Random Access

Fourth of July 2002
Today was a quiet, leisurely day. The perfect way to spend a day off from work. I got to sleep in… more or less. The cats were a bit rambunctious this morning. Go figure. Jess, Sandi and I went to see Men in Black II this afternoon. I enjoyed it. Went driving for a while and then came home.

And then… off to seek works of fire! I considered going to see the display in Sandy, but I decided to head into Salt Lake and try to see the ones at Rice-Eccles (U of U) Stadium. I also wanted to be far enough away from the stadium so that I didn’t get caught in the traffic coming from the stadium (and surrounding area). I found a spot near Trolley Square (about 10 blocks from Rice-Eccles); the way that the streets are laid out and since the stadium is on a hill, I had a decent view. It wasn’t perfect, but I was able to escape before the masses came down the hill.

I can’t define what the “magic” of fireworks is, but there is… something. I remember my grandparents taking me to see fireworks displays when I’d spend summers in West Virginia. I would be excited (and that may be an understatement) all day before we’d go. We’d get to the shopping center and I’d stare up into the sky… amazed. Year after year. And almost every time, I’d go home with a headache, from all of the thunderous “booms.” But it was worth it. Every time.

I see that kind of wonder and awe in the faces of children at fireworks displays. They look into the sky, but they don’t see controlled explosions of chemical compounds. They see something else. Something… magic. And, to me, that’s very cool.

Peace.

Wednesday
Not a whole lot happened at work. This is a ‘good’ thing; it makes for fast-paced days. Started on Wizard’s First Rule today. It’s good to finally know what was going on in the parts that I missed when Jess was listening to the book.

NPR/PRI
Talk of the Nation spent the second hour discussing Outdoor Grilling. They also asked callers/emailers which they preferred when grilling: Charcoal, Wood or Propane. I prefer charcoal; the majority of respondents said that, as well.

Not much else, so I think that I shall go into the gentle oblivion of sleep.

Peace.

Tuesday
One more day of work and then a day off. One more day after that and then the weekend. I believe that I can handle that.

NPR/PRI
All Things Considered had a few stories that I found curiously stimulating and challenging:

• EEOC Suit
  Josh Levs reports that the EEOC is bringing suit in an unusual form of discrimination based on skin color. A dark-skinned African-American employee of Applebee’s claims his light-skinned African-American supervisor harassed him and fired him for complaining. The EEOC says it is unaware of any similar suits, though discrimination based on color is covered by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (3:45)

• People of Color
  Commentator Leon Wynter reflects on the term “people of color.” He says the phrase should be retired. (4:00)

• The Hip-Hop Generation
  Robert [Siegel] speaks with Bakari Kitwana, author of The Hip Hop Generation: The Crisis in African American Culture. Kitwana writes about black Generation X’ers, for whom the civil rights movement is a generation back. Young African-Americans now face a society that has only partly lived up to its promise of equality. Kitwana says that economic and educational difficulties are pervasive, but he says that hip-hop music has helped politically mobilize African-Americans. (8:00)

There were parts of the interview with Bakari Kitwana with which I agreed and disagreed. Some of his statements seemed to be broad-sweeping generalizations; I have issues with those. However, I respect his opinions and his right to express them.

Miscellany
I’m still trying to come up with ideas for the next discussion group topic. I think that I want to do something with stereotypes and/or perceptions and misperceptions about different groups. Maybe I’ll just consider it until the weekend; other ideas might come to mind. Who knows…?

Peace.

Monday
Not a bad day at work. Finished Goblet of Fire tonight; the ending caught me off-guard. I like that. Ms. Rowling threw in a bit of slight of hand and pulled a few rabbits out of her hat. Definitely took me by surprise in a few spots. I will start Wizard’s First Rule tomorrow.

NPR/PRI
All Things Considered had a segment called: Mohawk Ironworkers, Walking High Steel, part of the “Sonic Memorial Project,” on today’s program.

For six generations, Mohawk Indian ironworkers have shaped New York City’s skyline, working the “high steel” of skyscrapers and bridges. From The Sonic Memorial Project and Lost & Found Sound, hear the stories of the Mohawks who helped build the World Trade Center Twin Towers — and their descendents who returned to the site after Sept. 11, to help clear the shattered towers away.¹

You can listen to the story here.

Miscellany
Earlier this evening, and I were talking about this post, by in the community. Background: Both Sivvy and Coonfasa are LDS (Mormon); Sivvy lives here (just north of SLC), Coonfasa lives in Ohio.

The gist of the entry was: She was listening to a conversation between young married Mormon couples. Apparently the people in the discussion had noted how other members of their faith tend to exhibit an isolationist behavior socially: The members “…just kinda turned off and walked away. Simply because they were not a church member!” Apparently, someone brought up Mormons in Salt Lake City and how some (operative word: “some“) of them tend to avoid non-members of the faith because of the pervasive nature of Mormons and LDS culture here. She then asked for others’ opinions about this. (NOTE: I would have directly posted this as a reply to her post, but only friends/members of the community can post in it. , as a member and as a friend of mine, has kindly offered to leave a post in the community and link it back to this.)

That being said, here we go…

For the past 3½ years, I have lived in Utah. More specifically, I live in a city in the Salt Lake valley (you can technically say that I live in Salt Lake City). For the benefit of those who are unaware of it, I will add that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS Church) is headquartered in downtown Salt Lake City.

I am Baptist… with a few Methodist tendencies. I have experienced some of the bias about which asked. I am glad to say that I have also met more members of the faith who were willing to look past the differences of theology and get to know me. I also have met other non-Mormons who have either grown up here or lived here for a long time. They have also noted something of an “Us vs. Them” bent in certain situations. I am not sure if this is endemic to places where the majority, or at least the “perceived majority,” largely adhere to the mores of a given faith, but I will not rule it out as a possibility. It would be interesting to see if there is a similar bias found in other homes of religious institutions, for example: Rome/The Vatican.

Yes, it is often thought to be “easier” to socialize with those who share something in common with us. We like to be around people like ourselves. Go figure. The challenge lies in stepping outside of our respective comfort zones to meet and interact with people who are different from ourselves. People don’t always have to agree on ideology, but they can respect differences of opinions and agree to disagree on some points. I am thankful for my friends who believe the same things that I do AND for those who have different views. Between us, we are able to explore avenues that we may not have otherwise considered; at the same time, we don’t try to force feed each other our opinions. We agree. We disagree. We move on.

In closing, I don’t think that all Mormons are isolationists. I don’t even think that many/most are. Yes, some are stand-offish, but it is unfair to judge the whole by the actions of the few. Is it a problem or practice exclusive to them? No, it isn’t. At some level, many of us have our “I’m better than you because…” prejudices. We just need to learn to outgrow them.
And now, to sleep.

Peace.

¹ – From the All Things Considered website

Sunday
Relatively quiet and relaxed day. Nice way to spend the last day of the weekend.

• I don’t know WHAT possessed me, but I went for a ride today. About 5.5 miles. Good thing. I decided to go around 13:00. Not so bright thing. But, it was a good ride.
• I was going to go around 11:30, but discovered that the World Cup Final was on, so I plopped down to watch it… or the second half of it, rather. Both teams played a great game. Congratulations to Brazil for their record-setting fifth World Cup victory.
• Drove around the southeastern part of the valley (Draper and Sandy), for a while. I figured: I’ve been here for 3½ years, I should see more of the valley that I haven’t explored.
• Went to the Sandy Barnes & Noble, for a change of pace. On the way out, I saw this (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) in the parking lot. A ’56 Corvette. 245 V-8 under the hood; I saw it, but didn’t get pics.
• Came home and finished working on this. m3lody sent me the lineart and told me to practice coloring using that. So, I did. Then, I added the background and… voila!

Peace.