracle!

Later that same day, I got another phone call from BYU saying that I hadn't been accepted there. We didn't really care because we had already gotten wonderful news earlier that day, so it was not a big disappointment for us. To be honest, I still feel that my BYU days are meant to be over, and I don't think I am needed to stay here in Utah county.

So now I'm a student at the U, my fourth school of higher learning in the state of Utah, and my second law school. The law school building is not as pretty as Gonzaga, and the teachers are more academic-y (i.e. they wrote the textbook), but I'm still having a great time in law school. My classes this semester are International Law, Constitutional Law II, Entertainment Law (for B-Money), Environmental Law and Intellectual Property. I really enjoy International Law (my professor was in the Israeli army for several years and negotiated many treaties with the Palestinians and Russians on their behalf. Some Canadians want him to be arrested for war crimes, if that makes him any more interesting) and Entertainment Law (the professor was a Hip-hop artist agent for many years and has awesome stories).

ConLaw II is a major disappointment. This is where we learn about all of the Supreme Court's controversial rulings on subjects like segregation, abortion, free speech, porn, etc., so you would imagine it would be really inflammatory and exciting. Instead the professor just lectures in a boring tone without any pep or controversy. Big let down.

Overall, I'm really enjoying the U. Sure I spend about 4 hours commuting on the bus everyday, but it's all worth it to come home to my wife and puppy every day. I wouldn't change it for anything.

Torture

In my Constitutional Law II class this week at the U of U, we were discussing the torture tactics used by the Bush Administration. Our professor sent us a video link to a pretty funny video on the serious subject that uses arguments from both sides.


Is Using A Minotaur To Gore Detainees A Form Of Torture?

Wedding 6-20-2009

One month ago today, Jennifer and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple. Our first month of marriage has been really great. Here are a few pictures from our wedding day:

Mr. and Mrs. Tanner leaving the temple.

Tanner siblings.

Four of the Marshallese Groomsmen, from Left to Right: Ring Nang, Steve Lutz, Bryan Boaz and Austin Lowe. I was missionary companions with Steve, Bryan and Austin, and Steve and I baptized Rick's family.

Tanner Family portrait.

I love all of my Groomsmen. Front row, from left to right: Austin Lowe, Daniel Tanner, Brian Tanner, Jennifer Tanner, Scott Perlmutter. Back row: Steve Lutz, James Welch, Dave Adamusko, Roman Matthew, Bryan Boaz, Rick Nang, Bryan Chisholm.

Bridesmaids: Angelica, Wendy, Jenny, Lissette, Shakira, Olia, Melinda, Jen, Kristen, Josephine and Laurice.

Jen and her niece, Jayden.
Jen had a hott dress.

Our rings.

Latter that day, we had a ring ceremony and reception at my parent's stake center. Because of bad weather, we were really lucky to find a new venue and decorations only a day before the wedding.

Rudy was our Ring Dog for our ring ceremony.

Jen and her father walking down the isle.

Exchanging rings

Our real cake. We were going to have a pinata cake as a decoy, but we ended up just displaying the real one. The shock of us pulling out a bat and hitting the pinata off the table would have been too much for my mother.
During dinner, my adopted sister, Maggie Nang, gave a hula dance performance with her friend.

Our first dance to "He Heals Me" by India.Arie. Everyone cried. We're pretty romantic.

Everyone had fun dancing.

Leaving the reception.

Return to Provo

I returned to Provo, UT last week. It is really strange for me to be here again. Just under a year ago, I left Provo without any intention to ever return. I left to begin law school in Washington, but also because I felt my eternal progression would not continue if I did not leave.

For one thing, I was burned out by the Utah dating scene. I had tried to develop knowledge, wisdom, kindness, charity and other talents to better myself, but felt unsuccessful in finding the lasting meaningful relationships I was really looking for. At the time, I had the impression that I would never get married if I stayed in Utah. And so under intense pressure from many of my friends to not leave, I packed up my car and went off into the unknown, trusting that God would lead me to where I needed to be to find the fulfillment I was seeking.

My theme for leaving was "Gone" by Pearl Jam:

No more upset mornings
No more trying evenings
This American Dream I am disbelieving
When the gas in my tank feels like money in the bank
Gonna blow it all this time, take me one last ride
For the lights of this city, they only look good when I'm speeding
I wanna leave em all behind me cause this time I'm gone
Long gone,
This time I'm letting go of it all
So long,
This time I'm gone

In the far off distance
As my taillights fade
No one thinks to witness but they will someday
Feel like a question is forming
And the answer's far
I will be what I could be
Once I get out of this town

For the lights of this city
They have lost all feeling
Gonna leave em all behind me cause this time I'm gone
Long gone,
This time I'm letting go of it all
So long,
Long gone, I'm letting go of it all
Yeah, This time I'm gone

If nothing is everything
If nothing is everything I'll have it all
If nothing is everything then I will have it all

This song really resonated with me, and I felt that I really could be all that I could be once I left Provo. My thought at the time was that I would go to Washington and rock whatever ward I ended up in. I wanted a new start, to show them what the folks in Provo were going to miss.

But then something miraculous happened. On the way to Washington, I had one of the greatest adventures of my life with my best friend, Jennifer, and suddenly I discovered everything that was missing in my life. Hidden reservoirs of joy, happiness, laughter, excitement, love, etc. all appeared to me. The day I left Utah, I became a new person; a better person. My prompting to leave immediately provided what I was missing. And as the months unfolded, I found more than I could ever imagine finding.


It is strange to be back in Provo because I am not the same person I was before. Everything is the same, yet it is not. Many of the same people are still here. The buildings on BYU campus are exactly the same as when I left. Traffic is still crazy. The Honor Code still rules the student body.

Yet I am very different than the person who left a year ago. I truly feel that I became more like the man I want to be while living in Washington. I am an engaged to be married in three weeks to the most beautiful girl in the world. I completed my first year of law school. I had an important calling working with members of the stake presidency, high councilmen, and multiple bishoprics. Any one of these would be enough to spur major changes in anyone, yet here I had all of them combined in the space of a few short months.

I feel deja vous from the time I returned from my mission. I feel like a superhero in disguise, just another face in the congregation/crowd. Yet I think this time I'm not doing a very good job to hide my secret identity.

While it is bittersweet to leave Washington and the many wonderful missionaries, law students and Marshallese people I met there, it is wonderful being reunited with Jen, and hopefully to stay. I am trying to transfer down here to BYU or the U so we can be together in the fall. Regardless of where we end up, I know that God will use us to create good around us.

I feel great and exciting things are coming our way, and I am excited to face these adventures with my best friend.

A Thousand Spended Suns

One of my favorite hobbies is reading. I usually try to average a book or two a month. Unfortunately, my life during law school became far too busy for me to read anything except for the assigned 100 pages of dense legal text for class everyday. One thing I was really looking forward to this summer, besides my wedding, was to be able to read a novel or two.

One book that I'd really been looking forward to was "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini. I had read his first novel, "The Kite Runner" on a whim last year and found it to be a disturbingly beautiful novel of betrayal and atonement; sin and repentance. I also enjoyed the Islamic theme to the novel and the main character finding his faith through the course of the book.

"A Thousand Splendid Suns" was just as thrilling and disturbing as the first book. The story in a nutshell is about the experiences of two women living through the various wars and turmoil of Afghanistan. It shows the fall of Afghanistan into chaos and the hardships imposed on the people by the Taliban.

What made this book so powerful for me was the feminine elements woven throughout the novel. The excitement when a woman realizes she has a life growing within her; the difficult choice to not abort an unwanted child; the joy in being reunited with long lost loves. Being male, I am constantly amazed at how feminine elements can bring balance to my life.

It is also a powerful depiction of strong perseverance under extremely difficult circumstances. It is a story of faith when there is little hope. While a book with difficult themes, it can serve as a good example for us when we struggle with trials in our lives.

I Saw You in the Inlander

One of the highlights for my week living here in Spokane is reading the "I Saw You" personal ads in the Inlander. The Inlander is a free magazine covering local events that is available in an shop or business around town, including my school. Jen discovered the hidden gem of the "I Saw You" page one week, and we became addicted. Every week she would collect the new edition and we would laugh our heads off while reading them together. 

The premise behind the I Saw You ad is that a person sees someone around town they think is really hott, but is too shy/lame to get their number, or an act of God prevents them from otherwise being able to contact them again. So to remedy the situation, they write in to the Inlander magazine in hopes that the object of their affection/lust will read it, and contact them for coffee/a scandalous rendezvous in the underwear department of Wal-Mart/etc. A typical I Saw You ad goes like this: 

Wal-Mart on Wellesley. 

You, burly man wearing flannel and a hunting hat. Me, middle aged woman in an electric cart. We kept running into each other in the cheap DVD section and knocked a bunch onto the floor. I knew it was love at first sight. You touched my shoulder and I can't stop thinking about you. Etc. Etc.

Ok, so that was two different ads from the past combined together, but you get the idea that this is a strange collection of stalkerish people looking for love. One of my favorites from the past said something to the effect of "You looked like an angel, if angels had gauged ears, a barbell in their nose, a pierced tongue, and skull tattoos all over their arms." The Inlander has been a great source of cheesy jokes to hit on Jen with.

Here are some actual I Saw You ads in the Inlander this week, reproduced, word for word, without any embellishment:

Can't Wait to Pay My Bill

To the hottest guy at the Cricket store on Mission. you make the 45 minute wait worth it. yes, I can pay my bill online and avoid a fee, but listening to you explain and break down my bill makes me want to pay my fee to you over and over again. I really love the way you make me feel like I'm the only customer in the room. Quizno's sometime?

Gonzaga U

Gorgeous brunette leaving Gonzaga U in a brand new Volvo you look like the smart sexy type with a sunny disposition. Care for a little trip with a guy who will treat you like the goddess you are? How about Vienna in the springtime?

Workout Chic

You, awesome workout chic. Me, Airway Heights front desk dude. If you're unattached and interested, how about a run sometime?

Girl Working At Kmart

Eye contact is usually broken beyond repair but we kept gluing it back together. We knew what each other were thinking. You are beautiful and I wanted to say something but you were getting a price check on the baby fence.

Hippie Flower Child

I saw you, sitting at the parking verification counter Sat. evening on April 25th. Your seductive eyes pulled me in and your coy smile stole my heart away. In the 30 seconds it took you to verify my parking, I thought of a million ways I wanted to impress you but I doubted my stellar dinosaur impression was enough to win you over. Perhaps we can get together sometime. You can make me a hemp necklace while I serenade you with some Bob Marley.

Girl With Red Hair

You on Division by Fast Eddies. Me: In cowboy hat with aviators in a red car. Our eyes met for what felt like eternity. I looked away, then looked back to lock eyes. My heart jumped in my throat. What's your name?

GU Diva

I saw you outside of Crosby on GU's campus. You were wearing hot pink jean pants and a blue American Eagle hoodie. I wanted to talk to you but you were with two guys that were very intimidating looking. I hop you're not a player because I want to be the only one for you. Then I saw you hit one of the guys & that's when I knew you were the diva for me.

Marmot Finder

I saw you April 24, near Gonzaga Law School. I shared some McDonald's breakfast with you and you helped my dog search for a yellow-bellied marmot. You: hott body with a kind demeanor, blue eyes and handsome smile that made me melt. Me: curly hair, carrying poop bags. you've been on my mind constantly. I'm convinced that you're the man I want to marry. Let's go walking, hand in hand. I'll rock your world.

The last one was actually written by Jen about our last morning together before she moved back to Utah. We had been up really late the night before packing up her truck, so we were pretty tired the next morning. I had a rare break between Civil Procedure and Torts classes and we had breakfast together while Rudy went hunting for Marmots. We had always talked about writing into the Inlander with some really scandalous sounding I Saw You ad for everyone else who reads these for pleasure entertainment like we do. We had a really good laugh when I read this ad to Jen this week.

Marmot hunting.

Jen actually used some of our favorite ads to teach a lesson on flirting during the local single's ward's FHE. I know I'm biased, but this really was the best lesson on dating I've ever sat through because Jen focused on recognizing the great worth of the souls of others around you. She talked about how when we can become kinder people and better flirts by recognizing our own personal value and genuinely expressing love/respect for others through eye contact and smiling. 

She pointed out how the people that these ads were written about were all good flirts. You notice how most of them talk about eye contact and smiling, and how it gives the writer the feeling that they are important to them. Jen taught that if we are better about expressing love for others, not only will be have more friends, but we can help others want to come closer to God by feeling that love.

That's sure true for me. It is strange that as a result of loving Jen, I want to be a better man. There is a lot of symbolism in the fact that by growing closer to another person, we are learning how to draw closer to God. By learning to relying on another person and trust them, we learn how to better rely on Christ and trust him that his atonement will truly save us.

I feel really honored that Jen would want to write an I Saw You ad about me. How should I respond?

Weirdest Church Calling

I arguably have one of the weirdest church callings ever. For the past five months or so, I've been serving for my church as the "Marshallese Program Director" for Spokane and Eastern Washington. My responsibilities are working with the local Stake Presidency, bishoprics, missionaries, etc. to create a sustainable church program to fellowship the Marshallese people in eastern Washington. I'm sort of like a pseudo-Bishop/High Councilman/Ward Mission Leader/Sunday School President.

There are several thousand Marshallese people here in Spokane and they are the second largest minority group in town. Being a very faithful and humble people, many of them are joining the church. The Spokane Stake Presidency views the large number of baptisms from one ethnic group as grounds for starting a new branch or separate church congregation. Having spoken Marshallese for several years, and having a lot of insights from working with them as a missionary, my job to set up a program to eventually establish a branch.

Basically, this has set up my life to be a lot of crazy fun working with the Marshallese people while balancing law school. It has been wonderful being in their homes and enjoying life with them. But most of all, it has been wonderful to help so many of them come unto Christ through the principals and ordinances of the gospel.

Another perk is working with two Elders who are specifically called to work with the Marshallese. I've been working to help teach them Marshallese and give cultural insights to help them with a foreign mission in America. At times it really does feel like I'm a missionary again, and it's hard to not want to give up my study time to go out visiting investigators with them.

The true highlight though has been being able to work so closely with Jen on this program. She was living here in Spokane for a few months and was also called to work with the Marshallese in the region, which made it feel like we were missionary companions together. It was great. Not everyone gets to go on a couple's mission before they actually get married. She has had so many good ideas and plans that, if this program does prove to be sustainable, will be in a large part because of her.

One quick story happened back in February when Necinta, a recent convert, gave birth to a baby. The daughter, Lindsay Skyla Anton, was named after the ward mission leader's wife and the missionary who baptized her mother. Jen and I visited her in the hospital a few hours after the baby was born with flowers and diapers. I helped fill out the birth certificate form while Jen took pictures of the mother and newborn. 

Seeing Jen hold a newborn was a wonderful sight. I love her. That was a sacred moment for me that I would not trade for all the world.

What is the weirdest thing you have ever been asked to do for a church calling?

Snoutbreak 2009

My father calls the media a terrorist organization, and weeks like this one tend to prove it. While a potentially more serious flu strain is something to be concerned about, wide spread panic and fear is not the way to combat the flu. Prudential matters such as getting some food storage in order is fine; stock piling guns to kill the flu zombies is not. Alas, the media often fails to live up to their duty to educate, and instead reach for ratings by sowing fear among the masses.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
The Last 100 Days
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

Please don't target me for being a rational voice in unrational times like the reporter in this clip. Honestly, we're going to be ok. Let's worry about helping Latin America and other developing nations which don't have the resources to deal with a flu outbreak. Medical care at earlier stages will help save lives; let's do what we can to make those more available to the people who need it most.