Concert Tonight!!!!!!!! Oh Yeah… Also SLC Schtuff!

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We’re in Salt Lake City (LOREENA MCKENNITT CONCERT AT 7:30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and I spent my afternoon at Temple Square looking at all the museums and exhibits. The Tabernacle is open again and it was interesting to see inside. It was closed for renovations when we were here in October and it was pretty much the only thing I really wanted to see. (Not that I don’t like Temple Square. It’s pretty and the missionary sisters are so nice even after I tell them that I’m not in the market for a new belief system but should I be wanting to change mine, I’ll give them a call.) I didn’t get to confound any of them this time in multiple languages but I know I’ll do that the next time I’m down here.

While seeking out the Tabernacle, I found the Family History Library and the Museum of Church History and Art. Duuuuuuude… history museum. *drools* I walked around and scared the daylights out of the volunteers with my mad history skillz (and the lovely information from the PBS special). I also found out that I’m allowed in the Conference Center (which is a megalithic white building with waterfalls going down the face of it) even though I’m a heathen so I decided to go tour it.

Well… the Conference Center is MASSIVE (seats 21,000 people in a concert hall/theater setting, has a lovely stage, and a nice pulpit) and has lots of open areas to allow for flow of people. The nice elderly gentleman giving me a tour made sure to give me lots of tidbits on Mormon doctrine and one of the other women asked pointedly if I’d read the Book of Mormon. The paintings and all were nice… except not theologically/historically correct (i.e. Jerusalem at the time of Jesus did *NOT* have the Dome of the Rock in the skyline). I also knew a bit about the Mormon historical figures that I saw and could better explain the acoustical architecture of the Tabernacle than our guide could. (I am such a brat when it comes to history.)

I’m back at the motel, leaving Jon to finish and pay for dinner (hopefully he’s not having to wash dishes) and I’m going to go rest my blistered feet (the tourists were all whispering about the sweet little girl walking around Temple Square barefoot) and get my clothes ready for tonight.

LOREENA MCKENNITT CONCERT IN JUST OVER AN HOUR!!!!! *squees excitedly*

Early Morning Ramblings

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I couldn’t get back to sleep after I was awakened at 5:30 am by a black cat sitting on my bladder. (She was snuggly so I forgave her.) I tried watching CNN to get back to sleep and ended up being more awake.

So here’s my take on the news today:

Huge twister hammers Kansas town
My heart goes out to y’all. Seriously, it does. I can’t imagine living in a place where 75% of the town is damaged in one tornado. You’ll be in our prayers.

I’m thankful that the story on the tornado was treated with enough importance and that the following didn’t overshadow it…

Paris Hilton sentenced to 45 days in jail
This reminds me of a CSI:Miami/CSI episode where a guy is killing off socialites. When Horatio catches him and tells him he’s going to prison, the guy tells him he’s wrong and says, “Rich people don’t go to jail.” I’m thankful that this is not the case with Paris Hilton. I hate to say that there is some serious schadenfreude going on here because Paris Hilton makes me vomit and it’s so wonderful to see her actually being held accountable for being a ditzy socialite. Her excuse: “I didn’t know it was still suspended — I don’t read my mail.” Uh yeah… and that thing in your glove compartment that you signed saying that you knew you weren’t supposed to drive? Sorry sweetie… not working. My props to Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer for actually holding her accountable.

Reviewing “The Mormons”: The Good, The Bad, and My Rating

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Netscape ate my entry.Â? Bad Netscape!

I watched the last 90 minutes of Part I last night and all of Part II today.Â? Part I was the history of the church and Part II was basically the Mormons today.

The Good
-very good narration and commentary on the history of the church including the mindset of Joseph Smith.
-those interviewed were well-spoken
-discussion of how those practicing polygamy actually lived
-they explained the background and events of the Mountain Meadows Massacre
-the discussion of polygamy today
-Part II gave a realistic picture of the Mormon life
-the interview with one of the young women from the family part where she talks about her illness (primary pulmonary arrhythmia or something — it was a heart condition where the prognosis is 2-5 years)
-the showing of the missionary training as well as missionary life
-interviews with students, LDS leadership, and those who were excommunicated for dissenting

The Bad
-the lack of knowledge of Church History (or even just plain American History) outside of anything pertaining to the LDS — they were talking about how they were the most persecuted people in America and I was left wondering if these “historians” knew anything about slavery, Jim Crow laws, internment camps for the Japanese, and other atrocities that have been committed in this country.Â? I also wonder if they realize that Christianity was an outlawed religion until 313 AD — people suffered MUCH worse fates than the first Mormons did and there are countries around the world that persecute Christians today.

My Rating
4.5 out of 5 stars

Mormons and Clothes

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While the world was mildly coming to an end outside (translation: a little bit of thunder and lightning), I was watching the PBS special on the Mormons which has been running for the last couple days and I heard one of the Mormon bigwigs (I think he’s a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles or something) was talking about how the Mormons were SOOOOOOO persecuted and no other group has ever seen as much persecution in this country as they had. (Apparently this person hasn’t heard of slavery and Jim Crow laws.) OK… I know Mormons are big on their Church History but they seem to be ignoring the first 300 years of Christianity in the Roman Empire. (Do those years not apply to them?)Â? It’s not like people were lit on fire, beheaded, crucified, killed on the wheel, burned alive, or drowned during that time or anything…

Clothes
My in-laws gave me a HUGE gift certificate from THE BESTEST CLOTHING SITE IN THE WORLD (a.k.a. Lands’ End) so I devoured the latest Lands’ End catalog while I was waiting for the lightning to go away (so I could plug my modem back in).Â? I found some stuff that I can use to look nice and professional (at least until I can learn to sew and make my own wannabe-professional suits) as well as some cropped pants so I can have cool stuff to wear during the summer.

OK… off to go crochet and watch more of the PBS special!

PC Speech Has a Time and Place

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Last night, I did a meme on MySpace where you filled in X’s regarding statements that fit you and it determined a fake ethnicity for you. One of my friends from college (who is bi-racial) was the one who originally posted it and I went along with it for giggles. Well… apparently someone on my friends-list didn’t like it and commented about how they found it offensive and that we don’t need these vast assumptions and generalizations.

Yeah…

On the one hand, I agree with them because a lot of the statements were stereotypical (i.e. the Irish ones had to do with liking beer, liking the color green, and going to St. Paddy’s Day parties) but… on the other hand, it was a meme for fun and I took it as such.Â? I commented back, saying that their opinion was duly noted and I understood their point even though I disagreed.

Later,Â? I was watching “Celebrity Fit Club” (yes, I know some of you have moral and ethical issues with the show) and one of the contestants this season is Dustin Diamond who played “Screech” on “Saved by the Bell”.Â? He is trying to distance himself from “Screech” and is just being an absolute jerk in the process.Â? The other 7 cast members support each other despite the fact that the teams are men vs. women — Dustin, on the other hand, just rips people apart.Â? He got all bothered because he was talking about his pr0n tape at dinner during the second fitcamp and people weren’t paying attention to him alone.Â? Yeah… sorry but a meal is not the time nor the place to discuss these things.Â? He ended up just cursing everybody out and he’s threatening to quit the show next episode.Â? My thought: good freaking riddance.

So… back to the subject line, which occasion is the more appropriate time for PC speech: a blog which all of 10 people read and is passworded or… a televised gathering over a meal?Â? Ideally, the answer is both places but the televised gathering is the more realistic answer.Â? Not to mention… people don’t HAVE to read my MySpace blog — it’s not like I really ever post there.

I would love to be able to say “if you don’t like it, don’t read it” but that would be wrong for some unexplained reason.Â? All I know is this: there is a time and place for politically-correct speech and that meme post was not either of them.

Rich Mullins

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I’m listening to some Rich Mullins music on Napster that was either re-released after his death or was compiled from studio recordings.Â? It’s interesting to listen to him teach songs and to banter with the people.Â? I only really know of him from his music (which describes my faith in ways that nobody else does) and because of his work with the Native American community.Â? He’s been dead for almost 10 years and he left behind an amazing body of work that continues to flourish as if he was still with us.

The most interesting piece is him doing “Praise Ye the Lord” with the audience and telling them that they “sound like Lutherans” when they were being kind of stiff and formal.Â? As much as I hate to admit it, Lutherans can be like that when singing praise songs.Â? I remember my friend Laura and I getting the clapping and hand motions started during Synod Assembly last year — t’was fun and for a moment, it really didn’t matter that people were staring at us like we were crazy.

Hopefully, I have another experience like that again this year.