Notes on Notes
April 15, 2008 | Filed Under Simplify, Sheldon, Church | 2 Comments
General Conference came again this month and it was great. One extra reason that it was great is pretty minor, but nonetheless important, at least to me. I was able to take notes this time and feel good about it. You see, my Conference / Church Meeting notes are usually scraps of paper (or even worse, a program) that I end up tucking away between the pages of my scriptures or somewhere not all that accessible later. Sometimes they are really quality notes, only to be forgotten because they were scribbled and folded away.
This time around I decided to change that approach by doing what I do with my creative projects. I have a couple of quality notebooks that I use to jot down ideas, thoughts, quotes, sketches, and I really value them. They are ‘perfect’ stitch bound, meaning they have no rings or holes. I like the flexible leather kind, filled with graph paper. (Grid paper is great for sketching and geometric shapes, and no matter where you write on the page, it’s on a line). I usually get the black Miquel Rius ones at any Barnes & Noble (but you can get some great ones online too). In fact, I had one that I brought with me to Taiwan, and during that time it really was invaluable, because I scribbled so many thoughts and sketches down. I look over them frequently.
Anyway, I bought one to be used only for Sunday and General Conference notes. One thing that I’m also picky about is also the type of pen. I use inky, Pilot pens, technical pens, and pretty much any pen that flows well and doesn’t bleed through the paper.
So far so good.
Agenda-Free Kid Movies?
April 15, 2008 | Filed Under Politics, Movies, Family | 3 Comments
Lately it seems some filmmakers are really living up to the Parental Guidance rating. And not in the way that you’d think. It used to be that movies for children were generally a safe bet. It was rare to have one of the main characters lose someone close to them, or encounter violence that warranted a stronger warning. Today, those events are commonplace, and nearly every kid movie has some underlining theme or ultra liberal* subtext. I’m surprised just how political the movies are, some with strong messages. Case in point: Seinfeld’s Bee Movie. We rented it about a month ago.
Now I think Seinfeld is a funny guy and still like watching reruns from his show. But the Bee Movie, in my view, is not an agenda-free movie. It was great about a third of the way through, then spirals into something else. It starts off with the main character unsatisfied with his life, but ultimately twists into some bizarre “Bee rights” battle that includes everything from lengthy courtroom drama, SWAT-like crews pinning down an elderly woman, and snipers shooting Winnie-the-Pooh. Crude humor in some circles, but not for my boys. In my view, it’s just another advocacy group planting seeds.
This isn’t the only film that prompted Brighton to ask questions as to why something was in the movie. I took him to the theater to see “Over the Hedge” when that came out, and again, it was very disappointing. The “moral” of the story? Little creatures should stay put, because there are angry, violent White people in suburbia who drive around in huge SUVs that hire stupid, male exterminators to kill them. It should have been called, “Over-the-top.” Nearly every movie out there now that is marketed toward children, either as cartoon or computer animation, turns out to be some Left-wing agenda bent on schooling my kids on a warped perspective.
My main problem with it is that it is specifically targeted to kids. Want to make a statement? Go right ahead. And Hollywood does it everyday. And a lot of the time they find it doesn’t penetrate certain markets. So they make a so-called kid’s movie. The studios make deals and arrange promotions, and the kids buy the stuffed animals and the Happy Meals and the games. And all the kids know the lines. But they’re not movies for children.
There are some good films out there, though, made for kids. And Pixar has made some good ones, like “Finding Nemo,” for instance. And I’m not one of those parents who think they need to stop having kids because the world is such a dark and evil place. My hope is that because my kids are in the world, it will become a better place. It just seems some studios are trying harder on the younger ones with some movies.
I’m finding that it’s easier to simply rent movies that I know are good, because I grew up watching them, and don’t have to screen them. Stuff like “Honey I Shrunk the Kids,” may seem cheesy to me now, but Brighton saw it recently, and thought it was great. Just like I did back then. No agenda included. This post is probably a little too politically charged for a family blog, right? Maybe. I know some of you will think I’m just being paranoid or exaggerating, but really I just tire of having to preview a seemingly harmless movie to determine what’s really the motive of its creators.
Is there a V-Chip out there to block indoctrination? Because that’s how I see it.
—————————
*I’m a registered Independent…
Which means I’m not a “choose the lesser of two evils” voter…
Which also means I’m likely not voting for any of the 3 “candidates” this year. 
Okay, I’ll play
April 8, 2008 | Filed Under Sheldon | 5 Comments
It’s gloomy outside, and there’s not too much going on at the moment, so I’ll respond to Jerin’s latest post.
10 years ago…
- Graduated High School (a year early).
- Lived in Republic, Missouri.
- Deejayed Church dances and brainstormed with Josh G. on elaborate ideas for dates.
- Had a lot more time on my hands now that I think of it!
5 things I need to do today…
- Buy some new sneakers
- Call my parents
- Exercise
- FHE
- Pay some bills online
Snacks I enjoy…
- Nachos with Jalapenos
- I used to like Corn Nuts until I found out they had MSG!
- Jamba Juice considered a snack?
What I would do if I were suddenly a billionaire…
- Move to the Coast and swim in the ocean everyday
- Custom design and build a prefab, off-the-grid home
- Create an off-the-grid, New Urbanist community
- Launch a dozen business ideas that have been in my head
- Travel the Globe and serve as a Missionary with Kuei
- Go into orbit and see the Earth from space
- Write novels
- Help my family and friends realize their goals too
3 of my bad habits…
- Too sporadic…(this can be a problem but provide for interesting adventures)
- Stay up waaay too late (early?)
- Procrastinate too much
5 places that I lived…
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Magna, Utah
- Springfield, Missouri
- Urbandale, Iowa
- Taipei, Taiwan
5 jobs I’ve had…
- Photographer’s Assistant (yes I held up the shiny disc things and took the blurry photos at events)
- Graphic Designer
- Sbarro’s Pizza (I can throw the dough)
- DJ
- Urban Research Analyst (yawn)
5 things people don’t know about me…
- I used to be in a band called “Unison” when I was about 10-11 years old…but dropped out, because I was like 10-11, come on?
- I love to write. I have been working on 3-5 novels for the last 5 years (I’m a procrastinator perfectionist what can I say).
- I make music (progressive trance / melodic electronica ) on my Mac - eventually I’ll cut something to vinyl.
- I’m an entrepreneur at heart and have too many projects I’d like to work more on.
- My parents seriously considered naming me Israel, but eventually went with the name Sheldon (from our family history).
- (bonus) Way back in the day, my favorite show was Ghostwriter, and I had a crush on Tina (imagine that). Anyone out there remember Double T? That show was awesome! Tag yourselves and post to your blog if you want to play along…